39th Edition of Shadow Dancing with Mind...

WELCOME 2017: 39th Edition of Shadow Dancing With Mind

As the year 2017 started with the relase of my second book ‘Kuhase Ke Geet’, sharing the first edition and 39^th in the list of Shadow Dancing With Mind Edition. It has regular features like Thoughts, Reader and some great books by new authors in the Spotlight. The ‘Spotlight’ section is my small effort to support upcoming authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE, however to be featured in this section, you need to go through a selection process, please click here for details.

Hope you will enjoy the edition, please do write to me, in case you would like to suggest, advice or discuss on the thoughts I have put up in the posts…

A) THOUGHTS

1) Demonitization of Vedic Currency

“Violence is as Hindu as curry” - Wendy Doniger writes in her book “On Hinduism” and goes on to add that the “Classical Hindu India was violent in politics (she forgets to mention that India was the only country which never waged war towards any other country in its history), … etc. but I just couldn't stop laughing when she says that perhaps at the very heart of it (Hindu Violence) is climate, with its un-durable heat and unpredictable monsoon…

Though I have other issues with her, including her sad interpretations of Vedic Scriptures, I will go on to other examples how our ancient Vedic currency is being short changed by supposedly great intellectuals…

Click Here to read the full article

2) BIGAMY: Contrary to our thoughts, we are primedby Evolution for only one Romantic Partner...

Many of our decision that we take have its roots in the evolutionary process of mankind. Especially when it comes to how we react emotionally in our romantic relationships. I believe that we are designed to be one partner person rather than the most prevalent supposition that we are there to spread our genes and increase the robust gene pool for the species to survive…

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3) The Eternal Sound 'OM' is beyond reducingphysical fatigue... It is the Underlying Fabric of Cosmos

When I read the news of Anwesha’s discovery about the power of Pranava Naad ‘Om’, I felt that all is still not lost in India in context of our ancient culture and heritage. In my earlier post on Creation: The Big Bang and the eternal sound ‘OM’, I had signed off with the following words…

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4) Silence and the space between thoughts

“We live our life in the steps, not at the end. When the time is right, we will find our space in universal design. That space is the reality of our consciousness; rest is layers upon layers of memories, desires, and insecurities of mind…

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5) Ganga and the Old Peepul Tree…

In the beginning the river Ganges is so swift and fast that nothing much remains same on her way over a period. It carves its way out of the mountains and forests and reaches the sea to submerge. That is the way we begin our life too. In our childhood, we are full of energy and as we reach the end, we become sluggish and powerless….

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6) HAPPINESS HACK: Nature of life and love...

As we take tentative steps of living day to day, we forget to realise that without a sense of belongingness, kindness towards all that we have been blessed with and inner flowering of love, it just brings us closer to an end....

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B) READER:

HINDU LIT FOR LIFE: Chennai Book Lovers HappyJourney

The most awaited event of the new year for me, since last few years, has been Hindu Literary Festival which comes to a close today. This year too, it brought me in touch with wonderful writers from across the world. The interaction with humble Markus Zusak - Author of the book 'The Book Thief', unassuming and prolific Author Shashi Tharoor - who could produce a well researched book on British Colonialism, based on his viral video. The  wonderful sessions of many authors and commentators, I attended was absolutely enlightening. Spending some time with Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks, getting to know her thoughts and ideas, meeting my old friend and mentor Timeri N Murari as well as some friends from Chennai Blogger's Club added an extra interest to the festival.

Click Here to read the full article

C) SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight is my small effort to support upcoming authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE, however to be featured in this section, you need to go through a selection process, please click here for details.

Please click on the books below to read more…

1. ‘The OtherSide of HIm’ - Alice Rene (Action Thriller)

2. ‘TheResurrection of Evil’ - Neelabh Pratap Singh

3. ‘Mock, Stalk& Quarrel' - A collection of satirical tales edited by Indrani Ganguly

4. ‘TheHappiness Switch' by Christine Ellis

5. ‘PIGMENT -The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree’ by Renée Topper

6. ‘Seven ElevenForgotten and Other Stories’ by Barnaby Hazen - Literary Fiction

7. ‘Through theMind’s Eye: A Journey of Self-Discovery’ by J.P. Willson - Self Help

8. ‘TJ’s LastSummer in Cape Cod’ by Garfield Whyte - Coming of Age

9. ‘BrokenShadows’ by Tarek Refaat - Suspense & Thriller

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Shashi

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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38th Edition                   

THOUGHTS: Demonitization of Vedic Currency - PART I

“Violence is as Hindu as curry” - Wendy Doniger writes in her book “On Hinduism” page 136 in context with her description of classical Hindu India as, and I quote…

“Classical Hindu India was violent in politics (she forgets to mention that India was the only country which never waged war towards any other country in its history), in its religious practice (and she gives examples like animal sacrifice, ascetic self torture, fire walking, swinging from hooks in the flesh in the back… and so forth but she conveniently forgets to say that her examples are as ritualistic practice not a common social custom of Indian masses), in its criminal law (she again conveniently forgets that the last seven to eight  hundreds years, India was occupied by Moghuls and British people so can not be said that its Indian Law - though I have other examples like Winston Churchill deliberate massacre of millions due to his apathy as millions died due to starvation because of him) but I just couldn't stop laughing when she says that perhaps at the very heart of it (Hindu Violence) is climate, with its un-durable heat and unpredictable monsoon…

Though I have other issues with her, including her sad interpretations of Vedic Scriptures, I will go on to other examples how our ancient Vedic currency is being short changed by supposedly great intellectuals. 

Nirad C Choudhuri - a Bengali Intellectual and author of best selling book ‘Autobiography of an Unknown Indian (1951), who in his dedication of the book says…

“Because all that was good and living within us (Indians)

was made, shaped and quickened

by the same British Rule.”

                                             

But British and western Intellectuals were not the only one who demonetised Vedic Currency, there were the likes of Shaykh Bhavan in Moghul Court (a Brahmin, converted to Islam and because of his back ground, was consulted in cases of Sanskrit interpretations), proclaimed that the Atharva Veda allowed Hindus to eat beef in some cases and permitted burial of the dead instead of cremation.

Shashi Tharoor @ Hindu Lit Festival 2017 Chennai

However the British were more organised in demonetising the Vedic Currency. Few weeks ago, I met Shashi Tharoor at Hindu Lit Festival, where he specifically claimed (and I agree with him absolutely), that they not only colonized India but also colonized Indian mind.  The Manu Smiriti was written 2000 years back but the Native Indians never gave it any importance in terms of the social life but British systemized it.  Through their law commissions, numerous censuses every ten years from 1871 or so and educational doctrine. As Shashi Tharoor explains in his book “An Era of Darkness”, where he quotes Nicholas B Dirk from his seminal book  ‘Castes of Mind”…

“In fact caste was just one category among many others, one way of organizing and representing identity.”

In India, at the time, no one was really bothered about the Smriti, written by Sant Manu centuries ago. It was never considered as an important aspect of their day to day life, but British Raj ensured that the poor Indian colonised people are boxed into one of those categories. And, as they pushed forward their education system, which as Macaulay pointed out. "should be a channel to produce clerks to serve the British masters" began with missionary zeal. British Raj ensured that the Indian mind was far more colonized than the India as a country. Unfortunately somehow it still continues to produce such slaves to his / her masters voice…

And that’s exactly what worries me more. The present day Westerners / Indian Guru’s who are writing so called best sellers because it is camouflaged as an ancient Indian mythology and scriptures. But more often than not, these are full of wrong translations and ‘Mythya-logy’, which provides a vast breeding ground for a disconnect with the young Indian minds off the beauty and reality of rich Indian heritage and culture… I am sure that if they do read it some times, they will find amazing source of inspiration like Manjul Bhargava, Fields Medalist (Considered to be a Nobel Prize in Mathematics) who got inspired by a shloka given by his grand Father in Jaipur, to write his PhD Thesis.

I also hope that this ongoing demonetization of Vedic Currency is curtailed through concerted efforts of people who have are watching this wrong turn of tide. 

Well my fight against the tide goes on and I continue to appeal to youngsters to connect with our ancient heritage and culture, some time through my posts, workshops and occasionally with my books like "Songs of the Mist" sharing the Bhagwat Gita essence, 'sugar coated with a fictional love story of heart break and pain' (as Deccan Chronicle pointed out in its write up about me and my book sometime back) and get inspired. 

Even if you are not able to understand the deep philosophy of Indian thinking, written in those ancient scriptures, please do read them to have a first hand experience of the logic and language on your own as the beauty of the language alone will be a source of inspiration to change your lives. 

And to those few of my friends, who are fighting for this cause, wish you all the best and hope that you are able to inspire the young generation to at least give our heritage a chance instead of being disillusioned by the Mythya-logy.

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Shashi 

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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 Bigamy - An Evolutionary Process      Aghoris: Believer with Reza Aslan - CNN                  

SPOTLIGHT: ‘The Other Side of HIm’ - Alice Rene (Action Thriller)

Spotlight is my small effort to support upcoming authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE, however to be featured in this section, you need to go through a selection process, please click here for details.

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“Have a good look, ladies. This is the face of a woman who just plunged a dagger into her boyfriends back.” - Alice Rene in “The Other Side of Him”

Few years back, I had visited Vienna and fell in love with it. SO much so that one of the character of my own book is based in Vienna. So when I got a chance to interact with the author of the book “The Other Side of Him” - Alice Rene who is from Vienna herself, I had to have her in the Spotlight. I was quite sure that it would have the necessary creative ingredients to keep my interest growing from page to page. Coming from the land of Secessionist movement of the artists in early last century, my interaction with her was as creative and interesting as art lined up on almost every street corner of the city.

Though I was surprised by the choice of her subject in the book i.e. Stalking in the 1950's, but as you read on, you tend to agree with her. Published in January 2016, “The Other Side of Him” has won a IPPY AWARD, Bronze Medal in Regional Fiction and was a Finalist in the 2016 Beverly Hills Award Competition in the Category of Suspense.

She says that her purpose in writing the book was to highlight the issue of stalking and what it was like in the fifties for anyone being stalked when society had not established any institutions to help such victims.

She loves to write in her study, where she has a great view of her garden. She likes quiet places where she can think and her study is the perfect place for the same. She says that it usually take her 3 years to write and edit a book. Mostly her inspiration for the book comes from her personal experiences.

BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Vienna, Alice came to the U.S. as a young child and survivor of WWII. She grew up in Portland, Oregon and came to California for college and graduate school. Her first book, award-winning "Becoming Alice” is a memoir. She has worked as a medical social worker and travel consultant, escorting groups to exotic foreign destinations, before starting her writing career. She now lives in southern California where she plays tennis, works in her succulent garden, and writes her next book.

HER INSPIRATIONS

My inspiration comes from watching people’s characteristics, how each person deals with conflict, and why.

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

1)...."he's the most eligible bachelor in San Francisco...Be an angel and do your brother a favor--go out with this guy, okay?"

2) "With his free hand he lifted my chin to meet his lips. The kiss! The passion! I all seemed to come from his heart. I wrapped his my arms around his neck and responded in kind."

3) "Dusk blanketed the neighborhood, the time of day ordinary hoodlums turned into thieves--or killers if their victims put up a fight.

THE STORY

Inspired by true events this story is about Claire, raised in the Chicago tenements in the 50's and eager to escape her humble and dangerous surroundings. Her ticket to get out of the projects is to win a scholarship to college in California. She achieves her dreams, and even meets a man on a blind date, handsome and rich, who introduces her to a life she'd only seen in the movies. In time she learns he is also deeply flawed and attempts to break up with him. However he is not ready to let go of her and becomes her stalker, a situation in which her very life is threatened. In a time before society had any institutions set up to help victims of abuse, Claire must find her own solution to escape he danger she faces.

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TO BUY ALICE RENE’S BOOK ‘The Other Side of Him” … CLICK HERE.

– Shashi 

CEO & Partner ICUBE Projects

Speaker | Author of “Songs of the Mist” | Haiku Poet

Writes India’s #1 Spiritual Blog “Shadow Dancing With Mind”

List of SPOTLIGHT authors of Dec '16

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ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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The Resurrection of Evil - Neelabh