Joy is portable. Carry it wherever you go.

 Joy is portable. Carry it wherever you go.

 

Strength and Courage are not always measured in victories and medals that we achieve, but with the struggles we overcome.

 

Simplicity reflects inner beauty.

 

Knowledge is knowing the difference between truth and illusion. The rest is ignorance.

 

Always listen deeply, sincerely and fully. It will make the speaker feel bigger and better.

 

Common sense is a flower that doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

 

Life is not always full of reasons to smile. But your smile itself is a reason for others to smile too

THE INDIAN ELECTIONS - NEW YORK TIMES

 THE INDIAN ELECTIONS - NEW YORK TIMES

It is truly the greatest show on Earth, an ode to a diverse & democratic ethos, where 700  million + of humanity vote, providing their  small part in directing their ancient civilization into the future.

It is no less impressive when done in a neighborhood which includes de-stabilizing & violent Pakistan, China, and Burma.

It's challenges are immense, more so probably  than anywhere else, particularly in  development & fending off terrorism -- but considering these challenges & its neighbors, it is even more astounding that the most diverse nation on Earth, with hundreds of languages, all religions & cultures, is not only surviving, but thriving.

The nation: 

where Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism & Sikhism were born, 

which is the second largest Muslim nation on Earth;

where Christianity has existed for 2000 years;

where the oldest Jewish synagogues & Jewish communities have resided since the Romans burnt their 2nd temple; 

where the Dalai Lama & the Tibetan government in exile reside; 

where the Zoroastrians from Persia have thrived since being thrown out of their ancient homeland; 

where Armenians, Syrians & many others have come to live;  where the Paris-based OECD said was the largest economy on Earth for 1500 of the last 2000 years, including the 2nd largest, only 200 years ago;

where 3 Muslim Presidents have been elected, 

where a Sikh was Prime Minister & the head of the ruling party a Catholic Italian woman, 

where the past President was also a woman, succeeding a Muslim President who as a rocket scientist is a hero in the nation; 

where a booming economy is lifting 40 million out of poverty each year & is expected to have the majority of its population in the middle class already, equal to the entire US population, by 2025;

where its optimism & vibrancy is manifested in its movies, arts, economic growth & voting, despite all the incredible challenges & hardships; 

where all the great powers are vying for influence, as it itself finds its place in the world. 

Where all of this is happening, is India and as greater than 1/10th of humanity gets ready to vote, it is an inspiration to the entire World.

— V Mitchell, New York, NY

Long live the Keralites !

 Justice Markandeya Katju's fb post

=================

Who are the real Indians ?

I am a Kashmiri, so I would like to call Kashmiris as the real Indians.

My ancestors migrated from Kashmir to Madhya Pradesh about 200 years back, and were in the  service of the Nawab of Jaora ( in Western Madhya Pradesh ) for several generations. So I would like to call Madhya Pradesh as the real India.

My grandfather Dr. K.N. Katju shifted to U.P. as a lawyer, first to the District Court, Kanpur in 1908, and then to the Allahabad High Court in 1914. I was born in Lucknow in 1946, and grew up in Allahabad, which I regard as my home town. So I would like to call the people of U.P. as the real Indians.,

I have close connections with Bengal, Orissa ( where my grandfather was Governor ) and Tamilnadu ( where I was Chief Justice ).. So I would like to call the people there as the real Indians

  But these are only my emotional opinions.

 Thinking rationally, I believe that the real Indians are the Keralites, because they have in them the quintessential qualities of Indians.

As I have explained on my blog ' What is India ? ', ( see justicekatju.blogspot.in ), India is broadly a country of immigrants, like North America, and that explains the tremendous diversity here---so many religions, castes, languages, ethnic and regional groups, etc. The ancestors of perhaps 95% people living in India today came from abroad ( the original inhabitants are the pre Dravidian tribals known as the Scheduled Tribes e.g. Bhils, Gonds, Santhals, Todas, etc ).. So to live united and in harmony we must respect every group of people. In my opinion the Keralites do this the best, and therefore they are symbolic and represent the whole of India. So they are the real Indians, and all of us must try to emulate them and imbibe their spirit.

 I regard Kerala as the real India because it represents a microcosm of India. As I said, India is broadly a country of immigrants. the essential quality of Kerala is its openness to external influence--Dravidians, Aryans, Romans, Arabs, British, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Marxists, etc.

 The Christians of Kerala belong to the oldest Christian group outside Palestine. It is said that one of the disciples of Jesus, St. Thomas, came to Kerala. Jews came here and settled down in Cochin when  they were persecuted by the Romans after demolition of their temple in 72 A.D. Islam came here through traders, and not through armies, as in the north. The Scheduled castes never suffered the discrimination that they suffered in the rest of India. One of their sages Sree Narayan Guru, who was an Ezhava, is venerated by all communities in Kerala. Adi Shankaracharya ( whose home town Kaladi in Kerala I have visited ) travelled throughout India and established the 4 well known centres of Hinduism, Sringeri in the South, whose first head was Mandan Mishra ( renamed Sureshwaracharya ) whom he defeated in a famous debate, Puri in the East, Dwarka in the West, and Jyotirmath in the North.

 In the Badrinath temple in the Himalayas the head priest is always a Namboodri Brahmin from Kerala, who is called the Rawal, and his deputy, the Naib Rawal, is also from the same community. The Rawal has a tenure of 5 years, after which the deputy Rawal becomes the Rawal. 

 The Keralites had trade relations over 2000 years ago with Carthage, Rome ( many Roman coins have been found in Kerala ), Arabs, etc  Kerala has produced great artists, mathematicians ( the great mathematician Aryabhatta is said to be from Kerala ), martial arts, handicrafts. enlightened Kings, and sages, etc.

 Keralites are great travellers, and everywhere in the globe one will find Keralites. There is a joke that when the American astronaut Neil Armstrong landed on the moon on 1969 he found a Keralite there offering to sell him tea. There was never any tradition in Kerala against travelling abroad, nor of ritual defilement for crossing the 'kala pani ' as among many communities in North India.

Keralites abound in the Middle East. I was invited to Qatar last year by some Keralite Muslims, and found that in Qatar.there are more Keralites than local Arabs. In Dubai too I found numerous Keralites. In Bahrain there are more Keralites than Bahrainis.

 When I was a University student and lawyer in Allahabad I would often go to the Coffee House. I found that most of the waiters there were Keralites, and I became friends with many of them. In many hospitals in India and abroad the nurses are Keralites. I believe there is no illiteracy in Kerala

 Keralites are hard working, modest, and intelligent. They are broad minded, liberal, cosmopolitan and secular in their views ( though no doubt there are a few exceptions ). All Indians must learn from them.

Long live the Keralites !

NONRESISTANCE

 NONRESISTANCE

 

Around the Year with Emmet Fox

 

May 8

 

When you fight a thing,

you antagonize it and it hits back.

The harder you fight it the harder it hits.

When you give your attention to anything,

you are building that thing

into your consciousness,

for good or evil.

A story is told about William Penn.

He had been accustomed from boyhood

to carrying a sword because it was part of

the dress of a gentleman at that period.

One day it occurred to him

that this was inconsistent with his Quakerism;

but on the other hand, he knew

that he would feel extremely embarrassed without it.

So, he consulted George Fox,

never doubting that his leader would say,

"You must stop wearing it."

George Fox was silent for a few moments,

and then said,

"Carry thy sword until thou canst no longer carry it."

A year or so later Penn discontinued

the practice quite easily.

When you are faced with some negative condition,

withdraw your attention from it

by building the opposite into your subconscious.

Then the undesirable thing

falls away like an overripe fruit.

“Finally, brethren,

whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue,

and if there be any praise,

think on these things”

Philippians 4:8

 

Bertha Benz.

 Bertha Benz. This brave and ambitious woman helped to launch the world’s very first car.

A scene from the film “Karl and Bertha”, where Bertha and her sons set off on their first car ride

Bertha was born in 1849 in Pforzheim, Germany. She met Karl and as an independent woman, invested her own personal funds into his business before they were even married. He later used this money to fund his ‘horseless carriage’ project which became the ‘Benz Patent-Motorwagon’. Karl was a genius and brilliant engineer, however lacked ambition and business acumen, it was his wife who was the visionary, seeing the potential for the car to be so much more than a prototype and encouraging her husband to do more.

Determined to prove her theory, one August morning in 1888 she quietly roused her two teenage sons for a journey of a lifetime. They were to take the automobile on its very first long-distance journey – from their home in Mannheim to her mother’s house in Pforzheim, 56 miles away. Not wanting to tell her husband her brave plan, Bertha left a brief note for him, explaining they had gone out and quietly pushed the vehicle away from the house so that Karl wouldn’t be woken. Once at a safe distance, the trio fired up the single-cylinder, 1.6 litre engine and set off.

The trip would prove challenging. With no clear roads or markings, Bertha had no idea in which direction they were heading so had to figure it out as they went along. They also encountered many hills and uneven terrain; the car was unable to navigate such obstacles and so the boys had to get out and push.

The first car by Karl Benz 1886

Solving problems on the road

The engine also posed risks. It had to be constantly cooled to keep it ticking along and to do this, Bertha had to pour water over the engine and let it evaporate along with the heat. During the journey frequent stops at rivers, streams and shops were made to keep water supplies topped up.

Fuel also had to be replenished – this was available in the form of ligroin, petroleum ether commonly known as benzene and available in chemists. Bertha re-stocked at one in Wiesloch, so it therefore became the world’s first fuel station, quite by accident, with the original building still there today.

The problems didn’t stop there – midway the car broke down. She didn’t panic. Instead Bertha used her initiative along with her garments to fix the serious issues. She used her hat pin to clear a blocked fuel line and wrapped one of her garters around an ignition wire which needed insulating.

During the roundtrip Bertha and her boys also sought the help of a blacksmith, to mend the drive chain and when the brakes failed asked a local cobbler to line them with leather, thus introducing the very first brake pads. 

Once at her mother’s, Bertha sent a telegram to her husband informing him of her triumph.

A few days later, she returned home full of new ideas on how to improve the automobile model and update the patent. Based on her own experiences and having conducted the very first official test drive, Bertha suggested the car be fitted with a lower gear so it could climb hills and well as lining for the brakes.

In undertaking such an adventure, not only did she accomplish a personal achievement, but also a historical one. She made the car accessible and marketed it to the general public, proving it could be used for personal mobility. Bertha also generated lots of publicity helping to propel her husband’s business and ultimately contributing to the future success of Mercedes-Benz.

Bertha’s story is a testament to the integral role of women in automotive history. She lived until she was 95 years old and today you can still retrace her famous steps via the ‘Bertha Benz Memorial Route’ in Mannheim, Germany.

Bomber Wells

 Hilarious: 

Bomber Wells, a spin bowler and great character, played for Glocuestershire and Nottinghamshire. He used to bat at No.11 since one couldn't bat any lower. Of him, they used to paraphrase Compton's famous words describing an equally inept runner; "When he shouts 'YES' for a run, it is merely the basis for further negotiations!"

Incidentally, Compton was no better. John Warr said, of Compton "He was the only person who would call you for a run and wish you luck at the same time."

Anyway, when Wells played for Gloucs, he had an equally horrendous runner as the No.10. During a county match, horror of horrors..both got injured.

Both opted for runners when it was their turn to bat. Bomber played a ball on the off, called for a run, forgot he had a runner and ran himself. Ditto at the other end. In the melee, someone decided that a second run was on. Now we had all four running. Due to the confusion and constant shouts of 'YES' 'NO', eventually, all of them ran to the same end.

Note - at this point in time, the entire ground is rolling on the floor laughing their behinds out. One of the fielders - brave lad - stops laughing for a minute, picks the ball and throws down the wicket at the other end. Umpire Alec Skelding looks very seriously at the four and calmly informs them "One of you buggers is out. I don't know which. You decide and inform the bloody scorers!"

Sudarshan Kriya

 https://www.dailypioneer.com/2024/columnists/sudarshan-kriya--a-key-to-a-peaceful-life.html