Pittsburgh_Patrika_October_2015

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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 21, No. 1, October 2015Hymns in all Indian languages constantly remind us of this. Even filmsongs on this topic have become popular classics. Without old age anddeath, life has no value, or even meaning.In rural India, people grow up with death as part of life from childhood.Even in urban India, because of congested living, people encounter deathviscerally during funeral processions. Subliminally this prepares peopleto face their own death, seeing it happening to someone close. This isperhaps why there was no need for a book on death and dying in India.But Indians in North America live in their own cocoons, and are uncomfortablediscussing death, and more importanly, the process of dying.This is entirely unnecessary and avoidable, and even not very smart.For helping Indians with this topic, Dhananjay Joshi of Chicagoand Arun Jatkar of Monroeville, PA, have co-authored the bookletMaking Friends with Death (available with Amazon.com, $12.00). Theyare cousins who grew up in Pune, India in post-Independent India. Thebook starts with their personal encounters with death as young childrenand teenagers in funeral processions they saw on the street, and in deathsin their own families.Later, Joshi arrived in the US to do his graduate studies in engineering.As he lived in a bare bone Hindu monastery in Chicago in the earlydays of the Indian immigrant life, Joshi even had the unique experienceof performing last rites for a stranger fellow-Indian and fellow-Hindu,who died resting his head on his lap. The wife of the deceased person,who Joshi never had seen, wrote to him later: “I know I lost my husband,but I have gained a son, for which I am grateful.”Along the way in his journey into life, Joshi came into contact withBuddhist monks — both from Teravada and Zen schools — and learned theBuddhist ideas on transience, death, and its meditation practices. Takingcare of his father-in-law in his old age till he died, Joshi saw people ofIndian origin in hospice care facilities and the emptiness they felt: “Theywere going through the most important transition in their life, yet theyhad no help from one of the deeply spiritual cultures of the world.”With this in mind he, with Arun Jatkar, co-wrote the easily readablebooklet on understanding death and how to become friends with it. Theyoutline guided meditations to help the agitated mind to accept the inevitable,providing easy and simple readings from different cultures.The real-life gut-wrenching stories on how people grow out of deeplyheld prejudices when facing death are inspiring. The authors also givesimple mantras for people to recite every day to find strength from withintheir own inner being. Asmita Sapre Ranganathan has provided nice pencilsketches to go with the text of the booklet.— By Kollengode S Venkataraman •14
She’s The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol, 21, No. 1, October 2015your She’s your everything.everything.When When it comes it it comes to to her to her her education,youWhen When it to her it comes it comes it a to her to to her her education,youWhen youheryouWhen wantwantit want her you aswantcomes a it schoolas comes a school school schoolto that her tothather that a that thateducation, treatstreatstreatshertreatsheryou her heryou asaswant asan aswant individual ana school individual her as an her a school that andher to be herandthat andandtreats treatsinspiresinspiresher inspiresto be her andinspiresher as an as her heran individual her toher to be to her bebe to be herand herherandbestbestinspires bestbestinspires self. self.self.self.her her her to to be to be be her her herbest best self. self. self.Visit Visit Sewickley Visit Sewickley Academy Academy to to tolearn Visit Visit Visit Sewickley toVisit how our Academy Academy tohow our tolearn Visit learn tolearnVisit how Sewickley how Sewickley how our dynamic ourhow our learn how our dynamic Academy dynamic our 12 dynamicAcademy Pre-KPre-K to Pre-KPre-Ktothroughthrough learn through12 Pre-Kthroughlearn how GradeGrade how our Grade 12 out Gradeour dynamic experienceout the 12 best experiencedynamic 12 experience12the best 12 in Pre-K Pre-Kbrings brings through brings bringsthrough outout Grade the outin out out the Grade best the the best the 12 experiencebest inbest12 everyin everyin everystudent in everystudent brings student best in studentbrings out — out the — and academically,the best academically,and best in every in everysocially,socially, student socially,socially,student andand — academically,andand— developmentally.developmentally.socially, socially, and and and developmentally.EXPLORE: EXPLORE: WWW.SEWICKLEY.ORG/PATRIKAEMAIL: EXPLORE: EMAIL: EXPLORE: WWW.SEWICKLEY.ORG/PATRIKAADMISSION@SEWICKLEY.ORGCALL: EMAIL: EXPLORE: CALL: EMAIL: EXPLORE: 412-741-2235ADMISSION@SEWICKLEY.ORGWWW.SEWICKLEY.ORG/PATRIKA412-741-2235CALL: EMAIL: CALL: EMAIL: CALL: EMAIL: 412-741-2235ADMISSION@SEWICKLEY.ORGCALL: CALL: CALL: 412-741-2235412-741-223515
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