Champions of the Future

Putting up this article to divert attention from the bad bad world we see daily in the newspapers and electroninc media to the good good world of samaritans like U C Paulose. You can read more such  moral stories and inspiring thoughts from eminent scholars at  http://indianthoughts.in.

  

Life's Lessons are exemplary life situations, where ideal solutions are properly fit into. Sri. Joseph Mattappally, Founder and Director of Indian Thoughts, is a yoga teacher and a trainer in individuality development workshops. He believes in the harmony of physical, mental and spiritual aspects of human existence.

Recently I came across the success story of a young man who belonged to a family that migrated from Kerala to Karnataka. He was neither well educated nor rich. In 1999, while he was waiting in the railway station for his passenger train to come, he happened to see a few bones-thin mentally challenged persons fighting with stray dogs, just for the leftovers of a railway station dustbin. He was moved beyond words. The man, U C Paulose, decided to raise these mentally handicapped and abandoned humans in an Ashram. He had almost nothing to begin with, except his trust in the divine magnificence. Paulose, his wife and children began caring the abandoned in the streets and gradually a thatched hut emerged; it grew longer and slowly multiplied into a village, where God could not resist visiting. The Hebrew word Seon literally means ‘the realm of God’. Now, ‘Seon Ashram’, which Mr. Paulose founded, supports a multitude of impoverished & emotionally oppressed individuals, regardless of their belief, caste, economic conditions or age. Now, Seon Trust dreams include accommodating more than 500 psychiatric patients alone, developing their Little Flower English Medium School to a full-fledged college and finally, help all the orphans to settle down comfortably. Presently, Seon Ashram and its 440 occupants are assisted by volunteers hailing from distinct religions and various places. They are all united in the ‘love of God’. The ashram needs about 15 lakh rupees a month to function; God keeps helping them in the disguise of responsible donors and patrons. They all talk about a transformation from heroes of yesterday to Champions of tomorrow. We wish, Shri. Paulose and companions continue in the same enthusiasm and spirit, rather than falling preys to the State, Union Government and other public awards and honours that came along. Just a few days back (3rd July 2011), I got a mail from a friend, who belongs to the regular line of Seon promoters. His mail says that as monsoon has stepped in, at Seon, they have great difficulty in cleaning and drying the cloths of the inmates. According to him, unless their cloths are properly washed and dried out, skin infections are possible. He says that thanks to a Bangalore based company Seon Ashram could pay an advance amount of Rs.50,000/- and bring to the Ashram, the proposed type of washing machine and dryer. It is clear that they are looking out for somebody to help them for the remaining amount. God’s mercy is so programmed that it manifests on all who trust in Divine Providence; the one who knows it experiences it. Is there anyone who still is not sure of this divine rule? Contact them on (+91) 9448011928 or 9483907728 (URL: http://www.seonashram.in Email: contact@seonashram.in) within a few days from now and ask them how they could pay the dues. You will be surprised to learn about the unique divine technique that worked in Seon Ashram. Understanding is not enough; a cook who hesitates to eat remains hungry.

Corruption express

Sunanda K Datta-Ray: Corruption express

The extent of lawlessness dressed up as law in the country is unimaginable

Sunanda K Datta-Ray / New Delhi June 18, 2011, 0:21 IST

The people I am writing about will never read this column. But anyone who does might consider the irony of kidnap and ransom camouflaged as law enforcement at home while civil-society stars rant about bringing back lakhs of crores of black money salted away in tax havens and whip themselves up into a frenzy over placing the prime minister under the Lok Pal’s discipline. It’s said the darkness is greatest under the lamp.

It was around 3.40 in the afternoon on a gusty Friday and South-Eastern Railway’s Dhauli Express between Puri and Howrah was about to leave Bhadrak station in Orissa. An athletic young man who had got to Bhadrak from his village and paid Rs 82 for a ticket to Howrah ran up and down the train looking for a place to squeeze in. But the general compartments were tightly packed with the doors firmly locked from inside. Our young man hammered on doors and shouted through windows but to no avail.But around 35 passengers were huddled on the floor of the vendors’ van meant for luggage. There was no luggage and no guard and the doors were wide open to wind and rain. The train was about to leave Bhadrak, and the young man’s job as a condominium durwan in Calcutta would have been in danger if he didn’t get there that night. Moreover, the vendors’ van crowd was welcoming, and with no other choice, he jumped in as the train began to move.
He jumped out again at Kharagpur in West Bengal at about 7.00 p m but the rain was lashing down hard and all the compartments were still locked. No one would let him in. So it was back to the vendors’ until they reached Santragachi, 7 kilometres from Howrah, an hour later. That’s where the drama began. Four or five men boarded the vendors’ van, announced they were plainclothes policemen, pushed the passengers out and handed them to Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel who made them squat in an outside lock-up. Our man from Bhadrak tried to explain but they shut him up.

The RPF returned nearly three hours later to ask how much money each had. Some produced Rs 500, some a thousand: the money was seized and they were let off. The man from Bhadrak had only Rs 400, which they also took but it wasn’t enough to buy his release; he and 13 others were ordered back into the lock-up where they were given chapatis and sabzi to eat and told they would be dealt with in the morning. It was quite late next day, around 11.30 a m, when they were taken in a local train to Howrah and locked up in a cell.
A magistrate in a black jacket, white shirt and tie appeared later in the day and fined each prisoner Rs 300. Having already paid Rs 400, the Bhadrak man asked for the balance but the court mohori retorted that, on the contrary, he would have to pay another Rs 250 to be released. “There are so many of us, and we’ve been working all night for you!” was the explanation.

A personal disclosure is called for: my flat is in the condominium where the durwan works. I know him to be of impeccable integrity. He called me several times from Santragachi and Howrah, but when I wanted to have a word with one of the RPF officers, I heard the refusal. They would confiscate the phone, they warned, if he didn’t shut up. Since our durwan had no more money and they wouldn’t release him unless he paid up, I sent my car and driver to Howrah with money. The receipt they brought back – High Court Form No. (A) 23 (Civil) / (A) 18 (Criminal) – was for Rs 300. He had paid Rs 650.

Such things happen all the time all over India. The difference between our police and Somali pirates can sometimes be a matter of scale. If Mamata Banerjee were suddenly to visit a railway station or hop on an unfashionable train, just as she drops in unannounced on hospitals and offices, she might see for herself the extent of lawlessness dressed up as law in her own backyard. Baburao Hazare, Ramdev and all their pious social activist friends should accompany her.

Incidentally, HAPPY JOURNEY is printed on both the Howrah-Bhadrak and Bhadrak-Howrah railway tickets. I hope it is so this time for my durwan for he is back in his Bhadrak village this weekend getting married.


 Appeared in today's Business Standard
 

An Ode To My Mom On Her Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

My Mom is loving ever caring

Really understanding too

There with love when things go either

Really good or bad for me

Mum is there with love and guidance

During every trying time

Mum would always clap the loudest

When I got the smallest of successes

Even when I was quite little

Mum made me feel ten feet tall

So I honour Mom and thank her

Each year on this day  in June

Hope we have you around for many more years , Mom

A Simple Solution

Dunno if anyone has faced a similar situation. Getting small  domestic repairs done has always been a pain  and the pain somehow seems to be increasing by the day. This sector is the most unorganised.Of course in India most sectors are unorganised which leads to this constant tussle in the mind , was I duped? Could I have bargained for less?

In the area where I reside , there are about four electricians. I have patronised one. My neighbour said he is a cheat . So I tried my neighbour's electrician but there seemed to be a nexus between them and I was still with the tussle. Hubby dear said better the known devil. So it was back to the first electrician.

The moment I need to call him , I go on my back foot and quiz him a lot about the bill he submits , but have to pay the amount finally, feeling defeated. The feeling is worse than the emotions which arise when I make a loss on my stock market trades. Losses which run into thousands sometimes compared to the few rupees the electrician may be duping me of. But then my trade losses are ones I am willing to take .Losses which have occured knowingly and not one out of cheating. The feeling of betrayal is horrible and I am forced to trust him!! Am  I making a mountain out of a molehill?

Today I found the solution ! I follow  "Ancient Proverbs" on twitter  and this common sense Chinese Proverb did it. 

If you suspect a man, don't employ him, & if you employ him, don't suspect him. -Chinese Proverb

So that does it, I won't  torture myself anymore over the electrician.

Banks and WikiLeaks

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, 12/24/10. (photo: AP)

By The New York Times | Editorial

26 December 10

he whistle-blowing Web site WikiLeaks has not been convicted of a crime. The Justice Department has not even pressed charges over its disclosure of confidential State Department communications. Nonetheless, the financial industry is trying to shut it down.

Visa, MasterCard and PayPal announced in the past few weeks that they would not process any transaction intended for WikiLeaks. Earlier this month, Bank of America decided to join the group, arguing that WikiLeaks may be doing things that are "inconsistent with our internal policies for processing payments."

The Federal Reserve, the banking regulator, allows this. Like other companies, banks can choose whom they do business with. Refusing to open an account for some undesirable entity is seen as reasonable risk management. The government even requires banks to keep an eye out for some shady businesses - like drug dealing and money laundering - and refuse to do business with those who engage in them.

But a bank's ability to block payments to a legal entity raises a troubling prospect. A handful of big banks could potentially bar any organization they disliked from the payments system, essentially cutting them off from the world economy.

The fact of the matter is that banks are not like any other business. They run the payments system. That is one of the main reasons that governments protect them from failure with explicit and implicit guarantees. This makes them look not too unlike other public utilities. A telecommunications company, for example, may not refuse phone or broadband service to an organization it dislikes, arguing that it amounts to risky business.

Our concern is not specifically about payments to WikiLeaks. This isn't the first time a bank shunned a business on similar risk-management grounds. Banks in Colorado, for instance, have refused to open bank accounts for legal dispensaries of medical marijuana.

Still, there are troubling questions. The decisions to bar the organization came after its founder, Julian Assange, said that next year it will release data revealing corruption in the financial industry. In 2009, Mr. Assange said that WikiLeaks had the hard drive of a Bank of America executive.

What would happen if a clutch of big banks decided that a particularly irksome blogger or other organization was "too risky"? What if they decided - one by one - to shut down financial access to a newspaper that was about to reveal irksome truths about their operations? This decision should not be left solely up to business-as-usual among the banks.

Best Joke On Recession

The reason for the Recession — simplified.

A naked and drunken woman boards a cab in London one night.
The Gujju driver keeps staring and does not start the cab.
Woman : Haven’t you ever seen a naked woman before ???
Gujju Driver : I am not staring at you lady ….. just wondering where you kept money to pay !!
The Moral : That is what most of the American and European banks failed to do. (i.e.) Assessing repayment capacity before taking exposure !!!

Long live Gujju enterprise…

A Simple Yet Powerful Poem On "Mother"

LINES FROM A YOUNG POET

Kanwar Preet Singh is only 12 years old. His father, Berjinder Singh, is from the village of my birth, Hadali. The family were among the last of the Hindus and Sikhs to leave Hadali and migrate to India in 1947. Most of them were rehabilitated in and around Ambala in Haryana. Some time later, Kanwar Preet migrated to the United States of America. He sent some of his poems to his uncle, Iqbal Singh, living in Ambala, who passed them on to me. I was impressed that one of such tender age could write so well. I have chosen one entitled “Super Mom” for the benefit of my readers: Mom, you’re a wonderful mother, So gentle, yet so strong. The many ways you show you care, Will make me feel I belong. You’re patient when I’m foolish; You give guidance when I ask; It seems you can do almost anything; You’re the master of every task. You are a dependable source of comfort You’re my cushion when I fall. You help me in times of trouble; You’re there whenever I call I love you more than you know; You have my total respect If I had my choice of mother, You’d be the one I’d select! Published in The Telegraph under   THIS ABOVE ALL - KHUSHWANT SINGH