It just is.

That rose out there.

Unburdened with thoughts

Of yesterday's winds
And tomorrow's weather

Rejoicing
Blossoming
Complete

Here and Now

It just is.

It's *Your* Life!

There are certain decisions in life that have to be *yours*: What you want to study, your profession, your romantic partner / spouse, the spiritual path you choose, ... These are significant decisions in life and you have to have the independence and courage to make these choices on your own terms.

If some family members, parents, or friends wish to offer you advice, allow them once. Only once. Listen to them attentively, think about their advice carefully and honestly, and then come to your own conclusions using your own intelligence. Sometimes you may find the advice useful, at other times you may disagree. Both are fine as long as you are clear that you have made your choices with your own intelligence.

Sometimes people are unable to understand when you disagree with their advice. If they come back to advise again, tell them politely, affectionately, but firmly that you have considered their advice and are clear about what you want.

Does such an approach of taking one's decisions independently and taking responsibility for them involve some risk? Yes, of course! Sometimes we may encounter difficulties, sometimes things may not work out as we expect. So what? We need to have the courage to face difficulties and challenges. Better to live a life of courage on our own terms than keep playing safe and not do what we want to do in our lives.

Look around you: 90% of people have no enthusiasm about what they are doing with their lives. Nothing beautiful or creative or deeply intelligent has come from our country for a long long time. This is because most people have chosen their professions without any consideration to their interests, often without even having thought about what interests them. Worse, others have chosen for them many times! Nothing great can happen this way.

Likewise with marriages. Just look carefully: At least 60-70% marriages around you are loveless compromises. It's a joke! We had the tradition of Swayamvar : literally: to choose one's var (partner) swayam (oneself).

All this has to change. We need to start making our choices consciously and independently. Advice is welcome once, and we think about it carefully and honestly, but decisions have to be ours and people need to learn to accept our independence.

[But yes, with independence comes responsibility! We have to take complete responsibility for our decisions and their consequences. We cannot want independence but hold others responsible for how our lives turn out. That would be hypocrisy.]

Some "Traditions" Just Need To Go!

Once in a while one hears strange stuff like sons should be taking up the same profession as their fathers, women should follow their mothers' footsteps (and stay home!), etc . Worse, phrases like "our tradition", "Indian system", "sanskaar sanskriti" are used to justify such notions.

Look here: All this is utter rubbish. Absolute nonsense.

Each individual *must* pursue his or her own interests. If you want to be a mathematician you can't become a mechanical engineer just because your father is one, or your parents or some other relatives say so. This way you will neither become a good mathematician, nor a good mechanical engineer, nor be happy. Such notions only take the individual and society to mediocrity. And if you want to be a musician or a writer, it's best you don't allow anyone to force you to become a computer scientists.

Likewise for women: If you want to be a mechanical engineer and you take admission in a Home Science course because you are told that that's what women do, you're being a fool! The world has changed! You have as much of a right to be an engineer as any man.

[But yes, with independence comes responsibility! We have to take complete responsibility for our decisions and their consequences. We cannot want independence but hold others responsible for how our lives turn out. That would be hypocrisy.]

Here is a more detailed article that I wrote on this theme that I recommend reading: Strike a Pause: A Few Misplaced Notions (In My Opinion) On Culture And Sanskriti (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

Regionalism: A Curse That's Holding Us Back

One of the biggest challenges to overcome in our country today is regionalism.

Each and every state, city, town, ought to be aspiring to become more cosmopolitan, more diverse, more open.

And in many many parts of the country exactly the opposite seems to be happening.

Can you sense this?

It's pretty uneducated, pretty shallow, petty retrograde, if you ask me.

Maybe the concept of states is disadvantageous to start with. Maybe big cities taking responsibility for towns and villages within a certain radius ~ full stop. Let each such "city-towns-villages cluster" find representation in the parliament. And that's it.

No linguistic barriers, no cultural barriers, no insider-outsider sentiments, no resource barriers, no borders within the country's borders, everyone lives as one.

Teaching Emphasis at Indian Universities [Possibly Controversial But Probably True]

[Note: This post is as such directed at senior PhD students and post-docs who might be seeking academic positions in India in the near future. However, I think anyone who might be feeling that the quality of teaching at our colleges/universities is not as good as it ought to be might get some insight into the reasons. Be warned though 🙂 : I'm not too politically correct and say things as I see them in a pretty upfront manner.]

Here's some well meaning advice for senior PhD students and/or post-docs who might be seeking academic positions in India. The idea or intent is not to hurt anyone's idealism - I have been extremely idealistic myself and am proud of it - but rather to give you a fairly frank understanding of how things actually are (in my estimate) at most places.

Whatever I say here is based on observations I have made at different institutes as well as personal experience. I would recommend also discussing the points I'm making with other people you might trust, making your own observations if you can, and arriving at your own independent conclusions.

Here goes:

This might seem counterintuitive since educational institutions, by definition 🙂, exist to educate: BUT - UNLESS you are confident your institute values excellence in teaching and explicitly and clearly includes this as a criterion for career progression - *don't* be overzealous with your teaching. Just fulfill the basic expectations - complete your assigned quota of lectures and tutorials, hold the required number of office hours, cover syllabus, evaluate, assign grades - and move on. Don't venture to do any more than this to inspire students, make them really love a subject, etc.

Instead: Spend the time on publishing more papers. That's what will get you mileage and take you forward in your career.

As a friend and colleague (who is best left unnamed for his safety 😁) likes to remark: You are your h-index.

I explain in more detail below:

Teaching passionately and seeing your students' eyes shine can be deeply fulfilling. I know this and have breathed this breath myself. I have earned six letters of commendation for exemplary teaching and have featured in annual teaching excellence awards twice.

But to be frank 🙂, I don't believe excellence in teaching is given its due weightage at most institutes today as far as career progression is concerned. I have spoken with directors, I even attended a board meeting once where the director was presenting the institute's yearly report to the board and its chairman. How well faculty members have been teaching doesn't feature at all most of the times. That's of course a pity - why else does an educational institution even exist if not to educate properly? - but it's the truth.

For an academic institution to be excellent overall, each faculty member has to aspire for excellence in three things: Teaching, Research and Institute Service. For this to happen, all three of these have to be given their due weightage when it comes to evaluation and career progression. From what I can see, this is simply no longer the case at many institutes. You can also cross-check this with others.

So you might be a most brilliant teacher, might be affecting your students' lives profoundly, but when it comes to being evaluated, this aspect will most likely not receive the weightage it deserves. It's a complete disgrace as far as I'm concerned. But that seems to be the ground reality at most places. So if you choose to be idealistic, do so with full awareness of what to expect at the end of the day.

The above hasn't been my way and it never will be. Teaching well is important to me and I don't compromise with it.

But as I said earlier, if you choose to be idealistic, do so with full awareness of what you are getting into. Don't moan and groan that the world isn't all ok. It isn't. That's the plain fact of the matter. Accept it. Maybe things will be better some day. I would like to see that change too. Maybe some of us will bring about changes when it's our turn. Or maybe we'll get lucky and students and their parents will wake up and demand change. But things are exactly what they are today. Accept and move forward.

I emphasize again: You need not take any of the above on face value. By all means discuss these matters with people you trust, make your own observations, and arrive at your own conclusions. I would respect that totally.

A Few Notes On Finding A Spiritual Guide

[I also invite you to read: Strike a Pause: Science And Spirituality: Is There A Conflict? (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]

It is important to bear in mind that it is completely possible to make spiritual progress while pursuing your career goals, extra curricular interests, family life, etc. Some people choose the path of renunciation. They give up everything to go and live at an Ashram or take Sannyaas. That is simply *their* choice, it is just one way. It is *not* the only way. A true Guru will be able to give you spiritual instruction that you can incorporate in your day to day life as you pursue your goals.

The notes below are most important to bear in mind vis a vis finding an authentic Guru:

Fake Gurus and fraudsters abound today and one has to be extremely careful about becoming someone's disciple. Extremely careful. Do not accept anyone as your Guru till you are convinced of their level of knowledge, enlightenment, humanity, compassion and perfection of character. Meet, observe, ask questions, clear doubts, take your time. A delayed start in your spiritual journey is better than moving in incorrect directions.

Secondly, even if (and when) you accept someone as your Guru, you have to remember that the voice of your conscience is more important than anything else. If you feel an instruction is wrong, don't do it - no matter whose instruction. It is the Guru's responsibility to explain why his/her instruction is correct and remove your doubts. Till that happens, stand firm on your conviction, express your doubts politely, and wait patiently for the Guru to clarify. A true Guru will not mind this. In fact, such authentic questioning is encouraged at every stage in our spiritual tradition. If a Guru is not willing to clarify your doubts even after due effort and patience from your side, politely thank them for their time and walk away. Seek spiritual guidance elsewhere, from someone better. This is your right and nothing to be hesitant or afraid of.

If you see that a Guru or an Ashram is engaged in immoral activities, then most certainly, and immediately, walk away. No true spiritual guide engages in immoral activities at any time. These things just cannot go together.

Once you have found a Guru who is authentic, knowledgeable, enlightened, compassionate, perfect in character, willing to resolve your doubts and guide you step by step : give him/her the highest respect and seek guidance and knowledge humbly. Listen to such a Guru with attention. Incorporate his/her instructions in your life.

It is said in our spiritual tradition that the highest fortune one can have in life is getting the spiritual guidance of a perfected Guru. But it is your responsibility to ensure that whoever you accept as a Guru is indeed worthy of being a Guru.

Be extremely intent on knowing yourself in all depth, extremely intent on attaining enlightenment. And start your search :)!

May the sincerity of your seeking guide you.

Spirituality: Not Just Yoga and Meditation

A lot of people believe that spirituality just means Yoga and Meditation.

Actually, it is not so.

Yoga can give us a flexible and healthy body. I myself practice it and gladly recommend that you try it out and see if it works for you. I also meditate when I see that my mind is restless and I need to quieten and focus it. You can also learn to meditate and use it to your advantage if you wish. Just make sure that you learn from good schools. Yoga needs to be practiced correctly and meditation should be such that it increases your capacity to focus. There are a lot of people trying to teach these today with half or no knowledge themselves. You have to be alert about this and evaluate the effects of what you learn on your body and mind honestly.

However, a flexible and healthy body and a quiet and focused mind are just the first step 😊. They only form the basis 😊.

A spiritual life itself starts with wisdom.

When the intellect soaks in wisdom, it starts understanding how to approach life. It gets clarity on what is long lasting, what is fleeting, and gives everything its due importance. No more and no less. It understands that it's perfectly alright to enjoy life but there is no point in allowing the world to make us mad. It understands very very clearly that time and life are limited, that we are not here forever. With this sense of urgency one seeks clarity on what interests one deeply, what one wants to do in life and what not, and resolves to live and act with 100% attention and awareness every moment.

As the temporariness and fragility of life crystallize in one's awareness, a clarity dawns that owning more than what one needs is actually an unnecessary burden! One's inner state of mind starts becoming important, desire for power gets replaced by a willingness to take responsibility, and one steadily realizes that it's just not worth compromising one's character, integrity and cleanness of conscience for anything. It's like giving away diamonds in return for a few pennies. Just isn't worth it.

With this wisdom and clarity the whole of life becomes spiritual. A spiritual life does not oppose life in the world. We have all the right to pursue our dreams, our goals, and live the life we want to. But it gives us perspective and balance. It grounds us like nothing else.

So an intellect soaked in wisdom along with a flexible and healthy body and a quiet and focused mind: that's comprehensive spirituality. And it's within everyone's reach 😊. It's not something difficult and other worldly 😊. It's simple and practical knowledge that we can apply in our lives on a day to day basis.

Ravan was a great Yogi, meditator, extremely knowledgeable about various subjects and an excellent administrator. He had developed tremendous powers, known as Siddhis, through his Yogic practices. He built an entire country of gold. Yet, he killed his own sister's husband to retain political power. Such a shallow pursuit of power 😊. Why?

Because his intellect was not tuned to wisdom at all. Lot of Yoga, meditation and knowledge. But no spirituality whatsoever 😊. No depth of personality 😊, no character 😊.

So, develop all three: A wise intellect, a flexible and healthy body, and a quiet, focused and insightful mind. With these three for your support and guidance: Live 😊! May all glory be yours 😊! In life and death 😊!