Q n A with Guruji

Dear Ones. Jai Gurudev.These are amazing. Q: Why do we feel that something is lacking inspite of having everything? Sri Sri:Thats lack of knowledge. If you have knowledge and love, you won't feel any lackings in life. Q: Guruji in one of your books you have said that "God is an illusion",how? Sri Sri:I have never said "God is an illusion", I said "Surrender is an illusion", because anything you surrender anyway belongs to HIM only. Where is publication department?( Huge Laughter) Q: How can we give in our 100%? Sri Sri:Meditation is deep relaxation. 100% activity precedes or follows meditation. Q: When you know maya is an illusion, does it cease to exist? Sri Sri:A. Is your question a reality or an illusion. Q: What is truth? What is love? Sri Sri:Truth is that which does not change. To know what is truth, you need to go through all that is not true. So, all that changes is not truth. Life is a quest to find what is truth, don't be in a hurry. Truth can be realized in deep meditation and love is truth. They are two sides of the same coin. In short, truth is that which never changes and love is that which is undescribable. Q: Beloved Guruji, this course is so wonderful. How can I keep this wonderful state at home? Sri Sri: Don't try to hold on to the state of mind. Integrate wisdom in day to day life. Sometimes up & sometimes down. They'll come & they'll go. Q: Don't you get tired of wearing white all the time? Sri Sri: No. Because I am colourful myself! Isn't it? Q:. Dear Guruji, What to tell people at home who are very suspicious of what I am doing here? Sri Sri: When you go back give them gifts, show them all the nice pictures, give them a big smile. The depth of silence, the depth of meditation no one can know unless one has experienced himself. What beautiful wealth we all possess in our Self, that we have not explored. Every human being can go into that depth of meditation. That little experience, little skill to do that is missing. We are so fortunate to go into such stillness within ourselves. Q: How do I free myself of old & boring patterns in life? Sri Sri: The more whiter the cloth is, a small dot stands out. As you move into unconditional love, small imperfections in you become unbearable. The small moods of the mind can't touch the Self. Q: How many people are there in the world right now? (Question not complete...) Sri Sri: Tell me how many hairs you have on your head! There is no count. There may be few teachers. Knowledge is hidden in everyone like rice is hidden in paddy. Every child comes into the world with that innocence. We have to remove these outer veils, curtains that have been put on our mind.. Q: Missed the question. Sri Sri: When a baby tastes sweet, it wants to taste sweet all the time. It wants it again. You don't need to do anything too much. Only as much as is necessary. Q: I want to go deep in Meditation. What can I do? Sri Sri: This is an old question. You have already gone deeper. Q: Today my Seva was garbage cleaning & all I found was Paradise! When are you going to give me a proper job? Sri Sri: I don't have a job myself! Okay. Smile at everybody. Every morning give yourself a smile, come what may. Smile more. Take life easily. All will be provided. It's happening, no? Our prayer, meditation has such an impact, such an effect,that things happen before you desire. You need to strengthen yourself in Knowledge. Three types of peace are needed: First is material peace. If there is fighting around you, you cannot sit and stay peaceful. You need peace in your environment; Second you need peace in the body, in the mind. Third thing is peace in the soul. You may have peace in the atmosphere, you may have health in the body, to an extent peace in the mind, but if the soul is restless, nothing can comfort. So that peace is also essential. Only when all the three types of peace are there, can peace be complete; without one the other is not complete. So that which gives rest from all the three angles - physical, mental and spiritual, is ratri. And Shivratri is transcendental Divine consciousness, which brings solace to all layers of consciousness. Shivratri is where the shiv tatva and the shakti become one. Like mind, like memory, like intellect, Shiva is also a tatva. Shivratri is auspicious because it is more alive in the environment. That's why you don't sleep in the night, people say to be awake". Q: Lately I have begun to enjoy silence a lot. I feel like being silent all the time. Is this right? Sri Sri: It is alright for sometime. You can meditate and keep silence for sometime during the day, but not always! Q: Why do we come behind you like the mice ran behind the pied piper? Sri Sri: That's what I wonder too! [Looking behind Him] Anyway, there is no one behind me, all of you are sitting in front of me! We keep everyone in front of us and we push them forward! I am behind you! Q: There is a saying that even if God grants a boon, the priest denies it. Why is this so? Sri Sri: Mmm...so that you become the priest? What is the priest's role? He is the middleman between you and God. Why do you need a middleman? You deal with God directly. Maybe this is the reason why..... Q: After seeing you, I don't feel like going to temples to worship the idols. Sri Sri: It is okay....initially we need forms to worship and we gradually move towards worshiping the formless. The Divine is present everywhere. Q: What is the meaning of "So Hum" ? Sri Sri: What is the meaning of a seed? It means the whole tree, the roots, the leaves, the fruits, the flowers etc. Similarly the meaning of the mantra is everything in life, the tree of life. Q: I used to suffer from depression. After doing the course, I have become enthusiastic about life. I too have desires now to dress up and live life like others. Are these desires going to be obstacles for spirituality? Sri Sri: If you want to dress up for yourself it is fine. But if you want to do it because others are doing it, then... Why do you have to compare yourself with others? You do whatever you have to do. Q: Parents often complain that the youths who come to ashrams are brainwashed. They lose interest in their careers etc Sri Sri: If you are talking about other ashrams, I don't know! It is better that the youth get into satsangs and meditations rather than negative habits like drugs, drinking etc, isn't it? At least here they are on a positive track. Q: Both cows & buffaloes give us milk. But only the cows are worshipped. Why is this? Sri Sri: That is a good question! Maybe because when you worship, the one being worshipped should realize that they're being worshiped! You know, buffaloes are a little slow in realizing it. Maybe that's why! You know, when we worship, we do it for ourselves not for the one being worshiped. When we worship someone, we want them to know that we are worshiping them. That's why we see that there are no temples for Brahma. He is the creator. His job is completed. So nobody bothers worshiping Him. Vishnu is the maintainer, His work is still going on; that's why we worship Him! And we're scared of Shiva, after all He is the destroyer so we worship Him also! Q: I have been chanting Vishnu Sahasranaama from quite some time. But lately, I feel sleepy while chanting it. What to do? Sri Sri: Don't worry, He also sleeps! Q: What is more important: intelligence or innocence? Sri Sri: Both are important. Why do you want to choose one over the other? Q: What is life? What is death? What, if any, are the similarities between them? Sri Sri: What is life? You are finding out now. What is death? You will find out in the future; you will not miss it! And when you know both, you can compare and find out the differences or similarities between them! Q: I need to believe in a God. But I need some miracles as proof in order to believe. Sri Sri: Just look around! Everything is a miracle! A seed sprouts and grows into a huge tree. Is that not a miracle? When I was visiting Chennai last year, they brought a little boy who was born deaf. I just tapped him on his head and he started making noises. The next day, they brought 20 boys! Now, miracles happen naturally, and spontaneously. It cannot be forced. When everything falls in place, miracles happen on their own. Q: What is the difference between Veda and Vedanta? Sri Sri: Veda is knowledge. Vedanta is the end of knowledge, the ultimate knowledge. (He spoke more on this, but I can't remember all that He said.)

To B'lore with Eunuchs!

Travelling in the Indian trains and not pestered by the "Chakkas" or the Eunuchs is quite impossible to think. Well, that happened actually in the train I took to bangalore. In the partition next to ours were a family of Eunuchs travelling from Mumbai to Bangalore with reserved tickets. When ever any Eunuch would barge in the train to get some alms they would squeal with joy when they would see "Apne biradari ke log" (poeple of our kind). They would sit with their mates and spend time chit-chatting. These gate crashers would then ask a tea vendor to pour out a couple of cups for their travelling friends! The travelling eunuchs would have it free of charge.

Moreover people travelling with them got a chance to interact with them and listen to their stories. Their lives are nothing less than a challenge, momen to moment. But there are few advantages they have that ordinary people do not have! When I overheard their conversation, then I just felt that they too are human. What if our guru's knowledge touches them. Will that be able to bring change in their lives. Or is it only for the "normal" people like us? Nahh.. They too are taken care of!!

Confidence, Commitment and Responsibility - Sri Sri

A Talk by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

I once happened to meet a fragile-looking woman from a cottage industry. She had stitched a handkerchief, and she had 17 points on why her handkerchief was the best in the whole world. It was just a handkerchief after all, but the way she presented it made all the difference! She was so confident and she took so much pride in sharing it's size, colour, stitching, corners and other qualities - 17 such points that made her handkerchief the best in the world. When people take such pride, then they can come up very well. Set goals in life and then revive them. What are the goals that you have set in life? There may be many obstacles, but don't drop your highest goals in life - they bring direction to life. I don't say life will be smooth always: It will not always be a bed of roses, but if your vision is large, and if you go on - if you continue with the same zeal, you will be given the strength. What stops you from taking responsibility? Sheer laziness; or fear - whether it is right or wrong, whether you will be able to complete it. You are afraid of failure. Even if there is no failure, just an indication of failure upsets you. If you can merely become aware of this, it is good. Support needs to come from within. It's not just food and water that is needed. Spiritual strength is something that can lift you. In order to find satisfaction in life, you need to do some service and to sustain seva activities, you need sadhana (spiritual practices), otherwise you will experience burn-out. Also, be ready to take criticism. Whenever you do public work or social work, you should be ready to take criticism. You need to be like a solid rock. Nothing can shake you! You should welcome criticism. Sometimes, criticism can come out of anger or jealousy, but no criticism should make you fade or shy away. When someone criticises you, behave as if you are the third party. Then, you will be untouched. You will take something from it, but you will not fume; you will not burn inside. You will be able to drop it. You should be able to give criticism as well. Friends who do not criticise when needed are useless. The purpose of criticism is to improve, adopt, change. But if your mode of criticism is unpalatable, how will others accept it? An arrow should reach it's mark. See that your criticism is not wasted. You need to develop this skill; it cannot be learnt. By fostering a sense of belonging, see that the person is in a mood to take criticism. When you want to do something, look at your strengh. Your weakness is that you start looking at other's strengths! When you running, you can only look at the track below, not at who is next to you! Like a horse with blinders, look at your path only! Let anybody else do whatever he or she wants to. Also, any job that you do, should be done with commitment. Otherwise, you will do the job when you enjoy it and stop doing it when you don't. Our likes and dislikes change so often. You can find real joy only in service. Responsibility and commitment do generate some stress and worry. The best way to handle this is not to resist stress. It is okay to be stressed for a while, but don't get distressed!

Thanks & Regards., Ln.Ch Mohan Vamsi Krishna M.C.A 9379911234 9902371777

Journey from Charcoal to Diamond

For the first time in his life he was sitting co close to the master. It has been hardly some months, after he came into the space surrounding the master. There was a big crowd surrounding the master. He was looking at the master, wondering at his wisdom. But he never called himself a disciple of the master. He was not even attached to him. It was the ability of the master as a powerful orator and his immense knowledge that attracted him. He did not even believe in God. His life, the path traversed by him was not filled with flowers, but thorns. Even when he was listening to the master, he was in his own world. His mind was as usual traveling through the miseries that he underwent. His principles were based on his experienced. He had a strong point in not believing in the God. "If a woman has to sell her body for earning bread for her family, if a child has to become a thief just for quenching thirst and hunger, and if it is the decision of god, then that god is not mine." He could find logics only communism and rationalism. He saw intelligent children suffering to earn higher education, for they were not having economical support. At the same time he saw his friends climbing up the ladders only because the pockets of their father was heavy. God acted funny in his life. So there was no other option for him to go away from the God, and all the so-called masters. He hated them. He was even rude to his loving parents, they were not having any answer to his questions, and his mother cried a lot for she was not able to bear his rude words. The Earth has orbited the sun for many years; the wisdom of this master has pulled him near to the master. His mind was wandering. Suddenly he woke up, the master was standing right in front of him. He carried a microphone, a cordless one, in his hand. He looked at the master, and the master looked into his eyes. There was a naughty smile on the master's face. What happened? Do you have any problem?" the master asked. He did not tell anything. No words came out of his vocal chords. He wanted to ask many questions, including the sufferings, and credibility of the so-called God. But he could not utter a word. He was astonished to see the master so close, and to hear him asking this question. At last he managed to tell the master "No, No Problem". The master moved ahead. Three steps. The master stopped. Master looked at him. There was the same smile on the master's face. "Have you seen Diamonds?" The crowd shouted… "Yes", but he kept quiet. He wondered, "Why the master is looking at my face and asking this? " Master asked again "Why diamonds are so special, tell". So many answers came at a time from the disciple folk. "They are very strong!" "They shine even at night!" "Beautiful females wear them on their ornaments, even Aishwarya Rai!!" "They are rare" "They are very costly" There were so many answers… Master asked… "Do you know that the diamond is carbon? The same carbon with which charcoal…koyla… is made of…" "Yes… There is some difference in the chemical structure", some learned disciple made it clear. "Yes, that charcoal, the carbon was hidden under the stones, under the earth for years before it became the diamond. The charcoal had undergone years of chemical changes, pressures, heat, cold, for years… a lot of sufferings… at last the diamond was evolved.", he was wondering at the master's words… "Where is he going? What is diamond and charcoal? … bu** **** " Then one day the charcoal became a stone, paTHar. Many people saw it. But they did not understand that it was a special stone. They just overlooked it. One day one man who was a diamond merchant saw that stone. He just took it to his lab. He started cutting it into shape, filing it, polishing it and again suffering time for the stone… at last it started to shine. The diamond!! "The master looked at his face, with the same smile. Were his eyes filled now??? He was intelligent; he smelled something in the master's words. "Do you know how much suffering that charcoal, koyla, has undergone to evolve into the strong diamond?" still the masters' eyes were on him. "When sufferings come to our path, we curse everybody, even the God, the master. But know that those sufferings are given to you to make him stronger and stronger… like a diamond. He want to make you strong, for he loves you so much…" The master again looked at him… This time his eyes were filled… He had never seen that expression in his life before. The master's eyes talked to him everything. He saw the endless sky of love in the master's eyes. The master's hands waved in the air… "You are a diamond… You will be made stronger…stronger… " The master continued… "Know that you all are special… I never collect ordinary stones; I collect diamonds and pearls…" master walked ahead taking his mind along with. He understood that it was the end… He told to his mind…" Here is your master…the God you were searching for… The source of the unconditional love… your own existence… yourself." He folded his hands, with tears in eyes. The garbage that he was carrying in his mind was carried away by his master, his own master. Without him telling anything, without uttering a word, his mind was cleansed. He walked out and immediately made a telephone call to his loving mother…"forgive me for all those disrespectful words that I uttered to you… I was ignorant… I was lost… but now I am found… by my master…" his words were trembling… his mother was silent.. My Friend, this is master, the guru. It is not you who are selecting the master. He is selecting you. You need not to tell anything to him. He knows everything. You need not to open your mind before him; your mind is an open book for him… Personalize him; he is your divine. Nobody else in this planet can give you what he gives. His love is endless, everlasting, in this life and next lives. Be in that love. Hey… can you guess, who that master was???? Of course he must be none other than our Guruji.....We love u Guruji...... ..

Celestial Movements sparks up debate!

Eclipse is just another Celestial Movement in galaxy... the scientists claim. But is their impact so limited? Moon... It's 384,403 kms away, yet it influences our plant and can cause tides. 70% of earth is covered with water. Due to the gravitational influence of moon, there are high tides and low tides on planet earth. Similarly, our body is composed of 60-70% water. If a phasing moon can influence such a huge mass of water then can it not influence water in our body. So in a way, although we call them celestial bodies they have certain influence in our lives. Eclipse is a natural phenomenon. Total solar eclipse has many myths attached to it. But just considering them fake does not eliminate the influence of eclipse on humans and the nation. Astrology is not goobledygooks! It is a mathematics-based scientific study of the effects of the planets on human psyche and body, extending the impact even to the nation. Yes, I do agree that some people call themselves astrologers and sow the seeds of fear in their clients just to make them buy some of their products, which they claim, can reduce their malefic planetary influence. They are nothing but charlatans fooling gullible people. But I have seen and met some astrologers who predict the exact date and time of any malady or benefice event. Such astrolgers also give sound advice on how to reduce the on-coming ill-effects. For meditating masses, the effect of eclipse is already reduced. Meditation and Chanting acts like a shield that can reduce the effects of eclipse. Now some people will say that all this is superstition. For them I have got one thing to say. I'll meditate, you may not do it. Let us see what happens. If something bad happens on their part they may start meditating. Whatever happens on my part, I will not stop meditating!! What say??

Crazy but not Stupid

One truck driver was doing his usual delivery to IMH (Institute of mental health) He discovered a flat tyre when he was about to go home. He jacked up the truck and took the flat tyre down. When he was about to fix the spare tyre, he accidentally dropped all the bolts into the drain. As he can't fish the bolts out, he started to panic. One patient happened to walk past and asked the driver what happened. The driver thought to himself, since there's nothing much he can do; he told the patient the whole incident. The patient laughed at him & said "can't even fix such a simple problem... no wonder you are destined to be a truck driver..." Here's what you can do, take one bolt each from the other 3 tyres and fix it onto this tyre. Then drive to the nearest workshop and replace the missing ones, easy as that" The driver was very impressed and asked "You're so smart but why are you here at the IMH?" Patient replied: "Hello, I stay here because I'm crazy not STUPID!"

Five ways of eliminate sorrow...

If you are human and alive then sorrow is an indispensable part of life. Like it or not, we have to live with it. Sorrow never remains for ever, but when in sorrow we feel like everyone has deserted me. There are five ways of eliminating sorrow from our lives. 1. Know that every thing changes: All the happiness and sadness you have faced has changed. Nothing has lasted forever till now except you! Only one thing is certain, that every thing is uncertain and changing. 2. Serve when you feel low or dejected. We, generally, think of serving people when we are full and plenty. It is easier then to so such social service. But what when we are sad? The best and the fastest way out to get out of depression, suicidal feeling, dejection is to serve. When one feels low, the person asks only one type of question. "Why me?" "What will happen to me?" All the questions are related to "I" ME" or "MYSELF". Just turn the direction of the question and ask "What can I do to be of any help?" and serve the needy. There is no dearth of opportunity around. It just requires an alert and aware mind. The joy of serving others make you more joyful! Many bad things happen in the society just because the so called good people are inactive. Chanakya, the great visionary, once commented that it is not the tyranny of evil doers that bothers me, it is the insensitivity and stupor of good citizen that troubles me. 3. Know that some force is protecting you. There is a famous line from the movie STAR WARS, "The force will be with you... Always" It is 100% true. There is some force that is always with us, protecting us. You see, when a child is born then automatically the nature makes provision for milk. When the child grows old enough to eat solid food then automatically teeth appears. When there is summer the trees provides us shade, in winter when sunlight is limited by the haze, the trees undergo leaf-shedding in autumn, so that maximum sunlight reaches the earth. What we see is just one percent of the real word. 99% of the real world is invisible. Like your mobile phone, You only dial and hold it by your ear. You hear the ring on other side, you talk. But the whole work (transmission of data & Voice) happens in the invisible force field, which cannot be seen. 4. After giving your 100%, Surrender the rest. After doing all that you could do and giving it 100% leave it up to your Ishtha Daivata, Guruji or the lord your often pray. Know that it will be taken care of. 5. Yoga se bahut kuch hoga (Many things can be achieved by practicing yoga)! With the help of Yog Sadhana, Meditation, Satsang also, you can overcome problems in life. How this influences life is a different dynamics by it self. But doing so will never do any harm, It will always be beneficial! Happy Living!

Made in Japan!

Had a good laugh after reading this one! Japanese man was in a hurry to go to the KLIA airport, so he took a Proton taxi. The taxi driver took his sweet time driving within the speed limit but the Jap was getting impatient. The following is their conversation on the way to the airport . A Toyota Camry overtook the taxis.....zoom. ... Jap: Look ...look ... Toyota !! ...very fast!!!.... made in Japan ! Proton...no good.... made in Malaysia . Driver: yah.... After a few minutes a Nissan overtook the taxi....zoom. Jap: Look.... look.... Nissan!!!... .. very good!! very fast! Made in Japan ! Proton.... no good.... made in Malaysia Driver: yah....yah.. . After a few minutes a Honda overtook the taxi...zooom. ! Jap: look.... look... Honda!!.... very GOOD!!....very fast!!....made in Japan ! Proton....no good... made in Malaysia Driver: yah...yah... yah....! Arriving at the airport, the Jap is about to pay the taxi driver. Jap: How much? Driver: RM200/- Jap: Oh... very expensive... .. you overcharge ! ! Driver: Noooo.... look.... look.... Sony meter!!.....very good!!....Very fast!.... Made in Japan !

Another Frankenstein in making...

Science and the scientist seem to have a deadly passion in making Frankenstein Monsters out of experiments! This one comes from UK. Today's newspaper flashed headlines about the UK Scientists being successful in creating Artificial Human Sperms from Embryonic Stem Cells "....They "prompted" embryonic stem cells to divide their chromosomes, then grow tails and become sperm cells." It quoted. These scientists claim that the technique could eventually allow infertile men to become fathers. Although it is illegal to use artificial sperms to make babies in UK, these scientists have asked the UK Lawmakers to amend the law to make the unlawful lawful! If science has got that power to manipulate anything then why not restore the fertility in men. Instead, scientists think they have become "gods" by creating an artificial sperm. This regressive ways of working will have its deep wrecking impact in near future! Is science so weak that it cannot help men regain their lost fertility. History has lot to teach us. Taking an example of Indian Agricultural Practices, Farmers earlier (Before the advent of chemical fertilisers) used home made compost manure in their farm fields. Then the chemical fertiliser manufacturers showed government how their "Chemicals" had a superior impact on the farm output. But they completely neglected (actually, overlooked) the effects of chemical on the fertile land. Instead of making the land more fertile, these chemical fertilisers only deteriorated the farm land fertility. Soon the farmers were debt ridden due to massive borrowing for purchasing the chemical fertilizers and declining farm output due to loss in farm fertility. Now many N.G.O. like Art of Living Foundation and many others have started "Chemical Free Farming" or "Organic Farming" practices to revive the fertility in farmlands. Is there any semblance between the two? Yes! A Lot!! Science does shed light on new things, but if the act is done out of absolute ignorance then there is no difference between those scientists and the evil villains from the super-hero comic books who are out to rule over the world with their evil power. I am least bothered if this discovery makes men redundant in the task of making babies. We, time and again, forget that it is the nature that has created us and it is nature that sustains us. If we make any manipulation in Nature then it's going to backfire badly!

...With greater power, comes greater Responsibility... - Spider-man I

Science has given us unimaginable power, from diving deep underwater, flying across the vast sky and travel in infinite cosmos. But it is our responsibility to take care of mankind. Science without conscience is a definite way towards destruction. P.S. The second reference does mention about restoring fertility in men, but the long term vision of science is to create almost defect free sperm without the help of male testicles that will fertilise a female egg. References: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090708/tuk-scientists-create-artificial-human-s-45dbed5.html http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article685515.ece

Monsoon & Mumbai

After scorching, sultry heat of April and May, Mumbaikars' eagerly wait for the tiny drops of first monsoon, the heavenly odour of wet mud after the first rain, the cool & pleasant breeze. But these pleasantries always come with some Monsoon Mishaps. Never has it happened in Mumbai that Monsoon season passed away without any casualties. There are hordes of problems that lifts its head up during monsoon. Train Malfunctioning & Mishaps, Flooding of Low-lying areas, Open Man-holes, Diseases, Ugly, crater holed roads, Electricity issues, Transport Delays... etc. etc. The list goes on... It's not that mumbai has not learnt from past mistakes! After the July 26, 2005 floods in mumbai, Authorities have realised that the city desperately need a effective drainage and waste-water management system. However building such infrastructure under the oldest city of India, is next to impossible task. It was then decided to clear Mithi River from all the waste scrap dumped by its river bank inhabitants! Actually speaking, Mumbai was a city of 7 isles. Much of the land you see is reclaimed land. This land was built by dumping soil and other dumpable material. This blocked the outflow of the rainwater from the city into the Arabian Sea! And in most of the reclaimed land, as it was not terra firma, has sunk down. A little rain and high tide is enough to flood these areas. The Local train of Mumbai are branded as the life-line of Mumbai. They shuttle Crores of passengers between Virar to Churchgate and Karjat-Kasara to C. Shivaji Terminus. The monsoon season have always caused some trouble for the passengers. Same is the case of road transport. I am unable to decide whether it is the contractor who uses spurious material to built roads or the road damaging rainfall that does the damage to the roads. The Moon-like craters give terrible backache to drivers! The Log-jam that comes along is inevitable. Maybe not in the main city, but in the suburbs the load shedding is now a part of life. But with monsoon in picture, turning off the electricity needs no excuse. There are also freaking accidents, ailing diseases, and other mishaps that keep on happening. My question is that ours is not the only country where it rains? Do such mishaps happen so frequently when it rains? If not stop can we reduce such freaking occurrences? As usual, I know these questions will remain the eternal ones!

Effects of 377

I bet that every blogger who writes posts on the latest events, have written at least one post on the issue of Gay Ruling. In a way, I am joining the bandwagon. The same gender union got a criminal identity during the British rule. Christianity prohibits gay/lesbian union and this rule was imposed by the British rulers on our land. Such confused gender people sought freedom to certain extent in western countries, but in India the ruling was just procrastinated. Now many BGLT group can heave a sigh of relief! The effect of this ruling are quite astounding! Same-sex group mostly never went for any health checkup for the fear of being turned up to the law enforcement authorities. The HIV infection was high among them and they could not seek medical help! Now at least such people can breath the air freely! "In India, homosexual HIV sufferers would now find it easier to seek information and treatment", said Pradeep Kakkattil who heads UNAIDS’ technical support division. Another impact brought forward by this ruling is an inspiration to many commonwealth countries (Previously ruled by British Raj). Several Asian and African societies still consider same-sex union as illegal. Such countries can use this as a precedent to change the law in their countries. Recently, I read an article in newspaper where the nubile brides are paying the private eyes to keep an eye on their prospective groom's sexual orientation. One detective agency has claimed that now-a-days, out of ten clients, at least three clients come up with such cases. These detectives have found out that some grooms marry the bride of their parent's choice only due to the family pressure. The groom, in most cases, are unable to express their interest to their family members due to the social stigma attached to the same-sex union. It is only after the marriage that the bride finds something fishy and feels doomed when the truth comes out of the closet! At least now, the gays can easily express their feelings freely! Some Religious groups are still opposed to the ruling in favour of BGLT group. They opine that same gender carnal union is against the law of nature. Well, I wonder what if a person feel like a woman trapped inside a male body. That man will naturally have some feelings towards other men! Obviously, no normal man would artificially show inclination towards other men!! My concern is not whether it's moral or immoral. My concern is whether this is a bug in the coding of mother nature's program? or the social impression made on a person since childhood. There is a thin fine line that demarcates the two cases.

BWSL: Opens with a hiccup

The Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) was finally open for public yesterday. The bridge opened the routes at 7 a.m. but people had queued right from 6 a.m. to be the first to travel on the most "happening" infrastructure of Mumbai! 46 years after first being conceived and years of delay this bridge is a pride of Mumbai and also exhibits the "grime" in our governmental machinery! The construction was scheduled to start its work from October 2000. The China Harbour Engineering (Group) Co. were the main sub-contractor for the Bandra-Worli Sea Link Project. The CHEC group, which was awarded the contract for constructing the 500-m long cable-stayed bridge and the 170-m high tower by HCC in November 2000. This bridge has endured a lot of project delays and cost overruns due to the political games parties play. There seems to be a controversy even on naming of the bridge. The Bridge was finally named after Late Prime Minister Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. With Congress, whenever it comes to giving names, there is a little bit of Rajiv in every thing, be it breakfast or bridges!!! The status of this bridge is still "Work in Progress". The sea-link will remain toll free till 5th of july. The Toll Contractor, as the media reported, are still busy setting up the electronics required for collection of Toll Fees. The Eight lane Sea-link is now running on Four lanes. Some work is yet to be completed. As a result there was a slow moving traffic. A nice experience to learn on Day 1. Let's hope the bridge stands up to it's claim of reducing the transit time! Best Wishes to the lovely bridge. References http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=3165 http://ibnlive.in.com/news/naming-controversy-over-bandraworli-sea-link/96118-3.html