Breakfast is the Same

I served in the capacity of Secretary, medical education, twice. In that position, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow, came under my department. This gave me an opportunity to come in contact with several good doctors. The friendship and association with many of them continues till date. One such doctor was several years younger to me. He was known for his competence as well as his manners. Patients felt very comfortable with him and his name spread fast in the medical fraternity. Incidentally, I was also one of his patients and this brought us even closer. 

After serving for a few years at SGPGI, he got an offer from the Apollo hospital in Delhi. Though he was very happy in Lucknow, he decided to shift mainly on account of some personal problems. He was very well aware of the fact that SGPGI campus at Lucknow provided much more peace than what he would find in Delhi. After shifting to Delhi, he got a residence quite far from his place of work. Travelling to his work place in the morning and back home in the evening consumed about two hours. However, from the emoluments point of view, the Delhi job was much better than the Lucknow job. It was during this period that I visited him in Delhi. I had gone there for training and was staying at a place very near to his residence. One morning, I fixed up an appointment with him and reached his place half an hour before he used to leave for the hospital. That day, he had some other work also and, therefore, had to leave about fifteen minutes earlier than usual. As a result, he was in a hurry and we could barely exchange pleasantries. However, I noticed that he was having his breakfast – standing, with a dry bun in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. 

This looked quite amusing to me and I thought about those poor people who take the same breakfast but in a much more relaxed way and I humorously pointed this out to him. My comparison of his breakfast was with that of a rickshaw-puller in Lucknow who takes his breakfast on a roadside tea stall in a relaxed manner. And at that time, he either refuses to attend his customer or makes him wait till he finishes his munch. My young doctor friend was in total agreement with me but had no alternative. He had come to Delhi for better professional opportunities and not for better breakfast. Eventually, he achieved much more name and fame. However, I have no information about his breakfast and whether it continues to be the same or has become even simpler.

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Stay Clean

There is a famous saying “cleanliness is next to Godliness”. By cleanliness of body, limb and soul, cleanliness of all our articles of use  and cleanliness of our dwellings, we gradually move towards divinity. Cleanliness brings us progress and improvement in all fields of activities and in all spheres of life.

We should remove dirt, dust, stains, bad smells and garbage from our house. Purposes of cleanliness include health, beauty, avoiding offensive odour and spreading of dirt and contaminants to oneself and others.

Washing with soap and water is the easiest way of achieving cleanliness. Some simple preventive steps can ensure that dust and pollutants do not pose health risks. We should use floor mats and vacuum cleaners and sweep and mop floors regularly.

The biggest breeding ground for germs in the house is the kitchen. Keeping germs, viruses and bacteria under control requires diligent cleaning of kitchen surfaces with appropriate cleaning solvents. Wash and disinfect dish towels, dish rags and sponges with soap and hot water. Clean the appliances regularly. It is very important to stay clean if you want to stay healthy. You can only encourage your kids to stay clean if you maintain good hygiene yourself.

Always wash your hands and feet once you come home from work, school or playground etc. Never touch your food without washing your hands properly. Take a bath regularly and wash your hair and keep your nails clean and trimmed. Brush your teeth twice a day. Keep your room, house and toilet clean and never make public places untidy.

Cleanliness is a good quality and a man of dirty habits is not considered civilized. If we clean our bodies and limbs, we will be free from many kinds of diseases. 

Clean food, cooked in clean pots and served in clean dishes will give us health and happiness. If we clean our bodies regularly, we will be fit and smart and have a cheerful mind. Cleanliness impacts every phase of social interaction, reducing potential profound health related risks and illnesses.

Dr (Mrs) Archana Bharat 

Humanity’s Crisis of Distrust

The greatest crisis humanity is facing currently is one of distrust. It is a vicious cancer that is rotting the vitals of humanity and human relations. It took a long evolutionary period from the beginning of humanity until now to develop meaningful trust among humans. Until recently, it was generally presumed that everyone is fair and honest until proved otherwise. Now just the opposite is gaining ground.  Expressions such as ‘all are dishonest and untrustworthy’ and ‘nobody can be believed and trusted these days’ are not infrequent. While there were scattered instances of terrorism and violence taking place in different parts of the world before September 11, 2001, that evil historical event of terrorism occurring on that day in the sky before the very eyes of humanity in New York, the biggest city of the mightiest nation on earth, killing about 3000 personsis the beginning of the great shattering of trust. This was a blow at the very root of trust and all the values human hold so dear. This unique traumatic event for humanity gave a great boost to the paranoid, consumerist culture that was gradually spreading everywhere.  The expensive security needed for air travel and innumerable public buildings all over the world took away the precious money from the scanty budgets ear-marked for the basic necessities oflife for many, especially thepoor and the down-trodden. Poor nations were the ones that were hit awfully hard.

According to Erik Erikson, a famous developmental psychologist, the first of the eight stages of human development spread over the entire life-span is trust. Not developing trust at the earliest stage of one’s growth leads to major problems in life. Major mental disorders such as paranoia and paranoid schizophrenia result from one’s inability totrust and develop strong bond with others. Distrust is the reason for breakdown in all kinds of relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, and  nations. All fights and wars start with distrust. Without trust there is no cooperation. We are able to drive on the road, for instance, because we trust that the person driving from the opposite direction is going to keep his/her side of the road. As oxygen is for survival so is trust for cooperation.

Before it is too late humanity needs to develop trust among its members. A crash course to foster trust for sheer human survival is essential.Compassionate, truth-basedmediational approaches in the place of current litigious legal system is very much needed.Training in effective conflict resolution skills, and building a just and equitable society where there is a fair distribution of wealth for allcan go a long way in building trust. Societies that respect human rights and are free of corruption maintain and increase the trust level.

Swami SnehanandaJyoti  

Tansen, Tana-Riri, Akbar and Namo

Mian Tansen, the musical maestro and one of the Navaratna’s of Great Mogul King Akbar, once sang the raga “Deepak”. With his exceptional singing talent he could light all the lamps around, but it also had a negative effect on his own body. He started feeling a burning sensation himself and became unwell. Due to his physical condition, he could not sing the remedial raga “Malhar”, which had the power to reduce his suffering. Some other singer of a similar stature was required to sing raga “Malhar” to cure him. 

In search of such a singer, Tansen reached a place called “Vadnagar” in Gujarat. Here he saw two girls filling their pitchers with only so much water such that the pitchers could perfectly produce the notes of raga “Malhar”. He requested the girls to sing the same raga for him. These girls were Tana and Riri. While the girls sang the raga “Malhar”, heavy rains occurred and after bathing in them, Mian Tansen was fully cured. He returned to Delhi and tried to keep this story a secret. But he could not keep it a secret for long and was ultimately forced by King Akbar to tell the truth. This story was overheard by two princes in Akbar’s family, who reached Vadnagar in the hope of marrying these girls. These princes were killed by Vadnagar people due to their bad behaviour. Then in a sad turn of events, Akbar’s army attacked Vadnagar and tried to bring the girls to Delhi. The girls committed suicide by consuming the diamonds out of their rings. The monuments in memory of these two amazing girls can still be seen in Vadnagar. 

Indian history is full of people who never bowed in front of rulers who tried to get things done by force. The formation of a lawful society does require sacrifices of several brave and committed people. 

Today when I am quoting this story to you, Shri Narendra Modi, the son of the soil of same Vadnagar has become the Prime Minister of India. Let us join hands with him to build a better and corruption free society by getting inspiration from stories of sacrifice of people of our own land. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Great People, Great Nation

I was driving back home from the town and it was 6.30 PM on 26th May 2014. On the way I saw a few youngsters serving customary Indian ‘payasam’ to all the passengers, who passed by. I realized that they are celebrating the swearing in ceremony of the Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi. Perhaps these guys could be BJP workers and they should be celebrating their political victory, I assumed. Would Modi be able to rebuild India? This was the one question I pondered over in the remaining part of my journey. Perhaps the only dream I ever nourish is a world free of poverty, cast discrimination and corruption. As you know, Indian Thoughts is all about re-establishing the rich Indian values. 

A year back, a friend of mine from Switzerland wrote to me: “My wife and I were spending a few weeks in the country where we worked for over three decades. We used to go for long walks. Usually even the inner regions of the village are clean and tidy. But as there are now unusually great numbers of immigrants from countries outside Europe there, less cultured behavior is also observable. Youngsters throw plastic bags, and empty tins on the paths. Once we saw a native couple walking along with a sack and collecting all the rubbish from the forest ways meant for wanderers. We talked with them. They said, well, kids with not so good manners do throw things along the path but instead of cursing them we do our job of cleaning the area we see very often. May be at least one of them will come to see our example and learn better manners. That's the kind of love they have for their land.”  Great nations are due to great visionaries, I thought. There was a time when India had great visionaries in abundance. 

Here is a story: One morning a Spiritual Master was having a satsang with a group of people under a tree in a small town. It was early morning, the sun was coming up, birds were chirping and flowers were blooming. The atmosphere was very soothing and serene. During the talk the Spiritual Master asked a question to the attending people. He said, ‘Please tell me when does the night end and the day begin?’ One person said, ‘When I see the rising sun in the sky’; another person said, ‘Oh, it is when the birds are chirping and flowers are blooming; ‘when the moon and the stars have disappeared and there is no darkness’, still another said. The master said, ‘No, not any is true’. The crowd became curious and puzzled. The Spiritual Master replied, ‘Dear all, please listen carefully. When you look into any man’s eyes and do not find your brother in him and when you look into any woman’s eyes and do not find your sister in her, whatever time of the day it is, it is still night for you’. 

India is so shattered that we Indians do not even look into another’s eyes. One Modi or one Arvind Kejariwal is not enough to rebuild it. What we have now is an India without Indians. I don’t throw all the blame to the rubbish politics that dominate every corner of the nation. I am of the opinion that each one of us is responsible for what we experience. We need to regain our power of discrimination that helps us sort out good from bad. We Indians need to fine tune our vision and expand it beyond the four the walls of our hometown. India becomes smart only if all Indians become so. 

Joseph Mattappally

Krishna on Bondage 6

There is a significant episode in the life of Mohammed. Mohammed is a rare kind of sannyasin. Everyday his followers bring all kinds of gifts for him. Someone brings sweets, another brings cloths, and another brings money. Mohammed shares everything with his visitors and others, and if something is leftover by evening he asks his wife to distribute it among the needy. By evening Mohammed again becomes a pauper, a fakir. When sometimes his wife suggests that something should be saved for tomorrow, he says, “Tomorrow will come as today, and it will care for itself. Worrying for tomorrow means I don’t trust existence, which has provided everything for today. I trust existence will provide for our tomorrow too.” Mohammed insists that his wife give away everything that is left over saying, “With trust in our hearts we will wait for tomorrow” I am a theist, and if I save for tomorrow God will say, “Mohammed, don’t you have even this much trust in me?” 

This is the way Mohammed lives all through his life. And when he was at death bed, his wife saves few coins for some future emergency. That night Mohammed asks his wife about it and she was surprised he knew about it. Mohammed answers his wife, “Looking at your face tonight I can see you are not calm and peaceful as you always are. For sure there is some money in the house. Those who are worried become acquisitive and acquisitive people become worried. It is a vicious circle, so take out what you have saved and distribute it so that I can die in peace.” His wife was worried if she could find someone at that mid night. Mohammed says his wife, “Just call out and someone will come.” And someone, a beggar really appears at the door. Mohammed says his wife, “Just see, if someone comes to take in the dead of night, someone else can come to give as well.” This was his last act and he died at peace. 

If each day, each moment, each act is complete, it will be followed by a complete tomorrow. Then the tomorrow will be new and fresh, not old and stale. The future will never confirm to our expectations, because the future is immense and our hopes and desires are petty, trivial. The immense, the infinite cannot be controlled and manipulated by the trivial. A drop cannot decide the course of river; the river goes its own way irrespective of what the drop wants. This is man’s misery: it is hopes and dreams of future that turn into frustration and despair. 

One who lives each moment totally knows no anxiety and no frustration. He is contented and blissful and fulfilled.

Wishing you good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

Do it with Calm

When I was the Principal Secretary of an important public utility department, I had a secretary who was a very honest and sincere officer. We both joined the department almost simultaneously, he being only few days senior to me. The department was known for corruption and inefficiency, but the acuteness was a secret for us till we joined the department. My younger friend discovered it soon and was baffled. 

Few days after I joined, he gave me a call one evening asking if he could meet me immediately. Incidentally, I was also relatively free and had no visitor or officials around. So I asked him to come immediately so that we could talk at ease. His body language revealed discomfort and he appeared to be in a state of confusion. Going by his sincerity and reputation, it was an unusual sight and I also became curious. Then he told me about a call which he had received a few hours earlier from a vendor who used to supply posters for a certain health programme. The caller sought instruction from him with regard to his commission, which fell due on account of the last campaign, held soon after he had joined. The amount was about three lakh rupees and the manner and place of payment had also been discussed. This was a situation he had never come across before and was confused about his response to such a strange call. He appeared to be quite angry at the vendor and wanted to take strong action 

against him. He sought my advice in this regard. Apart from the real problem which would be dealt with separately, my immediate concern was his agony. Here was a person who was honest and sincere but was suffering on account of the misdeeds of others. This was the last thing I wanted for him. 

With a touch of humour, I then told him that there were only two options before him. Either he calmly accepted the money or calmly refused it. Instead, he was choosing a third option, that of refusing the vendor with anger. In this way, he was going to be a double sufferer. He got my point and felt somewhat relaxed. Then we discussed the matter from the administrative point of view. I advised him to understand the whole process and take necessary steps to stop the malpractice for all times to come. I also assured him my full cooperation. 

He took my advice seriously and soon worked out a plan, which could address the problem at its root. In the very next campaign, there was a saving of about forty percent, much more than the cut that was being offered to him. Incidentally, the vendor also appreciated his initiative as this removed his dilemma too. This was made possible only because the whole chain of events was carried out with a calm frame of mind. 

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Save Paper

Every year, millions of trees are cut down to make paper for our use. It seems a shame that so many trees give their lives to serve as paper for humans. That’s why it is so important to save paper whenever possible. Saving paper in school is a good way to help save the environment. Schools are an excellent place to take steps to help save our natural resources, as it often will bring in the passion of students, the support of teachers, staff and community.

Some simple steps can help save a lot of paper. Use computers whenever possible. You can e-mail your paper messages, notes and articles rather than print it out. Take notes on a laptop rather than in a notebook.

Buy and use recycled paper whenever possible. Recycled paper as opposed to virgin paper saves a lot of energy. If you have paper you don’t need any more, take it to a recycling centre. Sell your old news papers to a scrap dealer who can re-use them.

Use both sides of notebook paper. Avoid leaving white space as much as you can. Don’t waste paper in making planes, throwing paper balls on your classmates or passing notes. Re-use used computer paper by taking notes on the blank side. Write small, but legible so that paper will last longer. Educate students on ways to conserve and re-use paper and posters. Form student environment clubs to help make the school community more ecology savvy. Reduce paper waste in the cafeteria lobby and use hand dryers instead of paper towels.

Help the teachers sort paper to re-use. Don’t write on random pieces of paper to remember things. Use a ‘sticky note’ programme on your laptop. Don’t use the stapled notebooks as after more than half of it is used, you can’t rip any empty sheet, without ripping out a written one too. Consider using a spiral notebook instead.

Avoid printed envelope labels and print directly on to the envelope. Send documents via an e-mail or e-fax.

The pulp and paper industry is the third largest consumer of energy so don’t print information you don’t need. Think green and save the environment while saving yourself some money by using less paper.

Dr (Mrs) Archana Bharat

Prerequisites for Reformation

It is deep and enduring dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs that motivates persons for reformation. There are certain indispensable characteristics or requirements before one can engage in any meaningful and substantive reformation of religion, politics, or any institution for that matter. While what I write here applies to the transformation of all institutions, I am going to limit specifically to the reformation of the Catholic Church. Many in the Catholic Church currently believe that the Church is badly in need of reforms to carry out the message of Christ and  build the Kingdom of God. The late Cardinal Carlo Martini (himself a papabilis – widely believed to be deserving of being elected pope), for instance, stated in a widely publicized interview two weeks before his death last year that the Catholic Church is at least “two hundred years behind time, … and is in need of radical transformation”. Martini had made news in 1999 in a synod of European bishops when he suggested a world council to “unravel doctrinal and disciplinary knots” in the Church. Interestingly Pope Francis last week at a meeting to receive the presentation of the Martini Foundation, created to study and spread the life, works, and writings of Martini, called Martini “a prophetic figure, a man of peace and discernment, and a father for the whole Church”. He made special mention of Martini’s biblical contribution, life of faith and spirituality. Ecclesia est semper reformanda (The Church needs to be always reformed) is an old well-known Latin saying. For this task the members of the Church are in need of constant metanoia ( a repentant and graced change or spiritual conversion).

Now that the case for the much-needed reformation of the Catholic Church is made, I want to look briefly at the requirements of the reformers.  I am writing this article in the context of negative and destructive e-mail communications and articles in which persons actively engaged in reform are involved. I was also pained because some of the persons involved are either my friends or acquaintances. Some of the articles in the print media or internet are sensational, and do more harm than good in the cause of reformation as exaggerations and condemnation of an entire group are counterproductive.

Some of the guidelines that a reformer needs to have are:

• Purity of intention. The handy example that comes to my mind is the one that Gandhi used during the non-cooperation related to Quit India movement in 1942. The strike was ucceeding to some extent, but he stopped it as it involved violence, and  lacked the purity of intention that he was looking for.

• Trust.  When some real or apparent dishonesty is suspected, one should respectfully raise the issue and ask for explanation. One needs to accept the simple and clear explanation without imputing motives to the other person’s behavior. More often than not some misunderstanding or breakdown in communication has taken place. Time will heal. If one intentionally continues to be deceptive, it is going to come out at some point or other. It always helps to give the benefit of the doubt to the other person before judging.  Unintended mistakes do take place in spite of ourselves, and often because of our imperfect nature. In spite of all our precautions betrayal of trust will happen. That is the human predicament. We learn from it, grow and move on in life.  While I suffered grave betrayals of trust in my life, from my experience I find it more beneficial to trust than mistrust. In earlier years everyone is believed to be right unless proved otherwise. In a world of fast developing paranoid culture everyone is beginning to be believed to be a crook unless proved otherwise. Speaking of trust, it is interesting to note that Marthanda Varma appointed Dutch commander (Eustachius De Lannoy), whom he defeated in the battle of Kolachel, as the commander of his own army. What a trust!

• Detachment. Doing the best that one can, and leaving the rest to the Lord is immensely helpful. I need to be doing the right thing irrespective of what others do. There is no vested interest or hidden agenda. Whether the Catholic Church is reformed or not, all that matters is that I reform myself the way the Lord wants me. Detachment will also help me leave this word more easily when that time comes.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti

Negotiations at Ganges

He said, we will die early and will find a place in hell, if we don’t pay him the required charges for his pooja ceremony. He was demanding a sum of Rs. Five thousand and one for the “asthi visarjan pooja”. This made me angry. I requested the pundit to stop any further pooja. I clearly said, that the way he is speaking, definitely made us fear that he might push us into the river Ganges. My readers! Let me clarify that we were at the ‘sangam’ of the river Ganges and Yamuna. We had gone there to perform the last rites of our close friend. My friend’s brother was there to perform the last rites. He had come from abroad to perform his duties. The rituals we were to perform were to submit the last remains of the departed soul into the holy river Ganges. 

When the situation came to a deadlock, the boatman came for the negotiations. He wanted to settle the matter and offered to finalise the things in half the amount initially demanded by the pundit. Since I had accompanied my friend’s brother for these last rituals, it was my duty to get the things done smoothly. I was adamant on paying rupees five hundred, the amount that I had already told the boatman, before he started to sail us mid-way into the Ganges. Anyhow with the final intervention of my departed friend’s brother, the matter settled at Rs. one thousand and one hundred. The pooja started. It was a very brief pooja. The priest did not even know how to recite the mantras properly. There was no point arguing further. Now, we ourselves wanted this pooja to be over as soon as possible. After the pooja, the boatman took us to the ‘sangam stream’ where the river Ganges meets the river Yamuna. We submitted the bag containing the last remains of the departed soul. 

We returned back with a heavy hearts. The heaviness this time was probably more due to the arguments we had with the pundit. This problem of negotiations at such moments should definitely find some solution. The so called keepers of the religion in our society need to come forward and issue clear instructions, so that such episodes do not happen again and again. If this keeps happening, the traditions will lose their meaning. These things are sensitive. I request my readers to consolidate their thoughts a bit and react only after a delay. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Krishna on Bondage 6

Krishna’s vision of action without attachment to results is clear. He tells us to be totally in the present, in the moment. He tells us not to divide ourselves between present and future. Not even a fraction of our attention should be passed on to the future. Then only we can act wholly and joyously, and then only will our action be total. Desire for results is a distraction from action, so we must try and give up our attachment to results and be totally in action. Leave future to future, to existence. Otherwise our habit of being fragmentary will pursue us through out. And this wholeness, not our desire, will bear fruit. So we can trustfully leave the matter of fruit in the hands of God or existence or whatsoever we like to call it. I would like to explain it in a different way. Unless we make action our joy, unless we love what we do, unless we do something for the love of it, we cannot be free of our attachment to the future, to result. And unless our action flows from our being, our blissfulness, like a stream flows from its source, we cannot be totally into it. We will always tend be pulled by the future.    

Do you think a stream is flowing towards some future? Do you think a river is running to the sea? You are mistaken if you think so. It is another matter that the river reaches the ocean- but is certainly not flowing for the sake of the ocean. A river flows for the love of flowing, and this energy, this force, this strength of a river comes from its source, its original source. Of course the river reaches the sea, but it is just a by product, it is inconsequential. 

Life is a play of energy- like a river it moves with its own energy. Krishna says man should live so that his action stems from his own energy, from its innermost source. The river Ganga dances not only when she reaches the shore of the ocean, she dances on every bank. She dances through hills and valleys, through green forests and dry deserts, through cities and villages, through happiness and misery, through human beings and animals. She dances and rejoices where ever she happens to be. And if she reaches the ocean it is just a consequence which she neither desired nor expected. It is the culmination of her life’s journey. It is existence’s echo, its answer to her. 

In my view there is only one difference between a house holder and a sannyasin: a house holder lives for tomorrow, he is future oriented. A sannyasin lives and flowers now and here. He derives his strength from his today. For his today, now is enough unto itself. And when a sannyasin’s tomorrow comes, it will come in the form of his today, and he will live it the way he lives his today. In the next week I wish to share a significant episode in the life of Mohammed. Mohammed is a rare kind of sannyasin. 

Wishing you good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

How Much Do We Need

Many years back, I was staying in a forest rest house at Kanpur. In this forest, there was a long track where some people used to come for their morning walk. The track was narrow, zigzag and ran into a few kilometres. For me, it is a great joy to be in the lap of Nature and enjoy its ambience while walking. During my stay, a friend of mine joined me for the morning walk and we both walked on that narrow path. As it was difficult to walk together, I would walk behind him and occasionally wonder at the bounty of Nature. Suddenly, my attention went to the narrowness of the path. It was hardly one foot wide but one was able to walk on it comfortably without any insecurity of falling off. Then I thought that while there was no problem in walking on a one foot wide path, the same would become difficult if one had to walk on a one foot wide wall. 

This difficulty would further increase with the increase in the height of the wall and it would, perhaps, become impossible for a common man to walk over even a two feet wide wall, if its height is raised to ten feet or more. The fact is, that one needs the same width even to walk on a wall but the sense of insecurity increases because of the height which makes it difficult to walk. However, a trained and disciplined person can walk even on a rope tied at a great height. This observation gave me a very valuable lesson for life. As long as we are not very important and remain on the ground, our needs are few and we enjoy life within our limited means. As we grow materially, and reach the so-called height, it becomes difficult to live within the same means while our basic needs remain the same. Not only this, our joys turn into fears, as and when we start possessing more. Our energies are then deployed in acquiring more and the process goes on. In this way, while one’s income level increases, his or her happiness decreases. 

The answer lies in appreciating the fact that when we rise in life, we need more discipline and restraint for remaining happy. No one can deny that our basic needs of food, shelter and clothing remain the same, but we tend to acquire more only due to our sense of insecurity or ego. A wise person is one who can correctly assess his needs and spend his energy optimally. His acquisitions beyond his needs then serve a larger purpose and cater to the society. This further adds to his happiness and fulfilment in life. Someone has rightly said that the only way for a rich man to be happy is to live like a poor man. 

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Be A Good Daughter

A daughter is God’s sweetest gift and there is something special about the parent-child relationship. Your parents have been there for you, looking after all your needs so you should also make an effort to be a good daughter. Help your parents in doing things around the house like cooking washing and cleaning up. Always keep your room tidy. Listen to what they say as they have your best interest at heart. Be compassionate and understanding so that they may depend on you in a crisis. Look after them when they are tired or ill.

Visit them as often as you can and show them you care. Take out time to sit and talk to your parents and also take your children to meet them so that they may build a good relationship.

Offer to have family gatherings at your house. Parents often have all the traditional holiday celebrations at their home. Take the load off their shoulders and host the gatherings so that your parents can enjoy the festivities without having to do all the work.

Be the family negotiator and help stop the fights and disagreements, clear up all the misunderstandings. Families are made up of different people with different opinions but you can help keep everyone communicating, even though sometimes peer pressure is hard to bear. Whenever you do something wrong, apologize.

Wear simple clothes and light make-up as most parents do not want their daughters to attract too much attention. Do your best and work hard at school, in sports or other endeavours, to give them opportunities to be proud parents.

Talk to your parents if something is bothering you and stay calm. Enjoy the simple things with your parents like watching T.V., movies, eating dinner together and playing board games. Show affection and gratitude. Try not to be sarcastic even if they are being unreasonable. Show your love by hugging them and sometimes by just sending them a card. Love them for who they are and don’t judge them by their mistakes. Respect your parents and if something is upsetting you, do not take your anger out on them. Always be thankful to them and do good things to make them feel proud of you. 

Dr(Mrs) Archana Bharat

Theology Of Spirituality

The other day I was going down the ashram road when two devout women were coming up the road after attending Qurbana (Holy Mass) in the nearby church. I commented saying that they were holier now than before since they are coming after Qurbana.  Their response was: “Oh, we are sinners”. I asked them if they did anything against their conscience. They said: “No”. In that case I told them they are holy. I reminded them that there was a time when early Christians addressed each other reverentially as saints. I asked them if God created sinners or humans in the image of God. I further asked them if Christ revealed God as our father thus making us all children of God. They had no answer. That we are worthless and sinners is the deeply entrenched foundation of our medieval, negative theology of spirituality that is all-pervasive, and that has a strangle-hold on the image of Christians as followers of Christ. It is not a positive view of humans who in their freedom can do good as well as evil. Hinduism is not any different in that humans by their very birth come into this world by the accumulated burden of inter-birth sins and therefore in need of liberation from the bondage of sin. It looks like God took pleasure in creating humans in the bondage of sin, and sent them into this world merely for the sake of salvation or liberation. That we define humans in their essence by their sin does no credit to God. It gives the impression of a God who indulges in sadism. The convoluted theology of original sin to make God look great and humans worthless and sinners forebodes ill.  That is where we need to extricate theology from the dark medievalism, and redefine it positively as every human being is created in grace as children of God. Everyone has the needed grace to do the right thing in freedom and grace. This is what needs to be instilled in every human being. If God has predestined everybody to a determined afterlife, why bother at all? All the gymnastics about balancing freedom, grace, and predestination is sheer theological jargon. It is of no more interest than the old theological riddle related to the number of angels dancing on the point of a needle! Psychologically the negative self-image of Christians as sinners has done untold harm to humanity. Humans sin when they do not sin.

The recent canonizations of two popes are also relevant in the context of spirituality and sanctity. I strongly think that canonizations are exercises in sheer futility. From reports I understand that about one million Christians at St. Peters Square in Rome where two popes declared two popes saints had a unique experience. I can only think of these canonizations as glorious distractions from concentrating on real and substantive reformation in the Catholic Church where all are called to be saints by incessantly doing God’s will. Yet by canonizing Pope John 23rd, a vision of the Church of the future that started the Second Vatican Council was canonized. By canonizing Pope John Paul II, the official church canonized a conservative, reactionary, and authoritarian past that stopped in many ways the reforms of the Second Vatican Council dead in its tracks. 

All are called to holiness, sanctity, and sainthood. It is not the preserve of a chosen few who then can mediate for others. No miracles need to be validated by science or testimonies for one to be declared a saint. Faith and science do not mix. Faith relates to the sphere of realities beyond this world. There is a sensus fidelium (sense of the faithful) related to holiness. Currently a growing consensus is emerging that the church needs to change and reform to make the standard of Christ real. It looks like in many things the governing authority (the magisterium) of the church, perhaps unwittingly, led by power and control, plays the same role that the Great Sanhedrin (The Jewish Council) played in the trial of Christ. All the medieval structures around Church governance need to be dismantled with a view to thorough reformation guided by democracy, transparency, compassion, and humble authority of service. For that, of course, primacy and infallibility need to vanish; central control concentrated in Vatican needs to give way to central guidance and consultation. The class system of laity and clergy also needs to go. A selected body of clergy and laity can coordinate the service of governance in the Church. Selected spiritual leaders can provide guidance. No doctrine can replace conscience and love for the believers. Theology of spirituality, then, while keeping the good and humane practices of the past (tradition) will foster brotherly and sisterly love among all humans with a view to creatively projecting to the outside world the Kingdom of God lived within. It is love lived and shared with the entire creation in evolving balance and harmony. Spirituality (spirit-led life) is  in tune with the entire creation, and blooms  into sanctity spreading its odor everywhere. This true sanctity does not require any canonization or extra-ordinary feat or miracles for validation. 

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

Foodless Children

Recently I was watching a TV-serial based on recent real life incidents. In that episode a child servant was shown eating leftover food of their masters. This immediately reminded me of a very emotional moment of my childhood. While on a NCC camp tour during my school days, our train stopped at a station named ‘Akola’ in Rajasthan. It was the afternoon time around 3.00 PM. We all cadets had just finished our lunch, served by the Railway pantry. Those days, the lunch used to be served in rectangular steel plates with pre-divided sections. The serving waiter took all the plates out of our coach and piled them in a heap on the platform. To my utter surprise, I could see lots of young children flocking towards those plates. Within seconds they started eating all the leftover chapatti’s and vegetables from the plates. Leftover Dal was something they were really searching for in each plate, as if it was something they had tasted after a long time. I still remember that at that time tears trickled out of my eyes. Even when I am writing this paragraph on my laptop, the situation is no different. Incidentally, I am writing all this while on a train journey, when the dinner is being served. Today each pack of dinner costs Rupees seventy. At that time it was about Rupees five. But how come, even today some children of this country are devoid of food as their first right. How come even today TV serials have to show children going through the same trauma. 

Are we a society that adopts the Darwin’s principle, “Survival of the fittest”, too much like the animals do? We do not have a right to be called a society when we cannot balance the rights over basic needs. The way we are moving towards an unthoughtful herd of people rather than a well knit society, the day is not far, when only resourceful people will breathe the air first and others will have to thrive on air left out after their exhalation. 

I am a little sorry, if I could not remain positive while writing this episode. I don’t blame this on the situation. I do not have words really to blame anyone. I as an individual do not have a readymade solution. Although as a society we do need to find a permanent solution. We are truly standing very near to one of the great transition periods of history. A great change is overdue. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Law of Priorities

Prioritizing requires to continually think ahead, to know what’s important, to know what’s next, to see how everything relates to the over all vision. When we are busy, we naturally believe that we are achieving. But busyness does not equal to productivity. Activity is not necessarily accomplishment. What is Required?  What must I do that nobody can or should do for me? What gives the Greatest Return? Work in your areas of greatest strength. Is there something you’re doing that can be done quite well by someone else? If so, delegate it. What brings the Greatest Reward? Life is too short not to do something you love. What energizes you and keeps you passionate?

What creates the effectiveness necessary for converting talent into results? It comes from the choices you make. Orator, attorney, and political leader William Jeannings Bryan said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” People who have passion but lacks priorities are like individuals who find themselves in a lonely cabin deep in the woods on a cold snowy night and then light a bunch of small candles and place them all around the room. On the other hand, people who possess priorities but no passion are like those who stack wood in the fire place of that same cold cabin but never light the fire. But people who have passion with priorities are like those who stack the wood, light fire, and enjoy the light and heat that it produces.

At a certain check post, an Octroi officer observed daily, a cyclist passing the check-post carrying grass for cattle. There was no tax levied on grass and the Octroi officer allowed the bundle of grass to pass. This continued every day for years. Only after retirement did the Octroi officer find a cycle shop near his place of work. To his surprise, he came to know that the cyclist, who used to carry grass, was the owner. Further enquiries revealed that the cyclist all along smuggled one cycle a day across the check-post under the pretext of carrying grass for his cattle. Today, people look for short cuts- to happiness, fame, wealth, and even to God. 

The Octroi officer to his dismay found that during his tenure, he had only checked the bundle of grass, missing out on the essentials. Priorities are wrongly placed and essentials in life are forgotten or are replaced by trifles.

We chase the shadows and  miss the substance.

Sr(Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Krishna on Bondage 5

Krishna’s vision of action without attachment to results is clear. He tells us to be totally in the present, in the moment. He tells us not to divide ourselves between present and future. Not even a fraction of our attention should be passed on to the future. Then only we can act wholly and joyously, and then only will our action be total. Desire for results is a distraction from action, so we must try and give up our attachment to results and be totally in action. Leave future to future, to existence. Otherwise our habit of being fragmentary will pursue us through out. And this wholeness, not our desire, will bear fruit. So we can trustfully leave the matter of fruit in the hands of God or existence or whatsoever we like to call it. I would like to explain it in a different way. Unless we make action our joy, unless we love what we do, unless we do something for the love of it, we cannot be free of our attachment to the future, to result. And unless our action flows from our being, our blissfulness, like a stream flows from its source, we cannot be totally into it. We will always tend be pulled by the future.    

Do you think a stream is flowing towards some future? Do you think a river is running to the sea? You are mistaken if you think so. It is another matter that the river reaches the ocean- but is certainly not flowing for the sake of the ocean. A river flows for the love of flowing, and this energy, this force, this strength of a river comes from its source, its original source. Of course the river reaches the sea, but it is just a by product, it is inconsequential. 

Life is a play of energy- like a river it moves with its own energy. Krishna says man should live so that his action stems from his own energy, from its innermost source. The river Ganga dances not only when she reaches the shore of the ocean, she dances on every bank. She dances through hills and valleys, through green forests and dry deserts, through cities and villages, through happiness and misery, through human beings and animals. She dances and rejoices where ever she happens to be. And if she reaches the ocean it is just a consequence which she neither desired nor expected. It is the culmination of her life’s journey. It is existence’s echo, its answer to her. 

In my view there is only one difference between a house holder and a sannyasin: a house holder lives for tomorrow, he is future oriented. A sannyasin lives and flowers now and here. He derives his strength from his today. For his today, now is enough unto itself. And when a sannyasin’s tomorrow comes, it will come in the form of his today, and he will live it the way he lives his today. In the next week I wish to share a significant episode in the life of Mohammed. Mohammed is a rare kind of sannyasin. 

Wishing you good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

People Honour the Honour

It is perhaps a law of Nature that we all salute to the rising sun and not the setting sun. Similarly, when we get sudden success, fame, recognition or riches, people rush to us irrespective of the fact whether it is well-deserved or not. Many times, even those people hang around us, who have no liking for us. At times, this may annoy us but there is no point in getting annoyed and the whole process should be accepted with equanimity, more so when such an achievement is well-deserved. While it is easy to say so, it may be difficult to follow in actual life. An incident of Rabindra Nath Tagore’s life may be of help in appreciating this point and consequently, in following. 

When Tagore was conferred the Nobel Prize in literature for his work ‘Gitanjali’ in the year 1913, it came as a big surprise to the literary circle of Kolkata. Obviously, it was so for Tagore also, as often is the case with such recognition. But the case of Tagore was somewhat different. He was never given 

the due recognition at home and his contemporaries in the literary circle never thought very highly of him. One reason for this could be their silent jealousy of Tagore on various counts. He also knew this but remained aloof as long as it didn’t affect him. The news of the Nobel Prize to Tagore intensified this jealousy even more. Tagore had shifted to Shantiniketan by that time, near Bolpur. A big group of the literary circle of Kolkata, therefore, decided to proceed to Shantiniketan to honour Tagore and the same was communicated to him. Tagore knew that most of the people who were coming to honour him had no great regard for him and were coming only because he had been conferred the Nobel Prize. So he was not very happy about it and shared his feelings with some close friends of his at Shantiniketan. His words were that the delegation was coming not to honour him but to honour his honour. The friends also knew the fact and understood Tagore’s dilemma. However, one of his friends advised him to remain as gracious as he had always been and receive the delegation. Tagore conceded to this advice and the event was conducted gracefully. Perhaps, Tagore would have done so on his own accord also. 

The message of this small narrative is that one should take ‘success’ and ‘failure’ with equanimity. If one does not feel much elated in the former, the latter also will not have an adverse effect. Tagore experienced several tragedies in life but he remained equally calm in those periods. That is why, in due course, he not only won the true respect of his colleagues but of the whole world. But this does not happen in one day and one has to strive for it all through the life.

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Be A Good Son

There is a deep bond of love between a son and his parents. Parents devote their whole life in bringing up their children in the best possible way. They sacrifice a lot in order to make life easy for you. Although parents do not expect anything in return but you as a son can show them that you care.

Never use bad language or talk back to your mother and father because you may hurt them by doing so. Do your best in school and make them feel proud of you. Try to be honest with your parents and don’t lie to them. Help them feel that you are trustworthy. Remember that you can rely on your parents, so tell them anything that bothers you so that they can help. You can share something interesting or some jokes when you are with them.

Love, help and be good to your brothers and sisters rather than hit them, even though they may be bothering you. Help with the housework as much as you can. Your parents will be grateful if you help them with house repairs or car maintenance or shopping. Be independent and mature and try not to have them worry about you all the time.

Don’t be shy to show your love to your parents. Do it by saying some sweet words, giving gifts, hugging them when they come back from office. Remember to wish them on their birthdays and anniversaries. If you stay away from them, call them regularly and visit whenever you can. Take them to the doctor when they are sick. 

Most parents dream of their child going out into the world with an education that can help him start a career. Show your parents that you can support yourself. Let them see that the time and effort they spent raising you helped create a good person who can live independently.

Stay away from liquor, drugs, bad company and rash driving and thank them for all they have done for you. Tell them how you feel and how much they mean to you. Always respect them and know their likes and dislikes to build a strong bond. 

Dr(Mrs) Archana Bharat

Theology Of Spirituality

The other day I was going down the ashram road when two devout women were coming up the road after attending Qurbana (Holy Mass) in the nearby church. I commented saying that they were holier now than before since they are coming after Qurbana.  Their response was: “Oh, we are sinners”. I asked them if they did anything against their conscience. They said: “No”. In that case I told them they are holy. I reminded them that there was a time when early Christians addressed each other reverentially as saints. I asked them if God created sinners or humans in the image of God. I further asked them if Christ revealed God as our father thus making us all children of God. They had no answer. That we are worthless and sinners is the deeply entrenched foundation of our medieval, negative theology of spirituality that is all-pervasive, and that has a strangle-hold on the image of Christians as followers of Christ. It is not a positive view of humans who in their freedom can do good as well as evil. 

Hinduism is not any different in that humans by their very birth come into this world by the accumulated burden of inter-birth sins and therefore in need of liberation from the bondage of sin. It looks like God took pleasure in creating humans in the bondage of sin, and sent them into this world merely for the sake of salvation or liberation. That we define humans in their essence by their sin does no credit to God. It gives the impression of a God who indulges in sadism. The convoluted theology of original sin to make God look great and humans worthless and sinners forebodes ill.  That is where we need to extricate theology from the dark medievalism, and redefine it positively as every human being is created in grace as children of God. Everyone has the needed grace to do the right thing in freedom and grace. This is what needs to be instilled in every human being. If God has predestined everybody to a determined afterlife, why bother at all? All the gymnastics about balancing freedom, grace, and predestination is sheer theological jargon. It is of no more interest than the old theological riddle related to the number of angels dancing on the point of a needle! Psychologically the negative self-image of Christians as sinners has done untold harm to humanity. Humans sin when they do not sin.

The recent canonizations of two popes are also relevant in the context of spirituality and sanctity. I strongly think that canonizations are exercises in sheer futility. From reports I understand that about one million Christians at St. Peters Square in Rome where two popes declared two popes saints had a unique experience. I can only think of these canonizations as glorious distractions from concentrating on real and substantive reformation in the Catholic Church where all are called to be saints by incessantly doing God’s will. Yet by canonizing Pope John 23rd, a vision of the Church of the future that started the Second Vatican Council was canonized. By canonizing Pope John Paul II, the official church canonized a conservative, reactionary, and authoritarian past that stopped in many ways the reforms of the Second Vatican Council dead in its tracks. 

All are called to holiness, sanctity, and sainthood. It is not the preserve of a chosen few who then can mediate for others. No miracles need to be validated by science or testimonies for one to be declared a saint. Faith and science do not mix. Faith relates to the sphere of realities beyond this world. There is a sensus fidelium (sense of the faithful) related to holiness. Currently a growing consensus is emerging that the church needs to change and reform to make the standard of Christ real. It looks like in many things the governing authority (the magisterium) of the church, perhaps unwittingly, led by power and control, plays the same role that the Great Sanhedrin (The Jewish Council) played in the trial of Christ. All the medieval structures around Church governance need to be dismantled with a view to thorough reformation guided by democracy, transparency, compassion, and humble authority of service. For that, of course, primacy and infallibility need to vanish; central control concentrated in Vatican needs to give way to central guidance and consultation. The class system of laity and clergy also needs to go. A selected body of clergy and laity can coordinate the service of governance in the Church. Selected spiritual leaders can provide guidance. No doctrine can replace conscience and love for the believers. Theology of spirituality, then, while keeping the good and humane practices of the past (tradition) will foster brotherly and sisterly love among all humans with a view to creatively projecting to the outside world the Kingdom of God lived within. It is love lived and shared with the entire creation in evolving balance and harmony. Spirituality (spirit-led life) is in tune with the entire creation, and blooms into sanctity spreading its odor everywhere. This true sanctity does not require any canonization or extra-ordinary feat or miracles for validation. 

Swami(Dr) Snehananda Jyoti

Raju Vs Raju

I picked up the phone, dialed a number and asked, “Hey! Are you Raju.” “Yes! I am Raju speaking”, came a thick voiced reply. “Are you really Raju?”, I tried to confirm back. “Yes, for sure I am Raju”, again comes the same thick voice. “But your voice seems to be different this time”, I tried to confirm in a different way now. “Yes! I am Raju, what do you want from me Sir!.” I was still trying to place and connect mentally. “I am looking for Raju, The Electrician”, this was the first time I tried to relate my objective with the name of the person whom I wanted to locate. I further made a reference to the ceiling fan I had given for repairs. “Oh! Now I understand, you are looking for the other Raju. I am also Raju, but I repair only refrigerators”. Meanwhile my wife, who was listening to this conversation, came to me and gave me the phone number of another Raju whom I was actually looking for. I called up this Raju and got my work done. 

After this quite usual looking episode, I tried to search my mobile address book for names like Raju. I was surprised to see many Rajus. My wife told me that most repair and maintenance service professionals are named as Raju, Guddu or some similar short names. These people have kept short nick names which are very common. Then I connected the same reasoning to the names of voices that we hear when we connect to call centers. These are short names are like Pooja, Priya, Sapna, Rashi etc. Like always, my mind turned philosophical regarding this Raju Vs. Raju episode. I think people are becoming IDs or codes rather than real persons. Very soon we would be short of real names and will keep alphanumeric names like Raju-1, Raju23.com etc. We might land up in a situation in which we call a person with his ID like UP-23421 etc. It may sound funny, but it does have a thoughtful aspect. Are we working anymore to make our language richer? When we cannot retain even our names, how can we talk of all other words in our language? Alarm is ringing. Hear it and wake-up, or tap it down for another long duration of sweet sleep. Choice is ours. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Awareness

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. (Thornton Wilder)

Learn the art of being aware, our success depends upon our power to perceive, to observe, and to know. Keen observation is a chief factor in the success of all great businessmen, executives, artists and military leaders. Men and women go about the world unaware of the beauty, the goodness, and the glories in it. A greater poverty than that caused by lack of money is the poverty of unawareness.

Helen Keller said, hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object you want to touch as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the most of every sense; glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you through the several means of contact which nature provides. But of all the senses, sight must be the most delightful. As you open your awareness, life will improve of itself, you won’t even have to try. 

Seven men went through a field, one after another. One was a  farmer, he saw only the grass; the next was an astronomer, he saw the horizon and the stars; the physician noticed  the standing water and suspected malaria; he was followed by a soldier, who glanced over the ground, found it easy to  hold, and saw in a moment how the troops could be disposed; then came the geologist, who noticed the boulders and the sandy soil; after him came the real-estate broker, who pondered how the  line of the house lots should run, where would be the drive-way, and the  stables. The poet admired the shadows cast by some trees, and still more the music of some thrushes and meadow lark.

Sr(Dr)Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Krishna on Bondage 4

Krishna says a wise man gives up attachment to the fruits of action and attains to freedom from bondage of birth and death. The whole thing needs to be understood in depth. Firstly, Krishna does not talk about our release from action itself. He emphasizes release from attachment to the fruits of action. He does not ask us to give up action and become inactive. Krishna urges us not to do something with a motive, with an eye on results of the action. There is a meaningful difference between action and the fruit of action. I would like to go deeply into the important matter of action without attachment to its fruits, because it is really arduous. If someone tells us to do something, but not to expect any result from it, we will say,” It is sheer madness to suggest such a thing. If there is no motive to work, why should one work at all?”

This phrase, “Freedom from attachment to the fruits of action” has put many interpreters of Krishna in difficulty. So many found a clever way to circumvent the real meaning of Krishna’s teaching and bring in “Fruit of action” by the back door. They said one who relinquishes attachment to the result of one’s labour attains moksha, liberation. So the fruit of action is in the form of liberation. It is the same if we say that one attains to liberation if he gives up his attachment to fruit of action. Krishna is not providing an incentive to desire less action. An action with an incentive can never be desire less, because what is incentive but a desire for result? Krishna’s “release from bondage” is a consequence which follows desire less action as its shadow. 

Krishna does not say that those who want to be free from the bondage of birth should give up attachment to the fruit of their action. If he says so, he is providing a motive, he is contradicting himself. No, he only says that freedom or liberation is a consequence of desire less action, not its motive. One who desires liberation or freedom can find it very difficult to come to it, because desiring is the barrier. So the question is: How to work without attachment to result?  

Let us contemplate over this and later we shall analyze about two kinds of action in our life!

Wishing you good health & happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people