Savvy Raj

Live Life Lovingly!

Category Archives: Life and Living


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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 


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Travel Trails

 

Musings on the Middle East:  Part 2


The Meet and Greets: 

While this trip to the Middle east, was a great getaway of sorts, between the work and pleasure,  it undoubtedly became a fodder for thought and much reflections in those moments of  chanced and planned connects  with some amazing people living there. And some of them  I met for the first time and bonded so instantly as if I knew them forever  and a few  who I knew for decades but didnt get to meet and connect earlier.

There were many more on my list of people who I wanted to meet but have left that for my next trip sooner than later.

Connects of empathy:

Meeting another human being for the first time is an enigmatic phenomenon. In todays age of technology although you may try to connect in so many ways online. Real time meet and greets hold their own a bag of surprises and treats in tow.
One such meet was planned … by me and  my dear warm hearted friend from online. Fatima.An eloquent writer with a heart of gold and a keenly developed insight of people and their resources who draws much strength in  positive reflections and most importantly a kind and brave heart following her dreams.

The  heartfelt connects established in moments of our first meeting was clearly visible. She treated me to an amazing  authentic Arabic  dinner that evening  and while catching up on our lives,  in between us was a complete ease of being which we both mutually sensed in the lovely ease of conversation and strength of connection in the little time we had that day. Her warm hospitality and generosity touched me and I truly  look forward to meeting her again sooner than later and wish her the best always from my heart.

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Then there was this local Arab woman dressed in the traditional Abhaya worn with the hijab and those alluring kohl rimmed eyes with whom I shared a lengthy conversation of their culture and learned much but who moved me in the  simplicity of her  words and in sharing her heart’s deepest desires for freedom of movement and  her eagerness in learning to dance…
Another  wonderful woman with whom my daughter and I shared a great rapport albeit in just a few minutes of conversation was a travel guide who invited us to her home in Abu Dhabi. We got talking about so many things in such a short span of time. We bonded without reservations.
There are many more truly endearing people I met and connected some who I managed to catch up with on phone …but simply put perhaps it is just my way of seeing but I found many friendly people from across the world living there making a living thriving in the tolerance and interconnects  that makes up  much of Dubai’s culture in recent times.

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And yes of course my visit to the traditional city  of Sharjah had its own share of charm . As the people I met there were my  very dear  friends  connecting after so long … yet the heartconnects were entrenched so deep that it felt home to me .

 

A short driving across the city  will lead you through the Corniche  where you can  stay on  to watch the beautiful Arabian Sunset  and may be drive further on to Al Ain as well.

 

Will not forget the trips to the Gold and Spice Souks and most of all the Creek and the dhow cruise on the creek one pleasant evening….

 


Foodwise :

Being a vegetarian I thought my choices would be limited to pizzas and pastas  and of course my saviour’ Subway’ besides the Indian food . But I was pleasantly surprised to find my flavour in Arabic food. Suffice to say the sumptous starters of the Arab cusine  and their  spiced tea was perfectly suited to my vegetarian and satvic senibilities. And I must thank my  dear friends, relatives and hosts who took so much care and put so much consideration while ordering  that I  will hold very fond memories of dining out in this delightful trip.

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Thanks to my amazing hosts I tried many dishes some  which were known  like the falafel and some  new to me…tabbouleh and  the zatar  and lentil soup 

were just divine. Midly aromatic and 

full of flavour  and bursting  with greens 

and a dash of lime . Awesome indeed!.

A city may be made of concrete

But homes are built with hearts

And life thrives in these homes.

Savvy

Precious time spent there…

About me: 

 

Wellness Mentor, Dance Educator & Writer, Motivational Speaker, 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 can be a habit of a lifetime. So besides being a Dance educator being a writer and a designer, creating art and writing poetry gives me immense satisfaction with the infinite ways of expressing myself as I believe in enjoying the journey as much as the destination.’

Travel Trails : From At the Top






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 Musings On Peace 

 Today I am glad to share my reflections on Peace  coupled with my mothers musings on Peace and expectations…

Already a lot has been said and written about this. So that many experts in different fields have shown so many ways to attain peace.

Peace- the ultimate human need even after reaching peaks of success in their fields.  It eludes even the so called achieved souls.

Men have various desires and find various ways to fulfill them. Need for wealth, health, love,  knowledge, family , status, fame, power, comforts… the list goes on.   To achieve them they go through various states  of hardships and  emotional turbulence . Perseverance, hardwork, focus and luck help them to achieve their goals.  But after attaining all these are they peaceful ?  

 Unfortunately the more one gains, the greater is the loss of inner peace. Loads of pressure weighs  us down . 

 The need for more never get satiated. Contentment is always on the other side of the river. Because our expectation  keeps on  increasing. From childhood  one has to live to the expectations of people surrounding them and in the process start expecting the same from all around them.

Whichever field  or whatever state, there is always expectations. Family, friend, society, teachers, work place,  children, lifestyle, appearance , behaviour fit to their age and status… Again it is endless. Peace still eludes . 

Like  the most difficult puzzles have very simple solutions, life problems also can be simplified. Just stop expecting from others or living to other’s expectations. 

One word mantra to peace 

Live , let live. Stop expecting.


Be yourself , let others be themselves. Never shy away or ignore social  responsibilities or inner values. Do without expectations.If every one adhers to this,’Peace’ will befriend the surrounding.

  

Do one’s duty, Be grateful , 

Be understanding. 

Be selfless – all without expectaions. 

With whomever  or wherever one be,  adopt and adjust without expectation , happiness and peace will follow.

Anjana

Living in this now is a sustaining yet exacting task and as every moment presents itself uniquely there is no game plan other than living in it, being at peace,sensing peace and spreading peace in every now as life plays on …So own up to your share of peace.

Savvy 


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Strength of Subtlety

All matter is energy 

And we are unique speckles of vibrations.

All resonating in the universality of life and living.
Trust you matter, more than you know 

Believe you can and are making a difference 

As you connect deeply in the universal flow 

Tune in to reflect the truth of your being.

 

Every word every deed 

Every step every move 

Impacts the larger whole 

Just as much as the world  around affects you.

So start with who and what is around you 

Sense your intuitive self talking to you 

Telling much in all its subtlety.
Trust it for it is abound

With the strength of the subtle energies.

Resonate joy, abundance, balance

Resonate love ,harmony and peace

 For you have the power to transform your world
Savvy 

 

 


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On Truth 

States of truth…

    “Asatho ma sathgamaya”

(Lead me from falsehood to Truth)

Truth

Is harsh, doesn’t mask with loveliness

Is strong, doesn’t weaken with time.

Is pure, doesn’t add false pretentions. 

Is courage, doesn’t waver in fear. 

Is patient, doesn’t hurry to get proven.

Is dignity, doesn’t require deceptions

Is power, doesn’t need strategies.

Is brave, doesn’t bend to threats

Is dare, doesn’t fear challenges

Is honest, doesn’t fall for greed.

Is genuine, doesn’t  have two faces

Is eternal, doesn’t get erased  in time.

Is  final, as it alone triumphs at the end.

Is Divine, The ultimate Reality.

Recently my post  …’On Truth’     www.savvyraj.com/on truth resonated with many  and I received many messages as well  on what it meant to some of my readers personally . 

But this morning I was thrilled to read my mothers reflections on the same …which I am  only too happy to share here …. and while she says ‘it is an echo of your reflections on truth”.  I think the above words are simply great reflections of being.

 

And now here is new share of my reflections on truth again ….

   “Ekam Sat vipraha, bahuda vadanthi” – Rigveda

Truth is One, wise call it by various names.


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 Lessons From Nature


Lessons from Nature…

The sand on the beach implores you to walk slow…

To watch the waves as the cool breeze blows.

To move with ease,  sensing the strength at bay

To see the precious gifts  nature has strewn across your way.

Savvy

 


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On Thoughts … Part 2

This morning I wrote down a few thoughts ….’On tboughts’ and shared and just a while ago I was pleasantly surprised by some lovely afterthoughts shared by my dear mother  almost immediately on Whatsapp.

I share her jotted thoughts here as part 2:

 On Thoughts  
Thoughts are the doorways that connect our inner and outer world. As we walk along this path it leads  us along the physical ,material world filled with varied emotions, feelings and desires. It connects us with our past, bring back the forgotten memories and our reaction depends on what it mirrors. It has the power to make us sad, angry, or happy.  Like an expert master it rules our emotions.  A happy moment can turn sour when it brings an unwanted, unneeded or unconnected memory back which is followed by a volley of unnecessary words and arguments which can make the whole scene bitter, thereby sowing the seed for another set of  reactions in another time frame. 

On blooming thoughts . 

   

It is a magical weaver. It has the potential to jump from past to future in a fraction of a second. It’s speed surpasses the fastest speed known to us. It has the power to take us to the dream world idling for hours together.    

In the the ocean of time it’s waves are endless. We become playing clay in its hands moulding our moods as it wants.

   In short our thoughts rule us. Like an obedient slave we obey its whimsical command forgetting our true potential.  The wise souls understood this.With their deep knowledge they have shown us various ways  to take command of our thoughts n  tame them. Like a circus ringmaster in the midst of wild animals we should be in constant awareness to lead our thoughts, and observe their moves.
  Similar to a focussed traveller who never strays from his path how much ever  alluring the sceneries on his way, elluding the perils in his path  goes steadfast to reach his destination, we should train ourselves not to be distracted by the flow of thoughts.  We can never stop its flow, as it is natural, but can train our mind not to react to each and every word.  Let’s be a witness,  never become a part. Let’s keep proceeding with the companionship of  positivities like kindness, compassion, selflessness,  humility and  gratitude.  Let’s make this journey beautiful.

 

 Come, let’s walk together in harmony guiding each other positively, as we reach our individual  goals and collective aspirations.

Anjana 

 Do feel free to share your thoughts…


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On Thoughts 

Our thoughts can make or break us in every now.. and our life seems like a hell or a blessing in the way our thoughts unfold . Every life has a unique purpose and a perseveres on with the thoughts to fulfill its being . 

A transition in thoughts is an expansive  phenomena in continuity . It courses on even in attempted conquering of thoughts through control or manipulation of its meanderings into an intentional channeling in consciousness.

Every thought carries weight of our feelings and emotions and vis versa.  The purpose of sensing recognising identifying defocussing and letting go all can be a liberating process .The power of being a witness to your own thoughts is a learning that  can help transcend our limiting beliefs and assumptions. Often practised in the many self awareness programs when practised with dedication and imbibed as a way of life,  they are great tools in human evolution .

Transcending thoughts is  never easy  as  it is truly a choice and practise as thoughts come and go ..the patterns we choose to create with, through and in them, makes one consciously or subconsciously a sculptor of ones life.  And through every exercise of such a choice we leave a mark in time. That said yet, when we choose to make our presence felt and how we emerge will all figure out along the way in the strength of an interrelation of thoughts in interdependence. 

What are your thoughts on this?  

Do feel free to share. 

Savvy Raj 


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Travel Trails: Musings from ‘At the Top’.

Meandering the Middle East : Part I



Dubai : The modern marvel

Musings from ‘At the Top ‘

Constructed on these once very red dunes

A spectacle for the world to see

Is  the height of pinnacle of man’s quest

For higher greater and further…

In the heart of Modern Arabia

Stands the Burj Khalifa a marvel of man.

And as I stand on top of it this evening

In awe and wonder I am drawn

More to admiring the ingenuity

Of men who made it stand and shine.

Behind the glamour of its sparkling glass & lights

And the elegant sheen of its metallic constructs

For me what stood out was that

It stands strong in spite of its ridiculous heights

A labour of co-creation in collaboration

As the sweat and brains of many nations

Whose ingenuity built this structure

A majestic piece of human engineering …

The worlds tallest building.

At the top with its panoramic view…

Across  the sunsets  and the curving  horizon

That blurs into oblivion.

While the betwitching landscape enthralls

I am watching the horizon fade away

My eyes fall on the shimmering sunlight

On the red dunes beckoning me…

And across the distance tideless sea so invitingly blue.

Stepping back to ground in a minute or so…

You are brought back into one of the largest mall Dubai Mall that withstands and supports the entire structure .

In all an amazing experience of  gleaming glass the allure of metal and the glitzy glamorous spaces.

At the Top of the Burj Khalifa  the tallest man-made structure in the world is a one of a kind experience indeed .

Night view from the Burj Khalifa

An expansive evening view of the horizon curving  towards you greets you and the enthralling lights of Dubai by Night is a treat indeed .

My night vision from the Top of the World

The lights dazzle the senses and perhaps more oft than not, even the most earthy traveler is left struck at first sight by the sparkle of the city.

…Although truth be told I am left wondering  the necessity of such dazzling displays of opulence and materialism which is symbolic of  the very modern Downtown Dubai.

Perhaps such are the stakes when a city develops so rapidly and begets names like the City of Gold , City of the Future as even the City of Dreams and boasts of the largest landmarks and sets a global standard in lifestyle as it continues to develop its infrastructure and works at providing excellent opportunities for cosmopolitan life and living with an unbelievable 80% of  its population being of foreign origin making its culture a melting pot of different nationalities. And that in all is truly a stellar example of the strength of the interconnects in the interdependence .

Savvy Raj

Contd in Part 2 …The Meet and the Greets


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Empathy Matters.

   Empathy is seeing with another, listening to another, and acknowledging them as they are in a non-judgmental way.

It is being with another, sensing their feelings, and caring enough to reach out with support through words, actions, and deeds.
~@SavvyRaj #WUWorldChanger

Excerpt from: http://blog.thewellnessuniverse.com/a-lesson-about-empathy/ [Read more]


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Thoughts for every day!

 

 

   

Beautiful thoughts make a beautiful day… Savvy 


Whenever we are able to see beyond the physical characteristics and see the reason why a person behaves the way they do , and strive to be the best we can be , we are attuning ourselves to the divinity in and around us …. 


Harmony beckons… BRINGING PEACE , JOY AND ABUNDANCE

 Savvy Raj 



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On Legacy 

On Leaving a legacy …

A life lived in expression of one’s passion

A life lived in dedication and devotion.

A life lived sensing the spirit of being alive.

A life spent enriching others as much as ones own.

A life lived like that is ever blessed in grace

For wherever the soul resides

It is always shining in eternal light.

Savvy

Had written these verses on hearing an account of the journey of a life well lived …. nurturing a life of goodness and  generating goodwill .

Feel compelled to share this with my readers and ask what would you think is a true legacy? … and  most importantly have you seen or influenced by someone following such a path upclose.

Do share your thoughts…

Savvy Raj


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On Truth 

​In a world where the lines get blurred

To chalk out the differences

Of what constitutes real and virtual world

Our projections become our ultimate truth

Our truth become a pawn in the hands

Of those adept at carving out…

A world of make believe!
All… a matter of optical illusions

And to sift the truth from the facades

Is it  mockery of  minds

And the intelligence of senses

Such is the state of affairs

The games people play

Churns out the insides

Like an avalanche on its way.

 

With  widespread body of lies

And failings everywhere

Truth takes beating

From one and all

In the circle of life and living.
And then…

When truth dares

To be voiced out

The hearts that dare

Know the consequence

Yet they brave out

Unperturbed by naysayers

And the wrongdoers

For truth adheres to itself

Like no other steadfast

It stands on its own support

 

And in all fairness truth

Journeys on through time

Awaiting patiently,

hesitating  perhaps awhile

& finally emboldening itself

To open up fair & square

And thus evolving along

Through the winding paths

Of the many states of truth.

Savvy Raj

This poem is a dedication to all things forthright and in respect for all those who speak their mind & who stay true to their hearts in words and deeds. For truth prevails… ultimately!  

Savvy 

 


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On Seeing beyond the looking!

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“Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road.”  Dag Hammarskjold

Swedish Political Leader, Secretary General Of The United Nations

   These  above words may spell success or  be a recipe for disaster depending on the ability to keep the focus on that which you see!

  The acceptance of the manifold possibilities  of seeing beyond looking  could be the very reason for expansive outreach of potential in world affairs and resolutions whether it is a matter of peace or war. Having said so, solutions are in the emergence of a stream of consciousness in awareness of a meeting point in the melting pot from convergence to transcendence. An approach that is inclusive in temperament and expansive in the envisioning.

  Truth be told , we have travelled on far in time  and space and as we stand today, the realisation of the infinity  of consciousness beyond the horizons is well set already.  It is just a matter of  probability on where our sights are, as we envision our path beyond  and how it resonates in our awareness as it takes flight. 

   Speaking of flight unto beyond there is much going on before from take off  between the spreading of wings  and the flapping in flight. Would a bird be able to fly if its sight is fixated on the ground. Would the ship be able to sail  of to distant lands  and explore if it keeps itself safe harboured along the shores…. Its no wonder indeed that to fly  and explore the unknown you must first be ready to let go of the ground beneath your feet.

   In the same breath the awareness of when to take the flight  and where and how to land back  and find the balance on the high ground  is a task of a lifetime to master.

  So between the focussed planner of details and the far sighted idealist visionary…there are many paths  to envision, where do you see yourself ?

  Who are you? Are you  more of the visionary kind?

  Or are you the more cautious realist who weighs your options before every step?

  What are your views on this? Do care to share…

   Savvy Raj