Happy Diwali!!

October, 2019

Hi Folks

Of all the Deepavali messages I liked this one “Most difficult cleaning…..let’s attempt this Diwali”. Very aptly titled on this picture which shows cobwebs being cleared out from the mind as part of festival cleaning. We generally focus on cleaning our surroundings, houses, offices, shops, factories, restaurants and even our bodies, treating ourselves to a good facial or a massage. All to look good and feel good. All an ‘outside-inside’ effort. Why not an inner clean up ? An ‘inside-outside’ attempt to feel good and hence look good ? Whether it is with food and exercise or thoughts and emotions, if you feel good, you are bound to look good and radiate the glow from within. This is what yoga does. Pranayama does. Meditation does. Travel does. Music does. Sports does. Doing whatever you like best does.

Many of you must have been inspired by this widely circulated image (see banner) with the right caption of cleaning the mind. You will agree this is the toughest cleaning because firstly you don’t know what the dirt is, where it lies in the mind, whether it is dirt at all or not and secondly if identified how to clean it, how much to clean, how long to clean and thirdly how to prevent its accumulation in future. Dirt and scum lining our mind could be unwanted thoughts piled over the years, rusted brain with no activity, negative emotions like anger, greed, ego, pride, arrogance, excessive desires, jealousy, frustration, despondency, cynicism etc. collected through adulthood whether by nature or upbringing or experiences. Can we attempt to clear this out ? Can we become like a child with a curious mind which absorbs everything like a sponge ? Can we learn to unlearn ? Can we adopt a ‘thought purging process’ ? Can we learn to forgive and forget ? Can we learn to move forward without looking back ? Can we create room for positivity, hope, happiness, compassion, giving and fresh learning ? If we can do this, then and only then we can invite light into ourselves to remove the darkness. To illuminate our surroundings. It is tough but not impossible. This is not Diwali-specific cleaning but a life-long cleansing and detox process that helps us stay young, fresh, vibrant and alive.