Time is the best Healer

Dear Friends,

Am very happy to connect with all of you at the dawn of the New Year.   

Surely, most of us have had ups and downs this year. Life is indeed very simple, but we complicate it so much that it becomes a roller coaster ride!

Life’s experiences, especially if they are bitter, teach us good lessons so that we become more refined.

We just need to remember one thing – everything which happens to us, happens for a reason. It is certainly not possible for us to fully comprehend why we lost a job, why someone close to us left us, why someone back-stabbed us, why someone left us in the lurch when we needed them the most or why someone betrayed our trust and friendship.

Just like how we must remove toxins from our body in order to remain in good health, we must also understand that it is indeed good if some people move away from our lives – be it love, friendship or any other relationship. It is easier said than done. The pain, emotional wounds and the humiliations can put you in so much misery, but at one point of time, we need to let go. Learn to forgive and forget, not because the other person deserves it, but because you deserve some peace of mind!

Nothing is permanent in this world. The only thing that is constant is change. If we realise that every situation and circumstance will fade away, we will have more strength to face the world.

I come across atleast one person in a week who would say, “I wish I can throw away everything, and go to some place alone. Am tired of all these responsibilities”.  This is because we have too many expectations, or sometimes we are too ambitious. If we develop the mind-set to not compare ourselves with others, and live within our means, it will be easier to handle any unexpected situations in life.

Some of us may have lost our loved ones. I too lost a friend to cancer a few weeks ago. Time is the best healer, and what we can do is give time it’s space to work. Believe that season’s change, and flowers will bloom again. Above all, believe in the law of karma – no one can escape from it. All of us have to reap the seeds we sow. So, if someone has hurt you, try to forget, forgive and let go. Feelings of guilt, regret and revenge will only cause you more pain and sorrow. Surrender to God/ your Guru and leave everything at HIS feet. We are all HIS children and HE certainly has a plan for each of us. All we need is to connect to HIM constantly and wait for HIS miracles/ blessings.

I will close with a quote from His Holiness Sri Kanchi Mahaswami:

“In all that you do, let love be the sole motive. Any need must be with reference to another. Let action be out of love. Passions such as desire and hatred, anger and malice must be totally eschewed. If love becomes the grounding principle of all deeds. then most of the ills of the world will vanish”.

Wish you all a Bright, Prosperous, Blissful, Healthy, Energetic, Peaceful and a Very Happy New Year 2016. 

Cheers!

Spirit of Chennai - is it not an exaggeration?

Many of us in Chennai go about trying to be “busy” as usual. Have no choice as that’s how we are expected to behave! We humans are designed to be adaptive to the gravest of situations, and we generally get accustomed to circumstances.

But what is this Spirit of Chennai that everyone is still talking about?

While the great humanitarian effort by individuals and NGOs during the rains and floods have to be sincerely lauded, I think we have taken this talk about Spirit of Chennai a little too far. Maybe exaggerated beyond limits! This is not new as we always see Spirit of Mumbai or Spirit of Delhi during any disaster.

But if you go back to your moral science classes in school, each one of us were taught to help and be kind to each other always, not just during disasters! Being a Good Samaritan is part of our DNA – it has always been so.  But just that in the recent years, in the mechanical life that we are leading in the mad rush for money, many of us have forgotten such basic qualities. We never did react to any situation unless we ourselves were affected.

So, the recent rains and floods did just that – each person in Chennai were affected in some way or the other and so turned around to help everyone else who were in distress. I would say that each of us got an opportunity to be true human beings!

Not just that, there has been behavioural changes amongst us as well.

• We managed with just black coffee for a few days
• Managed without power supply for several days
• Did not make a fuss over food
• Used water in rations
• For once, we were off from our hectic schedules and gadgets
• We had proper conversations with family and neighbours even in the midst of all the trauma and misery.
• More importantly, we shed our ego!
• In the midst of the tragedy, our loved ones came to mind. We took up the phone (though connectivity was poor), and tried to reach out to those we have not been in touch for a long time. At that moment, love proved more powerful than ego! And, we heaved a sigh of relief when we knew they were safe. In a minute, all the hatred, misunderstanding, revenge and grief just vanished into thin air! All of a sudden, we became more forgiving and understanding.

Can we not be like this all the time?

In our daily life, we fuss over so many little things, but were we not more tolerant those 4-5 days?

So, it is all just the making of the mind! That one week was probably just God’s way of telling us that there are more important things in life than just running around for money!

Let us atleast now try to lead a simple life and be of use to atleast a handful of people around us in some way or the other. We have to pledge to do some dharmic activity everyday, and bring a smile on the face of atleast one person. We never know when our last day on earth will be. So, face each day with a smile, and thank God for giving you yet another day to live, and love.

.

Cheers!

  

Poorna Vidhya - Complete Knowledge, not just Education

Hello Everyone!

I'm back! 

It's been ages since I got on to my blog. As some of you know, I have just kick started my own venture Anusham Consulting (www.poornavidhya.com) and I have been busy putting things together. Many of you have showered your good wishes and blessings for which I will remain grateful. 

I have always believed that hard work and dedication pays and above all, there is one Director above us - Sri Maha Periva. I know that HE is always there to guide and steer me in the right path. I will take one step at a time, as per HIS orders. 

When my friend Priyadarshini and I wanted to go ahead with this initiative, we pledged that a portion of our profits from the business will go towards a good cause. This way, we will be able to sustain ourselves as well as contribute our small bit of service for the less privileged in the society. Our key initiative is to provide a comprehensive, all-rounded Training and impart the right kind of knowledge - which is why we called ourselves "Poorna Vidhya" - complete knowledge and not just education. Our Training Programs are tied to our Social initiative "Be the Change". More details are available on our website.

We have kick-started our first Training Program - Advanced Excel and VBA for Finance Professionals. I am very fortunate at the first instance itself as I managed to get one of the Top Excel Gurus in the Word as the Trainer for this two day workshop scheduled for 5th and 6th December 2015.

We are actively promoting our Training programs in various forums and social network sites. Here is one such post from our Facebook Page. Please LIKE the Page and help me grow  :)

Training on Advanced Excel and VBA----------------------------------------------For a detailed Programme overview,...
Posted by Anusham Consulting www.poornavidhya.com on Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Cheers!

Health Screening for Women

I know I should have written about this weeks ago, but it is better late than never.

This month of March, Beauty Parlours, Apparel Stores, etc have several schemes for women customers and offer good discounts on account of the Women's Day Celebration.

There is something more important that many women miss out during this time .Many hospitals too offer discounts on Health Screenings. With changes in our lifestyle, annual health exams are a must for all - especially women. Regular health check-ups and tests can help find problems before they start or early, when your chances for treatment are better. Even for Cancer, there are several cures in alternate medicine as well such as Panchagavya treatments, Aloe Vera, Asparagus, and so on. Here again, complete cure is possible only when the problem is identified in the early stages. So, it is very important that women do regular health screening - once a year to ensure that all is well.

Based on experience, here is some brief information I would like to share. Several hospitals have different health screen packages depending on your age. Broadly, the tests would cover the following.

1. CBC (Complete Blood Count)
2. Blood Grouping
3. Chest X-Ray
4. Urine Routine
5. Stool Routine
6. Fasting blood Sugar
7. Post Prandial Blood Sugar
8. Lipid Profile
9. Ultrasound of the Abdomen
10. TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Harmone test)
11. ECG
12. Pap Smear
13. Mammmogram (including ultrasound)
14. Bone Density Scan (Dexa)
15. Physical Examination

Some do's and dont's.

• Ensure you fix up an appointment
• Visit the hospital early 
• You need to go on empty stomach
• Wear a loose fitting salwar kameez preferably. You may have to change to the hospital gowns for several tests, and so jeans, tight fitting clothes and even sarees may not be all that comfortable.
• When you are filling up your health history, ensure that you give precise information about yourself and your family.
• The complete screening would easily take about 5-6 hours. So, please be prepared and stay relaxed.

You will need to visit your doctor again on another day when all the reports come in - so please fix the next appointment too when you leave.The whole process is not a very pleasant experience, but you need to do these exams in order to take treatment early if something is not alright.

And, do not panic if you are diagnosed with an illness. Discuss with your doctor at length about the treatment. You may also want to try alternate medicines if you wish, especially if you are advised to take medication for a prolonged duration. Also, if you are diagnosed with an illness, you may also want to take a second opinion, especially if you are advised of surgery, etc.

So, that's about it.  I would also like to request the men reading this post to urge the women in your family to go in for the health screenings, which is vital for their well being.

Take care, and Stay Healthy.

Cheers!

Love is not Blind

Several years ago, I happened to read a blog post by a good old friend on Zen principles. The last few lines of the post went like this – ‘Everything that moves around is a creation of the mind, and if we firmly have our feet on the ground, we will see that every moment we live life itself is a miracle of nature. The way our organs work, the way we breathe without any sound, the way the earth spins without we spinning - all are perfect examples of miracles at work’.

How very true! We often don’t count our blessings, but keep searching for new miracles. God makes us walk through difficult times so that we learn through adversities. The two weeks that I spent with my mother at the hospital when she was very ill several years ago, made me look at life with a totally different perspective. I firmly believe that God had a reason for putting us through difficult times, and in my case I just became a better person - to thank God everyday for what I have and do whatever I can for the needy.

Over the last few years, my association with some good old friends has got me involved in several noble causes for the society, and I feel blessed that God has been using me in small ways to make a big difference in the lives of a few people, some of whom I have not even met.

I am writing this post specially to make an appeal to readers for a Trust for the Blind.

Padhmam Blind Welfare & Charitable Trust (PBWCT) is a Charitable Trust formed in the year 2014, and is managed  by Mr. Padmaraj Jain, a retired Professor from a City College. Incidentally, Mr.Padmaraj Jain is also blind. 

The Trust runs a hostel for the poor, blind girls who are pursuing their higher studies in various colleges in Chennai. All the inmates of the hostel hail from very poor families in the small towns and villages of Tamilnadu. Being blind and poor girls, they need a secure place to stay and this need is fulfilled by Padhmam Blind Welfare & Charitable Trust (PBWCT). The Trust is run largely with the funds from the Public and has no other concrete source of income. 

I visited them a few weeks ago, and also interacted with some of the girls residing there. I felt very sad when I saw all those young girls confined to a small space which was smaller than even the size of my living room! Ever since we came to know about this Trust, some of us have got together to buy them educational and other material that they badly needed.

I must mention there that while many of us would want to spend our retired life in the comfort of our homes, here is one gentleman - Mr.Padmaraj Jain, who has spent a considerable sum of money from his retirement benefits for the upkeep of the Trust as he feels it is his duty to be of help to people like himself. Many a time, in order to pay the rent and meet the regular expenses of the hostel like food, he shells money from his own pension.

It is very rare to find people like him around, and it would be a great Punyam (am not able to find an equivalent English word) if each one of us can do something to bring light to the lives of these very poor, blind girls.

Am giving below the contact and bank details of this Trust. Please also take some time to call and speak to this nice gentleman.  There are so many way that you can extend your support.

a) Sponsor the expenses of atleast one girl for a year

b) Sponsor food for a day on your birthday, wedding anniversary or some other special occasion

c) Donate some essential grocery items - like rice, dal, oil, sugar and salt

d) Donate some essential study materials

e) Donate a sum of money - whatever you can afford

Padhmam Blind Welfare & Charitable Trust

Old No: 101, 1st Floor, Natesan Road,
Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004
(Behind City Centre )

Mobile No: +91: 80564 76316 / 94441 68100

Website - www.padhmamblindwelfare.org

E-mail: padhmamblindwelfare@gmail.com

Bank Information

 

State Bank of India
Account Number: 34198242929
IFS Code - SBIN0013067
RK Salai Branch, Mylapore
Chennai, Tamilnadu.

"There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark." - Helen Keller

"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." - Mark Twain

I pray and hope that many of you who come across this post will help and support this Trust in some form or the other.

We never know when our last day on earth will be. So, face each day with a smile and thank God for giving you yet another day to live, and love.

God bless!