One world family.

Around 8 years ago, mom took me to an astrologer. I was not interested at all and never believed in astrologers. He was pretty accurate but I laughed on him when he said, you will have to visit abroad frequently for work. I never had intention or plan for any visit out of India and never even applied for passport until July 2012. But when I applied for passport I got this offer for IAEA in next 5 days and I thought to give it a chance.

Landed up in this unknown country, thousands of miles away from home only on the hope of The Art OF Living activities in Vienna. The world is always cosy when you are surrounded with the known area where you are born and brought up, among your family and friends. But it feels lonely when suddenly you go away from all that. No family around you to give you that pleasant smile in the morning, and a caring look, no one is waiting for you when you go back home. No friends to play pranks with you, to share their joys and sorrows and ask you why you seem so happy or sad today. No usual faces that you were used to see every day.

There is some hollowness everywhere. You have people around but of plastic faces. No one smiles, no one cares.

That’s where the AOL works a lot, when you are practising it, you are never alone. You are so much happy and busy with yourself. I had a nice 12-12-12 meditation with the AOL Vienna group and then we did our long kriya that day. Ahmi, a very kind and loving Taiwanese lady from our group planned for a group dinner. I missed one dinner with this group and didn’t want to miss this one. I joined them and it was so.. so much fun. We had lots of talks, jokes over the dinner. Ahmi took us to her favourite Chinese restaurant, and I really don’t know what all things we eat, but those were delicious vegetarian dishes, soups, starters, main course and followed by sweets.

We were six round the table and all from a different country, Indian, Russian, German, Taiwanese, Iranian and a Turkish. But it had a feeling as if we are a family. I was really grateful to the lord, despite that he send me thousand miles away, surrounded by strangers, he chose some for me who make me feel comfortable, make me feel home, make me feel part of their family.