Countless such instances come before us when the people are seen linking their faith in God to some magic like happenings in their lives. Instances of people in deep distress mumbling before God in temples, Churches, Mosques and other places of worship “If you are really there then save my-----------.” are encountered very often. Why should God’s powers and existence be put to test and who are we to test Him?
In other words we expect God to create a miracle to bring a realization in all atheists that He really exists and has the powers which no body else has as many demon kings were seen doing in various mythological epics.
Sometimes back I had read the story of a pilot who came out from a certain death in a plane crash while his companions numbering about five were killed. This incident changed him from an atheist to a believer in God. To me it is a flawed perception of god. That pilot should have put this question to him why his companions all of whom probably were not atheists like him were killed. Why did God choose to save him only and not others? This can lead to some flawed conclusions –First, God is not kind to those who accept his existence but is kind to them who do not accept his existences. Second, God wants to prove his existence to those who don’t believe him with his miracle like act.
Death or an escape from death is the part of law of karma and it has nothing to do with God’s existence. Fact is that He is a creator as well as destroyer. Everything what he creates undergoes a change like the flowing river which ultimately loses its identity after submerging in to a sea. Same is true of a man and other living creatures they take birth undergo a constant change and then death takes them away. After death what form the soul takes depends upon its karma. If God starts prolonging the life of those who start praying to Him seeing death approaching them then probable no body will die simply because every creature wants to live as long as it is possible and this universe will be like a pond with still water which emanates foul smell
In Mahabharata after losing all her hundred sons when Gandhari was inconsolably weeping with all her wrath directed against Krishna whom she considered to be the cause of her family’s annihilation. Krishna approached her and said “Mother you shouldn’t weep. Death is a natural law. One who is born will die. When and how he dies all depends upon his karma. No body who is born can escape this law of karma. The heinous acts of your sons could invite only self-destruction and nothing else. I don’t come in to picture at all. Even with all my powers I could not have saved them” This message of Krishna resonates what Vedas speak about law of karma. One should always constantly work to improve the quality of his present and future karma but if he think that by prayer or good karma he can escape the punishment of his past bad karma, he is wrong. Vedic philosophy is very clear, one will reap the fruit of his actions and there is no way to escape the resultant reaction. No doubt our good karma will get good reward in future in this life or next life.
The truth is that this Universe by itself shadows forth his greatness and existence. All of us working together can not create one tree and even if it looked like a tree it won’t grow. Those who love nature can only realize what a great creator he is. It has not been possible to count the type of birds and animals that exist and existed at any time. This planet is abode to billions but no two have same looks and habits. Behold the wonderful organization of the body! Even the most learned are wonderstruck with it. One day the same body becomes limp and all functions come to stand still and we pronounce that man is dead. If you dissect that body nothing physical will be seen missing but all the time that physical was functional due to a force called God or Cosmic force or anything else one may like to name. Then look at the myriads of earths, suns, moons and other heavenly bodies. Even the best machines and mechanisms designed by a man develop snag but what He has designed are flawless since millenniums. The longest day and the longest night come exactly after a year and a leap year never gave a miss and comes after every fourth year. All these things around us are not happening accidentally. Hence certainly there is a creative force behind us and His existence doesn’t need to be put to test as we generally do in distress by linking it with the survival of our near and dear ones.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Why stop Jagan?
It smacks of Congress Party’s double Standards.
No body disputes that ours is the most successful democracy in South East Asia but this can also not be ignored that its interior is dynastic. We Indians like dynastic subjugation which gets amply demonstrated by the events of last sixty two years of our country's democratic rule. Even where the progenies of the leaders were seen reluctant to enter politics we forced them to occupy the thrones. This is nothing but the old mind set of bowing before the people who already have blue blood rather than to elevate somebody who is one of us. How the reluctant Rajiv, a green horn in politics, was made to assume Prime Ministership of this vast country is still fresh in the minds. Go to any erstwhile state even today people kowtow before the one time rulers and their present generations. So it should not be difficult to understand the clamour of leaders and masses in Andhra Pradesh to install YSR’s son as his successor whose popularity with the masses of the state probably had very few parallels.
To be fair with Jagan, by putting his claim he has not asked for the Moon. He has demanded what people in his position get on platter as these facts will show.
Who will forget that in sixties after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, despite the presence of stalwarts like Morarji Desai, Kamraj, C.B. Gupta, N. Sanjeeva Reddy, Subramanium and many others heavy weights we wanted the so called doll Priyadarshini Indira to be installed as the Prime Minister and once she could find that streaks of dynastic subjugation run deep in our veins she didn’t look back and obliged the Indian masses by projecting herself as the eternal Prime Minister and exercised the hold which even the most powerful Monarch in the long history of our country never had. Having known that this country will not settle for a person other than Nehru Gandhi scion after her death, first she groomed her son Sanjay and after his untimely death it was the other son Rajiv. Events that followed proved that she was right.
But, it is not only with Gandhis. The record of others is equally glorious in maintaining dynastic hold? Thakeray clan in Maharashtra ( father put his son though it meant tremendous loss to the party by the estranged nephew), Mulayam Singh is all set to hand over the party reins to his son, Charan singh to Ajit sing and now he is set to pass on the baton to his son Dushyant, Devi lal to Om Prakash Chautala and now his son Abhay is ready to have his mantle, NTR to Chander Babu Naidu though it was after a brief family battle of succession, , Naveen Patnaik has inherited Biju’s mantle, Vasubndhra Raje is grooming her son. In Panjab, Sukhbir Badal is firmly on the saddle much to the delight of his septuagenarian father. Then we have Chennai Super Kings. M. Karunanidhi who wants to give slice of power to all his family members. Stalin should take his place in Tamil Nadu, son Azhagiri and daughter Kanimozhi should control at Delhi. Not only this, the tradition of supporting the family successor is evident even in second rung leaders also. Sachin Pilot taking over from Rajesh pilot and Milind are following the footsteps of his father Murli Deora. But this all can not happen without the huge public support who by and large are happy with dynastic succession.
Then we should not forget that Dynastic succession and dynastic subjugation are pan-India phenomenon-kashmir se kanyakumari tak bhart ek hai , not confined to some particular region. If down south Karunanidhi has successfully demonstrated it then in the extreme North we have the Abdullah family in Jammu and Kashmir, Farookh making way to Omar and incidentally their opponents PDP also have same dynastic tradition. In nut shell subjugation to dynastic rule runs deep in our veins.
One can question why Sonia Gandhi has not put Rahul on PM’s chair so far which any other Indian politician would have found difficult to resist. Answer lies in her foreign origin. Had she been an Indian by birth Rahul would have been the PM long back.
Under the situation to restrict Jagan Mohan Reddy is totally un-Indian like. Sonia Gandhi will do well to understand what we Indians like. Democracy is OK for us, but it has to be with a dynastic interior.
Bhartendu Sood
No body disputes that ours is the most successful democracy in South East Asia but this can also not be ignored that its interior is dynastic. We Indians like dynastic subjugation which gets amply demonstrated by the events of last sixty two years of our country's democratic rule. Even where the progenies of the leaders were seen reluctant to enter politics we forced them to occupy the thrones. This is nothing but the old mind set of bowing before the people who already have blue blood rather than to elevate somebody who is one of us. How the reluctant Rajiv, a green horn in politics, was made to assume Prime Ministership of this vast country is still fresh in the minds. Go to any erstwhile state even today people kowtow before the one time rulers and their present generations. So it should not be difficult to understand the clamour of leaders and masses in Andhra Pradesh to install YSR’s son as his successor whose popularity with the masses of the state probably had very few parallels.
To be fair with Jagan, by putting his claim he has not asked for the Moon. He has demanded what people in his position get on platter as these facts will show.
Who will forget that in sixties after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, despite the presence of stalwarts like Morarji Desai, Kamraj, C.B. Gupta, N. Sanjeeva Reddy, Subramanium and many others heavy weights we wanted the so called doll Priyadarshini Indira to be installed as the Prime Minister and once she could find that streaks of dynastic subjugation run deep in our veins she didn’t look back and obliged the Indian masses by projecting herself as the eternal Prime Minister and exercised the hold which even the most powerful Monarch in the long history of our country never had. Having known that this country will not settle for a person other than Nehru Gandhi scion after her death, first she groomed her son Sanjay and after his untimely death it was the other son Rajiv. Events that followed proved that she was right.
But, it is not only with Gandhis. The record of others is equally glorious in maintaining dynastic hold? Thakeray clan in Maharashtra ( father put his son though it meant tremendous loss to the party by the estranged nephew), Mulayam Singh is all set to hand over the party reins to his son, Charan singh to Ajit sing and now he is set to pass on the baton to his son Dushyant, Devi lal to Om Prakash Chautala and now his son Abhay is ready to have his mantle, NTR to Chander Babu Naidu though it was after a brief family battle of succession, , Naveen Patnaik has inherited Biju’s mantle, Vasubndhra Raje is grooming her son. In Panjab, Sukhbir Badal is firmly on the saddle much to the delight of his septuagenarian father. Then we have Chennai Super Kings. M. Karunanidhi who wants to give slice of power to all his family members. Stalin should take his place in Tamil Nadu, son Azhagiri and daughter Kanimozhi should control at Delhi. Not only this, the tradition of supporting the family successor is evident even in second rung leaders also. Sachin Pilot taking over from Rajesh pilot and Milind are following the footsteps of his father Murli Deora. But this all can not happen without the huge public support who by and large are happy with dynastic succession.
Then we should not forget that Dynastic succession and dynastic subjugation are pan-India phenomenon-kashmir se kanyakumari tak bhart ek hai , not confined to some particular region. If down south Karunanidhi has successfully demonstrated it then in the extreme North we have the Abdullah family in Jammu and Kashmir, Farookh making way to Omar and incidentally their opponents PDP also have same dynastic tradition. In nut shell subjugation to dynastic rule runs deep in our veins.
One can question why Sonia Gandhi has not put Rahul on PM’s chair so far which any other Indian politician would have found difficult to resist. Answer lies in her foreign origin. Had she been an Indian by birth Rahul would have been the PM long back.
Under the situation to restrict Jagan Mohan Reddy is totally un-Indian like. Sonia Gandhi will do well to understand what we Indians like. Democracy is OK for us, but it has to be with a dynastic interior.
Bhartendu Sood
Vedas speak of one God Who has different names
When we want to know somebody it is natural that we look for his name. It holds good for God also. Katha Upanishad says “ He, Whom all the Vedas declare worthy of homage, Whom all devotion and righteous actions lead to, and for Whose realization life of chastity is led, is called AOM.
Sage Patanjali in his Prastut sutra has referred to God by the name ‘Pranav’ which is nothing but synonym of AOM. Our sages of yore also referred to God either by AOM or by Pranav. But, in Vedas and Upanishads God has been referred mostly by the name AOM.
AOM is the highest name of God; it is composed of three letters A, O and M. This one name comprises many other names of God. A stands for virat, Agni and Vishwa etc. O stands for Hiranyagrabha, vayu and yaijas etc. M stands for Ishwara, Aditya and Prajan etc. Rig Veda says, “He is one, but the wise call Him by different names; such as Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Diviya and many others which manifest his qualities and attributes.”
For example, He is called Shiva being Blissful and benefactor of all. Being Creator of the Universe He is called Brahma. Being All pervading he is called Vishnu. Being Protector of all and All-powerful many call Him Inder. All glorious, some call Him Agni. He illuminates this multiform universe so many call him Virat. Many call him vishwa because all the world and worldly objects dwell in Him. He is called Taijas because He is resplendent and gives light to the Sun and other luminous bodies. Being embodiment of all true knowledge others call Him Manu. Since He is the source of life, many call Him Prana. He punishes the wicked many call Him Rudra. Many know Him as Akshara because he is immortal and omnipresent. We call Him Swarat since He is Self-effulgent: Kalagni-because he is the cause of the dissolution of the world and regulator of time; Chandrama-the true source of happiness
.
Similarly He is called Varuna because he is the greatest among the great; Holiest among the holy and purest among the pure. He is called mitra because He loves all and is worthy of being loved by all.
Because His qualities, nature, attributes and activities are infinite so He has infinite names. Generally we call Him by the name what we look in Him. For example when a man is in trouble and seeks His support, he calls Him Data and dayalu( the one who is kind). Those who look to Him as source of Power to scare the wicked call Him Shakti. This behaviour can be best understood when we look in to the way we call our beloved child or any of our bosom friends. Most of the times out of love we call them by the quality which strikes us utmost in him, likewise different people call Him by the attribute which appeals to them. But, God is one though has different names depending upon the qualities and attributes we look in to Him.
Therefore, Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj has described God like this -He, who is called Brahma or the most High; who is Parmatma or the Supreme Spirit, Who permeates the whole Universe; who is a true personification of Existence, consciousness and bliss, whose nature, attributes and characteristics are Holy; who is omnipresent, All glorious, resplendent, All knowledge, All holy, formless, All pervading like ether, Unborn, Infinite, Almighty, just and merciful; Who is the author of the Universe, sustains and dissolves it; who awards all souls the fruits of their deeds in strict accordance with the requirements of absolute justice and is possessed of all like attributes, Who is Lord of all and is above all devtas. I believe Him to be the great God and He alone should be worshipped.
Differentiating between devta and God, Vedas say whosoever possesses useful and brilliant qualities is devta and he who is the sustainer of all devatas is the adorable God. They are greatly mistaken who take the word devata to mean God, though in Vedas he is described as Devata of devatas.
Yajur Veda xiii 4 says “O men, God existed in the beginning of the Creation. He is the Creator, Support and the Sustainer of the Sun and other luminous worlds. He was the Lord of the past creation. He is the lord of the present. He will be the Lord of all future creations. He is eternal bliss. May ye all praise and adore Him as we do.”
It should set aside the notion being carried by many especially in foreign countries that Hinduism speaks of countless Gods. All great men like Rama and Krishna were great souls and devata but not God as God is one who is unborn.
Bhartendu Sood
Sage Patanjali in his Prastut sutra has referred to God by the name ‘Pranav’ which is nothing but synonym of AOM. Our sages of yore also referred to God either by AOM or by Pranav. But, in Vedas and Upanishads God has been referred mostly by the name AOM.
AOM is the highest name of God; it is composed of three letters A, O and M. This one name comprises many other names of God. A stands for virat, Agni and Vishwa etc. O stands for Hiranyagrabha, vayu and yaijas etc. M stands for Ishwara, Aditya and Prajan etc. Rig Veda says, “He is one, but the wise call Him by different names; such as Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Diviya and many others which manifest his qualities and attributes.”
For example, He is called Shiva being Blissful and benefactor of all. Being Creator of the Universe He is called Brahma. Being All pervading he is called Vishnu. Being Protector of all and All-powerful many call Him Inder. All glorious, some call Him Agni. He illuminates this multiform universe so many call him Virat. Many call him vishwa because all the world and worldly objects dwell in Him. He is called Taijas because He is resplendent and gives light to the Sun and other luminous bodies. Being embodiment of all true knowledge others call Him Manu. Since He is the source of life, many call Him Prana. He punishes the wicked many call Him Rudra. Many know Him as Akshara because he is immortal and omnipresent. We call Him Swarat since He is Self-effulgent: Kalagni-because he is the cause of the dissolution of the world and regulator of time; Chandrama-the true source of happiness
.
Similarly He is called Varuna because he is the greatest among the great; Holiest among the holy and purest among the pure. He is called mitra because He loves all and is worthy of being loved by all.
Because His qualities, nature, attributes and activities are infinite so He has infinite names. Generally we call Him by the name what we look in Him. For example when a man is in trouble and seeks His support, he calls Him Data and dayalu( the one who is kind). Those who look to Him as source of Power to scare the wicked call Him Shakti. This behaviour can be best understood when we look in to the way we call our beloved child or any of our bosom friends. Most of the times out of love we call them by the quality which strikes us utmost in him, likewise different people call Him by the attribute which appeals to them. But, God is one though has different names depending upon the qualities and attributes we look in to Him.
Therefore, Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj has described God like this -He, who is called Brahma or the most High; who is Parmatma or the Supreme Spirit, Who permeates the whole Universe; who is a true personification of Existence, consciousness and bliss, whose nature, attributes and characteristics are Holy; who is omnipresent, All glorious, resplendent, All knowledge, All holy, formless, All pervading like ether, Unborn, Infinite, Almighty, just and merciful; Who is the author of the Universe, sustains and dissolves it; who awards all souls the fruits of their deeds in strict accordance with the requirements of absolute justice and is possessed of all like attributes, Who is Lord of all and is above all devtas. I believe Him to be the great God and He alone should be worshipped.
Differentiating between devta and God, Vedas say whosoever possesses useful and brilliant qualities is devta and he who is the sustainer of all devatas is the adorable God. They are greatly mistaken who take the word devata to mean God, though in Vedas he is described as Devata of devatas.
Yajur Veda xiii 4 says “O men, God existed in the beginning of the Creation. He is the Creator, Support and the Sustainer of the Sun and other luminous worlds. He was the Lord of the past creation. He is the lord of the present. He will be the Lord of all future creations. He is eternal bliss. May ye all praise and adore Him as we do.”
It should set aside the notion being carried by many especially in foreign countries that Hinduism speaks of countless Gods. All great men like Rama and Krishna were great souls and devata but not God as God is one who is unborn.
Bhartendu Sood
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Austerity Bug
We should thank Sonia and our PM
Without trying to win brawny points in the art of cynicism, we should thank Sonia Gandhi and our PM that they have made a start some where. It is the first time in last fifteen years that somebody thought it necessary to check ever burgeoning govt. expenditure. Coming to Rahul Gandhi, we don’t have many politicians left who can match his humility and simplicity.
Other political parties and state governments should follow it by sublimating their egos. Grandeur should not be allowed to be the definition of power. It is not only politicians but bureaucrats also need this doze of austerity. Most vulgar opulence is visible in states where each bureaucrat has 5-6 vehicles& drivers at his home and even middle level officers are not far behind.
Without trying to win brawny points in the art of cynicism, we should thank Sonia Gandhi and our PM that they have made a start some where. It is the first time in last fifteen years that somebody thought it necessary to check ever burgeoning govt. expenditure. Coming to Rahul Gandhi, we don’t have many politicians left who can match his humility and simplicity.
Other political parties and state governments should follow it by sublimating their egos. Grandeur should not be allowed to be the definition of power. It is not only politicians but bureaucrats also need this doze of austerity. Most vulgar opulence is visible in states where each bureaucrat has 5-6 vehicles& drivers at his home and even middle level officers are not far behind.
Abolition of 10th board examination
It’s a fallacy that examinations and stress are interlinked. Fifty years back we had more Board examinations but far less stress. Even class 8 exam was a board exam. Putting efforts to give best performance can’t be termed as stress, it is a joy. For example, objective of games is physical fitness but abolishing national championship will take away the zing, fun and sprit of competition associated with it. Every body wants his talent to be tested and the right opportunity is examination. Only section who perhaps will welcome abolition of board examination is our govt. teachers with no yardstick left to assess them. Further with no fear of failure, you will get many in 10th class who’d be not knowing simple multiplication or writing three lines in their main language.
Well who think that by abolishing one examination stress on students can be reduced forget that there are countless entrance examinations which a student face now a days and puts real efforts for these entrance examinations.
Well who think that by abolishing one examination stress on students can be reduced forget that there are countless entrance examinations which a student face now a days and puts real efforts for these entrance examinations.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Stimulus package for Rich-in the name of tax reforms
There is one Hindi phrase “ andha bante rewrian ( sweets) mur mur( again and again) apno ko de”
This applies to our Finance Minister. First it was the abolition of surcharge on taxable income above Rs 10 lacs, now there is stimulus for rich in the name of tax reforms. I think not even 3% of our population pays income tax and those whose income is above Rs 5 lacs may not be even 1%.
Under the situation to concentrate on this block of 3% by ignoring 550 million in the unorganized sector who struggle to earn even Rs 100 per day betrays of the wrong priorities of UPA Govt.On one side we talk of inclusive growth and on other side we are working to increase inequality between haves and have-nots. Who needs attention-a govt. school teacher getting Rs 30000 salary for just 100 days of a work in a year( with assured Rs 5000 increasae in year with this DA pattern) or a private school teacher who very often doesn’t get even Rs 2000 ( Both working for the same cause)..
Last, let us not forget it is being designed by our babus who keep self interest above the nation’s interest. A country which is the home of one third of the poor in the world earning less than 2$ per day, approximately 78% of our population, is working on tax relief for those who earn any thing between 20- 1000$ per day. We seem to have taken the path which can only bring unrest in the country.
Bhartendu Sood
This applies to our Finance Minister. First it was the abolition of surcharge on taxable income above Rs 10 lacs, now there is stimulus for rich in the name of tax reforms. I think not even 3% of our population pays income tax and those whose income is above Rs 5 lacs may not be even 1%.
Under the situation to concentrate on this block of 3% by ignoring 550 million in the unorganized sector who struggle to earn even Rs 100 per day betrays of the wrong priorities of UPA Govt.On one side we talk of inclusive growth and on other side we are working to increase inequality between haves and have-nots. Who needs attention-a govt. school teacher getting Rs 30000 salary for just 100 days of a work in a year( with assured Rs 5000 increasae in year with this DA pattern) or a private school teacher who very often doesn’t get even Rs 2000 ( Both working for the same cause)..
Last, let us not forget it is being designed by our babus who keep self interest above the nation’s interest. A country which is the home of one third of the poor in the world earning less than 2$ per day, approximately 78% of our population, is working on tax relief for those who earn any thing between 20- 1000$ per day. We seem to have taken the path which can only bring unrest in the country.
Bhartendu Sood
HOW BUDDHA VIEWED CHARITY
Buddha had just finished his sermons when the king of that province approached him desiring to donate land and huge wealth. Buddha remained on his seat and received that with one hand.. The king took a seat close to Buddha. Then came the wealthiest landlord of that province and he too donated a large amount of money. Buddha didn’t move from his place and took it with one hand. The rich person also sat next to the king. Then emerged a poor old woman from the crowd of large devotees and bowed before Buddha offering a handful of grain tied up in a small bundle. Much to the chagrin of both the king and the rich man, Buddha got up from his seat and took that with both hands. When the king and the rich landlord asked the reason for his differential treatment Buddha explained how they had given a small part of their holdings and their donations were imbued with vanity and expectations, therefore he took them with one hand without moving from my seat. But, that poor woman donated everything what she had and she moved back in to the crowd. She had no desire for being glorified or acknowledged therefore he got up from my seat and accepted her donation with both hands” Give not anything away as yours, but as that which is given to you by the divine power, for dispensing to the needy. He who comes to know this truth is a seer because he rises above ego and the arrogance associated with the donor. True charity is desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense. Charity given from earned money without any intention to earn glory is worthy of reckoning, irrespective of its magnitude.”
If the donor as well as the receiver is particular about this aspect then our religions and charitable institutions will continue to command respect. Buddha did not approve of hoarding wealth with desire and attachment, which is against his fundamental, nor did he approve of each and every way of earning one’s livelihood.
This is the story which the present day Charitable and Religious Institutions can take heart from who generally by ignoring the learned persons and devoted workers, go all out to honor the donors who make huge donations from their the money earned by abominable means. Charity made out of the honestly earned money with out any intention to earn glory is worthy of reckoning irrespective of its magnitude.
BHARTENDU SOOD
If the donor as well as the receiver is particular about this aspect then our religions and charitable institutions will continue to command respect. Buddha did not approve of hoarding wealth with desire and attachment, which is against his fundamental, nor did he approve of each and every way of earning one’s livelihood.
This is the story which the present day Charitable and Religious Institutions can take heart from who generally by ignoring the learned persons and devoted workers, go all out to honor the donors who make huge donations from their the money earned by abominable means. Charity made out of the honestly earned money with out any intention to earn glory is worthy of reckoning irrespective of its magnitude.
BHARTENDU SOOD
Friday, August 14, 2009
ALONE MONEY OR LEGISLATION CAN"T HELP THE CAUSE OF LITERACY
No body disputes that in the recent years literacy has been the priority area for the Governments at the center which is manifested by the increasing public expenditure on education and according to one estimate it is more than Rs 60000 crore in a year. That may be fine, but it’s no longer enough which is reflected by India ’s ranking in the fight against literacy which has slipped from 100 to 105. Point is that making funds available for Sarva Shiksha Abhyan or making legislations to make Education a right is just not enough to ensure that everybody irrespective of the financial background, place of stay, cast, creed and religion gets education or in other words education is universalized.
As we see, problem is not with the funds. If the corresponding outcome is not there then the culprit is the failed delivery system. What are the maladies which continue to plague the system? A careful survey brings to light the three main impediments. First, the government schools where the poorest of the poor get education are still bereft of the required infrastructure, the condition in many being nothing short of appalling. Here, it is important to remember that when it comes to infrastructure there is a big difference in the government schools located in the cities and those in the rural and far off areas. For example in city schools there is a surplus staff as all teachers want to be in cities and in rural areas most of the times there are one or two teachers actually present to manage all the classes. To summarize-either building is not there and if building exists teachers are not there. Second, even where infrastructure exists these schools are not allowed to function by our state governments. There is a holiday on the silliest excuse. Impact is horrible. In 150 teaching days available in a year (30-40 days go for conducting examinations etc.) it is just not possible to complete the courses. Those students who stay in cities and are well off make up by turning to the private tutors but others continue to suffer and a stage reaches when they lose interest in studies and their parents in order to save them from idling away their time put them on petty jobs. Third impediment is the very high teacher absenteeism in the government schools ranging from 20-60 per cent in different states, even if government teachers earn thrice or more than the private sector teachers. To make the things worse many cases of sub-letting the jobs by the high paid govt. teachers are coming to light.
But thanks to our growth story of last 20 years, one very heartening development is that even poor and illiterate want to give education to their children including girls even if it means stretching their resources. Under the situation, what can be done to make Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan a grand success?
First, there is an urgent need to change our mind set. Today when we are convinced that education through Government schools is a failed delivery system which gets reflected by the fact that even the government teachers send their children to private schools, there is no wisdom in keeping education in the govt. sector. There is a fit case for handing over the school education to the proven NGO’s on the condition that those below poverty line will continue to get free education and the children of lower middle class families will have a subsidized fee structure. NGO’s will be too happy even if parts of the funds which it spends on Government schools are provided to them.
Second, it is very important to assess teacher’s ability to teach and his knowledge of the content he is expected to teach. How a teacher who himself doesn’t know the subject can do justice with the children. Therefore it is important to introduce written test for the teachers at the time of the recruitment and at periodic intervals say once in two years.
Third, before talking about computers let us first build buildings with roofs, provide black boards and books. There has to be same facilities in all schools whether these are in the cities or villages.
Forth, access to private schools should be available to the poor children as well. Let govt. work out a mechanism under which their fee is paid by the Govt. directly to the private schools. Fifth, schools should be allowed to have their own calendar as industry has. Govt. holidays should not be forced on schools. If a Minister dies why small children are expected to mourn his death? The whole purpose is that unless schools have minimum 250 teaching days, courses can not be completed.
Last it is a fallacy that teachers with ornamental degrees like PhD’s etc are better teachers. Let us not forget that these are for the personal benefit of the teacher and seldom help the students. All that we need is committed teachers who are interested in teaching and are endoed with a skill to transfer their knowledge.
Crux is that alone money and legislations can’t help the cause of literacy; we need to make the schools functional.
BHARTENDU SOOD
As we see, problem is not with the funds. If the corresponding outcome is not there then the culprit is the failed delivery system. What are the maladies which continue to plague the system? A careful survey brings to light the three main impediments. First, the government schools where the poorest of the poor get education are still bereft of the required infrastructure, the condition in many being nothing short of appalling. Here, it is important to remember that when it comes to infrastructure there is a big difference in the government schools located in the cities and those in the rural and far off areas. For example in city schools there is a surplus staff as all teachers want to be in cities and in rural areas most of the times there are one or two teachers actually present to manage all the classes. To summarize-either building is not there and if building exists teachers are not there. Second, even where infrastructure exists these schools are not allowed to function by our state governments. There is a holiday on the silliest excuse. Impact is horrible. In 150 teaching days available in a year (30-40 days go for conducting examinations etc.) it is just not possible to complete the courses. Those students who stay in cities and are well off make up by turning to the private tutors but others continue to suffer and a stage reaches when they lose interest in studies and their parents in order to save them from idling away their time put them on petty jobs. Third impediment is the very high teacher absenteeism in the government schools ranging from 20-60 per cent in different states, even if government teachers earn thrice or more than the private sector teachers. To make the things worse many cases of sub-letting the jobs by the high paid govt. teachers are coming to light.
But thanks to our growth story of last 20 years, one very heartening development is that even poor and illiterate want to give education to their children including girls even if it means stretching their resources. Under the situation, what can be done to make Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan a grand success?
First, there is an urgent need to change our mind set. Today when we are convinced that education through Government schools is a failed delivery system which gets reflected by the fact that even the government teachers send their children to private schools, there is no wisdom in keeping education in the govt. sector. There is a fit case for handing over the school education to the proven NGO’s on the condition that those below poverty line will continue to get free education and the children of lower middle class families will have a subsidized fee structure. NGO’s will be too happy even if parts of the funds which it spends on Government schools are provided to them.
Second, it is very important to assess teacher’s ability to teach and his knowledge of the content he is expected to teach. How a teacher who himself doesn’t know the subject can do justice with the children. Therefore it is important to introduce written test for the teachers at the time of the recruitment and at periodic intervals say once in two years.
Third, before talking about computers let us first build buildings with roofs, provide black boards and books. There has to be same facilities in all schools whether these are in the cities or villages.
Forth, access to private schools should be available to the poor children as well. Let govt. work out a mechanism under which their fee is paid by the Govt. directly to the private schools. Fifth, schools should be allowed to have their own calendar as industry has. Govt. holidays should not be forced on schools. If a Minister dies why small children are expected to mourn his death? The whole purpose is that unless schools have minimum 250 teaching days, courses can not be completed.
Last it is a fallacy that teachers with ornamental degrees like PhD’s etc are better teachers. Let us not forget that these are for the personal benefit of the teacher and seldom help the students. All that we need is committed teachers who are interested in teaching and are endoed with a skill to transfer their knowledge.
Crux is that alone money and legislations can’t help the cause of literacy; we need to make the schools functional.
BHARTENDU SOOD
Friday, June 26, 2009
Hoarding wealth
Many simply like to see the pyramid of wealth scaling new heights every month.
As a child I had the good fortune of having my grandmother around me. She always had anecdotes up her sleeves. One such anecdote she narrated to me was when my grandfather was an officer in the British Empire.
He was then posted in Ramnagar near Varanasi. Our neighbour happened to be a businessman known as Sethji, who had a roaring silk business. His huge ‘haveli’ had a fleet of horse carts and an army of servants. His wife’s favourite past time was keeping the famed jewellers of Varanasi engaged.
Our family later shifted to Shimla in summer. When we went back after three months, I found amazing changes in the haveli. The number of servants had reduced to a trickle and it was no more the favourite destination of jewellers. Of course, the most glaring change was visible on Sethani’s face.
My inquisitiveness had bottled up and one day when Sethani exchanged pleasantries, I broke the ice to know about this change and she almost broke down. There was a sudden and unexpected change in their business fortune. They were making a loss of Rs 3,000 every month, she said sadly.
After a week or so we were in splits when their accountant disclosed to us that earlier the monthly profit of the Seth’s firm was about Rs 6,000, which had reduced to Rs 3,000 and it made Sethji declare emergency!
I never thought that this mindset had percolated down to our IT honchos, who despite making huge profits and comfortably sitting on cash reserves are issuing pink slips, increasing working hours and have even frozen the salaries. One of the IT companies resorting to such measures is sitting on a cash pile of Rs 11,000 crore! But then hoarding of wealth is also an addiction. Once you become a part of it, you simply like to see the pyramid of wealth scaling new heights every month and have zero tolerance if the pace of the increase slows down.
I also worked in the private sector for 35 years. They all considered removing an employee, unless found indulging in dishonest means, a virtual profane even when the units is under cash losses.
Indeed it is a time for our IT honchos to go back to the surviving captains of the old school of management, whose general message was, ‘Remember, if job is important to you, it is still more important to the man down the line. Think hundred times before giving any benefit but once given do not take it away because it will hurt him as it hurts you
As a child I had the good fortune of having my grandmother around me. She always had anecdotes up her sleeves. One such anecdote she narrated to me was when my grandfather was an officer in the British Empire.
He was then posted in Ramnagar near Varanasi. Our neighbour happened to be a businessman known as Sethji, who had a roaring silk business. His huge ‘haveli’ had a fleet of horse carts and an army of servants. His wife’s favourite past time was keeping the famed jewellers of Varanasi engaged.
Our family later shifted to Shimla in summer. When we went back after three months, I found amazing changes in the haveli. The number of servants had reduced to a trickle and it was no more the favourite destination of jewellers. Of course, the most glaring change was visible on Sethani’s face.
My inquisitiveness had bottled up and one day when Sethani exchanged pleasantries, I broke the ice to know about this change and she almost broke down. There was a sudden and unexpected change in their business fortune. They were making a loss of Rs 3,000 every month, she said sadly.
After a week or so we were in splits when their accountant disclosed to us that earlier the monthly profit of the Seth’s firm was about Rs 6,000, which had reduced to Rs 3,000 and it made Sethji declare emergency!
I never thought that this mindset had percolated down to our IT honchos, who despite making huge profits and comfortably sitting on cash reserves are issuing pink slips, increasing working hours and have even frozen the salaries. One of the IT companies resorting to such measures is sitting on a cash pile of Rs 11,000 crore! But then hoarding of wealth is also an addiction. Once you become a part of it, you simply like to see the pyramid of wealth scaling new heights every month and have zero tolerance if the pace of the increase slows down.
I also worked in the private sector for 35 years. They all considered removing an employee, unless found indulging in dishonest means, a virtual profane even when the units is under cash losses.
Indeed it is a time for our IT honchos to go back to the surviving captains of the old school of management, whose general message was, ‘Remember, if job is important to you, it is still more important to the man down the line. Think hundred times before giving any benefit but once given do not take it away because it will hurt him as it hurts you
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Yoga is about balance in life.
Just imagine -a successful industry honcho with chain of successful ventures behind him is on a mission to sign a deal that he believes would bring him in the list of the who’s who of the corporate world. He is blissfully enjoying every moment of his flight when his thoughts are curtly interrupted by the co-pilot’s announcement.
“I have good news as well as bad news. The good news is that we are going very fast and the bad news is that we are lost!”
Yes, it is true of most of us having lost a sense of balancing in the rat race to attain our materialistic pursuits and in the process have tragically trapped ourselves. Tragedy is that it is happening when we have more time saving devices at our disposal than what we had at any time in the past but we seem to have less time at our disposal to think about what we are doing.
The Gita says that Yoga is all about balance. That one is required to perform all his duties- as the beloved to his wife, as the dutiful son, as the earning householder, as a selfless friend, a responsible subject and a caring neighbour etc. all in appropriate proportion. So much is the importance of balancing in life that even by chasing the blessings of Almighty all the time by ignoring our duties in this workaday world we will not get the much cherished salvation -supreme happiness.
Vedas by dividing the life in to four phases ie brahamcharya, grihastha, sanyas and vanprastha emphasize the need for a balance in life. Similarly Buddha says that best way to practice Buddhism is by performing ones duties towards parents, wife, children, neighbours, guru & seers and social groups.
In ancient India the individual was encouraged to live in harmony with himself, his family, his environment and community by bringing about a balance between his inner and outer realities. Growing conflicts, struggle to survive, broken homes, youth going astray, addictions, crimes and suicides all what we are seeing today even in the homes which are rolling in wealth is because of the fact that we are not maintaining the balance what we are required to do. For example TV is a useful gadget in the house but to use it to keep children busy when the working mother is away to her place of work harms the children enormously. Likewise mobile has made difference in the lives of every body but to use it where your physical presence is required spoils the things.
How to restore this balance? Spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. By the time we realize that our parents needed us by their side, they are no more.
Say a kind word to someone who looks up to you for every thing in his early days, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Even with your entire accumulated wealth you can not buy back the childhood of your child. Therefore give him time and attention even if it is at the expense of so many other things which your bigger pay package can buy.
Give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a thing. Don’t forget to spare some time to make difference in the lives of many who were not born as privileged as you were.
Remember, to give a feeling to your partner that you care for him, with your actions and not merely by words. Simply crooning ‘I love you’ “I care for you” to your partner will not do unless you really mean it and show it to him with your actions.
Most important is don’t look for some auspicious time to start all these otherwise it will be too late. Life is like a dew drop. We will do well to keep in mind the friability of life.
“I have good news as well as bad news. The good news is that we are going very fast and the bad news is that we are lost!”
Yes, it is true of most of us having lost a sense of balancing in the rat race to attain our materialistic pursuits and in the process have tragically trapped ourselves. Tragedy is that it is happening when we have more time saving devices at our disposal than what we had at any time in the past but we seem to have less time at our disposal to think about what we are doing.
The Gita says that Yoga is all about balance. That one is required to perform all his duties- as the beloved to his wife, as the dutiful son, as the earning householder, as a selfless friend, a responsible subject and a caring neighbour etc. all in appropriate proportion. So much is the importance of balancing in life that even by chasing the blessings of Almighty all the time by ignoring our duties in this workaday world we will not get the much cherished salvation -supreme happiness.
Vedas by dividing the life in to four phases ie brahamcharya, grihastha, sanyas and vanprastha emphasize the need for a balance in life. Similarly Buddha says that best way to practice Buddhism is by performing ones duties towards parents, wife, children, neighbours, guru & seers and social groups.
In ancient India the individual was encouraged to live in harmony with himself, his family, his environment and community by bringing about a balance between his inner and outer realities. Growing conflicts, struggle to survive, broken homes, youth going astray, addictions, crimes and suicides all what we are seeing today even in the homes which are rolling in wealth is because of the fact that we are not maintaining the balance what we are required to do. For example TV is a useful gadget in the house but to use it to keep children busy when the working mother is away to her place of work harms the children enormously. Likewise mobile has made difference in the lives of every body but to use it where your physical presence is required spoils the things.
How to restore this balance? Spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. By the time we realize that our parents needed us by their side, they are no more.
Say a kind word to someone who looks up to you for every thing in his early days, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Even with your entire accumulated wealth you can not buy back the childhood of your child. Therefore give him time and attention even if it is at the expense of so many other things which your bigger pay package can buy.
Give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a thing. Don’t forget to spare some time to make difference in the lives of many who were not born as privileged as you were.
Remember, to give a feeling to your partner that you care for him, with your actions and not merely by words. Simply crooning ‘I love you’ “I care for you” to your partner will not do unless you really mean it and show it to him with your actions.
Most important is don’t look for some auspicious time to start all these otherwise it will be too late. Life is like a dew drop. We will do well to keep in mind the friability of life.
OBSESSED WITH PROFITS
As a child I had the good fortune of having my grandmother around me. She had always educative stories and anecdotes up her sleeves to suit the occasion. One such anecdote she narrated to me was- your grandfather was an officer in the British Empire. Once when he was posted in Ram Nagar near Varanasi our neighbor happened to be a business man known as Seth ji who had a roaring business of Silk. His huge mansion ‘haveli’ probably biggest in the town, a fleet of horse carts baghees , an army of servants, his wife’s favorite pass time of keeping the famed jewelers of Varanasi engaged gave enough indication of his ever burgeoning wealth.
Our family would shift to Shimla in summer. Once when we were back after a three months stay in Shimla, life in the haveli,had undergone number of amazing changes, servants had reduced to a trickle, only one baghhi in the waiting and it was no more the favorite destination of jewelers. Off course, the most glaring change was in sethani (Seth’s wife)) whose ever glistening face seemed to have acquired a paint of grimace.
My inquisitiveness had bottled up to the point of burst and one day when Sethani exchanged pleasantries I broke the ice to know about the reasons of this change, sethani almost broke down “There is a sudden and unexpected change in our business fortune. We are making a loss of Rs 5000 every month. Till what time could we absorb these loses?” I departed after displaying an expression of sympathy..
After a week or so we were in splits when their Munim (Accountant) disclosed to us that earlier the monthly profit of Seth’s firm was Rs 10000 odd which had reduced to Rs 5000 odd and it made Seth to declare emergency and slap harsh measures.
I could never think that this mindset had percolated down to our IT honchos who despite making huge profits and comfortably sitting on cash reserves are issuing pink slips to the employees, have increased the working hours not sparing even females and have frozen the salaries. One of IT companies resorting to such measures is sitting on a cash pile of Rrs 11000 crore the amount enough to start a bank and finance thousands of small units. But then my mother had told me that hoarding of wealth is also an addiction. Once you become a part of it, you simply like to see the pyramid of wealth scaling new heights every month and have Zero tolerance if the increase is with a slower pace.
I also worked in the private sector for 35 years in a few big business houses. They all considered removing an employee unless found indulging in dishonest means a virtual profane even when the units would be making cash losses. Though in many cases appointment letters would not be issued but still the jobs would be for the life time and the word of mouth would be honored in the matter of salary and perks. But, now when appointments letters are issued much in advance, the selected candidate remains unsure about his being called to join and such cases are many when the call letters are with much reduced salary.
Indeed it is a time for our IT honchos to go back to the surviving captains of the old school of management whose general message was “Remember if job is important to you, it is still more important to the man down the line. Think hundred times before giving any benefit but once given don’t take it away because it will hurt him as it hurts you.”
BHARTENDU SOOD
Our family would shift to Shimla in summer. Once when we were back after a three months stay in Shimla, life in the haveli,had undergone number of amazing changes, servants had reduced to a trickle, only one baghhi in the waiting and it was no more the favorite destination of jewelers. Off course, the most glaring change was in sethani (Seth’s wife)) whose ever glistening face seemed to have acquired a paint of grimace.
My inquisitiveness had bottled up to the point of burst and one day when Sethani exchanged pleasantries I broke the ice to know about the reasons of this change, sethani almost broke down “There is a sudden and unexpected change in our business fortune. We are making a loss of Rs 5000 every month. Till what time could we absorb these loses?” I departed after displaying an expression of sympathy..
After a week or so we were in splits when their Munim (Accountant) disclosed to us that earlier the monthly profit of Seth’s firm was Rs 10000 odd which had reduced to Rs 5000 odd and it made Seth to declare emergency and slap harsh measures.
I could never think that this mindset had percolated down to our IT honchos who despite making huge profits and comfortably sitting on cash reserves are issuing pink slips to the employees, have increased the working hours not sparing even females and have frozen the salaries. One of IT companies resorting to such measures is sitting on a cash pile of Rrs 11000 crore the amount enough to start a bank and finance thousands of small units. But then my mother had told me that hoarding of wealth is also an addiction. Once you become a part of it, you simply like to see the pyramid of wealth scaling new heights every month and have Zero tolerance if the increase is with a slower pace.
I also worked in the private sector for 35 years in a few big business houses. They all considered removing an employee unless found indulging in dishonest means a virtual profane even when the units would be making cash losses. Though in many cases appointment letters would not be issued but still the jobs would be for the life time and the word of mouth would be honored in the matter of salary and perks. But, now when appointments letters are issued much in advance, the selected candidate remains unsure about his being called to join and such cases are many when the call letters are with much reduced salary.
Indeed it is a time for our IT honchos to go back to the surviving captains of the old school of management whose general message was “Remember if job is important to you, it is still more important to the man down the line. Think hundred times before giving any benefit but once given don’t take it away because it will hurt him as it hurts you.”
BHARTENDU SOOD
OBSESSED WITH PROFITS
As a child I had the good fortune of having my grandmother around me. She had always educative stories and anecdotes up her sleeves to suit the occasion. One such anecdote she narrated to me was- your grandfather was an officer in the British Empire. Once when he was posted in Ram Nagar near Varanasi our neighbor happened to be a business man known as Seth ji who had a roaring business of Silk. His huge mansion ‘haveli’ probably biggest in the town, a fleet of horse carts baghees , an army of servants, his wife’s favorite pass time of keeping the famed jewelers of Varanasi engaged gave enough indication of his ever burgeoning wealth.
Our family would shift to Shimla in summer. Once when we were back after a three months stay in Shimla, life in the haveli,had undergone number of amazing changes, servants had reduced to a trickle, only one baghhi in the waiting and it was no more the favorite destination of jewelers. Off course, the most glaring change was in sethani (Seth’s wife)) whose ever glistening face seemed to have acquired a paint of grimace.
My inquisitiveness had bottled up to the point of burst and one day when Sethani exchanged pleasantries I broke the ice to know about the reasons of this change, sethani almost broke down “There is a sudden and unexpected change in our business fortune. We are making a loss of Rs 5000 every month. Till what time could we absorb these loses?” I departed after displaying an expression of sympathy..
After a week or so we were in splits when their Munim (Accountant) disclosed to us that earlier the monthly profit of Seth’s firm was Rs 10000 odd which had reduced to Rs 5000 odd and it made Seth to declare emergency and slap harsh measures.
I could never think that this mindset had percolated down to our IT honchos who despite making huge profits and comfortably sitting on cash reserves are issuing pink slips to the employees, have increased the working hours not sparing even females and have frozen the salaries. One of IT companies resorting to such measures is sitting on a cash pile of Rrs 11000 crore the amount enough to start a bank and finance thousands of small units. But then my mother had told me that hoarding of wealth is also an addiction. Once you become a part of it, you simply like to see the pyramid of wealth scaling new heights every month and have Zero tolerance if the increase is with a slower pace.
I also worked in the private sector for 35 years in a few big business houses. They all considered removing an employee unless found indulging in dishonest means a virtual profane even when the units would be making cash losses. Though in many cases appointment letters would not be issued but still the jobs would be for the life time and the word of mouth would be honored in the matter of salary and perks. But, now when appointments letters are issued much in advance, the selected candidate remains unsure about his being called to join and such cases are many when the call letters are with much reduced salary.
Indeed it is a time for our IT honchos to go back to the surviving captains of the old school of management whose general message was “Remember if job is important to you, it is still more important to the man down the line. Think hundred times before giving any benefit but once given don’t take it away because it will hurt him as it hurts you.”
BHARTENDU SOOD
Our family would shift to Shimla in summer. Once when we were back after a three months stay in Shimla, life in the haveli,had undergone number of amazing changes, servants had reduced to a trickle, only one baghhi in the waiting and it was no more the favorite destination of jewelers. Off course, the most glaring change was in sethani (Seth’s wife)) whose ever glistening face seemed to have acquired a paint of grimace.
My inquisitiveness had bottled up to the point of burst and one day when Sethani exchanged pleasantries I broke the ice to know about the reasons of this change, sethani almost broke down “There is a sudden and unexpected change in our business fortune. We are making a loss of Rs 5000 every month. Till what time could we absorb these loses?” I departed after displaying an expression of sympathy..
After a week or so we were in splits when their Munim (Accountant) disclosed to us that earlier the monthly profit of Seth’s firm was Rs 10000 odd which had reduced to Rs 5000 odd and it made Seth to declare emergency and slap harsh measures.
I could never think that this mindset had percolated down to our IT honchos who despite making huge profits and comfortably sitting on cash reserves are issuing pink slips to the employees, have increased the working hours not sparing even females and have frozen the salaries. One of IT companies resorting to such measures is sitting on a cash pile of Rrs 11000 crore the amount enough to start a bank and finance thousands of small units. But then my mother had told me that hoarding of wealth is also an addiction. Once you become a part of it, you simply like to see the pyramid of wealth scaling new heights every month and have Zero tolerance if the increase is with a slower pace.
I also worked in the private sector for 35 years in a few big business houses. They all considered removing an employee unless found indulging in dishonest means a virtual profane even when the units would be making cash losses. Though in many cases appointment letters would not be issued but still the jobs would be for the life time and the word of mouth would be honored in the matter of salary and perks. But, now when appointments letters are issued much in advance, the selected candidate remains unsure about his being called to join and such cases are many when the call letters are with much reduced salary.
Indeed it is a time for our IT honchos to go back to the surviving captains of the old school of management whose general message was “Remember if job is important to you, it is still more important to the man down the line. Think hundred times before giving any benefit but once given don’t take it away because it will hurt him as it hurts you.”
BHARTENDU SOOD
Saturday, May 16, 2009
IMAGINARY FEARS ARE OUR BIGGEST ENEMY
In Ramayana when Ram was in exile with Laxman and Seeta, one morning Laxman spotted a huge procession led by his brother Bharat approaching towards them. His reflex reaction was that Bharat not content with grabbing the throne of Ayodhya which rightfully belonged to Ram wanted to finish his brother and to accomplish his mission he was coming with his warriors. Fumed, he started making highly derogatory remarks about Bharat and took his bow to wage a war. But Ram who by virtue of Yoga had a stable mind stopped Laxman and asked him not to act on the basis of imaginary fairs. Ram was right Bharat was coming with altogether a different mission. Unstable mind is a breeding ground for imaginary fears and it can make heaven of hell and a hell of heaven. The less energy we spend on unnecessary emotional gyrations the more we have for intelligent decision making.
Sage Patanjali, the father of Yoga, in his Ashtanga Yoga advises a man to create a stable mind with yoga. It is the training of mind which imparts equanimity. It is a mental state that looks with equal ease at happiness and sorrow, at misery and luxury and treats success and failure in a same way. It looks at the world and happenings around with an open mind free of biases, fears and has only good and positive thoughts. “Control your mind, your prana will be automatically controlled” says Satya Sri Sai Baba. Veda’s sukti “Shiv sankalpam astu” Oh God may only good thoughts enter my mind reinforce this view” The man who develops a stable mind rarely commits blunders which he might have to rue later on.
Sage Patanjali, the father of Yoga, in his Ashtanga Yoga advises a man to create a stable mind with yoga. It is the training of mind which imparts equanimity. It is a mental state that looks with equal ease at happiness and sorrow, at misery and luxury and treats success and failure in a same way. It looks at the world and happenings around with an open mind free of biases, fears and has only good and positive thoughts. “Control your mind, your prana will be automatically controlled” says Satya Sri Sai Baba. Veda’s sukti “Shiv sankalpam astu” Oh God may only good thoughts enter my mind reinforce this view” The man who develops a stable mind rarely commits blunders which he might have to rue later on.
SENSEX FORECASTS
Nothing manifests better this axiom that Sensex forecasts is cunning’s job who are capable of hoodwinking) for super idiots when we read that sensex is moving in sympathy with Lok sabha Poll forecasts. There is no change in forecasts in the last three months-position is same but sensex has moved up by 40%. Three days back when sensex jumped by 485 points it was attributed to BJP’s holding better prospectus, but the fact remains that no agency gave any edge to BJP and today it rose by 200 points when all agencies are betting on Congress.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Prayer as a therapy
All of us face upheavals in life. There comes a time when one feels totally shattered, beleaguered and broken. Generally in such situations we are overtaken by anxiety and fear and crave to know when the time would change. We turn to fortune-tellers, tantriks, tricksters and other such people. What is most paradoxical is that this behaviour is not only confined to the illiterate, but highly educated people also frantically look for a magic band or talisman to come out of the crisis and their eyes open when incalculable harm is already done.
Recently I visited Amritsar where I was employed at one time. During normal enquiries about the old colleagues I was shocked to know that a staff cadre woman employee, when she developed a terminal disease, married off her beautiful daughter to an aged tantrik on being assured by him that the wedlock would relieve her of that disease.
The girl emotionally became ready to make sacrifice for her mother whose father found her wife’s life more valuable to him than the future of his daughter. In the absence of right medication that woman died before time and the tantrik disappeared after leaving her daughter high and dry.
Why should it happen? There are two reasons. The first is our failure to appreciate that life is a mixed bag of good and unfortunate happenings, and it is true for everybody whether a king or a pauper. Every night is followed by the day but then night has also its duration.
We fail to exercise patience, tolerance and resistance in such moments... Our mind is so closed that it looks at only closed doors though there are many doors which are open also. We don’t look at those countless instances of the persons who after being in similar situations re-emerged as a phoenix from the ash.
The second reason is that we don’t keep in mind that we are governed by the law of karma. We can’t escape the fruit of our deeds. Even Rama and Sita had to spend 14 years in exile despite being perceived as the rightful inheritor of the throne of Ayodhya.
What should be done under such situations? There is an urgent need to realise that God is great and there is no better resolver than Him. His ways and means to solve our problems are generally beyond our comprehension. Therefore, the best therapy is to have belief in God, pray to Him. No other talisman gives as much strength as the honest and sincere prayer to the Almighty.
But this has to be accompanied by the right line of action also. For example, it is the prayer that gives strength and shows the way, but cancer cannot be cured unless we go in for right medication by consulting a qualified doctor.
Bhartendu Sood
Recently I visited Amritsar where I was employed at one time. During normal enquiries about the old colleagues I was shocked to know that a staff cadre woman employee, when she developed a terminal disease, married off her beautiful daughter to an aged tantrik on being assured by him that the wedlock would relieve her of that disease.
The girl emotionally became ready to make sacrifice for her mother whose father found her wife’s life more valuable to him than the future of his daughter. In the absence of right medication that woman died before time and the tantrik disappeared after leaving her daughter high and dry.
Why should it happen? There are two reasons. The first is our failure to appreciate that life is a mixed bag of good and unfortunate happenings, and it is true for everybody whether a king or a pauper. Every night is followed by the day but then night has also its duration.
We fail to exercise patience, tolerance and resistance in such moments... Our mind is so closed that it looks at only closed doors though there are many doors which are open also. We don’t look at those countless instances of the persons who after being in similar situations re-emerged as a phoenix from the ash.
The second reason is that we don’t keep in mind that we are governed by the law of karma. We can’t escape the fruit of our deeds. Even Rama and Sita had to spend 14 years in exile despite being perceived as the rightful inheritor of the throne of Ayodhya.
What should be done under such situations? There is an urgent need to realise that God is great and there is no better resolver than Him. His ways and means to solve our problems are generally beyond our comprehension. Therefore, the best therapy is to have belief in God, pray to Him. No other talisman gives as much strength as the honest and sincere prayer to the Almighty.
But this has to be accompanied by the right line of action also. For example, it is the prayer that gives strength and shows the way, but cancer cannot be cured unless we go in for right medication by consulting a qualified doctor.
Bhartendu Sood
Prayer as a therapy
All of us face upheavals in life. There comes a time when one feels totally shattered, beleaguered and broken. Generally in such situations we are overtaken by anxiety and fear and crave to know when the time would change. We turn to fortune-tellers, tantriks, tricksters and other such people. What is most paradoxical is that this behaviour is not only confined to the illiterate, but highly educated people also frantically look for a magic band or talisman to come out of the crisis and their eyes open when incalculable harm is already done.
Recently I visited Amritsar where I was employed at one time. During normal enquiries about the old colleagues I was shocked to know that a staff cadre woman employee, when she developed a terminal disease, married off her beautiful daughter to an aged tantrik on being assured by him that the wedlock would relieve her of that disease.
The girl emotionally became ready to make sacrifice for her mother whose father found her wife’s life more valuable to him than the future of his daughter. In the absence of right medication that woman died before time and the tantrik disappeared after leaving her daughter high and dry.
Why should it happen? There are two reasons. The first is our failure to appreciate that life is a mixed bag of good and unfortunate happenings, and it is true for everybody whether a king or a pauper. Every night is followed by the day but then night has also its duration.
We fail to exercise patience, tolerance and resistance in such moments... Our mind is so closed that it looks at only closed doors though there are many doors which are open also. We don’t look at those countless instances of the persons who after being in similar situations re-emerged as a phoenix from the ash.
The second reason is that we don’t keep in mind that we are governed by the law of karma. We can’t escape the fruit of our deeds. Even Rama and Sita had to spend 14 years in exile despite being perceived as the rightful inheritor of the throne of Ayodhya.
What should be done under such situations? There is an urgent need to realise that God is great and there is no better resolver than Him. His ways and means to solve our problems are generally beyond our comprehension. Therefore, the best therapy is to have belief in God, pray to Him. No other talisman gives as much strength as the honest and sincere prayer to the Almighty.
But this has to be accompanied by the right line of action also. For example, it is the prayer that gives strength and shows the way, but cancer cannot be cured unless we go in for right medication by consulting a qualified doctor.
Bhartendu Sood
Recently I visited Amritsar where I was employed at one time. During normal enquiries about the old colleagues I was shocked to know that a staff cadre woman employee, when she developed a terminal disease, married off her beautiful daughter to an aged tantrik on being assured by him that the wedlock would relieve her of that disease.
The girl emotionally became ready to make sacrifice for her mother whose father found her wife’s life more valuable to him than the future of his daughter. In the absence of right medication that woman died before time and the tantrik disappeared after leaving her daughter high and dry.
Why should it happen? There are two reasons. The first is our failure to appreciate that life is a mixed bag of good and unfortunate happenings, and it is true for everybody whether a king or a pauper. Every night is followed by the day but then night has also its duration.
We fail to exercise patience, tolerance and resistance in such moments... Our mind is so closed that it looks at only closed doors though there are many doors which are open also. We don’t look at those countless instances of the persons who after being in similar situations re-emerged as a phoenix from the ash.
The second reason is that we don’t keep in mind that we are governed by the law of karma. We can’t escape the fruit of our deeds. Even Rama and Sita had to spend 14 years in exile despite being perceived as the rightful inheritor of the throne of Ayodhya.
What should be done under such situations? There is an urgent need to realise that God is great and there is no better resolver than Him. His ways and means to solve our problems are generally beyond our comprehension. Therefore, the best therapy is to have belief in God, pray to Him. No other talisman gives as much strength as the honest and sincere prayer to the Almighty.
But this has to be accompanied by the right line of action also. For example, it is the prayer that gives strength and shows the way, but cancer cannot be cured unless we go in for right medication by consulting a qualified doctor.
Bhartendu Sood
Saturday, April 18, 2009
IT companies taking undue advantage
IT companies taking undue advantage
All IT companies have increased the daily working hours of the employees to 10 hours apart from slashing down the salaries.
Is the financial condition of these companies so grim to support this type of action which is unlawful apart from being highly unethical? Answer is ‘No’ if one goes by the financial results of Infosys and other companies. Infosys has shown a net profit of Rs 1613 crore from the revenue of Rs 5635 crore which is 29% up when compared with the previous year. All these companies have large female workforce. With the increase in daily timings female employee are hard put. They remain out of their homes for minimum 12 hours a day. How one can expect them to meet their family obligations? Not only this, a proverbial sword of so called PINK SLIP is hanging all the time over their heads. And what is this much hallowed salary in the IT sector for these B.Tech degree holders? Rs 15000 to Rs 25000 per month and a few are paying even less. This includes all cost to the company which looks a measly amount when one takes in to account the fact that the starting salary of a clerk in central Govt after the implementation of sixth pay commission is Rs 20000 odd and that of a teacher is Rs 30000 for almost 50% working hours with life time security of job. Such harsh measured are generally when companies make cash loss which is not the case with any IT company.
It is a high time govt. and the labor dept. intervenes. It will be a sad day for the IT industry if such unfair practices of the employers force employees to unionize. After all IT employees with no supervisory functions are workers only as per the definition of labor laws.
It will be befitting if Infosys mentor Mr. Narayan Murthy kindly gives his views on the matter. It is very important considering that whatever a leader does is followed by others.
Bhartendu Sood
All IT companies have increased the daily working hours of the employees to 10 hours apart from slashing down the salaries.
Is the financial condition of these companies so grim to support this type of action which is unlawful apart from being highly unethical? Answer is ‘No’ if one goes by the financial results of Infosys and other companies. Infosys has shown a net profit of Rs 1613 crore from the revenue of Rs 5635 crore which is 29% up when compared with the previous year. All these companies have large female workforce. With the increase in daily timings female employee are hard put. They remain out of their homes for minimum 12 hours a day. How one can expect them to meet their family obligations? Not only this, a proverbial sword of so called PINK SLIP is hanging all the time over their heads. And what is this much hallowed salary in the IT sector for these B.Tech degree holders? Rs 15000 to Rs 25000 per month and a few are paying even less. This includes all cost to the company which looks a measly amount when one takes in to account the fact that the starting salary of a clerk in central Govt after the implementation of sixth pay commission is Rs 20000 odd and that of a teacher is Rs 30000 for almost 50% working hours with life time security of job. Such harsh measured are generally when companies make cash loss which is not the case with any IT company.
It is a high time govt. and the labor dept. intervenes. It will be a sad day for the IT industry if such unfair practices of the employers force employees to unionize. After all IT employees with no supervisory functions are workers only as per the definition of labor laws.
It will be befitting if Infosys mentor Mr. Narayan Murthy kindly gives his views on the matter. It is very important considering that whatever a leader does is followed by others.
Bhartendu Sood
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