Funny.... or.... Scary

Brings a smile for sure.

And a deep down fear too right?

Traffic is tough in many large cities, but I don't blame this guy for saying 'It happens only in Bangalore'. I've so often taken over two hours for whats otherwise a twenty minute stretch, in Bangalore. (Hyderabad is heaven after Bangalore)

I'd say GPS is here working literally and metaphorically.

It's not just showing you the way literally, by road and map, but also telling you the big picture of where things are headed, it's like a tipping point. 

On a recent podcast I heard this guy say that parenting should be like a GPS, show the way, give the options, be there to say you might be taking the longer route, indicate traffic jams and obstacles.......but not controlling, not insisting....best of all not pointing error. Just puts out all the options, and lets the choice remain with the driver.

Here it's also pointing out the bigger picture. Showing long term direction.

Are we listening ?

Physics or Metaphysics?

The line is sure blurring, and it's so amazing to see.

Historically the line has always been shifting. A lot of what was once in the pure realm of metaphysics, has now been absorbed into physics. And as famously said by Einstein "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the Mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science"

And these two TED Talk clips bring this out so beautifully.

I'd watched the first one, the Brain Magic talk a couple of weeks ago. It's the regular mentalist cum hypnosis cum magic kind of thingys...pure entertainment, though ofcourse like anything magic, you don't know how he does it.

It's only today when I watched the second one from this Neuro Scientist, that I went OMG !

Pssst......If you can't go through the first, it's okay, it's ....but do catch the second.

A

And now watch this

Important, Popular or Viral

From Seth

Important work is easily dismissed by the audience. It involves change and risk and thought.

Popular work resonates with the people who already like what you do.

Viral work is what happens when the audience can't stop talking about what you did.

Every once in awhile, all three things will co-exist, but odds are, you're going to need to choose.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

I don't know how I missed it all of these years...an absolutely delightful fairytale romance. Two lovely drifters, in search of ...actually just in search..... she, free spirited and wild, and he more sober and grounded. Both adrift in the sixties of glitzy New York. He of course, the first to convert.

It's classic enough to have shades of My Fair Lady and Roman Holiday, not just because of Audrey Hepburn, but in the deeper layers of honesty and vulnerability that are hidden, and only occasionally make themselves visible under the tough exterior of situation and survival.

Holly (Audrey Hepburn) is a cafe society girl, not exactly a hooker, but pretty close. She's snazzy and sophisticated (on the outside) and she's always escaping these men who she calls rats, using them till she needs, but not beyond. 

The movie starts with her in this iconic black dress, from which I understand came the LBD (little black dress) which is that one dress when you wear, no matter what you're feeling inside, you can face the world with confidence. 

Paul is a writer with one published book, and hasn't written in five years. He's just moved to New York and is involved ( rather kept) by this rich woman who he calls his decorator.

I loved the scene when he says there's something stopping him writing, and Holly decides it's a type writer ribbon and gets him a spool.

It's days of the typewriters and phone booths, and it can't but bring back the days of when your only contact was that blessed landline, and all you could do is call and wait, or rather keep calling.  

Holly and Paul quickly become friends, and remain friends through all her efforts at finding that one right (rich) guy, until of course it reaches it's fairytale romantic end. An end that was so beautifully done that it can't help but touch even the most cynical or sceptical. 

For a die hard romantic like me, it just took me into another zone :)

My Latest 'Love'

I toyed with the idea of calling it my latest 'resource' or 'interest' or 'fad' or 'fancy', and then settled for 'love', for the simple reason that it's having such a huge and wonderful influence on me, my life. Stuff that inspires, invigorates and empowers on daily basis.

It's 'Podcasts'

For those not familiar, a podcast by definition is an episodic series of audio or video files. The term itself came into being in 2004, when it was first mentioned by Ben Hammersley in a newspaper article titled 'Audible Revolution', where he came up with this portmanteau of ipod and broadcast, among other titles, and this one stuck.

I've been listening to audio podcasts of conversations with some really agile and interesting minds, so beautiful, informative and thought provoking.

They are typically 45 to 60 mins in length, a hybrid of a talk and interview, really in conversation format, with a facilitator and a speaker.

The first one I stumbled upon is called 'Farnam Street's Knowledge Project' whose host is Shane Parrish, and today I almost feel I know him, as my day pretty much starts with his voice.

His goal - "master the best of what other people have already figured out"

Shane claims to "follow his curiosity as he talks with remarkable people to uncover frameworks, deconstruct strategies, learn new things, in less time, learn to make better decisions, and live a more meaningful life"

And then I started to follow Jason Gots on Bigthink, whose podcast series is called 'Think Again', where he says: 

'we capture the best ideas of the world's leading thinkers and doers in every field' and

'we surprise some of the world's brightest minds by taking people out of their comfort zone with unexpected conversation starters' (this is a nice tweak, where in addition to the core conversation, they also bring in some thought provoking clips from their own archives)

I was blown right from the very first one I listened to, and would have loved to write more on each. Each does different things to you.....an unexpected 'aha' moment, or a lovely 'profound and deep moment' or a plain 'simple but deep laugh aloud' moment, or a 'hmmm...that's so beautifully articulated' moment, and so many that I just got overwhelmed and wrote nothing. ( I listen on my walk so tough to take notes)

It's a whole new resource. And a fun one at that, as it's very conversational, and my bonus is that it can be done alongside my walk, thus making it a daily ritual.

It's definitely added a whole new layer to my life.

Motivation is experience of the outcome

By end of this post I'm hoping to better the title, alternatively, you'll just get it by the end :)

This morning, I was looking for excuses to drop out of my walk. Even after being up early....even after I was in my tracks. I could hear the self talk within, one side saying, "you can take one day off, what's the big deal, you can sit and read or write instead", and the other saying "no, you like it, what the hell.....if you take a break you know it's tough to get back in.... it's fun, just go", and so on and so forth.

I went.

I loved every bit of it.  The fragrance of the parijatam as I walked out my gate, saying hi to Gopi and Rita ( the two puppy friends above), the walk itself, the workout, the meditation, the podcast (loved it in fact), the veggie juice, picking up fresh greens on the way back....the gamut of it.

Best part of it; the wonderful feeling of coming back home dripping, no, pouring sweat, and feeling so good about it all....in fact such an exhilarating feeling, that I was like "that's all I need to recall when that little devil of a voice says, take the day off'.

Create a space in the mind to store the wonderful feelings from outcome....you don't need to look further for motivation :)

This One's For You Ma

The thought, and feeling, came out of a conversation from yesterday.

We, dad mom and me, were returning from a funeral, and I think each of us was caught up in our own emotional space (atleast I know I was), and we were also in the middle of disagreeing on some issue, and in the middle of that, mom interrupts so suddenly to say "smitha, what is TED, I have been wanting to ask you, and I just remembered. I saw a talk on your blog, and she spoke so beautifully....and so fast, and she said this, and she said that, and it was so meaningful, duh, duh, duh.......".

I was finding it hard put to shift out of the emotional space I was in, I don't think I even responded appropriately. It took me till my drive back home, and more fully through my meditation time today to really capture and surface that experience.....appreciate how she was able to set all that (including the disagreement) aside and switch to what mattered at a deeper level.

Ma, what I should have told you then: 

I'm glad you've met TED.....It's this wonderful online platform that puts up these brilliant talks under the banner "Ideas worth spreading" and "Talks to stir your curiosity"..... Talks from people worth listening to, talks on anything and everything. A space that's worth spending your time on, worth visiting even on daily basis, a great alternate or supplement to the newspaper. So glad to see how it's excited you. Welcome into a new and beautiful vista ma.

Here's another you might like:

A Dostoevsky' ish Retribution

I struggle to write this....as I guess is clearly exemplified by title, literally and metaphorically complicated.

Why struggle... why complicated? Because one of the hardest things to do is to admit to our own stupidity. A mistake is still easier to accept ( I'm human, I make mistakes...easy enough, right?)

But stupidity? Bloody tough.

When I told of this I started with saying "I did something really stupid, in fact I'm feeling pretty foolish, almost ashamed to say it". 

So what's the story?

I was driving .....and I was on Whatsapp .....and I hit a car.

As said by everyone (me included), the road may be clear, but someone else makes a mistake and if you're not alert, you can't control the situation.

Exactly what happened. When I looked down to my phone, there was no car anywhere ahead of me. A couple seconds later I hear this baaannggg.

I was mortified. This cab guy had overtaken from my left...done a U turn in front of me, across my car. He had expected me to brake. And I would have....just that this time, I wasn't looking.

Two things that came out through this story. Two possible reactions.

Per situation it was both of us in the wrong.

Had we each focused on the other's mistake, there would likely have been an argument... a futile argument, some anger, some hurt feelings, and then a resigned acceptance. (Which would have also been fine I guess)

My latest mantra is...is there a better way of handling a situation. 

While he was initially mad, then turned got back in his car, I  called him back. Asked him about insurance (not an option for lack of time), then asked if he had a bank account, took his phone number, and called him once I got home. A few messages exchanged for bank details and stuff, and the transfer was done. ( Got back a 'thank you, madam')

The story in my head: 'If scratches on my car are tough for me, they are that much tougher for him.  Whatever his role in the accident, I could have avoided it if I had been in the right.... so what could I do better'.

Could I take ownership? Could I own the mistake, could I own my emotions, could I also own his, and do my bit?

What started as foolish ( lesson well learnt there), and then went onto possibly fearful as it's never easy giving your number to a stranger ( anxiety of being exploited), going through doubts and questions, but sticking with what I believed was right.....a whole process of thoughts and emotions.

I chose the second possibility. It's always a choice.

"A fool who has confessed that he is a fool, is not a fool anymore" - Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Degrees of freedom

From Seth

All you have to do is look around to realize just how many choices we still have. What to eat, who to speak to, what to do for a living, what to learn, what to say, who to contribute to, how we interact, what we stand for...

The safe and comfortable path is to pretend that we're blocked at every turn.

But most of the turns, we don't even see. We've trained ourselves to ignore them.

A habit is not the same as no choice. And a choice isn't often easy. In fact, the best ones rarely are.

But we can still choose to make one.

A 13 year old genius physicist speaks

I stumbled upon this, pretty literally. And it was almost symbolic of how dots beyond you connect.

This morning I was listening to a podcast with Salman Rushdie where he's talking (critiquing) theories of creation under different religions, and compares the Christian theory of Adam and  Eve story to the Hinduism one of  Indra churning the Samudra  Manthan. And then the host Jason Gots, asks 'wasn't Hinduism at core actually Advaita, and wasn't it closest to the Singularity and Abstractness that science today talks of'. (Salman Rushdie had to wriggle out of that one)

A couple hours later I'm home and reading something in my inbox, and it goes onto Darwinian evolution and then onto 'Near Death Experiences' and god ( so literally energy here) knows how, but found this video almost pop up. 

In essence, unintendedly and surprisingly close to the podcast of this morning. How the dots connect.

Anyways, let none of that take away from the beauty of this talk. 

There is something about the flow.....a naivety, an intelligence, a humility, a naturalness, an honesty with which this young boy talks that had me just so totally captivated.

Infinite Cartwheels Event - Coverage

Well, it was interesting and exciting to see the Infinite Cartwheels event press coverage today. Morning Diksha shows me the coverage in the Times of India, then I go to my parents place and they are so excited to see the event in the Deccan Chronicle as well. And what's more, with her picture too. ( and we were all like, where's Mayur?)

The Times of India

The Hindu

Deccan Chronicle

Only today did I get to hear of how big a band Skyharbor is; they're just back from a tour of Europe.....they came with their own sound and light guys, ten of them.

Also heard the other bands were pretty good. The energy in the space really rocked ( this i got from a video clip Diksha showed me) The crowd very visibly loved it.

Mayur and Diksha, a huge congratulations !! All your effort and commitment, and the grit and determination with which you handled the obstacles that got thrown your way...all went into making the event as brilliant as it was.

Three cheers to Infinite Cartwheels, and so so proud of you both !!

A Quirky Win-Win

This was such a chance occurrence, that I didn't know what else to title it :)

Diksha and Mayur together organize music gigs under the banner 'Infinite Cartwheels'. This is something they've been at a few months now, and this month was their fourth and most ambitious to date event. They were bringing down three bands, 'Skyharbor' ( a Delhi started but now global band) and 'Space is all we have' from Bangalore, and 'The Tapes' a apna Hyderabad Indie Rock band. 

Watching them at it, is when I realized just how much work it is. Getting in place the sponsorships, the venue, the bands, logistics for travel, arrangements for stay, printing of posters, ticketing, sales, promo work........just a lot of stuff. They were doing it all between just the two of them. I watched as bystander, distant bystander......quietly impressed.

One evening a couple weeks back, Diksha happened to mention that one of their sponsors had dropped out on a technicality, and they had this gap that was becoming high stress.

Spur of the moment I asked, "you think I, Aham Counselling, can be part sponsor"? 

At first neither she, nor I, knew how to react.  Though I'd said it myself, I was also very unsure.

After all counselling is a very individual, and private, one on one process, and through Aham counselling (the website) I'd sought to bring out this peaceful, soothing, supportive space.

And a music gig on the other hand was this absolute show of noise, crowds, fun and frolic, and music and dance and brashness and highs. Just such a contrast.

Would they go together?

Surprisingly, it was Diksha and Mayur who discussed it, and then convinced me it would work. "Our gen is really open to the idea of counselling. If music and dance is fun and relaxing, and then so is counselling in it's own way....we see a synergy here ma" she said.

That's how it began. And an unusual and quirky partnership got built from there. One that we all slowly bought into.

Yesterday was the event. Here are the posters they created for it.

The Aham Counselling Poster

Their main event posters

The event was a raging success. Here's coverage of the event in The Hindu - Up high with Skyharbor

And what initially seemed odd, like even seeing the Aham logo there next to Heineken being representative......in fact almost an anomaly of sorts, turned out to be a wonderful and paradoxical win-win......a nice experience in thinking out of the box :)

Arjun Reddy

Worth the wait.

I've been meaning to watch since release, and even now got there on insistence of a friend who actually shared his amazon prime account saying 'inka nee excuses chaalu, watch'. Thanks Kiran.

Raw, real and honest are what comes to mind. What could happen if people were allowed to be themselves. And we have Arjun Reddy.  A guy who knows his mind, doesn't give an eff... 

Arjun lives that role, he's smart, he's tough, not easy to be with, you can fear him, be angry with him....but you can't not love him. There's that level of honesty there. An aspirational space for most.

I read that there were women activists who demanded a ban on the film. That's the typical hypocritical response representative of society. One that says....'how dare you not conform, how dare you be you'

It's hats off to Sandeep Vanga for bringing something so raw, and core, onto screen, and in the telugu industry at that, and of course to Vijay Devarakonda for being Arjun Reddy. Shalini Pandey, as Preethi his love interest was good in her role, though I wished they'd developed her character with more depth too. Deserving special mention is Shiva (Rahul) who does a brilliant job as friend, and even his character and all that he goes through in the process of understanding and standing by his friend no matter what. Lovely.

The dialogues were gut level and fit the telangana dialect well, (no fake polish of respect and hospitality that the andhra telugu seems to naturally demand) and were delivered beautifully. The music was wonderful too.

Story wise, it's about this guy who is a brilliant medico, good at sport, has anger issues.....falls in love, love goes wrong....he loses control over his life........and then the trigger that acts as wake up call....what leads to his redemption. 

What also stood out for me is how non judgmental and unapologetic a space the movie enabled....for each character, each with their own flaws and shades of gray. An acceptance of perspective without  the usual self righteousness and preachiness we are so surrounded with.....in our movies as well.

What we're used to...anything overdone needs to be contained, anything beyond accepted frame is a transgression. And here we have Arjun overdoing everything, topping in class, dadagiri in college, sensitive in love, committed to profession, honest to the extent of rude, saying things as they are irrespective of to who, expression of emotions including crying, overboard with women and alcohol and drugs, understanding of his fathers emotions, willing to stand up to self. It's a package. 

What's our 'normal' ? We (society) want all the 'right' (?) things to happen and all the 'not right' (?) things to be suppressed.  And then we're surprised that we have a society full of issues and stress and mediocrity.

Well, well, looks like it's bringing up some suppressed anger this end as well. As it's meant to I guess :)

Sandeep Vanga, for daring to show people the mirror...Kudos, and may your tribe increase.

The Nilgiri Mountain Train

The Nilgiri Mountain train is an experience that touches as much the emotions, as it does the senses. A toy train it's called, an engineering marvel it's also called, one that's been kept alive since 1899.

As it weaves it's way through the mountains, through several dark snaking tunnels, steep curves and sharp bends, over old and at times scary looking bridges, through the valleys and across the gorges, it takes you through a spectacularly picturesque ride.

At times the gentle slopes of tea gardens with pretty streams, valleys with huge waterfalls, and then through forest so dense, that there are times it'll wait for an elephant to cross the track. 

A fascinating feature of the train is that it still uses a steam engine, stops at stations to fill water, a sight familiar and nostalgic to those of us who've travelled by train the days of the steam engine. The youngest loco is 50 years old, and the oldest 80. It even sounds so different, the familiar chuk..chug... chuk... chug, as it goes at it's pace of 10 kms per hour. (I could almost imagine Rajesh Khanna singing alonside :)

Yes, it's full of beauty...and romance..... and heritage.

Apart from offering a beautiful journey, the uniqueness of the trip is that it is the steepest in Asia. The train uses a unique system called the 'alternate bite system' which has additional teething rack between the tracks for extra support to handle the slopes and gradients.

It's apparently gone through some near shut down moments, and controversies between the railways and the locals...it's after all such an integral fabric of the area since independence. All this until it was declared a UNESCO heritage site in 2005, after which the site became known as the Mountain Railways of India.

It starts at ooty, at a height of over 7000 feet and goes down through Fernhill, Lovedale, Ketti, Aravankadu, Wellington, Coonoor, Kateri, Hillgroove and onto Mettupalyam, a small town on the banks of river Bhavani. Coimbatore is another hour's drive from Mettupalyam.

Our own experience had plenty of added on adventure. First off, I'd booked the tickets over a month back, and was on waitlist. Because I'd booked so much in advance, or maybe because I'm out of touch with train travel, I was confident we'd have been confirmed.

Dhruva and I are sitting in the station canteen and having lunch, when we see this quiet little station suddenly come alive with full on action, and a long line that appeared from nowhere. We weren't sure what was happening.

Who'd think people get into line to get into a train right? Well, here they do.

And that's when I figure out, to my absolute amazement (shock), that our ticket is yet waitlisted and we can't get onboard. I run to the station master in desperation...for help, advise...anything. I'm like, 'please, please tell me what my options are'. And he's like, "if you're willing to go standing, go buy a general compartment ticket".

I was game, but Dhruva's like, "you kidding amma, the whole purpose is the window, what's the point standing". The voice of reason, see.  To me, reason wasn't appealing at that moment... I was like 'think, think, think, need to get aboard that train'. And all this as the train is standing there and hooting and whistling away to glory, increasing my tension by the minute.

Anyways, got ourselves general tickets and we're like let's see if we can get any seats at all, else stand till the next station kinds.  We lucked out.....got two seats, non window.  When I realized the guy next to me was getting off at Wellington, I breathed easy.

And we're off.

This was actually a stroke of luck, cause this guy next to me, Subhash, is a taxi operator from Ooty, and gave me so much local gyan until Wellington that it became worthwhile. (he was going to wellington to attend the dog show). Most of what's written above came from him.

The wonderful ride went on a good three hours.

Half hour before destination came the next adventure.

Soon after Hillgrove station, around 5 in the evening, our train screeches to a halt, and quickly word spreads that there's a boulder that's fallen onto the track.

Full on excitement. In fact once it got dusk people started saying close doors as there's lots of wild animals here, elephants, cheetahs and the like.

That became an over two hour break, where so many of the men (dhruva included) set about doing all they could to move that boulder. Brilliant impromptu team work there...over a full two hours. It was a big enough event to get into the local papers the next day.

Here's pictures of the ride:

At the Ooty station, and part of the line

It's just 5 bogies. You stick your head out the window and you get to see the engine when it tirns. The windows have no bars, no glass, no shutters, nothing....which was just so so lovely.

From the window

Inside the bogie

Tea garden slopes and a little stream...so pretty

Approaching a tunnel

The dog show at Wellington, and after which we got a window

As we were getting out of a tunnel. It's sweet how they turn lights on in the bogies when inside the tunnel, as it's so pitch dark.

A pretty sight

Taking this picture of Dhruva, I put my masala wada down on the ledge, and in a jiffy a monkey took off with it...there's so many monkeys there :)

A cute police outpost at Coonoor station, and this little girl doing something cute too

Well, me

Entering Hillgrove station

Our engine, so quaint and lovely. And I loved Dhruva's caption on Instagram " they call it a toy train, but that steam engine there's a beast"

That's the boulder action, working on it and in the papers the next day

A picture he caught when clearing the boulder and I saw only on Instagram :)

A pic to close the reminiscence of the trip :)

Needless to say.....a strongly recommended experience !

Your body can change your mind

This post seemed to more happen to me, than me making it happen.

Yesterday, Diwali night..I'm trying to watch this movie and there is so much cracker happening in my street that I'm missing dialogues....then I browse Ted and this talk shows up. I watch about 5 minutes and it doesn't really resonate, so I switch off.

This morning I'm reading a research article on gauging  people's emotions....it says what works is  'close your eyes and listen' and it has me intrigued, and surprise surprise, it references the very same Ted talk. That's when I'm like, ok...listen  through. 

Why telling you all this?  Well, if you want to catch it's essence, listen it through, and fyi, it's also the second most popular Ted Talk of all time.

Ooty

Udhagamandalam, shortened to Ootacamund and Ooty, is a popular hill station in the Nilgiri Hills, a range at the edge of the western ghats.  Nilgiri Hills  means blue mountains, quite apparently because of the distinct blue haze of the mountains.

imho, the best part of going to Ooty is the journey....up the mountains and back. We did cab one way and train the other. The train was a first, in all the times I've been there, which is many, I've never done the train. The Mountain train...The Toy train it's called, it's a UNESCO heritage site, a hundred year old engineering marvel it is said to be. Dad and Mom, I'm so glad you inspired me to do it. In fact I'd say worth going just to experience the train ride.

The one day we were there, Dhruva and I chose to stay put at the Sterling Fern Hill Resort, giving the Ooty touristy circuit a go by, and just be, and enjoy the mountains from there.

Ooty is best expressed through pictures

A waterfall on the way up. As it was continuously raining on our way up, there were these little falls and streams everywhere. In fact I should say a thanks to Dhruva. When I said should we do this trip this month or next, he was like "now amma, it'll be nice in the monsoons"

A lovely chai stop in the rain

A pretty pic I thought, especially with the tree in detail in the foreground

This was view from our room

Entering Coonoor municipality....a candid pic of Dhruva's which I really liked

A sunset pic

Dusk from the room

A really pretty corner on the walk out of the room. Since we didn't do the botanical gardens, this is the extent of pics with flowers :)

That's the resort at dusk, as the lights just came on

Early next morning, enjoying some music and writing time, inspired by the mountains and the mood :)

As I sat there, I heard this young dad tell his little daughter ( all of 2, I think) "when someone asks you where you went for holiday, don't say ooty, say you went to the nilgiri mountains". Didn't get what his problem was. As cliched as he might think Ooty is, it's simply beautiful up in the mountains.

Isha - The 'Inside' Experience

As you enter, you are greeted with a sweet 'namasthe akka'.....something you get used to hearing across the center, by all their volunteers.

A namasthe that seems to symbolize the recognition of the 'soul within' so to say, and that's the connect that the place enables.

The words that come to mind are 'spirituality' 'seeking' 'energy' 'meditation' 'mysticism' and such.....all about tuning in. It's stepping beyond the physical world into the mystical, the abstract, the energy spaces. 

The entire space seems created to enable just that connect.  While there are what might appear like religious idols.... the dhyanalinga, and the lingabharavi, they are in essence a physical manifestation of the masculine and feminine principles of nature, energy centers denoting each, rather than the conventional sense of a 'deity'. 

Architecturally, it's very spread out, so there's a feeling of a lot of space. There is a quiet and serenity in the entire surroundings, where even those who are talking go into whispers.  The stones used are huge and very old time, giving it a powerful feel. There are these tall lily trees everywhere, giving the entire space a fragrance that's almost intoxicating and soothing at one time.

The entire ambience pretty much tunes all your senses from out of their 'normal' experience into a rarefied space. It's an aura of mysticism and depth that starts seeping in.

I started with the aumkara meditation, where Sadhguru (video) explains the word 'aum' and there's a twenty minute chanting of the aum, which seems to alter the very vibrational frequency of your being.

They have a theerthakund, a 'chandrakund' for women and 'suryakund' for men. These are water bodies created 30 feet below the surface, with solidified mercury lingams within(which has some deep alchemy significance), in which you take a dip to activate and sensitize the chakras, the energy system within.

It's in itself a wonderful experience, as it has this really mysterious aura (especially so the chandrakund) as it's like a big well, semi dark, surrounded by these huge huge stones, the mercury lingam in the middle, water falling from a height of 40 feet, under which you can stand. It's like being under a waterfall, and as the water thunders onto your head, I found practically all thoughts leave my head. I could almost feel like a receptacle getting emptied. And even physically, it seems to make every cell in the body tingle, and as you become aware of your body as this multitudinous organism of cells, you can almost sense the cells expand and merge with the outside, and somehow this feeling that all boundaries fall off.

Then you enter the dhyanalinga. Sadhguru says, with a dip in the theerthakund and fifteen minutes of eyes shut in the dhyanalingam, you don't even need to meditate. It does the job for you, as the lingam has been so consecrated as to sync all seven chakras and bring them into balance.

It does not subscribe to any particular belief or faith, nor does it require any ritual, prayer or worship. It's just about being there, in silence, connected into yourself.

The dhyanalinga was consecrated by Sadhguru over a three year process called the prana pratishtha. It is a like powerful energy form sitting under a pillarless brick domed structure, which in itself tends to overwhelm.

The dhyanalingam has these crevices along the wall, and I sat in one of those. And time seemed to disappear. I found myself in a space between wakefulness and sleep. Fully awake yet not in this world, and it was quite transcendental in feel.

I ultimately left only because I suddenly figured that my legs had gone into severe cramp, and I couldn't focus beyond that anymore.

I then walked back 'out into the world'......went to the canteen, so sweetly called 'peppervine eatery' and had some lovely coffee and sundalu and kichidi.

That done, I wandered around a little and thought I'd settle down under a tree for a bit, and maybe write my diary.

And then I suddenly felt this urge to go see the 'lingabhairavi'. It was actually an urge from somewhere, god knows where, because a moment before that even the thought wasn't there. I had infact settled down under a tree :)

And that was a remarkable experience. In fact even more overpowering than the dhyanalinga. The idol is designed to be an embodiment of the feminine energy, and it's this beautiful black oval, with just these two large eyes.....and it was so powerful that it seemed to lock eyes. I almost couldn't close my eyes, it's like something that's staring deep into your very soul. I sat mesmerized and within minutes I found my eyes well up with tears, and I was left wondering what was happening, as here was something that I wasn't doing. I think I stayed glued for over an hour.

When I finally left and went back to my tree to write my diary, what I wrote was this:

"that here are created these powerful energy centers into which if you connect, they can alter at a subliminal level the very structure and makeup of your being.....you come out an altered person, like you vibrate at a different frequency, and while still being in the world, you are also in some sense 'off the world'"

The experience in pictures ( all courtesy Google):

One part of the center viewed from the outside:

There's lots of lotus ponds, with lovely colored lotuses in bloom around the place

The Chandrakund, which you go into for the dip. Look at the size of those stones, massive blocks from time bygones they feel. The pool is pretty deep, with chill water...like the water is upto your shoulder. It extends both sides another 10 feet each side, with a waterfall on one side. Very mystical and very pretty.

 That's the suryakund, the theerthkund for men.

Entrance to the dhyanalingam

Inside the dhyanalinga. It's pin drop silence, and evokes a naturally meditative space.

This is one of the most beautiful nandi's I've ever seen.

The Lingabhairavi

To move onto the more real life part......the Isha Shoppe, a really ethnic and artistic store which sells stuff designed exclusively by Isha volunteers and made by local artisans. I love their coconut oil scented candles, and was happy to pick them up again.

That's entrance to the eatery

This is after I got my camera back. Walking back from the center to the car. There was a light drizzle, and it was simply beautiful.

They have these bullock carts for a ten buck ride back, for those who prefer it....very rustic and pretty

This was a full surprise moment. As I was walking this one guy comes and says "can I take a selfie with you", Varadarajan the guy on the right.....they were three of them, and I said, yeah why not.... and before I knew it there was this whole bunch of them from somewhere, it was a simply so cute moment.

That's Murugeshan and me, end of day. He was my cab driver for the whole Coimbatore trip.

Just being there, in the paradoxical surroundings of deep serenity and high energy, is in itself a transformative experience, the extent of which is ones own willingness and wantingness. It's there for the taking, an offering of powerful spiritual growth.