Missing Links

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 Link to the previous blogpost 

https://hridayakamala.blogspot.com/2026/06/lost-in-transfer-culture-series-2.html


About the same time I started watching Star TV there were two other things my parents made me do. First, I went for Yoga classes to alleviate my Asthma.Gautham master/ Yoga master, as I used to call him, was tall,dark, young with well oiled hair and a thick moustache. He was the calmest and warmest man I had seen, I was his first student. At the time, Yoga was unheard of in my social circle and that is probably why I could not fully appreciate the fact that he was from the siddha lineage of Suruli Swamigal. Nevertheless, I was respectful and obedient. My body’s natural flexibility allowed me to perfect the asanas with ease and earn his love and appreciation. Apart from asanas (physical exercises) and pranayama ( breathing exercises), he also spoke about yogic philosophies to the level of my understanding and made me participate in his annadanam service whenever possible.



     A Marathi family of four had moved into our neighbourhood, the father was an employee of the central government, his two sons were about the same age as my elder sister and me. But the first one to catch my attention and curiosity was Jhanvi aunty with her green eyes and lissome appearance. So, when my sister went to her house on weekends, I happily tagged along. There we used to listen to interesting stories from our epics, act them out as a skit, learn to  sing bhajans and chant small shlokas etc. Eventually more children started coming there and her house became a cool hangout spot, of where I have some wonderful memories; one of which is how we used to divide ourselves into teams, pick a story that we had heard and act them out as a play. It was many years later that I realised that those weekend visits were actually culture classes and Jhanvi aunty was an acharya (teacher). That is the second thing my parents made me do, attend Chinmaya Mission’s Bala Vihar classes.



     Three years later, Jhanvi aunty shifted to a different city owing to her husband’s transfer and the classes stopped. In the meantime, I lost interest in the easy but quiet practice of yoga for the more exciting swimming lessons (for a short while my ambition was to become a lifeguard like in Baywatch). My social circle had expanded  through Gautham Master, Jhanvi aunty and the other students who came to learn from them. I was exposed to a world where people were in harmony with our culture and traditions. I clearly chose to be inspired by Star TV , but held no prejudice against the traditionalists. Instead, I made use of every chance to observe/read/listen/watch/experience more about all things I thought were superstitious. Over the years I have arrived at a beautiful shift in perspective which has brought a lot of peace and clarity with it, something that I wish for everyone.

      It is every individual’s prerogative to live by what they deem right and it is always best to make an informed choice. While it is easy to follow the modern way of living born out of industrial revolution just a few centuries ago ( fostered by colonisation and engulfed by consumerist globalisation) it can well be an exciting fad when compared to the classic wisdom of a culture which is a few millennia old. How much time have we devoted to delve deeper into our cultural literature/texts? With the internet making everything accessible, what is stopping us from learning them? What if it can change our lives for the better? Would we willingly forego that chance? No harm in finding out.

         In the future blog posts of this series I will be sharing what I learnt and e of Bharatiya culture.

    I am also an IKS acharya (Indian Knowledge Systems) certified by Anaadi Foundation and will be taking IKS classes on weekends for children aged 6-13 in my house in Trichy - just like Jhanvi aunty. The children will learn the basics of Bharatiya Ganitam ( Vedic Maths), Ayurveda, Astronomy, Puranic stories, Yoga, Bhajans, Arts and more. If you are a parent, grandparent, uncle/aunt give your child the right exposure by signing up for these 12 session classes. Such classes are available in many cities across the country, they are called Anaadi Kendra. Click on the link to sign up for your child Anaadi Kendra Registration





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