My belief...

Having done my entire schooling in Chinmaya Vidyalaya in bangalore where prayer was an integral part of the curriculum, I now look back and think about my belief in GOD
Where and when did it start ??
In School we begun the day with prayers. We prayed before lunch and again before leaving school to go home. I do not know how many of us took it seriously and prayed sincerely. As part of our regular tests and examinations we even had a test for this - Chanting. We were given specific portions which would include verses from the Bhagavad Gita, Bhajans, Vishnu Sahasranamam, etc. There were even inter-school competitions. Even before our Board Exams in Class 10, our hall tickets were given to us after an elaborate pooja ritual.
At home both my parents were deeply religious. During vacations we were taken to temples in Rameswaram, Kanya Kumarai, Madurai, etc. Festivals were celebrated with poojas at home and visits to temples. As kids my siblings and me were asked to help out - stringing flowers, cleaning the pooja room, anointing the threshold and the Tulsi Maadam with fresh turmeric and kumkum, cutting cleaning banana leaves for the special meal were some of our chores. My brother and I would watch the Ramayana and Mahabharatha serials on TV every week. We also read a lot of Amar Chitra katha books.
Some Saturdays my mom would light a Til lamp inside the Navagraha enclosure in the Ganesha temple near my house. Sometimes she would make Kesari Baath or Sundal to distribute as Prasaadam for Sankatahara Chaturthi at the same ganesha temple. I remember closing my eyes and folding my hands and reciting the prayers I learnt in school....but i don't know what I prayed for. There were annual trips to Tirupati. I remember the long queues and being impatient and constantly asking my parents when were getting out of the temple.
I remember my dad praying very hard when my mum was ill. I also remember very well the day I sincerely prayed to God when i couldn't bear to see my mum suffering. That same night she passed away after 4 years of battling with cancer. I wondered if God heard my prayers. Was that the day I truly began to believe in HIM ??
Today, I still remember some of my prayers from school. I pray everyday. it gives me peace and calm. I pray for good health, prosperity and harmony for my family and for everyone I know. In school we began the day by chanting the MahaMrtyunjaya Mantra.
Om Tyramabhakam Yajamahai
Sukhandim Pushti Varadanam
Uruva Rukamiva Bandhanaa
Mrutyor Muksheeya maamrutaat

Flushing

This past weekend I went to the MahaVallabha Ganapathi temple in Flushing, New York. After a really long train ride we had to take a bus. The temple is beautiful with Lord Ganesha being the main deity. Along the sides of the temple are other deities such as Shiva, Murugan, natarajan, Ayyappan, Lakshmi, Kamakshi Amman, etc. The temple's Gopuram is in the process of construction. The Navagrahas are yet to be consecrated and have temporaraily been placed in rectangular tray. On a Sunday afternoon, it was wonderful to see so many people at the temple. The temple also has a canteen which was even more crowded than the temple. The canteen had a menu which was mostly South-Indian fare, the dosa being most popular. I noticed that for many families it seemed like a popular destination for a full meal. We ordered the Mysore Masala Dosa and the Pondicherry Masala Dosa. After a 45 minute wait for our dosas to arrive, we devoured the dosas and thought of Home. We headed out of the door and bought some kumkum and Vibhuti from the shop next to the temple. We had to wait for our bus. Meanwhile I noticed another temple opposite the Ganapathi temple and went inside. This was a Raghavendra Swamy temple. After a brief prayer we were back outside waiting for our bus. The Q-27 took us back to the Metro station in Flushing where we caught the No.7 train to Times Square. The train was really crowded with lots of people returning from Baseball games and the U.S Open. Anyways, our trip to Flushing was quite memorable.

SRK

recently read about SRK's security check at Newark's Liberty International Airport....why is he making such a big deal out of this ?? I am currently living in USA and came here very recently....on my flight to New York there were many people of Islamic origin....at the immigration counter...there were many people who could not even converse in English with the immigration personnel....but they weren't put through any unnecessary frisks or checks...each of them was given the same amount of respect...Just last night Barack Obama hosted a Ramzan dinner and was talking about the contributions made by Muslims to America...everyone is treated equally here. why is it that the whole Bollywood brigade is talking about this ?? SRK, when u enter or leave any country...u r just another visitor to them...don't expect everyone to know who you are....When there is a security threat everyone needs to cooperate.....you are no exception

settling down.....

am still settling down in the new house......it has been a tough 2 weeks....finding it hard to not cry everytime i speak to my family back home....hoping that everything is fine with them....most difficult when i speak to dad...i sometimes feel he has so much to say but he also worries that I have been on the phone too long and am spending too much money....anyways the new house is nice...just a 15 min. ride to new York from here....nice to see the river from my window...take long walks on the riverfront....am i beginning to like living here ???