Srivi Shares

This post is part of a series on my hometown Chennai. Check out my first blog entry of this series about my morning walk experiences in Chennai. Chennai is home to the second longest beach in the world. It is called the Marina Beach. It is a very wide beach with lots of sand and no rocks. It has a lovely promenade. My favorite activity at any beach is to watch the waves, especially at sunset or sunrise. When I look at the orange sun sink slowly into the horizon of the sea, I become one with nature. I lose consciousness of my body, my little pains, my small worries, my mundane existence, my everyday complaints. Perhaps you too have had this experience. Watching the waves- Prakrutilaya samaadhi (nature connectedness) Almost all of us have experienced this state while enjoying the awe and beauty of nature. There is an inner calmness and silence. This happens when we pour our complete awareness onto gentle ripples of a placid lake, the gushing glory of a gigantic water...

In this series of blog entries, I will share with you some of my observations and experiences during my visit to my hometown of Chennai . Chennai is the fourth or fifth largest city in India . By the Bay of Bengal , this large city is known for its temples, classical music and dance festivals, Marina beach , masaal dosais , and a more "traditional" lifestyle compared to some of the bigger metro cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi. It is also known as Madras, which is the name that I used to refer to it while growing up. As I get ready to accompany my dad on his morning walk, this city is already up and running. I am greeted by kuyil birds cuckooing sweetly, crows cawing away, pigeons buck-buck-bucking, and squirrels chattering loudly. In the distance are auto-rickshaws happily rushing on the wrong side of a one-way street and fairly empty public buses taking passengers to work. Chants of Om Namah Shivaya from our home's electronic "mantra" machine merge w...

One of my favorite places to visit is the meditation garden next to Swami's beach near Encinitas, CA. It is a hidden gem that I recommend to anyone visiting the San Diego area. It is a serene, peaceful, calming, beautiful garden. There are many spots to contemplate and meditate.  When you climb up a small hill with lush lawns on either sides, you get to see this breathtaking sight of the Pacific Ocean below you, lots of colorful flowers down the cliff side, and brown pelicans soaring above you.  The beach that you see below the cliff is Swami's beach , named after the author of the famous book "Autobiography of a Yogi" - Swami Paramahamsa Yogananda . The meditation garden houses this Swami's ashram (hermitage) and is maintained by the Self-realization fellowship founded by him.  The gardens are open to the public and the kids loved watching the fish by the calm ponds.  Here is a poem that was inspired by my visit to this garden. The Garden of Medit...

Add caption

By Srividya Ramasubramanian (published in the June issue of Asian Outlook magazine) Houston, TX, May 5, 2012 - What sets visionary musicologist and composer Kanniks Kannikeswaran apart is his ability to weave seemingly disparate cultural threads into a rich beautiful tapestry through the medium of music. He showcased this ability in his magnum opus presentation called “Shanti: A Journey of Peace” performed in Houston back in March 2010. Kanniks repeated his magic yet again with his latest collaborative creation. It was a unique, first-of-its-kind presentation titled “Meditative Moments: Guruguha - Dhruvapada” at the Stafford Center. The performance was a curated Dhrupad recital by world-renowned musicians Padmashri Gundecha brothers who honored the famous South Indian composer Muthuswamy Dikshitar (1775-1835). Drawing an imaginary line on the map of India South of the Tropic of Cancer, Kanniks pointed out that train travelers south of the line would hear “Kaapi! Kaapi!” o...