Monday, December 5, 2022

Spirituality: SCHOOL FOR ENLIGHTENMENT

What is Enlightenment?

I am sure this question must have crossed the minds of many people around the world, especially seekers. By seekers, I mean those who are on the journey of self-discovery.

Mukti Guru Shri Krishnaji of Oneness or Ekam has a simple explanation for Enlightenment which totally blew my mind. He says, “Enlightenment is Freedom from all kinds of suffering”.

While the explanation might be simple, getting rid of suffering is not an easy task is what I discovered during my recent sojourn at the Ekam Tapas, a spiritual retreat which I choose to call the School for Enlightenment. One thing I am sure of though: this is a one-of-its-kind school which methodically helps people attain enlightenment during the 5 levels (conducted over 6 weeks) they offer.

I am blessed to have attended the first four levels (over 4 weeks) from October 27 to November 23, 2022. I would also like to mention here that the fifth and final level will be held over 2 weeks and this is to be opened to the public for the first time in October 2023. 

Living and studying at Turiya Campus

Turiya Campus is one of the many campuses owned and run by Ekam (Oneness University). It is huge, with multiple dormitories, both AC and non-AC. There are several gardens, teeming with flowering plants, bushes and trees, surrounded by lush grass. 

There were seekers from around the world—from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in India; from Italy, Belgium, Ukraine, Russia, Portugal, Canada, USA, Japan, China, South Africa and a couple of other countries which I fail to recall—making for an eclectic mix. 

The weather was simply amazing; the skies such gorgeous shades of blue at different times of the day. I have not seen so many stars at night in such a long time. The best part was that I could see the moon throughout all its phases from the full moon to the night before new moon. Exquisite! 

The dining hall was at one end, while the classroom was in the middle, with my dorm at the opposite end. One needed to walk at least 6000-8000 steps a day to reach the different places; which was one of the best parts of my stay there. I loved walking freely in the not-so-crowded area without a single pothole. And no vehicles either! Imagine that! Well, there were 400-450 people (the numbers changed after the first 2 weeks) attending the programme, but it was not crowded despite that. 

While I was introduced to the dormitory way of life only through the Oneness University, I was returning to it after many years. Though I was determined to attend the 4-week programme, I was wary of going back to school at 61 years.

How tough can it be...?

Let me be truthful: It wasn’t easy, especially considering that I am not really fit physically. But then again, it wasn’t difficult either. Class began at 5.30 am sharp. Oh yes! You read that right. For one who wakes up after 9 am, well, it was a different way of living. But I took to it like duck to water. After a couple of early mornings, standing in queue to have a shower, I made it a point to have a bath at 2-2.30 am and went back to sleep, only to get up at 5 am and ready myself for class. It was novel and fun!

The day started with meditation and yoga, followed by breakfast. We had ample breaks while the day winded down by around 8 pm. 

Phones were a complete no-no! And we were asked to keep ‘mouna’ or silence. While there were rules, there was no one to monitor us as they don’t believe in moral policing. Well, I managed to maintain silence 90% of the time. With no TV, laptop or phone, imagine the kind of time we had on our hands. It was simply incredible!

Food was simple and delicious. I ate frugally as a lot of running around was required. They request us to avoid coffee and do not serve it on the campus. People who were keen brought their own. I decided to give up coffee (my most favourite beverage. While I don’t have too much of it, I drink two large cups of it every day at home). I stopped having coffee four days before I left for Ekam Tapas as I thought I might undergo ‘withdrawal symptoms’. Luckily, there was no such symptom and I amazed myself by not having coffee for all of 32 days, until the last day of class. 

Classes were also conducted at Ekam Temple on 3-4 days in a week; while we went for walks along gentle slopes once a week. We travelled around in buses organised by Ekam. 

Another part of the programme which I truly enjoyed was ‘Ashtachala’ or communing with nature. We did this twice in a day, around sunrise and sunset. It was simply AWESOME. It took me back to the time when I was barely a teen. I used to spend hours on my terrace, simply staring at the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars. 

The Journey to Enlightenment

There was a lot of teaching and contemplation to be done. I loved the way the teaching was conducted. We were not allowed to take notes during class, and this is exactly how we used to study when I was in school all those decades ago. The teaching was meant to be absorbed by our consciousness and it did not really matter if we didn’t understand every single word, but needed to assimilate the content. Brilliant!

The teachers, beginning with Mukti Guru Krishnaji, followed by Acharya Ananda Giriji, and the many Dasajis, were each one of them, not only compassionate, but exactly knew what they were speaking about. 

The four weeks were set aside for the different kinds of ‘mind play’ which happens within us, including the Ego Self, the Mind Self, the Duality Self and the Craving Self. These had many bifurcations and I will not go into the details here. It is just that ‘suffering’ is created within us because of the different ways in which our thoughts play out.

‘Suffering’ is created, not because of the people around us. Ananda Giriji categorically says, “It is not created by him, her, them, or it,” but by our own “thinking”. He further qualifies it by saying, “it’s not just thinking,” but “obsessive self-centric thinking” which is the cause of all “suffering” within us.

By the end of the four weeks, this is totally etched within our consciousness. And with the powerful forces of Mukti Sutra, Mukti Deeksha and Mukti Tapas—all 3 of these happen once a week at a special space surrounded by the 1.5-billion-year-old Nirvana Hills—the ‘obsessive self-centric thinking’ loses its death grip on our consciousness, freeing us from all our ‘suffering’.

What do we achieve at the end of it all?

The state of STHITAPRAGNYA! This is a Sanskrit term which means ‘absolute calm’ under all circumstances. Shri Krishnaji makes it clear that this state does not guarantee that problems do not occur, as they are a part and parcel of our daily lives. What he says is that nothing shakes our inner self and we will be able to deal with anything which is thrown our way, all in a state of ‘absolute calmness’ as the obsessive self-centric thinking has lost its grip on our beings. 

Yes! That is what has happened to me. I find that my racing thoughts have slowed down and I am better focussed on everything. I don’t obsess over something which needs to be done two weeks later, and I am able to retain my mind in the ‘present’. This lets me live my life with a lot of energy and freedom. And to know that this is just the beginning is something that only amazes me… as the journey goes on…

Ekam Temple
Pic copyright: Sundari Venkatraman

Want to know more? Check out www.ekam.org

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Film Review: PONNIYIN SELVAN 1

Pic Courtesy: https://www.ottplay.com/

I recall the time when Ponniyin Selvan, written by Kalki (Kalki Krishnamurthi) used to be published as a weekly series in the magazine Kalki, sometime in my teens. This was the second round that the novel was being published. I tried reading it, but stopped after the first few chapters for whatever reasons. I have tried taking it up again a couple of times, but failed. 

When I heard that it was being made into a movie (2 movies), I was too damn thrilled. I thought that finally I would know what the story was all about.  

My husband and I have been following a lot of pre-release videos on YouTube and Sunnext platforms regarding Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus. What’s even better is that AR Rahman has created the music for this movie and he has outperformed himself. 

Yesterday was my birthday and I was truly excited that my husband and I could watch the film at Carnival Cinemas, Wadala.

What do I think of the movie?

POSITIVES:

1. It has a stellar star cast: Prabhu, Prakashraj, Sarathkumar, Parthiban, Jayaram, Nassar, Nizhalgal Ravi, Mohan Raman, Jayachithra, Rahman and a few others from the older generation. While the younger generation include Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha Krishnan, Vikram Prabhu, Aishwarya Lekshmi and more. Most importantly, each one has played his/her role to absolute perfection. I think Mr Mani Ratnam deserves a standing ovation for this, definitely.

2. Music by AR Rahman is to die for; absolutely refreshing and different from what he has delivered before now.

3. Cinematography: Aah!!!!! Amazing, Awesome, Splendid! I am simply running out of adjectives here. Fantabulous!

4. The sequences, background, scenes, dialogue: Magnificent!

5. The novel runs to about 2200 pages. Has the scriptwriter/director done justice to it? Absolutely, yes. The film is crisp, concise, and hits the nail on its head. 

6. Vikram was stupendous as Aditha Karikalan. Karthi mesmerizes the audience as Vandiyathevan. Trisha appears and behaves as the true royal she is as Kundavai. As for Aishwarya Rai, she makes for a beautiful, but wicked Nandini with a lot of plans. Jayam Ravi is excellent as Ponniyin Selvan (to become Rajaraja Cholan in the future). The rest of the cast have all done superbly well too. 

NEGATIVES:

1. The songs from the film are all out there on YouTube, while the movie does not give us everything. Disappointed? Yes, I was. Especially, when the “yele yelelo” song was cut short. The scene, portraying Aishwarya Lekshmi (what little they showed on YT) was so damn sensuous. It was really cruel of the editor to chop off the best chunk of it is what I feel.

2. As a viewer/movie buff, I need to feel connected to the characters. Usually, it’s the one character or maybe two. Rarely do I feel connected to a 3rd one. This is where I am not sure how the audience will receive this film. I wanted to connected to Vandiyathevan (Karthi), but he was there in barely 10% of the film. Vikram as both the war lord and the emotional lover was superb. But there was so little of him in the movie. I can go on and on, but well, the first part of the magnum opus ran for 2 hours 47 minutes and there is only so much one could pack in it, I presume. But that still doesn’t make me want more of it!

IN CONCLUSION:

I will not compare this film to Bahubali, but to the Harry Potter series. Let me tell you why. Bahubali was scripted to be made into a movie (or 2). Whereas, HP was written as a series of books to begin with. The smartest thing Hollywood did was to make 8 films out of the 7 books. Even then, the fans of the book series felt cheated to some extent. Despite all the opinions running amok, the films were superhits. I loved each one of them too!

This is where I see the flaw in PS 1. Five large books comprised into two films. It seems hurried, with the characters were not given enough opportunity to perform. It’s a wonder that such big names agreed to be a party to this one. But then, that’s probably the magic of Mani Ratnam.

I will go with 4 stars instead of 5 for this. Yes, I will watch it at least once more on the big screen. And will definitely catch it half a dozen more times on Amazon Prime. It offers a lot of rich research material for the historical romance story teller in me. 

VERDICT: If you are a movie buff and enjoy historical fiction, especially with most of the characters who had actually lived in India’s history, you should definitely watch this one.  



Thursday, September 29, 2022

Book Blitz: SING FOR ME (Bollywood Bros #1) by Sundari Venkatraman

    



Publisher: Flaming Sun (Indie published)
Publication Date: September 26, 2022
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Genre: Contemporary Romance

STORY-IN-BRIEF

Mili lacks self-confidence when she arrives in Mumbai to take part in a singing contest. It’s young Vivaan who goes to her rescue and they are deeply attracted to each other.

But he keeps his distance from Mili once the contest begins in earnest, to avoid her name being trashed by the paparazzi…

…only for her to be stolen from right under his nose by Ankit who goes on to marry her, breaking Vivaan’s heart in the process.

Six years later…

Mili leaves her abusive marriage, deciding to walk alone. Will Vivaan be able to win her now? And find happiness with the woman he never stopped loving? 



A preview of #SingForMe



Sundari Venkatraman is an Indie Author who has 61 books to her credit, the latest book being SING FOR ME, which is the first one in the Bollywood Bros trilogy. These books have consistently featured in the Top 100 Bestseller Lists on Amazon India, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia in both romance as well as Asian Drama categories. Her latest hot romances have all been on #1 Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

These days, the author is independently publishing her novels in paperback format under her banner Flaming Sun, printed and distributed by Notion Press. 

Even as a child, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome and she grew up on a steady diet of fairy tales, Phantom comics and Mandrake comics. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy ending after the protagonists surmounted all unexpected obstacles.

Once she entered her teens, Sundari switched her loyalties from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to local heroes and heroines. And of course, the joy of vanquishing the ubiquitous evil villains! Her imagination soared and she happily ensconced herself in a rosy romantic cocoon for many years.

Then came the writing—a true bolt from the blue! And Sundari Venkatraman has never looked back.


You can stalk her @
      

Grab Your Copy From





Thursday, July 14, 2022

Book Blitz: CALL OF THE HEART by Sundari Venkatraman

   


Publisher: Flaming Sun (Indie published)
Publication Date: July 11, 2022
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Genre: Contemporary Romance

STORY-IN-BRIEF

Tarun Sawant, the Managing Director of the Penta Cruise Ship, is a ‘love them and leave them’ type. He simply can’t do permanent, and there’s a valid reason for it.

Myra Arora Iyer is a smart career woman who has always led a secure life in the lap of her adoring family. 

He’s deeply attracted to her, finding her irresistible. What keeps him away is her wall of innocence.

It’s love at first sight for her and she doesn’t really give a damn if it’s only a brief fling he’s ready to offer. 

He never meant to break her heart… 

Her heart goes to pieces when she says goodbye to him…

Will their paths ever cross again, once she gets off the ship? 



A preview of #Heartthrob




Sundari Venkatraman is an Indie Author who has 60 books to her credit, the latest book being CALL OF THE HEART. These books have consistently featured in the Top 100 Bestseller Lists on Amazon India, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia in both romance as well as Asian Drama categories. Her latest hot romances have all been on #1 Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

These days, the author is independently publishing her novels in paperback format under her banner Flaming Sun, printed and distributed by Notion Press. 

Even as a child, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome and she grew up on a steady diet of fairy tales, Phantom comics and Mandrake comics. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy ending after the protagonists surmounted all unexpected obstacles.

Once she entered her teens, Sundari switched her loyalties from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to local heroes and heroines. And of course, the joy of vanquishing the ubiquitous evil villains! Her imagination soared and she happily ensconced herself in a rosy romantic cocoon for many years.

Then came the writing—a true bolt from the blue! And Sundari Venkatraman has never looked back.

Use hashtag #60at60


You can stalk her @
      

Grab Your Copy From


SUNDAY MID-DAY (10.7.2022)



Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Spirituality: My Journey to Oneness

Pic Courtesy: PKCONSCIOUSNESS
Shri Preethaji at Bodhi Mumbai
Pic Courtesy: pkconsciousness

My name is Sundari Venkatraman and I am an Indie Author living in Mumbai. I can call myself a bestselling Amazon author, all thanks to Sri Amma who writes novels (59 books, so far) through me, so much so that many times I don’t even recognize the words which I have typed out on my laptop.

It was in 1996 when Anuradha Chandrashekhar introduced me to Sri Bhagavan. I was so excited to know that God has come to live on earth along with us all. It was in 1997 when I attended my first Oneness Event, the Vara Yagna. I have never looked back after that. 

Recently, I attended the Bodhi Mumbai Event from May 13-15, 2022 and received some tremendous teachings and Deekshas from Sri Preethaji and Acharya Samadarshiniji. I am truly blessed indeed. While receiving a number of experiences, awakenings and visions during the programme, I always value those which I continue to receive after returning home, ruminating on the teachings.

It hit me on Tuesday that I was undergoing a deep suffering state due to “lack of faith”. My close friends thought it was really odd as I have a powerful Antaryaamin where not only Amma & Bhagavan, but also Krishnaji, Preethaji, Lord Ganesha, Lord Murugan, Lord Shiva, Lord Venkateswara, Lord Jesus and others guide me during all my waking hours.

But the fact remains that I was suffering from lack of faith. I went back down memory lane and realised that I always believed that my prayers would be answered – in the vague future. Not in the NOW. We all know that linear time exists only in our earthly realm and nowhere else in the universe. What does that make me then? Exactly! I WAS a person WITHOUT FAITH.

I was SHATTERED! While I have been sort of aware of my lack of faith, I had never realised the depth of it. I felt as if I was uprooted and blown away in the wind, unable to find a foothold anywhere.

If there was no faith in me, then what or who was God? I had NO GOD now. I wanted to hit my head against a wall, which is what I did in my mind. So hard did I break my head that the next moment, I threw my arms up in the air, totally giving up. I felt that my life was not worth living if I had no God in it.

I was in tears and I thought to myself, “Who should I speak to, now that I have found out there is no God? After all, how can there be a God when there is no faith?” You will understand how heartbroken I must have been as I speak to God through all my waking hours, chatting non-stop. 

I suddenly recalled Sri Preethaji mentioning, “whether you are a theist or an atheist, it does not matter. Both hold a powerful belief. While one believes there is no God, the other believes that there is God.” NOW WHAT DID THAT MAKE ME? I was neither here nor there.

I continued to hold my suffering like a baby, looked into it without losing courage. I have to thank my Amma Bhagavan for this. I had requested them not to allow me to stop this midway and escape from it, until I experienced it to the full.

Last night, when I went to sleep, Lord Murugan (my Ishta Devata) told me to rest well, but to continue with the process the next day. I was wide awake, so I said, “Why not do it right now?” I saw Amma nodding as she said, “You are right. Go on.” And so, I continued to experience the suffering of having no faith. I don’t know when I went to sleep.

I woke up at around 4 am, grinning. YES! However strange that might sound, I was grinning widely to myself and to my Divine. Just as I wondered what had happened to me suddenly, I was gurgling with laughter. 

I had no faith! So what?! That is all there is to it. I had nothing to do with it. It was simply lack of faith. It took a lot of control not to burst out laughing loudly as I giggled softly to myself, careful not to wake my husband up. I WAS COMPLETELY FREE OF MY SUFFERING!!! 

What do I say? I am so full of gratitude to all my Gods and my Gurus for their invaluable Deekshas and blessings. 

Another thing I noticed in the middle of the night. My chattering mind, hundreds and thousands of thoughts buzzing in my head always… don’t quite know what has happened to it. I feel strange pockets of silence, without chatter. It’s so new and so strange that I am not even sure what is happening. Will keep you all informed regarding this process as it progresses. 

And as for the suffering states, I have not stopped the process. I plan to continue to run through each state of suffering, only to stop when I am completely out of suffering – just as Sri Krishnaji has promised that it’s possible to be.

My prayer – to lift the consciousness of at least one lakh people to the states I rise up to. 

Ekam Tapas – here I come… soon!!!

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Book Blitz: HEARTTHROB by Sundari Venkatraman

  



Publisher: Flaming Sun (Indie published)
Publication Date: April 28, 2022
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Genre: Contemporary Romance

STORY-IN-BRIEF

Krutika falls headlong in love at the tender age of thirteen when she first sets eyes on the dreamy Darsh. That he is barely sixteen seems oh-so-perfect to the barely-there teenager. She never stops loving him when her father ties the knot with his mother soon afterwards.

Darsh has always led a serious life, his responsibilities as the man of the house weighing heavily upon his young shoulders as his birth father never showed interest in his own family. Later, when his mother remarries his stepfather, he could have lightened up, but it never comes naturally to the young man.

With Krutika chasing him blatantly, Darsh really doesn’t have a place to hide, not even in Boston which is as far as he could get, away from Delhi.

How long will he be able to stall the call of destiny? And a determined young lady who has decided to make him her life partner? And what about love? Will he ever find it?

Read this story which is both young-adult and growing-up-together, all rolled up in one; but nonetheless a hot romance.


A preview of #Heartthrob





Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author with fifty+ titles to her credit, which have sold more than 4 lakh copies around the world. Her books consistently feature in the Top 100 Bestseller Lists on Amazon in both Romance and Asian Drama categories. Her latest romance novels have all been on the #1 Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

As a child, Sundari loved to read books with ‘lived happily ever after’ endings. They were all about good triumphing over evil. As a teenager, her favourite books were romance novels from Mills & Boon. She was fascinated by them, so much so that she began to visualise the stories set in India.

Sundari was forty when she began her writing journey, completing the first draft of her first novel in thirty-five days. She has not looked back since.


You can stalk her @
      

Grab Your Copy From




Monday, February 21, 2022

Book Blitz: VIRGO'S KRUSH (Written in the Stars #4) Sundari Venkatraman

 




Publisher: Flaming Sun (Indie published)
Publication Date: February 19, 2022
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Genre: Contemporary Romance

STORY-IN-BRIEF

The gorgeous and intelligent Sanjana is a fiercely independent Virgo. Or is it only a front for the woman who wants to be loved?

As for Krish, the handsome and internationally famous photographer, is stunned to discover he is father to the two-month-old Kabir. Typically aware of his responsibilities, the Capricorn offers to marry the mother who he is deeply attracted to.

But the Virgo, already crushing on the Capricorn, wants all or nothing and refuses to settle for a loveless marriage.

He pushes, she resists...

It's like the proverbial Irresistible Force meeting the Immovable Object...

Shall the twain ever meet?


A preview of #VirgosKrush


    


Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author with fifty+ titles to her credit, which have sold more than 3.5 lakh copies around the world. Her books consistently feature in the Top 100 Bestseller Lists on Amazon in both Romance and Asian Drama categories. Her latest romance novels have all been on the #1 Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

As a child, Sundari loved to read books with ‘lived happily ever after’ endings. They were all about good triumphing over evil. As a teenager, her favourite books were romance novels from Mills & Boon. She was fascinated by them, so much so that she began to visualise the stories set in India.

Sundari was forty when she began her writing journey, completing the first draft of her first novel in thirty-five days. She has not looked back since.


You can stalk her @
      

Grab Your Copy From