Madhu Bazaz Wangu | Blog
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Writings and Readings Blog

Madhu Bazaz Wangu

Tips for Mindful Living and Writing

Posted on January 1, 2015
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The weeks between Thanksgiving Day to the New Year’s Eve I posted Tips on Twitter for Mindful Living and Writing. In case you missed them here they are, somewhat modified. Converse, laugh with family & friends! Savor foods! Enjoy a movie! Hug. Kiss. Give from heart not hand! If irritation or anger envelops you, stay mum. Learn to create a silent space around you. It protects you from regret and embarrassment. If you hurt someone in anger have moxie to apologize. If someone hurts you have confidence to let him or her know. Have courage to verbalize your convictions. It will keep you sane. Gift giving is a charming tradition. Give generously. Accept gracefully. If you do not receive keep giving. Give whole day but in kind, not cash. Give so that no one notices. Holiday...

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Traveling and Mindfulness

Posted on December 3, 2014
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This year in October, we travelled in Portugal and Spain for two weeks. The first time I journeyed around the world was with my students in 1997. Ten years later my husband and I decided to visit one foreign country each year. The countries we have visited so far Egypt, Greece, Italy, France, India, Mexico (some of these twice) their people, topography, history, art, architecture and ways of life have fascinated me. In Portugal we drove through woodlands of cork trees, savored kale soup with slices of chorizo, and listened to Fado music characterized by mournful tunes infused with sentiments and melancholy about lives of fishermen or the poor. I had not paid attention to the ground until I walked on the footpaths along the major streets in Lisbon, and towns of...

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Chance Meetings: Story Gists

Posted on October 5, 2014
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I'll be away for the next two weeks, traveling in Spain and Portugal. In the meantime, I would like to share with you the themes of twelve stories that are included in the book, Chance Meetings. SECRET HEALER One small town boy’s journey from innocence of childhood to the injustice of servitude before finding shelter with an old man. CADMIUM AND CRIMSON Two sculptors, one goal—to make masterpieces. The older dedicates his life to art and his younger contemporary to power and possessions. Where do their intentions lead them? BLACKENED MIRROR A rag to riches artist discovers his true self. A CHANCE MEETING A young man treats a total stranger the way he wants to be treated without expecting anything in return to amazing effects. YELLOW JACKET The protagonist is unable to resolve the guilt caused by the jealousy toward his...

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Chance Meetings: Front Cover

Posted on September 28, 2014
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It is my pleasure to share the front cover of my debut collection of stories, CHANCE MEETINGS to be released in December 2014 - January 2015 Part of Back Cover Text: In this collection of stories, twelve different people from different walks of life discover how one chance meeting with a stranger can change a person forever. Drawing from her own Indian-American heritage, Madhu Bazaz Wangu examines the lives of ordinary people facing challenging circumstances—cruelty, prejudiced minds, twisted family relationships, unhappy marriages—and demonstrates how these situations transcend ethnicity and background as interactions with strangers force each character to look deep within themselves, often acknowledging painful truths and long-held secrets, in order to seize control of their own destinies and forge their own paths to independence and happiness. In this eloquent debut collection, Madhu Bazaz...

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Poems for Mindful Writers #13, 14, 15, 16 & 17

Posted on September 17, 2014
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MIRROR Surface of pond is agitated. Wall stationary. Why can’t I see my reflection on the stable? DOOR Don’t want to walk through it. I look at it and wonder, What is on the other side? SURFACE OF A POOL No longer agitated. Yet, I can’t see clearly. What am I searching for? REFLECTION Is this who I am? Is this the way world sees me? Do I know who I really am? TRUE SELF Mirror, Wall, Surface of the Pool-- Reflections are without. Authentic Self within. ...

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Poems for Mindful Writers # 10, 11 & 12

Posted on August 18, 2014
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Hi All,The three poems posted here are from a set of five (# 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12) which I have composed to inspire mindful writers and readers. I wrote these poems especially for those individuals for whom writing mindfully is not only to progress in their professional writing but also a way of elevating their personal lives by a conscious endeavor.  Working as a professional artist for more than a decade I painted beautiful landscapes and impressive portraits. (I can say that because I no longer paint. When I look at those works hanging on the walls of other people's living rooms, I am detached; I feel as if someone else has painted them.) Since then I have realized that elevating my life is far more challenging and gratifying than creating a work of art. The best discovery I've made is that in practicing Writing Meditation...

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Poems for Mindful Writers: # 8 & # 9

Posted on July 30, 2014
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  Poem # 8Simply WriteSimply write!Do not speak of writing.Do not speak of publishing.Do not speak of other people’s writing.Sit still in silence and solitude.When body, heart and mind are one,When your senses have moved inward,Let the stream flow.Unravel your knots in spontaneous words.Other writer’s success or failure does not affect you.Profit or loss does not touch you.Praise or criticism does not ruffle you.Derive pleasure solely from writing.Experience the bliss.And simply write!  Poem # 2Door of OpportunityA careless critique from a fellow writer? Return her’s with honest comments.“Here” she hands you the draft. “I have pointed out your weaknesses.”Show her where her strengths lay.She grabs the opportunity that was rightfully yours,Congratulate her on her success.By critiquing honestly,By learning from your own strengths and skills,By preparing through tough circumstances,Attain the strength no one...

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Endless Love #6 and A Prayer for Peace #7

Posted on July 4, 2014
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Dear Mindful Readers and Writers,The Mindful Writers Wisdom Weekend Retreat is approaching fast. So far twenty-three writers have reserved their spots. Registration is still open. If you are interested please feel free to write to me at madhu.wangu@me.com.  or visit the retreat Facebook Page: Mindful Writers Retreat 2014.  Here are two new pieces, a poem and a hymn, for you to enjoy.I look forward to your comments.   ENDLESS LOVE  The evening star.Lovers in a tryst.Forbidden Endless Love The evening star.Stars in a galaxy.Galaxy within galaxies. Unceasing rousing inward.Unfathomable exploding outward.Blossoming, Constricting Whence it comes?Whence it goes?  A PRAYER FOR PEACE My body still in silence and solitude.May the tumult within me cease.May I feel as calm as sea after the storm.My heart free from attractions.My mind free from distractions.Silence in my ears.Silence on my forehead.Silence in my eyes.Silence on my lips.Silence in...

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A TOOTH FELL # 4; WHO AM I? # 5

Posted on April 21, 2014
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A Tooth FellPoem #4 A tooth fell…A milk tooth from a five year old. A tooth cracked…A hollow tooth from an eighty-five year old. The first one blossoming to life,The second withering away from it. The first one learning about the elements.The second merging back into them. A fender falls here, a tire there. The one who identifies only with the body,disintegrates like an old car. Become self-aware; identify with consciousness.And merge back into Consciousness.  *****   Who Am I?Poem # 5  Who am I?  By paying attention to one personal thoughtI come to know all my thoughts.   By attending to one honest feelingI come to experience what flows within me.  By doing one genuine act, uttering one truthI know what my actions are aimed at. I make invisible, visible.  By attending withinI get to know my authentic Self. That’s who I really am!...

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