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vinodh replied to the topic What is life for you?.
Life is always with up & down. I sometimes face depressions and on that time i try to avoid by keeping me busy doing something else. In this way i try to avoid the problem...
7 years ago
usha manohar replied to the topic What is life for you?.
Life is hghly complicated and complex esoeespeci maintaining relationships that matter to you. However, we learn as we go along but it never ends until your last breath.
7 years ago
usha manohar liked the topic What is life for you?.
Though I consider myself as a positive being still get depressed many a times in life. It is impossible not to come across loss and defeat in life but how do you face such...
7 years ago
usha manohar replied to the topic Salman Khan convicted in Black buck case .
Our entire system including justice is flawed and it is not an easy task to correct it or entirely rid it of corruption. One can see that the judges are biased , have ...
7 years ago
usha manohar created new article The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates – 13.
The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates - 13
Rohit , Me and Mahesh anna
Now, when I think back, I am surprised as to how some things become clearer with time. But when it is happening it makes little sense, or has no relevance unless you look at the larger picture.
That morning when I went into the office room, I saw my laptop had been tampered with, because it wasn’t in its usual place and a few things kept on the desk like a pencil holder and a note book which I used for making notes, had been moved around. I decided to tell Mahesh anna about it, but he himself came in and told me that last night he had used the laptop since he wanted to take a look at some old files stored in it. So it was not Arvind..
Rohit was back and sent me a message asking me to meet him that afternoon. I simply could not contain my happiness and I must have been grinning from ear to ear after reading the message, realised it only when I saw Shalini looking at me with narrowed eyes while we were having lunch. I freshened up and came down, planning to meet Rohit. Unexpectedly, Shalini who was half lying on the sofa called me and showed that she was in the mood to chat with me. I was not sure how to get out of her clutches. Mahesh anna who was moving around came to us grinning and teasingly asked me “no walk today?” I said that I was planning to go and left smiling at him and waving to Shalini who was not too happy.
I almost ran to my spot and Rohit was already there waiting for me. Although he gave me a heart-warming smile, he looked tired and somehow sad and all I wanted to do was hug him to me and tell him how much I loved him and not to worry about anything. Instead I asked him “How was your trip to Bangalore? “
He brightened up a little and said that it was good, he had accomplished most of the things that he wanted to, although it didn’t matter now. It was like a riddle to me because he did not explain and before I could ask him for an explanation, rain played spoil sport, making us run towards shelter. Since, his house was closer we both ran down, completely drenched, shivering with cold. Vidyakka gave us steaming cups of tea and insisted that I change into something warmer. So, I wore one of her housecoats and sat chatting with them. Mahesh anna called me and came to pick me which was as well because the rain never stopped for a long time. I thanked Vidyakka who bundled my wet clothes into a plastic bag and handed it over to me as we were leaving, Mahesh anna hardly spoke to Rohit which pained me, although he was quite friendly with Vidyakka. I felt that I should have a talk with Mahesh anna, sometimes soon and if possible clear the misunderstanding. But little did i know that, that would never happen!
Shalini ?
When we reached home, there was no sign of Shalini anywhere, Rohini aunt told me that she had a headache, so was resting in her room. I wondered aloud whether I should go and see her but Mahesh anna asked me to leave her alone since she was in a bad mood. A little later as we were having tea, Mahesh anna asked Geeta to prepare some hot milk and take it up to Shalini since she had Hardly eaten any lunch as well. He and Nanjappa soon left for their rounds. Geeta was in the kitchen and Rohini aunt was in her room but Arvind was nowhere to be seen, so I presumed he must be in his room, resting. Rohini aunt was removing seeds from Tamarind and I helped her with it while Geeta was busy in the kitchen. Geeta having forgotten to take the milk , called out to me and asked me if I would take the milk for Shalini since she was grinding the rice for Idli batter. She reheated the milk and I went to the kitchen to pick up the tray on which she had paced the glass of milk and a small plateful of biscuits. I noticed that there was a small bit of bread crumb sticking to the side of the milk glass. As I tried to take it off , it fell into the glass. I took a spoon and scooped it up just as Geeta came into the kitchen looking at me questioningly and I explained to her what had happened. I took the tray up and went into Shalini’s room knocking on her door. Shalini was sleeping and the room was dark. I gently patted her arm and asked her to drink the milk but she asked me to leave it on the bedside table and she would drink it later. She sounded sleepy and incoherent. I left her and came down and as I descended the steps, I thought I saw a shadow behind the stairs, but when I checked no one was there..
Mahesh anna came home and enquired about Shalini and felt that it was best to leave her alone. We stayed up for some time after dinner, Mahesh anna and Arvind went into the office to take care of some details. I and Rohini aunt went up to our respective bedrooms. I welcomed the solitude when I could think of Rohit and the time that we spent together. Today, we hardly got to speak and he looked worried and sad but thankfully he was almost back to his normal self once we ran down the slope into the warmth of his house… I told myself “tomorrow I will ask him for an explanation” soon I was fast asleep little realising that our lives would change drastically when we woke up in the morning.
I woke up as usual to the twitter of the birds and the roll call of the estate workers. Went down and saw Mahesh anna and Rohini aunt already up and drinking coffee on the veranda. Arvind too joined us. Rohini aunt asked about Shalini to which Mahesh anna replied" she must be still sleeping, I and Arvind were up for a long time checking some accounts and I went to bed after that. I will go and wake her up now "Saying this he went up and came down in a rush within a couple of minutes shouting and saying that she was not waking up and that she was cold…
He was desolate and immediately called the doctor and I and Rohini aunt and Geeta ran up to Shalini's room. She looked peaceful, almost as if she was sleeping and looking at her I couldn’t stop my tears. Rohini aunt was stunned and so was Geeta. The Doctor came up and checked her and pronounced her dead. He said we had to call the police since it was an unnatural death …
All I could think of were her words spoken in this very room about sixth sense and how she felt her life would change forever! I felt a great sadness, pity and much more. Mahesh anna was inconsolable. Arvind although looking shaken took charge and called her parents and I called my mother and when she heard about the tragedy she too was shocked. I sent a message to Rohit, who was understandably shocked and said he would inform Vidyakka and come to Akashdeep immediately.
The Doctor waited upstairs since he wanted to have a word with the police when they arrived, while we were all asked to leave the room. The police officers arrived within a few minutes and Inspector Ganesh, who I thought looked very thorough and efficient took charge straight away. He spoke to the doctor and on his advice it was decided that Shalini’s body would be taken to the hospital which was in another town. Mahesh anna and Arvind decided to accompany the body. Just as we were waiting for the Ambulance Rohit and Vidyakka arrived and I could see that Rohit was nervous and uncomfortable. Both he and Vidyakka went to Mahesh anna and stayed with him consoling him. In the meantime, the police locked Shalini’s room and were speaking to Geeta and Nanjappa. Later, they spoke to Arvind and Rohini aunt.
All I could recall was the numbness I felt along with the shock of losing her. I kept wondering how could it have happened? Did she commit suicide, or have a heart attack? What would happen when her parents arrived? what would happen to me after this? It may seem selfish of me to think of myself and my future at a time like that but I have read somewhere that people think of the most absurd things when they are in the middle of a tragedy!
As of now all that we could do was wait!
( To be continued)
7 years ago
Reena created new article Environment pollution and pollutants.
Introduction
The environment comprises of everything present around us with which we are surrounded with and that may include living organisms along with non-living things. It also includes natural forces, natural resources like water, air, soil, various minerals, plants, trees etc. It includes both physical and biological world as well as interactions that take place between them. Weather, resources, climate are the factors in the environment which needs to be faced by living beings so that they can survive.
Environment pollution
Nature had gifted us a world or perhaps the whole universe which was free of pollution. It is we who are responsible for polluting it and as we are responsible for creating pollution, it is now time for us to face hazardous effects of this pollution. Pollution is caused when we try to interfere with anything that is natural. Contamination that we cause results in adverse effects and contamination when reaches a certain extent result in disrupting stability causing harm and discomfort to everything present in its original form. It is like causing a disorder. Both physical and biological components are contaminants. As a result, human beings which are part of the environment along with other living beings experience discomfort as a natural ecosystem is been disturbed. Pollution can occur on its own too. The environment has the ability to wipe down that pollution and regain its health. Similarly, pollution that we cause or contaminants that we introduce into the environment if it is of the safe level then environment can filter it down in various ways like recycling or by breaking it down. But the levels have to be acceptable. Today we have introduced contaminants into the environment at a rate that is much higher than the environment can afford. Thus, its immunity isn't working as its defensive line has been disrupted widely. At this higher rate, it cannot disperse or store this much of waste in some form which is harmless.
Causes of environment pollution
Environment pollution has been occurring for many centuries but the levels were acceptable and thus mother nature recovered from it gracefully. Today it is a matter of concern as advancement and progress made us blind and we have done the harm on such a level that recovery is rarely possible. The real problem started with the beginning of industrialization. Pollution is actually dumping or addition of a substance that is harmful to various forms of energy like air, water, sound etc. Advancement in the modern age in each and every field resulted in the emission of by-products and this is where pollution begins as the environment is not able to neutralize or degrade these products at a rate of which they are dumped in the environment. Also, natural resources if used at a rate which is way higher than the rate at which environment can replenish them back then this is also a significant cause of pollution. Change if it is gradual, adaptation becomes simple and normal. However, mankind has resulted in drastic changes overnight. The environment could not absorb and adapt the changes resulted in mankind. It is always seen that mankind in advancement age produces many by-products which are the outcome of his development and thereby dumps them in nature. Now either he has to give time to nature so that it decomposes what is already been dumped for thousands of years are required for its decomposition. Once decomposition is done and then next disposal should be done. If he cannot wait for so long when he has to find some artificial means by which he can destroy his harmful by-products then it will result in pollution. As he is the one who is responsible for creating by-product then its neutralization responsibility should also be taken by him over his shoulder.
When did pollution begin?
Pollution began when man discovered the use of fire. It was a huge discovery in the history of mankind and this discovery changed everything. From then till now there is no stopping for man. However, until 19th century whatever pollution that was occurring in the environment was accepted as it was in the minimal range. It hardly caused any harm or disturbed ecosystem. In the 19th century, an industrial revolution took place. This was the phase when everything changed and the change was all abrupt. Technological progress that took place during industrialization was the main cause for depletion of natural resources. This phase led to the discovery of oil. It was then used for different purposes in various industries. Progress was helped by practices led by capitalist business and it all resulted in overproduction of goods as production costs were very less. Excessive production of goods resulted in excessive consumption by common man. Thus as production was increased, there was increased production of harmful by-products which resulted in over pollution.
Why is it so important to stop environment pollution?
Environment pollution matters because it exerts negative or ill-effects on different forms of energy we have like air, water, soil, sound etc. It is the necessity of our lives that we require these forms of energy in purest form like the air has to be clean, water has to be pure as it will ensure healthy living. However, today our energy forms are contaminated to such an extent that it's showing clear direct effects on our health. Life of human beings, as well as other living beings on this earth, is at stake. Many species of birds and animals today have become extinct and many are at risk and have been labeled endangered. If the same thing continues then we will rarely find any life on this earth. The air we are breathing is fully contaminated, the water we are drinking is completely contaminated and thus these contaminants reaching our body in one form or the other are responsible for causing a number of ailments. Respiratory-related disorders and cardiac problems are at high rise today. There is no place to dispose of wastes caused due to overpopulation, industrialization, and urbanization. Our ecosystem which we perfectly balanced before the 19th century is today completely imbalanced. Thus, both the intensity as well as the frequency of disasters resulting in nature have increased. These natural disasters risk life as well as all the possessions one has. Rapid depleting of natural resources have caused a lot of problems like the ground water level is decreasing day by day. Soft water resources are depleting. Land degradation is been seen. Forest resources are used at such a rapid rate that is causing global warming as well as soil erosion. The ill effect is seen by emissions of greenhouse gases. Environment pollution causes a serious impact, particularly on human beings. It reduces food security. They are put at high risk for a number of diseases. They are the one who is at high risk of losing all they have acquired along with their lives during the time of natural hazards. It also reduces the scope for financial growth opportunities. With every passing year in fact with every passing day, environmental pollution is causing damage and destruction of the earth which is irreversible.
Environmental contaminants
Contaminants or pollutants are the by-products obtained that may be from industries, vehicles, use of insecticides and pesticides in farming etc. They are executing elements that can be in any state. They may be in solid state, liquid or even in gaseous form. Most of them are very harmful, toxic and are known to destroy habitation. They do not undergo quick degradation and thus dwell in the ecosphere for years together. They are the products introduced into the environment by mankind himself and he himself is the one who gets affected the most by them.
Contaminants are of two types. Once is biodegradable and the other one is non-biodegradable. Biodegradable pollutants are not very harmful. They can easily be decomposed and the resultant product so obtained will be not at all harmful. These products undergo neutralization or degeneration which is done by living organisms as they can obtain energy required to them from these products from proteins, fats, and carbohydrates present in them. In other words, they feed on them. Some of the examples of the biodegradable contaminant are inorganic salts and phosphates. Waste products which are usually organic are also biodegradable. However, they too should be disposed of properly. If disposal is done without proper care or without following proper technique then it may become a matter of concern as it will challenge the ability of the earth to assimilate them. On the other hand, non-biodegradable contaminants are one which cannot be broken down by living organisms and thus they remain in the environment for years together. They are very harmful and toxic and pose a matter of concern as they are the ones mainly responsible for causing environmental pollution. Some of such non-biodegradable contaminants are plastics, mercury, pesticides, radioactive materials etc.
Harm to mother nature
Advancement and development that took place in the field of natural sciences helped us to understand what actually are we doing to mother nature. Thie type of harm and damage we are creating to it result in pollution exerts ill effects on the environment. Environment pollution is not the problem that is only faced by developed countries. It is an issue which is popular in both developed and developing countries. Population explosion is creating tons of demands whereas mother nature is unable to replenish the resources quickly as it requires a number of years to do so and thus resources are been used at a much higher rate when compared with their replenishment process resulting in degradation of nature. For millions of years, these resources were safe in the lapse of mother nature and were left unused. With the rapid growth and progress seen during the industrial age, resources are seen to be used to the maximum rate. As a result, degradation is seen and waste resulting from these industries as by-products are not treated well or artificially neutralized, in fact, they are dumped in the environment as it is which result in further worsening of the whole scenario.
7 years ago
Chinmay Mendhule created new article Why you should stop smoking right now ?.
For smokers,Quitting that habit is really a tough action to take.Majority of smokers want to quit smoking, but find it difficult to do so as nicotine is very addictive and hard to get rid off.We are telling you about 10 things that would happen instantly if stop smoking right now.
1.After 20 minutes,Nicotine starts leaving your system which lowers your pulse and blood pressure to normal.
2.After 2 hours,your peripheral blood circulation improves increasing the temperature of your hands and feet.
3.By the time you finish your day at work,the oxygen level is back to normal as there's half the amount of nicotine in your system.
4.Two days into it,your sense of taste and smell, improves drastically.
5.Also,if you smoke cigarettes a day,now you would have saved Rs.320.
6.After 3 months, exercising becomes easier as your lungs are stronger.And you would have saved 14,400 rupees.
7.Let's say you're 25 years old,smoke 10 cigarettes a day ,each costing you Rs.16,That means you're spending Rs. 4800 a month and Rs. 58400 a month.
8.Not only do you lose money,you end up with 50% higher chance of getting a stroke than that of non-smoker.
9.Assuming price of cigarettes increases 10% a year,You would have smoked cigarettes worth 1.72 crore by the time you turn 60.
10.If you would've invested same 4800 per month and increased it by 10% a year,you would've saved whopping 4.5 crore rupees a year.You can buy a house, a swanky car and still save money.
Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduces the health of smokers in general. Smoking cigarette does not have advantages but a numerous disadvantages. So quit smoking and lead to a healthy life.
7 years ago
Reena created new article Why power is so important in our lives.
Introduction
Power is often associated with someone who is strong either structurally or mentally. We all want to have it as we feel that it is essential to living a fulfilling life. We want it in our personal as well as professional lives as we feel that power itself will bring us strength, happiness and make our lives fulfilling and rewarding. Power only comes to them who are fearless and have the capability to embrace it completely instead of suppressing it or distorting it. We all want power because we all want to be strong and in absence of power, we feel that we will look weak and thus become an easy prey to others. Power is associated with winning. If one loses and the other wins then that means the winner has more power and he gets to decide and the loser has to be submissive and follow the commands. Less power means less reputation and the person is referred as weak and naive. Power is victory and the one who is more victorious is referred as more powerful, others fear of him and do not want to attack him as they know they will not be able to defeat a powerful person.
Importance of power
Power is essential to bring changes. In absence of power, changes can be made but however, lots of struggle and lots of efforts will be required to bring even a minimal change. If power is in hands then it becomes easy to make, mend, break the rules and bring the changes.
Power provides protection. We can safeguard ourselves, our belongings and everyone for whom we really care for. We can create healthy boundaries. Thereby by using the power, we can easily protect ourselves from getting hurt and avoid chances of damage.
If power is in our hands then it becomes quite easy to help others in their pursuit. Their amazing pursuit might bring some amazing positive outcomes and we will be a part of it. A powerless helping hand does not make such a big impact the way powerful helping hand can do.
Power is essential to serve others. We always dream of serving our society, community or our country but since we are not blessed with enough powers, we often are not able to make desirable changes and create a powerful impact and serve others the way we wanted to serve. Power helps us to do serve everyone in a necessary manner.
Power instills lots of confidence. We are able to stand high, speak up what we feel, question if we are in doubt, we can ask for more if we feel we deserve more, we can seek more if we want more etc. Power helps us to speak for ourselves as well as for others and since it is in our hands, our voice gets heard and our demands get met.
Power helps us to build mass power. It helps us to gather people and togetherness as we all know will always lead to some remarkable achievements. We can gather more support and build relationships which nourish us and make us strong in our journey. If we want to nurture from others then we need to build up power and thereby it will enable the formation of strong bonds.
Power reduces the struggle. A powerless person may regret at the end regarding his unfinished business. Though he had the ability and capacity but lack of resources, lack masses support and lack of opportunities did not let him fulfill his dreams. However, power enables all sorts of support and the only thing which we need is the real ability and if we have that then we can fulfill all our dreams without much struggle.
Power helps us to think big. We can feel empathy and compassion for others, the way we used to feel for ourselves. These feelings no longer remain restricted to us. We can reach out to millions, feel for them, and help them in every way. We no longer remain restricted to fulfilling our own dreams but make sure that we fulfill each and every dream of those eyes which are willfully dreaming but no longer have the capacity to turn them into reality.
Power helps to eliminate enemies. When a person is powerful then everyone wants to be his friends. The number of allies increases. A powerful person can easily eliminate his enemies and still retain his number one spot.
Power earns influence and respect. Our path becomes easy and so is achieving any position when we are backed up with lots of influences. When we own power, our words get respected and so do our opinions and thereby we earn followers as well. The more the followers we earn, the more powerful leader we become.
Disadvantages of power
Today we consider power as a currency which very well helps us to successfully live in this world. However, it pops up the ego in an individual. Same way, we feel about money. This is why we feel that those who have more money are more powerful. We very well relate money to power and sometimes use the two in place of one another. When people start respecting us just because we are powerful, when we start earning lots of influences, lots of followers etc then everything gets to our head. This boosts our ego and pride and this is how power corrupts. It's like an antidote to all sorts of insecurity, fear, and pain. People have a misconception that having more power means getting better day by day. Earning more money, reaching higher post in career, having more followers etc are all associated with power and this is why an individual tries to achieve all these throughout his life so that he can become a better version of who he is right now. We like controlling and thus we feel that having more power gives us the liberty to control things.
Charm of power
Power if wielded correctly can influence millions; bring peace in the society and country by completely stopping the war. It can influence millions and change the outlook completely. It is a very powerful weapon which can either bring war or peace and it is up to that individual or organization, what they use it for. Power should be allowed to exist. Only then it can exist. Until and unless all the other followers of the dictator have given up their powers, a dictator cannot emerge. Dictator thus becomes powerful when nobody stands in front of him. This is why power is considered to be a part of a relationship. Power can bring change, exerts effects and influences others. Power is addictive. The more we earn, the eagerness develops within us to earn some more of it. It does not bring contentment. It brings curiosity and addiction.
Conclusion
Power is a charming weapon. We all need it because it helps us to become powerful. We can influence people, bring changes in the outer world, earn lots of followers, enable our dreams to come true, enable others dreams to come true too etc. It decreases the efforts which we need to put in to accomplish anything i.e., it reduces the overall struggle. Power provides us protection. As long as it is used for constructive purposes, it can bring positive changes. As soon as it is used to bring destruction, it can even initiate a war. It is up to us whether we need to use it to stop a war or initiate it. It eliminates enemies and helps us think positive and big. The more powerful we are, the more easily we will be able to control things. These are the numerous reasons which make us long for more power in our lives.
7 years ago
Reena created new article Meditation and prayer nourish our lives.
Introduction
On an everyday basis, we have to spare certain time for ourselves in which we can rest and relax our mind as well as body. This is the time when we leave all our activities behind i.e., completely withdraw ourselves from getting involved in them and try to concentrate only on our inner self. Once we introduce us to our inner self, everything becomes easy. The self-introduction will then make a path which when followed leads us to the Supreme Soul. An easy way to reach Him is through prayers. Each and every religion teaches the importance of prayers or meditation that needs to be done for certain duration throughout the day. This is not just a practice one has to perform out of respect instead one needs to make oneself aware of the real deep meaning that is hidden beneath prayers or meditation.
Concentration should be towards inside
Throughout our lives, we keep flourishing outwardly. Our numerous achievements and accomplishments keep promoting our outer world. However, due to our complete negligence towards inside, we will face hollowness and thus contentment is not complete. We have seen millionaires coming to places of worship and asking for contentment and peace. They often are heard of saying that something is been missing in their lives and ask God to take away their misery. Now if we think that money and materialistic comforts can provide us happiness then how come they are miserable. This is because their inner self is not contented and happy. No matter how much we achieve and flourish in outside world, if our inner world is not flourished then we will never remain happy.
Nourish inner world
We easily escape ourselves by saying that we do not have time for prayers, for worship and for meditation. We blame our busy lives, tight working schedules, rat race etc. Days keep on passing. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months and months easily into years. Years keeping passing and we accomplish too much on our part but we do not stop even for a second and take care of that turbulence that is been going on inside us since a long period of time. The less time we spare for ourselves and leave our inner self-unheard, more damage it does to us. Every day our inner questions are left unheard and unsolved. This all leads to misery. The inner world is very very important and vital factor of our life which we cannot neglect. We have to nourish it if we want happiness in life.
Significance of meditation
Meditation leads to awakening. It increases concentration which is essential for us as it helps us to save ourselves. Prayers or meditation help us gain confidence in goodness. They educate us and help us discriminate between right and wrong energy and the right and wrong attitude. This power of discrimination is already present within us but since we do not use it for a long period of time, we feel we have lost it. Not only this, it brings back all the powers which are hidden from us and present in embedded space. One gets awakened to their spirit. Meditation comes as a true savior which teaches us the possibility and opens up scope for achieving not just time being superficial happiness but in fact highest happiness.
Meaning of meditation
Meditation increases concentrating the power of a soul and thus we will be able to achieve lots of things in small duration. The difficulty will be easily taken care of and exertion which we need to face will be of very small or even negligible amount. Spirituality grows with high meditative power. Meditation does not mean sitting in a place for a certain duration with eyes closed whereas mind lingers in worldly things. It means total concentration. Does not matter whether eyes are closed or not, does not matter whether a person is sitting, standing or lying down, all matters is his focus is shifted from outside to inside. This is what meditation is all about. Once consciousness shifts from outside to inside, one gets introduced to one's soul.
Mediation means an increase in concentration
Meditation always enhances power. It spreads light and takes away the darkness. This will nourish our inner self. Concentration on physical aspect will bless us with good health which means we will be free from all sorts of diseases. Concentration in mind increases its sharpness. It blesses us with mental health and good memory power. Concentration on outer world whether it is in business or job will yield achievements in these fields. Concentration on relationships will make them healthy and pure. Concentration on studies will make us intellectual. Similarly, concentration on the spiritual world will lead us to the path of enlightenment.
Prayer is a type of meditation
Prayers are nothing but a kind of meditation where we connect ourselves with Supreme Soul. Prayers, concentration, meditation are all same where a person becomes aware of himself, awakens completely and is directed towards spiritual regeneration. Supreme Soul is an ocean of love, life, and positive energy. Connection with Him itself is our highest purpose and this is what is been taught in each and every prayer no matter to what religion it belongs. Also, the main motive of meditation and prayers is to help us rise from being superficial and shallow to Higher Supreme Source. It helps us get rid of all our imperfections in life. Infinite energy replaces our shallowness and limitations that we have been storing in our body and mind since ages.
Conclusion
Meditation as it draws attention towards inside, insecurity and fear vanish completely. Now work too seems like a worship as one does not care about the results they are going to yield as the outcome of their deeds. Their work seems like a recreation to them. Meditation blesses us in all the aspects. Good health, intellectual power, the awakening of the soul, good relationships with other souls and most important spiritual illumination and salvation from worldly matters are all gifted to us if we take our prayers seriously or else concentrate on our meditation period seriously.
7 years ago
usha manohar created new article The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates – 12.
The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates – 12
Meeting Vidyakka again
The next day was usual and after lunch Mahesh anna went up for his usual afternoon nap and Shalini too went up to her room and so did Geeta. Rohini aunt was around and I stretched my legs and sat on the most comfortable sofa in the living room and must have dozed off. I came awake suddenly hearing the sound of voices. I realised it was Rohini aunt and Arvind having a serious argument and she was extremely angry with him so much so that she was unable to control her voice . I was not sure whether to remain there or leave, felt that it was better that I go up to my room. As I climbed the stairs I could hear snatches of their conversation ..
Rohini aunt “ Have you any idea what this means , have you lost your senses ? “ and Arvind protesting and saying that he would take care of everything. I was curious and wondered whether it had anything to do with the money transfers or was it just my imagination ? It could be any of their personal issues that I was not aware of. However, now that I had remembered the issue of money transfers I decided to look up the file and get more details.
I felt restless and decided to go for a walk . As I waked out of the gate and turned into the main road , I saw Vidyakka walking towards me. When she saw me she waited for me and both of us walked up to my spot. We sat there and Vidyakka seemed worried about something. She asked me whether Rohit had told me anything about Shalini and I in turn repeated what he had told me about her. All of which she seemed to know. She was thoughtful and I sat quietly waiting fpr her to speak…finally she asked me “ What do you think of Mahesh ? Is he capable of being violent ? “
I knew that she had a reason for asking this. I told her that under the normal circumstances he is a very calm and balanced person but he does lose his temper when he is stressed, generally with the estate workers and the writer, and rarely against Arvind ! I also told her that I had the greatest respect and regard for Mahesh anna no matter what !
“ How about Shalini ? How does he treat her ?“
I told her that it was totally impossible to imagine that Mahesh anna could ever be violent with Shalini. Vidyakka nodded her head but never offered any explanation . As we walked down , she told me that Rohit would be busy for a few days with some work and with a seminar organised by the bank in the nearby town .
The calm before the storm
As I reached home I saw that things were calm with Arvind sipping coffee on the veranda with Mahesh anna and Rohini aunt and , I held my breath as I saw Shalini too come out and join them. They all smiled and greeted me. Mahesh anna seemed preoccupied most of the time. After he drove away with Nanjappa for his daily estate rounds, Shalini came and sat next to me. I sincerely hoped she wouldn’t come up with some more distressing disclosures . She spoke about her parents and I could see that she was missing them. When I suggested that she could always visit them, she said it was not possible now … giving me a knowing smile. I let that pass …
But I felt compelled to ask her something that had been bothering me all along ... " Shalini " I began
" When I came here , I was given to understand that you were depressed and in a delicate state of mind, but looking at you ..." Thats all I could say , bcause she came straight at me like a shot!
" What did you expect ? To find a mentally deranged mad woman ? Is that what Mahesh told you ? "
" No Shalini, of course not and Mahesh anna would never say anything like that about you to me or to anyone else "
I was now sorry that I had even brought up the matter before her, I should have known better !
She wandered off singing to herself and I could only watch! She was either plain stupid, a very clever manipulator or beyond comprehension .
The next few days were filled with great anxiety for me because I had no idea how I stood with Rohit and although we exchanged messages , they were on day today matters and not personal. Meeting Vidyakka had given me some kind of solace . I had other worries too that were far more concrete. I had gone through the files on my laptop and came to know that, three months ago huge amounts of money had been transferred from the estate account on 5 occasions to 2 different bank accounts within a span of two weeks. I had already been here for nearly two months , which meant that the money transfers had taken place before I came here. A total sum of 5 crore rupees had been transferred , which was a staggering amount.
What steps had Mahes anna taken to recover the amount if it was ill legal transfer? he had not discussed the issue with me even after i brought it up which means the issue is worrying him or there is some mystery behind it.
Mahesh anna must have applied for the loan after he came to know about it since the account books were now in deficit . Rohit had said that the loan had been rejected. I presumed that Mahesh anna went to Bangalore to apply for a fresh loan or to finalise the loan. Did Arvind have any role in the money transfers ? If so Mahesh anna must be aware of it ! But they seem friendly without there being any tension between them. The more I thought of things the more uneasy I felt because I was indirectly connected now and since I was looking into the accounts I felt it was partly my responsibility to see that it was managed properly.
That night Rohit called me while he was traveling back to his house and said that he would be going to Bangalore for two days on work related to the bank and asked about my own day. I told him about meeting Vidyakka and he seemed happy about it. The connection was bad so we could not speak much but I was happy that he had thought of me in spite of his busy schedule and called me. I would miss him a lot when he was away, that being a fact I decided to keep myself occupied with other things.
Visit to the coffee estates
The next day, I requested Mahesh anna to take me round the estate since I had never had an opportunity to do so. Mahesh anna agreed and asked me to get ready with sensible clothes and footwear. I had an idea that we could cover the estate on foot but realised that it was impossible to do so , not having realised how vast it was. I was told that it covered 650 acres. So we went by jeep on rough roads and I had to hold on to the side of the jeep most of the time. I realised that it was not an easy job to do , that too twice a day , which is what Mahesh anna and Nanjappa did every single day. Some of the days the two of them would go on a motor bike and that must be even tougher.
However, it was an enthralling experience to see the vast coffee estate lined with trees , workers tending to the coffee plants , trimming them and clearing the paths. The pants were beginning to bloom and the entire slope looked beautiful beyond words. We also visited the cardamom patch and for the first time I saw a cinnamon tree. There were several of them around the estate. I was glad I went through this experience and thanked Mahesh anna. He told me that I could go with them anytime I felt like it. Now when I think back on those times my eyes fill with tears because to me those days were very precious to be treasured forever. I guess we don't recognise the really important moments in our life until it is too late
We came home in time for lunch and the day ended with heavy rains again .. I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night because I had heard some sounds. I went out of my room and looked down the stairs , saw a light in the office room..I was not sure if it was right for me to go down, if in case Mahesh anna or Arvind were working on something. I went back to my room and tried to sleep although I could not help recollecting some words ... All events leading towards the Zero hour !
( to be continued)
7 years ago
Reena created new article Conserve energies of soul.
Introduction
Indian philosophy advocates the presence of two elements in our universe. One is Akasha and the other one is Prana. Akasha is so small that it is almost impossible to sense it. It is believed to be a noticeable feature existing since very early time. It is believed to occur in five basic elements which are earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Our body is known to be made of these five elements. Prana is known as a force which is inevitably essential for the existence of life and without which life would not exist. It is the one which is responsible for holding five elements together. Prana very well known as a vital force of the universe is superior to everything as it fills life in the body. It is the one who enables the mind to think and sense organs to perform their functions. We need to understand how important Prana is to us. We have to learn everything about it, its nature, its working, its purpose and the way by which it can be controlled.
The internal source of energy
Since Prana is not visible to the eyes and since its existence is difficult to prove, most of us do not believe in it. Eyes believe what it sees and everyone today needs proof to believe. Others who believe in its existence are not aware of how to use it. We though are in our conscious state but still live very unconsciously. We do not know what all elements are running and where and what all are regulating us and thus we keep on doing things and performing duties just the way we have performed till now. We feel it is our habit whereas we do not realize that it is not automated and can be changed or regulated. We have enormous number and amount of forces within us. We use them and we utilize energies without even knowing what we are doing with them and what they are meant to be done with. Like every other energy source present outside, we too have the energy source inside present inside us. The way we try to conserve energy outside so that we can use it in future and prevent wastage and exhaustion, we need to realize that we should conserve our inner energy too to avoid exhaustion.
Purpose of Prana
Prana or vital force if used to its best can not only bless us with good health but also enhance our intellect. The goodness of health and mind, as well as our well-being, are just a few changes which we see within us but ultimately it leads us to become illumined. It helps us to progress in the field of spirituality. It helps us rise above our lower cruel attitude and gain oneness with higher good self. Later, it helps us to realize our real identity as a soul. Once we know who we are, we will start seeing other people from a different perspective. We will start seeing them as pure souls and will not concentrate on their evilness. Finally, it will lead us to the path of salvation where we will unite our soul with Supreme Soul. This is the highest state in one's life and a person is known to be completely illumined in this state. One who achieves this state, no other achievements matter in his life. He becomes a superior conqueror, undefeated king and carries his glory and undefeated kingdom with him wherever he goes.
Ability to control Prana
Until and unless we use Prana to illumine ourselves completely, we will never reach our highest state. We find contentment and happiness in small materialistic comforts and achievements. We become satisfied for some duration when we reach our goals and then set new goals for future. We spend our whole life in doing this. We feel that setting goals and then reaching them is all a life is about and rarely concentrate on the purpose of our life. Once we unite our vital forces and learn to control them, we will introduce ourselves with real we. We need to learn to command Prana to the best of our ability. Forces, when not regulated, lose their importance. Once they are gathered up, stored, focused, completely concentrated and when fully controlled become meaningful. To do this, we need right knowledge about Prana and the willpower to utilize it to our best so that we can discover our wisdom and way of liberating ourselves from all those things which bound us. At present we are not in conscious state and ignorant. Prana will help us to come in an over-conscious state and open up all the possibilities which now cannot be seen by us because of our unconscious state as well as because of the ability to see things narrowly. We need to be able to see things in their finest print and this is only possible when we gain enough knowledge.
Moderation is a key factor
Moderation is a key which we have to use if we need to conserve our vital forces. If we feel that we can save our energy by doing nothing, then it is not true. It will fade away if left unused. If we use it excessively then within no time it will get exhausted, leaving us tired. Thus, we have to learn to balance out our usages. We need to make a right use of it. We need to prevent its excessive spillage. We have to cover up all those holes which are causing leakages so that we do not promote its wastage. We have to channelize its flow in the right amount and right direction and not just allow it to flow the way it wants. This kind of control over it will not only master us over it but give us supreme power and control to make use of it for our own benefit. We have to find a balance in our work. Overworking causes breakdown and doing no work fades away available energy.
Significance of Prana
Prana is essential for our existence. Without it, our existence is not possible. Our work, our activities, our thoughts, our performance all require Prana. It presents itself in every plane of our lives. One who is already untied by his higher self will make use of it for the achievement of higher purpose. But most of us are at our lower self, as we keep rising from it, our power too will keep increasing gradually and definitely. Prana is one energy. But it manifests itself in different planes and thus it appears different at each plane. When we do things in moderation on bodily levels, we will be blessed by good health. When we start using our thoughts and mind power in a controlled way then we show a balance on moderation. Prana so manifested in that plane will lead us to the path of soul consciousness and divinity. It will help us in illumination. It is same energy and same force which is essential and inevitable for the existence of life.
Conclusion
Moderation is essential in all walks of lives. Right balance should be practiced in all activities. We are the powerhouse. The power lies within us. All we need to do is concentrate our forces in the right direction. Prana will help us to hear the eternal sound and fills in our knowledge which satisfies our souls and also we will be able to hear sound from outside world and gain knowledge present over there. In this way, we along with reaching our goals can also attain the highest purpose in our lives and this is all possible because of moderation. We will be blessed with divinity and divine sight. Now unlike our past, we will neither live for ourselves and get exhausted for seeking happiness without proper understanding nor we will be going another way round of torturing ourselves. All we have to do is unite all the energy we have i.e., gather together all the forces of ours. This increases strength and power. This is because all forces being gathered together leads to concentration. The increase of concentration means an increase of power. More the power, more resistance can be offered. It is easy to break a stick into two. However, when a number of sticks together are tied into one bundle, their breakage seems a very difficult task to accomplish. Such is the power of being united. If mind thinks something and body do something else or else if sense organs interfere and try to master the whole scenario, then things do not work out the way we want them to be. Thus, all our forces should be gathered and should be united into one. This is possible through the power of meditation. Once done, resistance becomes easy. We will be then able to face no matter what arrives in front of us.
7 years ago
Reena created new article We can be our worst enemy as well as best friend.
Introduction
For us as human beings, our relationships with others matter a lot. Right from an early age, we are bound by so many relations. Right after birth, we become someone's kids, someone's grandkids etc. We acquire some relations right from our birth and some of them we acquire later in our lives. We get to choose our friends, life partners, teachers etc. If the relationship is good between two individual's then it is as good as friends forever. If it does not work at all then enmity develops. Till our last breath, we are always bound by relations. However, we forget the most important relationship of our life. We forget that we have a relationship with ourselves and thus we can either be our friends or turn out to be an enemy. An individual who conquers himself, who has risen above everything to the highest level of his consciousness is his friend. An ignorant individual who is simply unaware or does not believe in this concept and has not made a conquest of himself becomes his own enemy.
Self-mastery
A person who has mastered himself will always remain detached during times of tragedy whereas the other person who is not detached but has knowledge about everything, has possessed almost everything may lose control. He loses it because he did not have it. Master of self-has control over oneself and thus never loses self. It is the wisdom that will help self-master to remain happy whether he is in a state of slavery or freedom. If we want to enjoy almost all the blessings that our life promises to us, we have to raise ourselves from everything. Self-realization is when absent, failure strikes its effects very easily. Shortcomings blow away our blessings. Obstacles seem like the one which can never be crossed. One who has mastered himself knows his inner strength and will be able to cross all the hurdles. The person who is not aware of inherent strength will never trust nature and thus gives up easily by saying that he is not suitable or well equipped. He has judged everything from the surface and not dig anything inside. He has tons of possibilities but never digs upon them and loses hope.
We can be friends as well as foes
Welfare is hidden only when one learns to control oneself. We have two kinds of nature. On one hand, we can be very weak, unstable, always at fault, hopeless etc. On the other hand, we can be conqueror, victorious, majestic, invincible, glorious, successful etc. When we have a clear picture of ourselves, we are with our higher self. When we do not achieve higher self, we involve in self-depreciation. We criticize ourselves, let ourselves down and this is because we do not trust ourselves and have got no faith in ourselves. The mind has to be clear. Distortion of any sort in it makes us our own enemy. Any work regardless of whether it is simple and easy or whether it is very difficult and time-consuming if started with full confidence, courage, right attitude with almost no fear will be completed efficiently. If the same work is started with unwillingness, doubt, fear, depression, no sort of faith or trust, no matter how hard one works on it, it will be a complete failure. This itself proves that we ourselves our own friends as well as foes. If we want then we can rise above all the difficulties and make impossible things to become possible and if we want then can even turn out an easy task in almost a disaster.
Self-realization
We are responsible for indulging ourselves in depression and unhappiness and also throw this burden on others by blaming them. If we do not wish to come out of this vicious cycle of being unhappy, no matter what efforts are made, we will always be unhappy because we tend to love our sphere and will become fond of it. It is in our hands whether we want to escape and rise ourselves. We and only we have the power to rescue ourselves. Without the will and firm determination, this thing is not possible. Self-awakening is very essential. Awakening is actually an eye-opener. It helps one to raise oneself and never ever lower oneself. However, this sort of self-realization is very essential. If a person realizes it and is in the path of progress then soon his welfare is surely guaranteed in mere future. Thus, one has to master oneself.
Get rid of ignorance
Well begun is half done. If we begin work with dejected mind then we head towards failure and act like our own enemy. One can just stop for a moment and check to understand how much evil impulse they are carrying in their heart. When anger, lust, pain, hate, greed etc conquer us along with other intense emotions, we become our enemy. These evil characters destroy our soul. It is left to us whether we want to master them or let them overpower us. Anger is such an evil character that can destroy everything we have which required so long to build up. It not only causes harm to our relationships with other souls. First and the foremost person it affects is we ourselves. Whatever we give, we get it first. It is we who are creating anger and thus we will be the first ones to face its ill-effects. Similarly, whether it's lust, greed, hate or any other evil character, we will be the first ones to go through the adverse effects which they are imparting. They destroy finer part of our self. Ignorance is the main cause. Knowledge and wisdom rise a person above his lower self and that person will become his own friend and the person who does not conquer his self but allows his lower self to possess himself will become his own enemy.
Become a friend of oneself
We all like our friends and always want to spend time with them. They always help us in various ways and always think good about us and thus we are fond of them. On the other hand, our enemies not only do bad things to us, in fact, also create bad thoughts about us and thus we always want to be away from them. We can very well choose with whom we want to spend our time and with whom we do not want to. The choice is completely ours. But how can we run away from ourselves? When we become our friend, welfare is definite but what if we serve as an enemy for ourselves. In such case, how can we get rid of u?. In fact, we cannot. We can get rid of others but we cannot get rid of ourselves. Whether we are trying to be our friend or acting as an enemy, we have to live with ourselves. We do not have a choice of running away from ourselves, but we do have a choice whether we want to be our friend or enemy. The way we avoid the company of other enemies and try to keep us away from them so that they do not harm us, in the same way, we should try to become our friend and not enemy. If we become our own enemy, we will suffer badly. If we need success and if we need to empower ourselves then we need to raise ourselves high from all the odds that we have, control all our senses as well as our lower self. Once we become our friend, we will be able to fight with all the odds and will become serene in both happiness and pain, heat and cold. We will always remain aware as we have reached complete awakening within ourselves which will give realization and that will be constant. This realization will teach that we are supreme self and not someone who is of low nature to whom pain, greed, sufferings, demoralization etc can affect. We are the royal kings and no matter what circumstances arrive, we will be always royal and thus we need to behave accordingly.
Gain knowledge and wisdom
We cannot expect our journey to run smooth and hurdle free. There will be hiccups, there will be obstacles. Fun is to cross all these odds and remain victorious. Lots of discipline is essential. Whatever knowledge we gain, we need to bring it to reality. Just learning it and keeping it stored somewhere in mind is of no use. We need to use this knowledge in practical life and gain actual experience. We should absorb it and use it in our day to day lives. Knowledge can be gained by anyone but wisdom comes only to a few great men. When this knowledge is brought into action, wisdom develops. Mind dwells but we have to control it, possess it completely. Once our mind is under our control, everything comes under control. It is a powerhouse of everything we do. It creates thoughts. Once we control our minds, our thought process comes in control. We can conquest our sense organs and master them instead of allowing them to rule over us. We become our masters and thus this helps us through all the odds. Such kind of person who masters himself can lead oneself and become a friend of oneself and the one who allows his mind, sense organs to overpower upon himself becomes a slave and is no less than an enemy to oneself.
Do not live in an illusion
Most of us today live in an illusion. We do not know what the art of living is. We feel that anger which we exhibit is actually a display of our strength and it shows how powerful we are. We feel that it is a must if we want our work to get done. We feel proud of ourselves when we control others and scare them. We have developed the same feelings towards excitement. Whenever a situation arrives, we believe it is normal to show emotions in the form of tears, pain, love, anger etc. One who does not show emotion is believed to be made of stone and considered heartless. We do not understand how much of fluctuations we are going through in a day and in our life when we react so vigorously to every situation. These are actually not the signs of strength but rather display weaknesses. The weak soul is one who cannot stand erect through all the odds and fluctuates through everything that comes in his life. The powerful soul is one to whom turbulence can never affect. To become powerful, wisdom is essential and only such souls can become one's friends.
Keep clarity
We are what we think about ourselves. We are the results of what actually we are in our consciousness. Same things manifest in our body as well as in our mind. Thus, our conscience should be clear. If it is filled with fear and doubts then we will be living in an illusion and confusion. If conscious is clear and fearless then we will be strong and powerful. Realization is essential. We gain self-realization by gaining knowledge. We have to connect with ourselves and once we do that then there is no looking back. Same consciousness has the ability to store good things. We need to be aware of what is been stored in our consciousness. The choice is really ours about what we really need to keep and store in our minds and what not. An enemy will always desire to continue his enmity, just the way it is running. If we want, we can continue to remain our enemy by letting harsh and hatred feelings to remain in our consciousness or else wipe them out as soon as possible so that we can become our friends. We are unaware of our capacity and strength. Once we realize how powerful we are, we will be able to use infinite capacity hidden within us.
Conclusion
Relationships are essential. They unite us with others. A special bond develops between us and others. This unity teaches togetherness and spreads love in mankind. However, if a person who has not established a friendly relationship with himself, how can he do it with others. A special bond with parents, teachers, friends, relatives, society etc is all essential. We all look after each other, care for each other and spread the love. But a friend within us will be able to do greater good than anyone from outside. In the same way, the opposite is also true. Enemy hidden inside us will be able to do greater destruction than anyone from outside. We can either make ourselves or mar ourselves. The relationship that we have with ourselves is very unique and it is the purest and most essential when compared with other relationships. Options are always in our hands. We need to decide whether we want to be our friend or serve as an enemy. Whatever we choose, we will be writing our destiny and it will be we who will create our personality depending on our choices.
7 years ago
usha manohar created new article The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates - Part 11.
The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates – 11
Shalini Confides
As we sat down for lunch it began to rain and it was no ordinary rain either, but a proper storm which apparently was quite normal in the hilly region. I waited hoping against hope that it would subside and there would be bright sunshine after the storm blows through. But it only became more intense and raged through the entire afternoon, evening and night as well. So, I could not meet Rohit nor did others step out of the house and we again had a power cut. But this time both the power back up and the generator came to the rescue.
That was also the first day I saw Shalini and Mahesh anna’s part of the house. After Tea, as I sat messaging Rohit about our inability to meet that afternoon, Shalini asked me if I could help her clear things in her wardrobe. I agreed and we both went up to their rooms on the first floor. There were two large bedrooms on either side of the open hall, that were beautifully and comfortably furnished. We entered one of them, Mahesh anna was resting in the other room. The room we entered, which Shalini told me was her bedroom, was a mess with clothes strewn on the chair back, side of the bed and some of them hanging out of a basket. It was the same with her dressing table…I began to automatically pick clothes, fold and tidy up the room while Shalini sat on a chair and watched me. I again felt that she had indeed changed a lot in a matter of few days, had become calmer and more interactive. When I was finished, she nodded and began to speak..” Thank you Anita, I wish we were friends, but somehow we never got along…” I was quiet because to me the reason was obvious, her high and mighty attitude! So, I said nothing, waiting for her to continue.. she did ..
“I suppose you know all about Rohit and me. He was so much in love with me when we were in college, heart broken when I had to leave him, in fact still is very much in love with me" ..
She continued, "In fact according to him, desperately in love with me …I am not sure how to handle the situation. On the one hand, there is Mahesh who is my husband but in name only, and then there is Rohit.” To say I was dumb founded with this revelation of hers would be an understatement. I was shocked to hear those words - that Rohit, according to her, was still desperately in love with her and that Mahesh anna was her husband in name only!
Another thing that stuck me amidst it all was the fact that Mahesh anna and Shalini had different bedrooms. But again that may be because Mahesh anna was being considerate. But I felt it was unnatural having seen my parents, sister and other married couples share a bedroom. However, I came out of my reverie when Shalini began to speak again.
“Anita, do you believe in sixth sense?”
That made me blink ... I said carefully that I had no experience of that.
“But, I do have …my own sixth sense tells me that my life is going to change drastically in the coming days and months.“
I had to ask…” In what way?”
“Well. You will see” Yesterday afternoon I became more or less sure about what direction my life would take.“ She gave me a coy smile, which chilled me…what exactly did she mean? She just sat there looking at me with a satisfied smile. Was this after her meeting with Rohit?
Sad Tidings
I left her and went to my own room , numb with shock . Was Rohit planning to tell me about it this afternoon and probably ask me to help Shalini? And I thought and hoped ... I sat there feeling miserable totally unaware of the pervading darkness around me until Mahesh anna found me. He came in calling my name and switched on the light and one look at my tear strewn face, he was all concerned. I told him that I was fine but he wanted me to tell me what was it that was worrying me and making me so miserable? I couldn't tell him, so I told him that I was missing my father. To this he asked me if I wanted to go home for a few days? Knowing that there was plenty of work in the estate, I couldn't leave him now simply because I had no control over my feelings, so, I said I would be fine in the morning. But he insisted that I should come down, have dinner and be with others.. .
I slept in snatches that night and had developed a severe headache by the time I woke up in the morning. Although the storm was over and the sun was out, it was chilly and windy. I sat on the veranda not knowing what to do and how to face life after what Shalini had told me. Shalini was there sipping coffee and chatting with Arvind, while Mahesh anna sat at a little distance watching and observing both of us quietly. I had an uncertain, fearful thought as to whether he had overheard what Shalini had confided in me. Her voice was quite loud, now that I remembered and he could have easily heard her. Anyway, I had too many worries of my own!
Mahesh anna asked me to rest after breakfast, since he was anyway going to the town on some urgent work and Arvind too would accompany him. I nodded my head, not trusting my voice because I was overcome with emotion. In the meantime, I had received several messages from Rohit who wanted me to meet him this afternoon. But I ignored them all, not responding to any. Rohini aunt was concerned and asked me what the matter was? " Did Shalini say something hurtful? She is capable of doing anything to get her way." ....I told her that it was not Shalini, but something personal.
I went up to my room and slept through the day, waking up well after lunch time and managed to eat a few mouthfuls. As I was clearing up the table, I heard voices outside and saw Vidykka speaking to Rohini aunt..Surprised, I went out and greeted Vidyakka. Even as Shalini, who was there until then disappeared upstairs. Vidyakka gave me a hard look and asked me what was wrong? Of course I could not say anything to her. She invited me to spend some time with her and I could see that Rohini aunt too approved of it and so I agreed reluctantly.
As we walked down, Vidyakka spoke about her own children and their activities but I was frankly in no mood to hear anything. When we reached the cottage, the first thing I noticed was Rohit’s scooter which was parked near the gate. I hesitated but Vidyakka held my hand and guided me inside. Rohit was there looking worried, distressed and unkempt so unlike him. And the look he gave me ...I was at a loss, not knowing how to react! Vidyakka went out to the garden leaving us alone. Rohit asked me ..."Why didn't you respond to me and not come? " I requested Vidyakka to bring you here because Rohini aunt spoke to Vidyakka about you, not knowing what was wrong?"
I had no answer to any of that because I could not share what Shalini had confided in me. So I remained silent..
"I had specifically called you yesterday because I wanted to speak to you ...Can I do that now? I will not compel you to tell me anything but please do remember that I am always there to listen and help ."
I asked him to speak ..
And when I heard what he had to say I was amazed.. here is what he said,
"Anita, I already told you that I had known Shalini. She was known for her beauty and very popular during our college days and I was flattered when she began to pay attention to me. I fell in love with her although now when I look back I am not so sure. She too was in love with me and like all lovers we made plans and looked forward to spending the future together....I passed out of college and was looking for a job but we met often. I got a job at the bank and was sent to Mangalore for training.. At about the same time she went away with her parents during the college vacation. After that she stopped messaging or calling me and would not respond to my messages or calls either. I was understandably very upset and distressed but had no way of contacting her since she had left college." I listened attentively to all this..
"After almost 2 months, I happened to visit Bangalore and saw Shalini and her mother at a shopping mall. When I approached them she looked up saw me and there was far in her eyes as she turned away. But, later she sent a message asking me to meet her the next day. We met and she told me that she was getting married the next week to a Coffee estate owner because her parents had somehow found out about us and were dead against her marrying me since we belonged to different communities. She wanted to come to me but was restricted by them. She also told me that Mahesh, the boy she was marrying had forced himself on her and she had no other go but to accept him."
These last words made my blood boil ...Mahesh anna force himself on her? To me it sounded impossible but people are known to do strange things in love ...
I waited for him to continue ..
“After listening to her, I was no doubt very sad and unhappy but I also had to accept that I had to forget Shalini. However, I began to hate the person she was marrying because of what he had done to her. But years later, when I met Mahesh anna unexpectedly at a wedding I was struck by his simplicity and sincerity. Later after coming here, I have developed a healthy respect and regard for him in spite of what he did to Shalini. In fact I met her yesterday to convince her to accept him wholeheartedly which seemed to have offended her.“
Now this was becoming knottier than I thought! Two completely different accounts by Shalini and Rohit.
Rohit continued… “ Coming to my own feelings, I have gotten over Shalini a long time ago and when I met her here I realised that it was all for the best. But, Shalini has been trying her level best to rekindle the past romance by targeting me every where. Initially I decided to speak to her and put some good sense into her which I realised was not possible because she does only what suits her. She has always been selfish and unfortunately even marriage has not changed her. I find her attitude nauseating and frankly I admire Mahesh for his fortitude. The only regret I have is not being able to procure the loan he wanted…”
I was unable to digest all that especially the last part about himself because I was relieved, happy and hopeful... The only disharmonious note was about Mahesh anna which I refused to believe.
( to be continued )even
7 years ago
MG Singh created new article Bilawal Bhutto is a chip of the old block and destiny beckons him.
Pakistan in so many ways is similar to India. Like in India we have Rahul Gandhi who has been anointed as the leader of the Congress Party by virtue of being a Nehru -Gandhi descendant, similarly, Bilawal Bhutto has also been selected as a leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, by virtue of the fact that that he is a Bhutto.
Like in India where the Nehru -Gandhi family has a special place in the hearts of the Indian people, similarly the Bhutto family has a magical hold over the people of Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is well known as a very intelligent leader of Pakistan who founded the Pakistan peoples party. It is to his credit that the Pakistan constitution in 1973 was adopted. One of the salient features of the constitution is the protection of minorities which is guaranteed. This is a very significant provision of the Constitution of Pakistan. I am not aware that any other countries have such a provision in the constitution which guarantees the rights of the minorities like the Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians in Pakistan. All credit to Zulfikar Bhutto for this.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his faults. Nobody can deny them. I remember in an interview by General Musharraf to an Indian correspondent the ex-President of Pakistan clearly said that the state of Bangladesh was created mainly because of the folly of Ali Bhutto. Despite this Bhutto remains a very popular figure in Pakistan but the people in Bangladesh ( East Pakistan) do not have any time for him.
Bhutto was done in by the Pakistan army general Zia ul Haq. The Pakistani Dictator knew very well that he is not a match to Bhutto in popularity. He was wondering how to get rid of Bhutto and him along with a few generals formulated a devious plan to murder Bhutto by implicating him in a murder case and asking complaint Supreme Court judge to handover the death sentence.The sad part is that Bhutto was hanged to death like a criminal. There is no doubt that he never killed anybody but general Zia ul Haq committed what we say is "judicial Murder."
The death of Bhutto did not take him out of the minds of the Pakistan people. Many people feel that had Bhutto been alive a lot of the people would have been better. His daughter Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan after General Zia ul Haq was himself killed in a bomb blast in the aircraft. When the general must have learned that his aircraft was going to crash, he must have wondered that anybody who rides a tiger is also killed by the tiger.
Benazir Bhutto was murdered again in a conspiracy but the people of Pakistan waited for a Bhutto to lead them. When Asif Zardari the husband of Bhutto announced that Bilawal Bhutto, the elder son of Benazir Bhutto would be the leader of the Pakistan People Party cries of " jio Bhutto" rent the air. The younger Bhutto has still to make a mark in politics but I have no doubt that his destiny is linked with the destiny of Pakistan
Bilawal Bhutto has been born with a silver spoon. He is a very intelligent man and has been educated in England . He has a broad mind but in an interview with an Indian journalist, he did mention that he considered the rise of Narendra Modi in India as an impediment too good relations with Pakistan. He mentioned that the perception of the people of Pakistan is that Narendra Modi has his hands dipped in blood because of the killings in Gujarat. Many Indians also feel the same way. Many feel that Modi definitely has something to hide regarding the mass killing of the minority community in Gujarat
From India's point of view, it will be a good idea in case the younger Bhutto can rise up and lead Pakistan because we would be dealing with a person who not only has a modern outlook but is not conditioned by Islamic rhetoric. This is the need of Pakistan who needs such a man. India also needs a man who is not talking about religious dogma.Unfortunately, the BJP and their leader Mr. Modi are talking more about religious dogma like cow slaughter and Ram Mandir and other things than creating jobs and trying to give food to all people in India. The fact that 1000 farmers die every year in India by suicide, is nothing to be proud of. I wonder how much benefit these farmers will get with a agitation for cow slaughter. Mr. Modi must answer on this. To the people of India, Ram Mandir is another issue which is created by the BJP and my grandfather has told me that before partition nobody was really bothered about Ayodhya and Ram Janam Bhoomi. It is the BJP which resurrected this dead horse.
Bilawal Bhutto is thus correct when he says that that in case India and Pakistan have to move forward then they need someone with an open mind and not someone who is dominated by religious dogma and rhetoric
I am a great optimist and I am certain that the younger Bhutto if and when he comes to power will be the best thing for Pakistan and also for India.One can only hope India will see a young Leader who can lead India forward away from the religious dogma of cow slaughter, Ram Mandir, and caste.
7 years ago
Reena created new article Uncover life and see bigger picture.
Introduction
Since we all are different from one another, we all have different viewpoints and different belief systems. Our perception towards life too is very different. What seems real to us may appear to be fake to others and what seems unreal to us may look very genuine to others. Situations and circumstances appear to be same but the perception is the one which creates the whole different scenarios. We shape our feelings based on our perceptions. We think differently from one another and thus the way we think, we believe, we feel will all lead us to create and shape a different world around us.
Self-awareness is essential
We need to learn so much about life. A person may have lived his whole life and in his last few days when he looks back, he will realize that whatever he learned in his journey was just a part of what all is present in this world. When we just stop and look back, we will soon realize that we have done tons of wrong to others in terms of our deeds or behaviors and have reacted so badly in so many situations where we could have done so much better. Sometimes in our lives, we do very well and other times, we just do not fare well. Looking back will teach us so much in life. We can learn so much from our past, provided that we do not create a guilt or regret sort of feeling. This is what is known as self-awareness. In absence of it, we will not be able to find a bigger picture of life.
Practice detachment
If we need to uncover our life then we should never shut down ourselves. Shutting down means the end. The doors are closed and we have enclosed ourselves in walls where we cannot learn anything and cannot uncover anything. This is more like disengaging oneself. Detachment is good, but detachment does not mean not participating. When we participate, we get to learn so much but detachment means we remain uninfluenced by right and wrongs, by goods and bads. No matter whether we win the contest or lose it, we just enjoy participating in it and this is what detachment is all about. If we do not participate then how are we going to learn so many new and wonderful things life has stored in its lap for us. We should neither try to avoid a circumstance or people around us nor should we try to escape from them. Escaping or sunning from a situation or from people never allow us to evolve. We are never going to learn anything from it. We have to face the situations which may be favorable or unfavorable. We have to deal with people whether we like them or hate them. This will help us to come out of our comfort zone. There is no point in just relaxing all the time in a comfort zone. Circumstances cannot be every time just the way we want them to be and thus we have to deal with them, no matter of what type they are. Everyone around us all the time cannot behave the way we want them to and therefore we just need to get out there and learn to deal with them.
Heroic act reveal the bigger picture of life
It is obvious that we will be very well able to deal with our favorable situations and people whom we like in a very nice manner. There is no doubt about it. But what about another side of the coin. Two faces complete a coin. Both sides are needed or else coin will be considered as of no intrinsic value. Thus, we need to add some intrinsic value to our lives too in order to experience real life. We need to come out of our shelves in a bold manner and with a strong attitude. We have to not disengage but engage in the world and worldly matters. It can bring sadness, misery, troubles but it is also true, it will discover our unrevealed self. To become who we are in a real sense, we need to do this heroic act. Little efforts made are never going to go in vain but they will reward us by letting us see the bigger picture of our life.
Maintain balance in life
Another important aspect is to not hold the space. We have to be present and do everything that we need to do but by remaining balanced. We will see and hear everything but this is just a role we are meant to play. People will appreciate us and some of them will criticize us. Sometimes painful moments will arrive in front of us and other times good moments will lure us. After all, this is what life is all about. We have to stand firmly and witness everything because we are meant to do so by preventing ourselves from getting imbalanced. We cannot take anything personally because this is what we are supposed to do. All we have to do is stand and watch. Observing everything carefully should be our task.
Do not get entangled
Everything occurring around us is not about us and thus we should not take anything personally. We all are at different emotional levels and psychological levels and thus our perceptions are different and thus we all act differently. Every one reacts. Reactions sometimes may free us or our stress. Whatever may be the reason, our reactions are our creativity and we do it for ourselves. If someone shows anger does not mean that it is focused on us. It just means that they need to release it because that is what need of the hour is for them. Let them react and behave the way they want to. We cannot keep entangling ourselves with everyone because then hardly anytime will be left for us where we can understand our story of life. All we can do for them is to accept them for who they are and show them our unconditional love.
Everything is a destiny
Our life should be a balancing act. We cannot engage too much nor can we shut down completely. Creating a balance in everything is very essential. We have to bring love, peace, harmony in ourselves. This will evolve us. We need to relate ourselves and find a deeper meaning for all those events which have either arrived or are occurring in our lives. None of the events occur without any reason. Participating in each of them will help us to evolve as a human being. These events cannot be avoided no matter what efforts we put in. This itself is destiny and since our destiny has decided that we need to encounter with so and so event and meet so and so person then we just have to be ready for everything. Since we are destined, let us participate consciously and stop complaining about everything. We need to inculcate peace, love, and harmony in our personality which are nothing but inner qualities of our soul and then align our personality with soul.
Everything is not about us
We cannot become overpowering always. There is no need for us to dominate the situation and decide for everyone around us. We have just created a fictional world around us and in that world, we feel all the people around us will behave in a certain manner and all the circumstances which are arriving will be in our favor. When this does not take place, it somewhere hits a nerve. We get upset about it. This all is our creation because this is how we see ourselves and the world around us. When something different occurs, it upsets us. We just have to let ourselves loose and we need not take everything personally. Everything is not supposed to be about us. We cannot let people or incidents have an impact on us and especially a negative one. This will happen only if we stop dominating everything and change our defensive and critical qualities into loving and more accepting ones. Once quality changes, we will get through the incidents very quickly.
Just uncover life
Looking at the bigger picture of our life which is only possible if self-awareness is present will help us to become master of our soul i.e., master of our life. Master need not control anything and yet everything gets controlled. This is because he has controlled inner soul and the one who has conquered inner soul need not conquer the outer world. We need to prove our control or mastery. We will be then able to live our life to the fullest. Through our powerful vibrations, we will be able to radiate the same to others. This, in turn, will change lives of everyone who are seeking empowerment. Our every thought, each feeling we create, the way we behave, qualities which we develop etc will calibrate with understanding peace and there will be lots of clarity. No life can be defined as happier than this one where a person knows who he is and where the clarity is at the top spot.
Conclusion
When someone releases some sort of energy not liked by us then our belief gets challenged and we take it personally. Some sort of authoritative power comes inside us and we try to control others as well as the situation. Someone releasing their energy which may be in the form of anger, frustration, irritation etc has got nothing to do with us. This is just an illusion and thus we feel that it has something to do with us and thus we take it personally. This disbalances us. We get entangled in that situation and this is what disbalances us. We do not observe the whole scene as a viewer. Until and unless we do so, we will never realize that why the person is behaving in this manner. Keen observation will turn the whole negative experience into a positive one because we get to learn from it. This will help us to deal with these kinds of situations in coming future and this is because we start getting closer to our original self which is nothing but the original authentic self. The more and more we see clarity by uncovering life, the more and more big picture of life emerges in front of us.
7 years ago
S.Madhusudan Rao created new article Attracting , a gratitude by heart.
It was in 1995, when I was supplying shoes in our district, a border of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. I was doing the entire activity from my home and front room was converted as my office. One day there was a leakage in my cooking gas pipe lines and I called a plumber to repair, his name is Muthu and I knows him ver well. he is a sincere and calm going guy.
that day it was not his day I think so. His motor cycle was broken, he lost his wallet and he was getting repeated calls from bank, I think so is for instalments. in spite of many disturbances he completed the job nicely and no there was no leakage and he cleaned all the kitchen very well as I was staying alone and iam a lazy guy in keeping house. when I want to pay him I smiled and told, It looks today is a bad day of you: is it so?"
He smiled and told, " it is my every day routine sir. weekly once or twice I have this kind of troubles, but today it's too much. I have nothing in our kitchen. all groceries were finished. don't know how to manage?".
I thought I must help him. I gave him some groceries like rice, oil, sugar, milk and coffee powder etc. additionally I gave 300 Rs to him. I told him that I will drop him in my car. one of my friend was sitting there in my office while iam giving him. he asked me 'why iam giving so much to him?' - but I didn't replied to his question. I took my car to drop Muthu. when we reached his home he invited me to come inside hi house.
Before entering his house Muthu stood with folded hands before a Basil plant near his front door and prayed for few minutes and he asked me to sit in the chair. with an inquisitive looks I smiled at him and I took a eat in the chair. His two children came and hugged him, his wife took all the groceries to their kitchen. Muthu told me about Basil plant that "Sir, this tree is my Gratitude Tree. when I come in I pay my gratitude to this tree because when I leave my house in morning I go with hundred problems but when I return I come with solutions and it makes me happy all I give a glass of water in the morning"
I remembered Abraham Hicks and I told him, " Gratitude also having a little resistance, Appreciate...Appreciation is the best"
when I returned from there and on the same day I got a call from our district's Cricket Association Secretary that they need 440 pairs of sports shoes as they have a state wise tournaments and they decided to give the shoes and T-shirts to all teams. I supplied the shoes and after execution when I calculated my profit I was speechless. I got a profit of 62,000 /= where I gave to Muthu exactly 620/= worth of groceries and money. Exactly 100 times more than what I had given him.
I was thinking on that day 'Appreciation... a chain reaction". Muthu gives a glass of water to Basil plant, and I give a few groceries to him, but nature give you more than what you deserve actually..
7 years ago
vinodh replied to the topic What is life for you?.
Life is always with up & down. I sometimes face depressions and on that time i try to avoid by keeping me busy doing something else. In this way i try to avoid the problem...
7 years ago
usha manohar replied to the topic What is life for you?.
Life is hghly complicated and complex esoeespeci maintaining relationships that matter to you. However, we learn as we go along but it never ends until your last breath.
7 years ago
usha manohar liked the topic What is life for you?.
Though I consider myself as a positive being still get depressed many a times in life. It is impossible not to come across loss and defeat in life but how do you face such...
7 years ago
usha manohar replied to the topic Salman Khan convicted in Black buck case .
Our entire system including justice is flawed and it is not an easy task to correct it or entirely rid it of corruption. One can see that the judges are biased , have ...
7 years ago
usha manohar created new article The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates – 13.
The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates - 13
Rohit , Me and Mahesh anna
Now, when I think back, I am surprised as to how some things become clearer with time. But when it is happening it makes little sense, or has no relevance unless you look at the larger picture.
That morning when I went into the office room, I saw my laptop had been tampered with, because it wasn’t in its usual place and a few things kept on the desk like a pencil holder and a note book which I used for making notes, had been moved around. I decided to tell Mahesh anna about it, but he himself came in and told me that last night he had used the laptop since he wanted to take a look at some old files stored in it. So it was not Arvind..
Rohit was back and sent me a message asking me to meet him that afternoon. I simply could not contain my happiness and I must have been grinning from ear to ear after reading the message, realised it only when I saw Shalini looking at me with narrowed eyes while we were having lunch. I freshened up and came down, planning to meet Rohit. Unexpectedly, Shalini who was half lying on the sofa called me and showed that she was in the mood to chat with me. I was not sure how to get out of her clutches. Mahesh anna who was moving around came to us grinning and teasingly asked me “no walk today?” I said that I was planning to go and left smiling at him and waving to Shalini who was not too happy.
I almost ran to my spot and Rohit was already there waiting for me. Although he gave me a heart-warming smile, he looked tired and somehow sad and all I wanted to do was hug him to me and tell him how much I loved him and not to worry about anything. Instead I asked him “How was your trip to Bangalore? “
He brightened up a little and said that it was good, he had accomplished most of the things that he wanted to, although it didn’t matter now. It was like a riddle to me because he did not explain and before I could ask him for an explanation, rain played spoil sport, making us run towards shelter. Since, his house was closer we both ran down, completely drenched, shivering with cold. Vidyakka gave us steaming cups of tea and insisted that I change into something warmer. So, I wore one of her housecoats and sat chatting with them. Mahesh anna called me and came to pick me which was as well because the rain never stopped for a long time. I thanked Vidyakka who bundled my wet clothes into a plastic bag and handed it over to me as we were leaving, Mahesh anna hardly spoke to Rohit which pained me, although he was quite friendly with Vidyakka. I felt that I should have a talk with Mahesh anna, sometimes soon and if possible clear the misunderstanding. But little did i know that, that would never happen!
Shalini ?
When we reached home, there was no sign of Shalini anywhere, Rohini aunt told me that she had a headache, so was resting in her room. I wondered aloud whether I should go and see her but Mahesh anna asked me to leave her alone since she was in a bad mood. A little later as we were having tea, Mahesh anna asked Geeta to prepare some hot milk and take it up to Shalini since she had Hardly eaten any lunch as well. He and Nanjappa soon left for their rounds. Geeta was in the kitchen and Rohini aunt was in her room but Arvind was nowhere to be seen, so I presumed he must be in his room, resting. Rohini aunt was removing seeds from Tamarind and I helped her with it while Geeta was busy in the kitchen. Geeta having forgotten to take the milk , called out to me and asked me if I would take the milk for Shalini since she was grinding the rice for Idli batter. She reheated the milk and I went to the kitchen to pick up the tray on which she had paced the glass of milk and a small plateful of biscuits. I noticed that there was a small bit of bread crumb sticking to the side of the milk glass. As I tried to take it off , it fell into the glass. I took a spoon and scooped it up just as Geeta came into the kitchen looking at me questioningly and I explained to her what had happened. I took the tray up and went into Shalini’s room knocking on her door. Shalini was sleeping and the room was dark. I gently patted her arm and asked her to drink the milk but she asked me to leave it on the bedside table and she would drink it later. She sounded sleepy and incoherent. I left her and came down and as I descended the steps, I thought I saw a shadow behind the stairs, but when I checked no one was there..
Mahesh anna came home and enquired about Shalini and felt that it was best to leave her alone. We stayed up for some time after dinner, Mahesh anna and Arvind went into the office to take care of some details. I and Rohini aunt went up to our respective bedrooms. I welcomed the solitude when I could think of Rohit and the time that we spent together. Today, we hardly got to speak and he looked worried and sad but thankfully he was almost back to his normal self once we ran down the slope into the warmth of his house… I told myself “tomorrow I will ask him for an explanation” soon I was fast asleep little realising that our lives would change drastically when we woke up in the morning.
I woke up as usual to the twitter of the birds and the roll call of the estate workers. Went down and saw Mahesh anna and Rohini aunt already up and drinking coffee on the veranda. Arvind too joined us. Rohini aunt asked about Shalini to which Mahesh anna replied" she must be still sleeping, I and Arvind were up for a long time checking some accounts and I went to bed after that. I will go and wake her up now "Saying this he went up and came down in a rush within a couple of minutes shouting and saying that she was not waking up and that she was cold…
He was desolate and immediately called the doctor and I and Rohini aunt and Geeta ran up to Shalini's room. She looked peaceful, almost as if she was sleeping and looking at her I couldn’t stop my tears. Rohini aunt was stunned and so was Geeta. The Doctor came up and checked her and pronounced her dead. He said we had to call the police since it was an unnatural death …
All I could think of were her words spoken in this very room about sixth sense and how she felt her life would change forever! I felt a great sadness, pity and much more. Mahesh anna was inconsolable. Arvind although looking shaken took charge and called her parents and I called my mother and when she heard about the tragedy she too was shocked. I sent a message to Rohit, who was understandably shocked and said he would inform Vidyakka and come to Akashdeep immediately.
The Doctor waited upstairs since he wanted to have a word with the police when they arrived, while we were all asked to leave the room. The police officers arrived within a few minutes and Inspector Ganesh, who I thought looked very thorough and efficient took charge straight away. He spoke to the doctor and on his advice it was decided that Shalini’s body would be taken to the hospital which was in another town. Mahesh anna and Arvind decided to accompany the body. Just as we were waiting for the Ambulance Rohit and Vidyakka arrived and I could see that Rohit was nervous and uncomfortable. Both he and Vidyakka went to Mahesh anna and stayed with him consoling him. In the meantime, the police locked Shalini’s room and were speaking to Geeta and Nanjappa. Later, they spoke to Arvind and Rohini aunt.
All I could recall was the numbness I felt along with the shock of losing her. I kept wondering how could it have happened? Did she commit suicide, or have a heart attack? What would happen when her parents arrived? what would happen to me after this? It may seem selfish of me to think of myself and my future at a time like that but I have read somewhere that people think of the most absurd things when they are in the middle of a tragedy!
As of now all that we could do was wait!
( To be continued)
7 years ago
Reena created new article Environment pollution and pollutants.
Introduction
The environment comprises of everything present around us with which we are surrounded with and that may include living organisms along with non-living things. It also includes natural forces, natural resources like water, air, soil, various minerals, plants, trees etc. It includes both physical and biological world as well as interactions that take place between them. Weather, resources, climate are the factors in the environment which needs to be faced by living beings so that they can survive.
Environment pollution
Nature had gifted us a world or perhaps the whole universe which was free of pollution. It is we who are responsible for polluting it and as we are responsible for creating pollution, it is now time for us to face hazardous effects of this pollution. Pollution is caused when we try to interfere with anything that is natural. Contamination that we cause results in adverse effects and contamination when reaches a certain extent result in disrupting stability causing harm and discomfort to everything present in its original form. It is like causing a disorder. Both physical and biological components are contaminants. As a result, human beings which are part of the environment along with other living beings experience discomfort as a natural ecosystem is been disturbed. Pollution can occur on its own too. The environment has the ability to wipe down that pollution and regain its health. Similarly, pollution that we cause or contaminants that we introduce into the environment if it is of the safe level then environment can filter it down in various ways like recycling or by breaking it down. But the levels have to be acceptable. Today we have introduced contaminants into the environment at a rate that is much higher than the environment can afford. Thus, its immunity isn't working as its defensive line has been disrupted widely. At this higher rate, it cannot disperse or store this much of waste in some form which is harmless.
Causes of environment pollution
Environment pollution has been occurring for many centuries but the levels were acceptable and thus mother nature recovered from it gracefully. Today it is a matter of concern as advancement and progress made us blind and we have done the harm on such a level that recovery is rarely possible. The real problem started with the beginning of industrialization. Pollution is actually dumping or addition of a substance that is harmful to various forms of energy like air, water, sound etc. Advancement in the modern age in each and every field resulted in the emission of by-products and this is where pollution begins as the environment is not able to neutralize or degrade these products at a rate of which they are dumped in the environment. Also, natural resources if used at a rate which is way higher than the rate at which environment can replenish them back then this is also a significant cause of pollution. Change if it is gradual, adaptation becomes simple and normal. However, mankind has resulted in drastic changes overnight. The environment could not absorb and adapt the changes resulted in mankind. It is always seen that mankind in advancement age produces many by-products which are the outcome of his development and thereby dumps them in nature. Now either he has to give time to nature so that it decomposes what is already been dumped for thousands of years are required for its decomposition. Once decomposition is done and then next disposal should be done. If he cannot wait for so long when he has to find some artificial means by which he can destroy his harmful by-products then it will result in pollution. As he is the one who is responsible for creating by-product then its neutralization responsibility should also be taken by him over his shoulder.
When did pollution begin?
Pollution began when man discovered the use of fire. It was a huge discovery in the history of mankind and this discovery changed everything. From then till now there is no stopping for man. However, until 19th century whatever pollution that was occurring in the environment was accepted as it was in the minimal range. It hardly caused any harm or disturbed ecosystem. In the 19th century, an industrial revolution took place. This was the phase when everything changed and the change was all abrupt. Technological progress that took place during industrialization was the main cause for depletion of natural resources. This phase led to the discovery of oil. It was then used for different purposes in various industries. Progress was helped by practices led by capitalist business and it all resulted in overproduction of goods as production costs were very less. Excessive production of goods resulted in excessive consumption by common man. Thus as production was increased, there was increased production of harmful by-products which resulted in over pollution.
Why is it so important to stop environment pollution?
Environment pollution matters because it exerts negative or ill-effects on different forms of energy we have like air, water, soil, sound etc. It is the necessity of our lives that we require these forms of energy in purest form like the air has to be clean, water has to be pure as it will ensure healthy living. However, today our energy forms are contaminated to such an extent that it's showing clear direct effects on our health. Life of human beings, as well as other living beings on this earth, is at stake. Many species of birds and animals today have become extinct and many are at risk and have been labeled endangered. If the same thing continues then we will rarely find any life on this earth. The air we are breathing is fully contaminated, the water we are drinking is completely contaminated and thus these contaminants reaching our body in one form or the other are responsible for causing a number of ailments. Respiratory-related disorders and cardiac problems are at high rise today. There is no place to dispose of wastes caused due to overpopulation, industrialization, and urbanization. Our ecosystem which we perfectly balanced before the 19th century is today completely imbalanced. Thus, both the intensity as well as the frequency of disasters resulting in nature have increased. These natural disasters risk life as well as all the possessions one has. Rapid depleting of natural resources have caused a lot of problems like the ground water level is decreasing day by day. Soft water resources are depleting. Land degradation is been seen. Forest resources are used at such a rapid rate that is causing global warming as well as soil erosion. The ill effect is seen by emissions of greenhouse gases. Environment pollution causes a serious impact, particularly on human beings. It reduces food security. They are put at high risk for a number of diseases. They are the one who is at high risk of losing all they have acquired along with their lives during the time of natural hazards. It also reduces the scope for financial growth opportunities. With every passing year in fact with every passing day, environmental pollution is causing damage and destruction of the earth which is irreversible.
Environmental contaminants
Contaminants or pollutants are the by-products obtained that may be from industries, vehicles, use of insecticides and pesticides in farming etc. They are executing elements that can be in any state. They may be in solid state, liquid or even in gaseous form. Most of them are very harmful, toxic and are known to destroy habitation. They do not undergo quick degradation and thus dwell in the ecosphere for years together. They are the products introduced into the environment by mankind himself and he himself is the one who gets affected the most by them.
Contaminants are of two types. Once is biodegradable and the other one is non-biodegradable. Biodegradable pollutants are not very harmful. They can easily be decomposed and the resultant product so obtained will be not at all harmful. These products undergo neutralization or degeneration which is done by living organisms as they can obtain energy required to them from these products from proteins, fats, and carbohydrates present in them. In other words, they feed on them. Some of the examples of the biodegradable contaminant are inorganic salts and phosphates. Waste products which are usually organic are also biodegradable. However, they too should be disposed of properly. If disposal is done without proper care or without following proper technique then it may become a matter of concern as it will challenge the ability of the earth to assimilate them. On the other hand, non-biodegradable contaminants are one which cannot be broken down by living organisms and thus they remain in the environment for years together. They are very harmful and toxic and pose a matter of concern as they are the ones mainly responsible for causing environmental pollution. Some of such non-biodegradable contaminants are plastics, mercury, pesticides, radioactive materials etc.
Harm to mother nature
Advancement and development that took place in the field of natural sciences helped us to understand what actually are we doing to mother nature. Thie type of harm and damage we are creating to it result in pollution exerts ill effects on the environment. Environment pollution is not the problem that is only faced by developed countries. It is an issue which is popular in both developed and developing countries. Population explosion is creating tons of demands whereas mother nature is unable to replenish the resources quickly as it requires a number of years to do so and thus resources are been used at a much higher rate when compared with their replenishment process resulting in degradation of nature. For millions of years, these resources were safe in the lapse of mother nature and were left unused. With the rapid growth and progress seen during the industrial age, resources are seen to be used to the maximum rate. As a result, degradation is seen and waste resulting from these industries as by-products are not treated well or artificially neutralized, in fact, they are dumped in the environment as it is which result in further worsening of the whole scenario.
7 years ago
Chinmay Mendhule created new article Why you should stop smoking right now ?.
For smokers,Quitting that habit is really a tough action to take.Majority of smokers want to quit smoking, but find it difficult to do so as nicotine is very addictive and hard to get rid off.We are telling you about 10 things that would happen instantly if stop smoking right now.
1.After 20 minutes,Nicotine starts leaving your system which lowers your pulse and blood pressure to normal.
2.After 2 hours,your peripheral blood circulation improves increasing the temperature of your hands and feet.
3.By the time you finish your day at work,the oxygen level is back to normal as there's half the amount of nicotine in your system.
4.Two days into it,your sense of taste and smell, improves drastically.
5.Also,if you smoke cigarettes a day,now you would have saved Rs.320.
6.After 3 months, exercising becomes easier as your lungs are stronger.And you would have saved 14,400 rupees.
7.Let's say you're 25 years old,smoke 10 cigarettes a day ,each costing you Rs.16,That means you're spending Rs. 4800 a month and Rs. 58400 a month.
8.Not only do you lose money,you end up with 50% higher chance of getting a stroke than that of non-smoker.
9.Assuming price of cigarettes increases 10% a year,You would have smoked cigarettes worth 1.72 crore by the time you turn 60.
10.If you would've invested same 4800 per month and increased it by 10% a year,you would've saved whopping 4.5 crore rupees a year.You can buy a house, a swanky car and still save money.
Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduces the health of smokers in general. Smoking cigarette does not have advantages but a numerous disadvantages. So quit smoking and lead to a healthy life.
7 years ago
Reena created new article Why power is so important in our lives.
Introduction
Power is often associated with someone who is strong either structurally or mentally. We all want to have it as we feel that it is essential to living a fulfilling life. We want it in our personal as well as professional lives as we feel that power itself will bring us strength, happiness and make our lives fulfilling and rewarding. Power only comes to them who are fearless and have the capability to embrace it completely instead of suppressing it or distorting it. We all want power because we all want to be strong and in absence of power, we feel that we will look weak and thus become an easy prey to others. Power is associated with winning. If one loses and the other wins then that means the winner has more power and he gets to decide and the loser has to be submissive and follow the commands. Less power means less reputation and the person is referred as weak and naive. Power is victory and the one who is more victorious is referred as more powerful, others fear of him and do not want to attack him as they know they will not be able to defeat a powerful person.
Importance of power
Power is essential to bring changes. In absence of power, changes can be made but however, lots of struggle and lots of efforts will be required to bring even a minimal change. If power is in hands then it becomes easy to make, mend, break the rules and bring the changes.
Power provides protection. We can safeguard ourselves, our belongings and everyone for whom we really care for. We can create healthy boundaries. Thereby by using the power, we can easily protect ourselves from getting hurt and avoid chances of damage.
If power is in our hands then it becomes quite easy to help others in their pursuit. Their amazing pursuit might bring some amazing positive outcomes and we will be a part of it. A powerless helping hand does not make such a big impact the way powerful helping hand can do.
Power is essential to serve others. We always dream of serving our society, community or our country but since we are not blessed with enough powers, we often are not able to make desirable changes and create a powerful impact and serve others the way we wanted to serve. Power helps us to do serve everyone in a necessary manner.
Power instills lots of confidence. We are able to stand high, speak up what we feel, question if we are in doubt, we can ask for more if we feel we deserve more, we can seek more if we want more etc. Power helps us to speak for ourselves as well as for others and since it is in our hands, our voice gets heard and our demands get met.
Power helps us to build mass power. It helps us to gather people and togetherness as we all know will always lead to some remarkable achievements. We can gather more support and build relationships which nourish us and make us strong in our journey. If we want to nurture from others then we need to build up power and thereby it will enable the formation of strong bonds.
Power reduces the struggle. A powerless person may regret at the end regarding his unfinished business. Though he had the ability and capacity but lack of resources, lack masses support and lack of opportunities did not let him fulfill his dreams. However, power enables all sorts of support and the only thing which we need is the real ability and if we have that then we can fulfill all our dreams without much struggle.
Power helps us to think big. We can feel empathy and compassion for others, the way we used to feel for ourselves. These feelings no longer remain restricted to us. We can reach out to millions, feel for them, and help them in every way. We no longer remain restricted to fulfilling our own dreams but make sure that we fulfill each and every dream of those eyes which are willfully dreaming but no longer have the capacity to turn them into reality.
Power helps to eliminate enemies. When a person is powerful then everyone wants to be his friends. The number of allies increases. A powerful person can easily eliminate his enemies and still retain his number one spot.
Power earns influence and respect. Our path becomes easy and so is achieving any position when we are backed up with lots of influences. When we own power, our words get respected and so do our opinions and thereby we earn followers as well. The more the followers we earn, the more powerful leader we become.
Disadvantages of power
Today we consider power as a currency which very well helps us to successfully live in this world. However, it pops up the ego in an individual. Same way, we feel about money. This is why we feel that those who have more money are more powerful. We very well relate money to power and sometimes use the two in place of one another. When people start respecting us just because we are powerful, when we start earning lots of influences, lots of followers etc then everything gets to our head. This boosts our ego and pride and this is how power corrupts. It's like an antidote to all sorts of insecurity, fear, and pain. People have a misconception that having more power means getting better day by day. Earning more money, reaching higher post in career, having more followers etc are all associated with power and this is why an individual tries to achieve all these throughout his life so that he can become a better version of who he is right now. We like controlling and thus we feel that having more power gives us the liberty to control things.
Charm of power
Power if wielded correctly can influence millions; bring peace in the society and country by completely stopping the war. It can influence millions and change the outlook completely. It is a very powerful weapon which can either bring war or peace and it is up to that individual or organization, what they use it for. Power should be allowed to exist. Only then it can exist. Until and unless all the other followers of the dictator have given up their powers, a dictator cannot emerge. Dictator thus becomes powerful when nobody stands in front of him. This is why power is considered to be a part of a relationship. Power can bring change, exerts effects and influences others. Power is addictive. The more we earn, the eagerness develops within us to earn some more of it. It does not bring contentment. It brings curiosity and addiction.
Conclusion
Power is a charming weapon. We all need it because it helps us to become powerful. We can influence people, bring changes in the outer world, earn lots of followers, enable our dreams to come true, enable others dreams to come true too etc. It decreases the efforts which we need to put in to accomplish anything i.e., it reduces the overall struggle. Power provides us protection. As long as it is used for constructive purposes, it can bring positive changes. As soon as it is used to bring destruction, it can even initiate a war. It is up to us whether we need to use it to stop a war or initiate it. It eliminates enemies and helps us think positive and big. The more powerful we are, the more easily we will be able to control things. These are the numerous reasons which make us long for more power in our lives.
7 years ago
Reena created new article Meditation and prayer nourish our lives.
Introduction
On an everyday basis, we have to spare certain time for ourselves in which we can rest and relax our mind as well as body. This is the time when we leave all our activities behind i.e., completely withdraw ourselves from getting involved in them and try to concentrate only on our inner self. Once we introduce us to our inner self, everything becomes easy. The self-introduction will then make a path which when followed leads us to the Supreme Soul. An easy way to reach Him is through prayers. Each and every religion teaches the importance of prayers or meditation that needs to be done for certain duration throughout the day. This is not just a practice one has to perform out of respect instead one needs to make oneself aware of the real deep meaning that is hidden beneath prayers or meditation.
Concentration should be towards inside
Throughout our lives, we keep flourishing outwardly. Our numerous achievements and accomplishments keep promoting our outer world. However, due to our complete negligence towards inside, we will face hollowness and thus contentment is not complete. We have seen millionaires coming to places of worship and asking for contentment and peace. They often are heard of saying that something is been missing in their lives and ask God to take away their misery. Now if we think that money and materialistic comforts can provide us happiness then how come they are miserable. This is because their inner self is not contented and happy. No matter how much we achieve and flourish in outside world, if our inner world is not flourished then we will never remain happy.
Nourish inner world
We easily escape ourselves by saying that we do not have time for prayers, for worship and for meditation. We blame our busy lives, tight working schedules, rat race etc. Days keep on passing. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months and months easily into years. Years keeping passing and we accomplish too much on our part but we do not stop even for a second and take care of that turbulence that is been going on inside us since a long period of time. The less time we spare for ourselves and leave our inner self-unheard, more damage it does to us. Every day our inner questions are left unheard and unsolved. This all leads to misery. The inner world is very very important and vital factor of our life which we cannot neglect. We have to nourish it if we want happiness in life.
Significance of meditation
Meditation leads to awakening. It increases concentration which is essential for us as it helps us to save ourselves. Prayers or meditation help us gain confidence in goodness. They educate us and help us discriminate between right and wrong energy and the right and wrong attitude. This power of discrimination is already present within us but since we do not use it for a long period of time, we feel we have lost it. Not only this, it brings back all the powers which are hidden from us and present in embedded space. One gets awakened to their spirit. Meditation comes as a true savior which teaches us the possibility and opens up scope for achieving not just time being superficial happiness but in fact highest happiness.
Meaning of meditation
Meditation increases concentrating the power of a soul and thus we will be able to achieve lots of things in small duration. The difficulty will be easily taken care of and exertion which we need to face will be of very small or even negligible amount. Spirituality grows with high meditative power. Meditation does not mean sitting in a place for a certain duration with eyes closed whereas mind lingers in worldly things. It means total concentration. Does not matter whether eyes are closed or not, does not matter whether a person is sitting, standing or lying down, all matters is his focus is shifted from outside to inside. This is what meditation is all about. Once consciousness shifts from outside to inside, one gets introduced to one's soul.
Mediation means an increase in concentration
Meditation always enhances power. It spreads light and takes away the darkness. This will nourish our inner self. Concentration on physical aspect will bless us with good health which means we will be free from all sorts of diseases. Concentration in mind increases its sharpness. It blesses us with mental health and good memory power. Concentration on outer world whether it is in business or job will yield achievements in these fields. Concentration on relationships will make them healthy and pure. Concentration on studies will make us intellectual. Similarly, concentration on the spiritual world will lead us to the path of enlightenment.
Prayer is a type of meditation
Prayers are nothing but a kind of meditation where we connect ourselves with Supreme Soul. Prayers, concentration, meditation are all same where a person becomes aware of himself, awakens completely and is directed towards spiritual regeneration. Supreme Soul is an ocean of love, life, and positive energy. Connection with Him itself is our highest purpose and this is what is been taught in each and every prayer no matter to what religion it belongs. Also, the main motive of meditation and prayers is to help us rise from being superficial and shallow to Higher Supreme Source. It helps us get rid of all our imperfections in life. Infinite energy replaces our shallowness and limitations that we have been storing in our body and mind since ages.
Conclusion
Meditation as it draws attention towards inside, insecurity and fear vanish completely. Now work too seems like a worship as one does not care about the results they are going to yield as the outcome of their deeds. Their work seems like a recreation to them. Meditation blesses us in all the aspects. Good health, intellectual power, the awakening of the soul, good relationships with other souls and most important spiritual illumination and salvation from worldly matters are all gifted to us if we take our prayers seriously or else concentrate on our meditation period seriously.
7 years ago
usha manohar created new article The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates – 12.
The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates – 12
Meeting Vidyakka again
The next day was usual and after lunch Mahesh anna went up for his usual afternoon nap and Shalini too went up to her room and so did Geeta. Rohini aunt was around and I stretched my legs and sat on the most comfortable sofa in the living room and must have dozed off. I came awake suddenly hearing the sound of voices. I realised it was Rohini aunt and Arvind having a serious argument and she was extremely angry with him so much so that she was unable to control her voice . I was not sure whether to remain there or leave, felt that it was better that I go up to my room. As I climbed the stairs I could hear snatches of their conversation ..
Rohini aunt “ Have you any idea what this means , have you lost your senses ? “ and Arvind protesting and saying that he would take care of everything. I was curious and wondered whether it had anything to do with the money transfers or was it just my imagination ? It could be any of their personal issues that I was not aware of. However, now that I had remembered the issue of money transfers I decided to look up the file and get more details.
I felt restless and decided to go for a walk . As I waked out of the gate and turned into the main road , I saw Vidyakka walking towards me. When she saw me she waited for me and both of us walked up to my spot. We sat there and Vidyakka seemed worried about something. She asked me whether Rohit had told me anything about Shalini and I in turn repeated what he had told me about her. All of which she seemed to know. She was thoughtful and I sat quietly waiting fpr her to speak…finally she asked me “ What do you think of Mahesh ? Is he capable of being violent ? “
I knew that she had a reason for asking this. I told her that under the normal circumstances he is a very calm and balanced person but he does lose his temper when he is stressed, generally with the estate workers and the writer, and rarely against Arvind ! I also told her that I had the greatest respect and regard for Mahesh anna no matter what !
“ How about Shalini ? How does he treat her ?“
I told her that it was totally impossible to imagine that Mahesh anna could ever be violent with Shalini. Vidyakka nodded her head but never offered any explanation . As we walked down , she told me that Rohit would be busy for a few days with some work and with a seminar organised by the bank in the nearby town .
The calm before the storm
As I reached home I saw that things were calm with Arvind sipping coffee on the veranda with Mahesh anna and Rohini aunt and , I held my breath as I saw Shalini too come out and join them. They all smiled and greeted me. Mahesh anna seemed preoccupied most of the time. After he drove away with Nanjappa for his daily estate rounds, Shalini came and sat next to me. I sincerely hoped she wouldn’t come up with some more distressing disclosures . She spoke about her parents and I could see that she was missing them. When I suggested that she could always visit them, she said it was not possible now … giving me a knowing smile. I let that pass …
But I felt compelled to ask her something that had been bothering me all along ... " Shalini " I began
" When I came here , I was given to understand that you were depressed and in a delicate state of mind, but looking at you ..." Thats all I could say , bcause she came straight at me like a shot!
" What did you expect ? To find a mentally deranged mad woman ? Is that what Mahesh told you ? "
" No Shalini, of course not and Mahesh anna would never say anything like that about you to me or to anyone else "
I was now sorry that I had even brought up the matter before her, I should have known better !
She wandered off singing to herself and I could only watch! She was either plain stupid, a very clever manipulator or beyond comprehension .
The next few days were filled with great anxiety for me because I had no idea how I stood with Rohit and although we exchanged messages , they were on day today matters and not personal. Meeting Vidyakka had given me some kind of solace . I had other worries too that were far more concrete. I had gone through the files on my laptop and came to know that, three months ago huge amounts of money had been transferred from the estate account on 5 occasions to 2 different bank accounts within a span of two weeks. I had already been here for nearly two months , which meant that the money transfers had taken place before I came here. A total sum of 5 crore rupees had been transferred , which was a staggering amount.
What steps had Mahes anna taken to recover the amount if it was ill legal transfer? he had not discussed the issue with me even after i brought it up which means the issue is worrying him or there is some mystery behind it.
Mahesh anna must have applied for the loan after he came to know about it since the account books were now in deficit . Rohit had said that the loan had been rejected. I presumed that Mahesh anna went to Bangalore to apply for a fresh loan or to finalise the loan. Did Arvind have any role in the money transfers ? If so Mahesh anna must be aware of it ! But they seem friendly without there being any tension between them. The more I thought of things the more uneasy I felt because I was indirectly connected now and since I was looking into the accounts I felt it was partly my responsibility to see that it was managed properly.
That night Rohit called me while he was traveling back to his house and said that he would be going to Bangalore for two days on work related to the bank and asked about my own day. I told him about meeting Vidyakka and he seemed happy about it. The connection was bad so we could not speak much but I was happy that he had thought of me in spite of his busy schedule and called me. I would miss him a lot when he was away, that being a fact I decided to keep myself occupied with other things.
Visit to the coffee estates
The next day, I requested Mahesh anna to take me round the estate since I had never had an opportunity to do so. Mahesh anna agreed and asked me to get ready with sensible clothes and footwear. I had an idea that we could cover the estate on foot but realised that it was impossible to do so , not having realised how vast it was. I was told that it covered 650 acres. So we went by jeep on rough roads and I had to hold on to the side of the jeep most of the time. I realised that it was not an easy job to do , that too twice a day , which is what Mahesh anna and Nanjappa did every single day. Some of the days the two of them would go on a motor bike and that must be even tougher.
However, it was an enthralling experience to see the vast coffee estate lined with trees , workers tending to the coffee plants , trimming them and clearing the paths. The pants were beginning to bloom and the entire slope looked beautiful beyond words. We also visited the cardamom patch and for the first time I saw a cinnamon tree. There were several of them around the estate. I was glad I went through this experience and thanked Mahesh anna. He told me that I could go with them anytime I felt like it. Now when I think back on those times my eyes fill with tears because to me those days were very precious to be treasured forever. I guess we don't recognise the really important moments in our life until it is too late
We came home in time for lunch and the day ended with heavy rains again .. I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night because I had heard some sounds. I went out of my room and looked down the stairs , saw a light in the office room..I was not sure if it was right for me to go down, if in case Mahesh anna or Arvind were working on something. I went back to my room and tried to sleep although I could not help recollecting some words ... All events leading towards the Zero hour !
( to be continued)
7 years ago
Reena created new article Conserve energies of soul.
Introduction
Indian philosophy advocates the presence of two elements in our universe. One is Akasha and the other one is Prana. Akasha is so small that it is almost impossible to sense it. It is believed to be a noticeable feature existing since very early time. It is believed to occur in five basic elements which are earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Our body is known to be made of these five elements. Prana is known as a force which is inevitably essential for the existence of life and without which life would not exist. It is the one which is responsible for holding five elements together. Prana very well known as a vital force of the universe is superior to everything as it fills life in the body. It is the one who enables the mind to think and sense organs to perform their functions. We need to understand how important Prana is to us. We have to learn everything about it, its nature, its working, its purpose and the way by which it can be controlled.
The internal source of energy
Since Prana is not visible to the eyes and since its existence is difficult to prove, most of us do not believe in it. Eyes believe what it sees and everyone today needs proof to believe. Others who believe in its existence are not aware of how to use it. We though are in our conscious state but still live very unconsciously. We do not know what all elements are running and where and what all are regulating us and thus we keep on doing things and performing duties just the way we have performed till now. We feel it is our habit whereas we do not realize that it is not automated and can be changed or regulated. We have enormous number and amount of forces within us. We use them and we utilize energies without even knowing what we are doing with them and what they are meant to be done with. Like every other energy source present outside, we too have the energy source inside present inside us. The way we try to conserve energy outside so that we can use it in future and prevent wastage and exhaustion, we need to realize that we should conserve our inner energy too to avoid exhaustion.
Purpose of Prana
Prana or vital force if used to its best can not only bless us with good health but also enhance our intellect. The goodness of health and mind, as well as our well-being, are just a few changes which we see within us but ultimately it leads us to become illumined. It helps us to progress in the field of spirituality. It helps us rise above our lower cruel attitude and gain oneness with higher good self. Later, it helps us to realize our real identity as a soul. Once we know who we are, we will start seeing other people from a different perspective. We will start seeing them as pure souls and will not concentrate on their evilness. Finally, it will lead us to the path of salvation where we will unite our soul with Supreme Soul. This is the highest state in one's life and a person is known to be completely illumined in this state. One who achieves this state, no other achievements matter in his life. He becomes a superior conqueror, undefeated king and carries his glory and undefeated kingdom with him wherever he goes.
Ability to control Prana
Until and unless we use Prana to illumine ourselves completely, we will never reach our highest state. We find contentment and happiness in small materialistic comforts and achievements. We become satisfied for some duration when we reach our goals and then set new goals for future. We spend our whole life in doing this. We feel that setting goals and then reaching them is all a life is about and rarely concentrate on the purpose of our life. Once we unite our vital forces and learn to control them, we will introduce ourselves with real we. We need to learn to command Prana to the best of our ability. Forces, when not regulated, lose their importance. Once they are gathered up, stored, focused, completely concentrated and when fully controlled become meaningful. To do this, we need right knowledge about Prana and the willpower to utilize it to our best so that we can discover our wisdom and way of liberating ourselves from all those things which bound us. At present we are not in conscious state and ignorant. Prana will help us to come in an over-conscious state and open up all the possibilities which now cannot be seen by us because of our unconscious state as well as because of the ability to see things narrowly. We need to be able to see things in their finest print and this is only possible when we gain enough knowledge.
Moderation is a key factor
Moderation is a key which we have to use if we need to conserve our vital forces. If we feel that we can save our energy by doing nothing, then it is not true. It will fade away if left unused. If we use it excessively then within no time it will get exhausted, leaving us tired. Thus, we have to learn to balance out our usages. We need to make a right use of it. We need to prevent its excessive spillage. We have to cover up all those holes which are causing leakages so that we do not promote its wastage. We have to channelize its flow in the right amount and right direction and not just allow it to flow the way it wants. This kind of control over it will not only master us over it but give us supreme power and control to make use of it for our own benefit. We have to find a balance in our work. Overworking causes breakdown and doing no work fades away available energy.
Significance of Prana
Prana is essential for our existence. Without it, our existence is not possible. Our work, our activities, our thoughts, our performance all require Prana. It presents itself in every plane of our lives. One who is already untied by his higher self will make use of it for the achievement of higher purpose. But most of us are at our lower self, as we keep rising from it, our power too will keep increasing gradually and definitely. Prana is one energy. But it manifests itself in different planes and thus it appears different at each plane. When we do things in moderation on bodily levels, we will be blessed by good health. When we start using our thoughts and mind power in a controlled way then we show a balance on moderation. Prana so manifested in that plane will lead us to the path of soul consciousness and divinity. It will help us in illumination. It is same energy and same force which is essential and inevitable for the existence of life.
Conclusion
Moderation is essential in all walks of lives. Right balance should be practiced in all activities. We are the powerhouse. The power lies within us. All we need to do is concentrate our forces in the right direction. Prana will help us to hear the eternal sound and fills in our knowledge which satisfies our souls and also we will be able to hear sound from outside world and gain knowledge present over there. In this way, we along with reaching our goals can also attain the highest purpose in our lives and this is all possible because of moderation. We will be blessed with divinity and divine sight. Now unlike our past, we will neither live for ourselves and get exhausted for seeking happiness without proper understanding nor we will be going another way round of torturing ourselves. All we have to do is unite all the energy we have i.e., gather together all the forces of ours. This increases strength and power. This is because all forces being gathered together leads to concentration. The increase of concentration means an increase of power. More the power, more resistance can be offered. It is easy to break a stick into two. However, when a number of sticks together are tied into one bundle, their breakage seems a very difficult task to accomplish. Such is the power of being united. If mind thinks something and body do something else or else if sense organs interfere and try to master the whole scenario, then things do not work out the way we want them to be. Thus, all our forces should be gathered and should be united into one. This is possible through the power of meditation. Once done, resistance becomes easy. We will be then able to face no matter what arrives in front of us.
7 years ago
Reena created new article We can be our worst enemy as well as best friend.
Introduction
For us as human beings, our relationships with others matter a lot. Right from an early age, we are bound by so many relations. Right after birth, we become someone's kids, someone's grandkids etc. We acquire some relations right from our birth and some of them we acquire later in our lives. We get to choose our friends, life partners, teachers etc. If the relationship is good between two individual's then it is as good as friends forever. If it does not work at all then enmity develops. Till our last breath, we are always bound by relations. However, we forget the most important relationship of our life. We forget that we have a relationship with ourselves and thus we can either be our friends or turn out to be an enemy. An individual who conquers himself, who has risen above everything to the highest level of his consciousness is his friend. An ignorant individual who is simply unaware or does not believe in this concept and has not made a conquest of himself becomes his own enemy.
Self-mastery
A person who has mastered himself will always remain detached during times of tragedy whereas the other person who is not detached but has knowledge about everything, has possessed almost everything may lose control. He loses it because he did not have it. Master of self-has control over oneself and thus never loses self. It is the wisdom that will help self-master to remain happy whether he is in a state of slavery or freedom. If we want to enjoy almost all the blessings that our life promises to us, we have to raise ourselves from everything. Self-realization is when absent, failure strikes its effects very easily. Shortcomings blow away our blessings. Obstacles seem like the one which can never be crossed. One who has mastered himself knows his inner strength and will be able to cross all the hurdles. The person who is not aware of inherent strength will never trust nature and thus gives up easily by saying that he is not suitable or well equipped. He has judged everything from the surface and not dig anything inside. He has tons of possibilities but never digs upon them and loses hope.
We can be friends as well as foes
Welfare is hidden only when one learns to control oneself. We have two kinds of nature. On one hand, we can be very weak, unstable, always at fault, hopeless etc. On the other hand, we can be conqueror, victorious, majestic, invincible, glorious, successful etc. When we have a clear picture of ourselves, we are with our higher self. When we do not achieve higher self, we involve in self-depreciation. We criticize ourselves, let ourselves down and this is because we do not trust ourselves and have got no faith in ourselves. The mind has to be clear. Distortion of any sort in it makes us our own enemy. Any work regardless of whether it is simple and easy or whether it is very difficult and time-consuming if started with full confidence, courage, right attitude with almost no fear will be completed efficiently. If the same work is started with unwillingness, doubt, fear, depression, no sort of faith or trust, no matter how hard one works on it, it will be a complete failure. This itself proves that we ourselves our own friends as well as foes. If we want then we can rise above all the difficulties and make impossible things to become possible and if we want then can even turn out an easy task in almost a disaster.
Self-realization
We are responsible for indulging ourselves in depression and unhappiness and also throw this burden on others by blaming them. If we do not wish to come out of this vicious cycle of being unhappy, no matter what efforts are made, we will always be unhappy because we tend to love our sphere and will become fond of it. It is in our hands whether we want to escape and rise ourselves. We and only we have the power to rescue ourselves. Without the will and firm determination, this thing is not possible. Self-awakening is very essential. Awakening is actually an eye-opener. It helps one to raise oneself and never ever lower oneself. However, this sort of self-realization is very essential. If a person realizes it and is in the path of progress then soon his welfare is surely guaranteed in mere future. Thus, one has to master oneself.
Get rid of ignorance
Well begun is half done. If we begin work with dejected mind then we head towards failure and act like our own enemy. One can just stop for a moment and check to understand how much evil impulse they are carrying in their heart. When anger, lust, pain, hate, greed etc conquer us along with other intense emotions, we become our enemy. These evil characters destroy our soul. It is left to us whether we want to master them or let them overpower us. Anger is such an evil character that can destroy everything we have which required so long to build up. It not only causes harm to our relationships with other souls. First and the foremost person it affects is we ourselves. Whatever we give, we get it first. It is we who are creating anger and thus we will be the first ones to face its ill-effects. Similarly, whether it's lust, greed, hate or any other evil character, we will be the first ones to go through the adverse effects which they are imparting. They destroy finer part of our self. Ignorance is the main cause. Knowledge and wisdom rise a person above his lower self and that person will become his own friend and the person who does not conquer his self but allows his lower self to possess himself will become his own enemy.
Become a friend of oneself
We all like our friends and always want to spend time with them. They always help us in various ways and always think good about us and thus we are fond of them. On the other hand, our enemies not only do bad things to us, in fact, also create bad thoughts about us and thus we always want to be away from them. We can very well choose with whom we want to spend our time and with whom we do not want to. The choice is completely ours. But how can we run away from ourselves? When we become our friend, welfare is definite but what if we serve as an enemy for ourselves. In such case, how can we get rid of u?. In fact, we cannot. We can get rid of others but we cannot get rid of ourselves. Whether we are trying to be our friend or acting as an enemy, we have to live with ourselves. We do not have a choice of running away from ourselves, but we do have a choice whether we want to be our friend or enemy. The way we avoid the company of other enemies and try to keep us away from them so that they do not harm us, in the same way, we should try to become our friend and not enemy. If we become our own enemy, we will suffer badly. If we need success and if we need to empower ourselves then we need to raise ourselves high from all the odds that we have, control all our senses as well as our lower self. Once we become our friend, we will be able to fight with all the odds and will become serene in both happiness and pain, heat and cold. We will always remain aware as we have reached complete awakening within ourselves which will give realization and that will be constant. This realization will teach that we are supreme self and not someone who is of low nature to whom pain, greed, sufferings, demoralization etc can affect. We are the royal kings and no matter what circumstances arrive, we will be always royal and thus we need to behave accordingly.
Gain knowledge and wisdom
We cannot expect our journey to run smooth and hurdle free. There will be hiccups, there will be obstacles. Fun is to cross all these odds and remain victorious. Lots of discipline is essential. Whatever knowledge we gain, we need to bring it to reality. Just learning it and keeping it stored somewhere in mind is of no use. We need to use this knowledge in practical life and gain actual experience. We should absorb it and use it in our day to day lives. Knowledge can be gained by anyone but wisdom comes only to a few great men. When this knowledge is brought into action, wisdom develops. Mind dwells but we have to control it, possess it completely. Once our mind is under our control, everything comes under control. It is a powerhouse of everything we do. It creates thoughts. Once we control our minds, our thought process comes in control. We can conquest our sense organs and master them instead of allowing them to rule over us. We become our masters and thus this helps us through all the odds. Such kind of person who masters himself can lead oneself and become a friend of oneself and the one who allows his mind, sense organs to overpower upon himself becomes a slave and is no less than an enemy to oneself.
Do not live in an illusion
Most of us today live in an illusion. We do not know what the art of living is. We feel that anger which we exhibit is actually a display of our strength and it shows how powerful we are. We feel that it is a must if we want our work to get done. We feel proud of ourselves when we control others and scare them. We have developed the same feelings towards excitement. Whenever a situation arrives, we believe it is normal to show emotions in the form of tears, pain, love, anger etc. One who does not show emotion is believed to be made of stone and considered heartless. We do not understand how much of fluctuations we are going through in a day and in our life when we react so vigorously to every situation. These are actually not the signs of strength but rather display weaknesses. The weak soul is one who cannot stand erect through all the odds and fluctuates through everything that comes in his life. The powerful soul is one to whom turbulence can never affect. To become powerful, wisdom is essential and only such souls can become one's friends.
Keep clarity
We are what we think about ourselves. We are the results of what actually we are in our consciousness. Same things manifest in our body as well as in our mind. Thus, our conscience should be clear. If it is filled with fear and doubts then we will be living in an illusion and confusion. If conscious is clear and fearless then we will be strong and powerful. Realization is essential. We gain self-realization by gaining knowledge. We have to connect with ourselves and once we do that then there is no looking back. Same consciousness has the ability to store good things. We need to be aware of what is been stored in our consciousness. The choice is really ours about what we really need to keep and store in our minds and what not. An enemy will always desire to continue his enmity, just the way it is running. If we want, we can continue to remain our enemy by letting harsh and hatred feelings to remain in our consciousness or else wipe them out as soon as possible so that we can become our friends. We are unaware of our capacity and strength. Once we realize how powerful we are, we will be able to use infinite capacity hidden within us.
Conclusion
Relationships are essential. They unite us with others. A special bond develops between us and others. This unity teaches togetherness and spreads love in mankind. However, if a person who has not established a friendly relationship with himself, how can he do it with others. A special bond with parents, teachers, friends, relatives, society etc is all essential. We all look after each other, care for each other and spread the love. But a friend within us will be able to do greater good than anyone from outside. In the same way, the opposite is also true. Enemy hidden inside us will be able to do greater destruction than anyone from outside. We can either make ourselves or mar ourselves. The relationship that we have with ourselves is very unique and it is the purest and most essential when compared with other relationships. Options are always in our hands. We need to decide whether we want to be our friend or serve as an enemy. Whatever we choose, we will be writing our destiny and it will be we who will create our personality depending on our choices.
7 years ago
usha manohar created new article The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates - Part 11.
The Mysterious Incident at Akashdeep Estates – 11
Shalini Confides
As we sat down for lunch it began to rain and it was no ordinary rain either, but a proper storm which apparently was quite normal in the hilly region. I waited hoping against hope that it would subside and there would be bright sunshine after the storm blows through. But it only became more intense and raged through the entire afternoon, evening and night as well. So, I could not meet Rohit nor did others step out of the house and we again had a power cut. But this time both the power back up and the generator came to the rescue.
That was also the first day I saw Shalini and Mahesh anna’s part of the house. After Tea, as I sat messaging Rohit about our inability to meet that afternoon, Shalini asked me if I could help her clear things in her wardrobe. I agreed and we both went up to their rooms on the first floor. There were two large bedrooms on either side of the open hall, that were beautifully and comfortably furnished. We entered one of them, Mahesh anna was resting in the other room. The room we entered, which Shalini told me was her bedroom, was a mess with clothes strewn on the chair back, side of the bed and some of them hanging out of a basket. It was the same with her dressing table…I began to automatically pick clothes, fold and tidy up the room while Shalini sat on a chair and watched me. I again felt that she had indeed changed a lot in a matter of few days, had become calmer and more interactive. When I was finished, she nodded and began to speak..” Thank you Anita, I wish we were friends, but somehow we never got along…” I was quiet because to me the reason was obvious, her high and mighty attitude! So, I said nothing, waiting for her to continue.. she did ..
“I suppose you know all about Rohit and me. He was so much in love with me when we were in college, heart broken when I had to leave him, in fact still is very much in love with me" ..
She continued, "In fact according to him, desperately in love with me …I am not sure how to handle the situation. On the one hand, there is Mahesh who is my husband but in name only, and then there is Rohit.” To say I was dumb founded with this revelation of hers would be an understatement. I was shocked to hear those words - that Rohit, according to her, was still desperately in love with her and that Mahesh anna was her husband in name only!
Another thing that stuck me amidst it all was the fact that Mahesh anna and Shalini had different bedrooms. But again that may be because Mahesh anna was being considerate. But I felt it was unnatural having seen my parents, sister and other married couples share a bedroom. However, I came out of my reverie when Shalini began to speak again.
“Anita, do you believe in sixth sense?”
That made me blink ... I said carefully that I had no experience of that.
“But, I do have …my own sixth sense tells me that my life is going to change drastically in the coming days and months.“
I had to ask…” In what way?”
“Well. You will see” Yesterday afternoon I became more or less sure about what direction my life would take.“ She gave me a coy smile, which chilled me…what exactly did she mean? She just sat there looking at me with a satisfied smile. Was this after her meeting with Rohit?
Sad Tidings
I left her and went to my own room , numb with shock . Was Rohit planning to tell me about it this afternoon and probably ask me to help Shalini? And I thought and hoped ... I sat there feeling miserable totally unaware of the pervading darkness around me until Mahesh anna found me. He came in calling my name and switched on the light and one look at my tear strewn face, he was all concerned. I told him that I was fine but he wanted me to tell me what was it that was worrying me and making me so miserable? I couldn't tell him, so I told him that I was missing my father. To this he asked me if I wanted to go home for a few days? Knowing that there was plenty of work in the estate, I couldn't leave him now simply because I had no control over my feelings, so, I said I would be fine in the morning. But he insisted that I should come down, have dinner and be with others.. .
I slept in snatches that night and had developed a severe headache by the time I woke up in the morning. Although the storm was over and the sun was out, it was chilly and windy. I sat on the veranda not knowing what to do and how to face life after what Shalini had told me. Shalini was there sipping coffee and chatting with Arvind, while Mahesh anna sat at a little distance watching and observing both of us quietly. I had an uncertain, fearful thought as to whether he had overheard what Shalini had confided in me. Her voice was quite loud, now that I remembered and he could have easily heard her. Anyway, I had too many worries of my own!
Mahesh anna asked me to rest after breakfast, since he was anyway going to the town on some urgent work and Arvind too would accompany him. I nodded my head, not trusting my voice because I was overcome with emotion. In the meantime, I had received several messages from Rohit who wanted me to meet him this afternoon. But I ignored them all, not responding to any. Rohini aunt was concerned and asked me what the matter was? " Did Shalini say something hurtful? She is capable of doing anything to get her way." ....I told her that it was not Shalini, but something personal.
I went up to my room and slept through the day, waking up well after lunch time and managed to eat a few mouthfuls. As I was clearing up the table, I heard voices outside and saw Vidykka speaking to Rohini aunt..Surprised, I went out and greeted Vidyakka. Even as Shalini, who was there until then disappeared upstairs. Vidyakka gave me a hard look and asked me what was wrong? Of course I could not say anything to her. She invited me to spend some time with her and I could see that Rohini aunt too approved of it and so I agreed reluctantly.
As we walked down, Vidyakka spoke about her own children and their activities but I was frankly in no mood to hear anything. When we reached the cottage, the first thing I noticed was Rohit’s scooter which was parked near the gate. I hesitated but Vidyakka held my hand and guided me inside. Rohit was there looking worried, distressed and unkempt so unlike him. And the look he gave me ...I was at a loss, not knowing how to react! Vidyakka went out to the garden leaving us alone. Rohit asked me ..."Why didn't you respond to me and not come? " I requested Vidyakka to bring you here because Rohini aunt spoke to Vidyakka about you, not knowing what was wrong?"
I had no answer to any of that because I could not share what Shalini had confided in me. So I remained silent..
"I had specifically called you yesterday because I wanted to speak to you ...Can I do that now? I will not compel you to tell me anything but please do remember that I am always there to listen and help ."
I asked him to speak ..
And when I heard what he had to say I was amazed.. here is what he said,
"Anita, I already told you that I had known Shalini. She was known for her beauty and very popular during our college days and I was flattered when she began to pay attention to me. I fell in love with her although now when I look back I am not so sure. She too was in love with me and like all lovers we made plans and looked forward to spending the future together....I passed out of college and was looking for a job but we met often. I got a job at the bank and was sent to Mangalore for training.. At about the same time she went away with her parents during the college vacation. After that she stopped messaging or calling me and would not respond to my messages or calls either. I was understandably very upset and distressed but had no way of contacting her since she had left college." I listened attentively to all this..
"After almost 2 months, I happened to visit Bangalore and saw Shalini and her mother at a shopping mall. When I approached them she looked up saw me and there was far in her eyes as she turned away. But, later she sent a message asking me to meet her the next day. We met and she told me that she was getting married the next week to a Coffee estate owner because her parents had somehow found out about us and were dead against her marrying me since we belonged to different communities. She wanted to come to me but was restricted by them. She also told me that Mahesh, the boy she was marrying had forced himself on her and she had no other go but to accept him."
These last words made my blood boil ...Mahesh anna force himself on her? To me it sounded impossible but people are known to do strange things in love ...
I waited for him to continue ..
“After listening to her, I was no doubt very sad and unhappy but I also had to accept that I had to forget Shalini. However, I began to hate the person she was marrying because of what he had done to her. But years later, when I met Mahesh anna unexpectedly at a wedding I was struck by his simplicity and sincerity. Later after coming here, I have developed a healthy respect and regard for him in spite of what he did to Shalini. In fact I met her yesterday to convince her to accept him wholeheartedly which seemed to have offended her.“
Now this was becoming knottier than I thought! Two completely different accounts by Shalini and Rohit.
Rohit continued… “ Coming to my own feelings, I have gotten over Shalini a long time ago and when I met her here I realised that it was all for the best. But, Shalini has been trying her level best to rekindle the past romance by targeting me every where. Initially I decided to speak to her and put some good sense into her which I realised was not possible because she does only what suits her. She has always been selfish and unfortunately even marriage has not changed her. I find her attitude nauseating and frankly I admire Mahesh for his fortitude. The only regret I have is not being able to procure the loan he wanted…”
I was unable to digest all that especially the last part about himself because I was relieved, happy and hopeful... The only disharmonious note was about Mahesh anna which I refused to believe.
( to be continued )even
7 years ago
MG Singh created new article Bilawal Bhutto is a chip of the old block and destiny beckons him.
Pakistan in so many ways is similar to India. Like in India we have Rahul Gandhi who has been anointed as the leader of the Congress Party by virtue of being a Nehru -Gandhi descendant, similarly, Bilawal Bhutto has also been selected as a leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, by virtue of the fact that that he is a Bhutto.
Like in India where the Nehru -Gandhi family has a special place in the hearts of the Indian people, similarly the Bhutto family has a magical hold over the people of Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is well known as a very intelligent leader of Pakistan who founded the Pakistan peoples party. It is to his credit that the Pakistan constitution in 1973 was adopted. One of the salient features of the constitution is the protection of minorities which is guaranteed. This is a very significant provision of the Constitution of Pakistan. I am not aware that any other countries have such a provision in the constitution which guarantees the rights of the minorities like the Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians in Pakistan. All credit to Zulfikar Bhutto for this.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his faults. Nobody can deny them. I remember in an interview by General Musharraf to an Indian correspondent the ex-President of Pakistan clearly said that the state of Bangladesh was created mainly because of the folly of Ali Bhutto. Despite this Bhutto remains a very popular figure in Pakistan but the people in Bangladesh ( East Pakistan) do not have any time for him.
Bhutto was done in by the Pakistan army general Zia ul Haq. The Pakistani Dictator knew very well that he is not a match to Bhutto in popularity. He was wondering how to get rid of Bhutto and him along with a few generals formulated a devious plan to murder Bhutto by implicating him in a murder case and asking complaint Supreme Court judge to handover the death sentence.The sad part is that Bhutto was hanged to death like a criminal. There is no doubt that he never killed anybody but general Zia ul Haq committed what we say is "judicial Murder."
The death of Bhutto did not take him out of the minds of the Pakistan people. Many people feel that had Bhutto been alive a lot of the people would have been better. His daughter Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan after General Zia ul Haq was himself killed in a bomb blast in the aircraft. When the general must have learned that his aircraft was going to crash, he must have wondered that anybody who rides a tiger is also killed by the tiger.
Benazir Bhutto was murdered again in a conspiracy but the people of Pakistan waited for a Bhutto to lead them. When Asif Zardari the husband of Bhutto announced that Bilawal Bhutto, the elder son of Benazir Bhutto would be the leader of the Pakistan People Party cries of " jio Bhutto" rent the air. The younger Bhutto has still to make a mark in politics but I have no doubt that his destiny is linked with the destiny of Pakistan
Bilawal Bhutto has been born with a silver spoon. He is a very intelligent man and has been educated in England . He has a broad mind but in an interview with an Indian journalist, he did mention that he considered the rise of Narendra Modi in India as an impediment too good relations with Pakistan. He mentioned that the perception of the people of Pakistan is that Narendra Modi has his hands dipped in blood because of the killings in Gujarat. Many Indians also feel the same way. Many feel that Modi definitely has something to hide regarding the mass killing of the minority community in Gujarat
From India's point of view, it will be a good idea in case the younger Bhutto can rise up and lead Pakistan because we would be dealing with a person who not only has a modern outlook but is not conditioned by Islamic rhetoric. This is the need of Pakistan who needs such a man. India also needs a man who is not talking about religious dogma.Unfortunately, the BJP and their leader Mr. Modi are talking more about religious dogma like cow slaughter and Ram Mandir and other things than creating jobs and trying to give food to all people in India. The fact that 1000 farmers die every year in India by suicide, is nothing to be proud of. I wonder how much benefit these farmers will get with a agitation for cow slaughter. Mr. Modi must answer on this. To the people of India, Ram Mandir is another issue which is created by the BJP and my grandfather has told me that before partition nobody was really bothered about Ayodhya and Ram Janam Bhoomi. It is the BJP which resurrected this dead horse.
Bilawal Bhutto is thus correct when he says that that in case India and Pakistan have to move forward then they need someone with an open mind and not someone who is dominated by religious dogma and rhetoric
I am a great optimist and I am certain that the younger Bhutto if and when he comes to power will be the best thing for Pakistan and also for India.One can only hope India will see a young Leader who can lead India forward away from the religious dogma of cow slaughter, Ram Mandir, and caste.
7 years ago
Reena created new article Uncover life and see bigger picture.
Introduction
Since we all are different from one another, we all have different viewpoints and different belief systems. Our perception towards life too is very different. What seems real to us may appear to be fake to others and what seems unreal to us may look very genuine to others. Situations and circumstances appear to be same but the perception is the one which creates the whole different scenarios. We shape our feelings based on our perceptions. We think differently from one another and thus the way we think, we believe, we feel will all lead us to create and shape a different world around us.
Self-awareness is essential
We need to learn so much about life. A person may have lived his whole life and in his last few days when he looks back, he will realize that whatever he learned in his journey was just a part of what all is present in this world. When we just stop and look back, we will soon realize that we have done tons of wrong to others in terms of our deeds or behaviors and have reacted so badly in so many situations where we could have done so much better. Sometimes in our lives, we do very well and other times, we just do not fare well. Looking back will teach us so much in life. We can learn so much from our past, provided that we do not create a guilt or regret sort of feeling. This is what is known as self-awareness. In absence of it, we will not be able to find a bigger picture of life.
Practice detachment
If we need to uncover our life then we should never shut down ourselves. Shutting down means the end. The doors are closed and we have enclosed ourselves in walls where we cannot learn anything and cannot uncover anything. This is more like disengaging oneself. Detachment is good, but detachment does not mean not participating. When we participate, we get to learn so much but detachment means we remain uninfluenced by right and wrongs, by goods and bads. No matter whether we win the contest or lose it, we just enjoy participating in it and this is what detachment is all about. If we do not participate then how are we going to learn so many new and wonderful things life has stored in its lap for us. We should neither try to avoid a circumstance or people around us nor should we try to escape from them. Escaping or sunning from a situation or from people never allow us to evolve. We are never going to learn anything from it. We have to face the situations which may be favorable or unfavorable. We have to deal with people whether we like them or hate them. This will help us to come out of our comfort zone. There is no point in just relaxing all the time in a comfort zone. Circumstances cannot be every time just the way we want them to be and thus we have to deal with them, no matter of what type they are. Everyone around us all the time cannot behave the way we want them to and therefore we just need to get out there and learn to deal with them.
Heroic act reveal the bigger picture of life
It is obvious that we will be very well able to deal with our favorable situations and people whom we like in a very nice manner. There is no doubt about it. But what about another side of the coin. Two faces complete a coin. Both sides are needed or else coin will be considered as of no intrinsic value. Thus, we need to add some intrinsic value to our lives too in order to experience real life. We need to come out of our shelves in a bold manner and with a strong attitude. We have to not disengage but engage in the world and worldly matters. It can bring sadness, misery, troubles but it is also true, it will discover our unrevealed self. To become who we are in a real sense, we need to do this heroic act. Little efforts made are never going to go in vain but they will reward us by letting us see the bigger picture of our life.
Maintain balance in life
Another important aspect is to not hold the space. We have to be present and do everything that we need to do but by remaining balanced. We will see and hear everything but this is just a role we are meant to play. People will appreciate us and some of them will criticize us. Sometimes painful moments will arrive in front of us and other times good moments will lure us. After all, this is what life is all about. We have to stand firmly and witness everything because we are meant to do so by preventing ourselves from getting imbalanced. We cannot take anything personally because this is what we are supposed to do. All we have to do is stand and watch. Observing everything carefully should be our task.
Do not get entangled
Everything occurring around us is not about us and thus we should not take anything personally. We all are at different emotional levels and psychological levels and thus our perceptions are different and thus we all act differently. Every one reacts. Reactions sometimes may free us or our stress. Whatever may be the reason, our reactions are our creativity and we do it for ourselves. If someone shows anger does not mean that it is focused on us. It just means that they need to release it because that is what need of the hour is for them. Let them react and behave the way they want to. We cannot keep entangling ourselves with everyone because then hardly anytime will be left for us where we can understand our story of life. All we can do for them is to accept them for who they are and show them our unconditional love.
Everything is a destiny
Our life should be a balancing act. We cannot engage too much nor can we shut down completely. Creating a balance in everything is very essential. We have to bring love, peace, harmony in ourselves. This will evolve us. We need to relate ourselves and find a deeper meaning for all those events which have either arrived or are occurring in our lives. None of the events occur without any reason. Participating in each of them will help us to evolve as a human being. These events cannot be avoided no matter what efforts we put in. This itself is destiny and since our destiny has decided that we need to encounter with so and so event and meet so and so person then we just have to be ready for everything. Since we are destined, let us participate consciously and stop complaining about everything. We need to inculcate peace, love, and harmony in our personality which are nothing but inner qualities of our soul and then align our personality with soul.
Everything is not about us
We cannot become overpowering always. There is no need for us to dominate the situation and decide for everyone around us. We have just created a fictional world around us and in that world, we feel all the people around us will behave in a certain manner and all the circumstances which are arriving will be in our favor. When this does not take place, it somewhere hits a nerve. We get upset about it. This all is our creation because this is how we see ourselves and the world around us. When something different occurs, it upsets us. We just have to let ourselves loose and we need not take everything personally. Everything is not supposed to be about us. We cannot let people or incidents have an impact on us and especially a negative one. This will happen only if we stop dominating everything and change our defensive and critical qualities into loving and more accepting ones. Once quality changes, we will get through the incidents very quickly.
Just uncover life
Looking at the bigger picture of our life which is only possible if self-awareness is present will help us to become master of our soul i.e., master of our life. Master need not control anything and yet everything gets controlled. This is because he has controlled inner soul and the one who has conquered inner soul need not conquer the outer world. We need to prove our control or mastery. We will be then able to live our life to the fullest. Through our powerful vibrations, we will be able to radiate the same to others. This, in turn, will change lives of everyone who are seeking empowerment. Our every thought, each feeling we create, the way we behave, qualities which we develop etc will calibrate with understanding peace and there will be lots of clarity. No life can be defined as happier than this one where a person knows who he is and where the clarity is at the top spot.
Conclusion
When someone releases some sort of energy not liked by us then our belief gets challenged and we take it personally. Some sort of authoritative power comes inside us and we try to control others as well as the situation. Someone releasing their energy which may be in the form of anger, frustration, irritation etc has got nothing to do with us. This is just an illusion and thus we feel that it has something to do with us and thus we take it personally. This disbalances us. We get entangled in that situation and this is what disbalances us. We do not observe the whole scene as a viewer. Until and unless we do so, we will never realize that why the person is behaving in this manner. Keen observation will turn the whole negative experience into a positive one because we get to learn from it. This will help us to deal with these kinds of situations in coming future and this is because we start getting closer to our original self which is nothing but the original authentic self. The more and more we see clarity by uncovering life, the more and more big picture of life emerges in front of us.
7 years ago
S.Madhusudan Rao created new article Attracting , a gratitude by heart.
It was in 1995, when I was supplying shoes in our district, a border of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. I was doing the entire activity from my home and front room was converted as my office. One day there was a leakage in my cooking gas pipe lines and I called a plumber to repair, his name is Muthu and I knows him ver well. he is a sincere and calm going guy.
that day it was not his day I think so. His motor cycle was broken, he lost his wallet and he was getting repeated calls from bank, I think so is for instalments. in spite of many disturbances he completed the job nicely and no there was no leakage and he cleaned all the kitchen very well as I was staying alone and iam a lazy guy in keeping house. when I want to pay him I smiled and told, It looks today is a bad day of you: is it so?"
He smiled and told, " it is my every day routine sir. weekly once or twice I have this kind of troubles, but today it's too much. I have nothing in our kitchen. all groceries were finished. don't know how to manage?".
I thought I must help him. I gave him some groceries like rice, oil, sugar, milk and coffee powder etc. additionally I gave 300 Rs to him. I told him that I will drop him in my car. one of my friend was sitting there in my office while iam giving him. he asked me 'why iam giving so much to him?' - but I didn't replied to his question. I took my car to drop Muthu. when we reached his home he invited me to come inside hi house.
Before entering his house Muthu stood with folded hands before a Basil plant near his front door and prayed for few minutes and he asked me to sit in the chair. with an inquisitive looks I smiled at him and I took a eat in the chair. His two children came and hugged him, his wife took all the groceries to their kitchen. Muthu told me about Basil plant that "Sir, this tree is my Gratitude Tree. when I come in I pay my gratitude to this tree because when I leave my house in morning I go with hundred problems but when I return I come with solutions and it makes me happy all I give a glass of water in the morning"
I remembered Abraham Hicks and I told him, " Gratitude also having a little resistance, Appreciate...Appreciation is the best"
when I returned from there and on the same day I got a call from our district's Cricket Association Secretary that they need 440 pairs of sports shoes as they have a state wise tournaments and they decided to give the shoes and T-shirts to all teams. I supplied the shoes and after execution when I calculated my profit I was speechless. I got a profit of 62,000 /= where I gave to Muthu exactly 620/= worth of groceries and money. Exactly 100 times more than what I had given him.
I was thinking on that day 'Appreciation... a chain reaction". Muthu gives a glass of water to Basil plant, and I give a few groceries to him, but nature give you more than what you deserve actually..
7 years ago