India I feel Ashamed

India has been in the news for the wrong reasons for nearly a fortnight now.

There isn't anything I'm going to achieve by reminding everyone of what happened, as whatever happened was the most atrocious and henious act we would have heard in our life time. May be this happened or could happen elsewhere in the world too, which we aren't aware, but all of it adds to the same thing - we human being are vulnerable.

  

To quote Gandhiji, "Consider India to be free when women can walk out freely even @ midnight."
Sorry Gandhiji, we have neither heeded to your words nor have we used our freedom well, despite more and more being educated, and our becoming technology advanced. We still live in times of the past, else how will we explain that even today a "Girl" is not safe in her mother's womb, nor outside.

Am sure I am an injured and sad Indian today, as many are. Thank God Gandhiji you aren't live to see this ill-fated India.
 

Share this to as many if you really care. Let this be the 2013 New Year Wish We Share

 

Manage Your Moments

Life can take care of it self...

Whether we want them or not, the next moment will bring with it a whole lot of new challenges;

Whether we seize them or not, the next moment will bring new opportunities.

Whether we want it or not the New Year too holds several such moments and what you can convert it into is entirely in your hands.

It's easy to make the best use of each moment and our life time is composed of several moments which we need to knit together to make a life worthy of living.

Inspire yourself with this wonderful quote...

"When someone tells you that you can't do something, perhaps you should consider that they are only telling you what they can't do. ~ Sheldon Cahoon

Lesson from the Pigeons

by TSK. Raman

 

There was a family of pigeons which had made the top of a mosque as its abode. They were living happily for a sometime and when one day when the mosque was being decorated for a festival, the pigeons had to think of a relocation.

The head of the family discussed the migration with the family including so they moved to a church. They settled down in their new abode and life was going on smoothly till the church was being decorated this time again for a festival.

The family go together and discussed this issue and they planned another migration. This time around they migrated and made their new abode atop a temple.

One baby pigeon had a doubt and asked its mother, "please don’t mind if I ask you a question."

The mother pigeon said, "go ahead."

The baby asked, "When we were in the mosque people who came to worship were all known as Muslims and they followed Islam. When we moved to the church, people who came to worship were all known as Christians and they followed Christianity. Now here people who come here are called Hindu’s and they follow Hinduism. How come the same people just because they go to different places of worship get called by different names, where as we are called pigeons everywhere we go."

To this the mother replied, "We are way ahead of them. Good doubt indeed, we stay at a height and we also fly, where as human beings are on the ground and they do not ever rise, it is just for that reason we are so elevated in our thinking and they are still on the ground. When perhaps a man raises his level he will be able to see himself above all these minor divides."

The moral of this story: When we are on the same level, we can’t see that far, but when we raise our levels we see from the top we see things we enjoy a more broader vision.

To Change or not to is in your mind

DEVELOP A GOOD MINDSET

- A HEALTHY, WEALTHY AND A WISE ONE

by TSK. Raman

The biggest stumbling block to progress is our mind set. We often go back to the previous experiences we have had in life and we look at the situations you confronted, and act accordingly. You might be tended to want to use that expereince for a solution this day. Not a bad deal, however, you generally do not take into account is the fact that the world around you is changing constantly and rapidly with the advancement and use of technology in our daily life. It's your mindset that prevents you from thinking ahead, but if you think about it deeply, there are several ways to improve your mindset. Doing so will ensure that life situations are forever improving and developing a healthy (pure thinking) wealthy (wisdom rich) mindset will gauantee that you build your life in a much better fashion. To help you maintain your new mindset, each week, re-examine your core beliefs (which shouldn't change much), attitudes (a positive one, with a never say die spirit), and actions (proactive rather than reactive), regarding situations in life and repeat this process for any slips back to your old, ineffective mindset.

Changing and improving your mindset is the first step to add value to your life, which will spin off into good health first and wealth later. It is your mindset ultimately that will determine the opportunities thatcomes your way. You will recognize and create, as well as determine your ability to capitalize upon them. What are you waiting for. Get started today and watch your life soar to new heights.

How to develop such a mindset?

1. Scrutinize your current mindset. At this point of time, how do you view life, health, money and wealth?
Ask yourself what needs to change about your beliefs and attitudes if you're going to give yourself the opportunity to make your life different by becoming healthy, wealthy and wise?
Do you think and feel only positive things when you think about these aspect of life - health that you have, money that you make and wealth you create.?

2. Adopt a new set of beliefs.What new beliefs would you need to become the changed person you want to be?
Make a list with these ideas, if it may help:
    Do you routinely spot opportunities to make life better?
    Do you routinelly spot opportunities to make a better living working hard?
    Do you spend money on things that don't provide real value to my life. If yes take another look into what's useful and
    what's not, if possible elimate the waste.
    Think was to what all you can generate all the wealth I could possibly to make a decent living.

3. First rehearse - mentally. We do everything in our mind before we put it into action. This is called visualization. We do not realize this truth because of its becoming a habit. Therefore, while you're still lying in bed, imagine, every morning approaching the world with these new beliefs.
A good way to do would be to make your new beliefs habitual by daily visualization.
This practice will become even better and solid if we repeat this once again in the night before you fall asleep.

4. "Change your past because it is history."  The first suggestion would be to forget your past, but remember the misakes you've made. Concsiously recall and review the mistakes you've made in the past. Check if you've learnt any lessons from that expereince. It can be very helpful to revisit the mistakes you've made in life and the opportunities you've missed, but this time, change your history to see yourself in the same situations acting with your new beliefs.
What would you have changed about your approach and your thought process?

5. You be your own judge and evaluate yourself.  At the end of each day, examine your thoughts and behavior for that day. What would you have done differently if you were in your "new mindset" mode? Just as importantly, what did you do well, examine what could have been done better, if it was not, and what needs to be changed?

When you've done all this 'pat' yourself and keep evolving always.

Life Is What We Make Of It

Life Is What We Make Of It

by TSK. Raman

It's about 15 odd years ago my little boy called Abi who began to play league cricket, used to have matches every Sunday, and I would take him, be with him the whole day and bring him back. I would also always get tempted to play, as I used to play regularly long ago, but I resisted my temptation for a reasons

- I didn't want grab a chance which could very well go to a kid,

- I wasn't wanting to risk any injury should I play, because an injury would affect not only my home but would also interfere with my professional life because injuries can always take a while to heal

- I wasn't going to last a whole day playing from morning to evening, week-after-week, as grabbing a day's rest during a working week was most essential to recharge myself for the week ahead after the weekend.

All this said, there was a match I wanted to play very badly for two reasons

- It was going to be played in one of my most favorite grounds, a place in the Army Cantonment side. The ground nestled in a serene locale surrounded by trees all around, and a hill in the background making it a perfect setting of playing in the countryside. I told my friends, who were in charge of the team my son was playing for. These guys were known to me earlier too as they started playing just a few years before I called it a day. Now these guys were grown up too and they were playing along with their sons, for encouraging them and also coaching them in the process.

Finally the day which I was waiting for arrived.

A few days before this I used to do a bit of jogging and stretching exercises just enough to feel a little loose. It was just enough, but by no means anywhere close to what it ought to actually be. For this level and that too for just one day, it might have just served the purpose.

We got up early and got dressed up and made a dash to the ground which wasn't far away from where we stayed. I was dreaming that I would take to the field along with my son, and who knows we might even bat together, so that I might guide him to make a substantial contribution. We reached the ground before the others and slowly one by one all the others trickled in. We greeted each other, and as soon as my friends saw me dressed, they knew I was serious about it. they went into a huddle and in a few minutes they came to tell me the news that only one of us could play (my son or me), and the choice was on me. I looked into the distance, my son was practicing catches, after knocking a few balls. As told earlier, I wanted to play this match, very much because it also had some of my old friends in the opposite camp. I was furious as much as I felt sorry for my little son should I choose to play, because he will be disappointed. My heart was heavy, however, I gathered courage to share this thought with my son. He looked at hi mates for he has been a part in a few matches earlier. His mother back home knew that he had his heart set on being in the play and she was worried about how he would react if he wasn’t chosen.

This day was never like any before as I was feeling anxious about the outcome. Abi, his eyes were shining with pride and excitement, hugged me, and said, "Guess what Dad," he shouted, and then said the words that can provide a lesson to us all, "I've chosen to clap and cheer for you today."

THE ROAD TO ORISSA AND BACK

THE ROAD TO ORISSA AND BACK   

From the journal of my adorable son

Abishek Bharadwaj

- abishekbh@gmail.com

It all started with me wanting to work at the grassroots after completing my masters in the US. When I started my assignment, I chose to take over the micro-hydro projects, staying out of Kalahandi, one of the remotest districts in India, a part of the infamous KBK region. Transitioning from Pittsburgh to Bhavanipatna was a challenge as expected, but at the end of one year I have experiences things far more intense than I had imagined.

In a new millennia with development paradigms redefined every decade in a developing country like India, Kalahandi is like none other. One can drive 50 kms at a stretch without lights and devoid of basic necessities. But who defines what people truly need? It is astonishing how these people settled in areas which possess quite a challenge to reach. All they cared about is an access to basic resources and fertile land, most often close to perennial streams and amongst vegetated hillocks. Elsewhere technology and capital prosperity are factors to determining a future. There are superfluous amounts of money flowing into the district only for lack of ingenuity, extortion and fraudulency to mirror any positive intent, rendering hopelessness.

I came to work in the village of Punjam, which is situated at a distance of 60 kms from the nearest town. Placed in a valley surrounded by beautiful hills and amidst two perennial streams, this 110 household village, comprising mostly of tribals is one of a kind. The soil is incredibly fertile and the climate is apt to grow absolutely anything under the sun.

My one year in Kalahandi has changed me quite a bit. Since the organization’s focus was not micro-hydro, I was working independently on the project. I was responsible for the technical, social and financial implementation of the project with no support whatsoever. I started off in Punjam, not knowing the language and my communication was initially all sign language, only later to pick up a language that I called Okhra, a major concoction of Oriya, Hindi and Kui (a tribal language).

I was stationed at Bhavanipatna, where I worked with a local workshop team that fabricated the turbine and an electrical winding person who helped install the project. Staying in a shady room, scavenging for decent food and water, withstanding temperatures as low as 1 degree and as high as 48 degrees were a part of the craziness in this lackadaisical town where intermittent telephone signal and incessant power cuts were accepted as inadequacies of technology.

I should say I enjoyed working in the beautiful micro-hydro environments where a perennial stream and steep terrains amongst thick jungles are pre-requisites. Understanding the tribal way of life and innovating my way through to blend in the technology with few available resources worsened by unsuitable terrains and remoteness, were indeed positive takeaways. There were lots to experience from riding through streams, staying in malarial endemic conditions without contacting the virus and just about avoiding being washed away by a flashflood. Revisiting these memories what I would love to share were the last two weeks of the project which has certainly left an eternal print.

Fighting against time because of pressure from the funders, I had to complete the project in two weeks; I had great help from a Sri Lankan friend Ajith Kumara, who is by far the most talented barefoot engineer I have worked with. He supplied the Electronic Load Controller (ELC), a very essential part of the project and boy…was it good! The plan was to provide the street lights as soon as possible and then work on the supplying the power to the houses while concurrently tuning the ELC against the street light load. Persistent unyielding rains were acting like a persuasive force against the progress of the project. Slushy roads made it impossible to traverse the road in a vehicle and we had to walk 6 kms off road just to reach the village which also included wading through the bulging stream. Ajith and I had long working days which involved an average of 16 kms walk. I took care of the affairs at the village while Ajith was working out of the powerhouse situated 2kms uphill from the village. Communication was a challenge as the village does not have phone lines. We devised innovative strategies to work in tandem and to test the supply.

It took nearly two days to test and supply power to the street lights. Punjam received its first light on 31<sup>st of July, 2012, which is also ironically the day a significant part of India had a blackout due to a grid failure. Punjam did not realize the failure of the modern world and its energy options as they already become self-reliant with their alternative energy option lighting their streets. That was certainly a significant progress.

A bizarre incident marred the usual excitement in the villagers with the first shine of light. Apparently the local goddess (Devi) was flustered by the light which punctured the quintessential darkness that absorbed the way of life in the village till then. The spirit of the Devi embodied a maiden in the village resulting in her losing control of herself. I witnessed the incident with circumspect as these beliefs were archaic for my urbane way of thought and I initially believed it was all staged. But the maiden’s uncontrolled continuous shivering coupled with rising body temperature and incongruous inscrutable lamenting convinced me that she was naturally in a state of dementia. According to the villagers the only way of placating the Devi was to perform a tribal pooja or a ritual the following day at the dam site, since the micro-hydro project was held accountable for the occurrence of this. The ritual was performed with a tribal priestess involving a sacrifice of a goat so that the Devi is satiated with the goat’s life thereby departing the maiden’s body. The sacrifice was undertaken by a trained villager with an exquisite two generations old antique axe. The goat’s neck is to be slashed by a single blow, devoid of which the entire ritual will have to be repeated and indeed the sacrifice was done with great dexterity. Though I was in opposition to the sacrifice of the goat, I was certainly intrigued by the turn of events following the ritual, where the maiden reclaimed her normal self after a short slumber. When I interrogated her out of curiosity, the maiden declared that she does not have the faintest idea of what happened and the entire night snatched from her into oblivion.

The following week was equally exciting with us supplying power to each household. Ajith and I worked assiduously in installing the safety equipments, energy meters and checking the house wiring in all the 110 homes before energizing them. We trained the operators selected by the village committee to handle the system in our absence and counseled them through the week on maintaining it in order. The celebration in the village commenced very early in the day with almost the entire village intoxicating themselves at the advent of energy lighting their houses. Most of them were too inebriated to grasp the gravity of the moment the lights were actually turned on. However, I did bask in satisfaction from the ecstatic reactions radiated by the sober few. The quality of AC power supplied to the houses was flawless illustrating a perfect sinusoidal wave in our oscilloscope. I could not have asked for anything better after a years’ toil.

By then I had already put in my papers and those were the last few days of my stay in Kalahandi before I set out for my next phase of life in a more urban setting. Ajith and I bid our goodbyes to Punjam and Bhawanipatna before embarking on our journey back to the head office at Berhampur. Settled in the bus, Ajith and I finally got time to reflect back and discuss the project. After the adrenaline levels and exhaustion at its peak we were enjoying the sobriety. Even in our wildest dreams we wouldn’t have sermonized what we had in store that night. Around 12:30, while we were travelling through the forest in Kandhemal, our bus was stopped and 6 men with glossy INSAS guns entered the bus. Yes it really happened, the maoists had information that a cop was travelling with us and they needed him. They quickly examined all the potential men to find the cop. I was particularly scared for Ajith, as he was a foreigner had does not understand a word of the perfect Hindi the maoists communicated in. The maoists were not convinced with our answers and they decided to haul the bus off road into the pitch dark forest for about 400 mts. After we parked they asked every man in the bus to disembark in singles for interrogation at gun point. Ajith and I fortunately were sitting at far end of the bus, much to my dislike, till then. With a comrade standing right next to us, I had to whisper to Ajith, explaining what was happening as he was completely lost and was almost thinking it was some weird drill. I was concurrently harassing myself to come up with a plan as I absolutely would not know how they would react when Ajith’s turn comes. Again fortunately when Ajith’s turn came we were called in pairs. This greatly relieved me, as I can be the mouth for Ajith too. The interrogation at gun point was certainly harrowing and this happened for 15 minutes. Lots of questions asked, lots answered and they let us get back into the bus with empty pockets! We were held hostage for almost 3 hours till they were convinced none of us were cops and finally much to our bliss, the ordeal ended. We then drove to the nearest police station where there was CRPF presence, only for them to deny accepting that we were stopped by maoists and they filed a report saying we were mugged by conventional low grade armed dacoits. There is so much to talk with respect to naxals and the few I had met and the state’s frustrating stance against the movement. I will probably write a separate piece on that.

This maoists incident almost serendipitously happened just to make me aware that I had not experienced enough and needed this to complete the cycle, just like an icing on the cake, only layered much thicker and will stay longer in my memory! At the end of one year I can say I am multi-dimensionally enriched and am proud of changing something in the lives of 400 people, and this exactly between the Independence days of 2011 and 2012. Jai Hind!</sup>

Thought for the day:

"Education is not studying for examinations, clearing them, earning marks and then a degree, but, what is really important in life is to retain that which you learnt for the exam, and those you were not tested on. You develope yourself by applying your learning appropriately with relevance too, to your work and life and experience a joy. That is what will keep you well on track for a balanced life." ~ TSK. Raman

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." ~ Helen Keller

"We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, clim over them, or build with them." ~ William Arthur Ward

" The greater the tension, the greater is the potential."~ Carl Jung (1875–1961) Swiss psychiatrist

"Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it." ~ Winston Churchill

"Joy is the simplest form of gratitude." ~ Karl Barth

"I am grateful for all of my problems. After each one was overcome, I became stronger and more able to meet those that were still to come. I grew in all my difficulties." ~ James Cash Penney, 1875-1971, Founder of J.C. Penney Stores

"You've only got three choices in life: Give up, give in, or give it all you've got." ~ Unknown

Calmness in Chaos

Author unknown

Once upon a time there was a king who ruled a certain country and was known far and wide for the way in which he ruled his land always seeking the welfare of his subjects.

Also known for his artistic tastes, he decided to hold a competition for painters. On a fixed day painters came from far and wide to display their skills. With all humility he was endowed with, he acknowledged them and urged them to create the best they can.

The competition began and all the artists assembled there began their painting.
After about three or four hours all of them had painted what they had conceived.
The king went about seeing all of them and spent time talking to each of the creators to understand their creations.

Some of them had painted beautiful landscapes, some painted the mountains, some the seas, some the stars and the sky, some the villages and the scenes etc.
All of them were beautiful in their own way.

It was now time for making the decision and announcing who was the best.
After he saw every one of the paintings, and evaluating the paintings on their merits, he chose to award one painting that projected a thunderous waterfall, with strong winds blowing the trees and heavy dark clouds hovering in the sky. Amidst this chaos, just near the falls was a bird's nest in which the older bird was feeding its child.

The painters and people were pretty surprised about the king's choice and one of them dared to ask the king for the logic behind his selection.

The king replied, he chose to award that painting the best because he saw "Calmness in Chaos." Amidst, the thunderous waterfall, the violent winds, bending trees, impending storm, a bird unmindful of all the chaos around it was feeding its child as if nothing is happening around it. Everyone applauded the king for his wisdom and choice.

What can such a story and such a wise thing teach us in modern times where we are all living in a chaotic world.
My thoughts on that...

 

It is undeniable that we are caught up with many things every given day. Man has created things by learning, understanding and using technology, which has definitely made our lives comfortable. However, the fact is, we are all living life in a mad rush, forgetting the fact that we do things to make a living, and, we ought not to make our living be dominated by those things we created around us for convenience.

Can we imagine living in a world of today minus the mobile, the computer, the internet etc.?

The answer would be an emphatic, "No."

Accepted.

But did people in the not so long ago past live minus these gizmos and did they not go to create some things that enable mankind take a big step forward in civilization like for instance – invention of wheel, saw a revolution of creations like the carts, cycles, trains, cars, etc. that enabled him go distances in lesser time. Looking at the birds and wanting to fly man made his flight in the sky on an aero plane and taking it all forward he also landed on the moon. The radio, the telephone, T.V. etc., was all man's creations much before the technology revolution. All of this was because of his curiosity and so the Edison's, the Einstein's, the Graham Bell's etc., are all people who are remembered even to this day.

Suddenly over the last two decades or so everything seems to have changed so drastically that we would be left behind if we are not able to upgrade ourselves.
And that is the right thing to do.

However, too much of everything is 'bad,' they say and that's what the state of our lives is today.

We seemed to get worked up very easily - we get upset if the

・E mobile signals don't reach your mobile
・E mobile stops working because of a technical problem
・E computer hangs while working
・E internet is down
・E the chosen internet sites do not open

These are just a few examples cited on how we react when things go wrong. After all these are all our own creations. The ripple effects of these failures have a bearing on the way we react and the we behave be it at work, or the house or where ever.

We have become very short-fused, we have lost control over ourselves. Everyone blows out at the slightest. Like things can go wrong very quickly our relationship too go wrong easily. Divorces, suicides, misunderstandings, arguments etc., are all a result of our dependencies and the way they work.

I do not want to suggest that am old-fashioned in my thinking, nor would I want to start saying anything like, "In those days..." I do not deny that technology has done wonders to our living, however, I would like to urge people to keep it under limits and also enjoy things around them.

Just see this for an example, we have known days when plastic was not heard of. Plastic emerged and came to stay. People hailed its arrival and found it convenient. Over a period of time people have realized the harm it can cause to argi produce and the nature. Now there is a world-wide call to 'ban' plastics.

Another example is the felling of trees. In order to meet the growing demands of providing houses, better roads, electricity etc., man pulled down trees and met his wants. With this forest began to shrink in size, it started effecting the climate world over calling it 'global-warming.' It has affected rainfall, and because of that most rivers are running dry, the ice on the poles is melting and the seas are swelling because of melting ice. Earthquakes, tsunamis are most common occurrence. Man suddenly finds his existence threatened and so today we want to fight against that and we want to plant more trees etc.

Good at least now people have been to recognize this and are making efforts, but the fact is it is just a small population of the world that seeks to live in "Calmness around the Chaos," where as there are many who think these people are crazy impractical dreamers and that they seem to be the only intelligent people who know how to use time, money and all the resources available at their mercy to make more than a living.

Be it that way, as here too the same rule will apply 20% of the people all over the world look after the welfare of the other 80%.

Decide whether you would want to be among the 20% or the 80% it's your life anyway, but we are interested in ing mankind survive. We owe it to the generation that it is yet to come, we want to leave this earth much the same way as we inherited.