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Ali – The Banjara

Born six decades ago, he has spent his life wandering, exploring, learning, and thinking outside-the-box.  He shares only what he has learnt from others, from the wisest and most respected Masters to the urchins and street dogs.  He talks or trains only when invited to do so, as he has all the time in the world, and no commercial interest.  He enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and learning while he teaches.

He writes books and columns, he speaks when asked to, and tries to be as honest and genuine as possible in whatever he conveys.  He listens and counsels, only because he feels that every human being should be given a chance to improve his quality of life.  His aim is to help develop innumerable competent people, so that he can become redundant and go back to making paper boats for the rain water.

A Montessorian, an engineering graduate of IIT Bombay, MIE, MIIM, with a Ph.D in behavioral sciences — he has always carved out his own path and been a free-lancer, ensuring that work is joy every day.

He enjoys teaching classes at the academy and ensures that he meets all the students every class not only imparting his insights on the subject but also with an earnestness to learn something new from the students.

He is the author of 30 books and nearly 80 booklets. He is regularly invited by many prestigious and reputed Schools, Colleges, Universities, NGOs, Corporates and various other institutions for lectures, talks and workshops.

A graduate in law with a Masters in Management, she started her career with a reputed business house of Mumbai known for its integrity and ethics. Working closely with the top management, she acquired the skills of handling different types of people and maintaining a pleasant and harmonious atmosphere wherever she was given responsibility. Moving to Bangalore she took a major decision to keep away from the corporate rat race and armed herself with a Diploma in Counselling Skills while pursuing her Masters in Psycho-therapy. Subsequently she took the plunge to become a full time counselor, trainer, coordinator and mentor to those who either seek emotional support or wish to become part of the counseling and life skills world.

Purnima Ganesh

Coordinator and Director

Having had a varied successful stint as an entrepreneur Indu decided to commit herself to meaningful work and was one of the founders of Banjara Academy when it was in its infancy a quarter century ago, and she also armed herself with a Diploma in Counselling Skills. She has smoothly taken over the functions of administration, personnel, finance, and ensures that the institution runs efficiently despite the financial constraints of not having business income. She ensures that there is a right balance of work, philanthropy and services to the needy by keeping a check on the overall functioning.

Indu Kamal

Director Administration

A qualified Advocate, she realized early in life that her calling lies in helping children improve their quality of life and their future. She underwent extensive training not only in counseling but also in child development, assessments and special education. Her passion made her commit full-time to Banjara’s Gurukul, of which she is the founder and driving force. She oversees a wonderful team of highly committed, compassionate and humane teachers, therapists and counselors who are willing to take up the cause of any child with any types of special needs or emotional support.

Sonal Patel

Director and Chief Counsellor of Gurukul

Transitioned from a very successful technical career in the IT sector, rising up to very responsible positions in MNCs in India, USA and the Middle East – to the human world of Counselling one decade ago, He found his calling as he was genuinely interested in understanding human beings and reaching out to them for their emotional needs. He used to identify the need for raising awareness of EQ, especially among the youngsters who were joining the corporate mainstream right after college. After completing his Certification in Life Skills and Diploma in Counselling Skills at Banjara, he decided to follow his passion for social work and chose to join his alma mater as a counselor, mentor and faculty member. He also completed his BA in Psychology and M.Sc. in Counseling and Family Therapy

Sridhar Srinivasan

Counsellor & Coordinator

Mr.Ramaswamy is always available to anyone who is undergoing trauma. He is a living legend among highly specialized doctors as he looks after each individual patient, guides and leads him or her to the best possible treatment. Without any formal qualification in medicine or psychiatry, he armed himself with qualifications in counseling, was trained At Banjara, in NIMHANS and other prestigious institutions, and since the past twenty odd years he has been giving his free services for people in emotional, medical or mental distress. Retiring from a very senior position in an aviation public sector unit, Mr. Ramaswamy was offered very lucrative positions due to his expertise as a design engineer. But he chose to move on to a path less travelled and has created a path where none existed.

Ramaswamy Natampally

Crisis Manager

Your attitude towards life

Some time or the other we come across a horrible person. Whenever you encounter a person who is rude, selfish, hypocritical or out to cheat you, become aware, protect yourself, and deal with it the best you can.

…….but after that, look out for someone who is nice, serene, polite or compassionate. When you spend time with the nice person and have pleasant interactions, it reduces your hurt or bitterness which you may carry from your earlier experience.  It also reaffirms to you that not all people are bad, and that there are actually good humans around you who you can build positive relationships with.

Your attitude towards life and your motivation to form healthy long-term bonds increases.

Understanding your abilities and strengths

Left-Brained or Right-Brained        

Left Brain Skills:  If you have strong left brain characteristics, it means that you think logically, in sequential order and can handle mathematical calculations.  These attributes are very useful if you choose careers related to individual and technical work e.g. engineering, technology, surgery, research, law, chartered accountancy, decision making, planning, etc, where more of logical, sequential or analytical thinking is required, and where you keep learning through experience. You have the ability to look at issues critically without allowing emotions to come in the way, and can take quick and calculated decisions, and you will do well in MCQ, logical and analytical questions in competitive exams.

Right Brain SkillsIf your right brain characteristics are very strong, you are capable of using your emotions to your advantage, you will balance your needs with those of others, will do well in group and team work, where emotional maturity is required, and in creativity-oriented activities e.g. design, people-management, project development, administration, education, life sciences, marketing, mass communication, media, physicians, humanities, HRM, etc.  Students who are right-brained generally do not score high marks in academics since the education system caters more to left-brain skills.

Balanced Left and Right Brain Skills:  If you are one of the rare lucky ones who have equally sharp left and right brain characteristics, then you will be able to adapt very well in future to changing technology and lifestyle, and will never get outdated. But at present it is quite likely that you are a very confused person. Due to equally strong characteristics in both the above sides, you may get pulled in different directions.  You may feel like changing your mind now and then, and get attracted to completely different careers.  You will require extra attention, patient dealing, and opportunity to explore diverse fields before selecting.  If you just cannot decide at the 10+2 level, you may opt for a sound base in science or technology, and then move into management, creative, or people-oriented careers, thus getting the best of both worlds. Today there are plenty of opportunities to combine two extreme interests and create a career.

Though people who have equally developed left and right brain characteristics may appear to be confused and fickle minded due to their wide range of abilities and interests, eventually they do better than others because they can adapt themselves to changing technology or lifestyles, which will be very important in the 21st century.

  • Parents are advised to understand such children and support and guide them, starting with an early exposure, wide discussions, opportunity to meet varied professionals.
  • Children with predominant right or left brain characteristics blossom out best if they pursue careers that suit their style and capabilities. If forced into the opposite direction, they not only lose out on grades, but also on self-confidence and motivation.

Most common skills in each side of the brain include:

  Left Brain                                                                      Right Brain

Analytical          Mathe-logical                          Emotional Rhythmic, kinesthetic (bodily)

Experiential         Intra-personal                            Instinctive, intuitive Literary

Critical                Sequential                                  Creative, imaginative Interpersonal

Sequential           Verbal                                        Spatial, colour, 3 dimension

 

Ali’s Notes:

Most people who are sensitive and caring, inevitably go through many setbacks and challenges in life.  Those who are totally self-centered and do not care for others manage to find the path of least resistance, and keep going up the ladder of success. 

The world admires and praises the second category of people because of their “achievements” – but I have a deep interest in the first.  Whenever I come across someone who gives value to emotions and who thinks beyond the mundane, I love to make them talk, and can listen to them for a long time – for every one of them teaches me something about life and its meaning.

Look around, identify such people, and listen to their experiences of life. You will be enriched.