20 October_Hoshiarpur

We're on our way to Hoshiarpur where Gurudev will address the public at an event hosted by a local saint. We're driving on small bumpy roads in the middle of what can look like a jungle. 

We have no idea where we are now except for the driver and volunteers of course.  It's a great feeling not to plan anything and move with the heard! Total faith and being like a child moving with mommy and daddy ;). It's good we have these long trips so that I can take my time to write these notes. In half an hour we reach Hoshiarpur and Ralph is craving for Aloo parathas :)

It's 11:30pm and we only saw Guruji for a few seconds as he was visiting someone's home. We said we wanted to follow him to his evening event. He asked if we were hungry. We said no. Next thing you know we're out at a hotel having dinner. We did miss seeing Guruji at the event :( And now we're on our way to see him where he's staying tonight, some of us are tired, some frustrated, Bill is starting to recite a Rumi poem about failure and surrender. 

We're on Day 3 and so far we've been treated like royalty, all the lavish places we've been to extraordinary food, we have our own driver and volunteers with us, we get front row seats; but no personal time with Guruji. I have to say that some of us including myself are starting to get disappointed and frustrated. We were invited by Gurudev himself as his guests but somehow the volunteers find a way to keep us away from him, or at leaf this is how it feels. Perhaps it's all a game, perhaps a conspiracy, perhaps it's all in our minds but to quote Jeff: "it's all a mystery", a great way to look at the situation and not try to fix, change or understand what's going on. 

So today is Sunday October 20th and we're driving from Hoshiarpur where we stayed at Hotel Presidency, to Jalandar where we attended a Satsang at Guru Govind Singh Stadium. 

Ralph said why don't you go up on stage and take photos. I didn't think it was possible until he said it so I went near the stage with my giant Canon and stood there until someone asked me: "Do you want to go up take photos?" There were no sweeter words. I was up on a huge stage right in from to Guruji taking snaps for an hour. I filled up 16 Gb  of photos!! Most of them turned out amazing! Now we just arrived to another evening Satsang in Pathankot, 3h away from Jalandar.

Dr Manikantan and Richa Chopra have been hosting all the Satsangs on this your. They are just perfect signers, musicians and devotees. Guruji loves listening to them sing! So does everyone else. I got a chance to speak with Dr Mani in Chandigarh and got some interesting tips about flute playing. 

There was a mini Satsang after a very successful event where Gurudev addressed the public on many issues such as alcoholism, female foeticide, and vocational skills training that Art of Living provides. It seems that these topics are on his agenda during his tour in Punjab. He was asked in Bangalore a question about people leaving farming and going to the big cities to get an education.  It seems that more farmers are needed but also people want to secure their future with good education. He asked that people work together on this issue and find a solution.

Sri Sri also conducted his Punjab trademark meditation :) a beautiful meditation that starts with eyes open and ends with eyes closed with Om chanting! 

Later on we went to have our dinner at another gorgeous house.  Now I have to take a moment and describe what I mean when I say gorgeous houses. These are huge mansions with 5 to 10 bedrooms, beautiful antique furniture, amazing decoration, some are very modern and some old but the space in there is so big, high ceilings, and swimming pools, water fountains, rose petals everywhere and every house  with its own outdoor garden. We often had lunch and dinner in the garden and slept in the house or someone else's house. 

Right after dinner we followed Guruji while he just walked over to the next street where apparently there was a mini Satsang. He came in and sat and everyone as usual flocked around him like crazy; but this time it was different. There were tons of people sitting around him and behind him on a very small stage. It looked so intimate and sweet! He merged beautifully with the crowd. His whole expression and being changed. He was like a proud young man hanging out with his friends. 

Pictures coming soon!

Punjab-19 October-Chandigarh

Today our traveling coordinator/ volunteer is Romin Sanjeev. We are all traveling together in a13 seater bus... Oh what fun! We're headed to the inauguration of "Volunteers for a Better Punjab" in Hoshiarpur.

And how do I feel right now? I feel rested after a good night sleep in a giant bed, I feel serene and in deep gratitude for this opportunity to travel with Sri Sri and a great bunch of people. I am actually looking forward to my next meal haha! 

I just realized that cows in India are like dogs in Canada haha. 

The event was under scorching heat where I and many others had no choice but to fall into deep sleep. 

After the event we said goodbye to our dear +Sevag derghazarian  who had been traveling with us for only a day. The group is now 1 person smaller. Sevo you are missed!

Off we go to Himachal Pradesh to a guest house near Nangal damn, a beautiful picturesque area with high mountains and an artificial lake. This is where Gurudev has come for rest and lunch. The volunteers were really sweet and many of them were meeting Sri Sri for the first time in person. One young girl had an anxiety attack and started hyperventilating after speaking with him!

When Sri Sri was resting I took my ND filer out and took some long exposure pictures of the lake giving the water a smoother look!

Then off we go again, this time to a model village that the Art of Living had adopted. My understanding is that AOL makes the village completely alcohol-free and drug-free,  empower youth to take up community projects and take care of every aspect in the community. Sri Sri addressed the audience and there were 2 other saints there on stage with him. It was a very short address. I was moved by the sincerity of the women and children there. There was a beautiful feeling of love and devotion and I took the opportunity to take a few snaps of the kids there. I just love interacting with kids taking photos! They're the perfect subjects full of innocence and playfulness. They love looking a their own photos. It's a game for them. These kids touched me deeply. They stirred some hidden emotion in me and I feel light and sweet. Its 8:20pm and we have been driving all day. While many of us in the group are tired, I feel so energized and alert after my interaction with these kids. Gurudev asked everyone to wish for something tonight and that it would be granted. I wished for surrender. Surrender from my own mind, from fears and control. 

Punjab tour with Sri Sri- oct 18

8 months ago Ralph and I decided to travel to India and Lebanon for 6 weeks so we got our plane tickets and emailed a friend close to Gurudev asking him for pointers and tips about our travels around india. Next thing you know we get an email from Gurudev's secretary saying that we can travel with him during his tour in Punjab!! What a glorious and happy day it was when I read that email!

12 of us are traveling with Sri Sri: 4 Canadians, 3 Americans, 2 Argentinians, 1 Australian, 1 Russian, and 1 person from UK. We all met at the Bangalore airport early morning only to find out that  our flight got canceled so we got to hang out together for 5 hours. We had food together and got to know each other. What a great bunch of people!  It was so relaxing to simply hang out, walk around carefree, knowing that everything was going to be taken care of. 

We were welcomed by organized volunteers at Chandigrah airport. They even had a list of our names and where we were staying. 

First impression of Punjab! Big clean organized structured. We were told that in the state of Punjab 90% of the population is Sikh. Steel manufacturing and Agriculture are big here, people run and own businesses mostly, and the workers in the industrial area all come from neighboring states such as UP (Uttar Pradesh). There are lots of cycle rickshaws and the states is relatively rich. 

Now the food here is fantastic! To describe it In one word: Rich. Rich sauces, rich and oily curries, a large variety of breads and the desserts are fantastic. We had a super amazing dinner where Gurudev is staying and now it's the next morning and I can still feel it in my belly. Happy belly :)

So Gurudev arrived Right after we landed and headed straight to the advanced course then to where he was staying. The volunteers there, so organized and welcoming greeted us with so much love and Mr Ashwani hosted all of us in his lovely and fancy home. 

Good bye Lebanon, hello India

Today's D15 in Lebanon. I feel it's been beautiful enriching and eye opening.

Meeting with old friends and catching up, exploring amazing parts of Lebanese geography, history and culture, and getting to see my country from another perspective. 

Today we went Paragliding, first experience for me and Ralph! I was a little nervous for a minute before taking off but the rest was soooo easy, cool and safe! It felt safe to be up in the air gliding slowly above steep green hills filled with pine trees overlooking the sea. Totally peaceful and quiet except for the gentle sound of a cool breeze against my face. 

It seems to me that Lebanon is filled with a multitude of rich oasis all nestled in the midst of a chaotic landscape. It's a very interesting dynamic both familiar and irritating at times, enriching and exciting...

So that's my short summary; but I have a lot more to say, hopefully I'll make time for a few more posts about lebanon before India posts start taking over.