As we continuously dedicate our time and energy towards improving what we do, our movements reach beyond passion and that’s when our creative possibilities spring forth boundlessly!
Savvy
Category Archives: Travel
Master or mastered
Why mind.
Who is the master?
Who is the mastered?
When mind masters you follow
When the mind is mastered you lead.
Want to lead or follow…
The choice rests with you.
Savvy
Solitude: A road to stillness?
AN ARTIST’S RELATION TO SOLITUDE
An artist must make time for the long periods of solitude
Solitude is extremely important
Away from home
Away from the studio
Away from family
Away from friends
An artist should stay for long periods of time at waterfalls
An artist should stay for long periods of time at exploding volcanoes
An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at fast-running rivers
An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the horizon where the ocean and sky meet
An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the stars in the night sky
Marina Abramovic
I loved the poem enough to share it, yet felt there is something much deeper to reflect there.
Is solitude the road to stillness … afterall there is often stillness in the movements and movement in the stillness as well.
So I would like to ask an artist…
Do you really want solitude or stillness ?
Sometimes in deep solitude there is no stillness.
And that is perhaps the reason for the need of staying away from it all.
Staying away is not the answer but just a change to alter and arrange thoughts.
For thoughts run amuck sometimes and have a speed all their own
Perhaps the need of the moment is being still
To witness the tides as they rise and recede.
Stillness is amidst it all in your hearts
Not in some far away place.
Then anytime you are free to…
Walk in to your own special place.
Art happens out of nowhere
It has no specific time to arrive
In the busiest of moments
Arises an insight
To write to paint and draw
It tugs on your heart to create itself.
It sees no day or night
No reason to appear or disappear
In fact art is living in every moment
Waiting for us to manifest it.
Savvy
What would you do?
So a dear friend from another city knowing my love for science intimates me about a lecture program on Astronomy that was scheduled to happen in my city.
Reading more about it got me looking forward to attending it.
It was expected to happen in a school auditorium. And the entry was open to all.
I called a day prior to the event to confirm and then decided to schedule my work for the day so that I would be free enough to attend and enjoy it.
The organizers had mentioned about arriving at a stipulated time, it took me an hour to reach there by car but I was on time. I found the venue completed the registration and walked up a flight of stairs to the auditorium.
As I entered I saw a couple of seats free as most were occupied and I was settled in.
There was a chair with a bag next to me. And there was a girl in the next chair. I sat there waiting for the program to start.
Many people walked past me searching for a chair but never thought of checking if the chair beside me was really occupied. The auditorium was soon getting filled up. And then a young boy came in and checked if the seat was empty. Because he asked he got the seat actually, as the bag turned out to be the young girl’s.
Just as we were are settling and waiting …within 10 minutes or so, there was such a sudden rush in the number of people entering the auditorium. Suddenly the hall seemed to be brimming over with people It was quite a sight as even the aisles were full of children and parents and elderly. And people were still pouring in. It soon turned almost unmanageable and overcrowded.
A lady came on the stage and requested people in the aisles to sit where they were standing but no one was ready. In fact, to be fair, it was getting difficult to even stand, let alone sit.
The lady then started off asking parents teachers to vacate their seats for the children, as the program was meant mainly for them. No one was ready to get up and give up their seats.
On hearing the heartfelt request, I instantly gave up my seat for a young boy standing next to me. I just couldn’t sit in my seat after that, but I noticed that except a few like me, most people sat glued to their seats. Perhaps they felt they had a right because they came in earlier than the children standing.
Perhaps we are all flummoxed what to do in situations like this and respond differently.
To my understanding, I discerned that the child of tomorrow stands to gain sitting there more than me for I went there only for my own interest in the subject but perhaps it would help impact or influence his future in a positive way.
So I willingly gave up my seat.
Unfortunately, I had to leave the place as it was filling in so much that it was turning claustrophobic to even stand anywhere. As I jostled my way out of the auditorium I had to squeeze through the crowd all through the flight of stairs and outside on the narrow road in the street to the venue as well. As people were still thronging in.
Although I sincerely missed the lecture I actually felt relieved to have moved out early on.
Clearly, the organizers had missed out on this that the venue was too small to accommodate this unexpected number of people. Looked like their good intentions of keeping the entry free resulted in this. Maybe they could have kept the entry fee for adults and kept it free only for children.
Anyway I had time in my hand and decided to explore a nearby mall and returned home.
A few interesting things happened there. But that is the subject of another post another time.
Just thinking…
Perhaps every moment of our life is predetermined.
Perhaps we are meant to be where we are.
I may have reached the venue on time got the seat but I never got to hear a lecture that I planned to. And since I gave up my seat on my own, I was solely responsible why.
Sometimes life challenges us
What you deeply desire
You may have to give up for another…
But there is always a reason why!
What are your thoughts? Would you have given up your seat or stayed on?
Would love to know…
Savvy
Are We Human?
And this virus is curable… just still struggling to find a cure.
Satya
What makes humanity disappear in some humans?
Why hurt another life in any form?
Why does one life think themselves superior to the other?
Why does man think another life as less important?
What makes human become callous and cunning?
What can we do to change the equation?
If we are human we are responsible.
And must be accountable for our mistakes.
Our crimes often go unpunished
We think we have an edge over the innocent beings
Just because they cannot voice themselves out.
But remember justice is always served
By the creator’s hand.
Have a heart. Acknowledge life.
Behave compassionately. Be empathetic.
Treat life right. Be kind and humane.
Then & only then can we call ourself human.
Savvy
Transcendence of the Spirit and Soul
We are vulnerable beings
And yet in that vulnerability is strength
That resurrects us while unnerving us.
Beyond conflicts is the emergence
All transitions in time to the transcendence…
In spirit and soul.
Savvy
Contd from
Touching the nerve of truth
Touching the nerve of truth
It is not an easy task to confront
Cause to confront is to be ready for conflict
Be it any kind…
From mental social or physical and more
Conflicts are always unwanted.
But change is the only constant
And life moves on creating itself.
In any art and creative endeavour
Say even speaking & writing for that matter, there is much scope for influences and perceptions.
It is the nature of truth to transform
But not without chaos and confusion
Such is the nature of human frailty.
There in lies the strength of human spirit. (Contd)
Savvy
On Interconnectedness
The strength of the interconnects run deeper than we can fathom.
We are much more interweaved and interdependent than we realise.
And the sooner we realize how much we need to coexist, the better we will be.
Savvy
Kindness works
Kindness is a gift of the being.
Kindness alters the thoughts and deeds
Where kindness manifests life evolves for the better.
Kindness is another face of grace and gratitude.
Kindness powers the being positively.
Kindness serves life in all subtlety from the heart.
Be kind where ever you are and whenever you can…
And its totally possible.
Would you be a little kinder than necessary?
For kindness kindles the human spirit to be better.
Kindness works.
Savvy
Art of Acceptance
True learning happens when we realize we are the teacher and we are the student.
And life teaches the greatest lessons without anyone uttering a word or at times in just the sheer presence of a good soul.
Likewise, as we live from our heart and open ourselves to realization and acceptance of new possibilities… true living happens!
Savvy
Simple truth.
There was a question asked to Ramana Maharishi
Question: What is the best way to treat others?
Ramana: There are no others.
This is the simple truth of life and living well.
If only we can see how we are but reflections of one another then a lot of discrimination will stop right then and there.
Discrimination is the root of conflict.
To think one life as above or below another creates inequalities in mutual treatment and socialization.
Remember to practice non discrimination in life and living.
Savvy
Art of Management
Dancing and Management
What’s dancing got to do with management
Everything!
Oh, she is a dance teacher!
What will she know about managing a business?
This is the common perception of people in business setups. They have a dismissive attitude towards anyone who comes from a non-aligned field like arts for example.
Personally speaking, as a dance professional for more than two decades, I can certainly say that the experience trains you into a lot more than dancing. It helps develop & cultivate people skills, culture and mindsets, and the ability to empathetically understand attitudes that can be observed in life and living.
Besides, there are common skills that go beyond business management and enter life skills that one needs to navigate life effectively.
Here are a few skills that come to mind immediately…
- Time Management
- Code of conduct
- Space management
- Body language awareness
- Self Expression
- Discernment
- Discipline and Focus
- Alertness
- Respect
- Collaboration
- Teamwork
- Mindfulness
- Authenticity
- Precision
- Adaptability
- Planning
- Creativity
Dancing movements can open channels of flow which translates into greater energy optimization.
And each dancer may have explored the art of dancing in different forms and its application would have the potential to create a greater depth of understandings.
The value of art may be high, yet the possibilities and the potential application of art are yet undervalued and undermined.
There is so much scope in the art of movement that we can realize. It’s high time to accept that dance education and application has much to offer the world beyond just a stage performance. Great to see radical shifts in the way dance is being perceived across certain parts of the world. But it has to percolate to where all it can matter.
Time to think beyond and open up to these yet underutilized but valuable life management skills.
Savvy
Especially for you
I went to a hotel. After seeing the menu ordered some food.
After 20 minutes a group of youngsters around 10 people came n sat at the next table and ordered their food.
It arrived in a short while and they started eating speaking very loudly and shouting amongst themselves.
One of them noticed me and said ridiculously that he is having good contacts in that hotel, hence food was served to them immediately and they need not wait like beggars.
I felt insulted and felt like cancelling my order. I called the waiter to do so.
The waiter told me quietly, sir, your order is very special to us. So our chief chef is making it especially for you. Their order was prepared by our trainee chefs in a hurry as your food is getting readied by our chief chef.
So I waited patiently for some more time.
In a short while, 6 bearers brought special food which I never ordered and I was given a royal treatment of very rich food. I was perplexed.
The hotel owner was my school friend. He saw me as I entered. He wanted to surprise me. He changed my simple meal to a rich one and instructed the kitchen to give me a royal treat before meeting me.
The group at the next table saw the service given to me and looked at me in wonderment.
That is life. Some will laugh at us pinpointing our inabilities and ridicule us showing off their wealth, power and happiness.
We may feel sad and disheartened thinking in spite of our hard work and sincerity we never get the breakthrough. Sometimes we get depressed so much that we start to think there is no meaning in this life.
Do not worry.
The owner of the world, the chief chef is preparing something special for us. Hence He makes us wait as it takes time. His plan for is special and only He can plan it.
So we have to wait patiently, doing our duties, till his special menu is served to us. When it comes those who looked down at us and ridiculed will have no word to say.
Stay blessed and enjoy your day
Believe in God.
No one and nothing can prevent what is due to us. It will come at the right time. He has Planned.
A share translated by my mother from a Tamil story.
Passion Afire
Such a beautiful share…
Both the words and the vision
So beautifully in tune…
They speak so much with passion
Touching the core of the heart.
Indeed! What a conscious connection!
Savvy
When Life meets Love
The essence of life is love
Wherever you are
Wherever you go
When life is calling
And you walk the path of love
Love brings life home!
Savvy
Savvy Raj 
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