The Thought
As they say, every great creation begins with a simple thought. Quanto Shivo announced the 21-day Aham Brahmasmi workshop in March 2023. This workshop took a life of its own. The 31 participants and team members laid their hearts and souls bare and in the course of questions and answers. The workshop unraveled into a catalyst for every participant’s life. There were deep realisations and Aha! moments for everyone. Quanto Shivo was convinced that this was not just a workshop, but a deep message that needs to go out to the world. Why restrict the depth of this message to only the attendees? With this thought, Quanto Shivo announced that this workshop should be made into a legacy book.
The Journey
The book, eventually christened “Be a Cosmic Channel in the Era of Chaos” (BACC for short), is quite literally a labour of love of many workshop participants of the 21-day Aham Brahmasmi workshop and some volunteers who dedicated themselves to the grandeur of this project. Individuals from various walks of life, who may or may not have any experience in writing a book, chose to assume the role that was best required of them in the moment – so we had homemakers, consultants, business owners, teachers, and many others from diverse backgrounds who rolled up their sleeves to volunteer in varied capacities based on their skills and expertise. The energies and vibrations of Aham Brahmasmi and BACC even brought forth new skillsets of many volunteers. Team after team began evolving to fulfil varied requirements like transcription, editing, designing, social media, website development and more! All because they all believed in Quanto Shivo’s vision.
The Preview Book containing 2 chapters was finally ready and launched on August 15, 2023 after weeks of extensive brainstorming and round the clock teamwork. According to Quanto Shivo, the preview book would be a tool to gauge readers’ response and expectations and allow us to experiment with the look and feel of the book.
So How Did This Blog Come About
Earlier this year, I was introduced to Quanto Life (QL), a dynamic and unique spiritual organisation, which is relevant in today’s times. Founded by Quanto Shivo and Quanto Mansi, QL is geared towards empowering individuals to realise their heroic potential through experiential and skill-based workshops that lead to self-discovery. (Fun fact: Everyone who is part of this soul family is referred to as a “Quanto”).
Recently, at an ABC meet, I was encouraged by Quanto Shivo and Vyjayanti to capture my impressions of the upcoming Preview Book Curtain Raiser in a blog post. I was thrilled and began my groundwork! The ABC (Aham Brahmasami Circle) are the preview book themed meetups to share individual experiences and insights from BACC.
The Special Event
October 22, 2023 was indeed a special day for the entire BACC team as well as Quanto Life members! The momentum to this day was building up since weeks and it finally culminated to a heady crescendo on this day. So here we were, at the banquet hall of Karl Residency, eagerly awaiting the special moment.
The Preview Book of Be A Cosmic Channel with some edits and a reworked book cover was yet again revealed at the Curtain Raiser event on October 22, 2023 at Mumbai, India. And what a revelation it was! The cherry on the cake was that it was Ashtami (the 8th day of Navratri) which also happens to be Quanto Shivo’s birthday as per the lunar calendar.
Behind The Scenes
The event began with great fervour. But first, here’s a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes. Abnaz, Mukul, Vyjayanti and a few others were at the venue, much before the event start time. Some were overseeing the seating layout; some were busy ensuring the banner was positioned perfectly. No one needed to be told what they were supposed to do; the tasks were just being picked up as if on auto pilot. There were some funny moments too. The chairs were arranged into 3 neat rectangular rows on both sides of the ‘stage’ (actually there was no stage, just for reference). And then someone decided that the layout needs to be changed. So now, the chairs were put in a semicircle around the stage. Until someone realised that the semi-circle is way too close to the stage (“it feels like we are sitting in Shivo’s lap”, someone commented). And again, the venue assistants had to be told to rearrange the chairs into arcs, on either side of the stage. Phewww! Here, too many cooks ended up salvaging the broth, you see!
The Countdown
Quanto Shivo arrived with enough time in hand to greet all of us, take a look at the arrangements and have a quick discussion on the plan of the day. Then he proceeded to sit down, remove his footwear and joined his hands in a silent prayer. My take is, he wasn’t praying, he was surrendering the event to the cosmos. The Master also walks the talk, after all!
The Curtain Raiser
Rupali opened the session and handed it over to Vyjayanti. And from there, the session just flowed for over two hours or so. The workshop participants shared whole heartedly about what they received from the 21-day workshop. And those who hadn’t attended the workshop but had read the book, shared what they learnt from the preview book. Someone rightly pointed out that every page of the book is filled with wisdom. The audience listened in rapt attention as Quanto Shivo patiently answered their questions. The entire banquet hall at Karl Residency seemed to be buzzing in the Be A Cosmic Channel space. The session was flowing so smoothly, that we almost forgot it was time for a snack break.
Intermission
While the rest of us were enjoying the food, Quanto Shivo mingled with the invitees. Some were very old friends who were meeting him after years. He also personally signed the books with a message to the recipient. Most of us knew that Abnaz (a professional baker) had baked a special birthday cake and we couldn’t wait for the cake-cutting ceremony.
A Special Birthday Celebration
It was now time for the next big celebration. The cake was brilliantly crafted for the occasion. A chocolate cake which was embossed with the image of the Be A Cosmic Channel Preview Book cover. Perfect harmony of colours! And the cake tasted as delicious as it looked. (Take a bow, Abnaz!) Everyone was asked to share in 1-2 lines, what Shivo meant to each one of us. And then Quanto Shivo was persuaded to share his thoughts on his birthday. As he proceeded to share his feelings and his gratitude for where life brought him, he was overcome with a flood of emotions, or was it the divine channelling through him? Whatever it may have been, it was a beautiful sight to see our beloved mentor being so vulnerable and raw amongst all of us. Someone quipped “More than words, it was Shivo’s tears that did the talking”. Greater words could not have been spoken.
Conclusion
I feel truly privileged that I was able to be a part of such a momentous occasion. And this was the preview book. The way everyone came together and lent their own unique fragrance to that day’s event, I truly wonder what would be the impact the day the completed book gets launched into this world?
I complete this post by saying Quanto! Quanto! Quanto! This is something we all say when a big life changing event occurs.
