Unposted Letter - mahatria Ra

Guptaji shares books that he reads and like with me and this is perhaps the 6th or 7th book he had couriered to me. They are all of a spiritual nature. I remember seeing this book in Ratnadeep Stores, maybe a decade ago, and was intrigued by the novel way of distribution - in a grocery store. It was sealed but it did appear interesting. 

Mahatria Ra is a spiritual leader and the founder of infinitheism path which helps create breakthroughs for people in all aspects of life. Born as TT Rangarajan he became a software trainer in Pune at a young age, started a software company, was impacted by the suicide of a friend and went into teaching life skills through a training organisation called Alma Mater. Later on he started the spiritual organisation Infinitheism, wrote three books, publishes a magazine called Infinithoughts and runs spiritual retreats.

Some of the ideas he presents in the book, in a nutshell are:

Today is his gift to you. 

There's no easy way to the top.

You are the most important thing here.

The 80-20 rule holds good everywhere.

The need to be respected is greater than the need to be guided. 

Don't postpone life

Experiences are our teachers

Let the good people make more noise

Be someone's greatest gift

You are the most precious resource you have

Do anything with devotion

Constant and never ending improvement is the key

The end is beautiful - keep at it

Don't take on any labels - you're more than enough

Acceptance is equal to positive emotion

Quality lies in that invisible detail 

Don't bother about having the last word - let go

When was the last time you did something for the first time

Tell the negative in two sentences and the positive in five sentences

Ask the right questions

Happiness is the way

What you don't use, you lose

When ego goes, everything else comes

Be happily dissatisfied 

Let go of hurt, let in peace

I CAN - motto

You don't get what you desire, you get what you deserve

What you resist, persists.

Every good human has the moral responsibility to be rich

Change when sustained and monitored becomes culture

...

Interesting book with some nice insights. I liked what he says about every good human being having the moral responsibility to be rich. And that good people should make noise. And to be happily dissatisfied. 

Thanks Guptaji.

TG20 - Anvita Khammam Aces

The TG20 is the Telangana Premier League. 8 teams, 160 players in the mix. It is the right platform for many youngsters to make a claim for IPL teams. Anvita Khammam Aces is one of the eight teams in the fray.

Grand Arena Days

I have been to Grand Arena once, a couple of years ago, to give away prizes to the Interior Decorators and Architects cricket teams. I really liked the cricket ground, the rooms around it and all the facilities there. I always felt it was a great place for teams to stay together, bond and play cricket in a camp. I remember Vidyuth had once had a camp there with the women's team of the HCA.

Morning walks around the ground or even in the neighborhood - it's kind of isolated. Bird calls, lots of birds, a nice open dining area, good food, lots of playing options, a lovely swimming pool, good friends, conference rooms for meetings - what more can you ask for. 

For cricket, one would have liked a couple of nets as well which were not yet there (under construction), the lights aren't really that good, wicket needs a bit of preparation, but that's a separate story. 

I really enjoyed my stay. Perfect for group outings - corporate, large family outings and so on.

Thought for the Day - The One Champion Quality

The one champion quality which I feel is the most important is this - how quickly they bounce back from a setback. It's a given that we will all make mistakes but how we react to the mistake differentiates the champions from the ordinary.

Everyone talks of a good day, a bad day and all that, but what really makes the champion different is that she is willing to 1) push a good day into a great day and 2) keeps bouncing back on a bad day. A dropped catch, a misfield, a bad ball, a missed shot, a missed penalty - the champion comes back strongly. Most others fall to pieces, go into a downward spiral, but champions put themselves together and come back. 

So the next time you have a setback - think like a champion and bounce back. That's all. Keep coming back, keep trying harder. Don't give in.

Ramoji Film City

A day out at Ramoji Film City. Evening stay at Hotel Sitara. Many old friends and colleagues. A grand function.

Went for a morning walk in the Film City and was amazed at Mr Ramoji Rao's vision in building a film City spread over 2000 acres in 1996 at what they said at that time was an estimated cost of a thousand crores. Vision, execution. Amazing.

This is the Priya pickles Research centre. Quite amazing at identifying market gaps and filling them. Loved all their films under the Usha Kiran banner. Just so nice being in the place.

Dvi Dance Festival - 4th edition

Sravya came up with a bigger, bolder edition of Dvi Dance Festival which she curates in only it's fourth edition. 

What she does is brilliant for classical dance and art because she curates it well, it's a ticketed show at Rs 549 and the performances are mind boggling.

This edition had two parts - one by Mahati Kannan called 'Hari Hara' which is a thematic solo about the dual aspect of Vishnu and Shiva. The second was titled 'Asthitva' - The Tale of the Pregnant King which was performed by Parshwanath Upadhye and Adithya PV from Bangalore. It's a fictional story about love, loss, betrayal, duty - a story about a prince and a hermit. 

I missed the first part which I hope to see on YouTube sometime. What I saw of Mahati in the teaser was quite impressive. 

But I saw 'Asthitva' and was blown by everything - the story, the precision in the performances and how well they synced, the music, the lighting - it was a fascinating performance and I was glad I drove sixty kilometres in traffic to watch it. I was totally awestruck.

I am also amazed at the work Sravya is doing and wish her all the best. I will support her every single festival and will buy tickets for myself and my friends. It was nice to see stalls outside selling stuff. Can't wait for it to come back. And well done Sravya and Dvi.

A Cinnamon Falls Mystery - R. L. Killmore

It's a little town near Atlanta. The heroine Nia is returning to the town after leaving abruptly because her best friend died - dumping her boyfriend Jesse in the process. On her return she finds boyfriend now working as a cop, some entitled kids from their past and various others characters. There's a bit of stiffness between the two exes.

They meet at a eatery owned by her dead friends mother Rosie, a popular hangout place. Soon, Rosie is found dead. Two typical cops show up calling Jesse a rookie etc and arresting the wrong man. Nia starts investigating. Soon another woman dies and there is suspicion of a serial killer on the loose. Nia somehow solves the crime - the bad people go to jail (the rich guys), the good people come out of jail, the exes get together and everything is hunky dory.

I kind of gave up on the murderer because the book kept shifting between their love story, the relationships with the dead people, relationships here and there etc. The muderers motives seemed rather contrived. It was like a sugary murder mystery which is the first I read of its kind. I felt the breezy style affected the flow and that it went on too long after the murderer was caught. I was also wondering if the author's name was a pen name - Kill More?