my world

Absolute Truth

2010-08-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Khuswant Singh, the grandfather of Indian journalism, has never been so candid. In his latest book-'Absolute Khuswant' he has delved deeper into his life and has revealed some more facts. He is 95. He confessed that he didn't enjoy a happy married life. He says that from the beginning of his married life his wife was not into him. Although it was a love marriage she had regrets that she choose Khuswant over other more 'successful' suitors. He says that she even had an affair with a particular man for over twenty years. This was painful to Khuswant. He never had any emotional affairs himself, but had some affairs for short period where he was more into lust than love. He also reveals that he has bedded women from various nationalities- 'they all are same in bed'. He wears proudly the title of 'dirty old man'.

He has expressed his political views with frankness, calling Manmohan Singh the best Prime Minister India ever had. He laments the anti-Sikh riots that took place in Delhi after the assassination of Indira Gandhi could have been prevented had Rajiv Gandhi, instead of receiving guests at his residence to mourn the death of his mother, taken some hard actions to prevent it.

His life has been solitary-'I get impatience with people. Writing is a solitary task and I am more comfortable being alone.' He doesn't have much regrets but that he started writing very late in his life. 'Had I started earlier, I would have written more books.' He admires Mother Teresa, Manmohan Singh and Nirad.C. Chaudhury. The book has been written with journalist Humra Quraishi.

You Are What Your Luck Is

2010-06-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

Last week I read two books by Nassim Nicholas Taleb-'Fooled By Randomness' and 'The Black Swan.' Both are great books. Whatever humans have achieved the credit goes to chance or what he calls randomness. Most of the inventions are matter of chance and not fruit of planned activities. Bills Gates is not a genius, but a man of average intelligence who is not best in the business, but he is the luckiest of all. Nassim says that there are events which is hard to explain like discovery of a black swan. Harry Potter is a black swan. There are many better books written for children that are bitting the dust. There are phenomenon you can not explain the reason of their occurrence. Hard work, intelligence and risk taking can be attributed to many great successes but they are also the qualities of the losers.

I immensely enjoyed reading the book. It has changed the way I look at the world.

Blind Gets Phd

2010-06-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

There is a well-know story about the six blind men who when encountered by an elephant, defined the creature according to their own sensory perception. They all were right, and wrong. Stories apart, visual impairment could not be an obstacle in the path of acquiring knowledge for a motivated soul. Sanjay Jain, a blind man from Nagpur has been awarded PhD in law by the Nagpur University. Interestingly, Jain's guide was head of law department Shirish Deshpande, who is also blind.

Where there is will, there is a way, even for a blind man. More.

Path To Prosperity.

2010-06-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

What makes you rich, by the way? Is it hard work, Good luck, Financial Intelligence, Shrewdness? The answer could be 'yes' or 'no'. It appears, there could be several paths leading to material prosperity. It could be any factor cited above. Some are blessed to receive riches in easier way, and some work hard to earn it. Indra Tamang, from Nepal received it in a unique way. He worked as an errand boy in a hotel in Kathmandu for Charlie Ford and his sister, Ruth Ford. He earned the trust of this brother and sister duo, serving them loyally for almost 4 decades, and ended up inheriting Ruth Ford’s apartments in Central Park in NY.

Indra is now a millionaire. So the question remains, what exactly is the precise way to riches? Read his story from the link above.

Vampires Aren't That Blood-Sucking..

2010-06-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

I think it was Salman Rushdie who had said that it is the book that chooses their authors. Justin Cronin, who besides teaching English at Rice University, wrote books like Mary and O'Neil and The Summer Guest and won awards like the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Stephen Crane Prize, and the Whiting Writer's Award has written a new novel - 'The Passage'. The book is about vampires who run in packs and savagely kill people in night. There is also an FBI agent in the book. The book is selling like anything, and have been hyped by the publishing industry as going to be the hottest book of the year. The book is coming out on 24th June.

There has always been a craze among the people to read about paranormals. People do like stories about Dracula, Zombie, and kids in magic school performing extraordinary feats. Such books takes the readers on a flight of imagination and are not too demanding on their brain. Justin Cronin has received millions of dollars for the book. He is laughing all the way to bank. Vampires or no vampires, people do love a good story, no doubt about that.

Dreams, Oh Dreams...They Have Mighty Wings

2010-06-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

You can never be sure about dreams. Realized or unrealized, they keep up popping. Some, like bubbles in a poodle go phut the instant they are born, and some others, like a dart hit the bull's eye. Two teen-aged boys from the remote corners of Uttar Pradesh, one a son of a truck driver and another who worked as a construction worker, had nurtured dreams of making it into the world of sports. They wanted to throw javelin. That was what they were practicing. They never knew where their dreams would take them.

They win a contest 'Million Dollar Arm', flown to Los Angles, trained with University of Southern California, signed with Pittsburg Pirates, and meet the President Obama! They are the first India born athletes to sign American major league baseball contracts. The contest was organized by the American sports agent JB Bernstein to find an individual in India who could hurl effectively for baseball. More

Dreams Die Young

2010-05-31T00:43:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation brings spring of joy among the kids. Two kids from Kolkata were very excited as their parents have planned to visit Mumbai. They were looking forward, with excitement, to spend their summer vacation visiting Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Juhu beach and lots of other exciting places in Mumbai. 5 years old, they have never visited Mumbai or any other big city for that matter. They would see the pictures of Mumbai in magazines and would cry, 'hey, look this is Mumbai!' . Whole neighborhood knew that they were visiting Mumbai.

But their parents choose Gyaneshwari Express. The ill-fated train that on 28 May become victim of the sabotage on the way to Mumbai. More than hundred people lost their lives. Bodies of both the kids were found by the rescue team. They were in tight embrace. Tears rolled down the eyes of the rescuer separating each other. Both their parents too had died. We learn the story from their surviving grandmother. Some dreams die young, very young!

A Matter Of Taste

2010-05-30T00:40:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey Archer in his blog has recommended reading R.K. Narayan. A great Indian writer who wrote in simple English. Most of us living in India have read R.K. Narayan in our school syllabus. But he was made famous by the TV serials 'Malgudi Days'. We know most of his stories through the TV serials. His decision to write in English was fraught with difficulties. He was very disappointed in not getting a publisher for his writings in England. It was the great English writer Graham Green that recognized his talent and helped him finding a publisher. Critics in India have rubbished his writings but some have compared him with the great Russian writer Chekhov for simplicity of plots.

But like foods, books too are a matter of taste. People do discover what appeal to their intellectual buds. Eat what you like, read what you like. Overall, have a nice time!

Sikhs Want Their Treasure Returned

2009-05-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

A British Sikh group has requested the Queen to return their artifacts which were plundered by the British troops during the Raj. The items includes sacred scriptures, swords, letters and writings of Maharaja Duleep Singh (he is said to have converted to Christianity) who was exiled to Britain after annexation of his kingdom. He reportedly presented the famous Kohinoor diamond to Queen Victoria which now is a part of crown jewels. In a letter to the Queen they have written- “Across the U.K., within the custody of your royal family, royal castles, museums and government bodies, there is an immense range of unquantified and unidentified cultural property belonging to the Sikh nation,” the Slough-based Sikh Community Action Network says in a three-page letter calling for “quantification” of such property.

John Nicholson

2009-05-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

In the story of 1857 mutiny there appears a remarkable man called John Nicholson (11 December 1822 – 23 September 1857). Though the Indian history texts book doesn't contain much about him for obvious reasons, he was a man who cannot be ignored by any serious student of history. A British East India Company officer, he played a legendary part in crushing the Sepoy mutiny of 1857. He was a junior officer in the First Anglo-Sikh war. Later, he was given much power as political officer, and later a District Commissioner. He was feared for his foul temper and authoritarian manner. Some Indian were so much in awe of his personality that they regarding him an incarnation of Vishnu. Many started worshipping him and formed a religious sect, the Nikal Seyn. Though he never concealed his distaste for Indians and even flogged and imprisoned some of his followers if they prostrated before him, this however, never stopped his followers from worshipping him. He would say, 'I dislike India and its inhabitants more every day'. He hated Afghans even more than Indians-'the most vicious and blood-thirsty race in existence.' During the disastrous Anglo-Afghan war of 1842 he was captured and imprisoned by the Afghans. After his release from their captivity he discovered the dead body of his younger brother whose genitalia was cut off and stuffed in his mouth. A most shocking incident of his life.

He was instrumental in planning and leading the storming of Delhi in 1857 to crush the uprising. A famous story about him is that one night during the Great Uprising of 1857, he strode into the British mess tent at Jullunder, coughed to attract the attention of the officers, then said, "I am sorry, gentlemen, to have kept you waiting for your dinner, but I have been hanging your cooks." He had been told that the regimental chefs had poisoned the soup with aconite. When they refused to taste it for him, he force fed it to a monkey - and when it expired on the spot, he proceeded to hang the cooks from a nearby tree without a trial.

He died at a young age of 34 from a wound that he had received while attacking Delhi. He had expressed his wish to see Delhi captured by the British force before he dies. He died a week after the fall of Red Fort. He became a sort of Victorian hero and inspired many young British boys to join the army. He was also source of inspiration to Rudyard Kipling who immortalized him in his book ‘Kim’. His tombstone, made from a white marble slab near Delhi’s Kashmir gate, was a former garden seat of the Mughals. His gallant service and untimely death are commemorated on a white marble memorial plaque at the Mutiny Memorial, on the Ridge in New Delhi. A large statue of Nicholson showing him with a naked sword in hand and surrounded by mortars was erected in his honour in Delhi, but was taken down when India became independent.

Epitaph on his grave reads-'The grave of Brigadier General John Nicholson who Led the assault of Delhi but fell in the hour of victory mortally wounded and died 23rd September 1857 Aged 35'

Rise And Fall of The Mughals

2009-05-25T02:41:00.000-07:00

Reading ‘The Last Mughal’ by William Dalrymple was a moving experience. The book is extraordinary in many ways. Written lucidly, it highlights things not highlighted before, and he blames gradual hardening of the British attitude and interference in religious matters as the prime cause of mutiny of 1857. He writes- 'By 1852, although the British and the Mughals inhabited the same city and sometimes lived in close physical proximity to each other, the peoples were growing farther and farther apart'.

Nirad C. Chaudhury had blamed the Indian climate for the same in his book ‘The Continent of Cerci’. Dalrymple has done extensive and exhaustive (I must say) research to come out with the tome. It took him almost five years to complete the book. Despite accusing British for provoking Indians, he does come up with a balanced view of the things.

Centred around the rule of the last Mughal king-Bahadur Shah Zafar, the book describes the events of his time. Zafar, despite being a weak king, emerges as a very reasonable man, who could have done little at the age of eighty. The mutineers also called contemptuously ‘pandies’ by the British, had committed excesses against the British officials and civilians, the British showed no clemency or humanity in crushing them. They suppressed it with even greater cruelty. At the end of the book when the region of old Delhi was captured by the British and rebels crushed, the British soldiers took to raping ladies from the noble families. ‘As many as three hundred begums of the royal house- not including former concubines in the palace were taken away by our troups after the fall of Delhi' he quotes a British writer. The British suspected that the mutineers had raped English ladies, which was proved to be false after an investigation was carried out. The British indulged in looting houses after houses. They shot or hanged its occupants. The anarchy and all-round violence was akin to ‘The French Revolution’, Dalrymple writes.

The great Urdu poet who survived the British onslaught by a quirk twist of fate was aghast at the hell like situation in Delhi. He saw a great civilization dying. He writes in a letter to a friend, 'The light has gone out of India. Would it be surprising if I should lose my mind from this onslaught of grief?' Ghalib laments ‘had you been here you would have seen the ladies of the Fort moving about the city, their faces as fair as moon and their clothes dirty, their paijama legs torn, and their slippers falling to pieces. This is no exaggeration..'

The Last Mughal makes reading history a pleasure like a thriller. The book ends with a warning by Edmund Burke that those who fail to learn from history are always destined to repeat it.

Chawri Bazar

2009-05-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Chawri Bazar Metro Station in old Delhi could be a unique experience for any visitor to the city. From modern and state of art infra-structure of the underground Metro to emerge amidst old spectacle of Delhi could be a mind-blowing experience. Areas like Chawri Bazaar, Nai Sarak, Dariyaganj all surrounding the spectacular Jama Mosque is old but vibrant. The area is a major business hub for books, paper products, brass and copper. In baffling milieu of the Chawri Bazaar, people, rickshaws, porters, men, children, women, tourists and even cows jostle for way.

Once popularly known for its bewitching dancing girls in the 19th century, the street is named after a Marathi word 'chawri', which means meeting place. The street got this name mainly because here a 'sabha' or meeting would take place in front of a noble's house and he would try settling the disputes before it would reach the emperor. A second reason is probably that a gathering used to get organized when a respected dancer performed and showed the finer nuances of her skill. The whole ambience of the street however got changed after the 1857 war when British destroyed many huge mansions of the nobles.

The Other Side Of CNG

2009-05-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

On Thusday (14th May, 2009) a CNG run auto-rickshaw burst into flames under mysterious circumstances at Connaught Place, New Delhi. The horrible part of the incident was that two women passengers too were charred to death. There were three women passengers in the autorickshaw while one escaped to safety, why were the two not been able to escape? According to the police the investigation is still on. The Gas cylender usually lies below the back seat of the auto. The incident has raised questions on the safety of the CNG which widely used by public transports in Delhi.

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline (petrol), diesel, or propane fuel. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill (natural gas is lighter than air, and disperses quickly when released).

Scheme of Providence

2009-04-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

King Bharthari after renouncing the world wrote three important books-Niti Shatak, Vairagya Shatak and Sringar Shatak. In Niti Shatak, he tells an interesting story. A snake was locked in a basket for quite a long time in the house of a snake-charmer. Once, a rodent entered the basket by making a hole in it. As soon as the rodent entered the basket he was eaten up by the snake. Strengthened by the food, the snake slipped out of the basket and became free. Bharthari explains that the action of the rodent led to the liberation of the snake. These two seemingly unconnected agents get connected in broader scheme of providence.

Don’t desist from action, you may become a liberating agent for some unfortunate snake (It’s not a joke!). If you are trapped hopelessly, never loose hope, a rodent may turn up to help you. Sometimes, inaction is better than action.

The Story of Narad

2009-03-18T03:33:00.000-07:00

This is from Shiv Puran, ancient religious text of Hindus. Narad, son of Brahma, the creator once underwent a tapasya (penance) with great austerities inside a cave. Seeing his great tapasya, Indra the head of Gods in heaven become disturbed. Sensing that Narad might take his celestial seat of power, sent forth the God of sexual desire, Kamadev to disturb him. But the cave was blessed by the Lord Shiva himself. He had once during his meditation had blazed Kamadev with fierce look of his third eye who was trying to disturb him. After the prayer of Rati, the wife of Kamadev, Shiva forgave him but said that the Kamadev will have no effect inside the cave and the surrounding region. Because of this the Kamadev had no effect on Narad. Narad didn’t know the story and mistook this for his spiritual conquest.

Happy with his spiritual development, he went to heaven and met Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the world. There he boasted about his austerities and his conquest over Kamadev. Lord Vishnu tried to test the spiritual achievement of Narad. With his power he created an illusionary city. Where there was a king and his beautiful daughter Shrimati. Narad went to the city and met the king there. The king welcomed Narad and said, ‘my daughter has now become of marriageable age. She has all the qualities of a good girl. We have made arrangements of a Swayamvar (where a girl chooses her future husband among host of eligible suitors) where I have invited eligible suitors.’ Narad , struck by the beauty of the princess, Narad fell madly in love with her, ‘I too will join the Swayamvar . It will be great if she choose me.’ Narad went to Lord Vishnu and asked him to make him as handsome as the lord himself is. Lord Vishnu laughed upon seeing Narad hopelessly in love. Lord Vishnu granted him the handsomeness of his physic but made his face look like a monkey. Narad had no time to see himself in mirror. In haste he went to the Swayamvar and took his seat among the other suitors.

The Princess arrived on the scene with a garland in her hand and surrounded by her maids and friends. She found no one attractive in the Swayamvar. She was aghast when she saw Narad. He looked very ugly with his monkey face. Narad couldn’t understand what the matter was. At that very time Lord Vishnu arrived on the scene. He was the very epitome of handsomeness. The Princess immediately put the garland in his neck. Lord Vishnu holding the hand of the Princes disappeared from the scene. Narad was crestfallen. He went to the abode of Lord Vishnu and started cursing him. He was in great mental agony.

The test of his spiritual strength was too much for him. Cursing, Narad said, ‘as you have made me suffer for women you too will suffer for a woman on earth when you take avatar as Prince Ram.’ Lord Vishnu humbly accepted this curse. It was only after many days that Narad become normal and regretted his emotional outburst.

The story teaches us many things like we should not be boastful of knowledge or wisdom acquired. We must check and recheck our facts before attending any meeting. We should not loose our cool when caught for our stupidity. Be careful while asking help, the helper might be your rival. etc. Write in your comments.

King Bharthari

2009-03-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

There is a very interesting story about King Bharthari. He was the King of Ujjaini (modern Ujjain) in the 6th century India. In his kingdom there lived a Brahman who, after years of austerities and worship, was awarded with the ‘fruit of immortality’ by the God. According to Hindu mythology there is a tree in heaven called Kalpataru under which if any desire is produced it gets fulfilled. The ‘fruit of immortality’ grows on the Kalpataru. The Brahmin thought ‘what is the use of eating the fruit. I don’t want to live forever!’ He regarded the King Bharthari as the only deserving person who should eat the fruit. He met the king and offered him the fruit. The king was madly in love with his queen. ‘My queen who is dear to me more than my life should eat the fruit’ the King thought and offered it to the queen. The queen in turn offered it to the head of the state police, Mahipala whom she loved more than her life. Mahipala was in love with a courtesan Lakha. He offered the fruit to her. Lakha who was deeply in love with the King presented it to him. The circle revealed the downside of the infidelity to the king. The King summoned the queen and killed her. The King ate the fruit and abdicated the throne to his younger brother Vikramaditya and become a religious mendicant.

Details about the lives of Bharthari and his brother Vikramaditya are from the tales of Baital Pacchisi (Twenty five tales of Baital), translated as 'Vikram and The Vampire' by Sir Richord Francis Burton, in 1870.

This is a fiction. But there is wisdom to be learnt from such stories. Like money and power cant buy you love. Never take your love for granted, you might be in for a shock. Men renounce the world when they lose power over their women. A man must find his true goal in life early. Even those whom we regard as of loose character (Lakha) can show a great strength of character, etc.

If you think that there is something more to the story, please write in. It is open to interpretations.

Undernourished India

2009-03-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

Now a very disturbing news. According to a World Food Programme report India remained home to more than a fourth of the world’s hungry, 230 million people in all. It also found anemia to be on the rise among rural women of childbearing age in eight states across India. Indian women are often the last to eat in their homes and often unlikely to eat well or rest during pregnancy. more

Long Time No See

2009-03-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

I am blogging after a long time. I was more into reading than writing these days. Actually, I was on a quest (that still continues) for understanding of the human mind. I hunted books, human minds , gurus for the answer. I doubt whether I have found the answer but the journey itself has been so unique experience that I wish it continues as long as I live. I will try to write it in my blog. See you soon.

Rushdie: Marriage Not Necessary

2008-04-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

So Sir Rushdie no longer finds marriage necessary. The realisation came to him after marrying four women. I wonder how many things are necessary for humans to survive. The things that come to my mind are: food, water, oxygen, cloths, shelter, love or there may be a few things more. Marriage, if given a deep thought may not appear necessary. But the society is so disapproving of a couple living without marriage that a non-rebellious boy or girl has to resort to it as the only way to find companionship of the other sex. They bribe their relatives and society by serving them food and drink. Scientifically thinking, the human society can advance without the institution of marriage. If the institution of marriage is abolished, the greatest looser in India, I think would be the dresswalas, the band party, Ghoriwala , the jewellers, marriage card printers, food caterers, decoraters, shamianawalas, In India it would be an economic catastrophe if the marriage celebration is banned.

I think what Rushdie meant was the 'marriage of souls' rather than the ho-hulla of the celebration.

Political Olympic & China

2008-04-21T02:15:00.000-07:00

The government of India did everything in its power to prevent attack on the Olympic torch that passed through Delhi. The bandobast was amazing. All the roads leading to Rajpath, where the relay took place, was barricaded. Tibetans and their support group kept protesting far away at Jantar Mantar. The Chinese are happy. Not only the Government of China but the common Chinese too have expressed their happiness over the positive role played by India. They blame America and Europe for fanning Tibetan issue. A Chinese student at Beijing university say-"Tibet is inseparable part of China. We have spent astronomical amounts on development of Tibet. The western nations want to humiliate us that is why they are raking up the Tibetan issue." (Outlook April 28)

Recently, When a team of Indians visited China they found a new warmness in the Chinese attitude towards Indians. The bitterness of 1962 is no longer there. They were surprised to find Chinese boys and girls wearing Kurta-Payjama and taking Indian foods at India cultural programmes at Beijing and Sanghai. Many of them want to visit India.

Alok Mehta, the Editor-in-chief of weekly OUTLOOK say that the Indian leaders like Yaswant Sinha and George Fernandese will not bring out any protest march for better living condition and their rights for the people flocking from Bihar, UP, Rajsthan, Kerala, Bengal etc to Delhi. Many migrants who actually help the economy of the metro live in abject condition. They fall victim to criminals, police, henchmen of politicians in the city, diseases etc. These leaders, instead of focussing on the local issue will participate in a procession demanding independence for Tibet. Why don't they participate in the independece movement of Khalistan, Nagaland, Kashmir, Manipur etc? They are concerned about human rights abuse in Tibet, but give no thoughts to their poor fellow countrymen. Democracy has no meaning for the people living below poverty line.

Even Dalai Lama has accepted that the Tibet has materially progressed well under the Chinese rule. Even Dalai Lama has not demanded complete independence for Tibet. Isn't it pure stupidity on the part of Indian leaders (Yaswant Sinha) to suggest Dalai Lama to demand total independence for Tibet from China?

Tibetan Protest

2008-04-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

Tibetans living in India, as all over the world, have realised that this is damn good time to show their protest to China. It is good that they have shown that they want freedom. But what is confusing is that their greatest leader Dalai Lama wants only more religious and cultural freedom, and not freedom from China. What then the Tibetans are protesting ? Don't they like sports? or is it because they are not participating in the Olympics! Or are they just interested in attracting world attention so they can get their Visas and financial doles from the West!

Master Plan Delhi-2021

2007-10-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

Indians returning from West, often comment that Delhi still gives them a feeling of visiting a third world country. According to one NRI, India lags at least 100 years behind the West in urban infrastructure. A new plan called MPD-2021 has beeen formulated to make Delhi a world class city. But many believe that it is doomed to fail. Read More.

Argumentative Indians

2007-09-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

"It’s Americans who are most creative." Dr Edward De Bono, the Malta born psychologist who has written extensively on the working of human mind (Six Hats & Lateral thinking) thinks so.

He says “Americans are creative and have a go–getter attitude.

The Chinese have not started thinking creatively but the Japanese are slowly shifting from logic based thinking to creative thinking. The French think they are most creative. But in fact they are not!’ This is surprising, with those paintings,food,wine and architcture, I thought they were most creative!

And Indians! What he thinks about them? Bono says ‘from the limited interactions I’ve had, I find Indians very argumentative. Argument is a very primitive way of discussion’. Bono is in Delhi on a lecture tour. He implored corporate honchos to ‘think out of box’.

What are three factors which prevent people from thinking creatively? "Lack of confidence, lack of knowledge of adequate creative thinking tools, fear of taking risks," he replies.

The Enemy of My Enemy is My friend

2007-09-13T04:11:00.000-07:00

With the evolution of Homo sapiens (the first intelligent humans), the history of human conflict begins. The origin of conflict was competition. Competition for food, partner, shelter, authority etc led to conflict among men. Everybody wanted to have things that pleased their body and soul. As they can’t have all the things, there was conflict. Conflict put challenges before them. Challenges helped them in strengthening their survival spirit further. Conflict made the humans what they are today.

In India, I think it was Kautilya, the fourth century BC political philosopher who popularized the saying ‘the enemy of enemy is my friend’. He even wrote a book called Arthashastra, Which is full of political thoughts that lead one to position of authority. He believed in the philosophy of human conflict and its tactful dealing. He applied it in practical life, and dethroned Nanda king of Magadh and established Mauryan Empire in 321 BC. The European counterpart of Kautilya was Machiavelli. He too in his book ‘The Prince’ justified stratagems and deceits to attain political ends.

In the 21st Century, the old kingdoms gave way to new empires. Today, the new empires are big corporate and companies. The war and the battles are still going on sans elephants and horses. Competition, marketing strategy, merger, media war, attrition, intelligence, all these stratagems are used to destroy rivals to gain authority and rule over market.

Modern Offices too are not without believers of the philosophy implicit in the proverb. In offices, we find rivalry among the colleagues to get into the good books of the bosses, attention of the opposite sex, and getting some favors etc. Lobbying, gossiping, befriending the rival of the fellow rival is done with full enthusiasm to checkmate their rivals.

In international relations too, the proverb has practical application. China and Pakistan are friends. Pakistan even went out of way by ceding an important chunk of Himalayan land to befriend China. They both are regarded as India’s archenemy. USA befriended and helped Kuwait to destroy Saddam Hussein. In eighties, it even helped Afghanistan to fight Soviet Union, the then America’s ideological enemy. The old proverb ‘the enemy of enemy is my friend’ has not lost its relevance.

I was surprised to find that in nature too, there is a fish called Pilot fish that cleanse parasites off the body of a shark. These smaller fish swim freely around the sharks, and even inside the mouths of the sharks that could easily eat the small fish. Since the shark's enemy is the parasite and the parasite's enemy is

the smaller fish, the shark considers the Pilot fish a friend and accommodates an otherwise potential food source.

But I wonder what would happen if we get united with the enemy of the enemy and work towards annihilation, extermination, obliteration or neutralization (god forbid such words!) of the enemy; what type of relation then would we have with the enemy of enemy? Would he not become our next rival! Then don’t we again have to find his enemy to destroy him? I think the application of the proverb put us in a vicious cycle.

It is good to have friends. The more we have the better. But I was again surprised to find that Kautilya has written that the deadliest enemy is the one who was once your friend. So be wary in making friends and don’t share all your secrets and weaknesses with them. Who knows tomorrow they may become your enemy! It is bad-bad world!

Though it cannot be denied that the philosophy inherent in the proverb’ the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ has shaped the history of conflict among people, I believe that the conflict has also led many great human minds to come out with philosophies that facilitated a more peaceful and conflict-less society for the humans. In a way it led to a better world. Buddha, Confucius, Christ, Guru Nanak, Gandhi and many such other leaders contributed greatly towards making of a conflict-less society. Their philosophy formed the basis of modern democratic society.

The proverb was a product of a political mind. It was useful where we seek power or have some vested interests, but for a simple and peaceful existence, in a modern civilization where the law takes care of our enemy, perhaps there is no need of such policy. With love and compassion, we can turn even our deadliest enemy into our friend.

Independence Day

2007-08-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains- Rousseau

Celebrating Independence is not without its chains in Delhi. Delhi has turned into a fortress. You can't move without security checks in Delhi. Gun- totting policemen greets you everywhere. At every point your bags are checked. In Metro and Buses, you move with fear. What if a bomb explodes! There are people in India, who don't agree with the Indian view of the world. They have their own views on Independence and how their lives should be. They go to extreme to prove their point of view. They are called extremists.

This is not unique to India. Many nations face the same situations. They have to deal with what is called- rebels, extremists, fundamentalists, militants etc. Disgruntled elements abound everywhere. Dealing with them is now a full time and serious policy measures in every country. Men can not live without conflicts.

Yet, there is nothing like freedom. It is desired at any cost. A very Happy Independence Day to all Indians. Enjoy!

Pic Courtsey-HT

Safdarjung Tomb In Delhi

2007-08-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

In AD 1754, Safdarjung was the Governor of Awadh (Central India, now the state of Uttar Pradesh) . He was made Governor by Muhamud Shah, the Mughal Emperor. The tomb was built by Nawab Shujauddaulah, the son of Safdarjung. The tomb is surrounded by a number of smaller pavilions like the Moti Mahal, the Badshah Pasand and the Jangli Mahal. There is a beautiful lush garden inside the tomb premise. It is about 300 meters in area with octagonal towers, and is enclosed by 6 meter high wall. The entire edifice stands on a lofty platform that is symmetrically interrupted by arched recesses. A large gateway in the center of the eastern wall gives access to the enclosure. The gateway is beautifully constructed. The remaining three walls also have beautiful pavilions fitted into them at the center. The whole building is made of red sandstone. The central chamber is 20 sq meters and contains eight apartments. Similar apartments are found on the upper floor. The central cusped arch is framed in marble and red sandstone and has a roof containing a triple dome rising from a sixteen-sided red sandstone drum. Safdarjung’s Tomb is a beautiful example of late Mughal architecture and has also been referred by historians as the ‘last flicker of the Mughal architectural lamp’.

Taking a snap of the monument was a difficult task. I wanted to shoot only the monument, not the amourous lovers who thronged the place to copulate with their clothes on. So I went there early in the morning, when the monument had just opend, and no lovers was in sight. For hours, I kept shooting in total freedom. I really loved the architecture, and fell in awe of the love and energy that made such a monument possible. It was love of a son for his father.

Jantar Mantar of Delhi

2007-07-22T00:51:00.000-07:00

The famous 18th century astronomer king and the founder of the Pink city of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh, built the first of his five astronomical observatories across India. The observatories are known as Jantar Mantar which derives it name from the corruptions of the Sanskrit words 'yantra' (instrument) 'mantra' (formula) over the period.

The Jantar Mantar at Delhi is located on Sansad Marg between Connaught Place and Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is the largest and the best preserved compared to the other four open-air observatories which were built by Sawai jai Singh in Varanasi, Jaipur, Mathura and Ujjain. Vast red and white sloping stone structures hover over palm trees and neat flower beds. They cast shadows, which were formerly used to calculate time, lunar and solar calendars, time as well as movements of planest and stars, all with incredible degree of accuracy.

I enjoyed shooting Jantar Mantar against the backdrop of the modern buildings. It was a contrast in Archetecture. Delhi is fast becoming a modern city with several old heritages.

India Gate

2007-07-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

India Gate, a beautiful pieace of archetecture in the city, is a memorial built to commemorate more than 80,000 Indian soldiers who were killed during World War I fighting for the British. The monument is an imposing 42 meters high arch and was designed by the architect Edwin Lutyens. India Gate was earlier named All India War Memorial. The design of the India Gate is similar to the French war memorial, the Arc-de-Triomphe.

'INDIA' is written on top of the arch on either sides. Names of over 80,000 Indian soldiers are inscribed on the walls of the India Gate. At the base of the India Gate there is another memorial, the Amar Jawan Jyoti that was added after independence of the country. This eternal flame keeps burning to commemorate the unknown soldiers who had laid their lives to serve India.

I took this picture when it was twilight. Against the speedly moving traffic, the India Gate stood majestically.

Dilli Haat

2007-07-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

Dilli Haat is a modernised version of traditional Indian village bazzar. You will find crafts and foods from all the states of India. A really nice place, where you can have a look and feel of India in one go.

The Red Fort

2007-06-29T01:18:00.000-07:00

A good news for India- the Red Fort has been included in the Unesco's World heritage list. Qutub Minar and Humayun's Tomb are other two monuments in Delhi that made it to the list in 1993. Unesco norms bind the government and all other organizations concerned with the monuments with an obligation to maintain and preserve the site. The Unisco's World Heritage Committee lists properties that it considers part of the planet's cultural. They recognize heritages that have 'outstanding universal value'.

History: The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city at Delhi. He moved his capital from Agra in a move designed to bring prestige to his reign, and to provide ample opportunity to apply his ambitious building schemes and interests. The Red Fort stands at the eastern edge of Shahjahanabad, and gets its name from the massive wall of red sandstone that defines its four sides. The wall is 1.5 miles long, and varies in height from 60ft on the river side to 110 ft towards the city. Measurements have shown that the plan was generated using a square grid of 82 m.
The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the wall. The wall at its north-eastern corner is adjacent to an older fort, the Salimgarh, a defense built by Islam Shah Sur in 1546. Construction on the Red Fort began in 1638 and was complete by 1648. On 11 March 1783 Sikhs entered Red fort in Delhi and occupied the Diwan-i-Am. The city was surrendered by the Mughal wazir in cahoots with his Sikh Allies. This task was carried out under the command of the Sardar Baghel Singh Dhaliwal of the Karor Singhia misl.

After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, when the Fort was used by the rebels, the British army occupied and destroyed many of its pavilions and gardens.

The Red Fort still attracts the tourists from all over the world.

Humayun's Tomb

2007-06-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

The rule of Sultans over India was almost over by 1526. Next in hordes came the Mughals. They ruled over India till 1857, when the British took over the charge. Mughals too contributed to the spectacular architectures of India. One of the most spectacular Mughal buildings, Humayun's tomb in Delhi was added to Unesco's World Heritage List in 1993. Built by Haji Begum, the widow of Humanyun, the second Mughal Emperor, the mausoleum is regarded as the precursor of the Taj Mahal. Built with a cost of about one and a half million rupees, the monument heralded the construction of garden-tombs in the Indian subcontinent.
As soon as one enters the massive double-storeyed gateway, the majesty of the building infuse awe. High walls surrounds a square garden which is divided into four large squares separated by causeways and water channels.
Each square, in turn, is divided into smaller squares by pathways. This is a typical Mughal style garden known as charbagh. Highly developed engineering skills were employed in the laying out the fountains. Red, black and yellow sandstones were used to give variation. Humanyun's Tomb came into the limelight during the First War of Indian Independence also called Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. When the uprising failed, Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor, took refuge in the tomb, before he was sent to the Rangoon jail in Myanmar by the British.
The tomb stands majestically at the center of the enclosure and rises from a platform faced with a series of cells with arched openings. The Humayun's Tomb contains many small monuments. Chief among them are black and yellow marble tomb of Humayun's wife and the tomb of Humayun's barber. Referred to as Nai Ka Gumbad, the barber's tomb is an impressive square tomb with a double-dome

Razia Sultana

2007-06-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

The Sultans (a king is called Sultan in Turky language), who ruled over India from Delhi have were reputed for a their colourful lifestyle. They ruled with passion, and perhaps it was their passion (for debauchery) that spell their doom. However, there was one remarkable women ruler among the Sultans of Delhi. She was Razia Sultana. She succeeded her father Iltutmish to the Sultanate of Delhi in 1236. Iltutmish became the first sultan to appoint a woman as his successor. He designated his daughter Razia as his heir. (Iltumish's eldest son had initially been groomed as his successor, but had died prematurely.) But the Muslim nobility had no intention of acceding to Iltutmish's disregard for tradition in appointing a woman as heir, and after death of sultan in 1236, Razia's brother, Ruknuddin Feroze Shah, was elevated to the throne. Ruknuddin's reign was short. With Iltutmish's widow Shah Turkaan for all practical purposes running the government, Ruknuddin abandoned himself to the pursuit of personal pleasure and debauchery, to the considerable outrage of the citizenry. On November 9, 1236, both Ruknuddin and his mother Shah Turkaan were put to death--after only six months in power. With reluctance, the nobility next agreed to allow Razia to reign as sultana of Delhi. As a child and adolescent, Razia had had little contact with the women of the harem, so she had little opportunity to learn the customary behavior of women in the Muslim society in which she was born. Even before she became queen--during her father's reign--she was preoccupied with the affairs of the state. As sultana, Razia adopted men's dress; and contrary to custom, she would later show her face when she later rode an elephant into battle at the head of her army. A shrewd politician, Razia managed to keep the nobles in check, while enlisting the support of the army and the populace. Her greatest accomplishment on the political front was to manipulate rebel factions into opposing each other. At that point, Razia seemed destined to become one of the most powerful rulers of the Delhi sultanate.
But the sultana miscounted the consequences that a special relationship with one of her Assyrian slaves, Jalal-ud-din Yaqut, would have for her reign. According to some accounts, Razia and Yaqut were lovers; other sources simply identify them as close confidants. In any case, before long she had aroused the jealousy of the Muslim nobility by the favoritism she displayed toward Yaqut. Eventually, the governor of Bhatinda, a childhood friend named Malik Ikhtiar-ud-din Altunia, rebelled, refusing any longer to accept Razia's authority.
A battle between Razia and Altunia ensued, with the result that Yaqut was killed, and Razia taken prisoner. To escape death, Razia agreed to marry Altunia. Meanwhile, Razia's brother, Muiuddin Bahram Shah, had usurped the throne. After Altunia and Razia undertook to take back the sultanate from Bahram through battle, both Razia and her husband--neither more than 30 years of age--were killed on October 14, 1240. Bahram, for his part, would later be dethroned for incompetence.

British Architecture

2007-06-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

Various buildings built by the British in India are our most prized heritage. South Block, administrative building in New Delhi is no less than Taz Mahal in grandure. India is full of such great buildings constructed by the British under their rule. The Archetecture of the building adapts to the climate of Delhi.

Moving In Delhi

2007-06-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

Delhi is cooler today. Jaiselmer in Rajasthan (India) recorded a maximum of 51 degree celcius. Wow! that's not cool man! I love wandering in Delhi with my backpack whenever I find the temperature a bit down the scale. I have seen most of Delhi just by roaming using cheap public transportation like Buses and the Metro. Autorickshaws ofcourse are not cheaper. The Metro rail has also made it much easier to coummute in Delhi. Though it doesn't take you to every places in Delhi. The Metro network is expanding. I have also taken pictures of many monumments and places in Delhi. Soon I am going to post them on this blog.

Heat and the Taz Mahal.

2007-06-11T01:31:00.000-07:00

The heat in Delhi shows no sign of abetting. A few dozen people, mostly poors have died due to heat stroke. But many people keep going about their business unmindful of the heat. I found Deshehri and Safeda variety of Mango selling cheaper. They were a tasty lot. This year I haven't tasted the litcchis from Bihar. The fruit,though of Chinese origin, is widely cultivated in hotter parts of Northern India. They are blood red with a thin coveing and the white juicy pulp inside tastes simply great. Everybody in Delhi is presently hoping for rains to cool down the temperature a bit.

Delhi has so many meadival monuments to see. They were, most of them built by the Muslim rulers of India. They are prized possesion of India. Agra, a two hours journey from New Delhi has a great monument called Taz Mahal. It is majestically beautiful. The taz Mahal is also in fray to be included in the 7 wonders of the world. I hope that it does get included so the tourist flow to it would increase manyfold. Taz deserves to be admired and appreciated for its grandure.

Trouble in Gangtok

2005-10-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

On 24th September it rained and thundered like anything in Sikkim. Sikkim was struck with trazedy. Four mountaineers (including one of my friend ) died buried under an avalanche. There was no electricity and internet connection since 24th September. About 20 people died in other cases of landslides and felling trees. At one time I too felt that my time has come now. But, now the life has restored to normal. My television set and a few flurocent blubs in my house went phut due to lightening. But thanks God my computer set is saved, it was closed at that time. I will be back with my blog soon.

OH POVERTY!

2005-09-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Can Extreme Poverty Be Eliminated? SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN has a very informative article on this.

MOVIE PIRACY

2005-09-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday when I brought a CD to watch a new Hindi movie I was surprised and angry to find that it was a pirated one. The sound and picture quality of the movie was so poor that the whole movie appeared to be recorded using a video recorder in a movie hall. The movie pirates are creating havoc with the quality and economy of the films. It was heartening to know that six major Hollywood studios, hoping to gain more control over their technological destiny, have agreed to jointly finance a multimillion-dollar research laboratory to speed the development of new ways to foil movie pirates. ...MORE. I hope that similar steps will be taken by the Bollywood studios here.

AMERICAN WINE

2005-09-19T02:10:00.000-07:00

As the winter approches and Christmas is not far you can benefit from a little research on the wines from different countries and their unique taste. But according to a recent study it is the American taste which is going to be most popular.....MORE

IS OUR BRAIN STILL EVOLVING?

2005-09-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

A new study proves that our brains are still evolving. Is it true that the brains of groups of people from different parts of the world function differently? For more read here

How To Have A Beautiful Mind is an excellent book by Edward De Bono. Bono writes that we spend a fortune on clothes, cosmetics, diets, workouts and even on surgery - to make our bodies more attractive. But we hardly make any effort to make our mind beautuful. He starts his book with this story-"There is this beautiful women at a coctail party . She has flawless skin, elegant clothes and aperfect figure. Surprisingly, she seems to be much on her own. people come up to her and quickly drift away. then there is this short, balding and mousy man. He is always surrounded by people in animated conversation with him. What is going on? The beautiful women had a boring mind and the mousy man had a beautiful mind. This is the difference." The book spread over eighteen chapters throws a new light on the functioning of human mind. It teaches you how to have a beautiful mind. A great book.

KHANGCHENDZONGA EXPEDITION

2005-09-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

George Band is in Gangtok. He was part of the 1955 British expedition to Mount Khangchendzonga led by Charles Evan. In 1953, Band barely 18 years old had accompanied the John Hunt expedition to the Everest that put Hillary to the Top. By 1955 Everest has been conquered and so had K2, Khangchendzonga was the third highest peak in the world which was yet to be conquered. Charles Evan was successful in reaching to the top of Khangchendzonga. As the peak is worshipped by the local tribes in Sikkim the expedition left the six feet of the summit undone as a gesture of respect to the local sentiments.

Though Such expedtions are no longer allowed, Sikkim is celebrating 50th anniversary of the Khangchendzonga expedition.

HUMAN POPULATION

2005-09-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

Is our growing population a threat to Planet Earth? Scientific American has this to say.

The Festival

2005-09-17T02:45:00.000-07:00

Pang Lhabsol festival is quite unique to Sikkim. It was popularised by the third Chogyal (King) of Sikkim, Chakdor Namgyal. In this festival the snowy range of Kachendzonga is worshipped for its unifying powers. This festival marks the signing of the treaty of brotherhood between the Lepchas and Bhutias by Khye Bumsa (17th Century King of Kham province of Tibet) and Tetong Tek (17th Century Lepcha ruler of Sikkim) when the local deities were invoked to witness the occasion. In fact Phang means witness. On this day, the guardian deity is portrayed by masked Lama dances as a fiery red-faced deity with a crown of five skulls, riding a snow lion. To lighten the mood of the spectators, jesters called 'Atchars' play antics during the Chaams (Dance). The mood in Sikkim has become festive.

BOY WITH A PIPE

2005-09-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

I found it very intertesting that a 1905 masterpiece by Pablo Picasso has sold for $104m, becoming the world's most expensive painting.Garcon a la Pipe - or Boy with a Pipe - was sold to an anonymous bidder at Sotheby's in New York. Picasso painted Garcon a la Pipe when he was 24. It depicts a young Parisian working boy crowned with a garland of roses, holding a pipe in his left hand. He completed the painting in 1905.
But I wonder why the buyer want to remain anonymous! Does he fear thieves or Tax officials?

WE SHOULD LAUGH A LOT

2005-09-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

I really like this guy called Mulla Nasiruddin.He was a sufi mystic. I think he achieved enlightenmen through jokes and through his sense of humor. Here is a joke about Mulla.

Mulla Nasrudin and his wife went to Israel for their holidays and visited a nightclub in Tel Aviv. A comedian was on the bill who did his whole act in Hebrew. Nasrudin's wife sat through the comic's act in silence, but Nasrudin roared with laughter at the end of each joke.
"I did not know you understood Hebrew," she said to the Mulla when the comedian had concluded his act.
"I don't," replied Nasrudin.
"Well, how come you laughed so much at his jokes?"
"Oh," said Nasrudin, "I trusted him."

BEING HAPPY IS ENLIGHTENMENT!

2005-09-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

I think that knowing the cause of suffering, avoiding them (causes), handling misfortune and pain and knowing the art or science of being happy and spreading happiness in the world is enlightenment. I find it hard to believe that there is any mystery attached with ‘Enlightenment’. Enlightenment can be achieved through meditation, sex, reading, writing, traveling, talking, loving, helping others, dancing, music, sports, business and making money, drinking, partying, foods (cooking or eating them) or even through blogging! This is what my idea of enlightenment is! I might be right, I might be wrong. But then it is a journey, the journey of self-discovery that I have embarked upon. This is my first step towards discovery of a spiritual world that I think lies within us. More on this in my next blog.

REMEMBERING THEM

2005-09-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

ALL THOSE YOU WHO SLEEP TONIGHT
FAR FROM ONES YOU LOVED
NO HAND LEFT TO RIGHT
AND EMPTYNESS ABOVE

KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE
BUT THE WHOLE WORLD SHARE
YOUR TEARS
SOME FOR ONE NIGHT OR TWO
AND SOME FOR ALL THEIR YEARS!

By VIKRAM SETH

SEX AND ENLIGHTENMENT

2005-09-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

Studying the spread of Vajrayana Buddhism in the Himalayan region, I was surprised to learn that enlightenment can be achieved through Sex. So far, I had only known that one fine day Buddha, a former prince in the 6th century BC India, sat under a tree and went on meditating for days and nights and overcoming many physical and spiritual hurdles, achieved enlightenment. I have even wondered what exactly enlightenment is? While trying to understand enlightenment, I was told that Enlightenment couldn’t be comprehended by Intellect. Intellect is not the right faculty to understand enlightenment. The word enlightenment has the word 'light' sandwiched between 'en' and 'enment'. It occured to me that through meditation a light must have appeared before Buddha dispelling all the darkness, which I think, are negativities. Or he may have achieved extraordinary control over his mind that he was able to control all the ramifications and emanations not only of his mind but of other people's mind too. This is my conjucture, there might be other theories.

But in the process of my learning, trying to understand enlightenment in the light of sex was puzzling me. I think OSHO was the first person from the Indian subcontinent who publicized the theory of achieving enlightenment through sex. He said (in his book 'From Sex To Superconciousness') that a sexual union between a male and a female can result into enlightenment if one knows the method. He was not liked in India. He became very controversial for propounding that. People found it hard to accept that a religious Guru is preaching sex! But what he telling was not a new theory but a very old one. I learnt that there have been from the first century onwards many practioner of Vajrayana Buddhism who with their female consort practiced Tantra to achieve enlightenment. Guru Padmasdambhava who brought Buddhism to Sikkim and Tibet was such a Buddhist master. More on this in my next blog.

WE DO CARE!

2005-09-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

USA may not be short of funds to help the Katrina affected people. The amount ($5Million) sent by India may not be adequate to help the people affected by Katrina, but I think it is a small gesture from us that we do care!

INDIAN AID

2005-09-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

As I opened the web page of
The Pioneer, I read this:
India contributes $5 mn for Katrina relief

Agencies/ New Delhi

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced a $5 million contribution to the US Red Cross for relief and rehabilitation of the victims of the devastating Hurricane Katrina.

Sania Mirza is performing very well at US open. Her next match is with the Russian girl Maria Sharapova. Best of luck and all good wishes to Sania.

OH MY GOD!

2005-09-04T00:48:00.000-07:00

I think I have to take a break from Sikkim. The news from New Orleans is disturbing. I just saw the footage of New Orleans devastation on BBC, Thousands have died and millions become homeless because of the Hurricane Katrina. People are begging for food and to add to the problem there is complete lawlessness. Armed gangs have been reported to roaming and on looting spree. Reuters have this to report , "New Orleans today is a nightmare come true for America as the hungry beg for help, bodies lie along flooded sidewalks, and bands of armed thugs thwart fitful rescue efforts. Gunfire in some areas has halted search and rescue efforts. Police Chief Eddie Compass, commenting on the anarchy that has seized New Orleans, said, "We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten." A woman said she asked a police officer for assistance and his response was, "Go to hell. It's every man for himself."

This is disturbing indeed! But I have a firm faith that the people of USA will rise to the occasion and with tenacity and courage will overcome the misfortune. May God help them in their fight!

UNDERSTANDING MIND

2005-09-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

In Buddhism, the most intertesting thing I find was understanding the mind. I have realised that Buddhism is essentially a mind religion. I remember a story told to me by a monk :

Once upon a time in ancient India in the land of Uruvella (modern Bodhgaya) there were two monks; one old another young. Once they were visiting a monastery on the other side of the river Niranjara. They came across a young beautiful girl, bejeweled and in fine clothes. She requested them to help her in crossing the river. Being the summer season the river was shallow and the water was waist deep. The young monk lifted the girl on her shoulders and crossed the river. The girl thanked him and went away. The old monk became disturbed. He kept murmuring and showing his annoyance. Walking, they came to a point the old monk could hold no longer. “ Why did you touch her? We monks are not supposed to touch women. There was no need to carry her”, the old monk scolded. The young monk remained calm and replied, “I left her at the bank of the river, why are you still carrying her?”.

Reading some Buddhist texts I learnt that we use our mind as 'goods carrier'. We carry all sorts of goods on them. Most of the goods that we carry are nothing but junks, not worth carrying. They are our petrified thoughts, ideologies, beliefs and conditionings that has been constantly fed to us from our milieu that we live in. These goods greatly affect our nature of mind. If the thoughts that we carry are negative in nature they will lead us to negative action. Likewise if they are positive our action will be positive. We are constantly assaulted with barrage of different thoughts.

India has a tradition of philosophers that have pondered over the nature of mind. They discovered many meditation technique of knowing the nature of mind. They discovered that the mind have two positions one that looks out and another that looks in. Most of the times our mind looks out. We see the material world outside. We have not been conditioned or trained to look inside. The very idea of looking inside makes us uncomfortable and we don’t know how to do it.

Looking inside we discover the inner nature of mind. We learn about the composition of mind. If we analyze the negative compositions of our mind, we discover: Anger, Greed, Jealousy, Spite, Cruelty, Fear, Anxiety, Ego, Ill-Will, Hatred, Suspicion, Distrust, Violence, Deceit, Weakness etc. Likewise the positive compositions are: Compassion, Empathy, Love, Trust, Kindness, Non-Violence, Courage, Will power, Creativity, etc.

The positive and negative qualities are very much there. The idea is not to condemn the negative one and feel good about the positive one but just to understand that they exist. With the knowledge that these qualities exist or doesn’t exist will come understanding. Understanding the nature of mind is the first step towards having a controlled mind. A controlled mind is the gateway to a successful, happy and contented life.

The masters of Buddhism through the ages have discovered the techniques , meditational methods to control the mind. They are the real gems in evolution of human mind. My discovery continues. More in next blog.

MT. KACHENDZONGA

2005-08-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

There is one special thing about Sikkim. The kachendzonga peak is the highest in the country. With a height of about 8586 meter from the mean sea level, it is third highest in the world. The local people especially the Bhutias and Lepchas worship it. Soon a grand festival is going to be held in Gangtok to celebrate Mt. Kachendzonga. People from all over the world are going to participate in it. There will be lot of food and dancing. I am looking forward to it. The rainny season in Sikkim is over now and plenty of sunshine has warmed up the environment here.

2005-08-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

I will tell you more about this pre-Buddhist religion in Sikkim in my subsequent blogs. But I keep on hitting new and interesting things in Sikkim. For a break let me tell you that I met this person called Gyatso, who kept a tin of biscuits given to him about forty years ago. The tin of biscuit is still with him. He is even trying to make it figure in Limca Book of Records. He think that it must be the oldest tin of biscuit in Asia. Best of luck to Gyatso!

BON : THE PREBUDDHIST RELIGION OF TIBET

2005-08-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Lama Yungdrung smiled and said that he belongs to Bon sect, a pre-Buddhist sect of Tibet. Before the coming of Buddhism in Tibet , Bon was the prevalent religion. 'We are Bonpos and our religion is Yungdrung Bon'., Lama yungdrung said. 'Ours is the original religion of Tibet. ' He said with a resolve and I noticed the streak of a humble prideness on his face. 'We have our own Buddha whom we call Sangey Tonpa Shenrap', He said. Later on I discovered that the followers of Bon religion were reduced to minority after coming of Buddhism of Guru Padmasambhava in Tibet in the seventh century. There is even a history of conflict between Buddhism and Bon in Tibet. But I noticed no tangible difference between the two religion. Their Lamas wore same dress only with a difference of a blue inside their robe. They have their own religious head called Lopon Tenzing Namdak who now live at a Bon monastery in Nepal. On the way a little far from a small helmet called Rabangla, we reached Shohing, a small village. Where on the road side I came across a small monastery. 'This is my monastery', he said. ' Presently only 15 lamas live here, but we have a plan of expending our monastery, so more and more lamas can be accomodated and we can preserve our religion and tradition', Lama Yungdrung sounded exited. There was even a small guest house for the guests in the monastery. We were lodged there.

GURU PADMASAMBHAVA

2005-08-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

Guru Padmasambvhava (7th century BUddhist Tantrik master)) is credited with bringing Buddhism to Sikkim. He is regarded as the second Buddha by the Buddhists of Sikkim. In Sikkim I came to know that the Buddhists of Sikkim who mostly belong to Bhutia tribe follow four schools of Buddhism. The four of schools of Tibetan Buddhism are Nyingma,Kagyu, Sakya and Gelugs. Most of the Buddhists in Sikkim are followers of Nyingma which was founded by Guru Padmasambhava. It basically is a Tantric sect and its Lamas keep long hair and are allowed to live with their consorts called 'Khandrula'. They claim that they achive enlightenment through Tantric way taught by Buddha. The photgraph here is of Gurupadmasambava recently built at Namchi (South Sikkim). It is 135 ft tall statue of Guru Padmasambhava said to be tallest in the world.

I was full of surprise when Lama Yungdrung told me that he doesnt belong to all the four sects mentioned by me. His sect is the oldest. He belongs to a pre-Buddhist sect of Tibet. Read my next blog to know about this pre-Buddhist sect.

LAMA YUNGDRUNG

2005-08-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

My meeting Lama Yungdrung was accidental. I was learning Buddhism in Sikkim. I heared about a 2oo years old monastery called Pemayangtze in West Sikkim. I decided to visit it. I contacted a local freelance photographer friend Mr Lepcha. He agreed to accompany me to pemayangtze monastery which was a 4 hour drive from Gangtok. He said that it would be nice if we take a Lama with us. The Lama according to him would be able to explain to us what we will not understand at the monastery. I was doubtful about the idea of taking a Lama from Gangtok, dont we will get plenty of them at the monastery! Mr Lepcha said that he knows a Lama who is a good friend of him and who has agreed to accompany us to the monastery.
Next day morning it was drizziling. Mr Lepcha arrived with vehicle and honked at my residence. I entered the vehicle and saw an elederly monk with a big smile. 'How are u saheb?' He said. I returned the smiled and shook hand with him. 'Please visit my monastery . It is a small monastery , but ours is the oldest religion', Lama Yungdrung said. At that time I hadn't comprehended the full meaning of what he was saying.
It was only later that I understood what he meant by his 'oldest religion'.
Read my next blog...for more that what I discovered.

A Village Near Gangtok.

2005-08-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

The country side of Sikkim is very beautiful.

Gangtok And Shimla

2005-08-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Sikkim is a small Himalayan state. Gangtok, its capital is small and beautiful. Gangtok, I think is more beautiful than Shimla. This could be because Gangtok is new and younger than Shimla. Like other Hill stations in India Gangtok was never under British. Sikkim remained protectorate of Government of India till 1975. In 1975 Indira Gandhi took some strong steps to make Sikkim a part of India. There was also a people's movement here for Sikkim's merger with India. Under the leadership of L.D. Kazi, the Chogyal, the king of Sikkim was removed and a democatic election for the first time was held in sikkim in 1975 and Kazi became the first Chief minister of Sikim. The Kazi is still alive. Now more than 100 years old he lives in Kalimpong, a nearby hill station adjacent to Darjeeling. The young generation now seem to forget him. He leads a reclusive life.

But Gangtok moves on. People now eager to excell in life are vibrant and dynamic. One thing that is remarkable about the people of Gangtok is that there is a streak of spirituality in their quest for material things.

india and china

2005-08-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

These two contries are the greatest emerging power in Asia. India has its own strenths and weaknesses and China has its own. But sometimes I think that we are not as disciplined as China is. Their achivement is something that we see. We lack marketing skill. We dont know how to market ourselves. How to sell the things that need to be sold. China despite its closed society and being communist is progressing and we with all the politically correct things are not showing signs of development. The flood in the Mumbai was an eye opener.

SANDY SINHA

my world

2005-08-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

my world
While coming to Sikkim (India) and doing some research here on Buddhism I discovered that Nathula Pass is the door which is going to open in the first week of October this year in Sikkim. Nathula Pass is about 14,000 feet from the mean sea level on the Indo-China border. Trade, which will mostly be in barter system will begin this year. The people of Sikkim are excited about the opening of the border and they view that it will bring new prosperity to the people of the region. Many people are excited that they will be able to visit Lhasa in future. This is a new chapter in the relation ship between India and China. Nathula was the part of the old silk route.

SANDY SINHA

my world

2005-08-25T02:19:00.000-07:00

my world
I live in a small town. My milkman is a very honest man. Today morning when I asked him 'Hey! Milkman is your milk pure?'. He said 'It is my cow's milk sir, I dont give milk I only deliver it!'

'Okay -okay is your cow's milk pure?
'Yes sir! the milk is very pure, I mix Bisleri only!'

POETS

2005-08-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

my world
EEK DIN EEK TRAFFIC POLICE
WALE NEY
EEK SCOOTER WALEY KO
DOOSREY SCOOTER WALEY KA
TEEZI SEY PEECHA KARTEY
DEKH USEY ROKA
RASH DRIVING KEY LIYEY
USEY TOKA-

TRAFFIC KA NIYAM TORTEY HO
DOOSEREY SCOOTER KA PEECHA
KYON KARTEY HO?

YEH SOON UK SCOOTERWALEY NEY KAHA
YEH APNEY KYA KIYA
USEY BHAGA DIYA!

MAIN KAVI HOON WO BHI KAVI THA
USNEY MERI KAVITA SUNI NAHIN
KAMBAKHT APNI SUNA GAYA!

SANDY SINHA

my world

2005-08-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

my world
EK BAR EK NETA NEY
ELECTION SEY PAHLEY
APNEY P.A. SEY KAHA
MERA TO ELECTION SYMBOL HOGA GADHA

KYONKI HAMAREY DESH MAIN
GADHON KI KAMI NAHIN HAI
EES DESH MAIN AAP JAHAN JAYENGAY
HAR TARAF HAR JAGAH
AAP GADHEY PAYENGAY

VOTER TO ELECTION SYMBOL
DEKHTEY HEE PAHCHAN JAYENGAY

YAH SUNTEY HEE P.A. NEY KAHA
LEKIN SIR EK BAAT TO BATEYEY
AAPMAIN AUR AAPKE ELECTION SYMBOL MAIN
KUCHH TO FARK HONA CHAHEY

SANDY SINHA

my world

2005-08-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

The special thing about Hindi Comedy poetry is that it sounds best when it is recited. The great comedy poets in Hindi, also called Hasya Kavis have such a reputation that the momenmt they reach on stage people starts laughing. Their very sight is laughfable. Not often, but sometimes these comedy poems are also laden with Vyanga, which means that it conveys some serious thoughts coated in comedy. The poet conveys message through these comedy poems. The two comedy poems that have I have posted doesnt have any serious thoughts. They are just for laughs. Such poems are good for health. Enjoy them. The only hurdle in enjoying the posted poems is not knowing Hindi. You must know Hindi to enjoy them. If you dont know Hindi but know only English then contact me. I may teach you some Hindi. With best wishes.