Podcast S1 E4 Success the coefficient of belief

Hi welcome to Lost in Labyrinth! Firstly I want to sincerely thank all for their love, time and feedback. Trust me that's how I want to tread this journey!

"Om Bhoor Bhuwah Swaha

Tat Savitur Varenyum

Bhargo Devasaya Dheemahi

Dhiyo Yona Prachodayat"

Gayatri Mantra believed to be the most powerful hymn in the world first appeared in Rig Veda between 1800 to 1500 BCE. Without plunging into any depths, I will talk about it's essence. It's a prayer unto the Self; Oh Divinity inspire and direct my intellect towards the righteousness. We pray that may our wisdom be freed from sins, criticism and negativity. And wish the same for others.

Sushant Singh Rajput, only 34 years of age with his enviable boyish charms, ended his life quite tragically. None of us knew him but somehow the loss feels so personal. A promising actor and a far greater academician, why did he lose hope to take such a drastic step? The conspiracy theories are ripe with speculations but somehow I can't gloss over the fact that he became dejected. Leading our lives I am sure all of us, at one point of the other felt that friends, society have judged us on our success. Class Xth grades, XIIth grades, admission in college, comparison with your kin and then for some skin color, body type, job with MNC, salary, marriage or the age you got married, kids and their upbringing - the list is endless! Honest to God, have you not despised such people? Which brings us to an important question- What is success? And what are the parameters to evaluate this glorious word?

Success simply means accomplishment of an aim or purpose. A goalpost that you set for yourself, which when achieved makes you successful! We most definitely need to reasses the parameters that define success. Stature, money, fame apparently don't cut it anymore! The rising cases of depression, anxiety, insecurity among the known, the wealthy proves the point. It is for you and you alone to decide what your objective is. It could be as simple as getting up early in the morning, shedding some extra kilos, learning or mastering a new craft, getting yourself employed again, anything!! Each to it's own! 

I wish to share with you two stories, that I read to my 5 year old. 

A group of frogs was travelling through the woods. Two of them fell into a deep pit. When the others frogs crowded around the pit, they saw how deep it was and they told the two frogs that there is no hope left for them. The 2 frogs, however, decided to ignore the rest and decided to try their luck. The frogs at the top kept commenting how impossible it is for both to jump out of that pit. Eventually one of the frog took heed to what others were saying and gave up, falling down to his death. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. The frog on the top yelled. The frog jumped even harder and finally made it out! When he got out, the other frogs wondered," Did You not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf and this entire time he thought they were cheering for him!

A gentlemen was once walking through an elephant camp, when he noticed that elephants weren't kept in cages or held with chains. All that was holding them back from escaping the camp, was a small piece of tattered rope tied to one of their legs. The more he saw this, the more confused he got as to why the elephants didn't use their strength to free themselves from the camp and escape to the wild. He was bewildered with the thought why not one tried to free himself. Curious and wanting to know the answer, he asked the trainer nearby, why the elephants don't try to escape? The trainer replied, "When they were young and much smaller we use the same size of rope to hold them back. It was enough then! As they grew up, they believed they cannot escape. They believe the rope is still strong to hold them and they never try to break free!"

Both these stories are about belief. The frog who believed that everyone is rooting for him and he continued his journey. And the mighty elephants who were conditioned to believe they can't break free and they never challenged! Success is simply the coefficient of belief! All of us have listened or narrated these value-imparting stories in our life. Infact it is one of the most prominent medium of educating kids with life lessons. Be that as it may, growing up we become more inclined to heed  what others are saying. Listen, be mindful and extract what benefits you but don't take it to heart! To keep the sanity around you, just pray that the wisdom guides your action into a rightful doing. Wisdom that is free from the pressure of expectations, praises and criticisms.

In the end, I would just like to summarize by borrowing the beautiful lines from Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he was imprisoned during the emergency. 

**किन्तु फिर भी जूझने का प्रण

अंगद ने बढ़ाया चरण
प्राण-पण से करेंगे प्रतिकार
समर्पण की माँग अस्वीकार

दाँव पर सब कुछ लगा है, रुक नहीं सकते
टूट सकते हैं मगर हम झुक नहीं सकते।।

Goodbye, see you next Friday! 

**Lines loosely translated in English

No matter what the circumstances, take oath to grapple

Angad prepares to get a foothold (In Ramayan when Angad went to Lanka before the battle, he challenged Ravana to merely lift his feet off the ground. All high and mighty tried but failed. Eventually when Ravana gets up, Angad moves his feet and says- it is Lord Ram that you need to hold the feet of not mine.)Challenge with your life and soul

And to give up is unacceptable

You cannot stop because everything is at stake

We might be lost (loose life) in the process but we can't bow down/give up!

Podcast S1 E3- An ode to my forever Hero!

Hi, welcome to Lost in Labyrinth, to the new listeners and old! Its my pleasure to have you on my podcast and hopefully it could be for you too!

Does the history of a place intrigue you? Ever wondered whats the story behind a place being called what it is? I am sure most of us are aware of the famous airports around the world. I will cut to the chase and talk about the O'Hare International Airport of Chicago. Ever wondered what it is named after?  You see in early 1930's in US there was an unbeatable lawyer Easy Eddie. He was such a good lawyer that no matter what the charges were the authorities could never put Al Capone or his people in prison. He was so invaluable to the mafia that they gave him enormous wealth, best of cars, best of everything you can think of. To Easy Eddie his son was the most dear of all. One day it occurred to him, he has given his son everything money could buy except an example of a father, that he could be proud of. The more he thought about it, the more certain he got he had to help the government to put the mafia in prison. He testified and got many arrested knowing fully well he would be killed for this. And so he did! He paid a very heavy price to give his son a father the son could be proud of! He sacrificed his life for the greater good.

During the World War 2, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour. There was a man in United States Air Force. He single handedly foiled the preemptive, surprise attack on USS Lexington, his carrier boat. He saw there were 9 Japanese bombers and he alone charged at them. He made the 2 planes fall into the ocean. When his ammunition was finished he tried knocking off the wings of shooting planes and drowned another three. When 4 of the 9 remained, the Japanese thought this man is crazy and retreated. He was the first person in US Air Force to be awarded with the US Congregational Medal of Honor, the highest award there is! His name was  Butch O' Hare and the Airport of Chicago is named after him. He is the most brave and celebrated American hero! But what makes the story so interesting is that Butch O'Hare      was the son of Easy Eddie. That is the legacy a father left for his son!

No points for guessing today's podcast is about Fathers. While so much is always spoken about mothers and how they have brought up their children, role of father is usually undermined and not discussed as often. How totally unfair?! 

When I was in about 6th standard, my father (who would barely be caught active in this role) was giving me a dictation,a spelling test. Every time he would give me the word to write and lay  the text book infront of me, contrary to the convention of holding the book close to chest. I said you are supposed to hide the book so that I can't see. With a smile he said you will not see, if you don't wish to! Many a times at home or in moral science class in school we were taught about being honest, but that day this lesson drilled deep in my head. You see honesty, integrity, being steadfast is something I take after my father! He is never over the board or even on the board with display of his affection but time and again he subtly imparted the life lessons I am very very proud to be blessed with! 

My father-in-law and my father share the same name and command the same respect. Among many other things, recently when I shared with him that I wanted to start a podcast, he listened to the whole thing with a curiosity of a child and encouraged me to do it! Our previous generation is not very tech-savy and he is no exception. When the first episode came out, the link didn't function properly, he called some 3 times to check if there is any different link or a way to listen. He dedicated his whole day to get it right and finally victorious at the end of the day, he called me to say, he has downloaded Spotify and would use it every week just to listen to me! Not only does he have my name saved in his phone with the same prefix as his daughter, he also listens to me first and his son second. It is these little things that goes to say a lot about him as a father! 

I admire them, oh boy only if words could do justice! 

As a woman I needed a more hands-on father to my children. The changing times have witnessed evolving role for both parents. The transition that happened on both ends. The woman stepped out and the dads stepped in so as to speak. The fathers became more tactile with the upbringing and sharing the responsibility of raising a child. Right from their participation in pre-natal class to the complete know- how of diaper change, what a child eats, running them a bath, taking them for swimming/football etc, nursing them when sick or putting them to bed with an equal ease. I know because I see man around me doing it with aplomb. Afterall a man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child!

So today, through this platform, I applaud all the dads and father figures who are their daughter's first love and son's first hero! Dad the most ordinary man turned by love into heroes, adventurers, story-tellers, singers of song! People who wear an invisible cape day after day, everyday! May you continue to leave that indelible imprint in our lives. 

Happy Father's Day!

Catch you next Friday, Good bye!

Podcast S1 E2- Life Happened when you are busy making Plans!

Hi, Thank you everyone for listening to Lost in Labyrinth. I have had a very encouraging response. I will truly strive to be worthy of your time.

Today I want to begin by sharing with you all a very charming, short story that was a chance discovery for me, but gave me that much needed impetus. Impetus to do what, I will share in a brief moment. But the story first...Games at Twilight by Anita Desai, will surely transport most of us back to our childhood. This story opens on a hot afternoon in an urban house in India. The children who have been kept indoor to escape the scorching heat outside, when finally unleashed, decide to play a game of hide and seek.

The eldest Raghu, most revered by the cousins, becomes the seeker. Ravi, the central character, determines to win this game and hides behind the locked garage. As Raghu starts catching other children Ravi steels his resolve and slips through the abandoned gap in the shed. The dark, spooky shed filled from junk of yesteryears is frightening but the goal of not being found and beating Ravi in the game keeps him going. In the want to be recognized at the top of the so called pecking order, this shed becomes his welcome haven. Imagining the laurels he would receive he decides to wait a little longer. The light through the door is getting softer and he can hear other children's voices outside. It makes him wonder how can the game get over without him being found? And it occurs to Ravi while he was so occupied to elude the seeker, he forgot to declare his victory by dashing across the veranda and ringing the cry of Den! With a whimper he slips through the crack, reaches the veranda and at the white pillar shouts Den!Den! There is a despair in his voice. The other children stop and stare at him for a while and then resume the game they were playing. The sense of insignificance hits him and he looses all the interest in playing the other game. 

The whole story beautifully captures the human emotions- of innocence and disappointment, of fantasies and disillusionment. And most importantly, not to be so occupied with your victory or the idea of it that the life slips away. As they say,' Life happened when we were busy making plans!' 

Always a career minded and career oriented woman, I never imagined myself in a role of a home maker. Becoming one showed me the immense mental and physical strength that goes into pulling the duties off this thankless job. Coming from India, you come to realize how privileged it is to have house help! And while discharging the daily chores how it gradually becomes ok to do everything on your own. No dependence, no shame! I shall however talk about this in my subsequent episodes. 

But today I want to talk about how not to be Ravi. Don't let the moments slip you by in desire of something bigger or greater! Taking my case here(quite literally) I have always conditioned myself and have always aspired to be a career woman. But life had other plans! So how do you think I maintain my sanity doing things I am not particularly fond of. I love my children and family but needs more from life then just spending my time at home. Being gregarious at heart, I am more of an outdoor person. So how then I keep my wits around me? The simple answer to this question is by doing things that are meaningful to me, wholly and solely for me!  You need to give yourself that time in the day! Activities that enhances your Self-worth! Recognize and acknowledge the contrast between Self worth and self- importance. This time of pandemic showed us just that! The mandated lockdown across the globe, urged us to dwell within and engage in activities that are truly pleasurable for us and how! Instead of looking for engagements outside, we focused on learning and developing skills that are much more significant to us. Almost everyone I knew tried something different and proudly shared it with the world! So here I want to give a big shout out to all those who discovered the artists, the cooks, the reader, the enthusiast in them! Discover, explore, do, develop and trust that magic of beginning!

And with the following parting thought I leave you till the next Friday!

Be the " Lighting that mocks the night, Brief even as Bright!"

Catch you soon!

Lost in Labyrinth- Podcast S1E1

Hi

I surely missed this space! With so much happened over this time- starting a family, change of cities, countries and what not. But that is not why I am here for. I am here to use this space more religiously. Being worldly wise, atleast in my eyes, I have started a podcast with the same handle. 

Somehow this title resonates with me the most! I shall be publishing the content for podcast here for people who love reading more than listening. So without much ado, here' s presenting the intro to my podcast- Lost in Labyrinth.

Paulo Coelho said, " One day you will wake up and there won't be any more time to do things you've always wanted to do!" and as I speak I am still wondering what took me so long to get started? I have always enjoyed speaking tad more than listening, to be honest.

A carefree wanderer, an adventurist & experimentalist. Being hopelessly optimistic ;New and Transient excites me- infact that to me is beautiful! I am a 35 year young, Indian woman who values relationship more than anything. I am a mother of two, a wife and is blessed to belong to a close knit family both on my and my partners side. Having a big joint family is integral to the very fabric of India. 

Presently based out of London, it is this I miss the most. And it led me thinking- how can I ensure my kids who are growing up in changing geographies so very often, have that broad bandwidth of values that I had, being raised in India.

Lost in Labyrinth talks about the evangelizing journey of womanhood, parenting, life and influences. While striving to get the balance right, I'd like to share my success and more celebrated unsuccess stories. Together on this steep learning curve you will be a part of the relatable stories, experiences and the unceremonious everyday battles- finding a way to get it right!

This weekly podcast contains the exuberant cheerfulness, flippancy, the joy in life and, above all, the ability to appreciate the lighter side of things.