MIXED BAG For the Young at Heart
Compiled & Edited by
M.L.NARASIMHAM
C T PUBLICATIONS
MIXED BAG (for the young at heart) Compiled & Edited by M.L. Narasimham
First Edition: January 2015
Publisher: C T PUBLICATIONS S-5, Sterling Seethal 22/14 Palat Sankaran Street Mahalingapuram Chennai 600 034
Price: Rs.40/-
Cover illustration: Pani
Designer: G. Srinivas Supriya Graphics Chennai 600 024
Celebrating The Times This book is a collection of articles from senior citizens for senior citizens. And the articles are spread over various topics from spiritualism to finding happiness in advanced years to moral tales and lighter-vein articles taking one into nostalgia. The uniqueness about this book is, it is not distributed through conventional methods, but through sponsorships. The idea is to involve more benevolent ‘young at hearts’ into this mission of providing uninterrupted goodness reading experience. We need more readerships for the dwindling print editions that once enjoyed unrivalled patronage. Of course, this book is avilable on facebook too. Though this book is meant for the ‘young at hearts,’ it is beneficial for the young ones too. Can we make this into a series? Yes, with your encouragement and patronage. And we are optimistic. Until then… happy reading. - Publisher
Inside.... 1.
The Purpose of Life
5
2.
Way to Divine Bliss
8
3.
The Fire God
11
4.
Sankara
13
5.
How to stay positive in old age
17
6.
Quest – Question & Answers
26
7.
Proven medicinal values
32
8.
Leave Ego and live life
35
9.
How to live happily after retirement
38
10.
Anger Management
49
11.
Whom am I?
50
12.
Office Musings
56
13.
Those Were the Days!
58
14.
Funny Side
61
THE PURPOSE OF LIFE - Durga Avari, Canada All of us must have a purpose for living. Why then, do most of us not even think of what our purpose can be? We think we are living—that we have purpose— because we do things for others. For example, we have to cook for the family, clean our homes, exercise, go to work and school or improve family relations. This feeling—we have to—makes us feel like we do not like or enjoy what we are doing, that it is a chore. We feel like a victim, carrying a heavy burden on ourselves because we have to do these tasks. But when we sit down and think about it, we do have choices. We choose to do what we do. No one can force us to do anything, including cooking, cleaning, exercise, working and studying. Instead of feeling like we have to, why don’t we feel like we want to? For example: I want to cook a delicious, healthy meal for my family because I feel good when I do things for others. I feel needed. I like when my family and friends depend on me. I feel a sense of achievement. What a 5
difference a simple thought can make in our life? For the same reasons, I want to clean my home. I want to be healthier. I want my family relationships to get better. These are my choices; no one can take my choice away from me. Situations come and go, but how I handle them are in my own hands. I make the choice. With this thought suddenly I feel like I have control of myself. I am empowering myself. It is just a simple change in our belief system. Our relationships improve and so does our own health. The quality of our life gets better. Instead of doing everything everyday in a routine way, we can change the feeling we go through and make the experience different. ACCEPTANCE
Once I learned to detach myself from the situation and see the bigger picture, often I find a better solution to every problem. Opinions can be different, but sides do not have to wrong. There can be different solutions for one problem. Everyone looks at a situation differently. Looking for the right solution depends on each situation. 2+2=4, but 3+1=4, too. There is always room for a win-win solution. That is in our own hands. Try it. You have a choice to make. Even when we look at our karmic accounts, things happen the way they are supposed to happen. It does not necessarily mean we like it, but it is the right way for us as per our karmic accounts. 6
Accepting the things we cannot change is wise, not a sign of weakness. We do not have to feel like we are losing control. Understand that change does not have to be bad. It means we are understanding the situation better and curbing our own ego. The purpose of life is a big, wide question. For a mother, it means something different than it does for a teacher, a doctor or even a father. These are labels we give ourselves. I am a Hindu, I am a Christian or I am an Indian and when someone refers to us as such, we take offense at being labelled. Because attached to that label is an image. And behind all these labels there is the real me. Who is that? Who am I? Once we start to ask these questions to ourselves, our mind starts to look for answers on the inside. When it gets tired and gives up for a bit, in that silence we find the truth. It is a long practice. Once we succeed in it, we will find the purpose of our life. Until then be patient, be nice to yourself but keep on trying.
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WAY TO DIVINE BLISS - Jayadayal Goyandka You should not so easily dismiss from your mind the mission for which you were granted human body and sent into this world. Firstly, the attainment of human body is difficult in itself besides taking birth in a upper caste family, undergoing the culture of yajnopavita, and getting of agreeable parents, brothers, wife and children is a matter of great luck. Besides you own a house and the occupation of your own choice and money to fulfill your requirement. If even in such favourable circumstances, attempts for redemptions are not made when after all will they be made? Such favourable circumstances will not always exist. So as long as death is still far away and the body is immune from diseases and the above mentioned favourable circumstances continue to exist, all noble deeds that are worth doing must be done at the earliest within the allotted time so that in future one may not have cause to repent. Even if there is some increase or decrease in the list of objects mentioned above it matters little but from now onwards there should be no negligence on your part. What more agreeable circumstances in this world can you aspire for? What are the things you are in want of, after procuring which you will put in efforts for your own redemption? In the world there is none except God whom you can call as your own. Father, mother, brother, wife, progeny, dwelling house, money- all are perishable. They 8
keep company with us for a short time only. None of them will accompany with you in your journey to the other world. When your own body will fall back here, it is preposterous to expect other things to accompany you. This predestined meeting which has brought us together in this world will not last long. This body is not at all dependable. When you are not effortful for the attainment of the supreme state, while I live in this world, slackness on your part in the practice of spiritual discipline can well be anticipated, in case this body is abandoned by me earlier. If the efforts you make for obtaining the transitory and ephemeral earthly things are directed to the realisation of God, God-realisation can be achieved very early. There is none more compassionate, loving and all powerful like God. Then why do you not try to win the love of God who is the true lover? Why do you hanker after the despicable money all the time? When the body will be of no avail to you far less to speak of money? After the destruction of the body only the remembrance, the meditation and the association with saints and the study of the scriptures made at present will be helpful to you, the rest will prove to be of no good to you. Destruction of the body is inevitable. There is no means to save it from destruction but even after the destruction of the body, the soul is not extinguished. So the purposefulness of human life lies in making efforts round the clock to attain the supreme happiness and the supreme bliss for the soul that survives the destruction of one’s physical existence. 9
This alone lead one to attain the realisation of God who is the Truth, Knowledge and Bliss combined. Human body has been bestowed upon us for this very purpose so efforts must be made assiduously for the realisation of God. (From the book ‘Way to Divine Bliss’ translated in English by M.L. Pandey & published by Gita Press, Gorakhpur)
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THE FIRE GOD - Prasad In most scriptures, Lord Agni is described as a ruddyfaced and double headed divine being. While one face is benevolent and marks immortality, the other face is malevolent and denotes the mysterious symbol of life. His hair is his most amazing feature as it stands on end like fiery glowing flames. His dark eyes peer through against his flushed red skin. The Fire God wears a spectacular garland of beautiful fruit. Some accounts say that he has three tongues while others say seven. Lord Agni has three legs and seven arms and his vahana or vehicle is his prized ram. Flames of fire shoot out from his mouth and seven streams of glory emanate from his body. According to one of the famous hymns from the Rig Veda, Lord Indra and the other gods were summoned to kill the Rakshas who were flesh eaters or Kravyads. Agni was a Kravyad himself whose flames consumed dead bodies. While the other gods were baffled by the demons, Agni devoured his enemies by producing two iron tusks. He further heated up his seven streams and drove them through the hearts of the Rakshasas. Another famous tale is how he even overcame his brother the Lord of Thunder and Rain to burn down the Khandava forest in order to regain his strength. Similar to Lord Indra’s origin, there are several versions of the story of the birth of Lord Agni. Some accounts say 11
that he is the son of the Sky God Dyaus and Earth Mother Prithvi. Others claim that he is the son of Brahma and is thus called Abhimani. He is also said to be the son of Kashyapa and Aditi. So he is an Aditya just like Lord Indra. Later day scriptures attribute his origin to Angiras, the king of Pitris (the fathers of mankind) and there are many hymns dedicated to this form of the Fire God. The swift messenger of divine and earthly communication is known by many appellations. The most prominent ones include Vahni (burnt sacrifice), Chhagaratha (he who rides the ram), Saptajihva (7 tongued one), Dhananjaya (who conquers riches), Vitihotra (he who purifies the worshipper), Jivalana (the one who burns) and dhumketu (whose symbol is smoke) amongst others. He is believed to be a great sage and the most divine one of all. He is the protector of all ceremonies so whether marriage or death, his presence is a must. He enables mortals to justly serve the gods in the proper manner and which they cannot do without Him in the process of puja. He even joins earth-visiting gods and shares the reverence that they receive in temples, homes and shrines. According to the Vishnu Purana he married Swaha, by whom he has three sons – Pavaka, Pavamana and Suchi. Hence, when offerings are made to Agni, Swaha’s name is always taken while reciting ‘Om Namaha Swaha’.
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VOICES OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION:
SANKARA - Prof. K.N.Rao Kaladi is a small village in Kerala. It is on the banks of a river and is surrounded by greenery. In fact, much of Kerala’s beauty comes from the dense vegetation that covers the land. Mountains, small and big, with brooks gurgling their way downward dominate the scene there. In those far off times, the whole place must have been really wild, making it difficult for men to live. Yet, such surroundings somehow are very congenial for meditation. Meditation is an act when man would think of matters which have no bearing on his need for living. Food, clothing and shelter do not figure in meditation. Instead, through such a time as when he meditates, man would want to know the meaning of life. He dwells on questions such as: Who am I? What is my position in Nature’s scheme of things? Even as you are reading these questions, they must be trying to many minds. But such are the questions that philosophers and scientists keep asking themselves. It was into such surroundings that Sankara was born. No one is sure as to when he was born. Some say he was born in 599 B.C. and others say that he was born in 788 A.D. Still others say, he was born in 44 B.C. But all are agreed that he lived for only thirty two years. It is also 13
certain that he travelled through the length and breadth of our sub-continent more than once, all on foot. He founded ‘maths’ (monasteries) in the four corners of the country. One at Sringeri in the South, one at Puri in the east coast of India, a third one at Dwaraka on the west coast and the fourth one in Badrinath, in the Himalayas. We have a ‘math’ at Kanchi also. Whether it was founded by Sankara himself is a matter of some debate. Each math is headed by an ‘Acharya’ or a ‘Guru’, who styles himself as Sankaracharya. The Sankaracharya’s job is to spread Sankara’s teachings among the men of the region. It is also the duty of the Acharya to look after the properties which the math came to acquire from those who believed in Sankara’s philosophy. It is a great tribute to that genius, that these maths are vibrant with great activity, even to this day. His father was Sivaguru and mother, Aryamba. For long, they remained childless. This was unbearable misery to them. They prayed to Lord Siva. One night, Sivaguru had a dream. An old man appeared in his dream and asked if he wanted many sons who would live long or just one who would have a short life but one who would be a great philosopher. He asked that he be blessed with the philosopher son. Not long afterwards, Sivaguru died. Aryamba brought up the child with great care and affection. Sankara soon showed signs of his genius. He became learned far beyond 14
his years. He learnt the Vedas, the Upanishads and later drank deep from these springs from Gaudapada. Even at the age of twelve, he mastered the great language of Sanskrit. He began to worry about the meaning of life. Realising that he could pursue that line of thinking only if he was not burdened with worldly cares, he longed to become a Sanyasi. But to do so, he had to obtain his mother’s permission. Naturally, his mother would not give him that much-needed permission. One day the mother and son went to the river to bathe, before going on their daily visit to the temple. Even as Sankara was bathing and praying, a crocodile caught one of his legs between its jaws. The mother’s agony was boundless. And then Sankara said, ‘Oh! Mother! Grant me permission to become a Sanyasi. The crocodile would let me go free.” With no option before her, the mother granted him the permission to become a Sanyasi. It might sound unbelievable to our ears, but the crocodile unlocked its jaws from around Sankara’s leg and swam away. The mother was overjoyed at what happened. But the joy could only be short-lived. Her son was soon to leave her, anyway. She cried aloud, ‘Sankara, my dear son! How can I die peacefully without you by my bedside?” Sankara promised to come to her bedside just before she died. Again, it would sound unbelievable to us of the present times but history tells us that he was at his mother’s bedside even as she was living out the last minutes of her life. 15
He took to Sanyas in his twelfth year. He died in his thirty-second year. In twenty years he removed the Buddhist hold on the vedic thought. He sang the glory of the Vedas. He propounded the doctrine of Advaita, which literally means, no two. In essence, his philosophy stressed the oneness of all things around us, living and non-living. He said that everything we see or saw or likely to see in future are different forms of one reality. In this age of science of ours, we realise how true it is! Modern day physicists hold that the ultimate particles of all matter, in whatever form it is found, are identical in their construction and behaviour! What is more, modern day biologists tell us, in unmistakable language, that the phenomenon of life is no more than the expression of the behaviour of these particles. Is it not a wonder, that so many centuries ago a man called Sankara talked the same language as the moderns do! We in India, have special reason to be proud because Sankara was one of us and without our knowing it, our thinking is still conditioned by what that great son of our motherland said and sang, a little over a thousand years ago, if not earlier!
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HOW TO STAY POSITIVE IN OLD AGE - N.S.S. Prasad As one reaches sixty years, life is presumed to be harder than before. It is often believed that earlier phase of life appears to have been in their control while young, but all controls are gone in old age. Since the peak of achievements is complete by sixty years or so, it appears everything is on the wane. Therefore the desire to achieve higher scales might look bleak which would lead to some sort of negativity in life. Since it is generally observed that life after sixty is like end of the race, lot of resentment takes place with many odd habits. It is a matter of seriousness to evaluate if the change in attitude to life that makes one develop negativity leading to many ailments which hasten the end of life cycle or is something else that could be done for happy living. Lot of case studies has been done on different age groups after sixty and many interesting findings were observed so far but much more seems to be in store. One study on seniors when exposed to negative words as “decrepit�( meaning worn out/ finished) resulted in poor handwriting, slower walking speed, prone to high level of cardiovascular stress and a greater willingness to reject hypothetical medical interventions that could prolong their lives. 17
It is generally seen that as one gets old they feel: less useful, negative feeling of helplessness sets in, feel devalued and become less likely to seek preventive medical care and prefer to die early. A similar study done on those seniors primed with positive words did much better opposite to the above. It is observed that they felt old age as a time of more wisdom, possessed better self-realisation and satisfaction. It is also found that 44% are likely to recover from bouts of disability. Out of a group of 660 old age group participants it is noted that those with positive age stereotypes lived 7.5 years longer than those with negative stereotypes as published in the Journal of Personal and Social Psychology in 2002. Those with positive stereotype ate balanced diet, exercise regularly, limited alcohol intake, stopped smoking and undertook regular physical examination. In one of the news, it is reported that great actress of yester years Sophia Loren was voted as most naturally beautiful person at the age of 72 over many younger beauties in 2006.She did not undergo any changes on her face to enhance her beauty. Thoughts are powerful to create strong beliefs. A thought is like a seed, once planted in the mind and given right environment to grow. It will thrive and develop into something concrete. When a thought is therefore translated into action and sustained through commitment 18
and perseverance, it brings results one wants. This applies to old age groups as well. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you do not mind it does not matter” – Mark Twain. Why some old folks complain constantly of aches, pain and seem to have endless health problems, while some other similar old age groups remain active, healthy and happy even after 70 years. The key to this issue lies in the belief system. Positive beliefs produce positive results Negative beliefs produce negative results. Positive thoughts about ageing bring in better health, faster recovery from ailments and leads to longer life span. “Do not regret growing old, it is a privilege denied to many.” Dreadful disease like cancer, diabetes and heart disease can also be overcome with positive frame of mind observing strict diet and prescriptions. Dr.Tom Wu, a Chinese doctor was diagnosed with advance stage of lung cancer with a few months of survival left. He not only survived but kept healthy life for next 40 years. His cancer is gone and he never had cold or other illness. He analysed a few factors that , affected his health and developed strong belief to combat them. He believed that changing diet with simpler food strengthen the immune system and help recover from 19
disease like cancer or diabetes. Eating food rich in phytochemicals such as fresh vegetables, fruits with seeds and common garden herbs is one essential positive move to get over the disease. Phytochemicals nourish the body cells to fight against foreign substances that invade the body. This belief is further strengthened with the theory of creation. According to mythology of any religion, it is believed, God created on this earth nature filled with plants, trees, fruits with seeds, vegetables as a part of evolution which is meant to be consumed by all living. Dr. Tom Wu listed what positive steps he adhered to get rid of cancer and stayed healthy later:
Have a free bowel movement for at least three times in a day.
Drink at least 3 glasses of fruit or vegetable smoothies a day.
Exercise 30 minutes a day.
Take shower bath of hot & cold water daily.
Drink plenty of water correctly as per climate. Do not gulp water but take in sips.
Eat according to blood group with lot of fresh vegetables and small quantities of grain, meat and fruits.
Eat according to biological clock. 20
Louise L. Hay wrote in her book –“You Can Heal Your Life” as some points of philosophy as follows:
We are each responsible for all of our experiences.
Every thought we think is creating our future.
The point of power is always in the present moment.
Every one suffers from self hatred and guilt.
The bottom line for everyone is “I am not good enough.”
It is only a thought, and a thought can be changed.
We create so called illness in our body.
Resentment, criticism and guilt are the most damaging patterns causing diseases in our body.
Releasing resentment will dissolve even cancer.
We must learn to release the past and forgive every one.
We must be willing to begin to learn to love ourselves.
Self-approval and self acceptance in the now are the keys to positive changes.
When we really love ourselves everything in our life works. 21
When we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives.
She wrote in the book that various mental patterns in the body create various types of illness in our body. She also covered exhaustively alternative healing therapies in her book “Heal your body”. Of late Theta healing is getting popular on some of the guidelines suggested by her to cure many types of illness. Every person is recommended to read all her books for a start towards better positive living. There are many tips for the old age to stay positive and happy.
Discard out all non-essential numbers which include weight and other parameters that can be handled by a good doctor.
Interact with only cheerful friends.
Keep learning. Learn more about computers, crafts, and gardening or whatever interesting art. Never let the brain idle. An idle mind is a devil’s workshop and its name is Alzheimer’s.
Maintain healthy social networking on internet.
Enjoy simple things like an innocent child.
Laugh like a giggling child often long and loud till you gasp for breath.
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The tears happen. Endure, grieve and move on. The only person, who is with us in entire life is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
Surround yourself with what you love, be it family, pets, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
Cherish your health. Go for regular walk or simple exercises. If it is good preserve it. If it is unstable improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. Do not take trips that will cause guilt. Take a trip to a Mall, even to sites of historic or religious importance that are nearby but not where the guilt is.
Love yourself and tell others whom you love at every opportunity.
Forget or bury the past mistakes done by you or done by others to you. Forgive them all unconditionally and forgive self too.
Never recollect or brood over past bad/ unpleasant incidents bringing back those personalities into your mind as if they are repeating the incident(s) again.
Practice meditation and simple yoga every day at specific time and place so that you develop a detached mental status receiving lots of cosmic energy enabling to develop a thick layer of 23
mental cushioning. Get up early in the morning and practice simple breathing exercises and meditation.
Read books on spirituality for tranquil mind and healthy body and do regular prayers.
Develop the innocence of a child to appreciate every good that is taking place.
Do not develop any precipitation effect on your mind for any unpleasant situation.
Drink lukewarm water at least 1 litre immediately after getting up to bring in alkalinity to the system.
Do not drink water while taking food except fruit juices or butter milk. Drink lukewarm water at least 45 minutes after food intake.
Do not read newspaper in the morning because it activates the unconscious brain to get into past issues leading to worry or bad feelings.
Before going to sleep recollect all activities of the day and recollect every word spoken and prepare to improve communication avoiding words that would hurt others.
Do not react to criticism from loved ones with a hurt reaction but speak softly with soothing words. Every bad word creates negative energy
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and most of the ailments are a reflection of hurt communications from both sides. ď ś
Develop the habit of listening more and try to talk less.
Those who love deeply never grow old, they may die of old age but they die still young. A bad attitude can literally block love, blessings and desisting away from finding you. Do not be the reason if you do not succeed--- Stay positive. Everything created by Nature has to go back to Nature to come back again. Practice with good process enjoying the life since we do not know how we are going to be born again.
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QUEST - Konduru Venkateswarlu How God who has no birth or death can create the Universe? GOD is omnipotent and omnipresent. He has no boundaries. A single thought of his can Generate, Operate and Destroy (GOD) the universe. And this is revealed in the vedas, puranas and the Bhagavadgita. When everyone is having a single head, how Ravana has ten heads? Everyone cannot see Ravana with his ten heads. Those who look at him as an enemy can see his ten heads. That's why Anjaneya could see his ten heads, while Rama, who sees even his enemy as a friend, could see only one head. In fact, the ten heads symbolise the various crooked, wild and wicked thoughts of a person. And Ravana represents them. Is it mandatory to perform the house warming (Grihapravesha) ceremony, once the construction of the house is completed? Once we cook the food it is better to consume it before three hours. If not it gets cold and spoilt. Even if we heat it once again, you cannot retain the fresh taste or flavour. Insects, bacteria etc may contaminate it. Likewise, once the construction of the house is completed, it is better to occupy it, after performing the rituals. If we delay, during 26
the course of the time, reptiles, insects, dirt, dust enter and spoil the environment. Unoccupied house becomes a centre for evil forces. Hence it is better to perform the ceremony as soon as the construction is completed or about to be completed. Lord Krishna protected Pandavas during the Kurukshetra war and during many critical situations. But why didn't he prevent and protect them during the game of dice, which is the root cause for the mega war? Lord Krishna or for that matter any Deity would protect his devotees only when they seek his help. Pandavas did not think of Lord Krishna while playing the game of dice. Hence he did not protect them then. What is important - is it the aim or the means of achieving it? 'The aim, as well as the means to achieve it - both are important' said Swami Vivekananda. In the present day, people are bothered about achieving things, by hook or crook. But in the view of the 'Almighty' both are important. There are no short cuts to success. Good efforts lead to good effects. During the course of the day we perform many duties like cleaning, cooking, bathing, washing etc. During these processes we are bound to destroy lot of insects. Is it not violence? 27
We will fall sick and acquire diseases, if we don't bath, clean, wash food items before cooking etc. To keep ourselves healthy and the environment clean we are bound to perform the above cores. These cannot be termed as violence as the loss to the small insects is minimal. Can we call the killing of an enemy soldier or a terrorist as murder? The ultimate aim is important. It is said that sage Vyasa, who had written 18 puranas, lost his temper and was ready to curse the city of Kasi, when he could not get food. How could a sage of his stature stoop to that extent? However educated, however highly placed a person in the society, he stoops to any extent, when he cannot control his senses. To emphasise this point, the sage went on to curse Kasi, when he didn't get food. When a person is bedridden and in critical health, can he chant the name of God, in the lying position? Yes. There are certain norms like bathing, wearing fresh clothes, sitting in a particular place and facing a specified direction, posture, following a specific time for chanting the lord's name. But there are exceptions for elderly people, bedridden patients, children, handicapped. They can chant the Lord's name in any position, during any time. But what is important is pure heart, concentration and belief in God.
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When there are many disguises, why did Ravana chose to come as a sage, to kidnap Seetha? Generally sages are supposed to control their senses, renounce every materialistic desire and only seek the grace of the Almighty to attain moksha. Hence they are considered as respectable persons in the society. People never doubt their intentions. Hence Ravana chose to come in the disguise of a sage, to kidnap Seetha. Even she would not suspect him. What should one feel, while giving to charities or donating? A person should donate to charities according to his capacity. Donating less than his capacity or borrowing to donate - both are not correct. And no donor should boast of his donation or seek publicity for his act. Can we ask God to fulfill our desires, while meditating? If we pray to the God with concentration and pure conscience, he will fulfill our just wants, even if we do not ask for them. What is the benefit of chanting God's name? There are two benefits in chanting God's name. 1. All your sins of the past and present are destroyed 2. You get peace of mind. Human beings feel guilty when they commit a mistake and lose peace of mind. Chanting His name gives the above two benefits. But one should be 29
sincere in his efforts and believe that the chanting will benefit him. It is said that one should leave the desire of eating a fruit or vegetable, when they visit the city of Kasi. Why so? It is not a fruit or vegetable, but anything that one relishes most, he or she should never consume it once they take an oath to leave it in Kasi (Benaras or Varanasi). This means, they have relinquished their desire of that fruit and thus their craving for it. In fact, leaving a fruit or vegetable is not important, but it leads a person to shed the baser desires, selfishness, lust, craving for materialistic benefits and anger. What should one do when they get idols of deities, while digging land for the construction of a house? One should inform the local authorities about it and handover the idol to the nearby temple. If the idols are broken or defective they should be thrown into the nearby river, but should not be used for worshipping. Even in this case, it is better to inform the authorities before taking any action as the idols may be of yore and part of our cultural heritage. It is said that Lord Ganesha is a bachelor and is not married. Why so? When his mother Parvathi wanted to get him married, Ganesha said that the bride should be as beautiful as his 30
mother. But whichever prospective bride he saw she looked like his mother, hence he could not settle for a marriage with that girl. That's why he remained a bachelor. According to scriptures, to be worshipped God should have a consort or consorts. Thus it is said that Lord Ganesha had two consorts 'Sidhi' and 'Budhi'. While worshipping, devotees offer their prayers to Lord Ganesha and his consorts 'Sidhi' and 'Budhi'.
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PROVEN MEDICINAL VALUES - NSS Prasad You may be wondering about this article on cow urine and its benefits. I know it would be nauseating to imagine urine being given as something special. Feelings apart, it is an undisputed fact that India worships cow as GoMatha since time immemorial and not as a cow. I too was a non believer till I started experiencing the powers of cow. Every product of cow be it milk, curd, butter milk, urine, cow dung and a cowherd ( Goshala) have extraordinary powers unlike other animals like a buffalo, horse, goat etc. It is found from research done by organisations like ILRI (International Live stock Research Institute) that Indian cow milk can reactivate pancreas in those suffering from Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes is a life style disorder when pancreas is exhausted producing insulin over a period of time due to irregular over eating etc. Generally digestion of milk in adults or aged is difficult as compared to infants unless they are habituated since childhood. In such cases cow buttermilk is recommended. Positive results are seen in many patients after a few months where the blood sugar started reducing considerably. While doing these studies it was also accidentally noticed in a stray juvenile diabetic that a young boy who was taking cow milk/buttermilk had his 32
pancreas getting activated to produce insulin! This is the power of Indian cow milk. Milk given by cow to its young ones contains so many antibodies as protection to the young child against many diseases including cancer. The surprising fact is cow would not release those anti bodies in the milk collected by us under any circumstances. But samples collected from the mouth of young ones while sucking milk from mother cow revealed these findings. All what is said applies to only India cows such as Gir, Tharpakar, Ongole, Kapila, Hariana, Punganur etc, and not Jersey or HF hybrids which give abundant milk of high fat content that contains lot of cholestoral. Fat from Indian cows is not harmful and ghee of Indian cows is very costly as compared to Jersey cow ghee. Only selected selling counters label cow ghee if it is from Indian breeds. Cow dung is highly beneficial both hygienically as well as in religious context. Cow dung has the property of rendering protection from radioactive radiation. While Bhopal gas tragedy was in progress a family who was burning cow dung cakes in his religious rites got escaped from the harmful effects of vapours of Methyl iso cyanate(MIC) which has thick heavy vapours with no odour that travelled slowly over the township of Union Carbide firm at Bhopal. MIC is an odourless gas and those inhaling would not feel but will become unconscious soon. Constant inhalation leads to injuring internal parts 33
including death. A Japanese team who noticed this miracle repeated this at the premises of this family and confirmed the same. This is the power of burning of cow dung cakes in fire in our traditional rituals. Cow urine can cure five cancers and over hundred other diseases. Cow urine acts fast curing TB over allopathic tablets. Cow urine is now available as Gomutra ark at a price of above Rs.60 per liter. Forest grazed cow milk or cow urine has more benefits. High doses of oxygen are available at cowherds or Goshalas. It is advisable for TB patients to spend some time in the Goshala to enable them recover fast from the disease. Panchagavya or Jeevamrutham is made using cow dung mixed with cow urine and other items such as waste material from selected legumes as an effective fertilizer. Many farmers are getting excellent crop yields using this. No wonder how a cow is beneficial to a family throughout its life cycle though it may stop giving milk. That is why killing cow in Indian context is prohibited as per Hindu traditions. Note: For benefits of Cow urine please refer Internet for the article on Cow Urine: Principles & Application under the heading Hare Krishna Rural Life.
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LEAVE EGO AND LIVE LIFE – Naresh Gurumurthy and Ramanamurthy are kind hearted. Both did not inherit any property but came up the hard way and are renowned names in business as well as social circles. Of course they are business rivals and extended the rivalry to personal level too. They did not cut into each other’s business but still they hated each other. The reason -both of them wanted to have one up man ship over the other. The unseen villain of the piece between them is – ego. Brahmanandam felt he is blessed to have a daughterin-law who has adjusted herself to the demands of a joint family. He is all the more happy as Vimala, his daughterin-law like him is also a chess player. But his wife Pankajam did not like Vimala for the simple reason, ever since her entry into the household both her son Vimalanandam and her husband Brahmanandam are depending on Vimala more, from their morning coffee to other domestic needs. Pankajam felt isolated though Vimala is serving her too with utmost care and affection. Instead of relaxing with such a lovable and devoted daughter-in-law at home, Pankajam started grumbling and shouting at Vimala at every opportunity. Vimala felt miserable unable to figure out why she is subjected to 35
such wordy torture. She rebelled against her. Now life became hell for Brahmanandam and Vimalanandam. In both these cases it is a clear case of hurt egos. The business rivalry between Gurumurthy and Ramanamurthy is a result of an ego trip. When Pankajam felt her authority in the house is waning with the entry of Vimala, her ego was hurt. There are many such incidents not only in the lives of people, but between nations too. Most of the wars happened in history mainly due to ego hassles. Jealousy, Dominance, Ego – these are the diseases that are rotting the people and nations from time immemorial. It is not difficult to shed ego. Why should we feel jealous about somebody’s fortune? If we try, we too can get that fortune. Let’s aim at that. Shirdi Sai Baba said that if we conquer jealousy, the benefit is only for us. Instead of trying to control people, if one can gain control over themselves, it is not a difficult task. Once the mind is in our control, where is the question of ego? When a man sheds ego he attains Brahmaswarupa. Our life itself is very short. The birth is not in our hands. The death is not in our hands. No one can plan to be born at a particular place or in a particular family. It just happens. Even death happens like that. Though disease or old age is attributed as reasons for death, in normal conditions too nobody knows when people die – sometimes while conversing with friends or family members, at times 36
while taking their morning walk or during meal, or in their sleep – nobody can predict. That’s why our elders said – ‘birth is not in our hands, death is not in our hands, but the life in between is ours and is in our hands.” So, let us make use of the time between birth and death by leading a meaningful life. Let us shed anger, hatred and ego and follow the principles laid by our elders – sath buddhi, sath pravarthana and sath karma. Let us live happily and bring cheer into the lives of others.
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‘LIVE HAPPILY AFTER RETIREMENT’ (A post graduate in Economics from the Bombay University, Sri P.P. Ramachandran, after serving in the Reserve Bank for forty long years retired at the age of 60 - his speech at the Chembur Senior Citizen’s Association in Mumbai, India.) Thank you Senior Citizen's Association, for having invited me and giving me an opportunity to be with all of you this evening. Now, I will share with you some of my personal beliefs on the subject allotted to me, “Living Happily after Retirement”. Retirement is a problem peculiar to our generation. In the times of our fathers and grandfathers, retirement was not much of a problem. There are three reasons for this. FIRST, LIFE EXPECTANCY
Fifty years ago, the life expectancy at the age of retirement was fixed at 55 or at most 60. A study of Government records revealed that very few people enjoyed pension for more than five years at that time. Most people died before sixty and consequently spending five years after retirement did not pose any major problem. Today Life Expectancy after retirement at 58 or 60 - is 75 years which means half of your working life is still left after retirement. To give you an example two Senior Officers of 38
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) died at 93 years—35 years after retirement. The second reason is the change in the family structure. Half a century ago, most people were in a joint extended family. The day you laid down office, you still had a large family around you. Surely, in a large family there was always something you could do that was meaningful and made you feel you were contributing to the family. Today the family has become nuclear—husband, wife, children. By the time one retires, the children have gone away. In good old times, daughters used to get married and promptly go away. Nowadays sons get married and very often shift out to stay with their wife from the first night itself! What is left is the old couple — you for Me and me for You. This is not particularly easy to accept and adjust to after retirement. The third reason is the problem of “Roots.” In the old days, people used to have a “native place” and an “ancestral home”. They looked forward to going there and settling down after retirement. Today, there is nothing left in terms of native place. People often are confused as to where to settle. These three problems make retirement planning a crucial item. If you have planned for retirement you can anticipate and tackle these problems. People are not accustomed to the idea of staying by themselves. If one asks an audience of prospective retirees and their 39
wives, “How many of you expect to stay after retirement with your children, hardly one hand goes up.” If some husband raises his hand, his wife immediately slaps it down saying, “I’ll be damned if I am going to stay with my daughter-in-law!” So it is a tough problem to think about old people staying—just the two of them. This makes planning all the more significant. The most difficult problem that we face after retirement is the psychological one. When an executive retires, he is at the peak of his career—his status, prestige and financial status. The moment he lays down his job, all these desert him. He discovers that “Everything becomes Less and Less”. The first thing he notices is the way his status and prestige are affected. Even at home, the retired person is no longer the important person. If he demands of his wife an early breakfast, she will promptly admonish him, “You are retired now. So take it easy. Let those employed go first!” He is no longer “Numero Uno”. A friend of mine who was a Senior Executive in RBI was getting 500 greeting cards and diaries/calendars for the New Year. After one year of retirement it dwindled to fifty and this year he got ten. Greeting cards, calendars and diaries are surely an indicator of the respect you received when you are employed. The most immediate problem on retirement is timemanagement. We all have twenty four hours at our 40
disposal, whether we like it or not. When you are a senior executive you work for ten, twelve or even fifteen hours and you feel “Suppose I had two hours more how nice it would be! I could do more to finish my work and life would be easier the next work day.” "After retirement, we have twenty four hours and nothing to do! Result – misery and this is one thing one likes to spread! No man wants to be miserable alone. He will make as many people miserable as he can. A man who has nothing to do will harass people around him. Turning on head the Benthamite principle of maximisation of welfare—maximisation of ' ill-fare '! There are two solutions to this problem. One is to continue to do the same work one was doing at the time of retirement. The first option is very convenient but where is such an opportunity for the majority? There is the temptation to wangle out an extension but this does lead to compromising principles which man succumbs to regrettably. I have seen Senior Officers accepting jobs as liaison officers and standing outside the office cubicle of their subordinates and seek favours from them. But how long-lasting is this solution? Extension merely postpones the problem. It crops up again quite swiftly. The second option is to do something different, i.e. option to get another job. 41
An executive can get another job provided he is willing to sacrifice self-respect. Generally jobs are given by the previous employer’s supplier or may be found in other organisations. In commercial organisations, officers are employed to get orders and collect bills speedily from their previous employers. So you will agree that this is no solution. All of you are aware that William Shakespeare wrote of the, “Seven Stages of Man”. Modern psychologists have abridged it to four and these are thus. > Before finding a girl — Spiderman > After engagement ---- Superman > 10 years after marriage - Watchman > 20 years after marriage - Doberman After this lighter side I revert to post-retired life. The retired official is likely to fall into four dysfunctional time options. The first is “Withdrawal” Many retired people, the day they retire from their job, withdraw from Life and within a few months they just pass away. When you ask a doctor he will tell you I can give a medical term but this is a case of “simple lack of will to live”. The second time management option is “Ritual.” A person can create a ritual for himself. He gets up at a specific time, does different activities at a specific 42
time and this invariably results in misery for others if that specific time frame is not adhered to. While he has in essence nothing to do, he is trying to make his activities meaningful. This leads to a meaningless ritual. The third option is “Pastime.” Many people get together and embark on a combined ritual which is called pastime. This too does not add to the meaningfulness of life. The last option turns out to be even mischievous – “Playing Games.” It is playing games — not physical ones like badminton, tennis but psychological ones where you try to manipulate people, get into their problems, complicate them and generally enlarge the tension around you. Many a respectable person indulges in this and creates problems where none existed. The alternative to these are Functional options. The first is become a Consultant. Lurking inside every executive is a Consultant. But for this, considerable expertise is required. Not everyone can be successful as a consultant. The second option is to start your own Business or Industry. But this calls for entrepreneurial qualities which an executive may lack. Many are also faced with the finances to start and sustain a business and stay profitable. The third option is to involve oneself in professional activities. For this, one must build up one’s position even before retirement. Many cliques operate to prevent outsiders from encroachment. The fourth is to get into spiritual activities. While nobody 43
is required between you and God, nowadays, we find more and more Godmen, Swamijis, pseudo Gurus some even US returned. There is a temptation to follow some Swamiji or even become one yourself. This is a very slippery slope. Beware – there are more hoaxes in the religious field than anywhere else. The last and most eaningful option is to cultivate a hobby. Use your creative abilities and do something that you enjoy doing. You should start this even while in service. We live in three Boxes. First is the Box of Learning, which starts from birth and goes on till 20 plus. Second is the Box of Work, which commences at 20 plus and goes on up to 58 or 60—the age of retirement. Third is the Box of Leisure. When we are in the Box of Work what is significant is Status, Prestige, Power—all these we aspire for and it is what we get from working life. The more we get, the happier we are. The day we retire, we move into Box 3 — the one of Leisure. If we have to enjoy this we have to change our psychological position and appreciate creativity, autonomy and integrity. When you were a small child of two or three, did status, prestige or money mean anything? What you wanted was autonomy, creativity. A child is always creative. It enjoys creativity. One example is when visitors come you ask your child, “Pushpa, sing ' Twinkle Twinkle Little Star '.” She will 44
not sing. You shout at her. You tell your visitors proudly she is three only and knows twelve nursery songs. The moment the guests are gone and your maid comes for cleaning, your daughter will sing to her all the twelve songs. The child has its own values! By the time we enter the Box of Work, values change. We are not taught to respect our autonomy but fall in line—conformity is the rule. If the son plays the violin, his mother will come and tell him, “Playing the Violin? Study now. Your exam is coming and you must do well. Getting into university and getting a good education is so very important. Life is competitive, dear son.” When we enter the Box of Leisure, values change. Your psychological position has to change too. New values of creativity, integrity and autonomy emerge. Hobbies are an excellent way of getting Leisure Value. Everybody must identify his hobby that he can enjoy. Don’t bother about Power, Prestige and Status. An individual can live in one box only or interchange or combine the boxes. You can have learning, work and leisure together. One can even take up a hobby that is financially productive. As time passes one learns. The real problem of retirement is that people refuse to face the problem. The mantra is “Let us cross the bridge when we come to it.” This is not correct and is not encouraged. Since we live in three Boxes we must prepare ourselves for crossing from one to the other. Structuring our time is 45
the prime requirement. In the beginning, you are contributing to Value. Think of Transfer Value. After retirement you can think of Leisure Value. Develop good hobbies which incorporate your creativity, autonomy and integrity. I have taken to writing. (Rajaji, Kalam and H R F Keating.) You will lead a happy life. Retirement is not adding “Years to your Life but adding Life to your Years.” Retirement is not a calamity but an opportunity. I would like to advocate some basic qualities one must cultivate. There are two ways to look at every situation in life. Is the cup half empty or is the cup half full. One man was not worried about him becoming bald. He declared “I have less hair to comb!” Another man in an identical situation moaned, “I have more face to wash!” Always remember that you are loved, even when it does not seem like it. Believe in yourself and your values. Don’t sell out when things go wrong. Don’t let anything get you down. Always bounce back. Set goals for your future and never settle for anything less. Realise that there are others in this world with bigger problems than you. 46
Appreciate the good things of life - Sunrise, Sunset, Flowers, Birds, Good healthy food, Exercise, Travel etc. Be thankful for the good times you have with your loved ones. Spend more time with your family and friends. Make new friends with younger people. Appreciate the simple things of Life and don’t get caught up in the material things of life. Be an optimist and see the Cup as being Half Full. Before long, your attitude will rub off on others. You can make the world a better place to live by simply making yourself a happier person. Let me conclude with an allegorical story. First God created the Cow and said, “You must go with farmer daily to the field all day long and suffer under the Sun, have calves, give milk and help the farmer. I give you a span of sixty years.” The Cow said, “That’s surely tough. Give me only twenty years. I give back forty years.” On Day Two God created the Dog and told him, “Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at strangers. I give you a span of twenty years.” The Dog said, “Too long time for barking. I give up ten years.” On the third day God created the Monkey and said to him, “Entertain people. Make them laugh. I give 47
you Twenty years.” The Monkey said to God, “How boring, Monkey tricks for twenty years. Give me only ten years”. Lord agreed. On the fourth day God created Man. He told him, “Eat, sleep, play, enjoy and do nothing. I will give you twenty years.” Man said, “Only twenty years. No way. I will take my Twenty and give me the Forty the cow gave back, the Ten that the Monkey returned, and the Ten the Dog surrendered. That makes eighty. OK?” OK said God. That is why for the first twenty years we sleep, play, enjoy and do nothing. For the next forty years we slave in the sun and at work to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain our grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit in front of the house and bark at everybody. Thank you all, may you all live to a 100. (forwarded by) Y. Sivalinga Prasad
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ANGER MANAGEMENT After failing in all attempts to help him rein in this disturbing habit, his father one day gave him a bag of nails. "Listen, son," he said, "every time you lose your temper, go and hammer a nail in the fence. OK?" The boy reluctantly agreed, and by the end of the day there were 37 nails in the fence. Over the next few weeks, this helped him control his anger, and the number of nails in the fence each day gradually dwindled. Finally the day came when not one nail had been hammered into the fence, and his father praised him, gave him a cuddle and suggested that he now pull one nail out for each day he was able to hold his temper in check. The days passed, and soon he was able to tell his dad that all the nails were gone. Taking him by the hand, his father led him to the fence. "You have done well, my son, but... look at all the holes in the fence! It's never going to be the same, is it?" "Well, no, I suppose it isn't," the boy replied. "You see, son," his father went on, "when you say things in anger, they leave scars in the person you're angry with, just like the holes in the fence. You can put a knife in a person and then pull it out, and it won't matter how many times you say you are sorry, the wound is still there. And a wound caused by angry words is as bad a physical one. Sorry doesn't undo the hurt." The boy had gone pale, and his eyes filled with tears. LokiOng, NegativityAssassin/Trainer, NegativityKiller.com 49
WHO AM I? - Prof. K.N. Rao The most frequently heard word in any conversation is I. But who is this I? This is a question that needs to be probed by all but it is also the most unasked question. Why is it so? First, to an ordinary person who is so much preoccupied with the job of staying alive, there is no time for it. He is too busy feeding himself and the rest in his charge. Even for them who do not have to work hard to remain alive, the question of ‘who am I’ does not figure in their scheme of things: acquisition of power and pelf take precedence. That leaves out a very small fraction that gets interested in pursuing the question. Buddha was born in a royal family. All the wealth and beauty that surrounded him did not seem to be valuable: even his newborn child. He had to seek an answer. Such was his inner compulsion that he renounced it all and went in search of the real meaning of life. So too was Ramana. He was born into a penurious brahmin family but when he went in search of that unquestionable truth, it was not poverty of the family that drove him away from his parental home. Even he could not explain why he had to leave home and do penance in the caves of Tiruvannamalai hills. The urge to do whatever he did was too strong for him to be ignored. In the case of Aurobindo, the country’s political emancipation appeared too trivial. He sought greater emancipation. Such 50
examples are quite numerous. And yet, when a friend of mine suggested that I seek an answer to this question, I tended to laugh it away because I thought I had an answer to this question. It is my belief that I am a molecular arrangement, which is part of space-time continuum and like any arrangement, the body recognized by others and myself too as I would sooner or later, fall apart in consonance with the laws of thermodynamics. I understand the limitations of this understanding. For example, when I ask myself how mind is different from brain, I am faced with insurmountable obstacles. While brain is recognisably intact both in life and death, mind seems to disappear with death. Dead men do not think. Brain is the physical basis of mind. At least, that is what I thought. The parapsychologists, however, think otherwise. They claim to have recorded thoughts of Julius Caesar and such others who died long, long ago. Some of them conduct sĂŠance sessions where individuals demonstrate skills unacquired during this lifetime. And prescience is a common experience for many of us. ESP, telepathy, hypnotism and other mental phenomena seem to have more to do with the mind than with the brain. It is difficult to believe but true that trees respond differently to different men. I know of cases where gardens come up better when tended by particular gardeners: on the other hand, some persons incur the displeasure of garden plants as it were. Thus, the plants seem to have minds of their own. This is further 51
supported by some experiments employing an oscillograph. The oscillograms differ with persons, depending upon man-plant interaction. The approach of a man who waters the plants everyday at a particular hour produces an oscillogram quite different from the one produced, when a man who lopped off the branches of the tree on the previous day. And then there is the kirlian photography which records halo-s of different luminosities and dimensions in different persons. Add to all these, the phenomenon of phantom pain experienced by amputees. All the above phenomena have been put to verification, though in some instances experimental defects were pointed out. The term ‘occult science’ is hurled at some of these demonstrations. However, I was a witness to a show on hypnotism. The show was held in the theatre attached to the Music Academy, Chennai. The hypnotist made his subject to lie down in such a way that his (subject’s) head was on the seat of a chair and the feet were on the seat of another chair, the two chairs separated by a distance equal to the subject’s height. Nobody in his senses would be able to accomplish such a feat: only a hypnotized subject can. As if this was not enough, the hypnotist called two or three men of sturdy build from the audience and these were not chosen by the hypnotist: they volunteered – and asked them to stand upon the torso of the hypnotized person. From all that I have been dwelling upon, it is obvious that mind is not a mere projection of brain. It seems to 52
have an independent existence, though one cannot dismiss the idea that brain is the wellspring of mind. And therefore, the argument that I, is nothing more than a molecular arrangement becomes untenable. Then Who am I? The question beggars a satisfactory answer. Our seers of yore seem to have grappled with the question and come to a conclusion that the entire universeinanimate and animate: plants and animals and man- is one without any diversity. On the strength of such a perception, Sankara propounded his mayavada whose essential theme is Advaita. Advaita literally means, no second. Everything in this world is the same. Whatever one perceives as diversity is only an illusion. The Mahavakyas, AhamBrahmasmi and Tvamevaham drive home to us the truth of this oneness. We are asked not to befool ourselves by imagining that each one of us is a discrete entity. The vedic saying, Annam Parabrahma, stresses the materialistic foundation of I. Now, juxtapose what I said about brain and mind. Obviously, they are one and the same with the brain appearing as supreme under certain circumstances and mind appearing as supreme under other circumstances: this perception depends upon the individual’s limitations. All this perambulation brings me to the forking point on the road of my enquiry. Perhaps, I am not all-molecular matter. An electron is both particulate and energy: it 53
reveals itself in both forms. In all probability, I am like an electron, sometimes material and sometimes formless energy. I traversed the journey, only to go back to the Question ‘Who am I?’ I confess, I do not know. As the adage goes: To know what you know and not know is wonderful; Not to know what you do not know is good; not to know that you do not know and yet proclaim that you know it all, is the worst. Now, I do not know what I am and what is worse is that I do not know where I stand. End note: On further reflection, I see that 'I' am part of an ecosystem that sustains itself by constant interaction with the panca Mahabhutas; that harbours a host of microflora in a symbiotic relationship with some and an antagonistic relationship with some others; that I am like an evergreen tree whose leaf-fall is not season-bound, in the sense that parts of me keep dying and regenerating without ever making me aware of this fact and lulling me into believing that I am living as a healthy whole. Successful organ-transplantation from a 'donor', who I know is not 'I' but someone else can convert me into a multiple person with one body. Add to all this, stem cell technology that makes possible growth of body parts in vitroand the possibility of my being cloned through retrieving my DNA; all the while, my thought patterns not undergoing any remarkable change. You have Dr. Brian Weiss, President of the American Society of neurologists asserting the passage of baggage of psychological disorders through a cycle of births and deaths 54
in support of this contention of mine. All this smothers a goodly part of 'me'. As and when this happens, the question 'Who am I' remains haunting and daunting. Very confusing, I see no way of ever getting a satisfactory answer. It is a cul-de-sac that leads one nowhere, especially the likes of me, half-baked thinkers. (End note is written nearly ten years after I penned this article first - K.N.R)
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OFFICE MUSINGS - B.R.A In the office every Tuesday we are treated with the smoky fragrance of ‘sambrani’ by a lungi clad pleasantly smiling young man. The smoke is meant not only to get rid of the flies and mosquitoes but also supposed to ward off the evil. It was election time and he said that he will be going to his native place to cast his vote. Responsible citizen indeed, we thought. And he returned after a week. Though it is a secret ballot, out of curiosity we asked him to whom he had cast his vote. When he said that it was a difficult choice, we were under the impression the candidates were either too good to choose or too bad. And then he revealed the truth. There were four major contestants in the fray and each one of them gave money to the family to cast their votes to them. Though we did not like the idea of taking money to cast the votes, we are still curious to know whom his family chose to vote. He smiled and revealed, ‘we are four members in the family with voting right and each one of us cast to each of the four candidates.’ Social justice indeed! Job at the editorial desk is a tricky one. One has to be careful not only in editing and proof reading but also in dealing with the authors. They are a sensitive lot. When one has to edit certain portions in an author’s article before publishing in the journal, it is always preferred to prepare the author about it in a subtle manner without hurting 56
his/her ego. One of the pre-requisites for the job of an editor/ sub-editor is Tact. During my tenure at the editorial desk of a famous magazine, I had to use this tact to convince them for the need to the subbing in their article. Fortunately, all most all of them agreed with me and were only glad when their article won all round appreciation. The case may not be always like that. Once I had to do a precise writing of a lengthy paragraph from a senior writer’s article, due to space constraints. To the best of my ability, I have done that without missing the soul in his writing at the same time in crisp sentences. The essence remained the same whether in my ten line paragraph or in the author’s over seventy line wording. Unfortunately, I could not convey this to him as I had to leave station on an urgent work. When that gentleman spoke to my colleague regarding his article, he said that we have edited that paragraph from his article. The word ‘edited’ upset him as he thought we have removed the paragraph as a whole. The agitated writer called me over phone and started shouting at me without even bothering to listen to what I was saying. Tempers were cooled only when he saw the printed copy. By that time he received some fan mail too. It is another matter that later he complimented me for making his article crisp and enjoyable to read.
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THOSE WERE THE DAYS! - M.L.Narasimham As a teenager of the 1960’s in Madras (now Chennai) all my entertainment was restricted to the weekends at the Marina beach, not every weekend again, occasional movie treat in single theaters as multiplexes were unheard of then. Of course my daily staple food of entertainment was the radio as even black & white television was yet to come to Chennai. I along with my cousin eagerly waited for the clock to struck at 10-30 pm to listen to the English songs of Elvis Presley, Cliff Richards both my favourites at that time, in the Listener’s Choice program over All India Radio (FM radio was a faraway dream) Madras B station every night keeping the volume low so as not to invite the wrath of the elders who then were accustomed to go to bed early and wake up early in the morning. Our other favourite programme was Binaca Geethmaala which aired the latest Hindi film songs on Radio Ceylon every Wednesday after 8 pm. The volume need not be lowered for this melody treat as even elders were hooked to the Hindi hits and to the mesmerizing voice of the host Ameen Sayani. To communicate, we were dependent on Post & Telegraph offices scattered across the city. To get a land line telephone connection one had to wait in the ‘Q’ for several months. So to make a trunk call (many years later it was changed to STD not to confuse with the dreaded 58
one, but read it as Straight Trunk Dialing), one has to go to the telegraph office and wait sometimes for hours to get connected. Telegrams were meant for both to inform arrival of relatives to pick them up or to inform about the departed souls or other such matters of serious concern. But the best part was the letters. We communicated many things through letters - love, affection, emotions, knowledge, gratitude etc. Everything through one’s own hand writing. Some of those letters today are like trophies to cherish. And as we grew up, the first multiplex, the Safire-Blue Diamond-Emerald complex with a restaurant in the basement came up in Madras. The city today has several malls with multiplexes, changing films every week. Gone are the days of hundred day runs in single theatres. And the form of entertainment too changed. There are many avenues for it today, with the advent of satellite communication. Television replaced radio. Internet has taken over postal and telegraphic services. It killed the telegram and the postal department has to branch out offering a multitude of services other than selling post cards, covers, stamps and sending M.O’s and registered parcels, for its survival. Life revolved around internet today, for entertainment, knowledge (though one cannot fully trust the info) and above all communication or even buying and selling. Gone are the days when one has to wait endlessly for a telephone connection. Apart from the Government controlled one, we have many private companies offering telephone services along with internet 59
connection, just at the click of a call. No need for the desktop or laptop to scan through the internet. Your mobile phone will do. So to watch a movie, you are back to the single theatre, your own room or space whether it is in office, train or anywhere else! Good. Technological advancement is welcome. The communication is now not through snail mail (as the generation next termed the postal mail) but through Email. Not in one’s own hand writing but typed on the keyboard. Also through SMS, Skype, What’s App and many other Apes oops Apps one can download and load into one’s mobile phone. If we have over a billion people, there are nearly a billion cell phones with some carrying two or more. People are talking, texting over the phone but have less time to sit and talk to each other though they are in the same locality or town! India is talking. Look at any street one can find at least one in three talking over cell phone whether driving a vehicle or journeying in it or as pedestrian. Hazards of technology. PS: As I type this on my keyboard, I am downloading my favourite Listener’s Choice songs to my mobile phone to listen during my morning walk.
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FUNNY SIDE MARRIED FOUR TIMES
The local news station was interviewing an 80-yearold lady because she had just gotten married for the fourth time. The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 80, and then about her new husband's occupation. "He's a funeral director," she answered. "Interesting," the newsman thought... He then asked her if she wouldn't mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living. She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she had first married a banker when she was in her 20's, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40's, and a preacher when in her 60's, and now - in her 80's - a funeral director. The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers. (Wait for it) -She smiled and explained, "I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go." 61
A PERFECT MARRIAGE?
A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other, except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about it. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day, the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll." The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. "Honey," he said, "that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?" 62
"Oh," she said. "That's the money I made from selling the dolls." DRIVING CRAZY
A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen. 'Careful,' he said, 'CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!' The wife stared at him. 'What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?' The husband calmly replied, 'I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving.
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IT’S TIME FOR THANKS GIVING This book would not have been possible without the support of: Sri Tilak Chitta, Chartered Accountant, Indore who at the mention of this book came forward to fund the entire project. Smt. N.S. Lakshmi, Sri N.S.Murthy – Saket Pranaam, Hyderabad, Sri K.L.V. Ramarao - Sterling Estates & Properties Ltd., Chennai, Sri P.V.S. Prabhu, Hyderabad, Sri Dharma Swaroop, Chennai, Sri T.Ramprasad, Chennai for their support as sponsors. Prof K.N. Rao, N.S.S. Prasad, Durga Avari and K. Venkateswarlu for their valuable articles and special thanks to Sri P.P. Ramachandran whose inspiring speech at the Chembur Senior Citizens Association, Mumbai was forwarded through e-mail by Y. Sivalinga Prasad and to Sri T.A.Prashanth Kumar for his editorial support, to Sri T.Vinod Ramprasad for taking the book online (log on to : www.facebook.com/ mixedbagbook). To the well known art director K. Trisoola Pani for his cover illustration and to Sri G. Srinivas, Supriya Graphics, Chennai for his layout and design. Special thanks to Sri G. Ramarao for his support in printing the book. 64