There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.
The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives
a. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.
b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.
Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
10 QUES PPL ASK IN OBVIOUS SITUATION
Many a times people tend to ask questions which really dont make sense and it sometimes becomes irksome to answer such queries. here is a list of a few and the funny replies one can answer ;)
1. at the movies: When you meet acquaintances/friends...
Question:- Hey, what are you doing here?
Answer:- Dont u know, I sell tickets in black over here..
2. In the bus: A heavy lady wearing pointed high-heeled shoes steps on your feet...
Question:- Sorry, did that hurt?
Answer:- No, not at all, I'm on local anesthesia.....why don't you try again.
3. At a funeral: One of the teary-eyed people ask...
Question:- Why, why him, of all people.
Answer:- Why? Would it rather have been you?
4. At a restaurant: When you ask the waiter
Question:- Is the "Butter Paneer Masala" good??
Answer:- No, its terrible and made of adulterated cement. We occasionally also spit in it.
5. At a family get-together: When some distant aunt meets you after years
Question:-Munna,Chickoo, you've become so big.
Answer:- Well you haven't particularly shrunk yourself.
6. When a friend announces her wedding, and you ask...
Question:- Is the guy you're marrying good?
Answer:- No,he's a miserable wife-beating ,isensitive lout...it's just the money.
7. When you get woken up at midnight by a phone call...
Question:- Sorry. were you sleeping?
Answer:- No. I was doing research on whether the Zulu tribes in Africa marry or not. You thought I was sleeping.... you dumb witted moron.
8. When you see a friend/colleague with evidently shorter hair...
Question:- Hey have you had a haircut?
Answer:- No, its autumn and I'm shedding......
9. At the dentist when he's sticking pointed objects in your mouth...
Question:- Tell me if it hurts?
Answer:- No it wont. It will just bleed.
10. You are smoking a cigarette and a cute woman in your office asks...
Question:- Oh, so you smoke.
Answer:- Gosh, it's a miracle ............it was a piece of chalk and now it's in flames!!!
Look Beyond the Obvious
Usually I do not cut and paste anything on to my blog as I started it to share “my” opinions with others but this once I am going to make an exception.The story below came to me in an email a long time ago and everytime I read it,it moved me I feel sharing such a postive story in the present day world of sad news will be a worthwhile exercise.
ONE OF THE BEST STORIES I'VE EVER HEARD....... ..
As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around.." His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle." His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been ####### him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken." Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume . But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on he r wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to."
After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets.." A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs.Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life. Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs.Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you." (For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in DesMoines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around.." His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle." His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been ####### him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken." Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume . But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on he r wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to."
After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets.." A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs.Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life. Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs.Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you." (For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in DesMoines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
11 ways of staying focused
I’ve incorporated the following techniques for staying focused into my work patterns:
1. Having well defined goals. I can’t stress the importance of this too much. Having goals which are well defined along good guidelines is key. I’ve found writing my goals down really helps. Whenever I get distracted, I read my goals and I’m reminded of what I am trying to do and why.
2. Breaking things into bite sized chunks. Having broad high level goals are good but having an actionable plan is essential. A plan can identify how you can get from where you are to where you want go. Breaking goals into smaller actionable chunks (tasks) is great - it gives me motivation to start and allows me to get things done in one sitting.
3. Prioritising constantly. To figure out which task I should be working on, I prioritise constantly. Some tasks are more important than others. Some tasks are more urgent than others. I’ve found that working on urgent tasks followed by tasks which have the greatest impact to work well for me - urgent tasks allow me to get things done on time and important tasks allow me to maximise the benefits I receive.
4. Tracking progress vigorously. Each of us wants to improve our lives. However, it is easy to start with good intentions but more difficult to sustain commitment. I’ve found that by tracking my progress, I have more visibility on what I’ve done and can better gauge how much effort is left.
5. Planning ahead without fail. Concentrating on the remaining effort can help reinforce commitment. Some might think they’ll get discouraged, however I haven’t found this to be the case because my tasks are bite sized and easy to finish. I’ve found it really helps to look at my goals and task lists periodically, so I can assess how much time it’ll take to do something and determine the best time to sit down and work on it.
6. Rewarding myself when warranted. By all means focus on what’s outstanding, but also take stock of what’s done. I always reflect on what I’ve done, whether it is reading a post I did awhile ago or looking at the ticks I’ve made alongside my task lists. Whenever I accomplish a logical piece of work, I always reward myself. It really does help with maintaining motivation.
7. Having positive patterns in my routine. I’ve found having good habits and positive patterns to be instrumental. At the moment, I can consistently get more done. As these patterns continue to establish into a routine, I’m finding that I can better judge the periods of the day in which I really need to focus and work.
8. Removing distractions as best I can. The best way not to give in to temptation is not to have the option to. What seems to work for me is making the distractions difficult or inconvenient to access. Because it takes too much effort to indulge in the distraction, I find it is less likely for me to give in.
9. Blocking out some time. wake up early and consistently. You don’t necessarily have to do this but I’ve found that having quiet time, set aside specifically for accomplishing a given task, to be very productive. I also tend to be more focused in the morning after a restful night.
10. Keeping the results clear in mind. Instead of concentrating too much on the task at hand, sometimes I put some attention on the feelings I ultimately wish to experience. By focusing on the results, it is easier for me to maintain my motivation especially when working on things that I am not by nature motivated by.
11. Enlisting my family and friends for help. I communicate with my family and friends about my goals all the time. Not only have they been helpful with gentle reminders whenever they see my behaviour is not consistent with my goals, but they also give me constant incentives to work at my goals and succeed.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Namaskar World!
Let us enjoy the glorious spring season (albeit a brief one) which is now in full swing, a delightful phase before the hot weather, lasting nearly six months, sets in…
This year too, the month of March is virtually crammed with a lot of festivities. The list starts off with Mahashivaratri which falls on 6th March. The latter part of this month will witness many festivals overlapping each other. On March 20th Muslims celebrate Eid-e-Milad-ul-Nabi / Mouloud(Birth of Prophet Mohammed) which happens to be a rather low-key affair and marked by solemnity and prayers. The very next day, on 21st March, the Parsi community will usher in their New Year with Navruz (a.k.a Nowrooz).Almost at the same time, the diminutive Indian Jewish community will observe the festival of Purim, from 20th to 22nd.of March. The same day, 22nd of March is Holi, the riotous spring festival played with colours. This festival is eagerly looked forward to, by the old and the young alike.
Did you know that the full moon on Holi (Phalgun Purnima=full moon of the month of Phalguna of the Hindu calendar) happens to be one of the loveliest full moons in a year? The evening of Holi presents an enchanting spectacle─the full-orbed moon shining in a dark cloudless sky, with a balmy breeze that sets many a young heart beating fast, and bringing on a wistful, romantic mood. It has been an eternally favourite theme of poets, novelists and dramatists, down the centuries…
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
I heard in some advertisement -- "India, the land for all seasons. India, the land for all reasons." This sums it all - the land for all reasons. A country rich in cultural and spiritual wealth, it is a land where all contradictions converge to make a whole. Even in chaos, you'll see a patten. Look beneath the dust and you'll find the soul preserved. Only the privileged take birth in this great land. If you want to find your meaning in life, see India. If you want to experience God, feel India.
New Year
Namaskar World!
“Hope springs eternal in human breast,” seems to be the mood of the moment as we step into 2008! There is plenty that each one of us can hope for and achieve during the year that emerges ahead. Let us therefore fill our lives with vim, vigour and vitality, from the very outset of the New Year. As usual, there are a whole lot of festivals and holidays lined up in the month of January that have just begun to unfold… so while the going is good let us enjoy ourselves as much as we can
******Wishing you all any one of the kinds of love described below.******
What does Love mean? ?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over
and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her
all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is
different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on
shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of
your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy -age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she
takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is
OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired
of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My
Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop
opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with
a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he
wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love e is like a little old woman and a little old man who are
still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared.
I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and
smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared
anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone
else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still
says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left
him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her
old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and
little stars come out of you." (what an imagination)
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't
think it's gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it.
But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once
talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the
contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor
was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon
seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old
gentleman's yard,
climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked
what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I
just helped him cry"
GANDHI PREPONED BHAGAT SINGH'S HANGING
Bhagat Singh's hanging and GandhiGandhi's role in Bhagat Singh's hanging has always been under a cloud. Most people think that Gandhi did not try for commutation of the sentence to the three revolutionaries. Gandhi supporters have been claiming that he tried to save their lives. But, the facts suggest otherwise. He actually was instrumental in getting the preponement of their hanging which was due on 24th March, 1931.
Gandhi got commuted the sentences of some persons connected with violent incidents of the 1942 Quit India Movement. But, for Bhagat Singh he secured preponement.
Given below are the excerpts from a book titled 'Indian National Congress - How Indian? How National?' published by the Research Unit for Political Economy.
Gandhi Exposed
To the youth of the nation, the Pact's[means Gandhi-Irwin Pact] silence on Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru, who were scheduled for execution later that month, seemed an even more dramatic betrayal. When confronted by hecklers after the hanging, Gandhi claimed "I pleaded with the Viceroy as best as I could. I brought all the persuasion at my command to bear on him."
The Mahatma's definition of truth was obviously elastic, or his memory poor. Here are Lord Irwin's own confidential minutes of his discussions with Gandhi on February 18, the second day of the talks:
"In conclusion, not connected with the above (talks), he mentioned the case of Bhagat Singh. He did not plead for the commutation (of the death sentence). But he did ask for the postponement in the present circumstances." (File No.5-45/1931 KW2, Home Department, Political Branch in the National Archives of India.)
..Herbert Emerson, Secretary to the Government of India at the time, and the man in whose name the Pact was actually issued, records
"...listening with amazement to Irwin and Gandhi after the agreement had been reached by them that Bhagat Singh must be executed, engaged in, a prolonged discussion not as between two statesmen on the political implication of terrorism, but as between two saints on the sanctity of human life."
However, Gandhi was terrified at the prospect of the inevitable public backlash. Irwin recorded in his memoirs:
"If the young man was hanged, said Mr. Gandhi, there was likelihood that he would become a national martyr and the general atmosphere would be seriously prejudiced."
An Under-the-Table Pact
So Gandhi decided not to tell the full truth to the public. He asked Irwin:
"Would your Excellency see any objection to, my saying that I tried for the young man's life? I said that I saw none, if he would also add that from my point of view he did not know what other course I could have taken. He thought for a moment, then finally agreed, and on that basis went to Karachi... and I was told that he was roughly received. But when he had opportunity he spoke in the sense agreed between us."
As the Pact created what Subhas Bose described as "an uproar", and as the date of both the hanging and the Karachi Congress drew closer, Gandhi grew nervous.
Irwin's minutes, of March 1931 from the same file quoted above, state that:
"As he (Gandhi) was leaving he asked me if he might mention the case of Bhagat Singh; that he had seen in the press the intimation of his execution for March 24. This was an unfortunate day as it coincided with the arrival of the new President (of the Congress) in Karachi and there would be much popular excitement. I told him that I had considered the case with most anxious care, but I could find no grounds on which I could justify to my conscience commuting the sentence..He appeared to appreciate the force of this argument and said no more."
Later, Gandhi changed his mind a little. The official History of the Indian National Congress states:
"Anyway Lord Irwin was unable to help in the matter, but undertook to secure a postponement of the execution till after the Karachi Congress. The Karachi session was to meet in the last week of March, but Gandhi himself stated to the Viceroy that if the boys should be hanged, they had better be hanged before the Congress, than after. The position of affairs in the country would be clear."
Irwin, it seems, granted a slight preponement. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were hanged on March 23, 1931, at 7.33 in the evening. When Gandhi arrived at Karachi for the Congress session, he was met by a Naujawan Bharat Sabha demonstration against him - a remarkable indication of what his reputation now was."
***
From the above facts it is clear as daylight that Gandhi instead of trying for commutation of the sentences, actually asked for preponement which was granted to him. Where was his theory of non-violence when he was abetting in the hanging of the revolutionaries.
Gandhi got commuted the sentences of some persons connected with violent incidents of the 1942 Quit India Movement. But, for Bhagat Singh he secured preponement.
Given below are the excerpts from a book titled 'Indian National Congress - How Indian? How National?' published by the Research Unit for Political Economy.
Gandhi Exposed
To the youth of the nation, the Pact's[means Gandhi-Irwin Pact] silence on Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru, who were scheduled for execution later that month, seemed an even more dramatic betrayal. When confronted by hecklers after the hanging, Gandhi claimed "I pleaded with the Viceroy as best as I could. I brought all the persuasion at my command to bear on him."
The Mahatma's definition of truth was obviously elastic, or his memory poor. Here are Lord Irwin's own confidential minutes of his discussions with Gandhi on February 18, the second day of the talks:
"In conclusion, not connected with the above (talks), he mentioned the case of Bhagat Singh. He did not plead for the commutation (of the death sentence). But he did ask for the postponement in the present circumstances." (File No.5-45/1931 KW2, Home Department, Political Branch in the National Archives of India.)
..Herbert Emerson, Secretary to the Government of India at the time, and the man in whose name the Pact was actually issued, records
"...listening with amazement to Irwin and Gandhi after the agreement had been reached by them that Bhagat Singh must be executed, engaged in, a prolonged discussion not as between two statesmen on the political implication of terrorism, but as between two saints on the sanctity of human life."
However, Gandhi was terrified at the prospect of the inevitable public backlash. Irwin recorded in his memoirs:
"If the young man was hanged, said Mr. Gandhi, there was likelihood that he would become a national martyr and the general atmosphere would be seriously prejudiced."
An Under-the-Table Pact
So Gandhi decided not to tell the full truth to the public. He asked Irwin:
"Would your Excellency see any objection to, my saying that I tried for the young man's life? I said that I saw none, if he would also add that from my point of view he did not know what other course I could have taken. He thought for a moment, then finally agreed, and on that basis went to Karachi... and I was told that he was roughly received. But when he had opportunity he spoke in the sense agreed between us."
As the Pact created what Subhas Bose described as "an uproar", and as the date of both the hanging and the Karachi Congress drew closer, Gandhi grew nervous.
Irwin's minutes, of March 1931 from the same file quoted above, state that:
"As he (Gandhi) was leaving he asked me if he might mention the case of Bhagat Singh; that he had seen in the press the intimation of his execution for March 24. This was an unfortunate day as it coincided with the arrival of the new President (of the Congress) in Karachi and there would be much popular excitement. I told him that I had considered the case with most anxious care, but I could find no grounds on which I could justify to my conscience commuting the sentence..He appeared to appreciate the force of this argument and said no more."
Later, Gandhi changed his mind a little. The official History of the Indian National Congress states:
"Anyway Lord Irwin was unable to help in the matter, but undertook to secure a postponement of the execution till after the Karachi Congress. The Karachi session was to meet in the last week of March, but Gandhi himself stated to the Viceroy that if the boys should be hanged, they had better be hanged before the Congress, than after. The position of affairs in the country would be clear."
Irwin, it seems, granted a slight preponement. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were hanged on March 23, 1931, at 7.33 in the evening. When Gandhi arrived at Karachi for the Congress session, he was met by a Naujawan Bharat Sabha demonstration against him - a remarkable indication of what his reputation now was."
***
From the above facts it is clear as daylight that Gandhi instead of trying for commutation of the sentences, actually asked for preponement which was granted to him. Where was his theory of non-violence when he was abetting in the hanging of the revolutionaries.
FACTS ABOUT SONIA GANDHI
This is some information on Rajmata of India - Sonia Gandhi that every Indian and atleast every India lover must know.
1. Sonia Gandhi is ONLY a high school graduate. Cambridge University has confirmed that they have no Sonia Maino on their alumni list.
2. Her sister, Nadia Mario, reached New Delhi, after Vajpayee govt.fell, to be by her side amidst reports that she might soon become India's prime minister.
3. Should Sonia Gandhi become prime minister, her relatives in Italy would be fully entitled to round-the-clock protection by the Black Cat commandos at the Indian tax-payer's expense.
4. She worked as an au-pair maid in UK while taking classes to learn English in some no name school
5. During the 1971 war, while all Indians stood ready to fight for the Indian cause Sonia Maino and her husband Rajiv Gandhi went on vacation in Italy.
6. In 1977, when Indira Gandhi and Congress lost elections, Sonia Gandhi with her children and husband in tow took refuge of Italian embassy in New Delhi and Indira Gandhi, Sanjay and his Indian wife Maneka had to convince her to return.
7. Sonia married Rajiv in 1968 and was eligible to become Indian citizen 5 years later yet she did NOT become Indian citizen till 1984 (i.e.16 years after her marriage) This late bloom of Sonia's love for India also was out of political consideration. In 1984, Rajiv, was heir apparent and most likely next prime minister. It would be awkward for a PM to have a foreigner wife.Voila, Sonia became an Indian overnight.
8. She has not given a single interview or offered any ideas on a single issue facing India now. Her only qualification is that she married a Gandhi.
1. Sonia Gandhi is ONLY a high school graduate. Cambridge University has confirmed that they have no Sonia Maino on their alumni list.
2. Her sister, Nadia Mario, reached New Delhi, after Vajpayee govt.fell, to be by her side amidst reports that she might soon become India's prime minister.
3. Should Sonia Gandhi become prime minister, her relatives in Italy would be fully entitled to round-the-clock protection by the Black Cat commandos at the Indian tax-payer's expense.
4. She worked as an au-pair maid in UK while taking classes to learn English in some no name school
5. During the 1971 war, while all Indians stood ready to fight for the Indian cause Sonia Maino and her husband Rajiv Gandhi went on vacation in Italy.
6. In 1977, when Indira Gandhi and Congress lost elections, Sonia Gandhi with her children and husband in tow took refuge of Italian embassy in New Delhi and Indira Gandhi, Sanjay and his Indian wife Maneka had to convince her to return.
7. Sonia married Rajiv in 1968 and was eligible to become Indian citizen 5 years later yet she did NOT become Indian citizen till 1984 (i.e.16 years after her marriage) This late bloom of Sonia's love for India also was out of political consideration. In 1984, Rajiv, was heir apparent and most likely next prime minister. It would be awkward for a PM to have a foreigner wife.Voila, Sonia became an Indian overnight.
8. She has not given a single interview or offered any ideas on a single issue facing India now. Her only qualification is that she married a Gandhi.
Nehru's Re-Incarnation
Nehru's Re-Incarnation
The following has been taken frm the link mentioned
http://india.krishna.org/Articles/2003/01/014.html----------------------------------------------------------------------
"There at Brooklyn, in Henry Street, Prabhupada used to preach in a small house, which served, at the time, as some kind of a head-quarters of the Hare Krishna people. I used to go and attend their services, now and then, mostly after office and before returning to my apartment in Flushing, Queens.
Prabhupada, whenever he visited New York at the time, put up there and his sermons were attended in the evenings by a big crowd. Not only were there the usual chantings and eventual prasadam but there was a serious question and answer period. And the subjects varied from Varnashram Dharma to Reincarnation and many other similar topics.
Nehru had died only a few weeks ago in India. Ashes from his funeral pyre had been strewn from airplanes, all over India. Every-where in India, the dead man's eulogy was being sung and this was the man who was at the root of India's unpreparedness when China attacked, the Kashmir imbroglio, the minority (or Mohammedan) problems in India and so on. It was amazing that many of the American disciples of Prabhupada were better informed of problems in India, generated by Nehru and his incompetence. However, the man had died only recently and out of a sense of propriety, no one spoke ill of Nehru in that congregation at the time.
Then a youngman asked Prabhupada a question on re-imcarnation. Was it true that most dead were reborn and passed through the cycle of life and death once again, except those few good men who attained nirvaana and were not born again but blended with Brahman or the Almighty? If so, could Prabhupada (who was considered to be a reincarnation of the sage Vyasa, the writer of the Mahabharatam) throw some light on the current status of Nehru. Did he obtain nirvaana or was he reborn; if so what kind of a body did he receive on his next birth?The question was a loaded one, I thought. In fact, I had the misgiving that Prabhupada might refuse to answer. But then, I was wrong. I had not yet known Prabhupada so well. He was undaunted by any question and his reply came forth instantly. Quite clearly Prabhupada knew Nehru like the palm of his hand; it was us who knew so little of the man, thanks to all the well executed suppression of details of Nehru's private and personal life by the GoI and the Indian media. For instance, even today, some half a century after Nehru and his family took over the reins of Indian government, we do not know who indeed was Indira's father-in-law!
Prabhupada started his discourse. He said that Nehru was re-born almost immediately after his death, a thing that happens only to the most sinful people. He did not even have a short-lived taste of heaven before he was born again. What was worse, is that Nehru was born this time in the form of a dog. He was a dog in a small town of Sweden. His master had another dog before the dog-Nehru was acquired by him and so the dog-Nehru had to share the love of his master with another dog.
Prabhupada explained that to be born as a dog, after having been born as a Kashmiri Brahmin in India, is a big fall. It indicated that Nehru had led a vile life, a very vile life, during his existence as a man in India. Also, Nehru's hatred for anything vaishnava did not make things any easier for him.
That Nehru was a meat-eater, specially beef-eater, a regular wine-drinker, made things even worse for him. On top of that, Nehru was (a fact which we did not know then and learnt later, much later, only after having read M.O. Mathai's treatises on Nehru; Mathai should know for he was the Catholic private secretary for Nehru for a decade or so) a notorious womanizer. It was not only Mrs. Mountbatten that he slept with on a regular basis while our jawans were dying on battle fields in the north-east and in Kashmir; he used to sleep with each and every woman he could lay his hands on. Thus, he had left a chain of bastards one of whom had been delivered in a Catholic nunnery in Bangalore. In the mean time, his sidekick, one Krishna Menon, became the Minister of Defense. First thing he did was dismantle the Ichhapore Gun Factory and turned it into a coffee making machine factory. He was a communist and he loved the Chinese more than he loved Indians.
Prabhupada was quite discreet; we know now, for he did not divulge to us at the time that Nehru finally died of syphilis (exactly like the communist leader Lenin of Russia) and not a bullet wound on the battle front. Prabhupada, however, told us in detail all the harms Nehru did to the Hindus of India, all the insults that he had heaped on them during his reign.
Nehru used to brag of his non-Hindu upbringing. He used to say openly that he was brought up as a Mohammedan, educated as a westerner; it was only by accident that he was born a Hindu. It is now known that he was born in a house in the red-light district of Allahabad, where his father Motilal used to ply a brothel-keeper's trade. No one wants to talk of this dark side of Nehru's upbringing. On the other hand, it is said openly, wrongly of course, that he was born in the Anand Bhavan, which was not even owned by Moti Lal at the time Nehru was born.
However, the few little details that we learnt from Prabhupada opened our eyes and I returned home very depressed. I was even more depressed to think that our people in India were singing all kinds of fulsome obituaries for this man who was worse than a traitor to the Hindus, the overwhelming majority of India. What was wrong? The next few years showed us all that was wrong! His daughter, in order to create differences between the Hindus and the Sikhs, the fighting arm of the Hindus since generations, attacked the sacred temple at Hari-Mandir Sahib in Amritsar. She had to pay for the crime with her life and event-ually, as we have all seen, our gods saw to it that the dynasty was totally destroyed for the sins of Nehru, now a dog in Sweden! -
The following has been taken frm the link mentioned
http://india.krishna.org/Articles/2003/01/014.html----------------------------------------------------------------------
"There at Brooklyn, in Henry Street, Prabhupada used to preach in a small house, which served, at the time, as some kind of a head-quarters of the Hare Krishna people. I used to go and attend their services, now and then, mostly after office and before returning to my apartment in Flushing, Queens.
Prabhupada, whenever he visited New York at the time, put up there and his sermons were attended in the evenings by a big crowd. Not only were there the usual chantings and eventual prasadam but there was a serious question and answer period. And the subjects varied from Varnashram Dharma to Reincarnation and many other similar topics.
Nehru had died only a few weeks ago in India. Ashes from his funeral pyre had been strewn from airplanes, all over India. Every-where in India, the dead man's eulogy was being sung and this was the man who was at the root of India's unpreparedness when China attacked, the Kashmir imbroglio, the minority (or Mohammedan) problems in India and so on. It was amazing that many of the American disciples of Prabhupada were better informed of problems in India, generated by Nehru and his incompetence. However, the man had died only recently and out of a sense of propriety, no one spoke ill of Nehru in that congregation at the time.
Then a youngman asked Prabhupada a question on re-imcarnation. Was it true that most dead were reborn and passed through the cycle of life and death once again, except those few good men who attained nirvaana and were not born again but blended with Brahman or the Almighty? If so, could Prabhupada (who was considered to be a reincarnation of the sage Vyasa, the writer of the Mahabharatam) throw some light on the current status of Nehru. Did he obtain nirvaana or was he reborn; if so what kind of a body did he receive on his next birth?The question was a loaded one, I thought. In fact, I had the misgiving that Prabhupada might refuse to answer. But then, I was wrong. I had not yet known Prabhupada so well. He was undaunted by any question and his reply came forth instantly. Quite clearly Prabhupada knew Nehru like the palm of his hand; it was us who knew so little of the man, thanks to all the well executed suppression of details of Nehru's private and personal life by the GoI and the Indian media. For instance, even today, some half a century after Nehru and his family took over the reins of Indian government, we do not know who indeed was Indira's father-in-law!
Prabhupada started his discourse. He said that Nehru was re-born almost immediately after his death, a thing that happens only to the most sinful people. He did not even have a short-lived taste of heaven before he was born again. What was worse, is that Nehru was born this time in the form of a dog. He was a dog in a small town of Sweden. His master had another dog before the dog-Nehru was acquired by him and so the dog-Nehru had to share the love of his master with another dog.
Prabhupada explained that to be born as a dog, after having been born as a Kashmiri Brahmin in India, is a big fall. It indicated that Nehru had led a vile life, a very vile life, during his existence as a man in India. Also, Nehru's hatred for anything vaishnava did not make things any easier for him.
That Nehru was a meat-eater, specially beef-eater, a regular wine-drinker, made things even worse for him. On top of that, Nehru was (a fact which we did not know then and learnt later, much later, only after having read M.O. Mathai's treatises on Nehru; Mathai should know for he was the Catholic private secretary for Nehru for a decade or so) a notorious womanizer. It was not only Mrs. Mountbatten that he slept with on a regular basis while our jawans were dying on battle fields in the north-east and in Kashmir; he used to sleep with each and every woman he could lay his hands on. Thus, he had left a chain of bastards one of whom had been delivered in a Catholic nunnery in Bangalore. In the mean time, his sidekick, one Krishna Menon, became the Minister of Defense. First thing he did was dismantle the Ichhapore Gun Factory and turned it into a coffee making machine factory. He was a communist and he loved the Chinese more than he loved Indians.
Prabhupada was quite discreet; we know now, for he did not divulge to us at the time that Nehru finally died of syphilis (exactly like the communist leader Lenin of Russia) and not a bullet wound on the battle front. Prabhupada, however, told us in detail all the harms Nehru did to the Hindus of India, all the insults that he had heaped on them during his reign.
Nehru used to brag of his non-Hindu upbringing. He used to say openly that he was brought up as a Mohammedan, educated as a westerner; it was only by accident that he was born a Hindu. It is now known that he was born in a house in the red-light district of Allahabad, where his father Motilal used to ply a brothel-keeper's trade. No one wants to talk of this dark side of Nehru's upbringing. On the other hand, it is said openly, wrongly of course, that he was born in the Anand Bhavan, which was not even owned by Moti Lal at the time Nehru was born.
However, the few little details that we learnt from Prabhupada opened our eyes and I returned home very depressed. I was even more depressed to think that our people in India were singing all kinds of fulsome obituaries for this man who was worse than a traitor to the Hindus, the overwhelming majority of India. What was wrong? The next few years showed us all that was wrong! His daughter, in order to create differences between the Hindus and the Sikhs, the fighting arm of the Hindus since generations, attacked the sacred temple at Hari-Mandir Sahib in Amritsar. She had to pay for the crime with her life and event-ually, as we have all seen, our gods saw to it that the dynasty was totally destroyed for the sins of Nehru, now a dog in Sweden! -
Grass Hopper in India
GRASSHOPPER- in INDIAOLD VERSION...
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
MODERN VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) . Opposition MP's stage a walkout.Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers.Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'. Me@ Times Square Jan 30(3 days ago) cont...........Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]", with effect from the beginning of the winter.Arjun Singh makes Special Reservation for Grass Hopper in educationalInsititutions & in Govt Services.The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice". Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it the 'revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden' Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.Many years later...The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi billion dollar company in silicon valley. 100s of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ...As a result loosing lot of hard working ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still a developing country..... .
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
MODERN VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) . Opposition MP's stage a walkout.Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers.Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'. Me@ Times Square Jan 30(3 days ago) cont...........Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]", with effect from the beginning of the winter.Arjun Singh makes Special Reservation for Grass Hopper in educationalInsititutions & in Govt Services.The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice". Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it the 'revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden' Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.Many years later...The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi billion dollar company in silicon valley. 100s of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ...As a result loosing lot of hard working ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still a developing country..... .
chak de india
Israel -
> POPULATION: 7 million (less than half of Mumbai)
> SIZE: Less than that of Kerala
> ACT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST IT: 2 soldiers kidnapped
> by Hezbolla, 1 by Hamas
> RETALIATORY ACTION : war on Lebanon and Gaza
> India -
> POPULATION: 1 billion+
> SIZE: 6th largest in the world
> ACT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST IT: attack on parliament , 150 + dead in blasts in the capital ,200+ dead in Mumbai, a good number at Hyderabad, at ludhiana at ajmer and perhaps a dozen daily in Kashmir.
> RETALIATORY ACTION: a speech by our Prime Minister and condolence messages...
So to kick off, There are two Indias in this country.
One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth &live up to all the adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us.The other India is the LEASH.
One India says ,give me a chance& I'll prove myself. The other India says, prove yourself first & maybe then you'll have a chance.
One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.
One India wants. The other India hopes.
One India leads. The other India follows.
But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day, more &more people from the other India have been coming over to this side. And quietly, while the world is not looking , a pulsating, dynamic, new India is emerging.
An India whose faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure .An India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the companies that make them instead.
And one India-a tiny voice at the back of the head-is looking down at the bottom of the ravine & hesitating. The other India is looking up at the sky & saying-it's TIME TO FLY...
Chak de…………………
Forecasting always is a hazardous task and how often have people gone wrong in forecasting. ‘Heavier than air flying machines are impossible’ said Lord Kelvin, Airlinkage is the lifeline of global connectivity today. ‘Everything that can be invented has been invented’ said Charles Duell, Commissioner of the US Office of Patent in 1899. After this statement, around forty million patents have been filed! ‘I think there is no world market for more than 5 computers’ said Chairman of IBM in 1943. ‘There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home’ said President of DEC, in 1977. ‘640K ought to be enough computer memory for anyone’. Said someone in 1981. And how wrong he was as we move from kilobytes to megabytes to gigabytes to terrabytes. Did you know, who said this? It was Mr. Bill Gates.
As we look back, one finds that Indian gains in the post-independent India are sizeable. We have functioned as a nation in spite of the cultural, social, political, economic and religious diversities and integration of states. Inspite of all that we have achieved, several formidable challenges remain.Almost as many Indians are below the poverty line and illiterate as the entire population of India in 1950. Never before in the history of mankind, did a country with democratic dispensation had to feed so many poor and teach so many illiterates and also simultaneously compete with the most advanced countries for a place under the sun. We have entered the next millenium, therefore, with a great challenge.
Science in India was always very closely intertwined with culture and philosophy. It was also tempered with very unusual wisdom. India’s contributions to astronomy, to mathematics, to medicine etc. in the millennia gone by have been truly phenomenal.
It was Acharya Bharadwaj who described the principle , construction and working of three categories of flying machines: 1.) One that flies on earth from one place to another. 2.) One that travels from one planet to another. 3.) And One that travels from one universe to another and all that was way back in 800 B.C.
> Baudhayana gave the "Pythagoras theorem" centuries before the Greeks in 800 BC.
Pingala (in 400 BC) invented the binary number system which is the basic of computer operations etc etc………..
Today we look at the modern India that was built after Independence .Sustained investments made in higher education and science and technology have helped build a new nation, which has now an aspiration to reach a developed country status by 2020.
Lets talk about the Benefits of Investment in S&T in the Developing World. It has been shown that a dollar invested in a developing country may go very far Take a specific example of the Indian space research programme. The R&D budget for this programme was US $ 450 million in 2002. The R&D budget for General Motors was around 7 billion dollars in the same year. What is it that the India's space programme has achieved for such a small budget that is equivalent to 7% of single company in USA? Today, India has developed a strong capacity to design, develop, test and fabricates its own launch vehicles and satellites. India has moved from one sophisticated launch vehicle to another - that is from SLV to ASLV to PSLV to GSLV. India has launched 35 satellites so far, of which 17 are Indian launches, 23 are in orbit and 14 are geo-stationary. India's space program has been able to draw hydro-geomorphological maps across the country. This scientific source finding approach has meant that the success rate for groundwater targetting has moved from 45% to more than 90%. Around 160,000 villages with drinking water problem have got benefited from this. It is clear that whether it is a poor nation or a rich nation, investment in S&T does play a key role in nation building.
Making Technology Work for the Poor
Let us take just one example of illiteracy.In India, we have about 200 million adults, who cannot read or write. At the current rate, India will need 20 years to attain a literacy level of 95%. Can we do it in less than 5 years by using technology?
Yeah .why not?????indians have developed a unique Computer-based Functional Literacy (CBFL) method. The method emphasizes on learning words rather than alphabets. When tested in a certain village ,Without a trained teacher, the women started reading the newspaper in Telugu in 8 to 10 weeks. 40,000 people have been made literate in these pilot experiments so far.
With CBFL, its predicted that we can increase literacy in India to 90 to 95% within 3 to 5 years, instead of 20 years and that too In just Rs. 100 per person.
Technology is a many splendored endeavor. There is a low technology and there is a high technology. Both can be used for solving the problems of the poor.
Sometimes scientific advances will create solutions – but adopting them to the developing world conditions can pose a challenge. How does one set up a telephone exchange in a village in the Rajasthan where temperatures will go
beyond 500 C and the sand storms create unmanageable dusty conditions. It was C-DOT that designed the rural exchanges, which could withstand these aggressive conditions.
Our real challenge seems to be to get the 'best minds' around. the world to engage themselves in providing solutions to the problems that can make a difference to the humanity.
Building Indigenous Technological Capacity
The car industry has changed in India over the years. In the last fifty years, the wheel has turned the full circle. It was British Morris Oxford, which was sold as an Indian Ambassador on Indian roads some fifty years ago. Today it is an Indian
Indica, i.e. an Indian car, designed and built in India that is being sold as City Rover on London roads! The creative ability of 700 engineers from Telco who designed it was always there for all to see, but it got 'expressed' only when the government policy changed through opening up and liberalization.
Brain drain to brain gain
Let us take the issue of brain drain in a broader context. Why does brain drain take place in the first instance? when an expert at Branding was asked how would he brand India, He was puzzled. He had branded a soap, a refrigerator, but he wondered as to how he could brand a nation. For instance, US brands itself as a land of opportunity’. He said ‘I will brand India as a land of ideas’. Now here is the problem. India is a land of ideas but it is USA that is a land of opportunities. That is why young people with aspirations go to USA, which provides them an opportunity to reach their own potential.
And the other reason…….
Just a small piece worth quoting:
GRASSHOPPER- in INDIA OLD VERSION...
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
MODERN VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper. Opposition MP's stage a walkout.Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala.CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath. Arjun Singh makes Special Reservation for Grass Hopper in educational Insititutions & in Govt Services.
The ant is fined and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV. Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice". Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it the 'revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden' .Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later...The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi billion dollar company in silicon valley. Lakhs of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ...
As a result loosing lot of hard working ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still a developing country..... .
Coming back
I believe that for the young people, it is not the 'physical income' but it is the ‘psychic income’ that matters much more. That is why a computer engineer in India works on the challenge of the Param computer in C-DAC on a salary that is a small fraction of what he would get from IBM. That is why a space scientist in ISRO works on the indigenous satellite launching vehicle GSLV rather than joining NASA.
Today we have 50% Indian children that go to school, 30% of them reach upto10th standard and 40% of them pass. Multiply these percentages and you will find that 6% of the children go past the 10th standard -- as against 65% to 70% in Korea. Yet India is projected as an emerging IT Superpower. 600,000 software professionals with an average age of around twentysix generated 20% of our exports last year. But 600,000 professionals constitute only 0.06% of our population.
This is a tip of the iceberg. For this tip of the iceberg that is shining, there is a huge part of the submerged iceberg, which constitutes the 'have nots' and the 'underprivileged' that is in the dark.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to conclude by saying that we must do everything to lift this iceberg. Science and technology has that power of lifting that iceberg as I have repeatedly demonstrated in this lecture.
In all this, time is not on our side. We have a solid foundation of 5,000 years to build on in the areas of science and technology, but we must build fast and ensure that the edifice is strong and functional. We can do it; we have all the resources. We are today in need of a leadership change like never before. A leadership Borne out of nationalism, a leadership , Indian not only by birth but also by deeds. It is perhaps the right juncture for us to decide whether we need a Ram rajya or a Rome Rajya…….believe me a political and able leadership foresight is necessary if We want to stroll India into the 21st century..
Lastly Francois Voltaire stated: "... everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges.
Albert Einstein: We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.
Remember Technology can transform our country
And to just sign off: No country is perfect, the people have to make it one...
Chak de india….rang de basanti
> POPULATION: 7 million (less than half of Mumbai)
> SIZE: Less than that of Kerala
> ACT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST IT: 2 soldiers kidnapped
> by Hezbolla, 1 by Hamas
> RETALIATORY ACTION : war on Lebanon and Gaza
> India -
> POPULATION: 1 billion+
> SIZE: 6th largest in the world
> ACT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST IT: attack on parliament , 150 + dead in blasts in the capital ,200+ dead in Mumbai, a good number at Hyderabad, at ludhiana at ajmer and perhaps a dozen daily in Kashmir.
> RETALIATORY ACTION: a speech by our Prime Minister and condolence messages...
So to kick off, There are two Indias in this country.
One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth &live up to all the adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us.The other India is the LEASH.
One India says ,give me a chance& I'll prove myself. The other India says, prove yourself first & maybe then you'll have a chance.
One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.
One India wants. The other India hopes.
One India leads. The other India follows.
But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day, more &more people from the other India have been coming over to this side. And quietly, while the world is not looking , a pulsating, dynamic, new India is emerging.
An India whose faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure .An India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the companies that make them instead.
And one India-a tiny voice at the back of the head-is looking down at the bottom of the ravine & hesitating. The other India is looking up at the sky & saying-it's TIME TO FLY...
Chak de…………………
Forecasting always is a hazardous task and how often have people gone wrong in forecasting. ‘Heavier than air flying machines are impossible’ said Lord Kelvin, Airlinkage is the lifeline of global connectivity today. ‘Everything that can be invented has been invented’ said Charles Duell, Commissioner of the US Office of Patent in 1899. After this statement, around forty million patents have been filed! ‘I think there is no world market for more than 5 computers’ said Chairman of IBM in 1943. ‘There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home’ said President of DEC, in 1977. ‘640K ought to be enough computer memory for anyone’. Said someone in 1981. And how wrong he was as we move from kilobytes to megabytes to gigabytes to terrabytes. Did you know, who said this? It was Mr. Bill Gates.
As we look back, one finds that Indian gains in the post-independent India are sizeable. We have functioned as a nation in spite of the cultural, social, political, economic and religious diversities and integration of states. Inspite of all that we have achieved, several formidable challenges remain.Almost as many Indians are below the poverty line and illiterate as the entire population of India in 1950. Never before in the history of mankind, did a country with democratic dispensation had to feed so many poor and teach so many illiterates and also simultaneously compete with the most advanced countries for a place under the sun. We have entered the next millenium, therefore, with a great challenge.
Science in India was always very closely intertwined with culture and philosophy. It was also tempered with very unusual wisdom. India’s contributions to astronomy, to mathematics, to medicine etc. in the millennia gone by have been truly phenomenal.
It was Acharya Bharadwaj who described the principle , construction and working of three categories of flying machines: 1.) One that flies on earth from one place to another. 2.) One that travels from one planet to another. 3.) And One that travels from one universe to another and all that was way back in 800 B.C.
> Baudhayana gave the "Pythagoras theorem" centuries before the Greeks in 800 BC.
Pingala (in 400 BC) invented the binary number system which is the basic of computer operations etc etc………..
Today we look at the modern India that was built after Independence .Sustained investments made in higher education and science and technology have helped build a new nation, which has now an aspiration to reach a developed country status by 2020.
Lets talk about the Benefits of Investment in S&T in the Developing World. It has been shown that a dollar invested in a developing country may go very far Take a specific example of the Indian space research programme. The R&D budget for this programme was US $ 450 million in 2002. The R&D budget for General Motors was around 7 billion dollars in the same year. What is it that the India's space programme has achieved for such a small budget that is equivalent to 7% of single company in USA? Today, India has developed a strong capacity to design, develop, test and fabricates its own launch vehicles and satellites. India has moved from one sophisticated launch vehicle to another - that is from SLV to ASLV to PSLV to GSLV. India has launched 35 satellites so far, of which 17 are Indian launches, 23 are in orbit and 14 are geo-stationary. India's space program has been able to draw hydro-geomorphological maps across the country. This scientific source finding approach has meant that the success rate for groundwater targetting has moved from 45% to more than 90%. Around 160,000 villages with drinking water problem have got benefited from this. It is clear that whether it is a poor nation or a rich nation, investment in S&T does play a key role in nation building.
Making Technology Work for the Poor
Let us take just one example of illiteracy.In India, we have about 200 million adults, who cannot read or write. At the current rate, India will need 20 years to attain a literacy level of 95%. Can we do it in less than 5 years by using technology?
Yeah .why not?????indians have developed a unique Computer-based Functional Literacy (CBFL) method. The method emphasizes on learning words rather than alphabets. When tested in a certain village ,Without a trained teacher, the women started reading the newspaper in Telugu in 8 to 10 weeks. 40,000 people have been made literate in these pilot experiments so far.
With CBFL, its predicted that we can increase literacy in India to 90 to 95% within 3 to 5 years, instead of 20 years and that too In just Rs. 100 per person.
Technology is a many splendored endeavor. There is a low technology and there is a high technology. Both can be used for solving the problems of the poor.
Sometimes scientific advances will create solutions – but adopting them to the developing world conditions can pose a challenge. How does one set up a telephone exchange in a village in the Rajasthan where temperatures will go
beyond 500 C and the sand storms create unmanageable dusty conditions. It was C-DOT that designed the rural exchanges, which could withstand these aggressive conditions.
Our real challenge seems to be to get the 'best minds' around. the world to engage themselves in providing solutions to the problems that can make a difference to the humanity.
Building Indigenous Technological Capacity
The car industry has changed in India over the years. In the last fifty years, the wheel has turned the full circle. It was British Morris Oxford, which was sold as an Indian Ambassador on Indian roads some fifty years ago. Today it is an Indian
Indica, i.e. an Indian car, designed and built in India that is being sold as City Rover on London roads! The creative ability of 700 engineers from Telco who designed it was always there for all to see, but it got 'expressed' only when the government policy changed through opening up and liberalization.
Brain drain to brain gain
Let us take the issue of brain drain in a broader context. Why does brain drain take place in the first instance? when an expert at Branding was asked how would he brand India, He was puzzled. He had branded a soap, a refrigerator, but he wondered as to how he could brand a nation. For instance, US brands itself as a land of opportunity’. He said ‘I will brand India as a land of ideas’. Now here is the problem. India is a land of ideas but it is USA that is a land of opportunities. That is why young people with aspirations go to USA, which provides them an opportunity to reach their own potential.
And the other reason…….
Just a small piece worth quoting:
GRASSHOPPER- in INDIA OLD VERSION...
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
MODERN VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper. Opposition MP's stage a walkout.Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala.CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath. Arjun Singh makes Special Reservation for Grass Hopper in educational Insititutions & in Govt Services.
The ant is fined and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV. Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice". Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it the 'revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden' .Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later...The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi billion dollar company in silicon valley. Lakhs of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ...
As a result loosing lot of hard working ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still a developing country..... .
Coming back
I believe that for the young people, it is not the 'physical income' but it is the ‘psychic income’ that matters much more. That is why a computer engineer in India works on the challenge of the Param computer in C-DAC on a salary that is a small fraction of what he would get from IBM. That is why a space scientist in ISRO works on the indigenous satellite launching vehicle GSLV rather than joining NASA.
Today we have 50% Indian children that go to school, 30% of them reach upto10th standard and 40% of them pass. Multiply these percentages and you will find that 6% of the children go past the 10th standard -- as against 65% to 70% in Korea. Yet India is projected as an emerging IT Superpower. 600,000 software professionals with an average age of around twentysix generated 20% of our exports last year. But 600,000 professionals constitute only 0.06% of our population.
This is a tip of the iceberg. For this tip of the iceberg that is shining, there is a huge part of the submerged iceberg, which constitutes the 'have nots' and the 'underprivileged' that is in the dark.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to conclude by saying that we must do everything to lift this iceberg. Science and technology has that power of lifting that iceberg as I have repeatedly demonstrated in this lecture.
In all this, time is not on our side. We have a solid foundation of 5,000 years to build on in the areas of science and technology, but we must build fast and ensure that the edifice is strong and functional. We can do it; we have all the resources. We are today in need of a leadership change like never before. A leadership Borne out of nationalism, a leadership , Indian not only by birth but also by deeds. It is perhaps the right juncture for us to decide whether we need a Ram rajya or a Rome Rajya…….believe me a political and able leadership foresight is necessary if We want to stroll India into the 21st century..
Lastly Francois Voltaire stated: "... everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges.
Albert Einstein: We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.
Remember Technology can transform our country
And to just sign off: No country is perfect, the people have to make it one...
Chak de india….rang de basanti
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