Cherish Or Perish

Two years back, the Barcelona opera house reopened with a concert exclusively for potted plants! How thoughtfully beautiful!! Why can't we think of such initiatives that starts with paying an ode to nature? Take our sapling distribution. Does anyone care of their survival rate?  

 “Just living is not enough" said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower". - Hans Christian Andersen, The Complete Fairy Tales

                                                       

Suhasini Ahluwalia Mehta

Apologies, after a prolonged break, I am back. Hopefully, the frequencies of my write-ups will be better henceforth. Thank you Suhasini Ahluwalia Mehta for giving me such an honest interview. You read like an open book and in the process, am sure, inspired many with your mind and its impressions.

 I am grateful to all readers for loving and more importantly writing back to express their joy and appreciation. Gratitude! 

"Sudeshna you’ve captured the effervescent beauty of Suhasini Mehta Ahluwalia..I always feel it’s the little things that matter and the little things that add up". This was a comment made by one of our esteemed readers, Kavita. This is so true of Suhasini. Every small thing that she has initiated has ignited a catalytic chain of positive energy. I always feel that she exudes a rare insight and truly brings her own sunshine in all that she does.

I particularly take back the above-mentioned comment by Kavita. Yes, it is the little things that matter and the little things that add up.. For, it is here, that, we can do our bit to make not just a purposeful and thus a happy life as much for ourselves as for others. Since last month was predominantly the green month, what with world environment day, world ocean day and world wind day huddling together, I would like to take this opportunity of reminding  my readers of our responsibilities (part of our fundamental duties as enshrined in the Constitution of India) in preserving our natural environment. So that every month can turn green with fresh titles!! What say?

While in June, there were some regular gathering of celebrities and ministers for distributing saplings, and some warnings by way of some articles about the horror of climate change. But either way, does it really serve our purpose of replenishing the fast disappearing greens? By that logic, are we really attentive to our fundamental duties the way we perspire over fundamental rights?

                     Pull of Pollution

       Photo courtesy: Mukesh Parpiani 

I for one feel, fundamental rights have always been arresting our attentions more than it is needed. We as Indians have always been asking for things rather than doing our bits too. With changing times, we look for making quick bucks and indulge in consumerist lifestyle, often turning a Nelson's eye to all the marauding of nature happening at our backyards!Till we alter perspectives and consequent habits, changes are insignificant. 

If you are still clueless to lifestyle changes that can impact our natural reserve, take a look.  

 Somewhere, I read, no less than a litre of water is wasted because of a leakage of a faucet. Yet, it is neither expensive, nor difficult to fix it, whether it is faulty faucets or broken pipes. Every time you flush, gallons of water gets used up. At least use recycled water instead of fresh water. Similarly, don't insist for fresh water when washing cars. To cherish this life-giving resource, we need to conserve it. Our country is one among the luckiest to be nurtured by so many water bodies. But like the air, it is equally if not more polluted. Again, not expensive, but simple measures can turn the clock around. Like stop using single use plastic bags. And let's not wait for government moves on these matters.                                    

Single use plastics are lethal. I remember a line in the Hindi film, Mission Mangal, even iron gets rust and thus decay, but not plastic. They don't perish and keep polluting our water bodies so much that now the species dwelling there are getting affected and thus endangered. Yes, initially, it could be a problem. But, if you are determined to make a habit to carry a cloth bag and metal cutleries like spoon, fork and a straw ( their plastic replacements are seen in many eating joints), every time you step out, then our country, will soon become a magical place to live in - cleaner and greener. Even when you are going to office, carry a cloth bag and the cutleries, in your vanity bag. Replace a cosmetic with a cutlery if space is limited. If you want to be more purposeful, be like Delhi's Dr Ruby Makhija. The good doctor distributes cloth bags to vendors to be given to customers at a price of Rs 20 each. They will be redeemed when they return the bag. Similarly, take water as much you could drink, don't give a full glass to a guest either. Rather than an indulgent shower, use a bucket at least some days in a week to start with. Turn off the tap while brushing, shaving etc. Stop or minimise usage of thermocols, tissue papers and papers. 

You draw your own list and make it your resolution. Make your lifestyle more environment-responsible and not just environment-friendly. When you are responsible, you are accountable. 

You are accountable when you value something or someone. There is a beautiful clip from the hindi serial Anupama where the protagonist is urging parents to take their children to the villages so that they can see how wheat, paddy etc are grown, touch it and smell it. In the process, they will feel empathetic enough as not to waste or throw away end products like chapatis.  

Smell the roses, cherish the sunlight, lap up the water, hug a tree, organise a picnic, take a walk in the local park/garden/forest etc. In short, embrace nature.

Suhasini hugging a mango tree

 Two years back, on June 24, 2020, the Barcelona opera house reopened with concert exclusively for potted plants! How thoughtfully beautiful!! Why can't we think of such initiatives?

 Please do share your thoughts on this and any initiative you feel is a perfect ode to nature. 

Hope that our minds and our world become greener. Amen.

 #Constitution of India# Sudeshna Chatterjee# Barcelona opear house# Nature# Butterfly# Suhasini Ahluwalia Mehta# Dr Ruby Makhija# Mission Mangal#  Anupama#

Mental Floss

 

Life is a journey.... .Just remain true to yourself...And it always pans out- Saba Ali Khan Pataudi

                                                                              

                                                                               Suhasini Ahluwalia Mehta   

How many people think like her? 

I mean if you go through her impressions, you will be overwhelmed with an explosion of emotions and will be compelled to think afresh. Sample a gem from her:  When you are gifting someone, you are actually sharing the perks you get of being privileged. And the flip side is that privilege has given me the strength to manage prejudice and difficult times.  For example, during the pandemic, stretching over a year now,  keeping a journal has been the best balm I could get for myself. It has become a powerful influencer in the way my mind now responds to events and remarks.That is because, it helped me struck a great relationship with myself. More than anyone else, you live with yourself through most part of your life. So, how compatible are you with yourself influences your contentment quotient.  Yes, one of the best gifts of journaling is that you start a friendship with someone you are perhaps most harsh and indulgent about. 

Meet multi-talented stunner, Suhasini Ahluwalia Mehta.

She is based out of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. She had the privilege of working with visionaries like media personality Pritish Nandy. Consequently, among other interesting work under his tutelage, she was instrumental in setting up the first cyber cafe in India at Leela Kempinski, Mumbai in the early nineties.She is the founder of 17 years old Stellant Communications Pvt Ltd, a boutique Public Relations firm that works with venture capitalists and start-ups.  To me, Sudeshna Chatterjee, her halo is somewhere else though, reflected in our freewheeling conversations which only get better and hence linger on with time. What I like about her the most is her curiosity to learn or do something new. Research says learning new things is a great tonic for your brain health and also keeps you in good humour. In the last eighteen months due to serial lockdowns, she started and continued with some new activities. She started keeping a diary.  She has been regularly giving free Pranic healing on asking. She has been into acrylic painting as well since the last six months. Wait! She is an amateur nature photographer and a drummer as well. Married for almost two decades now, she with her supportive husband are a DINK couple. She is 51 now, and looks unbelievably stunning for her age. Just look at her pictures!!But to me, Sudeshna Chatterjee, her looks are attractive because of her grey cells!!She is intelligent, witty, and a quick learner. It is her  pattern of thoughts that I find so enchanting and energetic. My favourite quote by her: I always keep myself busy. Some more in the offing – 

You need to love and accept yourself as you are. When two people are living together, it is important to accept one as one is. Period.

 

 You should be the most important person to yourself, even when you are married.

 If you seek something, give that to others first, be it money or happiness. Of course, it cannot be a mere giving. It needs to be preceded by a change in the mindset which makes you worthy of giving. Like I once suffered from financial insecurity. Obviously, it would have its own pressure. But then, I kept telling myself that I was capable of coming out of this hurdle because I was worth it. After I started giving ten percent of my earnings every month, I never faced the insecurity. Money/gifts  kept flowing. I know, it sounds like a 'Secret' tenet, but at least in my life, it worked.

           Mehta's acrylic painting titled Resonance 

  

To me, Sudeshna Chatterjee, the mind of Suhasini Ahluwalia Mehta opens up into a vibrant palette of ideas and interests when provoked to introspect.  Hence, I find her answers almost always complementing my questions. 

 

                                                                             

                                                                               Suhasini Ahluwalia Mehta

Q & A                                                                         

You are showered with blessings when you give tithe, according to religious beliefs. But you would prefer to call it as a gift to your favoured causes. Does the way you look at things change the perspective? How does it help? And, would you have continued to give  the tithe if the financial insecurity would have continued notwithstanding? Yes/no, please elaborate.

I always gifted to the causes after my heart. However, I suddenly decided to tithe more consciously since early last year. Tithing is about money I guess but I think one can give anything – it is more about sharing actually. We are privileged to have a good education, skills, abilities, talents – we can share all or any of these, right? I started this as a women’s group as well, a few years ago, to encourage each other’s talents – to share and to encourage women to express their talent, to be independent and to support each other. We are now a group of more than 150 women going by the proud name of Pleiades.

Giving and Receiving – they are actually the same. I think it is about understanding the value of your gifts by sharing them with others. Most times we underestimate ourselves, our privileges and gifts. By sharing with others, we begin to value these more. If I am able to give something, that means I ‘have’ it. I think that’s why formal tithing has been recommended – to remove the idea of ‘lack’. Instead of focussing on lack – by sharing – we start focussing on ‘having’ something that we are delighted to share. So yes, definitely the way you look at things changes because you feel responsible, empowered – that you are able to support others. It is also not just about giving, isn’t it? It is about receiving as well. If for example, someone teaches the underserved, it is sharing something you have and that means you received it, you have the talent/gift/ability – that is how you are sharing it. So it is equally important to be receiving gratefully the gifts you are given in life.

Financial insecurity is a state of mind, focusses on ‘lack’. It can change very easily when you start being grateful for what you have (have=received).

According to the American Psychology Association, expressive writing cleans up spaces in the only ‘living’ shelf called memory by removing intrusive and avoidant thoughts. That is what I feel is the best benefit of keeping a journal as it keeps depressive thoughts at bay, especially in the new normal time when we are struggling to survive. Kindly enlist yours.  

One of the best benefits of keeping a journal is that you begin to become your own friend. You learn to express and your thought process becomes clearer. A journal helps you see yourself, like a mirror. You become more aware of your thoughts and can then attempt to control or change them. It is a reflection of your innermost state of mind like fears, desires and hopes. It is actually quite non-judgemental too! I used to keep a journal when I was younger and then stopped. I always did stay with the habit of writing at times and making short notes. So, I decided to get back to it as I had some flexibility of time due to working from home during the pandemic.

My journal has become like my best friend. I enjoy sitting with it first thing every morning. It helps with self-dialogue and stay focussed on what is important to me. It helps me face my fears. It helps me encourage myself. It helps me write goals and dreams and the things and people I am grateful for. It thus makes me feel lighter and hence happier.

You are a DINK couple living in India. How prejudice and privilege affect your mind?

Interesting question…I think privilege has given me the strength to manage prejudice. The usual casual question that comes up when you meet someone is – how many kids do you have or what class are your kids in? And I truly enjoy their look when I say – we do not have kids. It is usually a blank or a confused look! At one party, a lady insisted that I should plan and have kids quickly and I tried convincing her about my age first (I was 45 at the time) and had no intentions of making her an Auntie hahahaha. I still can not forget the flabbergasted look on her face. I quietly heave a sigh of relief when I hear stressed mothers talk about 10^th and 12^th exams. It is not like I have not missed having kids but frankly it is a rare occasion. Once we decided, that was that. I am not a person who lives in the past or with regrets. I have none. We have kids around us of all ages and enjoy spoiling them. We are more friends with them.

I have not directly faced any snide remarks – it is the usual comments from parents and family but we take and answer them in jest and they left us alone. I guess they also got around to accepting us and our decisions. We understand their perspective too.

The attitude generally is that other things make us whole – if you are single – get married, if you are married have kids, if you have kids – what education are you giving them?, do you own a house?, how much do you earn?, what car do you own? Etc etc. True – this is life and living but life and living could be other stuff as well.

What is your ‘Secret’ to ensure some balance in your mind and relationship? 

I am not sure how to answer that – that is the kind of person I am – I enjoy learning and experiencing new things, I like pushing myself to be better, I like pressurising myself and also cribbing and complaining and then getting through to the next level. So even when I know, I am busy – I say to myself, I can still do it – cause if you give something to someone who is busy, he/she will surely do it. I still make time for doing ‘nothing’ in between J. I used to be a workaholic for many years but over the last few years, I have consciously tried to make time to do the things I totally enjoy – working out, drumming, trying painting, writing, reading, hanging on to trees or friends (masti), dancing. Thanks to working from home, there is additional flexibility to do these activities.

We all are sad at some point. But only the weak gets bitter. Agree? Yes/no, why? How do you deal with your demons?  

 I would not use the word ‘weak’. Maybe replace it with vulnerable. It is okay to be and feel vulnerable. It is okay to be sad. It is okay to be happy.

 Certainly, we are humans and our emotions take over sometimes. When this happens to me – I become aware of it and then decide on a strategy – either allow myself to wallow in it for some time and then snap out of it or focus on my breathing to change my state and/or vent out in my journal and analyse it. I have also come to a formula that I use to analyse my state – if something disturbs me or unbalances me, I ask myself if my emotion or reaction to a situation is driven by Judgement or Fear or Expectation (my short form JEF) and then I go about tackling it internally with self-analysis/talk/letting go/forgiving/healing.

 If you are in love with a person, would you like to change that person or your thoughts to be compatible? Kindly elucidate. 

Hahahahaha I tried the changing part –didn’t work J so I decided to change myself and my thoughts. That is actually the only thing one can change, right? I realised you do not actually have to do anything to be ‘compatible’. You just need to stop putting pressure on yourself. You need to learn to be comfortable and okay with yourself and everything around you changes automagically. I decided to delve into ‘Know Thyself’. I let go of my idea of ‘should be’ and ‘would be’ and 'perfection' and it got so much easier! It is a perfect world anyways!

I realised I was too hard on myself, trying to live life according to ‘standards’ set by social life or self-prejudices and perceptions. Now I try to be more accepting of myself, kinder, gentler, more forgiving and not taking myself too seriously. So I am enjoying just ‘being’ myself. Learning to be my own friend. When you accept yourself as you are, you can very easily accept others as they are.

All in all, it is not about the other person. It is about you. Are you compatible with yourself? 

                                                                                                                                      Mehta's acrylic painting titled  Joy

#pandemic#suhasini ahluwalia mehta #pleiades#sudeshna chatterjee#pranic healing#nature photography#acrylic painting #inner peace #tithing #work life balance #giving #pr #drumming #woman entrepreneur #journaling

Reflections from a heart

Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings- always darker, emptier and simpler –

 Friedrich Nietzsche

                                                                              THOUGHTS OR FEELINGS?

                                                                              

Thanks again for all your ‘mindful’ bytes, my respected readers. What is particularly appreciative is that everyone got the drift of the intense reaction between mind and nature. As Tinni Maitra succinctly describes, (Aishwarya) “is brave, carefree and at the same time disciplined just like Nature. In our efforts to keep up with the changing times and modernisation around us, we’re losing touch with Nature and hence surrendering to fears and insecurities”. Piali Banerjee pertinently points out the importance of living a life of curiosity, else, where is the charm? Misha’s was a poetry when she says, “The forests have inspired and calmed Aishwarya Sridhar”. Thank you Sumedha Raikar Mhatre and other anonymous readers. What a heartfelt compliment: I bring thoughts alive!! Thank you all. I would be obliged if you kindly put your name, the next time, you feel like commenting. 

Time for some fresh thoughts. In fact, on second thought, do we keep thinking and forget to express? How many among us actually make our loved ones feel special? My father almost every other day will tell me how much he loves me!!It fills up my heart with a lot of positive energy. And I keep reminding that to myself when I get upset over our infrequent arguments.  Such simple pleasures in life... are we bidding them adieu, in the face of racing against time or are beginning to be more expressive, now that serial lockdowns have slowed our lives? But once we get back to normalcy, would we really remain the same? Because, again we will be part of a rat race where putting up impressions will be more important than building/maintaining a relationship. For whoever have time to express affections, except to some extent to their boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife/children or at best select close buddies/colleagues. As if relationship begins and ends there!! What about parents, siblings, other relatives/friends etc? Of course, on special days like birthdays and anniversaries, most may extend some lip-service, but otherwise, people are too busy with their inner circuit. 

How we connect to each other mostly has something to do with how we think, rather than what we feel. Thoughts  can be either spontaneous or planned, shallow or in-depth; Whereas, feelings are always natural, genuine and free-flowing. May be because thoughts origin in our mind or its more physical seat : brain and feelings flow from the heart. Atleast for now, specially since serial lockdowns, I deduce, more than thoughts, the feelings will stay on. Why? Because the effects are tangible, hence touches us deeply and lingers on...That makes us  feel upbeat and hopeful.  I have actually experienced such effects oh so many times. Which shows in my smile as it reaches my eyes!😊 

Talking about feelings, I will narrate another personal example of a different kind.  Curled up with one of my all-time favourite perk-up books, Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories after neatly cleaning up a plate of piping-hot aubergine fritters sprinkled with black salt and pepper as the world outside witnesses a torrid love affair between thunderbolts and heavy showers. Amidst the sound and fury, my next temptation appears in a tall glass of chilled Sprite garnished with a pinch of rock salt. Downed in few slow amorous swigs as I play Richard Clayderman’s Love Story. A series of blissful moments mesmerize my mind and beyond.... Once, we are attuned to the simple joys in life, we could be expected to be less tensed in critical times of our lives and otherwise too, live with a relatively cheerful disposition. Why? Because the happy chemicals in our brain gets activated post reading a book we enjoy or listening to a recital encore etc. Of course, most would express this rhapsody through few happy sighs or dancing to the music. I love the latter because some feelings get wings only when the expressions run through the body.

So, according to you, my valued readers, going by the chicken and egg story, what comes first – thoughts or feelings? Which one do you trust more and why?

And, what is your definition of simple pleasures in life?

Take care.

See you soon.

Don't forget to like and share if you connect with this page. 

The chronicles of a wandering mind

 

Today is life — the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto – Dale Carnegie

                             LIGHTS OF PASSION         

                            Photo credit: Aishwarya Sridhar 

Thank you for your support of my first piece. A special mention to Dr Anjali Chhabria and all those who further expanded my understanding of mind: the citadel of thoughts, beliefs, memories and memoirs. It is really heart-warming to see how spoken words get priority over the face it is coming from. More importantly, through this continuous interaction, hopefully, many will get some answers to the questions that could have been haunting them. Gratitude.

 Hope you all will keep our little adda alive!!And get some more magpies to mull!!😉

Talking of magpies, trees can’t be left behind considering that we have just crossed another World Environment Day (WED, June 5). Though I feel, every day should be worshipped as the WED considering the way people keep mauling the greens, and soon enough, if it continues unabated, we will see red!! Thanks to Pandemic and its consequent repeated long lockdowns -less pollution, clearer air, cleaner water and greener surrounding which again go a long way in keeping all those happiness chemicals, especially Oxytocin(love hormone) and Serotonin (mood stabilizer) filling up our minds. But surely, this is not the way to keep the streams ebullient and/or our minds agile. I mean, lockdown might show the way, but cannot be the way. 

So, to keep the mind positive and the air pure, we need to embrace sustainable living. I feel the lifestyle you choose has a great say on the mind you harvest or vice-versa.  Do you agree? Mull and muse, but please comment. 

 

Meanwhile, let us see what our young eco-warriors think of a Nature-Mind interaction. After all, they are like conjoined twins, what with nature and second nature being intrinsic parts of your mindset. 

Losing our environment is not like losing an election. It means losing our entire future. No amount of money can buy that. It is very important that we preserve whatever we have left of our green and blue planet before it is too late and that is why Aishwarya Sridhar, a Women icon awardee does what she does. This is the introduction to Aishwarya Sridhar’s debut documentary Panje- The Last Wetland. It was telecast on Doordarshan (National) in 2018. It was also screened at various environmental film festivals. The film, Sridhar, 24, maintains, has helped stoppage of landfills in the last remaining wetland of Uran in Maharashtra, India. “Currently, we are fighting it out in the court to declare the land as wetland so that we can turn it into a bird sanctuary”, she observes. A resident of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, Sridhar is a graduate of mass media, a poet, activist, wildlife photographer, TEDx Speaker and documentary film-maker. She is committed to educating and empowering the youths to speak up for environmental protection.

 Circa 2020. Aishwarya Sridhar’s mesmerising photograph of fireflies dancing in the night skies, titled ‘Lights of Passion’ won the ‘Highly Commended Award in Behaviour Invertebrate Category’ at the Natural History Museum’s virtual show. This was held in London on the occasion of the 56^th Wildlife Photographer of the Year event and she was the first Indian woman to win.

The photograph captures a unique phenomenon seen in India, only for two weeks during pre-monsoon every year. Male fireflies synchronised their bioluminescent frenzy to attract females for breeding.

 

She was just 22, when she ventured out and it was closer to midnight when she finally canned the shot. It was a cool summer evening in June, when she set out for the trek, deep in the forest, frequented by the wild and venomous animals and beset with thorny bushes, poisonous plants et al. She was all charged up, but terrified too as the forest was frequented by leopards. However, she was determined. Lo and behold! She finally got her subject:  Thousands of sparkling tiny yellow orbs flashing intermittently around a tree under a star-lit indigo sky. "I felt like stepping into a magical world like Narnia. I was mesmerised, but never dazed. Hence, I could click with a focus", Sridhar reminisces. 

 

This really calls for a strong mind. Tempted, I had to interview her. 

  

                                                                     Eco-warrior Aishwarya Sridhar

Q &A with Aishwarya Sridhar 

What is the best nutrition for a tough mind and why?

 

A tough mind for me is one without fear and self-doubt. Today mental health is very important. While we do cardio for physical fitness, meditation and staying positive can be great for mental fitness. A fit mind can also be the foundation of a tough mind. I devote one hour for my meditation and exercise daily, no matter how busy I am during the day.

 I developed a tough mind also because my parents encouraged me to take my own decisions since childhood. When I was four, i,e, in 2001, we came to Panvel (about 35 kms from Mumbai) in Maharashtra, India, which was then like a village, enveloped in nature. Children have a fearless disposition, as their minds do not have pre-conceived notions. Since I grew up in the countryside, I never feared the wilderness. That to me was my best friend. Unlike city dwelling kids, I spent my free time running after everything that moved-animals, birds, insects. This shaped me into who I am. Since a decade now, Panvel has become one more bustling city with unfortunately lesser tree count. 

In terms of nutrition for a tough mind, I believe in eating healthy, home cooked foods. Lot of green vegetables and fruits are my diet. Another ‘food’ according to me that can help you develop a strong mind and will power is a passion to know more about a topic. Learning is a great way to challenge your brain. It jogs your mind.

 

Who do you think is the influencer here – mind over behaviour or vice versa and why? 

 

Human affinity to nature is quite ingrained in our genetics and also has its roots in our evolution. To me, the mind is a better and stronger influencer over behaviour as what I think interests me or captures my attention, thus results in me wanting to perform the task and hence my resultant behaviour.  So mentally, if I decide that I want to know more about a species, I decide to go ahead and make a plan to visit its habitat and photograph it or else go out and see what I can do to protect its habitat and ensure its survival. Hence, for me, my behaviour is very much influenced by my mental thoughts and desires.

 

How important is self-control in achieving your target? Kindly explain vis-a-vis the following example: You witnessed an array of emotions while wading deep into the forest. How did you combat your fear and remain placid when you got what you desired and perhaps even more. In this case, the iconic shot. Also, if possible, share your techniques of self-control.

 

I feel self-control is important to achieve your goals in life. For me, self-control involves a strong will power, discipline, focused set of goals and a good determination to achieve those goals. My earliest practice of self-control was having to not watch TV during exam time. The first time, was very difficult but as it became a practice each year, it seemed super easy. And this taught me to focus on what I felt was important. 

When I first decided to go to Bhandardara village in Maharashtra to click the fireflies, I was determined that no matter what I will try my best to capture them in my camera. So, with my mind made up, I landed at the forest, just outside the village. Since I have visited jungles from a young age, I have no fear of forests or animals as I personally feel the safest when I am in the midst of mother nature and her creatures. No animal will ever harm you if you give it space and respect its need for distance. So as I walked the jungle trails that evening, my mind was so relaxed as I heard the forest symphony - sounds of crickets..birds chirping …leaves rustling in the  breeze…I of course just wanted to spot the fireflies as they dazzled with all glory. And this passion of mine to see them and photograph them was so strong that the trek seemed very easy to do. I have been clicking since I was eight. I used to be very excited as a kid and that has messed up many shots when it came to photographing animal behaviour. That taught me to be composed on the field. With a clear mind, you can think. When you are hyper, even the simplest problem would look massive. Maintaining a cool mind and seeing through the situation is what I try doing.

 

I do have a strong will power and I have been disciplined and focused since childhood. Even during my school and college days, I had a set timetable which I adhered to as I used to juggle wildlife photography with my studies. I knew if I had to achieve good grades and great images, discipline would be needed. My timetable included study and free time and I used to set goals to complete my syllabus. And this has helped me a long way in being fit mentally and physically. I never compare myself with anyone and I firmly believe that if the flame of your passion is fuelled by a constant thirst for knowledge coupled with a strong determination, then any goal can be achieved. So, self-control to me is all about never letting my mind go astray.

 

When you were out in the forest at night to take that luminous picture, how often did you think of yourself as a young woman? Here, kindly explain, what matters to your mind then – being gender-neutral or sex-specific and why? Is it important for you to be gender-neutral and age fluid at times? Yes/no, why?

 

I have never felt that gender limits your ambitions or dreams. My family never once told me that I could not do something because I was a girl. They treated me as a person and not as a ‘girl’. Even when I was at the forest clicking the fireflies, all I thought was how well I could photograph them in the darkness of night and what camera setting would best help me in that. Never once did I think of my gender.  I usually never let my age or gender come between my dreams. I think it is important to be gender-neutral and age fluid at times as then only can we work towards achieving our goals without any hindrance.

 

Do you believe nature has a great role in influencing our mind and vice-versa? Yes/no, please enumerate with some age fluid activities that bring us closer to nature.

 

Yes, I do believe that nature influences our mind big time. Nature to me is the best doctor and teacher ever. Being amidst nature, or observing the beauty of nature, reduces negative emotions and stress and increases positive emotions and pleasant feelings within us. But apart from this, nature also teaches you many lessons. Here I have mentioned two to exemplify my point.

 Resilience- The river you see flowing across rocks has at one point cuts through mountains to chart its course and meets the sea. If the river had given up and felt that cutting through the mountain was very difficult, it would never have become a river in the first place. 

 Altruism -  Nature teaches you selflessness as well. Look at a tree. It continues to give shade to even the person who brings an axe to chop down its branches. There is no revenge or anger in Nature. Being in nature’s lap not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical well being by reducing blood pressure and the production of stress hormones.

Be it a swim in the sea or a walk on the sand, Nature fills you with happiness wherever you stand.

To my mind, age fluid activities are also great detoxifiers and are actually easily accessible. For example, when you watch a documentary film on wildlife/nature, scroll down on your Facebook account and get engrossed into a Dodo feature, tending to your terrace garden or even some indoor plants/herbs like Tulsi and Hibiscus at your drawing room or simply staring out in the open at the early hours, all make up for keeping your mind positively stimulated.  I also find a walk in the woods or just sitting by a river and soaking in the sounds of nature very age fluid activities. To me and my next-door aunt, the best music can be heard in the silence of the woods or beside the brook. For city dwellers, even going for a nature walk in the local park, holidaying in a nature lodge are activities that can turn even our silver citizens into a bunch of curious teenagers!!

Nature has always been without boundaries or barriers. Age, Sex, Caste etc doesn’t exist in the forest. Everyone is welcome there. That is precisely why, it is so easy to become one with nature.

 

A mind with a view

 

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most - Mark Twain

MIND POWER 

Painting by Shefali Shah and Pic Courtesy: Mindtemple 

Hi, I am Sudeshna Chatterjee. I am not a psychiatrist. In fact, academically speaking, not even a psychologist or a student of this subject. But I am obsessed with the way our minds work. As a print journalist, I have written several articles on mental health for over fifteen years. Even when I turned a freelancer, I have written articles on mental health.

But this platform will not just be a montage of my memories, rather it will also air my current views on things I explore, wonder and get curious about. As they say, once a journalist, always a journalist.

In due course of time, my posts will also feature short interviews and profiles of  people and their issues you may know but never thought in this manner or you have not come across such personalities in your everyday read. Like one of my inspirations, noted author,W.Somerset Maugham, the obscure fascinates me more than the famous. The former speaks more relevant and honest stuff than the latter who is usually rather superfluous. My blog is also about listening to that inner dialogue that every reader’s mind hopefully will open up to. The subject could be anything. It is the answer that identifies a discerning mind.

Going by Freudian flow of thoughts, mind is a complicated and a fictional space at that. Yet it translates and brackets thoughts into milieu of feelings. Our reactions are aligned with our feelings. That is what noted psychiatrist Dr. Anjali Chhabria explained to me. How is it possible? I mean, how a fictional character wields such an omnipotent presence, I wonder. In fact, there is a stunning painting by the noted actress of Hindi cinema, Shefali Shah, depicting this power. It is hung on the chamber wall of Dr. Chhabria’s Mumbai clinic. The good doctor observes, “We are yet to scientifically understand all the nuances of this fictional character called Mind.” So, what is Mind? Is it more a fantasy or a fable? Dr Chhabria says, “Mind is an abstract concept of thoughts, feelings, emotions, while the brain is an organ that can be seen and dissected. The mind cannot be seen but conceptualizes the functions of the brain. It also talks about a connection of the brain and the heart”.

What is your views on mind? When you read, does the mind that speaks attract you more than the face you see? Please do drop your thoughts. 

Hope to see you there. Stay safe and happy.Thanks for your attention and promise that it will be quite a fascinating ride for perceptive minds.