Twenty- five Seven

Personally speaking

Recent Posts

  • Proud to be Indian

    Despite the umpteen reasons for being happy to be born in India, there are equally hundreds of reasons to feel sorry for the state of the nation – the daily grind, the daily whine and the daily blah blah blah. Somehow nothing seems to really change and if it does, it is so imperceptible that it is almost like nothing ever moves. However, yesterday was one of those days when I felt proud to be an  Indian.

    As the sun began to set behind the magnificently regal Rashtrapathi Bhavan, amidst a congregation of friends and enemies, wellwishers and naysayers, the government of India headed by Mr. Narendra Modi was sworn in. Thanks to the incessant media blitz, several of the people present seemed like old friends and family attending a typical BIG FAT INDIAN GET TOGETHER where pearls and khadi mixed easily with saffron robes, uniformed men , humble sons of the soil, distinguished citizens, captains of industry and  celebrities from tinsel town – indeed it was a true microcosm of the glorious country we call our home.

    Because it was a solemn occasion there was no band baja or fireworks, but no one could deny a sense of festivity in the air, a feeling of hope and renewed energy and faith in the notion of nationhood and statesmanship that pervaded the atmosphere. With several of the ministers new entrants to governing one can look forward to an era of unbiased governance where tokenism symbolism and sheer populism finally takes a back seat giving merit its place in the sun.

    As he signed his name with the flourish of a Mont Blanc pen, our Prime Minister himself has shown and proved beyond doubt that India can recognise merit and that hard work and determination coupled with integrity and selflessness can get a simple Indian to the top of the pile.

    Yesterday as the entire cabinet stood beside the President I felt truly proud to be an Indian.

    The photos are taken from the INDIA TODAY web page

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  • 5 Reasons why you should DO NOTHING

    Our lives are hectic, full of activity and full of stress. There’s always a bell to be answered, a cupboard that needs cleaning, a bus that needs catching, a presentation that needs to be finished and even a movie that needs to be seen or a book that needs to be returned. With electricity and gadgets making our lives easier, we’ve also found them becoming busier. We can pack in so much more in a day infact we can pack in so much more in an hour – you can listen to music, read a book, wash your clothes and have a cake baking in the oven all at the same time. But everyone needs a break and there should be one day in a year dedicated to doing NOTHING but vegetate. Especially when it’s hot and balmy and you’re home alone.

    Yesterday I did nothing but lie in bed all day watching cheesy movies on Romedy NOW, back to back, snoozing during the ads, calling in my lunch and dinner, answering the phone only if it rang and basically spent the whole day just lost in my own self, experiencing the freedom of doing nothing.

      

  • Power Yoga or Shower Yoga?

    If you are one of those Yoga aficionados who has had to give up those body twisting poses because of a body that refuses to twist, do not despair. Now you can happily abandon your Power Yoga and adopt a new form of Shower Yoga.

    I discovered this new form of yoga purely by accident.

    Waking up these days is pure hell  because by 6 am my body has frozen stiff.  A few months ago I countered this problem by waking up earlier at 4 , doing  a few yogasanas and  even going back to sleep to wake up fresh and completely supple by 6 am .  Of course a leopard can never change its spots and after my spine became supple and the back ache went away, I slowly but surely went back to my regular habit of waking up at 6.

    So now when I wake up I have to uncurl every finger phalange by phalange and then gently unfold each joint like a  slow moving arachnid till I finally stretch out my spinal column one vertebra at a time. It is only then when every joint is completely “open” as it were do I even attempt to get out of bed.

    No amount of gentle stretches after the 4 am deadline is over, help to lubricate the joints and I found that instead of popping pills or rubbing liniments, a good hot shower does the trick. And what is even better is doing Yogasana in the shower. So while you are scrubbing your back you can go for a good Gomukhasan and clasp your hands at the back. A Namaskarasan at the back opens up the shoulders  while, a good Uttanasan or a Tadasana helps in stretching out the spine to its fullest.

    Of course I haven’t tried any other asanas and am a bit skeptical of attempting any balancing poses like Vrukshasan or Natarajasan but definitely these two three standing asansas in the shower are better than an hour of power yoga in the studio.

    A word of advice though – I am not a trained yoga teacher so please try shower yoga at your own risk.

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