Aruna Gurumurthy - DIYA: A Megawatt Approach to Change

Diya

Diya

A Megawatt Approachto Change

Editor: Abhirami Sriram

Copyright 2015 Aruna Gurumurthy All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015913969

Diya

A small cup-shaped ea r then lamp used in the I ndian festi v al of L ights D eepa v ali/Diwali. D eri v edf r om the S anskritwo r d (diya)meaning light, splendor and r adiance.

Dearest Appa, I miss you

I owe a continuing debt of gratitude to:

Viji-ma, my mother, who has her own mind and speaks it too. She isthe smartest and strongest person I know, and the one who taught me to be fearless and confident. When Id study late nights for high school exams she would brewme chai, sit up with me and say I knowyou are afraid about the exam but when yousee it one question at a time, you will forget everythingelse. Just focuson that question. It will all come to you. Over the years, Irealized that this nugget of wisdom was true not only for exams, but all obstacles in life as well. Thankyou Amma, for being the coolest mom andfor letting me explore!

My esteemed agent, my marketing analyst, my inspiration, my husband and my best friend, Vijay. Whether it wasyour sup- port through different stages ofour courtship and marriage, or youradmiration of my authorship and 24/7 customer care, you continue to be an all-in-one marvel. You have been wise and

patient through some toughtimes and you know exactly how to treat mewith care. Your advice about the publishing process for DIYA has been invaluable. Thank you Kutti, todayand always!

My brother Jagan, a Big Brother in every way possiblebe it teaching me to ride a bike or teaching metrigonometry in 9th grade or giving me away at my wedding. Thank you Koini, for be- lieving in meand for always applauding me. My warmest thanks toLakshmi, Meera and Nandu as well.

My adorable daughter Diya. Baby, Im fortunate tobe your mom. It has been such fun to see you grow and begin to carve your own personality. They say you look like me, but at the end of the day, I hope you will do what it takes to be your own person. I am so proud of you and eagerly look forward to all the milestones to come. Never stop amazing Appa orme. I Love You Diya!

Abhi, my best friend and editor of this book. Youve been my pillow of support andpillar of love. Were it not for your ca- sual suggestionabout compiling my thoughts, this book would not have come alive. And you know that I take others comments seriously enough to write a whole book about it! I value your friendship, your spotless English and I-am-happy-in-my-own- skin attitude!

My besties Anni, Suzanne, Preeti and Tasha for being phone buddies and soulmates: you may be far away in miles, but you will always stay close to my heart!

A shoutout to all thosewho helped with the design of thisbook:

Frank, my teacher, friendand the maker of interestingconversations;

Makiri and Alta, friends from Amherst who gave my book much positive reinforcement and constructive ideas;

And finally, a sincere salaam to all my friends who have helped with the marketing of this book: I could not have glided on a mis- sion like this withoutyour sweat!

Thank you!

H ave you ever woken up in the morning and wondered if you could have a Bible of Life to accompany your cuppa?

That is, a set of tenetson how to deal with everyday life, its surprises, dispositions and disappointments? Have you everwondered that to err is human but to be human our errors must be minimum? In other words, do you want to change the way you think, sayand do, to minimize relationship tension?Come, let a contemporary and cool friendhelp you.

How does a shift in thinking patterns lead to world peace? From time to time, you must have craved the honest opinion of someone that has dabbled in the biology, evolution andpsychology of life and used candid andexpressive language to bring forth her vitality. Have you fancied music to be your soulful element and a medium you might like to put to greater use but not sure exactly how? Do you want to undergo a mental and emotional catharsis?Do you ever wonder where a person gets herstrength, conviction, uniqueness, ambitionand unbridled optimism from?

Well, to figure all this out and more, youve knocked on the right door

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DIYA is a conglomeration of posts that were conceptualizedand designed by me and shared on Facebook with my friends. These posts began as mini-discourses, spontaneousresponses to the intuitive question Whats on your mind.They made their rudimentary beginnings in2008 or so, as an impulsive hobby or time pass of mine. As I was first adapting to social media,I saw many people upload pictures, pastelinks, a news item or sundry comments toothers posts. I had an urge to contribute too, but wanted to be original, funny, pulpy and intense. Usingmy skills of in-depth analyses, cogency, candorand humor, Ihave deliv- ered my observations andreflections of every day and every yearhappenings, the past, the present, the future and everything in between. Since theirinception, my posts have evolved in numberand size. Earlier they were just a couple of sporadic, casual sentenc- es, both in contentand style, and now they may contain catchyyet detailed breakdown of complex phenomena and newer clues to unresearched topics, appearing inhigh frequency. These posts were initially meantonly for the Facebook community; I wrotesolely for the information and entertainment of my friends. But not toolong ago, when I noticed that the posts had transformed into a huge mass of about or more independent axioms, it made sense to tie them together and present them to the wider public in the form of a book. And hence wemade DIYA.

So, who am I reaching out to? My innocence still wants me to believe that it is the 284friends that I have accrued on Facebookover time; some of who I chat with occasionally, a fraction that like my comments, folks who send me birthday wishes and

hordes of other silentadmirers- either way, more numerous than the friends Ihave in real life! But as they spread geographically and percolate different sections of society, I would like tosee the whole-wide-world being impacted bymy views. This is not just a book per se;it is a hybrid between a self-help manual and a vi- sion for a better world. Wound up in the web of everyday life, we are often unsure of our actions and reactions. Igive motiva- tional wisdom and accessible tools to help reconsider pathological thoughts,normalize chaos and transform lives. I have also raised my voice against stigma, dogma anddiscrimination. I have con- ceivedpositive thinking, calm emotions and empathy, as well as hope, patience and faith as tangible goals. As you browse through, you are sure to find a distinctsimilarity to events and experiences inyour own life. My style is conversational, as though Im talk- ing directly toyou. You willoften laugh out loud and also learn toexercise your minds, tease out arguments, use metaphors and connect to bigger pictures and dreams. For those who are easily frustrated by volume and verbiage, I sure hope these posts will pack a powerful punch inbite-sized portions.

This book is just short ofa real-life memoir; it is my heart- outabout some very tough operational impediments that I have faced growing up, how I untangled my waythrough them, and the incredible theories that I proposed as a result. I appreciate the need to change our world, and my approach ispoetic, satiric, yet sincere. At a glance it might attract a philosopher, psychologist or linguist seeking intellectual karma, but from a broader perspective it hopes to benefit fun-lovingstudents and learners of life. That