A Lock Down is a once in a lifetime event. Due to the threat of Covid19, the lockdown has descended on us without much prior warning and obviously most of us were not ready for the experience. But some of us were better prepared to face the lock down than others; Dr Anjali is one of them. Her preparation for this unexpected crisis, and the hidden opportunity therein, must have been taking place for a long time. She was certified fit to face a crisis of this sort, when she walked out of cancer with a smile on her face. 

‘Anjali’ literally means a divine offering, a gift carried in both hands. This book is Dr Anjali’s gift to all of us. She has brought for us, thoughts of great souls like Osho, O Henry, Martin Luther King Jr, Arthur Ashe, Buddha, Rumi, Thich Nhat Hanh and Nelson Mandela along with her unique Manadalas and equally beautiful reflections. 

I was amongst the lucky recipients of these thoughts and Mandalas each morning. Many a times her sentences would force one to take a pause and reflect further on what has been written. As an example onsider this one sentence, ‘We cannot run the world on efficiency alone’ which she wrote while she was writing on the theme Love. Nothing more is required to be said to underline the need and importance of love in human life.

Through out the book, Dr Anjali comes across as an intelligent and sensitive person; who is infused with an unshakable confidence and a remarkably positive attitude. Her spiritual quest and gratitude towards life is reflected on almost every page. And she retains a sense of complete dignity and detachment when she describes her experiences which almost appear like miracles. To an agnostic reader like me, if the author were not Dr Anjali, such experiences would come across as unsound and untrustworthy. But herein lies her great strength. Like most of us, she has come across challenges and faced contradictions in life- but in her unique way she has overcome her challenges, retained her humility and in the course has attained complete credibility. Having achieved these feats, her reflections carry an immeasurable capacity to enrich and inspire the reader. I am sure the readers would find this reading insightful and thought provoking. 

I wish Dr Anjali well for her continued Conquest of Happiness; and am eagerly looking forward to reading her thoughts and seeing her ever colourful mandalas in the years to come!

Short Biodata of Mr Sadanand Date

Mr. Sadanand Date is an IPS officer of 1990 batch Maharashtra Cadre.

He has done M.Com and he is a qualified Cost and Management Accountant. He was awarded Ph. D. by Pune University in 2003 for his research on theme ‘Monitoring of Economic Offences: A Management Control Systems Perspective’. As a Fulbright scholar,in 2005-06, he visited the USA to study investigation and prosecution of White-collar and Organised Crime cases.

Mr. Date has worked in different capacities in Maharashtra and Mumbai Police, CBI, CRPF and Department of Justice, GoI. He is currently the Commissioner of Police
Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar

He has received several commendations for his work from DGP Maharashtra, Director CBI, DG CRPF and got a number of medals including Presidents Police Medal for Gallantry.

Effective delivery of police services, Organizational Development, Community Policing and Police Welfare are the themes on which Mr. Date has continuously worked.

सुप्रभात ! आपणा सर्वांना गुढीपाडव्याच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा. नववर्षाच्या सुरूवातीलाच आपल्याला कठीण परिस्थितीतून जावं लागत असलंतरीही लवकरात लवकर आपण यातून सुखरूपपणे बाहेर पडू असा माझा विश्वास आहे. या कठीण काळाचा सामना करण्यासाठी आणि यापरिस्थितीचा *बिनशर्तपणे स्वीकार* करण्यासाठी आपणा सर्वांना धैर्य आणि शक्ती लाभो अशी परमेश्वर चरणी प्रार्थना 🙏🙏.

Today’s Mandala has Blessings in its centre. In these difficult times, I am extremely grateful for the countless Blessings that we are receiving from God / Existence every single day, right from the house that we are staying in, our family, friends, our household helps, our good health….and many more….. Times like these can be good reminders of how lucky we normally are! I pray that all of us can continue to appreciate these blessings even after this crisis is over. Immense Gratitude and Prayers for all the workers working ceaselessly to make our lives comfortable during this Lock down.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

The centre of today’s Mandala is CHEERFULNESS! In the present situation, when we are bombarded with unnecessary ( and often wrong ) information as also videos depicting the irresponsible behaviour of people, it is natural to feel sad or angry or frustrated. But sending out these negative vibrations into the world can worsen our state of mind by attracting more negativity towards us. To break this chain of negativity, we can make a CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO REMAIN CHEERFUL even in these tough times by focusing on Positive vibrations like Gratitude and Prayers. Let us all pledge to remain Positive and Cheerful throughout this period of Lockdown. I know that I may not be able to achieve this 100% of times, but I have decided to give it my best shot. What about you?

This Mandala is a salute to the DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION of each and every citizen of India, who is helping to ensure that the Lock down is successful. I salute the thousands and thousands of workers , working across India in various fields, putting their lives at risk so that we can emerge Victorious ….Police, Government servants, All Healthcare workers including doctors and nurses, Ambulance drivers, Sanitation workers,  Banking officials, People providing daily needs of life…….the list is endless….. And along with these workers, I salute all the Responsible Citizens , who are following the rules and regulations, despite many hardships that they have to face, including those who are in quarantine. I pray that All of us can work in Love, Unity and Harmony and at the end of this crisis, all of us will have learnt something Useful and Life-changing!!

Today’s Mandala focusses on Exercise. As we are nearing the end of the first week of Lock out, it is very important to take good care of your Health. We all can prevent infections if our Body and Mind is Healthy as this boosts up our Immunity. And to keep the body healthy, apart from nutritious food, we need regular exercise. As most of us are confined to our homes and the Gyms are closed, we need to find some alternatives to our normal exercise routine. I am suggesting a few exercise regimes that can be easily followed at home ….and you can add on to these alternatives as per your liking…….सूर्यनमस्कार ( or chair सूर्यनमस्कार for those with knee problems ), योगासने, प्राणायाम, Dancing to the Music you like, Some Osho Dance Meditations, दोरीच्या उड्या ( especially for youngsters ) , Stretches are some forms of exercise that can be done at home. Tai chi, Qi gong, swinging arms exercises are other alternatives. On YouTube, there are some excellent videos of Walking at home.

You can also Run on the spot or Jump. Climbing stairs is another excellent calorie burner. And for those who are not fond of the word ‘exercise’, they can just help in the cleaning of the house especially the fans or the ceiling. Regular exercise is not only a fat burner, but also lifts up our mood, keeping depression away ! And while we are talking of exercising the body, let us not forget about the Mind. The Mind will benefit by solving puzzles or learning something new (either a language or some art) and by avoiding an overdose of the Media! Let us all pledge to keep our Mind and Body Healthy by any regular exercise which we enjoy.

The centre of today’s Mandala is Fearlessness! Actually, Fear is essential to the survival of all beings (including Humans) in the presence of any threat to life. But excessive fear can cause more harm than good…. too much fear does not allow you to take rational decisions, it can lead to a Panic attack and worse still, excessive fear can reduce the Immunity so we are more prone to infections. On the other hand, not understanding the gravity of the situation or taking things too lightly will expose you to danger! Fearlessness is a balance between these two extremes.

*FEARLESSNESS DOES NOT MEAN TAKING THINGS TOO LIGHTLY, IT DOES NOT MEAN DISREGARDING THE RULES AND REGULATIONS*;  it just means that you understand the gravity of the situation and you are taking appropriate action, you are following all the rules and regulations, you are doing everything in your capacity as a responsible citizen to help keep the situation under control. This could mean continuing to work if you are part of the essential services; and for others, it means staying safe at home. And once you have taken the appropriate action, it is best to just relax and do your job well and try and enjoy whatever circumstances you find yourself in! For those confined to their homes, *adding an element of FUN to your daily routine* can work wonders in keeping the fear at bay. You can dance, sing, paint, play an instrument, exercise regularly, put your house in order, spend quality time with your family, play boardgames or cook innovative dishes with the limited resources that you have at the moment. I am sure you can add many more activities to this list. Helping people who are at a disadvantage financially or senior citizens of your neighbourhood is another excellent way to utilise your time and energy. Normally, we talk of not having enough time. Now as we have lots of time on our hands, let us all engage in the things we love to do. Being busy has a lot of advantages….it improves the quality of your sleep and as the mind remains busy, the fear cannot manipulate you. *Avoiding too much of social media/ TV / news channels is very important in these tough times*. Also, try your best *NOT TO READ OR SEE negative posts or videos (especially posts which portray an impending doom!) *. And most definitely, *DO NOT FORWARD NEGATIVE POSTS*. If you want to forward anything, ensure that it is authentic information, and also that it has a positive impact, helping to boost the morale of people. If we all follow these simple rules, I am sure we will not fall prey to Panic or excessive fear. In this context, I am sharing an excerpt from one of Osho’s discourses in which he talks about the same issue.

*डर से बचिए*
70 के दशक में हैजा महामारी के रूप में पूरे विश्व में फैला तब अमेरिका में किसी ने ओशो रजनीशजी से  प्रश्न किया

*इस महामारी से कैसे बचे?*
और ओशो ने विस्तार से समझाया जो आज कोरोना के सम्बंध में भी बिल्कुल प्रासंगिक है
ओशो…
यह प्रश्न ही
आप गलत  पूछ रहे हैं|

प्रश्न ऐसा होना चाहिए था, *महामारी के कारण मेरे मन में मरने का जो डर बैठ गया है उसके सम्बन्ध में कुछ कहिए ?*
इस डर से कैसे बचा जाए..?’

क्योंकि  वायरस से बचना तो बहुत ही आसान हैं,

लेकिन जो डर आपके और दुनियाके अधिक लोगों के भीतर बैठ गया है, उससे बचना बहुत ही मुश्किल है ।
अब, इस महामारी  से कम
लोग, इस डर के कारण ज्यादा मरेंगे…।

‘डर’ से ज्यादा खतरनाक इस दुनिया में कोई भी वायरस नहीं है।

इस डर को समझिये,
अन्यथा मौत से पहले ही आप एक जिंदा लाश बन जाएँगे ।

यह जो भयावह माहौल आप अभी देख रहे हैं इसका वायरस आदि से कोई लेना देना नहीं है ।

*यह एक सामूहिक पागलपन है,* जो एक अन्तराल के बाद हमेशा घटता रहता है  ।  कारण बदलते रहते हैं, कभी सरकारों की प्रतिस्पर्धा , कभी कच्चे तेल की कीमतें कभी दो देशों की लड़ाई तो कभी जैविक हथियारों की टेस्टिंग !!

इस तरह का सामूहिक पागलपन समय-समय पर प्रगट होता रहता है । व्यक्तिगत पागलपन की तरह, कौमगत, राज्यगत, देशगत और वैश्वीकपागलपन भी होता है ।

इस में बहुत से लोग या तो हमेशा के लिए विक्षिप्त हो जाते हैं या फिर मर जाते हैं ।

ऐसा पहले भी हजारों बार हुआ है, और आगे भी होता रहेगा । और आप देखेंगे कि *आने वाले बरसों में युद्ध तोपों से नहीं बल्कि जैविकहथियारों से लड़े जाएंगे*

लेकिन मैं फिर कहता हूं हर समस्या मूर्ख के लिए डर होती है जबकि ज्ञानी के लिए, विद्वानों के लिए अवसर!!
इस महामारी में आप घर बैठिए, पुस्तकें पढिये, एक्सरसाइज कीजिये शरीर को कष्ट दीजिए, व्यायाम कीजिये, फिल्में देखिये, योग कीजियेएक माह में 15 किलो वजन घटाइए, चेहरे पर बच्चों जैसी ताजगी लाइये
अपने शोंक पूरे कीजिए.  मुझे अगर 15 दिन घर बैठने को कहा जाए तो में इन 15 दिनों में 30 पुस्तकें पढूंगा

और नहीं तो एक बुक लिख डालिये, इस महामन्दी में पैसा इन्वेस्ट कीजिये.  ये अवसर है जो बीस तीस साल में एक बार आता है पैसा बनानेका सोचिए.

कहां बीमारी की बात करतें हैं
*ये’भय और भीड़’ का मनोविज्ञान सब के समझ नहीं आता हैं ।*

‘डर’ में रस लेना बंद कीजिए…

आमतौर पर हर आदमी डर में थोड़ा बहुत रस लेता है , अगर डरने में मजा नहीं आता तो लोग भूतहा फिल्म देखने क्यों जाते ?
ये एक सामूहिक पागलपन है जो अखबारों और TV के माध्यम से भीड़ को बेचा जा रहा है
लेकिन सामूहिक पागलपन के क्षण में आपकी मालकियत छिन सकती हैं… आप महामारी से डर सकते है तो आप भी भीड़ का ही हिस्सा है

ऐसा कोई भी विडियो या न्यूज़ मत देखिये जिससे आपके भीतर डर पैदा हो..
महामारी के बारे में बात करना बंद कर दीजिए,

डर भी एक तरह का आत्म-सम्मोहन ही है।
एक ही तरह के विचार को बार-बार घोकने से शरीर के भीतर रासायनिक बदलाव होने लगता है और यह रासायनिक बदलाव कभी कभी इतनाजहरीला हो सकता है कि आपकी जान भी ले ले

महामारीओ के अलावा भी बहुत कुछ दुनिया में हो रहा है, उन पर ध्यान दीजिए|

‘ध्यान-साधना’ से साधक के चारों तरफ एक प्रोटेक्टिव Aura बन जाता है,
जो बाहर की नकारात्मक उर्जा को उसके भीतर प्रवेश नहीं करने देता है

अभी पूरी दुनिया की उर्जा नाकारात्मक हो चुकी है…
ऐसे में आप कभी भी इस ब्लैक-होल में गिर सकते हैं….

ध्यान की नाव में बैठ कर हीआप इस झंझावात से बच सकते हैं ।
शास्त्रों का अध्ययन कीजिए,
साधना कीजिए… विद्वानों से सीखें

आहार का भी विशेष ध्यान रखिए- स्वच्छ जल पीएं

अंतिम बात-
धीरज रखिए…जल्द ही सब कुछ बदल जाएगा..

जब तक मौत आ ही न जाए
तब तक उससे डरने की कोई ज़रूरत नहीं है और जो अपरिहार्य है उससे डरने का कोई अर्थ भी नहीं है,

डर एक प्रकार की मूढ़ता है
अगर किसी  महामारी से अभी नहीं भी मरे तो भी एक न एक दिन मरना ही होगा, और वो एक दिन कोई भी दिन हो सकता है| इसीलिए विद्वानोंकी तरह जियें, भीड़ की तरह नहीं!!

साभार: ओशो
*मैं जीना सिखाता हूं*