Train Journey

In my recent train journey, I noticed an interesting behavior. There was a couple with a little daughter travelling in our compartment. After some hours the gentleman became restless: he started complaining that the AC was not running effectively. I felt the AC was running but the temperature setting should be high – perhaps 26. In Delhi’s cold if one gets to remain in 26 degrees, I don’t see any problem at all. But he went out, had debates with the caretakers and returned back, still frowning. I saw it as a pattern, rather than a single behavior. I feel after remaining confined in a train for hours, people tend to get bored. And they express their frustration in these ways: either they would pick up their children, or will start discussing politics and criticize one and everything, or as this gentleman did: they would find faults in the nearest and simplest things like AC and vent their anger at these. This is connected to why so many passengers discuss issues with Railways while travelling in a train – they need some common topics to discuss and Railways is a kind of leveler. You can start discussing about Railway’s service quality to an NRI, even if you are an illiterate layman.

At eleven in the night, I noticed some curious voices. In the darkness, no sound was audible other than children’s. One small girl was singing near my seat, one was talking to her mother, another boy somewhere was crying, and some other was telling a story. Children lit up the monotonous journey. There were two young girls near my berth. When some other kid started crying in the neighboring cell, the two started talking to each other. The girl on the upper-berth said, “Ye Pink Wala baby hai na?” The girl on the lower-berth replied, “Nahi, Ye Red wala Baby hai.” “Pink” protested the baby on top. “Red” contested the baby on lower berth. It continued for some time.

I have seen some people getting irritated enough to keep on criticizing the Railways, or the government, or anything and everything. In such cases, I tell myself, “How Railways would behave is not in our control. But how we would react, is definitely in our control.” The same holds true for those who get irritated at kids making noise too. I would rather choose to focus on my book and ignore a lot of things, than throwing around my bad swollen mood. To make a journey “happy” is entirely in our hand.

- Rahul

View from the Top

Our flight was about to land in some time. Now land started to get visible from the window. I saw Mumbai. It seemed so tiny. As the plane got nearer to the land, now roads and buildings became visible. Nearer; and people could also be seen.

Our earth is only a small planet rotating around one star in this giant universe. On this earth, a city like Mumbai is only like a dot. In that dot, a house or a building is such a miniscule structure. And in that building, one flat or apartment is of such a trivial existence. And for that ‘small’ building; and that one from among millions of cars; and that 1/thousand of a dot of land, we race to become ‘inhuman’ to earn ‘enough’ money!

Life should be more than this race into oblivion.

- Rahul

Memories from Hyderabad

For the past few months, I stayed in Hyderabad. Though I lived in the outskirts, I did see places of worth visiting in the city and got a feel of the city. I found the city very friendly, peaceful and calm. There is no language problem for the Hindi speaking, as most of the locals spoke it too. Food is also not a problem.

love visiting historical places, so for one day I caught the city tour bus to see all such places. And then I visited some of the places separately. Husain Sagar Lake was wonderful, with its boat rides and Buddha’s status in the middle. Birla Mandir (Shri Venkatesh Mandir) made up of white marble on the top of a black hill is simply amazing. There is something special in it – one can only feel calmer and peaceful in its surrounding. From atom the veranda of the temple, one can see a major part of Hyderabad and Secunderabad – and it is a wonderful experience to spend time there. As a disappointment, I found Charminar an average structure – it is nothing when compared to India Gate or Gateway of India. But it is very picture-perfect as we see it on the posters. Saw Nizam’s museum, which is again not worth the hype. But the Salarganj Museum is amazing – I have not seen a grander museum than this. Perhaps no one can finish seeing whole of it. Then I simply loved the Golkunda Fort. I wished to go there again, as it takes quite some time to roam around and see it properly. We visited the Zoo also; there is a toy train which takes people around. And then there is another place of delight, called Sudhakar’s Car Museum. It is a museum of wonderful designer cars – some of the vehicles have won the designer entries in the famous Book of World Records.

Due to this stay, locations like the Hussain sagar Lake, Neckless Road, Paradise restaurant, Mehandipatanam, Lingampally, Gachibowli, Miyapur’s Talkie Town, Indira Nagar, ISB, Shamshabad (I found the International Airport as the best one in India), and Cyber City were added into my memory. I would love to visit the Golkunda Fort again for a whole day and Birla Mandir again and again whenever I visit Hyderabad.

- Rahul

Anuradha Koirala Wins

It is like a personal dream come true. I had written about Anuradha Koirala and asked you to vote for her.

Now I hear that she has won the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year Award!

Anuradha Koirala wins 2010 CNN Hero of the Year Award
Anuradha Koirala of Maiti Nepal received a CNN Hero award for her work in “protecting the powerless” and advancing the cause of human and equal rights at an awards ceremony at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium. Koirala and her group, Maiti Nepal, have worked to rescue more than 12,000 Nepalese girls and women from human trafficking and sexual exploitation, according to CNN.

http://www.indiatribune.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4503:anuradha-koirala-wins-2010-cnn-hero-of-the-year-award&catid=121:general-news&Itemid=410

I had got to know about her when I read about other contestants in the list. Learning about her and her NGO, I wished to help her win. I sent emails to hundreds of colleagues, posted many blog posts and also in public forums and social networking sites, asking everyone to vote for her. My sister also got into my campaign and we wanted particularly Indians to vote for her, even though there was another Indian listed in the contestants. Most of the Nepali girls, who are sent all across the world as part of human trafficking, are made to pass through India. What a shame for Indians. And I am sure that in this internet based contest where most people vote for their own nationalities, Anuradha would never have won without the support of Indians.

The news of Anuradha’s victory delights me to extent I can’t express. And more important than her is her initiative – to free this earth from female trafficking. Let us support anyone who has courage to fight that; in whatever means we can.

- Rahul

Anuradha Koirala Wins

It is like a personal dream come true. I had written about Anuradha Koirala and asked you to vote for her.

Now I hear that she has won the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year Award!

Anuradha Koirala wins 2010 CNN Hero of the Year Award

Anuradha Koirala of Maiti Nepal received a CNN Hero award for her work in “protecting the powerless” and advancing the cause of human and equal rights at an awards ceremony at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium. Koirala and her group, Maiti Nepal, have worked to rescue more than 12,000 Nepalese girls and women from human trafficking and sexual exploitation, according to CNN.

http://www.indiatribune.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4503:anuradha-koirala-wins-2010-cnn-hero-of-the-year-award&catid=121:general-news&Itemid=410

I had got to know about her when I read about other contestants in the list. Learning about her and her NGO, I wished to help her win. I sent emails to hundreds of colleagues, posted many blog posts and also in public forums and social networking sites, asking everyone to vote for her. My sister also got into my campaign and we wanted particularly Indians to vote for her, even though there was another Indian listed in the contestants. Most of the Nepali girls, who are sent all across the world as part of human trafficking, are made to pass through India. What a shame for Indians. And I am sure that in this internet based contest where most people vote for their own nationalities, Anuradha would never have won without the support of Indians.

The news of Anuradha’s victory delights me to extent I can’t express. And more important than her is her initiative – to free this earth from female trafficking. Let us support anyone who has courage to fight that; in whatever means we can.

- Rahul

Book Review: Vivek Chudamani

‘Vivek Chudamani’

By Adi Shankaracharya

Hindi Translator: Munilal

Gita Press, Gorakhpur

ISBN 81-293-0324-8; Pp 158; Rs 12
 

“Vivek Chudamani” Adi Shankaracharya ki un rachnaon me se ek hai jo aaj bhi hamare beech vartaman hain. Adi Shankara jaise mahaan darshnik ke rachna ki samiksha karna mere liye sambhav nahi hai. Is lie mai bas unke kuchh shlokon ke Hindi anuvaad ko yahan prastut kar raha hun jo is pustak me sankalit hain.
 

(Dhanyavaad Gita Press ka jisne is mahaan rachna ko sarva sulabh kiya hai)
 

“Ghade ke nast ho jane par jaise ghatakash mahakash ho jata hai, waise hi upadhi ka lay ho jane par bhaav-vetta swayam hi brahma hi ho jata hai.” (566)
 

“Vriksha ke patte, phool, aur phalon ke samaan naash to jeeva ke deh, indriyan, praan aur buddhi adi ka hi hota hai. Sadanand swaroop swayam atma ka naash kabhi nahi hota; wah to vriksha ke samaan nitya nishchal hai.” (561)
 

“Brahma-vetta purush atyant saghan atmanand ras ke paan se matwala ho kar sakshi roop se sthit hua indriyon ko na to vishyon me lagata hai aur na hi unhe vishyon se hatata hai. Wah apne karmo ke fal ki or to dekhta bhi nahi hai.” (553)
 

“Jo samast mayik bhedon se rahit, antartmroop aur sakshaat prateeti ka avishay tatha atyant sachchidanand swaroop adwait brahm hai, vahi mai hoon.” (515)

“Mai kriya rahit, vikaar rahit, kala rahit aur nirakaar hun tatha nirvikalp, nitya, niralamb aur advitiya hun.” (516)

Big Bird

There was a giant tree in that part of forest. But on that big tree only two birds lived – one big and the other small. The big bird tried to talk to the smaller one but it didn’t feel friendly. Perhaps the small bird was scared of the big bird. The big bird felt lonely. But in that part of the forest it didn’t find any other company to keep. Every morning, it woke up and saw the small bird get up and go chirping around. Every evening, the big bird waited for the small bird to come back. The two didn’t talk. The small bird looked happy with life – perhaps it talked to the butterflies and squirrels and hence didn’t feel loneliness. Perhaps it was too young to ponder over life and lived in the moment, and hence the happiness. Whatever be the reason, the small bird became a kind of habit in the life of old bird. Time started flowing little peacefully…

One day, the small bird returned back home tired and sad. The big bird noticed it but didn’t dare to say anything. Next morning, the small bird woke up sad and worried. The same pattern went on for a few days and the big bird couldn’t control itself from interfering. It went to the small bird and asked what the matter was. The small bird told it that it wanted to fly high and long distances but didn’t have the strength and stamina. It felt life was too small and helpless. Big bird boasted its morale and promised to train it to fly high and long distances…

Training took a few weeks. Now the big bird got a purpose of life which made it look forward to the next day in excitement. Life seemed to have gotten back on track, until one day the small bird announced in its sweetest voice, “I am going away from this place to a far away land where my friend squirrel lives!!!” The big bird tried hard to persuade it not to go to an unsafe new place, but small bird won’t relent.

Had the big bird not taught art of flying to the small bird, it would have no option but to stay back to its old place. Now the big bird felt sad and it often cried – now it was all alone. But the big bird was not sorry about teaching the art of flying to the small bird. It thought, “Had I not taught it how to fly higher, it would have lived an unhappy life. And because of its unhappiness, I would also have become unhappy. Presently at least the small bird is happy.”

“It doesn’t matter if I am not…”

Lessons from Ramayana – Part 3

Hinduism is said not to be a belief but a way of life. Hinduism doesn’t have one single holy book, or one person who started it; or not even a single sacred place to revere. The set of beliefs practiced by Hindus are diverse. This attitude of Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma as it is also called reflects at many places and times. These days, I am reading ‘Ramayana’ by C. Rajgopalachari who gives wonderful descriptions of the tales fitted to the modern times. He mainly uses descriptions from Valmiki, as well as brings comparative portions from Tulasi Ramcharitmanas and Tamil poet Kamban wherever required.

Here is an interesting episode from the Ramayana.

One morning in early winter the three went as usual to the Godavari for their bath and to offer their morning prayers and fetch water for the day’s needs. They walked conversing about the beauty of the season. Lakshmana thought of Bharata and how he would then be busy performing the ceremonies appropriate to the month.

He said: “Bharata is entitled to live in ease but he has taken on himself a life of hardship in the forest. My heart is full of sorrow for him. Even in this cold weather poor Bharata no doubt eats sparingly and sleeps on the bare floor. This cold morning he too is probably walking towards Sarayu! Pure in mind and speech and conduct, renouncing all pleasures, he lives a life of austerity for our sake. He is exactly like our dear father and quite the opposite of his mother. How could so cruel a woman in Kaikeyi bear so good a son?”

Raama stopped him, saying, “Talk as much as you like of Bharata and our father, but stop condemning Kaikeyi. All that you say of Bharata is true and my thoughts too today go for him in love….”

Thus thinking longingly of home and Bharata they batched in the Godavari on that early winter morning. After offering oblations to their ancestors and prayers to the sun, Raama rose transfigured like the Lord Shiva and returned to the aashrama with Seeta and Lakshmana.

(Chap 31, ‘The Soorpanakha Episode’, Ramayana, C.R., P194-195)

Shri Ram allowed Lakshman to say good words about Bharat and their father, but as soon as he started criticizing Kaikeyi, he stopped him. The reasons why he stopped him could be many. Ram knew that Kaikeyi was not really to be blamed for all that had happened. Destiny makes way for us to fulfil the purpose of our life and people are merely means. Kaikeyi sent Ram to the forest so that he could fulfil the reasons for his Avatara. Ram was born to eliminate Rakshashas and Ravan from the earth, and a lot of things had to fall in place in order for him to do it effectively. Also, we should not forget that Kaikeyi had fallen into confidence of her maid Manthara and hence done all the wrong she could. In any case, no good was to be achieved by venting anger against her. Ram had obeyed the wish of his father because that was his dharma. He received the hardships coming his way with a smile on his face and that is why we would always read Ramayan – Ram’s story – and would take inspirations from him. If Kaikeyi would not have made such wrong demand – Ram’s glory would not have become such great for us to see and learn from.

Also, I think Ram knew the futility of criticism. Negative criticism can only prepare one’s heart for more of negativity and is of no good use. Also, gossiping and criticizing others is considered sin in Indian culture and these signs of idle minds are discouraged. I think Ram’s gesture indicates towards that.

- Rahul

Lessons from Ramayana – Part 2

Hinduism is said not to be a belief but a way of life. Hinduism doesn’t have one single holy book, or one person who started it; or not even one holy place to revere. The set of beliefs practiced by Hindus are diverse. This attitude of Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma as it is also called reflects at many places and times. These days, I am reading ‘Ramayana’ by C. Rajgopalachari who gives wonderful descriptions of the tales fitted to the modern times. He mainly uses descriptions from Valmiki, as well as brings comparative portions from Tulasi Ramcharitmanas and Tamil poet Kamban.

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When Ram is exiled to forest, King Dashrath dies in grief of Ram’s departure. When prince Bharat returns to Ayodhya and comes to know about all the wrong doings, he becomes wrecked. But in those difficult times, Bharat is quick to make a resolve clinging to Dharma – he decides to go to the forest and persuade Shri Ram to return back to the throne.

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From the time he arrives in Ayodhya, Bharat is suspected. Even Kaushalya, Ram’s mother suspects him. Then the hunter-king Guha suspects him when he goes seeking way to reach Ram. Even Rishi Bharadwaj suspects him and asks if he intends to do any harm to exiled prince Ram. Grieved each time he is suspected, Bharat often sheds tears and explains that all he wished was to do service to the rightful king Ram and he had no wish for any kingdom.

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When Bharat arrives and touches Ram’s feet, this is how C.R. describes what Shri Ram saw:

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Raama saw before him lying on the ground Bharata with hands clasped in supplication, with matted locks and in garments of bark. With grief and fasting, his body had grown lean and he was tanned with fatigue and exposure. Raama embraced him and kissed him on the forehead.

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(Chap 27, ‘The brothers meet’, Ramayana, C.R., P168)

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While reading the narrative involving Ram’s exile and Bharat’s return to Ayodhya, I was so touched that tears continuously flowed out of my eyes. I can’t say even an iota of that divine spark reflected in my heart, but surely I was ‘affected’. At another place in the book, C. Rajgopalachari tells first about Bharat’s virtues and also about benefits of reading sacred texts like Ramayana.

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The story of Bharata in the Ramayana portraying a character of unrivalled purity and sublime selflessness is something more than an episode and stands out by itself even in that noble epic, as holy shrines do on the banks of the Ganga. It uplifts the heart and gives one a glimpse of the heights to which human nature can rise when cleaned by love and devotion.

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Jnaana and bhakti will automatically grow by a contemplation of the personality of Bharata. In order to recreate the scene and the person in his own mind the reader must bring into play his reverent imagination.

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We bring with us into this world as our inborn gift some wisdom and reverence. This gift is always in us and though sometimes obscured by prejudice or passion, it keeps alive the divine in man which prevents him from reeling back into the beast.

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(Chap 26, ‘Bharata suspected’, Ramayana, C.R., P157)

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The character of Bharat showed us how high our human nature can arise when cleaned by selfless love and devotion. No one needs to preach us to practice these right values – we can only see it in the behaviour of Bharat’s character in Ramayana. No doubt, even without any special formal religious education, most Hindu kids grow up with the right values and moral traits in them, just by reading or listening to texts like Ramayana. Such is the glory of Ramayana.

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- Rahul

Lessons from Ramayana – Part 1

Hinduism is said not to be a belief but a way of life. Hinduism doesn’t have one single holy book, or one person who started it; or not even one holy place to revere. The set of beliefs practiced by Hindus are diverse. This attitude of Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma as it is also called reflects at many places and times. These days, I am reading ‘Ramayana’ by C. Rajgopalachari who gives wonderful descriptions of the tales fitted to the modern times. He mainly uses descriptions from Valmiki, as well as brings comparative portions from Tulasi Ramcharitmanas and Tamil poet Kamban.

At one stage, he describes the events when Ram’s younger brother Bharat goes to meet and bring exiled prince Ram back to their kingdom of Ayodhya. Bharat himself is grief-stricken and ashamed of the act of his mother. He imagines the hardships that Ram, Seeta and Lakshman had to undergo because of his mother, and breaks down. But the scene on the other side is very different. Here is a portion from the book:

While Bharata was thus engaged in trying to undo the mischief wrought by others, in the forest hut at Chitrakoota, life went on fairly cheerfully. With Lakshmana and Seeta by his side, Raama lacked nothing. The grandeur of the mountain scenery and the forest and the sweet songs and play of the birds pleased his heart. He forgot the sorrow of his exile from kinsfolk and city.

“Look, Seeta, at those birds playing,” he would say. “Look at that rock on the hill with the blue, yellow and red veins shining on it. Look at these plants and creepers with their flowers. We feared life in the forest, not knowing how pleasant it would be. I am so happy here. And I have in addition to this pleasure the feeling that I carry out my father’s promise. We have the joy of duty done besides leading a happy life here. Over and above all this, I am happy that my brother Bharata is ruling the kingdom.” Thus Raama, free from sorrow himself, made Seeta happy.

(Taken from Chapter 27; ‘The Brothers Meet’; Ramayana, P163)

Here, prince Ram shows the way for generations to come. We notice how he is not down but only cheerful even though he was denied his rightful kingdom. He is cheering up his wife and perfectly playing role of an ‘ideal husband’. He embraces the harsh forest life as if it were a bed of roses. I think there is so much to learn from him, not only for Lakshman and Seeta who were at his side, but for all of us who read or listen to Ram’s tale – the Ramayana. Life is full of ups and downs, but those who take it in the right spirits with a positive attitude and keep their heads up, bring glory to their names. Shree Ram showed us this by practicing it.

- Rahul

Animal Lovers

I remember my first poem which was published in our school magazine. I had got a request for a poem and when I looked around for some inspiration, I thought about my neighbor’s dog. They had picked a cute puppy from the roadside and made it their pet. The pup became a hit in the neighborhood. But after some months, it was bitten by a diseased dog and became infected. They tried to get it treated but failed. So they took the pup to a faraway place and left it there. I wrote a touching poem in Hindi, telling about the pup’s plight…

I recall this episode today because this morning, I saw another dog on the road. It still wore a leather belt in its neck – telling about its once-privileged status. It suffered from some skin disease which had ruined its white fur. The dog had no friends and it wandered here and there. Once in a while when it saw a man approaching, as if in an expectation it waged its tail lovingly. But it got contempt in return. Even the roadside tea vendor ridiculed it – he called it by making signs to offer biscuits and when it came nearby, he threatened it and chased it away. I tried to escape from the sad scene, avoiding its eyes – but that wasn’t to happen. The dog looked at me as if searching for its old loving master.

Imagine, such pets would find it horrible to settle down in their new life because they weren’t born or raised in those conditions which make street-dogs accustomed to them.

Such abandoned pets are living examples of this life’s uncertainty. For a part of their life, they were pampered more than like family members. And now, they are rejected and hated by everyone.

I wonder – even after all this, there are terms like “Animal Lovers”. What lovers would throw their love on their streets when sick and vulnerable?

- Rahul

Recipes of a good Consultant

We had a Consulting Course. The trainer was a very effective communicator and delivered it so well. Amongst other points, he also made two important points which I want to share with others:

1) Maintaining punctuality is very important for a consultant. Perhaps only in India, we arrive late and no one raises a brow – many a time clients themselves are late. But never expect such leniency when dealing with international clients.

2) When we are in a team or with a client, we should avoid talking in a regional language which others won’t understand. Speaking in a regional or native language which some others won’t understand would make those persons feel ‘alienated’, which is never good for a professional working.

3) It is very important for consultants to ‘appear’ well-presentable. Especially when interacting with clients, one has to review one’s dress and its appropriateness for the occasion.
These small things, often neglected, contribute a long way towards making us good and successful professionals.

- Rahul

Getting Empty Subject Line Prompt in MS Outlook

If you use MS Office Outlook and sometimes send emails without a subject line, it allows you to do so. And you may not like the situation because appropriate subject lines in emails are necessary and part of net-etiquette.

If you search in the Outlook ‘Options’, you won’t find a place where you can made the configuration. There are some paid Add-Ins available which can help at a cost. But a friend shares a way to get the same warning message, free of cost.

Here are the steps:

1. Open your Microsoft Office Outlook.
2. Press Alt+F11. This opens the Visual Basic Editor and open Project-Project 1 (left side). (If this doesn’t open Project-Project 1 then press then Press Ctrl+R)
3. On the Left Pane, one can see “Microsoft Outlook Objects” or “Project1″, expand this. Now, one can see the “ThisOutLookSession”.
4. Double click on “ThisOutLookSession”. It will open up a Code Pane on the right hand side.
5. Copy and Paste the following code in the right pane (Code Pane) and save it

Private Sub Application_ItemSend(ByVal Item As Object, Cancel As Boolean)
Dim strSubject As String
strSubject = Item.Subject
If Len(Trim(strSubject)) = 0 Then
Prompt$ = “Subject is Empty. Are you sure you want to send the Mail?”
If MsgBox(Prompt$, vbYesNo + vbQuestion + vbMsgBoxSetForeground, “Check for Subject”) = vbNo Then
Cancel = True
End If
End If
End Sub

6. Now whenever you try to send a mail without subject, a pop-up is raised to remind you of the blank subject.