Gurdjieff

 His life has been a remarkable one, because of his singular quest. To awaken the "sleeping Man". Sounds grandiose? It was. One of the books that captures what he was trying to teach is supposed to be Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson. 

I first came across his name in a book by Osho, many years ago. Then, on a visit to a bookstore with a friend, I found a book on his life. It was too tempting to let go, and I bought and read it. It does not, of course, tell you how, but it does introduce you to his ideas sufficiently to see that his attempt was genuine..that's the book, on the right.

His basic theory, if you will, is that we all live our lives mechanically, even when we seem superficially immersed in what we are doing, and using 'free will' to choose our courses of action as we go through life. His premise was that we could achieve a higher level of consciousness if we 'worked' on ourselves- a kind of inner engineering, a phrase used by another guru more recently. 

He had a band of loyal followers, some of whom he tried turning away, and tested constantly. He founded a couple of centres in Russia, and then France, to teach them and others what he thought were ways to achieve that higher level of consciousness. One that might help prevent wars and other forms of inhumanity. He was not sure he had succeeded, but he tried all his life to achieve this. There were many parts to this teaching, including specific dance movements, and psychological experiments.

His life was nothing short of an adventure, and some of it reminded me of The Hundred Year Old Man Who Jumped out of the Window.. that I read recently. A good read.

My Grandparents

Talking about storytelling, the other day, I was reminded of my grandparents. Both were good storytellers- my maternal grandparents. My grandmom told us many stories, among which were classics like The Count of Monte Cristo- years later, I visited Chateau D' If, near Marseilles, where the story is set. My grandfather we heard less often but he had a favourite animal story about a rabbit who poses as a fierce animal from inside a cave, and scares a lion away!

 My grandmother (Radha Oak), above.

 My grandfather (Madhav Ramchandra Oak), above and left top, in the photo below. He was a professor of Philosophy, and worked at Jaipur and Amalner (where Mr. Premji's family had started).

My grandmother was also highly creative, and came up with a poem/verse to celebrate many family events- such as the birth of a child (she had many kids, and grandkids), or a marriage. She also published a collection of these, in small, multiple volumes titled The Inner Voice (Antariche Bol, in Marathi).

Sophie's World- Book Review

An amazing book, if you have the slightest interest in things philosophical. I came across the book in a Pondicherry boutique hotel room -yes, they had books in each room. There was also a common living room/kitchen- here's a pic. (Wildflowers of Walden's the name of this place)

The book is about a girl discovering various schools of thought -mostly philosophical and religious, but also about inventions and discoveries and much more- through conversations with an older man. It's written in an engaging style (translated from Norwegian, I think), and I was hooked until I read all of it.

Portraits of Batchmates-10

The vintage pic above shows Suma, Uday (these two have professorial tendencies now) and Srikanth Srinivas chilling along with Naffy the dog, on a terrace at IIMB. It's a different set being described below-

Sandy

To quote her, she's "frequently at a loss for words while indulging in creative talking (What it is?) but a great yakker otherwise (that's wise !)". She was a trend-setter as far as choosing colour combinations of attire went. Her secret wish: To get up every morning and discover it is a Sunday. Her low point at IIMB: When a bacterium called Typhus decided she was the best hostess going. She adores: Popcom, Omar Sharif

Dada

It was difficult to locate him in his room. If you don't know why, you missed one sight-seeing opportunity. His room resembled a museum without a theme. The only difference was, here it was an 'unguided' tour-but as enjoyable, nevertheless. But outside of that room he discussed philosophy, and played Frisbee with rare elan. His efforts at goal-keeping in Frisbee Footer provided an aerobatic treat to the eye, besides preventing goals by opponents.

La Dolce Vita- Classic Film Review

Though it rhymes with Bournvita, this is a classic film directed by Italian director Federico Fellini. It is a classic, sometimes abstract in its depiction of ideas-existential angst being one of them.

Loosely, the title means "Living the good life," and the hero's quest for one is the major theme. He is a member of the paparazzi who chase every sleazy story possibility, ad somewhere along the line, he realises the futility of it. Aspiring for what he believes is the ideal life, he tries to chase women, and then imitate a friend who seemingly has it all-a wife, two adorable children and a beautiful house and exotic interests (such as Oriental music). The hero is shattered when he finds that the friend has shot himself and his two children in a depressed state.

He drifts in and out of a hippie-style crowd, and out of his one long-standing relationship too. The film ends without resolving his issues, and could be a comment on many things wrong with our society, individuals and their goals in life.

It is a bit long, but mostly sustains interest due to the rich imagery and imaginative visuals, starting from the first shot of a helicopter carrying a statue to the Vatican. The acting is good, and some of the scenes are quite intriguing.

The Meaning of Life

There is a great joke I heard on American T.V. that for me epitomizes the answer to this question.

 A guy from America was searching for the meaning of life (like all of us). He had heard of many great gurus in different countries, met many, but was unsatisfied. Then, someone mentioned a recluse who lived in the Himalayas, and said he would not disappoint him. Finding him after many months of trying, this American went up to the meditating man in some corner of the mountains. He waited until the guru opened his eyes.

 Explaining his quest, what pains he had to take, and the good things he had heard about the guru, the man asked him the question he had been longing to get an answer for. “What is life?” The guru replied instantly, “It is a fountain with water flowing out of it,” and fell silent.
After waiting for more, the American asked him,“That’s it? Is that why I came across the seven seas to you? This cannot be the answer to my question…blah, blah..”  “You have to give me the real answer.” “Ok”, the guru said. “I will tell you the real answer. Life is a fountain with no water flowing out of it”, and fell silent again, for good. I find this story hilarious, but also insightful. We are so full of ourselves that most of the time, we are blind to the abundance of life forms, and inanimate objects in nature. The universe is so big and unfathomable, that whatever we might achieve, we are dwarfed by it. Essentially, life is what you choose to make of it, or believe it to be.

 I find some writers particularly insightful at explaining the niceties of the inexplicable in a palatable way. J. Krishnamurty, the teacher-philosopher, is one of them. He advocates freedom from all dogma, and not to believe anything unless you have experienced it for yourself. If we look around, we will notice that everyone has an agenda. Also, everyone has limited experience, based on which they generalize. For example, before I visited the U.S., I could not have visualized what a 4-lane highway looks or feels like, because I had not seen or driven on one in India. Essentially, think and experience things for yourself before you start believing in anything, is the learning from this man. 

Another writer I found very good at philosophical yet understandable writing is Richard Bach. From Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, the story of a seagull who is grappling with questions about the meaning of life, to his other books, he has a good take on life, rebirth, reincarnation, religion, and many other issues.
 Among current writers bordering on the philosophical, Robin Sharma and Paulo Coelho are probably the best (also indicated by their sales). With a simple yet effective style, they are able to get beyond the ordinary stories that they tell.
 

I would also rate Osho as another great author. The sheer volume of his writings is amazing. His wide sweep of all possible religions, belief systems and his interpretations are a treat to read/listen to. He was a unique guru in many ways, who dared to confront the hypocritical ideas of all religions and yet explain the good things about each one of them. His persecution at the hands of the U.S. and other governments proves that they were really scared of what he was preaching, maybe because much of it was true. One other trait I liked in him is that he was not scared of the white man. Many of the ex-colonies of white nations seem to carry the slavery in their minds even today. 

I also have a theory of life. I call it my Mega Theory of Life, and it has a simple explanation for all that we do-BOREDOM. We are all trying to get ourselves out of a state of boredom, by doing whatever we do. See if it explains everything or not-the wars, the seeking of pleasure, the quest for money, the religious discourses, and so on.
 

Medicine for Stress

Actually, it is not a curative, but a preventive medicine. I hate to sound like a salesman on a TV promotional show for medicine, but don't worry. You don't have to go buy anything. Just hear me out. If you don't like what I am saying, you can leave nasty comments.

My new theory (2013, copyrighted but free for use)-

Stress comes from non-acceptance. Some comments, judgements, relationship break-ups, what have you, that we don't want to accept. That is the major cause of (undesirable levels of) stress.

Solution? Accept. Simple? Not really, but could be effective. Accept and move on. If you know yourself (that's a tough one, there), the acceptance of the adverse will result in the effect of the adverse stuff waning pretty quickly.

Try it. No, I am not into starting a cult, and I am NOT accepting disciples. Contrary to my advice, maybe.

Truth is a Pathless Land- Book Review

This book is about Jiddu Krishnamurti, one of the well-known philosophers from India. What is somewhat surprising is that he was a made-to-order philosopher, almost forced by his mentors, at the Theosophical Society, into becoming one.

Deborah Richards writes about his days during the process of being transformed into a thought leader. How an Englishman spotted him on a Chennai beach, took him under the wings of the Theosophical Society, and how Annie Besant became his foster mother, and took him on Kailash Mansarovar and other trips to help him discover himself.

The accounts of his having discovered the highest chakras of Kundalini are similar to what I read about in UG Krishnamurthy's (no relative) autobiography. While one cannot comprehend this process, our gurus seem to have documented it in ancient texts.

What Jiddu did after being annointed a messiah was surprising, though. He dissolved the Order of The Star, which he headed. He said an organisation was not needed to discover Truth, or God. It is a personal quest.

The characters in the book include the wife of Edward Lutyens, who also played a role in helping him survive in England, and other friends of Annie Besant and the Society. There is no mention of the Schools set up by Krishnamurti Foundation (Rishi Valley, etc.) which might have happened during the time of this narrative. But what I found out from this book is that he mostly lived in California rather than in India. A good read for fans of Jiddu.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Such an exciting title, but the movie falls short of the promise. Not having read the book, one cannot argue that it does not do justice to it. But if online sources are to be believed, the author Milan Kundera did not think much of the film too, and said as much.

It is promising, to start with. But it meanders too much aimlessly. There is a doctor in Prague who goes to the countryside and falls for a woman who works there. She comes back to live with him, interrupting his carefree lifestyle as far as women go.

The Russian occupation of Prague forces them to think again, and they go to Switzerland. For reasons that are not clear, she decides to return to Prague, and he follows. What follows is a tragedy of sorts, with both being unhappy. There is another lady, an artist, in the middle of all this. Anyway, the lead couple migrate to the country, and then die in a road accident.

Could have been directed a lot better, and edited a lot better. A promising story told inefficiently. It is too long, and meanders without purpose. The story might be better in print. There are a few explicit scenes, so watch out.

Does He Know a Mother's Heart- Book Review

This is a book by Arun Shourie. Known as an investigative journalist once, here he investigates religion as we know it, and he uses a suffering child- his own as the benchmark for all that he discusses. Hence the title, that is inspired by the encounter that he and his wife had with J. Krishnamurty the teacher-philosopher.

His investigations lead him to some very useful territory, by way of defining what the various religions say, why they may be saying it, and what we might conclude from it. The territory covered is vast, from Christianity, Islam to Hinduism and Buddhism, and some science, particularly neuroscience. Makes for good reading and pondering. I may continue to ponder.

The best sections are a summary of his conclusions at the end of a chapter, sharing his own interpretations of what the sages have said- in particular, Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Ramana Maharshi. The soul, the maya or otherwise of the world around us, the Self, the mind and its games, the roles played by thoughts, and efforts to rid ourselves of all these, are dealt with nicely.

His son suffered from cerebral palsy, but gave new meaning to his and his wife's lives, in many ways. It is an upbeat book, not drowning in self pity. I would recommend it. There may be a lot of takeaways. 

Anand Revisited in Air India

I was in for a triple surprise on the Pune Delhi flight, Air India. It had an entertainment system, it worked, and they screened Anand- one of my favourite films. I was lost in the movie, with great acting, editing and direction- and story!

But this is about the bit actors, more than the hero, who of course was fabulous with his message of don't worry, be happy. From Johnny Walker playing the mythical 'Murarilal' whom Anand is always looking for, to Ramesh Deo (the doc treating him) and Seema (his wife), Lalita Pawar the matron, Durga Khote, Sumita Sanyal, Dara Singh the friendly pehelwan, they are all sewn together into a seamless whole, with an anchor in Amitabh Bachchan's supporting character of Dr. Banerjee, the strong, silent, helpless spectator of Anand's impending demise. The dialogue is impeccable, and the songs are a treat, after all these years.

One can only marvel at this brilliantly philosophical film by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, which delivers a knockout message, one which we struggle to imbibe.

Yeh Dil Maange More- Budget Blues

Long ago, a wise man from the Chinmaya mission spoke at Kirloskar Institute. He was hilarious, and spoke of a 'more'ist attitude among all of us. I want more of food, more of housing, and more cars, and so on. He pointed out in his easy style, that we don't need so much of this 'more' stuff. What would you do with more cars? More houses? Or many more such things?

The annual budget in our country leaves everyone wanting more, no matter what the FM comes up with. And why should every budget tinker with everything? Would it not help if we had a consistent policy for 3 -4 or so years on everything? The mystique would go out of the annual exercise. If tinkering and tweaking were needed, that could be done when needed. Individuals can also plan better when say, tax related to savings instruments remains stable. Corporates can do the same when the tax rates and profit expatriation or FDI policies remain stable.

We could have a mid term budget once in 2.5 years to sort out things that need sorting.

Your Erroneous Zones

This is the title of a book by Wayne Dyer, one of the self-improvement books which are gaining popularity, but a well-written one. I particularly liked the author's take on manners and etiquette which is meaningless. He says, your worth as a human being does not get lost just because you don't follow some silly rules of etiquette and behave any way you want to, so long as you are humane and considerate and sincere.

Also, he points out the major problems of indoctrination by parents, and society on kids, and teenagers. One of these is an overemphasis on "intelligence". He says it is good if you are intelligent, but it's more important to be happy, even if you are not intelligent. Overemphasis on grades or marks kills your creativity and spontaneity. Society decides who is good or bad according to such criteria, and stifles a lot of people.

He encourages you to be your own judge, and as long as you are not harming anyone, choose your own path. In some ways, this resonates with what Jiddu Krishnamurthy keeps saying, that you shouldn't believe what anyone says, unless you have experienced something yourself. Does not apply to obvious things like walking into a fire, of course, but more meaningful stuff in life.