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విజయానికి ఎనిమిది మెట్లు – విజయదశమి!

మహిషాసురుని అంతమొందించిన విజయదశమి రానే వచ్చింది. మహిషాసురుడంటేనే దుర్గుణాలకు ప్రతీక. మరి దుర్గాదేవేమో శక్తి స్వరూపం. దేవతలంతా తమ శక్తిని చేర్చి, ఆయుధాలన్నింటినీ కూర్చి సన్నద్ధం చేసిన దేవత దుర్గ. ఇప్పటి రోజుల్లో మహిషాసురుడు లేకపోవచ్చు. కానీ అజ్ఞానం, అలసత్వం, అపజయం వంటి దుర్గుణాలన్నీ మహిషునితో సమానమే. ఆ బలహీనతలను జయించలేకపోతే, జీవితమనే యుద్ధంలో పరాజయం తప్పదు! ఒక్కసారి ఆ కనకదర్గను కళ్లముందు నిల్పుకుంటే ఆమె ప్రతి చేతిలోనూ విజయానికి సంబంధించిన సూచనలు కనిపిస్తాయి. శంఖం: యుద్ధాన్ని ప్రారంభిస్తూ అమ్మవారు శంఖాన్ని పూరించగానే, మహిషాసురుని గుండెలు అదిరిపోయాయి. శంఖాన్ని పూరించడం అంటే సమరానికి మనం సన్నద్ధమన్న విషయాన్ని తెలియచేయడమే. శ్రీకృష్ణుని పాంచజన్య నినాదంతోనే కదా కురుక్షేత్రం మొదలైంది. జీవితంలో ఎలాంటి సమస్య ఎదురైనా వెనుతిరగకుండా, దాన్ని ఎదుర్కోవాలని శంఖం చెబుతోంది. అనుకున్న పనిని సాధించేందుకు సిద్ధంగా ఉండాలన్న సంకేతాన్ని అది అందిస్తోంది.   విల్లు, బాణం: విల్లుని ఎక్కుపెట్టి బాణాన్ని సంధించడం లక్ష్యసాధనను గుర్తుచేస్తుంది. ప్రతి మనిషికీ ఏదో ఒక లక్ష్యం ఉండాలి. బాణాన్ని సంధించాలి అంటే ఏదో ఒక గురిని ఏర్పరుచుకుని ఉండాలి కదా! ఇతిహాసాల్లో మరో దృశ్యం కూడా కనిపిస్తుంది. వీరులు తాము సంధించిన బాణాన్ని వృథాగా పోనిచ్చేవారు కాదు. అంటే మన శక్తి సామర్థ్యాలను అనవసరమైన పనుల మీద, వ్యసనాల మీదా కేంద్రీకరించకుండా… ఉన్నతమైన లక్ష్యాన్ని ఏర్పరుచుకుని దాని వైపు గురి చూసి మన శక్తిని వదిలితే ఇక విజయం మనదే!   చక్రం: బాణం దిశను సూచిస్తుంది. సూటిగా లక్ష్యాన్ని ఛేదిస్తుంది. కానీ చక్రానికి దశ కూడా ఉంటుంది. ఎన్ని మలుపులని దాటుకునైనా, ఎంత ఎత్తుని చేరుకునైనా… శత్రువుని బట్టి తన వేగాన్నీ, మార్గాన్నీ మార్చుకుని చివరికి అనుకున్నది సాధిస్తుంది. విజయం సాధించాలంటే సూటిగా దూసుకుపోవడం ఒక్కటే మార్గం కాదు. దానికి ఒక ప్రణాళిక ఉండాలి, ఎప్పటికప్పడు దాన్ని సమీక్షించుకోవాలి, అవసరమైన మార్పులు చేసుకోవాలి, ఎత్తుకి పైఎత్తు వేయాలి… చివరికి గమ్యాన్ని చేరుకోవాలి. ఇంతటి ప్రభావం ఉన్నది కాబట్టే శ్రీకృష్ణుడు సైతం సుదర్శన చక్రాన్ని ఆయుధంగా తన చెంతనే ఉంచుకున్నాడు.   గద: మనిషికి తొలి ఆయుధం గద. ఆ తర్వాతే బాణాలు వచ్చాయి. కంటికి ఎదురుకుండా ఉన్న సమస్యను ఎదుర్కోవడానికి గదే సరైన ఆయుధం. ఎక్కడో ఉన్న లక్ష్యాలను ఛేదించడమే కాదు, ముందు మన ఎదురుగా ఉన్న బలహీనతలను చావగొట్టమని గద చెబుతోంది. పైగా గద శారీరక దృఢత్వాన్ని సూచిస్తుంది. దాని బలమంతా మన కండబలం మీదే ఆధారపడి ఉంది. లక్ష్యసాధనలో పడి చాలామంది చేసే పొరపాటు ఇదే! మెదడుతోనే అంతా సాధించగలమని అనుకుంటూ, ఆరోగ్యాన్ని అశ్రద్ధ చేస్తారు. జీవితంలో పరిపూర్ణతని సాధించాలంటే శరీర దృఢత్వం కూడా అవసరమని గదాయుధం చెబుతోంది.   తామరపూవు: చక్రం వంటి ఆయుధం ఇచ్ఛాశక్తిని (మెదడు) సూచిస్తే, గద వంటి ఆయుధాలు క్రియాశక్తిని (శరీరం) సూచిస్తాయి. మరి జీవితం సఫలం కావాలంటే జ్ఞానం కూడా అవసరమే కదా! అందుకే అమ్మవారిని ఇచ్ఛాశక్తి, క్రియాశక్తి, జ్ఞానశక్తి స్వరూపిణీ అంటారు. ఆ జ్ఞానానికి చిహ్నమే తామర. వికసించిన మనసుకీ, దైవత్వానికి తామరను గుర్తుగా చెబుతారు. బురద కొలనులో ఉన్నా తనదైన రూపాన్ని వదులుకోదు. నీటిలో ఉన్నా తడిని అంటనివ్వదు. ఒకరకంగా చెప్పాలంటే నిజమైన కర్మయోగికి అసలైన చిహ్నం తామరపూవు. ఖడ్గం: ఖడ్గానికి తనదైన విచక్షణ ఉండదు. అది చేసేది తప్పా, ఒప్పా అన్నది దాన్ని చేపట్టిన మనిషికే ఉంటుంది. కాబట్టి ఖడ్గాన్ని విచక్షణకు ప్రతిరూపంగా భావించవచ్చు. ఇక ఖడ్గానికి ఉండే పదును, ప్రతి విషయాన్నీ సునిశితంగా పరిశీలించమని చెబుతుంది. కన్నుమూసి తెరిచేలోపల ఖడ్గం చేసే విన్యాసం, చురుకుదనాన్ని సూచిస్తుంది. వాదర ఉన్న కత్తి వేటు పడితే, ఎక్కడికక్కడ తెగి పడాల్సిందే. జీవితంలో మంచిని చెడునీ; ధర్మాన్నీ అధర్మాన్నీ దేనికది నిర్దాక్షిణ్యంగా విడగొట్టుకోమని ఖడ్గం సూచిస్తోంది.   శూలం: అమ్మవారిని లలితాసహస్రనామంలో భాగంగా `శూలాద్యాయుధసంపన్నా` అని పిలుస్తారు. శూలం వంటి ఆయుధాలతో విలసిల్లే దేవత అని దీని అర్థం. మహిషాసురునితో ఎన్ని రకాలుగా యుద్ధం చేసినా దుర్గామాత చివరికి శూలంతోనే అతడిని సంహరించింది. గురిచూసి చావు దెబ్బ తీయడానికి (strike/final blow) శూలాన్ని గుర్తుగా భావించవచ్చు. అందుకే ప్రళయకారుడైన రుద్రుడు కూడా త్రిశూలాన్నే ఆయుధంగా అమర్చుకున్నాడు. విజయాన్ని సాధిస్తే దానికి ఇంత తిరుగు ఉండకూడదు అన్న సత్యాన్ని త్రిశూలం చెబుతోంది. బలహీనతలను చావగొడితే అవి మళ్లీ తలెత్తకూడదు అని హెచ్చరిస్తోంది.   అభయహస్తం: ఆఖరుదైనా అన్నింటికంటే ముఖ్యమైనది అమ్మవారి అభయహస్తం. మిగతా ఆయుధాలతో మానవప్రయత్నం ఎంతగా చేసినా దైవానుగ్రహం లేనిదే విజయం సాధ్యం కాదనీ చెబుతోంది. అంతేకాదు! మనం చేసే ప్రతి పనికీ ఆ అమ్మవారి ఆశీస్సులు ఉంటాయనీ, ఒకవేళ పరాజయం పొందినా నిరుత్సాహపడకుండా సాధించేదాకా ప్రయత్నించమనీ అమ్మవారు అభయమిస్తున్నారు. .....- నిర్జర.

Me, I, I am Exploring within... More on Anger

  Allowing the Anger to take an appropriate direction is good to start with but It's very important to address the root cause for Anger. Most of the times some out side incidents trigger Anger in us. So we start believing out side world is the reason for the anger. The world, people and situations have just triggered Anger in us. So, we infact should thank and have gratitude to what ever has triggered anger in us. It has given us an opportunity to work on something that has been suppressed for a very long time. Trigger points might be carrying  static energy over a period of time. Now we should allow this static energy to take some shape and get some motion and allow it to be release in an appropriate direction. Some times we are aware of the root cause for the Anger. And being aware might not solve the issue. As mentioned above since its stuck we need to allow it to move and then release it. In my own case I could release Anger in an inner child workshop with Dr. Newton kondaveti. I could relate to it in mud therapy. Mud therapy is a wonderful healing technique. Apart from Anger many other suppressed emotions can be released when we work with a professional. I realised I had Anger towards my parents. It's very difficult to handle Anger when we have it towards our parents. The moment we realise that it's towards them, guilt starts pouring in- We are supposed to love our parents.............. how can I have Anger towards them????They sacrificed their whole life for me........... how can I have Anger towards them? They are actually such wonderful people........... How can I even think in this way? May be I am bad my self? They can never go wrong..........I am supposed to worship them how can I have Anger towards them?????? Not just these more self sabotaging thoughts start pouring, so it's very important you have some one to guide you when these thoughts and feelings surface....... I my self realised it was Anger that was surfacing when I was working in Mud therapy. When the facilitator guided me further I realised it was towards my parents....... I was shocked!!!!, I was ashamed........ to have such thoughts towards my parents.........I started crying and all the thoughts mentioned above started pouring in. With the the help of the innerchild facilitator I could release this Anger, which I was not even aware of!!!!!....... After this experience, now I am able to feel and accept that pure love from my parents. Because of such negative emotions stored In the static form we restrict ourselves from receiving pure love that's all around us...... So friends it's very important for us to work on ourselves to resolve many life situations that we face.  More on Anger in the next article   Nagavalli Cherukuri Rebirther

Festival Health !

    Festivals come, Festivals go.....some people have this habit of procrastinating important jobs when occasions and events come around...if its time to go see a Doctor, they say, let Dassera go, i will see a Doctor.. let Diwali come, i will visit relatives and  then plan to visit a Hospital. These festivals should not be an excuse to stay health conscious and active...most of us convince themselves and others around, come Ganesh Chaturdhi and let me eat some sweets, after this festival i will think of my Diabetes control plan..and then the other festivals follow and the blood sugar readings climb high. Dont you see this kinda mentality almost in every family..in your family, in my family ! It is true that festivals reflect traditions and bring celebrations and family reunions, sametime they should not be the reason for a health decline or a shocking medical report. We can cook healthy even if it is a festival day ! Also Dandiya and Garba can be considered to be a healthy festive workout.     Avoid deep fried dishes, gravy curries, more than one sweet recipes and try to make sweets with brown sugar or jaggery instead or think of mildly sweetened savories. Follow some food replacement tricks Ike Instead of using Bombay rava, use Wheat rava, replace Maida ( All purpose flour ) with unbleached Whole wheat flour, replace whole milk with low fat milk etc. Let festivals be the beginning to a healthy life, similar to the feeling of festivals being an auspicious start to a wedded life or a successful business or construction. Can we all change our festive attitude for good ?!   --pratyusha

Learning From A Zebra

Nature is wide and varied. It has many things to teach us. The creatures living in it, and even the non-living elements has something to tell us. That was the reason why Lord Dattreya has stated, that he has 24 gurus in nature. Zebra is not certainly among the list. But it’s interesting to find some characters of Zebra that gives us a hint of living skills. Unique: Zebras have a pattern of black and white stripes over their body. It is said that every Zebra has a sole pattern of these stripes. Even though the researchers have not concluded, these were believed to be their identification. Which means, a zebra can be identified by others in the group, with the help of the those stripes. Zebras leave a hint for others to be unique and stay unique. Uniqueness would be your identification. Social but not social: Zebras are social animals, they move in groups. They face the small predators (like the jackals) unitedly. But some sub-species of Zebras has a unique trait. They are social, but are ready to get away from the group at any time. Which means… though they seem to be part of the group- they have a sense of detachment within them. A Zebra indicates us to stay in the world- but with a sense of detachment! Alertness: Zebras have better senses than the horses, which are their relative species. Their eyes are positioned to have a wider angle, their ears are shaped to grasp the slightest of sound, their vision works even during the night. Moreover, they can sleep even in a standing posture, to be ready for a take off from the predators.  Zebras live in jungle freely, and they always have enough tatics to espace their predators. Still they won’t neglect the perils around their life. Confusing the enimies: Zebras have many tactics to confuse the animals chasing them. When a predator looks the herd of zebras, the stripes of all zebras together confuses the killer. It’s hard to distinguish the individual Zebras from a distance. That might probably be the reason, why a group of zebras were called as `Dazzle`! Even if the predators chooses to run against a particular Zebra, it won’t be an easy meat. The zebra runs in a zigzag movement. Such movements makes it unpredictable for the chaser. Confusing the enemy and making unpredictable moves keep a Zebra safe from the predators. Never be a slave: People are ready to do anything even for a tiny favor. Over obedience is the common trait that can be found everywhere. Zebras gives a cue against such behavious. Zebras can indeed pull carts and run at a speed of 60 k.m per hour. Though zebras belong to a common race of horses, they have never allowed humans to domesticate them. Every attempt to domesticate Zebra has utterly failed. And Zebras were leading their own lives in the jungles peacefully. - Nirjara.

Me, I, I am Exploring within: Handling the Guilt

  Friends in my previous article I mentioned about taking responsibility. We started learning to take responsibility of certain simple consequences in our life. And in the process of doing so we can feel the lightness we experience. We slowly develop " It's my life, the ball is in my court " attitude. We are not at the mercy of someone or something. Slowly we get control of our life.   By now you would have observed that, before we took responsibility of our life situations, we were in constant WAIT. Waiting for people to change. Waiting for the situations to change. Waiting for the right moment. Waiting for the right opportunity. And just waiting and doing nothing. Now there is more action and happening in life as we learn to take responsibility. For all those who could relate and feel the lightness it's fine. But if there are any traces of heaviness I warn you. Please stop! There could be many reasons and meanings for the heaviness. It's important for us to understand more about what the heaviness is before we move ahead. Chances of getting into Guilt trip are more in the process of taking responsibility of the situations. One reason for heaviness could be this GUILT CONSCIOUSNESS, some where deep inside. Please note, the situation in which it's difficult to take responsibility has nothing to do with this guilt. The situation has only  triggered the guilt. So it's very important for us to resolve the root cause for the guilt. It is always a good idea to take help from your near and dear. Choose a person who listens to you. Any advice from the listener will drive you into more and more guilt. So be careful choosing the person you wish to talk to!!!! And some times professional help can easily untie the knot and we will be able to move forward. You can locate a counsellor or a psychologist, a regression therapist or a rebirther who can give you some run down exercises and guide you to resolve the deep-rooted cause for the guilt. In my personal journey I identified my guilt consciousness develop at a very early age. It was deep rooted. To protect my self from these negative feelings I used to put up bold front all the time. And display ' I am never wrong' attitude. I distanced my self from who ever tried to prove me wrong. I could untie my guilt consciousness in one of my past life regression sessions with Dr. Newton. My mother and maternal uncle suffered severe health condition after my birth. This was attributed to the birth-star I was born into. Unknowingly I cursed and blamed my self and took responsibility for their health condition. Here, you should note I took responsibility for their health condition. Chances of developing guilt could be taking responsibility for someone else's life situations not yours. It's very important to understand "my thing" and "others' thing". And then act. Like in the examples we quoted in the previous article. In spite of giving your best checking the kids dairy, spending enough time and guiding the child appropriately if the child still fails to respond as intended there is more to it than "taking responsibility"   .......Nagavalli Cherukuri Rebirther

I AM MALALA

Feeling lazy to get up early in the morning and leave for school and college? Cursing the guy who started the concept of schools and exams? Well!! That’s the difference between us and Malala Yousafzai!! She was shot in the head by the Taliban because she just wanted to go to school like the rest of us. She won the nobel peace prize because that attack never stopped her after that. Malala Yousafzai, most of us must have heard about her. She was attacked because she raised her voice to fight for her own rights. The Taliban shot her to silence her and her fight. Instead they silenced the fear inside her. Forever. Even after being shot, being in coma for about a week, learning to walk and talk all over again, moving away from their favorite place, their home, when asked what she would do if she ever met the guy who shot her she replied, “ I won’t do anything to him. I am not even angry at him. If I also attack him then what is the difference between him and me. Instead I’ll tell him the importance of education and ask him to stop misusing the name of religion” To speak with such maturity is highly commendable. A mere 18 year old to have so much courage to come before the world and talk to people right in their face and tell about her story and not worry about her own life is amazing. Did you know, she met the American president, and told him directly that he should not be sending drones like he is? That takes guts !  Just wonder how many death threats she might be getting from the Taliban each day. What is even more fascinating is even after doing so much, visiting places, she never stopped going to school. She was in school when the news about her winning the Nobel peace prize reached her. Although she was given the permission to leave, she said she wanted to stay and complete her school day before she can go for any press interviews that followed. Now that is determination. What we can learn from her is the very courage and determination she is showing. We can learn that things should not be taken for granted. There are kids out there without chairs and desks in school, without teachers and some with no schools at all. We are fortunate enough to be able to witness and experience schooling which helps us to find our true self. All we can do is support her by getting education and helping others get it. There is a Malala Yousafzai in all of us. Awaken it!! I AM MALALA!! ARE YOU?   -- Kunde Sanjana

While We Watch

  Screens have become a part of our life. Screen of a computer, of a TV and even of a mobile is continuously held before our eyes. They have become our external eyes to look at the world. But in the excitement of looking at those screens, we often ignore the fact that they might damage our natural eyes. Here are some of the ways how that happens, and a few precautions that might be taken…   Brightness:     We often forget to make adjustments to the brightness and contrast of our screens. After a while our eyes get accustomed to the factory set values of brightness. It’s often shocking that some of the screens are set at 90-100% of brightness. Many people don’t even bother to adjust the brightness of their mobiles. So… spend some time to know the values at which the brightness and contrast were set in your monitors, mobiles and TV screens. You will feel surprised, that things appear much better and cool when you bring down the values to a comfortable position.   Distance:     We have heard a lot of things about maintaining distance while watching a TV. But things have changed a lot; screens have gone through a bit of revolution. Maintaining a distance of 6 feet before a TV doesn’t seem valid for an 80 inch screen! So it’s better to decide the distance based on the size of your monitor. It would be interesting to find that there is a distance prescribed even for watching the screen of a smart phone. Experts say that at least a distance of 14-16 inches should be maintained to watch a smart phone.  If you can’t watch the text at that distance, it’s better to increase the font size rather than bringing the screen closer to your eyes. But a study reveals that people were handling their mobiles with just a distance of 7 inches… that’s right in front of your eyes!   Blink:   Most of the people living around the screens complain about the dryness in their eyes.  This happens because, we often forget to blink while we are immersed in the monitor, particularly when we are watching a movie or playing an exciting game. Blinking is an essential routine for an eye. It would moisture the eyes and prevents their dryness. Experts have found out a way for the eyes to be relieved from the stress of concentrating on the monitor. They are suggesting a method called 20/20/20 which means- looking at a distance of 20 feet away from the screen for a period of 20 second for every 20 minutes.   Time:   As our lives have grown mechanical, we have become addicted to our gadgets. People are normally seen drowned into their mobile screens. A recent study has shown that people in the countries of UK, US, Canada, Australia and Germany were spending more than 6 hours a day for watching the screens. And that’s just an average! We often take up the mobile into our hands or switch on the computer for some specific task, but ends up in browsing some worthless stuff.  After a bit of recollection, if we feel that we are wasting much time… it’s better to keep our browsing time under control. Apart from the above precautions, a few more remedies like- having healthy food that improves our vision; wearing glasses that are anti radiant; switching to anti glare monitors; sleeping for enough time… would also let our eyes to be in a healthy state.   --Nirjara

While We Mail

As the dependence on written letters has diminished and as the graph of the e-mail usage was heading straight towards the skies, people still seem to be ignoring some basic rules that might make their mail much perfect and formal as a written one. Some factors that might portray our mail in an effective manner are as follows… Never forget the subject: People often write a huge emotional mail, but forget to mention the subject for it. Even though our mail services warn us of adding a subject before sending the mail, we hurry to click the ‘send’ button ignoring the caution. People in high profiles often get numerous mails in their inbox; they might not have enough time and patience to go through each and every mail. A blank left in the space of subject might be left unattended.  A subject is important not just for the receiver but also for the sender. It would be confusing to look at a page of sent mails without any subject written over them. They would serve as the key words for the mail sent by us.  A subject in fact is the face of our mail, so never miss it!   The Language: A mail can be electronic, but still can be polite while we are formal and poetic while being informal. Drafting a mail is in fact nothing less than an art. Even a legal notice can be written in the most polite manner.  And don’t forget to spell check your mail by the end. Silly mistakes like ‘soul’ instead of ‘sole’ might prove disastrous. Technicalities: Be aware of the technical words and the menu options associated with the mail. For example the ‘CC’ in the mail means just a carbon copy and ‘BCC’ would mean a blind carbon copy. If you wish to send a mail to multiple addresses without letting them know that it’s a bulk message… you should use the BCC method for sending the mail.  Be accustomed about the utilities like font change, adding signature etc. The spam: People often ignore the spam mail. It might not be harmful to overlook the spam, but often some mails which are genuine might stuck up in it. So if you are a regular user, it’s better to open the spam folder once in a while and verify the contents. But never click a link or download a file in the spam mail, when you are not sure. As a record: A mail is not just a medium to send and receive letters. It is in fact a form of record for your communication. You may not have a computer or an external hard disk, but can certainly store huge data in your mail. The Gmail for instance provides 15 GB of data to be stored in formats such as mails and attachments. So never delete a record unless you are sure of its futility. And you can save data such as photos and e-books as mere drafts. In such a way you can access your data anyway and anytime. But be assured of having  a backup of the data in your mail, so that you may not face an adverse situation if something goes wrong with your mail account.   --Nirjara

yes, he loves me

Couple of days back, I happened to meet my childhood friend, Soniya's husband on some official work of mine which is related to his domain. Our meeting took place in his office where I have realized that the capacity he is working with that prestigious organization is much more higher than  what we all assumed. However, he was very delighted to see us and warm in receiving us  and extended his support to the concerns we had. On my way back, I called up Soniya to say thanks for helping me out in getting her husband's time at work place. She was equally happy and said it will be pleasure for both of them to help friends and above all, the very joyful thing she shared with me is her hubby not only loves her a lot but respects her and her people too. Isn't this a wonderful feeling? And trust me, she also will never lease any opportunity to recognize her husband's efforts put in to see her happy.     When Soniya shared this with me, I could recollect those days when She was newly married and moved to a new place along with husband. There she got an opportunity to meet new people, experience new life style.. More so than anything else, she always used to write to me that she found a friend for life time and he is none other than her life partner. If a relationship brings you a friendship for life time, confidence and comfort throughout then life seems beautiful. If you also feel such moments in life acknowledge them. If you too embrace such moments show your gratitude to the universe.     When we appreciate simple joys and happiness they become big one day. Indeed life is a collection of small pleasures which lead to immense satisfaction. So catch that moment and grow that feeling with your positive emotions and appreciation. Life is all about celebration.. Go for it!   --Bhavana

"Teenage Tantrums"

This week is different. I will be writing about a complaint that almost all the teenagers have!! “My parents can never understand me! They do not know anything about me!!” Yes, most of us feel the same. Truly, our parents can never understand us and our world. Because we live in a complete dream land. That can sometimes be good as well as bad. We act like we have lived our life so much, that we are always right and are in a  position to take the right decisions. Sometimes we really do. As we are today’s generation, we understand today’s world better than our parents. Honestly ,it’s a little frustrating when your parents give you some age old advice that will clearly not work-out in today’s scenario. We all go like, “Oh my God!! Please. I know what I am doing!! So please stay out of this!”       Does it sound rude to you when you are reading this? Yes it is. That’s how you sound while telling your mom or dad the very same dialogue. I agree that they might not have a perfect idea of the world that you are living in right now, but clearly you do not have a right to yell back at them in any way you want to. Yes, I do know that I am sounding like a big old grand-mother right now. But that’s the truth. They freakin’ brought you into this world. Give them some priority. Have you ever shared anything personal with them?   We never ever talk to our parents about stuff like relationship advice, fights with our best friend or as a matter of fact about our studies too. (They get to know about this somehow. Well that’s a different matter!! ;-) ) As they have already gone through this phase of life, they might come up with a solution for the problem It might not sound ideal. But, hey!! No harm in trying right. Atleast we can try and hear them out.     “My life, My Rules”.  Pretty fancy of us to say out lines like this. But, most of us are not even clear what our life is and what is its purpose and we do not have the faintest idea of what we want to do in our lives that can make us a stable individual. It’s a fast world out there. You have to be faster to survive in it. Do you know how you can make yourself faster? Your parents are putting restrictions on you, to make you stronger. To prepare you for the worse.    Ok , let me put it this way!! By being harsh and stubborn, they want to show you and prepare you for how the world is going to treat you once you get out into it. It’s for your best. But yes, Sometimes, it can really get onto our nerves.    So, on behalf of all the teenagers out there, all I can say to the parents is that, we know you care about us a lot. We also know that you will do good for us all the time. But we sometimes tend to disobey you, because we want to try and go about ourselves and see what’s right and what’s wrong!! We do not want to be spoon fed. We want to explore. And we are doing all this only because, we have the confidence that even if we fall, you are there to help us get up, brush off the dust and get us ready for the next jump. So it is ok to let some decisions be taken all by ourselves instead of constantly nagging about it when we go wrong. Let us taste failure. Only then maybe we’ll realize the importance of some valuable advice coming from you. And when you do that, you won’t believe, how happy we feel and how we go about telling people that we have the most coolest and the awesomest parents on earth!!! That being said, I also want to add. Please stop all the emotional black-mailing you do. Please!! It does get us into such a mess and we literally feel helpless. ;-)   Sincerely, SANJANA KUNDE.

" సర్దుకు పోవటమా? " నో వే..!!

ఈ ప్రపంచం లో నాకు నచ్చని ఒకే ఒక్క మాట ." సర్దుకు పోవటం."     ఈ రోజుల్లో ఎవరిని కదిపినా మనకు వినిపించే మాట ఇది. ఈ స్టేట్మెంట్ తో పాటు కొన్ని అనుబంద ప్రశ్నలు కూడా వేస్తారు..".అసలు ఎందుకు సర్దుకుపోవాలి ? ", నేనే ఎందుకు సర్దుకు పోవాలి ?", అంటూ ఒక పది ప్రశ్నలు అయినా మనమీదకి దూసుకు వస్తాయి..పొరపాటున " సర్దుకోవచ్చు" కదా ! అని మనం సలహా చెప్పగానే . అదేదో వాళ్ళ ఆస్తి రాసి ఇమ్మన్నట్టు , చేయకూడని పని చేయమన్నట్టు చూస్తారు మన వైపు.     ఎక్కడా , ఎవరి మధ్యా ఈ సర్దుకు పోవటం అన్న ప్రశ్నే లేదు...అది ఏ సంబంధం అయినా కానీయండి., ఇదంతా సరే ..ఈ మద్య అబ్బాయిలు, అమ్మాయిలు పెళ్లి చేసుకోవటానికి తెగ ఆలోచిస్తున్నది ...ఎందుకు అంటే ..ఇందుకే..అదేనండి ..ఎక్కడ సర్దుకు పోవాల్సి వస్తుందో అని. ఇద్దరూ సర్దుకుపోవటానికి సిద్దం గా లేరు కాబట్టి , గొడవలు ఎలాగు తప్పవు. ఆ గోలంతా ఎందుకు అసలు పెళ్ళే మానస్తే పోలే ? అన్న అభిప్రాయానికి వచ్చేస్తున్నారు..దాంతో పాటు  పెళ్లి చేసుకోవటానికి కొన్ని లక్షలు ఖర్చు , ఆ పైన వద్దు అనుకుంటే విడి పోవటానికి మరికొన్ని లక్షలు ఖర్చు, కొన్ని రోజుల ముచ్చటగా మిగిలే దానికోసం ఇంత డబ్బులు వేస్ట్ ఎందుకు? హాయిగా లివింగ్ రిలేషన్ అయతే ..రూపాయి ఖర్చు ఉండదు. నచ్చితే కలసి వుంటాం, లేదంటే బై చెప్పి బయటకి వచ్చేస్తాం. సో సింపుల్ , .అనేస్తున్నారు.   బామ్మలు, అమ్మమ్మలు,తాతమ్మలు ముక్కున వేలేసుకున్నా., ఇది మన పద్దతి కాదని మొత్తుకున్నా."సారీ ..ఈ ప్రపంచం లో నాకు నచ్చని ఒకే ఒక్కమాట సర్దుకు పోవటం...అలా పోవాలి అంటే ఏది వదులు కోవటానికి అయినా నేను రెడీ. "అని ఖచ్చితం గా సెల్ పగలు కొట్టి మరి చెబుతున్నారు (కుండ ఔట్ డేటెడ్ అయ్పోయింది కదా ).       అమ్మానాన్నతో సర్దుకు పోలేరు ....ఇల్లు వదిలి వెళ్ళిపోతారు ,   అన్నదమ్ములతో సర్దుకు పోలేరు....మాటలు మానేస్తారు.   అత్తగారితో సర్దుకు పోలేరు ....వేరు కాపురం పెడతారు.   స్నేహితులతో సర్దుకు పోలేరు....టాటా ..బై బై చెప్పేస్తారు.     భార్యా భర్తలు సర్దుకుపోలేరు...విడాకులు తీసుకుంటారు.   ప్రపంచంతో సర్దుకుపోలేరు....ఆత్మహత్య చేసుకుంటారు ..   సో సింపుల్...ఏది వదులు కోవటానికి అయినా రెడీ...కాని సర్దుకు పొమ్మని మాత్రం అడక్కండి...   ...........రమ

Purchasing Online

Online purchase is no more a techie’s term. It has crossed all the barriers and reached every household in India. Companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal… have now become the generic names for the online shopping. With the luxury to shop by clicking a mouse and the choice to avail best bargains… online purchases seem good at the first look. But a few things to be taken care of before filling your cart.   Be sure of your requirement: We often start with casually browsing the site and end up purchasing things that we don’t need. Online markets have thousands of products to display at reasonable prices. Products that tempt us and prices that prompt us might be a source of repentance in future. So let’s answer ourselves- Why should we purchase the product? Will that be a burden on our budget or the space we live in? Does it satisfy our long term requirements? Before choosing the product: Read the product details carefully. Conclude whether it would meet your requirement or not. For example: A graphic designer might need a laptop with latest processor (for rendering output). A Medical transcriptionist on the other hand might require a laptop with latest ram (for internet browsing). Always get acknowledged about the technical details of the product you wish to purchase. Words like `RPM (revolutions per minute) ` are indeed of great importance while determining the worth of a product. Then compare the prices of different brands with same features.     Be sure of the details: Let’s be sure of the minute details before adding the product to the cart. The details that were left unattended might prove disastrous. For instance: If you are tempted to purchase a reference book. Be sure of the facts like - number of pages, year of edition, size of the book, paperback or hardbound etc. Many book lovers often ignore the technical words like `abridged` which would disappoint them after the arrival of the package.   Don’t go by the name: Computers follow keywords while searching the data. Humans follow the same procedure while selecting a product.  The ads we see, the words we hear might influence us for a purchase. A product that might have changed the course of history may now be obsolete.  A product might boast of a latest addition to its gadget that is useless. It’s not just the trend or the brand value that should affect your decision. Your own assessment of the product should be finale.   Before closing the deal:   A few more precautions might make a purchase to be perfect. - It’s better to read the comments of the customers (particularly those of a single star) to be aware of the loopholes in the product. - Whether the product comes with Installation and Demo services! - Observe the warranty or the guarantees offered and the parts on which they are offered. - Facility to return the product should be noted. - Delivery charges, VAT or any hidden charges should be observed.   HAPPY SHOPPING   -nirjara

Stupid me!

I am standing near my wardrobe, wondering what to wear, usually I never take much time to decide, but now it is taking forever to decide, “oh my god! what happened to me?”, then my cheeks turned pink and a smile on my face, I just can’t stop thinking about him, I laughed at my obsession, I picked the prettiest dress of all and put it on me.   Here I am at the entrance, so nervous that I can’t even smile properly, then I closed my eyes tried to blow out my nervousness, it worked upto some extent, there are many people inside, but my eyes searched for him, “hey vidya” he called from behind, my heart skipped a beat, I can’t stop blushing, “hello” I said turning back.His looks made my jaw drop, “vidya stop drooling over him” I said to myself my thoughts went like this “Is he noticing, I’m wearing something pretty, I look good today, Do I really look good will he ever have a crush on me like I have on him” this train of thoughts is interrupted by him “who else can interrupt me?” I thought smiling, he is speaking something on which I didn’t concentrate “okay K.G” I said and followed him there he started to write something on the paper with left hand and a metal watch on it, oh my god what a view it is, I dig lefties so much I thought. woke up when my mother called me, it was a fantastic flashback, first crush is something you can never forget, even after 7 years I remember him like I saw him yesterday.How I used to try so much to impress him, how stupid of me, I thought. I didn’t knew that impressing people is not in our hands, they will like you if you have qualities they adore.Not because you’re pretty.People who like you will like you no matter what  :’)   ......Sreevidya

Things Married Men Love About Their Women

Women often have complaints that they never get to receive appreciation from husbands. However we know the fact that men are relatively poor communicators, still every wife does expect little amount of praising from her partner. To our surprise, recent survey says, husbands love so many things in their wives but won't share with them. This could be lack of their communication skills or they don't feel like voicing the emotions. If you are curious to know those traits married men love about their wives, here are  few: Perfect representative: Married men very much know that their women are the face of their family and would love to see her representing in family functions, community events or in friends get-together parties; this is just because they enjoy the sense of belongingness , love and care women possess towards the family. Husbands love to see their women embracing family culture and take forward to next generation. Exemplary Role models: Though husbands wont admit many facts about their partner, but they actually do;  believing that their wives are “Exemplary Role models” to their children is one among them. They always feel happy and proud where mothers take out time to educate kids, help them with studies and other co curricular activities.. Wives can take care of their children with utmost care and pamper them only when needed; but dads are still learning to acquire such balance. Best in financial management: When the whole country' s financials are lead by super women, so as at home in small scale. Most of the women now have a clear plan about their finances and they manage well to hit the goal. The have become self sufficient to address their financial needs along with family requirements and work in this direction. Married men like their wives outlook on financial needs of family and their contribution and appreciate a lot even though it is never said aloud. Wives are smarter than the hubbies: This above statement is admitted by most of men and they feel this deep with in their hearts that wife is always smarter. let it be doing right things on right time or stay calm when situation demands or come forward in crisis management...the list will go long. Certain scenarios,  husbands may look like ignoring the efforts put by the wife but in the bottom of the heart he will appreciate every bit of it and surely be thanking God for giving such a great support. --Bhavana

Amazing things to learn from Lord Ganesha

When Lord Ganesha came in to power on his birthday, we observe that day as Ganesh Chaturthi. From that day, we worship him for next 9 days, as “Nav Raatri”  and make this festival a grand event. He is God of intellect, good luck and prosperity. We also fondly call Lord Ganesha, “Vighnanashaya”, destroyer of obstacles;  we pray him to clear our path and lead us to success. We also believe that he should be worshipped first, before commencing any auspicious occasions. This position he acquired just by processing confidence, commitment and respect he has for parents. His elephant head, his big belly, His mountain like physic etc, could not stop him from becoming  the leader. And a small mouse on which he rides upon is very close associate to him too. Ganesha is epitome of knowledge and wisdom and his life teaches us to balance these both effectively. On this auspicious occasion of Ganesh chaturthi, we have few amazing  lessons to learn from Lord Ganesha to enhance our lives.. Be aware of your strengths: When Ganesha was asked to compete with his sibling Subrahmanya, Ganesha knew that, the given task is very tough one. However, instead of cribbing about that and blaming his parents, he came to know that his parents are his strength and they are the super power and will grant him any kind of success. So he went around them for three times and achieved the task given. Be a good communicator: Best communicator is not who talks good but who listens to the most. Lord Ganesha's big ears will tell us to be a good listener and be patient always. Utilising your skill the right way: An elephant’s trunk helps to carry load, fight when required but Lord Vinayaka's long trunk helps him to pick up food. This tells us to use our powers according to the need. Be kind: Once Ganesha had excess meal and find it difficult to walk; moon looked at him and laughed aloud by which Ganesha got hurt. His mother along with him cursed at moon but later he realised that his anger was causing inconvenience to the humankind so he has forgiven moon. Respect everyone irrespective of their power: If Ganesha wanted, he could have got the best animal to ride him, however he chose to take help of a mouse and was very kind and loving to him. Ganesha treated every animal with equality irrespective of their power and position. This is a sure trait everyone has to learn. Knowledge+ wisdom is prosperity: Mostly Lord Ganesha is accompanied by Goddess Laxmi which means, when knowledge and wisdom become a part of our life, prosperity follows automatically. --Bhavana

GANESHA - THE ULTIMATE HERO

  We have heard and read a lot about the symbolism behind GANESHA. But he always seems to have a few more glimpses that need to be noticed and followed. And here are a few of them... Our own laughing Buddha: While the China Bazaars have become a part of Indian market, everyone seems to be aware of `The laughing Buddha` statues. It is said that the big belly of laughing Buddha indicates his joyful mood and contended mind. But we've already has Vinayaka as our omen for abundance. Despite of our differences in caste and creed, everyone amongst the rich and poor are left with the basic need to satisfy their hunger. The belly of Ganesha and his blessing hand (abhaya hasta) assures us of obtaining everything that we need. Why only the Elephant head? We have the Lion, which is the king of the jungle. We have the Eagle, which is the queen of the skies. We have a lot of animals that are powerful and vigilant. Then why was an Elephant chosen to be the head of Vinayaka? Studies have shown that Elephants were highly intelligent. Elephants are social beings like humans and they live in herds. The leader of the herd is very keen about each and every member in her group. Elephants do possess great levels of memory due to which, they could recognise even a piece of cloth after decades. Now it's easy to associate the qualities of Ganesha with an elephant. The Tusk! Ganesha is seen holding a tusk in his hands. He indeed has used that tusk to scribble Mahabharata while Vyasa narrated it. We have a saying that `knowledge is weapon`. Ganesha seems to have proven this by using his weapon for the cause of knowledge. With a tusk on his head and another in his hand, Ganesha has given equal importance to strength as well as knowledge! Confidence: With a mouse as his vehicle and a body that can barely run, Ganesha has never lost the confidence to achieve the task. He always found a way to reach the goal despite his limitations. The famous story of race between Kumara Swamy and Vinayaka proves the point. With the challenge to encircle the world, while Kumara Swamy flew as fast as he can around the world. Ganesha has simply circled his parents, knowing that they are indeed 'his world'. So! Whatever might be our resources, whatever might be the situation and whoever might be our opponent... we always have a chance to reach the goal! The mouse: The vehicle of Ganesha seems to be the most inappropriate of all vehicles in devlok. Ganesha has the head of an elephant and a pot belly that is unbearable for a mouse to carry. Besides he has a snake tucked around his belly, which is a natural enemy of mouse. Now why a Mouse! Mouse is the most common creature before our eyes. It would spoil our paddy fields, it would chew our food... a mouse is said tospoil anything that is destructible! In other words, a mouse is a synonym for the word TROUBLE! So Lord Ganesh does ride on troubles and keep them under his control!  A few scholars feel that riding on mouse indicates the alertness of Ganesha, as a mouse is known to sneak away quickly!   - నిర్జర‌.  

మీ ఇంటికి బొజ్జ గణపయ్యలు

  నిన్నటి వరకు ఆన్ లైన్ షాపింగ్ అంటే ఎలక్ట్రానిక్స్, ఫర్నీచర్, ఇతర హోమ్ నీడ్స్ ఇవే ఉండేవి. ఇప్పుడు వీటి ప్లేస్ లోకి గణనాథుడు కూడా వచ్చేశాడు. ఒక్క క్లిక్ తో బొజ్జగణపయ్య మీ ఇంటికొచ్చేస్తానంటున్నాడు. ఆన్ లైన్ లో మీ ఆర్డర్ల కోసం వెయిట్ చేస్తున్నాడు వినాయకుడు. గణేష్ చతుర్థి దగ్గర పడటంతో సిటీలో విగ్రహాలు అమ్మకాలు జోరందుకున్నాయి. నగరంలో ఎక్కడా చూసిన వినాయక ప్రతిమలు సందడి చేస్తున్నాయి. దీనికి తోడు ఆన్ లైన్ లో విగ్రహాన్ని బుక్ చేసుకునే ఫెసిలిటీస్ అందుబాటులోకి వచ్చేసింది. డిఫరెంట్ సైజులు, వెరైటీ వినాయక విగ్రహాలు ఆన్ లైన్ లో దొరుకుతున్నాయి. వెబ్ సైట్ లో నచ్చిన విగ్రహాలను ఎంచుకొని ఆర్డర్ చేస్తే చాలు 24 గంటల్లో డోర్ డెలివరీ ఇచ్చేస్తున్నారు సేల్స్ పర్సన్స్. వినాయక విగ్రహాలను ఆన్ లైన్ లో సేల్ చేయటం ఇదే ఫస్ట్ టైం.

The Home Decoration Lovers

Keeping things clean and neat is different from keeping the surroundings decorative.....if the mood is good, anyone can decorate a home, but the right kind of decor, creating a stylish statement in home decor among friends and relatives doesnot come to all. These talented lot donot have to be Interior Designers or someone from an Architecture studies background, that desperate interest to decorate a space is in them from birth. As they grow up, even the family notices their special approach to maintaining a home looking good and well decorated all the time. They can turn any boring space into something cool. With the most affordable furniture to everything DIY, they create a Wow Home in minutes. I have personally seen someone who mends a space even when visiting a friend's place that is not so well maintained. She moves the sofa inch by inch just while talking with the friend, inorder to align the sofa and by the time she leaves the place, the living room she spent talking is in a good shape. This habit is so interesting to watch and helpful for those who just can't do it right.....but if overdone, it is so silly and annoying. I have also noticed someone who doesnot like when we dont put the water glass back on the coaster on the beautiful center table she has. And some, clean, clean and continue to clean and move items on the sofa and the tables even when the guests have arrived. They dont care !! Some decorate the home so much that they dont want to relax on the bed, worrying that the bedspread might get wrinkles !  You might have seen someone atleast who has this passion and loves visiting home decor stores to window shop, if not to buy. There are quite many people of this group who can celebrate their birthdays in a hobby store looking for their next DIY Decor items. Home decoration is an art, one that doesnot come to everyone....but it is good as long as one doesnot demand appreciation and praise. Decorate your home to please your own eye, or to give a treat to the guests you invited, but dont expect applause always....as the art doesnot come to all, so does the eye to appreciate this art, it doesnot come to all...!! -Prathyusha Talluri

Capture The Moment

  Krishnashtami!! What a wonderful festival!! It lets us experience God at home. Isn’t it?   Every mom dresses their little boy as little Krishna and their tiny girl as Radha. Kids are treated very special and parents and elders extend a warm affection; this celebration gives elders, immense of happiness. But, after that we will get back to routine and from then, we don't see any angelic, blessed nature of children which they actually possess.   However, kids are the same before and after the festival; the difference is in us and in the way we look at things. All of us would love to experience “wow” moments in life so very often; but, sometimes we ignore when they are so much around us. As time passes, our kids grow up and they leave their impressions in every aspect, just to give us an abundant amount of happiness. But we, overlook those joyful moments and focus somewhere else. When kids fly on their own , we realise that our “happiness” is gone and then feels like life is empty. Just imagine, if this realization would have come before, life would have been much more jubilant.     It is needless to say that, when kids are around, every day looks like festival and every festival has life in it. We celebrate and live those moments to the fullest and charge up, but in a day or two  we put a full stop to this celebration. Instead, if we learn to keep this festivity continued through out life, then life becomes meaningful. when we learn to enjoy life as it comes, it brings us only happiness.   When, little children are at home, we fail to notice the beauty of life. But, when kids become older, we look up to our grandchildren or kids of neighbourhood. However, its difficult to find the adequate love and affection. If you observe deeply, kids are mirror images of life at large. They show you how to live fully. But when we try to control them, we control our joys and happiness. You might be upset with the mischievous behavior of kids, nevertheless, they remain as fond memories for us, just like how we enjoy the “Leelaas of Balakrishna” even now. Having kids nearby is wealth and when we discover this truth, we feel rich and be superabundant. If you can't capture these moments of life, then there is no second chance. Peeping for euphoria and bliss else where later is folly.     To avoid such damages, festivals are brought in to our culture. They come and go, but leave its impressions on life. Festivals like, “ “Janmashtami” come and go, but reminds you that there are divine souls present with you in this journey, just take care, feel and concede. Understand the voice of nature which has given you the opportunity to be surrounded by the angels and divine energies.  Acknowledging and receiving this bliss is absolutely in our hands... Just go for it. -Bhavana