Author: Ajit Bam

Explorer, Philanthropist, Mentor: Exploring and researching on practices of Self Realisation Philanthropist: engaged in projects with social and environmental impact Mentor: guiding people crystallise and achieve their material and spiritual goals Background: Former CEO of Mahindra Integrated Business Solutions- an Advisory and Business Process Management Arm of the Diversified US$ 17 Billion Mahindra Group. Ajit was responsible for transforming a Shared Services Centre of the Mahindra Group into a full-fledged Advisory and Business Process Management Company with products/services spanning Strategy & Enterprise Risk Management Advisory to Digitization and Transactional Outsourcing. He has over 23 years of experience in the industry as an Entrepreneur. He has built businesses in Music Publishing, Media (Compact Discs/DVD’s) Manufacturing, Logistics and Financial Services and is currently nurturing his own initiative called FREE (Forests, Renewable Energy and Environment) & associated with NPO Trusts/ Organizations and mentoring select people and a few start-ups in his personal capacity. A Chartered Accountant by Qualification with extensive continuing education in Executive Management Programs @ Harvard Business School, Michigan- Ross Business School, IIM-A He has pursued spiritual interests since an early age exploring inner facets of self through Vipassana, Isha Yoga, Kriya Yoga, other yogic approaches / meditation techniques An Avid Marathoner, trekker/mountaineer, scuba diver, writer and motorbike traveller, is passionate about exploring the outer world as much as the inner.

Duck or Eagle?

There’s an interesting story of a “Duck or Eagle – you decide” floating on Whatsapp wherein a cab driver chooses to focus on rendering a great service to each of his clients instead of sitting and complaining about everything that’s bad with the world around(which is plenty ;-)). The story uses the analogy of ducks and eagles – ducks just make noise and complain whilst eagles soar high. So be an eagle not a duck…. 

I realise that most people have made it a habit to complain about almost everything that touches their lives and in effect make lives miserable for not only themselves but also everyone around them by focussing on what’s wrong.Now there is another way that could be chosen and that is to find what is right about everything and what is good in everyone – it may not change the factual situation but it puts your mind into a positive frame to find a solution and hopefully does that for others around you as well. 

My fathers advice to most sportsmen who he trained as a sports psychologist was “Choice of Focus”. You can and you must choose what you focus on. The mind usually brings up memories of failure that deject you and reinforce the same behaviour repeating the same cycle of failure. Instead you could choose to remember the successes or even imagine you being successful in whatever field you choose and lo! it happens. Try it, it certainly doesn’t harm but puts you in a positive frame of mind.

So the next time you open your mouth to complain about something, know that you could use the same energy to praise something that’s good or better still, start working on correcting whatever wrong you notice, instead of just complaining about it.

Humility

Humility is a sign of spiritual progress. Pride is a sign of ego.

Ego driven/Intelligent people are able to glibly rattle off verses from Holy Scriptures and assume that they are in a position to guide others on the spiritual path but they forget that they cannot share what they have never experienced.

Hence look for humility, silence in Guru’s. Such Guru’s(Ramana Maharshi, Buddha, Nisargadatta Maharaj…)would encourage you to practice silence, being in the moment as a witness and find out for yourself. If you can’t find one then it’s better to walk the path alone….

Your direction is more important than your speed. Look inwards in silence

Ubuntu


Ubuntu, a Nguni word meaning “humanity to others,” emphasizes interconnectedness and the idea that “I am because we are.” 

We are all interconnected and interdependent more than you would ever know. However you can help others only to the extent you can make yourself capable, as they say in the oxygen mask usage announcement before every flight, it is important to first secure your own mask before you help others.

So by all means make yourself more capable and use your capabilities for the benefit of all.

Yoga

Most people think that Yoga is performing some body twisting exercises to improve flexibility.

Yoga is not only about flexibility(Asana), else every Gymnast would have been a Yogi.

Yoga is not only about breath control(Pranayama), else every endurance athlete would have been a Yogi.

Yoga is not only about maintaining a code of conduct(Yama/Niyama) nor only about withdrawing your attention(Pratyahara) nor only about sitting in meditation for long periods of time(Dharana/Dhyana)

Yoga is all of the above till you realise that life is not about seeking/doing but about accepting/being…(Samadhi)

Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha

MAGA+MIGA=MEGA

MAGA+MIGA = MEGA, both depend on how you define “Great”. Is GDP the measure of “Great” or is Technological/ Military Superiority? Complete disregard to environmental sustainability / human values in the pursuit of economic, technological, military superiority, surely cannot be termed as “Great”. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s happening.

We live in a world with 8 Billion Human Population & God knows how many other sentient beings spread across different geographies that have been defined by drawing imaginary borders/lines to divide not only land/water/sky but also everything that comes within those boundaries. A handful of chosen or self appointed megalomaniac leaders of the 8 Billion control the fates of others and they seem to be hell bent on defining “Great” as economic prosperity coupled with technological and military superiority…

We have to first redefine “Great” to have a foundation of humanity and environmental sustainability and then make all efforts to get somewhere from there. If we don’t, we may not need any meteors for the extinction of the human race, we will self destruct ourselves….

Can a man change his destiny

That is the beauty of travel wherein you interact with people of different belief systems that hold varied views of what life is all about and what is its purpose. It prompts you to re-examine your own understanding of life. Whether there is God or not or whether there is rebirth, destiny, etc. Many unanswered questions are out there and you could arrive at your own answer in your own way and you would be right in your own way and cannot compare it with anyone else’s conclusion of it…

The best way is not to conclude and be open to learning and understanding. Life afterall is a journey and not a destination…

No country for poor people

Trump has announced a Gold Card scheme that invites people with USD 5 Million to get US Citizenship. Whilst this may sound outrageous, most countries lay out similar Red Carpets for wealthy people, the definition of wealthy however could differ…No one wants the poor people and couldn’t care less what happens to them(deportation, death, …)

In today’s world, whether you live or die is determined by how much money you have and the worst part is we don’t even think that there is something wrong with this line of thinking…

Money is not the culprit, it just provides a medium of exchange and storage. The real culprit is human greed coupled with complete apathy for what happens to others so long as you get what you want…

So, the castles of future are being built on graves of human values and we think we are progressing since our GDP is growing by…% 

Time to wake up and smell the coffee?

Travel light

What does a person need to survive? Roti, kapada aur makan but we have our own definitions of what kind of Roti, Kapada and Makan we need, which complicates things and we realise it especially when we travel wherein we have to choose what to take with us and what to leave behind. In fact, the more you carry, the more of a burden(physical, mental and financial) it is in the journey…

And so it is with life, wherein the baggage is attachments -physical, emotional and intellectual, we keep accumulating despite knowing that we would have to leave everything behind.

Letting go of attachments/conditions to the life journey makes the journey lighter and more enjoyable. Try it….

Travel and tell no one

In the age of Social Media, “tell no one” seems blasphemous, it is the very reason for existence for most people to post on social media what they ate, where they travelled, whom they met, etc. They live by the maxim”If you didn’t post it, did it even happen?” It has reached an extent where people no longer know what they truly want and are living lives between what posts would be “liked” by other people. 

People want others to know that they have done charity, that they are truly living a happy life, etc. There is a life beyond all these appearances of importance/happiness which you have to find for yourself and be courageous enough to do it for yourself without wanting others to know about it. 

Free yourself from yourself.

All is One, One is All

All humans need the same things and yet we have managed complicating our lifestyles so much. When we live in an ashram with the same dress code, dietary restrictions and a bed/mattress to sleep on, we realise that we can live simply but we choose not to, for our own complicated reasons.

We fill our homes with more things than we can use in lifetimes, we chase tasty food, drink, bodily comfort and sensual pleasures and begin to tell ourselves this is life, which is far from truth.

This is all due to the misconception that you are different from others and you spend a lifetime trying to enhance the difference instead of dissolving it. Life actually begins when you accept and realise that we are all the same…

All is One, One is All…