Father's Day when Dad is no longer around..To My Father with Love...

                                                      My Father
               The years are like falling leaves Time sweeps them clear..

                but Love and Memories never die  especially of one so dear...  

He seemed to be always laughing and full of happy, vibrant energy and life his arms outstretched to hug us ..to hold us close..to give us a deeper meaning of life.. He was my Dad.I will never forget him..till the last day of my Life..A Father like no other...a father in whose footsteps I have tried to follow thousands of miles away from my home land..24 years have passed away since my father died..and not only on  every father's day but in each and every moment of my life..I think of him..his words..his love..his presence..his laughter and his tears and I fight back my own.....He will always be MY Dad..The best Dad in the world..the Dad who could beat the world and did and the dad who gave us everything he could with his entire heart and soul..and now that he is no longer here..each day of my life..I realize that I should never take anyone or anything for granted..in fact deep deep in my heart I wish that I will meet him soon again one day..

He was a man with a vision and  in his late  thirties he created an Internationally renowned engineering  company that gave jobs and hope to thousands of people in a poor and over populated land . Yet the power and influence that were his naturally never made him vain or proud..but he was one of the most humble ,down to earth and un pretentious persons most people said that they had ever met..He was equally at home talking with complete strangers from little villages as he was mixing with Presidents and captains of Industry....he could spend hours designing new machinery for his Factory in Aurangabad ( India) and then he would switch to talking " Little boy or Girl talk" with my friends and me or both  my brother and I..He would play with our pets dogs as if they were the most important `people 'in the world and then he would go on to spend some `special moments' with my Mother.. he renewed himself by spending time alone in our prayer room....in silent meditation and prayer..yes switching from one role to another with ease.. 

People marveled at the beauty of the relationship my father and Mother shared.. They were married at a very young age in the then Indian tradition of ' Arranged marriages"..in fact though all the elders of my Mother's family had met him..my Mother met my Dad only at the Wedding alter.. Wow..and He treated her like a Princess for the rest of his life.....For my Mother it was she says a deep love and trust in the goodness and greatness she saw in him... My father took my Mother to see the world..first they migrated to Canada..and lived here for a few years before moving back to India to take care of his aging parents..While in Canada he made the most of it..the great Canadian friends he made are still in touch with us up to this day and the places he visited and things he and Mom did..not many have had the courage or fortune to follow their hearts the way my father and Mother did.. It is because of his broad minded and liberal and eclectic attitude and respect for all that I was able to meet my soul mate Brian here in Canada and truly to value and Love him because I knew he was the kind of man my Father would have picked for me himself..
My Brian sadly lost his Father four years ago and I lost mine twenty four years ago..On Father's day we look sadly at each other and give each other all the love we can in memory of The Dad's who were our best friends..Brian takes me to all the places my father may have visited and tells me the stories.. I would have heard from Dad.
 In Canada my father made a name for himself by being one of the first Indian engineers to initiate an Engineering industry technical  collaboration between India and Canada in the late 60's. That collaboration between Foster Wheeler Canada and Walchandnagar Industries  India was the brain child and initiative of my Dad back in 1969. Though he was offered the top position in India to lead that division of the company he walked away and started his own. India chose my father to represent India in the world engineering conference several times and Father and Mother traveled the world..I heard stories of Japan and Switzerland ..Germany and Thailand , Africa and Canada even when I was a young girl.studying in boarding school..The sacrifice our family had to make for Dad to set up the factory and my parents to travel the world was for My brother and I to be sent off to  boarding schools in Panchgani India. My brother studied in St Peter's high School and I in St Joseph's convent..Panchgani is one the most beautiful hill stations on the sub continent..yet even the most beautiful hill station cannot compensate for the Love and companionship of home and family..and we grew closer and loved each more dearly because our time together was so rare and precious..
In those short but beautifully deep times shared together he taught me much...and told me stories I will never forget the last day of my life..here is one that is truly powerful... 
In the early 1960's..My father was deputed as a trainee engineer to Czechoslovakia on behalf of Walchand Industries India for a year. East Europe was then collaborating closely with Indian industry. On long weekends and vacations my father and his friends would travel over Europe by train.On night on a train journey in Germany he was in deep sleep......suddenly he awoke with a heavy sweat and a fear gripping his heart and clutching his soul..he woke up crying and asked his fellow passengers where he was ? " We are passing by Buchenwald the  site of  one of the worst concentration camps in the world " said his co passenger.

Remembering that story my father often said..." All souls are connected with that one great soul who is God..Whatever happens to one of us happens to us all.". Dad a compete stranger in Europe could feel the tears of death and sadness that hangs over East Europe to this day."

Some of the Other great words of my father I hold dear are " A Great person makes other people around him feel great..a small person tries to make others feel small".  
"The greatest etiquette is to make the guest feel at ease".
" There are NO short cuts in life"
"Do not use power and influence to harm and harrass others but to bless and protect as many as you can." said Dad. I saw that in his short life as a very powerful and influential man in society..my father used his time and resources to help, bless and protect the meek and weak. In our family he was always helping the older, weaker and not so lucky members of family, friends and society in every way he could. He stood up boldly to bullies and cowards and the indecent elements in society and that was the only time he used his position and name.. to fight evil with all he had.  Many years later here in Canada and back in India  I was shocked and pained to see how many men and women in small or big places ( even old and retired ones) use the little power they have as office holders in organizations ( even religious organizations) to harass and harm those they do not like ( power is such a intoxication for many)......and I then begin to understand how rare and wonderful and one in  several millions was my dad !

My father died young...he was just entering his fifties when Cancer decided to give him a call...he faced it bravely ..boldly and with hope that life would still win over death...there was so much more he wanted to do..for his country..for his loved ones for his zest of life...yet in his last days when all the medication failed..he would spend hours talking with his 85 year old father and  his best friends and family and even the Monks and Nuns who came to bless and give us all solace in his final days.....

On November 2nd,1990.the winter winds were blowing into our city Pune in Western India..My Mother , Grand father, many loved ones and I sat around Dad's bed side...a few nuns from Sri Sarada Math read the prayers from the Holy Gita and our Spiritual Guru Ma Moksha Prana Matji from Dakshineshwar, Kolkata spoke her blessings over the phone ..at 12.20 pm.. my father opened  his eyes wide , sat up smiling ..looked around as if he saw something wonderful...and passed away with a wonderful laughing look on his face...
24 years have passed since that day..I remember every word and touch and thought we shared..Hundreds of people gathered by our house and later at the cremation grounds to say their last goodbyes..they came from all walks of life..some by plane and train..and some walked or took the over night bus from their far away villages to see for one last time the man they loved so much..the poor workers and their families who knew him from the days when he was  a young man and then later Head  in Walchandnagar the Sugar cane factory town my Grand father helped the `Walchand family' pioneers build  ..The people who loved dad held us close and cried..this was the legacy of my father..the man with a golden heart..
There is a saying of the Indian saint Tulsidas..." He is blessed and special who enters the world crying ..while the World laughs with joy in welcoming him..and He then one day leaves the world laughing...while the world weeps at his departure...."...One such ` special one' that the poet spoke about was My Dad..!

   Someday Little Girl..you will meet your Cowboy.......                                                          

Science and Spirituality lead to all freedom...Vivekananda's 150 th anniversary in Toronto

" Each soul is potentially Divine and the Purpose of Human Life is to manifest that Divinity within" ..These were the Immortal words spoken By Swami Vivekananda more than 100 years ago..The then unknown Monk from India who traveled alone to America in the early 1900's ..The speech he gave at the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago shook the Western world and opened the eyes of the " Blind' to the deep treasure trove of spirituality from the worlds oldest religious traditions..of Vedanta the basis of Hinduism..before his visit most Westerners had disturbing views of Indians and Hindus as illiterate, superstitious idol worshipers.This was thanks to the propaganda of the English rulers in India who wanted to justify their crimes and forced occupation and conversion of the Indian people to their faith. He did not speak of differences he spoke about the One universal truth of spirituality..the essence of which is the same in all religions..
The words and teachings of this Monk also inspired an entire nation of Millions of people in India to eventually rise and over throw the  British rulers. He is known as the Monk who led a people " out of slavery"..with his teachings, his powerful words and his Spirit..he lighted the candle of ' Freedom ' in the hopeless..with words like " Arise, Awake and Stop not till the Goal is reached.." and " You are  the children of Lions..this cowardice does not befit you"!

On May 25th 2014, at Toronto Canada the Vedanta Society of Toronto held a celebratory Dinner to celebrate the 150th Birth Anniversary year of the Swami Vivekananda..present were three senior Monks of the Ramakrishna Order of Monks which he founded..and a world renowned scientist and physicist Dr Neil Turok..World renowned Mathematician professor Kumar Murty of the University of Toronto who is also a senior leader at the Vedanta Society of Toronto as well as The Consul General  of India in Toronto plus an audience of almost 600 people.

Of the three Monks who were present one was the revered Swami Ishatmananda Maharaj the Head of the Vedanta Society of Chicago itself.. The other senior Monk was Swami Divyananda Maharaj a very senior Monk from Belur in India who has changed lives and taken the spiritual truth to prisoners in some of India's worst prisons and has become famous as the Monk with the `special mission' of touching the ' damned and the forsaken'..and finally our own gentle and Soft spoken revered Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj spiritual head of the Vedanta Society of Canada..In Canada he is known as the Monk who is a  father with the loving, caring and forgiving heart of a Mother.
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Dr Neil Turok

The guest speaker was Dr Neil Turok the  world renowned Scientist and Professor who has worked along with the legendary Physicist Stephen Hawkins and is among  the most  respected authorities in his field in the world. He was formerly Professor of Physics at Princeton University and Director at Cambridge.He is also the director of the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo Canada. He is the one who was instrumental in introducing Stephen Hawkins to Nelson Mandela in South Africa. He commented that men like Mandela, Swami Vivekananda and their like did more for human kind than most could conceive. He spoke about how Science , Education and development need to grow side by side..and one of the reasons why India was a growing economic power was its emphasis on Education as in the IITs ( The world  renowned Institutes of Technology in India). Dr Neil Turok has also established similar Institutes of Mathematics in the Continent of Africa  where Education has become  a great uniting force. He predicted that the next Einstein may be born in Africa. He agreed with the words of Swami Vivekananda who said that we must keep going and never accept defeat  even if we fail a thousands times try again..he said that was the message Scientists needed to hear too. On the subject of future technology he said that soon the ordinary P.C would be capable of holding more information that all the books ever written in the history of mankind...and that was just a small part of what the future held.
Finally The essence of what he said was that the most complex and complicated results of the intense studies in science and the universe showed that everything broken down is finally very very simple..it can be explained in just two numerical s and that the message of sprituality as spoken by Swami Vivekananda and which was earlier read out...The eternal truth...Spirituality  is finally very very simple and straightforward.
Swami Divyananda who has made a name for himself helping prisoners spoke about the ' Power of giving " He said that one does not need a big bank account to give but one needs a big heart..he gave example of a poor rickshaw driver in India who donated blood to save the lives of strangers and the menial worker who saved and gave some money to charity ever month though he himself lived in desperate poverty.Earlier at the centre he spoke about his experiences with prisoners in India. The Swami has also helped save many girls who were lost in Women's shelters in India and helped them return to their home and parents safely. ( The charitable and Missionary work of the Ramakrishna Mission is not limited to Hindus alone but is extended to the people of all religions and there is never any attempt to `convert' or bring those they help into the fold of Sri Ramakrishna or Hinduism....so eclectic and broad is their mission).
Swami Ishatmananda Maharaj of Chicago spoke about the legacy of Swami Vivekananda and the Power of his words " The power came from his spiritual strength and that is why even a simple sentence like " Brothers and Sisters of America " made strangers rise to their feet and hail him..It `touched them' only a man of truth can touch others ..He also spoke of how the auditorium at Chicago where Swamiji gave his speech has become a ' Pilgrimage Point' for thousands..Swami ishatmananda Maharaj said that it was The Words, The Teachings and The Power of Swami Vivekananda which awakened Indians who had lost their confidence and were living a life of slavery and darkness..Vivekananda  sparked the fire that enabled us to set ourselves free..The Swami said that though Mark Twain remarked that the " East and West" will never meet..Swami Vivekanada has proved that saying totally wrong..
.More than 600 devotees and freinds attended the dinner and celebration on May 25th at Bombay Palace Hotel Brampton..I was blessed that my Partner in Life and Love Brian was also with me..we shared a memorable evening in the most auspicious company..after all Swami Vivekanada himself said.." Love is the Law of Life"...

A week later A nun from the world wide ' Brahmakumaris' spoke at the Vedanta Society of Toronto..their mission too is to teach people of all faiths through the simple meditative techniques and the truth about their divinity..so that every man ( Nara in Hindi) becomes Narayan ( God or Godlike) and every woman " Nari " becomes Sri Laxmi 
( The Goddess of good fortune). Some of the golden nuggets from her teachings....
Our behavior and the way we deal with others expresses our inner spirituality. A divine person speaks and behaves and treats everyone with respect and honesty while a demonic one is a source of harassment , harm and sorrow to others.
A person who is established in their relation with the divine will be un perturbed in praise or blame.
We are all actors and this world is a stage..we have all been given a part..plays yours well..and remember people behave according to the role which was given to them..
Dont let jealous and malicious people pull you down or harm you....remain established in your divine center point.
We say that God is our father and our Mother which means that at some point we were all family..we were part of God..we were divine too..That spiritual hunger in us..is our `Homesickness to return to our divinity" to our Father and Mother who is God.
Meditate regularly and daily and reestablish yourself with your divine roots..meditate with the help of  a realized teacher ..
Some of The Teachings of Swami Vivekananda ..

1. Love Is The Law Of Life: All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore, love for love's sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live. 
2. It's Your Outlook That Matters: It is our own mental attitude, which makes the world what it is for us. Our thoughts make things beautiful, our thoughts make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light.
3. Life is Beautiful: First, believe in this world - that there is meaning behind everything. Everything in the world is good, is holy and beautiful. If you see something evil, think that you do not understand it in the right light. Throw the burden on yourselves!
4. It's The Way You Feel: Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ; feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality, without which no amount of intellectual activity can reach God.
5. Set Yourself Free: The moment I have realised God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him - that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.
6. Don't Play The Blame Game: Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.
7. Help Others: If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.
8. Uphold Your Ideals: Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.
9. Listen To Your Soul: You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
10. Be Yourself: The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!
11. Nothing Is Impossible: Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin - to say that you are weak, or others are weak.
12. You Have The Power: All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.
13. Learn Everyday: The goal of mankind is knowledge... now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man 'knows', should, in strict psychological language, be what he 'discovers' or 'unveils'; what man 'learns' is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.
14. Be Truthful: Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.
15. Think Different: All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everythin