The Mind

A prisoner was sentenced to death by hanging, but a group of scientists wanted to test the limits of human belief and the power of the mind. They told him that instead of a hanging, he would be killed by a venomous snakebite. To make it more convincing, they showed him a large, terrifying cobra. The prisoner, filled with fear, was then blindfolded. Unbeknownst to him, the scientists used a sharp needle to prick his hand in the same spot where a snake's fangs would strike, simulating a snakebite. As they watched from a distance, the prisoner, believing he was poisoned by the snake, began to feel the effects of venom coursing through his body. Despite there being no actual venom, the man’s belief in the snakebite led to his rapid physical decline. Within minutes, the man collapsed and died. This phenomenon, though shocking, is known as the placebo effect where belief and expectation can bring about real physical outcomes. It illustrates just how powerful the mind can be. The mind can shape our reality, either for better or for worse. In this case, the prisoner’s belief in his fate was so strong that it caused his body to react as though the bite had truly occurred, even though it had not. This story teaches us a crucial lesson: our thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions have a profound impact on our well-being. What we believe about ourselves and our lives can either uplift us or tear us down. Therefore, it’s essential to maintain a positive outlook, as our minds have the potential to shape our realities. Never underestimate the power of your thoughts. Choose to believe in your strength and potential, for your mind can be your greatest ally in overcoming challenges. ~ Unknown

*The Mysteries of Anatomy*

*Brilliantly written verse...For lovers of the English language:* *The Mysteries of Anatomy* Where can a man buy a cap for his knee, Or the key to a lock of his hair? Can his eyes be called an academy? Because there are pupils there? In the crown of your head can jewels be found? Who crosses the bridge of your nose? If you wanted to shingle the roof of your mouth, Would you use the nails on your toes? Can you sit in the shade of the palm of your hand, Or beat on the drum of your ear? Can the calf in your leg eat the corn off your toe? Then why not grow corn on the ear? Can the crook in your elbow be sent to jail? If so, just what did he do? How can you sharpen your shoulder blades? I'll be darned if I know. Do you? Amazing English Many parts of the body can be used as verbs in either a physical or a metaphorical sense. You can *head* a company, but if things go wrong you'll have to *shoulder* the blame, or *face* your investors. A good leader will *back* his employees, but if you don't *toe* the line the management can *skin* you. Did you *muscle* your way into that job? You might *eye* someone suspiciously, or wait for the police to *finger* a suspect. But avoid putting your *nose* in someone’s business. But if you need to get out of town, you can *thumb* a ride or you can ride with me if you can *stomach* the thought. Use strong *arm* tactic if you want to *elbow* out someone. I don't always sing along with the radio, but I sometimes do *mouth* the words. *(To all English-Language Lovers)*

Some interesting facts we are not aware of: You’ll love this .

Some interesting facts we are not aware of: You’ll love this .. 😇 1. In the 1400s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb.' 2. Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language. 3. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades - King David, Hearts - Charlemagne, Clubs -Alexander the Great, Diamonds - Julius Caesar 4. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.' 5. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon. 6. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.' It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's' 7. Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice. 8. In 1696, William III of England introduced a property tax that required those living in houses with more than six windows to pay a levy. In order to avoid the tax, house owners would brick up all windows except six. (The Window Tax lasted until 1851, and older houses with bricked-up windows are still a common sight in the U.K.) As the bricked-up windows prevented some rooms from receiving any sunlight, the tax was referred to as “daylight robbery”! Now, there you have the origin of these phrases. Interesting isn’t it!! ☝ ( Forwarded as received)

Can Arjuna beat Kumbhakarna in a fight?

Can Arjuna beat Kumbhakarna in a fight? He cannot even scratch a single hair of Kumbhakarna. In fact, Kumbhakarna would devour everyone in Kurukshetra battlefield, if unleashed upon it. Kumbhakarna' single handedly defeated armies of devas and asuras several times in treta yuga. Just like a routine. “For several times, in battles between gods and demons, you conquered the celestials and demons, after attacking them in the battle. O Kumbhakarna of terrible prowess! Therefore, show your entire prowess. There is indeed no one, in the entire beings, who is equal to you in strength." Even Indra or Yama could'nt stand in his path. "He is the powerful Kumbhakarna, the son of Visravasa. He conquered Yama and Indra in battle. There is no other demon, corresponding to the size of his body. O Rama! He conquered thousands of celestials, demons, a class of demi-gods, serpent demons, ogres, Gandharvas the celestial musicians, Vidyadharas the celestials artistes and Kinnaras (the semi-divine beings with the human form and the head of a horse) in battle." The weapons of Devas and Asuras could only tickle him and even Indra's Vajra was merely able to make him angry and nothing more. Indra posessed weapons like Brahmashira and Vaishnavastra, still couldn't do anything against him. Kumbhakarna' plucked out Airavata’s tusk and pierced into Indra's heart. That Mahendra wielding a thunder-bolt was enraged and struck Kumbhakarna with his weapon of the white thunderbolt. The great souled Kumbhakarna struck by Indra's thunderbolt was quite agitated at it and roared loudly with anger. Hearing the roar of that Kumbhakarna, the demon, who was howling loudly, the frightened people were further frightened." "Enraged as he was on Mahendra, the mighty Kumbhakarna then pulled out a tusk of Airavata, Indra's elephant and struck it into Indra's chest. That Devendra, tormented by the hit of Kumbhakarna, was burning with rage. The celestials, Brahmanical sages and demons were suddenly aggrieved. Even Indra with his people went to the abode of Brahma the Lord of creation." Power of celestial weapons depends on the user. And still Rama needed 4 celestial weapons back to back to kill Kumbhakarna. Speaking of Rama's energy, his normal arrows destroyed a divine spear of Makaraksha, which was built by Shiva. Yet these arrows couldn't even scratch Kumbhakarna. In fact, even the Roudrastra used by Ram was merely able to stun him and nothing more. Compare that to Arjuna who failed to beat Brahmastras of like of Karna and Drona. His Brahmastra killed few hundred foot soldiers. With that, he won't be able to cause a dent to Kumbhakarna. The so called Mahapasupata could be able to tickle him, but that's the best it could do based on its feat(when used by Arjuna) of killing sixty thousand Kalakeyas and Poulomas. It won't be able to cause him any significant discomfort. Sure it could kill Kumbhakarna if used by someone with immense power. But Arjuna simply doesn't cut it. Kumbhakarna' would feast of Pandavas' and Kauravas, and it won't even satisfy his hunger to be honest.

Is it true that Dasaratha (father of Lord Rama) had more than 350 wives?

Is it true that Dasaratha (father of Lord Rama) had more than 350 wives? Yes. It is true that Dashratha had more than 350 wives. Before leaving for exile, Sri Rama visited his father last time to seek his blessings. When Rama alongwith Devi Sita and Lakshmana reached Dashratha's place, he asked Sumantra (Dashratha's charioteer) to inform Dashratha about their arrival. Sumantra then informs Dashratha about their arrival. Dashratha expresses his wish to Sumantra that he wants to see Rama in presence of all his wives. This is how it is narrated in the critical edition - O Sumantra! Bring all my wives who are present. I wish to see Raghava when I am surrounded by all my wives. Sumantra then on Dashratha's order informs all of his wives about the king's desire. This is how it is narrated in the critical edition - Knowing about the king’s command, they went to their husband’s residence. Three hundred and fifty women, with coppery red eyes and firm in their vows, surrounded Kousalya and went there slowly. The Gita Press (Hindi translated) version also confirms this fact. From these excerpts of Valmiki Ramayana, it is clear that Dashratha had 350 wives plus 3 chief wives (patranis).

GROWING UP

Good Morning!!! God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~* April 10, 2025 GROWING UP The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 115 Sometimes when I’ve become willing to do what I should have been doing all along, I want praise and recognition. I don’t realize that the more I’m willing to act differently, the more exciting my life is. The more I am willing to help others, the more rewards I receive. That’s what practicing the principles means to me. Fun and benefits for me are in the willingness to do the actions, not to get immediate results. Being a little kinder, a little slower to anger, a little more loving makes my life better–day by day. **************************************************** Gratitude "Gratitude should go forward, rather than backward. "In other words, if you carry the message to still others, you will be making the best possible repayment for the help given to you." No satisfaction has been deeper and no joy greater than in a Twelfth Step job well done. To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as they move from darkness into light, to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning, and above all to watch them awaken to the presence of a loving God in their lives – these things are the substance of what we receive as we carry A.A.'s message. 1. LETTER, 1959 2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 110 *********** "Take care of the little things, the bigger things are easier to handle" ******************** GRAPEVINE quote of the day "May those who come to know the truth never forget it." Mulberry, Florida, June 2011 "This Wasted Life," AA Grapevine **************************************************** People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. --George Bernard Shaw It's easy to let circumstances determine how we think and behave. While it's true that some events seem devastating, our relationship with a Higher Power can help us accept and even grow from experiences that seem impossible to cope with. We all have known men and women who've handled grave upsets far more easily than we have. How did they do it? They have no magic. Rather, they may be more comfortable letting their Higher Power help them accept and understand unfortunate circumstances. Once we accept our anger or disappointment, we're free to move on to better feelings. We begin to realize we have choices in how we look at problems. We are never given more than we can handle. We can develop acceptance of any circumstances, but our success in doing so, comes mainly through our reliance on God to show us the way. God will help me handle the uncontrollable events of today. Through acceptance, I can change my feelings at any moment – even right now. *********** "Success is getting up after you fall down." ****************** Just considering.......... "At heart we had all been abnormally fearful. It mattered little whether we had sat on the shore of life drinking ourselves into forgetfulness or had plunged in recklessly and willfully beyond our depth and ability. The result was the same – all of us had nearly perished in a sea of alcohol." Bill W., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 123-4 Thought to consider ………. I didn't make it all the way to the beach to drown in the sand. Topic Question: What fears do you have today and what are you doing to overcome them? ********************************************** There are persons who have some parts like me, but no one adds up exactly like me. --Virginia Satir Most of us feel pretty ordinary. We probably wish we were taller or shorter. Some of us are fat rather than thin. Few of us have perfect skin or teeth. Often, we look at others, compare ourselves, and wish we were different. At these times, it's important to remember that each of us is special. We differ from others because we're created for different purposes. Some of us will make a contribution to the world of sports, some to the art of music. Teaching or medicine will attract others and yet, no two of us will give to the world in the same way. Our unique mixture of looks, attitudes, and abilities will be special and very necessary to the people sharing our lifetime. How can I give my special gift to the world today? ********** "Time takes time." ****************** ALKIESPEAK – Book – Quote We’re blessed with a disease where we’re forced to love people. - Terry In 1938, Drastic - Acting strongly and quickly, as a remedy. ~ The Winston Simplified Dictionary Encyclopedic Edition (1938) “But the program of action, though entirely sensible, was pretty drastic.” (42:2) ** You already know what they wrote. Now you know what they meant. ** **************************************************** Any time you sense you are getting overrun by outside influences and losing your feelings, put your attention inside your body. Relax ………., let your breath sink low ……., breathe in your abdomen...... —ANNE KENT RUSH When we are feeling as though all our energy is scattered throughout our bodies, we need to practice centering, or focusing this energy into one place. Our center may change from day to day, and each of us feels it differently. When we're walking, we may feel power coming from our hips and spreading through the body, heart, and mind. When we're in a meditative mood, we may feel warm energy at the back of the head. At other times, we might feel a real centering place in the middle of the chest, right where our heart and arms and breathing come together. There is no one way to be at peace. Centering is a way for each of us to find and picture to ourselves our focused energy. When we can do this, we increase our power to bring about those things we want from life, those things we really do deserve. Where is my energy right now? ********** "A resentment is hurting yourself with the hope that someone else will feel the pain." ******************** Just a thought……………… They say that the most dangerous year in our sobriety is the nth year, where "N" equals our current year of sobriety. It's another way of saying we can never afford to become complacent about our sobriety -- hang around long enough and we'll hear about some former members who went out in their nth year. We should be grateful for our past sobriety and hopeful for future sobriety, but we need to continue to do the work today that makes continued sobriety possible. So........ Faith without works is dead – do I have faith that AA will work if I work it? ***************************************************** ~*~A.A. Thoughts for the Day~*~ ^*^*^*^*^ (\ ~~ /) ( \ (AA)/ ) (_ /AA\ _) /AA\ ^*^*^*^*^ Growing Up ^*^*^*^*^ "As we grow spiritually, we find that our old attitudes toward our instincts need to undergo drastic revisions. Our desires for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power, for romance, and for family satisfactions - all these have to be tempered and redirected. We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives. If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first - then and only then do we have a real chance." Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 114, "How many of us would presume to declare, 'Well, I'm sober and I'm happy. What more can I want, or do? I'm fine the way I am.' We know that the price of such self-satisfaction is an inevitable backslide, punctuated at some point by a very rude awakening. We have to grow or else deteriorate. For us, the status quo can only be for today, never for tomorrow. Change we must; we cannot stand still." Bill W., Box 1980: The AA Grapevine, June 1961 As Bill Sees It, p. 25

NO SUPERSTITIONS

Wed 9 Apr, 19:21 (17 hours ago) to Good Morning!!! NO SUPERSTITIONS Around the Year with Emmet Fox April 10 Don't harbor superstitions of any kind, big or little. People often make a fetish of a number or a date, or a keepsake; or they believe certain things bring "bad luck." This is denying God. The Bible says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” Exodus 20:3 “Because thou hath made the Lord . . . thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee....” Psalm 91:9-10

*Why We Love Eulogies More Than Visits..

*Why We Love Eulogies More Than Visits..* ------------------------------------------ There’s something bizarre about human nature. A person could be lying on his bed, sick and lonely, and the only visitors he gets are the lizards on the ceiling and the occasional mosquito buzzing in his ear. But, the moment he kicks the bucket—BAM!—people crawl out of the woodwork, delivering Oscar-worthy speeches about what a *"gem of a person"* he was! *"He was a great soul, always helping others."* *"Such a kind-hearted man, always there for everyone."* *"The world has lost an irreplaceable human being!"* Really? If he was so irreplaceable, why was his phone gathering dust when he was alive? Where Were You, Sherlock? You see, humans have a strange habit of remembering people… after they’re gone. A man could be sitting at home for years, waiting for a simple- *"Hey, how are you?"* call, but all he hears is the sound of his own thoughts. However, the day he moves to the next world, people suddenly remember all the good times they had with him (even if the last *"good time"* was in the Jurassic era)! The irony? They’ll travel miles, cancel meetings, and even take leave from work to attend the funeral. But visiting him when he was alive? *"Ah, you know, I’ve been really busy."* Busy? With what? Scrolling Instagram? Watching YouTube videos on *"How to be more productive"* while doing absolutely nothing? The Art of Saying Too Much, Too Late.. The best part? Funerals become storytelling competitions. *"Oh, he was like a brother to me!"* (Really? Name his favourite food.) *"He always made me laugh!"* (Then why was he crying alone last week?) *"He touched so many lives!"* (Then why didn’t you touch his by showing up when he needed you?) It’s like people love to collect words and tributes, but only when the person can’t hear them anymore. If we used even 10% of that effort to actually visit people, imagine how many smiles we could bring. The Reality Check... Look, it’s simple—people don’t need your praises when they’re gone; they need your presence when they’re here. No one ever died from an overdose of love and attention. So, if you truly care about someone, prove it while they can still appreciate it. Before rushing to deliver a grand eulogy, try these instead: ✔️ Call that old friend you haven’t spoken to in years. ✔️ Visit that lonely uncle who keeps forwarding WhatsApp jokes no one replies to. ✔️ Spend time with your parents before they start confusing you with the neighbour’s son. ✔️ Show love today, not posthumously. Because let’s be honest—no one wants to be the most popular person in the cemetery...!! ------------------------------------------ Jai Hind.

Peace of Soul

Fri 4 Apr, 06:00 (3 days ago) to Good Morning!!! Peace of Soul Around the Year with Emmet Fox April 4 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you… Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). This true, interior soul-peace was known to the mystics as serenity, and they are never tired of telling us that serenity is the grand passport to the Presence of God – the sea as smooth as glass that is round about the Great White Throne. This is not to say that one cannot tackle even the most serious difficulties by prayer without having any serenity at all. But before you can make any true spiritual progress you must achieve serenity; and it is that fundamental tranquility of soul that Jesus refers to by the word peace – the peace that passes all human understanding. The Peacemakers are those who bring about this peace in their own souls; they surmount limitation and become actually, not merely potentially, the children of God. This condition of mind is the objective at which Jesus aims. Of course, to be a peacemaker in the usual sense of composing the quarrels of other people is an excellent thing; but, as all practical people know, an excessively difficult role to fill. But once you understand the power of prayer, you will be able to heal many quarrels in the true way; probably without speaking at all. The silent thought of All-Power of Love and Wisdom will cause trouble to melt away almost imperceptibly. You will become a peacemaker.

Krishna was born in 3228 BC. If He is God, then who created the universe, which has been created millions of years before Krishna?

Krishna was born in 3228 BC. If He is God, then who created the universe, which has been created millions of years before Krishna? Firstly, God didn't create the universe. It's only to say. God is supreme controller of the universe. Since He is ultimate controller so it's natural to think that he is its creator too. Though, some scriptures state that God is such entity where everything emanates from. But again emanation and creation are two different things. (Lamp emanates the light, not creates the light). Some texts say that universe is beginning less along God who is the true permanent bliss, happiness and peace. This universe is subservient to God. GOD IS MOST POWERFUL. Secondly, Krishna was unborn. He was never born. He was birthless, beyond time & space, beyond life and death. He was/is eternal, beginning less, endless personality. He is ever existing. Both Mahabharata and Bhagvatam mention this frequently. Lord Krishna is beyond past, future and present. And Since he is beyond time, your question doesn't make sense as it mentions numbers. Lord Krishna is beyond old and new. He has been governing the universe ever since it came into existence. . Thankyou. Edit :- Some people are commenting that it's about Lord Krishna’s physical birth on earth. We know that he is god and unborn eternal. Let me clear this misconception —- There is not even physical birth of Lord Krishna. He is absolutely birthless, unborn. Krishna had manifested in his four hand Vishnu form before Devaki and Vasudeva in the prison house of Kamsa. After explaining them why did he do that Krishna converted himself into an infant and made himself lay near to devaki. Rest all was only yogmaya effect of the lord. Krishna made feel Devaki pregnant for entire nine months & at the time of delivery. In reality there was no child in the womb of Devaki. So Krishna is entirely ajanma, anadi, ananta. Edit 2 :- The disappearance of Lord Krishna : The event of Lord Krishna's departure from earth too had to be mysterious, deluding and divine. (not natural). So what we see through scriptures, The scene: The hunter shoots an arrow at the foot of Lord Krishna and immediately runs to him with fear and guilt. He apologizes the supreme lord. Lord Krishna comforts him and ascends upwards the sky leaving a dummy of his body for the ritual of cremation. After leaving the earth, Lord Krishna, the super soul then reaches to heaven, meets some deities, gandharvas and apsaras and finally goes to his fathomless abode Param Dhama..

THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON GOLD

Good Morning!!! THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON GOLD Around the Year with Emmet Fox April 6 We know that the spiritual consciousness which we are all engaged in building is spoken of in the Bible as the Temple of Solomon. The name Solomon means peaceful, and symbolizes wisdom. This is logical, for peace of mind is the foundation of all spiritual building, the hallmark of understanding. The Bible states that five things were to be found around the temple. “For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks” 1 Kings 10:22 This is the Scriptural manner of telling us that there are five principal temptations that may come to the soul that is striving to build the spiritual temple. The particular form that each temptation takes will vary according to the temperament and circumstances of the subject, but in principle will be the same. First comes the gold, and this stands for desire for personal power over other people, the desire to regulate their lives, to make them toe the line—our line, naturally—and even to make use of them. Many people on the spiritual path have given way to this temptation. They must dominate other people's souls. They tell themselves that it is done for the good of the victims, of course, but it is really a craving for personal power and glorification. It is not an ignoble sin like that connected with the silver, but for that very reason it is far more dangerous, far-reaching, and enduring. The thing that gold symbolizes when rightly understood is the omnipresence of God; and of course, religious tyranny is a denial of this. You should do all you can to help, to enlighten, and to inspire others, as far as your own understanding will permit, but you must never try to dictate their convictions; or to hold to your own opinions. Religious tyranny is poisonous to the victims; but it is absolutely mortal to the tyrant.

Resplendent Rayalseema- Temples and More

https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/2259/the-daily-guardian/15

Celebs

This was sent to me by someone about two years back. Thought it is worth sharing. 😎 *It is wonderfully written.* I never understood one thing that what do these film actors or actresses do that they get 50 crores or 100 crores for each film? In a country where top scientists, doctors, lawyers,engineers, professors, officers etc. get 10 lakh to 20 lakh rupees per year, in that country a film actor earns 10 crore to 100 crore rupees per year. *What does he do after all? What is their contribution in the development of the country?* After all, what does he do that he earns so much in just one year that it might take 100 years for the top scientist of the country! _Today, the three areas which have fascinated the new generation of the country are cinema, cricket and politics._ The earning and prestige of the people belonging to these three fields is beyond all limits. These three areas are the ideals of modern youth, while their credibility is currently under question. So it is useless for the country and the society. _Drugs and prostitution in Bollywood, match fixing in cricket, hooliganism and corruption in politics. Money is the main reason behind all this and it is we who bring this money to them._ We are doing our own harm by burning our own money. This is the height of stupidity. Till 70-80 years back, famous actors used to get normal salary. Till 30-40 years ago, the earnings of cricketers were also not special. Till 30-40 years ago, there was not so much loot in politics. *Slowly they started robbing us and we kept robbing ourselves happily.* By getting caught in the clutches of these mafia, we are destroying the future of our children and our country. _Till 50 years back, movies were not made so vulgar and sloppy. Cricketers and politicians were not so arrogant. Today he has become our God (?). Now there is a need to lift them from the head and slam them so that they can know their status._ Once , when the then Vietnamese President Ho-Chi-Minh came to India, in a meeting with Indian ministers, he asked - _"What do you guys do?"_ These people said - "We do politics." He could not understand this answer, so he asked again - "I mean, what is your profession?" These people said - _"Politics is our profession."_ Ho-Chi Minh got a little annoyed and said - *"Maybe you people do not understand my meaning. I do politics too, but by profession , I am a farmer and I do farming. Farming makes my livelihood. In the morning and evening I go to my fields. I work. I do my responsibility for the country as President during the day."* _When Ho-Chi-Minh asked the same thing again, a member of the delegation shrugged and said - "Politics is our profession."_ It is clear that Indian leaders had no answer to this. Later a survey revealed that the livelihood of more than 6 lakh people in India was supported by politics. Today this number has reached in crores. _Just a few months ago, when Europe was being devastated by Corona, the doctors were not getting even a little leave for several months in a row, then a Portuguese doctor said angrily - "Go to Ronaldo, to whom you would give millions of dollars to watch. I only get a few thousand dollars."_ I firmly believe that in a country where the ideals of young students are not scientists, researchers, educationists, but actors, politicians and sportsmen, they may have their own economic progress, but the country will never progress. Socially, intellectually, culturally, strategically, the country will always remain backward. The unity and integrity of such a country will always be in danger. The country in which the dominance of unnecessary and irrelevant sector continues to grow, that country will be weakening day by day. _The number of corrupt and anti-nationals will continue to increase in the country. Honest people will be marginalized and nationalists will be forced to lead a difficult life._ *We need to create an environment to groom and promote talented, honest, conscientious, social worker, belligerent, patriot citizens..*

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Show respect to people even when they don't deserve it. Respect is a reflection of your character, not theirs. Don't be disappointed if people refuse to help you. Remember the words of Einstein - I am thankful to all those who said no. Because of them, I did it myself. You don't have to tell everyone everything. Not because it is a secret, but because it is none of their business. There is a difference between somebody who wants you and somebody who would do anything to keep you. If you don't leave your past in the past, it will destroy your future. Live for what today has to offer, not what yesterday has taken away. The golden rule of all relationships is to correct each other in private and defend each other in public.

Lucknow

The grand finale Ramzan Food walk on Saturday night in old Lucknow.After couple of Ramzan outings, we,a group of friends decided to explore the streets,food,lights,people,shops and festivities as Ramzan is coming to finale and Eid about to come.As Navratri is starting so we decided to go on Saturday night. We started the walk with newly constructed Hussainabad Food Court near Clock Tower.The Food court had newly placed shops like Wahid Biryani,Kabeers but the highlight was legendary Haleem from Hyderabad famed Pista House.The mutton Haleem was lip smacking with chunks of meat,hearty mixture of spices, pulsed and also had few small bones in it.A bit spicy as compared to the Haleems available by other online restaurants here,yet I can safely say the Haleem was excellent and was available only for Ramzan.The Hussainabad street was lighted with Food shops,some temporary stalls,loads of people,vehicles and all making the festivities look grand. There was a festival mela also going on next to Ghanta Ghar with giant wheel and other rides. Our next destination was Paatnala at the famous Lucknow Idrees Biryani where we had the Pulav and mutton qorma, they were also baking fresh kulchas and the crowd there ensured that there was no sitting place available so we finished the yum dish standing. The entire street till Nakhaas was full of people,restricted traffic and several temporary shops selling clothes,footwear and other stuff. Even the regular shops were open in late night and customers were doing last minute purchasing for Eid. The lovely weather added to the walk mood and we headed to Mandu Shikanji towards Raja Bazaar from Paatnala lanes.This famous shop in tiny lane served excellent Pudina Shikanji ,though there were several flavours available and hordes of youth quenching thirst post midnight. As we headed more towards Nakhaas,the newly grand Mubeen with all Tikkas,Tandoori items looked great but we were full till that time. The walk continued in Akbari Gate where more crowd was there shopping and eating at legendary Raheems,old Mubeens and also some temporary shops selling Biryani and other. We took the inside lane from there which heads towards Gol Darwaza and entire shopping area had shops of caps,kurtis and others with people enjoying Ramzan mood. As we reached Gol Darwaza we saw the preparations starting for Chaitra Navratri with the decor.There were stalls of Kulfi open till late and we had the Makhan Malai milk to end this beautiful journey. The overall walk till late night was a complete one not only Food wise, but also capturing the entire essence of festivities and our city and will be long remembered!!!

THE PURE IN HEART

THE PURE IN HEART Around the Year with Emmet Fox March 31 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” Matthew 5:8 This is one of those wonderful gnomic sayings in which the Bible is so rich. It is a summing up in a few words of a whole philosophy of religion. Let us begin by considering what the promise in this Beatitude is. It is nothing less than to see God. To "see" in the sense referred to here, signifies spiritual perception, and spiritual perception is just that capacity to apprehend the true nature of Being that we all so sadly lack. We live in God's world, but we do not in the least know it as it is. Heaven lies all about us— but because we are lacking in spiritual perception, we are unable to recognize it, to experience it, and, therefore, so far as we are concerned, we may be said to be shut out of Heaven. We are very much in the position of a color-blind man in a beautiful flower garden. All around him are glorious colors; but he sees only blacks, whites, and grays. If we suppose him to be also devoid of the sense of smell, we shall see what a very small part of the glory of the garden exists for him. Yet it is all there, if he could but sense it. Our task is to surmount these limitations as rapidly as may be, until we reach the point where we can know things as they really are— experience Heaven as it really is. That is what is meant by "seeing God." To see God is to apprehend Truth as it really is, and this is infinite freedom and perfect bliss.

83 Noble prize winners are from Stanford University till now

A lady in a faded grey dress and her husband dressed in a home made suit walked in timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods individuals had no business at Harvard and probably did not even deserve to be in Harvard. "We want to see the President" the man said softly. "He will be busy all day" the lady secretary snapped. "We will wait" the lady replied. For hours the secretary ignored them hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They did not and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president. "Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they will leave" she said to him. The president. stern faced and with dignity strutted towards the couple. The lady told him "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago he was accidentally killed. My husband & I would like to erect a memorial for him, somewhere on the campus". The president was not touched, in fact he was shocked. "Madam" he said gruffly "We cannot put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery". "Oh No..No.." the lady explained quickly. "We do not want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to your Harvard in his fond memory". The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the lady's dress and man's suit and then exclaimed: "A Building?" Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard. For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly "Is that all it costs to start a University? Why don't we just start our own?" Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. & Mrs. Leland & Jane Stanford got up and walked away, travelling to Paolo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name: Stanford University - a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about. Most of the time we judge people by their outer appearance which can be misleading. And in the impression, we tend to treat people badly by thinking they can do nothing for us. Thus we tend to lose out potential good friends, employees or customers. Though, it may not be convenient for you, but still do your best to always be supportive. Especially to those even if you think they can't offer you anything. Arrogance is a killer .... a soft word turns away wrath! Humility is a virtue, so, please continue with it. *By the way, 83 Noble prize winners are from Stanford University till now !!!*

Stave of Depressing Thoughts and Emotions

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2025/columnists/staving-off-depressing-thoughts-and-emotions.html

Speech by Bernie Sanders …

Speech by Bernie Sanders … A few hours ago on the floor of the Senate, Bernie Sanders torched billionaires, scorched Trump, and burned every shred of political cowardice in his path. Here is his fiery speech, word for word: Mr. President, In the last couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to travel in many parts of our country. And I have been able to talk to folks in Nebraska, in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona. And what I am hearing from in all of these states and in fact all over the country is that our nation right now faces enormous crises, unprecedented crises in the modern history of our country. And how right now at this moment we respond to these crises will not only impact our lives, it will impact the lives of our kids and future generations. And in terms of climate change, the well-being of the entire planet. And Mr. President, what I have to tell you is that the American people are angry at what is happening here in Washington, DC and they are prepared to stand up and fight back. In my view and what I have heard from many, many people is that they will not accept an oligarchic form of society where a handful of billionaires control our government, where the wealthiest person on Earth, Mr. Musk, is running all over Washington, DC slashing the Social Security Administration so that our elderly people today are finding it extremely difficult to access the benefits that they paid into. Where Mr. Musk and his friends are slashing the Veterans Administration so that people who put their lives on the line to defend us will not be able to get the health care that they are entitled to or get the benefits that they are owed in a timely manner. Slashing the Department of Education. Slashing USAID. And why is all of this slashing taking place? It is taking place so that the wealthiest people in this country can receive over $1 trillion dollars in tax breaks. Now, I don't care if you are a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent. There are very few people in this country who think that you slash programs that working families desperately need in order to give tax breaks to billionaires. Mr. President, I am the former chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and I have had the honor of meeting with veterans in my own state of Vermont—all over Vermont—but all over the country. These are the men and women who put the uniform of this country on and have been prepared to die to defend our nation and American democracy. And these veterans and Americans all over our nation will not accept an authoritarian form of society with a president who undermines our Constitution every day. Every day there's something else out there where he's undermining our Constitution and threatening the very foundations of American democracy. That is not what people fought and died to allow to happen. Mr. President, I am not a historian, but I do know that the founding fathers of this country were no dummies. They were really smart guys. And in the 1780s, they wrote a Constitution and established a form of government with a separation of powers. A separation of powers—with an executive branch, the president; a legislative branch, the Congress; and a judicial branch. These revolutionaries in the 1780s had just fought a war against the imperial rule of the King of England who was an absolute dictator, the most powerful person on Earth. And these revolutionaries here in America forming a new government wanted to make absolutely sure that no one person in this brand new country that they were forming would have unlimited powers. And that is why we have a separation of powers. That is why we have a judiciary, a Congress, and an executive branch. In other words, way back in the 1780s, they wrote a Constitution to prevent exactly what Donald Trump is trying to do today. So, let us be clear about what is going on. Donald Trump is attacking our First Amendment and is trying to intimidate the media and those who speak out against him in an absolutely unprecedented way. Mr. President, he has sued ABC, CBS, Meta, the Des Moines Register. His FCC is now threatening to investigate NPR and PBS. He has called CNN and MSNBC “illegal.” In other words, the leader—or the so-called leader—of the free world is afraid of freedom. He doesn't like criticism. Well, guess what? None of us like criticism. But you don't get elected to the Senate, you don't get elected to the House, you don't become a governor, you don't become a president of the United States unless you are prepared to deal with that criticism. And the response to that criticism in a democracy is not to sue the media, is not to intimidate the media. It's to respond in the way you think best. But Mr. President, it is not just the media that Trump is going after. He is going after the constitutional responsibilities that this body, the United States Congress, has. And I will say it amazes me, it really does, how easily my Republican colleagues here in the Senate and in the House are willing to surrender their constitutional responsibilities. Give it over to the president. Trump has illegally and unconstitutionally withheld funds that Congress has appropriated. You can't do that. Congress has the power of the purse. We make a decision. We argue about it here. Big debates, vote-aras, the whole thing. Make that decision. That money goes out. The president does not have the right to withhold funds that Congress has appropriated. Trump has illegally and unconstitutionally decimated agencies that can only be changed or reformed by Congress. You don't like the Department of Education, you don't like USAID, fine. Come to the Congress. Tell us what reforms you want to see. You do not have the right to unilaterally do away with these agencies. Trump has fired members of independent agencies and inspectors general that he does not have the authority to do. But Mr. President, it is not just the media that he is trying to intimidate. It is not just the powers of Congress that he wants. Now, in an absolutely outrageous, unconstitutional and extraordinarily dangerous way, he is going after the judiciary. His view is that if you don't like a decision that a judge renders, you get rid of that judge. You try to impeach that judge. You intimidate judges so that you get the decisions that you want. You know, I'm thinking back now as someone who is not a supporter of the Roberts court, and I'm thinking about one of the worst Supreme Court decisions that has ever been rendered—that is Citizens United. I'll say more about that in a moment. And I'm thinking about the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away American women's right to control their own bodies. In my view, these were outrageous decisions, unpopular decisions. But it never occurred to me, because maybe I'm old-fashioned and conservative, and I believe that you live by the rule of law, to say, “Hey, look at the decision Roberts made. We're going to impeach him.” No, we try to elect a new president who's going to appoint new Supreme Court justices. That is the system that people have fought and died to defend. But it's not just the movement toward oligarchy, which is outraging millions of Americans—Democrats and Republicans, by the way—and it's not just the movement toward authoritarianism that we are seeing. The American people, especially with Mr. Musk and 13 billionaires in the Trump administration running agency after agency... The American people are saying as loudly as they can that they will not accept a society of massive economic and wealth inequalities, where the very richest people in our country are becoming much richer while working families are struggling to put food on the table. Having gone all over this country, I can tell you that the American people are sick and tired of these inequalities and they want an economy that works for all of us—not just the 1%. You know, Mr. President, we deal with a whole lot of stuff here in the Congress, and you know, virtually all of it is important in one way or another. But let's do something, you know, fairly radical today. Let's try to tell the truth—the real truth—about what is going on in our society today. Something that we don't talk about too much here in the Senate. We don't talk about it too much in the House. We don't talk about it too much in the corporate media. But the reality is that today we have two Americas. Two very, very different Americas. And in one of those Americas, the wealthiest people have never ever had it so good. In the whole history of our country, the people on top have never ever had it so good as they have it today. Today, we have more income and wealth inequality than there has ever been in the history of America. Now, I know we don't discuss it. You don't see it much on TV. You don't hear it talked about here at all. But the American people do not believe that it is appropriate that three people—one, two, three—Mr. Musk, Mr. Bezos, and Mr. Zuckerberg, three Americans, own more wealth than the bottom half of American society. 170 million people. Really? Three people own more wealth than 170 million people? Anybody here think that is vaguely appropriate? And by the way, those very same three people—the three richest people in America—were right there at Trump’s inaugural, standing right behind the president. So, you want to know what oligarchy is? I know there's some confusion out there. What is oligarchy? Well, it starts off when you have the three wealthiest people in the country standing right behind the president when he gets inaugurated. The top 1% in our country now own more wealth than the bottom 90%. CEOs make 300 times more than their average worker. And unbelievably—real inflation-accounted-for wages today—the average American worker, if you can believe it, despite a massive increase in worker productivity, is lower today than it was 52 years ago. And during that period, there was a $75 trillion transfer of wealth that went from the bottom 90% to the top 1%. That is the reality of the American economy today. And you know what? Maybe we might want to be talking about that. And in our America today, in that top America, that one America, the 1% are completely separate and isolated from the rest of the country. You think they get on a subway to get to work? Think they sit in a traffic jam for an hour trying to get to work? Not the case. They fly around in the jets and the helicopters that they own. They live in their mansions all over the world in their gated communities. They have nannies taking care of their babies. They don't worry about the cost of child care. And they send their kids to the best private schools and colleges. Sometimes they vacation not in a Motel 6, not in a national park, but on the very own islands that they have. And on occasion, for the very very richest—just to have for a kick, have a little bit of fun—maybe they'll spend a few million dollars flying off into space in one of their own spaceships. Sounds like fun. But it is not just massive income and wealth inequality that we're dealing with today. We have more concentration of ownership than ever before. While the profits on Wall Street and corporate America soar, a handful of giant corporations dominate sector after sector—whether it's agriculture, transportation, media, financial services, etc., etc. Small number of huge corporations—international corporations—dominating sector after sector. And as a result of that concentration of ownership, they are able to charge the American people outrageously high prices for the goods and services we need. Mr. President, we don't talk about it too much. Maybe we should. But there are three Wall Street firms—BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street—that combined are the major stockholders in 95% of our corporations. Got that? Three Wall Street firms—three—are the major stockholders in 95% of American corporations. So, Mr. President, that is one America. People on top doing phenomenally well. Not only do they have economic power, they have enormous political power. That’s what’s going on there. They live like kings. That’s one America. But there is another America. And in that other America, 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck. And millions of workers from one end of this country to the other are trying to survive on starvation wages. And unlike Donald Trump, I grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck. And I know the anxieties that my mom and dad had, living in a rent-controlled apartment. Can we afford to buy this? Why did you buy that? And that’s the story taking place all over America. What does living paycheck to paycheck mean? It means that every single day, millions of Americans worry about how they're going to pay their rent or their mortgage. All over the country, rents are skyrocketing. And people are wondering: What happens—what happens to me and my kids if rent goes up by 20% and I can't afford it? Where do I live? Do I have to take my kid out of school? Where do I put my kid? In worst case scenario, do I live in my car? Let’s be clear. There are many people who are working today who are living in the back of their cars. How do I pay for child care? I talked to a cop, a guy the other day—a police officer—spending $20,000 a year for child care. How do I buy decent food for my kids when the price of groceries is off the charts? What happens if I get sick or my kid gets sick or my mother gets sick and I got a $12,000 deductible and I can’t afford to go to the doctor? How, at the end of the month, am I going to pay my credit card bill—even though I am being charged 20 or 30% interest rates by the usurious credit card companies? People are worrying about simple things. What happens if my car breaks down and the guy at the repair shop says it’s going to cost $1,000 and I don’t have $1,000 in the bank? And if I don’t have a car, how do I get to work? And if I don’t get to work, how do I have an income? And if I don’t have an income, how do I take care of my family? Those are the crises that millions of Americans are experiencing today. But it’s not just working-age Americans. Today, in our country, half of older workers—older workers—have nothing in the bank as they face retirement. And they’re watching TV and they’re saying, “Mr. Musk is firing Social Security workers,” and actually worrying whether Social Security will be there for them. And it’s not just older workers with nothing in the bank wondering what happens when they retire. Twenty-two percent of seniors are trying to survive on $15,000 a year. I dare anybody in this country—let alone somebody who’s old, who needs health care, needs to keep the house warm—try to survive on $15,000 a year. And there are people here, by the way, talking about cutting Social Security. Mr. President, it is not just about income and wealth inequality. It is about a health care system which everyone in the nation understands is broken, is dysfunctional, and is outrageously expensive. I hear my Republican friends—you know, I don’t know where they are today—wanting to destroy the ACA. And my Democratic friends say, “Oh, we got to defend the ACA.” ACA is broken. It doesn’t work. In my state, the cost of health care is going up 10, 15%. In America today, you got 85 million people uninsured or underinsured. Function of the health care system today is not to do what a sane society would do—guarantee health care to all people in a cost-effective way—something which, by the way, every other major nation on Earth manages to do. The function of our health care system, as everybody knows, is to make billions of dollars in profits for the insurance companies and the drug companies. So I say to my Democratic friends: It’s not good enough to defend the Affordable Care Act. It’s a broken system. You got to have the guts to stand up and allow us to do what every other major nation does—guarantee health care to all people as a human right—not allow the drug companies and the insurance companies to make massive profits every year. And Mr. President, I want to touch on an issue that gets virtually no discussion, but I think it is enormously important—and it says a hell of a lot about what’s going on in our society today. In America, according to international studies, our life expectancy—how long we live as a people—is about four years lower than other countries. Most European countries—people there live longer lives. Japan—they live even more longer lives than in Europe. So, question number one: Why is that happening? We spend $14,000 a year per person on health care—almost double what any other country spends. And yet people around the world are living, on average, four years longer than we do. But here is the really ugly fact—even worse than that. And that is that in this country, on average, if you are a working-class person, you will live seven years shorter lives than if you're in the top 1%. If you’re a working-class person, your life will be seven years shorter than if you are wealthy. In other words, being poor or working-class in America today amounts to a death sentence. Mr. President, it's not only a broken health care system. We have got to ask ourselves a simple question—and the Biden administration began a little bit of movement in this direction—and that is: Why are we living in a nation where one out of four people can't even afford the prescription drugs their doctors prescribe? Why are we in some cases paying ten times more than our neighbors in Canada or in Europe? How does that happen? And the answer of course has to do with the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and their power right here—all of the campaign contributions that they make—which has prevented us from negotiating prices. But it’s not just health care or prescription drugs. When we look at what’s going on in America—in Vermont and throughout this country—we have a major housing crisis. Here we are, the richest country on Earth: 800,000 people sleeping out on the streets, and 20 million people are spending more than 50% of their limited incomes on housing. Can you imagine that? You’re a working person, spending 50% of your income on housing. How do you have money to do anything else? And the cost of housing is soaring. Do not tell me, Mr. President, that in a nation which could spend a trillion dollars on the military—a nation that gives massive tax breaks to the rich—that we cannot build the millions of units of housing that we desperately need. So, Mr. President, why is all of this happening? Why do we have a health care system that is broken? Prescription drugs that are the most expensive in the world? A housing system? Education in deep trouble? Talked to educators in Vermont, all over the country. Talked to a principal the other day from Vermont. Their starting salary at a public school? $32,000 a year. But don’t worry—they can’t afford to even bring people in because they can’t afford the housing in the community. Why have we let education sink to the level that it has? So I think the bottom line of all this is: The American people, I think, are catching on. And Mr. Musk—I must thank him—because he has made it very clear we are living in an oligarchic form of society. If anybody out there thinks that Mr. Musk is running around out of the goodness of his heart trying to make our government more efficient, you have not a clue as to what is going on. What these guys want to do is destroy virtually every federal program that impacts the well-being of working people—Social Security, Medicare, postal service, public education, you name it—so they can get huge tax breaks for the rich and eventually make government so inefficient that they will have the ability, as large corporations, to come in and privatize everything that is going on. So, Mr. President, this is a pivotal moment in American history. And I sense that the American people have had it up to here. They are prepared to fight back. They do not want a government run by billionaires who have it all—whose greed is uncontrollable. You know, we have in Vermont—and I think a lot of this country—serious problems with addiction, with drugs. People drinking too much alcohol. People smoking too many cigarettes. But the worst form of addiction that this country now faces is the greed of the oligarchy. You might think that if you had 10, 20 billion dollars, it would be enough. You know—kind of enough to let your family live for the next 20 generations. But it’s not. For whatever reason—whatever compulsive reason they have—these guys want more and more and more, and they are prepared to destroy Social Security, Medicare, nutrition programs for hungry people in order to get even more. That, to me, is disgusting. So, Mr. President, we are at a pivotal moment in American history. But having been all over this country—or many parts of this country—I am absolutely confident that the American people (and I'm not just talking about Democrats, who are as complicit in the problems that we have right now as our Republicans, because we got a two-party system which is basically corrupt)... You got Mr. Musk over on the Republican side saying to any Republican who dares to stand up and defy the Trump agenda, we are going to primary you. And on the Democratic side, you got AIPAC and you got other super PACs saying, you stand up for working people—you’re in trouble as well. We got a corrupt campaign finance system in which billionaires are able to buy elections. And that’s why all over this country, people are not happy with our two-party system—the Republicans and the Democrats. So, Mr. President, this is a pivotal moment in American history. But we have had difficult moments before. And I am confident, from the bottom of my heart, that if we stand together, and we do not allow some right-wing extremists to divide us up by the color of our skin, or our religion, or where we were born, or our sexual orientation... If we stand together, we can save this country. We can defeat oligarchy. We can defeat the movement toward authoritarianism. And in fact, we can create an economy and a government that works for all—not just a few.

Overcome Addiction to Sweet and Salt

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2025/columnists/overcoming-our-addiction-to-sugar-and-salt.html

*You think YOUR plans didn’t work out?*

*You think YOUR plans didn’t work out?* Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore thought they were going to space for 8 days. They ended up being stuck for 286 days. They were LITERALLY stranded in space. Imagine this: 👉🏾 You pack for a short trip, but instead, you’re gone for almost a year. 👉🏾 No fresh air. No real food. No way out—just waiting in the void of space. 👉🏾 No clear answer to when (or even if) you’ll make it back home. And here we are, losing patience when: - A 10-minute traffic jam ruins our day. - A deal gets delayed by a few months. - A rejection email makes us want to quit. Perspective. These astronauts had no control over their situation. They couldn’t just book a return flight. They had to adapt, stay calm, and trust the process for 286 days of uncertainty. And they made it. If THAT isn’t the ultimate lesson in patience, endurance, and problem-solving—I don’t know what is. Hats off to these legends for not just surviving, but making history. Next time life throws unexpected delays at us… let’s remember: At least we’re not stranded in space. Life will throw curveballs. Your plans will go sideways. Things will take WAY longer than expected. But if these astronauts can survive nine months in space instead of eight days, you and I can handle a few detours in life. Forwarded as received👍👍

IT'S AMERICAN.

🙏🏽 GOOD MORNING 🌞 I think this is hilarious ! I NEVER HEARD CREATION EXPLAINED THIS WAY BEFORE !!! IT'S AMERICAN. In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow, and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives. Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that ?" And Man said, "Yes !" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled. And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14. So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the feast!!! God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food." God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds. Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds. God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that ?" And Man replied, "Yes ! And super size them !" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest. God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. Then Satan created private medical insurance !!! HAVE A GREAT DAY

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

What a single glance can convey, a thousand conversations cannot. And what a moment of deep silence can convey, even a thousand glances cannot

The *paradox of tolerance*

The *paradox of tolerance*, articulated by philosopher Karl Popper, suggests that *a society that extends unlimited tolerance to all viewpoints, including those that are intolerant, risks losing its capacity for tolerance itself because the intolerant will eventually suppress it.

*Meet the man with 27,500 daughters* That’s why they call him – Appa.

*Meet the man with 27,500 daughters* That’s why they call him – Appa. His real name? KP Ramaswamy. Owner of KPR Mills, Coimbatore. A textile baron by profession. A father figure by choice. While corporate honchos talk about employee retention, cost-cutting, and bottom lines, this man is busy transforming lives. How? By turning mill workers into graduates. By making education their stepping stone to a better life. It all started with a simple request. A young girl at his mill once told him – "Appa, I want to study. My parents pulled me out of school because of poverty, but I want to study further." That one sentence changed everything. Instead of giving his workers just a paycheck, he decided to give them a future. He set up a full-fledged education system – right inside the mill. 📌 Four-hour classes after an eight-hour shift. 📌 Classrooms, teachers, a principal, even a yoga course. 📌 All fully funded. No strings attached. And the result? 🚀 24,536 women have earned their 10th, 12th, UG, and PG degrees. 🚀 Many are now nurses, teachers, police officers. 🚀 20 gold medallists from Tamil Nadu Open University this year alone. Now, you’d expect a businessman to worry about attrition. What if these women leave? What about workforce stability? Here’s what KP Ramaswamy says – "I don’t want to keep them in the mill and waste their potential. They are here because of poverty, not by choice. My job is to give them a future, not a cage." And that’s exactly what he does…. They leave. They build careers. And then? They send more girls from their villages to the mill. The cycle continues. This isn’t just a CSR initiative. This is Human Resource Development in its truest sense. At a recent convocation, 350 women received their degrees. And KP Ramaswamy made an unusual request – "If you or your friends can hire them, it will give other girls the hope to study further." Think about it. A man running a multi-crore empire isn’t asking for business. He’s asking for jobs – for his workers. How often do we see this? This story isn’t just about KPR Mills. It’s a lesson in leadership, in corporate ethics, in nation-building. B-Schools should teach this. HR professionals should study this. And the world needs to know this. A story worth spreading.

Chapter 14 In Rugged Rajasthan - A Story of Faith and Miracles

Chapter 14 In Rugged Rajasthan So, on the appointed day my family and I hopped on to a metre gauge train to Bikaner for me to take up my new posting. Tragically for my family, I was again in an inebriated state and a nuisance at the Sarai Rohilla station from where we boarded. Bikaner is located in the north western part of Rajasthan which has extreme climes. During summers the weather is scorching and sapping, though evenings are generally tolerable. As the sun sinks in the sands of the deserts and shadows lengthen, nights turn very cold touching zero and sub-zero temperatures, especially during winters. The control office (or Railway ops room as per the military personnel) once again came into the news. As the Sr DOM, Bikaner Division, I was to interact with Indian armed forces in a major operation which was quite reminiscent of my tenure at MILRAIL. This was when the temple of Indian democracy, the Parliament of India was attacked by dreaded ultras (LET and JEM) from across the border. It was a crisp and chilly morning of December 13, 2001 in Delhi, when a blood thirsty cell of five armed men attacked the Parliament of India by breaching the security cordon at Gate 12. The five men killed seven security people before being eliminated by the Indian security forces. On 20th December, despite calls from the United States, Russia, and the United Nations to exercise restraint, India mobilised and deployed its troops to Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan in what became India’s largest military mobilisation since the 1971 conflict. India codenamed this massive mobilisation as Operation Parakram. Following Operation Parakram, the Railway Board recognised the untiring efforts of Bikaner, Jodhpur, Ferozepur and Alipurduar control offices. These control Offices were awarded with the Member (Traffic), Railway Board Award for seamless movement of military specials (VPs, SPs, ammunition, ordinance material, tanks and those of the air force too). In those trying conditions under the influence of alcohol, I braced up to the challenge and marshalled my troops consisting of all the railway control staff, and other operating staff at stations and terminals who were in turn ably supported by other departments of railways to handle military specials. Today, I recall those wintry weekends of Bikaner, when I hit the bottle after performing a part of my official duties where I was in charge of passenger and freight operations and overseeing the military movement. It was a strange fixation with the drink. I vomited only to drink more. One could call it drinking bulimia. As darkness spread across the deserts of Rajasthan, shadows lengthened in our railway bungalow, I was trying to handle the second bottle of gin. As a routine, it became one and a half bottles of gin on weekdays and over the weekends there were two bottles. This was nothing to trumpet about. I continued to lead or rather exist in a wretched life. Whenever we were invited for lunches or dinners, my wife was absolutely petrified as a drunk and now an evidently boorish and aggressive person accompanied the family. This was the scenario every weekend and holiday. My mind was always desperately pining for that bottle of gin. Why was it Blue Riband Gin? Somehow in the cranny corner of my mind I thought gin did not stink. Gin is euphemistically referred to as a lady’s drink, but the stuff has almost forty per cent alcohol in it. By divine grace the official establishment seemed to tolerate my aberrations. My wife’s patience was now running thin with our constant sparring over things minor to something more vexed. At this juncture my octogenarian grandmother suggested we pay obeisance at Hanuman temple at Salasar and Radhaji’s temple at Merta Road. My grandmother remained a queen all her life with long ears studded with diamonds who advised me to religiously recite Hanuman Chalisa with immense devotion to overcome negative thoughts, combat the demons in my mind and eschew drinking. For once, I listened to some sagacious advice and kept a copy of Hanuman Chalisa and began reading it seriously. Occasionally, the family ventured out to watch Bollywood block busters like Lagan, and a series of Bhagat Singh movies which hit the screen to whip up patriotic hysteria as war clouds once again gathered in the wake of Operation Parakram. While I was smirked and scorned at by my colleagues and by “friends” for compulsive drinking, they were taken aback when Anil Sharma and Tinu Verma (makers of the block buster Gadar) sauntered into my chamber with their customary filmy swagger to work out the logistics of filming the climax scene of the Sunny Deol- Amisha Patel starrer which was shot on Lalgarh – Kolayat section of Bikaner division. Angels who are neatly perched in the Elysian fields treated me and my family kindly despite my alcoholism and the family was to maintain some element of tenderness and togetherness. We were to visit some exotic places and attempt to nurture a bond. The first pit stop was Gajner, which is located on the shores of Lake Gajner and in proximity to the wildlife sanctuary barely thirty kilometres away from Bikaner. This exotic property is built in red sandstone. My wife and children particularly relished the famous Rajasthani thaali, gatte ki sabzi, Bikaneri bhujiya and massive rasgullas. Those were some brief moments when my parents, grand mother and wife were happy that I was not consuming alcohol and spending time with the family. Next on the agenda was the famous Junagarh Fort, an old bastion of Rajput kings of the city. Despite the visits to Salasar and Merta Road, my mind was only centred around the control office monitoring running of trains and being fixated on quotidian drinking. Eventually, my quotidian drinking took a toll on the physical body of my wife as she suffered an attack of jaundice and was to take adequate rest to recover. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx A few months later the duo of my wife and daughter happened to watch some melodious bhajans rendered by a group of bright looking faces, shimmering with serenity. They were buoyed with the energy on display. My daughter danced with gay abandon to the rhythmic beat of the bhajan, “Gori gori gayan, gore gore gwaal, beech mein mere madan gopal, Ghas khaye gaiyya, doodh peeye gwaal, maakhaan khaye mero madan gopal.” The songs had an electrifying impact on everyone in the family as we all tapped our feet in unison. There was a magical quality about the bhajan which enraptured us. Unknown to us, this was the second time we were exposed to the Art of Living, for it was only much later that we learnt that the satang we had so enjoyed was conducted by the Art of Living. “So, there is a vast space in life and enjoyment which needs to be explored other than looking after the needs of a drunken husband,” my wife mused and attempted to uplift her sagging spirits. My mother spent considerable time practising Vipassana, Pranic Healing and Siddha Healing processes which she had learned. She practised them unflinchingly as it provided her succour and armed with the techniques she passed on curative and positive energy on me through distance healing. These breathing and other holistic techniques had cured my mother and it was her deep faith that the Universe and the superior intelligence would one day cure me of the ailment of alcoholism. She was to tell me, “Goenkaji an Indian based in Burma used to have severe attacks of migraine which he countered by using opium injections. However, through the technique of Vipassana he overcame the medical problem.” “What exactly is Vipassana?” was my question next. “Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2,500 years ago as a universal remedy for all ills. One just has to observe the breath and upon completion of the ten-day course radical changes happen in the mind and body and several physical ailments get cured through the power of breath. “Over the years I have realised that not only faith but even breath can move mountains. It is a robust power house about which we are not aware,” she added. She suggested that I undertake the ten-day Vipassana course to combat the problem of alcoholism. However, on account of Operation Parakram, we could not leave our place of work and had to be confined to the control office. For me this was a mere ruse to continue with my drinking. Meanwhile, my father once had a very unusual experience at Bikaner. One evening during his customary walk, from nowhere appeared a stranger who tapped his shoulder and remarked, “Ask your son to enrol for the Art of Living course and learn the unique rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya. He will recover from the problem of alcoholism.” This was something inexplicable… And my father was in a state of daze after his encounter with this stranger. This was the only encounter my father had with the stranger. Who was he? Where did he surface from? How was he aware about my vice? All these questions tormented the scientific and logical mind of my father. “What is Art of Living? And what is Sudarshan Kriya?” my father was to ask my mother and wife who expressed their ignorance. We were not quite so accustomed to Uncle Google back then and hence could obtain little information about the technique. As spring had set in and Bikaner had warmed up considerably my parents were now leaving back to Hyderabad. “This is our last visit to Bikaner, Lakshmi. If Ravi continues to drink this way, we will never visit you,” my mother firmly conveyed the message to my wife. Providential transfer to Jaipur The troops after a year’s stay at the frontiers returned back to their barracks and semblance of normalcy returned between the two warring countries. Meanwhile at the stroke of midnight hour, Indian Railways underwent some substantial changes. Overnight Bikaner became a part of North Western Railway and our umbilical cord with Northern Railway was snapped. Not that this affected my drinking. Anyway, for the better or the worse I was transferred to Jaipur. My wife recalled the chance encounter between my father and the stranger at Bikaner and registered my name for the Part 1 course of the Art of Living at Jaipur which was organized very near our house. The die was cast and she was hopeful that something positive would emerge. She appeared to have immense faith that a miracle may occur. This was something inexplicable and venturing into an unknown turf as my wife remembered the number of times, we had had encounters with the name Art of Living in one way or another. The family was on a learning curve on an unchartered territory. We live in a world that hails superheroes like Super Man, Bat Man, Spider-Man, and thus, often society end up taking women and their strength for granted. Across times there have been superwomen. Shiva drew his power from Shakti. If Lord Rama is worshipped across Hindu pantheon, so is Durga. Women generally have longer the life-expectancy, they are blessed with greater survival skill sets, they are known to manage handle pain better and are also emotionally and mentally stronger and more robust. My wife was no different as she drove a somnolent and languorous man to attend the Part 1 course of Art of Living and picked me up every morning after dropping the children at their school. It was a challenging task, but she followed the regimen unflinchingly. I did not know it at that time but that was to be the first day of the rest of my life. I was extremely fidgety, sweating in the cold winter of Jaipur in the month of November stinking of cigarettes and liquor. The teacher and guide scanned through my form and gave me a warm smile. I was to see a large portrait of a bearded person, who looked beatific and sported an impish smile which could disarm anyone, perched on a mantelpiece as mellifluous music played in the background. We all were asked to sway to the music and I was quite unsteady on my feet much to the discomfiture of other participants. It was tough undergoing the course and there were times I wanted to quit it. But the teacher encouraged me gently to continue with the course and so did my wife who goaded me not to abandon the ship midway. And then came the earth-shattering moment when we were to learn the unique rhythmic breathing technique called Sudarshan Kriya. Zillions of toxins were expatriated from my body and tension which had accumulated in trillions of cells in my very being were expunge as I inhaled and exhaled to the syllable of SOHAM (I AM THAT) which was played from a cassette recorder. It was paced as slow, medium and fast rhythmic breathing successively, but each breath entered each and every single cell of my being. The participants were to listen to the sounds of shrieking, moaning, groaning and crying as we inhaled and exhaled to the syllable SOHAM. “What was the sound – a mantra, a syllable, a sound ….,” we just could not fathom but continued inhaling and exhaling rhythmically. It was a blast as the entire body ached and finally collapsed as I shed copious tears and slept like Rip Van Winkle. This technique was taught over two days and when I met my boss who was quite sceptical about babas, gurus, rishis, sadhus, swamis and spiritual masters, he remarked, “Hey you look so fresh. Looks like you have not drunk over the last two days. Quite a feat young man,” he added. But that was not true, I had drunk like a fish, but the breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya was so overpowering that it eclipsed all negativity and my skin was shining like a star in the firmament. For once I lived up to my name - Ravi. Upon completion of the course that Sunday, I rang up my mother and could discern palpable happiness and gratitude in her voice. After years, her son had spoken in a sober condition over a weekend. It is essential that a participant who undergoes the Part 1 course (now called the Happiness Programme) should necessarily attend the weekly follow up of Long Sudarshan Kriya apart from practicing the short Sudarshan Kriya every day without fail to derive full benefits of the programme. The participant should also attend various programmes from the bouquet of courses designed by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and imparted by the Art of Living Foundation. Unfortunately, I did neither. And this was a major folly on my part. An Advanced Meditation Course had been planned and had I attended the course right then in 2003, my life would have been so different.

Chapter 13 Operation Buddha Smiles Again - A Story of Faith and Miracles

Chapter 13 Operation Buddha Smiles Again The year Buddha smiled once again (Pokhran 2); and the celestials which populated the Zions interceded and opened the doors for me. Apart from receiving the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Medal and quite contrary to my expectations (and despite my inherent weakness in mathematics) I managed to pass the Common Admission Test (CAT) and qualified from the quota allotted to the Ministry of Railways along with some other officers for the National Management Programme (Executive MBA) at the well-acclaimed Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon. I had won the Derby and imperiously displayed the COAS medal within the family and to colleagues at the management institute as a convenient shield to overcome my weakness for alcohol. The elite batch consisted of officers from the Civil Services, public sector undertakings and the private sector to hone their skills in public administration and management over a 15-month programme. This was the time my parents, grandmother and wife were hopeful that I would ATLEAST NOW TURN THE CORNER, regain my sobriety, reengineer myself and reorient my thoughts and life. But the very first day at the institute, along with my neighbour who was from a prestigious private sector company, I embarked to have a drink. And with that the quotidian, unabated drinking continued. This inappropriate behaviour began to adversely impact my mother’s health. My hare-brained behaviour was extremely traumatic for her and she became a victim of regular Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia (PAT) attacks. I saw my mother suffering from this condition on several occasions and being admitted to the ICU. It was a distressing and disturbing sight. While it is not a life-threatening affliction, it certainly disorients the psychology and attitudes of the patient. During her suffering we saw her clutching on to her rosary as a life saver, while we prayed fervently for her recovery. I had an internal monologue with my inner voice praying for her recovery. She was administered medication but it worked only to an extent. But for her the real help came in the form of a pentagon-shaped talisman which included Siddha Healing, Pranic Healing, the ten-day Vipassana Course and the Part 1 and Part 2 of the Art of Living courses. The unique, amazing and scientific power of the breath revived her and brought back the mojo in her life. But this was much later in life. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and soon monsoon got converted into autumn and into winter. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx “Why don’t you join the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings?” my uncle, who regained sobriety through the fellowship of AA suggested when he was in Delhi. I did attend a couple of the meetings organised at YWCA and YMCA, but there was no respite from my drinking bouts. Fifteen months at the Management Development Institute had elapsed. Acquiring esoteric knowledge in management which should have been a game changer in my life did not improve my condition. My addiction only worsened; a once-upon-time social drinker was now a confirmed alcoholic. My bugbear with numbers continued as I could hardly understand probability, financial management and cost accountancy and was to pen a few lines on alcoholism while being in a state of stupor. Needless to mention, it was my wife who coached me in all the numerical papers. And she was the one who used to drive me all the way from Civil Lines to MDI, Gurgaon every Saturday to pick me up and drop me back on Monday mornings so that I could attend the classes in time. When I look back, I am only amazed at her patience and attitude in life which very few can possess. At MDI, Gurgaon the fancy for Satras continued. But this time I was not the only guilty one, even the studious amongst us participated in this favourite pastime as we grappled with the theories of micro and macroeconomics besides marketing and strategic management. So, the know-all Dr Sunny’s well-founded theories on Satras which were postulated way back in late 1980s seemed still relevant. Upon completion of the course, I was back to serve Northern Railway now accoutred with a degree and a prestigious medal conferred by the Ministry of Defence. I was posted in the Commercial branch of headquarters and soon the proverbial five-year period of stay at a place terminated and fresh orders were issued to don the mantle as Senior Divisional Operations Manager (Sr DOM), Bikaner. My parents and grandmother were pinning their hope, with faith and belief that I would perhaps upend the pyramid. While my more practical wife was sceptical about any drastic change but was happy for me that I was to be in charge of freight and passenger operations of a division as she wistfully packed the cassette of Shivoham and my Puja material.

CHAPTER 12 Homeward Bound - A Story of Faith and Miracles

CHAPTER 12 Homeward Bound Soon I received an official communique that I had been appointed as the Deputy Director General (Rail Movement) in the MILRAIL (Military Rail) in the Movement Directorate at Army Headquarters, Sena Bhavan. The basic job entailed monitoring running of military specials, defence specials (code named VPs) for personnel and SPs (stores specials), movement of defence cargo, military ambulance specials, getting familiar with the ORMP (Operations Rail Move Plan), releasing of defence quota, looking after all defence owned railway stock and coordination with the Railway Board at the headquarters level and all zones for movement of military trains. I hurriedly packed my bags, thanked my unwitting benefactor and continued to have swigs of gin and tonic. I was absolutely sozzled as I boarded Prayagraj Express bound for New Delhi as I listened to Simon and Garfunkel’s Homeward Bound on my Walkman. The trappings of government postings include a decent accommodation, a vehicle and a bungalow peon. I continued to be deprived of majority of these at MILRAIL too. As usual my parents were my ministering angels and helped me out by sending their vehicle, a Fiat, from Hyderabad to Delhi. They had settled down at Hyderabad once my mother sought voluntary retirement. This was indeed a generous act and the vehicle stayed with us. Fortuitously, my parents’ former driver, always known as Sardarji was reappointed. My father stayed with us and worked for a missionary organisation as my mother was quite disturbed with my quotidian drinking and decided to spend some time in solitude in the United States with my sister and her family at Boston. I thanked my stars as the major problem of transportation was solved and made commuting from Civil Lines to Sena Bhavan easy as I did not have to depend on DTC buses or autorickshaws. My grandmother with her entire paraphernalia of religious texts joined us at Civil Lines, as she had lost the alcazar at Chennai (yes, it was no longer Madras). The final piece of jigsaw puzzle was resolved when my maternal aunt (married in to a North Indian Khatri family in Delhi) helped us identify the much-needed domestic help. So, everything seemed picture perfect at the surface. However, at the subterranean level was an alcoholic scuffling with life. Now I could gird up my loins to face the battery of seasoned army officials who were battle scarred defending our frontiers and the railway administration on the other side in our day to day working. My junior and I were to hear gut wrenching stories replete with valorous acts performed by the men wearing battle fatigues. Those of us from the railways had divided loyalties. One was towards the Railway Board and the other for the defence officers at the Movement Directorate. It required all skills to navigate this thin line as railways and defence were (and are still) working for a common purpose to safeguard our boundary and territory. The ADG (Move) an officer of the rank of a Major General (Movement Dte) used to get ballistic almost like an errant missile when railway codes, manuals and procedures were quoted during our daily morning conference, for he felt slighted and opined that we were deliberately torpedoing his plans. As per the hierarchy, he was assisted by two Deputy Director Generals – one from the army and the other from railways. The former was a genial brigadier who was a paratrooper and had waged several battles during insurgency plagued minacious terrain of Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. His designation was Deputy Director General (Movement), while I was referred to as Deputy Director General (Rail Movement), a rather pompous sounding title. But the appellation was rather short-lived as the espionage network of ADG (Move) and the armed forces discovered that I was still in the JAG and in no manner could have held the coveted position of DDG (RM). Soon I was stripped off my rank rather unceremoniously and was designated as Joint Director (MILRAIL). Fortuitously the humiliation remained short-lived as I was elevated to the selection grade and to my delight the prefix of Joint was deleted and I became Director (MILRAIL). I let the matters cool down and did not wish to scrimmage to be called Deputy Director General more importantly, “what’s in the name after all,” I conjectured. As government servants we proudly sport an identity card, which allows us certain privileges and access to various corridors of power. But the identity card of the Ministry of Defence and Army Headquarters provided us the ingress to places which an ordinary citizen or even a government employee would not gain access to, such as the security check area of the international airport, all Ministries of GOI, important clubs and the list went on much to my delight. Not that I was visiting all these places, but I regained the feeling of power and prestige. The new found power embedded in the nametag made me heady and often in an inebriated state and, I had to unleash my ripped muscle even caught on the wrong side of law as my vehicle was caught by the cops for jumping signals. But the policemen, seeing the Ministry of Defence name tag let me off lightly. This was nothing but sheer supercilious attitude on my part. The flip side of the posting was an easy and inexpensive access to liquor in the army canteen. My wife was certainly not pleased with my easy access to the army canteen. A bottle of Rosy Pelican was just Rs 8/-, Blue Riband Gin hardly cost Rs 25/-, whisky and rum too were well within my budget. It was not Kosher. But a trade-off took place, I was assured of liquor supplies and return, defence personnel had an access to emergency quota by trains. This was over and above the normal Defence Quota they were entitled to. Double Engine – Double Delight – A coveted Prize IRTS like other government services provide a wide vista to perform at national scale which is extremely satisfying. The 11th and the 13th of May,1998 were momentous days which gladdened zillions of Indian hearts. India conducted a total of seven nuclear explosions over those two days. This was executed in the perspective of threat in an environment where our neighbours had acquired nuclear weapons. The famous Prime Minister with remarkable oratorial skills parried international opprobrium and India found a place in the nuclear club. Once India had detonated the nuclear bombs, we were involved in a major task of mobilising troops to beef up our borders. Suffice to mention the challenging work was taken up by the Movement Dte. by both the army and railways with all earnestness and following the tenets laid down in the Operation Rail Movement Plan (ORMP). This was a highly classified document which provided the bulwark and strategy to run the defence specials across the country to secure our borders. Then began the mobilisation of troops with vigour and fervour to seal our frontiers. Tasks Assigned and Accomplished Now the distance between Guwahati and New Delhi is 2,030 kilometres and generally the arduous journey is traversed in forty-one hours and seventeen minutes. The ADG laid a task before Director, Movement, (a Colonel who served in the IPKF operations in Sri Lanka, apart from other theatres of war), and me to ensure that a troops special consisting of army personnel returning from Eastern border clock the journey precisely within that time frame. “Why cannot a troops train run on this path like any other mail or express train? Are people serving in the defence forces second class citizens? We guard our borders at the cost of our lives,” he remonstrated at the top of his voice. This was well-nigh impossible as all military specials get detained inordinately for a variety of reasons like availability of path on already choked paths, detentions caused by army personnel themselves, change of traction, supply of food to the men in battle fatigues to name just a few. I had expressed my apprehension, but Director, Movement goaded me to achieve this impossible task. I took up the challenge armed with adequate liquor supplies, cigarette packets, Pan Parag and was awake for most of 41h and 17 minutes. We crossed the Rubicon and I was reliving my days as an operating officer sitting in a control office. The Major General, a veteran of three wars twirled his moustache with glee and thumped the table with enormous jollity as the troops special reached Delhi within the targeted time. We were feted for achieving this herculean task. Seldom are civilians honoured with the coveted military honours. But I was decorated with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Commendation medal for my contribution and so was the Director Movement. All three branches of the defence service issue Commendation Cards, which are badges awarded for individual acts of gallantry or distinguished service or devotion to duty performed either in operation or non-operational areas. I caroused upon receiving the award and to an extent that I fell from the chair and badly bruised my right hand which was in plaster for some time. Silver Lining Those were dark and gloomy times, where life hurtled towards an abyss and our family was enveloped by darkness, with little to be cheery about with my drinking. One day my wife was indulging in her favourite past time of window-shopping and was attracted to a cassette called Shivoham. She found the music extremely soothing and mellifluous. My wife was not aware about the singers, nor the band or the organisation which had produced the bhajan. She just found the lyrics and music extremely soulful and eloquent. The lyrics were those of the spellbinding Nirvana Shatakam composed by Adi Shankaracharya. The song was sung by a group of foreigners and proclaimed it to be an Art of Living production, under the guidance of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on the banks of the Ganges. This was a much-required balm for her frayed nerves. Little did she know this was merely our first encounter with the Art of Living. Years ago, my parents were suffused with joy when they heard the soulful singing by Swamiji. My mother realised the therapeutic powers of bhajans. Meanwhile cold and icy winds of North India, swept across Delhi. There was a sharp shower in Delhi and temperatures plummeted. It was 27th November and the year 1997 and my wife was in labour. She was suffering with severe pain and rushed to the Central Hospital of Northern Railway. Some years back, I was admitted to the ICU of this very hospital after the episode in Saharanpur. In 1993 our son arrived on planet earth in this very hospital and now in 1997 my wife was wheeled in to the hospital. The next day as a baby was born, the general refrain was “Family complete ho gayi, family complete ho gayi”. So, the quartet comprising of me, my wife, son and daughter were all Sagittarians. Quite coincidental and certainly never planned to be this way.

CHAPTER 12 Homeward Bound - A Story of Faith and Miracles

CHAPTER 12 Homeward Bound Soon I received an official communique that I had been appointed as the Deputy Director General (Rail Movement) in the MILRAIL (Military Rail) in the Movement Directorate at Army Headquarters, Sena Bhavan. The basic job entailed monitoring running of military specials, defence specials (code named VPs) for personnel and SPs (stores specials), movement of defence cargo, military ambulance specials, getting familiar with the ORMP (Operations Rail Move Plan), releasing of defence quota, looking after all defence owned railway stock and coordination with the Railway Board at the headquarters level and all zones for movement of military trains. I hurriedly packed my bags, thanked my unwitting benefactor and continued to have swigs of gin and tonic. I was absolutely sozzled as I boarded Prayagraj Express bound for New Delhi as I listened to Simon and Garfunkel’s Homeward Bound on my Walkman. The trappings of government postings include a decent accommodation, a vehicle and a bungalow peon. I continued to be deprived of majority of these at MILRAIL too. As usual my parents were my ministering angels and helped me out by sending their vehicle, a Fiat, from Hyderabad to Delhi. They had settled down at Hyderabad once my mother sought voluntary retirement. This was indeed a generous act and the vehicle stayed with us. Fortuitously, my parents’ former driver, always known as Sardarji was reappointed. My father stayed with us and worked for a missionary organisation as my mother was quite disturbed with my quotidian drinking and decided to spend some time in solitude in the United States with my sister and her family at Boston. I thanked my stars as the major problem of transportation was solved and made commuting from Civil Lines to Sena Bhavan easy as I did not have to depend on DTC buses or autorickshaws. My grandmother with her entire paraphernalia of religious texts joined us at Civil Lines, as she had lost the alcazar at Chennai (yes, it was no longer Madras). The final piece of jigsaw puzzle was resolved when my maternal aunt (married in to a North Indian Khatri family in Delhi) helped us identify the much-needed domestic help. So, everything seemed picture perfect at the surface. However, at the subterranean level was an alcoholic scuffling with life. Now I could gird up my loins to face the battery of seasoned army officials who were battle scarred defending our frontiers and the railway administration on the other side in our day to day working. My junior and I were to hear gut wrenching stories replete with valorous acts performed by the men wearing battle fatigues. Those of us from the railways had divided loyalties. One was towards the Railway Board and the other for the defence officers at the Movement Directorate. It required all skills to navigate this thin line as railways and defence were (and are still) working for a common purpose to safeguard our boundary and territory. The ADG (Move) an officer of the rank of a Major General (Movement Dte) used to get ballistic almost like an errant missile when railway codes, manuals and procedures were quoted during our daily morning conference, for he felt slighted and opined that we were deliberately torpedoing his plans. As per the hierarchy, he was assisted by two Deputy Director Generals – one from the army and the other from railways. The former was a genial brigadier who was a paratrooper and had waged several battles during insurgency plagued minacious terrain of Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. His designation was Deputy Director General (Movement), while I was referred to as Deputy Director General (Rail Movement), a rather pompous sounding title. But the appellation was rather short-lived as the espionage network of ADG (Move) and the armed forces discovered that I was still in the JAG and in no manner could have held the coveted position of DDG (RM). Soon I was stripped off my rank rather unceremoniously and was designated as Joint Director (MILRAIL). Fortuitously the humiliation remained short-lived as I was elevated to the selection grade and to my delight the prefix of Joint was deleted and I became Director (MILRAIL). I let the matters cool down and did not wish to scrimmage to be called Deputy Director General more importantly, “what’s in the name after all,” I conjectured. As government servants we proudly sport an identity card, which allows us certain privileges and access to various corridors of power. But the identity card of the Ministry of Defence and Army Headquarters provided us the ingress to places which an ordinary citizen or even a government employee would not gain access to, such as the security check area of the international airport, all Ministries of GOI, important clubs and the list went on much to my delight. Not that I was visiting all these places, but I regained the feeling of power and prestige. The new found power embedded in the nametag made me heady and often in an inebriated state and, I had to unleash my ripped muscle even caught on the wrong side of law as my vehicle was caught by the cops for jumping signals. But the policemen, seeing the Ministry of Defence name tag let me off lightly. This was nothing but sheer supercilious attitude on my part. The flip side of the posting was an easy and inexpensive access to liquor in the army canteen. My wife was certainly not pleased with my easy access to the army canteen. A bottle of Rosy Pelican was just Rs 8/-, Blue Riband Gin hardly cost Rs 25/-, whisky and rum too were well within my budget. It was not Kosher. But a trade-off took place, I was assured of liquor supplies and return, defence personnel had an access to emergency quota by trains. This was over and above the normal Defence Quota they were entitled to. Double Engine – Double Delight – A coveted Prize IRTS like other government services provide a wide vista to perform at national scale which is extremely satisfying. The 11th and the 13th of May,1998 were momentous days which gladdened zillions of Indian hearts. India conducted a total of seven nuclear explosions over those two days. This was executed in the perspective of threat in an environment where our neighbours had acquired nuclear weapons. The famous Prime Minister with remarkable oratorial skills parried international opprobrium and India found a place in the nuclear club. Once India had detonated the nuclear bombs, we were involved in a major task of mobilising troops to beef up our borders. Suffice to mention the challenging work was taken up by the Movement Dte. by both the army and railways with all earnestness and following the tenets laid down in the Operation Rail Movement Plan (ORMP). This was a highly classified document which provided the bulwark and strategy to run the defence specials across the country to secure our borders. Then began the mobilisation of troops with vigour and fervour to seal our frontiers. Tasks Assigned and Accomplished Now the distance between Guwahati and New Delhi is 2,030 kilometres and generally the arduous journey is traversed in forty-one hours and seventeen minutes. The ADG laid a task before Director, Movement, (a Colonel who served in the IPKF operations in Sri Lanka, apart from other theatres of war), and me to ensure that a troops special consisting of army personnel returning from Eastern border clock the journey precisely within that time frame. “Why cannot a troops train run on this path like any other mail or express train? Are people serving in the defence forces second class citizens? We guard our borders at the cost of our lives,” he remonstrated at the top of his voice. This was well-nigh impossible as all military specials get detained inordinately for a variety of reasons like availability of path on already choked paths, detentions caused by army personnel themselves, change of traction, supply of food to the men in battle fatigues to name just a few. I had expressed my apprehension, but Director, Movement goaded me to achieve this impossible task. I took up the challenge armed with adequate liquor supplies, cigarette packets, Pan Parag and was awake for most of 41h and 17 minutes. We crossed the Rubicon and I was reliving my days as an operating officer sitting in a control office. The Major General, a veteran of three wars twirled his moustache with glee and thumped the table with enormous jollity as the troops special reached Delhi within the targeted time. We were feted for achieving this herculean task. Seldom are civilians honoured with the coveted military honours. But I was decorated with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Commendation medal for my contribution and so was the Director Movement. All three branches of the defence service issue Commendation Cards, which are badges awarded for individual acts of gallantry or distinguished service or devotion to duty performed either in operation or non-operational areas. I caroused upon receiving the award and to an extent that I fell from the chair and badly bruised my right hand which was in plaster for some time. Silver Lining Those were dark and gloomy times, where life hurtled towards an abyss and our family was enveloped by darkness, with little to be cheery about with my drinking. One day my wife was indulging in her favourite past time of window-shopping and was attracted to a cassette called Shivoham. She found the music extremely soothing and mellifluous. My wife was not aware about the singers, nor the band or the organisation which had produced the bhajan. She just found the lyrics and music extremely soulful and eloquent. The lyrics were those of the spellbinding Nirvana Shatakam composed by Adi Shankaracharya. The song was sung by a group of foreigners and proclaimed it to be an Art of Living production, under the guidance of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on the banks of the Ganges. This was a much-required balm for her frayed nerves. Little did she know this was merely our first encounter with the Art of Living. Years ago, my parents were suffused with joy when they heard the soulful singing by Swamiji. My mother realised the therapeutic powers of bhajans. Meanwhile cold and icy winds of North India, swept across Delhi. There was a sharp shower in Delhi and temperatures plummeted. It was 27th November and the year 1997 and my wife was in labour. She was suffering with severe pain and rushed to the Central Hospital of Northern Railway. Some years back, I was admitted to the ICU of this very hospital after the episode in Saharanpur. In 1993 our son arrived on planet earth in this very hospital and now in 1997 my wife was wheeled in to the hospital. The next day as a baby was born, the general refrain was “Family complete ho gayi, family complete ho gayi”. So, the quartet comprising of me, my wife, son and daughter were all Sagittarians. Quite coincidental and certainly never planned to be this way.