Young IPS in Parthi

The other day met one young boy while going to Ganesh Temple. He was talking to the Sevadal at the VIP gate of Sai Kulwant Hall. Seeing me, he asked if I worked in the Trust. Getting a positive response, he started requesting me to accept the gold medal in his hand and place it at the Samadhi as he had to leave for Bangalore immediately. He mentioned that it was only His grace which had gotten him... the Gold Medal and he wanted to express his gratitude. I appreciated his sincerity and mentioned that it reminded me of the day I had got my gold medal and had offered it to Him. He later revealed that he was from Mehboobnagar and had got selected in IPS. I mentioned that his sincere efforts and feelings had already reached Him and me physically placing the medal would do no good. I requested him to come another day for few hours and offer the medal himself as that would make Swami happy rather than me doing the same. He accepted my view. Later during the conversation he mentioned that he had no parents and was on his way to Bangalore for the IPS training!!

The Trials and Triumphs of Being Good

Inspired by the concept of ‘Education is for life, not for living’, the author retraces his footsteps from entering the college to becoming the best graduate in Metallurgy and then on to his pursuit of ‘Being Good’ in fulfilling the greater purpose of life of serving the humanity. In the process he narrates some of his experiences and some of the illustrious staff he met during his stay in the college.

It is a pleasure going down the memory lane and recalling the memorable moments spent at NITR during those five years (1991-95) of my life.

Thanks to destiny, I was brought up in a family where being a ‘good human being’ was more important than securing impressive marks. I, therefore, had no ambitious plans about where I would like to pursue my higher education; notwithstanding this, strange it may sound that I did do extremely well in my course, with least effort I might add (the college awarded me the Best Metallurgist Gold Medal in 1995). I attribute this to Providence and also definitely to my pursuit of ‘being good’; in fact, academic excellence was part of this process.

Unlike many high school IIT aspirants, I never underwent any special coaching for my engineering entrance tests; I wrote these exams as they came, with little preparation even as my attention was on doing well in the final XII class CBSE examination. In fact, I tried whatever came my way – NDA entrance tests, engineering & medicine entrances and so on. You may say I was highly defocused, in a sense you are right. My focus actually was on something else.

Nevertheless, my name appeared among the rank holders when the IIT results were announced and Mining was the stream offered to me. This did not appeal to my father. As for me, it wasn’t a major concern at all, for as mentioned earlier my aspiration was more to be a ‘good human being’. The end of this exercise saw me in the Department of Metallurgy in NIT. My well-wishers desired that I change my discipline after 1st semester (I had the choice as I topped in my class) or even better, give another try at IIT. Somehow, neither of these interested me as with every passing day my thought-process increasingly leaned towards this profound proverb “Education is for life, not for a living.”

My initial days at NIT are unforgettable but not for the right reasons. Being away from the comfort and care of my blessed family meant hours of homesickness, and the insipid food served in the hostel did not help one bit. What was worst was the inhumane rigmarole of ragging. I am sure now this must be a thing of the past. I could never reason out myself nor get a convincing argument from anyone as to how this sadistic practice brought the juniors and seniors closer. If it did anything, it only aggravated the mental trauma of the new entrants and added fuel to the fire of groupism on regional lines which already existed. I remember how in those early days I eagerly looked forward to the weekends to spend time at my cousin’s place to escape the hostile atmosphere. Once in three weeks I did not mind traveling 600 kms to be back at home; it was surely worth it. Even though my quest for ‘being good’ helped me forgive, I still remember the last slap a mindless senior cruelly lodged on my face, and this after the so-called closure of ragging.

The story of my stay in this collage is slightly different from others who joined this institution with conventional goals in their minds. My heart was somewhere else and therefore I did struggle. It is at this time that I met Prof. K. R. Patel from the Department of Mechanical Engineering; he was indeed God-sent. My innumerable meetings with him quenched the thirst of my soul and made a positive quantum difference in the way I treated and understood life. I found myself engaged in various gratifying activities be it serving meals to the poor or training little kids in the salient values of life or participating in thought-provoking spiritual discussions – all of this took me closer to myself and enriched my life tremendously. However, never for a second did academics take the back seat. Subjects were definitely important but only to some extent as they say “Man does not live by bread alone”.

Fond memories of Prof. V.S.Pakala flood my mind when I think of my classroom. He was a gem of a person. A deep sense of respect oozes out of my heart for this committed teacher who explained his chapters in such a lucid manner; besides, he was always approachable and keen to lend his time and energy to clarify our questions, if any, and also patiently listen to our new ideas. Undoubtedly he was the favourite of the class. I was pleasantly surprised and in fact delighted when I ran into him after 11 years in 2006 while I was trekking my way to Yamunotri.

Prof. R.C.Behera was another admirable person who reinforced the value of discipline in us by his uncompromising attitude to adherence of rules, while in Prof. A.K. Mohanty I saw the quintessence of serenity. In gratitude I remember Prof. S. C. Mishra who was my guide for the project that took me to BARC; I was to evaluate the possibility of having a coating of silica & ilmenite (FeTiO2) over metals using the plasma spray technique.

It was great to be in the company of Prof. S.Sen and Prof B.C.Ray during our study trips to Tensa and Barsuan mines. I also fondly retain in memory Prof. Agarwal who agreed to accompany us on a study tour of South India, when no one else was ready.

As the courses concluded, campus interviews began and life took each one to their chosen destiny. It was the same with me too. My ceaseless pursuit of “being good” finally brought me closer to One who is Goodness Personified. Life may be hard at times but as we all know it never fails to reward us when we are sincere in our search.

I had the opportunity to visit NITR, the new avatar of REC, in 2007 and was glad to see the transformation that has swept this institution. Along with a new look and novel facilities, there is a fresh and more professional approach towards imparting technical education.It feels great to learn this college is now among the few select and prized centers of excellence in India that provide quality technical education. I am proud to be a Rengcolian/ NITRAAn.

Rameswar Prusty, graduate of 1995 and Gold Medallist in Metallurgical Engg., started his career in ESSAR and then completed his Masters in Financial Management at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam. He now serves at Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam and lives there at Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh.
(As published in the Golden Jubilee Souvenir of the National Institute of Technology Dec 2010)

Walk with Lord Ganesha

One fine morning, after a few days of my stay in the hostel, an incident occurred which revealed to me my true friend. After the bell had rung I started for the Institute. I stopped awhile to offer prayers to Lord Ganesha installed in front of our hostel. When I opened my eyes I heard, “Why do you boys leave me alone at the hostel?” I thought of the loneliness that pervaded the hostel after all the boys had left for the Institute. A little surprised I replied “Oh! Lord. Why don’t you accompany me to the Institute? I would be blessed to have your company while I go to the Institute.”
Lord Ganesha seemed pleased with my words. He stepped out of his beautiful little enclave and I could see his little vehicle following its master. I was reminded of the merit that I must have acquired in my past lives to have this blissful vision. His form was small, coming only up to my chest. Wooden sandals adorned his feet. A vision of the beautiful dancing trunk would rid one of the sorrows of the earth. The trunk sometimes made movements in the air or rested on the protruding stomach. Dressed in yellow and green silk Lord Ganesha looked more beautiful than anything in the world. The little mouse was very happy, as it was moving out with its master after many days.
Crossing the hostel gate we moved on towards the Institute. After a while our conversation began. I was very interested in listening to him narrating the events relating to His birth, getting an elephant head and how He became the ‘Agrapujya’. This narration thrilled me to the core. By habit, I tried to speak in between His narration and committed other mistakes too. When I did such a mistake He would punish me by hitting me with His trunk. It was more than a reward for me. Of course they served the purpose.
As we moved on He was on my right. Every time a vehicle or something else neared me I was afraid that they would collide with Lord Ganesha. Understanding my thought He replied, “Do not worry. None can harm me. I am invisible to everyone else except you.”

On reaching the Institute we walked towards the temple built for Him. As we ascended the steps He was ready to receive the prayers of many students who were waiting there. I made pradakshina, offered prayers and left for the classroom.
The forenoon session was over. I descended the steps on my way back to the hostel for lunch. He was there throughout overlooking the studies and classes of all students. Now He also was ready to come back to hostel. I was blessed again. This time we talked things relating to the material and spiritual worlds. We reached the hostel gate. A sudden thought caught me still, “What about lunch for Lord Ganesha?” The all-knowing Ganapathi immediately said, “I need none of the food you take. Your Vidya and Jnana are My food. If you study well My hunger is satisfied. You go and have your lunch. I shall wait for you.” I walked into the hostel. He waited for me in His beautiful little enclave.
I had my lunch. I was filled with the thoughts of Lord Ganesha. I left my room for afternoon session of classes. He was waiting for me. As I offered my prayers He came out to walk with me. I had thought about talking to Him on some topics and questions. He said, “We have spoken this morning. From now onwards we shall walk quietly.” I obeyed His command. As had happened in the morning He came back with me to the hostel after the classes. Our walks continued every day. He came with me to the library often. He always had the blissful smile on His enchanting face. I had at last found my soul companion.

Originally published in Sai Nandana – the commemorative publication of the Sri Sathya Sai Hostel for Senior Boys at Prasanthi Nilayam on the occasion of the 75th Birthday of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

My First Darshan

Our first visit to Prasanthi Nilayam was during 1983 for the International Bal Vikas Rally. We stayed in tents put up behind Round buildings (Presently Punjabi Canteen and North blocks). Remember the nice time we, all the children, had getting Swami’s Padnamskar (at least three times) sitting in neat rows on the sands before the Mandir. Every time He walked between the rows we would pick up the handful of sand after He had passed by and carry it to our bags. One day He distributed Photographs and once vibhuti packets. By the time we returned from Parthi our hearts were filled with His love and our bags with the sand from His feet.

Other memories of the trip are that of the journey by train- we had to change two buses and three trains to reach Parthi. It was such a rush time that in the train we took from Guntakal we were all huddled inside the mail van with no light, for food a tin of biscuits was passed inside.

Talk by Sam Pitroda

At the workshop on Innovation organized by SBMAF Mr. Sam Pitroda (born to a carpenter in rural setting of Orissa, is today the Adviser to the PM on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations and has 100 patents to his credit, considered the brain behind India’s Telecom revolution) spoke via video link from US.

We need to innovate ourselves and then as a community collectively and then as a nation.
Innovation has a new definition because of Web which has add to Richness and Reach.
US has been the cradle of Innovation because of the right ecosystem: Risk capital, education etc. Bu their innovation has its roots in defense and has its focus for the Rich.

We need Locally relevant and globally competitive Innovations with a multi disciplinary approach.

It should
remove Disparity,
address the Demography of India and
lead to Development.

Govt needs to Re-engineer the processes (most of them were designed during the British Raj). We have 19th century mindset, 20th century processes and 21st century needs.

Think of the benefits of connecting 2,50,000 panchyats of the country by broadband- video training, communicate and evaluate the effects of Govt schemes.

NREGS, RTI, RTE are innovations of recent times.

This is the most important decade in modern history of India.

We need to think of innovation beyond products and services.

Indian youth are capable but are held up in the boundaries of family, customs, region and thought. Elders need to let go, allow them to think out of the box, make mistakes, celebrate failure as they move on the road to success.

How many students travel to 15 states in India? There is so much to learn in India.

‘We’ need to change- to change ‘India’.

Sai Anandam

17/06/2010

Met the childern of 'Sai Anandam'- a orphanage near Bhubaneswar run by the alumni of Sri Sathya Sai University who are here for His Darshan. Was filled with lot of positive thoughts seeing their love for Swami and the jest for life. My esteem for Sri Lala Susant multiplied many folds seeing the care he is taking for the 15 children at present times when parents find it hard to bring up one or two children. Pray Swami to Bless all of them....


Talk by Ananda Shankar Jayant
http://www.ted.com/talks/ananda_shankar_jayant_fights_cancer_with_a_dance.html
Its a talk by Padma Shri Ananda Shankar Jayant about her conquer of Cancer with the power of thoughts, devotion to God and dance.
16mins to view but inspires for times to come.

Did you share yourself today?

Loved this article from TOI

In a country where millions struggle for bare necessities, scores of obscure Indians try their best to meet the gap between the rich and poor. Indrani Rajkhowa Banerjee reports
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


ARE you one of those whose heart is full of compassion but the pockets don’t quite match up? Don’t worry. In a country where millions struggle for basic necessities, money isn’t the only way to reach out. Keep aside your cheque book and explore more meaningful ways to make a difference in this world. Yes, this story is not about the huge sums of money that mighty corporates or the rich donate. We are also not talking about how we ‘gift’ clothes that we’ve outgrown or offerings made out of religious compulsions on auspicious days.
Here we are talking about people like Nandan Pandya, who hit the headlines for distributing footwear among the barefoot poor at traffic signals in Mumbai or the 70-year-old man who attends every wedding in his locality in Navi Mumbai to collect leftover food and feed the hungry kids in his neighbourhood. We are talking about the nameless and faceless Indian who reaches out to the needy on his way to work, in unusual ways.
You don’t need much to be an everyday philanthropist. As Ajit Singh Narulla from Delhi’s Rajouri Garden realised. A real estate builder, Narulla and his friends set out on mini trucks every evening with potable water tanks to distribute drinking water in the shanties of west Delhi. Narulla says, “These shanties have no water supply and it can be terrible in Delhi’s punishing heat. We thought that we could help by getting a little proactive.” They take turns and bear the expense themselves. “The remaining water is used to fill huge earthen pots that we’ve installed in strategic points in Rajouri,” he adds.
Meet Ratan Chheda from a posh Mumbai locality. A Parsi from Kutch, Mrs Chheda unflinchingly delivers five litres of buttermilk everyday for the three summer months at a nearby milk booth to be distributed amongst the thirsty vendors, watchmen and taxi drivers. “Chaach or buttermilk is like nectar for a Parsi family, the most vital drink for the day. It gives me immense joy to share a nutritious glass with the thirsty traveller or labourer,” says Chheda. Astrologer Sunita Chhabra says, “Giving should not be a selfish act. Astrology says ‘concentrate
on karma and not on the
fruits of karma’. Give because you wish to give, not because you think you have to.”
“Give something that you enjoy yourself,” says Mumbai-based grooming expert Chhaya Momaya, who takes a bunch of urchins every Friday to a Chinese joint or buys them fluffy pastry, bags of potato chips and Pepsi. “Kids will always remain kids. They long to taste the goodies that they see us buying, and there’s no happiness like sharing a meal you love with those who truly relish it,” she says. R Kumar, a Delhi-based journalist, never leaves home without packets of glucose biscuits in his car. He hands them to poor kids and cops stationed at traffic lights. Kumar feels, “It’s better than giving them money. As for the cops, they are just grateful that someone even stopped by to think of them!”
There are scores of others who go about their daily business without even letting their families know. Surprisingly, most of them didn’t want to be named but at the same time agreed that “sharing their experiences would encourage more people to come forward to reach out to the needy”. Says Anant Nadkarni of Tata Council for Community Initiatives, “Giving should not be under pressures of fear, desires or some form of deprivation or guilt wherein the whole ‘act of giving’ could be some kind of a compensatory behaviour. What is important is to understand that giving is about the receiver.”
Always wanted to help but couldn’t figure out the right way? Take a cue from Rohan Solomon, lead vocalist of rock band Cyanide. Little girls at Khushi Home in Delhi call him ‘guitar wale bhaiyya’. He drops in during his free time and shares some music with the kids. He also gets them Tom and Jerry DVDs. “What most people don’t realise is that these kids have the right to have fun as much as they have the right to food, clothing, shelter and education.”
“Engineering student Pradip Ugra from Pune, who spends his birthdays with the elderly in an old age home, agrees. “It’s heartening to see the smiles on their faces. Sometimes altruism can be nothing but giving your time to make someone smile.”
Delhi-based businessman Nitin Gupta’s family doesn’t make offerings to priests on shraadh ceremonies. The entire family shares food and spends the day playing antakshri with blind kids from an orphanage in Vikaspuri, Delhi on such occasions. “There is so much hunger around that food never gets wasted here,” says a known lady restaurateur from Delhi, letting out a trade secret. “The leftover food in every restaurant is eaten by the waiters and their families.” Five-star hotels like the Taj Palace Delhi gives away surplus food to Father Agnel Bal Bhavan, a hostel for lepers. The Le Meridien gives excess food to Asian Food Bank and other leftovers to People for Animals. Meridien regularly gives wilted flowers to an NGO for women and children where natural colour is turned into dye. The remaining food from the Times of India Mumbai’s director and executive canteens goes to Pavement Club, a project for street and underprivileged children.
If you’ve wondered about the authenticity of those mute donation boxes in malls, we would say it’s safe to dip into your wallet. Pradyuman of CRY, Delhi, says, “Though the percentage of these collections is less than donations from corporates and individuals, it definitely helps our cause.”
Prasad Dhume, a former engineer, gave up his job to dedicate full time to the cause of those who have their upper knee amputated, by providing them low-cost artificial limb accessories. He says, “Giving is our culture. But give what they want rather than give what you have!” So, the next time you see that girl next door feeding biscuits to her canine friends don’t think how deep your pockets are. It’s your feelings that matter!
indrani.rajkhowa@timesgroup.com

Morning Walk 111108

This morning woke up at 4.30am.
Ready for my walk, left at 5.31am. Took the road around Mandir, passing accommodation office, Rama shrine and then Ganesh Temple. The Rama Shrine had a new arrangement of fresh flowers. Suprabhatam was over and Vedam was yet to start. Devotees were seated neatly waiting for the Nagarsankirtan. Bowed to Ganesha as I walked out of the Ashram and moved towards the Stadium. There were just few people on the road. Saw a couple pushing their cart to position at the Vidyagiri arch. In half an hour they would be ready with their offering of dosa, idly, puris etc. for the people who find them neat and great value for money. At the Higher secondary school gate wished ‘sairam’ to the sevadal and entered the ground. It was still dark. The labourers working on the decorations and motifs were fast asleep under the galleries. Walked up the steps of the gallery. The huge posters of Swami which adorned the galleries on the northern and eastern sides had been replaced with bigger ones with beautiful pictures of Swami with the quote “Glory to our Lord Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba”. They looked really nice.
Could see the Hanuman statue with the lower half of the scaffolding yet to be removed.On the main ground the usual barbed fence which separated the cricket ground from the rest had been removed. The ground now had lots of wooden barricades which ran across it. Just thought how much it would have pained the gardeners who water and maintain the ground to see these poles being erected at will.
Slowly walked to the pavilion. The gents gallery had another gallery in front of it with a raised platform almost the height of the new platform which has been erected in front of the Shanti Vedika. The huge platform in front of Shanti Vedika looked nice. It is just a replica of the Shanti Vedika(one can say it’s a semi permanent structure). The pillars and the roof made up of plywood and plaster-of-paris look just like the ones of Shanti Vedika. There on the top of the front ceiling the fresco of Ganesha too. The Yagna kundas on the platform and the false roofing with freshly painted designs looked magnificent. Walked up the steps to go the Hanuman statue. All along the wire fence on the western perimeter of the stadium halogen lamps had been fixed. They were also for the Shirdi Baba statue. As I walked past Krisha Statue the sevadal there shouted ‘sairam’ I replied ‘sairam’. Then he shouted
‘do you have permission?’(in tamil of course). I shouted ‘yes’ and moved along. Slowly the dawn was breaking. Reaching Hanuman, went round the statue admiring its beauty. Hanuman on the hill is the most majestic and beautiful of all the huge statues of Hanuman that I have seen at various places. Could hear the bhajans by a groups of students doing nagar sankirtan(it may be ok to call it ground sankritan). Walking back down the hill the eastern horizon was getting crimson awaiting the rising Sun. Now could see the ground clearly with the barricades all around crisscrossing it dividing it into donot know how many parts. But there was one clear path cutting across the ground from the primary school to the Shanti Vedika, must be for Swami’s car. Few self motivated boys were in the ground doing their exercises. The rear of pavilion has been cleared of bushes and neatly done up for car parking. Saw few labourer warming themselves around a small fire. Few boys were playing mundu cricket in the basket ball court(why not coin a new name for the game!) . Behind the Easwaramm school temporary structures of the dining hall and kitchen for the priests have come up. Looked almost done. Difficult to say that they are temporary structures they looked so well fortified. Under the eastern gallery the bathrooms were almost done. The laboureres were still sleeping under the galleries. Their tools and accessories with bags of plaster-of-paris were all around. The various moulds they were using to cast the decorative motifs were for all to see. As I walked out, the new fountain in front of the school looked nice, probably it too came up at the right time. Few school boys were moving around in their track suits enjoying the cool morning air. Walking back on the main road couldn’t avoid noticing the institute garden which has got a new look in the last few months with the beautiful fountain, ducks, rabbits and the neatly laid out paths. There were far more people on the road now. Entered the Ganesh gate and bowed to its presiding deity as I moved to my room along the South Prasanthi Road. Met the ever smiling septuagenarian Dave sir and we exchanged "Very Good Morning!"s.

We are sum of parts

Some of my feelings on the farewell of Yespra. Never thought the feeling would be so overwhelming when someone so dear leaves. Thought this wouldn't matter and life would just go on. But the loss of a part of ours that goes with the person is really hurting. The sweetness of the part of him that's with us is soothing a bit. Overall the loss seems to be overtaking. That raises the question why does it feel so? Probably when we love someone, we admire someone or appreciate someone we r giving away a part of us to him. Similarly each one is a sum total of parts of his family and friends that he receives in return - you are as your company is.

When we meet someone we have our first impressions. As days go by and we get to know more and more and share, our love and admiration increases. In this process we unknowingly or knowingly give away greater parts of us. Probably that explains the reasons for that deep sense of loss. Similar to losing a body part we lose a part of our emotional being. It takes time to heal and leaves its impression for times to come.

As for Yespra there are a million good things that can be mentioned. Which is left for the friends to pen.

Sincerely wish him all the joys of life and all the very best.

Mind blowing sets

Read the cover story on Kasturi's beautiful life is H2H jan 2008 issue.. The feeling was similar to the one I got seeing the huge sets the Brindavan boys put up scene after scene for the Kabir drama. So huge, so grand, so intricate, so beautiful - they blow you off. Its makes you wonder- is it possible? Under graduate students putting up such mind boggling backdrops!!.

On 12the Parthi PG students put up the Drama based on Hanuman. Seeing the backdrops I was spellbound. Never expecting the programme to be on 12th they seemed to have planned for the 13th or later. When Swami came @5pm they were still at the sets pasting, stitching, tying etc. Understand that after the announcement of the drama was made on the 11th AN they had no time to think of rest after the tiring performance of the 11th. No doubt the performance was excellent.

These performances and presentations are a reflection of the quality of the result achieved when a team works just for Him.

A page from my Travelogue

1993. I was traveling with a group of 6 from Rourkela, to Whitefield, Bangalore for Darshan of Swami. We traveled by the Tata – Allepy exp till Jolarpettai and took a passenger train to Whitefield. We understood that the passenger train reached Whitefield station around 6 in the evening. As with any passenger train this too stopped at all the stations en route. Around 5 the group decided to do bhajans in the train and we did for nearly 30mins. Suddenly to our utter surprise we realized that the train had entered the Whitefield station. I asked all others to get down as I passed the luggage. They were all first time travelers. The train had a schedule stop for a min. The time elapsed in getting the members and luggage down albeit me and two pieces of luggage. The train picked up enough speed as I was tried to jump out. Two persons stopped me. I ran to the chain and pulled with all my strength (literally hung to them) but all my effort went in vain. One person consoled me that the train would stop after 2km and I could get down there. He added that after 10mins another train would pass the other way and I could take that train to return to Whitefield station. It was not a regular station but a spot in between with no structure to prove that any train would stop there. Believing him I got down at that spot as the train halted. It was quite a nondescript spot with no habitation around. Only a small house was seen around 100mts away and the other side of the track was covered with teak plantation. As the dusk set in I felt lost in that place, with no soul around, looking for the expected train. Probably it would have been wiser on my part to go to the K R Puram station ( it was another 3 odd KMs) to take the return train. Feeling lonely on the track I remembered my physics lesson that one could hear the sound of the arriving train on the rail as sound traveled faster in solids. I put my ear to the rail but heard nothing. It was cloudy and looked like it could rain anytime. As the day light faded the trepidation within me only grew with time. After waiting for 15-20mins and not finding any sign of any approaching train or any other living being I decided to take matter to my hands!! Took the two pieces of luggage i.e. a suitcase and a bedding and started walking on the track in the direction of the Whitefield station. The suitcase was a 36 inch one loaded for a 15day trip and the bedding made of green canvass cloth held our bed sheets. After covering 50mtrs I realized that the luggage was too heavy for me to carry so decided to do it one at a time. I carried the suitcase for some distance dropped it and then came back for the bedding. The bedding was reasonably heavy hence I found it convenient to carry on my shoulder. As I carried them alternatively I had to cover double the distance. After having done so for nearly 200mtrs or so I could see the train, as mentioned by the co-passenger, arrive at the scheduled spot and then leave without me; for I was far too away to get near it with my luggage. Resigning to my destiny I continued to walk, walk and walk. In a while the clouds decided to lighten themselves and the wind was in great hurry. I got wet to the core as I continued my sojourn on the lonely track. When its dark and visibility is so low its safer to walk on the track then otherwise. It took me nearly 1 hr to reach the level crossing near the station. The rain had just stopped and two members of the group had set out of the station to search for me little knowing where to go or what to do. Those days Kadugodi was not what its today. To their pleasant surprise we met on the road and they had a sigh of relief. We then went to the village and looked for a room. And I realized that the green colour of the bedding had come on to my shirt making me Green!!!

Lord Krishna' Mantra to the Pandavas

Its said 'to Test is the Lord's Taste'. The cynics will question 'why should good people suffer?' Well then if one has to climb the ladder of perfection ( you may call it self realisation) obstacles are but natural. There is more joy in climbing then spending time at the top.( do you agree with me?) To the question of the cynics the answer is that one may have pain but need not necessarily suffer. The tribulations take one to oneself.
In this understanding the exile that the Pandavas had to undergo can be accepted in the way one likes. But the tool or the accessory given by Krishna to His beloved Pandavas as they started their trial was just a piece of leaf folded safely to be opened only when the times of trouble were really troubling and all options had been exercised.

One fine day when the Pandavas were in a great fix ( may be similar to the one when Sage Durvasa visited with his 16000 disciples) and all the ways seemed to be blocked they remembered their Saviour Krishna and taking His name with devotion and reverence opened the Mantra. It read 'This too shall pass away'.

So simple yet so helpful at the time of need when the neurons of the brain are all clogged up and refuse to process any signal. Just stop and put attention on Him for a while and let the moment pass in His thought and He Shall Take Care. The formula works if we take our attention to Him at the times of distress. Many a times the distress overwhelms us totally in which case suffering is the result.

Only persistence can help to maintain the minimum sanity at the time of need.

Here is something that has kept me up thinking many a times. Am sure this is a must read all 'down' times just like the mantra Lord Krishna had given to the Pandavas. (Shall post it later)

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of AIDS which he got
due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983.
From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:
"Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?
To this Arthur Ashe replied: "The world over 5 crore children start playing
tennis, 50 lakh learn to play tennis, 5 lakh learn professional tennis,
50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon,
4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD
"Why me?".
And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"


Happiness keeps you Sweet, Trials keep you Strong, Sorrow keeps you Human,
Failure Keeps you humble and Success keeps you glowing, but only Faith &
Attitude Keeps you Going..

What is character? what is the
exact definitation of it? How can one judge on
this parameter so as to improve?

Character is the sum total of the responses expected of us in various situations. Its a reflection of the inner being that we are. All good men are men of Character. We call them good for they responded to their situations in a way that is universally accepted as right. By universal acceptance I mean across cultures and religions there are a few things that are considered to be right or good.
Talking of Character one cannot forget what Swami often stresses 'End of Education is character'. I feel this defines what an education is supposed to do and what can be called as true education. If the education helps one to be of good behaviour then its truly 'education' or else its just transfer of 'information'.
The society, company and family that we are brought up define our knowledge of good and bad and decide our character. 'Tell me your company and I shall you what you are' explains the importance of our friends and surroundings.
To improve our character few ways could be
-To see the way the people whom we take as role models behave in a particular situation, and emulate them. This needs us to look for an individual whom we admire. Reading of the stories of God or life stories of great personage like Mother Teresa, M.K.Gandhi, Aurobindo et al. helps us build our ideas of good actions. Here one is reminded of Swami saying that we should thing first of God, then world and last ourselves. For this was what differentiated the Pandavas from the Kauravas w.r.t. their priorities in life. Any action we do should be acceptable to God and do good for the society. If these two are taken care of, then we will be 'taken care'. A simple way suggested by Robin Sharma is when you do any action think if you would be happy relating it your mother. I feel this is very practical. For Mother has the purest form of love possible.
-always give yourself sometime to think before taking up any new action and not act in a hurry or in a mob mentality.
-At the end of the day we should try to recollect the times we have not followed what we felt was right but gave in to the pressures of the surroundings.

Arvind Kejriwal of Parivartan

CITATION for Arvind Kejriwal
Ramon Magsaysay Award Presentation Ceremonies
31 August 2006, Manila, Philippines

The brazen corruption of the high and the mighty may grab headlines, but for ordinary people it is the ubiquity of everyday corruption that weighs heaviest. And that demoralizes. Arvind Kejriwal, founder of India's Parivartan, understands this, which is why his campaign for change begins with the small things.

As a tax officer with the Indian Revenue Service, Arvind Kejriwal became aware of the many powers that tax officials held over private citizens and how easily these powers could be abused. Indeed, at the tax department, one expected to pay bribes as a matter of course. With a few kindred spirits, Kejriwal began to strategize about how to bring an end to this. In 2000, he founded Parivartan, meaning "change." Parivartan appealed to the tax commissioner to make the tax department more transparent and less capricious. When this failed, it filed Public Interest Litigation directing the department to implement a five-point transparency plan. Eventually, Parivartan held a nonviolent protest, or satyagraha, outside the chief commissioner's office. Threat of another protest with the press on hand convinced the tax chief to implement the reforms.

Meanwhile, on leave from his job, Kejriwal stationed himself with other Parivartan members outside the electricity department. There they exhorted visitors not to pay bribes and offered to facilitate their dealings with the department for free. Since then, Parivartan has settled 2,500 grievances with the electricity department on behalf of individuals. Some seven hundred more have benefited from the group's "Don't pay bribes!" campaign at the tax department.

Under the Delhi Right to Information Act of 2001, every citizen possesses the right to inspect government documents. Kejriwal put the new law to use in Sundernagari, a New Delhi slum where Parivartan was working among the poor. First, the group obtained official reports on all recent public-works projects in the area. Next, it led residents in a "social audit" of sixty-eight projects, stirring the community to action with neighborhood meetings and street plays. Then, in a large public hearing, the residents presented their findings and exposed misappropriations in sixty-four of the projects—embezzlement to the tune of seven million rupees! Today, in Sundernagari, local committees monitor public-works projects block by block, and no project may begin until the details of the contract have been made public.

The Indian government provides subsidized rations of wheat and rice to poor people through neighborhood ration shops. Records acquired by Kejriwal for Sundernagari revealed high levels of theft in the system. In one area, over 90 percent of the grain ration was being skimmed off by shopkeepers in collusion with certain food department officials. When Parivartan investigated this, one of its team members was savagely attacked. In protest, more than five thousand residents of the community held a monthlong "rations fast." This and a mass rally riveted public attention, and foot-dragging officials finally moved to clean up the system.

Now in its seventh year, Parivartan has only ten full-time members. Although Kejriwal sometimes takes on larger issues—such as the successful 2005 campaign challenging a water-privatization plan for New Delhi—he has no plans to expand. He prefers to coordinate Parivartan's efforts with other like-minded NGOs across India.

Thirty-eight-year-old Kejriwal reminds Indians that the boons of collective action, such as the honest delivery of services, have already been paid for through taxes. Citizens are entitled to them. The spirit of his movement was aptly captured by the women of Sundernagari as they rallied to protest cheating in neighborhood ration shops: "We are not begging from anyone!" they chanted. "We are demanding our rights."

In electing Arvind Kejriwal to receive the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership, the board of trustees recognizes his activating India's right-to-information movement at the grassroots, empowering New Delhi's poorest citizens to fight corruption by holding government accountable to the people.

Prince: the lucky one

The last few days we saw(read) so much about this PRINCE becoming the Prince of India. It was heartening to see the amount of sympathy and love people poured on the boy for his release. But i feel the CM going and overseeing the operations and then giving 2 lakhs for no serious medical ailment detected, PM sending message, too much. Were they doing it from their heart or were they just flowing the way the media wanted them to. Army personnel did a wonderful job. I wonder if such an incident in Kothacheruvu would get such an response. May be one needs to think of ways to get the media everywhere when we have deaths in every district due to distress and disease. The way the things happened makes me wonder at the human psyche. Would love to know what others felt.
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Mumbai is back to work after the blasts, Can we call it resilience?

In the mad pursuit of existence are we forgetting to think for a while for others or just take stock of what’s happening? Hope our resilience is not construed as our weakness and meekness. They say prevention is better than cure. Are we doing something about it? Looks like we taken it for granted that time shall heal our wounds and make us ready for taking on some more of them. What use is our economic growth and prosperity if the man on the street is not safe. I am sure it will not be sustainable at this rate. There has to be plan of action involving immediate relief and steps to root out the cause. Pray the Almighty gives us that wisdom.

Waves

Human beings are like the waves that arise from the heart of the ocean to rise to hights, show their furry, travel distances, hit the shore and return. It would be ignorance on its part for the wave to think that it is the one with the power and fury. For, all that it shows off is nothing but the energy of its creator the ocean. It may unwisely take pride in its beauty and youthfulness which are ephemeral. It is nothing but like a puppet in the hands of the puppetier or the kite in the hands of the of the kiteflyer. The string is always there. To an unlooker, how foolish would be the wave if it boasted itself of independence and power. Nevertheles the wave is the most beautiful creation of the ocean enchanting the onlooker. One could watch them on and on without tiring. Times seems to stop whever I sat at the shore just watching the waves come and go. So is man!! The excusite creation of God deluded with pride and body consciouness. But some one must be enjoying watching him!!! Never does the ocean tire of making the waves. So is our creator. It reminds me 'every new born child is an assurance that God is still not tired of men'. Ocean too symbolises this ever expanding love of the creator.

Saw a few blogs of my friends and thought it would be good medium to pen my perceptions on various issues hence this adventure

the title of the blog reminds me of the the GD ( Group Discussion) Club we had in the third year of my stay at NIT Rourkela, Orissa (then it was REC Rourkela), we had named it IR Club i.e.intellectuals rendezvous club,looking back feel none of us would have fit into the definition of 'intellectual' but none the less all aspired so,
i call it perceptions as they are my impressions on life and events