Aman Ki Asha

Aman Ki Asha
(Should Peace Be Given A Chance?)

A tryst was made with our destiny on the midnight of 14/15^th August, 1947. We became a free nation. But one of our limbs was cut off from our body. The wound of that broken limb is still giving us pain, our blood spills on the roads & in the war fields. Our leaders who could have prevented the severing of our limbs & the bloodshed consequent to it, had they applied a little restraint on their ego & listened to the lone but sane voice of the Father of the Nation. In stead, they chose to opt for the division of the country into India & Pakistan & became the instruments in sowing the seeds of ceaseless hostility, suspicion & unrest between the two countries, the fruits of which we are reaping today by way of four wars, innumerable skirmishes along the border & a spate of terrorist attacks on our soil. We grew up hating one another & the hatred has become so strong & so great that it veiled our visions to see the consequences of our animosity.

Subsequent governments in Pakistan successfully created an atmosphere of hate & hostility in the minds of their people against India, by making Kashmir their bone of contention. Kashmir became an anchor & a magic word for their survival in the turbulent ocean of Pakistan’s power politics. Subsequent governments in India also failed miserably in creating favourable world opinion in its favour & against Pakistan’s terrorist activities. Our diplomatic loss became their gain as foreign aids came pouring into Pakistan from the nations who have a stake in keeping their interest intact in this region.

In this atmosphere of hate, hostility & suspicion, it may appear foolish to plead for or talk about peace & reconciliation. It is natural for one to say, when the relation between two brothers gets sour, they can not see eye to eye & become sworn enemies, thirsting for the blood, of one another & here, we have suffered so much due to the cross border terrorist attacks on our soil & are yet to recover from the shocks of 26/11, it is nothing but nonsense to talk about peace. It is difficult to extend a hand of friendship to a nation, whom we hither to considered as our enemy number one. But the reality is, in the prevalent circumstances, it is the sanest thing to talk peace.

We both share a common heritage, a common culture, we speak the same language, our food habits & our way of living are also the same. Even we share a common history till the partition. We struggled side by side to win our freedom from the British. Our relatives & friends still live in both sides of the border. How long can an artificial border be able to stand as a barrier between our hearts to mingle or keep us apart?

Is it not a fact that we enjoy listening to the songs of Nusarat Fateh Ali Khan or Rahat Fateh Ali Khan as much as we enjoy listening to Mohd.Rafi or Kishor Kumar? Whether the ghajals of Ghulam Ali or Mehdi Hassan do not enthrall us as much as we are enchanted by the ghajals of Jagjit Singh or Pankaj Udhas? Do the people on the other side of the border not enjoy a Bachhan or Shahrukh starrer movie like us? Are we not fans of cricketers like Zaved Miandad or Wasim Akram? Is it not a fact that in the event of India’s ouster in the world cup series, we pray for Pakistan’s victory? Even, a majority, of the common people, on both side of the border, do not believe in hostility between the two countries & want to live as good friendly neighbours.

Why should we give peace a chance?

We should give peace a chance because -----

--- Violence & hostility will lead us nowhere & will always end in destruction, whereas peace will bring prosperity with it.

--- We can not bequeath a legacy of suspicion, hatred & violence to our progeny so that their future will be sealed between the crossfire of internal & external terrorism.

--- Pakistan as a peaceful & friendly neighbour on our side, we can concentrate more on developmental activities having to divert our resources less on security, both internal & external.

--- The evil intentions of some foreign powers that have vested interests in keeping the Indo-Pak strife alive, as a rapidly growing India, which is becoming economically stronger & on its way to achieve the status of a superpower, may become a threat to their hitherto unchallenged supremacy over this region, will be foiled by friendship between India & Pakistan.

--- China, who is also rapidly developing & is also a likely superpower, has sinister designs on Indian territories. At this stage, a weak Pakistan’s leaning on China, may place the latter in an advantageous position.

--- A strong & stable Pakistan is needed in India’s own benefit, because the people of a weak & unstable Pakistan, may feel jealous of India’s progress & prosperity & drive their youth to adopt terrorist activities as a career. If Pakistan can live in peace, India will also live in peace.

--- In the event of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, it will be difficult for Pakistan to contain the Taliban onslaught on them. Then India can not remain untouched from its repercussions.

--- One can not ignore the fact that Pakistan is a nuclear power & is also unstable. There is every possibility of its nuclear arsenal falling into wrong & rogue hands, which may use it against India. It is in India’s interest that it should help Pakistan in restoring its stability.

What should be done?

--- As people on both sides want peace & to live as friendly neighbours, we can by our sustained efforts, try to remove the clouds of suspicion from the minds of the people through people to people interaction.

--- Resumption of trade & commerce between the two countries will go a long way in creating good will.

--- Making it easier to visit friends & relatives across the border.

--- Cutting across party lines, politicians must unite in their effort to bring an end to 62 years of strife.

--- The government must show its astuteness in diplomacy in making its counter part in Pakistan see the realities & act in a manner to create an atmosphere of faith & sincerity of purpose by its actions & public declarations.

--- Kashmir issue has remained a bone of contention between the two countries. It needs consummation on the parts of the think tank of the government of India to tackle the tricky question & find an intelligent solution.

--- So far Pakistan’s response towards cooperation in the investigation of 26/11 & other terrorist activities have been in negative. The government’s efforts must be to convince them to evoke a positive response.

The Role of the Media.

Media can play the most important role in bridging the hearts of the two people. The efforts of the Times of India & the Jang group of newspapers of Pakistan are commendable & definitely the steps taken in right direction. It may be a good thing to invite big public figures to forum discussions for a positive impact on public mind. But unless & until, common people are encouraged to give vent to their feelings on such platforms, it can not generate the desired effect on public mind. And the media, while highlighting on the facts that not all, those who cross the border, are terrorists, it must also show its concern for those Indians who are languishing in Pak jails. It should generate pressure on the government to arrange for their early release.

Cautions & precautions

--- At no stage, in our zealousness, we can compromise with the internal or the external security of our nation.

--- We must remain alert at every step till the atmosphere is being cleared of hate & suspicion & hostility. Every step taken towards the normalization of relation must be cautious & gradual.

We have lived in an atmosphere of mutual hate & suspicion for sixty two years. If we don’t want to live in this poisonous atmosphere any longer, it is the perfect time to think about peace. We must ask ourselves, whether we should leave a legacy of hatred, violence & fear of terrorist attacks for our future generations or gift them an atmosphere of peace & prosperity & a friendly neighbour who believes in peaceful coexistence? One day the great German wall had to fall. Who knows a day may come when there will be no artificial barrier to divide the two nations. India & Pakistan may become one reunified nation. But it is premature to think such thoughts. Till then we may give PEACE a chance.

What do you say my friends?

Please feel free to express your genuine thoughts by way of your valuable comments.

I am also conducting a sort of poll on this issue. Please write yes or no to give peace a chance.

Thank you all my friends.

Waiting For A Messiah

India as a nation has travelled a long way in the path of progress. It has achieved a lot in certain spheres & also speedily emerging as a strong global economic power & is on its way to a super power status. We as Indians feel a sense of pride in its upward march. But our joy becomes short lived, when we see the plight of the common man & find ourselves utterly helpless to fight against a heavily flawed & corrupt system which believes in ‘self’ before ‘service’, a government which does not think itself accountable to the very public from whom it draws its power to stay in the saddle; a government machinery which is apathetic to public grievances.

The sensible common man feels ashamed to call himself the citizen of a country where millions live under poverty level, where farmers have to commit suicide due to failure of crops or because of their inability to repay the loans, where women don’t feel it safe to venture out for fear their modesty being outraged, where villagers are yet to see electricity or have roads that connect their village to other places, where people die on the streets unattended & uncared for, where girl child are killed before they are born, where brides are burnt alive for want of dowry; where all children do not get an access to education; where children meet untimely death while working in hazardous industries; where there is not adequate medical facilities for all; where politicians of all hues are busy in playing dirty games of politics of caste, creed, communalism & regionalism; where young men & women are driven to despair due to unemployment; where one forgets that he is an Indian first & then a Bengali, a Marathi, a Gujarati, a Tamil or a Telegu; where teachers make education a saleable commodity & educational institutions are nothing but factories for churning out degree holders & not substantial human beings; where doctors love to forget the Hippocratic oath they had taken at the time of getting their degrees, where the media neglects its role as the keepers of public interest & knows only how to raise its TRP by igniting fire & does not know how to douse it, where every other day innocent lives are lost due to terrorist attacks & where justice gets dragged on or never delivered. The list is long & endless. How can a common man be happy & feel proud, when our country is infested with so many diseases that are enough to drown his spirits & drive him to despair?

Some among us like to attribute the causes for the condition of our country to a flawed system of West Minister type of Parliamentary Democracy & find fault with our Constitution. Some think the American style of Presidential form of Government is the panacea that can heal all the diseases, our country is infested with.

All of us, more or less, know the ‘what’s & ‘why’s of the problems. But we do not know the answer to ‘hows. How can we root out the diseases? Who will prescribe the cures? Should we have to wait for another ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ who will unite us again to join a struggle for freedom – this time not from the foreign yoke but from the corrupt leaders whose lack of vision & greed have landed our country in such a mess & cure the maladies of our system? Or should we await the arrival of a Messiah like Lord Krishna, who by His sermons wake up us from our deep slumber of complacency of a ‘chalta hai’ attitude to rise & fight against injustice? Or in the absence of any suitable & ideal role model to follow, should we consider ourselves becoming our own role models to take up cudgels against the ills that, we think, are deterrent to our progress as a welfare state in true sense?

In the mean time, while we are busy in deciding which option to adopt, I want to share some suggestions for your kind appraisal. But before that I want to make it clear, with utmost respect to them, who find all that are bad in our parliamentary democracy or in our constitution & everything that is good in American system of Presidential form of Government, that the Geo-Socio- Political situation of America is far different from India & whatever reform we want to bring out, we have to do it keeping in view the ground realities of our country.

There are some specific areas like foreign affairs & diplomatic relations, where the government must enjoy some liberty. But even in these areas, public can exert enough influence on the government to honour the will of the public. There are some issues like female foeticide & dowry death, which mere law can not check. Public awareness is required to check it.

As we all know that the main enemy of our country is the corrupt politicians. We must begin with cleansing the system by flushing out the corrupt elements from the political atmosphere of our country. For that reform is needed in the electoral system. The People’s Representation Act must be amended to incorporate in it the following clauses (a) every candidate must at least be a graduate to become an MLA or an MP. (b) There must be a retirement age, maximum 65 years for a representative,(c)Candidates with criminal history or criminal cases pending against him can not fight an election (d) Candidates must give a written declaration to the effect that in the event of his failure to deliver the goods or failure to prove his accountability for his acts of omissions & commissions before the very people, his candidature will become cancelled. (e) a representative must remain present in the legislature & participate in the discussions while it is in session.

Multi party system is a bane for healthy functioning of a government. It is the breeding ground of corruption, like horse trading, nepotism, appeasement against blackmailing by smaller regional parties. Regional parties must not be allowed to fight election for Parliament. There should be a bi-party system at the centre. So that there will be one party ruling at the centre & the other party will act as a responsible opposition. Which will not only check the excesses of the government but also will remain ever ready to take up the reigns from the party in power in the event of its fall on the floors of the Parliament. (In England, the opposition is called as ‘Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition’. The opposition there, acts like a shadow government with its shadow cabinet that considers every aspect of the country’s governance, & remains prepared to take up charges from the party in power without having to start anew from the beginning) The opposition should not oppose the government only for opposition’s sake. Its criticism must be constructive & in the interest of the country.

There are a host of other important issues like Abolition of Reservation, a Uniform Civil Code for all communities, A Uniform Marriage, Divorce & Inheritance Law for all communities, To amend the Constitution to incorporate Right to Employment in the Fundamental Rights, to amend the Constitution to abolish Art. 370, to end the special status accorded to Kashmir & bring the Kashmiri people to Indian mainstream & under one law of the land, so that no separate I.Pc & Cr.Pc. be applicable to it.

The government must not be allowed to play the politics of appeasement to the minority community in the name of secularism. When every citizen is entitled to enjoy equal rights under the constitution, how can a certain section of people be called as minority on the basis of their religion? The politics of appeasement creates suspicion against the intention of the government & poisons the atmosphere with mutual doubt & hatred between the two communities & further alienates the Indian Muslims to become a part of the Indian mainstream.

After patiently bearing with me so far, you might be thinking about where is the ‘HOW”. I am coming to it. We are all busy people. We have to take care of our jobs. We have to look after our family. We have our own axe to grind. Who cares, what happens to our country or our fellow beings. Sixty long years have passed due to our lethargy & indifference. We can not waste any more time. We have to take the first step in the right direction. We have to make some sacrifices by way of our precious time & energy. We have to spare a few hours every week in raising awareness among the people by conversing with them while doing the daily round of the market, while taking tea in the office canteen or while visiting a friend or attending a function. The word of mouth can spread like bush fire. We can form small groups where we can have discussions on various issues. There are many good writers among us who can spread awareness though their articles & blogs. If newspapers do not want to accept & publish our individual articles, we can send them forum resolutions by way of news items. At first it will not be so easy, but with patience, we can move in the right direction & generate considerable support for the cause. It will spread like a bush fire & take the shape of a voice of the public. No politician & no government can go on ignoring the just demands of the public for ever. We have a very effective weapon in our hand in the form of a ballot paper. The awareness created by our efforts will make this weapon, ’the ballot paper’ more powerful in the next election. These are some of the areas where we can achieve considerable success by our sustained efforts.

Your kind participation in the discussion & feed backs by way of your comments will go a long way in achieving success in changing the system. One plus one will make eleven. It may appear like the wishful thinking of some old fogies who day dream sitting comfortably in their ivory towers. But believe me Rome was not built in a day. Our combined sustained effort towards our goal will one day give us the taste of the fruit of our labour.

Thank you all.

Mental Feng Shui

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.


TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want..

FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.



SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.



NINE. Love deeply and passionately... You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.



TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.



ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.



TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly..



THIRTEEN! .. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'



FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.



FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.



SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.



SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.



EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.



NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.



TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.



TWENTY- ONE. ;Spend some time alone.

Balance Sheet of Life

Birth

Opening Balance

Death	Closing Balance
Prejudiced Views	Liabilities
Creative Ideas	Assets
Heart	Current Asset
Soul	Fixed Asset
Brain	Fixed Deposit
Thoughts	Current Account
Achievements	Capital
Character & Morals	Stock-in-Trade
Good Friends	General Reserves
Values & Behaviour	Goodwill
Patience	Interest Earned
LOVE	Dividend
Children	Bonus Issues
Education	Brands / Patents
Knowledge	Investment
Experience	Premium Account
Aim is to Tally the Balance Sheet Accurately.
Goal is to get the Best Presented Accounts Award

Amazing snaps

Award winning photograph

Award winning photograph

Heart Attacks And Drinking Warm Water

Heart Attacks And Drinking Warm Water




This is a very good article. Not only about the warm water after your meal, but about Heart Attacks . The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals, not cold water, maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating.

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is feels nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer . It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

French fries and Burgers are the biggest enemy of heart health.
A coke after that gives more power to this demon.
Avoid them for your Heart's Health

Common Symptoms Of Heart Attack...
A serious note about heart attacks - You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting.

Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line .

You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.

Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.

60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive.