"Well, If you have done your Masters in Biochemistry.. I did mine in Botany"

Hmm, I am now considered a Senior Software Engineer in EMC ;-), but its really funny, cos I didn't do my engineering in Computer Science. My first job interview in chennai was really funny.

hmm I will continue this story..

I completed my Masters in Biological sciences from loyola & started to pursue my dream job - a researcher in a top ranking institute (IISC, TIFR) A master's from loyola was good enough to pursue research in entomology labs, but it wasnt good enough for biotech research labs. Adding to my ill-luck, the same year, the goverment came up with a new rule that "Students are eligible for a research fellowship only if they clear the CSIR Examination". No one in our batch had any clue on what the exam would be, and what would be required to pass the exam.

In parallel, my father signed up for the "golden handshake" - where one gets a lot of money in exchange for an early retirement plan(from State Bank Of India) My father always believed that a bank job carried a lot of benefits and he always wanted me to take up his position, eventhough the bank would only offer me a "cashier" position to begin with. For some odd reason, he thought that doing research was just a waste of time. ;-)

Well, in life, some lessons are learnt in a bitter way ;-) i wrote the CSIR examination 3 times, and every time the results came, i felt like i was searching a winning lottery ticket number in a paper. Inasmuch as i was headstrong to be a "researcher", I missed the Bank job and found myself at the mercy of cancer department(chennai) for an aid to continue my Ph.d.

I wanted to be more "independent" and so i decided to even try a marketing job in the evening hours. oh. this was really tough because you have to go door-to-door or office-to-office to market ANZ grindlays bank credit card. It was a time in chennai when no one really wanted to pay interest for credit cards ;-) and so it was very difficult to convince customers. So in order to get a Rs 3500/month salary, one has to complete 3 or 4 applications per day (which comes to around 63 applications - assuming 21 working days)

My father passed away on the month of december, and it became increasingly stressful cos we had to move back to a different location. hmm more bad news was just waiting..

i will be back to continue..(as usual)

Hmm I guess i will take a break & stop writing for some time till i find some nice pictures. Cos I feel like stories aren't worth blogging :) Bye everyone. ;-)

A few nice quotes..

silence said to be golden?

The tongue is the armour of the heart; it guards one's life. Loud and unnecessary talk, words full of anger and hatred - all these affect the health of man. They breed anger and hate in others; they wound, they excite, they enrage, they estrange. Why is silence said to be golden? The silent man has no enemies, though he may not have friends. He has the leisure and the chance to dive within himself and examine his own faults and failings. He has no more inclination to seek them in others. If your foot slips, you suffer a fracture; if your tongue slips, you fracture someone's faith or joy. That fracture can never be set right; that wound will fester forever. Therefore, use the tongue with great care. Always speak softly and sweetly, and only as much as is necessary.
- swami

Man's vision, which is now turned outward towards the phenomenal universe, should be turned inwards towards the Indwelling Spirit. One should manifest the Divine consciousness inherent in him. He should submit himself to that consciousness as a spiritual discipline. This is called "Conscious Realization of the Inner Divine." The first task is to develop awareness of the Divinity within. The next stage is the realization of the truth that the divinity that is within oneself is equally present in all others. One must recognize that the veil or barrier that appears to separate one from others is born of delusion and every effort should be made to remove it. Only then will it be possible to experience the oneness of all creation.
- swami

He who has good thoughts and good ideas is a Sadhu (holy man). Sadhu does not mean one who merely wears an orange robe, shaves his head and wears Rudraakshas (holy beads). The real Sadhu is he whose deeds are in accordance with the words of advice he utters. Devotion cannot tolerate in the devotee the slightest trace of envy or jealousy. Make your daily life holy and pure. Render your life worthwhile through service to man and service to society. That is the most important aspect of surrender to the Absolute.
-swami

"God is one; the wise hail Him by many names"

Man suffers from numerous ills because he has not understood the purpose of life. The first thing he has to realize is that God is one, by whatever name and in whatever form the Divine is worshipped. The One chose to become the many. The Vedas declare, "God is one; the wise hail Him by many names". It is the imagination of the observers which accounts for the apparent multiplicity of the Divine. The sun is only one, but its reflection appears in many vessels. Likewise, God is present in the hearts of different beings in varied forms and natures.
- Swami

Hmm When i was doing my bachelor's & master's degree in chennai, fortunately, I was blessed to see one of Ramana Maharishi's disciples. My father was working as a Deputy Manager in State Bank Of India & he got a position in Anna nagar branch & so we moved to an apartment in Shanthi Colony, Anna nagar. Still, I dont remember how i got in touch with ramana maharishi disciple. His name was "Sadashiva Rao".

Finally i got time. (Enjoying the new office in EMC ;-) ) Let me push one story in.
Just like Ramana Maharishi, Sadashiva Rao looked really simple. He was like hardly 5 feet tall, very slim, thin & he wore glasses but somehow i felt like his eyes were different. It was so powerful. His house was very clean, & he had only one mega picture in his house. A portrait of Ramana Maharishi!!!. It was not like an oridinary picture!!. When i saw the pic for the first time, I felt like Ramana Maharishi was just sitting in front of me :-) Every evening, by 6.00 pm, he would take a bath & go for meditation for like an hour. He would light an agarbathi & with all "Madi & Aacharam" enter the meditation room. If I come in by around 5.45 or just before 6.00, he would ask me to sit in the hall & answer telephone calls/ or if some one rings the bell.

He would never take any money from anyone, but some times i dont go empty handed. I would buy some sweets or savouries ( you know like 200 gms ;-) ) but still, he wouldnt accept it. When we were in Shanthi Colony Annanagar, opposite to my house was a Roman Christian family. A small family - the lady was working as a school teacher in Egmore high school & she had a son & a daughter. Her daughter h'd finished Masters in Zoology(Anita Sarah George) & her son was doing B.com in Vaishnav College. Often, the girl would feel lonely & would come to my place for a chat with my mom. Her dad died in a Car accident when she was 3 years old. :(( In like 3 months, we got very close & she would help me in drawing diagrams for my Biology core course. My sister really liked her & she was like a member of our family. ;-) She was like 25 years old & really wanted to marry & settle down. Every now & then, we used to see a big group in her house & we didnt know what was going on. She would then come back the next day & tell my mom that some guy & his parents & friends had come in to see her reg. marraige.

I prepared very well for my higher secondary exams hoping to get in to some Medical college on merit. I scored 95% in PCBZ & wrote the TNPCEE. I got a 45 out of 50 in my Entrance exam. So when i saw sadashiva rao, he shook his head and told me.. "Nope you are not going to be a doctor here" Even if you try to write the entrance exam a hundred times, still, you wouldnt be able to get in to a medical college". I was really upset, but wanted to see if sadashiva rao's words can mean anything. ;-)

I missed the Medical College Cut off mark by 0.7 & so i felt like, i had to take the ugly route to an arts & science college. (Loyola College) I couldn't stop crying & when i saw Sadashiva rao the next day, he felt bad and told me "Why you want to go for an ordinary position if god had decided to send you abroad??" & then he continued to say how i will be in the future ;-)

Ok. Now coming back to the main story. Anita was a Malayali Christian, and so she was telling my mom that guys demand a lot of dowry in her sect. She would often cry & ask my mom for advise. I would think like.. "She is really pretty, well educated..decent family. and why would someone demand dowry" Chi Chi..

Girl/Woman occupies the highest position in human life. She is the embodiment of love & wealth!!(aiswaryam) and one who doesnt have self confidence relies on dowry. So i decided to take this issue to sadashiva rao & want to see if he can help out. But, i had a doubt. Anita is a christian girl & how can sadashiva rao give any advice for her????

(reminds me of words from Bhisma. When Bhisma goes to Indira & learns philosophy from renowned saints/sages. shantanu asks him.. "Hmm what you learnt about Pita.(father) and Bhisma replies. A teacher's blessing is really powerful, but a father's blessing is more powerful than a teacher/guru. Then shantanu pauses for a moment and asks Bhisma. "What about Mother?. Bhisma smiles & says. "A mother's blessing is thousand times more powerful than a teacher/father's blessing". Shantanu asks why.. "Bhisma replies.. "A teacher or a father can be good or bad, but a mother can never be bad.. so she occupies the highest position")

Normally, sadashiva rao doesnt see hands or horoscopes or something. He would just see the person's forehead for like 2 minutes. ;-) After that he would tell the complete past, present & future for that person ;-). It was such an amazing experience when i took my friend cos he was really having trouble finding a job. So when i explained anita's problem to him, he asked me if he can see the girl. I told him that was not possible cos 1. She was a roman catholic & her family is not so orthodox, but they dont believe in Hindu philosophy or saints.
2. She is still unmarried & her mom wouldnt like her going out in the evening!.

So sadashiva rao asked if he can see a picture of her ( with a clear forehead) The same evening when i got back home, I called Anita & told her about sadashiva rao. She thanked me & said "how many pictures you want? I can give u a hundred pictures" hahaha. She showed her album & i selected a picture.

I still, remember that day... The entire area had a power outage & when i got down from the bus , it was pitch dark. haha. But, when i reached sadashiva rao's place, somehow the power got restored & everything appeared normal. I showed him the picture & he saw the picture for like 2 minutes. Hmm i was so curious & asked him how he was able to read the pic. He smiled & replied. "Karthik, when I see the picture or the person's forehead, I usually use the lighter & in the flame, I pray to my guru & ask for the guru's help. I would then be able to read the info.. just like how you read from a book. Just like you see lines on a palm, when i see a person's forehead, I see lines!!." I was like "O. my god"

After a moment of silence.. he then started.. "Karthik.. there is a solution, but you have to go and tell this to the girl & you dont need to worry, when you say it, she will listen & do it..."
I then asked him what i should tell her..

He said.. "Ask her to buy a picture of Meera. or preferably a Meera idol (painted or raw stone). Ask her to sincerely pray for just 2 weeks!. She will get a very good looking guy & her life will be really good. Go and say this to her.."

I then asked him.. "What has Meera got to do with Anita Sarah George?? And why would the girl or the girl's family listen to it? Why should she not use a Christ picture?? He then replied. "God is one, but still, its her previous karma, & so she has to do it this way. Dont ask me any more questions on this.."

I was little bit reluctant, but then, I had full faith in sadashiva rao, and told her exactly what he said. And she then replied (her mom was there.. listening) .. "Karthik.. I will try to get a picture of meera & an idol and pray sincerely.."

And it was just 2 weeks.. one evening, when i got back from college.. I was really surprised to see Anita @ my place. And when i got in, she came to me & almost hugged me ;-). When i asked her why she was happy.. she showed a picture of a guy. It seems the guy's parents got her picture through some one & the guy really liked her. and all of a sudden.. the girl who waited for nearly 3 years, got her match. He was like 5'11, rich, very good looking & more importantly - they didnt expect any dowry from the girl's family. Oh she was really happy!!. When i went for a 4 week vacation to India during the summer of 2001, she took a train from allepey & came personally to thank me.. With god's grace, she was blessed with a lovely kid.. ;-) When i heard that, i was really really happy for her.

I got reminded of a quote ( similar to one in bh.geeta)
"No one can understand my Mystery. The best you can do is to get immersed in it. It is no use your arguing about pros and cons; dive and know the depth; eat and know the taste. In truth you cannot understand the nature of My Reality, either today, or even after a thousand years of steady austerity or ardent inquiry, even if all mankind joins in that effort."
- swami

& its.. sooooooo true.

Girls of this generation are too smart ;-)

hmm I would say the girls of this generation are pretty smart, but we dont know if they take wise decision(s). Sad part is: by the time they realize that its a mistake. it would be too late. I have two interesting stories that i can share ;-)

Alright. Its time for stories ;-) Its a big story, but since i am too lazy typing, i will make it short. And if you guys find it intresting, I shall add more.

Well, I came to the United states during the fall of 1998. Unlike many, I got a H1B visa & came directly for work. With gods grace, I got in to a pretty decent company as a software engineer & kicked off the long awaited green card paper work ;-) I am the youngest of the 3 & i got a lot of support from my bro & sis. My elder brother got married just before the new millenium & my sister got engaged & married in the spring of 2000.

As usual, my mom wanted me to get married soon & settle down in life cos she felt i got a decent job & a marraige would make my life complete. But she also knew that i was too damn picky. For some reason, i was so in to Vedas & learning slokas & so I used to go to the temple every day cos it was just a 5 min drive from my work place. This continued for like more than 2 years, and my mom initially thought & was really scared that i might take up sanyas. :)) My sister & my Brother-in-law decided to speed up the process by giving advt in Hindu & tamil Matrimonial. haha. As usual, we got a ton of horoscopes & pictures for alliance. For some reason, i didnt want to get married before 29 & so i decided not to proceed with any of the horoscopes.

I guess, god really wanted to test my control or something. In the spring of 2003, there was an ad in the tamilmatrimony.com for a girl named "ghayathri" It was posted by her parents, and they were seeking a decent, well settled youngster for their daughter. She was doing her BDS in Chennai, and their family recently moved from Kuwait (following saddam's invasion) My sister initiated the contact & the girls parents saw my pic & got the consent from the girl & they wanted me to talk to the girl. I saw the pic, & initially i didnt want to proceed, but still, i thought of giving a call just to show them that i am kinda decent. :-)

Hmm what do you expect when you talk to a girl for the first time? Well, its obvious that we both knew the reason for the call. hahaha. But I heard something unusual.. After the usual Hi dialogues.. without any warning came "I want you (my future husband) to sponsor me for my higher studies". Well, I took it on a positive note, cos for some reason, i thought she might be a nice girl. We spoke for like an hour & she said she got an internet connection & she would be online & it would be cheaper/easier to chat. Her Mom & Dad liked me very much & just in a day, they met my mom in chennai and expressed their interest to proceed with this alliance. This was my first experience with the chat & she was the only girl i spoke to! (reg. marraige) The chat started off very well, and we got to know each other's interest & for a moment I thought she was the one ;-)

I am busy and I will continue later. ;-)

Well, one can't force anything on anyone.

Ethu nadanthatho athu nanraga nadanthathu Ethu nadakiratho athu nanragave nadakirathu Ethu nadaka irukiratho athuvum Nandragave nadakkum

Ethu indru unnudaiyatho athu nalai matraruvarudaiyagirathu Marunaal athu veroruvarudai- yathagum Inda Matram ulaga neethiyagum

Unudaiyathu ethai elandai,etharkaga nee alugurai Ethu kondu vanthai athai nee elakirai Ethai nee padaithirukirai athai veenakavatharku Ethai nee eduthukondayo athu ingiranthu edukapatathu Ethai koduthayo athu ingiranthu kodukapatathu

-Lord Sri Krishna-