Amazing trip to Vaishno Devi

Posted on 09/05/2011 by Poonam Sagar

Intention is 99% and the rest is 1% and my deep desire to visit Mata Vaishno Devi with my family was nothing short of miraculous. It is a popular belief among devotees that the privilege of being able to visit is possible only through divine permission or ‘bulawa’, which is probably why it was only after a gap of 26 years that I was able to  visit this holy shrine.

My trip to India was planned 2 months in advance to coincide with the year end school holidays. Once the flight bookings to India were in place, it was time for the bookings to Jammu from Delhi. I had fond memories of train travel as a student and looked forward to reliving the same.

My friend Asha, on learning of my plans suggested that I take the helicopter from the base of the Trikuta hills at Katra to the shrine to make the trip easier and faster. This was a surprise as I had expected to hike 14km up and back via walking path or stairs. I Googled and found the site, where bookings can be made up to a month in advance. A major advantages of taking this service is priority ‘darshan’ for entry via gate no.5 at Vaishno Devi. It was definitely a case of well laid plans. Now for the execution on a very tight schedule.

Delhi winter this year was extreme with temperatures plunging to 3 degrees. One cannot imagine how cold it would be and what clothes one needs to carry in tropical Jakarta. We did make the effort to get thermal inner wear and down jackets from one of the factory outlets. These were absolutely wonderful and kept us warm.

We took the Jammu Tawi express from the New Delhi Railway station. The railway station had baggage x-ray machines at the entrance but no supervision. It was far more crowded and dirty than I remembered. The train left on time and we were pleasantly surprised to get individual linen packs with clean sheets, blankets, pillows and a towel. The 2nd AC sleeper bogey was clean and we had great seats. The train left exactly on time and the ticket collector was there to check our tickets followed by the dinner service. A 3 course dinner starting with soup and bread sticks and ending with ice cream. We had not been expecting this so had had our dinner earlier at home. A comfortable sleep led to early morning arrival at the Jammu station.

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Incredible Experience: Golden Triangle, India

Posted on 15/04/2011 by Poonam Sagar

India is truly an incomparable and incredible travel destination. A kaleidoscope of landscapes, magnificent historical sites and royal cities, misty mountain retreats, colorful people, rich cultures and festivities. From the majestic Himalayan ranges in the north to the endless golden beaches in the south, it is home to over a billion people – a study in contrasts.

For the perfect introduction take a trip to the heart of India or the Golden triangle, this covers New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Each city has its own unique identity made up of a combination of different sights, sounds and experiences. Delhi, modern and cosmopolitan, is the capital city and cultural, political, and commercial centre of India. Agra showcases Taj Mahal and the opulence of the Mughal Empire while Jaipur is reminiscent of the medieval Rajput culture. Being popular tourist destinations, all of these cities have good hotels and tourism facilities too.

With blistering hot summers and freezing winters in this part of India, spring and autumn are the best times to travel. This is also the time for the biggest festivals of Holi and and Diwali. Enjoy the joy and festive celebrations, taste traditional cuisine, visit historical monuments and go crazy shopping!

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Apt & Compact: Netbooks

Posted on 12/04/2011 by Poonam Sagar

Sometimes I feel that my life resides  on my laptop. I would be totally lost without access to the internet, my mail, photographs etc. The price often is an aching shoulder when lugging around the laptop bag and when in the airport, the hassle of taking it out at every security checkpoint and hoisting it up in the overhead compartment on the plane. I try the uber chic roll on laptop carryalls which end up being too heavy and inconvenient. Sounds familiar? Well, a solution exists thanks to the One Laptop per Child project which has led to the development of the netbook, a light mobile computing device that allows you to process information, access the Internet, and that does not store a bundle of bloated programs or data.

It used to be that when you shopped for a computer, you picked the most powerful one you could afford. Because, who knew? Maybe someday you’d need to play a cutting-edge video game or edit your home video. For 15 years, we have bought increasingly faster computers, bigger hard drives, more RAM, high-end graphics cards and larger screens. That dream machine could do almost anything.

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Well-Being: A Bubble of Happiness Inside and Around

Posted on 10/04/2011 by Poonam Sagar

When I woke up this morning, everything felt right with the world. The bed and pillow was supremely comfortable and physically, I could have climbed Mt Everest. My mind was totally devoid of any worries and I felt completely at peace. That elusive and ephemeral feeling of well being, like a bubble of happiness inside and around me.

What if we could hold on to this bubble of well being? After all, as the word itself suggests, it is merely a ‘state of being’. I have known times when even on a holiday at the most picturesque place in the company of loved one, I have felt ill at ease. And, sometimes quite the opposite, totally at peace in the midst of mayhem.

Maybe the key to its understanding is one of the tallest buildings in the world – Taipei Tower 101, which rises 505 meters vertically up in the air and literally scrapes the sky! It is designed to withstand typhoon winds and earthquake tremors. It is flexible in strong winds and yet rigid enough to prevent swaying. Diners at the restaurant at the top can enjoy their coffee or soup without the fear of its spilling or feeling of vertigo. This is due to the heart of 101 – a tuned mass damper.  A 728 ton steel sphere suspended from the 92nd to the 88th floor, the pendulum sways to offset movements in the building caused by strong gusts. It’s not about the physics of a tuned mass damper or mechanics of how it makes the building stable – this is about our heart and feeling of well being.

If our internal state of being is grounded and at peace, or in other words we are connected to our heart, our very own ‘tuned mass damper,’ then we remain stable in the face of life’s challenges to reach fulfillment and meaning.  Meditation is a great way to connect to your heart.  The Bible says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Or as Buddha taught “Calmness is within you; do not look for it outside of you.” From our heart flows purpose or mediocrity, success or failure, joy or depression. Our heart will define our attitudes, beliefs, thoughts, and choices — ultimately, it molds our destiny.

Meditation

Meditation

My formula for a state of well being:

1.       Enjoy the moment. Even if I find myself in the midst of chaos, it is where I have chosen to be and maybe where my biggest lessons are waiting for me.

2.       Spend time in the company of loved ones and activities I enjoy.

3.       Say ‘No’ to people and activities that bring unhappiness, stress and anxiety.

Life is and will forever be a roller coaster ride. It is fun if we remain connected to our heart and state of well being.

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Better Golf with Technology

Posted on 09/04/2011 by Poonam Sagar

GolfballMention technology, and the first thing most golfers think about is how advances in design and materials have so dramatically improved the equipment with which they play the game. But it has also had a significant impact on other aspects of the sport, and perhaps nowhere has that been more evident in recent years than in the areas of teaching and club fitting. Golf pro shops and studios look and feel as if they should be part of NASA research labs, so full are they of the latest gadgets and gizmos. New golf technology is lowering scores, lengthening careers and boosting the game’s fun.

High-tech equipment is not restricted to merely the golf clubs and balls. It is a constant innovation and advancement to make special equipment for every part of the golfing experience–from golf instruction, game analysis, gear that helps you analyze the world around you, to outerwear that protects you, down to the very soles of your golfing shoes.

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All Aboard the Cultural Express: Celebrating 150 years of Rabindranath Tagore

Posted on 08/04/2011 by Poonam Sagar

A 35-member panel led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was set up “to suggest, formulate and plan a number of events that would rekindle public interest in Gurudev’s rich cultural legacy and in his thoughts, ideals, teachings and values,” and commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on May 9th 2011.

Over the last year places from Shantiniketan to Shanghai have been celebrating the Bengali bard with notable events. Who knew Tagore influenced prominent Chinese poets? That they called him Chu Chen-Tan (Thunder and Sunlight of India) Rabi=Tan=Morning Sun, Indra=Chen=Thunder, India=Thien-chu=Heavenly Kingdom (an ancient Chinese name for India)? Or that for a year his entire life is a traveling exhibit across India in a five-coach train?

sanskriti express

Sanskriti Express

The Sanskriti Express is packed to showcase Tagore’s works. The five coaches are dedicated to his legacy of dance, music, literature and art, and this mobile museum has been to 120 stations across India during its year-long journey, stopping at each for a few days. It was flagged off from Kolkata last May and will journey to all of India’s states over the course of the year and will reach Bolpur in Santiniketan on May 8th 2011.

A video clip online here.

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Java-Yatrir Patra – Rabindranath Tagore’s Indonesian experience

Posted on 08/04/2011 by Poonam Sagar

“Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.” Arnold Edinborough

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

I am have been caught up in the frenzy of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Indian Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore from Shantiniketan to Shanghai, and it is all due to a meeting with MK Singh, director of the Indian Cultural Center in Jakarta, that whetted my curiosity.

May 9th 2011 marks the 150th birth anniversary of the poet, mystic and musical composer born in Calcutta, India. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, for his collection of devotional poems – Gitanjali, and was knighted in 1915 but resigned the knighthood to protest Britain’s action as colonial ruler of India. A great friend of Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore died on Aug 7, 1941 in Calcutta. A prolific author, he wrote over 50 volumes of poetry, plays, paintings and a wide variety of other works, and left a rich cultural legacy of thoughts, ideals, teachings and values.

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Open, Sesame!

Posted on 07/04/2011 by Poonam Sagar

It’s akin to stepping into Ali Baba’s cave and the prices are a steal too. It sparkles from a range of precious and semi-precious gemstones, jewelry, accessories, antiques, and even kris daggers with gem-studded hilts.

Gemstones

A Treasure Trove

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Flight of Fancy

Posted on 01/04/2011 by Poonam Sagar
flying

Flight of Fancy

I love to sit in a window seat in air planes, even though I am squeezed in and unable to move out to the loo. Its the small rectangle of double glazed porthole that is so very exciting. Like being free. I watch the world fall below me and suddenly everything becomes smaller even my problems. Left far behind on the ground and receding in size till I am flying above a skyscape of fluffy clouds in all shades of white against a backdrop of hues in blue.

When I fly over mountains covered with dense vegetation, imagine how it would it be in the middle of nowhere? Forest sounds, bird calls, gurgling streams and quiet. Sitting in a clearing, drinking in nature. What would I think, I think?

Meandering rivers with ox bow lakes, waterfalls, volcano craters and rocky hills – what a beautiful land. And sometimes its emerald islands on turquoise seas. White crests of foamy waves crashing on silver beaches far far away from any people. Oh how I would like to be there in my full featured yacht with all luxuries. Sit on the deck or jump in the water, walk on empty silver sand, fish, jump and dance.

Sitting, belted in my window seat, my imaginations soars even higher than the plane.

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Career Change to Taxi Driver in Singapore

Posted on 31/03/2011 by Poonam Sagar

Lady luck was smiling at me – there was a taxi just waiting inside the Singapore Press Holdings building compound and the driver in an animated conversation with a young man shaking hands through the drivers window. I was on my way to the airport after my speaking assignment in Singapore and I rushed to inquire if I could get the cab to drop me there. I peeked in and was surprised to see a pleasant middle aged women driver. At her enthusiastic affirmative response, I hopped into the clean, smart taxi and was soon on my way.

Lily

Lily, my friendly taxi driver

Lily was my friendly and talkative taxi driver. My first encounter with a female taxi driver in Singapore. She shared that she had just been returning an iphone to its owner who had left it in her taxi early that morning. A honest taxi driver who looked very pleased at her good deed. Wow!

I was very curious about her career choice to drive a cab. She shared her story of working as a Human Resources professional for 30 years and after retirement, over the last six months changing gears – oops, careers. It has been a result of many things such as her husband leaving her for a much younger Chinese woman and her grown up children moving to their independent lives. She now lives with her mother and sister and making it a point to have lunch with her mother and taking rain check during a heavy rainfall. Her primary motivation is to pay off her daily taxi rental, gas and make some money. An early start finds her trawling for passengers, one of 400 other female taxi drivers in Singapore.

If you are in Singapore and would like a reliable, honest taxi, call Lily at +65-82207397.

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