Remembering Srimad Acharyaru on Madhwa navami

Na mAdhava samO dEvO na cha madhva samO guruH

This sloka is inscribed on the wall in my in-laws home. The meaning of this sloka is that there is no God equal to Madhava and there is no teacher equal to Sri Madhwacharyaru. Sri Madhavanami (Magha masa shukla paksha navami) is the day Sri Madhvacharya took leave of his disciples and disappeared from our mortal eyes. People pay homage to Acharyaru on this day in various ways. Learned scholars and priests perform devara pooje, recite Vayustuti (listen), read portions of the Sarvamoola grantha, and recite Sumadhvavijaya.

What significance does this day have for me?

At home in Hyderabad, my father-in-law will get up early and do devara puje with honey abhisheka to Mukhyaprana. My mother-in-law will sing devaranama (according to taratamya) including Madhvanaama (listen) In the evening we would all go to the mutta. Ever since we moved to the US, we don’t do anything significant on this day. However, living in the Bay area has ensured that we can acknowledge this day, albeit on the weekend. This year too we want to attend the event organized by SVBM at the Livermore temple. It is a wonderful opportunity to see devarapuje, listen to pravachana, and take part in the rathotsava.

This day re-instills my faith in Lord Vishnu and Srimadacharyaru… Hari Sarvottama Vayu Jivottama!!

The Upside of Anger

The past weekend we watched the movie "The Upside of Anger". In the beginning the movie felt like it was not a well "put together" film. The movie consists of a mother and her four daughters and their emotional ups and downs through a family crisis.

We initially see the family coming to grips with the loss of the man of the house. Joan Allen the protagonist (mother) is a highly strung lady and moves around constantly with a drink in her hand. She holds the drink in her hand like it is her defense to handle the emotional turmoil going on around her. The girls seem in pretty good shape, some sympathetic to the mother's situation while some believing her to be the cause for the situation. Amidst this we see ‘Kevin Costner" as the new lover and drinking buddy for the heroine. He is a successful ex- baseball player who is now a radio host. He is shown to have always had a soft corner for the heroine and in this time of crisis acts as the friendly shoulder to lean on. He tries to bring in cheer into the family. The heroine on the other hand is for the most part unkind to him. The daughters are trying to move on in life but do not find adequate support from the mother. The movie has a few fun moments and a couple of scenes where anger just shows up explosively and unexpectedly.

After a few interesting twists and turns, the movie really shows how anger can be built up without adequate reasoning. Bitterness becomes all powering. It is enough to influence the daughters as well. The end of the movie is quite unexpected and just goes to show how much anger can harm everyone. The movie successfully conveys how making assumptions from insufficient information can lead to disastrous results. The movie actually points out another important point and that is how we human beings actually thrive in misery. It is considered a more desirable state than striving for happiness. The best dialogue of the movie comes from the youngest daughter and it is so true.

Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks.
That's what I know now. It needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers.
It's real, though.. the fury, even when it isn't.
It can change you...
turn you...
mold you and shape you
into someone you're not.
The only upside
to anger, then...
is the person you become....hopefully someone
that wakes up one day and realizes they're not afraid of its journey,
someone that knows
that the truth is, at best,a partially told story.
That anger, like growth,
comes in spurts and fits
and in its wake,
leaves a new chance
at acceptance
and the promise
of calm.

Daffodils- The Poetry

These days I am reacquainting myself to poetry.I started by trying to remember the ones we studied at school. The one that stands out is "Daffodils". The other Wordsworth poetry we studied was "The Solitary Reaper". At that time I was alien to poetry. Critical appreciation was something that had to be completed as homework. The finer nuances of words hardly sank in. It was a chore which was boring.

These days I find it easy to unwind with a poem. A poem is easier to read than prose and is able to convey a lot through metaphors. When I reread the poem "Daffodils", the simple beauty of it hit me. All I can say is Wordsworth was a true nature lover. People especially in this day and change hardly admire nature's beauty and bounty. Wordsworth found time to observe nature closely and write about it too. This poem conveys Wordsworth's solitary journey through a verdant valley and the observations he makes along the way.

Introspection and deep thinking require silence. In my opinion observation like this can happen in solitude. It cannot happen when you are in a group or have people clamoring for your attention.

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth

The humble "Rasam" recipe

Next to reading, cooking is my favorite hobby. I love to experiment with different cuisines and try out new recipes. If I think back, I can attribute this love for cooking to two things. 1) My mother cooked fabulously and I wanted to emulate her. 2) Watching Sanjeev Kapoor of Khana Khazana cook. One summer vacation I took up cooking class and formally learnt cooking. The worst cooking 911 moment happened when I cooked bhindi (okra) in the pressure cooker for a sambhar(Yuck!!). The best moment came when I learnt the right way to cook Mughlai food.

Moving to the US opened my eyes literally to a whole new style and method of cooking. In the beginning to keep boredom and silence at bay I used to keep the television turned on. Channel surfing brought me to the "Food Network" channel. I started slowly getting hooked on to some shows. I was asterisk by the amount of work that goes into cooking. Presenting food well is as important as cooking it. Another thing I learnt is the art of chopping vegetables. It makes a whole lot of difference to cooking food. In a brief period I gained a lot of knowledge about different cuisines. So these days when we order at an Italian restaurant I don't have to act dumb when they say the foccacia sandwich is made up of aioli and grilled vegetables.

I wanted to share some of the recipes I love and have tried. More importantly those recipes with which I have seen success.

I thought a lot about where I should begin. What is it that we all crave when we are traveling and are tired of insipid hotel (airline?) food. The answer is "Rasam" The recipe I wish to share today is that of the ubiquitous "Rasam". Rasam is a staple diet with south Indians. It is our version of a spicy,peppery clear soup. Nothing better than rasam to open up clogged sinuses. It is comfort food in the truest sense. The best thing to eat with hot rice when you are ill and feel indigested. Don't want to sound immodest but over the past 5 years I have sort of hit upon the right combination of ingredients to make the perfect rasam. So here is my recipe.

Ingredients:
1 cup Toor dal (split pigeon pea)
1/4 cup coriander leaves (coarsly chopped)
7-8 curry leaves
small piece of jaggery
1 1/2 tsp rasam powder
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 big tomato
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
3 1/2 cups Water

Method:
Cook dal with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker (it needs to cook really well atleast 3 whistles). In another vessel combine the chopped tomatoes, coriander leaves, curry leaves, 1 cup water, rasam powder, jaggery and the tamarind paste. Let this concoction boil for about 15-20 mins. Take the dal out of the cooker and churn well to get a smooth consistency. Once that is done mix the dal to the boiled concoction. Add salt. Now let the whole mixture boil nicely. For the tadka take the oil ( I prefer 1 tsp ghee; it adds a new dimension) and add the mustard seeds. Once they sputter add the hing and pour into the rasam.

Rasam aficionados argue that the taste of rasam depends only on the quality of the rasam powder used. I disagree, I have tried with several varieties of home made as well as ones available in Indian stores (like MTR) the results are the same.

My personal tips for making tasty rasam:

1. Cooking Dal well and churning it

2. Boiling the concoction well (close lid to retain flavor), ofcourse keep a watch not to burn it. This kind of steeping brings the bold flavors of the rasam powder to the fore.

3. Using all the ingredients as mentioned above. Outwardly it appears dal, rasam powder, salt and tomato are the main ingredients. But the combination of all the above is what makes it tasty

Do try it out! Happy eating then :)

Philanthropy and Entrepreneurs

In the recent weeks Bill Gates has announced that he will resign from the post of the head of the Microsoft Company . The reason he provided was he can now spend more time on social projects at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Our very own Narayana Murthy of Infosys, a software icon had just announced that he wished to step down from the position of a chairman. Narayana Murthy cited company rules as the reason. He now wishes to spend more time in the social field.

Now comes Warren Buffet's (The billionaire investor) announcement of giving away 85 percent of his wealth. Which means he has donated about $44-billion, to philanthropic causes. The news has it that this donation made by Buffet is the single largest one in the history of philanthropy. Even higher than the sums given by Andrew Carnegie or John D. Rockefeller.

Just got wondering if entrepreneurs are turning into full time philanthropists. Initially giving out donations to needy causes was just considered a part of building the image of self/company. But people like Bill Gates have taken up the cause of the underprivileged people with gusto. Entrepreneurs who have seen success early are not hesitating to share their wealth with others.

To part with smaller sums is difficult for lesser mortals. What then becomes the turning point for generosity. I feel at an individual level being generous means giving others what you have NOW. It is not about the future. Generosity is linked with our inner attitudes and not with what our net worth.

Bay area hike - Week 1

Just as the work week nears the end and the weekend is in sight, I begin scratching my head to think up of ways to entertain the family. Well we always have our friendly neighborhood mall, but hubby dearest rolls his eyes heavenward asking for a reprieve! My daughter loses patience after 10 minutes into window shopping. So, what do we do which can qualify for family fun. Then the idea came- hiking.

Thank my stars for google. There is a wonderful site Bay Area Hiker. The website has classified hikes from being easy to the more difficult types. The section under hiking with kids is a very good source. With a 4 yr old we were looking for a 2-3 mile round trip hike.

The first week on the recommendation of a friend we went to Skyline Open Ridge Preserve. The trail begins at the Russian Ridge trail leading into the Alpine pond. This is a half mile hike around the pond. It left us asking for more, so we went for the longer hike to the Horseshoe Lake which was about 3 miles round trip. The highest point of this trail is the view of the grasslands. Never thought there was so much greenery in Palo Alto. The lowest point was having to climb our way back up the trail. Not accustomed to pushing itself to the limits, the body complained as I huffed and puffed my way through the trail. All the sweat and pain really paid off because my daughter enjoyed it. She felt like "Dora" and made us do the "We did it" jig after we reached the parking lot. Throughout the trail she was leading us and egging us on. Her enthusiasm brushed off on us as well. We finished the 3 mile hike in 4 hours :). But it was worth all the time and effort.

Importance of accepting oneself

"Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself".

These words from an episode in "Sex and the City" really caught my attention. This statement is so true. Understanding oneself is the first step towards creating healthy and meaningful relationships. The second step is acceptance of the self as it is. It is easy to build and maintain relationships with people who are satisfied in their own skin. Relationships look easy and simple. Conversations with such people are free flowing and trust establishment happens immediately. I can say they are uncomplicated people.

On the other hand, people who have not come to terms with their real self hide behind facades. Close relationships wilt under such pretentious interaction.

How do we then go about accepting oneself? We all have several images of ourselves. Out of which two are most important. 1. Real me. 2. Perceived me (what I want to be or what others should perceive me to be). The urge to get to the second type of identity is high. In the process we forget the "Real me".

In my opinion, self-introspection is the first important step in the process of discovering ourself. This is about eliminating the bias of "Perceived me" and then identifying the "Real me" (as I am today). The second step is acceptance of the "Real me". Hmmm... The first step is tough and the second gets even tougher and abstract :). Need I mention that you will be Dalai Lama if you did this? :)

I had left the last sentence of the opening quote which is the icing on the cake. "And if you find someone to love the you, you love, well, that's just fabulous". I will write about this sometime.