Swami Vivekananda's answers

Q. — Whom can we call a Guru?

Swami Vivekananda — He who can tell your past and future is your Guru.

Q. — How can one have Bhakti?

Swami Vivekananda — There is Bhakti within you, only a veil of lust-and-wealth covers it, and as soon as that is removed Bhakti will manifest by itself.

Q. — What is the true meaning of the assertion that we should depend on ourselves?

Swami Vivekananda — Here self means the eternal Self. But even dependence on the non-eternal self may lead gradually to the right goal, as the individual self is really the eternal Self under delusion.

Q. — If unity is the only reality, how could duality which is perceived by all every moment have arisen?

Swami Vivekananda — Perception is never dual; it is only the representation of perception that involves duality. If perception were dual, the known could have existed independently of the knower, and vice versa.

Q. — How is harmonious development of character to be best effected?

Swami Vivekananda— By association with persons whose character has been so developed.

Q. — What should be our attitude to the Vedas?

Swami Vivekananda— The Vedas, i.e. only those portions of them which agree with reason, are to be accepted as authority. Other Shâstras, such as the Purânas etc., are only to be accepted so far as they do not go against the Vedas. All the religious thoughts that have come subsequent to the Vedas, in the world, in whatever part of it have been derived from the Vedas.

Q. — Is the division of time into four Yugas astronomical or arbitrary calculation?

Swami Vivekananda—There is no mention of such divisions in the Vedas. They are arbitrary assumptions of Paurânika times.

Q. — Is the relation between concepts and words necessary and immutable, or accidental and conventional?

Swami Vivekananda— The point is exceedingly debatable. It seems that there is a necessary relation, but not absolutely so, as appears from the diversity of language. There may be some subtle relation which we are not yet able to detect.

Q. — What should be the principle to be followed in working within India?

Swami Vivekananda— First of all, men should be taught to be practical and physically strong. A dozen of such lions will conquer the world, and not millions of sheep can do so. Secondly, men should not be taught to imitate a personal ideal, however great.

Then Swamiji went on to speak of the corruptions of some of the Hindu symbols. He distinguished between the path of knowledge and the path of devotion. The former belonged properly to the Aryas, and therefore was so strict in the selection of Adhikâris (qualified aspirants), and the latter coming from the South, or non-Aryan sources, made no such distinction.

Q. — What part will the Ramakrishna Mission take in the regenerating work of India?

Swami Vivekananda—From this Math will go out men of character who will deluge the world with spirituality. This will be followed by revivals in other lines. Thus Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas will be produced. The Shudra caste will exist no longer — their work being done by machinery. The present want of India is the Kshatriya force.

Q. — Is retrograde reincarnation from the human stage possible?

Swami Vivekananda—Yes. Reincarnation depends on Karma. If a man accumulates Karma akin to the beastly nature, he will be drawn thereto.

Q. — Does the Kundalini really exist in the physical body?

Swami Vivekananda—Shri Ramakrishna used to say that the so-called lotuses of the Yogi do not really exist in the human body, but that they are created within oneself by Yoga powers.

Q. — Can a man attain Mukti by image-worship?

Swami Vivekananda—Image-worship cannot directly give Mukti; it may be an indirect cause, a help on the way. Image-worship should not be condemned, for, with many, it prepares the mind for the realisation of the Advaita which alone makes man perfect.

Q. — What should be our highest ideal of character?

Swami Vivekananda—Renunciation.

Q. — How did Buddhism leave the legacy of corruption in India?

Swami Vivekananda—The Bauddhas tried to make everyone in India a monk or a nun. We cannot expect that from every one. This led to gradual relaxation among monks and nuns. It was also caused by their imitating Tibetan and other barbarous customs in the name of religion. They went, to preach in those places and assimilated their corruptions, and then introduced them into India.

Q. — Is Maya without beginning and end?

Swami Vivekananda—Maya is eternal both ways, taken universally, as genus; but it is non-eternal individually.

Q. — Brahman and Maya cannot be cognised simultaneously. How could the absolute reality of either be proved as arising out of the one or the other?

Swami Vivekananda— It could be proved only by realisation. When one realises Brahman, for him Maya exists no longer, just as once the identity of the rope is found out, the illusion of the serpent comes no more.

Q. — What is Maya?

Swami Vivekananda—There is only one thing, call it by any name — matter, or spirit. It is difficult or rather impossible to think the one independent of the other. This is Maya, or ignorance.

Q. — What is Mukti (liberation) ?

Swami Vivekananda— Mukti means entire freedom — freedom from the bandages of good and evil. A golden chain is as much a chain as an iron one. Shri Ramakrishna used to say that, to pick out one thorn which has stuck into the foot, another thorn is requisitioned, and when the thorn is taken out, both are thrown away. So the bad tendencies are to be counteracted by the good ones, but after that, the good tendencies have also to be conquered.

Q. — Can salvation (Mukti) be obtained without the grace of God?

Swami Vivekananda— Salvation has nothing to do with God. Freedom already is.

Q. — What is the proof of the self in us not being the product of the body etc.?

Swami Vivekananda— The "ego" like its correlative "non-ego", is the product of the body, mind etc. The only proof of the existence of the real Self is realisation.

Q. — Who is a true Jnani, and who is a true Bhakta?

Swami Vivekananda—The true Jnani is he who has the deepest love within his heart and at the same time is a practical seer of Advaita in his outward relations. And the true Bhakta (lover) is he who, realising his own soul as identified with the universal Soul, and thus possessed of the true Jnana within, feels for and loves everyone. Of Jnana and Bhakti he who advocates one and denounces the other cannot be either a Jnani or a Bhakta, but he is a thief and a cheat.

Q. — Why should a man serve Ishvara?

Swami Vivekananda— If you once admit that there is such a thing as Ishvara (God), you have numberless occasions to serve Him. Service of the Lord means, according to all the scriptural authorities, remembrance (Smarana). If you believe in the existence of God, you will be reminded of Him at every step of your life.

Q. — Is Mayavada different from Advaitavada?

Swami Vivekananda—No. They are identical. There is absolutely no other explanation of Advaitavada except Mayavada.

Q. — How is it possible for God who is infinite to be limited in the form of a man (as an Avatara)?

Swami Vivekananda—It is true that God is infinite, but not in the sense in which you comprehend it. You have confounded your idea of infinity with the materialistic idea of vastness. When you say that God cannot take the form of a man, you understand that a very, very large substance or form (as if material in nature), cannot be compressed into a very, very small compass. God's infinitude refers to the unlimitedness of a purely spiritual entity, and as such, does not suffer in the least by expressing itself in a human form.

Q. — Some say, "First of all become a Siddha (one who has realised the Truth), and then you have the right to Karma, or work for others", while others say that one should work for others even from the beginning. How can both these views be reconciled?

Swami Vivekananda— You are confusing one thing with the other. Karma means either service to humanity or preaching. To real preaching, no doubt, none has the right except the Siddha Purusha, i.e. one who has realised the Truth. But to service every one has the right, and not only so, but every one is under obligation to serve others, so long as he is accepting service from others.

Bihar Flood Relief Appeal – Sewa International USA immediately releases $2,000

The Times of India calls it "India's Katrina; only the challenges could be bigger" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kosi_devastates_Bihar_2_million_homeless/articleshow/3405430.cms). Bihar is currently experiencing devastating floods. The embankment along the Kosi river in northern Bihar has broken , drowning towns and numerous villages – many are reported dead or rendered homeless.

More than 2 million people are affected and over a million have become homeless. The district of Supaul alone has 500 villages destroyed and over 600,000 people affected. Innumerable amount of crops and property have been destroyed or damaged. The flood situation is very dire and every day the level of water is increasing and affecting more people.

Sewa International volunteers are already at work providing relief & succor to the flood victims and plans to take up the challenging task of rehabilitating flood victim. The most urgent needs include shelter, access to fresh water, food, emergency medical supplies, and basic household items.

Sewa International USA has immediately donated $2,000 and has launched an appeal to help these unfortunate victims. Your support will help reduce the suffering of these people in the flood affected states, living in the remotest areas. Sewa International will do its best to help the flood victims in restoring their normal lives with the help of our partner organizations.

To Donate from Outside Bharat Visit: http://www.sewausa.org/contribute-sewa-usa

To Donate in Bharat Contact:

Sewa International Delhi
Plot Number 49,
Deen Dayal Upadhayaya Marg,
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The following story captured our heart.

The following story captured our heart. It happened several years ago in the Paris opera house. A famous singer had been contracted to sing, and ticket sales werebooming. In fact, the night of the concert found the house packed and every ticket sold.

The feeling of anticipation and excitement was in the air as the house manager took the stage and said, Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your enthusiastic support. I am afraid that due to illness, the man whom you've all come to hear will not be performing tonight. However, we have found a suitable substitute we hope will provide you with comparable entertainment.

The crowd groaned in disappointment and failed to hear the announcer mention the stand-in's name. The environment turned from excitement to frustration.

The stand-in performer gave the performance everything he had. When he had finished, there was nothing but an uncomfortable silence. No one applauded. Suddenly, from the balcony, a little boy stood up and shouted, Daddy, I think you are wonderful! The crowd broke into thunderous applause.

We all need people in our Lives who are willing to stand up once in a while and say, I think you are wonderful.

And at times others are expecting this from you.

Are you telling them how wonderful you are . . .??????????

Say it now and make someone's day more pleasant.

MANTRA FOR EFFECTIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT

MANTRA FOR EFFECTIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT

“ BE SPIRITUAL “

A mother has killed her child, or the farmer has committed a suicide, or a student has committed a suicide or a professional has committed a suicide are the frequent news lines today. I believe that the root cause for such actions is sheer mismanagement of human stresses which puts him or her in an uncontrolled life situation.

“Be Spiritual” is the best approach of successfully handling these complex stresses. More than 100 years ago Swami Vivekananda proclaimed “When the life - blood is strong and pure, no disease germ can live in that body. Our life - blood is spirituality. If it flows clear, if it flows strong and pure and vigorous, everything is right; political, social, any other material defects, even the poverty of the land, will all be cured if that blood is pure…. That is the national mind, that is the national life - current. Follow it and it leads to glory. Give it up and you die; death will be the only result, annihilation the only effect, the moment you step beyond that life - current.”

We need to understand this quickly and have to translate it in our day to day actions to relieve our stresses.

Our Vedanta confirms that Spirituality is a science and it is the most practical thing which can be verified globally. If one performs spiritual disciplines, the result is bound to come.

To train the mind to obey you is the ideal of spiritual discipline. After practicing certain spiritual disciplines our mind will become pure and steady. This will help in bringing the mind under our control and thereby we can manage the mental stresses under different situations of our life. The experts say that if you practice meditation continuously for seven or eight years you will find peace and bliss, and enjoy the fruits of your practices. Even after one year steady practise you will find some result.

In brief, what are the spiritual disciplines? Always be truthful. Be self-controlled. Watch your speech. Envy no one. Hate no one (including yourselves). Be jealous of no one. Practise chastity. We must practice spirituality when we are young. As we grow older the mind looses its vigour. Therefore, be up and doing, Be Spiritual !!

From :

Prashant Puppal

Joint-Convener

Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Bhav Prachar Parishad,

Maharashtra,

(Affiliated to Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Belur Math, Dist.Howrah, West Bengal)

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Sewa Sandesh

Sewa sandesh megazine

please read how nationalist people work for needy people and to keep integrity of nation

pl condem this activity of Human rights

See How people think for human right to terrorist. Please reply to them

When yo read this application , you will come to know their mentality, Those innocent who died in blast have no human rights but those who are arrested for interogation have human rights because they are muslims

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PUCL condemns the way Mr. Yusuf Sheikh, a human rights and social activist of Vadodara, member of PUCL was summoned and interrogated by the Vadodara Police in a non-transparent manner.

PRESS RELEASE

DATE: 25-8-2008

·

· The PUCL reiterated the need for an in depth and impartial enquiry into the tragic bomb blast cases that occurred in Ahmedabad last month.

· While PUCL understands the need for summoning and questioning people, it strongly feels their human rights should be respected.

· PUCL demands that the Police pursue the investigations constitutionally, professionally and stop terrorizing the Muslim community in the act of hunting down terrorists.

An emergency meeting of the PUCL - Gujarat was convened at Vadodara to take stock of the situation arising out of the indiscriminate arrests and illegal detention of Muslim youth in the Ahmedabad-Surat blast investigation cases.

The PUCL reiterated the need for an in depth and impartial enquiry into the tragic bomb blast cases that occurred in Ahmedabad last month. However the PUCL team expressed concern that in the name of investigation, several persons from the Muslim community are harassed and their constitutional and fundamental rights violated. Many Muslim youth have been summoned for investigation, detained on vague and arbitrary charges and their families not even informed about their whereabouts thereafter. It is shocking that people are summoned verbally and not in writing, which is contrary to recent order of the Bombay High Court.

The PUCL condemns this unconstitutional manner of investigation which is bound to deviate the investigation from fair and impartial lines thereby preventing the police from arriving at the truth and arresting the real perpetrators of the bomb blasts.

The PUCL also condemns the harassment of human rights activists and vocal leaders of the Muslim community - this reminds of the way the Gujarat Police operated in 2002.

PUCL condemns the way Mr. Yusuf Sheikh, a human rights and social activist of Vadodara, member of PUCL was summoned and interrogated by the Vadodara Police in a non-transparent manner for 3 days on 29^th, 30^th and 31^St July 2008 and on August 23^rd - 24^th in an old decrepit building (old police station in Karelibaug, Vadodara), till 2 a.m. in the morning.

While PUCL understands the need for summoning and questioning people, it strongly feels their human rights should be respected. PUCL demands that the Police pursue the investigations constitutionally, professionally and stop terrorizing the Muslim community in the act of hunting down terrorists.

We would like to put on record that the Supreme Court in its recent interim order dated 22^nd September 2006 in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 310 of 1996 clearly observed “…The petition refers to a research paper 'Political and Administrative Manipulation of the Police' published in 1979 by Bureau of Police Research and Development, warning that excessive control of the political executive and its principal advisers over the police has the inherent danger of making the police a tool for subverting the process of law, promoting the growth of authoritarianism, and shaking the very foundations of democracy.

The commitment, devotion, and accountability of the police have to be only to the Rule of Law. The supervision and control has to be such that it ensures that the police serve the people without any regard, whatsoever, to the status and position of any person while investigating a crime or taking preventive measures.

... Similarly, we can only express our hope that all State Governments would rise to the occasion and enact a new Police Act wholly insulating the police from any pressure whatsoever thereby placing in position an important measure for securing the rights of the citizens under the Constitution for the Rule of Law, treating everyone equal and being partisan to none, which will also help in securing an efficient and better criminal justice delivery system.”


For People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Gujarat
Rohit Prajapati, Vadodara
Dr. J. S. Bandukwala, Vadodara
Chinu Srinivasan, Vadodara
Girish Patel, Ahmedabad
Hiren Gandhi, Ahmedabad
Sophia Khan, Ahmedabad
Trupti Shah, Vadodara
Prasad Chacko, Ahmedabad
Swati Desai, Dediapada
Shabnam Hashmi, Anhad
Johanna Lokhande, Vadodara
Shobha Shah, Vadodara
Ashok Gupta, Vadodara
Reshma Vohra, Vadodara
Yusuf Sheikh, Vadodara
Amrishbhai Brahmbhatt, Vadodara
Hamidaben Chandul, Vadodara
Kantibhai Mistry, Vadodara
Hozefa, Ahmedabad
Dipti Bhatt, Vadodara
Meera Rati, Ahmedabad
Deepak Solanki, Ahmedabad
Ambrish Mehta, Vadodara
Trupti Parekh, Vadodara
Anand Mazgaonkar, Rajpipala
Fr. Xavier Manjooran, Rajpipala Social Service Society, Rajpipala
Rajni Dave, Ahmedabad
Jyotibhai Desai, Vedchhi
Teesta Setalvad, Communalism Combat & Citizens for Justice and Peace.
Cedric Prakash, PRASHANT-A Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace, Ahmedabad
Krishnakant, Vadodara
Fr. Francis G. Parmar

R

ohit P rajapati & T rupti S hah
37, Patrakar Colony, Tandalja Road,
Post-Akota, Vadodara - 390 020
GUJARAT, INDIA
Phone No. + 91 - 265 - 2320399
Email No: (1) rt_manav@sancharnet.in (2) rohit.prajapati@gmail.com

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Please emil Rohit Prajapati and condem such move

____________________________________________________________________

Son of Devaki

The Times of India

Son of Devaki

23^rd August 2008

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-3396388,flstry-1.cms

Tarun Vijay

This column appears on the eve of the birthday of Krishna, son of Devaki. At the time of his birth, his parents were put behind bars by the King fearing death at the hands of their son, as the gods had prophesied. For Devaki and Vasudev, Krishna's father, there was no hope, no chance of getting help from any close friend or relative or the awakened citizens of Vrindavan and Mathura- everyone was terror struck, feared for his life in the kingdom of Kamsa, Devaki's brother.

Yet, Krishna survived. Kamsa was killed. Citizens were provided protection and safety. Kaliya, the great serpent king was humbled and made to respect people who lived on the banks of Yamuna. Krishna fought wars but before every action he tried his best to persuade the wrong doer. When he found the evil empire unrepentant, he simply annihilated the entire clan. Forever. He restored Dharma, the righteousness.

He became an emperor par excellence, he performed divine dance with Gopikas and had his famous Ras Lilas, yet the only Krishna that makes relevance today is the one who used his Sudarshan Chakra , the celestial weapon to re-establish righteousness and overpower the terrorists, deleting their remnants from the earth. He was our ancestor and we are the rightful inheritors of his legacy.

And how!!

Instead of warning and annihilating the demons and terrorists ruthlessly, we are suggesting giving them what they want whole of Kashmir-to buy a peace that will never come to us this way. No body respects a coward and his peace making exercises. Even barbaric Jihadis would respect the words of a brave unyielding challenger and not the phony writers and journalists who would insult their tricolor for a piece of story or fame as a peacemaker pen pusher. We compromised to divide our motherland to buy peace- what we got in return were four wars and death of more than sixty thousand brave young soldiers.

You give Kashmir today for peace, they will demand Haryana and Himachal next and Delhi another day.

Ask the wife and the mother of a martyred soldier who fought the war for Kashmir? Did they do it for money? Ask those Kashmiri Hindus who were an inseparable part of Kashmir's being but were hounded out by Muslim Jihadis just because their women wore Bindis and men chanted Shiva mantras? Now give this Kashmir to the assaulters? A woman raped is being asked to go back to the rapists because they won't live without her?

Now read this carefully.

"The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been and shall be an integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means.

"India has the will and capacity to firmly counter all designs against its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and demands that Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir which they have occupied through aggression."

The Indian Parliament passed this resolution unanimously on 22nd February 1994. Before presenting it in the house, the speaker said -'Each word and sentence of this resolution has been seriously considered by the government and the leaders of the opposition parties.'

Every party endorsed and passed this. Was that a facade?

Now every word of this resolution is sought to be turned into a joke, a meaningless exercise of some foolish people who pass resolutions just to pass time and earn their allowances.

Some of the Indian journalists and writers who earn name and fame and money for their being an Indian have chosen to advice to 'liberate' Kashmir and not to force Indian 'colonialism' on a people who do not want to be recognized as Indians. It sounds damn good if read in New York and Rome. But what about those who are Kashmiris and patriots and want to live with India? Who still have land and homes in the valley? And they are Muslims too. Who are the 'people' these worthies have recognized as those who do not want to live with India? Jihadis? Those blood thirsty anti Indians who have been fed on Pakistani money and propaganda to hate Hindus and India and burn tri-colours to make this region a Nizam-e Mustafa , only for the Muslims so that they can share the booty? Like they have been fighting over the question of leadership with each other presently? Mir Waizs and Geelanis and Butts and Muftis and Abdullah's- not a single so-called Muslim leader of the valley, supporting separatism is at peace with another Muslim 'brother in arms'. And now as NSA Narayanan has hinted the separatist leader's murder during a march to Mujaffarabad was a result of an internal clash. But sitting in Delhi and enjoying suspicious hospitalities make some writers to write the junk against the very tricolor that defines their identity on this planet.

The timing and synchronizing of 'Azadi to Kashmir' views is significant. All of them belong to one family of hating anything done by the nationalist activists. The profligacy they have exercised is quite understandable in times like these when India is being ruled under a dispensation that favours western ideas and policies for domestic governance. Amarnath agitation has already taken an unprecedented shape, which they had never visualized. In such a situation, the suggestion to 'liberate' Kashmir has been put forward to demonize Hindus and strengthen the anti- national Islamist agitation in the valley, by those who wield a considerable influence in media and are not Muslims.

If 'liberate' Kashmir chorus is a spontaneous reaction to the demonstrations being held in the valley, why was the massive upsurge of the patriotic people in Jammu not considered at an equal weight and columns written to listen to the voice of India? Why the tricolor people of Jammu are discarded and ignored as a worthless opinion and all hearts go to listen to the foul cries of separatism? And the secularism of such voices gets quite evident when valley newspapers put on headline like these-'Geelani says- Islam and Pakistan central to Kashmir movement' (Kashmir Times, 19th August, 2008).

Those who wont give an inch of their south Delhi -Gurgaon apartments to the neighbor are vexing eloquent to give away Kashmir to blood thirsty terrorists. What is the reason behind the separatism of the valley Muslims? Economic or religious? Economic reasons can be sorted out in a different manner, if they feel they have been deprived of opportunities and financial grants. Surely once in the planning commission's board room, they would discover that the rest of India has genuinely taken less than what it gave to the valley.

Now after 1947, this has become another flashpoint of division just on the basis of religion. We are Muslims, we can't live with a Hindu India, was the war cry of Jinnah's hordes pre '47. It was followed by direct action, Calcutta killings, green flags and finally Gandhi, the Hindu Vaishnav yielded and said, ok, take Pakistan but let's live in peace.

We compromised, our ahimsa was taken as cowardice and we got wars, immediately we had the land partitioned.

Now again, some wizards have tried to create an atmosphere to allow Kashmir's secession for peace. Do they understand it won't end at just Kashmir, but trigger off an avalanche of demands for separate nations from the east to south and later in the west too?

Accept NSCN's demand to have a separate Nagalim ? And ULA's Assam nation? Manipur wants a separate nation too as they claim they didn't celebrate 15th August 1947 as their independence day. Should we tell them to shut up because till now no senior journalist has recommended their freedom? We have a dozen flashpoints waiting to secede and declare freedom. Tamil nation and a Maoist corridor joining Nepal's Reds? There is a fantastic map on the internet declaring a Mugalistan , a complete green Muslim land beginning from Pakistan, including Kashmir and UP's border areas, having already gobbled up Ladakh and Himachal and Uttarakhand and reaching till Assam. One would have just laughed it away if the present valley agitation hasn't ignited treacherously innocent suggestions by writers whom you can't ignore. It takes time to get bad things precipitate enough.

Assam is already in the grip of Bangladeshi Muslims. Whatever you say of secularism or rising above religious fault lines, the truth of the matter is Kashmir is a communal cauldron and so is Assam. It's simply a Hindu Muslim issue, you can ignore only at the cost of national integration. They are fed on political expediencies. Like in Assam the IMDT act was helping foreign infiltrators yet government at the centre didn't revoke it till Supreme Court ruled against it and in spite of that the act was re introduced from the back door.

In Kashmir the people were never allowed to feel as Indians by introducing a separate constitutional provision under article 370 so how can you expect them to behave as Indians?

Delhi's media sultans feel sun will not rise without their approval. They can enjoy the fizz of their arrogance, but the sun rises on its own and maintains its temperature too. I am filing this column from Jammu where people are showing the Indian way of patriotism to the valley. Every street and road is empty unless there is a demonstration. Traders have shuttered down their shops continuously for more than a month. Small entrepreneurs, auto rickshaw drivers, labourers are all off the work. Schools have not opened since last three months as immediately at the fag end of summer vacations the Amarnath Movement began. Banks are closed, sms's are prohibited, no public transport is available, it’s an unimaginable nightmare during any emergency. But who cares?

To feed the citizens city is having free meals (langars) organized at more than fifty points where at an average one lakh people take meals twice a day costing ten lakh rupees per day. Every house hold is giving donations to run such langars without complaint.

But strangely enough, the divide we see between valley and Jammu is reflected between media of Jammu and Delhi too. What Jammu's mainline papers are reporting doesn't get reflected in Delhi's papers and channels who have become self appointed guardians of secularism and peace of their own variety and think if they suppress the factual position on Jammu, peace will be restored soon and communalism will not spread. So when the patriots agitate, its communalism and needs to be suppressed. But when Pakistani flags are hoisted atop Lal Chowk and tricolor burnt amidst chants of Allah O Akbar and Pakistan Paindabad, it has to be reported 'objectively' and with full focus so that the sentiments of separatists are not hurt or suppressed! Strange media ethics these seculars follow.

What son of Devaki won't have tolerated is being allowed by his followers. Isn't it the time to revive his spirit of Geeta and win a war of righteousness? The body alone perishes; the spirit remains immortal, so why fear O Arjuna?

Post script:

Jammu is feeling the heat of Delhi's attitude to ignore its demands and term the entire movement as a political one. A Congress leader equated Jammu's patriotic agitation with the Hurriyat, that demands secession. Home Ministry thinks it can use the Chinese method to fatigue the movement by procrastination and prolonging talks and make these people bend on their knees. This approach is further fueling the fire and will ultimately result in people using more violent methods to have their voice heard. The frustration and fierce angst is to be seen and believed, sitting in Delhi doesn't give even an iota of the truth that's Jammu today. A senior columnist in Jammu gave me a table of figures detailing how Jammu had been treated unfairly all these years and still people never agitated. So, why have we been dust binned? He asks - Just because we remained patriotic and peaceful? Suppose we demand a separate Jammu nation and hold a secessionist flag, won’t the entire media and government come to listen to us and accept our demands the way they appease valley's Muslims-? This was a dangerous question posed to me by an agitated software engineer in Raghunath Pura.

Sky And earth

WHY (can anyone give the answers)

WHY (can anyone give the answers)

1. Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?

2. Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough money?

3. Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

4. Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

5. Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

6. Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

7. Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

8. Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

9. Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lips"?

10. If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

11. Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

12. Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

13. Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

14. Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

15 Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

16. How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

17. When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"

18. Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

19. In Winter, why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in Summer, when we complained about the heat in Summer?

20. How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

"It Doesn't Have To Be Something Big."

"It Doesn't Have To Be Something Big."

Excerpted from The Simple Truths of Appreciation By Barbara Glanz

My friend, has an amazing story. Simple words of appreciation and encouragement changed his life. Bob was in five foster homes during his youth, and said he spent his childhood trying to find someone to love and appreciate him.

When he was nine years old, he had a new social worker. He said after she had done all the paperwork to move him to yet another foster home, she sat him down, looked him directly in the eyes, and said, "Bobby, I want you to always remember these words: YOU ARE WORTHWHILE!"

Bob says that no one had ever said anything like that to him, and each time they met, she repeated those words. They became an affirmation of appreciation that he heard over and over again in his head.

Bob graduated at sixteen, not because he was smart, he says, but because he got mixed up in the system! He soon took a job at the Albany New York Times as a copy boy, and his very first boss was a woman named Margaret.

After he had worked there about six months, Margaret called him into her office one day and asked him to sit down. He thought for sure he was going to be fired! She looked him right in the eyes and said to him, "I have been the office manager for 15 years – I have been observing you – and I believe YOU ARE FULL OF PROMISE."
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Those words, on that day, gave him permission to aspire.

Those two positive messages of appreciation played over and over again in his head and ultimately gave him the courage to be the very best he could be. Sixteen years later he became the Publisher of the Albany New York Times, and seven years after that, he became CEO of Hearst Newspapers, one of the largest newspaper companies in the world-and he credits it all to those simple words of appreciation and love.
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What a wonderful example of how little gifts of appreciation can make such a difference in a life!

Zig Ziglar had this to say: "You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life."

Amazing Holes!

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Kimberley Big Hole - South Africa

Apparently the largest ever hand-dug excavation in the world, this 1097 meter

Deep mine yielded over 3 tons of diamonds before being closed in 1914.

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Glory Hole - Monticello Dam, California

A glory hole is used when a dam is at full capacity and water needs

To be drained from the reservoir

This is the 'Glory Hole' at Monticello dam, and it's the largest in the world of

This type of spillway, its size enabling it to consume 14,400 cubic feet of water every second.

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Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah

This is supposedly the largest man-made excavation on earth.

Extraction began in 1863 and still continues today, the pit increasing

In size constantly. In its current state the hole is miles deep and 2.5 miles wide.

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Great Blue Hole , Belize

This incredible geographical phenomenon known as a blue hole is

Situated 60 miles off the mainland of Belize .There are numerous blue holes

Around the world, but none as stunning as this one.

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A Fascinating Story

A Fascinating Story

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband,dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the president of Harvard's outer office.

The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge.

She frowned. "We want to see the president," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied. For hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away.

They didn't. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted to do. "Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she told him.

And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple.

The lady told him, "We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus."

The president wasn't touched, he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly. "We can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery". "Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue.

We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard." The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical plant at Harvard." For a moment the lady was silent.

The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. And the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a University? Why don't we just start our own?" Her husband nodded.

The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. And Mr. And Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

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"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them." Malcolm Forbes

"kudi neer"

There's a stainless steel tap outside NC Santhakumar´s house on Mundakanniamman Koil Street in Mylapore (Chennai, Bharat) connected to a can of drinking water inside, and a stainless steel tumbler chained to the tap marked "kudi neer" (drinking water). It's a makeshift drinking water fountain open to everyone 24 hours a day. "I know what it feels like to be thirsty and have no one give you water. I do not want anyone who comes to my street to be thirsty," says Santhakumar, 53, a diamond setter. "After all, water is God's gift to us. Why shouldn't we share it with everyone?" Santhakumar's wife S Shanta is responsible for making sure that the can is refilled as well as cleaned along with the tumbler every night. "On an average , we refill the can three times a day. In the summer, it's usually four," says Shanta. Santhakumar says he got the tap fixed because people who visited the Mundakanniamman Temple near his house used to knock at his door asking for water. "We never turned them away," he says. "And then, one day, my wife and I thought, why not keep a can outside so people can drink water anytime of day or night. We realised there must be people who are thirsty but too embarrassed to knock at a stranger's door." It's been five years since he started giving away "kudi neer" . Everyone on the street knows that this is the place to stop if you are thirsty."It is the same water that my family drinks," informs Santha. The couple is now working on improving their 'kudi neer' by giving people cold water in the summer and warm water during the rainy season.

Based on a report by Smt. Kamini Mathai in

THE TIMES OF INDIA, August 3, 2008.

Idea: Shri Raghuraman

Dr M. M. Alex

Pointing to the fact that Dr M. M. Alex is the state president of Samskrita Bharati, Shri. Bhagawan Singh, Consulting Editor, Deccan Chronicle, said Samskritam has become the language of all and no more the language of a certain community. The occasion was the joint valedictory function on Sunday, of the over 60 Spoken Samskrit Shibirams (10-day classes) conducted simultaneously in Chennai city during the previous fortnight. Bhagawan Singh wanted each one teach Samskrit to 5 persons. He was the chief guest on the occasion. Over 50,000 people from all walks of life in Tamilnadu (Bharat) have learnt Samskrit over the last decade and many of them can even converse fluently in the language, said Shri. M. M. Alex speaking on the occasion. He said there had been several instances of young software professionals reporting elevated alertness and mental peace after learning Samskrit We have over 500 Shikshaks in Tamilnadu and 5,000 across Bharat, he said. Shri. K.N.Padmakumar, all India coordinator of volunteers in Samskrta Bharati, in his keynote address, said that Samskritam contributes to the blossoming of all languages like the sun causing lotus to bloom. Presiding over the function, former high court judge K Sampath said Samskrit was a "computer-friendly, science-friendly" language. (Shravana poonima every year is celebrated as `Samskrit Day´. This year it fell on August 17-18 and the valedictory coincided with the Samskrit Day. Children from Vivekananda Vidyalayas in Chennai enacted a grand Samskrit dance drama portraying the Dasavataram of Vishnu at the start of the function).

thyaga (sacrifice)

A group of youngsters in Mambalam in South Chennai came together to celebrate the 62^nd Independence Day today. They hoisted the tricolour national flag in all reverence, sang the national anthem but did not disperse. On Arya Gowda Road, a busy thoroughfare, they had arranged the pictures of national leaders including freedom fighters in kolu style and kept a picture of Bharatmata on top of it all. A basket of flowers placed close to the patriotic kolu attracted the passers by. They stopped and had darshan of all great men and women of Bharatmata at one go. Many of them offered floral tribute to the great ones by showering flowers kept there, and removed their footware as they did so.. When volunteers requested them to record their opinion about the event in a note-book arranged there, many happily wrote down their impressions. The word thyaga (sacrifice) of the great men was invariably found in every one´s expression. V.Ganesh, a young marketing professional and his associates of the Mambalam shakha of RSS who conceived and executed this thoughtful dawn-to-dusk celebration of Independence Day, were all in for wholesome praise by the residents of Mambalam as they gladly got the rakhi tied on their wrists by swayamsevaks, the following day (August 16) being raksha bandhan utsav. (Kolu is unique to Tamilnadu. It is an arrangement of dolls of deities on specially built steps during Navaratri in houses when neighbours are invited and honoured.)

`T.NAGAR TALK´, a neighbourhood magazine, Chennai, August 16, 2008

Meet Smt. B.Jyoti Nirmala, Kanyakumari District Collector.

Meet Smt. B.Jyoti Nirmala, Kanyakumari District Collector. She was awarded the `Kalpana Chawla Award For Bravery´ by Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi on Independence Day yesterday. She is credited with putting an end to the rampant river sand smuggling by criminal gangs in the district through her daring pre dawn raids on the riverside. She has also prevented destruction of forest by illegal tree - felling through her stern action. Nirmala has served as Tehsildar in the same district and she had won the hearts of villagers by preventing or solving caste conflicts by her immediate intervention and effective counseling. On receiving the award, she thanked not only the state government but also those numerous village women whose valuable tip-offs had helped her in curtailing sand smuggling. Media Reports, August 16, 2008

It seemed to work..I nearly died!

Very Apt, Another good one!

Last night my wife and I were sitting in the living room chatting about
things and......life... and... then, we talked about living and dying.
I said to her: ' Darling, If ever I end up in a vegetative state when you
are alive, please never let me go on like that.....totally dependent
on machines and liquids from a bottle. If you see me in that state I
want you to disconnect all the contraptions that are keeping me
alive. I'd much rather die'.
Up went my wife from the sofa, with this real look of admiration
towards me...and proceeded to disconnect the TV, the Cable, the Dish,
the DVD, the Computer, the Cell Phone, the Ipod, the Blackberry and the Xbox, and
then went to the fridge and threw away all my beer!!

It seemed to work..I nearly died!