"September 2005" Archive

[ September 30, 2005 ] So, What Did You Learn?:
Some friends came to visit us the other day. Interestingly enough, it was their chauffer that laid down the inevitable question -- "So Nipunbhai, what did you learn from your pilgrimage?" Almost about seven months ago, this driver and I...

[ September 28, 2005 ] India Today: Sex, Drugs, and Sports?:
In a quick leaf through my Uncle's September archives of weekly India Today magazines, I spotted these headline stories: Sex and the Single Woman: In 2003, 73% condemned pornography; now its 29%. In 2003, 57% said premarital sex is wrong;...

[ September 26, 2005 ] Baroda's Smiley Street:
Sep 24, 2005 It is Guri's birthday tomorrow. My 15 year old cousin asks me, "So what are you getting her?" Her mom adds more pressure, "Yeah, what are you doing for her? This is like your first birthday after...

[ September 20, 2005 ] Dirty Pond, Beautiful Lotus:
Guri and I sat in a train today, from Igatpuri to Bombay, escorting my sick brother for some medical tests. It's been about six months since we sat in a moving vehicle. All the landscapes, its people, the subtle cultures,...

[ September 12, 2005 ] Day 4: From Power To Force:
"I have learnt one thing today: power rules. Instead of getting a job, I've decided that I will only do my own business," one of the meditation students told me on day 3 of his 10-day meditation course, with a...

[ September 09, 2005 ] Day 2: Dharma Works:
"Guys, we leave for Goa after b'fast tomorrow morning. Collect ur laundry, pack and meet outside the dining hall. We leave at 7:00AM sharp." That was the introduction to a page-long note that was anonymously circulated on day 2 of...

[ September 07, 2005 ] Day 1: Speech and Silence:
Today is the first of ten days of the college meditation course. If I had to take a guess, I would say that these 22 year olds have never woken up at 4AM, nor have they ever been silent for...

[ September 03, 2005 ] Day 0, To Be Like a Coconut:
"If you had to had to be fruit, what would you be?" That was the question that several of us were discussing, couple years ago. I don't remember what I said but Guri said, "I'd be a coconut. Hard on...