Interpretation of the story - 3

Shiva had granted a boon to Ganesha that before anything auspicious is begun; Ganesha’s name would be invoked... So Ganesha also represents the beginnings of anything good.

When light passes through a prism and breaks into its constituent colors, Red is the first color visible to the human eye... The beginning! Lord Ganesha’s signature color is red. How astonishingly scientific!

Every year, especially in the city of Mumbai, around the beginning of September, the festival of Lord Ganesha is celebrated with great reverence, enthusiasm and joy. Lakhs of idols of Ganeshji are installed for 10 days with great pomp and ceremony. Small idols find their way in various people’s houses and really giant ones (3 floors high) are installed in various colonies all over the city. Poojas and Aartis are done, Prasad is given... And everyone has a great time.

The energy and feeling of the entire city completely changes as the atmosphere gets charged with the mantras and the devotion of millions of people... It is a magical time to be there...

On the last day however, all these idols are taken and submerged into the seas off the coast of Mumbai... To the cries of “Ganapati Bappa Moriya!! Pudhcha Varshi Laukar Yaa!!!” Meaning Victory to Lord Ganesha, Come back to us quickly next year...

(By the way, this does affect the seas and the environment, but more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious and having Ganeshji’s idols made out of quickly degradable materials... I am sure soon we will see very green Ganapati Festivals in Mumbai!)

There is a great significance to this: All the Gods are within us... In every cell of our Being. During the festivals, with great reverence we ask them to manifest themselves in the idols so we can worship them and play with them... Once we are done with the celebration, the final Pooja mantras actually invite the Gods back within us... So now it’s just a pretty statue... And so that we can learn non attachment, all the idols are put in the sea... This is done every year, to keep reminding ourselves about our own Divinity... And of course to celebrate and enjoy this great journey called Life!

Ganapati Bappa Moriya!!

Hope you enjoyed these posts on Ganeshji, do give in your feedbacks :)
Cheers :)

Interpretation of the story - 2

Ganeshji is the remover of obstacles... Obstacles are there because there is no Knowledge and awareness... as soon as wisdom dawns, all obstacles and problems just vanish like dew in the sunlight...And really what obstacle can stand in the way of an elephant?!

He has a huge stomach which signifies an all accepting nature... He is the Lord of all kinds of groups (Gan means group), so He accepts everyone... but He also wears a snake as a belt around the stomach, which means that He accepts you, but with the full awareness of a snake! It is not passive chalta hai attitude acceptance, but an active, participative acceptance...
He has many hands, one holds a rope, another a poke and still another a modak (yummy sweet).

He offers you the modak (sweet) of Wisdom and Knowledge and when you come near to Him to take it, He quickly ties you with the rope (probably while you are eating it)... meaning that once Wisdom has dawned, you can never really go back to whatever you used to be!

And it may happen that even having all the Knowledge and Wisdom, you may feel low, unhappy or miserable... then He pokes you (remember the snake? He accepts you as you are, doesn't cast you away, but takes action after acceptance)... to wake you up to Reality... And sometimes if the poking is too much for you and you try to run away (you can't He has got you tied with the rope! :)), He gives you the sweet, the Knowledge :) and that brings you back to Him. And so Lord Ganesha binds you sweetly and firmly to Himself!

He is Vinayaka. The peerless leader. He reports to no one!
And the mouse?

The mouse nibbles the veils of ignorance that surround our consciousness, so that true Knowledge can get established in the Self. So, Lord Ganesha rides the mouse who eats away the anger, the ignorance and allows the Bliss of Knowledge to dawn...
Thus Lord Ganesha is the gift of Lord Shiva for Parvati to teach and nurture her to always be in her true nature... The Celebration and Bliss of the Self!

Interpretation of the story - 1

Parvati is the Celebrative aspect of our consciousness. Parvat means mountain: The Earth herself rising up in celebration...

Now Parvati was dirty, meaning, the celebration had gone out of life, feeling of sadness, etc had arisen, and she decides to take a bath (be alone)...When you are not feeling good (your celebratory aspect is dirty), you say, give me my space, leave me alone...

The dirt that comes off her and she gives life to is the Ego... She tells the Ego see that no one disturbs me while i am not feeling well... dont let anyone come in!
Thats exactly what most people do when they are not feeling good: people usually isolate themsleves, feel separate from everyone and dont like others around them...
This is the significance of Parvati animating her ego and asking it not to let anyone disturb her because she is feeling dirty.

Lord Shiva is the protector of Parvati. So when He sees her that way with her ego standing guard, keeping the Bliss of the Self out, He does what any protector would do... Kills it!

Chopping off the head signifies killing the ego... Now, when you have had your ego trampled upon, you are going to feel even more hurt and bewildered, which is where Parvati flares up... to appease her and teach her, Lord Shiva replaces the child's ego) head with an elephant head.

The Elephant in Hindu mythology is held in great reverence. In old times, if a lover wanted to praise his girlfriend, he would tell her she is like an elephant... That was supposed to be the ultimate praise! Please don't try this today... you just might get flattened :)

The big head symbolizes Knowledge. The eyes of the elephant are kind, full of compassion and innocence: the most beautiful in the animal Kingdom. So Shiva replaces the head of ego (ignorance) with Knowledge and innocence! That's not all, if you have ever seen an elephant walk, stately and strong, you can see that nothing can stand in its way! So Shivji removed the ego and replaced it with Strength, Grace, Knowledge and innocence. What a superb combination! And the perfect gift for an angry, sulking wife! :)

Lord Shiva then names the child, Ganesh. The Lord of Knowledge and Wisdom.
Next more will be revealed about the mouse and some other really fascinating aspects of Ganeshji...

The story of Ganeshji....!!!

The birth of Lord Ganesha is one of the weirdest tales i have ever come across...

Shiva's wife Parvati decides to take a bath... While bathing, a lot of dirt comes off her body (may have been meditating many years... these things accumalate :)), and being creative (pun intended) puts that dirt into the form of a really handsome child... and being a Goddess blew life into the child and asked him to wait outside (she could be modest too) and not let anyone come in till she finished her bath (and accessorizing)...

So the little kid goes out and waits and soon enough along comes Shiva, and asks the boy to step aside and let him go in. Boy refuses. Shiva gets angry. Shiva shouts and threatens. Boy doesn't budge. Shiva chops off boy's head! (Children in those days faced pretty harsh disciplining)

Parvati is very upset when she comes to know Shiva has killed her son ... son?! Shiva must have thought... when did that happen?!!... in any case to make her feel better, Shiva chops off the head of a passing elephant and attaches that to the body of the fallen child and gives Him life... Parvati is aghast at how her son looks and says everyone will mock him... no one will respect him... Lord Shiva smiles benignly and says that He will give a boon to the little Ganesha that before any Pooja or ritual of any kind is started, He, Ganesha will have to be worshiped first!

Parvati is quite mollified by this, but demands a vehicle for Ganesha... Shiva presents Ganesha with a mouse as his vehicle... Parvati was very happy with that and the family lived happily for many eons to come (ever after really as far as us humans are concerned)

And that's how Lord Ganesha was born... like is said it is a very weird story with plenty of really big loop holes and questions! To start with Parvati must have been really REALLY dirty for so much dirt to come off her... Then Shiva is the Lord of the Universe, if a small kid told Him to come back later, He could have gone somewhere, looked after a galaxy or two, meditated or something :)... but no, He chops off the kid's head!

Then He puts an elephants head on the child and gives a mouse as a vehicle... no sense of proportion whatsoever!, should have been the other way round! Give a mouse's head and the elephant as a vehicle...

We could go on and on... but as usual there is a secret to the story...

Fairwell to Ganeshji :)

Kal ganapati bappa visarjit hogae.

In his ‘fairwell party’ of the year we danced and danced and danced completely loaded with fun and as ‘there is no tomorrow’ attitude;(no I wasn't in mumbai, it is celebrated with equal spirit here in Coorg too). I retired from the seemingly endless celebrations by around 3 am!!! (yes the festivities end only by the break of day light over the visarjan night). It is an amazing experience and my second. It has always been fascinating for me to be a part of huge gathering threaded with same emotion. It’s a different feeling to see that every single soul around you is feeling just the same as you, is going through the same emotion as us!!! The mood that bound us all yesterday was ‘elation’!!! Anyways moving on from the ‘mob phenomenon’, while dancing yesterday I remembered the interpretation of the ganeshji’s story which I read on dinesh and bawa’s blog long time back. It is so striking that I want to share with you all. Thus even when the coming few posts on ganapatiji are not mine I am posting them on my blog so that I can do my bit in putting across this wonderful story to as many souls as possible. I am quoting these posts from their earlier blog address(http://bawandinesh.blogspot.com/). I enjoy reading their posts myself wherein they give a different perspective to almost everything and anything around us. Thank you both for giving me this unique insight into this age old story :)I hope all guests to my page will find these posts as discovering as i did.....

As u put it – Jai Gurudev!!!!
Cheers!!!! :)

Bhopal through lens - 2

In order: Bhopal @ nite!, Road along the lake!, Boating on a summer evening!, Rainbow across the mahal!, two pics of the Sanchi Stupas, Shaan-e-Bhopal.

My native place through lens - City of lakes 'Bhopal' - 1

 
The Bhopal's railway station.
 
A bird's view of the city!

The main lake of Bhopal @ nite.
 
The Indira Gandhi Manav Sangrahalaya on left & Birla Mandir on our right!

The Benazir Palace

The Tajul-Masajid

An evening @ the lake

(Some of the photos are courtesy google & flickr)

M's after election results!!

“Congress sweeps left, right and centre” is the outcome of India’s festival of democracy in 2009. Congress triumphs on 201 seats a highest ever by a party in last 25 years!! Came 16th May and gave us the last poll results for the decade. This election was significant in more than many ways. Major national issues were in the backdrop- the nuclear deal, national security after recent terrorist attacks, economic recession (though Indian elections are hardly fought on such issues on a broad basis the results are going to have a profound impact on them), local issues like the Singur, Muthalik & then of course BIG aspirations of the small parties with
their prime ministerial candidates as Sharad Pawar, Mayawati, Paswaan & Mulayam to name a few!!!!! Also, it was LK Advani’s last chance to become the Prime minister of India. Now after such a strong mandate in favor of the Indian national congress all these aspirations have been grounded for the foreseeable future. Advani has lost his last chance and this election may well be last in his political career.

The results reads us out many vital inferences in the first thought like the left’s poor performance, shrunk base of the regional parties, Lalu’s poor show, Congress’s improved performance in Uttar Pradesh (after atleast two decades) and better than expected performance on a national basis plus interestingly in Modi’s strong hold Gujrat.

Post results there will these M’s crucial now in the government making.

M for Manmohan Singh- He is expected to be India’s next PM of India. Second only to Pandit Nehru to attain office consecutively after a full five year term. Congress in his name finds someone with clean image and an uncontroversial leader. One of the reasons of Congress doing so well in this elections is that it was seen as a more sincere party than its rivals. This was due to Manmohan Singh’s honest image and Sonia Gandhi’s understated style which she maintained during this regime. However, Sonia Gandhi will continue to have her influence over the government being UPA’s chairperson.

M for Mudra (Money)- As we saw last time when the left abandoned the Manmohan Singh government “mudra” or money will play its role again. Now when congress needs only 15 odd more to cross over the magical figure of 272 the spending may be less. Few independents and small parties will automatically join in UPA shrinking the gap towards simple majority. Congress with its good show is in promising mode too and then as we see in coalition politics, mudra can always be bartered and bargained against another M, the M for Mantralaya (ministry)!!

M for Mantralaya (Ministry) - Congress will not have to get away with any major ministry outside UPA for bridging the gap towards majority. However it may always play it as a lucrative card to gain support for reaching and even adding cushion to its majority.

M for Mayawati and Mulayam- Mulayam came to rescue Congress when the “lefts” left. This may well be the time to
return favors. However Congress will also remember the time they left later!! Mayawati too has an attractive figure and will play a key role in the post poll dyanamics. Another fact to be looked into is that Congress must be feeling buoyant after these results and they may be thinking of contesting the coming UP elections on their own. Knowing this it becomes less probable for them to get into an alliance with either Mulayam or Mayawati. Now how Mulayam and Mayawati bargains with their numbers in this "M for Majority" is something to be seen.

God bless our nation and our new government.
Luv n Luk,

Pranjal.

Easiest way to solve an issue....???? Have a BIGGER issue!!! :)

What is the easiest way of solving a problem??? Have a bigger problem. The title here is a small adaptation from how I first heard it through a friend of mine as in the first line of this post. We see it around us everyday especially in this election season. Politicians seem to be saying, okay!!!! I may be a thief but look at my opponent he is a bigger thief!!!! An old joke comes to my mind on this. It’s about an election campaign rally. The ‘neta’ says – “ look at these last 5 years of rule by the other party. They have looted you, ate your money, and credited their accounts and bank balances. It’s a time for a change. Now; Give “us” the “opportunity”!!!! (Pun intended) :)

Well coming back to our title; it was personified today at a press conference in Mumbai over the row between film makers and multiplex owners. Actors SRK(Shahrukh Khan) and Aamir Khan who don’t even like seeing each other, (well, that’s the impression I have through media) were today seen sharing a common platform, and as if that was less they were posing in arms for the media person’s lenses dazzling with their smiles!!!

'The bone of contention between the producers — distributors and multiplex owners is the revenue sharing model, with producers demanding a 50 per cent of the earnings while the multiplex owners want to stick to the current model of 40 to 48 per cent depending on the film's performance.'(source: Times of India).

So is it that the major issue of revenue sharing has diminished the differences between the two Khans??? It at least seems so and that is a welcome sign.
There is another saying ‘We unite when faced with a common threat’!!! So what exactly is the precursor of this reconciliation between the ‘Baadshah’ and the ‘Ghulam’ [mind you, NO pun intended ;)]. Let the catalyst be in any form, but if the product is smiling SRK and Aamir in arms the bollywood fans would never mind it. God bless both of them.

Luv n Luk,
Pranjal.



Image 1 courtsey this link.
Image 2 is courtsey TOI through this link.
Image 3 is courtsey google search.

How the food I eat makes my teeth stronger??

We must have healthy food for our teeth to develop properly. Minerals like calcium, phosphorous, fluoride and many other components included in a healthy diet are vital in the development of our teeth. We also need good food for healthy gums around the teeth. A vitamin deficiency (like Vitamin C deficiency) causes huge damage to the health of our gums.

Equally important is the fact that foods high in certain sugars (Sweets) may make our teeth more prone for decay. It is not only the amount of sugar but also the frequency, form, timing and foods that we have with the sweets are the factors that determine how much our teeth are at risk to decay.


Essentially we should keep the following facts in mind:

• More the frequency of sugar (sweet) intake; higher the teeth are at risk. Thus to minimize the bad effects of sugar on teeth we must restrict ourselves from in between meal snacking with sugar products. We should substitute the sugar snacking with ‘tooth friendly snacks’ (eg cheese, nuts, raw vegetables, unsweetened yogurt, bananas) or with non-sugar sweetened foods(bulk sweeteners like sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol).

• The least threatening is the sweet in liquid form (eg a sugared milk shake, pudding, custard, sherbet) as it is readily cleared from our mouths. Then is the sugar in solid & sticky state (eg cakes, pastry, jelly, caramel) and most threatening form is slowly dissolving (breath mints, hard candies, cough drops, antacid tablets) sugar containing products.

• Having sugar with our meal makes it least risky for our teeth and thus should be encouraged over in between meal intake.

• Having cheese or milk (without sugar) with decay producing foods has been shown to reduce their ability to damage our teeth.



• Exposure to mineral fluoride during developmental and maturation stage of teeth has prominent tooth strengthening results against decay.

• Xylitol containing chewing gums too have proved their protective role against tooth decay.

So keep these basic facts in your mind and help your teeth fight against decay. Remember to visit your dentist at least once in six months. Ask his professional advice as to how can you improve your diet and enjoy benefits in both your general and dental health.

Luv n Luk,
Smile ConfiDentally,

Dr. Pranjal Sharma.

What is Healthy Diet???

Very often in my schedule a question similar to this one comes up- What food is good for my teeth?? Can I eat chocolates, Ice-creams, Cakes etc without damaging my teeth?? What makes a healthy food??

So let us discuss these questions one by one in the coming posts, starting from the question- “What is healthy food?”

We are what we eat. Thus having a healthy diet will render us healthy. Healthy food is one that includes the following major food groups in your every day meal:


• Fruits and Vegetables;
• Breads and Cereals;
• Milk and Dairy Products;
• Meat, Fish and Eggs.

There should be adequate amount and proportion of all these food groups in our diet. Our diet should include nutrients adequately met for maintaining health, vitality & general well being & also makes provision for a short duration of leanness.

Food pyramid gives us a pictorial representation of food groups that should be included in Balanced Diet or Healthy Diet. This new food pyramid also includes exercises to emphasize its importance.

So now make sure you include all food groups in proper proportions and enjoy a new yourself from healthy food habits.

Luv n Luk,

Smile ConfiDentally, :)

Dr Pranjal Sharma

The food pyramid shown here is sourced from this link-- 'Food Pyramid shown here'

Smile ConfiDentally!!! :)

Hi friends,

I pray that this post of mine meets you in joy, love and peace. Sharing my thoughts and ideas through this blog has been an amazing experience so far and I am very sure our pleasant vibes will take us a long long way. I heartily thank you for all your interest, appreciation, ideas and feedbacks and it’s my continuous endeavor to come up to your expectations. Being a dentist professionally, I take it as my personal obligation and responsibility to increase awareness and educate towards a healthier smile – the expression of joy!!!; which is undeniably the most beautiful human expression. The idea of utilizing this platform is taking shape much to the credit of my friends Mr Mihir Shah, Dr Priyanka Nadig, Dr Aditi Tiwari and my brother Dr Dhruv Sharma. It is their constant encouragement and belief that has convinced me that sharing my expertise on this portal is a realizable idea. Also, this initiation is very close to my heart as it is due to my recent learnings at my institute(Coorg Institute of Dental Sciences), where I am currently pursuing my masters, and the enchanting teachers that we have been blessed with has made me able enough to share my knowledge in this domain. It is to all my teachers (of dentistry & life) that I dedicate this effort. It is my prayer that may this learning never halts and the joy of knowledge continues to fascinate me forever.

Now, there are some questions about diet & snacking which are very frequently asked in our dental set-up. So to start with I will be coming up with a series of posts in an attempt to answer these queries. I will be giving a bird’s view with as simple as possible explanation towards these FAQs. However you are heartily welcome to interact related to the topic through the ‘thoughts’ window with your queries, experiences & ideas.

Luv n Luk always,
Smile ConfiDentally :)

Dr Pranjal Sharma.

Whenever You Fall........pick something up!!

Life is a parabola. Thus whenever we rise, our fall is destined. Whenever we enjoy a smooth speedy ride, bumpy roads are an inevitable package. So how is it that, apart from struggling our way back to the main highway, we can make the tough times worth experiencing & “fruitful”??? The answer lies in this one line – ‘Whenever you fall, pick something up’.


Every bit of scrambling we go through in our lives often presents us with its revelations which we must consciously look to pick up. It is like the vigorous stirring of milk giving us cream or the ‘manthan’ of ocean awarding with ‘amrit’.


Identifying the silver lining of a situation helps us in many ways, especially psychologically. First it gives us the courage to keep the fight on against our circumstances. Second, it gives us the understanding of the purpose behind the state of affairs. Third, and most importantly, in the hindsight it gives us confidence & self belief of pulling out from troubled waters by actually gaining from it!!! Our fear against tough times sublimes. We acknowledge that our encounter with ‘not so good times’ will also enrich our lives & thus it should be seen as an opportunity. As they say – “Every problem is an opportunity turned upside down.”

So next time whenever you feel you are having a deep dive into a dark sea, remember to pick the pearls up…..! & live up the jubilation.

Luv & Luk

Pranjal.

Photo 2: ATHENS, GREECE - AUGUST 28 Kanu Olympische Spiele Athen 2004, Athen, Kanu Rennsport Kajak K1 500m Maenner, Adam van KOEVERDEN CAN - GOLD - 28.08.04, (photo by Martin Ross)

Photo 4: SINGAPORE Fans' reaction during Arsenal vs Man Utd game. Man-U fans in jubilation after scouring the first goal

Jai Ho!!!! ?????

Everywhere today is the talk about Slumdog Millionaire. It is being said that it’s the triumph of Indian Film Industry (I personally do not believe in the word ‘Bollywood’ which looks like a copy of Hollywood). I fail to comprehend the hype and glitter given to it. Why is it that even after more than six decades of our ‘Swaraj’ or independence, we still look towards the west for our own accreditation? Why this west hysteria, the imported the better, “Angrezia” still not over? Didn’t we know even before as to how wonderful musician A R Rahman is? Will we love his music more now just because he is a foreign award winner??? I find his music compositions in Dilli 6 more beautiful than in Slumdog Millionaire. How many of us agree with me on this?? Were not songs from Bombay soulful enough?? I am sympathetic with western audience who miss on such wonderful and soulful music which blossoms from India. Why is that to be proven good we still crave for western stamp??? Where is our self consciousness??

Moreover, this film depicts India in a dark shade. And trust me it is not unique to India. Even the so called ‘developed’ nations have economically weaker sections of the society. Yes we have poverty in India, but then which nation does not. We knew this fact even before Slumdog Millionaire was released. Let’s not forget it’s a western movie meant for western audience. And why are we celebrating our shame??? How can we celebrate our naked run in front of the world’s eyes???? It is our problem and we shall come over it. Also as a matter of fact the book from which the movie’s script is adapted was originally written in a European set up. Yes, technically the movie is great but why don’t we understand that in its backdrop it ridicules our nation.

‘Smile Pinki’ which purely is an Indian film (short documentary) has also won Oscars. Why no hype for that??? It’s a story about a girl with Cleft lip. In my view India has bagged 4 Oscars, two for A R Rahman and one each for Mr PooKutty the sound technician in the movie and ‘Smile Pinki’ the short documentary. We should be glad for these Oscars that too purely because appreciation is always welcome. But in not even tiniest way it should be considered as a western approval to India’s fine art. I am not an anti-western philosopher. I appreciate and sometimes even admire few colors of the western world. Personally, I have nothing against the movie Slumdog Millionaire. It is indeed a remarkable piece of art. But I am also an India conscious patriot, a one amongst all of us. Tell me if any American would celebrate a filmfare award for a movie that depicts the less honorable lives of its citizens residing in ‘ghettos’ even after 200 years of its independence, that too after a reasonably short foreign rule???

When will we be confident enough, aware enough to be proud of what India consist of??? Yoga is now fashionable because Madonna and America are following it. Ayurveda is cool as Americans are now fascinated by it. McDonald is great since whole of America eats it!!! Where is our self evaluation and esteem??? Are we so poor in our enlightenment that we cannot even judge our own culture, art, music, our people, ourselves!!!!???? How is it possible that this land which has given humanity most enlightened men and women has to now look over to others to judge??

As I put it, four Indian Oscars should be welcomed as a mark of appreciation and not accreditation. It’s the western world which is re-discovering the essence of India. It’s their gain. They are now waking up to this fascinating land of art, culture and love. Let them have the celebrations. It’s like when Vasco Da Gama discovered India the world celebrated for they found a land which for thousand years to come enlightened the world with its eternal and interminable knowledge, science, spirituality, wisdom, light, love and principles of co-existence in harmony with nature and in sync with other human beings.
Jai Ho Bharat!!! Jai ho!!
Pranjal.

Coorg Through Lens - 3

From top left clockwise: Nisargadhama, Chikalhole, En-route to college, Sunset in Virajpet town.

Coorg Through Lens - 2

From top left clockwise: Virajpet, Nisargadhama, En-route to Kakkabe, View from my college.

Coorg Through Lens - 1

From top left clockwise: En-route to Kushalnagar,Golden temple at Kushalnagar,Abbey falls, Talcauvery.