They set their path rambling on the coincidence boulevard,
A new beginning, they were off trekking on a treacherous
street.
With neither wearing a demurely look,
Living on the edge, they laughed on the jokes so obsolete.
The absolute opposites, swayed by their own whim,
An alienated bond, it looked like a written farce.
Rash by nature, surrounded by a dowdy aura,
Holding on to refuge, from heart to head, shivering on and
chasing cars.
Often through delivered ointments, to the ridge they
reached,
Galloping through darkness, it seemed like a deed out of
utter creed.
But they were Ron and Hermione, and naturally, there had to
be melancholy,
Alacritous abandonments, on opposite fronts they began to
breed.
He was brave, caring, gullible and sloppy,
Waiving his flag, he stood tall, smiling and wearing his
fedora.
She was intelligent, choosy, courageous and short-sighted,
Opting for fun, neglecting her mate, she lived in the island
of Pandora.
The returned Voldermot blocked his gullet,
Fed on oxygen, battling for survival, in Dumbledore he
believed.
She always called him a friend and this was her real test,
Not even bothering, failing miserably, she laughed as Ron
felt aggrieved.
Blessed by the master, who defeated ‘the one who must not be
named’,
He felt touched by the hand of God, rescued from heir, bursting
out alive.
As he came to terms with the truth of Hermione’s ‘fun’
priority over her ‘so-called friend’s’ being,
He set his way on a promenade, realizing that camaraderie
was an effort too jive.
Donning Harry’s invisibility cloak,
With no strings attached, Ron smiled and wished for Hermione
to have a perfect time.
They still stand on opposite fronts as a primordial silver
lining appears to be drawn,
Maybe they are history, maybe they are not, but rest
assured, somewhere in their respective heart-ora, as friends, in rhythm and
rhyme, they still dine.
(There is something horribly wrong with my blog font and it's not getting sorted)
You
know you’re special when he smiles at you,
You know
you’re adored when he touches you,
You know
you’re treasured when he tests you,
But you just
know you’re blessed when he shows you what celebration really is. My Nokia
phone screen read March 2, 2009 21:37.
Knowing that all the YES!+ teachers and most volunteers from Pune had already
left for Aurangabad a day before, even my best shot at staying clam couldn’t
help numb the disappointment that had sunk in, arising from the feeling of not
even making an attempt of meeting the man whom I called my ‘Guru’, Sri Sri
Ravishankar-ji. Moreover, digesting the fact that the chance to meet him was
sort-of gone, the rising emotions were absolutely killing me with guilt.
Well, but
that was more-or-less because I knew nothing about Aurangabad, and so, I didn’t
even count myself a candidate in leaving all on my own for the City of Gates.
In fact, to be true, you know, I had forgotten that I was already
‘taken-care-of’ by the master and somewhere deep down, I was begging for that
feeling to be revoked. And ‘He’ did exactly that! His messenger: a dear friend.
After
a day in the physical presence of the master, almost the whole of our ‘AOL
sena’ had returned back to the Queen of Deccan, Pune, and one of the returning
volunteers was Vishal Vengulekar. I knew it would make me jealous, but it was a
feeling that I couldn’t resist; I had to call up Vishal – my first YES!+
friend, who had seen ‘Him’ at thesatsangin Aurangabad a day prior, when he
went with the other Puneri volunteers and teachers – and ask him of his
experience, and so I did. Vishal took my call and briefly told me everything
that he remembered of the trip: right from his bus journey to Guruji’s
‘Question and Answers’ session.
(Mahasatsang
at Aurangabad that Vishal and other Volunteers and Teachers attended)
He inspired
me so much that I told myself, ‘I can’t miss this, I simply can’t!’ So, I
decided to find way so that I could somehow
get to Aurangabad, and therefore, I
called up a YES!+ teacher, who was partly responsible for introducing me to the
world of YES!+ and Art Of Living, Shashank Ombhase.
Shashank was
one of those people who were on the bus with Vishal. Shashank, like a typical
YES!+ teacher, encouraged me even more to meet Guruji. In fact, he clubbed his
day’s experience with a couple of his own Guru stories. When I finished talking
to him, I was so convinced to go that I had started to believe that Guru’s
grace would inevitably conjure up and He, my will and my valor would overcome
all the difficulties and make me meet him. (Just to note, my father was in
Aurangabad for that very day, so, I knew if I could somehow reach the city of
Aurangzeb, I wouldn’t have to worry about finding accommodation).
(Pic taken about three years back, I hope
this solves the purpose of identifying the people. Akhil - long hair, blue
shirt, on the right and Vishal - center-right, black jacket, next to
Dhanashree, who is in red)
Shashank
gave me Akhil Balekar’s phone number, who was an Art Of Living volunteer from
Pune, then in Aurangabad. The very next moment, I was on phone with Akhil. I
asked him if I would be able to ‘see’ Guruji; his reply was affirmative,
however, he added that meeting Guruji in person could be very difficult.
Meeting
seemed like a far-fetched dream, and in-truth, I was contented in catching a
glimpse of Him, even if it was from 100 yards away. With 23:30 the reading in the wall
clock and with excitement oozing out of me, I took out my kurta –the onlykurtathat
I had and whichI had
worn in a play that I took part in after my 10th grade – and a pair of jeans
and set a morning alarm of 3:30 AM as I started making all the preparations for
my Aurangabad adventure. I slept with pumped adrenalin and as I woke up, the
blood through my veins felt like it was gushing faster than ever before. It was
just crazy; I couldn’t stop smiling.
(Me, Shashank, Aarushi and Khushboo;
Forgive me as all my photographs with Shashank were group photos and this was
the best of the lot)
I even energized
myself with the sixth source of energy, the cold water bath. And guess what, it
wasn’t even 4 AM. Mummi was shocked to see my determination and she couldn’t
believe that I was seriously leaving for Aurangabad. She thought it was one of
my ‘I am going to own Manchester United Football Club one day’ like things.
With a water bottle and a Monaco biscuit pack and I set off to meet Him.
…and
the ‘adventure’ started, an adventure in every sense of the word :)
Well, I
hadn’t even reached the gate of my building complex when the sandal of my right
foot tore. I certainly wasn’t going back to change my footwear, and so, a
bright smile followed and I walked on. I know it was a little foolish on my
part to not go back, but then, that was one of my least concerns; I just wanted
to meet Guruji.
From what I
could sense, Guruji was having fun and he decided to play even more. I had to
wait 20-minutes for the rickshaw and half hour for the Aurangabad bus at
Shivajinagar bus stop, where this person fooled me and handed me ticket for
this bus that only went half way, to Ahemadnagar!
(The 'Bus' or was it?)
The bus'
condition was atrocious to say the least. In fact, it was not even a bus; it
was a mini-bus/ tempo van, which was stinking as though it had not been opened
since the 19thcentury.
I couldn’t do anything but ‘accept’ and that’s what I did, accepted the van not
the people though, which was my biggest mistake.
This guy
sitting on the seat before me was spitting outside the window continuously and
when I saw that, ‘random acts of kindness’ point from the YES!+ course conjured
in my head. However, I hesitated and did not do anything. So, Guruji decided to
give me a gift, when a drop of that guy’s tobacco-filled spit flew through the
window and on my cheek.
Yuk!
That was
that!
I gave him a
hairdryer, and I wouldn’t really be surprised if he has
always thought of me
before spitting ever again, even if it was in his washroom’s basin.
Well, I
hadn’t informed my father but in a morning conversation with my mother, he was
told that I was on my way to Aurangabad. So, as I was about to reach
Ahmednagar, he made me aware of the buses available buses from the Ahmednagar
bus stop.
Two hours of
journey and I had finally reached Ahemadnagar. So, as I was told, I stood at
the bus stop waiting for the bus, and what a bus stop! I didn’t end up being
its biggest fan. I asked people around me and everyone told me that buses to
Aurangabad were as frequent as 15 minutes. Maybe I was just unaware, ignorant
or probably dumb because I stood for over an hour and didn’t find a bus that
would go to Aurangabad. Can you believe it? He sure was playing games! However,
I did find an ‘Omni Van’ that would go only half way to Aurangabad, until this
place called ‘Newasa Phata’.
(The Omni Van)
This Maruti
Van was legendary in its true sense. Guess what! It was a Van that was supposed
to seat only three people on its two back seats, however, as per the driver’s
‘order’, either seats had to have four people seated. The driver looked in no
mood to assure comfort and I was rather stupid to even think so. So, there were
four people seated on either of the back seats and out of the sandwiched four,
I was one of them.
Well, but
that wasn’t the real problem, the real problem was that everyone who was
sitting next to me was ‘sweat-stinking’ (okay wait, ‘stink’ is an
understatement), and I was not only sitting right in the middle of the two
seats but also, in the middle of my seat. I was lucky that the man who was
sitting next to the window decided to get down, I wonder why? Not really!
Well, I
certainly was in no mood to miss on the opportunity to sit next to the window,
and so, I hurriedly sat, poking my face and more so nose outside the wi1ndow,
trying to avoid that entire foul sweaty odor.
An hour ride
and we were at Newasa Phata, phew!
I called
Akhil from the Phata and he asked me to come to Sachin Mule's bunglow in
Aurangabad. At Newasa Phata, I could see an Asiat bus waiting at a restaurant,
and I thought to myself, ‘That’s it! I certainly am meeting Guruji now!’ But
it’s said, “Sabar ka phal meetha hota hai.” Maybe I had forgotten that!
I met this
person, who also had to go to Aurangabad. After meeting him, I breathed a sigh
of relief and thanked Guruji for sending me a companion, who could guide me on
how to reach the city. I smiled at him and said, “I will walk a little further
and see if we can get any means which will help us in reaching Aurangabad
faster. If this bus is about to leave, please wave your hand.” So, in a
carefree manner, I went a little ahead to search for taxies, keeping that man
in my sight. When I returned to Newasa Phata and that restaurant, there was no
bus there. I was shell-shocked! I asked the man about the bus and he gleefully
replied, “Woh toh gayi!” And I went like ‘What?!’
(The Asiad Bus)
Although it
resulted in a wait of another half hour, but I finally boarded a bus and I was
on my way to Aurangabad. Oh yes! I was almost there!
…but it
doesn’t end here as I got down at the wrong stop!
Papa had
sent a driver to pick me up from this place called ‘Baba Petrol Pump’ and where
did I get down? 10 Kms. before the stop, at Pandarpur!
As Srividya
mam says, "Einstein!"
To cut it
short, more wait, but the driver finally picked me up and dropped me to Sachin
Mule's bungalow. Now, the bungalow security was very tight and I was told that
I simply could not to enter! Well, I was not going back now, not even if David
Beckham invited me for his birthday party. I called Akhil again and he came…he
came with hope but he left as quickly as well, as he had some ‘important work’.
I looked on with a poker face, thinking to myself, ‘How could he just go in?’
Well, for the first time, I was really losing it and losing it bad, but that’s
when He turned it all around.
I had been
waiting with a family for almost 20 minutes outside the gate and I pretty much
knew that the family would get permission to enter the gate. It was miraculous
what happened next. I guess the guards thought that I belong to that very
family and they let me in to the bungalow with the family.
Having met
Akhil a bit later who asked me to sit with the other volunteers, I joined this
group that had come down from Mumbai. Becoming friends within minutes of meet,
we did the Sudarshan Kriya together. They were so enthusiastic that they even
did Surya Namaskars 2:30 in the afternoon! If the trip wasn’t all that
adventurous so far, another surprise came my way. I discovered that by the time
my Kriya finished, the food had got over!
Well, I was
this being who hadn't had anything since morning; I was starving. In fact, that
was not only the case with me, but with everyone who had travelled many miles
to see Guruji. One thing that I learned on that trip was that Mumbai volunteers
are smart. One of the volunteers from Mumbai went into the kitchen and got
almost half a dozenrotiesmade. Sixrotieswithchatnifor ten volunteers, totally worth it!
Minutes
on and we left for Garware Stadium, the place where the event/course ‘Utsav’
was to take place. We were all allottedsevasand I was at the security. It all went
fine and the Utsav started!
Now,
the teachers for the course were the biggest surprise element for me so far:
Khurshed Batliwala and Dinesh Ghodke. Well, I was a participant of the second
course that Srivi mam ever taught, so, I knew about Bawa and Dinesh Bhaiya, and
if you are her student reading this post, you will know that she talks so much
about them in her course that your fascination to meet them reaches an
unprecedented high.
Thus, just
watching the two directors of WAYE (World Alliance for Youth Empowerment) in
front of me teaching the workshop that they have designed themselves was an
exceptional sight. It was so cool! However, having not carried by spectacles, I
remember, I was not able to see them properly even on the big screen and so, I
prayed.
Utsav
As the
course moved on, it was time for Long Sudarshan Kriya! Now, I had done my Kriya
in the afternoon and right before the start of the Sudarshan Kriya, the Mumbai
volunteers from somewhere got the news that Guruji will be coming on to the
stage when the course participants end their Kriya. Now, that wasjugadunderlined!
…and
that’s exactly what happened!
Saleel
bhaiya needed some volunteers to ‘welcome’ Guruji back stage and guess what; we
‘incidentally’ were at the right place at the right time. Bhaiya asked us to be
seated in a line as told us the golden rule, ‘Guruji’s speed of motion is
directly proportional to your excitement’. I said, “Whatever,” which was
another of my mistakes! I mean, I had done by YES!+ course two and a half
months back, so, I didn’t know who Saleel Bhaiya was. We volunteers sat in a
line along the path on which Guruji was to pass. I was so very excited and
guess whom did I see walking by, passing a smile towards me, Dinesh Bhaiya! I
went like, “Dude! I wanted to see him from close and here he is, smiling at me!”
(Me and Dinesh Bhaiya, this is a a recent
pic; venue: Vishwamitra)
With my
heart beating faster with every passing second, especially after hearing
on-and-off whispers from other volunteers – who came out with rumors such as
‘He is climbing the steps’ – I finally saw Him. He was distant but I saw Him,
and I noticed that he was walking towards me. He had his secretary holding a
basket full of fruits, of which he was giving one fruit each to a
volunteer/security-guard that he came across while making his way on to the
stage.
I was sitting with the Mumbai volunteers and we were one of the first
few volunteers that he was to meet. Just as he reached our group, Saleel Bhaiya
introduced us to him by saying, “These volunteers have come from Mumbai just to
meet you Guruji,” after which Guruji asked, “Yahan sab log Mumbai se aayen
hain?”
And that was
the moment that all the excitement that I was holding back, came out and with a
wide smile, I impulsively shouted, “Guruji main Pune se.” He said,
“Ah…Okay,” and then, he handed me an apple and walked past me. In fact, there
was more to it. As I said “Guruji main Pune se”in an instantaneous manner, Guruji
looked into my eyes and we shared an eye contact that lasted for about two
seconds; maybe more, maybe less…I don’t know. It was a moment when I had
forgotten everything; it was like the time had stopped.
It was absolutely
magical. However, when I saw him walk past me, that’s when I realized, I should
have kept my calm. Trust me, all that was going on in my head was, ‘Had I
followed Saleel Bhaiya’s golden rule, the meet could have longer’, but I was so
happy.
Just like
the test of my resolve to come to Aurangabad, Guru’s grace didn’t end there. As
the 1301 course participants came out of their meditative state to discover
Guruji sitting right in front of them on his throne, we volunteers were told to
assemble next to the ramp. I was the second volunteer standing in the queue. As
the volunteer who was first in the queue was givenseva, I was told to move forward.
Now, just imagine, I was standing right below the stage, next to the ramp, and
sitting in front of me were Guruji (to my left) and Bawa and Dinesh Bhaiya (to
my right) at a distance of less than five meters; it sure was incredible. I
could not believe it; I still can’t.
Guruji
answered a number of questions from the participants and left soon. After the
course day got over, I met Bawa and Dinesh Bhaiya personally. They blessed me
too.
It was all
like a dream. March 3, 2009 morning, all I wanted was to catch a glimpse of Him
and here He was, giving me an apple in the evening on the same day. Moreover, I
just wanted to see Bawa and Dinesh Bhaiya from close, and here they were,
blessing me.
That
Aurangabad trip was nothing but a perfect chance given to me by my Guru to
implement all the sutras that I had learned in my YES!+ course. I gave my 100%
and he made my experience worthwhile. In fact, he showed me how to celebrate
life by making my experience one that acted as an epitome of grace and
celebration.
Like Dinesh
Bhaiya once said during a volunteer’s meet, “He makes the impossible possible,”
and that’s what my whole Aurangabad adventure was about…impossible becoming
possible.
For most, Sourav Ganguly is only a great
cricketer who is currently captaining Pune Warriors; for some, he is their
favourite cricketer who has redefined ‘comeback’; but for me, he is my
inspiration, my idol and my teacher, who – through his performances – taught me
how to get through - what seemed like – one of the toughest phases of life.
I am on the right, holding (sort of) a banner at Wankhede Stadium :)
And yes, I traveled miles to watch him play :)
An year after ‘Dada’ was presented the Padma Shri - one of India's highest awards – by
the then President of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, he was kicked out of the
national team following a run of poor performances in 2005. To some, the words ‘kicked
out’ may read too strong to describe the situation of his drop, but seeing how
he was ill-treated by the BCCI, to me, they are just an understatement. A few
months later, the Indian coach then, Greg Chappell (seen as the main reason for
the Warrior Prince’s departure) decided to rub it in by publicly making a
statement that ‘Ganguly deserved a good farewell’.
These events not only made my blood boil, but got me against
supporting the Indian cricket team. Then, in 2006, he
did that Pepsi advertisement 'Apne Dada Di Baat Sunenge', and as he was
mocked by both – audiences and media, I had eyes full of tears even
contemplating what lied ahead for the man whom I have idolized ever since I was
nine. His career really seemed to had hit a dead-end but he always had
something extra, and you could see that every single time he walked on the
field, whether it was playing for India or any other team that he has ever
played for. He refusing to carry drinks on the field for Bengal in the early
part of his career is an example of that.
And so, I expected him to be back, but he superseded
my expectations by roaring like the royal Bengal tiger and making a comeback
second to none, going on to not only drill his name in the hearts of the fans
that had always saluted him, but also, regaining respect from those glory
hunters who had cut off all the connections with him since the time his form
had worsened. He also carved an impression in the hearts of all his doubters
and critics by proving his mettle.
He went back to playing Ranji Trophy and featured in
every match for Bengal, playing under Rohan Gavaskar captaincy, underlining his
desire. With time, slowly and gradually, he was discovering ‘his touch’ and as
the runs started to flow, it only seemed like a matter of time before he would
make that all-awaited comeback. I remember, this was early 2006, when he was in
Pune playing for Bengal at the Nehru Stadium and I couldn’t go for the game
because I had an Engineering Graphics exam to appear for in a day’s time; that was
just painful in its own right.
With Greg Chappell still in charge, the ‘god of offside’ was picked
for the tour of South Africa in December 2006. With Ganguly having the history
of not being the greatest against the bouncing ball (at least since the time
when he was hit on the ribs by Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar), the critics were
chuckling quietly, "Ah ... He's going to get buried on the bouncy South
African track" and more or less, it was all set up for a fall. But it
seemed like as though all these remarks fired the warrior in him even more as
he made his critics look silly with a gutsy 87 against Rest of South Africa in
a four day tour match.
Soon, he was playing his first test match in over an
year. In the match that was played in Johannesburg against South Africa, which
was remarked as ‘Ganguly’s comeback game’, saw Dada score an invaluable 51 to
help India to victory.
Now, on one hand, Ganguly was piling up runs, whereas on the
other, Greg Chappell was getting more and more scrutinized by the media for
some of his decisions. After India’s poor showing in the ICC Cricket World Cup
2007, Chappell resigned as the Indian coach and Ganguly went on to become the
highest run getter for India in both Test and ODI cricket in 2007 scoring 1106
Test runs at an average of 61.44 and 1240 One-day runs at an average of
44.28. Ganguly’s comeback and Chappell’s omission clearly underlined one
of Darwin’s theories – Survival of the Fittest. Now, Sourav Ganguly had nothing
left to prove to anyone. He could proudly say that he had not only been there
and done it, but he also came back to do it. The comeback was indeed complete!
Although in different fields, in the first half of 2007,
Sourav and I were scoring on the absolute opposite ends. As he was winning over
one fan after another, with my poor grades in engineering, I was losing people’s
faith time and time over.
It was August 2007 and I knew I wasn’t passing my second year
engineering exams, and so, I had pre-decided to go to try out for the auditions
of the ESPNSTAR show ‘Dream Job’, which assured the winner a job of becoming a ‘Sports
Commentator’ - which certainly was my
dream job. To cut it short, I didn’t make it through the auditions, because – on
the base of what I was told - ‘I still was in college’. Failing exams and being
rejected by ESPNSTAR, those were one of the hardest times for times for me as I
neither wanted to go back and do engineering, nor did I have a plan as to what
I am going to do in the future; and that’s where the ‘Gangulian attitude’
helped me.
As I was on the bus, on my way back from Mumbai, I couldn’t
help but think of Dada – his spirit, his ability to fight, his will to be recognized
and his strength in standing up and being counted. He was a champion, and in
that three hour bus journey, I somehow learned from the Prince.
He inspired me so much that I came back, worked hard on my
backlog exams and cleared all my subjects. It was phenomenal seeing the change
the Gangulian attitude had brought in me; it literally carried me at times when
I felt I couldn’t progress and injected a spirit within me that made me stand
up for myself and realize what’s like to be counted.
In 2008, he announced that the series against Australia would
be his final in International cricket. The Maharaja played in every game of the
four-Test series and amassed 324 runs at an average of 54.00, retiring when
his form was at its absolute pinnacle. He fought like a warrior, played like a
prince and retired as a King, with grace and with unmatched respect, showcasing
every little boy that has ever dreamed of playing for India, what sort of fight
must be put forward to play for the nation and what it exactly means to walk
out on to the cricket field wearing the Indian chakra on your head.
As for me, YES!+ and Art Of Living followed, and that did change
my life as I rose from poor/very-average engineering grades to rediscovering
myself. Maybe it just polished the Gangulian attitude by a million folds. After
writing for media giants such as the Indian Express and Goal.com, I am presently
pursuing my Masters’ degree in Sport Management from one of the best Sports
universities in the United States - Florida State University (FSU). I know it’s
God’s grace, but its magical how that attitude so Gangulian has helped me move forward.
Now that he is playing for my home team, Pune
Warriors India, it makes the situation only sweeter. As I watched him captain
Warriors to victory over Mumbai Indians in the first game of this season’s IPL,
it was another occasion when I felt deeply emotional. In fact, after the final
bowl of the match was bowled, I jumped, danced, celebrated and sang 'he is
back!’
Looking at his attributes, leadership
quality, connection and contribution to the Indian cricket, he needs to be put
into the national fold straight away; if not as a player, definitely as a coach/manager.
This is for BCCI: Sack Duncan Fletcher and appoint ‘Sir Sourav’ as the Indian
coach. Home or away, he will guide us to glory.
Right from 1996, I don't even know if I have
ever even missed an inning of his. Whether it was him playing for Bengal,
Lancashire, Glamorgan, Northamptonshire, Kolkata Knight Rider, PWI or India, I
was there to see how he was doing. If I wasn't watching it live, I was
following the game over the internet. To me, he is a legend in his own league
and it’s just magical what affect a cricketer can have on you. Just following
and idolizing Sourav Ganguly, who played with his heart on his sleeve, made me
get through a patch that looked like a dead-end and since then, a Ganguly in me
has lived on.
The watch in the examination hall read 17:25 as I could feel the adrenalin gushing through my veins. They were those five minutes which would signal the end of the my third year second semester electronics engineering examination, and see me leave for the Bangalore Ashram for the first time. In spite of all that fluster of being in an exam, I couldn’t help but smile and feel excited, even though I was not having the easiest time answering the question set.
I scribbled whatever I could in the final few moments, and then, as the bell rang, I punched my fist in the air and shouted, ‘Yes!’ I still remember running out of the class like I had won gold in the Olympics, with hundreds of eyes staring at me in amazement - they must have thought, ‘What’s up with him? What did he write in such a paper?’
I came out of the hall; I smiled, jumped, picked up my bag and galloped to the campus road where my car driver was waiting for me. With the bus due to leave at 6:00PM and my college 20 kms away, I knew I didn’t have much time, so, told my driver him put his foot through the accelerator.
Just to note, even prior to my final exam, Guru stories had already started happening. I really wanted to do the Advance course in the Bangalore Ashram. Well, I had heard so much about it - the Ashram, the course, and everything related; I just wanted to do it, and even though I was told that the reporting for the course was on June 3, 2009 (the same day that my exams were supposed to end), my sankalpa was very strong.
One of the Pune teachers had spoken about me and five others, who so wanted to do the course but couldn’t as our exams were to end the same day. The YES!+ teacher from Pune, was told ‘No’ upfront, but somehow, things just fell in place and we were permitted to join from the next day morning. We would probably be the first and the last participants ever in the history of the Art Of Living to have been given such a privilege, but I guess our reason was genuine and our willingness to attend the workshop, absolutely immense.
Back to June 3, 2009, the day when we were to leave. I changed my dress on the way, picked my Mummi up from her office on my way back from college and reached the bus station. I gave my Mummi a hug as she left for home and as I entered the bus station.
Guess what, I see a smiling Rutuja (who was in Cummins College) running towards me and saying, “What an awesome paper!” I went like, “Really?”
She remarked, “It was great, only problems (She meant numericals)”
And I looking in disbelief said, “Yes, only problems (like real problems in the exam)”
We waited and waited, and the bus which was to leave at 6:00, left at 8:00PM. In the bus, it was me, the teacher - Shashank Ombhase, Varsha Anandani, Rutuja, Sharvari Patil and Annirudh Khurade. Guru stories, Ashram stories, Bawa-Dinesh stories were shared as my excitement grew more and more. I would be wrong if I say it wasn’t fun, it sure was! As it had been exam time, I hadn’t been sleeping properly; four-five hours of sleep was enough to go and write the exam, and so, I wanted to sleep properly is the bus.
Guru showed his magic again. The bus that we were travelling in, had a capacity of about 60, but had only 25 passengers travelling. So, each of us, took two seats each, made ourselves comfortable and went to the Ashram sleeping.
The bus reached Bangalore late and we opted to take a taxi to reach the Ashram fast. It was about 11 in the morning on June 4th, when Shashank told me to look outside the car window. I was like, “Why?” He gave me a strange expression. As I rolled my eyes, I saw the tip of Vishalakshi Mantap. I, sort of, went numb and then, shouted the famous line, “I am home.” It was a moment which I can’t explain in words; just imagine, seeing VM for the first time from naked eyes. Well, as I am writing this, shivers are doing moon-salts in my body; it’s just a feeling that can be experienced by the observer.
We kept our luggage at the reception and rushed into the VM, where the course was taking place. The course volunteers asked us to hurry-up and as we entered meditation hall, Dinesh Bhaiya gave us a look; like, you know, ‘look’, which sort of was intimidating. In the midst of things, I still couldn’t believe that I was inside the VM.
The advance course went on and I learned so much. I also made so many friends, including Kalpak Gandhi, who is such a dear friend to me now. Silence was incredible, and I did meet Guruji too J That meeting was so so special.
On the day of the Sunday satsang in the amphitheater, I went to Bawa and said, “I have just given my third year engineering exams. My parents think I am mad, but I really want to do Sports Journalism.”
He smiled and replied, “First finish engineering and then, think of doing anything else.”
I exclaimed, “My parents think I should do MBA”
He gave me an expression so as to say, “No.” He then, blessed me, and all I can say is that life has been a blessing since.
Seven days after returning to Pune, I was writing for the Indian Express as a sports journalist. Later, I not only went on to head the content writing section for the Maharashtra Premier League (cricket) website but also, write for the biggest football website in the world, Goal.com (interviewing the likes of Morten Gamst Pedersen, Ryan Nelsen, Steve Kean, Jason Roberts, Michel Salgado, and many more). I also worked as a sports analyst for a Singapore based company, Real Time Sportscast and as a marketing trainee for one of the premier football clubs in India,Pune FC.
(Me and Michel Salgado)
Now, three and quarter years after doing my Yes!+ and a little more than two and a half years after doing my Yes!+ advanced, I am in USA studying a Masters’ program in Sports Management at the Florida State University. I just feel so blessed.
The advance course in June 2009 was my first, and I enjoyed it so much that I went on to do four more. With Guruji set to be in Canada for his birthday this year, I so want to go, but with me still to apply for the Canadian Visa and arrange for the ticket expense, it sort of looks improbable. However, just like for my first advance course, my sankalpa is still as strong or maybe, even stronger
Even thinking of being in the Ashram gives me Goosebumps, but whether in Montreal or in Bangalore, I know I am meeting him soon. Ashram is a special place and meeting Him is a special experience. If you haven’t been there, you must go there. It’s not ‘almost heaven’, it is heaven J
Take me home, Ashram roads,
To the place, where I belong, Bangalore Ashram,
Oh my Guru, take me home.
Ashram Roads J
Jai Gurudev J
Love J
Kratik
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