40 years old and a new role in Chintels

Me (in Blue shirt with microphone) with my family on my 40th birthday
(Click on picture for larger image)

So this post is a little late, but here it goes....

On July 14, 2012, I turned 40 years old. 40... OMG! For some reason 40 is in many minds a real landmark in a person's life and I'm no different. I feel pretty much the same as I did before. But I feel that this is the beginning of a new phase in my life. More responsibility perhaps.

We had a nice big party at the Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi. It was also a very special day in another way. My father stepped down as the Managing Director (though he will continue as Chairman) and announced in the party that I would be taking over as the new Managing Director of the Chintels Group! I am honored and humbled at the same time. I pray to God to help me in my new role and I hope that I will be able to do the job to the best of my ability.

What a 40th birthday present!

To Go Beyond by Richard Franklin

To Go Beyond by Richard Franklin

 This is the painting that hangs in my study room wall. I have been trying to find out its name and who the artist is. So, I took a good look at the signature and could only make out that the last name was Franklin. Thanks to Google, I searched for all the artists with the last name Franklin and discovered that the artist is named Richard Franklin and the painting is called 'To Go Beyond'. What an awesome name!


In my mind, the painting captures the yearning of the human soul to reunite with God and the adoration that both God and the soul have for each other.

Live a life that matters

After a near fatal accident last month, I am reminded of the fragility of human life and at the same time the sanctity of it. There was an incident when an 8 kg tile fell from a height of about 30 feet and struck me right on the head. I still have swelling on my head even now, but luckily there was no internal injury. God saved my life that night and I thank Him for it.

At the risk of sounding clichéd - I must say that this incident changed my life. What changed the most is my perspective of how we strive, fight, stress out and slave over things that really may not even matter in the end of the day. I am now even more strongly convinced of the importance of living a spiritually inclined life full of love and introspection instead of a life ruled by materialism and monetary gain alone.

While these are important, it is the real effects of these that are important. In other words, it is not really important how much money you make, but what you do with that money. This is not restricted to money alone, but to any gift from God we possess, be it - money, talents, interests.

Like the Parable of the Talents, it is important to not just let our talents be buried in the sand, but that they are used, improved and expanded. But it is the actual end result of the usage of these gifts that is important. If we enjoy writing, singing, filmography, drama, research, business, teaching, etc. how did we use these things to help our fellow living beings and environment? These are the things that are important. I read in a book (don't remember which one) that when we pass onto the higher realm there are only two questions that the Divine Spirit asks us -

1. What did you learn about love?
2. How did you use the talents I gave you to help the world?

In the final analysis, this is all that matters!

Peace, Love and Light.

Colorizing Black and White photos - colorized John F. Kennedy photo

Watched some interesting videos on YouTube like this one ---




and used the techniques there to colorize a black & white photo for the first time. And who else do you think I would choose other than President John F. Kennedy?


Here are the two photos side by side - the original and the colorized version I made. Not bad I think for the first attempt. 

US President John F. Kennedy (black and white) and colorized.

When Your Earth Visa Expires

(published in The Speaking Tree column, The Times of India March 27, 2012)

Where do we go when our Earth visa expires? Most religions suggest that our souls live on and travel into another realm. While this is the common belief, it is not as simple as it sounds. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity talk about multiple levels, dimensions or frequencies of existence after the soul leaves Earth. The Quran and Bible have instances where the term "Seventh heaven" is used. Hinduism talks of various astral planets and even higher spiritual planets or 'loks' where souls travel to after physical life comes to an end.

There have also been accounts on record of near-death experiences (NDEs) where those declared clinically dead have subsequently returned to life. In 'Life after Life' Dr. Raymond Moody recounts NDE cases in which patients described seeing their own body after being pronounced dead, then travelling through a tunnel into a room full of light where their dead relatives and friends came to receive them. Then a life review happens, in which they see instances that occurred in the incarnation just passed. Then many see a 'Being of Light', emitting a powerful feeling of love. They are told their time has not yet come and they return to their bodies.

In 'Journey of Souls' Dr. Michael Newton talks about the period between incarnations. Newton uses past life regression techniques to take people back to the time after their death in their last life and before the time of their current birth. An account of the spirit realm describes split incarnations where one soul occupies two or more bodies at the same time, soul families, groups, colours are seen based on levels of spiritual development, spirit guides, council of elders, healing areas, library and temple. Finally, the place where the soul decides the type of experiences it needs in the next incarnation and actually chooses parents and circumstances needed for the new incarnation to meet its karmic requirements.

Do our souls actually 'travel' somewhere? It's like asking if you are actually travelling somewhere when you dream. There is obviously something happening to your awareness. The field of awareness shifts from one plane to another. First you are awake and then you enter dreamland. But when you transition from this world to the next, are you actually travelling in the spatial sense or just shifting the frequency of your awareness?

When TV channels are changed, it is only awareness that is shifting from one channel to another. The old channel doesn't cease to exist because the new channel is being viewed. It is just that the screen is now displaying a different frequency. This is the same principle that happens when we die. Our awareness is tuned into a different frequency of creation. The Earth plane does not cease to exist, but for the person who has passed on, the frequency of awareness has shifted. The reality they perceive is now different.Similarly, for those on Earth, the person seems to have gone, but in reality the soul has just moved onto another frequency of awareness. It leaves behind the empty human body, a kind of virtual reality device, through which the soul experienced life on the Earth.

The opposite of life is not death. The opposite of birth is death. Life is eternal. Birth and death are just entry and exit points of incarnations.

To read this article on the Times of India site, click here

Bravo Dinesh Trivedi

Dinesh Trivedi

Though it cost Dinesh Trivedi his job as India's Railways Minister, the course of action that he took is the need of the hour. Not only was his raising of fares across all classes badly needed, but it was a great change to see an Indian politician putting "country ahead of party".

Dinesh Trivedi is an example of the types of politicians that are badly needed in India at this time. It does not matter that he lost his job for it, when Mamata Bannerjee had him resign, what is important that he had the guts to do what he felt was right. Even if, as some political cynics claim, it was "all a farce", it sends a positive message to the thinking electorate of India.

This is what India needs in order to change. We need MPs, MLAs and ministers who are committed to doing something productive for the country. We need more Indian politicians who act on their own convictions and not according to their parties' orders.

Bravo, Dinesh Trivedi!

Our trip to Singapore

Cheryll and I are back home in New Delhi after a very enjoyable trip to Singapore. Stayed at a suite in the Ritz Carlton with an amazing view of Marina Bay Sands and Collyer Quay. We shopped a lot. Cheryll with her clothes, shoes, etc, etc. I indulged in my photographic pursuits. Bought a new wide angle lens Sigma 10mm-20mm and a Nikon Gp-1. Went to Sentosa Island, Clarke Quay - Shiraz, Hooters and Jumbo Seafood. Yummy yum yum! Had two amazing evenings with our friends Nonna and Rajdev Narula, who took us to Margharitas in Dempsey Hill and then to Lantern at the Fullerton Bay Hotel and also to Orgo at the Esplanade.

Highly recommend Singapore as a great getaway destination for good food, fun and shopping and not to mention seeing the Marina Bay Sands - truly one of the world's finest looking buildings.

I am adding here a picture of the hotel that I took with my camera using a tripod. The picture was taken from the Merlion across the bay.

Welcome new year 2012

I wish you all a very Happy New Year 2012. The year that has just gone by has been a very eventful one. Revolutions across the Mid East and Africa, a devastating tsunami and earthquake in Japan, the death of Osama Bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi, the rise of anti-corruption movements in India and many other events that will ensure that 2011 will be a year that will not be easily forgotten.

Now that 2012 is here, we have February 29 this year, a presidential election in the US and we have yet another prophesy (its technically not a 'doomsday' one though) by the Mayans. So who knows how this year will play out. The way I see it is that a new year is a way to start afresh. A way of doing the things that you wanted to do but weren't able to in the year that just went by.

I started the new year by meditating and doing pranayama. I feel good about that. If 2012 is the climax of a new spiritual age that we are entering into, I want to be ready for it.

I hope that this year I am able to do some of the writing projects that I have in mind, but haven't gotten down to doing yet. I hope I am able to share things with you through this blog more regularly.

So what about you? How do you want this year to go by. What are some of things you are planning to do differently this year. I would love to see your stories via comments.

God bless you! Love and Light to you all.

Diwali - a festival of lights, noise and pollution

Diwali. It is a festival of beauty and illumination. Eons ago, it is believed that Lord Rama returned with his brother Lakshman and wife Sita to his home - Ayodhya. Since it was a moonless night, the citizens of Ayodhya lit up the streets in order for them to find their way back to the palace and also to celebrate their crown prince's return after 14 long years of exile.

The return of light to dispel darkness is something that we Indians celebrate ever year and the festival itself has a great message. But must we shamelessly and thoughtlessly pollute the very air that sustains us? Must be cause unbearable noise pollution that causes the loss of peace and harmony?

Not to mention the many people who suffer burn injuries and asthma attacks on this night. It is not fair to be polluting the very air that will sustain not only ours but many future generations to come.

In the United States, the fourth of July is celebrated with fireworks, but these are all done in a community setting much like the Ravan burning every Dusshera.

I propose that fireworks should be banned from being sold to the general public and even if they have to be used, it should be done in a public or community setting. In areas which can do so, a laser show would be a more healthy, less dangerous and less noisy alternative. It may not be politically popular, but then sometimes what is popular is not the best solution.

Fill the world with love, not hate

I got a reply to my tweet where I have quoted Gandhiji on religion from some guy in Pune. This person tells me he doesn't give a F about what I say and that he is a Hindu and Gandhiji gave him the right to say so. He then asked me if I had a problem with it. I replied to him telling him to fill his heart with love and not hate and then he will find what he has always been looking for. Some of us don't realize that we are all on the same path and the Divine shines its Holy Light on all of us of every faith, every nationality and every caste. We are all children of the Divine and nobody has a copyright or patent on the Truth. There is no one true religion. These are all pathways to the same goal. It is time to focus more on our own search and stop worrying about the path that others are taking.

Oh my God! Anna Hazare elevated to god status

I have the greatest respect for Anna Hazare, but putting him on the altar of the gods is not the right thing to do. We can be god-like by our deeds and actions, but that does not make us gods. That way Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and others should also be made gods. It is disrespecting the power of our humanity to be worshipped as a god. Instead we can look up to the human being that is doing god-like deeds.

Anna-being-worshipped-at-Ganesh-pandals (Times of India)

Warp drive possible - perhaps humans can reach the stars someday

Learned about the theory of warp drive postulated by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre today. This video explains it all. Hopefully, someday humankind will reach the stars!!

After a hot summer, Europe awaits

After being in Delhi for so long without a vacation. We are about to head out to Europe for a much needed vacation. This is the first time that we are taking all three kids.

First stop, Switzerland...

To be followed by Italy....

And then its Austria.....

Will be posting updates from there.

I know we're going late, but my wife had her final exams (she's doing a B.Ed in Special Education... and I am so proud of her!)

Little Amyra's first flight will be tonight.

James Cameron on sci-fi, oceans, space and leadership

This is an awesome video of James Cameron talking about his childhood, love of science fiction, love of the ocean, his films and his idea of leadership. This video is an absolute must watch.




James Cameron: Before Avatar ... a curious boy (from TED.com)

An excerpt from Towards New Beginnings by Rajiv Gandhi

I have asked many questions. Every question contains the seeds of an answer. Yet every answer germinates seeds of another question. The search continues. We are always poised between old ends and new beginnings.

--- Rajiv Gandhi (Towards New Beginnings) excerpted from 'The Odyssey of science, culture and consciousness' by Kishore Gandhi (Abhinav Publications, Delhi, 1990)

Be in charge of your thoughts

Temptations and malicious thoughts do enter human minds. Sometimes a violent, malevolent or dirty thought suddenly rushes into the mind, causing guilt, fear, anger, greed or lust. Persons who are positive in their outlook and believe in God can overcome such thoughts through prayers. Many people, however, feel guilty about them. They should not. We are as much in control of our thoughts as we are of our enemy shooting arrows at us. We should not duck. Rather, we should shoot back with positive thoughts.

We can also shield ourselves from this onslaught through the virtues of faith and love. Even the greatest men including Jesus Christ and Buddha, have gone through their share of temptations, fears and worries. Christ was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days while he prayed and fasted. Buddha worried about old age, sickness and death when he was Prince Siddhartha.

These masters could not control negative thoughts, but they chose not to nurture these evil seeds.

As a seed needs nutrition to grow, so do thoughts -- good or bad. As a garden has flowers and weeds, we have our positive and negative thoughts. Both can grow if nurtured. The idea is to cut out the bad thoughts through faith, love and patience. Having a bad thought is not a sin. Nurturing and harbouring bad thoughts is the root of all evil. Replace the weeds of negativity with the flowers of positivity and the garden of your mind will produce trees of virtue and faith.

Astral and Physical Worlds by Prashant Solomon

Published in The Speaking Tree of the Times of India on May 31, 2011

Astral life begins once physical life ends. There have been many accounts of the astral plane, which describe its luminous nature. One of the most famous accounts is in the book, Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda.

In the astral plane, we inhabit astral bodies that are much like the physical ones we currently inhabit, but those are much subtler and radiant. These astral bodies are not confined within the narrow limits of current space-time continuum that governs the physical cosmos. In the astral plane, inhabitants communicate through telepathy and since we recognise people who were our family and friends in different incarnations; we learn to love them all equally. There are astral worlds of light, which have colours and music beyond our present comprehension. The astral plane is one of great beauty and joy. It is the place where many souls consider their "true home". It is also much larger than the physical universe.

So what about our current life on Earth? It is one in which the physical elements of life are manifested. But thanks to technology, it seems that our current life on planet Earth is becoming gradually 'astralised'. How is this? Well, let us take a closer look at our lives today.

In today's technology dominated society, we use computers, digital cameras, internet and mobile phones, for instance. We watch news, TV shows and movies. We listen to music, mostly in digital format. We have passionate opinions about people we don't really know, whom we've never met -- be they politicians, media personalities, movie actors, business leaders, even terrorists and criminals. How many of us have actually seen and heard or touched these famous or notorious people physically? Yet we seem to 'know' them today through their projected images and sounds that are readily available to us through technology. Is it not like we know them in an astral or more subtle form? Even if you never met them in the flesh, you would continue to 'get to know' them through their light and sound images.

The same extends to people who are not necessarily well known. Today's social networking sites are a testimony to this. Think of how many Twitter followers and Facebook friends you have who you don't really 'know' in the physical sense. We are now growing so accustomed to electronic lifestyles that we are beginning to experience life and relationships as a form of virtual or electronic or energy life. We are now open to accepting life forms interacting with us in their electronic forms as long as we know that there is some real intelligence and individuality being expressed. Your relationship with someone would continue to grow more intimate through these electronic platforms even if you never interacted in the so-called 'real' world of flesh and blood.

This seems to be the first step in the astral conditioning process. As we advance technologically, we create things that make our earthly experiences a little more like the astral experiences that we have had in the past and will continue to have in the future after our Earth visa expires. In that non-material realm, we learn that the reality is not the flesh, but the radiant energy that is our true nature. Our modern day technology is a reminder of that and just a pre-cursor to that awesome astral realm that we will all return to someday.

prashantsolomon@gmail.com

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/8648751.cms

My introduction to practicing Yoga

One of the new things I've started doing lately is Yoga. I did a beginner's course in Yoga and Meditation. Within a week, I could feel a difference in my overall well being. The pranayama breath control exercises and meditation are bringing a new clarity to my mind. The asanas are bringing new flexibility and a feeling of wholesomeness to my body. I recommend yoga and meditation to everyone.

Both my wife Cheryll (she deserves the credit for this) and I joined up at the Sivananda Yoga Centre in Kailash Colony. The place has a very peaceful aura and the trainers are good and not very pushy. They believe in the concept that you will do according to your own ability and that you will progress at your own pace. This is a good thing. I do not like to be pushed too much by trainers (some people do, but I'm not one of them).

I picked up some good books from there as well - "Meditation and Mantras" and "The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga" both by Swami Vishnudevananda and "Meditation Know-How" and "Autobiography of Swami Sivanada" both by Swami Sivananda.

There are Sivananda Yoga Centres across the world. For more details visit their site at-

www.sivananda.org

Of wombs and worlds

The soul within a foetus knows only one world – the womb. The prenatal state of the human being has its own share of experiences. There are certain sensations that the child experiences as it grows inside. The placenta provides a sense of security to the unborn child and most of the time it sleeps soundly and securely blanketed within this membrane that is the flesh and blood of its mother.

The developing child may hear sounds from beyond its world. These could be the sounds of its father talking to it. The baby even kicks at the horizons of its world and the little bumps can be seen and felt. The little child within the womb is secure in its environment. For the limited consciousness of the child, this womb is the only world there is. It could be the whole universe as far as it’s concerned. This is a safe universe with no other occupant (except in the case of twins, triplets and so on). It is the own private world of the foetus.

There is only one little thing that the foetus does not know. It does not know that this little womb which is as large of the whole universe from its perspective is just a temporary home. It is also by no means the ‘whole universe’. It is just one little part of a much larger world of which the foetus neither knows nor can even comprehend. Even the thought of leaving the womb would generate feelings of fear, bewilderment and confusion. But that is just it – foetuses are meant to be born. They are meant to be transformed into babies. Babies, however, do not live in the same world as the foetus does. They live on the other side of the veil.

As the foetus’ time in its world comes to an end, a feeling of panic grips it as it begins to move down the birth canal. It sees something strange – a bright light unlike any light it has ever seen before. The voyage down this canal is one of horror as it emerges into a new world of light and then the strangest thing happens. It breathes! For the first time ever in its new life – it breathes. The first breath of a new born baby is the end of life for the foetus as a foetus. It is now a new being, more advanced and in a larger world. It has transformed into a new creature called a baby - like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. With a single breath life begins in one form and ends in another.

The new baby takes time to adjust to this brighter, larger and scarier world. But this is its destiny. A foetus is meant to be born into a larger world where its journey continues. The baby grows and becomes adjusted to its new world and soon it forgets its days within the womb, once upon a time its whole universe, now more like a forgotten dream.

The child grows into adolescence and then adulthood, happy in its new world. It learns about our world and the universe and so many things. It has not even the slightest inkling about what happens when life in the body ceases. Death lurks behind every corner and is completely silent about when it comes. The thought of death is something every human being has thought about. Maybe even the little foetus thought about it too. Maybe it also wondered what would happen to it after its life in the womb came to an end.

One day death will come to everyone. Some say we will pass through a kind of tunnel and see a bright light. Perhaps we will. Is there anything to fear? Well, the foetus was scared too. But a foetus is meant to be born and likewise a human being is meant to someday die.

There is a lot for us to do in between. Perhaps we develop thought patterns and abilities that will help us in our next level after we cross over from our current home – the womb called Earth – into a new, larger and brighter world called Heaven. Though we cannot see it, there are occasional ‘whispers from eternity’ that we can perceive intuitively just as the little foetus can hear whispers from the other side of the fleshy veil.

When death comes we will cross into our new home. Once again breath plays a key role. When we came into this world we took our first breath, when we leave it, we take our last breath and then we step forth into the unknown on the other side of the channel. Scared, confused, perhaps we may be. But just like the little baby that came here from a smaller world, we will go on to a larger world after this one. It is what we humans are on this world for – to learn enough to do well in the next world. Worlds within worlds exist and we are just beginning the great journey of the soul.

Writing a book in small steps - breaking down writing into parts

Writing a book is one of the most joyous things that a human being can experience! I know because I have written a few books and published two. They say that the closest a man can come to experience childbirth is writing a book. The feeling of creating a written piece of art that can be shared with the world is great. 

Whether one writes fiction or non-fiction, the process is similar. Every writer has their own way of doing things, but I personally feel that an outline should be used to create a proper structure to your book whether it is fiction or non-fiction. When you create an outline for the plot or an outline for the main chapters of a book, it is easier to write it. 

One piece of advice to budding writers who may struggle with the idea of writing a book with many pages in it. Don't think of it as writing a 365 page book, think of writing 1 page everyday for one year. That sounds a lot more achievable doesn't it? As in everything in life, be it exercising, dieting, investing, etc. It is consistency that counts. When you do a little a day, everyday, you will always get a better result. This is because the mind handles small tasks better even if they are many of them. If the mind perceives something as a large Herculean task, it tends to get scared or overwhelmed! So remember, don't overwhelm yourself. Perform smaller tasks on a regular basis for better results. Good luck!