And some more...

Check out http://www.bawandinesh.name/ for some secrets about Ganesha!!

p.s. Im vacationing in Sri Lanka!! Back on Sunday. Sri Lanka stories coming up soon.. :)

Not just idol worship

Today (Anant Chaturdashi), marks the end of yet another celebration of worship of the Elephant God, Lord Ganesha. We just finished visarjan and there's such a vaccum inside, it feels like a part of my family has gone away. But of course as Virat puts it, "He'll be back in 52 weeks!!!"

Blaring loudspeakers, beautifully lit up streets, looong darshan lines, crowded flower markets, overflowing sweet shops, and above all ecstatic devotees fill the city to announce the much awaited festival of Ganapati … 10 days where Lord Ganesha steps out of our hearts and into the murthi so we can do for him what he does for us (puja).

Interestingly, this time's murthi chose me instead of me choosing Him. A couple of weeks back, when I walked into the Chinchpokli workshop (where most of Mumbai’s bigger Ganesh idols are sculpted), I was thinking “Gaawd, which left over murthi will we have to make do with this time” (we had procrastinated over this for quite long). I asked the attendee to show me all the idols that were available. It was almost freaky when he said, "just one". I looked to where he was pointing and there was the most adorable Ganesha in the whole workshop looking up as if He was ready to be taken! For the first time dad and me agreed upon something in the first shot (the other times, one of us would have to compromise - usually it would be dad :) and we jumped (not literally) to grab Him!!! Here’s what Ganu looked like this year…
It’s hard to believe 10 days are already over! I must admit though I did not spend enough time with Him this year and I don’t feel so great about it. But the time I did spend, I spent gazing at his innocent form and loving presence.

Letting him go was a rather teary affair (for mom at least, I wept in my heart). But there is a certain beauty in letting go, which is why we celebrate it so much (you should have seen the euphoria on the streets as zillions of idols made their way towards the sea) The atmosphere was electrifying and I felt proud to be the little drop that I was in the ocean on Ganesh Bhakts that were gathered on the streets yelling slogans of “Ganapati Bappa Morya; Pudcha Varshi Lavkar Ya”!!! Some really cute kids were also shouting “Undir Mama Ki Jai” :)) (I know, very cute!!) There were emotions of love, joy and sorrow all at the same time.

Well, what can I say to capture these awesome moments!! Enjoy the pictures and imagine them yourself :)

Ganapati Bappa Morya!

Pudcha Varshi Lavkar Ya!!!

Ganapati Gele Gavala,

PAUSE ( I had to put this one up. It's just so cute!)

Chain Pade Na Amhaala!!

Jai Gurudev!
love Pooja

SURPRISE!!! :)

I was just going through some old albums and here's what i came accross...

This is the a picture from the 2nd day of my first YES!+ course (it was my b'day!)... and these are the guys that literally built YES!+ in S.Mumbai. Aren't they a happy lot!!! :) :)

Where r u guys?? Come back soon!!

Jai Gurudev :) Pooja

A journey well travelled...(and it's just the beginning)!!

My first encounter with YES!+ was way back on July 28th 2006 , when I did my first course as a student. Even back then I loved & believed in this course so much that I asked my teacher Rashmin how could I teach this wonderful thing. The answer wasn’t easy , but is something that every volunteer lives for – REGISTRATIONS ! Just kidding :) From a student then, to a teacher now the journey has been full of ups & downs – wait a minute!! – by UPS I mean those highs that you get when you’ve avhieved your targets or simply made life easy for your teacher & by DOWNS I relate to those moments that take you deep within yourself to an unknown dept of the real you .As a volunteer – I always thought that one day I’ll be a TEACHER & now its funny but I miss those moments of volunteering, those late night meetings, that hanging around with no pocket money, those desperate attacks on lunches that were innocently brought by some homely volunteer. But the fun doesn’t become any less as a teacher – it wouldn’t be wrong to say that we have fun at the cost of volunteers – now I was seriously kidding :) :) Now instead of running behind the lunch boxes – the lunch boxes run to you! Instead of yelling at each other now we yell at the volunteers! Jokes apart but it really isn’t all that different, cause both serve the Guru and as Bau says it doesn’t matter what your doing as long as your doing what the master wants you to do! Only the side I face now is different – the rest is still the same , cause I still continue to learn from YES!+ like the way I did on July 28th 2006 – JGD!

love Sonia

GREAT News!!!

Hey Guys!!
I am happy to announce that the YES!+ Program is now an official part of the curriculum at Cornell University (something we should mention in our intro talks :))!!! Cornell University is an Ive League school - one of the TOP Universities in the world!! Students were GLUED to Guruji's knowledge videos and are now super excited about doing the YES!++

Here are some of the experiences students had on the first YES!+ Program at Cornell...

"This course has taught me a lot about how to look at life and work withwhatever comes my way. It has proven how the good comes with the bad but howpositive will always outweigh the negative. It has given me techniques tofocus and ways to slow down worrying. It helped put everything intoperspective about the big picture (accepting people, situations, the present)and so far has really changed my attitude about negative people/situations.Thank you sooooo much!!!"

~Cornell University freshman, 2008

"After YES!+ I feel much more relaxed, happy, and less stressed. This was avery life-changing experience that everyone should have the opportunity to try. I will carry these lessons and this experience with me throughout my future."

~Cornell University freshman, 2008

"YES!+ is a course of self-discovery and liberation from the world. I feeltransformed. It was a discourse into a way of life that leads to astress-free, happier society. It's a very intense course that not only helpsyou to calm down but also to look at life with a different perspective."

~Cornell University senior, 2008

Jai Gurudev!