My Job is Very Important

Steel is an essential input in the economic development of any country, its consumption being an important parameter of progress. After Independence, top priority was given to the steel industry, which Jawaharlal Nehru took a special interest in. As a result, many integrated steel plants were set up with the help of several developed countries. Despite a good beginning, the steel industry in India did not develop as fast as it should have. While India and China began at the same level, today China is far ahead of us as are many other countries. There are several reasons for such a situation but one important reason is our general lack of pride in our work.

It was also felt that the government’s monopoly of all developmental activities has also been a cause, bringing about a major policy change which encouraged more private investment in developmental activities. The result of this change is yet to be seen fully but the initial response is heartening. This change in policy has also encouraged the public sector to perform better. Steel production in India is still dominated by the public sector, though the position is changing gradually. New investment in steel is now mostly in the private sector. 

The public sector production has to improve mainly by way of more efficient working and modernisation, but fortunately, the response of the public sector in steel has been very encouraging in the new situation, giving rise to healthy competition between various plants. Some years ago, the Prime Minister had introduced an award for the best integrated steel plant in the country and the first award for the year 1992-93 went to a public sector unit, the Bhilai Steel Plant. I got an opportunity to visit this plant in July 1995. I noticed that the achievement of winning the PM’s trophy was a matter of pride for everyone working in the plant. During a discussion with the management, I was told that the credit went to their workers and officers as they were a motivated lot and always worked to perform better. The results of the year 1993- 94 and 1994-95 supported this statement.

I also learnt that the plant has been performing well on account of several factors, the most prominent being the strong work culture. There was a sense of pride in the job and that made all the difference. This reminded me of my meeting with a service manager of British Gas in the year 1990. At that time I was in the UK to attend a course on ‘Public Enterprises Management’. During this course, we were taken to the British Gas Company office for a visit. It was a service branch and its main function was to take care of the complaints of the customers, a job which was being done quite efficiently, galvanised as it was by an elaborate incentive system introduced to reward efficiency. The most impressive part was the pride glowing on the faces of everyone. I still remember the beaming face of the service manager while explaining the importance of his job which was linked with consumer satisfaction. The spirit with which he worked was praiseworthy and the result was that everyone in the office was a satisfied person, and encouraged to do even better.

The message is that our attitude towards our job or work should change. For most of us, our job remains the same, whether we join it by choice or by the force of circumstances. For most of us a change is either not possible or is not in our hands. Since we spend a good amount of time on our job, we ought to develop a positive attitude towards it. Otherwise, it adversely affects our life and the result is unhappiness. A sense of pride should be developed towards it. The society needs the services of all and we play a complementary role to each other. Everyone is important at his place as even the highest cannot exist without the low. While the aim should be to strive towards high positions, no purpose is served if we keep grieving about being in a lowly position. In that case we downgrade ourselves and others also treat us as such. Instead we can turn even the so-called lower jobs into important ones by changing our attitude towards it. Srimad Bhagavad Gita, in its chapter on Karma Yoga says: “Better one’s ‘duty’, though devoid of merit, then the ‘duty’ of another well-discharged. Better is death in one’s own duty; the ‘duty’ of another is fraught with fear” (3/35).

If all of us accept the importance of our duty and perform it well, the world will change so much for the better that there will be no cause for any grievance.

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*A House is built by hands ......... but a Home is built by hearts !

*You can live without something .... .... if you have someone to live for !

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Do Not Pollute Our Environment

Pollution prevention is an exceptionally major global concern because of pollution’s harmful effects on the person’s health and on the environment. Environment pollution comes in various forms such as noise pollution, air pollution and water pollution. Everyone is a stake-holder as we all are inhabitants of this mother earth. Each person has something to contribute to promote effective pollution prevention awareness initiatives. Environmental protection ensures a sustainable future for generations to come. We should therefore cooperate and actively participate in making the atmosphere pollution free. Individually we can help combat pollution in our own immediate environment. Most countries have already addressed the issue by passing some form of pollution prevention acts and measures.

Averting the onset of pollution in any area, be it on air, water or land could be the start and the simplest preventive solution to the problem. This calls for a conscientious effort to adopt good practices or habits by the people, the passage and proper implementation of appropriate government laws and the strict compliance especially by potential industrial pollutants. If there are no pollutants, there will be no pollution but somehow industrial development comes with the burden of pollution. The cost to business and its commercial ramifications make the simple preventive approach quite complicated and difficult to implement. However, this seemingly difficult situation does not deter environment protection advocates to pressure their dream of a clean and green environment. We can help them by following certain simple measures. To reduce sound pollution, keep the volume of your TV or music system low, honk the car horn sparingly, discourage use of loudspeakers and avoid the use of band and crackers in wedding processions.

To prevent air pollution, keep smoke emission from homes, factories and vehicles to a minimum. Stop smoking. Use unleaded petrol in your cars, keep your car properly maintained. Never use open fires to dispose of wastes. Industries should use fuel with lower sulphur content. Industries should monitor their air emissions in compliance to the prescribed standards.

You may reduce water pollution by not dumping garbage near communal taps, wells and other water bodies. Immerse holy idols in authorized places. Industries should refrain from disposing their chemical wastes in water bodies. Wash your car on a grassy area. Recycle and reuse materials and do not use plastic bags. Save all forms of energy like electricity, petrol and water. Plant trees and use natural resources sparingly. Everyone can help by adopting good and healthy practices. Every action of a person with regard to his surroundings has an effect on the environment. By becoming aware and doing the right action, we can be part of the solution to this problem.

Dr(Mrs) Archana Bharath

The Sour Curd

This girl, who is in her late teens, comes from a family with limited financial resources. She is good at studies, so she has been permitted by us to come to our place after her college and do some miscellaneous works while she also learns computers. My wife sometimes also takes her help to get some daily needs things from nearby shops. One day my wife asked this girl to bring curd from a specific shop. She quickly went and brought the curd. As we all ate that curd during the dinner, we felt that it was quite sour in taste, so we all dumped it. I asked my wife to enquire the matter from this girl. 

Next day, when the girl came again, the reason for the sour curd was asked from her. She replied that she always buys this sour curd for her home too, as this one is cheaper. My wife quickly realized that the curd quantity brought by him was almost double the expected quantity. At that point we did not say anything to the girl. Later, amongst ourselves, we analyzed the whole episode. We felt that around us there are many things we do not know. We ourselves have limited financial resources, but still we never thought that there could be things like sour curd or old-stock curd, which are sold for a 

different price slab and that too finds regular buyers from a section of people. At least I myself always thought that such old stocks will never find any buyer. 

We go to a shop and ask the shopkeeper to give us the freshest possible stock. The shopkeeper might try to adjust his old stock with the new one, but that care we have to take as a buyer. This episode looks simple, but somehow it touched me from inside. This is because I often think that I fully understand the plight of people with limited financial resources. Now I come to know that I have to learn even the basics again. Anyway friends, I shared my feelings with you, as I thought that you may have faced such situations yourself also.

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

The Lizard Brain

The lizard brain is not merely a concept. It's real, and it has its place on the top of our spine. 'Why did the chicken cross the road?' is 'because its lizard brain told it to.' Wild animals are wild because the only brain they posses is a lizard brain. But, is the lizard brain any way inferior? 

This is a Japanese story; believe it at your risk. I share it in the very shape I got it. “In order to renovate the house, a man in Japan breaks open one of the house walls. Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls. When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there, because of a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet. He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built. Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years, without moving a single step, since its foot was nailed! So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where it came, there appeared another lizard, with food in its mouth. Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply - another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years...” 

The story would have touched your hearts and there could be some who might take it as real, because in animal life such things are probable. I think, these creatures living on lizard brains lead a saintly life and sacrificing for another is a pleasure for them. Studies on plant kingdom have proved that plants enjoy being used. When it comes to humanity, which is blessed with double consciousness (may be fox brain), self sacrifice is a highly painful thing. Are we living or dying? We begin our dying experience right from the moment we start moving. Dying to finish High School and start college; then dying to get a well-feeding career; then dying to get married and have children; then dying for children to make them greater; then dying to retire. It might be then that the lizard brain gets a chance to tell you that you have forgotten to live.

Joseph Mattappally

Remaining Unperturbed-08

No two people can come so close to each other that the thought of “I” and “thou” cannot come in between them. It is impossible. Only two non-persons, non egos, can achieve this unity and oneness. And since God is a non-person, a devotee can be one with him the day he ceases to be a person, an ego. As long as a devotee remains a separate entity, fusion with God is impossible. God is not an entity as a devotee is. God’s being is like non-being; his presence is like an absence. This aspect of God is significant! And this needs to be understood in the correct sense.

We the devotees have always asked why God does not manifest himself. We forget that if he becomes manifest, meeting with him in the sense of fusion, unity, oneness, will be impossible. Such fusion is possible only with the un manifest. Devotees have always said to God, “Where are you hiding? Why don’t you manifest yourself? ” This is an utterly wrong question. If God really becomes manifest, then great wall will rise up between the seeker & the sought, and oneness will be simply impossible. 

Because God is un-manifest, a merger with God is possible. Because he is invisible and infinite like the sky, the devotee can drown himself in his being, which is good as non-being. God is visible nowhere and also is everywhere. If he becomes visible, union will be impossible. 

If there is any obstruction in the way of meeting and merging, it is from the side of devotee, not from God.

Wishing you good health & happiness,

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

Four Dimensions of Personality

In February 1995, when our Spiritual Master graced our home at Calcutta, he spoke on the subject of “Spiritual Dimension of Personality”. In the gathering, there were people from different walks of life. Due to his clarity of thought and skill of expression, the talk was of great help and significance and all of us listened to him with rapt attention. Swamiji built up the talk gradually, making the message more interesting and effective. Here is a summary of his talk, as I interpreted it in my own way. ‘Personality’ is a commonly talked about term and we all want to develop our own personalities. We must, therefore, first understand the term itself. Often we talk of a total or integrated personality, and this shows that personality has more than one component. Only when all the components are adequately developed, does the personality become total or integrated. What are these components and what are the characteristics attached to them? We shall use the word 'dimension' in place of ‘component’ in order to give it a larger scope.

The first dimension of our personality is ‘physical’. It relates to our body, state of health, appearance, etc. Though this dimension is very important, we have little control over it. By and large the shape, size and the colour of our body is determined by our genes. The only thing in our hands is to maintain it well in order to remain healthy. For this, certain discipline is required in our habits. If we cultivate good habits, the body becomes an asset and the development of other dimensions of the personality becomes easier. For example, early rising and early to bed, simple food, regular exercises and cleanliness are habits which keep our bodies healthy. A healthy body generally also means a healthy mind. If the body gives trouble, it becomes difficult to concentrate on other things. Therefore, the development of other dimensions of the personality is also dependent on this dimension which may become less important once the other dimensions develop.

The second dimension of our personality is 'mental'. It relates to the mind which is superior to the body. Thus, this dimension of the personality is superior to the first one. It is the mind which works behind our sense organs. The eye cannot see if the mind refuses to accept the signals and so is the case with other sense organs. Similarly, the mind is capable of making our sense organs indulge in right or wrong activities. Thus, proper development of the ‘Mental Dimension’ is very important for using the powers of the physical body. It is the mind which makes us educated, skilled in our jobs and enthusiastic about our progress.

Those who apply their minds in the right direction, achieve success in their goals. Some of us become doctors, engineers, businessmen or administrators according to our mental makeup. It is mainly the mental dimension which gives us the capacity to take care of our physical needs. But to say that personality development stops here is not correct. We have to add something more to our personality in order to make it integrated and this takes us to the third dimension. Before we come to the third dimension, some elaboration is necessary. We all know that certain doctors are very kind, sympathetic and helpful while others are not so. It may be that someone in the latter category is more competent professionally but in terms of personality, the compassionate doctor is always considered to be better. The same goes for other professions also. We always prefer a person who is good, kind, helpful and courteous even if those who are not so, are mentally or professionally more competent. This establishes the fact that there is a superior dimension of personality over the mental one.

This dimension is known as ‘Intellectual’. As said earlier, the mind, though superior to the sense organs, is capable of playing mischief if not controlled by a superior faculty. This faculty is called the ‘Intellect’. It is the intellect which gives us the wisdom to discriminate between good and bad. Obviously a person with such wisdom has a better personality compared to a person which makes us capable of better judgment and, therefore, useful, also for the society at large. In the process we earn respect and are considered to be good.

To add perfection to our personality, some finer qualities have to be acquired, even by good persons who may also suffer if they do not strive for them. This dimension of the personality is the ‘Spiritual’ one, the highest dimension. It is a fact that the world we live in is transitory. Even our good deeds are forgotten with time. Therefore, there is a need to transcend them too. If we do not do so, the same goodness may become a cause of misery. Also, goodness is only a relative term and its perception varies with persons and time. We do not get the same response from all persons, even for our good behaviour or virtues. Therefore, a sense of detachment has to be developed towards our good qualities too. It has been seen that many good and successful persons suffer just because they lack this aspect of the personality. One has to accept that all our actions are only a means to an end and the end is self-realisation. Those who understand this reality, develop the spiritual dimension at the right time and are fully prepared for all the eventualities of life. This dimension is thus superior to the earlier three dimensions and is necessary for the complete integration of the personality.

The idea, without going into more details, is to convey that for an integrated personality, all dimensions are necessary. They, of course, generally follow the order in which they have been described. I consider those four aspects like the four legs of a table which give it stability. Though a table with three or less number of legs may appear to be stable, any push or pressure will destabilize it. Similarly, a person with any of the dimensions missing may appear to be stable but is vulnerable to any accident in life which may disturb his equilibrium.

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*Humility, love, tolerance, mery, elz; are the true characteristics of personality.

*Personality is to man what perfume is to a flower.

Rakesh Mittal IAS

Give Useful Advice

It can be very hard to give good advice to people who are under stress or are distressed. One of the trickiest aspects of advice giving is that advice can be more of a band-aid than a true solution to someone’s problem. Some situations warrant straightforward advice, while others require a more in-depth analysis of a person’s habits and patterns. First of all determine whether your advice is appropriate. When someone approaches you with a problem they are having, it is important to ascertain what they are really asking from you. Listen carefully and try to empathize with them. We often assume that people are asking for advice when all they really want is someone to hear them out for a few minutes.

When people are very emotional, they often are not ready for any feedback or advice so you may just listen to them patiently and try not give in to your natural problem solving instincts. Often, just helping someone organize the issue in their own mind helps lead them to their own solution.

After you have heard the person out, make sure they are clear on your style of advice. Let them know that you may have to say things they disagree with or that are hard to hear. If they appear to be open to your advice, move on. Diagnose the problem and try to articulate each option for solving it. Let them weigh these options on their own. Ask them what the best solution is. People often know what the best solution is, but it is often the least savoury choice. They may have omitted the most obvious solution most likely as it may be the most painful option.

People sometimes seek advice as a way to validate or invalidate the conclusion they have already come to; the only option they have is the least tasteful.

Once you have laid out the options, work with the person to really visualize what the natural consequences, tangible and emotional of each option are. They will see that there are positives and negatives to each option.

Ultimately, since you will not have to live with the consequences, you cannot make the decision for them. Offer them support in whatever decision they make and let them know that you will be there to discuss later on. We all need to be reminded sometimes that problems come and go and we survive. A truly good friend will be there for you through it all.

Your good advice may serve as a ray of hope in the darkness surrounding your friend and may change his life for the better. Facing life with a positive approach can do wonders.

Dr (Mrs)Archana Bharat