Author: Annu Kalra

Till the Cows come Home

Till the Cows come Home

Posted by | Oct 19, 2015 | , | 13

My very dear friend complained this morning about my lack of response on a post she had recently done about the lynching of the man in Dadri for allegedly eating beef, cow slaughter and the upheaval in all echelons of society, especially the targeting of a certain section of society based on their religion and eating habits. Commenting on politics and religion and social at a collective level, I have mostly refrained from, because I believe that the transformation at the individual level will bring collective transformation eventually.  All my efforts and sharing have always been about the changes we...

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The traveler of Varanasi

The traveler of Varanasi

Posted by | Sep 15, 2015 | , | 3

Yes, Varanasi is the holy city, the oldest continuous city of the world, the city where every deity from every faith has representation, the city where people go to die, the city where there are crematoriums where the fire of the funeral pyre has not gotten extinguished in over a hundred years, where sighting a procession with a dead body is common every day occurrence, where visiting a crematorium is an integral part of the itinerary for boats plying tourists … It is said that those who die in Varanasi are sure to go to Shivalok, sure to be...

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The Power of Surrender

The Power of Surrender

Posted by | Aug 18, 2015 | , , | 0

Yes, it sounds like an oxymoron. Cause typically surrender means to give up, especially in the face of circumstances where there is no strength or resources left to fight any more. Like a meek acceptance of recognition of lack of ability to go on. Like a last resort to salvage what one can of an unpleasant situation, knowing there is only more to lose if one went on! So how can something that stems out of a sense of helplessness be powerful? However, there is a version of Surrender which is very empowering. This surrender happens not at the...

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Gupt Navaratri

Gupt Navaratri

Posted by | Jul 21, 2015 | , , | 0

From the 17th of July 2015 begin the Ashadha Navratri, also known as Gupt Navratri and also as the Gayatri Navaratri. These are not the days when you will find special thali meals for those observing the fast at fast food chains. Neither are these days for delighting in dance and revelry in the guise of Garbha. Nor does it culminate in ostentatious gifting, and feasting and gambling in the name of Dusserah and Diwali. The Gupt navaratras are followed by serious saadhaks, who believe that all of life, the cosmos itself is Shakti. She who is considered the...

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Interpreting Navaratras

Interpreting Navaratras

Posted by | Jul 16, 2015 | , , | 0

Sitting around Babaji, though unable to decipher the reason why, we were all feeling light and happy. In the contrasting setting of modern women clad in jeans and this starkly dressed Kapali Baba, the discussion of relevance of fasting in modern times ensued. While none of us had any issue with the benefits of fasting for health and medical reasons, we did observe that from the religious point of view all fasts were for the males in society. Why is that women are only expected to fast for men Babaji, one of us protested? It is either Karva chauth...

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