Can money buy peace?

Money cannot buy you love. A band no less than The Beatles experimented and wrote us a song about that. The bigger question these days, is whether a little bit of mint-fresh green in your LV can buy you sanity and spirituality. Sunday MiD DAY chats up Prada-clad fashionistas to talk about their favourite "cashram"

'Aesthetics are important. So I believe in Cashram instead of ashram'
Melange owner Sangita Kathiwada has practiced six different disciplines like yoga and Tai Chi, at different times. She now takes off once every six weeks to the Osho International Resort at Pune. She says, "I have been going there for seven years. I go into meditation and various activities like dancing, which is also a form of meditation, work meditation and Vipassana. I am also into Sufi Whirling, which is a form of cleansing. I practice these at home as well but when I go to the ashram and meet like-minded people, I feel their support. I am more assured talking to people there who have more experience. It makes me a better person, helps me deal with my office staff with a positive frame of mind. I bring back positive energy, and that's why I can smile so much. But I don't treat it as a stress buster."

Kathiwada has been working on her mental and physical self, she says, adding, "Wellness encompasses a lot of things. I have always made an attempt to be physically and mentally sound. I have been to spas around the world. I have a steam chamber and a spa room in my house. A masseur comes over every Monday. Everyday I consume tulsi, meethi, amla and almond among other organic things. I am a strict vegetarian and I have lots of salad."

And what about the money that it all costs? She jokes, "Honestly, I can't feel spiritual in a mud hut. Aesthetics are important for me. So I believe in Cashram instead of ashram."

'It's like someone has come and cleaned your lens'
Fashionista Rita Dhody has been following Swami Nityananda for many years. She says, "I don't go to retreat in Ganeshpuri because I am sad. I go there because I am a student."

Dhody calls it an inner journey. "Nothing happens on the outside. If you follow it with commitment and dedication, you change, you transform. Your attitude changes. It's like someone has come and cleaned your lens. It's not a one-time thing. The dynamics of life are complicated. There are always pulls and struggles, so many demands on us."

She makes it a point to practice what she learns daily. She mediates, chants and attends satsangs. "But to go into a silence at home is not possible. I take a retreat every three or four months that grounds me. There are no shortcuts though. I wish there were," she laughs.

She talks about incidents that happened years ago, and how now she can turn back and laugh at how they affected her. "Things keep coming up. There are layers within ourselves, and any form of spiritual practices will help you cross the layers. When past incidents don't affect your persona anymore, you know you have come a long way." And her reason for continuing is, "It gives me a push and momentum to bounce back. A retreat helps me get my focus back."

Dhody talks about Vipassana, where one goes into silence. She terms that the initial silence as deafening. "You are only hearing your own voice and sometimes you don't like what you are hearing."

'There is nothing wrong in achieving material success'
Sisters Shilpa and Shamita Shetty are followers of Bhagwan and Amma. Elder sister Shilpa has done a three-day course at the Oneness University and she follows Bhagwan and Amma's teachings because they are not preachy. "It's practical. I can relate to it. Perhaps I was even practicing their teachings subconsciously because I worship the ground my parents walk on. Bhagwan and Amma say concentrate on your family life; once that is straightened, outside relations will work out on its own.

Talking about the fast paced life, she says, "One needs to slow down. And we all have issues in life. I have always been spiritual because of my upbringing. Perhaps as a child, you pray because you are told to. As you grow older, you form your own interpretation based on the experiences you have had. After Oneness, there is a sense of awakening in your inner being."

Shilpa says Sri Bhagwan's teachings are based on logic and practicality. "He even tells me in lieu of recession where to invest and where not to. He says there is nothing wrong in achieving material success," she says.

Not so long ago, Shilpa was on the fringes. "Two years ago, Big Brother changed it all. I always felt that I never got what I deserved. And once I won the reality show, success came one after the other. I firmly believe that everything happens for the best. I am okay with the cards dealt to me, good, bad or ugly. I never question and I am glad I got introduced to Oneness," she says with a laugh.

'It's not about money'
Sister Shamita says that Amma's teachings have made her stop fighting with herself. Her perception of life has changed. "Now, instead of viewing a glass half empty, I see it as half full. That's the kind of change that has come around in life," she says honestly. She makes it a point to visit Amma's Oneness University in Chennai at least once a month. Of course, the stay costs money. "There are spaces there which are quite luxurious for those who can afford and cheaper ones for commoners. But it's not about money. It's about being in a positive space," she adds.

Shamita justifies her path for Oneness thus: "I was feeling an emptiness for sometime. We tend to lose ourselves in the chaos around us and we can't control our mind. There was a constant chattering in the mind as to why a particular thing was happening that made one react in a particular manner. Besides I was an insomniac. But then Amma happened to me five months ago. The chattering has slowed down and I am more at peace with myself."

'I love people who don't believe in spiritualism'
Actress Manisha Koirala has been following Oneness for three years now. And she goes to the University thrice a year. "I would like to go more than that. It's so peaceful, away from the rush of the life." Koirala came to know about Oneness eight years ago from one of her friends from Denmark who is a regular there. And though it remained in the back of her mind, she made excuses for the next five years not to go until one day she met Deepak Parashar who had made a documentary on Oneness.

"He put me in touch with some people and I am happy I went. There are more things to gain from there besides knowledge. Life has too many dimensions. It has made me a better person. Though I always thought I was good," she jokes.

One a serious note, though, she says, "I love people who don't believe in spiritualism and yet have strong opinions. They come out with some brilliant spiritual expressions."

She urges to take time out to tread this path. About the cost factor she says, "There are VIP sections, but I see lot of people visiting the university in large numbers, all regular people. Certain courses may be expensive but I am not sure of the cost."

'The money we get is for education and seva projects'
Model-turned-Art of Living propagator Rhea Pillai, who has been with Sri Sri Ravishankar for 13 years now, is in the city this week to conduct a course at Kemps Corner. A six-day course costs Rs 1,500. "Sure it costs money but this money is being utilised in public service projects in Dharavi. Have you seen the school we are building there? It has classes till Std 4. We want to extend that to Std 10. Knowledge is priceless but you have to be realistic. The money we get through courses are utilised in education and other seva projects," says Pillai, who is also the director of International Association for Human Value.

When asked about elitist followers, she counters, "Ninety per cent of Gurudev's followers are middle-class. Celebrity is only one per cent. Media prefers to write about celebrities who are part of it. No one writes about commoners. This, unfortunately, has got us slotted."

When asked for her reasons for joining it, she says, "I would say that Gurudev's beliefs and mine are similar. When one can translate it through deeds or seva, it completes me as an individual. It leads to a happier life. And I hope I am a better person now. See, I wasn't looking for a guru. It was a natural progression. His Holiness is remarkable, so he naturally became my guru." Pillai does the kriya from 30 minutes to one and a half hours daily.

'You have to pay for what you do here'
Designer Krishna Mehta doesn't follow any guru but she attends discourses that talk about the theory of karma.
"I strongly believe that there is life after death and that you have to pay for what you do here. And if one attains fulfillment of soul, one can attain moksha," she says. Mehta mediates for an hour from 6 to 7 am. "I try not to have any thoughts. If thoughts seep in, I restrict it to one at a time. I have been doing this for a year and it has been beautiful. It has made me a balanced, focused and more complete person. I think better, plan better. I have even developed a patient ear."

Mehta had a teacher for meditation and now she has a yoga instructor, Sandeep, who keeps talking to her during her practice. She disagrees though when asked if the well heeled need an anchor. "When you are miserable, you look for an anchor. When you have everything, you don't really bother."