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
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
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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