Date: 17.05.2026
Today’s Bangalore SHG meeting at Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Scotland.
Participants from L to R:
Tapan, Vaibhav, Vidya, Christo, Akshay, Sharad, Arjun & Amandeep (The Secret Cinematographer)
Well, we all met at the Primeval Lalbagh in Scotland on a bright Sunday morning!
The Water Polo team of 7 players and one Goal Judge was ready for the secret game.
The hut was swamped by people from another planet, so we went to the other side where the grass is more green and there is less grass.
The prerequisite for entering the meeting was singing a song. So each member sang a song in their own language. One of them was:
“Ekla Chalo Re” — Rabindranath Tagore ji.
Then we started with 5 minutes of meditation with open eyes.
Each one observed a non-living item such as a pen, watch, or book. We realised that everything has life — atoms inside.
For the Book Reading activity:
Each person had 4 minutes to read and 1 minute to explain or summarise.
Also, each one needed to explain what anchor they were using, like volunteer stuttering, feeling the earth, slow speaking, etc.
Judge Arjun sir chose random participants to start with.
Sharad read from “Tappu Maadona Banni” by Yandamoori Veerendranath.
It explained women’s freedom and how a minister’s son found a beggar woman who explained to the king what a woman wants after marriage — the same freedom she had at her father’s house before marriage.
Tapan read from “Apna Hath Jaganath” by Dr. Satyendra Srivastava (Our Sachin sir).
It explained active listening skills such as eye contact, leaning towards the person speaking, repeating the words in mind, summarising what you heard, saying yes, and nodding.
Vaibhav read from the book “Master Your Emotions” by Thibaut Meurisse.
It explained the types of negative emotions, how they are formed, and how to identify them.
Akshay read from the book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson.
It explained the quote “With great power comes great responsibility,” and how reversing it to “With great responsibility comes great power” gives a different perspective.
Arjun read from the book “Oneness With All Life” by Eckhart Tolle.
It explained that when you go within yourself, you see mental chaos there, and that one should align with the present moment rather than fight it.
Amandeep read from the book “Master Your Emotions” by Thibaut Meurisse.
It explained how emotions come and go and how we interpret and interact with them.
Vidya read from the book “The Perfect Master: The Silence of the Heart — Talks on Sufi Stories” by Osho.
It explained how one should experience silence and how awakening happens when your true self is experienced.
Cristo read from the book “Oneness With All Life” by Eckhart Tolle.
It explained true peace and how it exists only in the present moment. When you see yourself from a third-person perspective, you realise and acknowledge your thoughts.
We ended with a lovely group photo, with Amandeep being the Director of Photography.
At last, Tapan sir gave an ice cream party, and some of us had Chocobars and Sorbet bars.
Thanks to Vaibhav for reminding me of the points that I missed while writing this report.
Looking forward to next Sunday!
✌️❤️
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https://stammer.in/tisa-self-help-groups/
