Posts

Value Your Relationships....

Image
Value Your Relationships ... Every relationship has its own value. What matters is how we value it. It may be the relationship between God and a devotee, parents and children, family members, couples, a company owner and employees, friends, or even between a person and their pet animals or birds. A relationship survives when there is respect, understanding, mutual confidence, sharing, and forgiveness. But today, why are people increasingly choosing to keep pet animals or birds at home rather than having a partner with whom they can share their life? Perhaps because there is no complicated communication required, no arguments, no questions, and no thought process about how to value the relationship. Pets are gentle. The moment you take care of them and pamper them, they respond with love and affection. But why can't the same love and pampering be given to another human being who is there with you, sharing your life and your emotions? Is it because we are slowly moving towards a worl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is Convenience Making Us Less Capable?

Image
  Is Convenience Making Us Less Capable? ... Science and technology have made a huge difference to our lives. Life has become easier, and we have facilities today that earlier we could not even imagine. But somewhere, we need to ask ourselves whether all this convenience is also affecting our ability to think, remember, explore and do things on our own. Earlier, when we travelled to a new place, we would explore it with our own knowledge, ask people for directions and discover things along the way. Today, GPS tells us every turn, the route to take and even how much time we will take to reach. It is certainly convenient, but sometimes going without complete knowledge and exploring a place has its own joy. There is something beautiful about discovering things ourselves instead of having every answer ready before we even begin. Even in hospitals, technology has transformed healthcare. We have advanced machines, monitors and equipment that help doctors diagnose and treat patients. Thes...
1 comment
Read more

Can Artificial Intelligence Replace Human Wisdom?.....

Image
  Can Artificial Intelligence Replace Human Wisdom? ... It is often said that a loving heart holds the truest wisdom. But can Artificial Intelligence ever truly understand what a loving heart feels? Can technology replace human wisdom, emotions, empathy and the willingness to help someone in need? I recently experienced something that made me think deeply about this question. I had travelled out of town for a conference, and on my boarding pass it clearly mentioned Terminal 3 for departure at Delhi Airport and Terminal 2 for landing in Mumbai. Somehow, either because of my hurry or my own carelessness, I did not notice this important detail. When I was about to enter through Digi Yatra, I suddenly realised that I was at the wrong terminal. I had only about an hour left. I panicked and wondered, “What do I do now?” Just then, a taxi driver came towards me and noticed that I was anxious. He asked if he could help me. I said yes, but I needed to reach Terminal 3 very quickly. He took ...
3 comments
Read more

Drive Your Brain Before It Drives You....

Image
  Drive Your Brain Before It Drives You ... It is said that it may not be easy and it might take sustained effort, but we have the ability to remodel our brains at any age, which helps us to function better. This is very much true. We work with paralytic patients who lose their speech and become paralysed in the physical movements of their hands and legs. If they are diagnosed well and receive the correct line of treatment, we see spontaneous recovery within 3 to 6 months. Those patients who have good willpower and positivity towards whatever has happened and what can be overcome are often able to recover and rewire their brain much faster. Those patients who look for pity and sympathy, start getting pampered by people around them, do not make efforts and give up, really take more time to recover. After some time, their recovery can reach a saturation point, and then it becomes difficult to rewire the brain. When I see faster rewiring of the brain in such patients, I feel that even...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Children Need Conversations More Than Screens....

Image
  Why Children Need Conversations More Than Screens ... Recently, I attended a beautiful event based on the Vaishnav tradition in Hindu Dharma, where there are eight different darshans of the deity throughout the day. Each darshan had its own soulful song and its own bhav. Mangala Darshan begins with the Lord waking up, preceded by the sound of the shankh to invite Him; Shringar Darshan is when the Lord is beautifully adorned; Gwal Darshan depicts Lord Krishna going out with the cows and playing with His friends; Rajbhog is when He has His meal of the day, followed by His afternoon rest; Uthapan Darshan is when He awakens and is lovingly pampered by His devotees; Bhog Darshan is associated with makhan and misri; then comes Sandhya Aarti, followed by Shayan Darshan. Listening to these soulful songs describing each moment so beautifully, I could see how deeply people were immersed in prayer. It made me think about the power of conversation. A conversation with God, in the form of pra...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Smart People Still Make Emotional Decisions....

Image
  Why Smart People Still Make Emotional Decisions ... We often think that being smart means making practical decisions. We calculate, we think about what is right, what is useful, what will work and what will give us the best result. I have also taken many such decisions in my life. But with time, I have realised that there are some decisions where the mind can give you a hundred reasons, but the heart gives you just one, “This feels right.” And sometimes, that one reason is enough. We as a team felt this very strongly on 19th August, when we celebrated five years of Hearing Hearts. Five years is a very special milestone for me, not only because of the work we have done, but because of the children and families who have become a part of this journey. When I thought about celebrating the anniversary, I could have taken a very practical decision. My team has worked hard with me for these five years, and I could have organised a party for them, taken everyone for a picnic or planned a...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Hidden Cost of Constant Noise Nobody Talks About...

Image
  The Hidden Cost of Constant Noise Nobody Talks About ... It is written somewhere that we need to find God, but we cannot find God in noise and restlessness. I feel this is so true in today's world. We have so many distractions in our lives that sitting quietly, praying to God or meditating with complete focus has almost become unimaginable. With social media and smartphones constantly around us, even focusing on our prayers for a few minutes can become difficult. Earlier, saints and gurus would literally move away from the real world and meditate deeply in their search for God. It used to take years for them to pray, meditate and connect with God. Today, we do not even have a few seconds to spare. Life has become so fast-paced that we sometimes get completely lost in our daily routine. Where do we think of God in all this? I have seen many people who are at home and spend time praying, but their minds are still moving around household responsibilities and day-to-day worries. The ...
2 comments
Read more