On Compassion
Category Archives: Love
On Nurturing 2
Parenting: The learnings in the nurturing.
Parenting is a long term learning process. With the first born every parent is going through a variety of emotions and various stages of parenting. It is true as an infant it is entirely on the parents- be its safety, its cleanliness, understanding its cries for various needs- all done with so much love and care without prior experience. As the child grows so does its mode of expression, tantrums, seeking attention, and the parents learn to cope up with all of it like experts. Cherubic angels with devilish moods. It’s a 24/ 7 job with full focus. The teacher in the child starts teaching valuable lessons, you may have not come across so far in any university.
You have to constantly learn new techniques with every child. One lesson will not work with the other as they are different individuals teaching you to handle the same issues with various means.
You will be learning new lessons with every stage of their growing up. Infants to toddlers to kids, youngsters to teen agers, Young adults to grown up,men and women, each stage teaches you different lessons.
You will be learning new lessons on changing generations, their changing values, how to maintain the balance and be a bridge to keep up the tranquility and peace at home. Though every phase has its testing period, it is challenging period when they are in their teens with their need to balance their inner and outer worlds. Once you cross that successfully you can enjoy a momentary peace till the next one starts.
Coping up with the the new relations that springs up in their lives, and the need to understand their changing priorities, to accept gracefully and take the back seat in their life though they remain as ur priority , without regrets. Ability to know the strength of the bond though invisible still remains strong and intact. The list of life lessons the child teaches goes on till the end.
That is the way life has to go on.
And all the while we pride ourselves as parents and that we teach and guide our children!
Who is the real teacher here?
These are a few reflections from my mothers perspectives on Parenting.
There may be many styles of parenting and the nurturing they instill may be relative to what they received. There is no foolproof way to successful parenting as success is itself subjective. However the idea of nurturing abilities and giving space for evolving helps the holistic development of individual.On Nurturing
In a nutshell …can think of 5 A’s of Nurturing as parents… but the list never ends .
Acknowledge abilities as uniquely significant.
Appreciate the good qualities & its application.
Allow the potential of personal expression.
Accept the challenges as part of life
Adapt to changing nature.
What are your views on Parenting and nurturing? Do share.
Life is as you make it!
Life meets life
Life loves life
Life trusts life
Life births life
Life greets life
Life touches life
Life appreciates life
Life helps life
Life flows with life
Life inspires life
Life connects life!
Life hurts life
Life fears life
Life owns life
Life negates life
Life fights life
Life fools life
Life cheats life
Life hates life
Life fails life
Life takes life.
Life grieves life.
Life cherishes life
Life values life
Life nurtures life
Life goes on … such is the circle of life!
Savvy
Wheel of life.Artwork by Savvy
On Giving & Receiving : 2
In the giving, we find our self
In the receiving, we understand our self.
In learning to give and receive well we learn about our own nature. How we feel in accepting a gift or compliment or reward or title… For many, it is a task that is confusing, to say the least, especially how to accept a gift in a graceful dignified way.
Even more so, however, is how we learn to reciprocate what we receive and how to do so.
It truly is about reflecting gratitude. A gift well received is a gift in the truest sense or else it can be perceived in many other ways. How do you receive the gift you are given and how you care to express it back can make all the difference. Although subjective to the giver and the occasion the way you acknowledge it is very important to the giver.
I remember this incident from my childhood…
Many years ago as a young kid at school, I used to carefully collect and save my pocket money so as to be able to buy small gifts for my family and friends on their birthdays. I would forgo my little sweet treats at lunch break and put it all in a little purse.
Once it was one of my dear relatives birthdays and I managed to joyfully search and buy a beautiful bracelet, a trinket actually from the saved money and happily gifted it to her. But to my dismay …in a few days she went and exchanged my gift for something else and I felt a little disappointed for a while when she told me casually about it only much later. But then gradually I let it go and accepted it as every person is entitled to their own taste of things. And I also felt, what may appeal to one may not suit the other. To each his or her own!
All is a matter of a shift in perspectives.
As soon as you adjust the way you see things the so-called issues that irk disappear on their own… but the question is are we ready to see beyond the niggling bits.
Lessons in life and living indeed!
A few more reflections on Giving and Receiving
Give with all of your heart
whenever and wherever you can
Because you truly can.
Receive by expressing the value
In heartfelt appreciation
of what you have got
Because it truly matters.
For then in the giving and receiving
Is established a full circle
of a contented connection.
And that will pave the path of grace
For more to follow along.
Give generously without any expectation
Receive generously in true appreciation.
Both are the core of human nature in action.
And all is well in the circle of interconnection.
When you give heartfully forget about it.
When you receive gratefully, remember it
Savvy
Tell me have you ever had a similar experience
What do you think about it? How would you feel if your gift was exchanged… or have you exchanged a gift for another?
Would love to hear from you, do share your thoughts…
Savvy
On giving and receiving.
When one share’s from the heart, the result is always a regeneration of trust confidence and love in abundance.
With increasing love, there is a decrease of needs and with that, there is greater contentment and fulfilment!
A few things to keep in mind are… share without motive, share without ego, share with gratitude!
The ones who share with acceptance writ in their hearts are the ones who know the value of letting go enough to reaps its rewards.
Rewards that cannot be measured by time or days, as they abound in the infinite wisdom of conscious connections!
In the spirit of the season you can join the dance of life in this now with all your heart and soul. And partake the pleasures of being there in both the receiving and the giving.
Savvy Raj
The truth of it all!
Getting to the truth of it all!
Beyond time is the eternal truth.
As time is caught in its own warp and loop,
Mirrored in their dimensions
Of patterns and pathways
Of their own making…
To aspire into the yet unknown,
To reach beyond existence,
Of knowing what lies beyond mortality
And all in the vulnerability and irrationality
And touch the core of creation
In coherent contemplation
As connected in continuum
In the interweaving of this interplay
Arises the dawn of consciousness.
To care to fine tune your skills to artistry
Is to perfect the preciseness of the point of view.
Envision this profoundness in the spaces between
Thought and action
In conviction and creation
Of a dimension that is but a mirror
Of its own very existence,
Bringing the fallacies and the facade
Out in the open to sift out the truth of it all.
Savvy Raj
About me:Wellness Mentor, Artist ,Dance Educator & Trainer Motivational Speaker, Writer, Freelance Designer
Creativity stems from the acceptance of your authentic self. It is a never-ending journey of endless possibilities that is much beyond the pursuit of a hobby or craft and is a habit of a lifetime. So besides being a Dance Educator as a Wellness coach, I offer a variety of Personal Effectiveness Programs for Self-development. Being a Writer and a Designer creating art gives me immense satisfaction with the infinite ways of expressing myself as I believe in enjoying the journey as much as the destination.
Care to paint, write, draw, dance, sing and smile and simply let yourself be your authentic self and you will find the extraordinary in every moment.
Savvy
Artworks Savvy Raj .
Modern Marvels 1
Ingenuity of man is fascinating indeed But when coupled with the passion it leaves quite an imprint ….
Here’s a testament of a love story finding a fixture in reality .
Have you heard of the STATUES OF LOVE
Located in Batumi, Georgia, the statue of lovers begin to move every night at 7 p.m.And the two figures represent a Muslim boy, Ali, and a Georgian princess, Nino, from a famous 1937 novel by Azerbaijani author Kurban Said. The tragic story ends with the lovers separated by the invasion of Soviet Russia. This powerful love story has been translated into more than 30 languages.
“Man and Woman” is a 8 meter (26 foot) tall moving steel sculpture by Georgian sculptor Tamara Kvesitadze.
Video link Watch this
Sharing my verses in appreciation of the visions of beauty created by human collaborations in creativity…
An artist’s vision…
An engineering of marvel.
Of outstanding technicality.
Ingenuity of man interweaving emotions
Interspersing with creativity.
Painstaking perfection.
Magnanimous task
Cultivating in collaboration
Perseverance and patience
With teamwork and technicality.
Stupendous effort.
A sight to behold!
Imploring you to feast your eyes on a visual treat!
Savvy Raj
On Nurturing
I speak my heart here ….have often felt that the dignity of the being often succumbs in the pressures of the so called equality.
The pressures of multitasking of nurturing and rearing as well as earning for a living may get to many nurturers be it any gender but sadly many may not have a say as they need the income.
To raise a child or children is a full time effort that needs presence than presents .Simply gifting goodies to make up for lack of time can axe the very meaning of true nurturing .
There is much at stake …and nurturing has yet to receive the value it truly deserves irrespective of the fact that it is the most important reason behind a better human being a better nation and thus better life and living in the future both professionally and personally affecting us all.
Thankfully we have hopefully crossed a certain understanding in conscious empathy in time and that may provide a respite but we truly have a long way to travel . Just that the world needs more care in this now as much as in the future .
And taking a single step to express the care goes such a long long way.
The Call of the Dunes.
Desert Trails :
The call of the dunes.
The desert has a way with you.
Just sun and sand across and around you.
As much as your eyes can see in the yonder
The red tinged sands bears the patterns of movement.
Of many who walked in there in sheer amazement.
Of the eerie silence of nothingness around
Except the tunes, that the howling winds may sound.
The charm of the desert springs on at night
At the camp with carpets spread out
Surrounded by the bedouins tents
And a sheesha to indulge if you wish
Traditional Arabic hospitality peeks
And the swaying hips of the belly dancer speaks
Flowing and swivelling like the swirls on the dunes
Mesmerizing you in the alluring moves to the mystical tunes.
Bring it on you may yourself say…
You must at least for once pass this way!
Savvy
What do you see?
When I shared this beautiful picture of the Jacaranda Trees on the social media yesterday this post got a lot of responses… and continues to pour in still. Perhaps it touches the chord of connectedness somewhere amidst the roots.
Am highlighting a few learnings along the way for me through this post.
My friend John Rylance mentioned about how much the beautiful work ‘ Endymion’ the poem with the opening line ….
‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever’ by John Keats applies to this picture . In his words ..
So much of this poem reflects your Jacaranda tree picture, it could so easily be an illustration to accompany the work.@John Rylance
Sharing a few curated verses from the poem Endymion-
A thing-beauty-joy-ever…
Paths there were many,
Winding through palmy fern, and rushes fenny,
And ivy banks; all leading pleasantly To a wide lawn,
whence one could only see Stems thronging all around between
the swell Of turf and slanting branches: who could tell
The freshness of the space of heaven above,
Edg’d round with dark tree tops? through which a dove
Would often beat its wings, and often too
A little cloud would move across the blue.
Endymion is a poem by John Keats first published in 1818. It begins with the line “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”. Endymion is written in rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter. Wikipedia Originally published: 1818
I also came across the video clip about these trees there..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW61D92WV1I
In response my friends Claire Cardwell and Gert Scholtz mentioned about Pretoria and Johanesburg in South Africa having huge number of these trees still.. inspite of the opposition to these so called alien invasions …
@Savvy Raj there was a very vocal minority a few years back that wanted to chop down all the Jacaranda trees as they are not indigenous to South Africa. Fortunately the majority over-ruled them! You can’t however now buy a Jacaranda sapling at the nursery to plant in your garden. I do love them, I think the best places to see them in Joburg are in Linden, Northcliff Hill and in an office block in Rosebank – looking down all you can see is purple. Thanks for the post! Claire Cardwell
@Savvy Raj Jacaranda’s are truly beautiful. They bloom this time of year and our street plus many surrounding areas are covered with bright blue-purple flowers. Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda city, but Johannesburg where I live, actually has more of these trees lining the streets. Very nice post Savvy – thanks for the video too.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever indeed!
Thank you all for your amazing contributions.
And then as I happened to share this photograph with my family and here is what my mother comes up with…
“The twisted branches signify the conflicts in our wavering minds and the clarity of the sky of the blue in the background with the bewitching pink flowers assures us of the positive solutions at the end .” Anjana
Indeed so much learnings in the sharings …
What did you see in the picture ?
Ethereal
This beautiful photograph of the Jacaranda Tree is a sight to behold . I have always liked to see pictures of these purple and pink and lavender blue trees .
But this particular picture … it was pure fascination!
Could I write verses on it…. perhaps! Cos it feels like serenedipity everytime I see it. There is so much pleasantness in that picture for me … I am guessing I am simply partial to all those hues and tones right there juxtaposed so delightfully. Quite like the essence of a prolific poem understated and unassuming.
Yet poetry is not on my mind today…
In fact what I am drawn to here is the delicate draw of balance of colour and composition. The brilliant blues of the sky entices the viewer as much the hints of hues of greens and pink just about show up ever so delicately amidst the starkness of the stems from betwixst and between the branches of this bewitching tree.
And thats not all … there is so much more to that tree and this photograph is just a hint of whats in the offing….
There is certain sense of ambiguity yet an attribution of knowing there is much much more beyond the visible.
In fact when you actually see, it is the beauty of the skylight seen through the canopy of pink flowers amidst those branches all captured in that one enthralling moment.
And like nothings is ever permanent and perfect, there always comes the scope of change even in so much balance in that stillness of the movement so precariously precise in the picture.
The trick is to be aware of balance
Appreciate the now for what it is
It offers much if you choose to see.
So perfect in its imperfections
A sense of the almost ethreal…
Here are a few facts on Jacaranda Tree.
The Jacaranda flowers are known to flutter down continously from the tree.The trees are native to South and Central America and now are also seen in many tropical areas of the world.
Pretoria in South Africa is known to be The Jacaranda City for the huge number the these trees planted in parks steets and gardens.So much so that when seen from the nearby hills the city is known to appears blue/purple in colour.
The word Jacaranda means fragrant in a South American dialect and depending on their species they have blue to white to lavender pink to purple shades of flowers. They are known to grow as tall as 20 to 30 metres in height in their lifetime which can span from 50 toover 70 years or so.
And because of that one picture I choose to look up and discover these tidbits … .Do share if you find some more about this tree.
Savvy Raj
Dancing to what moves you.
Love Dancing?
Are you drawn to the art of movement? Do you wish to dance but are confused where to begin and how to take the first step into the world of dance? Read on…
First of all it is essential to find that dance form which moves you. But before that it would be a good idea to ask yourself if you are the kind of person who is a team player or someone who enjoys solo dancing.
If you are kind who enjoys social dancing with a partner there are a plethora of dance forms you can learn, but yes the ideal situation is that you have a willing partner who enjoys dancing as much as you do!
Learning even the basics of some partner dance forms that appeal to you and your taste of music and tempo is a wonderful way to step into the world of dancing.
Its important to remember that just like our choices are not static but actually evolve with time, in an ever evolving world of movement, dances too evolve with changing trends and generations … thus it is the study and practice of the concepts and techniques that play an important role in developing your skills and enhance your dancing.
If you are interested in learning to dance ..it would be good to be aware of the depth of your interest, whether its just as a passing fancy, a fad to learn something new,or to learn because of a deeper connect that you feel every time you dance, or even as you watch other people dancing. An honest self appraisal would be helpful in deciding what the next course of action should be. If you feel the connect I am talking about, get going and start of with some dancing lessons for yourself now!
If you wish to discuss more on your dance related queries feel free to reach out here savvy@danceconcepts.in.
Member International Dance Council
UNESCO
On Interconnects
For we cannot survive alone in islands of our own making…
Life truly thrives in the interconnects
Give and partake, share and receive
The gifts of abundance are strewn aplenty across
If we choose to truly see with open hearts.
Savvy Raj
On Life Management.
Wisdom truly lies in the art of management of two principles in life : one of never giving up and the other of letting go.
On one side is a dedication, discipline and determination and on the other is the dispassionate discernment and in learning to surrender to balance the ego within. Every attempt at achieving such a state of balance can be a great tool for learning to evolve with the wisdom.
For life is to evolve and not simply dissolve
For life is to live and not simply exist.
Take the path of purpose in faith trust and belief
Flow along with the path of light in passion and dedication .
And allow life to manifest its infinite abundance.
There is an exemplary account of life lived in such a path of evolution and enlightenment
Sharing the great visionary of India Swami Vivekananda’s account of life story in his own words here ….
“When you travel on this path of shraddha, (faith) veerya, (courage ) smiriti, (that which is remembered) you have to go through three phases. The first phase is Haasya (laughter/humour). People will make fun of you. Face them. Accept them. When you are taunted, reply in the same tone of haasya. Then slowly the inner consciousness starts evolving. Then comes the second stage ‘Virodha’.(opposition/ hostility) The same people will start opposing your stance – Accept all the opposition. Don’t fight with anybody. Don’t argue. The moment you get into the argument, then you are going to suffer. If you argue while you are going through lot of internal turmoil’s, conflicts and confusions, you will not be able to convince anybody. So, during the second part of sadhana, (dedicated practice)don’t argue with anybody. Convert the negativity into a positive fragrance and give this in return. Then comes the third stage of ‘Svekaara'(acceptance). The same people who laughed at you, the same people who threw stones, will do pranams ( respectful salutation)& accept you.
In my own life, I have experienced this but I had to pay heavily. Those who taught me became my students but only after I did tapas for 10 years continuously and silently. Understand one thing. Inner sadhana is not a revolution but an evolution. Revolution requires force, vengeance. Evolution requires love, humility and a great feeling of universal love. The consciousness has to evolve. This is an evolutionary process where the bud flowers. We have to allow time for the bud to flower. It will not flower in one day. It takes time. It has to receive proteins, vitamins and the necessary energy for all petals to open out. You have to have a great patience. You have to create an environment for the petals to bloom silently. This is Sadhana. “Swami Vivekananda
Any path of passionate dedication and discipline evolves you along in the strength of persevarance
To honor your path and vision is a task of a lifetime.
To steer clear of slack and sloth, lethargy and languidity takes a consistent mastering of the senses.
To stay true to your chosen way and vision is a commitment driven by your belief and faith in your life’s purpose of being.
To know is to reach beyond the sensing of the eternal truth of ones being .
And all the challenges happening along in the journey, will resolve in time on its own as the intent and focus remains unwavered.
For life itself is a spark of the divine consciousness.
Savvy Raj
On Being Grateful.
A beautiful and well meant message share came my way this morning … and I thought it was relevant enough to share ..
The qualification that gave you a job is the same qualification someone has who still does not have a job.
Be grateful.
The prayer that God answered for you is the same prayer others have been praying but without success.
Be grateful.
The road you use safely on a daily basis is the same road where many others lost their precious lives.
Be grateful.
The temple in which God blessed you is the same temple other people too worship in, yet their lives are still in discord.
Be grateful.
The rain that made your field produce good crops is the same rain that devastated someone else’s field.
Be grateful.
Be grateful because whatever you have is not by your power, your might , your talent or your qualifications, but it’s just the “Grace of God.” the giver of everything you have.
For everything you have, be grateful. 😍
Gratitude Rocks!
Savvy
Savvy Raj 
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