Maaya: A tryst with self.

In the journey of life we experience many relationships, meet many people. Some work, some don't. Some relationships are deeply fulfilling, nurture our soul and encourage us to be better versions of ourselves, yet some drain us, making us sad and miserable. We click with some people instantaneously; the connection seems deep and meaningful as if it's been there for ages, whereas some people remain an enigma even after years of association. All of these interactions make us question; why? Why do we attract certain people? Why do we get into certain relationships? Why do we deserve certain experiences? Why do certain relationships mean more than others?

Maaya: A tryst with self, is one such fantastical journey that the protagonist Maaya takes, after being plagued by an unfulfilled relationship, which takes her on the path of self -discovery and spiritual healing.

The book takes on this journey with Maaya, who is divorced mother of one. Maaya is also in love with Rahul. She keeps connecting and disconnecting with him and wondering if and when they will have a future together.

At a critical stage in their relationship, she describes the state of affairs beautifully. “It’s becoming about ‘I’ and ‘You’ rather than about ‘Us’. ‘We’ are dissolving.” – she says in a letter to Rahul. Now this rings true for most of us at some point in time in our strongest and closest of relationships, doesn't it?

Maaya’s quest for an answer takes her down the path of spiritual healing and past life regression therapy. This quest also leads her to self -discovery and her own path in life.

Maaya could be any of us grappling with relationship issues. Going through life and seeking answers to various relationship issues. The most important lesson that Maaya teaches us is that the answers, we seek, are not outside but within us. We are always looking outside for support, for validation and even for our own happiness, yet we ignore looking inwards. We are not meant to suffer in our life time and yet we are insistent on complicating small issues and getting sucked into the negativity. We are constantly giving in to societal pressure while forgetting to cherish ourselves and discover the love within each of us.

Minal handles Maaya with a lot of love and affection and writes knowledgeably about her life-predicaments. The book makes for wonderful reading and very soon, becomes a page turner. It is certainly more than a love story; it’s a journey of self-discovery which many would identify with.

The book will make you introspect and seek to transform from within.

We are often confronted by concepts of past lives, destiny, soul, soul mates. We delve on, seek more explanations and answers. Not many of us believe in it, many are skeptical. Given that most of us are skeptical about these complicated concepts, the simplicity with which some of the concepts are introduced is refreshing and that too without losing the evocativeness. For example, the concept of past life is introduced as “fragments of soul that are stuck” or “It is ‘past’ that hasn't ‘passed’. Minal also brings about an interesting connection between our past lives and their influence on our current state of affairs – relationships, fears, desires, anxieties etc.  

This book is a good beginning to start understanding these concepts. In a simple language, the book attempts to answer many questions that we have about the universe, about our mission in life and more importantly about soul-mates and twin souls.

For believers, non-believers, and the in-betweens alike, this book is good beginning to your own quest of love and life.

Happy reading.

To know more about the author Minal Arora and her work visit here and here

Be yourself.

Tell us something about yourself

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Anyone who has ever been to a job interview is familiar with these two standard questions. And all of us are prepared for these. Of course the answer depends on the job profile and the organization we apply to. We aim to please, to convince the interviewer that we are the perfect fit for the job profile. Whether the answer reflects our true personality is quite another matter. But it is designed to impress the interviewer...whether or not s/he buys into it is anyone's guess.

But once the whole interview charade is over, does anyone bother to answer these questions honestly. Do we even admit to ourselves the kind of people we are? what are our "real" strengths and weaknesses? How would we answer the question if we were not in an interview and there was no one in the opposite chair judging us?

Many a times, we are disconnected with ourselves, living a persona which is in tune with the expectations of others. We are so busy with dealing with peer pressure, trying to live up to the expectations of our parents and the society in general. Our true self in lost in this chaos.

You don't need to be pub hopper, party animal, just because the world wants you to be. If you would rather sit with a book on Saturday night. Well so be it.

It's alright if you haven't read any on the 100-books-to-read-in-your-lifetime. Why bother with other people's opinion of what book you should read or not. Living alone and taking care of yourself is more of a learning experience, I say.

Aren't you bored of seeing people dressed as clones of each other. Where is the personal style, your charisma? Why not be bold enough to create your own style statement rather then be dictated by movie stars and magazines. Wear what suits you. Why blend in when you have the option of standing out?

Isn't knowing yourself and being true to yourself most important when it comes to career choices. Many people go with the career option chosen by others...family, relatives, friends. Sure our parents know more about life then us, but we have to bear the responsibility of the choices we make...long after they are gone. Career choices are also made keeping in mind "what's in". Nothing spells failure, better than this.

Imagine being in a bank surrounded by numbers and data, when you would rather create a creative campaign like Vodafone Zoo Zoos!

A job turns into a career and stays with you for the rest of our lives. So choose wisely. Choose smart.

Always keep asking yourself the kind of person you are, what are your strengths & weaknesses. How do you over come weaknesses (no one is devoid of them), how do we make our strengths work for us.

Discover yourself. Be yourself. Even if you are the odd one out. At least you will be happy and have a job that makes you want to get out of bed. And have relationships that don't drain you. Still want to blend in and follow the herd? Thought so.

Shed the baggage...

There comes a time in everyone’s life, when one must drop whatever one is doing and take stock of, well, literally, one’s life. Think about it, we carry on with our lives…chasing our dreams and ambitions, working hard and in the process accumulating baggage; we don’t even realise we have collected. Over a period of time the baggage keeps getting heavier & heavier, weighing us down, slowing us down and yet we ignore it and carry on. Until it becomes impossible to go on, it’s time to stop, take stock and to decide to unload.

And we need to do this, both literally and figuratively…

We go through life collecting all kinds of hurts, broken promises, and unfulfilled dreams, the burden of which, keeps adding and weighing us down. This unnecessary weight prevents us from moving forward; achieving our dreams and quite literally it prevents us from being happy. So why not just dump this unnecessary load? And march ahead? The time is now to stop worrying about the past and start living.

Don’t be bogged down by past mistakes. They don’t define you; they just mean that you were not afraid to take a chance. Learn the lesson and move on. Always remember, if you are not making mistakes…well then you are not doing much with your life.

Let go of relationships that don’t help you grow as a person. Any relationship should be a source of happiness, encouragement, it should nurture & cherish. But if relationships are sucking the life out of you…why drag. There will always be people who would readily dress up and party with you…but in your moment of grief are busy with the work-family-house routine. It’s a good idea to let them go. Forgive people who hurt you, not for them but to free yourself. Anger is a poison that you take and then expect someone else to suffer! If the relationship is not fulfilling…it’s not worth the effort.

Still crying over missed opportunity? Still worrying about what could have been instead to thinking about what is? Living in the past, while the present slips away? This one is not difficult to figure out, is it?

And while you are clearing the mind-baggage don’t forget to literally shed some baggage. I am talking about the excess baggage that our body carries.

Unless riddled by genetic problems, there is no excuse to be overweight. Especially in the times we are living. Hectic, stressful professional life, the torturous traffic, city living, pollution all sucking the life out of us. The newspapers are full of people suffering from cardiac conditions as early as in the 30s.

So stop hiding behind excuses and take a walk, climb the stairs, join the yoga class, pick an apple instead of that brownie and eat at home as much as possible!

You owe it not only to yourself but also to your family.

Live happy and travel light!

The time is...NOW

Always waiting for the 1st of the month, Monday, New year, birthday or anniversary or just the "right day" to start something new? Stop waiting and start now...because the right time to start something...anything is right NOW...

Now is the time...

...to realise your dreams, your long standing wishes and desires. When you can start now, why wait for tomorrow?

...to get fit, to join the gym, to join the yoga class, to lose weight.

...to get back to a hobby, dust the tennis racket, bring out the paint brushes or fine tune the sitar. It's time to rediscover yourself.

...to pick up the phone and call a friend. The best way to wish someone on a birthday is not by writing on their FB wall, but to make a call.

...to meet a friend for coffee.

...to let go of past hurt, to put down the baggage and get rid of it for good. Time to let go.

...to stop worrying about what will be. It's time to live in the present.

...to laugh a bit more.

...to mend broken relationships. Life is too short to nurse old grudges.

...to go travelling, meet new people, to sample different cuisine.

...to get out of your comfort zone and discover a whole new world.

The time is right to start living. The time is NOW.