#526 Zero or One

 Zero or One

Design Credit : Canva

Should life be evaluated based on success or failure? What about the learning that we get through our journey to achieve something? As shown in the movie 12^th Fail, an aspirant has to start from scratch when he fails to make it to the Holy PDF or final list of selections, no matter how many rounds he clears, shows how society evaluates one’s success by omitting the grey areas.

            As an aspirant myself, I’ve seen this journey at a very close level. It appeared for UPSC ESE three times along with my full-time Master’s Degree that I was pursuing then, it was too difficult to balance the requirements of the academic life with the demands of the preparation. Like a Yogi doing Tapasya by being cut off from the world, to reach the stage of salvation, I cut myself off from any social activity. I stayed in the hostel all alone when everybody had left for their homes during festivals. Time was limited to conquer the vast syllabus all by myself. It was no doubt, a humungous task. I took the exams in a different city from where I was living, three times and failed all three times. The reason that motivated me to take one more attempt was my increased performance. They said it right that UPSC is like a blackhole that drags one to itself addictively.

            Today, when I look back at my journey, I am content that I took that path instead of waiting for the perfect moment of preparation. I have no regrets about not trying. Many of my friends just imagined it in their minds and waited for the right moment to appear for the exam which never came. This journey taught me a lot of patience and resilience to pick myself up after a failure. I develop an insight into not labeling any failure as zero but as a learning experience of life. If we don’t try, we will never learn. Our learning should never stop based on the result but continue throughout life.

                        With this post, I conclude #BlogchatterA2Z 2024 amidst the flu from which I am still recovering. I have many times got this feeling of giving up but I just try to stick to the process and give my effort in chucks and the result is all in front of you. I remember having finished this challenge last year amidst a very hectic schedule, this time my schedule is a little flexible. If I could do then, why can’t I do it this time?

 

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Swati Sarangi

30.04.2024

 P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘Z’

#525 Param Chaitanya

 Param Chaitanya

Design Credits: Canva

As mentioned in my previous posts, I’ve been meditating regularly for the last 50 days under Sahaj Yoga with the blessing of the founder Mataji Nirmala Devi Ji. I’ve  joined a collective meditation group that interacts through WhatsApp and organizes meditation sessions on Zoom. After meditation, the participants are asked to share their experiences or ask any doubts. While sharing my experience of solo meditation that I do during the morning, I was asked by the mentor to document it as we tend to forget these, in due course of time. So, I’m going to share it in this post.

Param Chaitanya when translated would mean ultimate/eternal bliss. In the terminology of Sahaj Yoga, it refers to the cool breeze that one feels on his palms or on top of the head during meditation. The sensation happens when the Kundalini in our body gets activated and starts to clear all the Chakras and Nadis. I’ve felt this cool breeze on both my palms for the first time when I started foot soaking. Yesterday, before my solo meditation, I came across a video of Mataji which appeared randomly as a suggested video on Youtube in which Mataji was guiding Sahaj Yogis to clear their left and right channel. I decided to clear my Channel with Mataji’s instruction after reciting three Mahamantra and Ganesha Atharva Sheersha. When Mataji was talking about how most of the people suffer from imbalances in their left Nadis, from that moment tears started rolling down my eyes. I was in thoughtlessness by then because of the rituals that I did before listening to Mataji’s video. Then she instructed to pass negativities of the right channel through the left hand being raised towards the sky by folding it in the elbow. She then asked the volunteer present beside her to feel the cool breeze in our palms, the moment she said this I started getting a cool breeze on both my palms. I was pleasantly surprised by this experience. I then sat to meditate and got an out-of-body experience. I felt as if I was observing myself as a witness with my soul out of my body. This experience was very unique to me and I take it as a blessing of Mataji. Mataji concluded that video by saying that your life would change from this moment whether you believe it or not. After the meditation, I sat with my pending task which I could finish within 1 hour!

What I take home from the excerpt that was shared in yesterday’s session of collective meditation is sincerity and consistency. These two qualities are like stepping stones to reap long-term benefits from anything that we want to pursue.  As promised to my mentor, I am documenting that experience as a present from Mataji so that I will revisit it in the future whenever I want motivation.

             

Source : Google Image ; Mataji Nirmala Devi Ji

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Swati Sarangi

30.04.2024

 P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘P’

#524 Viva voce

 Viva Voce

Design Credits : Canva

The title refers to any examination performed orally, not in any written form. I am not going to count the number of viva-voce that I’ve appeared so far in my life, which I think is uncountable. This topic will give me another chance to walk down memory lane which I never miss to do. That’s something that I should feel grateful for.

The first official viva voce that I faced in my life was the test taken by the class teacher in my nursery. I was prepared by my mother and aunty through a mock test. I lived in a joint family and was fortunate to receive love, care, and affection from my uncle, aunt, and grandparents. I call that viva voce an official one because I don’t consider those which were taken by the relatives or guests when they visited us. As class ascended, those viva voces got converted into the written form and as an introvert, I was more comfortable with written tests. Later, I remember giving one viva voce during the 12^th class for Physical Education as the external examiner asked us a lot of questions related to the sports of our choice.

            During my graduation days, some marks were awarded for practical exams which were based on viva voce of that test. Sometimes the viva voce was done one-on-one, other times with a small group of students. During my campus placements, initial rounds were based on aptitude, logical reasoning, or English language comprehension tests but final rounds were based on one-on-one interviews and HR rounds. During my preparation phase for government examinations, I realized that almost all exams had a round of viva voce at the end when one cleared the initial written tests. I appeared to some of those after clearing the preliminary rounds and my stress during the initial days got converted into excitement and hope of clearing them. Those tests checked the presence of mind, personality, confidence along with knowledge of the subject. I got a lot of chances to appear for such viva voce during my job hunting in India and abroad. With increased experience, I realized how important it is to express oneself and present those qualities that the interviewer was searching for. My latest viva voce was taken by an AI bot that was asking me questions based on my resume and it was one of the most unique interview experiences for me. This shows how quickly technology is revolutionizing our lives.

Each viva voce that I appeared in, whether I passed through that or not, gave me a perspective of the interviewer that I was unaware of. At the same time, I got exposure to my shortcomings as well as that side of my personality which I was unaware of.

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Swati Sarangi

29.04.2024

P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘V’

#523 Nirmala Devi - The founder of Sahaj Yoga

 Nirmala Devi – The founder of Sahaj Yoga

Design Credit : Canva

Nirmala Devi Ji as addressed to Mataji can be regarded as the incarnation of Kalki, in this Kali Yug. She’s the Adi Shakti, even though she left her mortal body in 2011. She’s the founder of Sahaj Yoga which provides self-realization to the seekers and helps them connect with the divine. It’s a unique way of meditation unlike other ways through which one can understand his subtle system and he’s able to clear any imbalances present in his Channels (Nadis) or Energy centers (Chakras) by observing the vibrations in our fingertips of both hands (which connect to each energy center of different channels).

It's believed that the last primordial Guru, Shri Shirdi Sai Baba prophesized the arrival of Adi Shakti Nirmala Devi who was born on 21^st Mar 1923 to a very educated family in Chhindwara, MP, India. Her name signifies purity and was named by her grandmother as she came out so clean during her birth. Her parents were actively involved in the Indian Freedom Movement as she stayed in the Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi during her youth. She studied medicine at Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, and Balakram Medical College in Lahore. She got married to Chandrika Prasad Srivastava who was an IAS officer. She has two daughters: Kalpana and Sadhna.

            She founded Sahaj Yoga in 1970 and sold all her jewelry to go to the USA to conduct a workshop on it. Today, Sahaj Yoga centers are almost in all big cities of India and are practiced worldwide too. After achieving self-realization, she realized that she should work as a pioneer in providing self-realization to other people and improving their lives. She traveled far and wide all over the world to conduct workshops to educate people regarding Sahaj Yoga and transformed the lives of many.

            I’ve been constantly meditating for the last 50 days through the practices that I learned under Sahaj Yoga. The pure silence and peace of mind that I gained through it is inexplicable. I have felt a cool breeze which is called Param Chaitanya during my meditation and I am working towards clearing my affected Chakras. I feel that my Sadguru Shirdi Sai Baba found a Guru for me as I was searching for a self-realized master who could guide me toward living my life consciously. I am glad that through continuous meditation I could come out of the social media addiction and fall prey to many fitness influencers as fake Gurus.

 

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Swati Sarangi

29.04.2024

 P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘N’

#522 Quitting is an art - My Reply

 Quitting is an art – My reply

Design Credits: Canva

As mentioned in my previous blog post, I not only regularly go through Warikoo Wanderings which is a weekly newsletter but also share my views on the topic in the form of reply to the author. Presenting one of my replies to the newsletter that I received on 10.02.2023 with the subject “Winners don’t quit? That’s a lie. They quit a lot.”

Hello Ankur, 

Hope you're well!

This newsletter is a thought-provoking one. As always, it is very difficult to just move forward without sharing my views on the topic, after reading the newsletter. Quitting something is the most difficult and courageous decision especially when we don't know have a backup. There have been times, when I continued doing things that I didn't enjoy doing, be it the job or profession, subject, etc, I stuck with them as I hadn't figured out other alternatives to make me motivated to quit. The result was as expected; I burned out of my creative abilities and gave up. When I looked back at my life and recall those incidences in which I was indecisive about quitting the toxic traits, I realized that somewhere I put the result of this decision on external factors which made it even tougher for me to take the decision. The proverb "Something is better than nothing" added to my confusion to hold on to those toxic events.

The underlying idea behind pursuing anything is that if someone continues to do something, in spite of not enjoying doing, what he should've left doing long before, the result is a lack of peace and burnout. Sometimes those toxic job environments, relationships, and careers lure us into the mirage of benefits like salary, insurance, EMIs, loans, etc. Our dependence on these benefits makes it even more difficult for us to take the decision of quitting. 

Quitting something toxic, be it a relationship, habit, career, job, society, work environment, etc is actually a decision-away but sometimes it takes days, months, or even years to arrive at that decision. By the time we decide to quit it, we would have lost so much of our energy, mental peace, and self-respect to get ourselves on the right path. The sooner is the decision made, the better. In the end, we have to quit something toxic, not for anyone, but for ourselves. Most importantly, there should be no guilt associated with that decision for a peaceful future.

This is the summary of the entire discussion- To know when to stop doing something, to know when to change course, to know when to reassess, reimagine, reconfigure, is the mark of a true winner.

Like always, I love how you touch on some of the thought-provoking issues through your newsletter and let readers ponder about them. Your way of writing is something that I admire a lot, it's simple, clear, easy to read, and most importantly comprehend.

Good luck with whatever you're focussing your mind and energy into!

Have a nice weekend!

Regards
Swati

 

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Swati Sarangi

29.04.2024

 P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘Q’

#521 Warikoo Wanderings

 Warikoo Wanderings

Design Credits: Canva

Recently, I came across a post(tweet) in X (Twitter) about someone enquiring about their favorite Newsletter. This question made me wonder about mine. From many newsletters I’ve subscribed to, I have been religiously reading this Newsletter, Warikoo Wanderings! Warikoo, isn’t it a familiar surname? You must have guessed it by now about the creator of this newsletter. He’s no other than Ankur Warikoo, a social media sensation who needs no introduction! How rhyming this line has come out to be!

            Why don’t I miss reading Warikoo Wanderings which pops up in my Gmail inbox every Friday? There are several reasons for this. It has everything to catch the attention of the readers. First, it discusses issues and insights related to day-to-day life; for example, the topics could be as simple as hard work, consistency, failure, success, etc. These topics would be presented in such a way that one will get something subtle but profound to bring home. Second, the way of writing is simple and presentable. The sentences are small with proper punctuations, ideas are presented in small chunks, all these improve the readability and comprehensibility of the text. Third, there are other sections in this newsletter like books that he’s reading, quotes, pictures, results from surveys, podcasts, question of the week, etc. As someone fond of books, I get recommendations for some really good books. I love his quotes and pictures. More than anything, I love to go through the insights from the surveys on the question that he put as the question of the week. The results from such surveys come as an eye-opener to me and break my prejudiced ideas or opinions on something. Fourth, receiving a reply to what I share my viewpoints on. It is the rarest thing that can happen to me. I appreciate the writer/author whenever I read something that I find so captivating. Most of the time, I share my views on the topics discussed in the newsletter and Ankur has never failed to send a reply.

            I’ve been reading this newsletter for 3 years. Over these years, many things have changed including my location, jobs, environment, etc. Previously, I used to reply to his newsletters from Hong Kong but now from Finland. One thing that hasn’t changed is his consistency, which I find super inspiring. I wonder how he has achieved such an unfailing consistency in everything that he does. No wonder he has a humungous fan following! He’s just so focused on his work dedicatedly by silencing his critics through his work. He has gained complete control over his life and has no excuse for not following excellence.

I am highly influenced by his working ethics and consistency and trying to be as consistent as I can, in whatever I plan to do. I am sure that the compounding effect of it will be astounding!

 

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Swati Sarangi

29.04.2024

  P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘W’

#520 Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet In Heaven : Book Review

 Mitch Albom’s The Five People you meet in heaven – Book Review

Design Credits : Canva

It was the second book of this year. I wasn't unaware of the writer Mitch Albom as I already read and was impressed by his book "Tuesdays with Morrie". I picked up this book to read because I burrowed a book "The Next Person You Meet in Heaven" by the same author which appeared to be the sequel of this book.

About the Novel

This book is about a man named Edward, fondly called, Eddie who worked as a mechanic in Ruby Pier. As a mechanic, he is responsible for greasing the tracks, checking the levers or breaks, or maintenance-related activities of the swings. This amusement park is situated at the beach and many people go there with their kids to enjoy different rides. Unfortunately, Eddie dies due to a technical failure in a ride while saving a girl.

He then finds himself in heaven. The first person whom he meets is the "Blue Man", Joseph Corvelzchik whose body turned blue due to the intake of silver nitrate. On enquiring further, he reveals that he's the reason for his death on the beach, and makes him realize that every incident in life is related to another. Before leaving, he gives the hint that he's going to meet the rest of the four people.

The next person that he meets is the captain who was his commanding officer in the war of which Eddie was a part.  While being kept as a prisoner of war in one of the forced labor camps in the Philippines, he burned it along with his other comrades, but Eddie couldn't follow the shadow that he suspected to be of someone in that camp while the captain shot his leg.

The next person was Ruby whose husband Emile built the amusement park and named it Ruby Pier. She narrated the real cause of the death of his father as his husband shared the same hospital room as that of his father and knowing about his father as an employee of Ruby Pier saddened her. She asked Eddie to forgive his father.

The fourth person he met was his wife, Marguerite for whom his love was profound. She said that love is never lost in death but carried on further to take other forms.

The last person whom he met was the Filipina Girl, Tala whom she couldn't recover in the labor camp during wartime. She asked her to scrape off all the scars due to burn which Eddie did by dipping stone in the water. On asking her if he could save that girl during the accident, she said that he was able to push her away.

In the end, it's shown that Eddie meets his wife Marguerite in his heaven, Stardust Band Shell.

My views:

I loved the concept of this novel and can't wait to read its sequel, “The next person you meet in Heaven". The narrative was simple and captivating. I was so amused to find every little detail in each scene. I find it a page-turner and full of philosophies in the form of wise thoughts. At the end of the book, in the acknowledgment section, I was thrilled to find that Eddie was the name of the uncle of the author.

I rate this book as 4.5/5 and would recommend it to the readers.

 

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Swati Sarangi

28.04.2024

 P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘M’

#519 Xenophobia

 Xenophobia

Design Credits: Canva

According to Wikipedia, Xenophobia is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. My first encounter with foreigners was the visitors that I found on the beach of Puri during my childhood days. I would often wonder where they came from, what they ate, or why they looked different from me.

            When I moved to a different city with my family from my native place because of my father’s job, I came across people from a different culture or state which provided exposure to different cultures of India. It increased my adaptability. I remember when I was traveling to Hyderabad for training after my graduation, advertisements written on telugu language on various walls gave me a sense of unfamiliarity as I had no idea about that language. All I knew was Hindi, English, and Odia. I was wondering how I would be able to survive without any friend/acquittance from my school or college day but eventually, everything fell into place and I was able to make friends in my journey. Some of the friendships that I made there continue even now.

            There were several instances when I had to travel alone for my studies and job because I didn’t want to trouble my parents. Initially, a sense of discomfort would originate from a sense of unfamiliarity but that would vanish in no time in due course of time. When I took my first international flight to Hong Kong during the COVID era, Mar 20021, little did I know that I would be well taken care of by stranger foreigners to come out of COVID. I remember to have been traveling to the place of my first interview in Hong Kong, I felt lost in an unfamiliar crowd in the metro. Later, that route became the route of my daily commute and that sense of unfamiliarity was transformed into a sense of gratitude when I bid goodbye to my colleagues at the office.

            I’ve been living in Finland for almost 22 months, and it has started to feel like home. It’s so safe to travel here at any time of the day by public transport. Finnish people are too shy to start any conversation. Surprisingly, this country has turned a complete introvert like me into an extrovert. I don’t hesitate to start communication with any stranger, be it someone waiting at the bus stop or in a queue at the cash counter. I absolutely enjoyed interacting with colleagues during lunch break. We discussed culture, interests, practices, learning language, science and technology, and other geopolitical issues. I feel that I am now more open to people from different cultures, religions, or ethnicities. Interacting with people and being open to receiving their ideas or viewpoints on certain matters has improved my adaptability. It has made me realize that the world is a great place to live when we shed any form of inhibition or prejudice based on language, religion, ethnicity, etc.

 

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Swati Sarangi

28.04.2024 

 P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘X’

# 518 Yoga in a simple way : Sahaj Yoga

 Yoga in a simple way; Sahaj Yoga

Design Credit: Canva

I’ve been doing Sahaj Yoga continuously almost every day since Mar of 2024. I can’t thank my sister enough for introducing me to a group on WhatsApp that does collective meditation every day between 9 PM and 10 PM according to Indian Standard Time. After being part of the collective meditation, I don’t want to go back to any other form of meditation.

          Before writing anything about it, let me give a brief introduction about Sahaj Yoga. It’s about raising Kundalini through seven energy centers( Chakras) present in our body under the guidance of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi whom I consider as my Guru. Our body has three channels; Ida Nadi(Left), Pingala Nadi(Right), and Shushumna Nadi(Center) which can be referred to as the central nervous system, sympathetic and para-sympathetic system. Every disease that occurs in our body is the result of imbalances of Chakras and Channels. Sahaj Yoga provides simple methods to clear imbalances in our bodies. There has been no medicine to treat the diseases at the level of nervous system and the medicines that we take possess many side-effects. So, through meditation imbalances can be worked upon.

          In this era of social media, one can find a plethora of resources related to fitness and health. A sea of self-proclaimed influencers is enough to make someone misguided. I was one of the confused ones who was caught in the web of social media influencers giving gyan on health and fitness, and in return garnering engagements in the forms of views, likes, and comments. After discovering Sahaj Yoga, I no longer, have to hop from one channel to another in search of fitness-related tips. I meditate regularly and I have surrendered myself to the lotus feet of Mataji. I have found mentors associated with that WhatsApp group who are there to guide me personally from time to time. One can spiritually grow faster if one tries to follow the foot steps of his Guru who has already attained success in that path.  Mataji, being an Adi Shakti, an incarnation of Kali Yuga, has been Guru to guide millions of people in the right path.

          As a seeker, I’ve found my way. Nothing gives more peace and content than knowing the fact that we’re in the right hands.

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Swati Sarangi

27.04.2024

  P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘Y’

#517 Kundalini Swamini

 Kundalini Swamini

Design Credit: Canva

Oh! Mother, my lovely mother,

You’re Kundalini Swamini; the controller

The one who can awaken,

The dormant thousands of petals.

 

Starting with the chakra Root,

With four petals to keep you grounded,

The feeling of alive that it gives,

As guarded by Shri Ganesh Ji.

 

Next, moving to chakra Sacral,

Six-petalled Chakra lying in lower abdomen,

Protected by Brahmadev Saraswati

To improve our creativity.

 

Third Chakra being Manipura, Solar Plexus

Laxmi Vishnu who dwelt there,

With its petals ten in number

Provide confidence and personal power.

 

Anahat Chakra being the Heart Chakra

Divine center for Shiva Parvati,

Bears petals twelve to keep you

Peaceful, loving, compassionate and warm.

 

Throat or Vishuddhi Chakra comes the next,

Bearing sixteen petals and making Vishnumaya

As its guardian, make your communication

And expression clear and confident.

 

Next on the ladder comes Agnya Chakra or Third Eye,

Carrying two petals as an abode of Jesus Mary,

Clarifying your vision and thoughts to

Eliminate any kind of confusion.

 

The top most Chakra being Sahastrara,

A thousand-petalled one where dwells Mataji,

Our loving mother, ready to make us realized soul,

To connect selflessly with that divine power.

 

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Swati Sarangi

26.04.2024

P.S: This poem is dedicated to the founder of Sahaj Yoga, Mataji Nirmala Devi who I consider as my Guru.

  P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘K’

#516 Tick, tick & Time ticks away!

 Tick, Tick & Time Ticks away!

Design Credit: Canva

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick is the sound that I can hear now, apart from the sound that my keyboard emanates as a result of my fingers pressing its buttons to type what you’re reading now. As I write this piece, sitting on a comfortable armchair, locked up in a soundproof apartment in one of the coldest places on the planet, Finland, the sun is still up there in the sky. It’s not even ready to set, even though, the digital clock in my laptop displays the time as 7:54 P.M.

It's this culprit, the wall clock, that’s breaking the silence and letting the time pass swiftly. Does it also reflect my biological clock? Oh Yes, I am aging. Organs or parts of my body are getting deprecated at the atomic/subatomic level which may not be so observable at this stage. A series of questions come up in my mind, should I rush into them just because my biological clock is ticking away? I am in, no way, going to get the medals that Yamraj is already holding in his hands for giving to those who married at the age of 25 years and had kids at the age of 27 years.

I’ve seen a lot of posts on X (formerly Twitter) about people in the age group 20-30-year-old Indians asking questions about important stages of life like marriage, career, etc. along with their age. It’s because Indian society has set a time bomb for the age of 25. It’s as if someone who’s not married at the age of 25 or has kids by the age of 27, is a failure and all his/her achievements are nothing but waste. I’m sure that those who have achieved these milestones, will not get rid of other milestones that will appear once they achieve these and such milestones will tragically percolate to their next generation.

I'm glad I never paid focus to these societal standards as I've other milestones to achieve in life other than these two! I never rushed into a relationship during my college days under any peer pressure. I spent time working on things that I felt, would accompany me throughout my life. I dedicated my time to developing my hobbies like singing, writing, painting, reading, etc. I’ve realized lately that the solace through which I searched for my individuality, is the same skill that has helped me immensely in foreign lands. I have individualistic goals or passions to pursue despite being in a marriage where responsibilities tend to overshadow them, with time.

In this era of social media full of distractions which has reduced our attention span to a few minutes, it’s a privilege to sit away from distractions, look into yourself, and try to seek answers to those questions that are there within your mind. The wall clock which showed 7:54PM when I started writing this blog post, is no longer the same now. Time has slipped away and the realization of me growing old is the only constant. None of my worries can ever slow down the speed of the moving hands of this wall clock. It’s doing its job the way it is supposed to. Have I lived those moments that have slipped away? Oh Yes! I’ve because I am writing something that has to be always talked about. I’ve not let my worries stop me from living those moments that just slipped away.

All Rights Reserved!

Swati Sarangi

24.04.2024

  P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘T’

#515 Songs that our hearts sing

 Songs that our heart sings

Design Credits: Canva

Our hearts sing songs,

Songs that are full of love,

Full of affection and care,

Listen to them when you can,

Because they are like lullabies

Which can comfort you to be,

In a state of deep slumber,

Or in trance like a true Yogi

Which he has attained through

Years of penance and meditation.

 

Our hearts sing songs,

Which are full of truth,

Like pearls of wisdom, cautioning

Each time when we head towards

Something catastrophic or dangerous,

Through subtle hints, that

May sometimes go unnoticed,

If you ignore them or

Take them casually, you

May fall into something like a blackhole.

 

Our hearts sing songs,

To awaken moments of self-love,

To remind us of that share of

Love and care that we all deserve,

During those moments of lows,

Which create self-doubts or despair,

Listen to the songs that your

Heart sing ,like words from an

Old trustworthy friend,

Quenching your parched soul.

 

All Rights Reserved!

Swati Sarangi

23.04.2024

 P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘S’

# 514 Ukulele Concert

 Ukulele Concert

Design Credit : Canva

In one of my previous blog posts, I’ve shared my deep inclination towards a stage as a singer and how I never missed any chance to be on the stage. Being on stage provides me immense motivation and energy and what’s wrong with showcasing one’s talent? The connection that I create, based on the hobbies that I pursue, is beyond any superficial attachments.

Now, coming to the topic, as you all might have figured out already that I am going to write about a Ukulele concert of which I was a part. It was my first Ukulele concert of this year. I was a part of the Christmas Ukulele concert 2023 which was organized at Sello library. After completing the Ukulele for Beginner’s course last year, I joined the Ukulele for Intermediate/Advanced group this year. Unlike the previous group, this group was quite large, consisting of as many as 15 people who are very skilled and consistent. I came to know that some of the group members had been associated with that group for many years and were very passionate musically. With that group, I learned a lot of chords that I would have found challenging to try. Even though I don’t understand most of the conversation during the class(because of my limited knowledge of Finnish being the only non-Finn in that group,) as the language of instruction is Finnish yet I enjoy Finnish music very much. The joy that I get while playing with that group is above anything and music has no language.

I was happy to be a part of the Ukulele Concert at Leevi Service House, an old age home in Helsinki, on 18.04.2024. We practiced around 12 songs which were in Finnish and English, to perform. There was a short rehearsal session before our performance. When our performances started, I could observe all elderly people singing along with us and enjoying the event. This was a one-of-a-lifetime event for me. I was very attached to my grandparents and they showered their love and affection on me immensely. My grandparents are no more, they left for a heavenly abode.  I have been playing Ukulele for the last 6-7 months, I wish my grandparents could have seen me performing. Performing for those elder people gave me a sense of performing in front of my grandparents and their reaction would have been no different from those of the elderly people present there. This was the tiniest effort on my part to do something for the society of which I had been a part for the last 1.5 years. 

That concert made me realize that time is fleeting, and so is its manifestation in terms of our age. I will, no longer be a performer but be an audience sitting on the opposite side of the stage. My roles will change and so will my responsibilities, but one thing that will stay the same is my commitment to myself; my commitment to do something for others even in the littlest way possible; my commitment to live without regrets, and my commitment to reach my potential.

 

All Rights Reserved!

Swati Sarangi

19.04.2024

 

P.S: I don’t have any pictures or recordings of that concert to share but precious moments from that concert will stay in my memory forever.

 P.S: This post is a part of #BlogChatterA2Z 2024Challenge for Alphabet ‘U’