A year that was 2023

As I sit writing this post, just one and a half hours before Germany rings into the new year, I am overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the year that was 2023. There were many firsts this year and the events and people have brought sheer joy and gratitude into my life. 

January 2023 began with a bang when for the first time in my life, my black beauty came home, my Mercedes A 160, which not only captured my heart but also gave me a new confidence of being able to drive around in Germany, having successfully managed to get a German driving licence. I was on the lookout for a new job nearby where I stayed and a close friend referred me there and helped me secure the position in the new company. 

I went to the interview in my car. Having the car helped me change my job for better prospects and I was excited at the new opportunity the new colleagues and the new working atmosphere. 

But at the time of joining the company on 1st April, I was down with Corona and had to shift my joining date by 11 days. During that time my friends staying close by helped me out with food and other stuff and I will always be thankful for having them around. 

I started a Ram Raksha Chanting group from Gudhi Padwa this year and that group has grown into a wonderful, well-connected group where we meet online every Wednesday to chant Ram Raksha Stotra and Maruti Stotra. We also celebrated special occasions like Ashadhi Ekadashi and Navratra, everything online. 

In May, we went on a two-week trip to Pune for my son's thread ceremony. He was already 11 by then, but we had lost three years owing to the pandemic. So we decided to do the ritual this year with excellent planning by my husband,  in-laws, and parents. The trip was short but could meet most of the relatives from both sides and it was a great catch-up for my son to meet so many people whom as a kid he hadn't met as we have spent many years in Germany. 

In this thread ceremony, my husband's cousin sister gifted me the Bhagwad Geeta and that started my journey into this enchanting world of learning the chapters from Bhagwad Geeta from July this year. I was able to slowly recite the different chapters with the help of an online institution called Geeta Pariwar. All I had to do was commit 40 minutes of my time daily and now I can chant seven chapters from the Bhagwad Geeta. I spend time listening to different interpretations of those chapters and try to inculcate those values and morals in my daily behavior. 

My mom visited me from June to August and I took her around to a few places in my car and with my friends. She loved the season and the time flew by like crazy.

We celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi at home as a family and I got many invitations from different friends this year for Ganpati Darshan. It felt like the good old times in Mumbai. 

I participated in an online musical project by the talented musician, Nishad Phatak residing in Munich, and did recording for the Ganpati Stotra by going to a musical studio with many other fellow singers in July. It was a great experience and we all thoroughly enjoyed the process of practicing together. The final song gave us goosebumps and we were very happy to be able to sing for Lord Ganesha. The song was released during the Ganesh Chaturthi in September and all my near and dear ones liked the song. 

My mother-in-law came to Germany in October. We celebrated Navratri together at home and visited Golu at a Tamilian friend's home. My mom-in-law was a great help and company for me in chanting the Bhagwad Geeta together as she had done it long back in 2016. She helped me to improve my pronunciation and taught me the meanings too. She also taught the 12th chapter to a group of kids and a group of my women friends during her tenure here. We both want the whole world to experience the joy of being acquainted with Bhagwad Geeta and try to encourage everyone to start learning to chant it properly. 

We also celebrated Diwali together by calling over a few friends at home and visiting a few on other days. I took Diwali snack boxes and a small Diya as a gift to my colleagues at work. Everyone was pleasantly surprised and appreciated my gesture. After all, we Indians like to share and care, don't we?

We celebrated the Geeta Jayanti at my place on 23rd December where my mother-in-law and one more friend chanted all 18 chapters of Bhagwad Geeta by sitting for three and a half hours. There were a few other friends who had joined and it was an overall very satisfying and enriching experience. 

On the personal front, I would say that it was a very spiritually enriching year for me and I want to explore more deeply into it in 2024. There are so many things that I don't know from my own Sanatan Dharma and I would like to equip myself better with the knowledge of the rich heritage of Bharat. I want to commit myself to becoming more spiritual and less materialistic. I would like to encourage people to find their true identity by introducing them to Bhagwad Geeta. 

That's my true calling and purpose in life.  

Roots

My son, aged 11 years old has spent more than half of his life in Germany, and sometimes he acts more German than Indian which becomes a little harder for me to digest and accept. I sometimes feel he is getting away from my roots, my culture, my belief system, the Indian food ecosystem, the morals and values, and in general away from everything that is Indian for me. But there are times when there are pleasant surprises and there comes a small sign from above that assures me that it's not as bad as I assume or believe it to be. 

Yesterday evening, my son went to stay over for the night with a friend from his old primary school. The friend's parents own a restaurant and his elder siblings (both in their twenties) are often away at work at the restaurant. Yesterday evening the boys had no cooked home meal for dinner and had to fend themselves with a sandwich.  As the parents were away and the boys had no money to buy anything, they had no other choice but to eat whatever was available at home. They must have slept late at night and my son was supposed to come back home by 12 today.  

I called him up at 10 am today and he told me that they had just got up, his voice seemed a little tired and I got a whim about last night and that they just had a sandwich. He asked me if he could bring his friend over, but I told him not to as I thought it would be too much time together that could lead to boredom or fights between them. I asked him to come home alone and he came home at 11:30 itself.

Immediately when he entered, he asked me what was there for breakfast. We hadn't prepared any. I offered him tea and a leftover poli (Indian bread) from yesterday. Without uttering a single word, he devoured the poli and drank the tea, had one Khakra with tea, and went to play. 

My mom-in-law fasts on Mondays and Thursdays. She usually has only one meal on these days, but because I wanted to eat sabudana thalipeeth, she prepared it for all of us and we sat at the dining table to eat at lunchtime. He ate everything that was on his plate, without any commentary or remark. That was a surprise for me. While talking over lunch, he said his friend wanted him to stay longer and go around the city on different trams. But my son didn't want to as he was very hungry and was missing Indian food. He didn't want to eat bread or pizza again at his friend's place and that was the reason he rushed home earlier than planned. He commended the thalipeeth that was prepared and he said it tasted lovely. Both my mother-in-law and I had a hearty laugh and felt good at his appreciation of Indian food. I hadn't given him any money yesterday when he left and the boys had assumed that the friend's sister would pay for them if they ordered from outside, but it didn't work out and she went out somewhere leaving the boys on their own. 

It was a good lesson and experience for my son and that brought out the best behavior today in him, he was thankful for the Indian food that was served to him today which on other days is ordinary and the same boring stuff for him. What a great positive difference did one meal at his friend's place make?

I often feel whatever positive efforts we as parents make, seep deep into the kids and some time or the other,  it reflects in their way of doing and handling things. The environment is different, they are exposed to so many things that have different values, morals, and codes of conduct, but as parents, it's our responsibility to make them aware of the rich Indian heritage and keep them connected with it as much as we can. 

These small lessons and experiences make us strong as parents and the belief in the goodness of values and beliefs inculcated in us by our earlier generations strengthens even more. 

We should try our best and leave the rest. 

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |

मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि

As often quoted in the Bhagwad Geeta, one should keep on doing good actions and not be concerned about the results. The results of those good acts and actions have to be left to the Bhagwan. We are serving him through our actions as the individual soul is a tiny part of the Bhagwan. I am trying to follow it, but it's not easy as an Indian parent in the Western world, but also not impossible. To keep trying with loads of patience is the key.

 

Bygones be bygones?

My little brother K,

Yes, you will still be the little brother to me, though you are now all grown up now. I have held you in my arms right after you entered our world with a grinning smile. You made me a proud Tai and I couldn't stop looking at your tiny little hands that held my hands so firmly, to never let go. There was an age difference of around 15 years between us, but that was never a problem in our bonding. Your parents (my mama and mami) considered me as their elder daughter and I could spend a lot of time seeing you growing up, going to school gatherings with you, going to the Girgaon Chowpatty, and having fun during horse rides, having bhel puri, watching Tom and Jerry repeat telecasts with you and laughing our hearts out at all opportunities possible.

I introduced my life partner to our family after a few years and everyone was very happy. You were the happiest of all because you liked him very much and I dreamt of you both sharing a great camaraderie and rapport. I wanted you to come visit us in Bangalore and I would have shown you around and eaten so many delicacies with you. I wanted to do so much with you and for you. You were my only brother after all.

But that wasn't meant to be. Due to some misunderstandings between your parents and my mother, your parents completely stopped interacting with us. I didn't even know what was my fault that I was asked not to contact you or them at all. Later things got clear and I realized that it was unnecessary to continue the unnecessary tension and feud between us both. I contacted you on Facebook and wanted to keep in touch with you, but you told me that you didn't want to keep any contact with me and that I shouldn't contact you henceforth. I swallowed my tears, wished you well, and moved ahead in my life. 

Then after a few years, the news came that you were very unwell and needed help. My mom and I were ready to rush to you and be by your side, but then again we were blocked from meeting you and the relationship got more bitter and stale. That was the time when my mom and I realized that it was better not to try re-establishing contact with you or your parents. 

Many years have passed in between, and many developments have taken place in my life, I became a mother, and you became a mama. I wanted you to see my son, hold him in your hands, and talk to him, but when we met at a cousin's wedding, we didn't even make eye contact and avoided each other as though we had never met in our lives. 

We both lost our aaji in 2020, my mom her mother, and your dad his mother. She was the only common point remaining between the two siblings but with her, the last straw was gone too. I had written to your dad, sending him my condolences and he had replied. There was a faint glimmer of hope and I thought maybe now, things would be straightened out after so much water had gone below the bridge. But again it was me and my silly self hoping for something that was never going to happen again. I had invited you all to my son's thread ceremony,  but none of you came or sent your blessings or wishes. 

And suddenly last week, I got to know that you have got married. For a moment,  I was sad, thinking, I wasn't by your side at your happiest moment in life, but I am also very sure that you didn't miss me at all. All your near and dear ones must have been present at the most important day of your life. 

I am very happy for you dear brother. May all your wishes come true and may you always be blissful in your married life. Though I will probably never meet your life partner,  I wish her all the happiness and a happy life together. 

You will always be in my prayers and blessings. Though you have forgotten me, you still occupy a tiny corner of my heart. And time and again I revisit that tiny corner of my life and have a good time reminiscing the good times we spent together. 

I tried my best

to bridge the gap,

that people and circumstances

had created between us.

I tried my best to lend 

a helping hand 

and a loving heart,

and forget the rifts of the past.

But I think we were meant

to walk together only till this point,

Destined to go separate ways,

and be strangers again. 

राम तांडव स्तोत्र - विलक्षण अनुभवाचा अविष्कार

सर्वांना दिवाळीच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा 

दर बुधवारी रात्री आठ वाजता आम्ही राम रक्षा स्तोत्र म्हणण्यासाठी ऑनलाईन भेटतो. गेले दोन महिने आपल्या मुलाकडे आलेल्या शीतल काकू देखील आमच्या ह्या बुधवारच्या सत्रात सहभागी होत असत. त्यांच्या सुनेला कोणीतरी बर्लिन मध्ये भेटलं होतं आणि त्या व्यक्तींनी माझा नंबर तिला दिला होता. तिने माझ्याशी संपर्क साधून काकूंना आमच्या साप्ताहिक सत्रात जोडून घ्यायची विनंती केली. मी लगेच त्यांना जोडून घेतले. शीतल काकू अगदी उत्साही आहेत, त्यांना बरीच स्तोत्र येतात, त्या अगदी आनंदाने ती स्तोत्र आम्हाला म्हणून दाखवतात. मध्ये नवरात्रीमध्ये आम्ही बुधवारी देवीची वेगवेगळी स्तोत्र, आरत्या म्हटल्या. त्यात ही त्यांनी अगदी छान असे अष्टक म्हणून दाखवले. आता त्या दोन आठवड्यात भारतात परत जाणार आहेत. काल त्यांनी आम्हाला राम तांडव म्हणून दाखवलं. माझ्याकडे शब्द नाहीयेत त्याचे वर्णन करण्यासाठी. इतकं सुंदर म्हटलं त्यांनी ते स्तोत्र कि प्रत्येकांनी शेवटी त्यांना अगदी भरभरून दाद दिली आणि आभार देखील मानले.

शीतल काकू ह्यांनी एका ग्रुप बरोबर धनुष्कोडी ला जाऊन हे राम तांडव स्तोत्र म्हटलं आहे. त्या ग्रुप मध्ये ११११ बायका होत्या. मी सत्र संपल्यावर लगेच YouTube वर हे स्तोत्र शोधलं आणि ते मला मिळालं. संगीतबद्ध केलेलं राम तांडव स्तोत्र ऐकून तर माझ्या डोळ्यात पाणी आलं.

राम तांडव स्तोत्र हे राम कथेवर आधारित संस्कृत महाकाव्य श्री राघवेंद्रचरितममधून उद्धृत केले आहे. यामध्ये बारा श्लोकांमध्ये राम आणि रावण यांच्यातील युद्ध आणि इंद्रासारख्या देवतांनी श्री रामाची केलेली स्तुती वर्णन केली आहे.

तपश्चर्येत मग्न असताना, श्री रामचंद्रजींनी श्री भगवतानंद गुरूंना स्वप्नात कुंडलिनी शक्ती शक्तीपाताद्वारे प्रकट केली आणि नंतर भगवान शिवांनी त्यांना श्री राम कथेवर आधारित श्री राघवेंद्रचरितम् हा ग्रंथ लिहिण्यास प्रेरित केले.

या स्तोत्राची शैली आणि भावना वीर उत्कटतेने आणि युद्धाच्या ज्वराने भारलेली आहे.

शीतल काकूंसारखी अशी अनेक लोकं आहेत, जी आपापल्यापरीने आपल्या संस्कृतीसाठी, सनातन धर्मासाठी काहींना काहीतरी करत असतात. त्यांच्यामुळेच आज पर्यंत आपली संस्कृती आणि धर्म टिकून आहे असं मला वाटतं. किती तरी आक्रमणं झाली, मोडतोड झाली, धर्मांतरं करण्यात आली, पण तरीही आज ही आपण टिकून आहोत आणि राम रायाच्या कृपेने पुढची शेकडो वर्ष टिकून राहू अशी माझी खात्री आहे. 

देशाबाहेर राहून हा वारसा मी पुढे चालू ठेवणार आहे. तुम्हीही तुमच्या परीने प्रयत्न करा.

तुम्ही ऐकलं आहे का हे स्तोत्र?

नक्की ऐका आणि मला तुमचे अनुभव कंमेंट्स मध्ये कळवा.

दिवाळीची अशी सुरवात ह्या आधी कधीच झाली नव्हती.

जय श्री राम

Shri Ganesh Stotra - An online musical experiment

The year 2020 changed the course of history and humanity. Things that seemed impossible to do took on a course of their own during this time. Traveling in general was curtailed, and meeting people, which we all took for granted, became a luxury. Due to COVID, meeting people physically was replaced by meeting them online, via WhatsApp, Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, and many other platforms that we might not even be aware of. Musical events, kitty parties, group discussions, and family events all took place online. Slowly, life came back to a new normal, where people returned to their workplaces, but not like before. It got limited to a few days a week, but online meetings were still going strong.

Can music be created online? Can people sit in remote areas of a single nation and still contribute to a musical composition and arrangement by that same artist? Yes, of course, it is very much possible. Where there is a will, there is a way. Where there is passion and love for music, adjustments come automatically without forcing them on people.

A message pops up in a Facebook group around May. A talented musician in Germany, whom we all knew, was looking for people to participate in an online musical project. I was intrigued and interested at the same time. The auditions happened on Facebook and WhatsApp, where interested people sent him audio clips of their favorite songs. Once the artists were finalized, a group was formed to streamline further communication. The participants were not located in one place, and the session had to be online to accommodate everyone. We were all excited and didn’t have the slightest idea of what was going to happen. But we all had a good feeling because we were all music lovers and wanted to create something special in that space, and we had full trust in the musician who was heading this project.

It was important to prepare ourselves for the recording that would take place in July. We started meeting online on Skype every Sunday for two hours. In the first session, the musician, Mr. Nishad Phatak, gave us an idea about the project. He had composed a tune for the Ganpati Stotra and wanted a chorus to sing certain parts of it. We all knew this Stotra by heart, and right from childhood, we were chanting it. We thought it was not an uncomplicated task to sing parts of this Stotra that we had been singing for ages, but soon our faith was shaken, and we realized that the pronunciation of this Stotra had been all wrong all these years. Nishad started coaching us on the correct Sanskrit pronunciation of each Stotra, especially the anusvara (nasal stress) on certain words. It was not easy, unlearning and relearning, but it was an engaging experience for all of us. After getting the pronunciations right, the shlokas had to be sung at a specific tempo. That was again a new challenge because we all had our own tempo and melody from childhood. The app Metronome was introduced to us in this process, and it helped us immensely to understand the tempo and sing on a particular beat. We were also introduced to the app Droid, where a tanpura played in the background at a certain pitch, and it gave us a good reference to start singing. The melody that Nishad had composed was extremely engaging and hummable, and once we could understand the tempo and melody of the Stotra, the shlokas started running automatically in our heads throughout the day, even after the session. For us to understand the swaras (notes) that were important to sing the lines perfectly, Nishad created a document with all the notes. He recorded his voice for all the chorus parts that we were supposed to sing so that there was always a reference available whenever we wanted to practice at home. The Stotra was divided into four parts, where the chorus would chime in, and we got introduced to a new part every Sunday. We also practiced the earlier parts while doing the new parts.

We made progress part by part and regularly uploaded the audio clips of those parts to the cloud. Every participant got detailed feedback on how to improve and what the mistake was. It was also encouraging to see that Nishad did this for everyone in his hectic schedule, and in the process, we improved, gained confidence, and got better and better. In the month of May and June, we got introduced to the chorus parts, and in July, we practiced a lot and finally looked forward to the actual day of recording, scheduled for July 22.

As specified earlier, we were all spread across Germany, and it was decided to do two separate sessions of recording, one in Frankfurt and one in Munich. Both studios were searched on Nishad's own, at his own expense. One of the participants in the chorus group went to see the music studio and sent us pictures before the actual recording took place. Nishad had a detailed plan in mind about how to go about the recording, and he had managed to get all the necessary equipment needed to do the recording. One friend of his was going to help capture candid moments while singing, practicing, and recording, and I am sure that will add to the memories and charm of the song when it is released.

We were all meeting each other for the first time in person. We all bonded like we had known each other for a long time. We practiced together in groups, which had a very different effect as we were used to singing online all this time. Meeting in person seemed real and very endearing. We motivated each other to do our best and put our fears and inhibitions to rest.

The day went by fast; we sang in turns, one after the other, and within 3 hours, we were all done. The time during which we were practicing all these months flashed before our eyes. It was over sooner than we had expected. The hard work and dedication of every person were going to get translated into the chorus parts of the song. The most important part was after our chorus recording, where Nishad had to do the back-end processing of the chorus parts that we had sung. He had the herculean task of mixing all our voices to sound like a chorus and arranging them properly in the final musical arrangement. He had his parts as well, which he had to sing, and there were musical pieces in between that needed to be arranged as well. He had to also do lyrical video preparation, and that would then be the final part of this musical piece before it was ready to release. The Indian drums used in this composition (Tabla, Pakhawaj, Dholak, Duff, Dhol-Taasha, Percussion, Cymbals) were played or recorded by Nishad's friend, percussionist, composer, and professional musician Prasad Joshi (Sound Vision Studios, Pune, India).

We were finished singing our parts, but he had a lot of after-work work to do. And then the day came when the song was ready and he made us listen to it. We had no words, only goosebumps and silence, and our eyes glistened. Our hard efforts were before our eyes, and who doesn’t love their contributions and creation?

The amount of patience and hard work that he had put in just for a 5-minute Ganpati Stotra was beyond speculation. He was literally breathing this musical piece in and out. It was like his unremitting mental contemplation, and he wanted to do justice to this one too, just as with all his previous musical creations.

I am proud to have witnessed this journey and to have been a part of this genius musical masterpiece's creation.

Listen to the lovely composition here:

Shri Ganesh Stotra - a musical interpretation | Lyrical Video | Sep 2023 - YouTube

गीतामयी

मे महिन्यात पुण्याला आम्ही माझ्या मुलाच्या मुंजीसाठी गेलो होतो. अगदी दोन आठवड्याच्या धावपळीमध्ये सगळं व्यवस्थित पार पडलं. त्या समारंभाला माझी नणंद आली होती. तिने मला अतिशय सुंदर अशी भेटवस्तू दिली, ती म्हणजे भगवद गीतेची इंग्रजी मधील आवृत्ती. का कोणास ठाऊक, त्यामुळे मी अगदी खुश झाले. जर्मनी ला परत जाऊन वाचन करू असं ठरवलं आणि इतर सामानाबरोबर ते पुस्तक अगदी नीट घेऊन आले घरी परत.

माझ्या सासूबाईंनी गीता धर्म मंडळामधून १८ अध्याय शिकले आहेत, त्याच्या रीतसर परीक्षा दिल्या आहेत, विवेचन ऐकलं आहे, श्लोकांमधला स्वतःला कळलेला अर्थ लिहून काढला आहे आणि त्या ह्या विषयामध्ये पारंगत आहेत. हे सगळं मला माहित होतं, ह्यावर आम्ही बरेचदा बोललो होतो. पण गीता शिकण्याचा योग्य अजूनतरी आला नव्हता. गीतेचे पुस्तक घरी काय आलं, रस्ता हि समोर कोणीतरी दाखवून दिला. आमचा एक ऑनलाईन ग्रुप आहे अध्यात्मावरी नावाचा, जिथे आम्ही दर बुधवारी भेटून राम रक्षा पाठ करतो, संकष्टीला अथर्वशीर्ष म्हणतो. त्या ग्रुप मध्ये एक महिला रुजू झाली होती, तिचे नाव, गाव मला ठाऊक नाही. तिने एके दिवशी ग्रुप मध्ये गीता परिवाराबद्दल आणि ते चालवत असलेल्या मोफत गीता वर्गांबद्दल माहिती पोस्ट केली. ग्रुप वर भरपूर मेसेज, फॉर्वर्डस येत असतात, पण हा नेमका मी पहिला, गीता परिवाराच्या वेबसाईट वर गेले आणि अचंबित झाले. किती मोट्ठ्या प्रमाणावर हे कार्य अविरत चालू आहे ते मला कळलं. बऱ्याच भारतीय भाषांमध्ये सकाळी ५ वाजल्यापासून पहाटे २ वाजे पर्यंत हे वर्ग ऑनलाईन चालू असतात. ४० मिनिटांचे एक सेशन असते आणि आठवड्यातले पाच दिवस हे वर्ग झूम वर चालवले जातात. त्यात वेगवेगळ्या लेव्हल असतात. सुरवातीला १२ आणि १५ अध्याय शिकवला जातो. त्याला सुमारे चार आठवडे लागतात. प्रत्येक श्लोक अगदी शुद्ध उच्चारात कसा म्हणावा ते इथे शिकवतात. रोज २ ते तीन श्लोक शिकवून, शेवटी सराव करून घेतला जातो, क्लास संपला कि श्लोकांचे ऑडिओ ग्रुप वर टाकले जातात. ते ऐकून घरी सराव करायचा असतो. मी लगेच माझं नाव नोंदवलं. २४ जुलै रोजी मराठी भाषेतले L1 लेव्हल सुरु झाली, तशीच इतर भाषांमध्ये हि सुरु झाली. माझ्या सासूबाईंनी माझ्या मुलाला १२ अध्याय दोन वर्षांपूर्वी शिकवला होता, तेव्हा मी हि त्याच्याबरोबर नकळतपणे शिकले होते. त्यामुळे १२ अध्याय अगदी सहजपणे मला म्हणता येऊ लागला. १२ अध्याय शिकवून झाल्यावर त्याचा व्हिडिओ करून टाकायचा होता. पाठ न करता, वाचून म्हणायचा होता. तो व्हिडिओ करून पाठवला आणि अगदी जोमाने १५ अध्यायाची सुरवात झाली. १२ च्या मानाने १५ जरा कठीण वाटला सुरुवातीला, पण जसजसं एक एक श्लोक कसा म्हणावा ते कळत गेलं, तसतसं हा अध्याय देखील आवडू लागला आणि जमू लागला. गंमत म्हणजे ती महिला, जिने गीता परिवाराबद्दल मेसेज टाकला होता ती काही दिवसांनी ग्रुप सोडून निघून गेली. मला गीता परिवाराबद्दल कळावं आणि मी गीता शिकायला सुरवात करावी ह्यापुरती ती ग्रुप मध्ये होती असंच मला वाटतं.

गीता फक्त म्हणता न येता, ती कळली पाहिजे, ह्यासाठी दर आठवड्याला शनिवारी हिंदी मध्ये आणि रविवारी इंग्रजी मध्ये विवेचन सत्र आयोजित केली जातात. १० श्लोकांचे विवेचन येणाऱ्या शनिवारी, रविवारी आणि पुढच्या १० श्लोकांचे विवेचन पुढच्या आठवड्यात असं अगदी व्यवस्थितरित्या सुरु असते. सध्या L1 लेव्हल जशी चालू आहे, तशीच L2 , L3 , L4  साठीचे वर्ग देखील सुरु आहेत. त्यांच्यासाठी हि नियमित विवेचनाचे वर्ग असतात, संस्कृत व्याकरणाचे वर्ग असतात, अधून मधून माहितीपर वर्ग चालूच असतात. हा एवढा पसारा कितीतरी सेवक मिळून अगदी न चुकता, न कंटाळता आणि काहीही मोबदला न घेता करत असतात. त्या सगळ्यांना माझे वंदन आणि खूप खूप कौतुक. 

जर्मनी मध्ये बरोबर साडे पाच वाजता (भारतात तेव्हा ९ वाजलेले असतात) वर्ग सुरु होतो आणि चाळीस मिनीटांनी संपतो. गेलं चार आठवडे कसे गेले, कळलेच नाही. एका ग्रुप मागे एक टीम काम करत असते. ग्रुप ची तांत्रिक बाजू सांभाळणारे घिनमीने दादा, ग्रुप coordinator  कुलकर्णी दादा, आणि आमचे शिक्षक डॉ पाटील दादा ह्यांनी अगदी पहिल्या वर्गातल्या मुलांना जसं शिकवतात तसं आम्हाला शिकवलं, न कंटाळा करता, चुका दुरुस्त केल्या, शाब्बासकी दिली आणि प्रोत्साहन दिलं. त्या तिघांचे हि खूप खूप आभार. १५ व्या अध्यायाचा व्हिडिओ करून पाठवल्यानंतर गीता गुंजन परीक्षा उत्तीर्ण झाल्यावर एक छानसे e -certificate सगळ्या साधकांना मिळते. मलाही प्रशस्तीपत्र मिळाल्यावर एखाद्या लहान मुलासारखा आनंद झाला. आता १२ आणि १५ अध्याय कंठस्थ करायचा प्रयत्न करायला हवा. जमेल मला हि खात्री आहे. आणि काही दिवसांची विश्रांती घेऊन पुढची लेव्हल सुरु होते. 

L1 च्या WhatsApp ग्रुप वर सुमारे १०० जण रुजू झाले होते. त्यातले १२ वा अध्याय शिकायला चालू केला तेव्हा  २०-२२ जण होते आणि १५ वा सुरु केला तेव्हा १० ते १२ जण उरले. ह्यातले पुढे किती येतील कोणास ठाऊक, पण अगदी उत्साहात आपण एखादी गोष्ट करायला घेतो आणि मग ती जमतेच असं नाही. पण गीतेच्या बाबतीत सगळ्यांनीच प्रयत्न करावेत आणि एक ध्यास म्हणूनच ह्याकडे पहावे असं मला वाटतं.

अजून काय काय शिकायला मिळणार आहे ह्याची मला उत्सुकता आहेच, पण माझं आयुष्य आता गीतामयी झालं आहे हे मात्र नक्की. सतत डोक्यात श्लोक घोळत असतात, मुखी श्लोक येत असतात. कंठस्थ कसे करावे ह्याचा विचार मनात घोळत असतो आणि गीता कशी जगावी ह्याचा विचार सतत सुरु असतो.

गीतेने मला शोधले कि मी तिला, ते मला माहित नाही, पण गीता पठण सुरु केल्यामुळे एक वेगळाच अनामिक आनंद मिळाला आहे, ते मात्र नक्की. 

सगळ्यांनी ह्याचा अनुभव एकदातरी नक्की घ्या, अशी आपल्याला विनंती. मी गीता शिकते आहे हे कळल्यावर माझ्या काही मित्रमैत्रिणिनीं पुढच्या महिन्यात सुरु होणाऱ्या L1 लेव्हल मध्ये प्रवेश घेतला आहे. त्यांचा अनुभव मला ऐकायला नक्कीच आवडेल.

तुम्हाला हि जॉईन करायचे असल्यास इकडे भेट द्या.

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जर्मनी मध्ये आषाढी एकादशी उत्सव

लहानपणी आषाढी एकादशीला उपास करायचा, मस्त साबुदाण्याची खिचडी खायची, फलाहार करायचा, इकडे तिकडे थोडी गाणी ऐकायची आणि दिवस संपून जायचा.

पण काल मात्र आयुष्यात पहिल्यांदा आषाढी एकादशी काय असते आणि कशी असते ते कळले. जर्मनी मध्ये गेले चार महिने आम्ही दर बुधवारी राम रक्षा स्तोत्र म्हणायला ऑनलाईन भेटतो. गेल्या महिन्यापासून संकष्टीला अथर्वशीर्ष म्हणायला भेटतो आहोत. त्याच ग्रुप मध्ये विचार सुरु झाला, आषाढी एकादशी येत्ये, काय करता येईल, कार्यक्रम करूया का? हा प्रश्न ग्रुप मध्ये मांडताच आपोआप रूपरेषा घडत गेली. कोणी भजन म्हणू असे म्हणाले, कोणी अनुभव सांगू असे म्हणाले, बघता बघता एक सुंदर असा कार्यक्रम तयार झाला.

काल रात्री जर्मन वेळेनुसार रात्री आठ ते रात्री दहा पर्यंत जवळजवळ ६० मंडळी सहभागी झाली होती. भारतातूनही काहीजण सहभागी झाले होते. त्यांचे विशेष कौतुक!

माझ्या मैत्रिणीच्या मुलीने, स्वराने गीतेचा पंधरावा अध्याय म्हणून कार्यक्रमाची सुंदर सुरवात केली. इतके स्पष्ट उच्चर होते तिचे आणि इतकी निरागसता, आम्हाला तिचे खूप कौतुक वाटलं.

मग जान्हवी दांडेकर, ज्या स्वीडन ला राहतात, त्यांनी "मला समजलेली माउली" ह्या मध्ये त्यांनी केलेल्या वाचनातून त्यांना ज्ञानेश्वर कसे उलगडले हे अगदी सोप्प्या भाषेत आणि सुमधुर वाणी मध्ये आमच्यासमोर मांडले.

अनघा महाजन ह्यांनी तर त्यांच्या बालपणीचे पंढरपूर असं काही चित्रित केले, कि आम्ही जे तिथे कधीच गेलो नाहीये, ते हि जाऊन मस्त फिरून आलो. अनघा चा सुंदर आवाज आणि वाचायची खुमासदार शैली सगळ्यांनाच भावली.

राजेश्री कदम ह्यांच्या आई नुकत्याच वारी करून आल्या होत्या, त्या हि दोन मिनटे बोलल्या आणि त्यांचं बोलणं ऐकून आम्हाला सगळ्यांनाच स्फुरण चढलं.

त्यानंतर श्वेता देवधर ह्यांनी एक सुंदर भजन सादर केलं.

तेजा याळगी ह्यांनी गीताच्या पंधराव्या अध्यायाचे महत्व सांगून पुढे तो आम्हाला अगदी सुंदररित्या म्हणून दाखवला. खूप प्रसन्न आणि छान वाटलं.

श्रुती कुलकर्णी, माझी मैत्रीण जिने मला आजचा हा कार्यक्रम आखण्यात मदत केली तिने तिच्या सासरी शिदोरी द्यायला जायचा अनुभव सांगितला. त्यानंतर तिच्या मैत्रिणिचे एक रेकॉर्डिंग प्रस्तुत केलं, ज्यात त्या मैत्रिणिने तिचे वारीतले अनुभव सांगितले आणि आता कशी तिने त्यांच्या सोसायटी मधेच वारी सुरु केली आहे ह्याचे सुंदर वर्णन केले.

त्यानंतर हर्षा पुराणिक ह्यांनी पांडुरंगाची दृष्ट काढताना जे गाणं म्हणतात ते सादर केलं, अगदी शांत स्वरात म्हटले आणि खूप भावपूर्ण वाटलं. त्यांच्या बालपणीच्या आठवणी जागृत होऊन त्यांच्या डोळ्यात पाणी आलेच, त्याच बरोबर आमच्या सगळ्यांच्या डोळ्यात देखील पाणी आल्यावाचून राहिले नाही. त्यांच्या आजोबाना घशाचा कॅन्सर झाला होता आणि आजोबांनी नामस्मरणाचे पाणी रोज पिऊन तो कॅन्सर बरा केला. त्यांच्यावर टाटा कॅन्सर हॉस्पिटल मध्ये संशोधन झाले आणि अजूनही हि हे कसे घडले ह्याचा तपास सुरूच आहे.

पुढे मनीषा बापट ज्या खूप छान गातात आणि शास्त्रीय संगीत शिकल्या आहेत आणि शिकवत आहेत ह्यांनी एक सुंदर पद म्हणून दाखवलं.

मला काही महिन्यांपूर्वी "पांडुरंग कांती दिव्य तेज झळकती" ह्या अभंगाचा अर्थ फॉरवर्ड म्हणून मिळाला होता. कानडा ओ विठ्ठलु, कर्नाटकू ह्याचा अर्थ नक्की काय आहे हे कळल्यावर सगळेच खूष झाले. इतकी वर्ष जो गैरसमज होता तो दूर झाला.

त्यानंतर प्राची कारेकर ह्यांनी एक सुंदर भजन सादर केलं. खूप शांत वाटलं आणि एक अनामिक आनंद मिळाला.

विशाल ह्यांच्या मार्गदर्शनाखाली आम्ही सगळ्यांनी विठूचा गजर केला. खूप छान वाटलं.

शेवटी पसायदान म्हणायचे होते पण त्या आधी कोणाला काही म्हणायचे आहे का, सांगायचे आहे का हे विचारताच, निषाद फाटक जे एक गुणी कलाकार आहेत, संगीतकार आहेत, त्यांनी "माझे माहेर पांढरी" हे अजरामर भजन सादर करून कार्यक्रमाला अधिकच रंगून टाकलं.

शेवटी वैष्णवी वागळे हिने पसायदान म्हणून कार्यक्रमाची सांगता केली.

दोन तास भुर्रकन उडून गेले. प्रत्येकाच्या मनात तृप्तता होती, एक शांतता होती. भारताबाहेर राहून जर्मनी मध्ये एकत्र ऑनलाईन का होईना सगळ्यांनी मिळून ह्या आषाढी एकादशीचा आस्वाद घेतला होता. आता परत कधी भेटणार, पुढचा कार्यक्रम कुठला करूया ह्या दिशेने विचार सुरु झाले. मला तर किती वेळ झोपच लागली नाही कार्यक्रम संपल्यानंतर.

माझे आणि श्रुतीचे सगळे आभार मानत होते खरे, पण खरं तर करता करविता तर वर बसला आहे, आम्ही दोघी फक्त त्याची आज्ञा पाळतो आहोत. इतरांना जो आनंद मिळाला ह्या कार्यक्रमामुळे त्यात आम्ही भरून पावलो असेच म्हणेन.

दोन तासाचा कार्यक्रम ज्यांना बघायची इच्छा आहे, त्यांच्यासाठी हे झूम रेकॉर्डिंग सोबत जोडले आहे. नक्की बघा आणि आस्वाद घ्या.

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../UVnkFv5hLJEZngdErZ8E...

Passcode: %G.jf7a+

राम रक्षा पाठ

आपल्या सर्वांना हिंदू शोभन नाम संवत्सराच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा.

२२ मार्च रोजी महाराष्ट्रात गुढी पाडवा हा सण खूपच उत्साहात साजरा केला जातो. आता इतकी मराठी माणसं देशाबाहेर आहेत कि ती देखील आपआपल्यापरीने हा सण घरी आणि एकत्र साजरा करतात. 

गुढी पाडव्यापासून राम नवमी पर्यंत खूप लोक राम रक्षेचा पाठ करतात. हे मला माहित होतं, माझी आई आणि माझ्या सासूबाई दरवर्षी हे करतात. मी बरीच वर्ष असा एखादा समूह शोधत होते ज्यात नियमित राम भक्ती करता यावी. पण भारताच्या आणि जर्मनीच्या वेळांमध्ये फरक असल्यामुळे ते काही जमत नव्हते. काय करावे ह्या विचारात असतानाच सासूबाईंनी एक कल्पना सुचवली. आणि मी लगेच कामाला लागले.

महाराष्ट्र मंडळ Karlsruhe ह्या WhatsApp ग्रुप वर मी एक विचार मांडला आणि माझ्या इतर मित्र परिवाराला ह्यात सामील करून घ्यायचे निश्चित केले. भराभर माणसं जोडली गेली. मित्रपरिवारामध्ये विचार पसरला आणि २२.०३.२०२३ ह्या शुभ मुहूर्तावर एक नवीन संकल्प सुरु झाला.

२२.०३.२०२३ ते ३०.०३.२०२३ पर्यंत रोज रात्री आठ वाजता (जर्मन वेळेनुसार) आम्ही Zoom ह्या ऑनलाईन प्लॅटफॉर्म वर भेटून, राम रक्षा म्हणणार आहोत. चार दिवस झाले आहेत, आज पाचवा दिवस आहे. रात्री ८ ते साधारण ८.४० पर्यंत प्रत्येकी पाच आवर्तने म्हणून होतात आणि त्यानंतर कोणाला काही बोलायचे असल्यास उरलेला वेळ आम्ही त्यात घालवतो. रोज पाचजण राम रक्षा म्हणायची इच्छा दर्शवतात आणि ३० जण असल्यास, ३० गुणिले ५ म्हणजे १५० आवर्तने आमची अर्ध्या पाऊण तासात एकत्रित म्हणून होतात. एकत्र म्हणताना एक वेगळाच उत्साह आणि वेगळीच ऊर्जा जाणवते.

रामरक्षेची महती आपल्यापैकी बऱ्याच जणांना माहीत असेलच. ते स्तोत्र म्हणजे एक कवच आहे, जे आपलं वाईट शक्ती, प्रवृत्ती आणि विचारांपासून सौरक्षण करते आणि आपल्याला एक चांगलं आयुष्य जगायला मदत करते. लहानपणापासून आपल्यापैकी बऱ्याच जणांनी हे स्तोत्र आपल्या आजी आजोबांकडून शिकले असेल. तेव्हा अगदी नेमाने म्हटले ही असेल, पण जसे आपण मोठे होत गेलो, तसे हे म्हणून काय होते असा विचार बऱ्याच जणांच्या मनात आला असेल आणि त्यानंतर ते स्तोत्र म्हणणे बंद झाले असेल. वेळ मिळत नाही किंवा खूप काम असते, ह्या सबबी आपणच आपल्याला दिल्या असतील. मग आयुष्यात असे काही घडते कि आपण परत रामाकडे किंवा आपल्या इष्ट देवतेकडे वळतोच आणि नव्याने त्या सगळ्या स्तोत्रांचा, मंत्रांचा अर्थ उलगडतो. 

मी जेव्हा हा उपक्रम सुरु केला, तेव्हा सगळ्यांनी माझं खूप कौतुक केलं. पण मी तर म्हणते ही संधी मला रामानेच दिली आहे आणि इतकी वर्ष मी का दवडली ह्याची मला खंत आहे. परंतु ती इंग्रजी मध्ये म्हण आहे ना "Better late than never" तसाच काहीसा विचार करून अगदी जोमाने आणि आनंदाने मी हा संकल्प सुरु ठेवणार आहे. राम नवमी नंतर दर आठवड्याला बुधवारी रात्री ८ वाजता मी रामरक्षा पठण एकत्र समूहामध्ये सुरु ठेवणार आहे. ज्यांना सहभागी व्हायला आवडेल, त्यांनी माझ्याशी नक्की संपर्क साधा.

राम रक्षेचा हा वारसा पुढे नेऊया,

विश्वशांती साठी प्रार्थना करूया आणि माणसातलं माणूसपण जपूया.

!!!श्री राम जय राम जय राम!!!

Just get up and do it

The weather was playing truant again.

After a nice 20 degrees and above on Tuesday, it has suddenly become rainy and cold. And then my mind plays truant too. It advises the body to relax, to take a break from the workout, to just chill at home, watching television mindlessly or munching on something, even if I am not hungry.

There were bouts of rain and sun throughout the day. I was contemplating how to accommodate today`s walking or working out activity in the day: should I go out for a walk in the cold or should I do a workout at home? I was feeling quite lazy and decided to give myself a break today.

The Devil in Me: You work out every single day. It's ok if you skip today.

The saint in me says: Working out every single day is good for the body and mind. It keeps one active, and the mood is highly enhanced.

The Devil in me: blah blah blah, there she goes again with the gyaan! I know all that. If you don't workout one day, the world is not going to end.

The saint in me says, "Of course, of course, the world won't end, but the motivation might take a setback with one day's break."

This went on for some time, and I was happily killing time and not just mustering up my strength to decide what I really wanted to do today!

I knew in my mind that it was an excuse to not do anything but while away the time. I knew it would be good for my mind and body to go for a walk, but I didn't want to look past the facade of lame excuses.

Finally, at 3 pm, after I completed my office work, I decided to work out at home. It was very simple and easy. I simply had to get out of my chair, turn on my television, and watch a YouTube workout video. I didn't have to go anywhere outside to do it; no dressing up like in the winter; no tension of catching a cold or feeling cold without a cap or handgloves.

After sweating it out for 45 minutes, the body got warm, and my sore mood just lightened up. I felt happy, I felt light, and I felt as if I had conquered the world.

This experience taught me one thing: Sometimes, it is just the first step that you need to take, the first attempt that you need to make, in order to take charge of your life, be it personal or professional. There might be many thoughts running through the head, positive as well as negative, but it is important to brush away the negative thoughts and move ahead with a positive attitude. Owning the responsibility of that first step will give you lots of joy when you look back.

Take the onus to restart a conversation with an old friend who is not in contact.

Take the first step to start learning a skill, a foreign language, or a technology.

Try something that scares you, boost your confidence by staring at that fear and taking the first step toward overcoming it.

You just need to take one step at a time. Tiny baby steps go a long way.

 

Blog Marathon - February 2023 - Day 28 - Being persistent

There were days when I didn't know what to write.

There were days when I was tired and didn't have enough motivation.

There were days when I thought, "Who is going to miss my blogpost if I don't write for a day?"

There were days when I thought to take a break and stop writing for the blog marathon.

But thankfully, I managed to write every single day. There are 28 posts for the month of February on my blog, and these posts are going to be there online for a long, long time.

I had a couple of friends who participated in the blog marathon with me, and it was good motivation to keep going. We read each other's posts, commented, and shared thoughts and emotions. It was like an engagement at a level where we understood each other, though we haven't met in person. And that's the beauty of the art of writing. It connects people from all walks of life based on one common passion.

When we start something, it is critical that we see it through to the end—a good end, to be precise. Be it exercising, eating a balanced diet, having a good night's sleep, or building and nurturing good relationships, we all should put all our efforts into it and have patience until the efforts bear fruit. We shouldn't expect immediate returns, and it is usually the course of nature. Everything takes its own time to nourish, nurture, and bear fruit.

Even if the outcome does not meet our expectations, we should not be disheartened. The efforts that we put in never go to waste. It can happen that our persistence in one area could magically produce results in another area, quite unexpectedly.

Persistence is the key to a successful, and enriched life.