Business to the Buddha

Tag: Barasti Dubai

  • Why not Celebrate daily? Happy New Year







    In India we celebrate maximum number of New Years – Hindu New Year, Christian New Year, Parasi New Year etc etc. Besides all these new year celebrations we have many more festivals. I believe is we go by every tradition and religion followed here, every second day would be a reason to celebrate. And why not? We should enjoy and celebrate life, why wait?

    When I reflect and visualize ancient India, I can only visualize happy songs and some festivities of this movie – Utsav. Not the whole movie but the rustic milieu and everyone knowing the other and festivity. I remember as a kid we used to have almost a one month holiday during Diwali. We used to celebrate a lot of festivals, one was Vasant Utsav during Feb March followed by Holi. Holi too used to be an interesting festival and we used to say – “Do not mind its Holi today” (बुरा न मानो  होली है).

    holiI relate most celebrations to Holi (though now a days holi is celebrate with wilderness, which I do not like). Our every celebration should be like Holi celebration. Wish we can learn from that one sentence – do not take life seriously, Enjoy life. Now we search for reasons to be happy and enjoy life. Thought this “search” can be accommodated however “joy” should be with awareness. I think we are missing that link of awareness now a days.

    I heard Sri Sri’s (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) old talk QnA session. In that session he emphasized on celebrating every moment. It is a good idea.

    Celebrate daily, celebrate every moment – with full awareness.

    Image source – http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/india/120308/holi-celebrations-color-poisoning

  • Happy New Year 2014






    I received this story on whatsapp last week… thought this is good story to share with you as a possibility of new year resolution. It is a 350 word story, so not more than 5 min to read…

    I still remember – Barasti in Dubai, racist behavior of them. Hope we would learn, sooner than later. I further hope that after reading such simple story people responsible for economic crisis, political crisis across world would change.

    The Suitcase
    A man died, when he realized it, he saw God coming closer with a suitcase in his hand.

    God said: Alright son its time to go.

    Surprised the man responded: Now? So soon? I had a lot of plans…

    God said: I’m sorry but its time to go.

    What do you have in that suitcase? the man asked.

    God answered: Your belongings.

    My belongings? you mean my things, my clothes, my money?

    God answered: Those things were not yours they belonged to the earth.

    Is it my memories? the man asked.

    God answered: those never belonged to you they belonged to Time
    Is it my talents?

    God answered: those were never yours they belonged to the circumstances.

    Is it my friends and family?

    God answered: I’m sorry they were never yours they belonged to the path.

    Is it my wife and son?

    God answered: They were never yours the belonged to your heart.

    Is it my body?

    God answered: that was never yours it belonged to the dust.

    Is it my soul?

    God answered: No that is mine.

    Full of fear, the man took the suitcase from God and opened it just to find out the suitcase was empty.

    With a tear coming down his cheek the man said: I never had anything?

    God answered: that is correct, every moment you lived were only yours. Life is just a moment, a moment that belongs to you. For this reason enjoy this time while you have it. Don’t let anything that you think you own stop you from doing so.

    Live Now

    Live your life

    Don’t forget to be happy, that is the only thing that matters. Material things and everything else that you fought for stay here. YOU CAN’T TAKE ANYTHING

    So this new year why not plan to do everything by just remaining completely in the moment. Enjoy the moment and in terms of actions remember Krishna said “do the work and leave results…”

    कर्मणयेवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
    मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि।   2.47 – more on this Shloka of Geeta by another blogger here

    Wish you a Very Happy New Year.

    Related blogs –

    1. Illusion of control

    2. Money worth earning

    3. My New Year wish!

    4. Wake up!

    5. Welcoming’12, Seasons of ’11 and accountability

  • Welcoming’12, Seasons of ’11 and accountability







    For some new year is getting new fancy, even more exposing table calendar and flaunting that. For some it is a continuum of the life – life as usual. For some it is a time to celebrate. I think this is the occasion when we should ask ourselves what happened last year and what should be improved? In 2011 I asked myself -” would I support places such as Barasti in Dubai?” I felt that Barasti is a place which supports racism and I decided against going there.

    When it comes to the year 2012, some time back there was a rumour about the year 2012. Hollywood made a movie – 2012. That movies speaking about this year as a question of existence, right? Well, why start the year with that question. Or we can start thinking about existence and ask questions to ourselves. Look at the 2011, what we did not see? We saw Arab Spring, Summer of India/USA and Winter of Europe. Let me elaborate –

    Arab Spring – I was in middle East during the time when Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and other such uprising were in news. I wrote in 2011 about Arab uprising – Power Corrupts. Yes, it does and had been in question for Middle East in 2012.

    Summer of Europe – Have you not noticed that the production in China, industrial growth figures of India and other developing nations were not positive lately? The likely reason for that is slow or negative growth of developed nations e.g. USA and Europe. Euro zone saw a unique problem this summer of 2011 when countries were likely to default on their loan payment! I asked a question to myself Euro is it dead? and in May 2011 asked my Teacher of economics – Professor Mankad is Euro dead? We saw the turmoil of Euro for couple of months. Lately, I read on Reuters that “the Euro is not an experiment…” ECB executive said that. On a lighter note – “as if it was supposed to be an experiment until now”. Personally, I am in favor of the kind of economic zone Euro has created. However there are problems with accountability which needs very strong measure.

    Winter of India and USA – Euro zone crisis did not end and we saw another people’s movement – the Lokpal movement in India and Occupy Wall Street in USA. In brief Lokpal bill is to curb corruption and bringing high and mighty beurocrates and politicians under the ambit of LAW. Strange a democratic country India talking as if it is an autocratic country where KING/QUEEN (beurocrates – include lower and upper – and politicians) is above the law. On the other hand citizen of USA were questioning ‘the top 1% holding maximum wealth‘. Why not Investment Bankers take responsibility for not only creating toxic assets but also burning those assets which eventually ruined the economy – of the whole world.

    Well what do you make out of these seasons of 2011. If I look back and take a macro perspective – all these big events of 2011 were Questions on “accountability”. Let us begin the new year with taking responsibility of our actions and working towards a peaceful (Middle East), moral (India) and equitable (Europe and USA) world.

  • My New Year wish!







    In the first month of reaching Dubai, we friends went to Barasti bar in required party wear e.g. shoes, jeans shirts and T-shirts, shaven etc etc. Doorman said “only for pairs”. We said ‘our girlfriends are already in’; we were told call them out and then you can enter. We called them and were waiting outside. The wait outside was the trigger for this wish. [On a lighter note – I do not have a ‘girlfriend’ but yes ‘friends those who are girls’]

    I critically observed the operation of the doorman. By the time our friends came out I observed few things. One, roughly four groups of people went inside. Each group had average four members. Few were in their car, parked their car somewhere and walked toward the Barasti gate. Those were coming from a nearby residence (this is my guess, owning a car and their outfits).

    The teasing and striking part is this. Those groups going in were wearing – floaters [instead of shoes], 3/4th [instead of jeans or pants] and sleeveless [instead of T-shirt or shirts], all were male (perhaps male pairs in the language of the Doorman of Barasti). There was only one group which was 3 males and 1 female. Why were they allowed, I asked myself and to my friends. The only possible reason to let them enter was – skin color. They were European or American ‘white’. We waiting outside were brown skin [on ‘von Luschan scale’ 21-28].
    I decided not going to Barasti in future, my friends are liberal they are giving a chance to Barasti to be ‘racially neutral’ for a better tomorrow. My friends are celebrating New Year at Barasti. I wish for the year 2011, organizations, places and societies become more liberal. I am not saying all are as Barasti – discriminating. There are a few who may still be functioning such that the term – ‘Racist’ still exist in the English Dictionary.

    It was my maiden experience to go to a bar or night club. Oh yes! Eventually we went inside as our ‘girlfriends’ came out.

    I wrote my experience with due respect to all of us and our skin colors, trust you would not mind it. I showed a mirror to myself, trust we also saw ourselves. The thoughts presented in the blog are based on my experience; I am not on one side or the other. In my opinion, in the battle of mind and opinions we – human beings – are on the same side. We need to face the mindset and move towards a direction wherein equality is the name of the game. At times I feel we all are on the same side, still we fight.

    My wish for the year, organizations, places and societies become more liberal and racially neutral.