One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "none".The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager.I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Need leaders, not rulers for governance
Today in the wake of the Commonwealth Games 2010, Everyone has commenced questioning whether we need a leader or a ruler for better governance. I believe that we require a very able leader to lead the nation towards progress. For the past sixty odd years all we have managed to get as leaders are the bunch of the most corrupt and nepotist people one can think of.
Who is to blame? Not only the people who are corrupt and have become our leaders....We the common people are to blame for this equally.
Even today during elections, In Amethi people go and vote for the congress in the blind faith that they are still electing Jawahar Lal Nehru and family who are the flag bearers of the Indian honour. Why don't the common people think beyond and see what other able people can do for the nation?
Even today we get to hear comments that Rahul Gandhi is the best bet for the Prime Minister's post. What other credentials does he have other than being the scion of the so called Nehru Family? The Congress has been managing to stay put at the helm of affairs without any contribution to development. In sixty years Japan has surpassed us and is one of the powerful economies with a very strong currency in comparison.
What is the reason?? The reason is that we have never used our intuition and instinct to elect the right person. A leader is one who sets examples to others to follow. In the pre Independence era, we had the most able leader of the masses as they say in the make of the Mahatma. But why do people forget that he alone could not have brought us independence.....It takes a whole country to win.
Gandhi was considered the greatest leader of all times because of his mass appeal. Today we are unable to find a person as able as Gandhi who can unify the country and lead it to a common goal: Development.
The vision of Sardar Patel still remains a dream. Sardar Patel had dreamt of a unified INDIA where there is no bias. But today There is a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian but no Indian. What we require is a person with the farsightedness of Sardar and the able leadership skills of Gandhi to mould our country into the Golden Bird it once used to be reckoned as.
Think beyond the legacy and search for able people to lead the country. We do not need spineless wastrels tied to the Pallu of a woman to lead the country.
I request the youths of India to open their Indriyas and decide the best for our beautiful nation and help make it into Mera Bharat Sunahra Bharat!!!!
Who is to blame? Not only the people who are corrupt and have become our leaders....We the common people are to blame for this equally.
Even today during elections, In Amethi people go and vote for the congress in the blind faith that they are still electing Jawahar Lal Nehru and family who are the flag bearers of the Indian honour. Why don't the common people think beyond and see what other able people can do for the nation?
Even today we get to hear comments that Rahul Gandhi is the best bet for the Prime Minister's post. What other credentials does he have other than being the scion of the so called Nehru Family? The Congress has been managing to stay put at the helm of affairs without any contribution to development. In sixty years Japan has surpassed us and is one of the powerful economies with a very strong currency in comparison.
What is the reason?? The reason is that we have never used our intuition and instinct to elect the right person. A leader is one who sets examples to others to follow. In the pre Independence era, we had the most able leader of the masses as they say in the make of the Mahatma. But why do people forget that he alone could not have brought us independence.....It takes a whole country to win.
Gandhi was considered the greatest leader of all times because of his mass appeal. Today we are unable to find a person as able as Gandhi who can unify the country and lead it to a common goal: Development.
The vision of Sardar Patel still remains a dream. Sardar Patel had dreamt of a unified INDIA where there is no bias. But today There is a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian but no Indian. What we require is a person with the farsightedness of Sardar and the able leadership skills of Gandhi to mould our country into the Golden Bird it once used to be reckoned as.
Think beyond the legacy and search for able people to lead the country. We do not need spineless wastrels tied to the Pallu of a woman to lead the country.
I request the youths of India to open their Indriyas and decide the best for our beautiful nation and help make it into Mera Bharat Sunahra Bharat!!!!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Efficacy of Prayers
Nowadays Prayers have taken a back seat. The world has become so materialistic in nature that no one has time for the almighty.In the olden days, even powerful kings used to perform prayers and then alone proceed for war. Such was the power of prayers. It was mentioned in the scriptures that Indrajit had to conduct a special kind of prayer which would make him invincible in war. However luck was not in his favour that day when Lakshmana with the help of hanuman messed up indrajit's prayers and led to the latter's death.
Ravana for all his power and fame is considered the greatest devotee of Lord Shiva. For all his prayers, Lord Shiva had bestowed Ravana with all supreme boons.
But today nobody even bothers to spend some time in front of the deity. The concept of Man making his own destiny has superseded the view that destiny is decided by the almighty. So no one remembers his or her prayers. However in the wake of tragedy, these same people end up cursing God. Why is that we don't remember God when everything is going good for us??
I still remember those days when I used to practise the vow of bramhacharya and do my prayers very dutifully. All my friends used to comment that there was a very different glow on my face which in Sanksrit we coin as TEJAS. TEJAS is generated only by the efficacy of the prayers. Especially the Gayatri Mantra which is a must for all bramhacharyas to recite three times in a day is the most powerful prayer adding to our persona.
The Gayatri Mantra recited 108 times every phase of the day i.e. Morning, Noon & Evening which takes only 5 minutes to complete has enough power that is visible in every practising brahmachari. By reciting the powerful prayer, one enhances his power of memory.
Prayers need to be a practice followed in every walk of life to help us in leading a better life.
Ravana for all his power and fame is considered the greatest devotee of Lord Shiva. For all his prayers, Lord Shiva had bestowed Ravana with all supreme boons.
But today nobody even bothers to spend some time in front of the deity. The concept of Man making his own destiny has superseded the view that destiny is decided by the almighty. So no one remembers his or her prayers. However in the wake of tragedy, these same people end up cursing God. Why is that we don't remember God when everything is going good for us??
I still remember those days when I used to practise the vow of bramhacharya and do my prayers very dutifully. All my friends used to comment that there was a very different glow on my face which in Sanksrit we coin as TEJAS. TEJAS is generated only by the efficacy of the prayers. Especially the Gayatri Mantra which is a must for all bramhacharyas to recite three times in a day is the most powerful prayer adding to our persona.
The Gayatri Mantra recited 108 times every phase of the day i.e. Morning, Noon & Evening which takes only 5 minutes to complete has enough power that is visible in every practising brahmachari. By reciting the powerful prayer, one enhances his power of memory.
Prayers need to be a practice followed in every walk of life to help us in leading a better life.
Friday, October 1, 2010
India Vision 2020- A Mirage or Reality
The vision for 2020 as envisaged by Mr. A P J Kalam to see India as a developed nation by the year 2020 is a lofty idea. The main areas of focus being namely Agriculture& Food Processing, Infrastructure, Education & Health Care, Information & Communication technology, Nuclear and Space and Defence Technology.
Agriculture & Food Processing : India has a large potential to increase its agricultural exports in a liberalized world provided it can diversify a significant part of its agriculture in to high value crops and in agro-processing. Despite the fact that India is a primarily an agricultural country, somewhere down the lane in these past 60 odd years, we have not been engaged in improving agriculture & food processing. Luckily in the 60's we ran the Green Revolution in India focusing on attaining self sufficiency came as a boon which helped us sustain against famine and drought. However at a later stage, we have realised that the fertilizers used due to the wake of the green revolution has affected the environment and we are still grappling with the issue of self sustenance in this area.In this attempt, India has moved into the area of organic farming with a focus on reducing lower productivity and yield losses. However we are still a long way to go in this area.
Infrastructure: India is a big country which requires a lot of infrastructure to maintain itself. However we have not been able to provide the required infrastructure for development per se. Still there are villages which are not properly connected by road. Many bridges built during this period are in a dismal state. Take a look at other countries which became independent almost at the same time of our freedom. They boast of a very excellent infrastructure and attract people to visit their countries. We hardly hear people talking of holidaying in India. Whoever is asked, he ends up mentioning Bangkok, Malaysia, Seychelles to name a few.
Education & Health Care: Now this is one area where we can enjoy some respite. We have a very strong education base. One of the fore runners in IPR, we command the respect of all nations in this area. However we still haven't reached out to all strata of society. A country can be well defined as Developed when each and every individual in the nation has a basic education so that he or she understands the right and wrong of all. Even today we can see many children working as labour instead of being in school.
Health care is one other aspect which is very deeply related to education. The more educated the person, the more is his attention towards healthcare. This is also an area where we haven't seen any foray per se.
Information & Communication Technology: An area where we are one of the countries of reckoning. We have managed to stay communicated by some mean or the other. But yet again there are places which still do not enjoy the benefits of communication. Another area of concern!!!!
Nuclear, Defence Technology: Thanks to our scientists who had created a base in atomic energy in India, we are considered a powerful nation. The nuclear technology IPR is very strong in India and so we are able to manage our defences.
Given all these aspects, Do you think that We will become a Developed Nation in 2020???? It is high time that we realised what is to be done and act accordingly. And this is not just Government duty........Every indian should think about development. The concept of oneness should be instilled in every individual. Today's youth need to stand up and join hands to create a better and beautiful India......
We should be proud to say "Mera Bharat Mahaan" all 365 days in a year and not on 15th August or 26th January alone.
Agriculture & Food Processing : India has a large potential to increase its agricultural exports in a liberalized world provided it can diversify a significant part of its agriculture in to high value crops and in agro-processing. Despite the fact that India is a primarily an agricultural country, somewhere down the lane in these past 60 odd years, we have not been engaged in improving agriculture & food processing. Luckily in the 60's we ran the Green Revolution in India focusing on attaining self sufficiency came as a boon which helped us sustain against famine and drought. However at a later stage, we have realised that the fertilizers used due to the wake of the green revolution has affected the environment and we are still grappling with the issue of self sustenance in this area.In this attempt, India has moved into the area of organic farming with a focus on reducing lower productivity and yield losses. However we are still a long way to go in this area.
Infrastructure: India is a big country which requires a lot of infrastructure to maintain itself. However we have not been able to provide the required infrastructure for development per se. Still there are villages which are not properly connected by road. Many bridges built during this period are in a dismal state. Take a look at other countries which became independent almost at the same time of our freedom. They boast of a very excellent infrastructure and attract people to visit their countries. We hardly hear people talking of holidaying in India. Whoever is asked, he ends up mentioning Bangkok, Malaysia, Seychelles to name a few.
Education & Health Care: Now this is one area where we can enjoy some respite. We have a very strong education base. One of the fore runners in IPR, we command the respect of all nations in this area. However we still haven't reached out to all strata of society. A country can be well defined as Developed when each and every individual in the nation has a basic education so that he or she understands the right and wrong of all. Even today we can see many children working as labour instead of being in school.
Health care is one other aspect which is very deeply related to education. The more educated the person, the more is his attention towards healthcare. This is also an area where we haven't seen any foray per se.
Information & Communication Technology: An area where we are one of the countries of reckoning. We have managed to stay communicated by some mean or the other. But yet again there are places which still do not enjoy the benefits of communication. Another area of concern!!!!
Nuclear, Defence Technology: Thanks to our scientists who had created a base in atomic energy in India, we are considered a powerful nation. The nuclear technology IPR is very strong in India and so we are able to manage our defences.
Given all these aspects, Do you think that We will become a Developed Nation in 2020???? It is high time that we realised what is to be done and act accordingly. And this is not just Government duty........Every indian should think about development. The concept of oneness should be instilled in every individual. Today's youth need to stand up and join hands to create a better and beautiful India......
We should be proud to say "Mera Bharat Mahaan" all 365 days in a year and not on 15th August or 26th January alone.
Hinduism:A religion or Practice
There is a false notion that Hinduism is a religion. In reality Hinduism is not a religion. It is a practice which has been followed for Eons now. The fundamentalists however have coined it a religion. There is a subtle difference between religion and practice. Religion is the belief or worship of God/Gods, or a set of beliefs concerning the origin and purpose of the universe. Practice is a theoretical term for human action in society.
In our scriptures, Hinduism never was considered a religion. In Sanskrit, it was mentioned as Sanathana Dharma. The coinage itself means An Eternal Law.Hinduism also includes many yogic traditions and a wide spectrum of daily morality based on the concepts of Karma. Karma dwells in the idea of "Work is Worship" & "Worship is God".
Hinduism with all its diverse traditions has been a way of leading lives.The term Hinduism was introduced into the English language in the 19th century to denote the religious, philosophical, and cultural traditions native to India.Hinduism also recognizes numerous divine beings subordinate to the Supreme Being or regards them as lower manifestations of it.Other notable characteristics include a belief in reincarnation and karma, as well as in personal duty, or dharma
Hinduism is a faith. It also dwells in the union of reason and intuition. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan has aptly mentioned that Hinduism cannot be defined, it has to be experienced to understand the complexities of it. Hinduism conceives the whole world as a single family that deifies the one truth, and therefore it accepts all forms of beliefs and dismisses labels of distinct religions which would imply a division of identity.
Hinduism believes that the world was one place for every living being to survive in. The word used as a definition of the world was "Vasudeiva Kutumbakam" which means The Earth as a family.
Hinduism has laid down certain rules for every individual. It is a directive as to how a person needs to lead his or her life. It also mentions the impact of our deeds on our lives and our Karma.
Hinduism is regarded as a tradition mainly because it has no creator as such. It came into existence basis practices defined in our holy scriptures mainly the Vedas.
Therefore Hinduism needs to be accepted not as a religion but as a practice for leading a meaningful life.
In our scriptures, Hinduism never was considered a religion. In Sanskrit, it was mentioned as Sanathana Dharma. The coinage itself means An Eternal Law.Hinduism also includes many yogic traditions and a wide spectrum of daily morality based on the concepts of Karma. Karma dwells in the idea of "Work is Worship" & "Worship is God".
Hinduism with all its diverse traditions has been a way of leading lives.The term Hinduism was introduced into the English language in the 19th century to denote the religious, philosophical, and cultural traditions native to India.Hinduism also recognizes numerous divine beings subordinate to the Supreme Being or regards them as lower manifestations of it.Other notable characteristics include a belief in reincarnation and karma, as well as in personal duty, or dharma
Hinduism is a faith. It also dwells in the union of reason and intuition. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan has aptly mentioned that Hinduism cannot be defined, it has to be experienced to understand the complexities of it. Hinduism conceives the whole world as a single family that deifies the one truth, and therefore it accepts all forms of beliefs and dismisses labels of distinct religions which would imply a division of identity.
Hinduism believes that the world was one place for every living being to survive in. The word used as a definition of the world was "Vasudeiva Kutumbakam" which means The Earth as a family.
Hinduism has laid down certain rules for every individual. It is a directive as to how a person needs to lead his or her life. It also mentions the impact of our deeds on our lives and our Karma.
Hinduism is regarded as a tradition mainly because it has no creator as such. It came into existence basis practices defined in our holy scriptures mainly the Vedas.
Therefore Hinduism needs to be accepted not as a religion but as a practice for leading a meaningful life.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
All Religions Lead To One Goal- One God
What is the common aspect under all the religions in the world? They preach that the path of all religions is to attain the ultimate salvation unto HIM. Every religion is governed by this thought alone. Be it Christ, Allah, the Sachche Badshaah and all the Gods of the Hindu religion.
However the so called fundamentalists in every religion have belittled this belief and have brought in the concept of Our God is superior to the other. This has brought in a great divide amongst the communities. For ex: The missionaries working for "The House Of God" propagate the concept of conversion by providing people the basic amenities like Food, Clothing & Shelter and inducing the common people to convert himself/herself to christianity. They drill in the concept that Jesus is the supreme God. A God who laid his life for the benefit of Mankind.
Speak of Hinduism, we are still grappling with Vishnu & Shiva. One section of society says that Vishnu is superior and the other segment retaliates stating that Shiva is. Even today in South India, an Iyer Brahmin will be treated with injustice if he steps into a Vishnu Temple and Vice Versa.
The concept of Jehad also has been given a wrong meaning. Jihad in Urdu actually stands for "Holy War". Jehad was initially coined as a war to protect the downtrodden strata of society. However today, Jihad has taken the face of terror.
What happens to peace???? Peace has become a figurine in nature due to this. You can only talk about peace but not experience it. What is the use of such a feeling??
No religion is superior than the other. The day every one realises it and stand as united, the world will be a better place to live.
However the so called fundamentalists in every religion have belittled this belief and have brought in the concept of Our God is superior to the other. This has brought in a great divide amongst the communities. For ex: The missionaries working for "The House Of God" propagate the concept of conversion by providing people the basic amenities like Food, Clothing & Shelter and inducing the common people to convert himself/herself to christianity. They drill in the concept that Jesus is the supreme God. A God who laid his life for the benefit of Mankind.
Speak of Hinduism, we are still grappling with Vishnu & Shiva. One section of society says that Vishnu is superior and the other segment retaliates stating that Shiva is. Even today in South India, an Iyer Brahmin will be treated with injustice if he steps into a Vishnu Temple and Vice Versa.
The concept of Jehad also has been given a wrong meaning. Jihad in Urdu actually stands for "Holy War". Jehad was initially coined as a war to protect the downtrodden strata of society. However today, Jihad has taken the face of terror.
What happens to peace???? Peace has become a figurine in nature due to this. You can only talk about peace but not experience it. What is the use of such a feeling??
No religion is superior than the other. The day every one realises it and stand as united, the world will be a better place to live.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Forgotten Heroes
I wish to bring the attention of all Indians to the great but forgotten heroes of the great Indian Subcontinent. Many a great Indian has given their everything for the nation that we live in. But for them, we would still have been enslaved and exploited by other countries.
We remember only the so called great leaders of the likes of Gandhi, Nehru & to an extent L B Shastri. Whither is the mention of greats like Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Subramanya Bharathi, Sardar Patel, Lala Lajpat Rai, Netaji Subhash Bose. The list of these heroes is endless. However the irony is that these heroes have disappeared into oblivion and will remain so unless the Indian youths awaken and recognise the sacrifices made by these patriots.
Everyone remembers Jan 31 and Oct 2. How many remember 23rd March 1931? Thankfully the film makers attempted to remind people of the date 23rd March. The day of martyrdom of three of the greatest freedom fighters is today forgotten. Even our history text books make scant mention of these three greats.
Today however all these days i.e. August 15th, Jan 26th, Oct 2nd are most expected holidays where we get to spend sometime in leisure. No one even tend to watch the proceedings of the nationwide function. They are happy celebrating their holiday.
Who remembers the martyrdom of Khudiram Bose, Veer Savarkar, Dhingra, Batukeshwar Dutt, Jatin Das? Most of the people do not even know that these greats had given their lives for providing us with the nation that we live in today.
We have given the greatest honour to Gandhi by naming him "Father Of The Nation". The terminology itself is a fallacy. The actual meaning of Father of the Nation is that he was instrumental in the creation of something. But here Gandhi had not created anything. India was a nation even before Gandhi's birth.
Bhagat Singh dreamt of a Socialistic Republic where no one is superior and no one is inferior. But the Nehru Family has diluted his philosophy and still we live in the concept of the "Rich becoming Richer & Poor becoming Poorer". It would have been better that we were a slaved country. Atleast we would have had some disciplined lives.
Wake Up Indians. It is not late for us to understand and rectify the situation. Help Clean up the mess created all these 60 odd years and build a super power in all forums of reckoning.
We remember only the so called great leaders of the likes of Gandhi, Nehru & to an extent L B Shastri. Whither is the mention of greats like Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Subramanya Bharathi, Sardar Patel, Lala Lajpat Rai, Netaji Subhash Bose. The list of these heroes is endless. However the irony is that these heroes have disappeared into oblivion and will remain so unless the Indian youths awaken and recognise the sacrifices made by these patriots.
Everyone remembers Jan 31 and Oct 2. How many remember 23rd March 1931? Thankfully the film makers attempted to remind people of the date 23rd March. The day of martyrdom of three of the greatest freedom fighters is today forgotten. Even our history text books make scant mention of these three greats.
Today however all these days i.e. August 15th, Jan 26th, Oct 2nd are most expected holidays where we get to spend sometime in leisure. No one even tend to watch the proceedings of the nationwide function. They are happy celebrating their holiday.
Who remembers the martyrdom of Khudiram Bose, Veer Savarkar, Dhingra, Batukeshwar Dutt, Jatin Das? Most of the people do not even know that these greats had given their lives for providing us with the nation that we live in today.
We have given the greatest honour to Gandhi by naming him "Father Of The Nation". The terminology itself is a fallacy. The actual meaning of Father of the Nation is that he was instrumental in the creation of something. But here Gandhi had not created anything. India was a nation even before Gandhi's birth.
Bhagat Singh dreamt of a Socialistic Republic where no one is superior and no one is inferior. But the Nehru Family has diluted his philosophy and still we live in the concept of the "Rich becoming Richer & Poor becoming Poorer". It would have been better that we were a slaved country. Atleast we would have had some disciplined lives.
Wake Up Indians. It is not late for us to understand and rectify the situation. Help Clean up the mess created all these 60 odd years and build a super power in all forums of reckoning.
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