Moving Meditations!

I am delighted to share the news of my art work exhibited at Tri-cities. If you are traveling in the direction, please stop by for viewing the amazing exhibit of Women artists from the Columbia Valley.

Please visit my webpage to learn more about my artwork and find some samples: https://sites.google.com/site/raniiyerwriter/home/art

Thank you all so much for your encouragement!

River of life....Rivers for life

I am delighted to announce another new title to be released soon...

Endangered Rivers.

This is a special book for me. I dedicate this to all elders in my family who took time to take us around to visit rivers, lakes, dams, and estuaries. They never complained about having to wake up early or to drive so many kids or to have to cook for so many so early in the day...

My earliest memories of rivers is in Kerala. Bathing before dawn with my grandmother and her friends, visiting waterfalls, water bodies... Those were the days when people did not use shampoo or soap when they went to bathe in the river. My grandma always said that when something lathers without efforts, it would hurt the river. We used soap-nut powder instead and worked it to a lather. The process actually massaged my scalp and may be a little of my brain too... :-)

And not to forget the trip to Bhagamandala, Tala Cauvery, when the Cauvery River bubbled forth. It was an amazing experience to be with my grandmother and mother and the warm water on a cold morning is an unforgettable sensation....

Beautiful Brindavan, magnificent Jog water fall, the wide Pamba.... in south will forever enrich me. They were all tied to my childhood. As a child I felt that rivers on Earth were just like the blood in our body. Feeling connected with water seemed some how elementary and critical.
   

By the time I entered Masters degree in college, we were put off by the foul, offensive odor of River Vrishabhavati at Kengeri, Bengaluru. A beautiful tributary of Cauvery was dumped with uncontrolled industrial and domestic pollution. I hope that the River has had a chance to heal and things have turned around now.

My love for water bodies continues. We always find a body of water and visit it where ever we go. 

What about you? How do you connect with rivers?

One Sacred Mountain...Two...

This the picture of the most sacred Arunchala Hills. It is considered to be alive with Shiva's energy. Walking around the hills, girivalam, is a sacred offering and considered panacea for our fears, incompletions and inadequacy we carry in our inner spaces.  Sight of Arunachala, Shikaradarshan, is considered to grant one inner peace. Remembrance of Arunachala, Smarnath Arunachala, is said to capitulate a person into higher vibrational and spiritual realms.

Here is the image of another most sacred mountain, Mount Kailash.


Know some of the world's most sacred mountains:

http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2013/10/22/holy-heights-the-worlds-7-most-sacred-mountains/

Chances are you have a sacred mountain near your home. Find it, discover it, and enjoy it!

Sacred Spaces

Within each of us lies a sacred space. It is one space we do not violate, negotiate, or compromise for any reason. We suffer when our inner spaces are compromised. It takes us a long time to recover our equilibrium.

Outside of us, are the sacred spaces, the sacred forests. Preserved for centuries by careful cultural practices and social taboos, the last of the sacred forests are dwindling today. In the weeks that follow, I will blog about the sacred forests and sacred natural elements.

Read about Sacred Forests in  Faces Magazine. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to write about the beautiful practice and beautiful Earth.

Wonder why we should save sacred forests, this article can give you an idea:
 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/dec/21/save-our-sacred-woodlands

Visit a sacred forest near you today!

New Joys! New Books!

Delighted to see the draft layout of my newest book on Endangered Rain Forests for grades 3 to 5, published by Capstone Press. It has been a wonderful experience re-living my research days and bringing it back to let the kids experience it.

Writing for children is a humbling experience. When I write for academic publishing, I use lot more words than necessary. Really, much of academic writing is also packaging. There is no room for humility in scholarship. That is hard sell and sets the trajectory of your career.

However, when I write for children, I am constantly asking myself - can the reader understand this? Why is this important? If the child did not know this, will the knowledge be incomplete? And my best critique is my son. My editor is much gentler than my son is! I appreciate these critical voices that enrich my writing. This constant engagement reminds me to write close to the interests of my readers and grab their attention. I am competing for their attention as a writer and I strive hard to make it worthwhile. 

I love the concept of this book. It moves away from the gloom-doom scenario and presents the causes in the manner of an investigation. I hope the students and teachers will join in debating how our habits, even if we are far removed from the rain forests, are affecting them miles and continents away.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey! I could not have done this without your support!

A walk saves...

There are times I wish I lived in a small village (not to mistake it with the shrunken, global village) filled with green, street full of friends, family, kith and kin for neighbors. I would not have to think twice about anything, except I don't like anywhere remotely near such a place. These concerns are secondary for me...

My primary reason in wanting to live in a village is for the walkability. I would walk everywhere. I could still be late, but I would be lighter in body and mind. At the most, I could race to meet my friends at the other end of the village. I miss walking.

Walking everyday supports the environment, one foot step at a time by...

• Saving gas we use for fuel
• Drastically decreasing our carbon footprint
• Conserve gas with walking habit
• Drastically reduce transportation costs
• Improve physical health and wellbeing

Now you can measure the walkscore of your neighborhood...http://www.walkscore.com/ 

 I wish you all wonderful walking week ahead!

Read more about sustainable ways to transport in # Green Transport.

Thank you!

New Book!

My new book on Sustainable Transportation, for teenagers, will be released soon!

Thank you all for your support and encouragement! :-)