Woche der Stille - 2026

It takes a village to bring up a child and it definitely takes a team of friends and well wishers to make an event successful along with the blessings of parents.

Adhyatmavari group has been consistently meeting online from March 2023 for various weekly and monthly sessions. Various guest speakers have blessed us with their presence and knowledge and we have been fortunate enough to see new faces regularly who are naturally drawn to the concept of Spirituality. We learn and inspire along the way and get inspired from others as well.

One more feather in the Cape was this year's participation of Adhyatmavari group in an event called Woche der Stille. It is organized in Karlsruhe since last 8 years where various churches (Stadtkloster Karlsruhe is one of the leading organizers) take part in this week of silence, prayers and meditation. The human connection experiencing the Stillness and Quietness is the core here. There are various sessions offered by various groups in churches or yoga and meditation centres, which focus on Stillness, silence, going inwards, experiencing peace and solitude.

Last year we had got hold of the flyer of Woche der Stille event (year 2025) and had attended one Buddhist meditation session which we found very interesting. I expressed the wish of participating in it next year as a Hindu group to my friend and co-founder Yasha and she immediately liked the idea. 

We approached the organizer, Ms. Fank - Landkammer and expressed the desire to be a part of Woche der Stille. She called us over to talk and introduce ourselves. We created a small presentation about our group and showcased it to her. She liked it a lot and was very excited to have a group who represented a vast majority of Indians. She asked us if we have a common place or a temple where we meet regularly to chant or discuss. We told her that here in Karlsruhe there is no such place though there are a lot of Indians in Karlsruhe. She promised to write to us when she starts planning for the event in 2026. 

We both approached a few like minded people from our friend circle and they encouraged us to go ahead with the idea. They also immediately agreed to be a part of it.

We looked for halls to host the event and found one in Mühlburg in Karlsruhe. We went to see the hall and we finalized it by signing the contract. The registration was opened in the meantime for Woche der Stille and we enrolled ourselves for it. We had a rough idea of what we wanted to do. But till the idea got fixed in our heads, it took a long time. 

We decided on the concept, wrote the script with inputs from everyone and finalized the singing parts (Bhajans, Stotra, Mantra). The singer team was finalized and one friend took over the helm of directing the whole thing into a session. The flyers were published and sent to all the teams participating in the event. We started distributing the flyers to bakeries, Apotheke, Edeka grocery stores etc. We printed our own flyers and distributed wherever possible.

The registrations were opened on the websites of Stadtkloster and Woche der Stille and we waited patiently for something to happen. We were excited as it was the first time that a Hindu group was going to participate, but we were also not sure of how it would be received, if we would have enough participants, if no one turns up for the event what will happen. After various rounds of self-doubt and thoughts about calling off the event, we decided to wait a little longer for the people to register. Slowly and steadily the number started picking and we were hopeful that we will have a decent crowd. Many of our Indian friends registered to encourage and motivate us. Non-Indian people also started showing interest. We all cheered up and got charged up for the event.

We started practicing the script reading and singing. Almost every Sunday of October was blocked for rehearsals. The script underwent many changes, and we realized that it was going to be a very short session and not as planned for two hours. For the first time, we thought it's a decent duration for a crowd who has little or no exposure to Sanatan Dharma. 

And finally the day arrived. The event was scheduled for 1st November which was a Sunday. We were all geared up for the event and very happy to see that 50 participants had registered for our event. Non-Indian crowd was almost 15. We went to the hall at around 1 pm, arranged all the things there. Our team worked as one, with each other, supporting and encouraging each other. We did one grand rehearsal and people started coming in. 

At 4 pm we started the session. The script was written in German for the German audience and we had also prepared a PowerPoint presentation which helped the audience to understand the core concepts. We welcomed the guests by introducing our Adhyatmavari group. We spoke about the pillars of Santana Dharma, about how it is a philosophy that stands relevant even today. Then we chanted the universal "Om" Mantra 11 times. We paid homage to Lord Ganesha, to the Gurus and to the feminine dieties by chanting the Sanksrit Mantras for each of the them. Following, we talked about how Naam Jap (repeating a certain God's name) helps us to look inwards and access the spring of happiness and peace that we all are naturally born with. We chanted Ram Naam 108 times. It was endearing to see the non indians attempt it. Next, we spoke about Bhagwad Geeta and shared a few Shlokas from it explaining the pearls of wisdom in it. Yasha chanted the Shlokas while Smita explained the meaning and gave examples from our daily life. It was time for a break as we had a dealt with a lot of theory. We served tea, prepared by one of our culinary expert friend and also served the guests some lip smacking Indian snacks.

After the break we discussed the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh by also explaining what is Bhakti and how music is the easiest way to immerse in that emotion. The singer friends took the centre stage and sang different Bhajans like Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, followed by Ashtalaxmi Stotra and Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murari. The culminating point of the second half was the dance performance on the Shiv Tandav Stotra depicting the crushing of Ego and regeneration. Our friend, Vaishnavi who is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer took hold of everyone's attention and danced with grace and grit for the next three minutes. Her expressions, her outfit and her form was mesmerizing. After a round of applause after her performance, to bring the high energy down to normal, we chanted the powerful Mahamantra which was Hare ram hare raam ram ram hare hare, hare krushn hare krushn krushn krushn hare hare 11 times. 

Soon the evening came to an end. Without singing the Shanti Mantra, the session would not have got a proper farewell. We explained the meaning behind it which stresses the enrichment, peace, health and happiness for everyone in the world. I thanked all my friends who helped in making this event a great success. And that's it, the session was done. 

After investing months of thoughts, energy and time, the session was done in one and a half hours. It is often observed that the journey towards realizing the destination is more beautiful than the destination itself. And exactly that happened. We were done within no time and our hearts were filled with relief for everything gone smoothly and also with gratitude for everyone who worked tirelessly towards achieving this dream of participating in the Woche der Stille. The hall was cleared within no time and we all left with a smile on our face and a pat on our backs.

Did the event go perfectly? Maybe yes, maybe not. A few non-indians came to us and conveyed that they liked the session. A few left without speaking or interacting. That's okay too. We learned a few lessons along the way and it was definitely a great experience for all of us to share the stage and give a glimpse of our beautiful and eternal Sanatan Dharma to the German audience. 

A few mentions here without whom the program would not have been possible:

- Saurabh for his wonderful accompainment on the harmonium. He kept the musical session lively with his art.

- Aakansha, Leena and Amit for the wonderful rendition of songs and Bhajans. They put soul in the session by their voice.

- Mahesh for donning multiple caps as a director, critic, observer and the leader.

- Smita for hosting the session along with me and Yasha. Her cheerful demeanor lit up the session. 

- Akhil, Rashmi, Shital, Monika, Harshal and Sonali for helping us out very spontaneously during and after the session. Much with love and care!

- Last but not the least, the ever chirpy and beautiful artist Vaishnavi for bringing out the best through her performance.

- Yasha, my partner in crime who is always there with her unwavering support.

- My mom, mother-in-law and my husband who kept cheering me up when I had thoughts of calling the event off.

Thank you all for the memories, thank you all for this first attempt at creating something beautiful.

A tribute to Sanatan Dharma was a great way to start our journey.

Looking forward to many more!

The Alpine Experience

In the German state where I stay, August is the month of vacations, holiday trips, relaxing, taking time out for yourself with your family and making great memories together to gear up for the impending autumn and then eventually the cold and grey winter. 

T had long decided to visit his grandparents in India and he left for three weeks soon after his vacations started. He always wanted to go alone since he was 10 years old, but we had stalled him till he turned 14. Now he could travel as an adult and he was looking forward to it. He carried out all the formalities at the at Mumbai airport by himself and met his grandparents at Mumbai airport. His vacations began in the true sense after that. 

People go to cruise trips,

People go to India,

People go to the beaches.

Where do we go for vacations?

We go "Wandern". Wandern, the German word means hiking, walking, trekking. A is fascinated by nature, mountains and hiking is his favorite pastime besides cycling.

This time he chose Oberstdorf in Allgäu Region in the Bavarian state which is famous for skiing in the different Alpine peaks. We got an Apartment in the area called Reute which was close to the city center of Oberstdorf. The accomodation was inclusive of all the funicular/cable cars on the nearby mountain ranges like Nebelhorn, Fellhorn etc. 

We reached here on Saturday afternoon around 3-3:30 and immediately went to explore the Nebelhorn cable car which was at 2700 ft.

At the top, one could see nice panoramic view of the mountains around and there were many tourists as expected. The cable cars operate only until 4:45 pm and we took the last cable car and came down. Checked in to the apartment and slept off after settling down.

The next day was an arduous hiking in the Nebelhorn mountains. The route was from the middle station of the Nebelhorn Bahn to a lake called ...... The descent was close to .... meters and my footwear and stamina didn't support me enthusiastically. We took a break at a hut (Hütte), had a nice cake with coffee and my resolve gave way. I decided to return up to the station and A decided to go further down up to the lake. I started my way up and huffed and puffed and sweated profusely. My heart was thumping loudly ready to pop out and my head was also banging from within, feeling as if I won't be able to go a step further. But as we all know, our mind plays games and I decided not to give in. I took a lot longer than the others, but managed to go up there and wait for A.

I like to observe people and when I was climbing up, I realized there was not a single non-white person who was seen climbing up or down like me. Most of them were Europeans, of all ages starting from a few months (carried by their parents on their backs in a basket) to 80+ years old grandparents who were there on a family trip with kids and their grandkids. There were just mothers and kids, there were just two people, sometimes just a single person hiking alone without company, but himself/herself. It seemed so easy for them to go up and down the mountains. Right from the the time the kids are born here, they are groomed and encouraged to do hiking with parents and parents very patiently and gently introduce them to loving the mountains and hiking having fun. For me, it seemed more like an exercise, than fun. I was very slow and took a lot of time to get up to the point where I had started.

I realized that it is not in the Indian culture to go hiking, trekking with families. We rather meet up at home, go to restaurants, chill out rather than walking in the sweltering heat in the Alps. This place is in the same state as Munich, which has a lot of Indian population, but none of them ever thought of coming to this place, admist nature and mountains. We are so much used to comfortable lives that we don't want to come out of our comfort zone and undertake an adventure such as hiking or trekking in the mountains. I am also one of those many Indians who dislike uncomfortable things, but now I do many things that I couldn't have imagined doing it a few years ago.

Physical fitness plays a great role in all this. Over the past three years, I was under the assumption that my stamina has increased, but this Alpine experience hit me hard and brought me back to the ground reality. My cardio vascular health needs to improve, it has tremendous scope. Weight training since two years has helped me build muscles, maybe the cardiovascular fitness has also increased compared to where I had started in the first place, but there is no way to measure the improvement. While walking uphill, A has a heart rate of about 90, and my heart rate reaches 125-140. This comparison is just to show how fit is he and how much room I have for improvement. 

Day 2,3 and 4 passed like the first one, exploring different routes on the different peaks near to Oberstdorf. I walked 15-20k steps every day, A much more. I couldn't match his energy and enthusiasm and there were a few stretches which he did alone and I chose to stay back. One needs to know how much one can do and I stopped at the point I thought this is getting too much to recover the next day.

I realized that trekking for a day or two is ok, but just doing that the whole time on vacation was not my cup of tea. There was absolutely no time to relax, just sit and do nothing, just observe nature, skies and mountains for hours together. People come in the Alps to hike and trek, not sit lazily like I wanted to. The point of vacations is to relax a bit and I am looking forward to such a vacation, where I don't have to always complete the no. of steps or walk for miles together to consider it as a good vacation. 

Use it or lose it

Today, on the 9th of June is my paternal grandfather's death anniversary. Even after so many years of him not being around, I still remember him to be the most active person I have ever seen in my life. With modest beginnings and a humble background,  he rose to great heights in his professional life. After retirement instead of slowing down and withering away,  he chose to be active, go for a walk, do exercises and Pranayama at home and always had a control on what he put in his mouth. I don't recall him ever eating outside food. It was also not very common in the early 90's to eat outside as it is today. Whatever my grandmother prepared,  he ate it without any complaints. Less oil, less salt, less spice was his mantra. Till the very end, he had all his teeth intact. He never had to go to a dentist in his life. He slept early and woke up early. He had no health issues. The last days after he had a fall were bed-ridden and he passed away peacefully at home admist all of us. I was not even in the 10th standard that time and I lost my biggest supporter and cheerleader quite early in life. 

Both my grandmothers lived up to the age of almost 90 and they both were mobile till the very end, except the last days of being ill and passing away. They were constantly doing some household chores, actively reading newspaper or solving the word puzzle. Thankfully they didn't have much exposure to the mobile phone as much as my parents and in-laws and we have. 

What changed with our parents generation? Why are they weaker and less active than our grandparents? I almost constantly keep on telling my dad to move more and sit less often and he seldom listens to me. He has already broken his hip bone and has been operated and has some health complaints. Sitting all the time makes muscles weak and the body just knows one truth, use it or lose it. My mom comparatively is more active than my dad. But I have seen her turn into a gullible and anxious woman from a super confident woman who worked all her life, went trekking into the Himalayas and Everest Base Camp, boarded the train at Dombivli during and peak times and went to Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus for her job and returned home with the same enthusiasm in the evening.

After the age of 70, the decline in the mass muscle is rapid and if you look around at the airports, it's always the Indian parents who are on wheelchairs in large numbers. Their kids out of love and care for the parents and wanting to give them less trouble book wheelchairs without hesitation. But it's not something that we kids should be proud of. We should rather inquire into the fact, why is it so. What should we do to help our parents be mobile and healthy till the very end?

Where do you imagine yourself once you cross 70? I totally understand that the life in India is hectic and stressful and there is no time to invest in health and healthy habits. But in order to live a healthy life till the last years, it is extremely important to keep your muscles trained and ready for later years. A simple calf raise after meals help regulate blood sugar and a great amount of glucose is absorbed into the legs, calves and hamstrings if we do calf raises regularly. There is no complusion to go to the gym outside, which could be intimidating for many senior citizens. With the help of water bottles, cans, packets of pulses and grains, basic strength exercises can be done easily. Next time you see your parents, introduce them to simple exercises like chair squats, calf raises, shoulder presses and rows. Indian meals are devoid of protein, introduce some protein to their meals and see the difference in few months. Muscles can be trained at any age, irrespective of gender.

Walking, yoga, Pilates, swimming, cycling and any other form of aerobic exercise is good for the heart and please understand that it won't train your muscles as much as strength and resistance training. Women who claim to exercise by walking and doing yoga are only fooling themselves. 

To maintain independence in daily life, it is important to train the body in a functional way.

- Lower body strength (glutes, hamstrings, back) is essential for basic movements such as getting up from a chair, toilet seat, sofa or bed.

- Upper body strength (arms, shoulders, back) enables you to reach, lift and safely bring down the items from cupboards or kitchen shelves. 

- Overall upper body and grip strength is needed for tasks like carrying groceries, pulling objects towards you or handling everyday loads.

In summary, strength training is not just about fitness, it directly supports everyday activities, mobility and long-term independence. 

Our bones and muscles can take as much weight as we train them to. If we sit away all the time and don't train our muscles and bones to lift, they lose the strength and then our pace and agility decreases and movements get restricted. 

If we want to change our future when we are 70, we must take up strength training. I am more than convinced of the benefits that it will bring and I train at home with dumbbells, kettlebells and resistance bands. I also take care to have protein rich food and good sleep along with it. Every woman after 40 should take up strength training for her own good. It helps alleviate the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause and helps in many other ways to build a strong and healthy body. 

Living in Germany, I don't want to be dependent on anyone till the very end. And I am investing this time for the next 20-30 years by working out sincerely and consistently, no matter what.  I want to do trips with my girlfriends, play with my grandkids. I want to have a good health span rather than a long unhealthy lifespan. 

What are you investing your time into?

Do you see yourself in a wheelchair at the age of 70 at the airports or hiking in a mountain?

What you do now is going to determine your future.

Pick up weights, resistance bands and start training...

Spiritual event at Welchi Restaurant

I know Prachi Karekar since my days in Stuttgart,  back to 2013. She has always been a kind, loving and affectionate person and was passionate about food. She was a home baker and many people in Stuttgart knew her due to her culinary skills.

She was a part of the  online Adhyatmavari group that I run for different spiritual activities. When my mother in law was here in 2023, she had offered to teach two easy Adhyay (12 and 15) from the Bhagwad Geeta and Prachi was one of her students. After the two Adhyay got over, she and two other friends of mine learnt the recitation of all the 18 Adhyay with her online, once my mother in law went back to India. 

At that time Prachi had a lot of things going in her life with taking care of the little one to going to a restaurant for cooking, managing the house and still keeping in touch with the daily lessons online. Kudos to her dedication and commitment. 

When she started her own restaurant with such a beautiful name Welchi (it means Cardamom is the Marathi language), my joy knew no bounds.  I congratulated her and always wished to take my mother in law to the restaurant whenever she visits me.

We had that chance on the 24th May, where a few friends of mine gathered at her restaurant for a spiritual event. When I approached Prachi with the idea, she literally cried and told me that no matter we will do the event. I was not sure if it would be a good idea to do a spiritual event at a restaurant and if people would be interested to come on a Sunday morning. I planned the event as to what could be do or chant and conveyed it to Prachi. She was more than happy. She immediately designed a Satwik menu and sent it to me. I didn't have any choice but to say yes to all the lovely things she was going to prepare. 

Four of us would be traveling from Karlsruhe to the restaurant and four friends were going to come from around Stuttgart. 

We gathered at 10:30 am and after initial chitchat and tea, we started the session with chanting the Ganpati Stotra followed by Maruti Stotra, Ram Raksha Stotra and Ram naam Mahatmya. 

Then I gave a brief overview about the Bhagwad Geeta and the key takeaways for me from it. We chanted the 9,12 and 15th Adhyay after that. Yasha, co-founder of Adhyatmavari group put forth the interpretation of 2 Shlokas from the 3rd Adhyay, Karmayog. I took up one Shlok from the 9th Chapter and tried to explain the deep meaning behind it. My mother in law talked about the 16th Adhyay where she explained the good and bad virtues in a human being and how a few bad virtues overpower many good virtues and how should one try to keep the bad virtues at bay. We concluded with doing the Ram Naam Jap. 

The atmosphere was blissful,  peaceful and after a two minutes silence, we all got back to the worldly affairs. 

The menu was prepared with lot of efforts and love. Prachi, her family and her staff served us the food with lot of affection. The food was delicious and we enjoyed every single dish from the menu. Bharli vaangi and Amrakhand were the highlight for me. 

With our stomachs and hearts full, we said goodbye to Prachi and blessed her with many more beautiful years serving people with food that she prepares with so much love and passion. A photo of the participants was a must at this stage.

The restaurant had positive vibes and the spiritual event enhanced it further. Chanting, recitation not only helps you connect with your inner voice, but it also soothes your nerves and calms you down.

Here's wishing Prachi the best in her endeavors at Welchi and a big thanks to everyone who made this event successful by their presence and participation. 

Applied Vedant Retreat

Stillness

Calmness

Profound Gratitude

Wholeness

Tranquility

These words aptly describe the state of my mind, when the two days spiritual Retreat on Applied Vedanta concluded in Frankfurt yesterday (19th April) evening. 

The two day Retreat planned by Sampada and her husband along with help of their friends and well-wishers was top notch. We were blessed to have speakers like Shri. Pramod Dada and Sau. Mukta Tai Walvekar, the disciples of Doctor Kaka (from Murgud) and Shri. Kenan, teacher and practitioner from the Iyengar School of Yoga. 

The philosophy of Adwait Vedanta has been since a long time extremely high level and complicated to understand for a common man. Various literature is available in various Indian languages on this philosophy. The most famous and known is the Bhagwad Geeta. There are various interpretations and commentaries of Bhagwad Geeta and a majority of those do not come down to the level of a common man to help them understand the concepts like "Brahman", "Consciousness", "Samsara", "Bhaktiyog", "Dnyanyog", "Karmyog" etc. Doctor Kaka has given a lot of lectures in the earlier days about these very concepts and now his lectures have been translated into many Indian languages. The most profound book of his that I came across was the interpretation of Bhagwad Geeta in a simple language that I could understand. Thanks to Sampada for introducing me to the vast literature on various topics and particularly the interpretation of Bhagwad Geeta caught my attention and I think I have found my way to tread on this Dnyanmarg. 

The same concepts from Doctor Kaka's teachings were woven into the Retreat's lecture series and having being exposed to these concepts earlier, the retreat helped to gain a deep understanding of the concepts and their application in day to day life. 

Pramod Dada's style of imparting that deep knowledge was fun, replete with humour, sarcasm and jokes, making a very profound point, yet sounding very much like the common people. 

Mukta Tai's style on the other hand was more introspective, to the point, concise, precise, keeping us interested till the last word.

The session on the famous Shloka from Adhyay 2 

Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana appealed to me a lot.

Also the session on the Shloka from chapter 15 

asaṅga-śhastreṇa dṛiḍhena chhittvā stayed with me for a long time.

The Sadhak Chintan, where the Sadhaks did a self-study,  interpreted and presented one Shloka from the Bhagwad Geeta was a revelation.

A chart paper was kept where we could write the words or phrases that appealed to us during the different sessions. That was a wonderful idea and by the end of two days, the chart paper was full.

You are not the body, you are much more.

Detached Engagement 

Attachment = Slavery

आसक्ती

सेवाभाव

Caught in the web

were some of the words and phrases that stayed with me after the sessions.

All the sessions were short and very refreshing. We started with Ram naam japa on both the days. Chanting of 12th Adhyay from Bhagwad Geeta collectively gave us mor energy. Breaks were planned keeping the short attention span in mind. The lunch was simple, filling the heart and the soul. During the breaks, we had the chance to interact with each other and of course with the esteemed speakers. We sat together like a big extended family, participating in a collective effort of discovering the age old philosophy.

 

We were at different levels in our spiritual journey, but that didn't really matter. The motive to get together for the Retreat was far more superior than anything else. The two days flew away fast and it was time to say goodbye. Doctor Kaka blessed us all by sending us good wishes for this journey and our eyes became moist of hearing his voice. At the end, Sampada ended the session beautifully with "Pasaydan", invoking blessings for universal peace, harmony, welfare and the prevalance of righteousness among all living beings.

This retreat definitely boosted my morale, reiterated my resolve to inquire and seek more knowledge. It helped me introspect and gave me a new perspective to tread on this path and it's just the beginning.

I wish that many such retreats happen in the coming years and we all do our little bit in taking this invaluable knowledge to more and more people.

My gratitude and love to everyone who made this Retreat happen!

Ram Krushna Hari!

Mahashivratra - A divine evening

The spiritual group that was established three years ago online is now well known in Germany and slowly getting attention in Europe. Due to the background of establishing and running the group, someone had approached me to check if Adhyatmavari group could host a lecture of Mr. Atul Dixit who is a disciple of Swami Madhavanand (Nath Sampraday) who was visiting Germany for a conference. I had offered to do an online session because we mainly meet online and there are not many group members in Karlsruhe to form a sizeable group to meet offline. So that lecture happened in Frankfurt where Marathi Katta arranged a session on a Sunday evening. I was not able to go but my dear friends Mr. Mahesh and Smita Parkhi had attended the session and they had loved it. I had missed the session unaware of what I had really missed until I heard Shri Dixit in person at my place on the occasion of Shivaratri at my place in Karlsruhe along with 15 other people. 

It was a great experience to hear such a humble, intellectual and learned person slowly elucidating the concept of Arpan Bhakti in the Advaita Vedanta Philosophy referencing from Dnyaneshwari, Tukaram's Abhang, Bhagwad Geeta, Surdas, Meerabai, Gopis, Bhagwan Shri Krishna and The eternal Bholenath. It was as if he was weaving a simple yet elegant carpet of concepts that we all know and are aware of and made us laugh and introspect and nod in agreement. It was a free flowing Nirupan on a concept that seems so elusive and difficult, yet is the ultimate destination of every soul that is born on this planet. 

After being on a flight from India to Frankfurt, jetlagged, tired, Shri Dixit was there sitting with us for three hours smiling and elaborating the concepts with easy to follow meaning, singing of Abhang and putting the philosophy of life into our perspective. An hour and a half just flew past and no one really knew that the session is over. We concluded with a session on Dhyaan Sadhana and he gave us some important tips to do Dhyaan Sadhana in our everyday, yet busy life. He also got us books written by Swami Madhavanand that would help us on our path of self-learning and self-exploration 

His dedication, Sadhana, self learning and Guru Krupa was evident in every way and we were truly blessed to have him personally at home for a group session.

The audience was mesmerized at the end of the session and they asked questions to which Shri Dixit in his calm and composed demeanor replied to every single of them. 

Special thanks to Mahesh for making this program possible, sadly he couldn't remain present due to a family emergency. But his wife very promptly helped me out with the preparations. Also thanks to Monika Deshpande for making tea to start the session and thanks to one and all who decided to attend the program though there were "many" other things to do than attend a spiritual session on a Sunday evening. Two people from the audience came from Stuttgart to attend the session and I really salute the dedication of those two girls. 

Last but not the least, a special thanks to my husband for picking Shri Dixit from Karlsruhe station and dropping him to the location near to Freiburg. He loves arranging the table (snacks and drinks) for the guests which he is extremely good at and was a great host to the audience. 

Bholenath blessed us all with the chance of meeting a great personality and being an audience and Sadhak of the simple yet profound philosophy of our Sanatan Dharma. 

Connections

After shifting to a new locality and new home, with new neighbours and new surroundings, my Indian genes suddenly got into action and I wanted to say hello to the immediate neighbours, who share walls with us. I was under the impression that us being the new owners would make such a great difference to them that we would be hosting tea parties and hold meaningful conversations that would make an impact on each others lives. But I was grossly mistaken. Me and my fantastic ideas of world communities singing in harmony. 

The neighbours to the left is a couple in their 60s who are on their own after kids have moved out of the house. They both are still working. I tried my best to engage into initial conversations with them, but it seemed very forced and awkward. Whenever I saw them working in the garden or while going out, I made it my ultimate motive in life to say hello to them, to be seen by them, to be recognised and to be accepted. But it was always one-sided, always initiated by me. I have no idea what was I even thinking while doing that. When I think about the episodes of our interactions, I think I made a fool of myself. When I think about it now, I really feel stupid. I was making a genuine attempt at being cordial, friendly and helpful. But it made no difference in their life interacting with me, even after spending an year as neighbours. Then I thought to myself, I should stop making a fool of myself. I should invest my energy somewhere else. They probably don't need my presence in their lives, they have better things to do in life. I left that at it and decided to back off and stop imposing myself on them. I made peace with it and now if we happen to see each other by accident, I wait for a reaction from the other side. If there is no reaction, I ignore and move ahead. 

The neighbours to the right are an Asian family of parents and two school going kids like my son. We hardly see them or hear their presence next door. In the span of a year, we have seen them 4 or 5 times when we or they were going out. So there's hardly any interest or interaction with them either. 

Now some people might be thinking, are you here to find friends in your neighbours, no body has that time and inclination nowadays to bond over tea. Everyone is busy with their daily routine. 

I agree.

But, I have also managed to find a few wonderful friends around. The first and most dearest is the owner of the handsome male cat called Polo for whom we are a second home and second family. We often meet for tea, chitchat and indulge ourselves in the motherly care and discussions about Polo, my son and her grandkids. The second woman is a teacher at Kindergarten and is drawn towards Hinduism and naturally we both had to connect. We often discuss about the world, peace, happiness etc. The third woman whom I have befriended is always mesmerized at the decorations that we do for different Indian festivals and finds it fascinating how we are always so welcoming and happy. I gave her the Diwali snack box and she hugged me very lovingly thanking me profusely. She then got us Christmas cookies before Christmas and sealed our bond. The fourth woman who is also interested in Hinduism has promised to meet me in person this year to talk more about it at length. 

The people experiences that I just talked about are all non-Indians. But the experiences with our own people are also amazing. In the past eight years, that I have spent here, I have realised that there are already many groups, sub-groups formed based on interests, languages etc. and that we as relatively new people shifting to Germany, don't stand a chance to become a part of their inner circle. People have priorities and you are not a part of it, period. The sooner I accepted it, the better it became for me. I am deliberately on a back foot now. I have stopped seeking validation from people who don't want to keep in touch. I stopped being adamant for trying to become like them and one of them. 

Why do we seek validation from people? It's a core desire of being human, I guess. But after going through last few years of spiritual practice, I came to realise that people who want to be connected with you will eventually connect with you, no matter what. And those who don't contribute to your spiritual/personal/collective progress will wither away. Spiritual practice and my spiritual group has helped me achieve that peace, that tranquility and that belief that it's only you who is responsible for your own happiness and that the higher power in which you believe will always have your back. 

Here's to more meaningful people and conversations in life!