LIFE'S PRIORITIES

A professor stood before his Philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise
jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.

He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life."

"The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.

"The sand is everything else--the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

"The same goes for life.

"If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness."

"Play with your children."

"Take time to get medical checkups."

"Take your partner out to dinner."

"Play another 18."

"There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."

"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter."

"Set your priorities."

"The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked."

"It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always

room for a cup of coffee with a friend."

JUST BECAUSE I LIKE IT...

The road to success is not straight

There is a curve called failure

A loop called confusion

Speed bumps called friends

Red lights called enemies

Caution lights called family

you'll have flats called jobs

But if you have determination

An engine called perseverance

Insurance called faith A driver called GOD

You'll make it to a place called SUCCESS!

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

INDIAN STOCKS : MARCH 31 TO APRIL 4

Before I write anything about the market I beg your pardon as I could not write my post on previous week. My internet connection was not working for 3 days and before it restored the new week had already started. Again as a part of policy matter I cannot write on blogger using any other computer.

The previous week, however, was better for bulls and the market recovered appreciably. The market appears to have entered a short-term bull phase with a possibility of again reaching 18500 level. But one must remain careful and avoid aggressiveness in going bullish. The first resistance level of 16500 is very close and market will have some difficulty in crossing it. If, however, the market crosses this mark then the next resistance levels are 17200, 17800 and then 18500. The market is unlikely to cross 18500 mark unless something extraordinary happens. I reiterate my stand that the market has entered long term bear phase and recent uptrend should be considered only as a CORRECTION UPWARD and not the restoration of a long term bull phase. It would be wise to SELL during every upward correction because once the result season in April is over, the negatives would once again start to affect the market badly.

WARNING : The moment the market showed some reversal from sub-15000 level most analysts and broking houses changed the colour of their face and started giving statements like :

• INDIA STORY IS DIFFERENT THAN REST OF THE MARKETS
  
• INDIA IS INSULATED FROM GLOBAL RECESSION
  
• THERE WILL BE LEAST EFFECT OF GLOBAL FACTORS ON INDIA
  

One must practise wisdom and think : WAS INDIA NOT INSULATED FROM ALL THAT DURING PREVIOUS TWO MONTHS ?

I am still bullish on two sectors : (1) IT (2) PHARMA. This does not mean that one should jump in and buy these shares in rising market. I advise to go long in these two sectors gradually and make investment for a long period. Keep an eye on INFOSYS, SATYAM, WIPRO, TCS, HCL TECHNO, SONATA SOFTWARE, RANBAXY, CIPLA, GLAXO, DR REDDY'S LAB, DABUR, SUN PHARMA. Buy good shares on decline with the risk that the market may go down to 13800.

NOTE : This is my last post on this blog regarding market. From next week onwards I will be writing on a separate blog titled : indian stock trading tips.The link for this blog will be available on this blog. The link is : indian stock trading tips

IS INTERNET BAD FOR CHILDREN ?

A few days back I was watching a debate on TV.The subject under discussion was 'Internet and Children'. Most of the parents had expressed similar views that Internet is bad for children. Some of them did agree that nowadays the use of internet is becoming inevitable if you want to keep pace with the rest of the world. However, they too were afraid that it was not advisable to allow children to have access to the internet. Their argument was that it was not possible for them to keep a constant vigil on children to ensure that they do not watch ADULT SITES on internet.

To a greater extent these parents are right because the most notorious aspect of the Internet is Porn-sites and even if the child has no idea of such sites, it is not guaranteed that he/she will not see such site. The main reason is that sometimes such sites open automatically as pop-ups and then the child starts viewing such sites out of curiosity. There are some tools available in market to restrict your child from access to such sites but some smarter kids and professionals (who want others to watch such stuff) find out the solution.

It is my observation that most of the Cyber Cafe visitors are teenagers and they watch such stuff and chat with people of opposite sex. They get thrill out of that and this habit in the long run becomes an addiction. There are money-hungry people who will never allow clean access to internet because that does not pour dimes in their bag. Recently a survey had revealed that the pornographic sites have maximum traffic and the top Adsense earner has a porn-site.

I feel that children should not be allowed to have free access to internet until the parents are sure that they have become mature enough to understand the difference between the'GOOD' and the 'BAD'.

A FEW THOUGHTS BY BERNARD SHAW

I am very much fond of reading thoughts by great persons and collecting them if found interesting. George Bernard Shaw is one of those great persons who have impressed me a lot. Here are some of his thoughts which I am sure would impress you.

1. The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.
   
2. Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous.
   
3. Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.
   
4. The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech.
   
5. Literature is like any other trade; you will never sell anything unless you go to the right shop.
   
6. A life spent in making mistakes is not only more honourable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing.
   
7. We have not lost faith but we have transferred it from god to medical profession.
   

WHY ARE CANCER AND KIDNEY FAILURE ON THE RISE ?

The science and technology are advancing with unprecedented speed and medical science is not far behind. In fact the average life-span has increased substantially after the development of modern medical science. The mortality rate has definitely gone down and we have successfully eradicated some diseases. What is disappointing is that recently some disease like cancer and failure of kidney have reached an alarming level and the number of cases related to these diseases are still increasing.

I feel that some of the factors contributing to proliferation of such disease are:

• Modern stressful life.


• Diversion from traditional food habits to INSTANT FOODS most of which is 'Junk'.


• Excessive consumption of alcohol.


• Excessive use of pesticides in agriculture.


• Excessive use of chemical fertilisers resulting in increase of salinity of soil which in turn results in increase of salt level in water beyond the permissible.


• Excessive use of insecticides to kill insects like flies and mosquitos.


• Excessive and sometimes needless use of vehicles contributing to pollution.

DO NOT PUNISH THEM, THEY ARE YOUR CHILDREN...

My life is centered more around children of age group 12 to 16 as I am a private tutor for highschool students. During 13 years of my tutorship I kept on observing and studying the other face of my students which one might not be interested in if the sole concentration is on studies and the contents of the syllabus. My experiences with the parents' attitudes, expectations they consciously or subconsciously bring up in their hearts regarding the future of their children, discipline they want in their children and efforts they put in to make their child capable of sustaining the pressure of competition, etc. have revealed one important truth which I cannot afford to ignore.
All parents have one common dream of seeing their children make bright future. One cannot deny that as parents we have that right to dream and there is nothing wrong. What goes wrong is our approach to see our dream come true. In an attempt to convert the dream in reality we sometimes forget some realities and, in turn, do injustice to our own children. Before judging your child from what he / she achieves or fails to achieve in academic examination, please keep in mind the following important facts :

1. All children cannot be at the top spot in the class.
   
   
2. A child may have difficulty following a particular subject. That does not render him / her dull by all means.
   
   
3. In this age of fast developing world one must get proper education but that does not guarantee success.
   
   
4. Success or failure in school examinations do not establish a permanent profile of life.
   
   
5. Forceful accomplishment of an assignment does not induce true learning process and at times induces rebellion and dishonesty in child which is supposed to have more harmful consequences in future.
   
   
6. Scolding your child in presence of others for any fault or misbehaviour is an insult which may induce suicidal thoughts in his / her mind or may make a child violent.
   
   
7. Do not compare your child's performance with that of other children to show that he / she is inferior to those with
   better performance on record card.
   
   
8. Each child is a unique human being and a human being needs to be respected by other people around. See that your child's identity is not suppressed under the burden of the race to become special.
   
   
9. If you know or feel that your child may not flourish in a particular field of your choice, accept the reality honestly and find out which field may suit him / her better. Let your child have the freedom to choose with your guidence.
   
   
10. There are people who have achieved great success in real life and were actually failures in studies. There are people who achieved ranks in school and could not repeat the same in real life.
    

As parents at home or as a teacher at school refrain from physical punishment for non-performance, mischiefs or indiscipline and try to get rid of such negative attitude by treating your child as softly as possible. A child needs to be loved by parents, by teachers, by all around and readily follows those who show affection towards him / her. You must remember that you once were a child and you, too, did not like someone dominating you or punishing you . Similarly, your child is most likely to react negatively if punished or dominated. Whenever my students fail to perform or misbehave I try to touch their heart by giving real examples of how a life was ruined due to negligence of a student on his part during this important phase of life. I have never slapped my sons; I would never beat someone else's child. My advice is : Do not punish them, they are your children.

KUNJAN - MY SON IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ROLE !!!

These are some photos of my son KUNJAN as a participant in the Event "IMPULSE 2006" of S.B.B. College of Physiotherapy, Ahmedabad.

AS A MODEL ON RAMP

GIRL FRIEND KO MANANE KI YEH KAUNSI STYLE HAI BETA !!!

MAIN HOON "DON" OF DONS !!!

AS A PROFESSOR IN DRAMA....KUCHH TO MUJSE SIKHA...!!!

ONCE AGAIN ON RAMP BUT NOT ALONE...!!!

IN ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGN...

LANGUAGE

1. Language is magic: it makes things appear and disappear.
   
        -Nicole Brossard



2. Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become, in the hands of one who knows how to combine them !
   
        -Nathaniel Howthorne



3. Language is by its very nature a communal thing; that is, it expresses never the exact thing but a compromise - that which is common to you, me, and everybody.
   
        -T.E.Hulme



4. Words do not change their meaning as much in centuries as names do for us in the space of a few years.
   
        -Marcel Proust



5. Words are like water - the assumption being that it moves in any direction.
   
        -Bernard Malamud

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.)