Tillitonse - A Transformational Journey Together

A few years ago my colleague and one of my closest friends Andrew and I were walking in the hills just outside Katmandu, Nepal. It was a glorious day and maybe it was the pristine air, magnificent scenery and great company that made me sigh with regret and say "I really miss the hills...there are none near my hometown where I can do this more regularly." I then went on about this for the next few minutes. Andrew listened in his inimitable polite way, that only English schooling can inculcate. Then he gently said "But, you have the beach, Sanjay." Six simple words strung together! But they made me pause. And then realization emerged...this was indeed a classic way of looking at life half full. Plus, it was taking away from the moment as well. So, yesterday as i drove 45 minutes out of town and and spent a lovely evening at an empty and clean beach, I was reminded of this conversation.....A simple yet powerful reminder that there is indeed so much to apprecia...

"WHY ARE YOU GRUMPY?" asked my 13 year old daughter Sanjana as we ate breakfast yesterday. And just by asking, something shifted .... In my learnings as a 'transformation coach,' a key lesson has been the importance of becoming a witness to oneself. I guess this is part of a larger spiritual journey to become a better version of myself. But, as you know, this is often very hard - to observe oneself without being caught up in the drama of life is bloody difficult. So, its impe rative for those in a similar journey to surround one self and create opportunities for others who you trust and are comfortable with to 'call' and 'name' what they are in seeing in you. Hence, Sanjana's question shook me out of my unfocussed state and brought me to 'the moment.' I started answering, nay denying, and then subsequently justifying why I felt a bit grouchy...but then I stopped. The beauty of the moment was simply being aware.... and then the...

Embracing the Shadow Over the past few months, I have increasingly become aware of my dark side. Actually, that's not right....It's not that I become increasing aware...it's just that I am increasingly willing to accept it. This has not been easy. And I have a long way to go.....The old crocodiles continue to lurk just under the surface and lunge ever so suddenly and make me say/act in a manner that fills me me with regrets minutes later....... In my coaching journey, one is learning on how to 'Embrace our shadows.' The article below focusses on the why....if not the how....... https://www.facebook.com/CollectiveEvolutionPage/posts/10154166264068908 As I stay with this process, the old Billy Joel classic comes to mind. "The Stranger" Well we all have a face That we hide away forever And we take them out and show ourselves When everyone has gone Some are satin some are steel Some are silk and some are leather They're the faces of t...

Personal Passion + Social Good = Excellence and Joy! You name it, he’s tried it, nay dived in deep – bridge, badminton, hypnosis, cooking, ballroom dancing, homeopathy and of course photography, are just few of the interests that my brother Sridhar has pursued with great passion over the years. He has boldly explored and honoured different parts of himself without waiting for others to support him. In the last few years, his energies have been drawn towards compositing. While these might seem like disparate interests, it seems that one underlying theme has been the bedrock of many of these passions – to leave the world a better place through community engagement. His active participation in the running of local community association around his home, involvement as a committee member of a club, helping revitalize the Photography Society of Madras, and now partnering with like minded people to motivate and support individuals and organizations to adopt composting practices towa...

Last week found me back to where it all began - The global head office of PSI in Washington DC. While there many reasons to go back, the most impactful was the awesome opportunity to bid adieu to Peter Clancy, the COO. Peter had been with PSI for 26 years! Earlier this year, he called me a day after announcing that he was retiring from PSI. Maybe the only call he ever made to me in my almost 23 year journey with the organization!  "Sanjay, as you know I am moving on in a few months and before I do, I would like to give you a hug." Suffice to say, I was surprised, nay shocked! For those of you who know Peter, I am sure this sounds incredulous!   So to be able to be in DC for his farewell party was an awesome treat. The nostalgic and fun event also brought in many of the ol timers including the legendary founder Phil Harvey. I t was wonderful to see them all. These were the people I really grew up with and imbued the spirit of ...

Batman vs Superman – The Dawn of Awareness… Aren't these pictures cute? When I saw these two ‘funny’ pictures, I first laughed and then then something stirred…and the word AWARENESS came to the forefront. Awareness – sometimes misplaced…sometimes not ever highlighted! Let’s first start with Superman. What is he doing here? He has inadvertently torn of the costume that protects him. In fact Superman’s costume is more than a just a piece of clothing. It epitomizes the magnificence of his mother planet – Krypton. The logo is his family’s emblem. And so in a moment of ‘non-awareness” borne out of cultivated habit of removing his external clothing during a crisis, Superman accidently rips of his legacy which he holds very dear. This made me pause. In so many moments of anger, frustration, alcohol laden instances and other similar negative habits when the internal mirror has been dirty and awareness misplaced, I have done things which have resu...

“Sometimes I need to be reminded about my GREATNESS….” She laughed!!! Well, can’t say I blame her. I probably would have done the same if I heard someone make this statement seemingly out of the blue. Well, so be it. I did in fact say these words two days ago….. Flashback to the summer of 1990. I had just completed for first year of a Master’s in Economics in Boston and had come home to Madras. I had done poorly academically and the morale was low. I was discussing with my mother about suitable job options for an Economics graduate. I had heard that Citibank hired students in the US who were interested in returning to India. I disliked Economics and the thought of working in a bank was stifling. But, the traditional career opportunities for some one with this academic background seemed limited. Maybe it was something in my tone let alone the content, but my eldest brother Sridhar who was passing by, paused. All he said was ‘You seem to have some talent in communications...