Vasudha Jhunjhunwala

I am grateful to Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai team for inviting me to their all India conference of house keepers, as a guest speaker, for giving a talk about Rug manufacturing & maintance. I never knew that something that was a child’s play, once for me, would one day become a driving passion and bring me to this day and place.

They say that our childhood years are also the most impressionable years of life, don’t they! That’s definitely true atleast for me.. A huge family house literally located in the middle of a rug Factory, that’s where we grew up. Every evening this factory in our backyard would turn into a huge playground for all of us, i mean for all the thirteen-fourteen children living in our huge joint family. And our unique toys were all the things stacked around in this factory godown. I remember clearly, we jumped over rugs, tripped over things, played hide and seek, dark room, threw wool pom-Pom’s at each other…. and during all of this divine chaos also made friends with weavers & workers … we enjoyed every bit of our unique play in the company of our weaver friends, who would be amused and sometimes even annoyed with our naughtiness …

In the midst of this childhood play I developed a passion, a passion just by chance…and the rug manufacturing industry has become one of the driving forces in my life. This industry is very very old. Generation after generation these humble artisans have carried the art of rug weaving to this day. Toiling day and night to weave happiness for us with their hard work. Being part of their journey and showcasing value of their hard work is a fulfilling experience. Having done my education In fine Arts I do appreciate the Art and skill involved in making every piece. There are many delicate processes involved at every stage. And so for me talking about rugs and rug making with anyone is delightful. Every project that we do brings new learning and brings new experiences and that’s surely an enriching experience too. Thanks to our parents who gifted us our unique playground and our skilled friends in childhood where learning happened effortlessly.

I look forward to being part of many such engaging conversations in future also. And contribute my little bit towards the growth of this amazing industry.

In-service

Atharva College of Engineering invited me to facilitate one of the sessions for Induction of first year Engineering Students. Because of Covid lockdown, it was only after two long years, that I got an opportunity to visit the college campus and interact with youth in person again. All college sessions in the last two years were online.

The overall feel of this college campus was very positive and calm as though bestowed by special blessings of Lord Ganesha, the name of the college has the secret may be.. After interacting with the college professors on various topics related to youth and the life of educators, I entered the auditorium bustling with heightened youthful energy and was welcomed by the chattering of aspiring students. I was visiting there along with fellow Art of Living Teachers and volunteers.

It’s a privilege to guide these students to get ready for one of the most important and exciting phases of their life – “College Life.” The years when the wings of freedom add new thrill in life. Along with newer responsibilities to shape a bright future. It’s like being on an eternal adventure to be a youth, almost like being on a roller coaster ride. Fun and thrill are accompanied by the dangers of distraction, this sometimes could be a lot of pressure for a naïve heart and young brain. The students shared the many challenges they face and how it only adds to more pressure. To which I shared with them my secret- Having a seat belt on can be the only saviour during such a roller coaster ride. And learning to Discipline the mind, emotions & time is that seat belt, that saviour which can make life a real joyride. Though discipline seems opposing freedom and fun, just like a seatbelt may feel uncomfortable to start with, but it is THE most important aspect of adulthood. The sure short recipe for success… those who really succeeded were those who followed certain discipline in life, isn’t it!

Three fifty students saw a glimpse of how the mind & emotions got disciplined within a few minutes of their first meditation experience. Stress got released as they gradually moved into complete silence. As mischievous & fun were the chatters as I had entered, equally endearing was the silence of these young minds, experiencing the connection with themselves. Post the meditation their eyes opened with big smiles.

Peaceful & disciplined individuals would ripple peace around them. We reflect who we are .. And so the session ended with the students voting to stand for peace and being part of the #Istandforpeace movement started by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar across India, the US, Europe and Africa. Sri Sri Ravishankar says that: “When 1% of the population meditates, it elevates the collective consciousness. Similarly, if enough people say “I stand up for peace” then we project that energy, that vision and it will happen.

As the seeds of peace have been sowed through this session, I am hopeful that the some of these young minds of our nation will carry with them together peace for a more peaceful planet as they fly high and happy in their own lives with their new wings of freedom.

Grateful to the Principal and Teachers of Atharva College of Engineering for this initiative where students’ 180-degreegrowth is considered important for living a holistic life. Being around youth is advantageous in a sense that it keeps you young at heart. As I refuse to grow old and so resolve to be around youth always 🙂

In-Service

It is a matter of great honor for us that our beloved customers trust us enough to stay with us for a double decade.

Any seasoned branding expert will tell you that the biggest flex for a brand is its customers sticking by it even in times of breakneck competition.

We have always tried to let our products do the talking and we feel so grateful that Mrs. Chandra Bagaria from New Jersey, USA chooses to keep her undying faith in our quality. The appreciation stays etched in our hearts. The Good Will our father has earned in his life’s journey is our true wealth and we cherish every bit of this legacy. Grateful to be part of a business tradition built on the foundation of trust and ethics.

On behalf of Team Varam
Vasudha Jhunjhunwala
( K.P & Company ) Manufacturers of Rugs over 50 years

Yesterday I heard of a suicide in a distant friend’s house. Was shaken to hear the news. Why would a young person from a well to do family take such a drastic step of taking her life? Lots of unanswered questions baffled my mind.. somehow that very moment I saw a whatapp msg on my phone … The whatapp msg said- “Plz watch Kajal’s video- https://youtu.be/SRGpUYafz3g “ . Let me share with you Kajal’s story of hope reading which no one should ever think of giving up..

Kajal Agarwal just 23 years in age, lives in Kolkatta with her grandmother. She came to attend our free online meditation session last year during COVID lock down. She was silent throughout the 5-6 days of the session and never spoke a word. We got to know the last day of the workshop that She was heart broken due loss of her parents during Covid. Devastated and helpless She could hardly even speak. Somehow she found little strength from the daily meditations. She was guided to take a Sudarshan Kriya (SKY) and Sahaj program by our team. We were constantly in touch with her to help her during this very difficult phase of her life. Motivating her and giving her love and care. After completing the SKY and Sahaj programs, Kajal felt like a completely new person, as if some miracle happened for her life. She could overcome her trauma and found new courage as she decided to give her CA final exams which were only three months away then. Before every exam she would call and share how she was feeling anxious. I told her Gurudev was with her and she continued her meditation practices through this time which gave her strength. And with God’s grace she could complete her CA final exams.

Kajal cleared these exams and became a CA. She is into a good Job now. Stable and happy and also in Service (see her video) helping others. Seeing her do well is an inspiration for me as a teacher, to continue spreading the spiritual light and helping reach solace and hope to people who may have given up or are on a verge of breakdown .

Just thought of sharing this beautiful life story of Kajal. Connecting with the spirit within us gives us strength to overcome every obstacle of life. Kajal’s life story is an example. So never give up, connect to the strength within. There is infinite power within us! Life is too precious and we cannot ever give up on it in any circumstances, no matter how bad things may appear to be. All is here to change, this will also change, let’s be reminded…. May there be peace in all hearts. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

In service
Vasudha Jhunjhunwala

The basic knowledge about Indian Governance that every citizen must have, has been put together in this very brief video. Let us invest time in viewing this, especially with children and explaining them how our country works. So that they can exercise their rights and duties and aim to become responsible citizens of our country.

Facilitated a FDP for Pillai college yesterday. I do believe that the role of an educator is of prime importance in building the future of a Nation and also that of the World society at large. As the student of today will be a citizen of tomorrow, who’s actions and choices will determine the future destiny of the world, isn’t it! And so it’s important to reflect on the challenges our educators face today and together come up with practical solutions for these challenges so that they can contribute to building a strong foundation for a brighter future.

Most of these teachers shared that it was a dream profession for them to take on the role of an educator. As this noble profession involved much more than just the mundane, it involved shaping the future of young lives. But ‘reality’ as we call it, corroded the sheen of their dream, and today they feel burdened by the many challenges they face in their profession. The most recent being teaching online due to COVID. They also shared about the volatile mindset of students, the corrosion of human values in general and the overall shift in the sanctity of teacher- student relationship.

Took the educators through a short meditation for them to experience it’s power themselves. All of them shared how they felt much more relaxed and relieved post their meditation in just a few minutes. We further discussed the four states of consciousness and how the practice of meditation can be the foundation for building a new ecosystem in universities. According to Ishavasya Upanishad there are two branches of knowledge, Avidya and Vidya. Avidya includes the knowledge of material, the manifest. While vidya is knowledge of un-manifest, of the absolute or the self. Both branches together complete the education process. In today’s education system one leg is completely missing. Vidya is the capacity building branch. In which one discovers the infinite possibilities of the consciousness of one self. Are the academics building capacity of students to take on the challenges of twenty first century? Is the education process churning out robust personalities? Are students in colleges as enthusiastic about learning as they were when they first joined school? Is the educator still living his dream job? If the answer to these questions is negative, then transformation is required. As doing the same things cannot fetch different results. It’s time for transformation…

I am really happy for privilege of this interaction with our educators. Looking forward for many such meaningful interactions in future. May be these interactions will inspire our educators to revisit the roots of our civilisation, our scriptures, for answers to the many adverse challenges that we face today. And they will discover a missing link right there.

ॐ सह नाववतुl सह नौ भुनक्तु।सह वीर्यं करवावहै।तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै। ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

It all looked automated, repeating cycles of pain and pleasure, happiness and sadness… Is there more to life? Is human birth all about eating, sleeping, working? Is everything destined or is there free will? The tiny eyes of a nine year old gazed in the heavens above for an answer. But the heaven did not reply, and her questions kept becoming deeper as she grew older, reading a lot of “mind management” books looking for practical answers for her not so obvious questions at her age. Often she would pretend not to have a tangled mind as others her age seemed to be happy with things the way they were. And then a series of self doubts followed.. “Am I normal! Why do I have so many unanswered questions, when others seem to have none…”may be, I would know when I grow up.” She thought to herself. Somehow she felt her answers would come when she grew up..

She was 19 and landed up at a meditation workshop. “Meditation is praying” that’s what she thought, “is there anything to learn in the way you pray”? she wondered! Isn’t prayer natural .. but she still had a thirst to explore what it really was and so she enrolled herself for this meditation class..

The first experience of a twenty minute meditation and as if a sense of completion dawned her. A mind without words, like a silent room & deep sleep, meditation felt like the right answer, the very first time that she experienced meditation almost twenty four years back. Her heart said a BIG YES, this is it! This was the answer she was looking for in her childhood. And she instantly felt that it is meditation which makes human life unique, and that Life was much more than repeated cycles of pain and pleasure, success and failure, attachments and aversions..

Meditation reached her one step closer to the discovery of “who she is”. Closer to the experience of infinity within, meditation felt like an Ocean of peace, like deep state of rest, and a new ray of hope, a new beginning and also an end for the painful experiences of the past…

And so It’s is the greatest investment of time for her that she made early in her life, to meditate and make it a part of her life’s journey. She thanks God for the wisdom. She is grateful for her Master without whom this possibility could have never opened for her. And she will always be indebted to the universe for reaching her the answers in her very first encounter.

Vasudha Jhunjhunwala