Paradoxes of our times

George Carlin, comedian of the 70s and 80s whose wife recently passed away, wrote the following eloquent and appropriate piece on our times which is infact is in congruence with our almamater teachings:

The paradox of our time is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways , but narrower viewpoints।We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time॥We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge , but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom। We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life। We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul॥ We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice। We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships। These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever।
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side।
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again॥
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind।

AND ALWAYS PONDER UPON:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

India's historical turning point, with zero reserves

Column: Abroad View

July 1, 1991 was a fateful day for India after independence. It was on this day that India reached zero foreign exchange reserves, with mounting debt. All economic policies of the preceding governments had failed; the country was technically bankrupt.

Nobody in the world would lend India a penny to finance its oil imports, raw materials and spare parts purchases. There was nothing in the country's industrial and agricultural base that it could export to earn foreign exchange quickly. Foreign debt at that time stood at US$69 billion and it could not be serviced. Hence foreign banks could seize Indian assets abroad. There was an urgent need to do something before the nation collapsed.

That is when the current prime minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, arrived on the scene. He had to be persuaded to relinquish his comfortable job at the United Nations in favor of a cruddy job as India's finance minister. He took the challenge and almost immediately sold off US$200 million worth of confiscated gold (from smugglers) and then air lifted several tons of Indian gold stored at the Reserve Bank of India to the Bank of England to act as collateral. A $400 million line of credit allowed India to ride out its greatest credit crisis.

That was then. Today India's foreign reserves stand at US$240 billion with a $1 trillion economy, $150 billion in exports, $22 billion in foreign remittances and about $20 billion in foreign direct investment. All this is giving India a high 9-10 percent GDP growth.

Since that day in infamy in 1991, India learned the hard way to dump state controls. Liberalization began immediately. Singh stayed at the helm as finance minister for awhile and then left. Smart, business-oriented finance ministers succeeded him and built India into an economic powerhouse. Each succeeding prime minister since 1991 had only one thing on his mind -- speeding up economic progress. The alternative was to perish in social turmoil.

If one goes back to 1950 and compares the country the British left in a mess to the India of today, it is a great surprise. Here are some statistics:

In 1948, India's population was 360 million, GDP 47 billion, literacy rate 18 percent, and life expectancy 32 years. The poverty rate was 45 percent. Agriculture accounted for 56 percent of the economy, manufacturing for 15 percent and services, 28 percent. Annual food grain output was 54 million tons.

By comparison, in 2006, India's population was 1.1 billion, GDP 1 trillion, literacy rate 65 percent, and life expectancy 64 years. The poverty rate was 28 percent. Agriculture accounted for 20 percent of the economy, manufacturing for 20 percent and services, 61 percent. Annual food grain output was 215 million tons.

This is a phenomenal achievement. Even if we discredit successive governments from 1950 to 1991 as mindless socialist sycophants, they did keep India together. And in 1991 they handed it over to the new breed of managers as a moderate, ambitious and ready-for-new-technology nation. Much of the progress has occurred in the last 15 years. Prior to that progress was lackluster at 3.5 percent growth.

The future looks good for the country. India in 20 years will bypass Japan in GDP and will catch up to the United States in 35 years. China will stay ahead for awhile, depending on how much business the West conducts with it. One will never be sure that China is really ahead of India, for faulty statistics and a revalued yuan give its GDP a higher value.

China's progress is mostly on paper, especially if you consider that 62 percent of its output is exported. There is hardly anything left for the locals to share. The widely publicized Chinese progress is not people-oriented. It is all exports. The amount of goods and services left for local consumption in India and China is roughly the same, as India consumes 60 percent of its GDP and exports only 40 percent. That should make people in India and China at about the same level.

In spite of all this progress, the world identifies India with poverty, Gandhi and Taj Mahal. That is what a BBC survey of major European counties indicated. The Asian countries that participated in the survey had a different view, however. They identified India as modern and high on development and technology. The old stereotype, which the British had a hand in creating, never seems to go away.

A British-born reader of my columns with mixed heritage recently commented that his mother, an English woman, has been telling him that Indians are the lowest of the low races. She has been telling him that if the British had not reached India 200 years ago, the Indians would still be in the gutter. After reading my papers, he has changed his opinion and has been asking his mother a few unpleasant questions about the British Raj. These stereotypes have been perpetuated with the blessing of ultra-conservative politicians and the conniving press.

Back to India: in the 60 years of its existence after the British Raj, one cannot but complement its people. They have made phenomenal progress in spite of being victimized by the West for being pro-Soviet during the Cold War, kept out of important institutions of the world like the United Nations, vilified with bad laws for exploding a nuclear device in 1974, and subjected to untold misery by militarily arming a neighbor. India is an economic powerhouse today, in spite of all their machinations.

If you still do not believe me, consider the luxury of all luxuries -- gold and diamonds. India's total reserves of gold, both public and private, exceed 16,000 tons (worth about US$400 billion). It is more than the combined official reserves of the United States, Germany and the International Monetary Fund.

Indian gold is mostly in private hands. Every household uses this valuable commodity as social security. Every year India imports 850 tons of gold, roughly 25 percent of the yearly world gold output. Three-quarters of it is converted into jewelry and bridal wear. If the gold demand in India slackens a bit, the Bullion Exchange in London goes into a tizzy.

The same is true of the diamond trade also. India polishes and exports 80 percent of the world's diamonds, amounting to about $15 billion a year. Since there are no local mines, India buys about $8 billion worth of rough diamonds and polishes them to add about 50 percent additional value.

Finally, one has to reflect on the epoch-making event of 1991. Had this event not occurred, would India still be in the grips of the same socialist morass that had afflicted it for the past 40 years? This day was the turning point of India's economic fortunes.

India has a long way to go economically. It has not vanquished poverty yet. But that turning point is not far away. It is likely to arrive in about ten years. Again India is not technologically independent. That turning point is about 30 years away. Worst of all, India does not have the respect it deserves. That turning point will arrive when a notice is served to the world that the people of India mean business and will not settle for anything less.

When a poor person dies of hunger !!! What is all about

"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."

"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her.It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed."

"If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive."

All these quotes are given by the great individual ever lived on this earth mother Teresa each and every person on this earth should feel proud for having a such a person who has goddess in her.

SHE!!! always speaks to ME!!!

"Mother" is such a simple word, but to me there’s meaning seldom heard. For everything I am today, My mother’s love showed me the way. I’ll love my mother all my days, for enriching my life in so many ways. She set me straight and then set me free, and that’s what the word "mother" means to me. thanks for being a wonderful mother, Mom!!!

The Trouble

If we can learn to respond properly to our problems and allow them to draw us closer toGod, then, they can be turned into spiritual opportunities for growth and ministry. As welearn to handle the problems of life, we begin to grow spiritually, and as we do so, we become better equipped to help others do the same. In so doing, we turn our difficultiesinto opportunities for serving the Lord. It is in this sense that you can really learn to benefit from trouble.

If God is greater than our troubles and He can give us the wisdom to face them, then itonly stands to reason that we should seek Him for the solutions to our problems.

The real answers to the troubles of life are not found in the advice columns of the newspapers or in the talk shows on TV and the radio. The real answers are found in the Word of God. They are composed of the principles of truth which are expressed in Scripture. As we learn these truths, meditate upon them, and obey them in our daily living, we can learn to face any trouble, knowing that God is on our side.

There is no problem that God cannot solve. He loves you more than you could ever love yourself, and He understands you better than you could ever understand yourself. He knows what you need, when you need it, and why you need it. When those truths sink into our hearts, we are brought to the calm assurance that we can trust God completely. His promises will never fail. Trust Him, Belive Him, Love Him.

7 Pickle

I have never met people who are as nice as the Kannadigas that I have met and I can call them as my friends. I really enjoyed MY excursion to beach, where all along the way I saw the greenest land and thousands of coconut trees, sober soil, fishers man at the task, kids playing at there slots. Trivandrum is an area of transformation, the unique presence of such pleasant places will enlight anyone's heart. With clouds passing over the Eastern ghats it was a positive beauty, I was feeling very closer to God when I see the nature at close. it was really fantastic tour I’m on at... I heard, smelled saw and tasted the varieties of kerala meals. this is only the beginning. My senses are overwhelmed. Being humble is the core of the Keralities belief system. A warm smile doesn't cost a dime, and goes a long way. Every smile is from a place that is pure. This is the tradition of Kerala. What I have noticed is that Keralites love to give. Receiving is not their motivation either. My first true Keralian meal was the feast at Vinu's marriage celebration. Ate a banquet meal on a banana leaf with 7 types of pickle and 4 types of absolute traditional style of kerala sweets (payasam) The food was over and over again, a never ending supply of rice and a huge variety of gravies. The meal was delicious but more than anyone could eat. I enjoyed it... Thanks to binny and his father on koylone trip...

If our Scruples is CLEAR...

Trust is a very important factor for all relationships. When trust is broken it is the end of the relationship. Lack of trust leads to suspicion, suspicion generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation.

We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war. We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves. If we forgive the others, others will ignore our mistake too. People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.

There is a saying that a perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband, because the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and the deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of the wife. Many couples are blind and deaf at the courting stage and dream of perpetual perfect relationship. Unfortunately, when the excitement of love wears off, they wake up and discover that marriage is not a bed of roses. The nightmare begins.

Many relationships fail because one party tries to overpower another, or demands too much. People in love tend to think that love will conquer all and their spouses will change the bad habits after marriage. Actually, this is not the case. There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river than a person's character." It is not easy to change. Thus, having high expectation on changing the spouse character will cause disappointment and unpleasantness. It would be less painful to change ourselves and lower our expectations. Many relationships break off because of wrong speech. When a couple is too close with each other, we always forget mutual respect and courtesy. We may say anything without considering if it would hurt the other party.

Thus, do not be too bothered by others words if our conscience is clear.

Becoming a future leader in organized crime

What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Is there a God or isn’t there, and if there is a God, Why do we call nature as God? What is Love? What is its nature? Of all the world’s religions, which one is the most correct? Is there an afterlife? Why do we fall in love? Why is she and He made for? Are we primarily physical beings or spiritual beings?

Do you have answers for these questions???

People have struggled for millennia to tackle these questions. Wars have been fought over them. But as much as these questions cause people to lose their heads (sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally), the bottom line is that these are very practical questions.

Behind the Wheel !!!
The way we answer these questions will provide the ultimate context for everything else we do with our lives. If we place any value on our lives at all, we must give some consideration to these questions.

Let’s say you have your life organized around goals, projects, and actions. You set a goal like starting a new internet business. You break it down into projects like writing a business plan and launching your web site. And then you break those projects down into actions like going to the bank to open a business account and registering your domain name. Fair enough.

But why start the business in the first place? What’s the point? Why pick this goal vs. any other goal? Why even set goals at all?

What determines the goals you set (or don’t set) is your context. Your context is your collection of beliefs and values. So if the values of money and freedom are part of your context, you might be inclined to set a goal to start a new business. But with different kinds of values — a different context — you may be disinclined to set goals at all.

The most significant part of your context is your collection of beliefs about the nature of reality, which includes your truths, religious, spiritual, and philosophical beliefs. Your overall beliefs about the universe will largely determine your results. Context dictates goals. Goals dictate projects. Projects dictate actions. Actions dictate results.

Within a certain context, it will be virtually impossible for you to achieve certain results because you’ll never set the required goals that will lead to those results.

Your context works like a filter. When you are inside a particular context, you lose access to the potential goals, projects, and actions that lie outside that context. For example, if your context includes the belief that criminal behavior is very bad, then you aren’t likely to work towards becoming a future leader in organised crime.