some good thoughts

• Calamities are of two kinds : misfortune to ourselves and good fortune to others.
  

  -Ambrose Bierce

  
  
  
• Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
  

  -James Russell Lowell

  
  
  
• It is never wise to try to appear to be more clever than you are. It is sometimes wise to appear slightly less so.
  

  -William Whitelaw

  
  
  
• After a certain number of years, our faces become our biographies.
  

  -Cynthia Ozick

  
  
  
• If the word has the potency to revive and make us free, it has also the power to blind, imprison and destroy.
  

  -Ralph Ellison

  
  
  
• I believe talent is like elecricity.We do not understand electricity. We use it.Elecricity makes no judgement.You can plug into it, and light up a lamp, keep a heart pump going, light a cathedral, or you can electrocute a person with it...I think talent is like that. I believe every person is born with talent.
  

  -Maya Angleou

  
  
  
• A child becomes an adult when he realizes(that) he has a right not only to be right but also to be wrong.
  

  -Thomas Szasz

  
  
  
• Pure truth, like pure gold, has been found unfit for circulation, because men have discovered that it is far more convenient to adulterate the truth than to refine themselves.
  

  -A proverb

  
  
  
• While I thought that I was learning to live, I have been learning how to die.
  

  -Leonardo De Vinci

  
  

SOME BEAUTIFUL POETIC PIECES

DREAMS

Here we are all, by day; by night we are hurled


By dreams, each one into a several world.

GREAT THINGS ARE DONE

Great things are done when men and mountains meet;


This is not done by jostling in the street.

FRAGMENTS

Language has not power to speak what love indites:


The soul lies buried in the ink that writes.

KHALIL GIBRAN ABOUT CHILDREN...

I don't know when and from where I copied this beautiful poem by Khalil Gibran.The piece of paper on which I had written it was found recently lying between the pages of a book.It's really worth reading and worth digesting.

Your children are not your children

They are the sons and daughters of

Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you

And though they are with you,yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

IF WINTER COMES CAN SPRING BE FAR (BEHIND)?

What was in the mind of PERCY BYSSHE SHELLY when he uttered these words? Definitely: HOPE...because Shelly was certainly not a pessimist and like Edwin Way Teale knew that spring will definitely come.Teale says: How sad would November (winter) be if we had no knowledge of the Spring !

WINTER is a tough season...it is a rude season...a sad season...and its cruelty brings pain everywhere. George Herbert says:"Every Mile is two in Winter."Why does he say so? Because there is pain in winterwinds.

Spring on the other hand, is a pleasant season.What happens when Spring returns? Rainer Maria Rinke says:"Spring has returned. The earth is like a child that knows poems." See the effect of spring on earth.It becomes live and blossoms to its peak.

Charles Kingsley's comparison of winter and spring is a clear indication that winter reminds us almost of death whereas spring brings back life to us.His words are:"Every winter, when the great sun has turned his face away, the earth goes down into a vale of grief, and fasts, and weeps, and shrouds herself in sables leaving her wedding garland to decay...then leaps in spring to his returning kisses."

Certainly Percy Bysshe Shelly wants us to remain hopeful to life as nothing is permanent in life...Just as each night is followed by dawn, each painful suffering is followed by joy. Temporary reverses do come in life but we should not fret and fume if they come.

Anne Bradstreet has rightly showed us the significance of winter:"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

We should always hope for the better when amidst adversity for spring is always near in our heart.As you keep believing its coming, whatever difficulties you are facing now are going to be over sooner or later.You will remember them later and smile for how strong you have been.What is coming is much more beautiful and definitely worth waiting for.

To conclude with a quote from O.S.Marden:"There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow."

PROVERBS HAVE MESSAGE...

1.He that has no children brings them up well.

2.The father is a banker provided by nature.

3.He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount.

4.Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes.

5.When fortune comes,seize her in he front with a sure hand,because behind she is bald.

6.He who knows how to lose wins in the end.

7.The truth is not always what we want to hear.

8.Stolen waters are sweet , and the bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

9.A flatterer is a man that tells you your opinion and not his own.

10.Good advice is often annoying, bad advice never.

11.When we sing everybody hears,when we sigh nobody hears.

12.Everybody is not capable of being a friend, but anybody has it in his power to be an enemy.

13.The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

14.Fish and guests smell at three days old.

15.No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.

SOMETHING FUNNY...!!!

A husband is one who lays down the law to his wife and then accepts all
the amendments.

Sometimes a majority simply means that all the fools are on the same side.

A person with one watch knows what time it is; a person with two is never
sure.

Life is extinct on other planets because their scientists were more advanced
than ours.

The human brain is like a freight car-guaranteed to have a certain capacity
but often running empty.

Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today. After all, if you enjoy it
today, you can do it again tomorrow.

The secret of patience is to find something else to do in the meantime.

Nothing is impossible if you don't have to do it yourself.

A boss is a person who comes in early to see who comes in late.

The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.

The green light is the signal for the driver behind you to start honking
his horn.

There are two things in life for which we are never fully prepared:TWINS.

Did you ever notice that there is no egg in an egg-plant, no ham in a
hamburger and neither apple nor pine in a pineapple ?

The best way to entertain some folks is to sit down and listen to them.

There isn't much to talk about at some parties- at least until one or two
couples have left.

Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting into situations that
require wisdom to get out of.

Most people realize that they can't afford an automobile- so they buy two.

Remember when you used to put your kids to sleep with bedtime stories?
Now they come in at bedtime and tell you stories that keep you awake
all night.

FAMILY : A FEW THOUGHTS

1...What the mother sings to the cradle goes all the way down to the
.....coffin.
...........................Henry Ward Beecher

2...Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in
.....its own way.
...............................Leo Tolstoy

3...When I was a boy of fourteen,my father was so ignorant (that) I
.....could hardly stand to have the old man around.But when I got to
.....be twenty one I was astonished at how much he had learned in
.....seven years.
...............................Mark Twain

4...A married man with a family will do anything for money.
......................Charles de Talleyrand

5...The reason (some) parents no longer lead their children in the
.....right direction is because the parents aren't going that way
.....themselves.
..............................Kin Hubbard

6...I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned
.....to know what his grandson will be.
...........................Abraham Lincoln

7...Children require guidance and sympathy far more than instruction.
..............................Anne Sullivan

8...Permissiveness is the principle of treating children as if they were
...adults; and the tactic of making sure they never reach that stage.
...............................Thomas Szasz

9...The affection of a father and a son are different: the father loves
.....the person of the son, and the son loves the memory of his father.
.................................Anonymous

QUOTES ON SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL

1...He was soft by his heart like a flower but was an iron-man with
.....firm determination.His political statesmanship and wisdom are
.....scarce in building the united and integrated India after
.....Independence.
........................................Chimanbhai Patel

2...A Nation has to have a leader periodically. Today, the Nation
.....looks back to the great example set by SARDAR-a leader that
.....would steer the ship of the country with success and honour.
..................................Babubhai Jashbhai Patel

3...Sardar's greatest contribution to the nation is that he
.....demonstrated in practice the efficacy of the great ideas of his
.....preceptor Mahatma Gandhiji.
..................................Babubhai Jashbhai Patel

4...I consider my good luck that Sardar Patel is with me. I was well
.....aware of his boldness. But I had no chance to stay with Sardar
.....for a long period of 16 months. His love for me reminds (me of)
.....my mother.I was not aware of his motherly love.
........................................Mahatma Gandhiji

5...Sardar actually adopted in his life the first principles of the
.....Ishopanishad. He never expected illegal wealth and never
.....ill-desired.
..............................................Maniben Patel (Daughter)

6...Some great men are remembered more in their life-time and
.....less after death. The greatness of Sardar is in the reverse
.....catagory as he is almost universally acknowledged in our
.....country.
.............................................Morarji Desai

7...The great Emperor Samudragupta was styled"Sarvarajochchheta'-
.....the uprooter of kings.Parshuram, the incarnation of Vishnu, was
.....distinguished for having destroyed kings,but no one knows whether
.....the kings he destroyed prayed for the long life of their destroyer.
.....In the case of Sardar Patel, however,every ruler so uprooted prayed
.....for their destroyer's long life.
.......................................Kanaiyalal Munshi

(Click on blog archive to see other posts)

QUOTES by SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL

1. It is the prime responsibility of every citizen to feel that his country
...is free and to defend its freedom is his duty. Every Indian should now
...forget that he is a Rajput, a Sikh or a Jat. He must remember that
...he is an Indian and he has every right in this country but with certain
...duties.

2. My only desire is that India should be a good producer and no one
...should be hungry, shedding tears for food in the country.

3. Even if we lose the wealth of thousands, and our life is sacrificed, we
...should keep smiling and be cheerful keeping our faith in God and Truth.

4. Manpower without Unity is not a strength unless it is harmonised and
...united properly, then it becomes a spiritual power.

5. There is something unique in this soil, which despite many obstacles
...has always remained the abode of great souls.

6. We should shoulder our responsibility by ourselves, and understand
...the people to takeover these responsibilities.We should not depend upon
...the Government by understanding the real situation.

(Click to blog archive to see other posts.)

SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL-The IRON-MAN of INDIA

VALLABHBHAI JHAVERBHAI PATEL occupies a prominent place
among those heroic personalities who worked for India's freedom and
helped not only to win it but also to consolidate it.During thirty three
years of his work for the cause of the nation he dominated the politics
of the nation during the crucial period from 1920 to 1950 along with
Gandhiji,Jawaharlal Nehru and other great leaders. Apart from being
a leader of masses he was a statesman with broad vision of what future
of India should be and an able administrator who handled the complex
problems of the new government with consummate mastery and finesse.
In the words of Jawaharlal Nehru:"History will record many things about
him in its pages and call him the builder and consolidator of new India."
The following is a list of important events of Sardar's life in chronological
order:

1) 1875-Born on October 31, at Nadiad town of Kheda district.Native
... Karamsad village, Fourth son of Father Jhaverbhai and Mother Ladbai.
...Primary schooling up to English. Standard III at his home village
...Karamsad.

2) 1893-Married to Zaverba at Gana village near Karamsad.

3) 1897-Passed the Matriculation Examination from English School, Nadiad.

4) 1900-Passed the District Pleaders' Examination,started legal practice at
...Godhra,the headquarter of Panchmahals district.

5) 1902-Shifted legal practice to Borsad from Godhra.Won Laurels as an
... accomplished criminal lawyer.

6) 1903-Birth of daughter Maniben in April.

7) 1905-Birth of son Dahyabhai in November.

8) 1909-Death of wife Zaverba in Bombay on January 11.

9) 1910-Went to England for qualifying at the Bar At Law in August and
...got admission to the famous Middle Temple Law College.

10) 1912-Passed the Final Bar At Law Examination with first class.
...Awarded a prize of 50 pounds. Left for India.

11) 1913-Started practice as criminal lawyer at Ahmedabad in February.

12) 1914-Death of his father Jhaverbhai at Karamsad.

13) 1915-Started his public career by becoming a member of Gujarat
...Sabha at Ahmedabad.

14) 1916-Met first time with Gandhiji.Patriotic feelings for freedom of
...the nation became strong. Participated in the Lucknow session of
...Congress as a representative of Gujarat Sabha.

15) 1917-Became a member of Ahmedabad Municipality for the first
...time.Got elected as the Chairman of the Sanitary Committee.Succeeded
... in cancelling the appointment of an English officer as the Municipal
...Commissioner.Presided over the first meet of the Gujarat Regional
...Executive Committee at Godhra.Started agitation against bonded
...labour.

16) 1918-The Gujarat Sabha was given financial assistance at his
... instance for fighting the menace of influenza and constructed a
...temporary hospital.Successfully led "No-Tax" agitation against Land
...Revenue recovered by the Government from farmers of the drought-hit
... Kheda district.

17) 1919-Chaired the Managing Committee of the Ahmedabad
...Municipality. Fought against the Rowlatt Bill imposed by the government
... to curb Freedom Movement.Started publishing "Satyagraha Patrika" in
... Gujarati from April 7.

18) 1920-Won all the seats during the elections of Ahmedabad
...Municipality for Congress. Adopted Khadi and boycotted western clothes.
...Passed the resolution in support of Civil Disobedience Movement.
... Collected a fund of Rs.10 lakh and made 3 lakh Congress members from
...Gujarat for the Tilak Swaraj Fund in pursuance of the Nagpur Congress
...Resolution.Decided to establish Gujarat Vidyapith with Gandhiji.

19) 1921-Became the first Chairman of the Gujarat Regional Congress
...Committee. Chairman of the Reception Committee of the XXXVI th
...Congress Session held at Ahmedabad in December.

20) 1922-Collected a fund of Rs.10 lakh from Rangoon(Burma) for the
...establishment of Gandhiji's dream Gujarat Vidyapith.

21) 1923-Masterminded the National Flag Satyagraha at Nagpur against
... the British Government. Got cancelled the punitive "Haidiya Tax"
... imposed by the government on the people of Borsad Taluka in
...December. Became the 'Suba' of Borsad.

22) 1924-Got elected as the President of Revived Ahmedabad Municipality.

23) 1927-Obtained a huge Flood-relief Fund amounting to Rs. 1 crore from
... the government for Gujarat which faced an unprecedented flood calamity.

24) 1928-Resigned as the President of Ahmedabad Municipality. Started
...Bardoli Satyagraha against an arbitrary increase in revenue on the
... farmers. Received the title of "SARDAR" for the freedom movement at
...the Calcutta Congress Session.Made a special place in the hearts of
... farmers as SARDAR-the leader of farmers.

25) 1929-Presided over the Maharashtra Political Conference held at
... Poona and the Kathiyawad Political Conference held at Morbi.

26) 1930-Arrested on March 7,from the public meeting at Ras village while
... canvassing for the Salt Satyagrahaand jailed.Freed on June 26. Elected
...as Congress President on June 30.Arrested again on August 1 and sent
... to Yeravada Jail.

27) 1931-Released from the jail in March on Gandhi-Irwin Pact.Presided
...over XLVI Congress Session held at Karachi.

28) 1932-Enjoyed the company of Gandhiji for 16 months in the Yeravada
... Central Prison.Both had been jailed for taking leadership of agitations
... against the govt. Mother Ladbai expired at Karamsad in November.

29) 1933-Transferred to Nasik jail.Death of elder brother Vitthalbhai in
... Switzerland on October 22.

30) 1938-Leadership of the Regional Congress to obey the discipline of the
... Central Congress Party.Presided over the Kathiyawad Provincial
... Conference.

31) 1940- Sent to Sabarmati Jail on November 18 for taking the leadership
... of the Freedom Movement led by Gandhiji. Later on shifted to Yeravada
... jail at Poona.

32) 1941-Released from the jail following an ailment of intestines.

33) 1942-Passed the "QUIT INDIA" resolution in the All India Congress
...Committee Meet at Bombay on August 8. Arrested on August 9 and sent
... to Ahmadnagar Fort in Maharashtra along with other members of the
... Committee.Imprisoned there till 1944.

34) 1945-Shifted to Yeravada prison near Poona.Released on June 15.

35) 1946-Participated for the first time in the session of the Indian Constitution.

36) 1947-Inaugurated the Vitthalbhai Patel Mahavidyalaya at Vallabh
...Vidyanagar on April 4. Constitution of a "New Riyasati" Department in
... Centre under his chairmanship on July 5 to solve the problems of
...Princely States.Persuaded the Princely States to work unitedly in the
...interest of country's freedom and integrity. He was sworn in as the first
...Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of Independent India on
...August 15. Visited the Somnath Patan on November 13 in Gujarat and
... decided to renovate the Somnath Mahadev Temple.

37) 1948-Constitution of Saurashtra Rajya Sangh at Bhavnagar on
...February 15.Inauguration of the Rajasthan Sangh on April 7 constituted
... with the States of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer,Udaipur,
...Bharatpur. Signed the agreement to constitute the Sangh of the United
...Gwalior,Indore and 23 Princely States of Central India on April 22.
...Awarded the "Doctor of Law" degree by the Nagpur, Banaras and
...Allahabad Universities on November 3, 25 and 27 respectively.

38) 1949-Awarded the "Doctor of Law" degree by Osmania University
...on February 26.Worked as the Acting Prime Minister of India between
... October 7 to November 15 during the visit of the Prime Minister
...Jawaharlal Nehru to USA, Canada and Britain.

39) 1950-Attended the Congress Session held at Nasik from September
... 20 to 22. Died in Bombay on December 15 after a short illness.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was conferred "BHARAT RATNA" posthumously
on July 12 1991 by the then President Shri R. Venkata Raman at Delhi.
The award was received by his grand-son Shri Vipinbhai Patel.

GANDHIGIRI

I have still not watched the film that has created the atmosphere of
debate or controversy about the word : GANDHIGIRI but since the
use of this word has induced turbulance in Indian politics and among
some followers of MAHATMA GANDHI I cannot help myself...I must
say what I think about the so-called Gandhigiri.

Gandhiji had died about 11 years before my birth.So, I did not have
chance to see him alive.The impressions I have in my mind and my
heart are reflections of what I heard or read about the man whose
name was:MOHANLAL KARAMCHAND GANDHI.

The word Gandhigiri is for me the Indian edition of the word...
Gandhi-ism.I do not understand why some people have objection to
the use of the word: Gandhigiri.Perhaps because in general, the words
ending with -giri in Hindi are those words which have hateful meanings
we tend to feel that the word Gandhigiri may reduce the effectiveness
of Mahatma Gandhi.But I don't think Mahatma's image in the minds
of people is so superficial that words like Gandhigiri could erase it
from the brains of a large mass.

Albert Einstein once told about Gandhiji : "The Posterity would
hardly believe that such a man of flesh and blood had lived in this
world."This is what Gandhiji's credibility was and will be in future-
for generations to come.The young generation of India might not
have a true image of the great man because they are living in a
world which has turned more materialistic during the years that
followed Gandhiji's death.What they study in schools is more a
burden to them because they have a mindset that they are studying
it for marks and not for knowledge.Our syllabuses are so heavy with
some unnecessarily included subjects that important facts lose
their relevance and students always remain in a state of confusion
so they react very aggressively to the characters of history or science
and forget them as time passes by.

Then there are people in this country who publicly criticise Gandhiji
for the Partition of India at the time of Independence.Some scold him
for giving more than necessary impetus to the cause of backward
class.The modern generation is then misguided and the young of
this country have a blurred image of the great man in their minds.

I think people in other countries have more respect for Gandhiji
than we the people in India have.You find people from France and
Sydney coming to Sabarmati Ashram to study and understand
Gandhiji.You also find people residing in the neighbourhood of the
same Sabarmati Ashram for more than a decade and they have
never thought of visiting it.This is the respect we Indians have for
the Father of Nation.On the other hand Gandhiji is the only
personality to have statues in most of the countries of the world.

Coming back to the word GANDHIGIRI :Is it relevant in today's
world?This is the central question asked by or debated by all.
As far as I am concerned Gandhigiri has to some extent lost its
significance if what we are referring to is Gandhi-ism of Mahatma.
The reason is not that Gandhi-ism of Mahatma has its weaknesses
but that we have been weakened by our systems, our political
as well as social parameters have forced us to become victims of
wrong notions prevailing about Gandhiji and his philosophy.

So far as GANDHIGIRI is concerned I would like to refer to the
Late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi who enjoyed a distinct
place in Indian politics.Her Gandhigiri was quite different from that
of Mahatma Gandhi but in today's world her Gandhigiri is or at
least it appears to be more relevant.Mahatma's Gandhigiri is more
a spiritual approach and it may work on individual level but when
it comes to an aggregative approach his 'giri' may not work. The
'giri' of Indira Gandhi is more a practical way of life where people
are driven by the criterion of 'the survival of the fittest' and
therefore, it works at all levels.

What we need is a proper blend of both the types of GANDHIGIRI !

( This is my post no. 25. Click on blog archive to see my other posts.)

POLITICS : SOME THOUGHTS

(1) I am not an old,experienced hand at politics. But I am now
seasoned enough to have learned that the hardest thing about
any political campaign is how to win without proving that you
are unworthy of winning.
................................................Adlai Stevenson

(2) Man is by nature a political animal.
.....................................................Aristotle

(3) I used to say that politics was the second lowest profession
and I have come to know that it bears a great similarity to the
first.
..............................................Ronald Reagan

(4) There has never been a perfect government, because men
have passions; and if they did not have passions, there would
be no need for a government.
..................................................Voltaire

(5) You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.
.............................................James Thurber

(6) Too bad all the people who know how to run the country
are busy driving cabs and cutting hair.
...............................................George Burns

(7) Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big
appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
.........................................Ronald Reagan

(8) Political ability is the ability to foretell what is going to
happen tomorrow, next week, next month,and next year.
And to have the ability afterward to explain why it didn't
happen.
......................................Winston Churchill

(9) You cannot adopt politics as a profession and remain
honest.
................................Louis McHenry Howe

DEMOCRACY : SOME THOUGHTS

(1) Democracy is a form of government you have to keep for four years
.....no matter what it does.
.................................................Will Rogers.

(2) Democracy is a form of government which may be rationally defended,
.....not as being good,but as being less bad than any other.
.......................................William Ralph Inge.

(3) The man who is selling newspapers outside the houses of parliament
.....can safely leave his papers to go for a drink and his cap beside them:
.....anyone who takes a paper is sure to drop a copper in to the cap. But
.....the men who are inside the houses of parliament-they cannot trust
.....oneanother like that,still less can the government they compose trust
.....another governments. No caps upon the pavement here.
...............................................E.M.Forster

(4) If you want to understand democracy, spend less time in the library
.....with Plato and more time in the buses with people.
........................................Simeon Strunsky

(5) Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the
.....people are right more than half of the time.
...........................................E.B.White

(6) Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better
.....than we deserve.
................................George Bernard Shaw

(7) That a peasant may become king does not render the kingdom
.....democratic.
..................................Woodrow Wilson.

SUCCESS : SOME THOUGHTS

(1) Success is a journey, not a destination.
.....................................................................Ben Sweetland

(2)A man with a(successful) career can have no time to
....waste upon his wife and friends, he has to devote it
....wholly to his enemies.
............................................................John Oliver Hobbes

(3)Failure is not the only punishment for laziness:there
....is also the success of others.
.........................................................................Jules Renald

(4)There is only one success- to be able to spend your
....life in your own way.
............................................................Christopher Morley

(5)Six essential qualities that are key to success:
....Sincerity
....Personal integrity
....Humility
....Courtesy
....Wisdom
....Charity
.......................................................Dr. William Menninger

(6)Apparent failure may hold in its rough shell the
....germs of a success that will blossom in time, and
....bear throughout eternity.
..........................................Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

(7)How can they say my life isn't a success? Have I
....not for more than sixty years got enough to eat
....and escaped being eaten?
.........................................................Logan Pearsall Smith

FRIENDSHIP- SOME THOUGHTS

(1) Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love, and to be loved,
is the greatest happiness of existence.
..........................................................Sydney Smith.

(2) Enemies publish themselves. They declare war.The friend never
declares his love.
.............................................................Thoreau.

(3) A friend that ain't in need is a friend in deed.
...........................................................Kin Hubbard.

(4)True friendship is like sound health, the value of it is seldom
known until it be lost.
.............................................Charles Caleb Colton.

(5) Everybody is not capable of being a friend, but anybody has
it in his power to be an enemy.
...........................................................Anonymous.

(6)There are three kinds of friends: Best friends, Guest friends,
and Pest friends.
...........................................................Henry Adams.

(7)We die as often as we lose a friend.
..........................................................Publilius Syrus.

(8) Love demands infinitely less than friendship.
.................................................George Jean Nathan.

(9) Friendship is by its very nature freer of deceit than any
other relationship we can know because it is the bond least
affected by striving for power, physical pleasure, or material
profit, most liberated from any oath of duty or constancy.
........................................Francine Du Plessix Gray.

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT MARRIAGE

• ***In all matrimonial associations there is,I believe,one
  constant factor- a desire to deceive the person with
  whom one lives as to some weak spot in one's character
  or in one's career. For it is intolerable to live
  constantly with one human being who perceives one's
  small meanness.It is really death to do so- that is why
  so many marriages turn out unhappily.
  
  .......................................Ford Maddox Ford
  
  ***If the purpose of dinner is to nourish the body the man
  who eats two dinners at a sitting may perhaps attain
  greater enjoyment but not his object,since the stomach
  will not digest two dinners.
  
  If the purpose of marriage is the family the person who
  seeks to have a number of wives or husbands may possibly
  obtain much pleasure therefrom,but will not in any case
  have a family.
  
  .........................................Leo Tolstoy
  
  ***Divorce,in fact, is not the destruction of marriage,
  but the first condition of its maintenance.
  
  ...................................George Bernard Shaw
  
  ***Marriage may often be a stormy lake, but celibacy is
  almost always a muddy horse-pond.
  
  ...................................Thomas Love Peacock
  
  ***The chains of marriage are so heavy that it takes two
  to bear them, and sometimes three.
  
  ..........................................Oscar Wilde
  
  ***The great secret of successful marriage is to treat
  all disasters as incidents and none of the incidents
  as disasters.
  
  .....................................Harold Nicholson
  
  ***Today, he admits, he gave his sons just one piece of
  advice."Never confuse I LOVE YOU with I WANT TO MARRY
  YOU."
  
  .......................................Cleveland Amory

PROUD TO BE INDIAN

*INDIA invented the Number System. Zero was invented by
ARYABHATTA.

*The world's first university was established in TAKSHSHILA
in 700 BC.More than 10500 students from all over the world
studied more than 60 subjects.

*The University of NALANDA built in 4th century BC was one
of the greatest achievements of INDIA in the field of
education.

*AYURVEDA is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.

*SUSHRUTA was the father of surgery. He and health scientists
of his time conducted surgeries like Caesareans, cataract,
fractures and urinary stones 2600 years ago.Usage of
Anaesthesia was known in ancient INDIA.

*The art of navigation originated in river SINDHU 5000 years
ago...the very word "navigation" is derived from the SANSKRIT
word: NAVGATIH.

*The value of Pi was first calculated by BUDHAYANA and he
explained the concept of what is now known as PYTHAGOREAN
THEOREM. British scholars have officially published(in 1999)
that BUDHAYANA'S works date back to 6th century which is long
before the era of European mathematicians.

*Quadratic equations were solved by SRIDHARACHARYA in the 11th
century.Algebra,Trigonometry and Calculus were INDIA's gift
to the world.

*CHESS was invented in INDIA.

*USA based IEEE has proved that the pioneer of wireless
technology was PROFESSOR JAGDISH CHANDRA BOSE and not MARCONI.

*The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in
SAURASHTRA in INDIA.

*WE OWE A LOT TO THE INDIANS,WHO TAUGHT US HOW TO COUNT,
WITHOUT WHICH NO WORTHWHILE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY COULD
HAVE BEEN MADE.
........................................ALBERT EINSTEIN

WHAT I THINK...

*We Indians are proud of being the largest democracy in
the world.What actually we should be proud of is not
the size of democracy...but the quality of democracy.
Being GOOD is far better than being LARGEST.

*It is said that MAN IS A SOCIAL ANIMAL or even further
MAN IS THE SOCIAL ANIMAL. Do you think so? What I have
been observing from the day I got some maturity ... I am sure:
MAN IS THE MOST ANTISOCIAL ANIMAL on this planet Earth.

*Why don't we have WOMEN at the top spots of religion?
Why not a female pope? a female Jainacharya? A female
Imam? OR was religion created as a part of a system
which establishes MALE DOMINENCE automatically?

SOME GREAT THOUGHTS...

(1)The loftiest towers rise from the ground.
-Chinese proverb

(2)It requires a great deal of boldness and
a great deal of caution to make a great
fortune, and when you have got it, it
requires ten times as much wit to keep it.
-Emerson

(3)Like it or not,there is such a thing as
a MILLIONAIRE MENTALITY.
-Paul Getty

(4)We put too much faith in systems,and look
too little to men.
-B.Disraeli

(5)It is idle to talk against representative
government or for it. All government is
representative government until it begins
to decay. Unfortunately(as is also evident)
all government begins to decay the instant
it begins to govern.All aristocrates were
first meant as envoys of democracy; and
most envoys of democracy lose no time in
becoming aristocrates.
-G.K.Chesterton

(6)Revenge is a boomerang.
-A Proverb

HAS RELIGION FAILED......?

What is Religion? Is it what we do in temple,church or mosque?
If that is our perception of religion then we are destined to
feel that religion has failed in the matter of serving mankind.

What we need is "true" perception of religion which we lack
because our perception of religion is largely not 'OUR' perception.
It is, in fact, "pasted" perception that we inherit from our parents
in the same manner as they did from their parents.
Where & how this wrong perception evolved may not be a simple thing
to work out. I think that in the ancient times the concept of
religion evolved along with that of God as a result of our failure
in understanding the SECRETS OF NATURE.This concept later got
distorted form which I call "PASTED".Who did it?Perhaps...some smart
and power-hungry people created this picture in the background of
mythological incidences.These people were well aware of common
man's weakness regarding God & Religion.

What was the purpose? The creation of such distorted perception
helped those so-called mentors of religion in establishing their
dominance over a great number of people whom they rule in the name
of spirituality.So, in addition to political kings we were and are
ruled by SPIRITUAL KINGS.Several such groups of people evolved with
different labels which we term RELIGION.And so ... we have different
forms of religion in different corners of the world.If we are
talking about these'labelled' religions which dominate both our
brains and hearts,then of course...the religion has failed.

Our perception of religion is such that we cannot imagine the
existence of only ONE RELIGION.This existence of many religions may,
in future,prove disastrous for our own existence as TRUE HUMANS.
These religions, largely having mythological background for their
evolution,have instead of creating one UNITED world,divided God's
world in small religion-based 'worlds'. Much of the attention of
the so-called religious leaders is concentrated on establishing
their supremacy over people. In doing so,they create an atmosphere
of hatred in the minds of a group for another group which does not
follow their religion.We are facing the consequences of such non-
religious attitude in the form of terrorism,communal riots,and
even wars making our lives insecure.

Does religion allow us to kill our neighbour if he does not belong
to our religion? Are killings by terrorists justified by proclaiming
that what was done had been done to protect the Religion?Can the
protection of religion require guns,bombs,missiles...? All this
messing up has been created due to the existence of more than ONE
RELIGION.Different religions are based on different Schools of Thought
and we have to develop an attitude of FULL TOLERANCE towards the
people not following our School of Thought.But most of us in today's
world have been educated to develop a psychology of INTOLERANCE by
so-called fanatic and fundamentalist religious leaders and their
agents.If what we refer to as religion is "MY RELIGION" and "YOUR
RELIGION" instead of"OUR RELIGION" then...the religion has failed...

Get rid of so called myopic religious leaders;think what religion
really is or ask yourself a question: Do I follow the TRUE RELIGION?
Introspect... you may find the answer...

The true Religion has been overshadowed by PROFESSIONAL RELIGIONS
and hence the feeling that the religion has failed...

In fact,we have failed...because we have trapped ourselves in that
myopic philosophy of a few so-called pseudoreligious people who
have mesmerised our minds and shrunk our power of RATIONAL THINKING.

MY THOUGHTS...

* IF I WERE GOD...I WOULD COMMIT SUICIDE.

* GOD CREATED MAN... AND MAN CREATED GODS.

* WE HAVE MORE FAITH IN MYTHOLOGICAL GODS THAN IN "REAL" GOD.

* THE RELIGION TODAY TAKES MUCH GREATER CARE OF "GOD" THAN OF "MAN".

* HUMAN BEINGS TEND TO BE UNHAPPY.

* LIFE IS SOMETHING WE DO NOT LIVE AS PER OUR WISH.

* HANDLE WITH CARE, FOR THE THING CALLED HEART IS THE MOST FRAGILE ORGAN.

* A FEW WORDS IN MY DICTIONARY HAVE NO PLURALS: ONE OF THEM IS "RELIGION".

* WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF CERTAINTY OF DEATH;IT IS THERE.IT IS THE UNCERTAINTY OF ITS ARRIVAL THAT FRIGHTENS US.

* SO...YOU ARE IN LOVE! O.K. CHECK THE BALANCESHEET OF YOUR LOVELIFE.
DID YOU GAIN?
THEN...MY DEAR FRIEND YOU ARE NOT A TRUE LOVER!!!

* BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL MAN THERE IS A WOMAN...BEHIND EVERY UNSUCCESSFUL MAN...
THERE IS AT LEAST...A WOMAN!!!

HIROSHIMA & WORLD IN 2045

1945,August: Two Japanese cities were destroyed...Culprit?... NUCLEAR BOMB !
More than 60 years have passed then BUT we have not learnt a lesson.
Those two days of August,1945 wrote the blackest chapter of Human civilization.
We are now in the 21st century and it seems that the ARMS RACE has not ended.
What would be the scene in 2045? Shall we live to see it? We have our ATOMIC
FORECAST... A few scenes which might emerge...

SCENE ONE

This is the Universal Super Market. All shops are selling Atomic weapons.
The shops are owned by the USA, the UK, RUSSIA, CHINA, FRANCE and
GERMANY. There are weapons in showcases with aesthetically attractive
packings. Signboards have attractive slogans:

(1) POWERFUL ATOM BOMBS SOLD HERE.

(2)BE A TWENTYFIRST CENTURY MODERN PEOPLE- OWN A BOMB
AND SUPPRESS OTHERS.

(3) OUR BOMBS ARE 120% MORE POWERFUL THAN THEIRS.

(4) BOMBS ON SALE !!! LAST CHANCE... GET 2 FREE WITH PURCHASE
OF 1...AND ENJOY THE BENEFIT OF FREE DELIVERY !!!

(5) ATTRACTIVE OFFER... PURCHASE NOW, PAY LATER.
EASY INSTALMENTS...

SCENE TWO

A Street in an Asian or an African country...People suffering from various
diseases lying here and there...Pale, wrinkled faces and dirty rags on their
waists...Children with skin on skeleton, searching something to eat in the
ATOMIC garbage.Stray dogs competing with them. Some Bread-shops on
one side have signboards like:

(1) GOVERNMENT CONTROL SHOP: Breads sold in controlled quantity...

(2) BREADSHOP: Open only on Monday. Pay in advance & get booking...

(3)BREADHEAVEN: NO STOCK PLEASE...!!!

SCENE THREE

In the wake of acute crisis of bread, the Government has announced ban
on the consumption of more than one bread per day.Anybody found guilty
of possessing more than one bread per member of a family will be punishable
under BREAD-HOARDING ACT.

SCENE FOUR

A prominent Asian businessman was today caught by BREAD-VIGILANCE
DEPT at the International Airport. The man was smuggling BREADS in the
name of ATOM BOMBS.

SCENE FIVE

Atom bombs waiting for a LIVING HUMAN...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!