Archive for the ‘enlightenment’ Category

If you follow film festivals, you’ve probably heard of The World Before Her – a documentary about how young women in India are responding to modernity and all the blessings/ills that come with it.

Here’s the trailer – do put it on your list!

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Yes we are all busy and most of us live very rushed lives.  Maybe you’re gulping down breakfast or putting your shoes on in the car (that’s us).  But kids pick-up on this harried atmosphere.  It can’t be good for them right?  Especially when you are trying to teach them the virtues of keeping calm and staying focused.

So we recently instituted mandatory 5-minute meditation time in our house.  Ideally, it would have been in the morning (which would probably never happen), so our time is in the evenings after dinner.  There are scores of books and CDs on meditation and kids, but our modus operendi is simple:  we close our eyes, say om slowly 3 times and then breathe deeply until the timer goes off.

Five minutes of silence in our house every evening is absolutely priceless.

image: “Om” by Chandelle Hazen, available at Fine Art America

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“Did the Ramayana really happen?”  Your kids have probably asked you this.  So what do you say?  Possibly?  Probably?  Or…it’s just a story?

Above is a picture (via USGS and NASA) from September 2007 showing “Adam’s Bridge” (also called Rama’s Bridge or Rama Setu) – the area between Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka’s Mannar Island.

So was it “man-made” or just a natural collection of sand banks?  Even Indian politicians and the Supreme Court has considered this (read here).

But kids, on the issue of writing Rama on rocks and then walking on them:  don’t try this at home…

image via USGS/NASA

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I witnessed a sad incident the other day at our local temple.  An 8-year-old boy was seemingly “misbehaving” during a temple function.  He wasn’t doing anything terrible – he was just very excited and was being disruptive when kids were supposed to be lining up.  One of the uncles in charge was getting increasingly agitated with him and finally (invoking presumptive co-parenting authority) yelled at him.  The uncle was asking the boy why he couldn’t listen and why he had to act “this way.”

I’ve know this boy for quite some time and he is clearly autistic – a rather severe case actually.  But it was obvious to me that the uncle did not know the boy was autistic.

Which begs the question:  how aware is our Indian community about autism?  Autistic children clearly need the support of not just their immediate family, but also that of schools, friends and the community they socialize with in order to cope with their condition.  I wonder how many Indian families suffer because autism is either not understood within their circle of friends or because they are afraid to talk about it because it carries a (negative) stigma.

So parents, please take the time to educate yourselves about Autism.  As of May 2012, the CDC reports that 1 in 88 children have been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  The Times of India also reports that there has been a 6-fold rise in the number of autism cases in India itself.

Children with autism fall somewhere on a spectrum, which can range from mild symptoms to the more high-functioning (e.g. Aspergers).  Chances are that one of your child’s friends may fall on this spectrum.

Below is handy visual on some of the signs of autism (larger version here).  For more information, please go to the Autism Society of America’s website.

images via Autism Society of America

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Hinduism certianly has it share of scary demons (rakshasas).  Who’s your vote for the worst ?  Here are 3 popular choices.  If you have one to add to the list, please share!  Happy Halloween!

1.  Hidimba (mask pictured above)
From The Mahabharata (slain by Bhima), he was apparently a cannibal who wanted the Pandavas for a meal.  He was even prepared to slay his own sister, Hidimbi, who had fallen in love with Bhima.

2.  Kamsa
He killed infants – so he automatically makes the list.

3.  Kabandha
Without a head or neck (his eyes and mouth were on his stomach), this creature was certainly scary in appearance.  And he almost had Rama and Lakshmana.  Almost.

images via Google images

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For most Hindus, Goddess Durga is the central figure during the Navratri celebrations (while others worship Lakshmi and Saraswati as well – devoting 3 days to each Goddess).  But how do you explain Durga to kids?  Here are some Durga FAQs:

1.  Who is Durga?

Goddess Durga is many things.  She is worshipped as the Mother of the Universe and is said to protect her devotees from harm and also to remove thier hardships.  She is said to have incarnated as Mahishasura Mardini to defeat the powerful buffalo-demon Mahishasura.  As the male gods were powerless and could not defeat Mahhishasura, they came together and created Goddess Durga and endowed her with shakti (divine power).  Durga defeated Mahishasura in a fierce battle, which lasted 9 nights (10 days) – celebrated today as Navratri.

2.  Why does she have so many names?

Well, she’s a complicated woman!  Durga has many incarnations - and 9 forms (each with a name and a purpose – more on this later).  She is worshipped as Kali, as Parvati and with different names in different parts of India – Chamundeshwari (in Karnataka), Shaarika (Kashmir), Maha Gauri (Goa) and many others.

3.  Why does she have so many arms?

Durga is often pictured with eight or ten hands.  These arms represent eight quadrants or ten directions in Hinduism – suggesting that she protects her devotees from all directions.

4.  Will that lion attack her?

The lion is her vahana (vehicle).  Just like the lion, Durga has power, will and determination – qualities we all should strive for to overcome ego.

5.  Did she steal weapons from Vishnu and Shiva?

No, they are gifts from Vishnu and Shiva.  In her manifestation as Mahishasura Mardini, Vishnu gave Durga his Sudarshan Chakra (and conch) and Shiva gave her his Trishul (trident).

image: Durga Ma by Vrindavan Das via Fine Art America

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Have you seen this?  It’s a sari costume from Chasing Fireflies (they have a matching adult version as well).  My kids were flipping through the catalogue the other day and I think they were actually annoyed about the picture.  Like, “Hey, that’s not a costume.”

My son closed the discussion with, “Some people – they are not Indian – want to be Indian on Halloween.”

image via Chasing Fireflies

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It goes something like this:  someone (either a stranger or even a friend/relative) looks upon another person with jealousy or envy – casting an “evil eye” upon that person, which may result in unexpected bad fortune or health to the recipient.  The person casting the eye does not have to do it intentionally – the envy may be something they cannot control or help but feeling.

Do you believe is Dishti (Drishti)?  Or is it just a superstition?  Apparently children are more susceptible to “evil eyes” – perhaps because of their desireable youth, innocence and beauty.

My family talks about Dishti alot – enough for me to take pause and give this topic some consideration.  I think it is subconsciously the reason I avoid certain people, or don’t reveal much about good things that happen in our family.  (At least it keeps us humble.)

In our family, to ward off the evil eye, we use kohl (either on the baby’s eyes or as a small dot on the cheek).  There may be other rituals involving salt, pumpkins or mustard seeds, or having kids sleep with their head in a certain direction – I’m not sure.  All I know is that the concept of Dishti always lurks in the back of my mind…

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As we start the academic school year, this is a good question to ponder:  is memorization a good (and effective) way to learn?  Race to Nowhere – a documentary film produced by a mom – apparently concludes that students suffer from too much memorization.  The New York Times called the film a “must see,” and it was much discussed last year.

However, a neuroscience professor disagrees in in this article – arguing that kids don’t have enough basic knowledge to even be able to think for themselves.

An interesting quandry, no?  How much memorization does your kids’ school require?

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How some Muslim athletes are coping during the Olympics:

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