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Thursday,
December 13, 2001, Chandigarh, India
  
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Larger
gender picture A
rewarding visit |
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Democracy
for a price THE just-concluded election to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has inflicted a humiliating and well-deserved defeat on the outgoing SAD-BJP combine for its non-performance and the undignified conduct of its councillors, though it will be premature to read in the verdict a pro-Congress wave in the coming Assembly election in Punjab. While the Congress has a right to feel jubilant with the anti-incumbency vote in Chandigarh, stretching it beyond the city limits will not help because the issues at stake are different.
Kabul,
Colombo, Kathmandu and Dhaka
Sri
Lanka’s new Prime Minister
‘Service
is the rent we pay’
Home
remedies and patience best to treat cold
1947 Physics: EDWARD APPLETON
Prayer:
A source of strength
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Larger gender picture THE Supreme Court's expression of displeasure at the indifference of most states in the matter of enforcing the anti-sex test directive is understandable. Health secretaries of as many as 11 states, including Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, have been asked to present themselves before the court on January 29 to explain the lack of action on their part in implementing its order. The sharp drop in female births revealed by the latest census figures should have made even the Central authorities take more than routine interest in reversing the disturbing trend. It is hoped that the apex court would be able to put into place an effective mechanism for forcing the state governments to take seriously its order banning sex determination tests. And it should also look at the factors that compel most couples to seek the assistance of the illegal clinics for literally killing the girl child in the womb. The obnoxious practice of the killing of the female foetus should be studied in the larger context of the evolving gender equation in the country. A few days ago much hype was created about giving women a place of prominence on the occasion of the World Human Rights Day. In Chandigarh an innovative proposal of males cooking and serving food to the ladies could not be implemented for lack of volunteers. That is not all. Legally dowry is banned. But has the malaise really been rooted out from the system? The dowry system is alive and kicking. In fact, ever since the implementation of the anti-dowry law it has merely changed form. Under the old value system it was considered a matter of pride for the groom's family to take a massive "baraat" [marriage party] to the brides place. Not taking a lavish "baraat" was considered as bad as the groom being made to live as "ghar jamai" [making the bride's home his own]. Not anymore. The latest trend is to force the bride's family to travel all the way to the city of residence of the groom. Why? So that the groom's family does not have to spend on travelling to the "bride's city". The various gender laws that have been enacted were meant to make life easy for the Indian woman. Instead, lifestyle shifts have added to her burden. She is now not only expected to add to the family's income by doing a regular job, but also to continue to discharge the old and antiquated obligations as a housewife. The ganging up of the entire political class against reservation of 33 per cent seats in the country's legislatures for women too has not helped the cause everyone pays lip service to. Unless the general gender profile begins to look robust and normal, there is little that can be done to end the reprehensible practice of female infanticide. It can even be justified as an act of mercy killing after giving a cold hard look to the larger gender picture. |
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A rewarding visit THE Prime Minister’s visit to any country is planned well in advance and meticulously scripted. There is thus no room for surprise or last minute changes of perception. But it was different in the case of Mr Vajpayee s five-day state visit to Japan. Either because of personal chemistry of the two Prime Ministers or because of the radically changing international situation. External Affairs Ministry officials too must have contributed to widening the scope of mutual cooperation. India wisely left to Japan the role of being the leading financier of the reconstruction of war-ravaged Afghanistan but enthusiastically agreed to play a secondary role. The host country agreed to this arrangement, acknowledging India’s increasing importance in post-Taliban regime. If Japan pours in funds and if India coordinates the relief work, this country will wrest its leadership role in the region, something it has partially lost in the wake of the September 11 blasts and the US armed action against Afghanistan. Even Pakistan understands this. It has permitted Indian planes to fly over its airspace to carry relief materials like medicines and doctors to the worst sufferers in the land. In the days to come, New Delhi should seek a way of rushing foodgrains by road either by itself or through international agencies. The recognition of India’s status in the developing Afghan situation is a minor gain of the Prime Minister’s visit to the land of the rising sun. The major ones lie elsewhere. Japan has completely shed its impulsive hostility to the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1998. It is now ready to share its technology in robotics, optical fibre and sensors to help this country in combating terrorism. It understands the difficulties of fighting violent citizens what with the threat emanating from Aum Shinrikyo and earlier the Red Army. India has offered to protect the sea lanes in the Bay of Bengal to protect the shipment of crude from West Asia. Mutual help in defence will improve. But the biggest area of cooperation will be investment. A high-level team is arriving here early next year to identify areas where Japan can pump in money. It has a huge dollar reserve earned from favourable trade balance with the USA. Much of it is locked in US bonds which earn low interest. Investment in India will provide a higher return and this will be advantageous to both countries. Japanese are an extremely cautious people and as in 1992 they will like to do an independent study before committing themselves. |
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Democracy for a price THE just-concluded election to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has inflicted a humiliating and well-deserved defeat on the outgoing SAD-BJP combine for its non-performance and the undignified conduct of its councillors, though it will be premature to read in the verdict a pro-Congress wave in the coming Assembly election in Punjab. While the Congress has a right to feel jubilant with the anti-incumbency vote in Chandigarh, stretching it beyond the city limits will not help because the issues at stake are different. The verdict has also come as a warning to the winners: either perform or face the ignoble consequences. Even the distinguished nominated members hardly made any efforts to lend grace to the frequently disgusting proceedings of the UT’s first elected body, which provided a platform to local political amateurs to exercise their oratorial skills and nuisance value. It was not a democratic House because only 40 per cent of the population had elected it. The still lower turnout of 35 per cent this time questions the very need for having a Municipal Corporation for the UT. As a survey in the Chandigarh Tribune has indicated, many see the MC as a white elephant and prefer the city to be governed by a team of bureaucrats led by a Chief Commissioner or an Adviser to the UT Administrator. The financial burden of the MC is seen in the increased water rates and the proposed parking fee and property tax. Well, all tamashas in the name of democracy come at a price and the residents of Chandigarh have to decide whether they want to pay for it. The absence of the majority of the residents from the electoral exercise has given the obvious message. While the civic elections in Chandigarh have offered a political career to quite a few women, which is something welcome, perhaps lack of experience and dependence on the political parties sponsoring them did not let them show the expected results. The residents of the City Beautiful, being highly literate and well informed, are very
demanding. Their distrust in the political parties is understandable. The new team will have to regain their faith with performance and a visible improvement in the civic amenities, which are under pressure due to the expansion of the city and its periphery. The migratory labour has shown keen interest in the election more due to the economic returns than any political aspirations. With the migrants’ emergence as a
solid vote bank, politicians will have to guard against, while helping them in their socio-economic development, blessing their criminal
activities like encroachments and power thefts, or using them for a show of strength
against any administrative action like the removal of slums. The city is an island of peace and quiet living. There is need to protect it from becoming a battleground for political ambitions. |
Kabul, Colombo, Kathmandu and Dhaka OVERWHELMING concentration on Afghanistan may be understandable, given the profound significance and consequences of September 11, but it is not the wisest policy for India. For, this country is being surrounded by serious and far-reaching problems on all sides, quite apart from Pakistan’s enduring hostility with all its grim and gory ramifications that are by no means confined to Jammu and Kashmir. To the north, the nefarious Maoist uprising is moving into its second month. The Royal Nepal Army, belatedly mobilised fully against the marauding Maoists, has started hitting them hard. But it would be naive to believe that they would be defeated easily or quickly. Given the totally open border between this country and the Himalayan kingdom and the long-standing nexus between Nepali Maoists and their Indian soul-mates such as the People’s War Group and the Maoist Communist Centre — now banned — the menace to us ought to be manifest enough. In Bangladesh the painful turn taken by events following the election of Begum Khaleda Zia as Prime Minister, far from being mitigated, is being allowed to fester. No one in Dhaka has done anything to apprehend, leave alone punish, the thugs of the ruling Bangladesh National Party (BNP) who had perpetrated horrific atrocities on the Hindu minority immediately before and after the poll. No wonder then that the minority community remains terrified while tension is aggravated by the reaction in Bangladesh to demands in India, especially from the ranks of the ruling BJP, for a strong Indian stand on the issue. On top of all this has come Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election, the most violent so far even by that country’s standards, that has led to a conspicuous weakening of the position of Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga, the island republic’s executive President until 2005. Her arch political foe, Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, is now her Prime Minister, and the mutual hatred of the two is Colombo’s worst kept secret. The French on whose constitution the present Sri Lankan system is based have coped with similar situations in the past through what they call “Cohabitation”. In Sri Lanka, even more than in other parts of South Asia, chances of such statesmanlike coexistence are unfortunately remote. The key question is whether Ms Kumaratunga, clearly the more powerful of the two and the only charismatic leader Lanka has, and Mr Wickremesinghe, a competent technocrat, will try to forget the past and cooperate to build the future in their country’s best interests. Sri Lanka, ravaged by arguably the most vicious civil war, now in its 18th year, and tormented by mounting economic problems, needs this cooperation desperately. There is no other way in which peace, for which people are panting, can be restored and the economy rescued from disaster. Continued confrontation between the two leaders is bound to intensify violence and conflict. From these India, especially the state of Tamil Nadu, cannot remain unaffected. It compels attention that the three close neighbours in the north, east and south have two things in common. First, all of them are usually ignored or neglected except during grave crises, thanks to the excessive, indeed obsessive, preoccupation with Pakistan. This is a serious flaw in Indian foreign policy and public awareness that needs to be rectified without any further delay. But remedial action is often impeded by the second characteristic of the relationship with the three countries. In each of these, despite all the imperatives of geography, history, culture, civilisation and economics, there exists, to some degree, anti-Indian feeling. Irritation that often becomes obvious is not the right response to this problem. What is called for is an attempt to understand the underlying complexes, followed by innovative policy initiatives to finesse sensitivities and susceptibilities that are, in any case, more emotional than rational. In all fairness, it should also be acknowledged that not all the grievances emanating from neighbours other than Pakistan are rooted in emotion or hypersensitivity. Some of them are entirely legitimate. Nepal’s lament about unfair treatment in matters economic, often voiced emphatically, is misplaced. Indeed, this neighbour is treated far more generously than, say, Mexico is by the USA. But Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have some valid complaints that must be addressed expeditiously and in a spirit of goodwill. A couple of specific examples might prove useful. This country has offered free trade to both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. But when it comes to translating the promise into performance, the stick-in-the-mud Commerce Ministry bureaucrats, with their petty-fogging procedures, turn into abominable no-men. Neither the Ministry of External Affairs nor even the all-powerful Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has ever been able to tell them to desist. A former Foreign Secretary, on a Track II mission to Dhaka, was appalled at the utterly obstructive attitude of official India on minor matters of tariff concessions. Another retired diplomat with a long experience of working in neighbouring countries was in Sri Lanka just before the elections. He was embarrassed when his Sri Lankan interlocutors, several of them retired and serving diplomats, told him that New Delhi had restricted Sri Lanka’s tea exports to only two pots, Kochi and Kolkata. The quota fixed for tea imports from across the Palk Straits equalled the demand in “only two of India’s nearly 400 districts”. There could be differences of opinion over details but the situation is fundamentally unbecoming of a large country like India genuinely anxious to have a friendly neighbourhood. Excuses of preoccupation with “bigger problems” elsewhere will no longer wash. In the first place, nations have to take a holistic, not compartmentalised, view of the conduct of their foreign relations. Secondly, and more importantly, the all-important Afghanistan problem is clearly on the mend now. It is also developing to India’s satisfaction. The Taliban militia has bitten the dust, and is all but destroyed. The aerial attacks on Osama bin Laden’s hideout — interestingly called Tora Bora, to rhyme with “Tora, Tora, Tora”, the war cry with which the Japanese air force had attacked Pearl Harbour exactly 60 years ago — are so intense that he has little chance of escaping alive. Even before formally taking over on December 22, the head of the interim government, Dr Hamid Karazi, has shown himself to be a leader of substance and skill. Witness the deft manner in which he has resolved the dangerous conflict between the anti-Taliban forces at Kandahar. An agreement on the formation of a multilateral peacekeeping force, headed by Britain, has also been reached. Above all, relations between New Delhi and the new regime in Kabul have already taken such strides as to be this country’s pride and the western neighbour’s envy. On a visit to this country, before returning home from Bonn, the Afghan Interior Minister — designate, Mr Younus Qanooni, left nobody in any doubt about the close identity of interests between his country and India. Even while declaring that his government would work for friendly relations with all neighbouring countries, he has made it clear that now onwards Afghanistan would “not tolerate Pakistan’s interference” in its internal affairs that had become the norm during the six-year reign of the terrible Taliban. He has also drawn the world’s attention to Islamabad’s support to terrorism. A top US diplomat has turned the spotlight on India’s role — along with that of Iran, Britain, Germany and Russia — in facilitating the quick agreement in Bonn on the composition of the interim government of Afghanistan. As for India’s participation, in a major way, in the stupendous task of rebuilding the ravaged Afghanistan, there never was any doubt. How wide it is likely to be is underscored by the announcement of the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, that India would send senior police officers to Kabul to help the Afghan government organise and train its police force. No less remarkable is the fact that Afghanistan’s able and articulate Foreign Minister, Dr Abdullah, is also arriving in New Delhi, quick on Mr Qanooni’s heels. |
Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister MR Ranil Wickremesinghe’s assumption of office as Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister on December 9 marks a watershed in the annals of the strife-torn island. The victory of his party — the United National Party (UNP) — at the recent general election is no ordinary achievement for Mr Wickremesinghe, who has been in the Opposition for seven long years. It was a tough battle for the UNP leader, but few were in doubt about his ability to defeat the ruling People’s Alliance (PA) led by his arch foe President Chandrika Kumaratunga, and end its seven-year rule
with the promise of a better tomorrow. The 52-year-old lawyer-turned politician started his career at his family’s influential publishing company, Lake House, as an apprentice associated with Daily News. In 1973, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Sri Lanka’s first elected woman Prime Minister and Ms Kumaratunga’s mother, nationalised the newspaper group as she thought that it was “conspiring“ against her government. It was at this time that Mr Wickremesinghe joined the UNP which his uncle, former President J. R.Jayewardene, headed. Mr Jayewardene is known for his crafty manipulation and it is said that Mr Wickremesinghe too is cast in the same mould. His leadership was put to test this October when the PA was riddled with defections. He rose to the occasion and successfully weaned away many PA dissidents in favour of the UNP. This is said to be the major reason for the UNP’s victory in the recent elections. Mr Wickremesinghe brings with him over 17 years of experience as a UNP minister, in addition to his brief stint as Prime Minister in 1993 after President R.Premadasa’s assassination by the LTTE at a May Day rally when Prime Minister D.B.Wijetunga took over as President. He held important portfolios such as education and industries. At the Presidential elections in December, 1999, he narrowly missed victory when Ms Kumaratunga, injured in a failed assassination attempt during the poll run-up, edged in as victor on a sympathy wave. Mr Wickremesinghe, no doubt, boasts of the people’s mandate to rule. However, given the untrammeled powers of President Kumaratunga, will he be able to resolve the pressing problems of an island badly fractured by ethnic and political violence? The hostility between the UNP leader and the President is well known. In the recent elections, Ms Kumaratunga actively campaigned for the PA and warned people not to elect the UNP as she would find it difficult to work with it. Now that the election results are being viewed as a verdict against Ms Kumaratunga, will she give enough freedom and powers to Mr Wickremesinghe to pursue things to their logical conclusion? Sri Lanka is in urgent need of a political settlement that will end the prolonged war which has ruined the island’s economy and social life. In fact, the people themselves want an early political settlement through negotiations. By voting for the UNP in the Sinhala-Buddhist south and the newly-formed Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the Tamil-dominated northeast, the people have sent a clear message that they expect the new government to strive for a quick resolution of the ethnic conflict, not by war but through talks with the LTTE. It would be a challenge for both Mr Wickremesinghe and Ms Kumaratunga to shun their political differences and live up to the expectations of the people. Arafat, the great survivor Mr Yasser Arafat has roamed the world for decades wearing a trademark black-and-white headdress shaped in the map of Palestine with one ambition in mind — to establish an independent state for his people. Fourteen months into a revolt against Israeli occupation, a Palestinian state appears as distant as ever amid fractured pieces of the peace accords which brought Mr Arafat out of exile in 1994 to become Palestinian Authority President. Those interim peace deals have been splattered with the blood of Israelis and Palestinians killed in fighting since a Palestinian uprising erupted in September, 2000, shortly after negotiations for a final peace treaty got deadlocked. The violence has left the 73-year-old former guerrilla leader facing his toughest test yet, putting him on a collision course with militant Islamic groups behind suicide bombings whose support among Palestinians has swelled since the uprising began. But most observers agree that if anyone is capable of getting out of this fix, it is Mr Arafat, long renowned for his wile and ability to survive everything, from civil wars to a plane crash in the Libyan desert in 1991. He has survived assassination squads, Israel's 1982 invasion of his Lebanon powerbase and international isolation after he took Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's side in the 1991 Gulf War. Mr Arafat shared a Nobel Peace Prize with slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Mr Shimon Peres, Israel's Foreign Minister, for signing the historic 1993 Oslo peace accords. Under the accords and through successive deals, he has managed to gain control of about 40 per cent of the West Bank and much of the Gaza Strip. |
‘Service is the rent we pay’ THE institution nominated for this year’s Rotary India award has a century-long history of aiding empowerment of women. The Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha (MKSSS), Pune, as it is called, can well be termed as “pioneering the cause of women in society.” The Institution shares the award money of Rs 2 lakh with Mrs Rehana Adib of Disha, a social organisation based in Sultanpur. The awards will be presented on December 13 at the banquet hall of Ashoka Hotel, Chanakyapuri. While Mrs Sushma Swaraj, Information and Broadcasting Minister will be the chief guest for the evening, the Rotary International President, Mr Richard D. King, and Mrs Cherie King will be the guests of honour. As for MKSSS, it has its base in Karvenagar, Pune. Founded 105 years ago by a great visionary, Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve, the institution has a great history of service to women. A movement which took off as Maharshi Karve's dream is today nurtured by workers all over the 52 branches of the Samstha, which aims to propagate education as the quintessence of liberation. At the root of Maharshi Karve’s tradition is respect for the woman, who he believed “knows where to turn for answers and for peace, who he knew can make difficult decisions and face problems with confidence because she takes her counsel from the spirit.” Drawing inspiration from the fact that education is no preparation for life, it is life itself, Maharshi Karve established the first-ever women’s University in India (on the lines of one in Japan). Called Smt Nathibai Damodar Thakarsey University, its aim is to identify specific skills of women and cater to their education in their mother tongue. Such is the standing of the Samstha that women from far off places like Srinagar, Chandigarh, Kanyakumari and even Arunachal Pradesh are currently enrolled with them. The Karve Institute of Social Sciences is targeting upliftment of women belonging to deprived sections. The Samstha also runs professional colleges for engineering, architecture, management and fashion technology, all equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. The Karvenagar campus, which has schools and hostels accommodating girls from backwards classes, houses 600 girls from shattered homes. The Mahila Ashram on the campus not just protects the girls, it instills faith and confidence in them. The movement is succeeding because it has a strong base. Its founder began the mission by setting an example himself. He married a widow despite a time social taboo. In 1986 Maharshi Karve started a home for widows. Gradually girls too joined the home which took the shape of a school catering to the intellectual urge of women, who had no finance. Today 12,000 girls are being educated in the primary, secondary and senior secondary schools being run by the Samstha in Pune. The girls undergo job-oriented training to acquire expertise in fields like medical lab technology, accounting and computers. The bakery unit, the electronic assembly unit and the file making unit of the Samstha offer hands-on training. The Vocational Training Institute and the Nursing College ensure economic independence of the trainees. The Samstha is fast expanding with support from business houses and organisations like the Cummins Foundation, Pune, Manilal Nanavati Trust, the State Bank of India and the Infosys Foundation, Bangalore. The maximum support comes from the Samstha’s Bhaubeej scheme, started 81 years ago, under which people collect small sums to help the Samstha's women. And as years of service by the Samstha pass by, the golden rule of service gains more and more credence: “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is not something we do in spare time.” It would not have been difficult for the jury to choose MKSSS for this year's award. The jury comprised Justice (Mrs) Sujata Manohar, a former judge of the Supreme Court, as the chairperson, Mr T.N. Chaturvedi, MP, Mr Hari Jaisingh, Editor, The Tribune, and Ms Rita Sarin, Country Director, Hunger Project India. |
Home remedies and patience best to treat cold SIMPLE household remedies and a dose of patience are the best ways to treat a cold, say doctors in Germany. Many people reach for the medicine cabinet when a cold strikes. But medication can only make the two weeks as comfortable as possible, said German general practitioner Peter Lau. A blocked nose and coughing are best treated by inhalation, especially before bedtime, to aid a good night’s rest, he advises. Ethereal oils and camomile solutions are well known home remedies for inhalation. You just pour on hot water and breathe in the steam. But Kim Caroline Schmitz, Deputy Chairman of the German Association of Ear Nose and Throat Doctors, who practises in Munich, says these oils dry out the mucous membrane. She adds that sage — as an inhaler, tea or throat lozenge is a better remedy, because it has no side-effects. Experts say nasal sprays can be helpful cold remedies, but should not be used over long periods because of their effects. Rinsing the nose with salty water is a good alternative as it has no side effects and is also cheaper. Rubbing the chest with eucalyptus ointment will also help you breathe easily throughout the night. All household remedies support the body’s natural immune system. When the body has a cold, it produces more mucous to help flush away the germs. Patients can help this process by drinking plenty of fluids, at least three or four litres a day. It does not matter what you drink, as long as it is not alcohol, said Lau. But he advises against stronger medicines. Antibiotics should only be taken on the advice of a doctor. Schmitz advises anyone with a cold to look after themselves properly to prevent complications. If headaches or fever continue for days and do not respond to headache tablets, or if mucous is coloured, you probably have an infection that needs fighting, she said. As soon as fever sets in, you should not go to work and should consult a doctor, said Lau. If you take care of yourself in this way you should be better in a few days. But a fever is often a sign of a viral cold which can keep you in bed for one or even two weeks. Doctors recommend elderly people and those who come into contact with a lot of people at work, to have a flu jab each autumn. But good care is the only remedy for a normal cold, they say. During the cold season, people should always wrap up warmly, and keep the immune system strong by doing sport. The sport does not have to be high performance, said Lau. He recommends a regular visit to the sauna and says balanced diet high in vitamins is also a good preventative.
DPA
Mosquito-repellent clothes that you can wear Spraying mosquito-repellent on exposed flesh is a messy business. A much better way of keeping bugs at bay, according to an Australian scientist, would be wearing clothes ready-impregnated with repellent. In fact, Chris Harvey has already produced a treated fabric and sets of clothes that stay bug-proof for at least 50 washes. Tests showed the substance was effective as most mosquitoes died before they settled on the treated clothing.
DPA |
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Prayer: A source of strength GOD is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. He is everywhere. He is the creator of this universe. Whosoever prays to him with devotion and sincerity is definitely answered. He is the fountain of strength. From His abode — the source — nobody returns disappointed. Human wants are unlimited. We are mad after materialistic pursuits. This mad race continues ceaselessly. Everyone is in the race and nobody wants to lag behind. Where is peace of mind? It is the greatest casualty. What is the way out? Pray to the lord, on your knees daily, with a pure heart, a clean mind. Knock at His door and it will be opened to you. Seek and you will find. Bow before him. Let there be unconditional surrender as has been beautifully explained in a Urdu couplet ‘Krishti Khuda Pe Chhorh Do, Langer Ko Phorh Do’. No wavering at all. There is need for unflinching faith and dedication. Make Him your master. Leave everything at His disposal and He will definitely help you. It is said that life is a challenge and we have to face it. Life is a puzzle and we have to solve it. We have to be bold, not lose heart over trivia, and not lose temper over trifles. It requires self-confidence, courage and will power. But how to imbibe these qualities? Faith in the Almighty and His divine power can make miracles. His grace and blessings through prayer would lend you the strength to meet any eventuality. Prayer is the only panacea for all the ills. However, we need to lead an honest lifestyle and be truthful in thought, word and deed. Duplicity and fraud won’t pay in this spiritual field. In present-day life, we find moral values being thrown to the wind and such people lacking morals can’t expect their prayer to fructify. Earn your living with the sweat of your brow and have dignity of labour. Feed your family with the bread earned with honest means which justify the end. There is no use of prayer when the devotee leads an impure life. Some people, with corrupt lifestyle in which underhand means are a daily routine, often criticise God for being unkind to them whenever they fall on bad days. In fact, God is very kind but our demands should be reasonable. To seek blessings and grace through prayer, we should overhaul our mindset and transform our lifestyle. Simple living and high thinking should be our motto. Eat only to live and not live to eat. Try to help the needy because to live for others, particularly the less fortunate, is the most fertile pleasure in this transitory world. Don’t try to play politics with God. Let us not adopt double standard. Display of vulgar richness in the form of offerings or making noises in appreciation of God violates the basic philosophy of prayer. No word need be spoken. Silence is the best language for offering the prayer because it is a direct one-to-one communication. We have one body, let us keep it well. We have one mind, let us feed it well. We have one life, let us lead it well (with honesty, simplicity and integrity). Only then our prayer can prove effective. As expounded in Bhagwadgita, be a karmayogi without being attached. In the world, we should remain but not get entangled
(baso pur mut phaso). Be like a lotus flower. It blooms in the midst of mud and slush. Yet, left untouched, it is very clean. According to Guru Nanak Dev, be pure in the impurities of the world. Such sublime life of action coupled with meditation and prayer is surely to be rewarded. Let us pray for peace and happiness of all. If our intentions are good and life is sublime, God’s grace and blessings are always available through prayer. Prayer is the best antidote to all the human sufferings. Let us make prayer a part of our life. Prayer symbolises an affectionate relationship between the human soul and the Almighty. It is a matter of the heart and not related to tongue or speech. If we have
nectar in the tongue and poison in the heart, that is the use of that nectar? We should repose full faith in God. Prayer is the byproduct of this dedication. Prayer is related to our unwavering deep faith and commitment. According to Gandhiji, “where there is devotion, there is no defeat at all.” |
The Light of the Lord burns in each soul. But we do not see it. The veil of Maya must be lifted if it is to be perceived. *** What your appetite for the Divine to realise Him. *** Come out of your small orbits of castes, regions and communities to feel His presence in All. — From the discourses of Baba Gurinder Singh of Rahasoami Stasang Beas *** Those noble souls who practice meditation and other yogic ways, who are ever careful about all beings, who protect all animals, are the ones who are actually serious about spiritual practices. — Atharva Veda 19.48.5 *** The very name of cows is aghnya, indicating that they should never be slaughtered. Who then could slay them? Surely one who kills a cow or a bull commits the most heinous crime. — The Mahabharata,
Shanti Parva, 262.47 *** He who desires to augment his own flesh by eating the flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever species he may take his birth. — The Mahabharata, Anushasan Parva, 115.47 *** Many are the lovely flowers of worship offered to the Guru but none lovelier than non-killing. Respect for life is the highest worship, the bright lamp, the sweet garland and unwavering devotion. — Tirumantiram, 197 *** The killer of other lives is an outcaste. Match your words with your conduct. Steal not, kill not, indulge not in self-praise, condemn not others to their face. — Lingayat Vachanas *** Non-violence, truth, freedom from anger, renunciation, serenity, aversion to fault-finding, sympathy for all beings, peace, from greedy carvings, gentleness, modesty, steadiness, energy, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, goodwill, freedom from pride — these belong to a man who is born for heaven. —
The Bhagavadgita |
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