This morning, I went to TKIET, Warana - a place famous more for milk, than for Engineering colleges. About 140 kids have done the YES!+ program. Some of them have an ATKT, so I went there to help out in teaching them how to program in C - a subject in which 9 of them have failed.
As I started the 1-hour journey, I started thinking about the days when I learnt how to program. I was in ninth standard when I wrote my first software for my dad's chemical manufacturing business. Way back in 1987, it didn't even have an hard disk - and with 64KB of RAM, it was a power horse!!
As my thoughts drifted to those days, an amazing thought overpowered me. Programming is no different from real life. We go through similar experiences daily - just like a while loop. Every moment we need to make decisions - similar to an if condition. There are objects in real life and so also in C++. We keep everything organized at home - similar to "functions" in any programming language!! And it struck me - thats how I had learnt how to program - and perhaps thats how I ought to teach programming!!
As I reached the college, I thought of a few games we could play. It took me 2 hours - and all the nine students actually started writing programs with basic while loops and if conditions using C. I actually surprised myself - usually in the first 2 hours, people hardly learn how to copy a basic "Hello World" application from the white board, without understanding how it works!!
It is all about teaching - none of these nine kids had ever written any line of code earlier. I guess it's also about life. And how the most complex things in life have a simple solution.
I am going to do more research on how to teach programming to F.E kids. The goal is for them to be able to start having passion in writing computer programs. Maybe next semester, I might actually start teaching a larger audience. Anyone interested in learning how to program, or learning how to teach programming or anything about programming in general, you can join me anytime!!
Until then, Enjoy!!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Back from Ratnagiri.......
A strange thing happened though - just as the kriya was about to begin, I got an sms. Usually, I ignore - but something told me I had to see it. Turned out that just a few minutes back, one of my wife's cousin committed suicide. She was in F.E - a sad thing indeed. I remember Neha had given an intro talk and asked her to join the YES!+ course in Kolhapur - she had given her phone number, but never answered Neha's calls. Kind of strange feeling I got when I saw the sms - my wife and she were quite close.
As the kriya started, I could feel both helpless (for her) and gratefulness (that I am a part of the solution - a part of a team eliminating stress, rather than creating it) at the same time. Shortly after kriya was over, some students came and told me that they could not concentrate for more than a few minutes. If any of you has that problem, I recommend you Bawa's talk on Technology of Spirituality. We just need to meditate, check our diet and regulate our activities (especially during exam time) for maximum benefit!
One of these days, I'll write about the kind of schedule to follow for exams...... until then.... Enjoy!! :)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Nice email I got recently from the USA..... worth reading and feeling the Grace :)
From: Durga Madhavi Mamidipalli
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 12:44:04 AM
Subject: Re: Inspiring
Jai guru dev,
I have just completed my first Art excel course (first Art excel course in Phoenix
area). I can't explain how intense the course was and along with the kid’s
parents, the volunteers started crying at the last day of graduation when the kids
are sharing their experiences and what they have learnt from the course. I am so
thankful to Guruji to bless me with this opportunity.
I want to share this beautiful story with you. At the end of my Art excel course
as a seva project all the kids made food packets with sandwiches, apple and a
banana in it. And I was searching where to drop them. Through some one I came to
know that there is a Spanish people Methodist church where they give food to
homeless and orphans.
I tried to call them to let them know if I can drop the food
packets. But I could not reach them. They are 20 miles away from my house. I
just went there and asked for the Father Jose.
Some body told me that he is praying inside the room and asked me to wait. I
waited there and when he came out asked him if I can give the food packets. He is
staring at me. I thought may be I am at the wrong place. He said ‘No, I have to
feed 20 people now and we don’t have anything to give them, not knowing what to do
I went in to pray Jesus and you are here when I opened the door. I am like
speechless.
Divine takes care of everyone no matter what.
Lots of love,
Jai guru dev,
Durga
Love,
Sanjay Bhaiya
From: Durga Madhavi Mamidipalli
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 12:44:04 AM
Subject: Re: Inspiring
Jai guru dev,
I have just completed my first Art excel course (first Art excel course in Phoenix
area). I can't explain how intense the course was and along with the kid’s
parents, the volunteers started crying at the last day of graduation when the kids
are sharing their experiences and what they have learnt from the course. I am so
thankful to Guruji to bless me with this opportunity.
I want to share this beautiful story with you. At the end of my Art excel course
as a seva project all the kids made food packets with sandwiches, apple and a
banana in it. And I was searching where to drop them. Through some one I came to
know that there is a Spanish people Methodist church where they give food to
homeless and orphans.
I tried to call them to let them know if I can drop the food
packets. But I could not reach them. They are 20 miles away from my house. I
just went there and asked for the Father Jose.
Some body told me that he is praying inside the room and asked me to wait. I
waited there and when he came out asked him if I can give the food packets. He is
staring at me. I thought may be I am at the wrong place. He said ‘No, I have to
feed 20 people now and we don’t have anything to give them, not knowing what to do
I went in to pray Jesus and you are here when I opened the door. I am like
speechless.
Divine takes care of everyone no matter what.
Lots of love,
Jai guru dev,
Durga
Love,
Sanjay Bhaiya
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Three types of Sciences
In my experience, there are three kinds of sciences. The first type of Science is the "Science of matter". Science of matter can go as deep as atoms and molecules. The basis of this science is atomic structure and possible results of interactions/reactions between 2 or more atoms/molecules. Most modern day sciences are based on this basic "Science of Matter". For example a modern medical doctor prescribes medicines based on the reaction those atoms from chemicals will have with the atoms of cells within the body. This is the most tangible of the three sciences.
A little more subtle than the science of matter is "Science of Energy". How one feels at what time cannot be based on matter alone. There is a small amount of overlap between the "Science of Matter" and the "Science of Energy" - for example, if you eat a few pizza slices, you may feel your energy levels going down and you may feel sleepy. Or if you get yourself drugged, you may feel a change in your energy levels. But beyond that, there is not much of an overlap between these two sciences. Most meditators who have felt (even for a brief moment) that they are something more than the body, will be able to relate to this "Science of Energy". Many ancient medicinal sciences like the Chinese herbal medicine and Indian Homeopathy medicine are based on this Science of Energy. They determine the main energy pathways in the body and in case of any disease, the diagnosis is based on which energy pathway is blocked and not operating freely. Once that energy pathway is cleaned up, the body is naturally able to cure itself of the disease.
The third type of science is the "Science of Consciousness". This is the most subtle of the three sciences. It is your consciousness which actually manifests diseases. For example, someone who is constantly into "Victim Consciousness" (which means he constantly feels that the whole world is against him and he is always a victim) wants to prove to everyone that he is being troubled. That person may throughout the year develop ailments such as cold, cough, body aches and pains etc. How the consciousness of a person changes across a lifetime (and in fact multiple life-times) cannot be determined by the science of matter or the science of energy. Of course, there is a small influence of the science of energy - for example, the environment in which a person is brought up in, may have some influence on the consciousness. By pranayam, meditation and sudarshan kriya, this can be controlled and the consciousness made clean.
To my experience, dealing at the level of consciousness can make life much more easy, compared to dealing at the level of matter or energy. Dealing at the level of matter may have a lot of side-effects, which reduce while dealing at the level of energies and pretty much disappear while dealing at the level of consciousness. The "power of prayer", "faith healing" etc works at the level of consciousness.
A strong consciousness can influence the environment, while a weak consciousness can get influenced by the environment. Every human body has a strong defense mechanism which can deal with any disease in its environment. This process can be significantly more powerful, if the consciousness of the person also genuinely wants to do it - and the consciousness is pure and free from all negative emotions such as guilt, victimness etc. Sudarshan Kriya, pranayam etc helps the consciousness to be free from all these negativity, so that the energy and the body of the person can be much more healthier and if the person wants, he/she can help build a much better and beautiful world.
A little more subtle than the science of matter is "Science of Energy". How one feels at what time cannot be based on matter alone. There is a small amount of overlap between the "Science of Matter" and the "Science of Energy" - for example, if you eat a few pizza slices, you may feel your energy levels going down and you may feel sleepy. Or if you get yourself drugged, you may feel a change in your energy levels. But beyond that, there is not much of an overlap between these two sciences. Most meditators who have felt (even for a brief moment) that they are something more than the body, will be able to relate to this "Science of Energy". Many ancient medicinal sciences like the Chinese herbal medicine and Indian Homeopathy medicine are based on this Science of Energy. They determine the main energy pathways in the body and in case of any disease, the diagnosis is based on which energy pathway is blocked and not operating freely. Once that energy pathway is cleaned up, the body is naturally able to cure itself of the disease.
The third type of science is the "Science of Consciousness". This is the most subtle of the three sciences. It is your consciousness which actually manifests diseases. For example, someone who is constantly into "Victim Consciousness" (which means he constantly feels that the whole world is against him and he is always a victim) wants to prove to everyone that he is being troubled. That person may throughout the year develop ailments such as cold, cough, body aches and pains etc. How the consciousness of a person changes across a lifetime (and in fact multiple life-times) cannot be determined by the science of matter or the science of energy. Of course, there is a small influence of the science of energy - for example, the environment in which a person is brought up in, may have some influence on the consciousness. By pranayam, meditation and sudarshan kriya, this can be controlled and the consciousness made clean.
To my experience, dealing at the level of consciousness can make life much more easy, compared to dealing at the level of matter or energy. Dealing at the level of matter may have a lot of side-effects, which reduce while dealing at the level of energies and pretty much disappear while dealing at the level of consciousness. The "power of prayer", "faith healing" etc works at the level of consciousness.
A strong consciousness can influence the environment, while a weak consciousness can get influenced by the environment. Every human body has a strong defense mechanism which can deal with any disease in its environment. This process can be significantly more powerful, if the consciousness of the person also genuinely wants to do it - and the consciousness is pure and free from all negative emotions such as guilt, victimness etc. Sudarshan Kriya, pranayam etc helps the consciousness to be free from all these negativity, so that the energy and the body of the person can be much more healthier and if the person wants, he/she can help build a much better and beautiful world.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Back from Bangalore
Just jumped off the bus early this morning - I am back in Kolhapur from Bangalore after a super high energetic YES++ (Art of Living's YES+ Advance Course). The Super High came of course by the presence of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. As with many others, the best thing about my life is I have Guruji embedded into it.
It was fun, interesting, sometimes emotional, sometimes brief feel-like-smiling-for-no-reason sessions (thats when I realized - to cry you need a reason, but to laugh you really dont need any - you can just be yourself and smile) and sometimes feel-like-going-crazy sessions. All in all, its the only time where I can observe the mind and its infinite tendencies.
On the third day (second day of silence) a thought came. What about freedom...... how do I remove (ok I accept - a very mild word - a better word would be THROW AWAY) my attachments. I let the mind wander a bit more deeper and see the root cause of attachment. Amazing results. Like Guruji once said - we live life as though we will never die, and we die as though we have never lived. Sudden realization. Of everything being transitionary. Every moment is transitionary - it fades away into the next moment. All stresses are transitionary - they fade away into the next set of stresses. The mind kept observing that. Until it reflected on itself - ahaaan!! So thats it. Become aware of "that" which is observing the transitions. And then it detached itself from the transitionary things.
Thats the beauty of Art of Living. High-tech way of getting instant freedom. The next moment the smile-for-no-reason sessions started. I was lieing down on wall next to the lake and suddenly the clouds moving in amoebic formation made me smile. The deep blue sky looked as if it was the latest sardarji joke making the entire creation smie. What a beauty!!
I say if you havent done YES++, Just Do It. Now!!
And if you havent yet done the YES+, then too bad. Do it just because there is a YES++ on July 16th in Bangalore Ashram.
Ok I need to creep into bed and get my sleep. Right now I have a slightly heavy head and my body feels like its having a slight fever. But then, in YES++ I experienced something amazing - how the mind is different from the body. More about it on my next posting :)
And oh yeah........ Dinesh was absolutely fascinating (and amazing) and Bawa......... hmmm One day when I grow up, I wanna be able to create "instant" answers to the most "serious" and amazing questions. I wonder how he does it. I am sure its coming from the infinite number of video/computer/board games that he plays - in the games he shoots objects really fast and while meeting students, I guess he imagines the questions to be objects, takes his wisdom-gun and goes BANG BANG BANG!!! And if you havent yet known who Bawa/Dinesh are, well...... its high-time you increased your GK to include two highly intelligent people who have positively impacted more people in their last decade than any one else I have seen in the last decade :)
I guess they compliment each other very well - Bawa with his excessive Brahma and Shiva energies, while Dinesh with his infinite Vishnu - so creative, maintaining and transforming energies at their best........ its a treat to watch from the audience :)
It was fun, interesting, sometimes emotional, sometimes brief feel-like-smiling-for-no-reason sessions (thats when I realized - to cry you need a reason, but to laugh you really dont need any - you can just be yourself and smile) and sometimes feel-like-going-crazy sessions. All in all, its the only time where I can observe the mind and its infinite tendencies.
On the third day (second day of silence) a thought came. What about freedom...... how do I remove (ok I accept - a very mild word - a better word would be THROW AWAY) my attachments. I let the mind wander a bit more deeper and see the root cause of attachment. Amazing results. Like Guruji once said - we live life as though we will never die, and we die as though we have never lived. Sudden realization. Of everything being transitionary. Every moment is transitionary - it fades away into the next moment. All stresses are transitionary - they fade away into the next set of stresses. The mind kept observing that. Until it reflected on itself - ahaaan!! So thats it. Become aware of "that" which is observing the transitions. And then it detached itself from the transitionary things.
Thats the beauty of Art of Living. High-tech way of getting instant freedom. The next moment the smile-for-no-reason sessions started. I was lieing down on wall next to the lake and suddenly the clouds moving in amoebic formation made me smile. The deep blue sky looked as if it was the latest sardarji joke making the entire creation smie. What a beauty!!
I say if you havent done YES++, Just Do It. Now!!
And if you havent yet done the YES+, then too bad. Do it just because there is a YES++ on July 16th in Bangalore Ashram.
Ok I need to creep into bed and get my sleep. Right now I have a slightly heavy head and my body feels like its having a slight fever. But then, in YES++ I experienced something amazing - how the mind is different from the body. More about it on my next posting :)
And oh yeah........ Dinesh was absolutely fascinating (and amazing) and Bawa......... hmmm One day when I grow up, I wanna be able to create "instant" answers to the most "serious" and amazing questions. I wonder how he does it. I am sure its coming from the infinite number of video/computer/board games that he plays - in the games he shoots objects really fast and while meeting students, I guess he imagines the questions to be objects, takes his wisdom-gun and goes BANG BANG BANG!!! And if you havent yet known who Bawa/Dinesh are, well...... its high-time you increased your GK to include two highly intelligent people who have positively impacted more people in their last decade than any one else I have seen in the last decade :)
I guess they compliment each other very well - Bawa with his excessive Brahma and Shiva energies, while Dinesh with his infinite Vishnu - so creative, maintaining and transforming energies at their best........ its a treat to watch from the audience :)
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