Living in the (past) moment

The English truly have to be living in the Past.

Just read about the Revenues of the Royal Family of the British empire. This is where the sun never set till the clock struck 21st century. However, a lot of the British public still seem to believe it's the Imperial Age, if the way they support the expenses of the Royal family is any indication.

Funding the escapades of a Prince who became an emotional pauper to a mistress old enough to be his mother's elder sister should not really be a concern of the British public. This thoroughly British gentleman adulterer already has a netstimated fortune of nearly half a billion USD, while his official duties range from polo to inauguration work. And the British public still feel duty-bound to this time-bound tradition which has no present-day conviction.

Well, if Indians can be French enough to be led by an Italian, so can the British continue to be English.

Living life just like in the movies

You gotta hand it to Andhra Pradesh for innovation.

Through raising the bar on photogenic revolt by self-immolation and hunger-strike, Andhra Pradesh seems to live life just like the movies, specifically, Telugu movies. Things surely have changed a bit since Marie Antoinette's era, when cake was a good substitute for bread. In these digitized times, if farmers in AP don't have tractors, let them have Tablet PCs.

In Telugu movies, you kill two stones with one bird, and even this makes for serious viewing. So, you will surely understand the students and their politicians.

Aspiring for greatness or great awareness?

I was, only two mornings back, going round Modern High School, to determine whether this would be the right housing for my child's formal learning process. I was impressed with the suit-wearing executives, and the murals on the walls and, finally, the picture of the All-India ICSC topper swung things in Modern's favour. For, I too wanted, at least for that morning, my daughter to ace her education in the way modern education is expected to be aced.

That afternoon, I read about some issues of children in schools, and of various levels of intelligence, and of health issues, and the rest of the works, and it quickly came to mind that, contentment has to be the best gift you can give yourself.

Being contended for the way your child is (growing up to be), for the way you are, for the way your family is, reflects on the level of your harmony with the universe. With so many children around with no chance for education, I should be glad that my child is getting one. The ranks and rankings should be aspired for with detachment. The spirit of competition in the child is fired as much with the spirit of competition in the parents, as is with the overtures in the classroom. But so are consideration and empathy, and more so, as you will not find a lot of these values being nurtured in the classroom.

Education for the child has to be introspection for the parents. What do we raise our children to be? What for do we raise our children to be?

And, that afternoon, as I was evaluating my initial motive to (hopefully) send my daughter to Modern, I got a news that a close friend of ours had been admitted to ICU with MI. And this is a gentleman with no symptoms to suggest heart-disease. Normal BP, normal sugar, normal cholesterol. And it came one unsuspecting moment, the happenstance to underscore the point of the delicate house of want against the shaky ground of reality. Thankfully though, he is fine and was discharged yesterday.

Of all aspirations, the aspiration for contentment ought to be the most exalted. Ironally though, it cannot seem to be an aspiration at all, rather an endeavour in itself.

The world's largest democracy (up for sale)

On my way back to Dubai last week, I was reading the transcript of some of the taped conversations that Nira Radia had with just about everybody who is anybody in India, and this is the conclusion: Anything and anybody can be bought or sold at the right price.

The conversations range from the soap opera within the Karunanidhi family to the Reliance drama to the inconic scandal of recent times that dwarfs even CWG and Adarsh, the 2G disaster. All suggest one thing: our hallowed banana republic headed by the venerable Italian (I didn't say mob) is scripting a story that actually might make BJP's communal ideology seem quite acceptable.

If you read, you will figure out that even our benevolent PM might not be the white sheep that we assume his gracious smile to be. He was privy to the processes that at the Info Ministry that has cost a cool $39 billion loss to the exchequer, and ultimately to the common man. Going by the article, this figure can escalate if current subscriber fees are calculated for the licences allotted. One thing's for sure, you have to admit that this is a very impressive statistic that Raja can lay claim to. In politics, guts and shamelessness almost mean the same thing.

The ultimate icing on India's cake of corruption is the fact that the media itself is, as opposed to FT's slogan, with fear, and with favour. You have got Bharka and Sanghvi canvassing and conniving. So, even the fourth estate is economical with the truth and generous with the generous.

Who can you trust in India???

And here I start life as in l-i-f-e

On Wednesday, 1st December, 2010, my daughter became one of India's 96 million children who are Blessed to be able to go to school.

She woke up early, bathed, dressed up and took the elevator to the entrance of her building where an air-conditioned bus came to drop her to her play-school, all for a monthly fee that will take care of the annual education of 15 of her Indian siblings. I hope she will learn someday to show gratitude for the fact that for the 3 million children on the streets, and, especially for the majority of her sorority, there will be no school. As of April 1, 2010, the Right to Education (RTE) Act made schooling a fundamental right for all children. But for 50% of India's 192 million children, the RTE will remain an April Fool's joke. Even more significantly, for the girl child, who actually grows up to be a woman and a mother (like the India-is-my-Motherland joke), this fundamental right is far from fundamental. It is much more of a privilege.

I hope and pray that she gets a meaningful, purposeful and socially beneficial education, so that the equally deserving, but less fortunate of her sisters may one day be able to read, understand and smile at how the RTE has benefited all children of our country, male and female.

SERIOUS STUFF: Talking your way to Cancer

Ok, this might be a wake-up call to drive home the ironical point!

Everyone knows that excessive cellphone usage is harmful. Also, as always, everyone is a resident expert on how it harms, though no one knows how it actually harms, beyond the two-minute cellphone-you-know-what-radiation-cancer spiel. Here is a report, with references and credentials on how radiation from phones and towers really cook you. To whet your thinking

SAR (Specific absorption rate) - Rate at which radiation is absorbed by human body, measured in units of watts per kg (W/kg) of tissue. In USA, SAR limit for cell phones is 1.6W/Kg which is actually for 6 minutes. It has a safety margin of 3 to 4, so a person should not use cell phone for more than 18 to 24 minutes per day.

This information is not commonly known to people in India.

There is quite a bit of theory, empirical data from research, and analysis stuff that Electrical Engineers might decode better (the author is a Professor from IIT-B). And there's quite a bit on the Medical stuff as well. But to cut the conversation short, the cancer theory might not just be theoretical.

Please do take the effort to go through this document. If you can't access it, please let me know and I will be glad to forward it to you.

http://www.adrive.com/home/downloadfile/412242807

Userid: praveen.prabhakaran@gmail.com

Password: Radiationhazard9

She's beautiful, so that's ok

Sarah Palin proves that she has the right credentials to make it to the White House. I mean, she proves that if Bush can make it, so can she.

She was asked to comment on the South Korean crisis, currently getting media attention for all the North Korean reasons. She replied in typical Bush style, but without the grammatical errors as well, "Obviously, we’ve got to stand with our North Korean allies.” Thankfully, it was clarified to her promptly that the US is actually on the side of the other Korea. I am sure she will also be able to pinpoint South Korea on a map. It's just to the west of East Korea.

So, what does it take to become the Leader of the free world? If not brains, a bit of charm will do.

Wandering minds less happy than focused ones

Finally, proof that success is 99% concentration and 1% inspiration. It seems people who focus on their work are happier than those daydreaming, though daydreaming is ofcourse a pleasurable activity. The research also suggests that although difficult situations require more effort-expenditure, the very same will increase our happiness in the long run.

This article might really be worth the distraction from whatever you are doing right now.

http://news.discovery.com/human/mind-wandering-distracted-happiness.html

Reading Between the Lines - 34 - Lizard gives hope to women around the world

POPSCI, 09-11-2010: Scientists Discover Self-Cloning Lizard Species

Scientists in Vietnam have discovered an all-female species of lizard that propogates by self-cloning, giving hope to countless women around the world.

Further research on this might help some feminist scientists in discovering the secret of making perfect copies of themselves (horror?) without outside support. I should ask, why can't men advance scientific research along similar lines? They'll save a lot of money on shopping, for instance.

For more info on this exciting discovery for womankind, click

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/scientists-discover-self-cloning-all-female-lizard-species-vietnamese-restaurant

Akhand and Inspired

The Avatar says that bhajan is only kindergarten and that we have to move on. However, the first hour of the Akhanda Bhajan of 12th-13th Nov. might explain why bhajan is also the primary reason why people wish to remain in spiritual kindergarten. Mind-blowing might be a good word for it. They really pulled off a good one here, and kept it going till the hours really wore out the voices. The gents medley between 3-4 PM was worthy of a stand-alone session.

Incidentally, this might well be the last Akhanda bhajan for, probably the best singer of the Dubai Centre. And the singer proved once more why this label suits well. May the empowered voice find a sincere ear elsewhere that yearns for the ever Holy name.

Talking about Holy name, this Akhanda Bhajan seemed to be more of a genuine Krishna-fest than the Bhajan of Janmashtami past. With Hari's names being invoked by the singers around 5,184 times as per my MBA estimate (a guesstimate, nonetheless), this was a course on Krishna Consciousness.

Hail to the Hailers.

Reading Between the Lines - 33 - Ideology of Convenience

Christian Science Monitor, 10-11-2010: China puts Ai Weiwei, co-designer of the 'Bird's Nest' stadium, under house arrest

P's C: Ai Weiwei, one of China's best-known artists (and a vocal critic of the Chinese government) has been arrested for being an artist.

The Chinese government has now clearly defined that an artist's freedom of expression should only manifest in buildings and pictures of Hu Jintao. Shortly after his house arrest, Beijing police also arrested another couple for not aborting their second pregnancy.

In an unrelated development, the US has condemned the Communist dictatorship in Cuba for human rights abuses.

Reading Between the Lines - 32 - Insecurity about the Security Council

The Hindu - 10-11-2010: Pak criticises U.S. for backing India’s UNSC bid

P's C:

The Pakistan cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, has expressed “serious concern and strong disappointment' over Obama's backing of India for a permanent UNSC seat. With a distinguished legacy of providing a safe haven for international jihad and blowing up its own people on all working days, Pakistan is disappointed that India has been favoured, while the aspiring emerging world (terrorist) power has been overlooked.

Pakistan, with it's scintillating track record of electing one military after another and, of course, possessing a comprehensive international policy that chiefly consists of Kashmir, is deservedly upset that the world's largest democracy and one of the top ten economies is promoted in spite of its lack of any significance on the world stage.

Shortly after Gilani's statement, he rushed to offer PR solace to victims of yesterday's Sunni-Shia bloodbath, while hinting that this was the work of external agencies envious of Pakistan's amazing growth.

Festival of Lightness of Being

We have just celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Light, that dispels darkness. And what darkness would that be? The Darkness of ignorance.

Most vegetarians celebrate Diwali with sweet relish, in more than one sense. So, this must be the right time to bring on the topic of Varakh, which I myself have conveniently forgotten to remember.

Varakh is the silver foil used on sweets,- most of us know that. Some may not know that these sheets are made by hammering thin sheets of silver between booklets made of a bull's intestines. Therefore, you can be sure that the vegetarian sweet that you eat is bloody soiled physically, and is wholly sinful spiritually. I kind of knew this for a very long time, but chose to forget. There are overloads of sites which you can google for the actual process from guts to taste.

So, what better time to break a bad habit than yesterday? As of yesterday, I have quit Varakh laced sweets. Another small step forward spiritually and one more step backward societally. May Diwali be the occassion for you to light the lamp of conviction within, and dispel the darkness of ignorance, both circumstantial and convenient.

You are not what you don't eat.

Reading Between the Lines - 31 - Chidambaram and the Virtue of Impotency

The Hindu, 01-11-2010: Chidambaram on Arundhati: Not taking action is also an action

P's C: Chidambaram says that not filing a case for sedition was in accordance with the letter and spirit of law. More precisely, this seems to be accordance with the letter and spirit of the spineless. If not taking action is also an action, this Home Minister would have his autobiography written entirely in pause mode.

Wearing white makes you a wearer of white, not a white of heart or a clear of conscience, if there be any for those in politics. Chidambaram has proved yet again, that some politicians are better of firing with words than resorting to clear action that will define leadership.

Well known for doing nothing more than making interesting sentences, our Tamil Tiger, nay, pussy cat, is better of tending to Italiah homes than guarding the letter and spirit of the Indian conscience.

Being articulate, yet ineffectual, is giving a donkey a mike. Both serve no purpose.

Che

We celebrate the style because they applaud it too

Laugh in tragic synch with all else

And critique the abstract absurdities for social arts's sake

Never saluting the individual spirit that whistles a different note

While stifling the consciousness to permanent asphyxia.

The iconoclast among the lemming humanoids ran a solo marathon

But a marathon nevertheless,

Levelling stark peaks and valleys of self-interest

The revolutionary walked the spirit of love

Violent for the sake of virtue.

Only one in a million will lift a guitar,

To strum the rage against the machine,

Indifference at injustice is common,

Indignation less,

Action for the self-anointed few.

And in death, gain immortality

For, Che asks to kill only a man,

But indeed, it is killing a man,

Of whom,

Few walk the earth.

NB: Korda's photo of Che shown here is supposed to be the most reproduced photograph in history. Che's body died at the age of 39, and spirit lives from that day onwards.

Spirit of the Spirited

One of the most self-motivated, dynamic and capable guys from the Youth Wing is leaving Dubai soon, and thought I should share online what I shared with him:

It is the bold of spirit that prewrite history.

In the epic movie Cleopatra, Antony makes a statement to Octavian (Caeser's nephew) that goes something like this: When you die, you will realize that you died without ever having lived at all. History is embellished only with the chisel of defiance, and the hammer of counterculture. Intellectual, spiritual and cultural entropy form the watermark of civilization.

Alas, most of us exist watching life from the spectator's arena. It takes guts even to be foolish.

Reading Between the Lines - 30 - India disappoints yet again

TOI: 26-10-2010: Pakistan world's 34th most corrupt nation

P's C:

After a bribe-fest of a CWG, India still lags way behind Pakistan in the list of most corrupt countries in the world. Pakistan, with almost negligible opportunities of a CWG scale bonanza that allows for all-round embezzlement, still scored way ahead of India, and is proud to be the 34th most corrupt nation on earth.

India came a dismal 84th, and has to beat 83 more countries to become the coveted title-holders of Corruption. However, politicians like Sharad Pawar and Kalmadi have assured the masses that they will do their level best to ensure that we reach the top before they flop.

Reading Between the Lines - 29 - Supreme Scam

Times of India, 26-10-2010: Satyam scam: SC cancels Raju's bail

P's C: Supreme Court of India has condescended to continue the national tradition of offering bails to only politicians and policemen by cancelling bails to Satyam founder Raju and co. While rescinding the AP High Court's order, the Supreme Court clearly chastised the lowly High Court by clarifying that Raju was not criminalized enough for bail. With this, the Court has definitely reinforced the common's main faith in the politicians' judiciary.

Reading Between the Lines - 28 - Arundhati's absurdities

The Hindu 25-10-2010: Kashmir was never integral part of India: Arundhati

P's C: Her eminence, Arundhati Roy, international know-all and mother of Indian geopolitics, has declared that Kashmir was never a part of India. Arundhati who is qualified in architecture to know everything about everything has declared that Kashmir should be free and is part of India's colonial instincts.

The self-declared last arbiter of history, who is Indian by accident, will also announce shortly that India is a part of China. Indians can respond by showing her the door to Pakistan.

Why did we even celebrate the success of this Indian passport holder?

Father Teresa - Vote for him!

If you had not heard of Narayanan Krishnan, as I had not, it is a collective failure. This is one of the most incredible stories of personal commitment.

Narayanan Krishnan, all of 29 years old now, does what he was professionally trained to do as a chef. Feed people. Only Krishnan does not do this in the swanky confines of a 5-star hotel. Every day, he wakes up at 4 am, cooks a simple hot meal and then, along with his team, loads it in a van and travels about 200 km feeding the homeless in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Krishnan feeds, often with his hands, almost 400 destitute people every day. And for those who need it, he provides a free haircut too.

According to CNN, eight years ago, this award-winning chef with a five-star hotel chain was all set to go to Switzerland for a high-profile posting. On a visit to a Madurai temple, he came across a homeless, old man eating his own human waste. That stark sight changed Krishnan's life.

Much to the dismay of his parents, CNN says, Krishnan abandoned his career plans and decided to spend his life and his professional training in looking after those who could not care for themselves. He has provided more than 1.2 million hot meals through his nonprofit organisation Akshaya Trust, and now hopes to extend this to shelter for the homeless too.

Krishnan is the only Indian in a list of 10 heroes that CNN has picked worldwide to honour. One of them will be chosen CNN Hero of the Year, selected by the public through an online poll. If many Indians get together to vote for this inspiring man, he can win by a long mile. If Krishnan wins he will get $100,000 in addition to the $25,000 that he gets for being shortlisted for the Top 10. Akshaya Trust needs all the monetary support it can get to build on Krishnan's dream. Let's help him get there.

Vote for Krishnan here. (http://heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx) The poll continues through November 18 at 6 a.m. ET.

Note: Entire post is reproduced from NDTV. I have blogged on Krishnan before albeit, if I remember correctly.

International insult to China

Nobel Foundation insults China with Peace price for Liu Xiaobo

China is outraged with Norway and the Nobel Foundation for honouring Liu Xiaobo for his crimes against inhumanity with the Nobel Prize for peace. Liu Xiaobo is currently facing criminal charges in his home country for inciting peace, in addition to other inhuman rights violations. Also, Liu's wife is currently under house arrest for being Liu's wife.

Although we are at least a generation behind China, there are some things in India worth shouting about. And imprisonment of speech isn't one of them.

Eating arrogant pie

Indian cricketers have been forced to eat arrogant pie after defeating Australia in this Test series. Already uncomfortable with the status of No. 1 test playing country in the world, India is having to face the humiliation of maintaining the widest margin in points among the top three teams.

Mighty Australia is on top from bottom, the first time in their history they have achieved this feat.

Reading Between the Lines - 27 - Idols represent the appropriate ideology

Xinhuanet, 08-10-2010: Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga named as "World's Most Powerful Women"

P's C: Womankind has asserted herself and her equality with Mankind by including highly influential global socio-political policy makers like Lady Gaga and Beyonce in the list of World's Most Powerful Women for the year 2010. Lady Gaga, well-known for her micro-economic model for social development and her meat-clothing, truly seems to represent the advances made by womankind over the past zillions of years.

Similarly, the powerful physicist Beyonce, who postulated the Bing Bang and near-naked strutting, is also on the list, which Forbes compiled "based less on traditional titles and roles and more on creative influence and entrepreneurship."

Reading Between the Lines - 26 - India fails to impress doomsayers

The Hindu, 08-10-2010: India springs a surprise on Australia

P's C: India springs a surprise on itself.

By successfully managing to retain 50% of volunteers for the CWG, staging a successful inauguration, and even winning a serious number of golds, India has surpassed its own expectations of itself. Negative-sell and over-perform.

Flash news: Pakistan passes 07-10-2010 without single bomb blast

Real News: Pakistan passes 07-10-2010 without single bomb blast

The Ammunition-friendly Republic of Pakistan quite strangely passed 7th October, 2010, without a single bomb-blast on the streets of Karachi or a tanker explosion over the Khyber Pass.

Regretting the incident-free day, both the government and your friendly neighbourhood insurgents have assured that such aberrations will never take place again. True to their word, they have quietly blown up a few moving cars in Peshawar, as of 7.00 AM GMT, 08-10-2010.

Where do we start?

I have of late been trying to review certain procedures in the company, and have realized that the older you get, the less willing you are to toy with something new. We have such deeply entrenched ideas in mind, that nothing new will be worth even thinking about.

Unfortunately, we will never explore new ideas, because we don't like new ideas in the first place. And because we don't like new ideas, we will never explore them. Convenient cycle.

Similar to spirituality probably. Few people are courageous enough to explore a new spiritual path, because 95% of the population thinks it's stupid. And because 95% of the people think it's stupid, we will not explore any new path.

Common misunderstanding

I have been receiving interesting responses by email regarding my comments on the CWG!

For sure, I am not against the Games. But I am definitely against the politics behind the preparation. Look, Delhi is also a part of India (although Delhiites don't think so), and as Indians, we should extend full support to all the good things that take place there.

But the way Kalmadi and company have gone about it, you would be surprised that a country that could produce the Chandrayaan at a fraction of its corresponding international cost could come up with a colossal disaster like this at five times the budget. Let's keep our palms crossed and pray that it succeeds.

Reading Between the Lines - 25 - Psychological Gerrymandering

Times of India, 29-09-2010: iPhone4 shows Arunachal Pradesh in China

P's C: iPhone5 shows old China across the world

Reading Between the Lines - 24 - Playing to the crowd

The Hindu, 29-09-2010: Sania Mirza keen to be at her best

P's C: Sania Mirza keen to be at her best dressed if she participates in the CWG next week.

Sania has confirmed that she will leave no stone unturned and no lipstick unused in her preparatory effort. She adds that if she does get a visa to India, she will definitely show her best, and also play for whichever country she might end up playing for.

Flash news: Resolution of Kashmir only solution to match-fixing scandal

New Pakistani evidence points at India as the main reason for the raging controversy of the current match-fixing scandal. Pakistan has shown that, with, India's reluctance to find a resolution to the Kashmir issue, the match-fixing will continue in Pakistan, and Pakistani cricketers will be forced to continue fixing in the name of the Jihadis.

The Kashmir issue, according to Pakistan, has also been the reason for the current flood in Pakistan and the nuclear facility in Iran. India's outstandingly lousy PR machine has politely and lovingly refuted the claims. Past events, stretching from Columbus' discovery of America, to Prime Minister Gilani's recent bout of diarrhoea, have also been attributed to the Kashmir problem.

Flash News: Attack on Indian not racially motivated!

Police investing a case of assault in University of Technology, Sydney, are relived and excited that a brutal assault on an Indian student yesterday was not racially motivated after all.

Australian universities, which provide world-class education and world-class racism, have been the setting for many an assault on Indians. This time, however, it turned out to be a different case altogether. Shyam Naidu, who is doing a Masters in Electrical Engineering, was pummelled by a group of Australians yesterday at the University cafe, after a discussion on cricket went sour. All things were going on well till Shyam's ignorant comment that Australian cricketers are gentlemen at the game.

Incensed that their cricketers, well acknowledged for their arrogance and overconfidence, were so grossly misinterpreted, his Australian class-mates had a got at him. Shyam is now recuperating in the University hospital with a broken nose and concussions to both knees.

I am no longer successful

I did my repeat blood test yesterday after my last one in January, where I was diagnosed with the standard symptoms of success, BP and sugar. After switching over from my high-taste low-health diet, to one consisting of 35% raw salad, I am back to health now, but low on the social acceptance rating.

All health starts from the tip of the tongue, but we currently live in a culture that promotes a tab for even the flab. The body thus becomes a mansion of medication, probably just what the doctor ordered... for himself.

You are what you ate.

Flash news: At least 50% of second-rung will compete!

It's a great relief that a large number of second-rung athletes will come to participate in our CWG. I guess there is no other positive way to look at things.

Kalmadi has done an amazing job to have spent close to USD 10 billion on the CWG to offer us this global PR disaster. When we ourselves elect such ethically bankrupt custodians of corruption to office, why should we raise such hue and cry? Every country deserves the government it brings to power.

One of the top five economies in the world in terms of PPP is also in a quite unenviable position of being absent even from the first hundred countries in terms of per capita PPP. We should have been communist in thought and capitalist in action. That's probably the only way the gulf between the government-supported rich and the state-disowned poor can be bridged. In China, you can get hanged for corruption. In India, you get hounded. End of story.

Why God punished Stephen Hawking right from birth

Hawking's new book, The Grand Design' suggests that 'Spontaneous creation is the reason why the universe exists, and why we exist.' In other words, God was not needed in the first place. The universe just began spontaneously.

My first point: The multiverse concept itself assumes an astonishingly large number of universes out there. I came across this figure of 10⁵⁰⁰ as a possible number.

My second point: Hawking himself postulates that, based on simulation, 'if protons were just 0.2% heavier, they would decay into neutrons, destabilizing atoms', thereby preventing any form of life to exist, much less, persist. Another point he uses to illustrate is that 'a change of as little as 0.5% in the strength of the strong nuclear force, or 4% in the electric force, would destroy either nearly all carbon or all oxygen in every star, and hence the possibility of life as we know it.'

Summing the points: With this ridiculously large number of universes out there, and Hawking's own points on the 'preciseness' of conditions for life, somebody as naive as myself would think that Hawking just shot himself in his foot by suggesting that so 'accurate' a universe would have come about by serendipity. His main point is that 'spontaneous creation is the reason why we exist'. Is that a proof or a premise? That's a premise, and that makes his statement philosophical rather than scientific. He also talks about the strong anthropic principle, which is, if you delve deeper, Advaitha in a three-piece suit of science.

To quote Kant or whoever it was, 'Infinity is not only unknown, but also unknowable.'

The Song of the Universe

This book explains the most important conversation of the last 14.7 billion years. Why this should be read is because this book is Krishna speak about what Krishna spoke. No other version can be more authentic in its interpretation and explosive in its intensity. The plus point to this book is that the Avatar actually goes on to exemplify through allegories that you and I can relate to. That is but the least of its merits. Read and eat it to succumb for good.

The Geetha Vahini has to be my Bible for sure.

Reading Between the Lines - 23 - Commonwealthy politicians

Gulf News 22.09.2010: Commonwealth Games in doubt.

P's C: Commonwealth Games in no doubt of political ineptitude.

Actually, we must admire their shrewdness to sabotage the games to pre-empt the dismal performance of Indian athletes.

That's India shining for you.

Death to Civilization by Stoning

Just returned from Germany, where there is a lot more coverage to the following case than is elsewhere:

Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, a mother of two, could be stoned to death at any moment under the terms of a death sentence handed down by Iranian authorities for alleged adultery. Now, the Iranian penal code requires at least four witnesses for an adulterer to receive a stoning sentence. However, there were no witnesses in Ashtiani's case. Her conviction was based not on evidence but on the determination of three out of five judges.

If that is not barbaric enough, listen to the execution method. Ashtiani will be buried up to her chest, and the process will then begin. The stones that will be hurled at her will be large enough to cause pain but not so large as to kill her immediately.

(All sourced from CNN).

I don't know where we, as a human race, are headed. If this is not the age of Kali, then what is?

The most important Question of our life

What is the difference between existence and awareness?

I wear a Rolex chronometer, write with a Mont Blanc and drive a 7 series to work - this is pure existence.

I wear a Rolex chronometer which is accurate to 0.1 seconds, and which is what I totally don't need as i am not a 100 meter sprinter, write with a Mont Blanc which is no more purposeful than a Reynolds, and drive a BMW that I will not take with me to my next life. However, I continue to do all what I do, because I am a businessman and when I enact the role of a businessman, I must enact it to the best of my abilities. And, I must always remember that it is only a role, and that, after the game, both the king and the pawn end up in the same box - this is awareness.

Most of humanity exists, without any awareness. Vivekananda says that the spiritual mode can never be achieved till the material is eschewed. It takes enormous courage for a peacock to accept that its feathers won't last for ever.

Most of us work, make money, earn fame, become successful, get married, become more successful, earn more money, gain more fame, pray for intelligent children, get children, pray for their welfare, become more successful, watch our children grow and become successful, retire peacefully and die abruptly. A few do all the above, while being aware that someday this must all end, and in this awareness, he who thinks along these lines will distinguish himself to himself alone.

Are both paths right? Wrong question. Are both paths normal? Right, and yes. Is one path preferable to another? Purely subjective. But this will probably be the most important question a man asks himself in his entire life, and in doing so, sets on the path of self-awareness.

It had to be arguably the most intelligent man in all of humanity to make this very inconvenient statement: It is good to be a man of success, but better to be a man of value. If these words came from the mouth of anyone of even marginally lesser standing than Einstein, they would have been received with perfect derision from the intelligensia. However, since these have come from one who studied Sanskrit for years to learn the true meaning of the Bhagavad Gita, they cannot be cast asunder, and have to receive a little more consideration. What will we do with all the money we earn? It is in how many lives we transform that we distinguish ourselves, and embellish our legacies.

The peacock's feathers are most resplendent when they sit on the crown of the Lord. But how many peacocks would want that to happen?

Where do we go from here?

I have just returned from the longest vacation of my professional life, and much water has flowed during this period. For anybody reading, 33 comments have been made to one outrageous post of mine, which just goes to suggest that anything outrageous sells. But although I instigated this flood of words and thoughts, I should connect my hiatus to my future course of action.

This Parthi trip was as spiritually epiphanic as it was physically enervating. This Parthi trip taught me one thing which my mighty mind never taught me for two decades with the Organization, and more specifically with Dubai: The world is more than 500 people, in fact, it is more than 6,500,000,000 people.

Put in perspective, social acceptance should be the least of my interests, when my self has not been ordained to be centred. With great Blessings come great responsibilities, and it is time I choose what is necessary to what is lively.

Footnote: Of the +6,500,000,000 people alive today, only an insignificant 2,000,000,000 live in poverty.

SABN Speaketh: On not minding the matter

SABN has, as usual, been so profound that I have share his input with everyone:

There is a time and place to say things especially the truth. If the time and/or the place is not ripe, Silence is the most appropriate statement to make!

Bhagavad Gita 17:15- anudvega-karam vakyam satyam priya-hitam ca yat svadhyayabhyasanam caiva van-mayam tapa ucyate "Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others"

“Saying what you feel’ if it hurts or agitates the others, no matter how truthful the saying, is “himsa”

Further Swamy Says "Even if you cannot oblige, you can at least speak obligingly. This means that you have to cleanse your speech of cynicism and satire and be ever sincere and sweet. You may differ from co-workers on methods and programmes, but this should not leave a scar on your heart or their heart...”

“Both unpleasant truth and pleasant untruth have to be avoided.”
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SABN Sir,

I see your well-reasoned points, and I know for sure that they are sincere. If I can have some more of your input to our discussion, and Swami presents the right course of action through them, you can be sure that there will be no further public statements in my private site! I guess the Socratic method suits best, as the many more years that you have will present richer experience, and thereby, wiser thoughts.

Bhagavad Gita 17:15- anudvega-karam vakyam satyam priya-hitam ca yat svadhyayabhyasanam caiva van-mayam tapa ucyate "Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others"

Now, Krishna talks of austerity by using 'truth' as the first adjective, not 'pleasing' not, 'not agitating'. What if the truth were not pleasant? And what if the silence continued to the extent that pleasantness of speech became an acceptable, and probably necessary substitute for truthfulness of speech? Secondly, in such a circumstance, is it more beneficial to let untruth flourish without hindrance (to the extent that a spiritual monument becomes a platform for spiritual performance rather than spiritual penance), at the expense of words which are disruptive, no doubt, but probatory for good reason?

“Saying what you feel’ if it hurts or agitates the others, no matter how truthful the saying, is “himsa”

What about saying what you don’t feel as it will please and ingratiate others, no matter how untruthful the saying. Which is the greater evil here, the himsa of the truthful word, or the ahimsa of the sweet lie,- if at all the latter is ahimsa?

Further Swamy Says "Even if you cannot oblige, you can at least speak obligingly. This means that you have to cleanse your speech of cynicism and satire and be ever sincere and sweet. You may differ from co-workers on methods and programmes, but this should not leave a scar on your heart or their heart...”

Kerala is a Communist state, and for obvious reasons, the states with one of the most outstanding records for un-industrialization in India. One entrepreneur from Kerala settled in Singapore (or somewhere else I don’t really recollect where) and engaged in the shipping business decided to order two vessels from Cochin Shipyard, whilst Korean shipbuilders offered slightly higher prices, but with accurate deliveries. But this guy was patriotic and tried to engage even the lower-level workforce from Cochin Shipyard so that they too would realize the importance of playing to international rules (for their own benefit). He was very sweet and cordial, and to the cut the story short, he learned a very expensive lesson. This happened around four years back.

Another story, and this is based on personal experience. We have factory-people who come from many different states of South and North India. Now, I always have problems with people of two specific states. I can be sweet and cordial and keep getting a hit to our productivity, and consequently, to the entire company, or I can let go of a few rotten apples to save the rest of them. What I have done in the past is the practical thing from my perspective, not the benevolent thing, but the practical thing.

I will totally obey what the Avatar says on leaving hearts unscarred, but let me also ask this question: When the Avatar asks us to be sincere and sweet, and when the entire focus is on sweetness at the expense of sincerity, what do you think Swami might find more wrong - poison parading as perfume, or the pungent fumes of truth?

Among the very few that I can personally look up to, and currently engaged in some form of official capacity, KN (famous for, among others, ‘we cannot plan for everything, but we can pray for everything’, ‘we should not only serve Swami, but also serve as Swami’) stands out for being genuinely sincere, and incredibly sweet at the same time. But then, how many KNs do we have? So, when the difficult gel of sincerity and sweetness has to be professed, where do you think it should start? I know what you will say (it should start with myself!), but when we have a world full of yes-men, shouldn’t someone say no so that people know there is some kind of divergence of opinion and thought? Hasn’t humanity progressed because a few people at all levels questioned the status quo, whether it be of the geocentric universe, or that of life after death? In my own company, some of the most powerful people are those who will actually question me or counter my point of view. If I am a lawyer, will I make impolite admissions to defend my client, or offer silence to allow his defeat?

“Both unpleasant truth and pleasant untruth have to be avoided.”

Many years back, while in Boeing, I was forwarded a document on a software application named CATIA that was supposed to improve productivity, but did very well to affect the opposite. But after having spent half a billion dollars on the application, decision makers demonstrated perfect non-rational escalation of commitment by pumping more money for this project, in effect, to repaint a house standing on shallow foundation. But a few people felt this was wrong, and just about no one complained. People feared one or more of the following: losing their positions, going out of favour, or appearing to be plain stupid. What do we do under such circumstances? Remaining a mute spectator while claiming to be a foot-soldier of Krishna’s army is, in my opinion, the equivalent of retiring to the forest promptly after securing a PhD in social welfare. Furthermore, in a spiritual setting, do you think that communism of thought and pretense of vision, added to selfishness of interest, should be silently reviewed from the sidelines, or commented upon? Which is the greater evil?

If you still believe that the path of silence is the preferred choice, I will seriously go for it. The thing about Swami is that He gives us mixed signals with one clear message. I guess He wants us to use our viveka. This is where the satsang of the wise will help, and that is why I will agree with your experience.

On not minding the matter

I identify with this so much that I couldn't help sharing it with all and sundry:

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr. Seuss

Scientific Music

Just yesterday, a news item related to my Mother-in-law appeared in the three most widely-read newspapers of Kerala and also their respective news channels. I think the videos are still online in their web portals.

Now, my Mother-in-love is the HOD of Paediatrics in the Medical College of her city. She has also held very senior positions in Paediatrics in the state of Kerala as well. She is a very respected person in her field professionally. Personally, she is a very religious person, not spiritual, but religious. And she just proved something the day before that is kind of detrimental to her own position of that of a doctor, and ipso facto, of that of a soldier of the scientific method.

Two days back, she revived to full consciousness a 6 year-old girl who was comatose for two months. Her primary method for vivifying this girl was music therapy. Music therapy and the scientific world don't go hand in hand. First, there is nothing scientific about music, and music therapy might definitely not hold its ground against the rigours of the much vaunted scientific method, which doctors and engineers will hold on dear till death do their intellects apart. And the scientific method is based on observable, empirical and measurable evidence. Music therapy is neither empirical in terms of cause-effect, nor measurable in any means, (e.g. 80dB=100% consciousness), and observable evidence might surely not be replicable in identical settings. Which means, music therapy is a cartload of sophistry, which deserves scorn from the scientific community.

But then, the girl is back to normal from a perfectly vegetative state to a perfectly normal state. This only goes to show that absence of proof of efficacy is never proof of absence of efficacy. And furthermore, life does not always follow laws, especially scientific laws. Holisitc healing is an affront to the ego, but, if health has to be holistic, and it very well is in spite of what the doctors would like to think so, healing has to be as well. What then, is the fundamental problem to holistic healing? Holistic healing is, quite unfortunately, predicated on spirituality. If the Medical world has to be honest to their profession, and actually internalize their marketing phrase of 'cure is from above', they have to truly open their minds and accept with humility, the power of an unseen hand that directs the waves on the ocean, as much as the hand of the surgeon.

Unfounded articles like that of Prahlad knowing all that was needed to be known even before he was born, or that of chanting of Vishnu Sahasranamam during pregnancy being beneficial to the yet unborn, seem quite laughable to anyone from the scientific community. But the ego of the intelligent is a maya unto itself, and this veil can only be lifted by a courageous hand, a courageous hand of humility that is willing to accept that intelligence is not everything, and that God is the only goal worth striving for.

Another Miss Looks

GN 13-07-10: Sharjah student is Queen of the Nile

P's C: The most aspiring missionaries in the world seem to those aspiring Miss Universe/World types who will stop at nothing to fight for world peace and save Africa during their year of reign,- just before stepping into Hollywood. This Sharjah student seems to be cut out of a different philosophical cloth. She is only passionate about saving Egyptian children. At least the political garbage is pretty focused in this instance. To demonstrate my great respect for these illuminating contests, here is the classic blondish response of a totally empty Miss Teen South Carolina, which seems to have become the unforced keepsake for all competitions of this nature:

In answer to the question “Recent polls have shown that one out of five Americans can't locate the US on a map. Why do you think that is?" she replied “I personally believe that US Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and that I believe our education like such as South Africa and the Iraq, and everywhere, such as, and I believe that they should our education over here in the US, should help the US, or should help South Africa and help the Iraq and the Asian countries so that we will be able to build out our future for us."

At least she got some of the keywords right: Africa, education, Asia, build, future. And the joke is that 1 billion people watch this comedy every year.

The Power of Words on YOU

This is one of those well-intentioned, but obviously fictitious stories that circulate in the grid. Why I have posted this is because I have realized that many drops will break a rock. Who knows when tenderness and empathy will strike a person!:

I was walking around in a Big Bazar store making shopping, when I saw a Cashier talking to a boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old.

The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll. Then the little boy turned to me and asked: ''Uncle, are you sure I don't have enough money?''

I counted his cash and replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy the doll, my dear.'' The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to. 'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much . I wanted to Gift her for her BIRTHDAY.

I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.' His eyes were so sad while saying this. 'My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with

her to give it to my sister..''

My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said: 'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.' Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her so my sister won't forget me.' 'I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.' Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly..

I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. 'Suppose we check Again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll?''

'OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.' I added some of my money to his with out him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money. The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!'

Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give It to my sister. He heard me!'' 'I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose. My mommy loves white roses.'

I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local news paper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the news paper that the young woman had passed away.. I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wishes before her burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed for ever...

The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

***