eagles nest

27 august 2008

che, passed away yesterday. he was readmitted to the hospital after a partial paralysis attack. knowing che, i would say he has transcended and would be walking the paths souls walk after leaving their nest.

a poem for che

the nest that once held u is empty now
your spark has left its one time home

you faced the imminent with grace
you lived life with courage and colors
your feet had touched many a sacred site
your body had embraced many loving souls

now your soul has left the nest you built these past few years
in it you had space for all that life is
you expressed how much you wanted to live
i hope your zeal for Life keeps you amongst us
till the unknown becomes more your home

be well on this new journey
dear che



peace.

art & peace - part I

april 2008, hyderabad

che is seen here working on a painting. the 10 day workshop on art & peace produced 3 paintings, and over 20 t-shirts (i will post some pics of them later). che (an artist from manipur and a peace-practitioner) facilitated the workshop.

che and i love turtles. for us turtle represents slowing-down, mindfulness, wisdom and intuition. and we feel these are some essential qualities required while working for peace.

why slowing-down?
cause, transformation requires one to pause, reflect and come to grips with what one is doing and what are the costs and consequences of how one lives.

why mindfulness?
cause, transformation requires one to be conscious always, and watch one's pre-disposition, prejudice, attitude, behavior, speech, writing, action.

why wisdom?
cause, one needs to know whether to do something or not. and to listen to a higher logic, reasoning, and illumination about what all impacts one could expect if one pursues a path and help chose the path that is harmless.

why intuition?
cause, some things we just know is right, even when we cannot fully explain why we feel that way.

rivers have many stories to tell

by the river bhagirathi, summer 2008

che is seen here listening to the river, seeing and hearing stories it tells.

"when we deeply care, we develop capacity to see much more in a moment. the inter-connectedness is so obvious. yet, we choose to blindfold ourselves to feast on rewards for excesses. the challenge is how to get into such discussions in group settings. so many things come into play, our egos, personalities, insecurities, desires, greed, our histories and memory. how can we embolden each other to walk the road less travelled, but one which offers respect, fairness, justice and dignity."