I have no direct "Guru", but if there was any entity ever - then Krishna would come closest to my "de-facto" Guru. Of all the songs about/on/regarding Krishna - this is my all-time favorite - Mohd. Rafi has made it so soulful! I just heard this song from my PC and wanted to share with you all... Music is by Ravi and Lyrics by Rajendra Kishen. The Movie is Khandaan (1965) - a Sunil Dutt and Nutan starrer. Read more
Recently, the Head of the Spiritual practice that my wife follows had come to our city. It was a big occassion for the initiates and people drove many hours to reach the city to be in his company and listen to his talk as well as clarify their thoughts. Among the coordinators there was special energy - they wanted to make sure everything was perfect and everyone wanted to do his/her bit to make the Master feel comfortable. I sat with the kids in the room adjoining the main hall, and my wife got to see her Master up close. It was a special moment. The lecture started and ended very soon. Short, succinct and full of messages for those who were listening. Unfortunately most did not. Heard him, yes. Listened no. The topic was "Prayer" and he emphasized that real prayer was "beyond words and actions". It was the silent prayer - which was beyond all the mental constructs that was the real experience. Clearly, form and words bring limitations and the assigning of meaning, qualities, character etc to them does not further your journey to "Truth" in any way! That was his main message - intellectually understanding it. Read more
We are discussing something which needs your attention, not your agreement or disagreement. We are looking at life most rigorously, objectively, clearly - not according to your sentiment, your fancy, what you like or don't like. It's what we like and don't like that has created this misery. All that we are saying is this: 'How do we end fear?' That's one of our great problems, because if a human being can't end it he lives in darkness everlastingly, not everlastingly in the Christian sense but in the ordinary sense; one life is good enough. Read more
Before entering to our next fascinating sphere, the silver one, let’s consider some important aspects regarding these new articles. There’s a big difference between reading something and studying it. The same is also true regarding the great difference between studying something and using our deep thinking to add something from our own harvest to it. This is one of the main reasons to strongly recommend you to do the three actions mentioning our first part of OUR SECRET CHAMBER. I do want you to get as many useful benefits and advantages from each lesson. I know that the task ahead is not an easy one, but will be time well spent. Aren’t important things in life difficult to attain? Please don’t be one of these human beings that stay behind due to a lack of vision. Very near you, there’s an amazing and wonderful world waiting to be discovered. Luckily you don’t need any money, neither have you needed a passport. All it takes is to satisfy our inborn curiosity. Just dare a little bit, so you can convince yourself how important it is. A lot of unexpected rewards lay ahead! In the fantastic silver sphere you’ll be able to be face to face with a world full of positive basic elements. Your controlled expectation is over. Once again you take out your crystal key holder, walk towards the copper sphere in order to enter the next sphere, the bright and mysterious silver sphere., you need to go inside the copper sphere, so you do it. Then you locate the entrance to the silver sphere, your silver key is more than ready to be used, you do it, but the silver door doesn’t open. Next you listen to a silent whisper informing you to use your special password. You wonder for a short period of time thinking about this password, then with great assurance you pronounce your full name, and your date of birth. Read more
A young man once went to a blind Saint's hut and knocked. The Saint from inside enquired - "Who is it?". The young man - who had come looking for a Guru, replied "That is what I have come to know, Sir". The Guru beckoned him. That is probably the only question at the root of our existence and the basis of the spiritual quest itself. Long before Newton and Leibniz discovered Calculus, some had already been using it - as a discipline and as a guide on the path of their spiritual journey. Notwithstanding the usual - and in my view a facetious - claim that all religions are paths that lead to spiritual nirvana, the final point of "Zero-identity" or Infinite-existence can be approached through two simple frameworks: - Getting to Zero - Getting to Infinity In essence, both are the same thing. If you are zero, then all else is Infinite; and if you are Infinite, all else is zero. Read more
Sangdil is a 1952 film directed by R. C Talwar. The film is an adaptation of the Charlotte Brontë classic Jane Eyre. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Dara Singh and Leela Chitnis. The film's music is by Sajjad and lyrics by Rajinder Kishan. The copy of this tune by Madan Mohan was from the movie "Akhri Dao" sung by Mohd. Rafi in 1958. The Actors were Shekhar, Nutan, Shammi, Johny Walker. The lyrics were by Mahrooh Sultanpuri. Another thing common in both the songs besides the tune in both the songs is the character actress - Shammi. In Sangdil, she gets to share the screen with Dilip Kumar himself! Read more
Sajjad Husain was one of the most interesting music director in the Indian Cinema. His contemporaries agreed that he was the best of the best! So great was he that even Madan Mohan lifted a tune from Husain's old song, and that Madan Mohan song went onto to become a great hit! He was no ordinary talent. Such people come rarely and show flashes of genius before they become victims of their own eccentricity. Ghulam Mohammad, Pakeezah's Music Director was another - about him, I will write on another day. The text below is taken from this page, with a view to popularize the story and the genius of Sajjad Husain - the only Original music director that Bollywood ever saw!! Two incidents which best explain Husain's personality and genius: One: how, during a recording, he called out tartly to Lata Mangeshkar struggling at the mike with one of his intricate compositions, "Yeh Naushad miyan ka gaana nahin hai, aap ko mehnat karni padegi." Two: how at a music directors' meet, eschewing the customary diplomacy of that era, he walked up to Madan Mohan and demanded belligerently, "What do you mean by stealing my song ?" ("Yeh hawa yeh raat yeh chandani" from his 'Sangdil' had just found a new avatar as "Tujhe kya sunaoon main dilruba" in Madan Mohan's 'Aakhri Dao'.) These two hallmarks of Sajjad's identity -- his penchant for complex, many-- layered compositions and his singularly forthright nature -- stuck to him like a second skin throughout his life. And they combined in a rather unfortunate manner to diminish the potential brilliance of a career that could have ranked among the most celebrated. It was not the intricacy of his compositions that put Sajjad at a disadvantage -- he worked, after all, in an era that belonged to music directors with erudition and firm classical foundations. Where he lost out was in his handling of producers and directors, sometimes musical illiterates, who sought to simplify or alter his tunes -- his contemporaries dealt with such "suggestions" rather more tactfully than Sajjad, who would immediately [get] up and walk out of the film. "He was an extremely talented man, very knowledgeable about music, but his temperament was his undoing," says Naushad. "Even if someone made a minor suggestion, he'd turn on him and say, 'What do you know about music ?' He fought with almost everyone. Because of this, he sat at home most of his life and wasted his talent. But the body of work he has produced, small as it might be, ranks among the best in Hindi film music." Read more
This is the week of India's Independence day. I will bring to you my favorite patriotic songs. I will start with my all time favorite - its a poem written by Ramprasad Bismil - a friend and compatriot of Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad. It is such a touching and inspiring poem that it makes me come alive everytime I listen to it. And Rafi has sung it so well!! Also, among all the songs, this is probably still very relevant today for the youth.. Read more
If you didn't know, Russia has invaded Georgia (a former USSR state and now an ally of the US). Georgia has provided troops to US for Iraq - 3rd highest in numbers. Now, this is another turning point in the world conflict, and the West cannot do anything - morally or militarily. Putin and Russia are clear that this is their "Iraq"! If Saddam Hussein had killed people, so - Putin claims - has the Georgian government. So, where does that leave one? Europe hasn't squeaked. It can't. Most of its oil comes from Russia and if Russia closes its supply Europe could be in a big mess as the Oil prices at such a high! Even the US consumers will be hit. Russia means business and it is going ahead with its task by opening new fronts. US is flying back Georgian troops from Iraq. The US troops there in Iraq will be affected as well. Read more
Indian Air-force fliers are in Nevada at the Nellis airbase as India had been invited to participate in a special NATO exercise. Indian IAF have trained long and are very proud of their professional strength and they want to show it. An Indian Airforce SU-30 lands at the Nellis airbase. 247 IAF warriors reached Nellis a couple of days ago after their training and practice at the Idaho air base and will use their Sukhoi fighters against the F-16s and F-15s of US and NATO. Read more
Drishtikone
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