2013: Beginning of new era

Hey Folks,

Mayan calender not withstanding the test of time, we are welcoming 2013.

Here is wishing all of you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.   

                   

An autobiography of one year old

From blogger’s mind; an year after......

Hi All,

It’s that time of the year again when many are in the mood of celebration of new year and are trying to finalize ways to celebrate new year. However, its also the time to sit back and reflect on the year just about to pass by and take new vows and chalk out the plan for the coming year.

While I tried to concentrate on the year that was, I could hardly put my thoughts together; chiefly because the recent media coverage on doomsday and Maya culture. Irritated, I could only respond:

“O Maya Maya go away

Doomsday comes another day

Little 'Cameos of life' wants to play”

Jokes apart or should I say, rhymes apart, what started as an initiative to break the monotony, stagnancy at workplace has become a nice brainteaser, a hobby, a passion……Yes madames and monsieurs, ‘Cameos of Life' is now a year old blog and this would not have been possible without the unflinching, unconditional support of all my readers spread across the globe. Thanks to all of you for visiting this blog from the bottom of my heart or should I say from the bottom of my blog…..

As I started to think of the ways to break the shackles of ‘just-work’ ennui, an inspiring poem penned by Javed Akhtar from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, kept buzzing in my years

Dilon mein tum apni betabiyan leke chal rahe ho,

toh zinda ho tum!

Nazar mein khwaabon ki bijliyan leke chal rahe ho,

toh zinda ho tum!

Jo apni aankhon mein hairaniyan leke chal rahe ho,

toh zinda ho tum!

Dilon mein tum apni betabiyan leke chal rahe ho,

toh zinda ho tum!

In that state of ‘high’ I scribbled an article about India’s grand entry into F1 World and just when there was no further activity on this front, I was shaken up by Atlas,  Greece and the financial turbulence of Europe and I scribbled another article. The process kind of continued and within no time, I realized that I have created a ‘huge’ repository of 4-5 articles!!!!

Though I knew somewhere deep down that I love to write, the comparitive ease with which I completed writing first few articles, reemphasized my belief that I could write. It also made amply clear to me that not only I loved writing but more importantly I could write and write well at that. This 'high' was enough for me to be on cloud nine and I continued to think about my great creation, my master pieces; my fantastic articles!!!! Every author, blogger, creative person is narcissist isn’t it? 

However, not allowing myself to get drowned in self flattery and true to the corporate world training, I decided to test my work and sought comments from my friends. To my great surprise the comments were encouraging and while the iron was hot, I decided to hammer and posed the question lingering in mind for long time, should I decide to write a blog, would you, as a reader, or for that matter any other, be interested in reading these blog posts, consensus was a mix of some sure shot, some assertive, some calculated.. ‘Ayes’ and so I decided to take the plunge and joined the band wagon…..err….‘blog wagon’.

In the early days of blogging (even one year is early, but now I would like to think that I am a bit more experienced), I was too eager to see huge visitor flow hitting the blog or expected blog to be flooded with comments, but soon I realized that even the great Hometree was a mere seed some day!!! So I decided to allow the blog to grow in terms of reader base, searches etc and one clear way to make it happen is to keep blogging. So, rather than to keep looking for comments, visitors I started posting on the blog and soon there was steady flow of viewers for the blog. With the readers spread across the entire globe from China to USA, Australia to Africa, Japan to Briton, my jangling nerves calmed down, very famous sheir by Majrooh Sultanpuri, crossed my mind:

Mein akela hi chala tha janib-e- manzil magar,

log saath aate gaye aur kaarvaan banta gaya  

(Free rendition of this famous sheir in English can be: I was marching all alone towards the destination, but followers joined and caravan began to shape up) 

As I started to post on various topics; I started to receive comments, not particularly on each post, but on the entire initiative of starting my own blog.

‘It was expected of you’  

‘Nice initiative…make sure that you continue it’

‘Oh My God, Is it really you? I really never thought that you could write and so well at that!!!’

‘Just had a passing look on the blog, the level of English is high, will take time to read through’

I am thankful to all the comments received on particular post and as well as received in person. I will surely work on these comments. 

Overall, the journey so far has really been very enjoyable. The process for publishing every blog post was akin to going through the labor pains one another time and during the past one year, I have gone through that experience 52 times!!! But I have loved every second of it so far!!!!! I would like to believe that such exciting joy journey is far from over for it has only just begun…

Going forward, 2013 would beacon new era. The '2013 project charter' for ‘Cameos of Life’ is crystallizing nicely in front of my eyes. I already have few new initiatives up my sleeve to look forward to. I will update you on these as we move along.

Till then, hit the dance floor and welcome the new year 2013.

Cheers!!!!

'G' Spot and 'S' Connect.....

G-Spot……. I can already see various hues of reactions among readers…..

Some are excited…

Some shy are searching a place to hide…

Some inquisitive are pretending to not read, but are all ears to what’s being said or written.....

Some, especially women, are ruing the fact that they do not possess it; whereas as the ‘lucky’ one are blushing.....

But hey folks…rein in those wavering thoughts…for while you guys are headed south…I am headed north!!!! This is neither salacious nor a prurient post.

I am not talking about the carnal ‘G Spot’ or the most Googled or most talked/written about ‘S’ word, I am talking about completely different G-Spot....

This is called as ‘God Spot’…Isn’t it in vogue to name everything after God, first we had God Particle now we have ‘God Spot’; soon we could have ‘God Cola’ or ‘God Chips’

Not digressing any further, scientists have speculated that the human brain features a “God spot,” one distinct area of the brain responsible for spirituality. Now, University of Missouri researchers have completed research that indicates spirituality is a complex phenomenon, and multiple areas of the brain are responsible for the many aspects of spiritual experiences.

Brain Mapping showing 'Enlightened' areas
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133032/There-God-spot-new-research-claims-instead-spirituality-exists-brain.html

“We have found a neuropsychological basis for spirituality, but it’s not isolated to one specific area of the brain,” said Brick Johnstone, professor of health psychology in the School of Health Professions. “Spirituality is a much more dynamic concept that uses many parts of the brain. Certain parts of the brain play more predominant roles, but they all work together to facilitate individuals’ spiritual experiences.” 

In the most recent study, Johnstone studied 20 people with traumatic brain injuries affecting the right parietal lobe, the area of the brain situated a few inches above the right ear. He surveyed participants on characteristics of spirituality, such as how close they felt to a higher power and if they felt their lives were part of a divine plan. He found that the participants with more significant injury to their right parietal lobe showed an increased feeling of closeness to a higher power.

“Neuropsychology researchers consistently have shown that impairment on the right side of the brain decreases one’s focus on the self,” Johnstone said. “Since our research shows that people with this impairment are more spiritual, this suggests spiritual experiences are associated with a decreased focus on the self. This is consistent with many religious texts that suggest people should concentrate on the well-being of others rather than on themselves.”

He says the right side of the brain is associated with self-orientation, whereas the left side is associated with how individuals relate to others. Although Johnstone studied people with brain injury, previous studies of Buddhist meditators and Franciscan nuns with normal brain function have shown that people can learn to minimize the functioning of the right side of their brains to increase their spiritual connections during meditation and prayer.

Professor makes the comparison to other kinds of disciplines; "It is like playing the piano, the more you train your brain, the more the brain becomes predisposed to piano playing. Practice makes perfect."

While researchers have been focused on finding a 'God spot' in the brain, the new research suggests that it might be better to focus on the neuropsychological questions of self focus vs selfless focus. As Prof. Johnstone explains: "when the brain focuses less on the self (by decreased activity in the right lobe) it is by definition a moment of self-transcendence and can be understood as being connected to God or Nirvana. It is the sensation of feeling like you are part of a bigger thing."

Those who are spiritually inclined are already aware that such claims are not new, as ‘Sahasrara Chakra’, one of seven primary chakras of Hindu religion is all about that ultimate enlightenment.

This seventh chakra also called as "the crown chakra" is located at the top of the head and is related to Spiritual Connect to the universe or the ‘S Connect’ that I am talking about.

Sahasrara chakra symbolizes detachment from illusion; an essential element in obtaining supramental higher consciousness of the truth that one is all and all is one.

Sahasrara, meaning thousand, is the "Lotus of the Thousand Petals" located four finger- breadths above the crown of the head.

Sahasrara Chakra
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahasrara 

Sahasrara is described with 1,000 multi-coloured petals which are arranged in 20 layers each of them with 50 petals. The pericarp is golden, and inside of it is a circular moon region, inside of which is a downward pointing triangle. 

Source: http://www.adishakti.org/subtle_system/sahasrara_chakra.htm

This lotus, which represents the plane of truth and reality, is like an umbrella of petals with all the colors of the rainbow. The yogi identifies ‘Self’ as the guru within, when the Kundalini is raised up to Sahasrara Chakra and when the illusion of "individual self" is dissolved….yogi establishes that ‘S Connect’.

Isn't this new scientific revelation; which vindicates all that our ancient yogis, sages had already postulated, is just a case of ‘Old wine in new bottle?’