Friday, September 20, 2013

Where am I?
The Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia


Ever have days where you wake up and are not sure where you are? Well this has been happening quite a bit lately. Since my last post from DC I have moved back to Charlottesville VA where I did the undergrad degree. Of course I had no plan to be back here this year, especially since I am trying to get Noble Heart of the ground  but the universe has ways of working that are well beyond me. So here I am, in what has to be one of the most beautiful town in the USA  at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Everyone I meet is so relaxed, happy, polite and friendly or is it that I have just been in too long in a military/conflict zone or in a region of abject poverty, not to mention being often the only foreigners within miles. I do love India  and  miss it so much  but I have to admit the clean air, good food and being able to be lost in the crowd has its appeal for now. I had hoped to land a job in DC  but that city  is just to cut throat and political for me at this time in my life. It is a beautiful city for sure just filled with people who believe they can fix the world's ailments with politics alone. I was very lucky however to find work in Charlottesville and I am very happy to be back working at my previous profession. Yip, the reason I did all that education the past 10 years was to " not be a hairdresser at 50" and guess what, here I am a few weeks away for 50 and very happy to be a hairdresser again. Hmmm the universe is sure laughing it up just now. Last night I even had a dream that the Dalai Lama was rolling around in bed laughing his head of, hmmmmmm  So  I ask my self "so now that you are here, what is the plan Noble" and the answer has come that it does not all need to be done today tomorrow. I am taking time to lay a strong foundation for Noble Heart, which means gathering funds, making contacts, and fixing all the paperwork, business plan and web site. Which I cannot do alone and defiantly cannot do by tomorrow. I am so appreciative that I can be here in Charlottesville which is a progressive, inclusive, creative and alternative town, who knows who the universe will introduce me too.

I am also thank full to my new employer Lori  of " At Last A Hair Color Studio" for hiring me and being very interested in the vision of Noble Heart.
http://www.atlasthcs.com/home.html 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/At-Last-Hair-Color-Studio/195688870455717
 It is not every employer who would hire someone who takes off to India now and again but this shows that Lori has such a  big heart and empathy for the women of India. This is only my second day and she the staff have made me so welcome. At Last A Hair Color Studio is a new salon, bright, clean, airy  and  very relaxing and fun. The staff are also well trained and all great hairdressers, so it is great to part of a good team. I know I will enjoy being back behind the hair chair and am so happy that I can be hair creative again.

Here I also want to thank my previous employer Anne of Anne Marie and Company  http://www.annemarieandco.com for being so supportive and helping me in this transition time. This boutique salon on the down town mall is a fun place again with a great staff.

I also feel luck to be here as there is a small community of Tibetan refugees and 2 Tibetan Lamas who teach, one of which from The Dalai Lamas monestry.  The Jefferson Tibetan http://jts.avenue.org/about.htm
 Society is in the heart of Charlottesville  and I plan to become a regular at there mediation classes on Wednesday

 Tashi Choeling Buddhist Center Foundation is another small center just out side Charlottesville. The teacher there gives classes on many Tibetan Buddhist subjects and i look forward to re-connecting  with the group http://www.tcbci.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10&Itemid=2

Also in town is the Insight Meditation group who do group weekly silent meditations http://www.imeditation.org.  A lot to explore and re-visit in Charlottesville. It has grown a lot of the past 5 years becoming quite an international small city.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Review of new Book on Kashmir

Great Reviews of Dr. Nyla Khan's Book on Women in Kashmir and History of Kashmir. 


A must read for all interested in Kashmir, its history, politics, religion and society as well as the value of women's experience of living in this protracted conflict zone.
Nyla just nails it; her in depth research and understanding of the culture and people as well as her international perspective is of such value to all in the political arena, both domestically and internationally. Enjoy  I sure did



http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415803083/
http://us.macmillan.com/islamwomenandviolenceinkashmir
http://us.macmillan.com/theparchmentofkashmir/NylaAliKhan
http://worldliteraturetoday.org/2013/march/parchment-kashmir-history-society-and-polity#.USz3n-3TnIU