The Angrezi Bhasha

I have always been intrigued by the eminent columnist like Vir Sanghvi, Shekhar Gupta, Bachi Karkaria, Jug Suraiya, Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar, et. al. the way they present an issue and the angles they expose, the ideas they project. The fluency of their language, their command over it is simply astounding. These people can simply pick any national issue under the sun and can speak extemporaneously in an eloquent manner. After reading the entire column written by them, you need to take a pause to digest what they say. It's never a general gossip on a petty issue. It is mostly controversial issues these people write on. Even if they were to write a column on food, like Vir Sanghvi's Rude Food in Hindustan Times, its so magnificently written!

It is my dream since childhood to write an article. Its seed was sown by my English teacher who always used to shout at me for my horrible English. Yes, for very horrible English. My 400 words essay would have atleast 25 spelling mistakes, 15 grammatical errors, and handwriting absolutely illegible. My teacher saw no hope in me, leave alone my English!! My English teacher was confident that  would never score above 40 marks in English in my SSC (Std. 10th) exams. Well, I scored 56 against my teachers expectations.

Strangely, without any effort my English improved, as in my Std XII th exams, I scored 70. A whoooping 70 I could say! My Old English Teacher protested that it was due to lowering of the standard at higher levels. Yes, that's partially true as it gives comfort for the vernacular medium students. But never a word of appreciation from her. In my first year of degree on commerce, I joined "English Literary Association" an extra-curricular activity by my college. It promoted English Language and was a sandbox for honing literary skills. It gave enough room to make mistakes. It also served as a platform to display latent literary talents. I got a third prize in the story writing competition in my first year. In the second year, I was a contributing columnist for my college mag, named Pankh (The Wings) I received a second prize in poetry reading competition and the article in the college mag. In the third year, I was elected as the College Mag Editor. I could script a couple of editorials for the mag till the onus of Third year examination took toll on my health. I had to shun "Other Activities" and dedicate more time towards final year studies in 2003. It was after a long hiatus, I got an opportunity with an industrial magazine where I wrote a very small conference visit report. I am still in good term with the editor of that industrial magazine and take some time out every week to have a lengthy chat on any damn topic. He has been an inspiration to many things and habits in my life.

One habit that he has instilled in me is reading the articles of eminent columnists of Indian journalism. Just reading them gives two advantage right away. One, they give you a kaleidoscopic view on a run of the mill issue. and secondly, their rich language enhances your comprehension. In my case I fought all odds and have lived up to my dream, or at least dared to live up to my dream. If I can, anyone can.

Following are the link to the blogs of the famous columnists of India.
http://www.virsanghvi.com/ (You ought to know him..)

http://www.indianexpress.com/columnist/shekhargupta/ (Indian Express Editor-in-Chief)
http://livefist.blogspot.com/ (A Blog by Shiv Aroor - Indian Defence Columnist)
Kushwant Singh
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/erratica/ (Bachi Karkaria)

There are many more.. If you are one of those who always wished to have a good command over English, then you can do so in simple way. Just read columns by the journalists mentioned above. More you read, more the exposure to the current events and familliarity with the writers language. You may also come across some tough vocabulary hurdles, never mind. Just refer to an Engoish Dictionary. Just with in a couple of months of regular and patient practice, your communication will improve. In the worst case, your comprehension (Ability to understand what is written or said) will definately increase.

Communication is an art. It can entice one's heart or can enrage one's mind. But always remember the ultimate purpose of the words is to bring peace in heart and silence in mind.

--
O.A.K.

Dog who loves protesting

The Guardian newspapers covered a story which says that there is a dog in Greece that has been attending all the street protests since past two years! And it was seen again the the recent protest that Greek people did against the austerity drive formulated by the govt. of Greece.

Check it out at this link 
The page will open to a slide-show, or you can manually go through the 14 pics of the dog. That dogs really having a day!

Breaking News: Ooops! it's all broken...

Breaking News is the 21st century lexicon. I did one hour research on the web about how this word first came to use. The CNN guys started it to get peoples attention to a really bad news. In the initial days of its usage, the word would flash once or twice a week when a plane would crash or a commercial complex would catch fire. Mostly these types of news would be freshly baked ones.

Now a days, most loved word in the red background flashes even during 5am and this news would mostly be 2 to 3 days old!! On one of the channel, They were showing videos from youtube.com and the breaking news flashed below the screen. I read the flashing message. It said that the news channel had discovered that a dog could sing with the master playing piano. I was aghast with all that was going on. I don't know what to call it? Plagiarism or fools play? Something that's on a video channel that they download and show it publicly claiming that they have covered the news. Gosh! when will the media industry report real news.

Who's really bothered to know about the minister dozing off in some miscellaneous conference meet, or about some movie celerity sneezing or if they run out of their news reserves then topics of dysfunctional male are discussed! The 9pm debates are the most wackiest and most craziest show on earth. The bi-spectacle guy or dame willfully and intentionally pours oil in the fire and this keeps their pockets warm!! What a way to earn a living?? My question is "Will debates solve the burning topics of Naxalism, Rising Food Inflation, Soaring Mercury in Summer, Water Woes? and lots of unsolved and neglected issues."

Come on! It's high time now. Stop the silly things. Media industry is one of the power pillars of a nation. With power comes responsibility. Remember spider-man saying this in his movie? It is very much critical how wisely this power is put to beneficial use!

May god bless us all and help us lead in right direction. Amen.

Wise Guru Part 2

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.
The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him.
She did so without hesitation.
The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.
"I've been thinking," he said.
"I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone."

Sometimes it's not the wealth you have but your wise advice & insight is what others need.

Wise Guru Part I

A Guru or an Enlightened master is one who is so deep in wisdom that one line uttered by a guru can possibly transform a person's life. It is said that it can even turn a stone into a diamond! Wise Guru is a series of stories of such masters who have brought a revolution just by staying in wisdom. I sincerely hope that you'll love it

And for those who are eager to read more such stories they can hit Seeds of Wisdom

The story goes as below...
Once upon a time, a Master was to arrive in a village with his entourage. A villager, who was skeptical about the "Enlightened-ness" of the Master, thought of a plan to trick the Master and defame him. He decided to hold a butterfly in his palm, and ask the Master whether the Butterfly was alive or dead? If the master says it's alive, he would crush the butterfly to death. If the Master says its dead, then he would release the butterfly free and thus prove the Master wrong!

The Master, after entering the village, was addressing a large crowd of the villagers. The skeptical villager asked if he could ask a question. The Master agreed. The villager asked if he could come near him to ask the question. Again the master agreed. Skillfully, the villager trapped the butterfly in his palm and went near the master. The villager asked the Master, "You see, I am holding a butterfly in my hand. If you are truly enlightened then you will be able to tell me whether the butterfly is Dead or Alive? So is the butterfly dead or Alive???"

The master thought for a while and said, "My dear, It is all in your hands!".

What's the value of your "Peace of Mind"??? Part II

Part I of the story

Now, I saw that my hand was almost trembling with anger. That very moment I realised that I was not being myself. I knew it was time to apply knowledge! The first thing I did was Accept the People and situation as they are…

OK!! This is how my friend behaved; this is how the situation turned out. So What??? Accept it as it is. Next was to take right action. What could I do now? My mind started rummaging through the volumes of knowledge sheets I had read in past 5 years of AoL Life.

I then remembered Rishi Nityapragya's verse, often telling people: “Keep your mind happy. There is nothing in this world for which you can trade your peace of mind for!” I realized that I was losing my peace of mind for Ravi, the crowded trains, for my stupidity of listening to ravi, etc, etc. I firmly decided to keep my mind Calm, peaceful and happy; not subjecting my mind to the whims and fancies of the environment. That moment every illusion in my mind started evaporating. Things became still. Peace returned in my mind. By then the train towards home arrived. I boarded the train and stood near the doorway. The cool breeze actually cooled my hot mental engines! The train halted at Vitthalwadi. A voice within, quietly coaxed me to attend the Satsang. Mind agreed. After vitthalwadi, the train halted at Kalyan. I got down and sauntered towards the Satsang venue.

Suddenly, I realised how grateful I was to Ravi. It was due to him that I got to apply the knowledge points. I felt elated after applying the knowledge points. That very moment, all the acrimony against Ravi got washed away. Love for Ravi blossomed in my heart. If it had not been for Art of Living teachings, then I would have done unimaginable things with Ravi. The priceless relation I share with him would have severed within moments!!!

The Satsang that followed was simply amazing, something that can only be experience when you are on an advance course.

Jai Gurudev.

What's the value of your "Peace of Mind"??? Part I

Guruji has no need to test us, because he knows us very well. However, he puts us in such a position where we start doubting his divine existence? At times of trouble we pray hard, but prayers seem to be unheard by HIM. But no! HE is there to take care of even the silliest of the blunders we commit. The situation he puts us in always has a lifeboat. At anytime you feel you cannot handle it anymore, all you need to do is surrender. He takes care of the rest! That’s his “Role”. To make you realize that you are nothing without him. To make you realize that you are everything with him!


An incident that happened with me, yesterday, is just an example of what you just read above. I play guitar at Satsangs. One of the YES!+ teacher and close friend of mine, Ravi Kadam, asked me meet him at the Dombivli Station by 6:45pm so that we could go together for Satsang. The Satsang was at Kalyan, just two stations next to Dombivli. We both had train tickets and were waiting on the platform for the train. The slow train was so slow that, it seemed to take eternity to arrive. On the fast track, a train, “relatively empty” just passed by. Then a train arrived, “L'horrible: Ambernath Local”. It was so crowded that the ribs would have got crushed and our Bon Ami Ravi persuaded me to board the Ambernath Local.

The crowd was hostile. It was so much packed that even an ant would have found it difficult to pass through. And to my sheer craziness I boarded the train with my delicate piece of wood called guitar. The next challenge was to move from the one end of the door to the opposite end as the platform of Kalyan was to come on the other end. But my movement was restricted by the guitar I carried. I clutched my guitar with dear life. I made a barricade of flesh and bones to avoid the mindless people from throwing their obnoxious weight on the guitar. To my utter disappointment, I could not get down at Kalyan. I could not even move an inch forward. Then I decided to get down at the next station Vitthalwadi. But my fate had something else in store. The situation repeated. I moved partly towards the other end but could not get down. The train moved. Now I had to get down at Ulhasnagar. I prepared myself to get down at least at this station. Somehow, the divine grace (Read the Maddening crowd) managed to purge me out of the train. I almost tumbled out with my guitar.

The first thing I did after getting down at Ulhasnagar was to check the condition of the guitar, Any Torsioned “nuts”?... Sprained “neck”?... Cracks or ruptures on the body?... Any broken Strings?... NO!
But that had no effect on my boiling blood. In my mind, world war III had started. I already had some "problematic issues" with Ravi which I wanted to discuss and sort out with him. Frankly they were unresolved till that time. Over and above that, despite knowing that fact that the Kalyan local (The train which took eternity to arrive) would have deposited us directly to Kalyan, he took me on a hell ride in Ambernath local. My mind began to think how selfish Ravi was. He conveniently got down at Kalyan and left me in distress with my guitar. I knew he would not wait for me much and would walk off calmly as if nothing happened. My “Buttons” were pushed too deep!!!

I also knew Ravi would get anxious, a little, and would place a call. But my mind was not ready to hear his voice so soon. Enraged, I switched off my mobile. I crossed the bridge to the other end to go home. Yes, I did not want to go to Satsang now. So I got on the other platform and sat on the bench.

Now, I saw that my hand was almost trembling with anger. That very moment I realised that I was not being myself. I knew it was time to apply knowledge!... What I did then was amazing...

Part II

Guru Parampara: The Lineage of the enlightened masters!!!

Spending even few hours with bawa and dinesh is sufficient for anyone to get loads of vital information and profound knowledge. They both always have something new and fresh to share with the youth, inspiring them to work for the betterment of the society.

Yesterday, Bawa shared a gracious story of our guru parampara. Guru parampara is the lineage of the enlightened masters. The lineage is actually very very long. But it is said that Adi Shankaracharya revived the hindu bhagwat dharma.  And the lineage continues from him.

Shanakaracharya had four disciples. First was Padmapada. It is said that once when Shankaracharya called Padmapada, who was walking at the opposite bank of the lake, he ran across the lake without any hesitation. And wherever his feet fell on the water the lotus sprang up to support his feet. Hence the name Padmapada. Second was Hastamalaka. Malaka means berries. Holding berries in the hand is very easy. Similarly for Hastamalaka living life was as easy as holding berries in the hand. Hence the apt name.

Third was Vatikakara. Vatikakara was very erudite person. He engaged a debate with Shankaracharya which went on for fifteen long days. There was a tie between the two even after fifteen days. So vatikakara's wife then came up with an idea. She put a garland of flowers on both, announcing the a tie between the two. The same evening, She surprised everyone in the audience by announcing Shankaracharya to be the winner. When questioned how she arrived at the decision she said that the flowers which she put on her husband had wilted due to the body heat which rose due to the agitation he had in mind although he did not reflect it.

Fourth was Trotakacharya. Trotakacharya was like a dumbo amongst the four. He was not interested in learning the scholarly texts. He would immerse himselfe in the service of his master. He would make food dor him, prepare his bed, and attend to all his needs. However Shankaracharya would never start his discourse without his presence. Trotakacharya would usually dose off to sleep during the discourse. But Shankkaracharya would never ever start the discourse without Trotakacharya. Once it happened that Shankaracharya was waiting for Trotakacharya to attend the session. Other three disciples were getting impatient waiting for him. Trotakacharya soon enters the hall singing the most difficult raga, in the utmost difficult meters, and that to the song which speaks of the philosophy of the master (guru) in only Ten lines!!!

It is said that when you do seva of the master, then even in that service, you get the knowledge which master wants you to get.

Our lineage decends from Trotakacharya. The names of the guru in our lineage after Trotaka is not known but it transcends down to Bhramanada Saraswati. Then to Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, then to H. H. Sri Sri RaviShankarji.

And from Guruji to Bawa and from Bawa to Me (and all of us). Well, Make good use of the opportunity you have got!

Turn down the volume...

An Advertisement shows Ranbir Kapoor asking the tele-viewers to do, this diwali, something never done before! That is turn down the volume by avoiding noisy crackers. I feel so proud that I have been doing this since last 14 years.

It makes an economic "non-sense" to buy noisy crackers and burn them down in matter of seconds. Now-a-days you can hardly buy any good crackers in Rs.1000/-. And what ever you buy in that amount can be burnt down in just two minutes. Wooooooshhhh... You money worth thousand rupees just vanishes in thin air... that too polluting it, making the air difficult, for the people with respiratory problems, to breath.

It happened exactly 14 years ago, when my dad had to sit at home because of the lock-out at the company dad worked at. No salary for one month. That too during diwali. We had to face very dire circumstances. My family had to live life with a very tight fist that month. Even the daily newspaper had to be stopped. That diwali, I decided not to buy any crackers, The money that had been kept aside for crackers, I used it to buy clothes. And asked dad to save the money that was to be spent on clothes to keep the family-fire burning. It was my first lesson on austerity. That diwali taught me a very precious lesson. You do not need riches to enjoy the moment. In fact, One needs nothing to enjoy the very moment. Because joy is the very essence of the moment.

Since then I have celebrated every Diwali by buying new gadgets, clothes, games CD etc. etc. but not the crackers. They simply cause noise and sound pollution. Its up to you to choose wisely what to do? Diwali is the festival of lights and celebration. Not a festival of cacophony and suffocation! If I can celebrate 14 Diwali's without bursting crackers. So can anyone! Finally its your decision... Isn't it?

Jai Gurudev.

Creativity, Ctreator and Creation...

Today is Sonali Patkar's Birthday. I made a Chinese lantern for her out of candy sticks and tracing paper. I also copied the chinese symbols of good luck on the paper. Her squeal of joy when she saw it was just sufficient reward for my hard work. After putting in lot of effort the structure started taking the form. I started with the idea of creating a mobile stand which never stood. But the burning desire manifested in a simple cute lantern. While making the lantern my mom asked why was I making it? Wasn't it a waste of time? What is the use of making it? Maybe because of attending Patanjali Yog Sutra evey evening, another question popped up in my mind. Why did this whole creation take place? What was the need, especially when every thing is just an illusion, a dream? What is the purpose behind it? An astonishing question was greeted by marvelous revelation! The answer for the above question is that what ever we all see is just never made? There has been no creation, there is no creation, there will be no creation. It is just the disequilibrium that has created ripples in the form of world around us! ... I am sure there is enough disequilibrium after reading this blog. Do not worry too much because as Stevinus said...

The balancing of force thus brought about a stable equilibrium

Swimming with Intensity?!?

Have you ever done swimming with intensity? Well, I just did it... On Aug 2, 09 I participated in the picnic to a water resort near Ambernath. My love with water is unparalleled. I can even make out the proximity of the water body just by smelling it. I'm not kidding!! When we reached the water resort, we first did our long kriya in a nice cool open-hall. After kriya we had a swift breakfast. Everyone was eager to take a plunge in water. After a hot cuppa coffee, everyone got into their swimming clothes and started entering the pool. Most were crazy to enjoy the thrill of the water slides. Some wallowed in the other pool. I have no problem with water or staying in water except that I didn't know to swim then. We also had company of Savita di. Before entering in water she said how each volunteer should become. She said that if bawa tells us to take a course in Andaman, you should not hesitate a bit by thinking how to go there, how to take a course in Andaman, in the midst of the ocean! That was actually the seed of my intensity! I entered in the pool only due to one reason. It was shallow enough for me to stand in pool. I played in the pool, checked out the water slide by slipping down over them, did all that the resort had to offer. Then while in the pool, I firmly decided that I will join swimming class ASAP!! I came out of water just before Lunch. Lunch was a gastronomic delight! It was the best buffet lunch I had. Everyone savored the scrumptious Lunch. Especially because everyone was famished after so much of fun in water. After I came home, I declared my intentions to my parents. Father's expression was like; OK Finally you want to learn it, good. Its still not late! Then I joined Yash Gymkhana. Most people who knew to survive in water told me that I should have joined KDMC Swimming Pool. But I do not repent my decision. It's ultimately a municipal property, who knows how the coach will be. Well, At least in Yash, I (and Aman) have a good instructor. At first, I thought 45 min. in pool would be too short time for practice. But the Leg exercises in pool made me change my opinion. For the first four days, I was completely exhausted when I came out of the pool. But I entered the pool with the undying intensity. I practiced with passion. Although my legs were aching, I continued with the leg work. Then on the fifth day, I untied the safety float off my back and checked out if I could still propel myself in water? VIOLA! EUREKA! Om Namah Shivaya! I was moving ahead!! But there is still along way to go, because I was practicing without the float in the shallowest end of the pool. I still have to learn it completely! Very soon, I will be fulfilling my dream of swimming like a pro! All with the grace of the master ;-) Very soon

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...... ..

Non Vegetarian Diet: A Statistical outlook

Ten Thousand year back, Human beings started living in groups. They knew that in group there was more security. Then, they started hunting in groups. They would have a leader under whose command they preyed on a wild animal. These people also belonged very much to nature. They did not kill more than necessary. Although they were not as advanced as we are, but still they knew that there is something called an ecosystem. Human greed or the never ending wants can trip the whole system in turn effecting their existence! They were also an observant lot. They soon found out that in every season, the plants around them underwent a seasonal transformation. In Autumn, leaves fall. In Winter, it's cold. In Spring, new foliage blooms. They also observed that the seeds sprout, giving birth to a new plant. That's how plantation started. So turning vegetarian was the coolest thing to do at that time. It was more of a sensible fad! But now when I look around me, I see people have taken up a flair to turn back into primitive apes! Actually, they are aping the ancient apes who preferred a carnivorous diet. There is no harm in living a vegetarian life style. But, the problem lies in how humans continue to procure meat to eat. In ancient days, those intelligent people used to "hunt". I Emphasize the word HUNT. They did not do animal farming. They did not breed the animals. The Breeding of animals, of course, started long back in human history. But not the way it was today. The shepherds took the animals to graze and there was enough land mass with verdant vegetation to feed those animals. But in today's world, area of the size of 5 football fields are cleared of natural forests for the sake of animal grazing. Livestock production uses about a third of the world’s arable land, and as land becomes scarce, expansion of livestock production encroaches into forest land and is causing mass deforestation. Here, I am still not considering the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are generated by the livestock. The title of the post is Vegetarian Economy. So lets take a look from the world economics angle! For that first lets do some math. F.Y.I. (For your information) A hen eats around 30 Kg of food grains in its life time! That hen is murdered by dipping it in boiling water head down and a recipe is planned out to turn it into a dish! If you make a chicken curry, it may serve 4 two times in a day; effectively serves 8. Lets say you make a soup, then it will serve12 to 16 servings! (assuming generous proportions of water has been used!). So 30 Kilos of food grains are effectively used to raise a chicken and it serves only 15. Let's say you skillfully make it twenty. For a vegetarian person who consumes legumes and food grains, the diet will be around 200 to 250 grams of food grains. Like 150 grams of rice, 50 grams wheat, 50 grams legumes. For ease of calculation we take 250 If we divide 30 Kilos i.e. 30,000 grams by 250 grams we get 120 hungry stomachs. So 30,000 grams of food grains feed 120 vegetarian people while it can effectively feed only 20. Let me take the liberty to exaggerate. Even if 1 chicken is turned in to a dish that serves 30 people, it is far less compared to vegetarian menu! It directly means that 30 Non Vegetarian people eat the food that could have made 120 vegetarians burp! That's absolute indecency. And people talk about uprooting the hunger crisis from this planet? That's crap. Or rather chicken crap!!! In terms of consumption, the non-vegetarian diet required 2.9 times more water, 2.5 more energy, 13 times more fertilizer and 1.4 times more pesticides than the vegetarian one. People in India, struggle for water at the public water taps. Water tankers are booked to supply water as municipal pipelines run dry! What do you think is the reason. Non Veg gang may blame the industries, but if the non vegetarians would just take up the vegan life. They may suddenly find their neighbourhood tanks filing up! Also, government like ours, believe in granting subsidy on the animal meat! The subsidy does not come free of cost. Somebody is taxed to give subsidy to others. Guess who pays for it? No prizes for guessing it right!!! I have heard/read people defend their carnivorous life style by stating that we humans are on the top of the food chain. But my question is; Does that give us license to exploit the planet and its resources with our insatiable greed? I believe that since we are on the top of food chain, it becomes our responsibility to take care of the planet and our down lines in the food chain, instead of blatant exploitation. Don't you think so?!? Source: http://astrology.yahoo.com/channel/health/is-a-vegetarian-diet-better-for-the-planet-455834/ http://www.jewishveg.com/schwartz/diplanet.html http://www.vegforlife.com

A brief history of Linux

Volumes of data have been written on Linux on the www. All you have to do is to search the net for keywords like, "Linux History", "Linux Story", "Linus Torvald" and there will be huge data on the requested query. Then what was the need to write this post! This post is written to make people aware of an operating system that is not owned by Microsoft or Apple Inc. The issues addressed in this post are related to Linux operating system; Firstly, what prompted Linus Torvald, the inventor of Linux kernel, to create this OS? Secondly, If Linux is free for distribution then why do only a minuscule percent of population use it? Thirdly, What will it take to make this OS really popular, in terms of usage? To answer all the Qs above, a brief story need to be told. First let me tell you something about UNIX. Before the invention of UNIX, Computers were meant for a single purpose. Computer systems didn't talk to each other in the early days of computing. Even the various computer lines made by the same company often needed interpreters. And forget any interoperability of systems by different vendors! In addition, operating systems very often performed only limited tasks, and only on the machines for which they were written. If a business upgraded to a bigger, more powerful computer, the old operating system probably wouldn't work on the new computer, and often the company's data had to be entered - again - into the new machine. So the scientists and engineers from Bell Labs and GE collaborated with the help of MIT to build a mainframe time sharing system called MULTICS (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service) But over the period the efforts to build an economically viable system failed! So some alternative had to be found out. Ken Thompson came up with a brilliant idea while playing a game "Space Travel" on the comp. He tinkered with the codes and unknowingly created the kernel (Heart of any operating system) for Unix. This laid the foundation for UNIX. In 1985, Professor Andy Tanenbaum wrote a Unix like operating system from scratch, and named it MINIX. A Finnish student named Linus Torvald first came into contact with Unix like systems through his use of this MINIX at the university of Helsinki Finland in Computer Science .Linus Torvald wanted to upgrade MINIX and put in features and improvements, but Andrew Tanenbaum wanted Minix the way it was and so Linus decided write his own kernel. That's why Linus Torvald created a kernel of his own; "Linux".He released Linux on the Internet as an Open Source product and under his own license and then later in 1991 under the GPL (General Public License) . Another Engineer, Richard Stallman, started the FSF (Free Software Foundation) as a development effort to promote the use of Free Software. Stallman recognized the need to write a free and open source Unix-like operating system so that people could have a Unix system under a non-propriety non-restrictive commercial license. The FSF started a project called GNU to fulfill this aim. GNU stands for "GNU is not Unix" (a recursive acronym). By 1991, GNU had already amassed a compiler (GCC- GNU C Compiler), a C library, both very critical components of an operating system, and all associated generic Unix base programs. But, they were missing a kernel, which was going to be called the GNU HURD.The FSF naturally adopted the Linux kernel to complete the GNU system to produce what is known as the GNU/Linux operating system, which is the correct term for all distributions of Linux like Red Hat Linux and SuSE Linux. Thus GNU Linux was born! Remember that Linux is just the Kernel or heart of Op. Sys. not the Op. Sys by it self! Now question #2, Why do a small percent of population uses GNU Linux? To probe this Q, let me make you aware of some facts! Did you know!

• That most of the Windows users never alter the settings/configurations of the system, except for changing wallpapers, screen savers, few peripherals and applications.

• Most PC users use their PC for defined work only. Eg., Gamers do not install office applications on their PC, generally.

• Most PC owners are not much interested in learning other operating systems (or at least having a look at Mac OS, GNU/Linux). They are very much contented with the system they have!

• Most PC users believe that you need to be a geek to tinker with codes, registry editor, jumper settings on motherboard etc etc. (Which is absolutely false!!!)

• Most PC users are unaware of the security issues with Windows. They prefer their "Crashed windows" rather than GNU?Linux or Mac OS. Some people still use Internet Explorer, very much oblivious of the potential threat looming on their desktop.

Although open source wants to replace Microsoft on the desktop, or at least make a serious dent in Microsoft's hegemony, to do that, the open source community must recognize that its primary goals: freedom of choice, freedom of source code, and freedom to alter applications, are not the goals of the average user! Most users of Microsoft products are content once they pay for the product. They are not bothered to change the codes (With Microsoft, that's impossible) even if they are given a chance! So when it comes to GNU/Linux, most people think that it's a geek's operating system and they cannot use it! That can be the valid reason as to why most people on the planet still prefer using Microsoft products and only few people are left using GNU/Linux. So if Linux has to be on every desktop, a strategic change would be needed! There are plenty of Linux Distributors like, Red Hat, SuSe, Vector, Mandrake, Mandriva, Debian, Ubuntu, Knoppix etc. etc. First of all, there needs to be a standardization in some aspects. So that if a person has to migrate from MS Windows to any of the linux distro, then the choice won't be difficult to make. As there will be some base standard. Also when Open source firmly believes in giving the end users freedom of choice to choose from a variety of Linux distro packs and customization of the system, it must also see to it that the interface of Linux is so easy to operate that there is no "freedom" of choice left but to continue using Linux! Linux can tie up with many computer training centers to teach the Linux operations. It's training must include setup of Linux on a new hard disk, Operation of the Root. Switching to the various GUI's like KDE, Gnome, ICEwm. Installing various application and adding peripherals, with their driver set. This can make a lots of people familiar with the Linux system. On the net, many people vouch that for starters, Ubuntu is the best Distro! That answers the final Question! I firmly believe that with a planned and strategic thinking, Linux will soon be seen on most desktops on the planet! And those who are thinking that why I am promoting Linux so much, well, I am a big fan of the Free Software Foundation and the Open Source! I am not at all a geek or tech nerd. But I would always love to customize the system I use! And more over, why pay and exorbitant amount to a company who gives you an operating system which you cannot customize it in the way you want? Moreover, the hassle does not end here! There are validation checks online, expiry of license over time period, calling off any technical and security support after few years and fines one has to pay for keeping any "pirated" copies. Trust me, you are free from all such headaches while using an open source op. sys.! So... When will you switch to Op. Sys. other than windows??? ;-) O.A.K.

Promise Delivered albeit delayed!

I had promised long back that I will strike back in the blogosphere with loads of new things. But I found myself actually with loads of work. On the eve of the day when I planned to start writing blogs, I found a msg lying in my inbox. I never knew that the msg would take me to Moradabad, UP, India. Well, the trip started with an absolute indecisiveness. The train we (Anita, Yogita and me) boarded was Dadar Amritsar Exp. but it was nothing less than the mumbai locomotives, packed to its brim! We had decided to return home if it was not for a pot bellied TTE, who encouraged us to travel in the train with a wait listed (unconfirmed) ticket! And the journey continued and we reached Moradabad! At Moradabad, we took up the task of organising a huge satsang of 7,000 people in Moradabad's Railway Stadium. It was the first mega event for Moradabad-ians! During the work I witnessed countless miracles, unbelievable feats of marvel, North Indian delicacies, Time spent with Rishi Nityapragyaji! and People with a huge heart. The volunteers there treated us in a very royal way! I always wondered, whenever some swamiji or rishiji would talk about the miracles they experienced, whether they were true? But now, after a stint in Moradabad, I will agree to their last word. It is 100% true that when you do the work for divine, divine takes care of you! Make no mistake about it!!! After returning home on Guruji's B'day (May 13), I was occupied constantly in some work, that kept me tied. So today, taking out time from my busy schedule, I decide to pour out some words on the blog. One more nice thing happened with me! A few days before returning back to mumbai, I decided to meet my li'll cousin sis, in New Delhi, whom I did not see for last eight years! She asked me to join Facebook, yet another social networking (socnet)site. I actually spend less time on such social networking sites. But on her behest, I did join. But to my surprise, I found that lots of YES!+ youth religiously use facebook as an online communication tool! I then found that I was spending around 2 hours a day on facebook adding them to my friends list. Well, Now I understand how such (socnet) helps in keeping people connected. Here's a link containing fotos of Moradabad! Copy paste the link below in your browser to view the album: Trip to moradabad! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=797&id=100000005163816&l=5aadba0725 O.A.K.

Being proud of an Indian

Many people now-a-days, I see, proudly exhibit the western influence on their minds. Eating with fork and spoon, Indian style commodes with Western WCs, Installing Bath Tubs in the bathrooms... Lets start one by one. When Swami Vivekananda visited Chicago for the parliament of religions, he observed the habits of westerners. One person asked swamiji that was it not backward class to eat with hands dipped in the food? Swamiji instantly replied the westerner by saying, "We indians do not poke or slice food. We first feel it with our hands before we feel it with our tongue." Really! Most people may feel it very embarrassing to continue our Indian culture outside India, or even in India while eating with other fellow Indians. We show-off how well groomed we are by eating the way westerners eat! Following is the excerpt from "Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda"

Now hear something about the Western art of cooking. There is greater purity observed in our cooking than in any other country; on the other hand, we have not that perfect regularity, method and cleanliness of the English table. Every day our cook first bathes and changes his clothes before entering the kitchen; he neatly cleanses all the utensils and the hearth with water and earth, and if he chances to touch his face, nose, or any part of his body, he washes his hands before he touches again any food. The Western cook scarcely bathes; moreover, he tastes with a spoon the cooking he is engaged in, and does not think much of re-dipping the spoon into the pot. Taking out his handkerchief he blows his nose vigorously, and again with the same hand he, perchance, kneads the dough. He never thinks of washing his hands when he comes from outside, and begins his cooking at once. But all the same, he has snow-white clothes and cap. Maybe, he is dancing on the dough — why, because he may knead it thoroughly well with the whole pressure of his body, no matter if the sweat of his brow gets mixed with it! (Fortunately nowadays, machines are widely used for the task.) After all this sacrilege, when the bread is finished, it is placed on a porcelain dish covered with a snow-white napkin and is carried by the servant dressed in a spotless suit of clothes with white gloves on; then it is laid upon the table spread over with a clean table-cloth. Mark here, the gloves — lest the man touches anything with his bare fingers!

This shows the level of ignorance towards our own tried and tested culture. I have seen many western ladies (Proudly!) wear saries while our own Indian women "JUST DO NOT KNOW" to wear them. Western ladies are excited to wear bindi. While our young ladies laugh at other (Indian) girls who wear them! How many boys really know to wear Veshthi or Dhoti? I have also seen my Mallayali friend wear Leather belt on his lungi to insure himself from any potential embarrassment! Now what to say? People, while doing the interior designing to their homes, replace Indian style commodes with Western style toilets. They call it sign of advancement. All I can claim is that our ancestors were not fools to continue with the Indian style. When a person sits for cleaning bowels on an Indian style commode, automatically some pressure is created on the large intestines which makes the "excretion" process easy. Yes, some people do give excuse that the old members in their family suffer from arthritis so they cannot sit in Indian commodes. The very cause of such joint pain and arthritis is the fast food culture that we have readily adopted, laying idle watching the idiot box and no exercise for joints. Also using the flush nearly drains out a large quantity of water. Most toilets installed before 1980 use 5-7 gallons of water per flush. Toilets installed between 1980 and 1993 use 3.5 gallons per flush. Toilets installed since 1994 use 1.6 gallons. 1 US gallon = 3.78541178 liters. People now install Bath tubs, but do you know how much water it holds? Here's some math: 1 (cubic foot) = 28.3168466 liters The dimensions of a standard size bathtub are approximately: two feet wide, four and one-half feet long, and one foot deep. Simply multiply as follows to find the tub's volume in cubic feet: 2' x 4.5' x 1' = 9 cubic feet. 9 Cubic feet x 28.32 = 254.88 liters! The standard bath tub in Indian homes hold around 40 liters of water. Here too, swami Vivekananda was asked why do Indians still prefer to bath with buckets instead of soaking themselves in bath tub? The reply was, "In India, when we bathe, the water flows over our body and goes down the drain taking with it the grime and dirt. We do not wallow in the same water in which others bath!" Yet we are so proud to flaunt our Occident influenced minds. This is really surprising!!! O.A.K.

Yet... My mind was calm

For the first time in my life my pocket got picked by a professional PP (Pick pocket-er). All the five points of YES!+ were utilised yesterday. The day began early as I had the to appear for the last paper of third sem of MBA. It was the most boring subject of all for me; Human Resource Management. The first principle I applied was "Accept the situation as it is." I gave my 100% for the subject and got good score in the exam. (Exams are online hence score appears after the paper is submitted) Then I realized that I had given two commitments in evening at the same time. I had to miss one for the sake of other. One was the satsang with Harshal Bhaiyya and Rishi Vidhyadharji. And the other was a small, personal but important meet of 20 min with my YES!+ Teacher. I was in dilemma where to go. I realised "Opposite values are complimentary" One gained, other missed. Shortly, I got to know that the meet was not possible that evening. Then came the evening. The satsang was one of the best I ever experienced. The QnA of Rishiji was par excellence. While returning home from the mumbai local train, somebody made my pocket very light. For a moment I was shocked! This was one of the worst I ever experienced. Again "Opposite values are complimentary" Then other people in the train told me to get down and catch the PP. What a hell of an idea!?! As if the PP told me to meet me down on the platform! It would have been really stupid if I heeded their advice. So I didn't become "Football of their opinion". Then I thought why should I bother knowing who PP-ed my pocket. He's gone anyways. Even the money I lost could be regained soon. I then thought, Guruji always protects this loved one's. Now what happened? Why did guruji let this happen? Then a superb thought sprang in my mind. "Do not find intention behind guruji's style of work." Mysterious are the ways of the master, they say. Even after an eventful day, my mind was steady and calm. It was like, 'I got PP-ed, So-what?' A little "So-ham So-ham" and things are normal. After all this, I feel that I am so lucky that I have a master who really cares for me. All he wants from us is a GENUINE, True to heart, Smile! Well, If you are one of those who have not yet done the YES!+ course then, do not wait. Do it soon. The points above are explained along with a breathing technique named sudarshan kriya(TM) Do it ASAP because you die only once! Jai Gurudev O.A.K.

Expanding horizons

A disciple once visited his guru. The disciple was perpetually unhappy and ever dissatisfied. The disciple asked the guru, "Guruji, Bless me with your wisdom and help me find happiness." So the guru instructed the disciple to put a fistful of salt in the glass of water and taste the water. Guru then asked the disciple, "How does it taste?" Disciple replied, "Awful" The master then said now put the fistful of salt in the lake nearby. Guru and the disciple went to the nearby lake. The disciple put the salt in the lake and tasted the water. Guru again asked the disciple, "How does it taste?" Disciple: Sweet. Guru: Did you find it salty? Disciple: No not at all! Guru smiled at the young man and said, "The miseries of life is like the pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of miseries in your life will remain exactly the same. But the amount of pain we taste entirely depends on the container we put it into. The container is nothing else than mind. So whenever you feel miserable or in pain, only way to get rid of it is to stop being a glass of water. Become a lake or an ocean.

I'll be back!

This is the famous line from the movie The Terminator. A line delivered with panache and vengeance. This reminds me of a old roman empire story. There was a man, marcius, who used to spend considerable time of the day drinking wine and lazing around in the sun. One day, there came a hefty man. The drunkard and the hefty man got hooked up in some altercation and it led to a brawl. Eventually, the drunkard got beaten up very badly. The drunkard decided to return the blows back to the hefty man. He decided to give up drinking. He started exercising daily. He slowly regained his health. Within three years he built good body. He started participating in wrestling championships and won medals & accolades. He also started learning the habits of human mind. He realised how easy it is to make a mind lazy. To do something good the mind needs effort, but to do bad things mind does it effortlessly! Marcius decided to use this against his old enemy, the hefty man. The hefty man was now a little old but strong all the same. He did not want to fight directly with the hefty man. Hefty man was a treacherous person. He used all illegal means to defeat his opponents. So Marcius had thought of a plan. Marcius made a public announcement that the man of might will fight a lion in the arena. At the same time, Marcius used his contacts to hire some prostitutes for the hefty man. Marcius also got a gift, a bottle of wine. The hefty man had mucles but not the discipline. Brawns but no brains. When the hefty man was relishing his gift, and having sensory plesures, Maricus turned up at the hefty man's abode. Marcius was totally a new man now. Virile and strong. Mentally and Physically. The hefty man did not recognise the old opponent. Marcius started extolling the amazing feats of the hefty man. He praised his strength, his skills of fight. The hefty man then angrily asked Marcius, "I have never seen you, Why do you come with such pleseantaries and praise me. What do you want of me?" Marcius skillfully said, "Sir, There is a fight with a lion. The mightiest man in the town is offered to set match with this lion. If you win this match you will be the hero in the roman empire. No one will dare to fight with you, sir!" HEaring this the hefty man agreed for the fight. The next day the hefty man and the lion were in the arena. The fight lasted for two agonizing hours. The lion & hefty man were severly wounded. Both died due to loss of blood. This story we had in our 4th std. moral science. The moral is very simple. If you lead you life in discipline then you can fight even the mightiest enemy. You do not need muscles to fight. The strength is not in muscles, it is in the mind. The fight should not be initiated to propogate violence. Fight to "end" violence. This can be achieved only when there is peace in your heart. It hardly takes any courage to fight, but to say no to the fight one requires tremendous courage. Especially those who have the strength, arm, ammo to fight but avoids using it. Astalavista, baby!

Oohh! Is that so?

Once upon a time there was a sage who had achieved highest state of consciousness. He lived a simple life of a hermit high up in the hills. At the foot hills was a village. The would often go to the village to beg alms. What ever he would get on the day he would suffice it for a week. He was a complete celibate sage. A beautiful girl in that village was pregnant. Her angry parents demanded to know who was the father. At first resistant to confess, the anxious and embarrassed girl finally pointed to sage who lived in the hills. Everyone previously revered him for living such a pure life. When the outraged parents confronted sage with their daughter's accusation, he simply replied "Is that so?" When the child was born, the parents brought it to the sage, now was viewed as a pariah by the whole village. They demanded that he take care of the child since it was his responsibility. "Is that so?" sage said calmly as he accepted the child. For many months he took very good care of the child until the daughter could no longer withstand the lie she had told. She confessed that the real father was a young man in the village whom she had tried to protect. The parents immediately went to sage to see if he would return the baby. With profuse apologies they explained what had happened. "Is that so?" sage said as he handed them the child. What did you learn from the story? Do write comments O.A.K.