10 Tips to Stay Fit

1. Diet: Healthy, nutritious, balanced diet high in proteins, fibres, vitamins & minerals but low in fats, carbohydrates, salt & spices.
2. Sleep: 6-8 hours of peaceful deep sleep is necessary to recharge our body. A mini-nap of 15-20 minutes in day time is also welcome.
3. Physical Activity: Moderate to sternous exercise for 40-60 min. daily for at least 5 days a week is must to keep your body fit. Ideal exercise package should incorporate aerobics( cycling, swimming, jogging etc.), strength training( weight lifting, push ups) & reflex training( yogasans, pranayams etc.).
4. Peace of Mind: Don't let your mental peace shatter for anything whatsoever because a healthy body requires first & foremost a healthy mind. Keep your mind always cool.
5. Positive Attitude: Hope for a positive outcome in every aspect of life. Keep yourself prepared for the worst but hope always for the best. That's positive attitude!
6. Be Thankful: Have thankfulness for everything you have & also for people around you who help you. It gives such ultimate joy to that person as well as yourself which gives your life a sense of worth.
7. Plan your work: Always plan your work in advance to avoid deadline pressure. Make a priority list for your plans. Have a to-do list for daily, weekly, monthly & yearly projects. Also plan for future needs like investments, child education & marriage, retirement, illnesses etc.
8. Control your Instincts: Don't let your instincts rule your intelligence. Physical instincts like appetite, bowel, micturition, sleep, sex etc. should not be suppressed while emotional instincts like fear, jealousy, anger, greed, grief etc. should always be kept checked.
9. Avoid Addiction: Addictions like smoking, tobacco, alcohol, drugs etc. have a deleterious effect on our health & are always to be avoided.
10. Health awareness: We should keep ourselves up to date regarding our health status. The best way to screen out your health status is having an annual body check up regularly. Avoid self-medication as far as possible. If you are on any medication for some illness, be regular in taking medicines & never stop medicines without doctor's consultation. Get yourself periodically checked by your consultant to know the status of your disease. Don't play the game of your health without knowing the rule. If you break a rule, you're out & there is no second chance here!

તો તને આવીને મળાય પ્રભુ!

હોમવર્ક વહેલું પૂરું થાય પ્રભુ
તો તને આવીને મળાય પ્રભુ!
તેં ય મસ્તી તો બહુ કરેલી, નહિ?
કેમ મારાથી ના કરાય, પ્રભુ?
આ શું ટપટપથી રોજ ના'વાનું?
પે'લા વરસાદમાં નવાય, પ્રભુ?
આખી દુનિયાને તું રમાડે છે
મારે દહીં-દુધમાં રમાય, પ્રભુ?
રોજ રમીએ અમે એ મેદાને
કેમ મંદિર નવું ચણાય, પ્રભુ?
મમ્મી-પપ્પા તો રોજ ઝઘડે છે
તારાથી એને ના વઢાય, પ્રભુ?
બળથી બાળક તને જો વંદે તો
બાળ મજદૂરી ના ગણાય, પ્રભુ?
-પ્રણવ પંડ્યા

On my birthday-જીવાય છે જિંદગી!

જીવાય છે જિંદગી
પળ-પળ નિરંતર વહી જાય છે જિંદગી,
કોઈ ન જાણે ક્યાં જાય છે જિંદગી.
સુખ-દુઃખમાં કદી અટવાય છે જિંદગી,
તો ભાર તળે કદી કચડાય છે જિંદગી.
હતાશ થઈને જ્યારે પછડાય છે જિંદગી,
ત્યારે પડીને પાછી ઊભી થાય છે જિંદગી.
સંજોગોના રણમાં જો ખોવાય છે જિંદગી,
તો ફરી કોઈ ક્ષણમાં મળી જાય છે જિંદગી.
સ્વાર્થના સમીકરણોથી જો ગૂંચવાય છે જિંદગી,
તો પ્રેમાળ પ્રયાસોથી ઉકેલાય છે જિંદગી.
જ્યારે નિરર્થક વીતી જાય છે જિંદગી,
ત્યારે અંતિમ પળે પસ્તાય છે જિંદગી.
સૌની આ જગમાં પૂરી થાય છે જિંદગી,
છતાં કોઈની યાદોમાં સચવાય છે જિંદગી.
જેવી છે તેવી જ્યાં સ્વીકારાય છે જિંદગી,
ત્યાંજ સાચી રીતે સમજાય છે જિંદગી.
એકલાં જ તખ્તા પર ભજવાય છે જિંદગી,
જો સાથે હો તમે તો ઉજવાય છે જિંદગી.
મને તારી આંખોમાં દેખાય છે જિંદગી,
શું તને મારી છાતીમાં સંભળાય છે જિંદગી?
એવું તો નહીં કહું કે બસ જાય છે જિંદગી,
તમારા થકી તો જિવાય છે જિંદગી!
-મોહિત શાહ (૧૭-૦૩-૨૦૦૯)

Pedal Picnic

Sense of achievement or happiness doesn't necessarily comes out of something extraordinary every time. Sometimes ordinary looking things or events give us such joy & excitement which we may not be able to get otherwise. It may seem not so special for others but for those involved , it becomes a memorable moment of ultimate joy! I had one such experience last Sunday. I've been going for cycling as part of my work out daily morning along with my companion-Dinesh Motwani- formerly my patient but now a friend, thanks to cycling. We go 5 kms. up & down amounting to a total of 10 kms. at a stretch. It takes about 45 mins. We were planning to go to Gandhinagar for quite some time. Infocity is about 10 kms. from Motera. That means we had to go double the distance we daily travel. After a couple of lapses, we finally decided to have a go last Sunday. One of my closest friends, Dr. Manish Joshi would also join us. He would come on Dinesh's son's cycle. Oiling & air-pressure check was done a couple of days before to avoid mishap on the final day. Water-bottles were kept in refrigerator for cooling on previous night. Alarm was set at 5:30 a.m. We had scheduled to set at 6 a.m. sharp. I used to get up so early a couple of years back when I was learning swimming. We were in bed on time hoping for our smooth journey next morning. But whenever you are up to something, nature tests your courage by means of unexpected occurrences. At midnight, an emergency patient came which disturbed my sleep. Still, next morning we were ready on time & then came the SMS from Manish that someone in his relation had died & all his elders were heading for rituals right then. So he would be a little late. He came at 6:30 a.m. & we hurriedly went to Dinesh's house only to find that one of the cycles was having a flat tyre. 6:30 in the morning, 3 men ready for an extended cycle ride are now one cycle short. Dinesh went in search of an another cycle but we were apprehensive because the clock was ticking & we had 20 kms. ride pending ahead of us. We had to come before 9'o clock as it would get very hot after that on the summer day of March. But the real issue was, would he be able to fetch a cycle or we would have to cancel our trip? But he did manage to get a cycle of one of the security guards. When he came to us, we were not sure whether that cycle would run intact for 20 kms. It was a big black cycle generally used by milkmen or labourers & was looking in the worst imaginable condition. But we were left with no option & off we went with all our guts for our ride at 6:45 a.m. The atmosphere was pleasant, especially due to lush green plantation around the highway. It's amazing that when you have a good company, time & distance pass just like a flash. We reached Infocity after 45 mins. & weren't feeling tired yet. Einstein's theory of relativity was working with us. We were surprised that how easily we reached our destination which we feared would be tough for us. We took rest, set on the lawn & had Nero- the refreshing juice made out of palm or dates. We started our return ride at 7:45a.m. & we were at Motera around 8:30 a.m. We had "Navkaarshi"- morning breakfast- at Merudham Jain Tirth which comes on the way from Koba to Motera. It was like "an icing on the cake" for our ride to end with such a delicious & nutritious breakfast. We were very much satisfied, thrilled & happy. Thus, the journey which started with a couple of jerks, ended smoothly with a sense of joy & achievement. In fact, we felt that it tested our dedication, commitment & courage. In a way it was a test of our character & attitude. But in the end, we emerged victorious. This victory may not seem that much important for others but for us it was an event to cherish & remember. In fact, we are planning to go for such long trips on regular basis. This trip taught us an important lesson that," Obstacles may set you back, but they cannot prevent yourself from coming back. You may have to step back in life, only to take a big jump to overcome the problem."

"રસ્તો નહીં જડે તો રસ્તો કરી જવાના,

થોડા અમે મૂંઝાઈ મનમાં, મરી જવાના ?
એક આત્મબળ અમારું દુઃખ માત્રની દવા છે,

હર જખ્મને નજરથી ટાંકા ભરી જવાના !
સમજો છો શું અમને? સ્વયં પ્રકાશ છીએ !

દીપક નથી અમે કે ઠાર્યા ઠરી જવાના !
અય કાળ, કંઈ નથી ભય, તું થાય તે કરી લે;

ઈશ્વર સમો ધણી છે, થોડા ડરી જવાના ?"
- અમૃત ઘાયલ

Real Happiness

Doctor: What's your age Manjuben?
Manjuben: 53years.
Doctor: But you look elder than that! Moreover, it appears from your face that you're very sad. What's your problem?
Manjuben: You're right doctor. I'm very sad. I feel emptiness in my life. Loneliness is killing me. I've lost interest in my life. My life is miserable.
Doctor: Since how long you are feeling like this? Or in other words, when were you happy last time?
Manjuben(after recalling): When all of us were together in my family. My husband, I & my kids- a daughter & a son.
Doctor: What happened then? Tell me your story from beginning.
Manjuben: I got married before 30 years. My husband was a kind person. We were economically not that sound but he worked hard & our financial situation got better day by day. He used to work for long hours in office while I used to take care of all household matters. Then came the kids & I got busy upbringing them. I used to enjoy preparing foods, sewing clothes, educating & playing for them. I was so happy that I didn't realize how quickly they got young & mature. Then my daughter got married & my son went abroad for studies & ultimately got settled there. A few years back, my husband died & I'm now left alone in my house. Financially there is no problem but there is nothing I feel to live for.
Doctor: But your daughter must be coming to meet you occasionally & you can also go to her house to meet her. You can also think to go with your son if he is willing.
Manjuben: My son often calls me & insists that I should go there but that will be a bigger isolation problem with adustment problem at this age. I've never been outside India in all my life. My daughter used to come frequently to take my care but with her kids growing it is very difficult for her to spare time for me & I alse feel odd to disturb unnecessarily in their life.
Doctor: & other relative or neighbours?
Manjuben: I used to go to meet them to kill time initially but I don't feel right to waste someone's time again & again. Everyone's busy these days. Who has spare time for you everytime?
Doctor: From your story, it seems that you like people & also like to help them.Your feeling of happiness is directly related with the feeling of helping someone. Lack of that feeling makes you sad & purposeless. I've thought a solution for that. One of my friend runs an institution for physically challenged children. He needs a dedicated worker. If you can agree I can suggest your name. You are kind, you like children & above all you enjoy helping someone. I feel that this is the kind of work that will give you such joy, satisfaction & sense of worth that you won't feel emptiness in your life. Rather, your life will have some purpose. I think you're the right person for such kind of work. Just think about it. You can take your time. There is no hurry.
Manjuben(without thinking for a second): I'm ready to take that work. You just ask your friend if I can join from tomorrow.
Doctor: & salary?
Manjuben: Doesn't matter. I'll take whatever they can offer.
Doctor: O.K. Manjuben, I'll see that you can join from tomorrow & let me know how's your experience after a couple of weeks. Best of luck!
Manjuben: Thank you doctor.

( After 15 days)

Manjuben: Hello doctor! How are you?

Doctor: Oh, Manjuben! What a pleasant surprise? You have totally changed! You look younger by 15 years in 15 days! How's your work, bye the way?

Manjuben: Absolutely fine. I went there the next day & understood the work on the very first day. I took the responsibility & started working for kids from the next day. It gave me such a satisfaction & confidence that I felt my life worth something. I found the meaning of my life & also of happiness. It's not in living for self but in living for others.

Doctor: You're quite right. If you can see yourself in true perspective, you can have your real identity. After finding your true self, your happiness depends on the amont of your inner strength you can utilize in your life. More you work on it, the happier you become. This is the key to have real happiness in the life.

Manjuben: I can realize that doctor. Thanks a lot for your advice & help to find me the meaning of my life & happiness.

Doctor: It was my duty. But take these lines with you as you leave,

अपने लिए जीए तो क्या जीए, तू जी अय दिल ज़माने के लिए!

क्यूँ- the poem

क्यूँ ?

(This poem was written for a friend who made some difference in my life. This was written on 27th March,2008 when she was going away from us. It narrates the pain of separation & agony due to attachment with someone whom you don't want to lose. It ends on positive note by deriving power out of happy memories & moments to cherish rather than feeling sad about having to lose someone due to circumstances.)

मैं सोचता हूँ जब जाना ही था तो क्यूँ आए मेरे जीवन में?

आए तो आए पर आ के तुम क्यूँ छाये मेरे मन में?

प्यार-व्यार से दूर रहा था, दर्द से चकनाचूर रहा था

प्यार को छोड़ के, दर्द को भूल के बड़े चैन से जी रहा था।

फ़िर तुम आए, खुशियाँ लाये, वो प्यारभरे दिन लौट आए;

फ़िर बात हुई, मुलाक़ात हुई और यादों की सौगात हुई।

जब तुम छोड़ चले, मुंह मोड़ चले; रिश्ते सारे यूँ तोड़ चले।

प्यारभरे गुल मुर्जाए, ग़म भरे दिन फ़िर आए।

क्या होता गर तुम ना आते, गीत खुशी के तुम ना गाते?

बिना प्यारके ग़म के साथ मैं वैसे भी तो जी ही रहा था;

शायद वो ही अच्छा होता, पर उसमे वो बात न होती

यादों,वादों और बातों की वो सौगाते साथ न होती।

अब तेरे बिन हम जी लेंगे,अश्क का दरिया हम पी लेंगे;

बस मुजसे तुम वादा कर लो, कि तुम मुजको याद करोगे

जब भी आए याद मेरी तो तुम मुजको आवाज़ करोगे।

जैसे तैसे मैं रहे लूँगा, ग़म सारे भी मैं सहे लूँगा;

गर मुजको ये आस रहे, जब तक साँसों में साँस रहे

तुम याद करोगे, बात करोगे, कभी-कभी मुलाकात करोगे।

फ़िर आना जीवनमें तुम्हारा मुजको नहीं तडपायेगा,

साथ गुज़ारा वक्त हमारा,जीना मुजको सीखलायेगा!

-मोहित शाह (२७-३-२००८)

તમે મીરાની જેમ મને મળજો !

આસપાસ, આરપાર, અઢળક ઉભો છું,
તમે પાછા વળીને મને કળજો,
તમે મીરાની જેમ મને મળજો !
ઓઢણીમાં સૂસવાતો રણનો વંટોળ
અને વીરડીમાં જાગ્યું તોફાન,
રણની રેતીમાં કેવું અદકેરું અટવાણું
સળગેલા સૂરજનું વ્હાણ,
કો'કવાર ધોધમાર દોડવાના દિવસોમાં
મંજીરા સાંભળીને વળજો,
તમે મીરાની જેમ મને મળજો !
તમરાંના કાનમાંથી ટપકે છે રાત
અને મૌનનો ચણાયો મોટો મહેલ,
ધૂપસળી જેમ કોણ ઓગળે છે ઓરડે
અને પૂછવાની કોણ કરે પહેલ ?
એકધારો એકતારો છેડે જે રાગ
તેમાં એકપણું ભાળો તો ભળજો,
તમે મીરાની જેમ મને મળજો !
-ભાગ્યેશ જહા

मैंने जीवन देखा, जीवन का गान किया- हरिवंश राय बच्चन

मैं कभी, कहीं पर सफर
खत्म कर देने को तैयार सदा था,
इसमें भी थी क्या मुश्किल ।
चलना ही जिसका काम
रहा हो दुनिया में,
हर एक कदम के ऊपर
है उसकी मंजिल ।
जो कल पर काम उठाता
वो है पछताता,
कल अगर नहीं फ़िर उसकी
किस्मत में आता ।
मैंने कल पर कब आज
भला बलिदान किया,
मैंने जीवन देखा
जीवन का गान किया !