There are two key things that cause illnesses in human body – inflammation and ph imbalance. If people add just a few simple ingredients in their daily routine, they can effectively make their body immune from many diseases. These are the guard rails against many health issues.
Healthy Ingredients in Home Kitchen:
Here is a list of ‘guard rail’ ingredients. It is followed by a few simple recipes for these ingredients and how to consume them.
Take one cube of Ganga Jee Gur with Ginger and Elaichi. Heat on very low heat to melt. Add a tbs of pure ghee. A pinch of roasted cumin powder, and a tiny pinch of black salt. Eat it slowly.
Recipe#2 – Methi, Fresh Turmeric, Fresh Ginger Water
Soak 1 teaspoon each at night in a glass of water. Drink one cup of 250 ml in the morning. Helps regulate blood sugar and blood pressure to manage diabetes and hypertension.
Recipe#3 – Amla Jaggery drink
4 Amla fresh, pit removed and flesh chopped
1 inch Ginger, chopped
½ inch fresh Turmeric root
1 tbs Jaggery or Gur
1 tbs Pudina leaves, fresh
½ tsp Salt (Himalayan or rock salt)
Grind the above in a blender. Mix in a cup of water. Add a pinch of roasted cumin. Drink in the morning. Excellent immunity booster and anti-aging drink.
Recipe#4 – Ajwain
One tablespoon Ajwain + ½ tsp black salt + juice of two lemons. Soak in a small glass jar and let it rest for two hours. Ajwain would have absorbed all the juices. Add some more lemon juice as needed to keep it moist. Eat ½ teaspoon after meals, or whenever you feel like. Good for digestion, nutrients absorption, and circulation.
Recipe#5 – Tulsi Tea
Take about one tablespoon Tulsi leaves. Rinse in fresh water to wash off any dust. Best to pick fresh from your home garden or Tulsi plant. Put them in a tea kettle. Pour hot water on it. NOT boiling but about hot. Let the leaves steep for 5 minutes. Drink the tea or infusion as it is called. You can keep adding water to it and drink it a few times. Very relaxing and calming.
Human body is a very intricate machine. It has channels, pathways and gears to make it function. It uses food as fuel to generate energy, and water and air for movement and continuous flow in its various subsystems. Its digestive system processes raw food and makes essential building blocks for the body such as blood, tissue, bones, and muscles. It extracts nutrients from foods to keep all parts moving smoothly and functioning properly. Its circulatory system keeps all parts well lubricated with essential fluids and respiratory system brings in fresh air and takes bad air out.
Our bodies require not just fuel but regular maintenance and tune up to keep it healthy and working optimally. If we don’t do that, its parts begin to malfunction and its channels get clogged. These malfunctions are called diseases.
Ayurveda is the oldest healthcare system in the world. It originated in India over 5,000 years ago and is a precursor to all other systems that came after. The key difference between Ayurveda and modern medicines and allopathic system is that Ayurveda focuses on treating root causes of the diseases, whereas modern medicines treat specific diseases. Ayurveda treats specific diseases as well but even within those treatments the focus is to get to the root cause to prevent the same problem from recurring again. It still may, due to various reasons including not adhering to proper maintenance but the approach and philosophy still holds.
Yoga is also an integral part of Ayurveda but is often viewed separately. Most people view yoga as a physical exercise routine and Ayurveda as medicinal. One final aspect to include is diet and sleep. Taken all together, Yoga, Ayurveda, eating right, and good sleep offer an ideal practice to prevent illnesses and staying in good health.
One of the key health maintenance protocol in Ayurveda is Panchakarma. It is a therapeutic routine to cleanse body from inside in five different ways. Panch=5, and Karma=Ways or Methods.
Our body accumulates impurities every day. The food we consume gets processed and nutrients gets extracted to be used. The residual, or bodily waste, gets eliminated in three ways via urine, feces and sweat. But, all of it does not get out. Some toxins still remain in the body. In addition, the air pollution contains harmful particles that impact lungs like cigarettes smoke. Water may also contain contaminants that get into the body. The amount of toxins in bodies varies from person to person due to many factors. These toxins impact body’s ability to function properly and create many different diseases. Ayurveda approach to fix this problem is through body cleansing via Panchakarma. Once body is cleansed, it functions more efficiently, absorbs nutrients better, and keeps us healthy. Over time, toxins will again build up and another cleansing will be needed. Therefore, it is a cycle and we need to keep up with our periodic body cleansing to stay in optimum health and prevent from getting sick.
Unfortunately, most people do not pay attention to body maintenance necessity. They are not even aware of it. People live unhealthy and unbalanced lives. They do not eat proper foods that are appropriate for their constitution. And even when they get sick, their focus is on getting quick relief for the current problem through medications, rather than getting to the root cause and fixing it. It is not difficult but requires discipline, which is hard. Often, really hard!
My Ayurveda Journey
I am 71 years old and have been suffering from stubborn cough for many years. It gets really bad in winter. Mucus accumulates in my chest and throat at night. As soon as I get up in the morning, I start coughing to get the phlegm out. It takes me over an hour every morning to get comfortable. My chest always feels cold. I have GERD problem for decades. I have diabetes too.
I was born and raised in India. As a child, yoga and Ayurveda was all around us. I have fairly good knowledge of Ayurvedic principles. I am also quite careful about what I eat. Yet, I still have these issues. As per Ayurveda, it is my Prakruti. Regardless of what I do, my Prakruti, which I refer to as my Ayurvedic DNA, dictates many things in my body. It seems my Kapha is out of balance. I am told that chest is the seat of Kapha. When it is out of balance, it impacts Vata as well. To explain another way, our bodies sit on a three-legged stool. These three legs are Tridoshas – Kapha, Pita, and Vata. If they are not balanced, the body sitting on them gets wobbly. Therefore, I need to undertake Ayurvedic treatments to balance my Tridoshas.
Poonthottam Ayurvedasram
I had discovered Poonthottam in 2007. At the time, I was living in California and suffering from lower back pain. I was looking for a place to get some good massages to loosen my back. I came across a place called Yoga Mandala in Berkeley, California. I went there and met a person who called himself Dharmanidhi. He was about 6 1/2 feet tall Caucasian guy. Dharmanidhi was not his real name. He had studied Ayurveda in India for many years in both North and South, in Bihar and Kerala. The Ayurveda traditions and approaches are different in these two areas. He studied both. In his reverence to Ayurveda and Indian spirituality, he adopted an Indian name as well and began to call himself Dharmanidhi. I started going to his Yoga Mandala regularly and we got to know each other fairly well. One day he told me that it is alright to come to his place, but to get real Ayurveda treatment I need to go to Poonthottam Ayurvedasram in Kerala. That’s where he had studied with Dr. Ravi and he is one of the most authentic traditional Ayurveda practitioners he knows. So, I reached out to Dr. Ravi and came here a couple of months later.
Poonthottam Ayurvedasram is situated in a rural setting in Kerala, about three hours drive from Kochi. It is set up in the midst of beautiful green fields, a lily pond, surrounded by coconut trees, a variety of fruit trees, vegetables and paddy fields. They grow many herbs here that are used in Ayurvedic therapies and treatments. They even maintain cows that are grass fed and roam freely. One gets up in the morning to the sound of birds chirping happily and gentle breeze brings in fresh air. Even some peacocks roam occasionally.
Poonthottam has 20 rooms and cottages in its lower campus. They are usually occupied by foreigners, mostly from European countries. A few like me come from USA as well occasionally, and a few from India too. This creates an eclectic atmosphere of a global village. I have visited here more than 10 times in the past 17 years and made many friends from a wide diaspora. There is another upper campus where they accommodate mostly Indian patients in many rooms and dormitories. They also maintain an outpatient clinic for the local community.
Treating Persistent Cough
I live in Wisconsin in the United States. The winters get very cold there. They arrive sometimes as early as November and linger through the end of March. As soon as temperatures start dropping below 50f (10c), my chest begins to get cold. I get continuous post nasal drip, phlegm accumulates in my throat, and have miserable coughing fit for over an hour every morning. It feels as though my body is trying to scrape and dislodge the gooey substance from the bronchi tree in chest. It is exhausting! This problem has been worsening over the years. I have consulted pulmonologists, allergists, and ENT specialists but they haven’t been able to figure out the cause or cure. So, I decided to turn to Ayurveda, and Poonthottam.
I arrived here on January 8, 2025 and had a long consultation with Dr. Ravi, whom I have now known for 17 years since 2007. He explained to me that this is a severe Kapha imbalance problem, made worse due to my diabetes. Chest is ‘Kaphasthanam’, the place where Kapha resides in the body. Kapha is the gooey substance. It has an essential role in the body. It provides lubricants to the joints and other moving parts. But the excess of it creates problem such as cough. Therefore, the solution is to remove the excess and maintain the balance. Notice that the goal is not to eliminate it but balance it.
My Prakruti
Prakruti – I am Pita dominant, then Kapha, Vata.
Vikruti – Vikruti is Tridoshas imbalance which manifests in the form of various malfunctions or diseases. I have been suffering from post nasal drip, chronic cough, and congestion in the chest for a long time. My chest is also very sensitive to colds. I have been told that this is due to Kapha imbalance that permeates in to Vata as well. This is my Vikruti condition which will return back to normal Prakruti after the doshas are balanced. Then, my cough and sinus condition should also alleviate. Vikruti is not permanent. It happens when tridosha imbalance occurs. It is improved or gone once the body and tridoshas return to normal.
Treatment Focus
A treatment plan was devised to address following issues:
Cough and Congestion – Provide relief from cough and congestion by balancing Kapha and removing excess.
Nocturia – Reduce night time urination frequency by reducing glucose levels
Foot Injury- Stimulate foot muscles to heal recent hallux tendon injury in the right foot
Body Cleansing – Body detox through vasti, enema therapy
Body Rejuvenation – Improve body functions with Ayurvedic massages with custom formulated oils to open up energy channels for more efficient flow.
Treatment Methodology
Abhyanga – massage with warm oil daily to improve circulation of fluids in the body and improve metabolism
Tailadhara – continuous warm oil pour over whole body
Navaradhra – medicated milk and rice powder liquid pour over body
Zirobhayang – oil massage on the scalp for calming the mind
Svedanam – steam bath sweat therapy to extricate toxins from the body
Vasti – Enema with medicated oils therapy for colon cleansing
Medicines – various herbal medicines
Diet
Ayurvedic diet for all meals including breakfast, lunch, evening snack, and dinner. All meals are customized for my body type, condition, and health issues such as diabetes.
6:00 am – Wake-up. Wash face. Rub eyes. Come to the balcony. Look in the distance for at least 20 seconds. Rotate eyes. Do simple stretches. Chaalan kriyas (loosening exercises). Sit down calmly. Slowly drink two cups of warm herbal water provided. Do bathroom nature business.
7:00 am – Morning walk, yoga, stretches, meditation
—— Walk – Go over by the lily pond. Walk 10 rounds around the pond. Each round is about 1/10th of a mile. Listen to the birds. Breathe in fresh air. Try to not think of anything. Enjoy the peace and calm. This is your morning meditation. It will refresh mind.
—— Yoga – Yoga Chalan Kriyas. Loosening stretch exercises. Do one set as described in International Yoga Day video.
—— Dr. Oz exercise – Do one set of 25 reps each of four ways hands stretching. Palms up/down, hands out stretched up/down, hands out stretched left/right, hands out stretched front/back clapping.
—— Rest – After exercise, rest and meditate for a while.
8:30 am – Breakfast. Walk over to the common eating area outside kitchen. An Ayurvedic breakfast, custom prepared for each patient is served. Enjoy the breakfast and companionship of fellow residents.
10:00 am – Treatment – Time may vary from person to person. Mine includes various massage therapies for about 90 minutes, followed by assisted bath by therapist and helper.
11:30 am – Rest after the treatment.
12:30 pm – Lunch in the common dining area. Customized Ayurvedic meal is served. This is precious time. We usually get to know other residents here. Enjoy meal and have conversations with others. I have made many wonderful friends here over the years during these shared times.
1:30 pm – Doctor’s daily visit to check progress. Discuss any issues. Take blood pressure and record it.
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm – Open time. Rest. Read. Go for a walk by the pond. Do whatever you like.
3:30 pm – Afternoon snack is served. A small bowl of fruits is served with herbal tea. One can have it brought to the room or walk over to the dining area.
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm – Open time.
5:00 pm – Yoga practice in the upper campus. All are welcome to join.
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm – Dinner time. Enjoy dinner with other fellow residents. You may go for an after dinner walk by the pond. Ayurveda suggests to walk at least one hundred steps after meal, if your health and body allows it.
7:00 pm – Event such as a cooking class, cultural activity or a presentation may be scheduled. If some event is planned, you are invited to participate.
7:30 pm – After dinner, it is open time until next morning schedule begins. Relax and have a restful night.
Progress
I had arranged for a 21- day treatment program. It started on January 9th and will complete on the 29th. I have received treatments for 11 days as of today.
I have noticed significant improvement in my morning cough. I am not waking up every morning with a lot of phlegm accumulation in my throat and chest. It is looking very promising that by the end of the program in another 10 days, this issue will be taken care of for long term.
My diabetes and B/P numbers are improving as well. This may be an effect of strictly controlled low carb and sugar free diet as well, in addition to therapies and medicines.
Body cleansing and rejuvenation treatments are making me feel lighter and less lethargic. There is likely better energy flow in the body.
Overall, I am pleased with the progress so far and it is looking even more promising going forward.
Treatment Notes
Discussion with Subhash, my therapist. He provided some very valuable information for future reference:
Best time for treatment – Rainy season and the month of August is the best time for Ayurveda treatment.
Marma or pressure points treatment. Four days before my treatment was to end, he started working on the pressure points, also called ‘Marma Points’ on the soles of my feet. There are points below the toes and other parts of sole that are directly connected to body parts like Nose, Sinus, Liver. By applying pressure on these points, it reinvigorates them. They are also helpful for neuropathy and nerve regeneration.
Dry eyes. Ayurveda offers dry eyes treatment. It is a one week regimen. Discuss when planning treatment on next visit.
This is how it happened, a long time ago. Once upon a time, I was working in Silicon Valley. The days were long and the nights were restless. One weekend, I decided to take a trip towards Big Sur, California, by the pacific coast highway. It is truly one of the most spectacular places on the planet. The pristine air, crashing waves, seagulls, greenery and beautiful surroundings will soothe any nerves. Felt like paradise.
There I saw an RV parked in a picnic spot. An old couple was sitting in vintage chairs, reclining comfortably, wearing sun hats. On the back of the chairs were these words – on one “No Hurry”, and on the other “No Worry”. I can visualize it even now, almost 20 years later. My heart had almost stopped. Really? Is that possible? May be someday. Little did I know at the time that one day this memory will would out to be a life changing experience.
Well, that someday arrived in late 2016. I left high-tech and I and my wife moved back to Janesville, Wisconsin. It was like déjà vu.
I had attended University of Wisconsin for eight years from 1984 to 1992. I had also met my wife there in 1990. We got married there a year later in 1991. Internet was just born. There wasn’t even a web browser yet. The first web browser Mosaic was developed at University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign in 1994. The internet gold rush was about to begin. I had just graduated two years ago with an MBA in Decision Support Systems. A lot of stuff was beginning to happen in Silicon Valley. Even the first web browser inventor Marc Andreesen was moving there near Stanford University. That’s where the future was for someone like me. So, we moved there in 1996, after a little sojourn in Colorado. California was great for 20 years. But, seasons change. Now it was time for slowing down and No Hurry No Worry.
Janesville is comparatively a small hamlet of 68,000 people, as compared to Bay Area’s millions, eight lane highways in each direction, traffic jams, long commutes, and not to mention stratospheric prices. Janesville is easy. It brought back old memories as well. We hardly even get on highways. The nearest big city is Madison, which is about 40 miles away. It has been rated several times as number one on the list of best places to live in America. We often go there to shop at Costco and to get away from small town some times. We take the back roads and state highway 14 to get there. It took some time to get used to the slow pace. But now it feels peaceful, though a little boring at times.
We have wonderful neighbors and a beautiful backyard. I have set up my vegetables and herbs garden here. I was born and raised in big cities. I had lived all my life in such places until now. I didn’t even know that carrots are root crops and grow below ground. It was all new to me and I was loving it !
It took me at least two seasons to get the hang of it. But now I grow all kinds of wonderful vegetables and herbs. All kinds. I grow long sweet Italian peppers. One of them turned out to be nearly 14 inches long, see blog post for pics, and a tomato weighed over a pound.
In my first season, my garden didn’t have a fence. My tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, and peppers were growing nicely. I was really excited. Then one day we went out in the morning. When we came back a few hours later, and my garden was gone! I was shocked. What happened. Didn’t know what to think. I was really upset. My neighbor came by and immediately knew. He said one word, deer.
We live by a creek. Apparently, some deer had crossed over and had a nice breakfast. Well, that was that. A few days later, I researched, and thought through. Then I went over to Menards, got some fence posts, fencing, gate and whatever else was needed. Then I put up the fence. Did everything myself. It turned out really well. It was such a joy to work with my hands and successfully finish it. It gave me immense satisfaction. It has been up for four seasons now and working out very well. We haven’t had a deer incident since.
Wisconsin is spectacularly beautiful state. We have so many lakes and rivers. There is lush greenery everywhere. Our City of Janesville is actually called the garden city. Our own backyard runs into a city park and makes it look much larger than it actually is. But there is only one problem – winter. It starts getting cold here in November. It has sometimes snowed as early as October, but not often. Then the winter lingers on often through March. Many people from Wisconsin go to Florida and other warmer places for winter. We call them snowbirds!
But Florida is not for me. Too humid and too many mosquitoes. So, I thought through and decided to start coming to India in winters, especially the beaches in Kerala. I have been coming to Varkala, a small seaside city in Kerala, for short visits for many years. Now, that I am retired, I can perhaps spend more time there. Enjoy the beautiful views, the sea breeze, lovely sunsets, great food, and making new friends from somewhere in the world, every year.
There is so much we know that we don’t even know that we know,
We start learning as soon as we are born. We learn to recognize people, learn a language, and so many things we observe and experience. As time goes by, the utility of many learnings becomes irrelevant, and they automatically get filed away – in a mental closet. They are never lost. They sit forever in that closet in the mind. There is a lot that is in there, but we rarely ever open it to see what is there, because a need doesn’t arise
I suddenly thought about it yesterday. I took a peak in the closet, and saw many gems. The learnings from my childhood. Lessons from my grandma. Wisdom of the Vedas from from Dharma classes in the middle school, home remedies used at home for various ailments like headache or common cold.
And so much more. Our culture, history, values, ethics, morality, social norms, codes of conduct, respect for elders.
I felt happy and sad at the same time. Happy because all that is still there in the hidden closet, and sad because the world has changed so much that much of that beauty, norms and wisdom seem to have disappeared. But, again, it is not. All of it is still there. At least within me. If I choose to take it out of that closet.
Our lives were profound in the early ages. But as time has progressed, they have become mundane – and we don’t even know it. In early days, there were Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Aristotle, and the Rishis and Seers in India who wrote Veda and scriptures on papyrus. They must have invented the papyrus as well and writing for this purpose – to preserve the centuries of learning and knowledge for the future ages.
Even before the writing was invented, the knowledge was passed to the next generation through oral tradition. Human mind has infinite capacity to store knowledge. In the Vedas, ancient Hindu scriptures, it uses a phrase – Ahm Brahmand, I am the Universe. What it means is that I, myself, am a tiny but inseparable part of the Universe. Therefore, I am the universe. We do not need to seek it outside of ourselves. If we explore within ourselves, all we need is right there.
The Rishis or scholars of the early ages studied this phenomenon and concluded that the whole universe is created from five elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether. It includes all living and non living things. All life and all matter. An early periodic table of elements. They also concluded that everything in the universe is inseparably linked and related to each other. It is also co-dependent. We can all choose to help each other, or destroy each other.
Lately, humanity has taken a destructive path. Nature provides sustenance for humanity. In return, humanity has a responsibility to protect nature – in its own self interest. But, it is clearly evident from the climate change that we are hurting nature, and as a result experiencing increasingly more natural disasters every year, and hurting ourselves.
Human mind still has the same capacity. Times have proven that. But we now choose to employ it differently. People who created computer memory chips that can store a library on something the size of a thumbnail, or Steve Jobs who was no less than modern day Leonardo da Vinci and created things that all living human beings use today. Or people who create weapons that can vaporize the entire universe in an instant are not less gifted. Human mind needs to invent and create. That is its given nature.
But, somehow, it has gotten misdirected. The road not taken, that it has taken, is taking us to the oblivion. That’s the way I see it, but don’t know what’s the answer.
As an old phrase is often used to describe close resembling relationships, “Chip off the old block”, we all are chips off the same old block – a big block, this universe! We are the universe. Whenever we hurt even a tiniest part of this universe, we in fact, inadvertently are hurting ourselves.
I still do have the faith in humanity and the creative potential of human mind and imagination. I have no doubt that we will solve all these issues one day and make this world better again. But, I don’t know when that may happen. I may not be around to see it. Perhaps, all that I am saying today will survive, if only in my own mind’s closet.
Do you know the real meaning of Diwali and why it is celebrated on the darkest night of the year? My friend, Gary Kalra, shared this clip to enlighten:
In the backdrop of current elections in the United States, my thoughts took me to another time and place. Also, the talk of mass deportations reminded me of another mass migration and displacement of people to a country next door, in another era. History does seem to repeat itself.
India got its independence from Britain in 1947. The father of the Indian Independence movement was Mahatma Gandhi, who had learned the lessons of intolerance the hard way. He had personally experienced terrible prejudices, which inspired him to launch the freedom of India movement. His goals and objectives were truly noble, three of which were – freedom through non-violence, a secular India for all religions, and no personal interest in power for himself.
Gandhi was the spiritual leader of the movement, but the political power lay in other hands, notably two: Jawahar Lal Nehru, leader of the Indian National Congress, and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League.
Before the Independence, India had two major religious constituencies, Hindus, which were in majority, and Muslims who were a small but significant minority. India’s population at the time was around 390 million, comprised of approximately 74% Hindus, 24% Muslims, and 2% Christians.
The terms for Independence of India were being negotiated among three parties – the outgoing British, Indian National Congress, and Muslim League. The leader of Muslim League wanted an independent nation for Muslims, carved out of new India.
Gandhi wanted to avoid the partition of country at any cost. He made every possible effort to prevent that outcome. He even offered Jinnah to be the first prime minister of newly Independent India. But Jinnah did not budge. He wanted a separate nation for Muslims only, and that’s what he got – a brand new Pakistan, made up of Muslim majority areas in the Northwest and Eastern parts of India.
Everything was happening too fast. British were in a hurry to leave, after being there for over 300 years since 1608. There were no plans for a systematic withdrawal. After it was decided that India will be divided, maps were hastily drawn to mark boundaries of the two countries. It is said that Sir Cyril Radcliffe drew the partition map of India overnight, over a few drinks of scotch whisky.
Maps were so haphazard that they split many communities apart, who were living harmoniously side-by-side for generations. Neighbors became enemies.
Gandhi was completely distraught. He couldn’t fathom what was happening, nor could he stop it. So, he did the next best thing possible. He proclaimed that any Muslims who wanted to stay in India were welcome to do so. But Jinnah declared that Pakistan will be for Muslims only.
At the time of Independence on August 15, 1947, around 15-18 million people migrated from one side to the other. Nearly all Hindus came towards India, and around two-third Muslims left for the newly designated Pakistan. Some Hindus in Pakistan did not want to move, but were forced to leave. Few even converted to Islam to be able to stay where they were.
The population of undivided India in 1947 was around 390 million. After the partition, there were 330 million people in India, and 60 million in the newly formed Pakistan, nearly equal divided between West and East Pakistan, which would later become Bangladesh. It is significant to note that nearly 35 million Muslims chose to remain in independent India.
There was widespread violence during the post-partition migration and displacement in two countries. Over a million people were killed on both sides, both Hindus and Muslims.
It was probably the greatest violent tragedy of our times, next only to the Jewish holocaust.
I do not see any distinction between what happened in India then, and what is going on today in various parts of the world.
Large number of people have died and been displaced in the wars in the Middle East in recent years. Either side can offer reasons and justifications, but no solutions. Gandhi had once said, “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. This is what seems to be happening in the world today.
Conflicts and wars have become huge industries. There is more global investment in the world in developing increasingly powerful instruments of war, than solving human problems such as environmental issues or dealing with looming water and energy crises.
In the meantime, simple and innocent people keep suffering and dying, but rich and powerful keep getting richer and more powerful. Power and greed prevails over humanity.
I believe that people anywhere and everywhere mostly want to live in peace and harmony. Why wouldn’t they? Does anyone prefers chaos and agony over peace. But what real choice do people have? Systems are locked in, and people are destined to just have to live in them.
I can only set my own personal morals. Live in peace. Don’t intentionally hurt anyone else. But, if I do, inadvertently, I beg forgiveness.
Conclusion
India, a unified country, was split apart and divided in to two. Millions of people died, suffered, and are still suffering. The heartache of them cannot be quantified. The ones who left families and loved ones on the other side, still grieve for their homes, culture, neighbors, and loved ones lost and left behind.
Were there any winners? It doesn’t seem so. Jinnah, the architect of the partition of India, died of cancer a year after the creation of Pakistan. Today, there are more Muslims in India than there were when Pakistan was created.
Since India was divided, the two countries have fought four wars. Neighbors against each other. Thousands have died. Significant resources are spent continually on each side for border security and control. There was no such cost when the countries were together.
Muslim culture is very rich. I am a Hindu by birth. But I love Urdu poetry, Muslim arts, and great architecture that gave us treasures like Taj Mahal. But now, only hatred and conflicts prevails for each other on both sides.
Some wars have been necessary in history, but most have been wars of choice, especially since World War II. There are no winners in such wars. Only temporary wins for some politicians, and continuing misery for the people caught between the egos and self interest of the few.
Humanity should be able to find a better way to live and coexist in peace and harmony. I like to have that hope.
The other day, I was sitting in Mocha Moment, the cafe on the other side of town. There are hardly any good cafes in this city to hang out. I have had a long affinity with cafes. They have played an important role in my life. Mocha Moment is probably the only place here that serves this purpose. So, once in a while, I go there and hang out.
This day, I was just sitting there on a table by the window. Another person I had run in to there some time ago, Richard Wunder, saw me and came by. He sat down and we started having a nice conversation. Richard is an artist, in his early 80’s and with a broad outlook. We enjoy each other’s company. We never plan our meetings; they always happen per chance, once in a while, when I stop by at Mocha to pickup some coffee beans.
This afternoon, we were just sitting, and a man popped up from nowhere. He bent down and put his face, almost next to mine, and started talking in rapid fire. Are you an Indian? Are you Patel. (He didn’t even say it right, with emphasis on wrong syllables). I knew a Patel. Oh, they are something else. He owned a motel. His son works at a gas station. Oh, Indians are smart. And on and on he went. I couldn’t get a word in. His body language was sending a different message. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.
I said – noooo! I am NOT a Patel. I am not a frog either. I see a broad horizon, beyond my pond. He didn’t get it. What would be the point. The damage was already done. As it has happened at many other times in the past. It hurts.
We immigrants work so hard to be a part of America like anyone else. Our American was not given to us. We were not born with it. We have worked very hard to earn it. It is an immense labor of love. We appreciate it, value it, and do everything we can to preserve it. We want nothing more than be regarded and accepted, like anyone else. But, alas, the skin color, and accent, comes in the way.
I came to America over 40 years ago, which is longer than more than half of America’s population today. I have been a citizen for over 28 years. My gestation period was much longer as well. Way over nine months. I have been preparing, studying, and learning about America for nearly 20 years, before I came here. Also, I did not come here for a bigger paycheck, or to escape any atrocities in India. India is a fine country, with centuries of culture and wisdom. It is the birth place of Buddhism, Yoga, Ayurveda, and much more.
I came here because I truly wanted to experience a wider world. Different cultures. I really appreciated American values and concepts of freedom, dignity, and anything is possible if you try ethos. In comparison, the studies show that more than half the school children today don’t even know who JFK was, and some can’t even recall Abraham Lincoln.
I came here in 1984, as a foreign student. As such, I had to pay out of state tuition, which was more than twice as much. Also, as a foreign student, I was not eligible for any student loans, financial aid, scholarships, or grants. I was not even allowed to work, with one exception. I could work on campus, at minimum wage, which was $3.35 per hour at the time. Even there, there was a limit of 20 hours per week.
I had come with about $23,000 in savings. But, with the high tuition and living expenses, that money was running out fast. The tuition was capped at 12 credits. Above that, additional classes didn’t cost more. So, I took on extra credits as well, to be able to save money and graduate as quickly as possible. I was doing 18 credit. Still, I could see problems ahead. My money would soon run out.
So, I decided to seek advice and find help. I wrote a letter to the Chancellor, Dr. James O’Connor, describing my situation and predicament. A few days later, his secretary, Susan, called and said that Dr. Connor wanted to see me. I went to his office, quite nervous. We met. He did not ask me anything. I still remember that meeting very vividly.
As soon as I entered his office, he smiled and asked me to sit down. The first words that he spoke were, “Anil, here is what we are going to do”:
We will wave your out of state tuition, with retroactive effect. Meaning, I will have to pay in-state tuition only. It also meant that the additional out-of-state portion that I had paid in the past three semesters will be reverted back to me, and applied towards the following semesters.
Next, that his secretary has already arranged work for me at the university store. I am to go and see John Hapka, the store manager, the same afternoon.
He wished me good luck and let me go. I was overwhelmed, overjoyed, and relieved. All of a sudden, my problems were solved. But, this was only the beginning, as I will find out a few months later.
I went to see John Hapka. A thoroughly delightful, pipe smoking, man. He put me to work right away. My first job was to go to different buildings and take inventory of the furniture. Count chairs and desks in the class rooms, furniture and lamps in the offices, and write the counts on the clip board. Some residence halls were getting renovated and items were being marked for sale. Student desks for $3, chairs for $2, and dressers for $5. I bought one myself, and still have it! I did a lot of tagging. John and I became good friends as well.
This humble beginning led to many other successes. A few months later, I got another call from Dr. Connor’s office. Susan, his secretary, wanted to see me. I went over there. She said, “Our graduate student who was managing the computer in our office, has suddenly left. He has transferred to Madison. Dr. Connor wants you to take his place, and manage the database”. She said, I don’t even know how to turn it on, and what is in there.
I didn’t know how to respond. I said, I don’t know anything about the computers or databases. She said, this is a university. Learn it! There are professors. I have already called Professor so and so. You go and see him. He will tell you what to do. And, by the way, we pay $8.75 an hour, more than twice of what I was getting at store, at $3.35 an hour.
I figured out, It was Dr. Connor’s way of helping me, while preserving my dignity.
It was 1986. PC’s were just emerging and computer applications came with very extensive manuals. The database program Dr. Connor’s office was using was called dBase III. I met the professor and he guided me through. I went to the library and checked out several manuals. I spent the entire weekend in the computer lab and figured out the basics of dBase III. I could launch the program, open the database file, view the records, select reports, and print them out. That’s what Susan, Dr. Connor’s secretary wanted to do. I was all excited. I couldn’t wait to go to her office on Monday morning and show what I had learned.
So, I went to Dr. Connor’s office on Monday morning and told Susan that I have figured it out. She said, ok. Turn it on. Those days, computers did not have graphic interface. They were analog. When you turned them on, a blue screen appeared on the monitor, with a blinking white dot on bottom left. It used to be called DOT Prompt. We had to type in commands, and press enter. If the command was correct, expected response appeared.
I turned on the computer. Dot prompt came. My hand was probably shaking. I carefully entered the command, and pressed enter. Those, days computers did not respond instantly; they took a few milliseconds. To me, that day, it was an eternity. Finally, screen lit up, and started scrolling with student records, row after row. Susan was watching over my shoulder. She jumped up, and screamed. You have done it! Didn’t I tell you, you can!
It is hard to describe my feeling. I felt great. That experience changed the trajectory of my career. Many good things happened after that. I was planning on doing my MBA in Marketing. I changed my major to Information Technology.
I got several other opportunities as well at UW-Whitewater. They had recently started a minority affairs department, and wanted to create a Uniform Minority Information System database (UMIS). They had also hired a new vice chancellor for the program, Dr. Roger Pulliam. I got a call from Dr. Pulliam. He wanted me to come and see him. He said, he wants me to develop the database for this new program. Dr. Connor has already cleared it. I will get whatever resources I need.
He gave me an independent office, the equipment needed, and also assigned two students to work with me. My office was twice the size of my professors. Our program was very successful. It helped us in keeping track of minority students success, and planning help and interventions as needed. We generated reports that went all the way to Washington DC to justify continued support of the program.
I graduated in time in 1992, with two degrees, a Bachelor’s in Marketing, and an MBA in Information Technology. Since I was not eligible for any loans, I came away with two degrees and zero debt. The hard work had paid off.
My final feather in the cap at UW was when I was offered a job as Information Specialist at UW-System, Madison, in the office of the university president at Bascom Hill. I took up that job soon after completing my MBA program and worked there for a year until leaving Wisconsin the following year.
The point is that America is a wonderful country. Help comes along when you need it, and if you are sincere. Also, you can succeed, if you are committed and willing to work hard towards your goal.
I had already gotten married an year ago, in 1991, to a woman from Janesville. She used to say, I married you because I believed you will take me away from Wisconsin. So, after graduation, I asked her, where do you want to go? She said, Colorado. I have always liked the mountains. I said OK.
We packed our bags and left for Denver on June 6, 1993. I didn’t have any job lined up, or anything. But, I had a lot of confidence and hope.
I found my first job within two months in Denver, at US West, the baby bell providing phone service to fourteen western states. Again, long stories, but I did well in my career.
People liked me and admired my work. But, I still felt being treated differently, sometimes nice different, and, at other times, otherwise. It was still hard to find assimilation, and true acceptance.
In 1996, we moved to California and lived there for twenty years. It was a different experience. There was a lot more diversity there. With the internet explosion, America needed a lot of skilled computer people, instantly, which we could not produce here, fast enough. India provided them. Many came here. They were accepted and respected.
When I joined PeopleSoft in the Silicon Valley, in 1997, there were only two Indians in the company. By the time I left there in 2005, there were hundreds. They did not take away jobs from Americans. We still had a huge shortage of skilled computer workers, and there still is, today.
I retired in 2015. The technology was changing rapidly. I was 62 years old. The next oldest person in the company was twenty years younger than me, at 42. I simply didn’t have the energy. In high tech industry, burn out rate is very high. You work on a global clock. If you can’t put in 14 hours a day, you can’t survive.
Even after retirement, the pressure was still there. I was still breathing the same air. Recruiters still called. I had a lot of experience, but no gas in the tank. It was hard to ignore the temptations. So, we decided to leave Silicon Valley and came back to Wisconsin in October 2016. We shipped the stuff here, and took a long five day road trip, from Redwood City, California to Janesville, Wisconsin. No more manic Mondays.
But, It has not been easy. I had forgotten being treated different, but it comes to fore here every so often. People still ask me here, where are you from. I hear the question, but it is the tone that matters. Sometimes, what I hear is not, where are you from, but, why are you here? To that tone, I answer, I am from this planet. Where are you from? They get surprised, and go silent.
I encourage curiosity, because it is a virtue. I am very curious myself. If I find other curious people, we are kindred souls. We can engage in curious discussions and learn from each other. I enjoy the conversations and companionship. But, prejudice is something else. It hurts.
Every religion professes that there is only one God, and he has created everything. All of us. He created this earth, mountains, oceans, land, and all creatures. What he certainly did not create were boundaries, silos, and nations, which also come and go. Then, how come, some people are treated as children of a lesser God? Isn’t that short sighted, and an insult to our creator as well. I, carefully, use the word short sighted, because history is evidence that creation of silos and nations has not solve any problems. It has only created wars, misery, unhappiness, and diminished human experience.
I have earned my America. It was not given to me. I did not inherit it. I was not born to it. I have really earned it, the hard way.
The biggest tragedy of the human experience is that we are born free, but are immediately tagged and put in to cages. We have a skin color, a country, a religion, a language, a social class, and more. This becomes our destiny. Most humans spend their entire lives in their cages. Some try to break free, and succeed. Many don’t. Nonetheless, it is a struggle. It is not easy. Doesn’t have to be this way, but that’s the way it is.
America is a great country. It is my country, it is your country. It is my home, it is your home. It is BIG. Please don’t make it small !
No one is ever really, truly, completely, lonely. We always have ourselves. A voice inside of us keeps talking to us – all the time.
Sometimes it’s a whisper – do this, do that; Or, don’t do this, don’t do that.
Sometimes it’s an echo of whatever we are feeling – I am sad, I am angry, something bad happened today. The incident keeps playing over and over again in our head, in a loop.
And, sometimes it is a reasoned dialogue. The other me, inside me, talks to me. It tries to make sense of things. It asks reasonable questions. It answers my questions, gives me suggestions, helps me solve my problems. If I have been thinking of buying something that I can’t really afford, it asks me, do I really need this?
These discussions can take place anytime. But, with me, they happen more at night, when I am asleep, in deep thoughts, in a dream state. I discovered this, years ago, when I was working in the high tech industry in California.
Sometimes, I worked on a really knotty problem and the solution just won’t come. No matter how hard I tried, discussed with my colleagues, dug into manuals, documentation, etc.
Then, totally frustrated and tired, I went to sleep. Deep in my sleep, the subconscious went to work. And a solution emerged. At times, completely different than what I was thinking earlier. A new approach. And it worked. It has happened to me enough times that now I totally trust in the subconscious – my other-self, inside me.
This is not a new, or unique, phenomenon. We all have this capacity. It is inherent in all of us. The problem is, we do not try to organize our own thoughts. We are not even aware that it can be done. This is well documented now with modern research. Even Einstein had explored it. New techniques for mind management and control such as hypnosis have emerged. Calming practices such as meditation and mindfulness have existed for centuries.
Our mind is like an unkempt garage or a basement, overflowing with stuff. We have been hoarding stuff in there forever and have never tried to organize it. Some of it is useful, even precious, but most doesn’t have much value. It is junk and clutter. It even smells bad and impacts our health, but we don’t make an effort to clean that garage or basement. The good news is that it can be done – cleaned, sorted, and organized.
We are our own best friends. And we need to treat ourselves as such. Often, we don’t. We have heard the saying many times, so and so is his or her own worst enemy. Many a times, that so and so, is me.
This comes from lack of introspection and letting our mind wander. If we make an effort, we can give our mind directions and stop wandering, change course as necessary.
Then, we can start expanding our circle. From inside out. First we improve our relationship with ourselves. This will make us happier. Others can see that as well. Happiness grows and spreads organically. If we are happy, we can make others happy. Happiness is like a perfume that permeates the environment around us. And, it helps with the loneliness problem as well. When others can smell that happy perfume, they want to get close to it.
This is not to minimize or undermine the loneliness problem. I know it only too well. But, it is also a fact that we can’t force other people into our lives. We have to find our own coping strategies.
Life is, what it is. If we are by ourselves, we have to make the best of it. Mind engagement is the key. With positive thinking, being proactive, creative, and keeping busy, we can do better.
Every man is an ocean, but very few take the time or courage to explore their own depths. Those few who do, sometimes find hidden treasures. But most just float on the surface their entire lives and don’t know what they are missing. What could have been…
I always try to remember that I may not have everything I want – but glass is always at least half full! That’s not too bad at all.
Today is my birthday. I have completed 71 years. Every year, it is a time of reflection for me. Lately, it has also been a time for gratitude, to all those who have helped me on this journey and provided many happy and blissful moments.
It is a time of forgiveness, to both myself and others for any perceived wrongs done to me. Any moments of life should not be wasted on such emotions. After all, we all are human and don’t do everything right all the time.
Going forward, it is time for downsizing. Letting go of many unnecessary desires. Most likely, I have already experienced everything exotic that I wanted to enjoy; such as eating at French Laundry. If it happens again, It will only be a repeat. If not, I have already experienced it! So many don’t get to have that. It is also a time to let go of any resentments.
It is time to focus on being in nature, and becoming one with it. That’s essentially who we are. I enjoy gardening. I am happy when the vegetables and herbs in my garden are healthy. Because, they keep me healthy.
It is time to give back, in whichever way I can. Most important of which is sharing the life lessons I have learned.
I have been fortunate to have experienced two distinct cultures. Being born in India and having lived there the first 30 years, I learned a lot about the ancient wisdom of our ancestors. Growing up, all this knowledge was imbued in us to draw upon when needed. I have also read from our scriptures Vedas, Yoga, and Ayurveda. This has been of tremendous help in recent years to stay both physically and spiritually healthy.
All of this has been playing in my consciousness lately, and I want to share it with the world. Towards this goal, I am developing presentations at senior centers and elsewhere. People often ask me about India and especially Indian food. But very few, even Indians, really understand it. I am planning workshops to describe Indian food and how it emerged from spices as being medicines. Everyone these days knows about Turmeric, but there is so much more. There is so much in this world to share with each other. That’s what helps in bringing us closer together.
Finally, I am developing a book on American Values which have defined my life in the last forty years. I plan on releasing it on Amazon KDP platform within next two weeks. We the immigrants come here with cherished dreams. And to achieve that, we must learn and appreciate American Values, instead of taking everything for granted. So, my dear friends and family, wish me luck. And I most sincerely wish you all a very happy life.
