Back from yet another pilgrimage to Sabarimala

I am just back from yet another pilgrimage to Sabarimala.

I have been going there almost every year since 1992 so far. Every trip has been an experience in itself; a humbling and learning experience. Learning about work and life. It helps me to resolve conflict of theory and practice, maintaining ideological balance in the midst of diverse pulls of daily living.

Every devotee calls each other Swami (master) or Ayyappa (God himself). The spirit is to see God in every one and every where. All of us are unique in how how we feel, how we perceive and how we think. But, we are not in competition with each other. One does not need to perish for another to survive. Success of human race is not based on competition within the race but rather with collaboration of human efforts.

Journey is pleasure or pain, just as life is, depending on how you take it. Problem as big and formidable as mountain is crossed with self belief. Faced with problems, we often get overwhelmed by that with hardly any time to look around.

When we look around, we see that there are many who are even less privileged that we are, going about it easily. Difference between problem or pleasure is only a perspective. What is perceived turns out to pleasure when you learn to enjoy it. Choice is with all of us to curse, lament, keep moving or enjoy every moment.

You also realize that what you are seeking for (call it God, happiness, power ...) is not external. It is within you, yourself. That Tvam Asi which translates to read 'That are Thou'. It is belief in the self that takes you to heights irrespective of challenges ahead.

It also reinforces the power of now. Irrespective of your background, you are in the time now. Past may have been hauntingly attractive or future may be enticingly bright. You can reach out to the future only through the time now.

Focus on goal, working towards goals undeterred by hurdles moving forward as a team, respecting and helping one another, irrespective of power, position, money or education, are a few of the lessons that the pilgrimage

Do we discriminate against Indian in India?

We cry foul when an Indian face discrimination in another country; issues that Indian students had to face in Australia being most recent of them as I can recall.

I did not face any kind of discrimination or animosity specifically against me as a person in the countries that I had been to. My experience, may be limited but I believe is indicative, is that they expect us to respect their personal space and culture. That is only natural.

But I am alarmed when we discriminate against Indian in India.

I wish this is only an aberration, or are we compromising on fundamentals blinded by money?