It’s been quite some time now since I have been diagnosed with a high-grade neuroendocrine cancer. This new name in my vocabulary, I got to know, was rare, and due to fewer study cases, and less information comparatively, the unpredictability of the treatment was more. I was part of a trial-and-error game.
I had been in a different game, I was travelling on a speedy train ride, had dreams, plans, aspirations, goals, was fully engaged in them. And suddenly someone taps on my shoulder and I turn to see. It’s the TC: “Your destination is about to come. Please get down.” I am confused: “No, no. My destination hasn’t come.” “No, this is it. This is how it is sometimes.”
The suddenness made me realise how you are just a cork floating in the ocean with UNPREDICTABLE currents! And you are desperately trying to control it.
In this chaos, shocked, afraid and in panic, while on one of the terrifying hospital visits, I blabber to my son, “The only thing I expect from ME is not to face this crisis in this present state. I desperately need my feet. Fear and panic should not overrule me and make me miserable.”
That was my INTENTION. AND THEN PAIN HIT. As if all this while, you were just getting to know pain, and now you know his nature and his intensity. Nothing was working; NO consolation, no motivation. The entire cosmos becomes one at that moment – just PAIN, and pain felt more enormous than GOD.
As I was entering the hospital, drained, exhausted, listless, I hardly realised my hospital was on the opposite side of Lord’s, the stadium. The Mecca of my childhood dream. Amidst the pain, I saw a poster of a smiling Vivian Richards. Nothing happened, as if that world didn’t ever belong to me.
This hospital also had a coma ward right above me. Once, while standing on the balcony of my hospital room, the peculiarity jolted me. Between the game of life and the game of death, there is just a road. On one side, a hospital, on the other, a stadium. As if one isn’t part of anything which might claim certainty – neither the hospital, nor the stadium. That hit me hard.
I was left with this immense effect of the enormous power and intelligence of the cosmos. The peculiarity of MY hospital’s location – it HIT me. The only thing certain was the uncertainty. All I could do was to realise my strength and play my game better.
This realisation made me submit, surrender and trust, irrespective of the outcome, irrespective of where this takes me, eight months from now, or four months from now, or two years. The concerns took a back seat and started to fade and kind of went out of my mindspace.
For the first time, I felt what ‘freedom’ truly means. It felt like an accomplishment. As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it. My confidence in the intelligence of the cosmos became absolute. I feel as if it has entered every cell of mine.
Time will tell if it stays, but that is how I feel as of now.
Throughout my journey, people have been wishing me well, praying for me, from all over the world. People I know, people I don’t even know. They were praying from different places, different time zones, and I feel all their prayers become ONE. One big force, like a force of current, which got inside me through the end of my spine and has germinated through the crown of my head.
It’s germinating – sometimes a bud, a leaf, a twig, a shoot. I keep relishing and looking at it. Each flower, each twig, each leaf which has come from the cumulative prayers, each fills me with wonder, happiness and curiosity.
A realisation that the cork doesn’t need to control the current. That you are being gently rocked in the cradle of nature.
માનનિય નિર્ણાયક ગણ ,શ્રોતાજનો, અને મારા વહાલાં વિદ્યાર્થી મિત્રો,
પ્રિયતા અને અપ્રિયતા નો વિચાર એટલો જૂનો છે કે જેટલો જૂનો મનુષ્ય.
કોઈ ને ગાંધીજી થવું ગમે કે કોઈ ને નહેરુ થવું ગમે,કોઈની પ્રેરણામૂર્તિ ઇન્દિરાજી હોય તો કોઈ અટલજી જેવા થવા ના સ્વપ્ન સેવતા હોય.આ દરેક નેતા પોત-પોતાની રીતે મહાન છે અને તેમણે આ મહાન દેશ નાં ઘડતર માં પોતાનું યોગદાન આપેલું છે.પરંતુ મારા અંતર માં વસેલી મૂર્તિ તો સરદાર પટેલ ની જ છે. મને તો સરદાર પટેલ જેવા જ થવાનું ગમે.કદાચ તમને મારી આ પસંદ પર નવાઈ પણ લાગે.પરંતુ આજે આપણે દેશમાં જે સુખ-શાંતિ થી જીવી રહ્યાં છીએ તે દેશ નાં સાચા શિલ્પી સરદાર પટેલ જ છે.અંગ્રજો ભારત ને આઝાદી આપવા તો સમંત થયા પરંતુ તેમણે કૂટનીતિ કરી ભારતના ટુકડે-ટુકડા કરવાનું ષડયંત્ર રચ્યું અને જયારે ગાંધીજી જેવા મહાન નેતા પણ ભારતની પ્રજાને એક રાખી શક્યા નહી,ત્યારે સરદાર વલ્લભ ભાઈ પટેલે તેમની ઠંડી તાકાત અને મહાન મુત્સદીગીરી થી ભારત ને એક તાતણે બાંધ્યું.આઝાદીને સમયે આપણા દેશ માં અંગ્રજો આશ્રિત ઘણાં રજવાડાઓ હતાં.ત્યારે સરદારે બધાજ રાજવીઓં ને ભારતીય સંઘ માં ભળી જવા સમજાવ્યા અને જે રાજાઓ એ ભળવાની આનાકાની કરી તેની સામે લાલ આંખ કરતાં પણ અચકાયા નહિ..
મોટાભાગનાં રાજવીઓ જેવા કે વડોદરાનાં સયાજીરાવ,જામનગર નાં જામસાહેબ વગેરે સમજાવટ થી ભારતીય સંઘ માં વિલીન થયાં અને હેદરાબાદ નાં નિઝામ, જુનાગઢ-કુતિયાના અને પાલનપુરનાં નવાબો એ તેમાં ભળવાની આનાકાની કરી ત્યારે તેમની સામે કડક હાથે કામ લીધું અને ભારતીય સંઘ માં જોડાવા ફરજ પાડી.અરે એ…બધી વાત તો જવા દો.પરંતુ ….આપણી પાસે રહેલું કાશ્મીર પણ સરદાર પટેલ ની મુત્સદી ને કારણે જ રહી શક્યું છે અને જો તેમને તેમની રીતે કામ કરવા દીધું હોત તો આજે આપણા શિરદર્દ સામો કાશ્મીર નો પ્રશ્ન જ નાં રહ્યો હોત અને પૂરેપૂરું કાશ્મીર જ આપણા કબજામાં હોત .હુ તો દ્રઢ પણે માનું છું કે ચાણક્ય પછી આપણા દેશ માં એક જ મુત્સદી પાક્યો હતો અને તે સરદાર પટેલ જ હતાં. મને સરદાર પટેલ થવું ગમે ,શા માટે? મિત્રો આઝાદીના પચાસ–પચાસ વર્ષમાં આપણે એકબીજા સામે ભસતા ઢગલાબંધ કુરકુરિયાં પેદા કર્યા છે પરંતુ એક પણ સરદાર પેદા કર્યો નથી…
કરમસદ જેવા નાના ગામમાં જન્મેલા અભણ ખેડૂત પિતા ઝવેરભાઈ અને માતા લાડબાઈ નો આ પુત્ર નાનપણ થી જ ખૂબજ મહેનતુ,અને નિડર હતા.નાનપણ માં ૧૦ કિલોમીટર પગપાળા ચાલી અભ્યાસ કરવા જતા હતા પંચાયત નાં દિવાના પ્રકાશમાં વાંચી ને તેંઓ ભણ્યા હતાં.વકીલાત નું ભણી કામિયાબ બેરિસ્ટર તરીકે પોતાની કારકિર્દી શરૂ કરી.અમદાવાદ માં ગાંધીજી ની સભામાં ગાંધીજી પ્રત્યે આદર થી નહિ,પરંતુ તેંઓ દેશ ને કઈ રીતે આઝાદી અપાવવા માગે છે તેવા વિવિધ પ્રશ્નો લઇ ને ગયા હતા,પરંતુ ગાંધીજી ની વિચારસરણી થી પ્રભાવિત થઇ ને તેમનાં આજીવન સેવક બની ગયા.અને ગાંધીજી નાં કહ્યા પ્રમાણે દેશ ની આઝાદી ની ચળવળ માં પોતાની ઉજ્જવળ કારકિર્દી ને ઠોકર મારી જોડાઈ ગયા.તેઓ ગાંધીજીનાં અદના સેવક તરીકે રહ્યા.આધુનિક ભારતનાં એ સાચા શિલ્પી અને ઘડવૈયા હતા.નિડરતા અને કર્તવ્યનિષ્ઠાનાં અનેક ઉદાહરણો તેમની જીદગી માંથી જોવા મળે છે.તેંઓ અદાલત માં એકવાર એક કેસ લડતા હતા,ત્યારે એક ટેલીગ્રામ આવ્યો.આ ટેલીગ્રામ વાંચી તેને ખિસ્સામાં મૂકી કેસ ની દલીલ ચલુ રાખી દલીલો પૂરી થાય બાદ લોકો ને જાણવા મળ્યું કે તે ટેલીગ્રામ માં તેમનાં પત્ની ગુજરી ગયાનાં સમાચાર હતા.આવા દુ:ખદ પ્રસંગે પણ વિચલિત થાય વગર પોતાનું કર્તવ્ય બજાવનાર વ્યક્તિ જેવા થવાનું સૌ ને ગમે.
મિત્રો, સરદાર કેવાં દીર્ઘદ્રષ્ટિ વાળા હતા તે બતાવવા હું આપની સમક્ષ એક ઉદાહરણ રજૂ કરું છું.ગાંધીજી ની હત્યા પછી અચાનક રેડીઓ પર શોકગ્રસ્ત ગીતો શરુ થયાં,તે જમાના મા ટી.વિ. ન હતા.ઉદઘોષકે જણાવ્યું કે- રાષ્ટ્રપિતા આપણી વચ્ચે રહ્યા નથી.તે પછી પંડિત નહેરુ રેડીઓં પર આવ્યા તેમણે કહ્યું
કે એક પાગલ માણસે બાપુ ની ગોળી મારી હત્યા કરી છે.તેમનો કંઠ રૂંધાઈ ગયો,ત્યાર પછી સરદાર વલ્લભભાઈ પટેલ રેડીઓ પર આવ્યા,તેમણે કહ્યું કે –મહાત્મા ગાંધી ની હત્યા થઇ છે.એક હિંદુ નામે નાથુરામ ગોડસે એ ગોળી ચલાવી છે.આ કરુણ પ્રસંગે સરદાર સાહેબે સ્વસ્થતા ગુમાવી ન હતી. અને હત્યારાના નામ અને ધર્મ નો ઉલ્લેખ કરી તેમણે આખા દેશ ને કોમી રખમાણ માંથી ઊગારી લીધો હતો.આમ તેમની દીર્ઘદ્રષ્ટિ આવા સંજોગમાં કામ આવી ગાંધીજી સાથે તેમણે અનેક સત્યાગ્રહની ચળવળ માં ભાગ લીધો.બારડોલી ના સફળ સત્યાગ્રહ બાદ ગાંધીજીએ તેમને સરદાર નું બિરુદ આપ્યું હતું.ત્યાર બાદ તે લોકો નાં લાડીલા સરદાર બની ગયા હતા.
આઝાદી પછી તેઓ ભારતનાં નાયબ વડાપ્રધાન રહ્યા હતા પરંતુ તેઓ આપણી કમનસીબીએ ઝાઝું જીવી શક્યા નહિ.આવા લોખંડી પુરુષ અને રમ્યતા સાથે રુદ્રતા ની મૂર્તિ સમા સરદાર થવા નું સ્વપ્ન કો ને ના હોય?
——-જયહિન્દ——–
જગત અવાશિયા
“સરદાર પટેલ ની ૧૨૪ મી જન્મ જયતિ નિમિત્તે’’
જેઓ સમયસર છત્રી ખૂલ્યાનો અને સહેજ પણ ભીના ન થયાનો આનંદ, પોતાની કોઈ મોટી ઉપલબ્ધિની જેમ લોકોને સંભળાવતા હોય…. એમના માટે નથી આ વરસાદ.
જેઓ વરસાદના બે ટીપાંની વચ્ચેથી પણ કોરા રહી શકવાનો રસ્તો શોધી લેતા હોય અને રસ્તામાં આવતા ખાબોચિયાંને અછૂત માનીને લાં….બી છલાંગ લગાવતા હોય….એમના માટે નથી આ વરસાદ.
જેઓ સ્માર્ટફોન પલળવાના ડરથી પોતાના મોબાઈલની સાથે પોતાની જાતને પણ પ્લાસ્ટિકની બેગમાં મૂકીને ચાલતા હોય….. એમના માટે નથી આ વરસાદ.
જેઓએ ચામડી ઉપર રુંવાટીની સાથે રેઇનકોટ ઉગાડ્યો હોય ….એમના માટે નથી આ વરસાદ.
આ વરસાદ એટલે ખુલ્લી હથેળીઓમાં ઝીલી શકાય એવા, ઈશ્વરના પ્રવાહી આશીર્વાદ. વરસાદ એવું શીખવે છે કે જિંદગીની સૌથી અદભૂત ક્ષણો પકડી શકાતી નથી, ફક્ત ઝીલી શકાય છે. વરસાદ એટલે આકાશ અને ધરતી વચ્ચેનો સૌથી રોમેન્ટિક વાર્તાલાપ.
વરસાદ એમના માટે છે જેઓ ચાલુ ક્લાસરૂમે પહેરેલા યુનીફોર્મે દોડીને વર્ગખંડની બહાર નીકળી જાય છે.
વરસાદ એમના માટે છે જેઓ કોઈપણ જગ્યાએ હોય, ભીની માટીની સુગંધ તેમને બહાર ખેંચી લાવે છે.
વરસાદ એમના માટે છે જેઓ ભડકે બળતા જીવની હોડી બનાવી વરસાદના પાણીમાં તરવા મૂકી દે છે.
વરસાદ એમના માટે છે જેઓ માટીનું શરીર ઓઢીને ભીંજાવાની તૈયારી બતાવે છે.
વરસાદ એમના માટે છે જેઓ ફક્ત પલળતા નથી, ભીંજાઈ પણ શકે છે.
ડાર્ક બેકગ્રાઉન્ડમાં વીજળીઓના ચમકારાની સ્પેશીયલ ઈફેક્ટસ સાથે પાણીની ‘આઈ લવ યુ’ કહેવાની સ્ટાઇલ એટલે વરસાદ.
આ વરસાદ એમના માટે છે જેઓ પાણીને ગળે મળીને ‘આઈ લવ યુ ટુ’ કહી શકે.
-ડૉ. નિમિત ઓઝા
Of all the men who have played cricket, few have graced it like the impeccable Rahul Dravid. His is a legacy built on patience. Run by run, ball by ball, brick by brick. The Wall didn’t happen in a day, it was built. Rahul Dravid knows all too well that good things come only with hard work and persistence.
A few days ago, the Mr Dependable of Indian cricket made big news. Why? Because he had said no to an honorary doctorate that was offered to him. It just tipped the greatness scale in his favour even more. The whole country was talking about it, we reported it too. His humility was, like so many times previously, praised by all.
But what’s more impressive is the reason why he did not accept the doctorate. It will make you admire and respect the man even more.
Talking to Indian Express, Dravid spoke about the incident and how refusing to accept it had a personal angle to it. It’s quite straightforward actually.
For him, it has always been about being honest. The traits of a true gentleman. On and off the field.
The thing about the doctorate is that my mom did her PhD and earned a doctorate at the age of 55. My wife’s a surgeon who studied seven years to get a degree in surgery. And I’ve always felt that if it was something I wanted, I would like to have earned it. I don’t mean that anyone else should have that feeling and I’m not trying to belittle anyone else. It’s just that I felt that way because of my own experiences.
What you should notice is not just him hailing his wife and mother. No, that’s only a part of his simple yet brilliant answer. You should also notice how he mentions his own experiences, because that’s how it has always been for him.
Climbing. Step by step. From a young cricketer to the man we all depended on. He was patient. But he got there. That has and forever will be his legacy.
And just like always, he does not want to show off. He does not claim that his reason is the right one. It’s just his reason.
But we also know that he’s right. He has seen troubles. He has faced hardships. But he knows that the only way to emerge victorious is to take the hard route. He is proof of that, his wife is proof of that and so is his mother.
It runs in the family, I suppose.
His greatest trait has always been his patience and his calm demeanour. Regardless of however he felt inside, he always maintained it. But he does not care to admit that he has lost it a few times and that he isn’t perfect.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe he can be so humble. He makes being the nice guy look so cool and appealing. There’s no other side to him. No controversies. No loopholes. It’s as pure as his cover drives.
Harsh Bhogle once said, “When I’m done with my profession, I wish I could go with the reputation that Rahul Dravid earned.”
Jammy may not feel like he deserves that doctorate, but that reputation is totally deserved. Rahul Dravid will always be the truest gentleman the world of cricket has ever seen.
As I sit down to write this article, Jagjit saab’s magical voice echoes in my ears, thanks to Koi Fariyaad’s recreated version from Tum Bin 2.
Naah. Not even close to the original. I open YouTube to listen to the original song and my search history is clearly giving it away. I love this old man a little too much. How and where did this affair began? I only have a faded memory.
That music today cannot match what we had back in the ’90s is not even debatable anymore. From EDM, Jazz, Punk, Blues and Country to Bollywood, Yo Yo and well, the likes of Baadshah, we all know where we’re headed.
Being a ’90s kid was a blessing for the music lover in me. Music back then was so much more than Ladki beautiful kar gayi chul and High Heels. It had a depth to it. It was so much more meaningful and soulful than the music that followed in the next decade and a half put together.
But if there is someone whose music has stayed with me to this day, it has to be Jagjit Singh.
I grew up in a family of music lovers. To be honest, none of us could sing but you don’t need to, do you? All you need to do is feel. And believe you me, the Jalansare an emotional lot. I remember the time when we got our very first computer. While brother and I excitedly played for hours with the MS Paint tool, Papa showed the same excitement to listen to Jagjit Singh ghazals on Winamp.
His excitement would soon turn into an emotional ride. No matter how much he tried to cover it, his moist eyes were too hard to miss, and would give it away.
And somewhere down the line, he passed on that strange connection with Jagjitsaab to me as well.
And this is probably where my love affair with him began.
I had heard papa tell me stories about Jagjit Singh, his wife Chitra, and how they lost their 20-year-old son to an accident. And these stories would only make me feel more connected to this face that I’d never seen, and the voice that I’d never really heard in real life.
But he continued to be my go-to singer and his songs would make me feel things I didn’t know I was capable of feeling.
Whether it is Jhuki jhuki si nazar ever so subtly talking about the charm of first love, Hotho se chhu lo tum beautifully summing up the union of two souls, or his emotional Chithhi na koi sandesh, which still has the power to swell even the coldest of hearts, Jagjit saab’s voice made everything sound so surreal.
Hundreds of singers came, but none was able to match the grandiose of this man.
And just when I had started listening to some English music, I came across this video of him and Chitra singing Tappe (Punjabi folk songs sung at a wedding), and I was drawn back to this magical baritone, once again. This time forever.
Knowingly or unknowingly, this came to be my definition of love. The comfort level that the couple shared, along with the mischievous looks that they exchanged, somewhere even influenced my definition of a perfect relationship.
So much am I in love with him that during a performance of these tappe at a friend’s wedding recently, I insisted that I be the guy and sing Jagjit saab’s part.
That I am an old-school soul is no news for me, but as I write this, I realise that may be, just may be, Jagjit Singh has a little part to play in it.
Thank you for giving us so much more than just music, Jagjit saab. Thank you for giving us the pleasure to capture your voice in our hearts and, well, our mobile phones.
Your voice will continue to live in our hearts forever.
I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world.
In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success.
However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to.
At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.
In the darkness, I look at the green lights from the life supporting machines and hear the humming mechanical sounds, I can feel the breath of god of death drawing closer…
Now I know, when we have accumulated sufficient wealth to last our lifetime, we should pursue other matters that are unrelated to wealth…
Should be something that is more important:
Perhaps relationships, perhaps art, perhaps a dream from younger days …
Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me.
God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth.
The wealth I have won in my life I cannot bring with me.
What I can bring is only the memories precipitated by love.
That’s the true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on.
Love can travel a thousand miles. Life has no limit. Go where you want to go. Reach the height you want to reach. It is all in your heart and in your hands.
What is the most expensive bed in the world? – “Sick bed” …
You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear the sickness for you.
Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – “Life”.
When a person goes into the operating room, he will realize that there is one book that he has yet to finish reading – “Book of Healthy Life”.
Whichever stage in life we are at right now, with time, we will face the day when the curtain comes down.
Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends…
Treat yourself well. Cherish others.
Steve Jobs’ last words will make you change your view of life completely!
You both carry a very valuable legacy on your tender shoulders – Aaradhya, the legacy of your पर दादाजी, Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan…and Navya, the legacy of your पर दादाजी, Shri H P Nanda….
Both your पर दादाजी’s gave your present surnames celebrated fame, dignity and recognition !
Both of you maybe a Nanda or a Bachchan, but you are also girls…women !
And because you are women people will force their thinking, their boundaries on you.
They will tell you how to dress, how to behave, who you can meet and where you can go.
Don’t live in the shadows of people’s judgement. Make your own choices in the light of your own wisdom.
Don’t let anyone make you believe that the length of your skirt is a measure of your character.
Don’t let anyone’s opinion of who you should be friends with, dictate who you will be friends with.
Don’t get married for any other reason other than you want to get married.
People will talk. They shall say some terrible things. But that doesn’t mean you have to listen to everyone. Never ever worry about – लोग क्या कहेंगे !
At the end of the day, you are the only one who will face the consequences of your actions, so don’t let other people make your decisions for you.
Navya – the privilege your name, your surname offers you, will not protect you from the difficulties you will face because you’re a woman.
Aaradhya – by the time you see and understand this, I may well not be around. But I think what I am saying today shall still be relevant.
This may be a difficult, difficult world to be a woman. But I believe that it is women like you that will change that.
It may not be easy, setting your own boundaries, making your own choices, rising above people’s judgement. But YOU !…you can set an example for women everywhere.
Do this and you would have done more than I have ever done, and it will be my honor to be known not as Amitabh Bachchan, but as your grandfather !!
“Find A Better Way” — University of Illinois Commencement speech — May 14, 2016: Jeff Huber
I was honored to be asked to speak at my alma mater, the University of Illinois. My message for this year’s graduates? Find a better way.
University of Illinois Commencement — May 14, 2016
Chancellor Wilson, President Killeen, faculty, and distinguished guests: it’s an honor to be back here at the University of Illinois.
Class of 2016, I’m here to congratulate you, but I’m also here to thank you.
For many of you, this is your first college graduation ceremony. Well, this is also my first college graduation ceremony. See, I didn’t come to this event when I graduated in 1989. I had excuses. I had a new job. I was eager to get on with life.
I don’t have many regrets, but 27 years later, that’s one of the decisions I do regret, because I didn’t get to share this day with the people who loved me and supported me.
That might also explain why I have 15 members of my family here today. And why my 90-year-old father in Dubuque, Iowa is watching on the livestream right now.
That’s a life lesson that took me a while to learn: it’s important to reflect and celebrate, and to be grateful for those who bring learning and love into your life.
In fact, how about we all show our appreciation for the people who helped you get here: your families, friends, mentors, and loved ones. Graduates, please stand up, let’s hear it for them!
Today, I’d like to share three pivotal chapters from my life.
The experiences themselves may not be universal, but the lessons of failure and resilience, of passion and purpose, and of loss and renewal may be. And they’re united by an overarching belief, one that I hope I can convince you to share.
The belief is this: there has to be a better way.
The first chapter opens in Menominee, Illinois; population 248. Downtown Menominee has a church, a firehouse, a four-room schoolhouse, and of course, a tavern.
I grew up on a small dairy farm, the youngest of five. The farm was a great place to grow up, although it wasn’t without its, ahem, character building moments.
A key feature of the dairy farm is the cow yard. A key feature of the cow yard is, of course, cow manure. Lots and lots of it. When you add in spring rains, it’s a thick soup. One particularly soggy day when I was about 12 years old, my job was to walk out through the cow yard to open the pasture gate for our cows.
Every step I took I sank in deeper and deeper, until I was finally near the middle and completely stuck. Up to the top of my boots. Cow poop threatening to seep over the top. Not quite able to get them out. I yelled for help, but no one could hear me except the cows. And they didn’t really seem interested.
I started to panic a little, but then a remarkable calm came over me. It was very Zen. I saw my future: it was filled with cow manure.
Don’t get me wrong. Farming is a worthy and noble way of life, if you’re passionate about it. But it was in that moment I knew I would need to find my purpose elsewhere.
For me, there had to be a better way to find fulfillment and a different future, and that meant going to college. My parents believed in education, but they could only afford to pay for the first year of college. After that, it was up to me.
At the time, I had an uncle and a much-older brother who were both working in accounting jobs in “the big city,” Chicago. I thought their work with then-cutting-edge computer programs was impossibly cool, so I started lobbying my parents for a computer.
An Apple II at the time was about $3,500 — about the equivalent of one year’s earnings on the farm. But my mother used her inheritance from my godfather, all of it, and bought me that computer.
Being a precocious kid, I wasn’t happy enough to just use it. I had to take it apart, and “soup it up.” My parents were horrified. For me, the problem wasn’t putting it back together; it was that I needed storage. I needed floppy disks, lots of them.
Floppy disks were the thumb drives of the 1980s, except it would take over 7,000 floppy disks, or a stack 50 feet high, and cost $35,000, to equal the storage in a one gigabyte thumb drive you buy for 3 bucks today, and easily fits in your pocket. Technology is really damn cool.
But, the nearest computer dealer was 15 miles away, and a box of disks cost about 10 weeks’ worth of my allowance for doing farm chores.
There had to be a better way.
So my brother helped me find a distributor in Chicago where I could buy them at wholesale for myself. Then I took out ads in some very geeky computer magazines, “Byte” and “Nibble” magazines, to sell to others.
I was a budding 14-year-old entrepreneur. I added other computer products over time and taught myself how to code. I bootstrapped the business out of my farmhouse bedroom into one of the first mail-order computer product companies in the country.
And that’s how I invented Amazon.com.
OK, I’m kidding. That’s a different Jeff, who’s now an investor in my new company, but we’ll get to that in the 3rd chapter.
That business, born out of both desire and need — a better way — got me to, and through, University of Illinois. That excitement about what technology could make possible shaped the rest of my life and career.
Which brings me to the second chapter, which includes something I’ve never told anyone, except my wife, Laura.
It starts in 2002. I was working at eBay, drawn in by founder Pierre Omidyar’s deep belief that he, too, had found a better way: a way to use technology to level the playing field so that the little guys could compete with big companies in online commerce, a way for a mom-and-pop shop to be open 24/7, 365 days a year.
I was a technologist who was passionate about innovation through technology, but eBay then was increasingly focused on marketing. I wanted to keep the playing field level. The marketers then wanted to charge more for an ad with blinking text. I overstate a bit, but basically it was the plot of the HBO show ‘Silicon Valley’ from a few weeks ago.
I felt the dissonance pretty acutely, and I guess it showed, because — and this is the part I’ve never told to anyone, except Laura — I was fired.
I thought I was going through the motions pretty convincingly, but I was still going through the motions. My heart wasn’t in it, and it showed. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, then there has to be a better way.
Still, getting fired was a shock and incredibly humbling. I was devastated at the time, but it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. That failure led me, forced me, to find a better way.
The way for me was Google, where I “found my tribe,” where the people I worked with believed in innovation through technology as much as I did.
At eBay, I had a fancy title and a big team, but my new boss at Google felt strongly that you really have to earn leadership. In his words: “Go in, work with the team. Show them what you can do. Show them how you are going to help them win. Be a leader.”
He was right: it’s vitally important to put your head down and do the work and earn it. So I did. I took a title cut and a pay cut, launched a career at Google in 2003, and got to work with some of the best people in the world and build the amazing things that Chancellor Wilson mentioned: Google Ads, Google Apps, Google Maps, and Google[x]. I found a better way for myself, for my career, and maybe for the world.
Now we’re at the third and last chapter in this story. It’s the most important one, and a difficult one for me to tell.
It starts two decades ago, when I was asked by my then-employer to investigate an online dating service as a potential partner. It was called Match.com. I created a profile out of purely professional interest, of course.
It was 1996, so there weren’t mobile phones with cameras, or really digital photos at all. The service was kind of like Tinder or Hinge, but, you know, without pictures or phones or swiping. It was text-only; old school.
The first profile that caught my eye was of a woman named Laura. She was a designer and art director for magazines and was an expressive and gifted writer. I thought she seemed smart and super cool. On our first date, I went to her house to pick her up and was greeted by a beautiful, athletic, artistic hippie chick wearing a radiant smile, a long flowing dress, and cowboy boots.
I fell in love with Laura at the door. In that instant, she became a part of me.
We built an amazing life together over the next 20 years. We have two beautiful children, and hopefully future Illini, who are here today. They will come to believe, as we all do, that Orange and Blue actually really look good together!
Laura became my partner in everything, and inspired me through her deep caring, kindness, willpower, and boundless positive energy to be a better person, a better husband, father, and human.
But then one day, Laura told me she felt tired, which was unusual. She had always been super fit and high-energy.
We saw doctors, but none of the explanations seemed right.
Two years, one month, and one day ago we found the answer: a small tumor in her colon. It was cancer.
Still, that’s treatable. Pretty straightforward surgery and good outcomes if you catch it early.
But before the surgery, the doctors did a CT scan. When we looked at the results, it just lit up. We saw that the cancer wasn’t just one small tumor. It had spread to her liver, her abdomen, her chest, and through her lymph system up to her neck. It was stage four cancer.
Laura fought. God did she fight.
And we fought alongside her. She had maybe the best team of cancer doctors ever assembled fighting for her.
She took her art supplies to chemotherapy sessions in her “Kicking Cancer’s Ass” tote bag.
When she couldn’t move her legs to roll over or get out of bed, she asked me to order some hand weights for next-day-delivery so she could rebuild her muscles and be strong again.
She never, never, never gave up. Even at the very end.
She passed away 6 months ago this week.
And that is why I told you earlier: be grateful for those who bring love into your life. Because I didn’t have her for long enough. Our kids didn’t have her for long enough. The world didn’t have her for long enough. But I am so very grateful we had Laura.
I miss her every day. And every day, her bright spirit, determination and character inspire me.
It fuels my conviction that there has to be a better way for us, as a country and a world, to fight cancer.
At Google[x], I had begun studying the intersection of life science and computer science, focusing on how digitizing biology, big data, and machine learning could accelerate our understanding of complex biology.
Losing Laura made me determined to understand one of the most complex processes — the biology of cancer — and how it can be stopped.
When cancer is caught early, at stage one or stage two, it has 80 to 90 percent positive outcomes, where lives are saved, even with the limited treatments available today.
When cancer is discovered later, at stage three or stage four, when it’s spread and has become more complex (like Laura’s was), and which happens in over half the cases that are diagnosed, the outcomes are the exact reverse — 80 to 90 percent negative outcomes, where lives are lost.
Currently we spend billions of dollars treating late-stage cancer when it’s often futile. Instead, we have to detect it early, when it can be cured.
Laura’s cancer is just one story out of millions. There are eight million cancer deaths, every year.
And it all starts when one cell out of the 37 trillion-or-so cells in your body divides, and does it wrong. Those mutated cells shed DNA and RNA into the bloodstream as they multiply. If we can detect that early signal, we can catch cancer much earlier.
That’s what my new company, GRAIL, is working to do. Our mission is to “detect cancer early, when it can be cured”. That’s what I am working to do.
I believe it’s within our reach. I believe in that better way.
So, what does this all mean for you?
When Laura died, lots of very well-intentioned people told me that “everything happens for a reason.”
I am a spiritual person. I grew up in a religious family. And so this isn’t a commentary on faith, but I reject that.
Things don’t “happen for a reason.” But you can find purpose and meaning in things that do happen.
Things don’t happen for a reason. But how you respond can reveal your true character.
Things don’t happen for a reason. But they do often happen because nobody has yet found a better way.
That’s my message to all of you: Find a better way.
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences graduates: Today, nearly 800 million people in the world don’t have enough food. You can find a better way to feed the world.
College of Engineering graduates: More than one billion people today live without access to energy. You can find a better, cleaner way to quite literally empower people.
College of Education graduates: Eight out of ten low-income students can’t read at grade level. You can find a better way to give everyone a fair chance.
College of Applied Health Sciences graduates: Millions of veterans have returned home with injuries that will last a lifetime. You can find a better way to serve those who served us.
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences graduates: From History and Anthropology to Biology and of course, Computer Science, you can find a better way to learn from our past and innovate for our future.
And, specifically, Political Science graduates: Please, please find a better way to make our Democracy work! Seriously, people! I don’t want to have to move to Canada!
From Law, to Labor Relations, to Media, to Journalism, to Social Work, to Business — there are so many areas crying out for a better way.
And so my final thought for you is this:
Even when you feel like you’re stuck in the mud (or cow manure) and there isn’t a path forward…
Even when you feel like you’ve failed and are humbled…
Even when you’re at your darkest hour, and you’ve lost a part of yourself…
There is still hope. There is always hope.
You can find purpose and meaning from those experiences. There is a better way.
You have the passion. You have the tools. You have the skills. Use them.
For your own fulfillment, and for the betterment of our world. Use them.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gave an powerful speech at UC Berkeley’s commencement on Saturday about resilience and loss.
The speech addressed how Sandberg coped after her husband Dave Goldberg died unexpectedly in Mexico during a trip on May 1, 2015.
“I have never spoken publicly about this before. It’s hard,” Sandberg said.
Sandberg explains that although it might be counterintuitive to think about how things could be even worse than they appear at the moment, often appreciating just how many things are going right can be helpful for mourning and healing.
“As a representative of Silicon Valley, I’m pleased to tell you there is data to learn from. After spending decades studying how people deal with setbacks, psychologist Martin Seligman found that there are three Ps-personalization, pervasiveness, and permanence-that are critical to how we bounce back from hardship,” Sandberg said. She became visibly emotional several times during her speech.
“Finding gratitude and appreciation is key to resilience. People who take the time to list things they are grateful for are happier and healthier. It turns out that counting your blessings can actually increase your blessings. My New Year’s resolution this year is to write down three moments of joy before I go to bed each night,” Sandberg said.
She also says that her work at Facebook helped distract her from her grief and encouraged the new graduates to “live as if you had eleven days left.”
“I remember sitting in my first Facebook meeting in a deep, deep haze. All I could think was, what is everyone talking about and how could this possibly matter? But then I got drawn into the discussion and for a second-a brief split second-I forgot about death. That brief second helped me see that there were other things in my life that were not awful,” Sandberg said.
Bloomberg reports that her speech may form the basis of a book. In 2013, she published bestseller Lean In, which she referenced during her speech. “My rabbi told me that time would heal but for now I should ‘lean in to the suck.’ It was good advice, but not really what I meant by ‘lean in,'” Sandberg joked.
Sandberg’s second book is expected to be about resilience, which she urged the graduates in the audience to cultivate.
“Build resilience in yourselves. When tragedy or disappointment strike, know that you have the ability to get through absolutely anything. I promise you do. As the saying goes, we are more vulnerable than we ever thought, but we are stronger than we ever imagined,” Sandberg said.
Here is video of her speech. She takes the podium about two minutes in:
Here is a transcript of her prepared remarks:
Thank you, Marie. And thank you esteemed members of the faculty, proud parents, devoted friends, squirming siblings.
Congratulations to all of you…and especially to the magnificent Berkeley graduating class of 2016!
It is a privilege to be here at Berkeley, which has produced so many Nobel Prize winners, Turing Award winners, astronauts, members of Congress, Olympic gold medalists…. and that’s just the women!
Berkeley has always been ahead of the times. In the 1960s, you led the Free Speech Movement. Back in those days, people used to say that with all the long hair, how do we even tell the boys from the girls? We now know the answer: manbuns.
Early on, Berkeley opened its doors to the entire population. When this campus opened in 1873, the class included 167 men and 222 women. It took my alma mater another ninety years to award a single degree to a single woman.
One of the women who came here in search of opportunity was Rosalind Nuss. Roz grew up scrubbing floors in the Brooklyn boardinghouse where she lived. She was pulled out of high school by her parents to help support their family. One of her teachers insisted that her parents put her back into school-and in 1937, she sat where you are sitting today and received a Berkeley degree. Roz was my grandmother. She was a huge inspiration to me and I’m so grateful that Berkeley recognized her potential. I want to take a moment to offer a special congratulations to the many here today who are the first generation in their families to graduate from college. What a remarkable achievement.
Today is a day of celebration. A day to celebrate all the hard work that got you to this moment.
Today is a day of thanks. A day to thank those who helped you get here-nurtured you, taught you, cheered you on, and dried your tears. Or at least the ones who didn’t draw on you with a Sharpie when you fell asleep at a party.
Today is a day of reflection. Because today marks the end of one era of your life and the beginning of something new.
A commencement address is meant to be a dance between youth and wisdom. You have the youth. Someone comes in to be the voice of wisdom-that’s supposed to be me. I stand up here and tell you all the things I have learned in life, you throw your cap in the air, you let your family take a million photos -don’t forget to post them on Instagram -and everyone goes home happy.
Today will be a bit different. We will still do the caps and you still have to do the photos. But I am not here to tell you all the things I’ve learned in life. Today I will try to tell you what I learned in death.
I have never spoken publicly about this before. It’s hard. But I will do my very best not to blow my nose on this beautiful Berkeley robe.
One year and thirteen days ago, I lost my husband, Dave. His death was sudden and unexpected. We were at a friend’s fiftieth birthday party in Mexico. I took a nap. Dave went to work out. What followed was the unthinkable-walking into a gym to find him lying on the floor. Flying home to tell my children that their father was gone. Watching his casket being lowered into the ground.
For many months afterward, and at many times since, I was swallowed up in the deep fog of grief-what I think of as the void-an emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even to breathe.
Dave’s death changed me in very profound ways. I learned about the depths of sadness and the brutality of loss. But I also learned that when life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, break the surface, and breathe again. I learned that in the face of the void-or in the face of any challenge-you can choose joy and meaning.
I’m sharing this with you in the hopes that today, as you take the next step in your life, you can learn the lessons that I only learned in death. Lessons about hope, strength, and the light within us that will not be extinguished.
Everyone who has made it through Cal has already experienced some disappointment. You wanted an A but you got a B. OK, let’s be honest-you got an A- but you’re still mad. You applied for an internship at Facebook, but you only got one from Google. She was the love of your life… but then she swiped left.
Game of Thrones the show has diverged way too much from the books-and you bothered to read all four thousand three hundred and fifty-two pages.
You will almost certainly face more and deeper adversity. There’s loss of opportunity: the job that doesn’t work out, the illness or accident that changes everything in an instant. There’s loss of dignity: the sharp sting of prejudice when it happens. There’s loss of love: the broken relationships that can’t be fixed. And sometimes there’s loss of life itself.
Some of you have already experienced the kind of tragedy and hardship that leave an indelible mark. Last year, Radhika, the winner of the University Medal, spoke so beautifully about the sudden loss of her mother.
The question is not if some of these things will happen to you. They will. Today I want to talk about what happens next. About the things you can do to overcome adversity, no matter what form it takes or when it hits you. The easy days ahead of you will be easy. It is the hard days-the times that challenge you to your very core-that will determine who you are. You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.
A few weeks after Dave died, I was talking to my friend Phil about a father-son activity that Dave was not here to do. We came up with a plan to fill in for Dave. I cried to him, “But I want Dave.” Phil put his arm around me and said, “Option A is not available. So let’s just kick the shit out of option B.”
We all at some point live some form of option B. The question is: What do we do then?
As a representative of Silicon Valley, I’m pleased to tell you there is data to learn from. After spending decades studying how people deal with setbacks, psychologist Martin Seligman found that there are three P’s-personalization, pervasiveness, and permanence-that are critical to how we bounce back from hardship. The seeds of resilience are planted in the way we process the negative events in our lives.
The first P is personalization-the belief that we are at fault. This is different from taking responsibility, which you should always do. This is the lesson that not everything that happens to us happens because of us.
When Dave died, I had a very common reaction, which was to blame myself. He died in seconds from a cardiac arrhythmia. I poured over his medical records asking what I could have-or should have-done. It wasn’t until I learned about the three P’s that I accepted that I could not have prevented his death. His doctors had not identified his coronary artery disease. I was an economics major; how could I have?
Studies show that getting past personalization can actually make you stronger. Teachers who knew they could do better after students failed adjusted their methods and saw future classes go on to excel. College swimmers who underperformed but believed they were capable of swimming faster did. Not taking failures personally allows us to recover-and even to thrive.
The second P is pervasiveness-the belief that an event will affect all areas of your life. You know that song “Everything is awesome?” This is the flip: “Everything is awful.” There’s no place to run or hide from the all-consuming sadness.
The child psychologists I spoke to encouraged me to get my kids back to their routine as soon as possible. So ten days after Dave died, they went back to school and I went back to work. I remember sitting in my first Facebook meeting in a deep, deep haze. All I could think was, “What is everyone talking about and how could this possibly matter?” But then I got drawn into the discussion and for a second-a brief split second-I forgot about death.
That brief second helped me see that there were other things in my life that were not awful. My children and I were healthy. My friends and family were so loving and they carried us-quite literally at times.
The loss of a partner often has severe negative financial consequences, especially for women. So many single mothers-and fathers-struggle to make ends meet or have jobs that don’t allow them the time they need to care for their children. I had financial security, the ability to take the time off I needed, and a job that I did not just believe in, but where it’s actually OK to spend all day on Facebook. Gradually, my children started sleeping through the night, crying less, playing more.
The third P is permanence-the belief that the sorrow will last forever. For months, no matter what I did, it felt like the crushing grief would always be there.
We often project our current feelings out indefinitely-and experience what I think of as the second derivative of those feelings. We feel anxious-and then we feel anxious that we’re anxious. We feel sad-and then we feel sad that we’re sad. Instead, we should accept our feelings-but recognize that they will not last forever. My rabbi told me that time would heal but for now I should “lean in to the suck.” It was good advice, but not really what I meant by “lean in.”
None of you need me to explain the fourth P…which is, of course, pizza from Cheese Board.
But I wish I had known about the three P’s when I was your age. There were so many times these lessons would have helped.
Day one of my first job out of college, my boss found out that I didn’t know how to enter data into Lotus 1-2-3. That’s a spreadsheet-ask your parents. His mouth dropped open and he said, ‘I can’t believe you got this job without knowing that”-and then walked out of the room. I went home convinced that I was going to be fired. I thought I was terrible at everything… but it turns out I was only terrible at spreadsheets. Understanding pervasiveness would have saved me a lot of anxiety that week.
I wish I had known about permanence when I broke up with boyfriends. It would’ve been a comfort to know that feeling was not going to last forever, and if I was being honest with myself… neither were any of those relationships.
And I wish I had understood personalization when boyfriends broke up with me. Sometimes it’s not you-it really is them. I mean, that dude never showered.
And all three P’s ganged up on me in my twenties after my first marriage ended in divorce. I thought at the time that no matter what I accomplished, I was a massive failure.
The three P’s are common emotional reactions to so many things that happen to us-in our careers, our personal lives, and our relationships. You’re probably feeling one of them right now about something in your life. But if you can recognize you are falling into these traps, you can catch yourself. Just as our bodies have a physiological immune system, our brains have a psychological immune system-and there are steps you can take to help kick it into gear.
One day my friend Adam Grant, a psychologist, suggested that I think about how much worse things could be. This was completely counterintuitive; it seemed like the way to recover was to try to find positive thoughts. “Worse?” I said. “Are you kidding me? How could things be worse?” His answer cut straight through me: “Dave could have had that same cardiac arrhythmia while he was driving your children.” Wow. The moment he said it, I was overwhelmingly grateful that the rest of my family was alive and healthy. That gratitude overtook some of the grief.
Finding gratitude and appreciation is key to resilience. People who take the time to list things they are grateful for are happier and healthier. It turns out that counting your blessings can actually increase your blessings. My New Year’s resolution this year is to write down three moments of joy before I go to bed each night. This simple practice has changed my life. Because no matter what happens each day, I go to sleep thinking of something cheerful. Try it. Start tonight when you have so many fun moments to list- although maybe do it before you hit Kip’s and can still remember what they are.
Last month, eleven days before the anniversary of Dave’s death, I broke down crying to a friend of mine. We were sitting-of all places-on a bathroom floor. I said: “Eleven days. One year ago, he had eleven days left. And we had no idea.” We looked at each other through tears, and asked how we would live if we knew we had eleven days left.
As you graduate, can you ask yourselves to live as if you had eleven days left? I don’t mean blow everything off and party all the time- although tonight is an exception. I mean live with the understanding of how precious every single day would be. How precious every day actually is.
A few years ago, my mom had to have her hip replaced. When she was younger, she always walked without pain. But as her hip disintegrated, each step became painful. Now, even years after her operation, she is grateful for every step she takes without pain-something that never would have occurred to her before.
As I stand here today, a year after the worst day of my life, two things are true. I have a huge reservoir of sadness that is with me always-right here where I can touch it. I never knew I could cry so often-or so much.
But I am also aware that I am walking without pain. For the first time, I am grateful for each breath in and out-grateful for the gift of life itself. I used to celebrate my birthday every five years and friends’ birthdays sometimes. Now I celebrate always. I used to go to sleep worrying about all the things I messed up that day-and trust me that list was often quite long. Now I try really hard to focus on each day’s moments of joy.
It is the greatest irony of my life that losing my husband helped me find deeper gratitude-gratitude for the kindness of my friends, the love of my family, the laughter of my children. My hope for you is that you can find that gratitude-not just on the good days, like today, but on the hard ones, when you will really need it.
There are so many moments of joy ahead of you. That trip you always wanted to take. A first kiss with someone you really like. The day you get a job doing something you truly believe in. Beating Stanford. (Go Bears!) All of these things will happen to you. Enjoy each and every one.
I hope that you live your life-each precious day of it-with joy and meaning. I hope that you walk without pain-and that you are grateful for each step.
And when the challenges come, I hope you remember that anchored deep within you is the ability to learn and grow. You are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. Like a muscle, you can build it up, draw on it when you need it. In that process you will figure out who you really are-and you just might become the very best version of yourself.
Class of 2016, as you leave Berkeley, build resilience.
Build resilience in yourselves. When tragedy or disappointment strike, know that you have the ability to get through absolutely anything. I promise you do. As the saying goes, we are more vulnerable than we ever thought, but we are stronger than we ever imagined.
Build resilient organizations. If anyone can do it, you can, because Berkeley is filled with people who want to make the world a better place. Never stop working to do so-whether it’s a boardroom that is not representative or a campus that’s not safe. Speak up, especially at institutions like this one, which you hold so dear. My favorite poster at work reads, “Nothing at Facebook is someone else’s problem.” When you see something that’s broken, go fix it.
Build resilient communities. We find our humanity-our will to live and our ability to love-in our connections to one another. Be there for your family and friends. And I mean in person. Not just in a message with a heart emoji.
Lift each other up, help each other kick the shit out of option B-and celebrate each and every moment of joy.
You have the whole world in front of you. I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
I’ve known Sundip for 27 years since 1987 or at least since he opened his excellent shoe repair and key cutting shop in the Bay.
Right from the beginning I warmed to his keen intelligent personality and generous nature.
Over the years I always had my shoes repaired there and bought all my leather goods from him.
As an example of how past life memory influences contemporary decisions take my choice of shoes; for me it was Cheaney veldtschoen shoes. No others would do!
Cheaney have been making quality shoes in England since 1886.
Always quality, always expensive, a good solid everyday hard wearing shoe. Between 1978 to 2000 I bought a pair every year. I kept two pairs one for best and one for work. Each year the new became the old. Due to Sundip’s excellent maintenance I often had several pairs in use.
Why? It was the feel, the familiar feel as I wore them; The Dutch Zuid-Afrikaanse naam. The name gave the clue.
In 2002 whilst consciously remembering and researching my past life as William Baillie a Colonel of a Dutch Musketeer Regiment in 1630 and later Major General i/c of the Scottish Covenanter Infantry at Marston Moor July 2, 1644. I suddenly realised that my Veldtschonen were very similar in build to those I was wearing in the Schuttersmaaltijd painting bij Van der Helst!
For more information see:
In those shoes I had marched all around Germany with my men.
In this life exactly synchronous with my 30th year I went to Gütersloh, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Bundesrepublik Deutschland for the Ministry of Defence for British Forces.
I wore my Veldtschonen “officers” shoes and received several comments on their quality from the other teachers and my fellow officers.
I served 3 years in Germany 1984 – 1987 exactly as I had done in 1630 – 1633 wearing similar shoes!
There was my answer.
And…..
I still have two pairs for visiting my Shooting club when attending the range. Exactly as I had used the pair in the painting for visiting the Sint Joris Doelen (St George’s Shooting Club) in Amsterdam in the 1630s.
DNA is the Key
From 1999 as I discovered evidence of my past lives I shared the information with Sundip and discussed his view of my findings which I valued highly.
DNA is the key to allowing ones spirit to inhabit a compatible body. Simply put we are our own ancestors.
What’s in a name
Sundip was born to the Nagar family. His Grand-father came from Porbandar, Gujarat, India.
So this was a good place to begin my research into how we are connected at the soul level.
I know from inherent knowledge that many Indian surnames often take their origin from the village or district that they originated from.
Meaning in Hindi
This was very straight forward and explained why lots of place names feature the name Nagar.
नगर
TOWN
नगर
CITY
नगर
PLACE
No wonder there are a lot of villages in India with Nagar in their name!!!
Meet the Nagars
Then I hit gold and had my answer!
Nagar Origin
Nagars are believed to be one of the oldest of the Brahmin groups. Historians claim the origin of Nagars to be purely Aryan, having come to India from Southern Europe and Central Asia. They migrated through the Hindu Kush to either Trivishtapa or Tibet; later through Kashmir and settled around Kurukshetra.It is also believed that before Nagars first came to Gujarat in 404 A.D., they lived in Sindh. According to Sir Herber Ridley, Nagars are a cross-breed of “Shaks” & “Dravids.” Dr. Bhandaarkar also considers that Nagars have origin outside our country. Nagars from across the borders came first to Kashmir and then they spread out in the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Malva, and Gujarat. After migrating from Kurukshetra they had first settled in Anandpur – Vadnagar of today.
Another view asserts Nagars to be of Greek origin. When Alexander invaded India, he had came with his army through Kashmir. While returning, many Greek soldiers settled in Kashmir. They came into close contact of Pundit community of Kashmir and the progeny that resulted was known as Nagars. Afterwards, Nagars migrated to other parts of the country. Nagars and Greeks are considered similar even today so far as their intelligence and physique are concerned.
A famous historian from Junagadh and a well known Nagar Shri Shambhuprasad Desai had mentioned in his book about the history of Nagars that Nagars first came from Greece, Macedonia, Syria or regions surrounding these places. There is a Nagar ground near Jordan and Israel. Besides, there is a place called Nagar. Also there is also a Nagar community in Iran, who are intelligent and famous and well known as good and efficient administrators. They might have come from there first toKangda (old NAGARKOT) of Himalayas. “NAG” means a mountain and “NAAG” means persons living in mountain region. “R” is a word of sixth tense. All these three put together becomes ” NAAGARA ” This leads us to to believe that Nagars must be living in the beginning in the regions surrounded by mountains. (Nagar – a man protected by NAG-a mountain)
Current research speculates the Aryan origin to be Hatak or Ladhakh, where the predominant deity is Hatak, Hatkesh or Hatkeshwar. According to the Skandapurana, the land of Hatkeshwar was a gift from Lord Shiva for the Nagars to colonize.
Another version of the legend claims the King of Anarta rebuilt an abandoned city, Chamatkarpur, and consecrated a temple to Hatkeshwar to show his gratitude to the Brahmins. Through the years, and many name changes, the town is currently known as Vadnagar. The inhabitants of the city were known as Nagars.
As time passed, the city of Vadnagar was invaded on more than one occasion. Nagars sought refuge in the nearby areas of Saurashtra and Rajasthan. During this time, they did their best to observe and preserve the code in order to guard their identity. After King Vishaldev conquered Gujarat (around A.C.E. 1040), the King of Ajmer established the cities of Vishnagar (formerly Vishalnagar), Chitrod (or Chitakutpati), Prashnipur, Krashnor, and Sathod (or Shatpad). He offered these cities to the Brahmins who were descendants or an offshoot of the Nagars from Vadnagar.
Typical Nagar last names:
Major Nagar groups (Naati) also derived in such way like Vadnagara from Vadnagar, Visnagara from Visnagar, Sathodra from Sathod and Chitroda from Chitod.
Derived from Geographical (Village or City) Names:
Derived from Titles Awarded by Rajput and Muslim Rulers:
These rulers ruled Gujarat for about eight centuries. Nagars were on prominent positions and were awarded many titles. These twenty surnames include names such as:
Most of Nagars are professionals. Many surnames were derived from the profession they were engaged in. These names include: Acharya Buch Druv Jikar Mehta Nanavati Pandit Purohit Vaidya
Other Names:
There are several surnames used in various regions in Gujarat. From Kachchh, these are, Kachchhi Maru Oza Jhala
From Kathiawad:
Dholakia Pancholi Jha
Other Nagar last names in Gujarat:
Bhatt Dave Divetia Dwivedi Dixit Joshi Maharaja Pathakji Raval Shukla Tripathi Trivedi Vora Vyas Yagnik
Another view asserts Nagars to be of Greek origin. When Alexander invaded India, he had came with his army through Kashmir. While returning, many Greek soldiers settled in Kashmir. They came into close contact of Pundit community of Kashmir and the progeny that resulted was known as Nagars. Afterwards, Nagars migrated to other parts of the country. Nagars and Greeks are considered similar even today so far as their intelligence and physique are concerned.
Instantly I could see the DNA link with
Ancient Greece, Alexander the Great, my past lives and Sundip!
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