randomthoughts

WORDS OF WISDOM!

2012-01-31T20:04:00.000+05:30

Stay away from Anger...
It hurts ... You, most of all!!!

If you are right then there is no need to get angry,

And if you are wrong then you don't have any right to get angry.

Patience with family is love,
Patience with others is respect,
Patience with self is confidence and
Patience with GOD is faith.

Never Think Hard about PAST, It brings Tears...
Don't Think more about FUTURE, It brings Fears...
Live this Moment with a Smile, It brings Cheers.!!!!

Every test in our life makes us bitter or better,
Every problem comes to make us or break us,
Choice is ours ...... whether we become victims or victorious !!!

Search for a beautiful heart, not a beautiful face.
Beautiful things are not always good,

but good things are always beautiful.

Do you know, why God created gaps between fingers? So that someone who
is special to you, comes and fills those gaps by holding your hand forever.

A DAY TRIP TO THOL LAKE

2012-01-22T21:37:00.002+05:30

Painted Stork with Spoon bill Stork

Black Drongo

Bee eater birds

Egret

Purple Heron

Ruddy Shelduck pair with other ducks

Common Kingfisher

White Ibis

Red Wattled Lapwings

Painted stork, Spoon billed Stork and White Ibis

Noisy departure at Sunrise!

A DAY TRIP TO NAL SAROVAR

2012-01-08T22:30:00.000+05:30

CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF AND HIS DATE OF BIRTH

2012-01-06T20:52:00.000+05:30

The date of birth of the present Army Chief has taken a political turn, and most news channels are having a field day on TV for the past couple of days. Every one is stumped as to what this controversy is all about. I received this forward which clarifies the issue. I do hope that the facts in the forward are correct. I believe them to be correct. The forward is reproduced for you to draw your own conclusions.............

Date of birth row: ‘Line of succession trumps all logic.’

Lt-Gen Hatwant Singh (Retd)

Ministry of Defence has finally rejected the Army Chief’s statutory complaint. Attorney General, on whose opinion the Ministry took the decision, has contended that “changing” the date of birth would alter the army’s ‘line of succession.’ If ‘line of succession’ is the only legal thread by which the Attorney General’s opinion hangs, then he needs to do some more time in a law school!

Gen VK Singh was born on 10 May 1951 in military hospital, Pune and the same was entered in the service record of his father (14 Rajput). Date of birth in his school leaving certificate is 10 May, 1951. At the time of filling application forms for UPSC examination for entry into NDA his teacher, wrongly entered 10 May 1950 in stead of 10 May 1951 as date of birth. VK Singh was then 14 years old and without realizing this error, signed the application. He was eligible for entry into NDA in both the cases, (age 10 May 1950 and 10 May 1951).

Before his interview at the Services Selection Board, school leaving certificate, letter from his father’s unit, indicating his date of birth as 10 May 10951 as well as police verification of age was sent to the UPSC. Based on this he was ‘provisionally’ allowed to join NDA: pending receipt of Board Examination Certificate. His NDA and IMA records reflected his date of birth as 10 May 1951.

On commissioning, his unit sent Form No IAFZ-2041 to AG’s Branch and the same was done by I M A. In both the cases date of birth was noted as 10 May 1951. His original Board Certificate was forwarded to AGs Branch at Army HQ in April 1971 (within 2 years of commissioning). Status concerning date of birth was changed from ‘Provisional’ to ‘Permanent.’ However the Military Secretary’s branch did not correct its record.

MS branch continued with the old argument that ‘change of date of birth’ could be carried out only within two years of commissioning. It was pointed out that, firstly the AG’s branch had carried out the correction within the stipulated two years and secondly it was not a case of ‘change of date of birth’ but one of ‘correction.’

AGs branch had confirmed in writing to the officer that his date of birth in its records was 10 May 1951. In Dec 2007 Ministry asked MS branch to give reasons for recording 10 May 1950 as the date of birth and to conduct an inquiry in the matter. MS replied that date of birth was taken from the officers initial application to the UPSC, but conducted no inquiry. It quoted GoI office memorandums of 23 June 1954 and of 21 April 1964 under which no change in date of birth could be made after 2 years of commissioning. Curiously enough it contended that verification of date of birth was not its responsibility but was on the charter of duties of AG’s Branch: where the date of birth had been amended as far back as 1971!

A ‘line of succession’ to the post of COAS appears to have been worked out. The then Army Chief pressurized the officer to accept, 'in the interest of service’ 10 May 1950 and that he would later have it amended. Gen VK Singh keeping the ‘service interest’ in mind, good faith and assurance from his chief accepted this arrangement. Nothing was done to correct this anomaly in the MS branch records.

Within two days of receipt of the complaint, Minister of State for Defence, announced that the Ministry had already taken a decision on the subject. Here then is a case where, due diligence and ‘application of mind’ apart, the case stood pre-judged and decided.

Min of Law had opined that the officer’s date of birth has to be taken as 10 May 1951. Later the Attorney General reversed this decision. For the Attorney General, hospital record, service record of the officer’s father, police report, school record and Board Examination Certificate are not proof enough of date of birth, but it is the ‘line of a succession’ which determined the date of birth. For him, because of this issue of ‘line of succession,’ Gen VK Singh was born on 10 May, 1950 and not 10 May 1951! He does manage to turn jurisprudence on its head.!

The case exposes the chasm that exits between the office of the Army chief and the Defence Minister. Dealing with the case in a cavalier manner and with disdain has shocked the defence services. This denigration of the institution of the COAS will have a long term debilitating impact on the military. In all likelihood the Gen may not wish to serve for a few more months, but the issue is of probity and honour.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

2012-01-01T22:07:00.000+05:30

INDIA - THE LEGATUM PROSPERITY INDEX.

2011-12-15T20:36:00.000+05:30

I read a news article this morning that in 2011 India ranked at No. 91, out of a possible 110, on the Prosperity index. Norway was at No. 1 position for the third consecutive year, and we had slipped from No. 78 position in 2009 to # 88 in 2010 and to 91 in 2011. I decided to research this a little further and went to the offiial website of the Legatum Institute that does this study. This is what I found.........

Quote. The (Legatum) Index defines prosperity as both - wealth and wellbeing, and finds that the most prosperous nations in the world are not necessarily those that have only a high GDP, but are those that also have happy, healthy, and free citizens.

The Legatum Prosperity Index™ assesses 110 countries, accounting for over 90 percent of the world’s population, and is based on 89 different variables, each of which has a demonstrated effect on economic growth or on personal wellbeing. The Index consists of eight sub-indexes, each of which represents a fundamental aspect of prosperity:

Economy - Stable and growing economies increase per capita income and promote the overall wellbeing of its citizens.
Entrepreneurship & Opportunity (E&O) - A strong entrepreneurial climate in which citizens can pursue new ideas and opportunities for improving their lives leads to higher levels of income and wellbeing.
Governance - Well-governed societies enjoy national economic growth and citizen wellbeing.
Education - Education is a building block for prosperous societies.
Health - A strong healthcare infrastructure in which citizens are able to enjoy good physical and mental health leads to higher levels of income and wellbeing.
Safety & Security - Societies plagued by threats to national security and personal safety cannot foster growth in average levels of income or wellbeing.
Personal Freedom - When citizens enjoy their rights to expression, belief, organisation, and personal autonomy in a society welcoming of diversity, their country enjoys higher levels of income and social wellbeing.
Social Capital - Social networks and the cohesion that a society experiences when people trust one another have a direct effect on the prosperity of a country.

Each of the sub-indexes provides us with two important analyses: first, an economic assessment, and second, an assessment of a country’s subjective wellbeing, or happiness. Unquote.

Our 91st ranking is on account of Economy (53), Entrepreneurship & Opportunity (90), Governance (41), Education (88), Health (95), Safety and Security (97), Personal Freedom (73), Social Capital (104). We are below the half way mark (55) on 6 of the 8 sub-indices, as follows: -

Entrepreneurship and Opportunity. Poor entrepreneurial infrastructure is the cause - any guesses why Indians do well any where in the world, except in India.
Education. This is absolutely shameful. Right to Education has taken a long time coming.
Health. Lack of clean drinking water, lack of vaccinations, malnourishment, and inadequate health infrastructre all add to this low ranking.
Safety & Security. Displacement, political violence, and crime are to blame for this ranking.
Personal freedom. Low individual freedom and low tolerance of immigrants (thanks to the Thackerey's and likes) are responsible for this.
Social Capital. This exists primarily on account of family and religious ties.

Lot of this may be disputed, but then a study covering 110 countries would be better at looking at all these indices, than an individual with his own opinions and perceptions.

In short, there is a long way to go to achieving the dream of an India where every Indian can have at least roti, kapda, makaan, healthcare, and then move onto getting some food for his brain too, through free and compulsory education.

Those interested can view the complete Index at http://www.prosperity.com/default.aspx

THE GREATEST GIFT

2011-12-14T22:28:00.000+05:30

Listening to the debates on TimesNow on the corruption and Lokpal issues, what struck me - what is the best gift that we can leave behind for our children, and their generation.

I believe it would be to leave behind a better world; a better country; a better city; a better home for them than what we inherited.

MAGIC OF RAIN DROPS!!!

2011-10-25T22:07:00.000+05:30

INTERNATIONAL JIHADI TOURIST RESORT?

2011-07-27T18:14:00.000+05:30

Received as a forward..... written by a Pakistani, and makes lots of sense. Hope more Pakistanis start seeing the light, and DEMAND that their government change course from destruction to development - in the interest of their own people, and the immediate, and faraway neighbours living on this planet.

11 June 2011

Pakistan’s General Problem

How Pakistan’s Generals turned the country into an international jihadi tourist resort

BY Mohammad Hanif

What is the last thing you say to your best general when ordering him into a do-or-die mission? A prayer maybe, if you are religiously inclined. A short lecture, underlining the importance of the mission, if you want to keep it businesslike. Or maybe you’ll wish him good luck accompanied by a clicking of the heels and a final salute.

On the night of 5 July 1977 as Operation Fair Play, meant to topple Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s elected government, was about to commence, then Army Chief General Zia ul Haq took aside his right-hand man and Corps Commander of 10th Corps Lieutenant General Faiz Ali Chishti and whispered to him: “Murshid, marwa na daina.” (Guru, don’t get us killed.)

General Zia was indulging in two of his favourite pastimes: spreading his paranoia amongst those around him and sucking up to a junior officer he needed to do his dirty work. General Zia had a talent for that; he could make his juniors feel as if they were indispensable to the running of this world. And he could make his seniors feel like proper gods, as Bhutto found out to his cost.

General Faiz Ali Chishti’s troops didn’t face any resistance that night; not a single shot was fired, and like all military coups in Pakistan, this was also dubbed a ‘bloodless coup’. There was a lot of bloodshed, though, in the following years—in military-managed dungeons, as pro-democracy students were butchered at Thori gate in interior Sindh, hundreds of shoppers were blown up in Karachi’s Bohri Bazar, in Rawalpindi people didn’t even have to leave their houses to get killed as the Army’s ammunition depot blew up raining missiles on a whole city, and finally at Basti Laal Kamal near Bahawalpur, where a plane exploded killing General Zia and most of the Pakistan Army’s high command. General Faiz Ali Chishti had nothing to do with this, of course. General Zia had managed to force his murshid into retirement soon after coming to power. Chishti had started to take that term of endearment—murshid—a bit too seriously and dictators can’t stand anyone who thinks of himself as a kingmaker.

Thirty-four years on, Pakistan is a society divided at many levels. There are those who insist on tracing our history to a certain September day in 2001, and there are those who insist that this country came into being the day the first Muslim landed on the Subcontinent. There are laptop jihadis, liberal fascist and fair-weather revolutionaries. There are Balochi freedom fighters up in the mountains and bullet-riddled bodies of young political activists in obscure Baloch towns. And, of course, there are the members of civil society with a permanent glow around their faces from all the candle-light vigils. All these factions may not agree on anything but there is consensus on one point: General Zia’s coup was a bad idea. When was the last time anyone heard Nawaz Sharif or any of Zia’s numerous protégés thump their chest and say, yes, we need another Zia? When did you see a Pakistan military commander who stood on Zia’s grave and vowed to continue his mission?

It might have taken Pakistanis 34 years to reach this consensus but we finally agree that General Zia’s domestic and foreign policies didn’t do us any good. It brought us automatic weapons, heroin and sectarianism; it also made fortunes for those who dealt in these commodities. And it turned Pakistan into an international jihadi tourist resort.

And yet, somehow, without ever publicly owning up to it, the Army has continued Zia’s mission. Successive Army commanders, despite their access to vast libraries and regular strategic reviews, have never actually acknowledged that the multinational, multicultural jihadi project they started during the Zia era was a mistake. Late Dr Eqbal Ahmed, the Pakistani teacher and activist, once said that the Pakistan Army is brilliant at collecting information but its ability to analyse this information is non-existent.

Looking back at the Zia years, the Pakistan Army seems like one of those mythical monsters that chops off its own head but then grows an identical one and continues on the only course it knows.

In 1999, two days after the Pakistan Army embarked on its Kargil misadventure, Lieutenant General Mahmud Ahmed gave a ‘crisp and to the point’ briefing to a group of senior Army and Air Force officers. Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail, who attended the meeting, later wrote that they were told that it was nothing more than a defensive manoeuvre and the Indian Air Force will not get involved at any stage. “Come October, we shall walk into Siachen—to mop up the dead bodies of hundreds of Indians left hungry, out in the cold,” General Mahmud told the meeting. “Perhaps it was the incredulousness of the whole thing that led Air Commodore Abid Rao to famously quip, ‘After this operation, it’s going to be either a Court Martial or Martial Law!’ as we walked out of the briefing room,” Air Commodore Tufail recalled in an essay.

If Rao Abid even contemplated a court martial, he probably lacked leadership qualities because there was only one way out of this mess—a humiliating military defeat, a world-class diplomatic disaster, followed by yet another martial law. The man who should have faced court martial for Kargil appointed himself Pakistan’s President for the next decade.

General Mahmud went on to command ISI, Rao Abid retired as air vice marshal, both went on to find lucrative work in the Army’s vast welfare empire, and Kargil was forgotten as if it was a game of dare between two juveniles who were now beyond caring about who had actually started the game. Nobody remembers that a lot of blood was shed on this pointless Kargil mission. The battles were fierce and some of the men and officers fought so valiantly that two were awarded Pakistan’s highest military honour, Nishan-e-Haidar. There were hundreds of others whose names never made it to any awards list, whose families consoled themselves by saying that their loved ones had been martyred while defending our nation’s borders against our enemy. Nobody pointed out the basic fact that there was no enemy on those mountains before some delusional generals decided that they would like to mop up hundreds of Indian soldiers after starving them to death.

The architect of this mission, the daring General Pervez Musharraf, who didn’t bother to consult his colleagues before ordering his soldiers to their slaughter, doesn’t even have the wits to face a sessions court judge in Pakistan, let alone a court martial. The only people he feels comfortable with are his Facebook friends and that too from the safety of his London apartment. During the whole episode, the nation was told that it wasn’t the regular army that was fighting in Kargil; it was the mujahideen. But those who received their loved ones’ flag-draped coffins had sent their sons and brothers to serve in a professional army, not a freelance lashkar.

The Pakistan Army’s biggest folly has been that under Zia it started outsourcing its basic job—soldiering—to these freelance militants. By blurring the line between a professional soldier—who, at least in theory, is always required to obey his officer, who in turn is governed by a set of laws—and a mujahid, who can pick and choose his cause and his commander depending on his mood, the Pakistan Army has caused immense confusion in its own ranks. Our soldiers are taught to shout Allah-o-Akbar when mocking an attack. In real life, they are ambushed by enemies who shout Allah-o-Akbar even louder. Can we blame them if they dither in their response? When the Pakistan Navy’s main aviation base in Karachi, PNS Mehran, was attacked, Navy Chief Admiral Nauman Bashir told us that the attackers were ‘very well trained’. We weren’t sure if he was giving us a lazy excuse or admiring the creation of his institution. When naval officials told journalists that the attackers were ‘as good as our own commandoes’ were they giving themselves a backhanded compliment?

In the wake of the attacks on PNS Mehran in Karachi, some TV channels have pulled out an old war anthem sung by late Madam Noor Jehan and have started to play it in the backdrop of images of young, hopeful faces of slain officers and men. Written by the legendary teacher and poet Sufi Tabassum, the anthem carries a clear and stark warning: Aiay puttar hatantay nahin wickday, na labhdi phir bazaar kuray (You can’t buy these brave sons from shops, don’t go looking for them in bazaars).

While Sindhis and Balochis have mostly composed songs of rebellion, Punjabi popular culture has often lionised its karnails and jarnails and even an odd dholsipahi. The Pakistan Army, throughout its history, has refused to take advice from politicians as well as thinking professionals from its own ranks. It has never listened to historians and sometimes ignored even the esteemed religious scholars it frequently uses to whip up public sentiments for its dirty wars. But the biggest strategic mistake it has made is that it has not even taken advice from the late Madam Noor Jehan, one of the Army’s most ardent fans in Pakistan’s history. You can probably ignore Dr Eqbal Ahmed’s advice and survive in this country but you ignore Madam at your own peril.

Since the Pakistan Army’s high command is dominated by Punjabi-speaking generals, it’s difficult to fathom what it is about this advice that they didn’t understand. Any which way you translate it, the message is loud and clear. And lyrical: soldiers are not to be bought and sold like a commodity. “Na awaian takran maar kuray” (That search is futile, like butting your head against a brick wall), Noor Jehan goes on to rhapsodise.

For decades, the Army has not only shopped for these private puttars in the bazaars, it also set up factories to manufacture them. It raised whole armies of them. When you raise Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish Mohammed, Sipahe Sahaba, Sipahe Mohammed, Lashker Jhangvi, Al- Badar Mujahideen, others encouraged by the thriving market place will go ahead and start outfits like Anjuman Tahuffuze Khatame Nabuwat and Anjuman Tahuffuze Namoos-e-Aiyasha. It’s not just Kashmir and Afghanistan and Chechnya they will want to liberate, they will also go back in time and seek revenge for a perceived slur that may or may not have been cast by someone more than 1,300 years ago in a country far far away.

As if the Army’s sprawling shopping mall of private puttars in Pakistan wasn’t enough, it actively encouraged import and export of these commodities, even branched out into providing rest and recreation facilities for the ones who wanted a break. The outsourcing of Pakistan’s military strategy has reached a point where mujahids have their own mujahids to do their job, and inevitably at the end of the supply chain are those faceless and poor teenagers with explosives strapped to their torsos regularly marched out to blow up other poor kids.

Two days before the Americans killed Osama bin Laden and took away his bullet-riddled body, General Kiyani addressed Army cadets at Kakul. After declaring a victory of sorts over the militants, he gave our nation a stark choice. And before the nation could even begin to weigh its pros and cons, he went ahead and decided for them: we shall never bargain our honour for prosperity. As things stand, most people in Pakistan have neither honour nor prosperity and will easily settle for their little world not blowing up every day.

The question people really want to ask General Kiyani is that if he and his Army officer colleagues can have both honour and prosperity, why can’t we the people have a tiny bit of both?

The Army and its advocates in the media often worry about Pakistan’s image, as if we are not suffering from a long-term serious illness but a seasonal bout of acne that just needs better skin care. The Pakistan Army, over the years, has cultivated this image of 180 million people with nuclear devices strapped to their collective body threatening to take the world down with it. We may not be able to take the world down with us; the world might defang us or try to calm us down by appealing to our imagined Sufi side. But the fact remains that Pakistan as a nation is paying the price for our generals’ insistence on acting, in Asma Jahangir’s frank but accurate description, like duffers.

And demanding medals and golf resorts for being such duffers consistently for such a long time.

What people really want to do at this point is put an arm around our military commanders’ shoulders, take them aside and whisper in their ears: “Murshid, marwa na daina.”

Mohammed Hanif is the author of A Case of Exploding Mangoes (2008), his first novel, a satire on the death of General Zia ul Haq

CORRUPTION, GOVERNMENT AND ARROGANCE.

2011-06-05T20:25:00.000+05:30

Corruption has always been a problem in our society, primarily due to bad systems, poor enforcement of the laid down law, and an ineffecient & overloaded legal system. Systems have been bad because of a demand and supply mismatch in every conceivable product or service, and the reason for this mismatch was that the government controlled (either through quotas or direct control) everything from railways to airlines to telephones to sugar to kerosene to .......you name it.

On commissioning in 1973, I booked a Bajaj scooter - I had to wait for 9 years to get delivery of this scooter. This was considered normal then. Telephones were given out only by the government and thus most Indians never had telephones - the ones who had them were people of 'status' and/ or had links with someone in government. . Thanks to Rajiv Gandhi and Sam Pitroda, the telephones became a means of communication, rather than as a status symbol.

Privatisation of various sectors has directly benefited common Indians or the 'aam aadmi', but has meant a loss of control for the government. Successive governments controlled the economy through quotas and through this means also generated 'private revenues' for funding the elections for the party. This has been a big malaise all along, but has acquired much greater proportions now, and that is the reason for the people's reaction from all across the country to citizens movements initiated by Shri Anna Hazare and Swami Ramdev.

It is a known fact that political parties need funds to fight elections in any democracy. In case the system of generation of these funds is not transparent then this becomes the starting point for corruption, as in India. A transparent system created through effective legislation can prevent corruption in the system, and this is a crying need for a democracy like India.

Logically speaking all political parties, specially the opposition parties, should be happy to legislate this, because then the party in government will not have an unfair advantage of its position. However, none in our political class want the system to be transparent, primarily because of the opportunity this inbuilt corruption mechanism gives 'elected representatives' to also make 'personal' hay too, while the sun shines, even if they are not in the ruling party.

The ruling party or coalition benefits the most, but the others 'not in power' are also taken care off. Government starts welfare schemes that are designed to be 'leaky'. The real beneficiaries get very little of the service that the scheme is designed to provide. The real beneficiaries of these schemes are the so called public servants 'netas' and 'babus' - the inrease in the net worth of the individual legislators and babus, which is totally out of sync with their known sources of income, is a worthy testimony to this fact.

It is indeed sad that we have criminals lodged in jails who can fight elections, win them, and then ensure that they take full advantage of their position, as also the inefficient and overloaded judicial system. Anna Hazare proposed Jan Lokpal bill is a step to prevent/ demotivate criminals from opting for politics for their personal agenda of staying out of the reach of the law of the land.

Swami Ramdev's 'jan andolan' against black money was a step in the right direction. I donot agree with the all the methods adopted by the Swami, or with all the issues that he put forward, but the issue of black money is vital to every Indian. I also believe that the Swami had a personal agenda, but the issue of black money is bigger than the personal agenda of the swami. I am convinced that a vast majority of Indians support the swami on the issue of black money stashed abroad. Why then is the government reluctant? Does the government have something to hide?

The manner in which the government reacted to the peaceful protesters at the Ramlila grounds in Delhi is indeed a sad day for our democracy. I have heard Kapil Sibal say on occasions that the government is very powerful. Yes indeed it is - it derives its power from the Constitution of India, that we the people of India have given to ourselves. The power that the government has, flows to it from the ordinary citizens of India, through our Constitution. Kabil Sibal being a lawyer should be familiar with this. In case the people of India want an effective legislation to curb corruption then the government has no business not legislating it. Successive governments have failed to do any thing on this account. Now when there is simmering discontent among the people against this scourge, the government is still trying to drag its feet. Why?

The reason given out for the police action is that the assembly of people could have been targetted and something un toward would have happened. So true. Wasn't the government aware of this before the 03rd of June. Why were effective steps not taken in time to ensure that this congregation did not take place. It could have been prevented - there was enough time given for the government to react to the 'just' demands. Negotiations were done in an 'opaque' manner. This did not go down well with the people - both Baba Ramdev and the government representatives are to blame for this. The issue of corruption is important for the people of India, and should be tackled in a transparent manner. Private deals are not desirable on national issues - they always raise suspicion about the deals.

Lastly, the government is powerful because 116 crore Indians stand behind it, through their written Constitution. This government which is 'by the people', 'of the people' should work 'for the people'. In case the people of India feel that 'black money' is a big issue, and rightly so, then the government should take all necessary steps to ensure that this issue is resolved through a transparent legislative process, and in a time bound manner. It does not take very long for the government to bring in legislation that benefits the elected representatives. Why then is it taking so long to get effective legislation that curbs the disease of black money that hurts the country's economy and its citizens?

The actions of the government and its ministers in the last few days reeks of arrogance, when I hear them talk on TV - the people of India deserve better, and specially on an issue that our political class has permitted to go totally out of hand.

I donot belong to any political party or ideology, but am convinced that our elected representatives, specially the ones in government, need to treat the ordinary citizens of India with due regard and respect, not only during election time but everytime. Lathi charge and tear gas on innocent peaceful sleeping Indians, including old, women, and children, and that too at midnight is a sign of weakness, and great arrogance.

I am reminded of the famous saying that says, "Power Corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Have we the people of India given absolute power to our elected representatives, in so much as that they do not even recognise us?

Jai Hind.

ENJOYING THE FIRST RAINS IN AHMEDABAD

2011-06-04T11:17:00.000+05:30

Ahmedabad really gets hot in summers - everyone waits for the first rain of the season to cool things off a bit. We had our first thundershower of the season yesterday. People enjoyed the rain - couldn't click that, but found these pigeons enjoying the puddle of water that the rains created in our apartment complex. They fluffed up their feathers, wriggled around in the puddle, all in a bid to let the water touch every little portion of their bodies - they really seemed to be excited doing this.

PAKISTAN IS NOT INVOLVED??!!

2011-05-28T19:31:00.000+05:30

Times of India dated 28 May 2011 reported that 'Clinton gives Pakistan govt clean chit on Osama'. The following statement has been attributed to Hillary Clinton (Friday 27 May 11, while talking to reporters), during her recent visit to Pakistan.

"The US had absolutely no evidence that anyone at the highest level of the Pakistani government knew the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden".

What a beautiful play of words this statement is - 'Who' and 'what' is the highest level of government - The President and the Prime Minister? Yes, they may not have known anything about it, and there may be no evidence to suggest that they knew any thing.

Does the Army chief and the ISI chief form part of the 'highest level'? I don't believe so, as per her statement.

'Absolutely no evidence' - The statement only talks of the highest level of government - it does not comment on at what level they have evidence of Pakistani establishment complicity.

Beautiful statement indeed to ensure that the US interests are followed through to their satisfaction - and rightly so - why should they care about Indian interests, unless of course these are common with theirs.

India should safeguard its own interests and not look to any other power to do it for them.

Peace in the sub continent is in India's interest. How do we achieve that without the help of our geographical neighbours? - we cannot change them, you see.

INDIA AND PAKISTAN - MY PERCEPTION

2011-05-24T22:54:00.001+05:30

India and Pakistan were both born on the midnight of 14/ 15th August, 1947 - carved out of one. They chose to travel different paths. Nearly 64 years later both are experiencing great turmoil, but the content and the context of the turmoil is different.

India is in turmoil - with its focus on itself; it is trying to strengthen its systems of governance so that its democracy can be made more transparent, vibrant, 'for the people' centric, while progressing economically so as to create a more equitable and just society, for all its citizens. The civil society in India is demanding more accountability from its elected representatives, and the elected representatives are getting this message 'loud and clear' through the ballot box. I find this turmoil to be a good sign - a sign that indicates that the people, and their elected representatives, are slowly realising that democracy is not only about 'of the people, by the people' but also has to be 'for the people'. In recent times we have seen the RTI functioning; we have also seen an active media that has led to a number of scams being unearthed; ministers in jail; Jan lok pal bill being enacted - these are all signs that change is in the air, and a change in the right direction - to ensure a better future for all of its citizens, for sure.

On the other hand, Pakistan is in turmoil while trying to foment trouble in Afghanistan, and in trying to bleed India through a thousand cuts, by nurturing a 'strategic asset' in the form of support for extremism and terrorism. What is not realised is that a terrorist is a terrorist, and would not eventually differentiate between nationalities. This fact is borne out by the latest audacious attack on the Karachi naval base; the terrorist outfits now turning their bag of tricks on their patrons. The leadership of Pakistan is still in denial mode, and is claiming to be 'victims of terror'. This is a statement of fact - that Pakistan has become a victim of its own home grown terror, and Pakistan is reaping what it had sown, in the form of a strategic asset. The only way forward for Pakistan is to 'introspect' - no amount of outside advise/ criticism or actions would amount to any thing if Pakistan continues to be in denial mode. The whole world is holding the mirror to Pakistan, but to no avail, and would be of no consequence; Pakistan would have to look in to the mirror of its own accord for any change to begin.

A stable and democratic Pakistan would be in India's interest, as well as in Pakistan's interest, as also in the interest of the rest of the world. No individual, or nation from outside Pakistan can make the change happen in Pakistan - only the PAKISTANIS themselves can make that choice, and change. Use of force would be counter productive, knowing the Pakistani psyche, and would make the Pakistani nation more belligerent. On the other hand India's democracy, secularism and development should start to resonate in Pakistan, because the ordinary Pakistani citizen is also fed up of the mayhem that is happening there as a consequence of the power games that are being played by the 'powerful elite' of Pakistan.

India is not the greatest model country in the world, but a comparison between the two nations that share a common past, history, geography, and more importantly, a common starting point would help put things in perspective for any sensible person. I do believe that the ordinary Pakistanis are sensible people.

CELEBRATING LIFE - ON THE ROOFTOP!

2011-05-15T22:02:00.000+05:30

The peahens are as drab, as the peacocks are beautiful when the mating season approaches. It starts sometime in the months of April/ May and lasts until the end of the monsoons approximately. After this the peacocks shed their feathers. During the last week we were witness to our first mating dance on a rooftop directly opposite our balcony. The backdrop were green neem trees. The peacock lifted its beautiful feathers and started the mating dance with the peahen watching initially with a lot of disinterest. The peacock persevered and continued to prance around rustling his feathers.........

The peahen gave him a sideways glance.......

Found him hard to ignore........

Turned around to fathom if he was sincere.......

The peacock continued with his beatific performance........

The peahen started to measure him up...........
Right to left.........

narrowing the distance between them, as she went along.........

The peacock did a great jiggle with his behind.........

and eased off to the corner of the roof.........

the peahen relented.......two Mynah witnesses flew in....... and also a competitor.

The purpose of the dance was not fulfilled due to competition, but we witnessed the most beautiful dance from our balcony - truely a celebration of life, and continuity.

SOME MORE OF AHMEDABAD

2011-04-19T22:16:00.000+05:30

Ahmedabad grows on you - it is a city of paradoxes - it is modern in terms of infrastructure - good roads; electricity 24 x 7 - we do not remember any power stoppage for more than 30 seconds in our over 10 months of stay here; water - thanks to the Narmada project; the malls are some of the finest in the country; the city is going to be the 7th metro of India; aspiring for world heritage city status AND yet it is very traditional - joint families are still the norm - every one goes to 'native place' to celebrate all festivals, and there are plenty of them - navratri is the most colourful and famous when the city wakes up at night; 'kite festival' is another event when the sky, the trees, the electric wires are full of kites; it is still a Gujarati 'kem chho' city, where other's are not unwelcome - most settle down here once they get here; people are friendly; street food is the in thing; gujjus love to eat out; women are safe here - one can see single ladies on scooters late at night too.

Stray bird and animal population is the largest in this city - birds - pigeons, crows, peacocks, sparrows, doves, etc. are in abundance; cows, dogs - every animal is over fed by some one or the other - religion.

Heritage sites are worth visiting. This 'jaali' of the Sidi Saiyad mosque is a treat - the carvings in this single rock must have taken some patience, tools and expertise - this jaali is the inspiration for the IIM-A logo. This is the view from the rear outside of the mosque - the previous post had the front inside view.

Chaotic Ahmedabad with the Bhadra fort area in the backdrop - Ahmedabad's traffic sense is very very dismal - we can have a traffic jam here with just four vehicles going in four different directions.

Beam support wood work with exquisite carvings in the 'Kala (Black) Ram Mandir - a private residence with a temple open to public.

The pillars in the Jama Masjid mosque built in the 15th century - a mosque where women were permitted during prayers on an elevated platform with a one way view through a stone jaali

The view of the Swami Narayan temple - the first temple of the sect built in Kalupur, Ahmedabad.

AHMEDABAD THRU MY LENS - 02 APRIL 2011

2011-04-03T19:02:00.001+05:30

The famous Sidi Sayyad mosque at Ahmedabad

Intricate work on a single rock at the mosque

Celebrations on Drive-in Road after the world cup victory - the tricolour; the fireworks; the madness; the exhilaration; the traffic jams continued well into the night.

Stone jaalis at the Sidi Sayyad mosque

The world famous 'jaali' carved out of a single rock - famous in many ways, because of its intricate and very fine sculpting - this is also the logo of IIM-A.

WISDOM FROM THE WISE

2011-04-01T22:48:00.000+05:30

Tom Blandi

Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force.

Martin Luther King

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Gautam Buddha

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

Rabindranath Tagore

Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.

Emily Dickinson

They say that God is everywhere, and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a recluse.

Jonathan Swift

We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.

Galileo Galilei

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.

Dalai Lama XIV

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.
Khalil Gibran

I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant

and kindness from the unkind.

I should not be ungrateful to those teachers.

SPRING - THE SEASON OF COLOURS.... HOLI

2011-03-10T20:42:00.000+05:30

The season of colours is here - spring; when the spirits lift and start soaring like the birds, and mother nature shows us its many colours. I tried to capture some of them through my lens. I enjoyed doing it!!

TACKLING THE MENACE OF CORRUPTION.

2011-03-01T18:36:00.000+05:30

An article in the Hindustan Times........ Reproduced without comment.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Hindustan Times Chandigarh, 23 – 02- 2011

L t G e n V I J AY O B E R O I ( R e t d )
(Former Vice Chief of the army)

[ LEARN FROM THE ARMY. Justice is prompt in the Indian Army; there is no shielding of a person on account of his rank or stature. It's time babus and politicians were put through similar scrutiny]

When Lt Gen Sahni, a three star general, is dismissed and awarded a prison sentence, one can conclude that the army does not baulk in punishing its defaulting personnel, irrespective of their seniority. It also calls for introspection by the society on larger issues.

Why is it that it is only in the Indian Army that justice is prompt; that there is no shielding of a person on account of his rank or stature; that meticulous care is taken in selecting the presiding officer and members of a court martial; that there is a higher authority that scrutinises the proceedings in great detail before the verdict of the court martial is finally confirmed; and why every chance is given to the accused to defend himself fully, including nominating an officer of the accused's choice as a defending officer?

Why does this not happen elsewhere in the country? I well remember the Tehelka exposé of 2001, when I was the vice army chief. Here was a case where professionally capable and highly regarded personnel of the army, some of flag rank, were inveigled into accepting baits, in what can only be described as entrapment, so that the media could make a point. Yet, instead of quibbling over the illegalities of this entrapment, the army moved swiftly to punish the concerned individuals.

What did the government do about political persons and bureaucrats similarly entrapped? The then defence minister was forced to resign, but continued to head the coalition; no action was taken against his party leader caught red-handed on camera or against any of the bureaucrats. The latter were instead promoted, with one additional secretary becoming a secretary and later a governor, perhaps to give him immunity from any future prosecution!

The military has the reputation of punishing any and all crimes that are found out or reported. It may be a lowly misdemeanour like filching something or a grave crime like murder, assault, espionage and the like, but punishment follows swiftly and inevitably. The reason is simple. The military would become ineffective and instead of being a disciplined force, it will turn into a rabble. Why does this not happen in our civil society? Why do the political leaders and the civil officials in the Centre and states dither and look for escape routes, delays and ultimately forget to prosecute?

It is unfortunate that in the last six decades of independence, the system of governance has so evolved that there is no accountability and consequently no punishment. Bureaucrats and police personnel are routinely suspended and then reinstated. Is this punishment or a farce? For political leaders, a similar action is known as resignation, which actually implies a sabbatical, for very soon they are not just reinstated but even promoted! In the case of a minuscule few, a nominal punishment is awarded after decades, thereby losing its entire impact.

The end result is more crimes, criminals not getting salutary punishment and the fear of the law disappearing.

It is the main reason for the extremely bad governance the common man rues everyday. In the long term it affects the vitality and security of the nation.

In terms of crime and punishment, our country can be divided into three categories. The first category consists of the well connected who are neither accountable nor punished for any crimes, either because of the position they occupy or because they are so filthy rich that money power white washes everything. The second category comprises the common citizen, who becomes a cog in the wheel in our overloaded judicial system and who can only hope to get his case finalised if he oils every Amar, Akbar and Anthony of our governance system.

The third category is the army, where no crime goes unpunished and where promptness and justice prevails. Why don't the others learn from the army?

A related point is that the media come down hammer and tongs whenever a few misguided army personnel commit offences, but always play down and seek justifications for powerful individuals like politicians, bureaucrats, police, judiciary, media barons and corporate honchos. There is no doubt that expectations from the army are extremely high, but is that the whole story? Many in the army have often speculated that behind such banner headlines, there is a concerted effort to show the army in a poor light by those vested interests who are practitioners of the well known Indian crab syndrome -pull down the best to their own gutter level!

The expectations of the public from the army are undoubtedly extremely high, but why are crimes by others condoned? It is nobody's case that the few army personnel who commit crimes should not be punished, but the law, procedures and accountability must be the same for everyone.

Is anyone listening?

HERITAGE SITES AROUND AHMEDABAD

2011-02-02T22:06:00.000+05:30

Ahmedabad and its surroundings are full of heritage sites. Here are some of them - as seen through my lens. These include the Sun temple at Modhera (built in 1026 AD) - it is mind boggling to fathom what our ancestors knew about the planets and architecture. To read more about this fantastic site go to this link.

The following are pictures of the Sarkhej Roza - complex built in the 15th century

Adalaj ni vav (step well) was built in the 1498 AD, and is a well that is five stories below ground level. There are beautiful carvings and steps going down.

These are images of some intricate carvings at the Hutheesing Jain temple. This is an image of an intricate, but damaged, carving at the Jumma Masjid built in the 15th century.

LAUGH OUT LOUD........

2011-01-29T11:39:00.000+05:30

These are images from South Africa......good to know that they can laugh about what we complain about..... I personally cannot say which one of the two is better! You decide. Received as a forward. Source unknown.

THE EASIEST THING TO DO.........AND YET!!

2011-01-27T20:22:00.000+05:30

What is the easiest thing to do?

Change oneself, or change others?

Logically, changing oneself should be the easiest, because it is under one's own control.

But is it so?

If the honest answer to this is, 'it is not so', then it is even more difficult to change someone else.

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2011

2011-01-09T22:10:00.000+05:30

I COMPLAIN.....

2010-12-21T22:57:00.000+05:30

I complain about people breaking traffic rules........

and so I consciously ensure that I do not break them myself........

Do we need traffic rules?

Most definitely, Yes!

Then why do we, the educated Indians, also flout them.......

because every one else is flouting them.......

Is that a good enough reason........

Every time I stop at a Red light, even though there is no cop around......a number of people follow the example.......

Let us the educated Indians, who understand the need for traffic rules LEAD THE WAY.

Let's teach our drivers to follow rules, if we don't drive ourselves.

Like Gandhiji said, "Let's be the change........."

LIFE...........A FULL CIRCLE

2010-12-19T12:12:00.001+05:30

My sister's daughter was getting married. There was a lot of excitement in the family. Every one was deciding on what to wear for the various functions - the relatively younger generation was busy buying new stuff - clothes, shoes and the various other accompaniments that go with an Indian celebration - the biggest celebration of them all being a wedding in the family. I asked my father what he was going to wear. He answered that he would wear whatever he had in his closet. On urging him to buy something new for the occasion, he put forward various arguments like - at his age (86 years) what is the point in buying new clothes; I don't like tight clothes, I will wear my old suit, etc. I insisted and we bought him a new suit for the wedding ceremony, and let him wear his old stuff for the other functions. He kept complaining - what is the point in spending so much money on an old man. Anyway, I had my way.

The day of the wedding arrived and he was getting ready to put on his new suit. He put on his shirt, trousers, shoes, and stopped. We were all ready. He came out of his room with a tie in his hand and asked me to tie the knot for him, as he had forgotten how to tie the knot. I hesitated for a second and then took the tie and made a double knot for him. He then put on his tie, jacket and was all ready for the ride to the venue of the wedding.

I had hesitated because my mind had gone in to a flash back when I was a teenager and my father had taught me how a tie a single, and a double, knot. My father had done the tie for me, whenever it was required, until the day I was going for my Service Selection Board interview to Dehradun, in 1968. If I remember right, that was the time he taught me how to do it on my own, as he felt that I should be able to do it by myself, now that I was going out of the home all by myself. Besides tying a knot on the tie, I learnt a lot from my father - every child does. Life had come a full circle.

The person who taught me how to do things when I could not, was now asking me to do it for him, as he could not - life had indeed come a full circle - when I was a child, he and I both knew it - he had to do stuff for me, and teach me. At this juncture - I feel....... that he knows, because he is the one who taught me...........whereas only he knows that he has forgotten, and thus does not know. Old age is second child hood, in more ways than one.

He did it for me; he taught me, in that order - it is now my turn to do it for him; it is now too late for him to re-learn from me, what he taught me many decades ago.

This post has been triggered by this beautiful article by Vinita Dawra Nangia published in the Times of India dated 19 Dec 10.

HAPPILY MARRIED........!!! LAUGH OUT LOUD

2010-12-10T20:21:00.000+05:30

Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing.

She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays.'

-----Anonymous (Wise guy)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't.'

-----James Holt McGavra

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming

1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it.
2. Whenever you're right, shut up.

---Patrick Murra

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You know what I did before I married?

Anything I wanted to.

------Anonymous

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My wife and I were happy for twenty years.

Then we met.

-------Henny Youngman

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong.

------Rodney Dangerfield

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Guy (proudly): 'My wife's an angel!'

Second Guy: 'You're lucky................. mine's still alive.'

--------Anonymous

CORRUPTION ISSUES IN NEWS - MY PERSPECTIVE

2010-11-21T12:12:00.000+05:30

Lately the press, both print and TV, have been full of reports on corruption starting with the Common Wealth Games followed by the Adarsh housing, the 2G spectrum allocation, and now the Karnataka land grab by the CM and his family members. Every news is negative - at first thought it appears that our country is heading in the wrong direction. But is it? I donot believe so. Even though it is very negative and depressing news, I find it to be very heartening .

Finally the thoughts in the minds of concerned citizens, that got translated into words, and high volume and decibel ones at times - a few years ago, have now resulted in action - the usual process of first thought, then words and finally action, that has to be undertaken for any action to take place - Kalmadi, Chavan, Raja have been fired or resigned, under pressure. CM Yedyurappa had been called to Delhi; has returned the grabbed land, and is under pressure to resign. This will happen if the BJP has to continue to maintain its posturing of being anti-corruption. All these actions suggest that a new benchmark in public propriety is being set and most parties would now have to live by these norms, if they want to project an image of being clean.

This in no way means that corruption would be eliminated - it only suggests that corruption is now a major issue with our political parties. This is good news BUT only if we the people support it during our next round of elections. All those who hate corruption in public life, and there are a large number of us who are very vocally anti-corruption, will need to help in making this a larger than life election issue, in which ever way possible. Are we anti-corruption enough??? and are we ready to put our time and effort to show how much we care for clean governance??? Let's make a start by being clean in our own dealings - it always takes two hands to clap.

The issue of corruption is akin to another major issue that has rocked our country for a number of years now - that of caste based politics - people thought about it; complained about it, and now the election results in Bihar would go on to prove that development is now an issue, rather than caste - if Nitish Kumar's party is once again given the chance to govern Bihar - as is most probably going to be the case - going by the exit polls. This would prove to all political parties that Lalu and his brand of politics has reduced relevance in elections now, and that too in a state like Bihar. Does this bode well for development? I believe so.

Imagine how democracy is transforming our country - have faith in the wisdom of our people - they may be illiterate in the formal sense, but they are definitely not stupid - this fact was brought home to me very clearly in the 70s, when they threw out the ruling party after emergency, and brought them back to power, much sobered - after the total misgovernance by the Janata Dal government.

Think Positive about OUR hugely diverse population, democracy, and country - there is none other like this in this world and don't even try and compare it with either the developed countries, or city states like Singapore. Think about how slowly but surely it is evolving - heading in the right direction. Evolution 'of the people, by the people, and for the people' is any day a better way to move forward than Revolution, specially in such a hugely diverse 'functioning anarchy' like ours.

HOW TO BEAT CORRUPTION - A PRACTICAL GUIDE........

2010-11-16T14:34:00.000+05:30

The blog world is full of stories about corruption, and how the whole system stinks........... and that nothing can be done about corruption. Once in a while one also reads stories or more likely one comment, amongst hundreds, that states that the person has never bribed. I too have never bribed for getting any one of my work done.....people tell me that I was lucky to have been in the defence forces, and that helps. Yes, it does to a certain extent but I have had my share of experiences where-in my work got delayed; I ended up spending much more in terms of money and time for the work; had massive heart burns; and many such things but I refused to bribe and, eventually my work always got done.....you see, the gentleman or lady doing the work is being paid to do the work.......he/ she too can lose their job and this knowledge has always been my strength in dealing with such corrupt people. I have tried every tactic to not pay a bribe, while living up to the strategy of not paying bribes.

I received this forward on practical ways to prevent paying a bribe. We can try it - I know from practical experience that these tactics work......Use them.......do your bit to stop corruption.....if that is what irks you the most about government functioning. Refuse to 'be a part of the problem' even if every one around you is.... and 'become a part of the solution' - BY REFUSING TO BRIBE.
QUOTE.....
Government babus (officials) use different tactics to extract bribe. You may take the following action to counter those tactics. These are very simple & useful. I have tried them with very successful results.

Indefinite Delay: They keep on delaying your work until you go to them & offer bribe.

Solution: Don’t visit government offices. Follow up your pending work through letters. You may send letters by courier, registered post or speed post. Local speed post costs only Rs 12/-. Local couriers are available at Rs 5/-. You may also use RTI Act to know status of your work. In this case you need to spend another Rs 10/-.

Demanding unnecessary papers: Sometimes they demand unnecessary papers & give hints that work can be done without those papers if you bribe.

Solution: If they can offer to do your work without additional papers with bribe, it means that those papers were definitely unnecessary. (i) Ask babus to demand those papers in writing and record the conversation. (ii) Write a letter stating that you demanded these papers. Are they really mandatory as per law? You can also use RTI Act here. (iii) Use RTI Act to find out whether he demanded those papers from other applicants. (iv) Whatever paper he demands, send by post. Never deliver anything without receipt.

Remember no officer will complete your work without mandatory papers. He will keep his file perfectly clean.

They advise you to pay bribe so that you pay less tax / penalties. Many times they demand higher amount for penalties than prescribed under laws.

Solution:
(1) Check laws if you can
(2) Record conversation & tell them that you are going to report to Anti-Corruption Bureau.
(3) Use RTI Act to find out how much was paid by others under similar circumstances.

When the babu is not available in office.

Solution: Write a letter that I came to your office on say, 1st August at 11 AM but you were not available. Your assistant Mr. Rama Rao told me to come again on 5th August. This letter will make him take special care of your work.

Finally, if nothing works, try this.

When you don't have any option, record the conversation, pay money & get your work done. After your work is completed, meet that babu and demand your money back. Tell him that you are going to complaint, if he does not return your money. Tell him about Jago party. Take some Jago pamphlet or advertisement copy with you. This will most likely make him return your money.

Develop the habit of complaining.

Whenever you see crime & corruption, send written complaints to head of that department, ACB / CBI, local newspapers & Jago Party.

Don't be submissive.

Call babus by their names. Don't call them "sir". Be polite but don't show unnecessary respect. Be firm and confident. Talk about RTI Act & Jago party. Babus are always afraid of knowledgeable people.

These methods may sound unbelievable but try it at least once to discover their power.

THE MILITARY WIFE.......

2010-10-03T18:40:00.000+05:30

This forward quite nicely sums up the visible part of a military wife (or military spouse, not exactly though). Military wives occupy a very unique position in the military - tonnes of responsibility without any formal authority. However, the military knows how to look after their ladies and thus the lack of formal authority has never stood in the way of them fulfilling their very critical responsibilities, in war and peace.

"The good Lord was creating

A model for military wives

and was into his sixth day of overtime

when an angel appeared.

She said, “Lord, you seem to be having

a lot of trouble with this one

What’s wrong with the standard model?”

The Lord replied,

“Have you seen the specs of this order?

She has to be completely independent,

possess the qualities of both mother and father

be a perfect hostess for four to forty

with a hours notice, run on black coffee

handle every imaginable without a manual

be able to carry on cheerfully,

even if she is pregnant and has the flu,

and she must have six pair of hands.”

The angel shook her head

“Six pair of hands? No way!”

The Lord continued, “Don’t worry,

we will make other military wives to help her

And we will give her an unusually strong heart

so it can swell with pride

in husbands achievements,

sustain the pain of separation

beat soundly when it is overworked and tired

and be large enough to say

“I understand” when she doesn’t

and “I love you” regardless

“Lord”, said the angel, touching his arm gently,

“Go to bed and get some rest,

You can finish this tomorrow”

“I can’t stop now,” Said the Lord

I’m so close to creating something unique

Already this model heals herself when she is sick

can put up six unexpected guest for the weekend

wave good-bye to her husband from a pier

a runway or depot and understand

why it’s important that he leave

The angel circled the model of the military wife

looked at it closely and sighed

“It looks fine, but it’s too soft”

“She may look soft”, replied the Lord

“but she has the strength of a lion

you would not believe what she can endure”

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her fingers

across the cheek of the Lord’s creation

“There’s a leak,” she announced

“Something is wrong with the construction

I’m not surprised that it has cracked.

“You are trying to put too much into this model”

The Lord appeared offended

at the angel’s lack of confidence

“What you see is not a leak,” he said,

“It’s a tear”

A tear” What is it here for?” asked the angel

The Lord replied, “It’s for joy, sadness, pain

disappointment, loneliness, pride and dedication

to all the values that she

and her husband hold dear.”

A BEAUTIFUL HOBBY.....

2010-09-11T01:08:00.000+05:30

.......Photography - something that has helped me start noticing more; slow down; stop, and admire the beauty that is all around.

EVERGREEN QUOTES

2010-08-31T20:32:00.000+05:30

Some forwards just have to find a place on my blog - they are the ones that make a lot of sense to me and thus I wish to put them down here for posterity.

Shakespeare.....

"Never Play With The Feelings Of Others Because You May Win The Game

But The Risk Is That You Will Surely Lose The Person For Life Time".

Napoleon........

"The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people,

But because of the silence of good people!"

Einstein.........

"I am thankful to all those who said NO to me

Its Because of them I did it myself.."

Abraham Lincoln.........

"If friendship is your weakest point then you are the strongest person

in the world"

Shakespeare..........

"Laughing Faces Do Not Mean That There Is Absence Of Sorrow!

But It Means That They Have The Ability To Deal With It".

William Arthur.........

"Opportunities Are Like Sunrises, If You Wait Too Long You Can Miss Them".

Hitler.....

"When You Are In The Light, Everything Follows You,

But When You Enter Into The Dark, Even Your Own Shadow Doesn’t Follow You."

Shakespeare.............

"Coin Always Makes Sound But The Currency Notes Are Always Silent.

So When Your Value Increases Keep Yourself Calm Silent"

Dr Abdul Kalaam........

"It Is Very Easy To Defeat Someone, But It Is Very Hard To Win Someone"

WEEKEND TREAT IN AHMEDABAD

2010-08-29T21:09:00.000+05:30

Its been three months since we first set foot in Ahmedabad on 30 Jun 10. I had come here for a day before I took up this assignment. In that one day and night that I had spent here in early June, I had travelled about 250 kms and had seen that the BJP had lived up to its promise of 'Bijli, Paani and Sadak'. I was to move here from Bangalore and had a lot of reservations - incidentally Bangalore is also ruled by the BJP. I met a few Amdavadis who told me that once you come to this city, you would love it here, and would most definitely settle down here... they said 'everyone does, and so would you'. My wife and I thought about it and since we did not have much to lose - as a matter of fact we would gain a lot, as we were moving North, I agreed to take up this job.

There is something in this city that slowly starts to grow on you. There is a certain vibrancy in the air. Every one, including the auto rickshaw driver, is friendly. Distances are short and there is a happy mix of modernity with traditionalism. Weekends are a treat in this city. Gujjus love to eat and the whole town is out on weekends - restaurants, there are plenty of them, are all full. Every street has regular mobile eating joints - that move in a van - park on the side of the road - about 15 - 20 plastic tables with four chairs each are off loaded and you have the roadside restaurant ready to serve 'dosas', 'chinees', 'momos', 'rajasthani', and any other dish that one can think of. Roads are wide and so these restaurants that start after office hours donot block traffic. People love them - one can see them doing good business.

Ahmedabad is the seventh largest city in India - it is raring to become a metro city - requirement is population over 50 lacs. It is getting there. Gandhinagar is the state capital - a new well planned city - the only city after Chandigarh to be planned from the scratch. It is lush green - specially after the monsoons. It is a treat to travel on the wide 4/ 6 laned highways around Ahmedabad.

This Friday evening I had gone to the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar - the temple is really beautiful; the complex even more so - it is a pity that cameras are not allowed inside after the terrorist attacks on this temple. The temple also has a laser show of about 45 minutes duration - it is a must see for the people who love to watch the latest in technology - this show is really beautiful. However, the contents of the show are even better. I got to know for the first time that 'Bha' in Sanskrit meant 'prakash' or light, and 'rat' meant 'khoj' - so the name 'Bharat' stands for 'in search of the light'. Now that I know, I believe there could be no better name for this country than Bharat. The laser show is spectacular but the message is even more so. A video giving the trailer of the show is available. Enjoy the video now, and if you ever happen to be in Ahmedabad, do not miss the show.

Today I visited another place, 'Adalaj ni vav' - step well in Adalaj. This was built in 1498 - it is a well with steps going right up to the well which is five stories down. The structure is supported on pillars with intricate carvings on all the red sand stone walls. Archaeological Survey of India has declared it a heritage site - but we Indians do not have any time for our heritage - we have so much of it, that it does not attract us any more, me included. Guess when did I first see the Qutub Minar - 1990, although I used to go through Delhi every year. In 1989, I had gone to see the Washington monument - paid $ 8.00 and stood in queue for 2 hours and went up listening to the guide tell us about how the monument was built when there were no cranes, etc. etc., and my thoughts went home to the Minar that was built many centuries before that and I could visit it free, but had never done so. I landed in India in 1990 and first thing that I did was visit the Qutub Minar.

Adalaj ni vav entry is free. There are plenty of visitors now, but sadly the government is slow to understand the potential to earn revenue from the visitors - this revenue can help maintain these sites. Wish we can adopt a public private model to make these sites tourist friendly. I am sure a number of our big business houses would love to take-over and maintain these heritage, sites as per international standards - parking, toilets, guides, dustbins, snacks, water, etc.

A POST AFTER A LONG GAP......

2010-08-22T22:19:00.000+05:30

We visited Sabarmati Ashram last month. I captured some images that struck me and am sure would strike any body who has read, or heard about Gandhi ji. So without any further explanation, I am posting them here for posterity. This photograph of Gandhi ji gives me an impression of the ultimate serenity and peace.

This, the unusual postal address, by itself would be quite unique in the world.

Reading this I am convinced that Gandhi ji knew about his mode of departure from this life.

Some of these images are my attempt at capturing the beauty that is all around us, after Lord Indra has blessed this parched earth with a bountiful monsoon. This year has been good as far as monsoons go.

ON HAPPINESS...........

2010-07-24T15:22:00.000+05:30

This forward was received from a friend...... made a lot of sense to me - an interesting view. The forward is reproduced below.

This story is about a beautiful, expensively dressed lady who complained

to her psychiatrist that she felt that her whole life was empty, it had no meaning.

So, the lady went to visit a counselor to seek out happiness.

The counselor called over the old lady who cleaned the office floors.

The counselor then said to the rich lady"I'm going to ask Mary here

to tell you how she found happiness. All I want you to do is listen to her."

So the old lady put down her broom and sat on a chair and told her story:

"Well, my husband died of malaria and three months later

my only son was killed by a car.

I had nobody... I had nothing left. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat,

I never smiled at anyone, I even thought of taking my own life.

Then one evening a little kitten followed me home from work.

Somehow I felt sorry for that kitten. It was cold outside, so I decided

to let the kitten in. I got it some milk, and the kitten licked the plate clean.

Then it purred and rubbed against my leg and for the first time in months,

I smiled.

Then I stopped to think, if helping a little kitten could make me smile,

maybe doing something for people could make me happy.

So the next day I baked some biscuits and took them to a neighbor

who was sick in bed.

Every day I tried to do something nice for someone.

It made me so happy to see them happy.

Today, I don't know of anybody who sleeps and eats

better than I do.

I've found happiness, by giving it to others."

When she heard that the rich lady cried.

She had everything that money could buy, but

she had lost the things which money cannot buy.

IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS?

2010-07-18T13:59:00.000+05:30

Yesterday's Times of India had a beautiful piece under 'The Speaking Tree' column, titled "Just Around the Corner", written by Jaya Row. She argues that, "You can choose to be happy in the worst of circumstances or be miserable with the best. Happiness is a state of mind. When the mind is tranquil, you are happy". This seems to be the final truth, I too believe. We all know this truth in our heart of hearts, but we get so engrossed in the illusions of the physical world (maaya) that we tend to disregard this fact.

Marketing folks have become so good that they can convince us that so and so cream can make us 'fair and lovely' - our five senses are inundated, and our mind is led totally astray - the magic of skin color changing in seven days on the TV prompts the 'not so fair' ones and the 'not so lovely' ones (who decides that? - myself) to buy that cream in the hope that once they are fair and lovely, things would be, as the ad depicts. A few weeks later we have the 'New and Improved' fair and lovely cream - this one removes blackheads too and cleans every pore deep down. Marketing sells dreams and generates desires in each of us. In the good old days, I was happy listening to 15 minutes of 'hawa mahal' every night at 9:15 pm on a small transistor radio - I now find over 300 tv channels, in colour too, inadequate - to give me the same happiness - if only I could watch it on a 100" LCD life size TV while lying on my bed at just the right angle, in air conditioned comfort. By this logic, anybody who has this should be happy. Is that so?

Each one of us is waiting for something to happen, and feel that once that happens, then I will REALLY be happy - some waiting for a fat paycheck; some for a challenging work environment, and some for a less challenging work environment; some for getting the Green card and some for how they can get back to where they left off; some for that dream car; some for passing that most critical exam; some for the kids to settle, and later for the grand kids to settle, and the list goes on and on. As one item on the list gets ticked, another one crops up. This is something akin to what Maslow referred to as the 'hierarchy of needs' - once the lower needs are satisfied, they stop being motivators, and one moves onto the next level needs.

All the above 'something to happen' desires are the root causes of all this wait for 'being happy'. "I will be really happy, when ......... happens". Our desires are what make us postpone our happiness to a later time and place, and they are what makes our happiness conditional. It has been my experience that as soon as one desire is fulfilled, another one takes its place. My own experience tells me that I have been the happiest when I (my mind) did not exist; when I was so engrossed in my karma that I did not realise that I was doing it - it later felt like a dream and I could never believe that I was capable of doing it. It's happened to me during a trek in Kulu/ Manali, when I felt like a speck of dust, standing in front of the grandest of the grand Himalayas; its happened to me when flying low level over the sea, 300 kms from the coastline - one feels that some other power controls everything that is happening; its happened to me when I have been surrounded by hills and by the green cover or snow over them. In fact every time I have lived in the present moment, when I have been awestruck by something that made me forget my existence, I have been happy. I believe that my mind exists, but only in the past and the future - and this is where my desires exist.

Jaya Row has further stated that happiness is the number of desires fulfilled to the number of desires harboured. Putting this thought mathematically, as a percentage...........

   Number of desires fulfilled
Happiness ( in percentage) = ------------------------------------ X 100
   Total number of desires harboured

However, number of desires fulfilled could be infinite and yet one can never be 100% happy, as long as we have some desires left unfulfilled. The only way to be as happy as can be is to reduce the denominator to zero and then one would be infinitely happy.......or a true yogi?

None of us are yogis, or are ready to become one yet, and so what is best way forward. Firstly, "Do what you enjoy doing" and secondly "enjoy what you do", because doing can only be done in the present moment. Live in the present, and one can be happy.

Management teaches us to plan; results are important, etc., but management never promised us happiness.

Gita teaches us that we have control only on our karma, and not to the fruits thereof.

Is happiness illusive? Or are we looking for it with our minds - the eternal trickster, or guide, depending on how we use it.

Traffic, Diversity, Chaos and Proof that God Exists!

2010-07-09T22:49:00.000+05:30

BEAUTY, IN ANY FORM, IS MESMERISING

2010-06-25T22:25:00.000+05:30

Haven't had much time lately to write posts - had clicked some pictures over the last one month - some pictures that I enjoyed watching - thought I would put them up here.

(click on the images to get a larger view)

Monkeys too enjoy mangoes!

In full bloom

Approaching full moon.

More than half way...

Dusk at 36000 feet during the pre-monsoon season

Dawn is breaking

Ready to spread cheer all around

Cute little bug strolling in the beautiful little flower

Honey bee homing in......

Dripping pollen

Sunset at Ahmedabad - TV tower in the foreground.

Intricate hand crafted designs

LIFE - WHAT REALLY MATTERS...

2010-06-17T08:31:00.000+05:30

I read this saying in the Sacred Space of Times of India this morning. It made a lot of sense.

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you,
as by the attitude you bring to life;
not so much by what happens to you,
as by the way your mind looks at what happens. -----------Kahlil Gibran

As I opened my email, I found this forward......... call it what you may, but they both give the same message. Read on ...... if you may.

Money has no memory. Experience has. we will never know what the total
cost of our education was, but for a lifetime we will recall and relive
the memories of schools and colleges. Few years from now, we will forget
the amount we paid to settle the hospitalization bill, but will ever
cherish having saved our mother's life or the life you get to live with
the just born. We won't remember the cost of our honeymoon, but to the
last breath remember the experiences of the bliss of togetherness.

Money has no memory. Experience has.

Good times and bad times, times of prosperity and times of poverty, times
when the future looked so secure and times when you didn't know from where
the tomorrow will come... life has been in one way or the other a
roller-coaster ride for everyone. Beyond all that abundance and beyond all
that deprivation, what remains is the memory of experiences. Sometimes the
wallet was full... sometimes even the pocket was empty. There was enough
and you still had reasons to frown. There wasn't enough and you still had
reasons to smile. Today, you can look back with tears of gratitude for all
the times you had laughed together, and also look back with a smile at all
the times you cried alone. All in all, life filled you with experiences to
create a history of your own self, and you alone can remember them all.

The first time you balanced yourself on your cycle without support... The
first time she said 'yes' and it was two years since you proposed... The
first cry... the first steps... the first word... the first kiss... all of
your child...
The first gift you bought for your parents and the first gift your
daughter gave you...
The first award... the first public appreciation... the first stage
performance...
And the list is endless... Experiences, with timeless memory...

No denying that anything that's material cost money, but the fact remains
the cost of the experience will be forgotten, but the experience never.

So, what if it's economic recession? Let it be, but let there not be a
recession to the quality of our life. we can still take our parents, if
not on a pilgrimage, at least to the local temple. You can still play with
your children, if not on an international holiday, at least in the local
park. It doesn't cost money to lie down or to take a loved one onto our
lap. Nice time to train the employees, create leadership availability and
be ready for the wonderful times when they arrive. Hey! Aspects like your
health, knowledge development and spiritual growth are not economy
dependent.

Time will pass... economy will revive... currency will soon be in
current... and in all this, lets don't look back and realize that we did
nothing but stayed in gloom. Recession can make us lose out on money. Let
it not make us lose out on experiences... If we are not happy with what we
have, no matter how much more we have, we will still not be happy.

We can make a statement with the way we live our life: How I feel has
nothing to do with how much I have.

Cheers !!!...I have life's Experiences, who needs money....!!?

BEAUTY - IT'S ALL IN THE MIND.

2010-05-19T21:14:00.005+05:30

Ever since I took up photography as a hobby, in preparation for my retirement after a few years, I have started noticing many things that I never had the time to notice before. Mundane things also look beautiful, I realised, if only we looked for it, because it is rightly said that 'beauty is in the eyes of the beholder' or more aptly in one's own mind - the external world is but......just a trigger.

Here are some of my latest exploits with my camera.

(Click on the photographs to view in Large size)

A massive thunderstorm struck Bangalore uprooting many trees, hoardings, poles, and anything else that resisted the massive gale winds. This garage cum residence in our neighbourhood had a big hoarding in the premises - this snapped - it was a sight to see the huge tubular steel column bent, and torn apart. Miraculously no one in the building was injured and the building did not collapse. Two cranes worked overnight to lift the hoarding off the building. A view of the salvage operation captured on camera.

A Passion flower - it is different.....

Some other flowers - don't know the names, clicked them as they looked beautiful to me.

I never realised that a crow in flight could look this beautiful.

Some more flowers in full bloom.

Knock..knock..

A dripping hand towel and the colours refracting through the water-drop.

Full moon shining bright.

LESSON IN TEAM SPIRIT.

2010-05-12T23:51:00.003+05:30

National Defence Academy, 1969 or 1970. We were assembled in the ante-room for our usual evening assembly. Our Cadet Sergeant Major (CSM) walked in - read out all the routine orders and then said that he wanted to speak about something close to his heart. He had a burning desire that our squadron do well in cross country. We were a very laid back squadron, and somehow never made it in the top 50% in cross country. We were all ears to hear what our CSM had to say....

Cross country was a competitive event that was held once in every term, or twice a year. Squadrons had to put up all the able bodied cadets to run the 4.5 kms race that took us across the glider-drome, fields, over the lone tree hill, down the other side, across a road, climb another hill, slightly down again, then run along the sky line and finally down the hill onto the glider drome to finish where we had started. It was gruelling, specially for people like me, who had never done anything like this before joining NDA. The timing was not fixed but was linked to the cadet who arrived first. There were six enclosures put up. The person first in the race went into the first enclosure. The enclosure closed exactly two minutes after his entry. All cadets who made it in those two minutes entered the first enclosure and so on, up to the fifth enclosure; 2 - 4 minutes for the second; 4 - 6 mts for the third; 6 - 8 mts for the fourth; 8 - 10 mts for the fifth; and finally all the laggards like me would be herded in to the last enclosure. Each enclosure was allotted certain points and the number of cadets of each squadron in every enclosure were counted and this number was multiplied with the points for the enclosure. This was done for each enclosure and the final total was calculated for each squadron - the squadron with the highest points was the winner, and so on.

Cross country was considered to be an important event and all twelve squadrons would practice very hard, Sunday being the favourite day for practice. Each squadron would don the squadron vest and it was a treat to watch about 1400 cadets in twelve different coloured vests, with white shorts and drill boots run the cross country. We also had horses riding along side, just in case of any problems. The event was well organised in typical Army style.

Our CSM gave us a short motivational talk about how it was important for us to do well in cross country... we had heard that earlier, but somehow we had resigned ourselves to being in the bottom half of the pile. He next told us something that was different. He said, "Gentlemen each one of you is wearing the squadron colours on that day, and it is your duty and responsibility to do your best to ensure that our squadron colours are seen in the top half of the pile". He further stated that, "when anyone sees anyone wearing an India squadron vest walking, it is his responsibility to tap him lightly on the shoulder, and it is the duty of the person who is being tapped to run for ten steps at least thereafter". This sounded simple, and do-able.

On the day of the cross country, each one of us ran through the glider drome, across the road, up the lone tree hill, down the hill, across the road and this is where most people like me ran out breath. I started to walk... light tap... ran ten steps... found an India squadron vest walking.... I tap him, he runs... I start walking.... tap, I run, I tap, and so on......for every one the feeling was that I should not be the one to let my squadron down. Each one of us did our bit. I ran most of the route, along which I would have normally walked.

The result was that I ended up in the fourth enclosure for the firs time. Many others like me also had jumped at least two enclosures from their normal best. Our squadron ended up fourth in cross country that term. We rejoiced for having broken our poor record, and it was soon forgotten, or so I thought. However, this lesson always stayed with me - there was no forcing us, just a suggestion, a do-able plan of action (just run for ten steps, when tapped)and the desire of every one to live up to one's responsibilities, and to perform one's duties. Each one of us did our part and the results were there for all of us to see.....

Was this a display of team spirit/ team work? I do believe so.

THE POWER OF MERE WORDS......

2010-05-07T22:22:00.003+05:30

I was taught as a child that words are very powerful, and should be used with care. As a child, I generally stuck to this advice. However, somewhere down the line, while growing up, I seem to have forgotten this advice and started to use words as they came to my mind. I always spoke my mind, without caring for the words that came out of my mouth. I started to feel that words had no power, even though many a times I could see them affecting others around me... adversely or positively. My parents had taught me the Gayatri Mantra as a child. As a child I could overcome any problem by just reciting this wondrous mantra. I had never questioned the power of this mantra, but as I grew up, doubts began to form in my mind about how a mantra could be powerful... rationality had started to overtake faith, until.......

One day in 1995. A Swami from the Ramakrishna mission had been invited to speak to the Army officers from the Madras Regiment in the staff college auditorium. We were also extended the invitation, which was of course voluntary, as the fauj believes in being religion neutral. During this talk the Swamiji was trying to explain to all of us the power of the word 'Om'. Looking at our faces, he decided to give us an example about the power of the word. This example had a profound impact on me. He said......

"Suppose you are at home and the telephone rings. You pick up the receiver and the person on the other side asks you if you are so-and-so. On your saying 'yes', he tells you, 'I am calling from xyz hospital and I am sorry to inform you that your father is no more'. What happens? You break down, and start to cry. A little later the phone rings again. The same person is on the line again. He says, 'I called you a little while ago and gave you some bad news. I am extremely sorry but that news was incorrect - it was not your father who expired, it was the person on the bed next to your father who expired. Sorry again'. You suddenly feel relieved and the sadness vanishes immediately". After this he asked us a rhetorical question. "What had transpired - nothing but a few words, and these little words had the power to change you completely". This example has stayed with me - it always reminds me that words are potent as they are the expression or containers of ideas, emotions, feelings and can affect people to think, speak and act in many different ways and thus should be used with care.

The power of words can also be judged from one word, 'Swaraj'. A very simple word indeed - 'self rule'. It was, and is, a very positive word and had the power to transform the minds of millions of Indians; who thought of this possibility, spoke about it, wrote about it and then got together to act against the British rule, eventually leading to the independence of India.

Every word is a container of thoughts, emotions, feelings, and more. Positive words can have a very positive impact and negative words can be very damaging - these are also not easily forgotten. Have you ever been publicly praised or ridiculed in front of co-workers, family or friends? If yes, have you forgotten it? Never would most likely be your answer. That then is the power of words. Many years later, the thought of such an ordeal can still bring up the same emotions that one felt then.

I somehow am very averse to negative thoughts and words and try to stay away from people who are prone to use them - negativity can, and is damaging.

We Indians are probably a unique people. We love our motherland dearly but would do anything in our powers to criticise everything that happens here. We call it constructive criticism. I believe constructive criticism would focus on 'how' to improve, rather than 'what' is wrong with us. We all know what is wrong - corruption, poverty, politicians, etc. Even when some good happens we the people, our media and bloggers generally ignore it and focus instead on the negatives. We use negative thoughts and words and that leads to an endless chain of negativity.

Can we instead build an endless chain of positive thoughts and words about our country. Our politicians and bureaucrats are a miniscule part of the 1.1 billion that we are. How can we blame all of our ills on them then.

When we change, change would happen automatically in every facet of our country - including our politicians. Let us think and speak positively about our country and see the transformation in every thing around us. Let's believe in the power of the word, and try it for a change. We have nothing to lose.

I picked up a few quotes on the power of words that I would like to put down for easy reference - they make a lot of sense to me.

- Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill. --Buddha

- The language we use to communicate with one another is like a knife. In the hands of a careful and skilled surgeon, a knife can work to do great good. But in the hands of a careless or ignorant person, a knife can cause great harm.”
Exactly as it is with our words. -- Source Unknown

- Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are endless.
Mother Theresa(1910-1997)

- Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny. --
From freethechildren.org

- Kind words can warm for three winters, while harsh words can chill even in the heat of summer. -- Chinese proverb

- You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime. -- Dale Carnegie

- Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world. -- Buddha

- Words are the most powerful thing in the universe... Words are containers. They contain faith, or fear, and they produce after their kind. -- Charles Capps

WHAT IS EDUCATION......?

2010-05-05T23:11:00.004+05:30

This post has been triggered after reading a beautiful post written by a University Professor from Chandigarh on what "Education is.. and is not....".

What is education? This is a very complex question, and would be answered differently by different individuals. How do you define 'education'? How do we plan to 'educate' our next generation? Is 'earning a living' the sole purpose of education? Are we giving the right kind of education to our next generation? Who is responsible to provide the 'education' - the parents, the teachers, the society, the individual or the state or each one of them?

I read a few interesting quotes on education that I am reproducing below.

• Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.....Will Durant.

• Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man. Like fire in a piece of flint, knowledge exists in the mind. Suggestion is the friction; which brings it out......Swami Vivekananda

• By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man’s body, mind and spirit...........Mahatma Gandhi

• The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.....Rabindranath Tagore

• Education is something, which makes a man self-reliant and self-less.
Rigveda

• Education according to Indian tradition is not merely a means of earning a living; nor it is only a nursery of thought or a school for citizenship. It is initiation into the life of spirit and training of human souls in the pursuit of truth and the practice of virtue..........Radhakrishnan

• Education develops in the body and soul of the pupil all the beauty and all the perfection he is capable of......Plato

• Education is the creation of sound mind in a sound body. It develops man’s faculty specially his mind so that he may be able to enjoy the contemplation of supreme truth, goodness and beauty.......Aristotle

• Education is the child’s development from within.....Rousseau

• Education is enfoldment of what is already enfolded in the germ. It is the process through which the child makes the internal-external..........Froebel

• Education is not a preparation for life, rather it is the living. Education is the process of living through a continuous reconstruction of experiences. It is the development of all those capacities in the individual which will enable him to control his environment and fulfil his possibilities........John Dewey

• Education is the complete development of the individuality of the child so that he can make an original contribution to human life according to the best of his capacity.........T.P.Nunn

MARRIAGE - DON'T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY........

2010-04-27T21:30:00.003+05:30

This is a good forward that I received from a friend... who is a grandfather like me. Good for laughs...... it's best to laugh at oneself (wife is ardhangini (better half), and thus technically a part of you), you donot offend anyone that way.

Husband: Do you know the meaning of WIFE?

It means, Without Information, Fighting Every time!

Wife: No darling, it means,

With Idiot For Ever

************

Wife: I wish I was a newspaper,

So I'd be in your hands all day.

Husband: I too wish that you were a newspaper,

So I could have a new one everyday.

************

Doctor: Your husband needs rest and peace. Here are some sleeping

Pills.

Wife: When must I give them to him?

Doctor: They are for you

************

Wife: I had to marry you to find out how stupid you are.

Husband: You should have known it the minute

I asked you to marry me.

************

Husband: Today is Sunday & I have to enjoy it.

So I bought 3 movie tickets.

Wife: Why Three?

Husband: For you and your parents

************

Wife: What will you give me if I climb the great Mount Everest?

Husband: A lovely Push...!!!

************

Q: What is the most effective way to remember your wife's birthday?

A: Just forget it once and you will never forget it again

************

After a quarrel, a wife said to her husband,

You know, I was a fool when I married you.

The husband replied, "Yes dear, but I was in love and didn't notice

CHOTIWALA RESTAURANT AT RISHIKESH

2010-04-24T21:33:00.004+05:30

Let's go and have 'puri halwa' at Chotiwala's this morning, said my wife. She told me that as children, Chotiwala was their favourite joint for puri halwa in Rishikesh. So off we went across the Ram jhula to the Eastern bank of the Ganges to find the Chotiwala restaurant.
A view of the Ram Jhula by night.
The restaurant was just about opening - workers were still cleaning the place, as it was rather early in the morning. On inquiry, they told us that the place was open. We sat down but were disappointed when we learnt that they had discontinued puri halwa as there was no demand for the product, as people had now become health conscious.

We ordered a chana bhatura and puri aloo for breakfast. While we were waiting for our food, Poonam who was facing the kitchen door, remarked that the kitchen of the restaurant is very clean. A server then brought out a platter with all possible kinds of food and positioned it in the hands of the chotiwala statue in the display (photograph below shows the platter).
In a short while our food was served and we started eating. Immediately thereafter I heard a gentle clap and there was sudden activity in the restaurant. Our waiter hurriedly came and placed a dish containing green chillies and cut onions, which is part of a chana bhatura dish, but had been missed by our server. I remarked to Poonam that this guy looks like the owner. It so happened that the gentleman who had walked in was Shailesh Agarwal, the owner of this Chotiwala restaurant. Poonam congratulated him on the clean kitchen; he was pleased, and asked if he could join us at our table. He then pulled a chair and sat down with us at our table. We got talking and he told us about how the restaurant was started by his father in 1958. It was fascinating to hear Shailesh's story about the concept of Chotiwala and its positioning as a brand name in Rishikesh. As per Shailesh........

In 1958, Rishikesh was one of the important transit points for people from all over who were on the 'char dhaam' yatra, which includes Badrinath. This pilgrimage would take months and people would miss their home cooked food. The elder Agarwal listened to the woes of many a traveller of how they missed home made food.. and thus the concept took shape in his brain. Why not provide people with food that is similar to home cooked food, with minimal spices and oil. Also, he concieved of four types of thali, viz. North Indian, Gujrati, South Indian and the Bengali thali, to cater for the people coming from different parts of the country. In those days when people undertook the char dhaam yatra, they were required to eat food cooked by Brahmins only. These Brahmin cooks were known as Maharaj in UP, and thus chotiwala was born. In those days only Maharaj's used to cook in Chotiwala. Of course, these days the cooks are not necessarily Brahmin, as times have changed.

Chotiwala and Rishikesh have become synonymous and thus the second generation of Agarwal cousins, Dinesh and Shailesh have been fighting over the brand, after having split the original large restaurant into two relatively smaller, though still good sized, side-by-side Chotiwala restaurants, after the passing away of the senior Agarwal in the mid-1990s. Shailesh told us that he continues with the thali even today. He planned to introduce oil-less food also shortly, based on customer demand. The thali at this Chotiwala restaurant costs Rs. 75.00 in the regular restaurant; and more in the airconditioned section, which opens later in the day. It was a treat to listen to Shailesh talk about the restaurant; its history and its future. He rightly said that this business was his passion and it showed in his words, and emotions. He told us that his restaurant serves thalis from Rs. 75 to 200 normally, but have catered for a Piramal group conference at Rs. 2000 a plate... this is more than what a buffet costs in a 5-star hotel.

We enjoyed our food but more than that, I enjoyed listening to someone who is passionate about what he does. I was so impressed by what and how he narrated his thoughts to us that I told Shailesh that I would be blogging about this, and that is the reason for this post - I had to live up to my word; Shailesh's passion had to be put down in words.

TRYING TO UNDERSTAND DESTINY AND KARMA

2010-04-21T20:30:00.003+05:30

What you meet in life is destiny,
How you meet it is self effort (karma).........Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

I received the following as a forward and would appeal to the followers of Gyan yoga. Is the meaning any different from the meaning of the two line quote above?

"What is this rule?(Author-Stephen covey)10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light., but you can control your reaction.

Let's use an example.

You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened. What happens when the next will be determined by how you react.

You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus.

Your spouse must leave immediately for work.

You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying good-bye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home.

When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.
Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?

B) Did your daughter cause it?

C) Did the policeman cause it?

D) Did you cause it?

The answer is " D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves.

You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having. Notice the difference?

Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.

Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90%
was determined by your reaction. Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle.

If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day.

A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it".

Are we any wiser???

RISHIKESH - ADVENTURES FOR THE SPIRIT....AND BODY TOO!!!

2010-04-18T12:03:00.008+05:30

We, my wife and I, were to drive back from Chandigarh to Delhi over the weekend ending 11 Apr 10, and we had some time to spare. A day before the return we decided to drive to Delhi, via Rishikesh. The last time I had visited Rishikesh was in 1992, and this place where the Ganga emerges from the hills had left a spellbinding impact on me. I always wanted to return but never had the chance to do so, due to other more important pre-occupations. This was a golden opportunity and I did not want to miss it. I am not the religious kind but do enjoy being alone in the lap of nature in the hills, or close to them.

Rishikesh in September 1992 was nature personified.. hills, water in the form of the Ganga, trees, flora, birds, fish, and the all present air of mysticism. Sadhus and Ashrams abounded but they were minus the commercial aspects of Haridwar. After this visit in 1992, I could always visualise, in my mind's eye, standing on the centre of the 'Ram jhoola' and watching the beautiful, svelte, rapid Ganga emanating from a narrow hilly gorge onto the plains and slowing and expanding to fill the land between the Ashrams on one bank (Eastern banks) and the Haridwar - Rishikesh - Joshimath road on the Western bank. It was magical to watch the sun rise from behind the hills from where the Ganga emerged.
(click on the photographs for a larger view)
Sun rise from behind the hills - with the Ram jhoola, the Marine Drive and Ganga in the foreground.

Rishikesh had given a huge solace to me on this trip in 1992, and thus, the memory of this trip had always stayed with me. It was on this trip that I had for the first time read the literal translation in English of the Bhagwad Gita shloks (verses) from cover to cover in the pocket size edition of the Gita in one sitting and felt its huge uplifting impact on me. We entered Rishikesh with this background in my mind, on 09th evening.

Poonam's uncle had been to Rishikesh a few days earlier and advised us to not miss the Ganga Aarti at the Parmarth Niketan ashram.

Ganga view from the Parmarth Niketan ashram

Parmarth Niketan ashram across the Ganga - view from our room's window

We managed to reach the ashram in time to attend the Aarti, but not in time for accommodation.

The Aarti, and the bhajans that followed, was a very sublime experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it. This finished at about 7 pm and we started hunting for a place to stay but could not find any place in the now greatly expanded and commercial ashrams, hotels and guest houses - all due to the 'Kumbh' mela, I believe. Finally we stayed at a guest house where the only thing that was worth mentioning was a comfortable bed for the night. We were to drive out the next morning and so we just tucked in after a hectic day.

The next morning we were strolling down the 'Marine drive' on the western banks of the Ganges. I did not want to miss this opportunity to have 'Ganga shnaan' in the

clear, cold water of the Ganga and thus stripped down to my trunks and waded in. The water felt nice and I had a good dip in the Ganga. I had to come out after some time as my feet had gone cold. It was very peaceful and blissful and we decided that we could stay for another night, only if we could find some decent place to stay with the balcony, or window, overlooking the Ganga. We found one guest house that had balconies and windows overlooking the Ganga, as we had wanted. On inquiry, we found place there. We immediately moved out of our earlier place into this guest house and booked ourselves for white water rafting down the Ganges from Shivpuri to Rishikesh,
Shivpuri - the launch point for our white water rafting experience.

a stretch of 18 kms with 7 rapids along the way. The total trip would be about 3 hours, which included driving to Shivpuri in the Tata Sumo and then rafting down. We wanted to start at 2 pm so that we could be in time for the Aarti.

All set - let's go, as soon as I get my helmet.

The white water rafting trip went exactly as per plan - it took me sometime to convince Poonam though, on doing this adventure trip. She was not convinced, stating that she was 50 years and this was when I clinched the deal with, "At this age you have nothing to lose". Credit must go to her - she agreed, BUT not before making me promise that if anything happens to her - "please tell my kids, my mother and my brother that she loved them, etc."

Are you sure this is going to be alright? - last minute clarifications!!

We negotiated rapids with exotic names like Roller Coaster (Grade-4), Golf Course (Grade-4), Double Trouble, Club House, Hilton, Initiation and Terminator. The rubberised raft had place for 10 + 2 and we were 9 + 2. Poonam was given the centre front seat to keep her fears at bay and the rest of us were plonked on the sides with paddles in hand. It was a wonderful experience and Poonam too said that she enjoyed it BUT only after it was all over. One 30 year old man wanted to be let off the raft after the second rapid as he was really scared. Somehow he managed to stick on and completed the trip. I enjoyed myself with the the rapids, paddling, going overboard, swimming in the Ganga and cliff jumping off an approx 6 metre high cliff.

Atop the 6 metre cliff - Ready for the jump.

Climbing out of the icy cold water, after the 20 ft high cliff jump

We made it in time for the evening Aarti and had a good night's rest before leaving the next morning for Delhi. All in all it was a sublime and, also, thrilling experience, and is recommended for those who want to have some adventure in the spiritual and physical planes. The trip to Rishikesh provided relaxation to us for both the soul and the body.

BHARAT - GUR (JAGGERY) MAKING.

2010-04-13T10:36:00.007+05:30

We were driving back by car from Rishikesh to Delhi on 11 Apr 10. Short of Haridwar, the traffic was diverted to avoid the ingress routes to Haridwar because of the Kumbh mela, and the huge crowd of devotees that had congregated there. We travelled across the Ganga on to the opposite bank - through the wild life sanctuary on the foothills of the Himalayas, and finally made our way through the lesser travelled roads to intercept the Haridwar - Delhi highway at Bijnore.

A view of the Ganga; Haridwar on the other bank and the Vaishno Devi temple on top of the hill. (Click on the image to get a larger view).

This journey had its own charm, although it did increase our travel time. I call these older roads as roads with some history and character; away from the modern four lane highways being built with all effort to avoid humans and nature. Interesting sights included flora, fauna and signboards warning you "Elephant crossing path" and "Lookout for animals".

We drove on the sugarcane belt of Uttar Pradesh and I witnessed a lot of bullock carts, tractors (some covering both lanes of the road), trucks loaded with sugarcane driving past. I thought they were heading to some sugar factory and dismissed them for a while until I saw a jaggery making unit on the roadside. It reminded me of the time when as a little boy in the early 60s I had spent 6 months in Dinanagar - a village in Punjab on the Pathankot - Amritsar highway.

We had finished our schools (ICSE) in December and were to join CBSE starting in July and were thus spending six months with my maternal grand parents. Having lived in the cities, our excitement was to bathe in the stream or under the pump in the fields; gorge sugarcanes; fly kites on rooftops; drink milk boiled on cowdung cakes from the 'kade' wala glass; and many such typically rural Punjabi activities - I am not sure if these still exist in present day rural Punjab.

On a few occasions we city kids were invited to the 'gur' (jaggery) making 'kolhus' (crushers) to partake of the hot 'gur' being made. It always tasted very good - and this taste stayed with me, I guess. And so I stopped at the next one and bought some hot 'gur'. While there I interacted with the people there; took some photographs of what goes into making 'gur'. It was interesting to watch that nothing much had changed in the procedure for making 'gur' except for the fact that the bullocks that used to drive the 'kohlu' had been replaced with a diesel operated crusher - everything else remains the same, even after nearly 50 years. These units are really small scale and service a small segment of the sugarcane sector.

The procedure is pretty simple and captured in photographs. 'Gur' I believe has many health benefits over the white sugar that we consume. More on that
here.

Sugarcane growing in the field.

Transportation of cut sugarcane by a tractor trailer to the 'gur-making' unit.

Another mode of transportation; off loading at the 'gur-making' unit.

Weighing of the sugarcane - payment to the farmer is by weight.

Diesel operated crushing unit. The juice is stored in cans for sedimentation purposes; sieved and put in the first pan and the leftover solid material after crushing the sugarcane, called bagasse, is dried in the sun and used as fuel to heat the pans.

Stirring the pan filled with sieved sugarcane juice.

'Bagasse' is used to light the fire under the large pans.

The juice is moved from the right to the left pan - colder to hotter pans. In the left most pan the juice boils; vegetable clarifiers are added that help bring the impurities to the top and can be skimmed off. Organic process; No chemicals are used unlike in the making of crystal white sugar.

At a certain consistency, known through experience, the semi solid, hot, 'gur' is given its shape either by hand or through the use of containers. As it cools down it solidifies. Eating raw hot 'gur' is a treat and worth trying for those who have not done it yet. It also helps bring us Indians closer to our countrymen that live in Bharat.

THOUGHTS ON HAPPINESS.....

2010-03-27T18:03:00.004+05:30

Yesterday's Times of India had some quotes on happiness, two of which made a lot of sense to me - I am putting them down here for easy reference; and also a few more that I found along the way.

If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator.

- W. Beran Wolfe

Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.

- Mahatma Gandhi

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognising and appreciating what we do have.

- Frederick Keonig

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.

- Mark Twain

It's pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness. Poverty and wealth have both failed.

- Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

- Dalai Lama

Happiness is thus more about the self than about material possessions though it is also said that, "Money does not buy one happiness, but gives one the opportunity to look for it in peace". What are your thoughts?

NATURE AT WORK - ON ASSIGNED TASK, WITHOUT QUESTIONS!

2010-03-17T10:23:00.006+05:30

Collecting nectar and pollen too!!

Nectar and colours attract me - and I help move pollen around!

Swoop, grab, and fly away with my breakfast.

I didn't know that Eagles also swoop on fish!

Don't disturb - I am nesting.

My friend, the bee is busy and it makes me happy!

Flowering for my winged friends! Spring is in the air.

On guard - at my nest - life is precious!

I rise every morning - on time - without fail - nothing holds me back - I do my task irrespective of clouds, fog or foliage!

Nature's example is worth emulating by us humans: Everything has a time and a place and has to happen like clockwork; we all know our role and we need to live upto it, without irrelevant questions and rationalisations.

SOMETHING FISHY - EARLY IN THE MORNING.

2010-03-13T22:22:00.005+05:30

This lake is very close to where I live and I had gone there for an early morning walk on the raised mud bund on the side of the lake. These kids had strung a net all along one side of this lake - a distance of about a kilometre.

(click on the image to get a larger view)

Their first catch of the day.

One kid paddling the contraption (Coracle) forward and the other retrieving the net.

They have caught one more and have become aware that I am photographing them. Their quizzical, innocent smiles...

They hold up their next catch for me to witness.

They are busy - more catches - earning a living, or is it child labour? Should they have been getting ready to go to school? After retrieving the net and the fish catch for the entire length of the lake, they relaid the net on the way back - I saw their parents doing the same round in the evening.

THOSE THREE LITTLE WORDS.....

2010-03-10T10:54:00.004+05:30

Sorry.... you got me wrong. Those three little words are not 'I Love you' or 'Oh my God' but rather the words that my wife uses very often and which generally confuse the hell out of me. These three confusing words are - 'Whatever', 'Anything' and the best one, 'You decide' (Two words but generally spoken as one, to give you the impression that YOU ARE THE BOSS).

We, my wife and I, come from different planets... I have been told by some successful, practicing psychologists/ psychiatrists. Someone hit the nail on the head when he put this familiar conversation down in words.. I had heard similar statements from my best half.... but thought it was just her that does this - to me.... but when I received this forward, I realised that this PROBABLY is a universal phenomenon. Please read and let me know if this actually happens with you too.

Act 1

Men: What should we have for dinner?
Women: Whatever..
Men: Why don't we have Mexican?
Women: No not Mexican, the last time i got pimples on my face
Men: Alright, why don't we have Szechwan cuisine
Women: Yesterday we ate Szechwan, today too?
Men: Hmm..... I suggest we have seafood
Women: Seafood is not good, I got diarrhea
Men: Then what do you suggest?
Women : Whatever..

Act 2

Men: So what should we do now?
Women: Anything
Men: How about watching a movie? It's been a long time
Women: Watching movie is no good, it's a waste of time
Men: How about we go for bowling, or some exercises?
Women: Exercise on such a hot day?
Men: Then find a cafe and have a drink
Women: I am off caffeine
Men: Then what do you suggest?
Women: Anything

Act 3

Men: Then do we just go home?
Women: You decide
Men: Let's take the bus, I will accompany you
Women: The bus is dirty and crowded.
Men: OK; we will take a cab
Women: Not worth it... for such a short distance
Men: All right, then we can walk. We can enjoy the weather
Women: I am hungry, can't walk.
Men: Then what do you suggest?
Women: You decide
Men: Let's have dinner first?
Women: Whatever...
Men: What shall we eat?
Women: Anything..

With regards and best wishes to the beings from the friendly planet Venus.

NATURE THRU MY CAMERA...

2010-02-22T20:22:00.005+05:30

I really enjoyed clicking these photographs of the sun ... the powerful sun can also be hidden by some critically positioned leaves... but it still sneaks through..... with the brilliance of a star.

click on the photograph to get a better view.

Moon sharing the sky with the sun. Most of us believe that the moon only rises at night... does it? We never notice it during the day, or maybe very rarely. Little known trivia....Sunrise and moonrise are at the same time on new moon day and moonrise is at sunset time on full moon day. I did not know this till very late in my life, not that it made any difference to my life.

The wavy appearance on the stones is the sunlight refracting through the waves on the water.... I did not know how to capture the waves and the refraction at the same time... anyone any ideas?

MY EXPERIMENTS WITH PHOTOGRAPHY!

2010-02-20T09:46:00.006+05:30

Ever since I first held a digital camera in my hand in 2003, I have been sold on photography - the reason is not far to seek - the cameras are so capable that one doesn't have to do anything. I have been clicking away with gay abandon and keep admiring the results. I never did realise that there is more to photography than just point and click. To me photography has always meant capturing moments for reliving them at leisure when one has nothing better to do. They say a photograph is worth a thousand words... why write a thousand words when one can make do with one click of a button.

I was leafing through a photography book yesterday, and read some words of wisdom there. It said that one needs to understand the three important basics before one can aspire to click a good photograph. These are, the subject, the composition of the picture, and the lighting. I wanted to put this advice to good use and thought of taking pictures of the sunset. I love sunsets - the various hues and colours that are splattered on everything around, by the setting sun, are sometimes absolutely breathtaking. I had gone for a walk this evening, and the sun was at its Western most travel, just about touching the horizon. I started taking pictures with various subjects and compositions - I did not do anything about the lighting, except select the camera to 'sunset' mode. I tried the upper 1/3rd, bottom 1/3rd and also some close-ups too.

I started to click at 17:52, when the sun was just about vanishing below the horizon and continued to click upto 18:18, during the entire twilight period. The results are reproduced - your opinions are solicited.

click on the photographs to get a larger view

There is a small wooded area behind the house in which there is some wildlife in the form of squirrels, birds, cats and a few other species. These three squirrels keep playing around in this area throughout the day. About once a day these come and play around in the backyard of the house. I caught these squirrels on camera.. the first one is licking an icicle, and the other one resting with the bushy tail vertically up resting against a branch... probably trying to shield the body from the cold wind that was blowing that morning.

Now that you have admired my photography skills, could you please tell me if I should concentrate on wild life photograhy or nature?

Forbes India: Why India's CEOs want Government jobs

2010-02-17T09:59:00.003+05:30

I chanced upon this really interesting cover story by Forbes India. I was elated to read this 4 page story. I am reproducing the first page with a link to the story, at the bottom of this post. We only get to see and hear about the ills of our government. It is good once in a while to read about what people who strongly feel about 'making a difference' are actually doing. This is the story of Dr. M M Singh and his team and the roping in of private industry stalwarts like Arun Maira, Nandan Nilekani, Shailesh Gandhi and Raghu Raman. Will they be able to make a difference in the lives of common citizens? Some of them are already doing it, and I do wish them well and pray that their breed continues to grow. The cover story by 'Malini Goyal' follows: -

ARUN MAIRA

The Mission: Member, Planning Commission. To help the government evolve better policies on urbanisation and industrialisation.

The Difference He Makes: As a consultant, he can locate systemic problems and provide solutions. He is already helping the Planning Commission overcome its inward-looking mindset and open up to feedback from the outer world.

Key Insight “The biggest thing that hits you here is the scale. Anything that you do affects millions of people.”

THE INVITATION

Arun Maira was on a holiday with his wife. He was on a train in Prague when his phone began to buzz. In normal course, he would have been hard-pressed to recognize the caller’s soft, gentle voice amid the rattle and roll of the express train. It was the Indian Prime Minister on the line. Maira had been alerted about it just 15 minutes earlier. In fact, his idyllic vacation had suddenly turned topsy-turvy that morning with an urgent mail and a call from his college batch-mate and deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Ahluwalia had come to the point straightaway. “The PM would like you to join the Planning Commission. You have rich experience in industry.” Both surprised and taken aback, Maira enquired politely, “It is an honour. Tell me who thought of me.”

“The PM asked for you himself,” Ahluwalia said. “He would personally like to invite you. I am sorry to bother you on your vacation. But are you okay to take a call from him?”

Maira was glad to agree but since he was out sight-seeing, he asked for enough time to rush back to the hotel. But not even 15 minutes had passed when the PM’s call came through. “Arunji, would you accept the invitation to the Planning Commission?” Dr. Manmohan Singh asked. “We need growth which is much more inclusive.” The PM also told Maira he would have a minister’s rank as a planning commission member.

Shailesh Gandhi got his wake-up call some five years ago. Till then, he was running a successful packaging firm with more than 500 employees and a clientele that included many blue-chips. Then one day, an alumni meet changed everything for him. One of his professors chided him: “You used to be so critical about the society. What now? Things have only gotten worse. What have you done?” It tugged at his conscience. By 2003, he had sold off his business and become a Right-to-Information (RTI) activist. He reckoned he could shine the spotlight on governments and force them to be more transparent and improve their performance.

In August 2008, Gandhi heard from his activist friend Arvind Kejriwal. The Manmohan Singh government was appointing four information commissioners. “Why don’t we nominate four, five names from civil society?” Kejriwal asked. Gandhi’s name was one of them. One day, he got a call from Prithviraj Chauhan, minister of state in the PM’s office, inviting him to come on board. He agreed. “Why not be an insider and make a bigger difference rather than just criticising from the outside?” he asks.

In June last year, military veteran Raghu Raman felt he had finally got the break he had always aspired for. He became the CEO of Mahindra Defence Land Systems, a Mahindra-British Aerospace joint venture, a position he had coveted for long. Raman joined M&M in the 1990s and seeded its security business in 2000. Instinct told him it was the right place and the right time to be in, given the growing security awareness around the country. “Everything felt just perfect,” he said.

The moment didn’t last long. In the wake of the 26/11 terror attacks, the government decided to set up a national grid that would link up all the intelligence agencies in the country, under the leadership of Home Minister P Chidambaram. Raman was one of the candidates being vetted by the government to head the NatGrid.

For a while he could not make up his mind. Of course, there was no comparison between the government job and the M&M assignment in terms of money and perks. Besides, taking a plunge would mean giving up the thrill of leading a growing company. Speaking to friends didn’t help. “Some said I am mad to even consider a government offer,” he recalls. Others thought it was a great opportunity. For a while he was torn. But his employers were supportive: “Where is the doubt? You have been called for national service. It’s an honour,” a proud Keshub Mahindra, the chairman, told him.

The government took its time to vet the candidates and complete its due diligence for the critical position. It also gave Raman time to make up his mind. “Once I gave my commitment, the clarity emerged. The amount of difference a civil servant can make [to the country] is of a different caliber altogether.”

NANDAN NILEKANI

The Mission: To launch the world’s most ambitious national identity project.

The Difference He Makes: Renowned networking specialist. Understands building consensus is the first step to bringing big change.

Key Insight: “It is just that the processes here have more cholesterol in them than we are used to. I am not unduly worried about it. That’s a legitimate part of democratic process.”

Nandan Nilekani got his call from the PM towards the end of May 2009. Singh first offered him a Planning Commission job, but Nilekani said he was interested in a more independent role where he could make a larger impact. Leaving Infosys would be a big decision and he could do that only for a challenging assignment. The PM asked him to meet him in Delhi two weeks later.

When told about this, the co-founders of Infosys agreed that this was a significant opportunity for Nilekani and gave their assent without any hesitation.

On June 15, he met the PM privately at his 7, Race Course Road. The meeting lasted half an hour. Singh offered him the role of Chairman, Unique Identity Authority of India, with a cabinet minister’s rank. He would report to the PM and have the freedom to bring the best minds from outside for the project.

Within 10 days, Singh cleared the papers and informed the Cabinet. Within a month, Nilekani was on board.

THE BEGINNING

Maira’s first day at work turned out to be a huge culture shock. He has been given a modest but spacious office at the commission’s headquarters, Yojana Bhawan, replete with a big dining table and the familiar red-green lights outside his room.

Continued at the original site here.

FEAR AND COURAGE....

2010-02-10T04:18:00.004+05:30

Our grand daughter got up this morning and came right up to the top of the staircase, stood there and called for us. We were both sitting on the mainfloor and she was on the upper floor, in the bedroom. She has learnt how to climb the stairs on all fours but is still not comfortable doing the reverse, and that is why she called (she can call without speaking, and seems to be pretty good at communicating without words - who said one needs words to communicate). We were both discussing that she is scared and does not do anything that she is not comfortable doing, without an adult being present. We call her intelligent enough to know this distinction; I suppose this is God's gift to every parent, to prevent the many mishaps that can happen to a child in day-to-day living. This triggered me to read about fear and courage.

I was looking up the meaning of the word 'courage'. Dictionary.com defines courage as the "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear". I somehow have a hard time convincing myself that courage has something to do with - 'without fear'. I believe that courage has more to do with overcoming the fear, and still doing what one believes to be the right thing. Courage could be physical or mental. When I look back at my life, my acts of physical courage have been when I was in the grip of fear. I will leave out moral courage for another time. Courage, I believe, is only called for when one is fearful as one requires courage to overcome one's fears; to me, a person without fear is not normal. What do you think?

I looked up many of the definitions of the word 'fear' online and found some subtle differences in the meanings. Looking back I could recollect certain incidents in my life when I was scared. These happened at different ages. Before narrating these incidents, let me give you a definition of fear from this source.

Fear is "A painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger; apprehension; anxiety; solicitude; alarm; dread. The degrees of this passion, beginning with the most moderate, may be thus expressed, -- apprehension, fear, dread, fright, terror".

As a child (age - 5 years), I was very fond of watching 'Tarzan' and other children's movies. A movie hall close to our home used to screen these movies but the timings were a little late in the evening so that by the time movie ended it would normally be dark. My father would drop me for the movie and pick me up. One day my father said that you should be able to return on my own after the movie and I agreed with him. These were the late 50s and traffic and other present day issues were non-existent then. Our home, I believe, was about 1.5 kms from the hall. I can still recollect the first time I traversed this distance alone at night. The movie ended... I hurried out, and stood on the road under the street light, in the direction towards my home. As soon as some adults started walking in that direction, I too followed them at a respectable distance. This continued until they all turned in a different direction... I again waited under the street light towards my home, for the next set of people and followed them until they too turned away from the direction of my home. Now I could see no one who would be going towards my home and my home was still some distance away. I felt uneasy, maybe in a state of apprehension, and then I remembered my mother's words, "Any time you are scared just recite the Gayatri Mantra and God will take care of your fear". I can recollect reciting the Gayatri mantra then, and charging towards our home. I reached home safe and sound ... my parents were anxiously awaiting my return, and were happy and proud to know that their five year old son could do this on his own.

The next incident happened in NDA. In our second term (age - 16 years) we were required to clear our swimming test, which comprised of 25 metres of breast stroke followed by 25 metres of any style swimming and a jump from the 7 metre board. A friend and I had gone to the swimming pool on a weekday to practice this during the games period.. (this luxury was only available to second termers who were coming up for the swimming test). We both managed the 50 metres of swim and decided that we would incrementally go up the diving boards, conquering each in turn. The 1 metre was a cakewalk, followed by the 3 and 5 metres.. degree of difficulty kept increasing. We finally went up to the 7 metres area.. our hesitation was palpable but we managed to jump, after a few false starts. Our PTO was a terror and was known to push cadets down from there if they hesitated, and so we decided to do it again... this time was better but... we did not consider it good enough - a clean walk, and jump, was our aim. I suggested that we should jump from 10 metres and then 7 metre would automatically seem easy. My friend agreed and this time we trooped up to 10 metres. The view from 10 metres(33 feet) was breathtaking all around, but when we looked down, the pool looked as small as a match box, and we were pretty sure that we would fall on the concrete and not in the water. We were now very hesitant to jump. My friend was already starting to descend the stairs when I asked him to wait..."let me try once again". I looked down again and ... the ball in my stomach just grew in size.. I was about to agree with my friend when God intervened. How?

The cadets swimming timings were followed by timings for officers and families. On this day too, like every other day, some teenage girls had come to the pool, and were busy watching us .. imagine our plight.. we were scared of jumping from 10 metres and these pretty girls were looking up at us (literally). An on the spot decision was taken that we would not go down the stairs, even if we have to go back in an ambulance, because 'ab to izzat ka sawaal tha, ladkiyon ke saamne sidiyon se niche utarna gavara nahin tha'. Guess what, we both jumped ... and we fell right in the middle of the pool. Thank you girls for making it happen - hamari izzat ka sawaal tha - we both passed our swimming test without a hitch. Guess why the izzat and paltan are so important to the Army.

The next incident took place when I was flying the Vampire (age - 20 years) at Fighter Training Wing. Vampires were ready to be phased out in a couple of years. We were very close to our passing out parade and were happy that our training of 4.5 years was finally coming to an end. Each one of us had a few sorties left before POP. G was likely to get the trophy, as he was doing the best in our course. One day we were all sitting in the crewroom when we got the news that one of the Vampires had crashed.. the pilot was G. The body was recovered and a funeral was held. All of us cadets were shaken up - G was our best pilot. In the good old tradition of the Air Force, we had a bar session in the cadet's mess, with all our instructors attending. They tried to raise our morale over drinks and tried to help us overcome our grief. Some of us had apprehensions about flying the Vampire - it had taken away our best pilot. To help us overcome our fears, four instructors took off in four Vampires and carried out low level strikes over the airfield. This display was stunning, as we had seen nothing like this before. Some of our faith in the aircraft was restored, and cadets started looking cheerful.

We were to fly in the afternoon and I happened to be the first solo that taxied out after this display. My heart was pounding like mad and I just could not think rationally.. and then it so happened that while doing the vital checks before takeoff, my harness would not lock. I remember rationalising to myself that I should go back to dispersal, and declare the aircraft unserviceable.... my thoughts were, "in case I abort takeoff my head will go and hit the gunsight, because my harness is not locked". And then my other self said that, "this is just an excuse, I am scared". "What is there to be scared about"? "Haven't the instructors flown and done some amazing manoeuvres on this very same aircraft". This internal dialogue continued for what seemed like a lifetime and then I decided that I would take-off. I can still recollect that this was one sortie in which every sound/ movement/ gauge flicker would make my heart thump so loud that I could feel it in my mouth for most of the flight. Luckily I landed safe and slowly got my confidence back and got over my fear. What if I had turned back that day? I don't have an answer until this day.

The next recollection of fear is when I came up for my dark night syllabus on the Jaguar. Our CO decided that dark night should be done over the desert to make it realistic... big cities have too many lights and it is not dark enough. We thus went on a detachment to a desert base. We flew a few sorties by moon phase and these were not too bad, compared to our permanent base. The first dark night sortie at low level, I was required to level out at 500 ft, fly a route for about 35 minutes and then do a dummy bombing run over the range. Take-off was normal with the entire flarepath lit infront of me, but once the aircraft was climbing, and in the air, with the flarepath left behind, it became so pitch dark that I could hear my heart pounding away.. fear had crept in again... I tried to level-out at the designated height.. I was pushing the stick forward with all my strength... my muscles were taut and tiring out, pushing forward on the stick, but the instruments showed that my aircraft was continuing to gain height... I couldn't get myself to level out the aircraft.....I kept telling myself to believe my instruments BUT I just couldn't level the aircraft. Finally I managed to level the aircraft about 1800 ft higher than the planned height. Cursed myself for being a chicken, and then gradually descended to the planned height. Every sortie thereafter I was getting better.. next levelled out at 1200 ft above, then 1000, then 700 and eventually managed to level out at the correct height.. training, frank communications between professionals and a very understanding CO all helped me in reaching the desired state.

Each one of these incidents had something to do with fear about the physical self - be it fear of the unknown as a child; fear of getting hurt on landing up on the concrete; or fear of getting killed in an older generation 'soon to be retired' aircraft; or of hitting the ground while flying at low level by dark night. Fear in all the above cited cases, was generally irrational and could only be overcome by an inner dialogue, company of other humans, a sense of izzat, training and communications. Did it require courage - most certainly yes, I believe.

My grand daughter is fearful today of climbing down the staircase. Will she need to overcome this fear and exhibit courage to do this on her own, for the first time at least?

SEVEN BLUNDERS OF THE WORLD - MAHATMA GANDHI

2010-02-02T09:12:00.007+05:30

I was reading a book by well known author and leading management consultant, Stephen Covey, in which one of the chapters has been dedicated to the "Seven deadly sins". The author says that, "Mahatma Gandhi said that seven things will destroy us".

The enunciation of these seven blunders that would destroy this world are attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. Reading this seven page chapter was a very enlightening experience and thus I thought of putting the crux of the chapter on my blog, for posterity. These seven sins or blunders have universal applicability.

Image Courtesy - Google Image search.

This list grew from Gandhi's search for the roots of violence. He called these acts of passive violence. Preventing these is the best way to prevent oneself or one's society from reaching a point of violence.

The seven deadly sins, as per the book, are as follows:

Wealth without work. This implies getting 'something for nothing', or getting money without working, or adding value.

Pleasure without conscience. "Conscience is essentially the repository of timeless truths and principles" and anything that gives us pleasure but is against our conscience is a sin.

Knowledge without character.

Commerce without morality.

Science without humanity.

Worship without sacrifice.

Politics without principle. This is one of the deadly sins that is particularly applicable to present day India - the land of the Mahatma - the land where Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born, was elevated to the level of a Mahatma, and also the land where he was assassinated; the land where he is called the 'Father of the nation' - a father who was so far ahead of his time that none can even attempt to walk in his footsteps. Politics per se is not bad, but politics without principles is a sin.

These seven were written on a piece of paper and given by Gandhiji to his grandson, just before Gandhiji's assassination. His grandson has added another blunder to this list of seven, which is:

Rights without Responsibilities.

WHAT DOES THE ARMY GIVE YOU - AN INSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE.

2010-01-24T23:46:00.004+05:30

A beautiful article by Col Abhay Gupta

I was all of 48 yrs when I was superseded in my present rank. At a social-do, I was asked by this pretty girl, ‘Just 48, and the end of the road for you! What has Army really given you? You’ve never been paid well in the Army. And see what they have done to you now!’ I appraised her from top to bottom. I must confess she was a pretty sight. What I told her was this.

Army, my dear, is a way of life. It is not about making a living. As far as supersession is concerned, lady, that is way of army life. You can’t complain just because your personal interest, as you perceive it, has not been looked after. Army has wonderful, time-tested evolved systems. You don’t fight personal battles for the heck of it. And it is about selfishness, dear – Service Before Self is our motto. Remember it is a Service (seva). There are no expectations of rewards in Seva, for Seva is considered its own reward. ‘What has Army given me?’, you asked. It has given me a glimpse and understanding of dimensions you, in the civil sector, can only wonder and feel over-awed about.

Have you any idea of camaraderie? When you see a soldier brave the shower of artillery shrapnel’s to rush to rescue his bleeding colleague just wounded in the shelling you KNOW the meaning of the word ‘camaraderie’. When you are lying in a hospital on a DI List, and there are 20 blood donors of your blood-group spending the cold night in the verandah of the hospital, just so that any emergency call for blood to save your life may be attended to, that is camaraderie. Camaraderie implies selfless help and support to someone who is not necessarily a friend. You have to cross Banihal, my dear, to understand all this.

Do you know the holy significance of the word ‘command’? It is a sacred word. And who can know the meaning of it other than a person in uniform? Even the CEO of a Fortune 500 company can’t comprehend the significance of this sacred word. When you are in ‘command’ you are God. Can you comprehend what being God can be like? It is not about the authority, it is about responsibility. The authority comes into play after you have rendered your part of the deal of unflinching loyalty displayed towards your subordinates. Now when you signal him - not ask him or tell him or order him - to dash-down-crawl-observe- fire, and in the process subject himself to imminent death, he does so without a second thought. This is when you REALIZE what is so sacred about command. Even before you can move your hand to the door of the car/ gypsy, the driver jumps from his seat and beats you to the door, your door is what command gets you. Such are the rewards of command.

Do you know the meaning of ‘being a gentleman’? In the last thirty years in uniform one has witnessed a proliferation of designations in the civil environment. There have been Executive Officers, and there have been Managers - General Mangers, Assistant Managers, and a whole spectrum of them. There are CEOs and Vice Presidents. In the Army we have only ‘Officers’. Some are General Officers and some just Company Officers. Even at the induction level we have Young Officers. What it means to be an ‘Officer’ is something you can’t comprehend. Hollywood tried to bring about a differentiation, calling the phenomenon, ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’, little knowing that being a gentleman is inherent when you are an OFFICER. Being a gentleman is his primary nature, not second-nature. His behaviour is bhadra – i.e. kalyan-kaarak swabhav, guna, aur karma. Army imbibes this peculiar quality in us when we are as young as 17 to 20 years only. I’ll explain with an example. An officer once held the door open for a particular lady. She, trying to be smartly polite said, ‘You don’t have to hold the door open for me just because I’m a lady.’ He replied, ‘Ma’am, I’m not holding it for you because you are a lady, but because I’m a gentleman.’ We may appear to be ruthless egoists, but we are Enlightened Egoists. In the corporate world have you ever come across the word ‘honour’? In uniform we serve only for honour, not the ‘package’. Naam, Namak, Nishan – are alien words in the corporate world. You know what it means to serve for honour? When a subordinate, who already has a bad ankle, is told of a mission which entails 12 hours of walk in the most rugged terrain; and when he expresses reservation on account of his current physical condition, is told that if we can’t do it, it will be a smudge on the regiment; AND THERE IS NO ONE TO REPLACE HIM. He says he’ll do his bit. He climbs 10 ropes ahead of everyone else only to find that there is no one behind him and the mission is thus called off. He reports from the top, only 5840m (nearly 20000 ft!), that he with two others of his team is on top and no one is in sight, either behind him or ahead (enemy). He comes back to the base two days later – and what an ankle he has! A swollen ankle with 10-inch girth!!! That is working for the honour. Army has commanders at every level – langar commander, section commander/ detachment commander, platoon commander/troop commander, and up the chain to Brigade Commanders, and General Officers Commanding in Chief. The General Officers in command of field forces are the best in their league. What is implied by the term ‘commander’? Maybe something you in the corporate world will never get to know. To be a commander implies responsibility, complete responsibility. As a commander you are responsible for every dimension of your command – right from his morning cup of tea, his toilet facilities, his professional training, his mental makeup, his family’ well being and his spiritual requirements. In the Army we first train young boys, and now even young girls like you, to be an Officer and then to be a Commander, in that order. Can you get an idea, even an iota of it, Lady? Can you get a feel of why we feel distinctly proud, and display it, when we say, ‘We in the Army ….’. Post Script ‘I am already 25 year old. I suppose I can’t get enrolled to be an officer. What can I do now?, she asked me at a later get-together. ‘The best option for you now is to become an Army Wife!’, I suggested. Two years later this girl married a young Major. Now I only hope and pray that the Army Officers of the future do not belittle this young Army Wife’ perception of our Army as I experienced during ‘my times’. *************

Received by email as a forward from a friend. It does represent the views of a large number of 'faujis'.

LOOKING AT LIFE - WITH GRATITUDE

2010-01-20T04:19:00.004+05:30

While watching '3 Idiots' yesterday, I was reminded of an event in my life that took place in 1996. This was triggered while listening to Aamir Khan give the explanation to his friends, while using the 'Aall is well' phrase.

1996. I had just quit the Indian Air Force and was relaxing at home in NOIDA when a friend dropped by and asked me to join him for a Reiki course of 2 days duration being conducted in New Delhi. Since I had nothing better to do, I agreed to join him. We landed at the venue on time - it was a private home, in which the drawing/ dining had been converted into a sitdown accommodation for the course, with mattresses and white sheets spread all through the area. There was a mixed crowd of about 30 people. We were all expected to remove our footwear at the entrance and walk in to our seating postions. We all did so and waited for the Reiki master to come and commence the course. He walked in and started with certain formalities of introductions and gave us information about the course.

After this he asked us, "How many of you have expressed gratitude to your footwear before occupying your seats"? This question baffled most of us - we were not prepared for this. I personally was wondering as to what did he mean by 'expressing gratitude to my footwear'. He thereafter asked each one of us to get up and go and express gratitude to our respective footwear. We all got up and did so. I was still wondering on what did this whole thing mean. As we came back and sat down, he asked us one more question, "How many of you would not have come for this course, if you did not have footwear"? Some hands went up, some thought over it and some more hands went up and finally as the question kept sinking in all our hands were up. He was glad and said that "isn't that reason enough to express gratitude to our footwear"? This did answer our initial doubts that we had after he had asked us the first question.

The class continued and it was time for a break. We wore our footwear and went out to the street to relax. On coming back, Question 1 was once again asked; about half the hands went up. He asked all those who had not expressed gratitude to our footwear to get up and go do the same. I was among the half that got up, went out looked at my chappals and expressed gratitude. The class continued and it was time for a break again. On return once again the same question was asked - this time only 2 or 3 people had their hands up - they were asked to getup and go and express gratitude to their footwear. This continued after every break, but now everyone was prepared and nobody slipped up on this account. I came back home that first evening and narrated this incident to my wife.

In our house, I am responsible for checking that the outer main door is locked before we retire for the night. In case it is not or there is a doubt, I have to go and latch it. On this night when I was latching the door a realisation dawned on me - if not for this tiny latch, we would never get a peaceful full night's sleep - we rely on it so much to give us refreshing sleep, and yet we never express gratitude to it. Next I lay down on the bed and set my alarm clock.... it hit me again.... without this alarm clock, I would be waking up every once in a while to check whether it was time to wake up...... this alarm clock helps me get a good night's sleep. The "Good Knight", the bed, the mattress, the pillow..... the list seemed endless, and that is when the import of our Reiki Master's question in the morning hit home. I actually felt gratitude for all the things around me, and to all those who helped create these things that helped me lead a normal life. Every human is doing something that in some way helps make my life comfortable - whether I was aware of it or not.

This feeling stayed with me for a few weeks; for as long as I continued to practice Reiki. Slowly I lost interest in Reiki and also in the attitude of gratitude and then I became my usual self; I, me, and so full of myself.

Whenever I introspect, I find that I am just a cog in the wheel being helped along in my life by objects and people around me - this feeling takes me towards the attitude of gratitude - but then I never find enough time to introspect, so as to be grateful for all of God's Creation. I know I should be......

3 IDIOTS - AALLLLLL IZ WELL!!!

2010-01-19T10:02:00.005+05:30

Just finished watching this movie..... my take.... couldn't wait to write this...

Aamir Khan is fantastic.

The movie is brilliant. It is a MUST SEE for every thinking 'INDIAN at heart'. It has a wonderful message for the Indian society. Watch it for the message...... and not to find faults.

The movie brings out many of the ills of our society........ maybe we could become a part of the solution ....... rather than be a part of the problem.

Enjoyed it ......... with tears in my eyes.

Just superb.

Dr. Abdul Kalam's Letter to Every Indian

2010-01-06T09:09:00.004+05:30

I received the following by email.... I personally donot consider myself worthy of writing something about a great Indian like Dr Abdul Kalam.... he is one of those rare Indians who has earned the respect and adoration of every Indian. I am not sure if this piece has been written by Dr Kalam, but having read a couple of his books, I am sure this piece represents what his thoughts have always been about India and how we can collectively take India to its rightful place. So without much ado.....

Quote.

Image is courtesy Google Images.

Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?
We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.
I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

..
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are.. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai .. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand ..
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan ..
Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.
This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too…. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.

Unquote.

ABOUT LIFE AND LIVING!

2009-12-22T10:32:00.003+05:30

The last few months have been the happiest months in our lives, as we have been totally engrossed in the 'everyday something new' phenomenon being exhibited by our grand daughter - she is going to be 15 months old in a week - she learns something new every day, or should I say every minute, and teaches us a number of lessons in the bargain. We never had this kind of a leisure time to observe our children growing up - parents never do, I believe - and are thus enjoying this period even more so. Have been busy thus.........

All this is just to ask forgiveness for long absences from my favourite passion these days....blogging. I am posting this email forward to make up for my absence...it made a lot of sense to me and thought of sharing it here.

Quote....

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up; she was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying. Unquote.

MAKING EVERY INDIAN'S DREAMS COME TRUE

2009-12-05T22:50:00.004+05:30

I received the following talk given by the famous author, from the relatively younger generation, 'Chetan Bhagat'. The talk gives his perspectives on how we can make every Indian's dreams come true; how we can make turn India into the India of our dreams. He has some very valid observations....I thought of sharing the talk in full, as it makes a lot of sense to me.

What do you think?

Can it happen?

How can we help in making this happen?

So, read on.........Chetan has a thinking head between his shoulders, for sure.

Becoming One With the World
Speech given at the HT Leadership Summit
Delhi, November 21, 2008
© Chetan Bhagat

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote. Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for the opportunity to speak at the leadership summit – the first of its kind for me.

I am no leader. At best, I am a dreamer with perseverance to make dreams come true. As I have made my own dreams come true already, I am tempted to think we can make my country’s dreams come true. And that is why I am here.

Before we become one with the world we have to become one with ourselves. If we get our own house in order we don’t have to make an effort to be one with the world. The world will want to be one with us. Everyone wants to be friends with happy, rich, thriving neighbors. Nobody wants a family festered with disputes.

A lot is wrong in my country. There are too many differences. The question is not who we blame for this. The question is how do we fix it? Because to do anything great, you have to become one first. Two generations ago, our forefathers came together to win us Independence. It isn’t like we didn’t have disputes then. Religion, caste, community have existed for centuries. But Gandhi brought them all together for a greater cause – to get the country free.

Today, we have another greater cause. To get India its rightful place in the world. To see India the way the younger generation wants to see it. To make India a prosperous, developed country, where not only the spirit of patriotism, but also the standard of living is high. Where anyone with the talent, drive and hard work alone has the ability to make it. Where people don’t ask where you come from, but where you are going. We all know that India, as we have all dreamt of that India.

There is a lot required to be done for this, and it doesn’t just start and end by blaming politicians. For in a democracy, we elect the politicians. If our thinking changes, our voting will change and the politicians will change. And since I have made a nation that didn’t read, read, do I believe people’s thinking can be changed.

To me there are 3 main areas where I think we need to change our thinking – leaders included. And I’m not just saying we need to do it because it is morally right/ ethically correct/ or because it sounds nice at a conference. We need to do it as it make sense from an incentives point of view. These three areas are changing the politics of differences to the politics of similarity, looking down on elitism and the role of English.

The first mindset change required is to change the politics of differences to the politics of similarity. I’ve been studying young people in India, not just in big cities but across India for the last five years.
They are the bulk of the population – the bulk of our voter bank. Yet, what they are looking for is not what politicians are pitching. It is not too different from the old school Bollywood where they think item numbers, big budgets and tested formulas work while the biggest hits of the year could be Rock On and Jaane Tu. Yes, times have changed.
Here is what the politicians are pitching – old fashioned patriotism, defending traditions, being the torchbearer of communities, caste and religion. Here is what the youth wants – better colleges, better jobs, better role models. Compared to the talent pool, the number of good college seats are very limited. Same for good jobs. These wants are the biggest similarity that we all share. We all want the same things – progress. I see a huge disconnect in the political strategies of existing politicians vs. what could work for the new voters.

I think broad based infrastructure and economic development will satisfy the young generation’s needs. It isn’t an easy goal to attain – but it is the great cause that can unite us. Today a dynamic politician who takes this cause can achieve a far greater success than any regional politician. And the slot is waiting to be taken.

Another aspect required to convert the politics of differences to the politics of similarities is a strong moderate voice. When someone tries to divide us, people from the same community as the divider have to stand up against him. If person A is saying Non-Marathis should be attacked, then some Marathis need to stand up and say person A is talking nonsense. If a Muslim commits terrorist attack, other Muslims should stand up and condemn it, as Hindus are going to condemn it anyway. This moderate voice is sorely missing but is critical in keeping the country together. And the youth want to keep it together, as we want to be remembered as the generation who took India forward, not the one that cut India into two dozen pieces.

I hate telling people what to do, but the media does have a role in this. I agree that media is a business and TRPs matter above anything else. However, there are ethics in every business. Doctors make money off sick people, but it doesn’t mean they keep people sick and not heal them. If you find a moderate voice, highlight it as soon as a divisive voice appears. And don’t take sides, argue or debate it. Don’t validate the ridiculous. Focus on the greater cause.

The second mindset we need to change is that of elitism. From my early childhood days, to college, to professional and business life, and now in the publishing and entertainment circles, I have noticed a peculiar Indian habit of elitism. Maybe it is hard to achieve anything in India. But the moment any person becomes even moderately successful, educated, rich, famous, talented or even develops a fine taste, they consider themselves different from the rest. They begin to move in circles where the common people and their tastes are looked down upon. This means a large chunk of our most qualified, experienced, connected and influential people prefer to live air-conditioned lives in their bubble of like minded people. Naive people who elect stupid politicians – that is the bottomline for all Indian problems, and they want nothing to do with it. But tell me, if the thinking of the common people has to be changed, who is going to change it? What is the point of discussing solutions to Indian problems if there is no buy-in from the common man? Just because it feels good to be around like-minded, intelligent people? What is the use of this intelligence?

If you switch on the TV, seventy percent of the time you will see Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The reason is the media is centered in these cities. However, ninety percent of India is not this. Unless we represent these people properly, how will these people ever come with us?

Again, I am not making these points as a moral appeal. I think understanding India and being inclusive makes massive business sense. And trust me, it doesn’t take any coolness or trendiness away from you if you do it right. Look at me, I am the mass-iest English author ever invented in India. My books sell on railway stations and next to atta in Big Bazaar. I have an Indian publisher who operates from the bylanes of Darya Ganj. And yet, on orkut the most common words associated with my name are coolness and awesomeness – tags given by my wonderful readers. I think it is cooler to know how people think in the streets of Indore and Raipur than who’s walking the ramp in South Mumbai. You may have planned your next vacation abroad, but have you visited a small town lately? Have you shown your kids what the real India is like? Don’t you think they will need to know that as they grow up and enter the workforce. Yes, I want people to look down on elitism and develop a culture of inclusiveness. If you are educated, educate others. If you have good taste, improve others taste rather than calling theirs bad.

The last aspect where we need to change our thinking is our attitude to English. We have to embrace English like never before. Not England, but English. This point may sound contradictory to my previous one, but I am not talking about confining English to the classes, but really taking it to the grassroot level. English and Hindi can co-exist. Hindi is the mother and English is the wife. It is possible to love them both. In small towns, districts and even villages – we need to spread English. India already has a headstart as so many Indians speak English and we don’t have to get expat teachers like China does. But we must not confuse patriotism with the skills one needs to compete in the real world. If you are making an effort to start a school where none existed, why not give the people what will help them most. I can teach a villager geometry and physics in Hindi, but frankly when he goes to look for a job he is going to find that education useless. English will get him a job. Yes, I know some may say what will happen to Hindi and our traditional cultures. I want to ask these people to pull their kids out of English medium schools and then talk. If you go to small towns, English teaching classes are the biggest draw. There is massive demand for something that will improve people’s lives. I have no special soft spot for this language, but the fact is it works in the world of today. And if more English helps spread prosperity evenly across the country, trust me we will preserve our culture a lot better than a nation that can barely feed its people.

We are all passionate about making India better, so we can discuss this forever. But today I wanted to leave you with just three thoughts – politics of similarities, less elitism and more English that we need to build consensus on. If you agree with me, please do whatever you can in your capacity to make the consensus happen. It could be just a discussion with all your friends, or spreading these thoughts in a broader manner, if you have the means and power to do so. For the fact that we are sitting in this wonderful venue means our country has been kind to us. Let’s see what we can give back to our nation. Unquote.

I had also written something on values that we need to imbibe to get India its rightful place in the comity of nations. This can be read under the title, "Three-values-that-we-need-to-imbibe".

GOD, RELIGION, EXISTENCE, ILLUSION.........

2009-11-26T10:00:00.006+05:30

If you become aware of God's presence within you and also the presence of the same God in all else,

There is nothing to equal the peace and joy that you get.

—Sathya Sai Baba

Many a times I have wondered, thought, read, discussed and debated about God and how each and every thing in this universe is His creation, and is also a part of Him. I also notice that many of us blog on the subject of God and have our own interpretation of what He is like. All this is but an attempt to fathom the why, what, where, how of our existence and its relationship with God, or the Creator. We have many religions in this world - each attempting to answer questions that are eternal.

What is religion? A way to God. There is only one God - He has many different names though. If that be so, then it should be unifying and not divisive, because if the Creator is one then all paths should lead to Him and thus should be convergent, and seem to be so, to every thinking individual. Yet we have discussions based on our individual faiths and beliefs of how my God is better, or how my religion has the answers to all of mankind's questions, and how all the other answers are not correct because they do not correspond to my faith or beliefs. Atheists have their own point of view. They question, "Have you seen God"?

I believe in God and believe Him to be my source and my end, like everyone else's too. I also believe that I have seen glimpses of Him during my journey through this life. In April 2009, I had put the following comment on one post by D. This comment was in response to a question in the post, of what is my God like? An excerpt of the comment is reproduced in the next para.

"I know that God exists - I have felt His presence many a times, when no human was around to give me strength, direction or solace. I have seen Him in many different forms basically dependent on my emotions - sometimes in awe-inspiring moments when I stood to admire the majestic hills and snow capped mountains in the North or while flying over the vast expanse of the seas at 100 ft; sometimes I have seen Him in the pure blissful innocent smile of a little child; sometimes in the indescribable beauty of a woman; sometimes in the sounds of silence in a jungle; I too don't blame Him for "For the way my life has shaped up". I do believe in Karma and Newton's third law of motion. I also believe that my God is very personal". My God is personal and I believe, so is everyone else's too.

I was reading an article titled "Beauty of the Divine" by Benoy K Behl in the July - August issue of "India Perspectives" magazine today. The following few paragraphs about Indian art (and its connection with the divine) were so interesting that I thought of reproducing excerpts of the same on my blog. The author has put in words some thoughts that appeared absolutely magical to me. They talk of the Creator, His creation and our illusions (maaya) The paragraphs are reproduced below.

"The art of ancient India brings before us a vision of great compassion. It is a view of the world which sees a harmony in the whole of creation. It sees the same which is in each of us, in the animals, the flowers, the trees, the leaves and even the breeze which moves the leaves. All that there is, is seen to be a reflection of the One.

The phenomenal world of separated beings and objects seen around us is an illusion, perceived and brought to us by our senses. This information provided by our senses is of a personal and and not an objective nature. Absorbed in this, we are blinded to the reality beyond. The primary illusion is the perception of ourselves as individual entities, which leads us on a path of egoic existence. On this path, we are distanced from the truth.

The high purpose of life is to seek reintegration with the One, to perceive ourselves as part of the beauty of the One, the divine. To see oneself as a part of the divinity of existence. And thereby to lose the pain of a life caught in the web of endless desires.

The aesthetic experience is considered to be of great value in Indian thought. It lifts the veils of illusion which hide the truth from our eyes. Our experience of beauty when we respond to a sunrise or to a great work of art is seen to be a moment when we perceive the Grace which underlies the whole of creation. In that moment, the veils of illusion of the material nature of the world are lifted and we see beyond.... In that instant it is not our material preoccupations which fill our consciousness and thereby blind us to the greater reality".

What are your beliefs? Have you seen or felt God, or His presence? How?

SECULARISM IS ABOUT FAITH AND RESPECT

2009-11-12T21:44:00.002+05:30

I received the following article by email and thought that this is just the right kind of attitude that we need; a definition and understanding of secularism, which is way different from the West, that India with its many religions needs. I thought of sharing the original article, author unknown, to solicit your views and opinions. So, here is the original article.....

Any one more secular than the army

As a serving army officer, I never stop marvelling at the gullibility of our countrymen to be provoked with alacrity into virulence in the name of religion. I have never heard the word 'secular' during all my service -- and yet, the simple things that are done simply in the army make it appear like an island of sanity in a sea of hatred.

In the army, each officer identifies with the religion of his troops. In regiments where the soldiers are from more than one religion, the officers -- and indeed all jawans attend the weekly religious prayers of all the faiths. How many times have I trooped out of the battalion mandir and, having worn my shoes, entered the battalion church next door? A few years ago it all became simpler -- mandirs, masjids, gurudwars and churches began to share premises all over the army. It saved us the walk.

Perhaps it is so because the army genuinely believes in two central 'truths' -- oneness of god and victory in operations. Both are so sacred we cannot nitpick and question the basics.

In fact, sometimes the army mixes up the two! On a visit to the holy cave at Amarnath a few years ago I saw a plaque mounted on the side of the hill by a battalion that had once guarded the annual Yatra. It said, 'Best wishes from -....- battalion. Deployed for Operation Amarnath.

On another instance, I remember a commanding officer ordered the battalion maulaviji to conduct the proceedings of Janamashtmi prayers because the panditji had to proceed on leave on compassionate grounds. No eyebrows were raised. It was the most rousing and best-prepared sermon on Lord Krishna I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

On the Line of Control, a company of Khemkhani Muslim soldiers replaced a Dogra battalion. Over the next few days, the post was shelled heavily by Pakistanis, and there were a few non-fatal casualties.

One day, the junior commissioned officer of the company, Subedar Sarwar Khan walked up to the company commander Major Sharma and said, "Sahib, ever since the Dogras left, the mandir has been shut. Why don't you open it once every evening and do aarti? Why are we displeasing the gods?"

Major Sharma shamefacedly confessed he did not know all the words of the aarti. Subedar Sarwar went away and that night, huddled over the radio set under a weak lantern light, painstakingly took down the words of the aarti from the post of another battalion!

How many of us know that along the entire border with Pakistan, our troops abstain from alcohol and non-vegetarian food on all Thursdays? The reason: It is called the Peer day -- essentially a day of religious significance for the Muslims.

In 1984, after Operation Bluestar there was anguish in the Sikh community over the desecration of the holiest of their shrines. Some of this anger and hurt was visible in the army too.

I remember the first Sikh festival days after the event -- the number of army personnel of every religious denomination that thronged the regimental gurudwara of the nearest Sikh battalion was the largest I had seen. I distinctly remember each officer and soldier who put his forehead to the ground to pay obeisance appeared to linger just a wee bit longer than usual. Was I imagining this? I do not think so. There was that empathy and caring implicit in the quality of the gesture that appeared to say, "You are hurt and we all understand."

We were deployed on the Line of Control those days. Soon after the news of disaffection among a small section of Sikh troops was broadcast on the BBC, Pakistani troops deployed opposite the Sikh battalion yelled across to express their 'solidarity' with the Sikhs.

The Sikh havildar shouted back that the Pakistanis had better not harbour any wrong notions. "If you dare move towards this post, we will mow you down."

Finally, a real -- and true -- gem....

Two boys of a Sikh regiment battalion were overheard discussing this a day before Christmas.

"Why are we having a holiday tomorrow?" asked Sepoy Singh.

"It is Christmas," replied the wiser Naik Singh.

"But what is Christmas?"

"Christmas," replied Naik Singh, with his eyes half shut in reverence and hands in a spontaneous prayer-clasp, "is the guruparb of the Christians."

LIFE - IS IT ALL ABOUT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS!?

2009-11-09T07:57:00.006+05:30

"Life is full circle", is what I have always heard from wiser people.

Having lived for over half a century, I was trying to analyse my own life ... and decide for myself on the wisdom of this saying. My thoughts took me back to my childhood - starting with the time when my mental faculties started registering the external world, and phenomenon.....I see my grand daughter doing the same these days - its a treat to watch her busy, doing nothing, throughout the day... she can make a play out of anything.... she can help me with any task... no task seems complicated to her... she can put her bare hands inside a warmed up oven to check whether the pizza is ready; or she can open the vacuum cleaner to set it right... popping all the screws in her tiny little mouth... every small missing object can be found there.... eventually.... the bigger ones can be seen close to her mouth, of course, being slobbered with her saliva. All of us go through this stage in our lives, I too have, I am told.

As a child, I had many questions about everything and looked for answers from anyone...parents initially, then grand parents, relatives, teachers and so on, as I advanced in life. The answers provided were stored for future use. I went to school and learned a number of subjects - from languages to history, geography, civics, social studies, physics, chemistry, biology, maths and so on... I never got to use most of these subjects that I had learnt in school.

Reached National Defence Academy and learnt many more subjects like military history, wood work, casting moulds, working on a lathe, photography besides other things like physical exercises, cross country, riding, drill etc. Once again never got to use most of the skills and subjects learned.

However, while going through each of these classes in school and NDA, I and others like me, had a large number of questions to which we were required to provide answers when it was time for the exams, so as to pass the exam, and move on. Our questions were endless and someone who had the answers, like our teachers and instructors, would help us with the answers. Finding answers on our own, by reading, and inquiring from others around was also resorted to. As we kept growing we were required to find answers on our own by comprehending what was taught, and by doing independent research. The brain and the mind slowly started expanding. I had questions AND had also acquired the skill of finding the answers on my own. I got into flying thereafter....

I was back to square one... again too many questions and very few answers. Flyiing in those days looked like it was designed for the birds and bees only....considering how effortlessly they performed this very difficult task - my perspective at that time. Only way out... take the instructors word as Gospel. This helped. Slowly flying became something that was manageable... a time came when I started to enjoy flying... and then.... soon thereafter, came a time when I started experimenting with things for which no one had provided me with answers. I felt like an ace and the air seemed to be my playground. I could take off and land on the runway (a basic requirement for manned flight, but considered more than enough by me), and make the aircraft perform manoeuvres that I wanted it to, whether in proximity to another aircraft, or singly. During this phase I took part in many simulated war like exercises and eventually the 26th January flypast. Felt that I had mastered the art of flying....... The IAF also acknowledged my performance and I was detailed to undergo the flying instructor's course.

After five months of this course, I realised to my horror how little I knew about flying... I shared two of the three trophies at the end of this course... and should have been visibly proud. Instead at the farewell dinner I was standing with my instructor, with tears in my eyes, and asking him, "how can I teach flying, when this course has taught me one thing, and that is... how little I know about it myself. How can I teach someone when I myself donot have all the answers". My instructor was a seasoned instructor. He told me, "don't worry, the pupil would know nothing about flying and you would do well" and to reassure me said that, "all of us have been through this - we made it - you too would and remember - you are not the first one with such questions". Well, this advice proved very sound - I made it as an instructor for the first six months and until my second course, when I had a BORN FLIER as my pupil.....

I could not demonstrate any manoeuvre to him, as well as he could perform it on his own... I would feel inadequate as an instructor but the only thing that I could tell him was... you are going to be an asset to the IAF one day, if you can live through the first 500 hours of flying. Being better than your instructor can give one a huge dose of overconfidence... and over confidence without experience, in flying, is a killer. I am happy to say that this pupil went through some trying experiences in the Academy, due to his overconfidence. I am also very happy that he managed to live beyond 500 hours of flying, and has lived up to my forecast of being an asset for the IAF. This pupil kept me busy trying to find answers to questions that he would not ask, but to which he needed to have the answers.

Life beyond this stage was on the upswing... I had answers to nearly every question that came my way in my profession....

Professional life was at an upswing, and was reaching a stage where I had no further questions. Thereafter, I donot know when my professional and non-professional lives merged and I started to get the feeling that I had answers to every question or situation in life. I did not have any questions anymore.... I never did realise that this was not a healthy, or normal state, for a mortal like me. I knew everything about everything, or so I felt. I could contribute my four anna bit into any conversation, on any subject. I never realised it until one day.....

I was going for a walk with my younger brother (a graduate of Electronics Engineering from BHU-IT; MBA in marketing from IIM Ahmedabad and Ph. D in Finance from Pittsburgh, USA). We were talking about Finance and got onto discussing the stock market. I started advising him on what stocks to buy, and why. He kept listening to me with a smile on his face (until after this, I had never noticed these things; I had advised him on so many matters, on which he was the expert). Being of Indian descent, he would keep quiet in deference to his elder brother, but this once I had probably gone too far. He smiled and spoke only one line, after listening to my persistent advice on stocks and said, "Bhape (Elder Brother), I have a Ph.D in Finance". I shut my mouth thereafter, and realised my great folly. Instead of having questions to ask of this expert, I was providing him with answers on his area of expertise. It set me thinking..... many years of thought, and practice, have made me realise.....

....that at no stage can I have all the answers. I can have some answers pertaining to my chosen profession; some pertaining to my life, based on my experiences - but all these cannot be universal - they need to be adapted to changing situations, as change is the only constant in life. As I grow older, the number of questions to which I have no answers keeps growing - my answers seem inadequate at times, and I feel that I am becoming a seeker once again.

From 'questions only', after birth, to 'only answers' at the top of the circle, I have come to 'more questions than answers' once again...... is it possible that I would die like I was born - 'only questions, no answers'...

I actually do believe so, the way things are going. Life will go full circle???

What is your experience? What do you feel??

EAST AND WEST - WILL THE TWAIN EVER MEET??

2009-10-23T22:07:00.005+05:30

East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet - Rudyard Kipling. From his poem......“The Ballad of East and West"

Having lived most of my life (about 49 years) in India, and part of it (about 7 years) in North America, I am always fascinated about the way things are done in this part of the world. They are done differently for sure, and I always try to find the reason "Why". The answer always eludes me but I keep trying. Here is one such attempt.

I take off from Bangalore at 02:10 am on 25th September and land in Toronto at 13:30 hours on 25th September itself, after a nearly 24 hour flight. How? Time zone, earth's rotation etc. Pretty logical and rational. However, what has always caught my fancy is that when the sun rises in India, it is setting here. When it is day in India, it is night here and the other way around. Why? Rationally the same answers again but why was it thus designed by the Designer?

My faith tells me that this world was designed by God, in play, to enjoy the sight of many, from one. It also tells me that this external world is all 'maaya' - illusion, brought to life by our five senses and ego, besides other factors. Everything exists within us, and the external world is just a trigger for us to reach inside, and evolve, I am told. Is this true? If that be so, then what could be the reason for this difference in the times of day in this same world - is this a trigger for us to understand that these two worlds are designed in the opposite moulds for us to experience both, and then grow or evolve within, learning from both.

Two things that always fascinate me about the East and the West, at the macro level, are human relations and man-made systems. Taking human relations first...

I believe, in India, society is supreme and the individual has to conform - this translates to the fact that the human relations and interactions are non-negotiable - there is a 'maryada' about each relationship, which cannot be crossed in the normal course. A parent's word is final, in most cases, and the offsprings generally donot go against it, in a majority of the cases. Manifestations of this are seen in every sphere - be it marriage, choice of career, or in the choice of friends, school, college, etc. It is believed that the parent knows what is best for the individual and society, and a parent always acts in the best interest of the offspring and the society.

In the West, the individual is supreme and the society evolves around the individual. Even at a very young age, the individual is allowed to exercise their choice - starting with the TV channel to watch; of course, within certain man-made rules. The first time I witnessed this was when I went to my brother's house in New Jersey in 1989. They were four members and there were four types of breakfast cereals. Each one took his own type and we had four different types on the same table. I was also required to make my choice - "any is good enough", was not considered good enough. I was dumbfounded - coming from India - breakfast at home, was what was cooked, or served, and one ate that - what was the choice. Yes, one day breakfast could be of my choice and next day it could be my brother's/ sister's choice and so on.

As the individual keeps growing this sphere of exercise of individual choice keeps expanding and human relations become totally negotiable between parent and child and between each human and the others around. It is fascinating to watch these interactions. Some of them would be considered absolutely blasphemous in the Eastern part of the world. I thus find most humans here are ready to discuss and negotiate, whereas in India, most humans argue, as we have not learnt the art of negotiation from early on.

What is right or wrong? Do you believe one is better than the other - the system followed in the East or in the West?

Coming to man-made systems....

In India, these are always negotiable - be it jumping the redlight at a busy intersection or not forming a queue, when it is most desirable or bribing someone to circumvent the system or not wanting to wait one's turn.

In the West, these systems are absolutely non-negotiable. You stop at the STOP sign, even at midnight, even though you are the only car on the roads; you form queues wherever there are more than one person waiting for the same service, etc. This has a large number of advantages for common people. Are there any disadvantages? Maybe. What do you think?

There are many more such facts that I have witnessed. I wonder - is this by design? We all have similar mental faculties, of course layered by cultures and way of doing things. Dr. Brian Weiss's book, based on his scientific practice, "Only love is real" tells me that I could have lived in the East in one birth and maybe born in the West in the next birth. Is this God's way of ensuring my continued evolution to perfection? Can the East and West ever become one? EVER? or would that negate God's design?

CROWD PARTICIPATION....REALLY EXCITING!!!!

2009-10-20T05:29:00.002+05:30

I had seen this video of the enactment of the song "Doe a deer.." on a platform in Belgium at this blog. I had enjoyed the video for its originality. It gave me great pleasure to watch.

I was narrating this to my son-in-law, who happens to be in the visual media field and he told me about another one performed in the streets of downtown Chicago. Watching this was a very exhilarating experience. Here's what happened....

I do hope some one can get something of this kind performed in one of our cities in India. Ordinary people's participation, alongwith paid performers, gives it a totally different feel.It can really lift people's spirits.

A SALUTE TO THE INDIAN AIR FORCE.

2009-09-24T19:21:00.002+05:30

Some one forwarded this video to me and I thought of sharing this with you.

It gives some good snapshots of what the IAF is all about. Of course, it shows only the glamour part here; the hard work that goes into keeping these glamorous machines airborne, and flying for the purpose for which the IAF has been authorised by the people of India can only be sensed.

So, let the video talk - please keep your sound ON.

BRASSTACKS, DEPLOYMENT AND CRICKET DIPLOMACY!!

2009-09-18T20:23:00.004+05:30

CONTINUED FROM "NEVER GOT TO USE SWIMMING TRUNKS"

We landed around mid-day and were instructed to taxy into blast pens dispersed all around the airfield. A little later we were given a briefing in the underground operations room, where we met the crew from a number of other fighter squadrons who had also moved to this location, or were staging through. The local squadrons had not yet moved out and thus there was a problem with accommodating so many of us - the messes are designed only for normal strength of officers, Senior Non Commissioned Officers and airmen. Our bedding and clothing was already positioned in a barrack with a large number of emergency cots put in until we could be given some better accommodation. "No lights - black out" was enforced on the station and thus when we reached the barrack at night, we had to find our cot by dimmed torchlights. Hit the bed and went off to sleep - woke up a little afterward as one of the glass panes on the window behind me was broken and there was cold draft of air coming in....somehow managed for the night and were shifted to better accommodation on the next day. Fast forward 19 years.....

.....I now fly for an airline. "Where would you like to stay in Delhi - Meridian, Taj or Radisson". "Why do you ask?, any of these is good enough, the cheapest for the company would be best", I answer. "Some pilots are very fussy and prefer one to the others", I am told. I am reminded of my nights in less than perfect beds, (what to talk of five star comfort and the other frills and fancies) when serving in the Indian Air Force as a pilot.

Back to 1987.... the next few days are very hectic with 24 hour activity on this, and all other bases.. preparations - we are permitted to fly to operational limits and this is an indication that things are serious. What had actually happened?.. To give you an idea - read the following excerpt from a working paper by P R Chari of the Henry L Stimson Center of Washington D.C. published in August 2003.

This crisis arose from the Indian military exercise code-named “Brasstacks,” and could have precipitated a war between India and Pakistan since it led to an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation between their armed forces. A tense situation developed in which even a minor clash could have triggered a major conflict. The Brasstacks exercise — comparable to the largest military exercises held by NATO and the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War years—involved 10 divisions of the Indian army, including its two strike corps. It was held in northern Rajasthan, which is the most likely ‘jump-off’ area for India in any future hostilities. This led Pakistan to continue deploying its troops that were holding their winter exercises, in their exercise locations. Later, these troops moved closer to the Indo-Pak border in a dangerous maneuver which threatened a salient in the Punjab and/or disrupted communications between Kashmir and the rest of India. A massive airlift and ground movement of troops was then undertaken by India to occupy their defensive positions along the border, resulting in a further escalation of tensions. A flurry of diplomatic activity ensued drawing in the United States and the Soviet Union. President Reagan is understood to have telephoned Rajiv Gandhi and President Zia, instructing leaders to “cool it.” A telephone conversation between the two antagonists finally defused the crisis.

A nuclear threat is believed to have been issued to India during the crisis on January 28, 1987 by Pakistan’s chief nuclear scientist, Dr. A.Q. Khan during the course of an interview to a prominent Indian journalist, Kuldip Nayar, in the presence of a well-known Pakistani journalist, Mushahid Hussain. Apparently, Khan informed the two journalists that Pakistan had enriched uranium to weapons-grade and
affirmed that a nuclear device could be tested by simulation techniques. He then added, “Nobody can undo Pakistan or take us for granted. We are here to stay and let it be clear that we shall use the bomb if our existence is threatened.”45 This course of events is extremely unusual, but its veracity remains shrouded in mystery, since Khan later denied its contents. Doubts in this regard have been strengthened
since “much of the interview, though not its most provocative passages, was an unattributed, nearly verbatim repetition of an article Khan had written six months earlier in the Karachi English newspaper, Dawn.”46 Moreover, the crisis had peaked on January 26 when Pakistan agreed to send an official delegation to New Delhi for negotiating the withdrawal of troops from the border.47

The deployments had the desired affect when in an unprecedented move, the Pakistani President General Zia-ul-Haq came down to witness the cricket match between India and Pakistan at Jaipur on 21 Feb 1987, almost uninvited - cricket diplomacy, as it is termed. The tensions started to come down thereafter but our deployment continued, although the rest of the government and defence establishments that interface with the public had gone back to 5 day week. Ours was still a 24 x 7 affair.

I was posted out to another squadron during this deployment; and we were still at this forward base until I left for my new unit in end of April 1987. Our families continued to manage on their own during this unexpected and sudden deployment, like always - they also served by not asking too many questions; managing the homes and children, and just waiting for their loved ones to come back home.

NEVER GOT TO USE THE SWIMMING TRUNKS!

2009-09-02T21:58:00.005+05:30

....and finally, "DO NOT FORGET TO CARRY YOUR SWIMMING TRUNKS". After nearly two hours of operational briefing, these words concluded our ferry and operations briefing on 20 January 1987.....

We were based in Gorakhpur and were planned to go to Goa for some Naval co-operation and Air to Ground firing off Dabolim naval air base on 21st January, for a two week detachment. All of us were excited to get away from the cold and enjoy the sun, sand and sea at Goa, besides of course getting our usual professional training of flying over the sea, and with the Indian Navy warships, as also practice some live firing over the range just South of Dabolim. All we carried as luggage was some shorts, some summer and some formal clothing for the Mess, and of course our swimming trunks...weekends were meant for fun.

As planned, on 21st ten of our aircraft took off for the 2 hour 15 minute ferry from Gorakhpur to Goa direct. We landed, were received and accommodated by the Navy in the crew room just below the ATC and my log book shows that we started our training flying immediately; this being a short week; 21st was a Wednesday. Did our usual full day of flying on 22nd. The detachment was going well and we were all looking forward to the weekend. 23rd - we finished our planned first detail and were getting ready to launch for the second detail; sometime around mid-day, as the Navy was practising the Republic day flypast over Dabolim airfield before that and had delayed our take-offs.

Our Commanding Officer (CO) has just walked to the aircraft when the phone rang - I being the closest picked it up and was surprised to hear, "Director Offensive Operations here, please get your CO on line". This is not a normal call.... a normal call comes through the exchange with PAs piping in etc. I informed the Director that "CO had walked to the aircraft", and enquired, "should I call him back?", to which he replied, "Yes". I sent for the CO. He too was surprised to be called back, looked inquiringly at me and took the phone. The conversation was not audible but the message was very clear to all of us there, as the CO kept listening, said "Yes sir", sat down and told the Director that he would call him back in half an hour, after firming up the plan.

The look on his face told us that something serious had come up. I asked him about the destination so that we could get the maps ready, and he gave us the name of a forward base in Punjab - the temperature there on the night of 22nd January was below freezing. Our CO had been asked by the Director to fly with 12 fully serviceable fighters to this base immediately - we had only 10 in Goa. Our CO worked the plan in his mind and called Air HQ and told the Director that none of us had any winter clothing or bedding and thus he did not think it would be right to ferry out immediately, as all pilots and other personnel would fall sick and the whole purpose of the move would be defeated. He suggested that a transport aircraft could be sent to Goa to pick up one officer and one airmen who would be transported to Gorakhpur; pick up winter clothing and bedding from the houses of all the personnel through the night and take-off early morning for the base in Punjab. As soon as this transport aircraft landed in the base, the fighters would take off from Goa. He said that if all went as per plan then the fighters would take off from Goa between 8 - 10 am depending on weather in Punjab - this airfield gets thick fog in the mornings.

Sure enough, an AN-32 landed at Goa at around 3 pm and the crew told us that they were doing local flying at Yelahanka, Bangalore and were told on radio, in the air, to position at Goa straightaway. This transport aircraft was not even allowed to land back at Yelahanka to pick up their clothing; they were not aware of the mission beyond Goa. Fortunately our transport crew always carry an overnighter when flying.

One officer and airmen from our squadron took off in the AN-32, after the aircraft refuelled. We got our maps and briefings ready for departure the next day. Next morning we got a call that the AN-32 was on its way to our destination, with all our needed equipment, winter clothing and bedding.

We took off, as planned - two four aircraft formations and one two aircraft - first formation, Arrow formation,led by our CO. We were pleasantly surprised to find the Bombay ATC speaking in a different tone. Normally civilian controllers donot understand what the fighters do.... fighters take the shortest route due to fuel constraints; these sometimes cut across busy airways, and this fact is not appreciated by civilian controllers, and rightly so. The Air Force positions IAF controllers to assist the civilian controllers manage the fighter traffic during emergencies. We did not know this at the time, but this had been done and that is how, we were given our choice levels to help us reach our destination, without refuelling enroute.

As we kept flying North, it was evident that something was on, as the AF radars were giving pigeons to destination(course and distance to destination), without our asking, so as to minimise radio calls... many different fighter squadrons - Tiger, Panther, Archers, to name a few, from different bases were airborne and we could count the squadrons by their call signs... nearly the entire fighter fleet of the IAF was airborne positioning to war locations. The radar controllers were aware of who was heading where. Radio was crisp, short and professional and everyone was aware that something big had happened and none of us knew what exactly had happened.

There was no way to inform the families - they guessed something was on when they were asked by a squadron officer to get the winter clothing and bedding ready for each one of us, and that someone would come to collect it any time during the night. The last of the stuff was collected at about 5 am on 24th January. My wife had envied me going to Goa; away from the Gorakhpur winter and now she did not know which way we were headed, except that it was cold there. Every fauji family lives through this sort of a thing, and without complaints.... they also serve who sit and wait, for the loved ones to come home. She had grudgingly given me my swimming trunk ..... which I never had the opportunity to use, before flying out of Goa.

............................TO BE CONTINUED.....

RICK REILLY'S EXPERIENCE IN THE BACK SEAT OF A F-14 TOMCAT

2009-08-29T23:34:00.004+05:30

The article below was written in 1999 by Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated and is titled, "On a wing and a prayer".

I received this as a forward by email and thought of sharing it - in case any of you ever get invited to fly in a fighter cockpit....this would be helpful. This is written by an American with an American perspective, and also with a little bit of humour mixed with a pinch (handful)of salt.

So, tighten your straps and enjoy the flight!!!

An F-14 taking off with both afterburners lit up. (Image Courtesy Google Image Search)

Quote: Now this message is for America 's most famous athletes:

Someday you may be invited to fly in the back-seat of one of your country's
most powerful fighter jets. Many of you already have. John Elway,
John Stockton, Tiger Woods to name a few. If you get this opportunity,
let me urge you, with the greatest sincerity.... Move to Guam .

Change your name.

Fake your own death!

Whatever you do.
Do Not Go!!!

I know.

The U.S. Navy invited me to try it. I was thrilled. I was pumped.
I was toast! I should've known when they told me my pilot would
be Chip (Biff) King of Fighter Squadron 213 at Naval Air Station
Oceana in Virginia Beach ..

Whatever you're thinking a Top Gun named Chip (Biff) King looks
like, triple it. He's about six-foot, tan, ice-blue eyes, wavy surfer hair,
finger-crippling handshake -- the kind of man who wrestles
dyspeptic alligators in his leisure time. If you see this man, run the
other way. Fast.

Biff King was born to fly. His father, Jack King, was for years the
voice of NASA missions. ('T-minus 15 seconds and counting'. Remember?)
Chip would charge neighborhood kids a quarter each to hear his dad.
Jack would wake up from naps surrounded by nine-year-olds waiting
for him to say, 'We have liftoff'.

Biff was to fly me in an F- 14D Tomcat, a ridiculously powerful $60 million
weapon with nearly as much thrust as weight, not unlike Colin Montgomerie.
I was worried about getting airsick, so the night before the flight I asked
Biff if there was something I should eat the next morning.

'Bananas,' he said.

'For the potassium?' I asked.

'No,' Biff said, 'because they taste about the same coming up
as they do going down.'

The next morning, out on the tarmac, I had on my flight suit with my name
sewn over the left breast. (No call sign -- like Crash or Sticky or Leadfoot.
But, still, very cool.) I carried my helmet in the crook of my arm, as Biff had
instructed. If ever in my life I had a chance to nail Nicole Kidman,
this was it.

A fighter pilot named Psycho gave me a safety briefing and then fastened
me into my ejection seat, which, when employed, would 'egress' me out
of the plane at such a velocity that I would be immediately knocked
unconscious.

Just as I was thinking about aborting the flight, the canopy closed over me,
and Biff gave the ground crew a thumbs-up In minutes we were firing nose
up at 600 mph. We leveled out and then canopy-rolled over another F-14.

Those 20 minutes were the rush of my life. Unfortunately, the ride lasted 80.
It was like being on the roller coaster at Six Flags Over Hell. Only
without rails.
We did barrel rolls, snap rolls, loops, yanks and banks. We dived, rose and
dived again, sometimes with a vertical velocity of 10,000 feet per minute.
We chased another F-14, and it chased us.

We broke the speed of sound. Sea was sky and sky was sea. Flying at
200 feet we did 90-degree turns at 550 mph, creating a G force of 6.5,
which is to say I felt as if 6.5 times my body weight was smashing
against me, thereby approximating life as Mrs.. Colin Montgomerie.

And I egressed the bananas.

And I egressed the pizza from the night before.

And the lunch before that.

I egressed a box of Milk Duds from the sixth grade.

I made Linda Blair look polite. Because of the G's, I was egressing
stuff that never thought would be egressed.

I went through not one airsick bag, but two.

Biff said I passed out. Twice. I was coated in sweat. At one point,
as we were coming in upside down in a banked curve on a mock
bombing target and the G's were flattening me like a tortilla and I
was in and out of consciousness, I realized I was the first person
in history to throw down.

I used to know 'cool'. Cool was Elway throwing a touchdown pass,
or Norman making a five-iron bite.. But now I really know 'cool'.
Cool is guys like Biff, men with cast-iron stomachs and freon nerves.
I wouldn't go up there again for Derek Jeter's black book, but I'm
glad Biff does every day, and for less a year than a rookie reliever
makes in a home stand.

A week later, when the spins finally stopped, Biff called. He said
he and the fighters had the perfect call sign for me. Said he'd
send it on a patch for my flight suit.

What is it? I asked.

'Two Bags.'

Don't you dare tell Nicole. Unquote.

HAPPINESS - A QUEST

2009-08-23T20:24:00.005+05:30

Happiness is illusive to most of us. We do one thing after another to be happy. We set goals; we focus on the goals; achieve them, all to reach a state of happiness, and still find that we are not happy.

Happiness, as defined in wikipedia, "is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy". We are all looking to reach that state; some through earning more and more wealth; some through buying things that they want - the latest gadget, a dream car, etc.; some through marrying the person of their choice; some through looking and finding the career of their choice; some by immigrating to faraway lands; and through many other means. Did we find the happiness that we sought through all these means listed above, and which are widely sought after by most of us? Having been through over 56 years of life, I can unequivocally state that the answer is a definite "No". Why? Primarily because we have been looking for it in the wrong place. The power to be happy is in our own minds, and not in the external world in which we keep looking for it. Yes, we do get fleeting pleasures from the external world and stimuli - a new car of one's dreams gives great pleasure but the first scratch gives an equal amount of pain.

Happiness is always in the present moment and not in the distant or near future, and so it is important to enjoy the journey by accepting what comes one's way, rather than waiting for events to turn, as per one's own wants. Children have this unique ability and somehow we adults loose it in the process of growing up. My grand daughter gave me a number of lessons; the most important being that I was most happy when I saw her happy - happiness comes when one makes another happy - we are human - we are interdependent in every which way - we cannot be happy when others around us are unhappy.

I found these quotes, on the subject of happiness, that I really love, and thought that I would put them down here for easy reference......they do make a lot of sense to me and are really good food for thought, and for reflection.

1. Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful............Herman Cain

2. Happiness resides not in posessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul .........................................Democritus

3. Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities ................Aldous Huxley

4. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion ....................Dalai Lama

5. I am very happy
Because I have conquered myself
And not the world.
I am very happy
Because I have loved the world
And not myself .............Sri Chinmoy

6. There is only one person who could ever make you happy, and that person is you .............David Burns

7. People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be ............Abraham Lincoln

8. Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony .............. Mahatma Gandhi

9. Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom ...................Marcel Proust

10. If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years ....................Bertrand Russell

11. To be able to find joy in another's joy, that is the secret of happiness .........George Bernanos

12. We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it .............George Bernard Shaw

13. A happy life consists in tranquillity of mind .........Marcus Tullius Cicero

14. Men spend their lives in anticipations,—in determining to be vastly happy at some period when they have time. But the present time has one advantage over every other—it is our own. Past opportunities are gone, future have not come. We may lay in a stock of pleasures, as we would lay in a stock of wine; but if we defer the tasting of them too long, we shall find that both are soured by age ..................
Charles Caleb Colton

15. Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we seek it ......J. Petit Senn

15. Our happiness is greatest when we contribute most to the happiness of others .........Harriet Shepard

16. When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy .........Samuel Goldwyn

17. When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us .......Helen Keller

18. Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go .........Oscar Wilde

19. Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain .......Unknown

20. Happiness depends upon ourselves ...................Aristotle

21. The man with a toothache thinks everyone happy whose teeth are sound. The poverty-stricken man makes the same mistake about the rich man ...........George Bernard Shaw

What has been your experience with happiness in life? Do you agree or strongly disagree with any of the quotes above? Your comments are solicited.