Shiuli the fulcrum of The Movie October- A Tale of a Highly Sensitive Person

Shiuli Flowers

The night-flowering jasmine is named in biology as Nyctanthes Arbor-Tritis, known in different names across the regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia. 

We are considering here it's bengali name Shiuli to take it forward. Shiuli flowers have five to eight white petals arranged above a vibrant orange tube like a pinwheel. Shiuli is highly fragrant, open at night, and the surrounding area become smoothly and intensely aromatic. These flowers drop down from the branches at the first rays of sunlight.
Often the Shiuli Tree is called as Tree of Sorrow because of its extra-ordinary character, the scientific name Arbor-Tritis also means 'Sad-Tree'.

Middle month of the season of Shiuli blossoming is October, gives the birth of a story about Shiuli and Dan.

October

We prefer pleasure over pain, happiness over sadness, positive experiences over negative ones, so and so forth. Often we also face a dilemma that is negative experience actually make us happier in the long run ? The movie October says a lot, without saying lot.

Varun Dhawan as Danish Walia aka Dan

The movie suggests that yes, we can use those tough experiences to build ourselves up instead letting them control and  tear us down. In fact any experience like a fight with a romantic partner or losing a loved one - has the potential for helping us gain a greater sense of meaning in our life.
Primarily, yes it can be marked that October is the story about love constructed from Dan's simple and innocent world-view and Shiuli's silent , stoic stares.
But calling October only a love story, we will miss to its resilient tone. It is the battle of life from various angles, it's about how far we can go for the things we believe in. It is about main character's endless search of one thing that define himself.
Hotel management intern Dan is very careless in his attitude, he does not like his job, and has a strained relationship with most of his colleagues, seniors. Dan's story is heart wrenching and nursed notions that no one expects anything from him including his parents.
Dan's life takes a giant leap when his fellow trainee Shiuli Iyer accidentally falls from the Hotel's roof

Banita Sandhu as Shiuli

on New Year's Eve and eventually when Dan knows that Shiuli's last words before falling was

"Where is Dan ?"

This words actually make a twist into Dan's mind.
Dan and Shiuli forge an unlikely bond in the most trying of circumstances . The plot is gentle unfolding of love and loss and longing, and takes its time to getting to where it's headed. In slow rhythm of Dan's life, romance opens up in low-key and unusual speaking glances rather than high pitched words and drama.
              

Dan the Highly Sensitive Person

It is not until much later that we see in the very first appearance of Dan's character and his reactions after Shiuli's accident that he is a highly sensitive person and then things finally make sense.

A slower, simpler pace of life

Highly Sensitive persons (HSP) process information deeply, and may move little slower than others and also experience the world little differently than others. Images of violence or stories of heartbreak can be excruciating to them. Sudden impact of any thing like loud noises, news or busy schedules have the power to rattle HSP's profoundly.
They may need time to do certain tasks, like getting out of the house in the morning. They may take a little longer time to make decisions, such as which item to buy at the grocery store, because they are taking in not just the mountain of choices, but also nutrition information, price and how they feel about chicken noodle soup. Suddenly their mind flashes to chickens being cooped up in tiny cages and then slaughtered ... and they must take a few beats to ponder if they can live with this reality on their dinner plate . All of this take time.
Dan, the young man is trying to figure out stuff too. Dan is fairly a trying fellow, always reluctant to buckle down and do the back-breaking scutwork that comes with his territory, always trying to cut corners.
His realization that he may have meant something more than just an irritating colleague to limpid eyed Shiuli is a bit sudden.      
     

Space to get emotional

Not only are HSPs extra sensitive to environmental situation, they are also sensitive emotionally.

Dan after the trauma of Shiuli's fall

According to Dr Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, sensitive people tend to cry more easily than others. She told the Huffington Post 

Sensitive people can't help but express what they're feeling. They show their anger, they show their happiness. Appreciating that is really important.

In our case Dan have not cried on screen but tries very hard to establish the meaning of Shiuli's last words before her fall

"Where is Dan ?"

Intimate and meaningful relationship

HSPs crave deep connections with others. In fact, according to Aron, they may get bored or restless in relationships that lack meaningful interaction. However, this does not mean they're prone to relationship hoping, Rather, they may actually work harder to strike up a meaningful conversation with their partner, create intimacy.
This also means HSPs tend to be selective about the people they let into their lives. A surface-level and give-and-take relationship will simply not cut it. An HSP wants to dive deep into the soul his/her selection and connect with him/her in a profound way.
Knowingly the fate of Shiuli after her accident Dan dives deep into her soul, to know her more and more in a profound way and act as a pillar for her survival mechanism.

Extra-Sensitive to Subtleties

Little rearrangement in room, remote talk in a gathering by a relative or colleagues, HSPs can sense many subtle shifts, whether they are tangible item or emotional talk. Aron says

"There's just this intuition they have about their environment that other people generally aren't aware of"

That intuition also guides them in their own relationships as well.
While haunting for the answer of the question

"Where is Dan?"

This is not a story of a crush or an infatuation or romance in the month of October. Be a part of Dan & Shiuli's journey and book your tickets now! https://t.co/wAavMvRNTe@Varun_dvn @BanitaSandhu @ShoojitSircar @ronnielahiri @Kinoworksllp @filmsrisingsun @ZeeMusicCompany pic.twitter.com/26ul9P4eH9

— October (@OctoberFilm2018) April 16, 2018

Dan finally took an extra ordinary step to offer Shiuli's love, the flower Shiuli -  Nyctanthes Arbor-Tritis. He places a handful of Shiuli in a manner that its aroma reaches to Shiuli who is sleeping deep in coma.
And it works Shiuli senses Shiuli and probably the heart of Dan.

The #October love is striking a chord with every heart! Experience this unique story of love in cinemas. https://t.co/eQiOTDarPN @Varun_dvn @BanitaSandhu @ShoojitSircar @ronnielahiri @writeonj @Kinoworksllp @filmsrisingsun @ZeeMusicCompany pic.twitter.com/UYs22p0qEo

— October (@OctoberFilm2018) April 20, 2018

HSPs do not mind to go solo

HSP's  functions best when they are in quieter environments - particularly in the workplace. They may also avoid group activities because they feel like their every move is scrutinized.
In several occasions Dan shows this trait in his job environment. After Shiuli's accident Dan is the regular visitor of Shiuli in the Hospital though other friends and colleagues are off. Dan makes and continues his solo presence in a bid to rouse his colleague from her vegetative state, despite ongoing warning to be fired from his job.

              

Outlet of Creativity

Many highly sensitive people have a strong need to create. They channel their poignant observations, insights and emotions into art, poetry, music and more. Deborah Ward, author of Overcoming Low Self-Esteem With Mindfulness writes

"Sensitivity can be overwhelming, but it is also like having extra RAM on my personal hard drive … Creativity is the pressure valve for all that accumulated emotional and sensory data.”              

A strong sense of purpose

Some people seem to drift through life without direction or purpose. For HSPs, this is unthinkable. Rather, they think deeply about the big things in life. Who are they, why are they here and what were they put on this planet to do?  Whether it is writing a novel, traveling the world, or leading the way for a cause they believe in, sensitive people crave meaning.

Loved Shiuli who understand and respect Dan's sensitive nature

Because most people are not highly sensitive, they simply don't understand what it's like to get very

Shiuli with Dan

stressed out by from a situation. But for HSP Dan need a person who truly understand his sensitivity, certainly Shiuli plays the role till her last breath.Shiuli protects Dan from over-stimulation. And Shiuli observes all the wonderful gifts that come with this rare trait of highly sensitive Dan.

Final Thought

HSP or not, our environment affects us. But for HSPs, the response is even more profound. For them, the way things look really matters. Cluttered, chaotic or just plain ugly environments may unsettle them. Beauty, love, understanding are the balm that rejuvenate and soothes.
The film October demands feeling from the viewers.
With feeling October can be watched several times.                             

This April has been all about the #October feels. Thank you for making the beautiful bond of Dan & Shiuli special with your love.@Varun_dvn @BanitaSandhu @ShoojitSircar @ronnielahiri @writeonj @Kinoworksllp @filmsrisingsun @ZeeMusicCompany pic.twitter.com/GiOOQ2V04s

— October (@OctoberFilm2018) April 23, 2018

When it comes down to it, Aron says the key sensitive people is to embrace their personality trait rather than work against it.

"Highly sensitive people make excellent leaders, friends and partners "

In other words - Keep on  experiencing those emotions HSPs - even if they do make us cry.   

I hereby declare that Shiuli is immortal and will always be blooming in the sun expelling a fragrance that will bind us all together.. @Varun_dvn @ShoojitSircar @BanitaSandhu #October pic.twitter.com/2ar6KOc4Im

— Vrushabh Gudade (@BahutSochneWala) August 24, 2018

On the film's perspective the overall catch is found on the two reactions :

T 2772 - "OCTOBER" film, एक पुष्प 'हरृंगार' ( harshringaar ) का, gentle, soft, श्री Krishn called it 'Paarijaat', in Bengal 'Shiuli'
unique tree, does not wait flowers to give fruits or seeds... blooms in moonlight... sheds the flowers before sunrise, like a weeping shower... pic.twitter.com/o0N8M3iX8D

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 12, 2018

#October is absolutely beautiful... just beautiful....sucks you into its world and absorbs you completely...I felt like I was standing there with the characters and feeling their every beat and emotion....@ShoojitSircar and @writeonj are a genius team!

— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) April 11, 2018

Some More Articles on Film Review in different Angle

Write it, Pick it, Dream it, Play it And Become IT- A movie 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' underlining the Law of Attraction

      

LION - A Fascinating Real Life Story Plays Law of Attraction

My understanding of the Law of Attraction through the movie Nil Battey Sannata

What I have learned from Judy and Jack C Gilles

How The Movie Rock On and it's Sequel encompass the essence of Taoist Philosophy

14-Minute Short Film The Job Explains The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Horror

LION - A Fascinating Real Life Story Plays Law of Attraction

Sunny Pawar as Child Saroo

A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, who was lost accidentally, at age five, penned his life story how he was adopted by an Australian couple and later found out his biological mother after 25 years at a remote village in India.
Lion is the biographical drama film (2016) which is based on the story of Saroo.. Garth Davis, the Director of the film fared well to spread out the message of love and attraction. In an interview he told

It's a story that could work at any time in history I think. 

Story-line of  Lion

They were living at Ganesh Talai in Khandwa India. When Saroo was young his father left home. To feed the family, the mother of three children had to work in a construction site.

Guddu and Saroo

To support their mother, the brothers duo Guddu and Saroo took the responsibility to earn something in whatever possible way including stealing coal from Goods Trains. One day Guddu decided to go for a  haunt a job , but Saroo was also adamant to go with his elder brother. In a nearby by Railway Station.  Saroo was felt asleep on a bench of the station, Guddu went to search for a job, telling Saroo to stay at the same place. When Saroo woke up, he could not see Guddu around and boarded a train and felt asleep again in the compartment. The train took him to Howrah which is 1600 KM away from his remote village Ganesh Talai.       
After some harrowing experience and applying his presence of mind, Saroo eventually found a person who took him to Police Custody and then he shifted to a home for destitute children. He could not name the place of his residence but dreamed to return to his mother. Finally the authority of the home found a couple from Australia who were eager to adopt him.
With the help, love and care of Sue and John Brierley, Saroo could settle himself in the new environment. One year later, the Brierleys adopted another boy Mantosh, who had trouble adjusting as he was suffering mental illness.        

After 20 years Saroo grown up and become a businessman. He went to Melbourne to study Hotel Management. He found Lucy, an American Student and developed a relationship with her.

Dev Patel as Young Saroo

But he was always thinking about his lost home and his own mother. In a home get together with his friends he found jalebi  a delicious Indian street food, a favorite in his childhood. 

Jalebi

Jalebi  helped him to recapture some childhood memory with his brother Guddu with full resolution. Finally in full house he confided that he was adopted. His friends suggested him to search his place with the help of Google Earth. With lot of effort and painful experience he finally found some images that prodded his memory and led him back to Ganesh Talai.                 

Making the Story into the Movie and Genesis of Lion

Saroo's story was covered extensively by the media all over the world on and after the release of Lion. The director of the movie Davis accounts his feeling

Just to feel the power of the love in this story was just overwhelming. There was a spiritualism and a sense of miracle in the story, which I actually loved. I also loved Sue (Saroo’s adopted mother). I love the mothers. For me, they were the pillars of this film that the story kind of bounced between. It was this great celebration of mothers and that primality was really moving. I got very excited about it. There was a lot of layers to it. You could've made this movie in a way that very simple, but I saw a lot of complexity in it and that got very exciting.

When Davis was accompanied the real Saroo and Sue to Ganesh Talai on the day that Sue met Saroo's mother Kamla for the first time , recalls Davis

It was incredible because I suddenly saw these people at a really important moment in their lives. Obviously Sue wanted to ask Kamla so many questions, so it was such a sensitive moment. I just witnessed so much in that moment. The love that both mothers had for that son that day that I was witnessing actually set me for the rest of the movie. I'll never forget it when Saroo was standing there, these two mothers crying, and just holding him…that was the image that I held for the whole development of the movie.

This movie is all about unconditional love which we sometime call God gifted or to reach the God's kingdom its the only path.  

Heartwarming and Heart-wrenching moments 

It is obvious that  the movie overall shows heartwarming moment when after the turmoil of being lost and finally the overwhelming joy of reunion.
But the fate and stories of two brothers of Saroo are really heart-wrenching . After the separation with Guddu at the Railway Station, Saroo did not know that his brother was killed in a railway track while he was asleep on the bench of the Platform, the day when he was also lost.
Mantosh, the other adopted child of Brierleys is mentally challenged, He is depicted as a symbol: a touching reminder that not every child lives a life as full as Saroo.
In a podcast Sue describes the story of Mantosh -

Every parent’s nightmare: the untold story of Mantosh from Lion.

The Story that relates Law of Attraction

Sufferings, which is inevitable in our life. These come to us in different form and leave marks in our life. Question is how we see these sufferings and experience in our own life. The full story is a reflection of Thich Nhat Hanh's   No Mud No Lotus : The Art of Transforming Suffering.

Abhishek Bharate as Guddu

Guddu the Dreamer and loves to Visualize

Guddu is the character that amplifies the notion
of Lotus. He is always smiling, hardworking, caring for his family, no matter how poor are they. Takes every opportunity to earn something to help his family. Guddu always helps Saroo to pass the hardship in smile. By his loving care, Guddu becomes the best guide of Saroo.
It is also pathetic that Guddu never returns home either. He fell to his death from a moving train.
But the legacy is kept intact with Saroo, that is why Saroo never forgets to dream and visualize going back to his mother and home.   
Guddu focuses on the acceptance of the presence of suffering. He knows the consciousness of suffering is the first step in living a happy life. Saroo in turn, when he becomes Brierley, never denies the presence of suffering. He always keeps the dream of his own mother and home alive in his mind consciously and for this reason the dream becomes implanted into his subconscious platform. Eventually this subconscious helps to create circumstances and Saroo finds his own mother.
As Thich Nhat Hanh points out

Most people are afraid of suffering, But suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower of happiness grow. There can be no lotus flower without the mud.

Saroo acknowledges the darkness in order to see light. Saroo declares in full house get together that he is adopted, never loses his courage to tell his identity.

Lion shows Dream can be manifested as reality

Priyanka Bose as Kamla, the mother with Saroo when they reunited after 25 years

Kamla always dreams that one day her child would return, In an interview the real mother confirms that she never gave up hopes and lived her life with firm believe on her dream.
Kamla as if spends her life in a prison (of hope) after losing two of his sons in one day. But harvest her psychological passion differently. As Viktor Frankl, in his book Man's Search for Meaning, expressed his experiences as an inmate of Auschwitz Concentration Camp with a description of psychotherapeutic method , which tells about identifying a purpose in life to feel positivity and then immersively imagining that outcome.
According to Frankl, the meaning of life is found in every moment of living. life never ceases to have meaning even in suffering and death.
Kamla faces death of his elder son Guddu and suffering for her missing son Saroo. Probably death of Guddu makes her stronger to haunt for the purpose of her own life.

Frankl accounts this in his own words

A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth—that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way—an honorable way—in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment. For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory..

Saroo also still wonders about his own mother and how heartbroken she still might be over his disappearance from the face of her world  
Hence the mother and son duo makes it happen.

Daughter and Son of God - the real Brierleys 

What John and Sue does here, cannot be expressed in words. They adopt Saroo and later Mantosh

The Real Brierleys and Saroo in their home in Tasmania

and give utmost care to be successful in their life. Sue's account on the process of adopting Saroo is a heartwarming experience. Sue tells about Saroo when he arrives to Australia first time,

He was just very happy to have this amazing, clean little bed, to have toys, you know? We came home from the airport, within an hour he had a beautiful meal laid in front of him, he was just so happy to be there, and just to see his little face relaxing, enjoying those comforts, was quite amazing really. Very special times for us as a family.

For the full interview please click the link on the cation of the above photo.

And also read and see the faces of Real Vs Reel here - Lion Movie vs. the True Story

Only thing we can make up here that we come across various events not by chance but there is a purpose of everything.

Conclusion

Saroo's mother never looses her believe that her son would return and never moves away from the village. Saroo never looses his identity when he left for Australia and being adopted their. He grows up as Brierley and keeps hope alive in the mind to meet her mother one day.
There is so much reality in the story that coincide the principles of Believing.

• Believing that it will happen - it works in each and every main characters of the story.

• Visualize it - starting from Guddu, Saroo , their mother and Sue and John visualize their dreams as if it had already happened to them.

• Acting as if - Saroo is very consistent in his feeling, wishes, dreams and has never given up. Her mother lives her life on strong hope and Sue and John extend their full support to reach out.

• Taking actions towards the Goal - Saroo took all possible steps to find out his biological origin.

At the end of the story Saroo comes to know that his actual name is Sheru. The name Sheru comes from the Hindi word Sher which means LION.  

     

Saroo with his two mothers

 
The book  A Long Way Home can be read and the movie LION can be watched AGAIN AND AGAIN.  

 
           

Write it, Pick it, Dream it, Play it And Become IT- A movie 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' underlining the Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction is a newly branded theme in recent time after the (2006) documentary film 'The Secret'. In 1877, the term "Law of Attraction' appeared in print first time in a book written by Russian occultist  Helena Blavatsky. She unveiled esoteric mysteries of ancient theosophy.  By the end of 19th century , we see the New Thought authors like Prentice Mulford and Ralph Waido Trine the term Law of Attraction was being used. They emphasized its application in every aspect of life.

In 20th century the subject Law of Attraction had gained its momentum ,with many books two still attract huge readers. The first one Think and Grow Rich (1937) by Napoleon Hill and You Can Heal your Life (1984) by Louise Hay.   

In 2006, Rhonda Byrne's book and the movie The Secret got wide spread attention of the media and general followers.

New thought authors proclaim that the Law of Attraction is always in operation and that brings to each person the conditions and experiences in life that they predominantly think about or which they desire or expect.

Charles Hannel wrote in his book The Master Key System (1912)

The Law of attraction will certainly and unerringly bring to you the conditions, environment and experiences in life, corresponding with your habitual characteristic, predominant mental attitude.    

Here the movie Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) comes in. Before moving to its story line and analysis we may consider the Law of Attraction that claims a person can have anything  just by wanting it and believing it will happen. While arguments for and against the existence of Law of Attraction as a universal law of physics rage on, there are several people claiming that their success or failure in life is directly attributed from principles of the law of attraction. Whether we believe it or not , the law of attraction is based in science of quantum physics. Quantum Physics deals with particles that are so much smaller than the recognized subatomic particles that they exist only as wave forms. These quantum particles react in manners that are completely different than the known behaviors of larger particles, yet in completely predictable patterns. Brain waves act much like these particles and many scientists believe that brain waves react with these particles to form our reality.

The movie Bareilly Ki Barfi

The story moves on around Bitti, a spirited woman of Bareilly.  

Kriti Sanon as Bitti

 

Her father runs a Sweet shop and her mother is a school teacher. She works in the public grievances section of the city's electricity department. Her parents, particularly her mother is worried sick because though they have paraded their daughter before dozens of prospective grooms, she still is unmarried. She enjoys her financial independence, careless on her social obligation and barriers which are invariably imposed into girls where she lives. She loves riding motorcycles, loves disco dancing. She is a regular smoker and occasional drinker. Bitti, however, wants a husband who understands her and more importantly. who accepts her exactly the way she is.       

The Climax

The novel named .Bareilly Ki Barfi' was written by Chirag Dubey, who owns a printing press,  in a broken heart . But he did not want to defame his beloved by using his own name. instead he credited his friend Pritam Vidrohi as the author. However the book was not a success.
In the meantime Bitti overhears the conversation of her parents on her future prospect and feels very sad. Despite her father consoling Bitti, she leaves her home apparently having nowhere to go. While waiting for the train she buys the book entitles 'Bareilly ki Barfi' at a discounted price. She read the book on board and finds similarity and identified herself with the protagonist. Immediately she decides to come back home, starts haunting for the author of the book and reaches to Chirag.

Chirag and Pritam (played by Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao)

Being befriended with Chirag, she continues dreams to meet the author Pritam. But Chirag looses his heart to Bitti and does all possible things to impress Bitti but fails to communicate that actually he is the author whom she is wanting to meet. After considerable drama it is Pritam who breaks down and opens up the truth on the table. Finally Bitti and Chirag tie the knot .

Synchronicity

Carl Gustav Jung introduced the Synchronicity in 1920s but gave a full description in 1951.

Carl Gustav Jung

Synchronicity as he stated that events are meaningful coincidences if they occur with no causal relationship yet seem to be meaningfully related.  

By Schéma_synchronicité.jpg: Prosopeederivative work: Augurar (talk) - Schéma_synchronicité.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11102897

In his book Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting principle Jung wrote

...it is impossible, with our present resources, to explain ESP, or the fact of meaningful coincidence, as a phenomenon of energy. This makes an end of the causal explanation as well, for "effect" cannot be understood as anything except a phenomenon of energy. Therefore it cannot be a question of cause and effect, but of a falling together in time, a kind of simultaneity. Because of this quality of simultaneity, I have picked on the term "synchronicity" to designate a hypothetical factor equal in rank to causality as a principle of explanation.

Not going much more detailing we can easily imagine the energy flows between the novel 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' and the characters involved Chirag, Bitti and Pritam. And also the meaningful coincidence occurs in the most delicious relationship between the father and daughter duo.

Bitti with her father Narottam Mishra (played by Pankaj Tripathi)

When we are in a state of commitment and surrender, we begin to experience what is sometimes  called synchronicity. This attractiveness, the field that starts to develop around people who have experienced these shifts of mind, creates a phenomenon that is described as predictable miracles.
 
Have we not experience sometime while walking down the road and seen a sign with a name of person on it and then later on the same day or day after meet a person similar to name of the signboard? Or thinking for a career guidance quietly, suddenly we find something on which we can pursue. These are all examples of synchronicity. Many people shrug such occurrences off as random events that while interesting somewhat curious, have no real meaning. That synchronicity is in fact God's way of speaking to use about everything, from the most trivial and mundane to the most important aspects of our lives. And yes, even those things that seem the most trivial can be of great importance to the structure of our lives, for these are the bedrock on which the major events and manifestations can occur. A chance meeting or overheard conversation in a queue, while on the surface appearing to be a very minor event, has been known to change the course of more than one person's life.
Synchronicity occurs when we are searching for a sign post for our lives, a nudge as to which direction we need to move in. It also occurs when we are on the right track and just need a little ( or a lot !) validation; that we are headed in the right direction !

Here Bitti when overhears the conversation of her parents, synchronicity occurs. She took the extreme step by leaving her house, she finds a sign post in the bookstall on the platform. Then Bareilly Ki Barfi emerges.

   

Activating Symbols

Symbols are an extremely important component of manifesting anything for better or worse in our lives. Everything that we experience with our senses can be a symbol for something that is either happening in our lives, has happened or will happen if we continue to move along the path we have currently chosen for ourselves. Everything that we have in our home for example is a symbol that represents something that we believe to be true for us.               

Bitti and Chirag

Here both Bitti and Chirag find there symbol in and out in the novel Bareilly Ki Barfi. Bitti is hunting for the author to meet and Chirag is trying to uncover himself before the girl in his dream appeared in-front of him as manifested reality.
Now think of what is most important to us to manifest at this time in our life. When symbols would best represent us, what it is that we desire to manifest? It doesn't matter what these symbols are. As long as they resonate for us they will work!
This is what that happen to Bitti and Chirag.

Everything Vibrates

Vibration is the foundation of Law of Attraction. Not digging deep into the Law of Attraction again we can conclude by the question , what is a Vibrational Invitation? What we mean by this is that we are always sending out energy that attracts other like energy to us. So in a sense, one can see it as a sort of invitation! So when someone is feeling fear for example, they are sending out a vibrational invitation for more fear to come to them. When someone is feeling happy, they are sending out an invitation for more happiness to join them. In a very real sense, when we are feeling or thinking anything, we are inviting more of it to come to us; just the same as if we opened a window and invited the neighbors in for a cup of tea.

Bitti

Everything that vibrates does so at a certain rate. This rate is known as its frequency. The higher the frequency, the more potent the force will be. Thought is considered the highest form of vibration therefore it has the highest frequency. Being the highest frequency, it is considered as a powerful force in the universe.

It is Bitti whose thought process is so natural. Despite Chirag's effort to bring in Pritam and then dump him to win Bitti, she can find her desired reality by cracking the nut of Pritam by keeping an open mind.
We need to keep an open mind and get better at thinking outside the box. We ought to realize that what we perceive as impossible today might be obvious and a known fact in the near future.




The film Bareilly Ki Barfi is directed by Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, It was released on 18th August 2017.

What I have learned from Judy and Jack C Gilles

Facilitator of Transformational Leadership Lab

The moment I am reflecting is about 20 years before I had first attended the course called Transformational Leadership Lab which was facilitated by Judy and Jack Gilles , ICA : India. I was then employed with Vesuvius India Limited (VIL). In the next 5 years period I could attend another 2 short-duration exercises with them all courtesy to VIL. I had attended Judy and Jack Gilles sessions with the other executives. The course was designed for oneself to understand individual worth and how she/he can transform herself/himself from individual contributor to an organizer very effectively in the line of organization's Mission and Vision. Empowerment was the keyword of the total course. A case study by Suzy Wetlaufer was given to us prior to the course . The study was based on an interview with Roger Sant and Dennis Bakke of AES Corporation, the global electricity company based in Arlington , Virginia. As Suzy stated

Empowered organizations are said to be hothouses of autonomy and trust, where people at all levels take full responsibility for their work and for their organization's performance.    

But there are skepticism on the practices of Empowerment. However I am not taking it forward to the organization perspective, rather I shall try to tell my experiences with Judy and Jack, and how it is still very important and significant to me.

Lesson I- Knowing Self

I refer to one paragraph of 'Veda', it is told like

In the beginning, in truth, there was nothing at all. There was no heaven, no earth, no atmosphere. This being that was solely non-being, conceived a wish 'May I be'

We may accept or reject the contents of this Cosmogony. One truth comes out of it, that behind all creative efforts in every spheres of life, is an act of Will. But what is Will? Where from does it originate? Swami Vivekananda told

Will is the compound of self and mind

Self is the real soul. It is beyond causation. It is undifferentiated consciousness. In the consciousness there is no Will, because Will presupposes reaction to something external and others. Mind is subtle matter.
Therefore it is clear that will has two strands, one of the spirit and other of the matter, strand of light and strand of darkness.

Jack had given us two tasks. First was to fill a Table tiled as 'Significance of myself' (based on past experiences) and Second was to draw life path (based on aspirations) with the headlines

• Learning
• Transition
• Transformation
• New Mission
• Significance - Settling down for next birth

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

 First Task 

It is about leveraging over past real world experiences which provide a foundation to become a transformed leader. To be fare it was a tremendous task for me probably for most of the participants.
After putting the words/data, I realized and quite surprised with the facts and so many things that happened in my life which I was holding in my subconscious that directs my stand at that point of time. I had encountered so many persons and they hold their presence in my subconscious without my direct knowledge. Combination of all these experiences are my behavioral pattern at any point of my life span. By minding , cleaning and scientifically organizing our subconscious we can step forward.

Photo by Jaromír Kavan on Unsplash

Second Task 

It is about questioning our aspiration. What do we actually want to do, say, for instance, 20 years or 40 years down the line. In working terms, it is that creative and positive function of mind which impels, propels and enables us to do a chosen work, in a definitive way and avoid doing an un-chosen work in the same definitive way. It is that power of mind which enable us to do a job which is known to be right and not to do the job which is known to be wrong, under any circumstance favorable or unfavorable, known or unknown. The two most commendable aspirations are 'worldly prosperity and well being' and 'spiritual illumination and freedom'.

Morning Exercise with Judy- One with the Universe

It was a daily routine we all together worked out with Judy , freehand , postures and breathing

Photo by Tom Sodoge on Unsplash

exercise. With the command and commentary of Judy we felt oneness with the Universe. In the course of exercise Deepak Chopra's observation was referred.
We can understand reality through the senses, mind and the soul. We understand reality mainly through our senses. But what we understand through the mind is more significant. Scientists conduct thought experiments. The essential nature of material reality is its being non-material. It consists of just states of energy and vibrations coming out of a void. Our senses are the least reliable because they lie to us. Hence we need to see reality through the eyes of the soul.
When use our senses, we are following the materialistic way of seeing reality which states that if one can understand how molecules behave then one can understand life.

What is the purpose of my life?!

Jack asked us to write few sentences or at-least  one sentence. This question still bothers me, I believe till the end of my life the question will remain as

Is there a good enough purpose to exist?

Our experience of life itself has not become grand and worthwhile enough. That is why we do not find an answer. To find an answer we must learn to enhance our life to it's maximum potential. By controlling senses we can get rid off anger, agitation, irritation, anxiety or anything like that. Then we can experience pleasant physical and mental condition. If we can manage to remain in continual state of blissfulness, our intelligence increases significantly. This is the fundamental mechanism of human being. Until we experience our grandeur existence and magnificent nature of our being, the question will remain unanswered. To be in meaningful existence we need to do nothing. If we can sit for a moment and meditate on the real nature of our being, we can understand that we don't need to do anything. Just being alive is good enough.

7 Habits - The courage to change

Jack had given utmost importance on Stephen R Covey's the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Stephen R Covey

The course was designed with the video clips of Covey.s lectures. It was an amazing experience. He was telling stories and relate morals with Habit no.s :

• Habit:1 - Be Proactive
• Habit:2 - Begin with the End in Mind
• Habit:3 - Put First Things First
• Habit:4 - Think Win-Win
• Habit:5 - Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood
• Habit:6 - Synergize
• Habit:7 - Sharpen the Saw

I can still remember some story titles that have huge influence in my mind. Those are

• Living for Today
• My Flower Shop
• The Surprise Visit
• Stephanie's Recovery Plan
• Merging Missions

And some more.

Emotional Bank Account

The Emotional Bank Account is a metaphor for the amount of trust in a relationship. Like a financial bank account, it's something we make deposits into and withdraws from. Actions such as seeking first to understand, being kind, making and keeping promises and being loyal to the absent increase the balance of trust. Being unkind, breaking promises and gossiping about someone who is absent decrease or even bankrupt the trust in a relationship.    

Paradigm

A paradigm is the way each person sees the world, not necessarily the way it is in reality. It's the map, not the territory. It's our lens, through which we view everything, formed by our upbringing and cumulative experience and choices.

 

Witnessing

In the second session, one afternoon we were assembled on the beautiful field. Jack asked us to go separately anywhere , stay for sometime and comeback. I among others went one corner and come back . He then asked every one to tell what we saw. We tried to say something. Then again he asked to go to the same place and try to see something more if you can. We again went to the same place. As I wanted see more then I found a tree. Came back and told the same. He then asked me to go to the same place try to observe and report. I again went there and saw two nests and some birds on the branches of the tree which I had not noticed earlier . I came back and told this to Jack. He was happy but  again told me to go there and come back. I was so surprised to see some ants , one branch was broken and many things . The same thing had happened to every participants. Jack then explained us the meaning of viewing, seeing, observing, and witnessing. When we witness, we can understand how the universal laws and nature's forces are working continuously.
Osho states

Meditation starts being separate from the mind, by being a witness. That is the only way of separating yourself from anything. If you are looking at the light, naturally one thing is certain: you are not the light, you are the one who is looking at it. If you are watching the flowers, one thing is certain, you are not the flower, you are the watcher.
Watching is the key of meditation
Watch your mind.
Don't do anything- no repetition of mantra, no repetition of the name of God- just watch whatever the mind is doing. Don't disturb it, don't prevent it, don't repress it, don't do anything at all on your part. You just be a watcher and the miracle of watching is meditation. As you watch, slowly mind becomes empty of thoughts; but you are not falling asleep, you are becoming more alert, more aware.       

         

 Gung Ho

Gung Ho Moment

Jack arranged to show the movie Gung Ho to us . It was also an amazing experience. An American Wheel dealer who hopes to save Pennsylvania town by getting a Japanese automobile manufacturer to buy the town's biggest employer- a falling automobile assembly factory (Habit:1- Be Proactive). The dealer goes to Japan to convince the Japanese(Habit:2- Begin with the End in Mind) that buying this factory is in mutual interest (Habit:4- Think Win-Win). The rest of the movie is about how the Japanese and American cultures try to work together to successfully run the factory. For the most part, the Japanese management and the American workers can not manage to get along because of cultural differences. However the story ends on a positive note when Japanese and Americans are able to cooperate with each other and reach their very high production target to avoid a lockout (Habit: 5- Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood and Habit:6- Synergize).
The car manufacturer is a Japanese company. The name Gung Ho is an Americanized Chinese expression. Gung translates as Work or To Work and Ho means Together or in Harmony reflecting the Team Work ethic portrayed in the movie's story line.   

Please watch the clip of morning Exercise - Movie Gung Ho

Lagaan

Teaming Up

Jack insisted us to watch the movie Lagaan and explained how one man army builds a Regiment. Lagaan is a story of a battle fought by a group of villagers led by Bhuvan , an enigmatic farmer with courage born of conviction and a dream in his heart. A story of extraordinary circumstances thrust upon ordinary people. Faith and courage come face to face with arrogance and ruthlessness. Ultimately the human spirit triumphs.

Gesture - Namaste or Namaskar

Jack emphasized the gesture Namaskar in utmost importance when we see a person in our workplace or on the street or anywhere by putting the palms together and bowing down, is born of a profound

Namaste !

understanding of the human behavior.
Hands are the operational instruments of the creator. If we look at the sky, the gesture teaches us to bow down. This practice is a constant reminder that the source of creation is within us. If we are able to understand and recognize the source , we are paving the way to the ultimate nature every time when we do Namaskar.

 
   

There are more

Jack had discussed and taught us how to create a Personal Mission Statement by proper and scientifically defined our life Roles; and how to evaluate and reflect it in our day to day life.
Leader Behavior Analysis and SLII : The Model of the four Leadership styles as well as the Introduction to the Focused Conversation Method were among the most interesting Lessons we had  learned from him. As these are a bit technical, therefore, I prefer not to elaborate more in this scope of writing a blog on Jack and Judy Gilles.

Final Thought - Pleasure in Leisure

Panic and Uncertainty is the key phrase in our day to day modern lifestyle about what to do with free time. Or else are we able to find a free time for us?! Technology is supposed to solve this problem, but it doesn't. What does it mean to spend free time well? Nobody knows. One can only spend free time well if one has an inner life. Thinking, introspection and discovering things by oneself leads to it.
The constant overload of information does not allow us breathing space. The exchange of communication between people, via social media tools, such as emails, Twitter, Facebook etc does not allow the full freedom of expression.
Jack emphasized on the breathing space for nurturing creativity.
Leisure comes in three forms as Robert Dessaix reveals, which can be understood from observing a  pack of animals, like the dog.

After you have hunted and eaten, you do nothing. It is restorative and wonderful, and you should not feel guilty about it. An activity that allows this, is smoking, but unfortunately, it kills you. The second type is nesting which can only be done with your domestic partner. The third type is what I like to call play. This includes activities we like doing, like hobbies. Some of the greatest inventions have come from play, and not work.

Jack and Judy provide an engaging insight into how we can reclaim the pleasures of relaxation, leisure and enjoying life in spite of having long working hours and a hectic lifestyle. It should be done for our own sake.         

Watch here - End of Gung Ho - 'Working Class Man'

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