Truth

Before dying falsehood rises in full swing.Still people understand only the lesson of catastrophe.Will it have to come before they open their eyes to the truth?

So I ask an effort from all so that it has not to be.It is only the Truth that can save us; truth in words, truth in will, truth in feelings.It is a choice between serving the Truth or being destroyed.

- The Mother

Harmony

The Mother says...

Surely we must always want peace and harmony and work for it as much as we can - but for that the best field of action is always within ourselves.Look for the inner causes of disharmony much more than the outer ones. It is the inside which governs the outside.

For all to agree, each one must rise to the summit of his consciousness: it is on the heights that harmony is created.

Beyond all preferences and limitations, there is a ground of mutual understanding where all can meet and find their harmony: it is the aspiration for a divine consciousness.

Internationalism

'Internationalism ' is a popular concept in today's world. It is a perfect saleable commodity in the educational world. In the business world it is globalization. And the saddest part is that we Indians belief that 'internationalism' is a borrowed philosophy from the west.

Let us sit back and think... Who taught us about it ? What is its actual meaning?
Internationalism is the attempt of the human mind to break free from the national identity in the larger interest of mankind.What inspires this is the idea of humanity as a single race and with a single goal.

Why does man break free from the narrow feelings of nationalism? It is because nationalism ties him down and binds him with prejudice, narrow mindedness , oppression and arrogance.

There is a definite difference between patriotism and narrow nationalism. A true patriot is a one who loves his own nation and at the same time respects the feelings of nationalism of others. To him 'love for the nation' is an universal value that he cherishes and never violates.

However, the patterns of human life today are more in favour of INTERNATIONALISM as the threads of communication are drawing humanity closer together. Science and knowledge are perhaps the two strongest reasons for the world closing in as one community.

Coming to the question as to who taught us about internationalism?
Swami Vivekananda in his Chicago Address spoke about internationalism:
"Sisters and Brothers of America, It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. l thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of the millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects. My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration.I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. ...."

The very first line tells about the principle of universal brotherhood, love and tolerance. Yet Swamiji's patriotism and devotion to the motherland has been one of the strongest in human history.

Patriotism is complementary to internationalism.They are not diametrically opposed to each other. Who teaches brings out feelings of love in a newborn? Is it not the mother?

Yes like Swamiji we are all proud to belong to a nation that has taught the world love and tolerance.And at this moment of grave danger when terrorism is rocking the world and more so our nation, we shall proudly claim to the world that we still belief in the ideals of Swamiji and we will never cease to do so. It is only then that we can fight fanaticism and violence. Let us not boil in the wrath of vengeance , let us not take lessons in violence, let us not generalize. Let us not ask the Indian Musalman to again and again prove his patriotism. We must remember that people who breed violence have no religion at all.

But how do we achieve all this? How do we show a ray of hope to the victims of fanaticism?

It is by believing in the goodness of humanity. It is by identifying ourselves as part of a greater community- a world community where every nation shares the burdens of another, where every nations transmits its knowledge to the other.

This world community cannot be alone built on economic well -being or socio-cultural influences. It has to be built on the foundations of a universal religion of man that worships the human spirit and promotes human dignity.
Whose responsibility is it to build this religion?

'It is mine and mine alone.'

'The little wise man who taught me magic''

The other day I attended a lecture session - 'rediscovering the self' and the question that bothered me the most was- 'self' .Do I know who this 'self' really is. I have multiple identities and my 'self' is lost for ever. Tired after the day's work I slumped
down on my couch wanting to rediscover myself-my eyes fell on Paulo Coelho's 'Brida' ... I wanted to lose myself in the world of books.

''I want to learn about magic, '' said the girl...'' so that I can find answers to some of the questions I have regarding life, ...''.

Life, Coelho says is a journey and on her journey Brida meets a wise man who teaches her how to dance to the hidden music of the world.Brida's eternal search is for her soulmate, her search for love never ceases.

What is this strange feeling called 'love'? Who was my 'wise man'? Who taught me what the true meaning of love?

My little wise man is my little baby boy- Aurodeep. He taught me that love is unconditional and life is a beautiful journey that has no destination for it is love that keeps it going. He is my little bundle of joy.

He has taught me that self in isolation has little meaning or can bring little happiness. The 'Self' does not get lost in our day to day life- you can rediscover it if you can make your surroundings a perpetual source of joy. Finding happiness in everything we do adds meaning to life.

There are times when I simply sit back and watch my baby... there is so much I learn from him that even books fail to teach... deriving happiness from the simplest of things, his love for his grandparents...his wisdom. I remember the other day when he scolded me for having been angry with Granma... '' Mammam so what if she wants to sit all by herself, you must understand that Thammi ( granny)is growing old...you must understand.'' That's my wise man of 7.

A few months back his grandparents left for Kolkata. My wise man was in tears... '' my family is like a delicious chocolate cake and now two pieces have gone away...''

This little bundle of joy has taught me the values of family life... the lessons of coexistence. I have begun to see life though his eyes and I have learnt that in making little sacrifices we don't lose our 'self''... after all love is giving or sharing the most precious thing that one has.

My wise man , my magician is always by my side... I don't have to set out on a journey. When I am happy and see his smiling face my happiness knows no bound... when in sadness I hold him close to my heart ... his touch itself is magic.

The Human Face of Terror

The nation mourns the loss of valiant offficers and men of the police and armed forces, whose selfless sacrifice reiterates that true History is the story of the common man, our leaders and politicians do not fall in this category. Our heartfelt gratitude to men like Hemant Karkare, Major Unnikrishnan, Gajendra Singh, Salaskar and so many more- 'because YOU were there WE are here.'
But what has emerged in this great tragic moment is the human face of terror. While politicians speculate on vested interests or extreme indifference the common man emerges as the true Indian.The selfless sacrifice of the martyrs have proved this time and again.
The only gesture that the whole nation anticipated was perhaps only the unity of the government and the opposition in the face of one of the greatest national crisis of all times.Alas they have let us down as always.
Do our LEADERS know their History well enough? Does History never warn them that it repeats itself ? Do they not see that those terrible men who mastermind such dasterdly act are watching out and making note? Why do the leaders forget that they have pledged their loyalty and selfless service to 'we the people of India ' who have brought them to power?
Consider the service that these martyrs would have rendered not only to India but to the world at large... calculate the loss... its immeasurable. For terrorism today is a global concern.
Sacrifice in war, martyrdom for the country sounds heroic. But behind all this perhaps so many of us are conveniently enjoying our right to live without perferming our duty towards the nation.
Where have our ideals gone? Shouldn't the Constitution be ammended to make our Fundamental Duties justiciable by law?

A MESSAGE TO CHILDREN –THE NEW STANDARD BEARERS OF HUMANITY

The antiquity of Hyderabad, its rich historic past leads one to redefine one’s priorities with regard to religion. The greatest symbol of secularism in the city is perhaps the aestheticism of the statue of Lord Buddha amidst the Hussein Sagar. One wonders why people spoil the unity and integrity of such a vibrant culture. Should we still not adopt religion as a way of life?

The basis of human unity is the fundamental principle that man is the only godhead to be worshipped- all other identities that of nation, state, religious sect is artificial and man made. One of the global concerns today is religious fanaticism brought about by a distortion of history. India’s secularism is a religious duty interwoven into our daily life pattern. Man must be sacred to man regardless of any religious creed. This principal belief disqualifies any religious and political doctrine that denies the service and progress of the human spirit. The enemy of humanity is the human egoism that finds brutal expression in religious fanaticism. It is time to question ourselves as to whether we have truly achieved these aims or should we be satisfied with an artificial society. These ideals can only be achieved by the power of brotherhood of man – it is found in the human soul. We have to come out of our egoistic existence and reach out to our fellow beings. Only then shall we relive our glorious past, that of universal love and tolerance. The way to do this is by reorganizing our society on three cardinal principles of the Renaissance and the Age of Reason- liberty, equality and fraternity. Let us follow the path shown to us by Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi – the propagation and practice of universal brotherhood.

A Proud Moment for India

A Proud Moment for India Freinds let us celebrate the proud moment for all Indians.It was wonderful to see young Abhinav Bindra standing proud on the victory stand and our National Anthem being played in the Olympic stadium. The Indian Flag rose above the other flags signifying India's rise once more to greatness. Let us also celebrate Vijendra Kumar & Saina Nehal's success. Number of medals might be one phir bhi dil hai Hindustani.

Theory of survival of the fittest

Freinds do we still accept Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest?We need to perhaps redefine the concept of fittest. Does it only mean physical fitness or does it add an intellectual quotient to it? Let us look at one of the most successful people of all times- Stephen Hawkins.Professor Hawkins has challenged the theory of survival of the fittest.If we still wish to go ahead with the Darwinian theory we would perhaps develop the Hitlerian mentally and we have seen the complete failure of his theory .

Science has conquered the challenges of the human environment.Man's challenge today are no longer confined to his physical surroundings.The Modern Man survives if he/she is able meet the challenges of a global society through mastery of the principle of coexistence.

In order to develop mastery of the principle of coexistence we need to understand the concept of Internationalism.Internationalism is a state of mind which goes towards developing peace and mutual understanding not through ''tolerance'' but through mutual acceptances of differences and making these differences or diversities a part and parcel of everyday life. ''Tolerance'' would simply mean ''tolerating'' and might not mean ''accepting.''

The menace created by religious intolerance can only be handled and perhaps even eliminated if each of us consider ourselves as world citizens and therefor understand that every community is my community , there is no conflict but only diversity to add richness to a world community.Do we not unconsciously, spontaneously adopt customs and traditions of another community? Let us do it consciously so that we unerstand, appreciate and practise internationalism.

Koel Ray

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