On this Republic day...

26th January 1950 is one of the most important days in Indian history as it was on this day the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly sovereign state. In this day India became a totally republican unit. The country finally realized the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the numerous freedom fighters who, fought for and sacrificed their lives for the Independence of their country. So, the 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India, ever since.

Today, the Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country and especially in the capital, New Delhi where the celebrations start with the Presidential to the nation. The beginning of the occasion is always a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defense of sovereignty of their country. Then, the President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations.

I have been out of India since few years and haven't really bothering about this day so much till recent times. Last year due to initiation from one of my good friend, Yogendra led us group of friends go for the 15th august function & it made me think about the times I had attended these functions back in India. Coming out of the country & understanding the meaning of these days & functions has truly dawned on me. I have seen the importance of independence day in Singapore & malaysia & really appreciate the efforts taken by the government in these countries, to keep people aware of the importance of these days & what are the new things need to be done to keep the country independent & growing.

I think although these days are celebrated as the remembrance of the times when the independence was achieved or countries became republics but it is also the time to look back and think on what mistakes have happened in the past and what needs to be done to avoid these mistakes and improve things in the governance of the country & people as a whole & take the economy forward in the competitive market. Coming back to what does happen back in India during these times ......

To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the army, the Navy and the Air force march past in all their finery and official decorations even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The crème of N.C.C cadets, selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event, as do the school children from various schools in the capital. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is spared to see that every detail is taken care of, from their practice for the drills, the essential props and their uniforms.

The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The parade and the ensuing pageantry is telecast by the National Television and is watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country.

The patriotic fervor of the people on this day brings the whole country together even in her essential diversity. Every part of the country is represented in occasion, which makes the Republic Day the most popular of all the national holidays of India.

This time I as part of my company got an invitation for the reception at Indian High commissioner's residence for Republic day celebration a few days back. It was pretty formal event, with mostly director, CEO, CXO level coming for this function from India companies & some special guests. It was a good networking event & the food was fantabulous, which I could not really enjoy since there was always someone there to talk to and it was difficult to do two things at a time. Anyway, it was a good experience..

Happy Republic Day!!!

PERSONAL PERCEPTION

Different people have different perception. One man's meat could be another man's poison. A couple bought a donkey from the market. On the way home, a boy commented, "Very stupid. Why neither of them ride on the donkey? "Upon hearing that, the husband let the wife ride on the donkey. He walked besides them. Later, an old man saw it and commented, "The husband is the head of family. How can the wife ride on the donkey while the husband is on foot?" Hearing this, the wife quickly got down and let the husband ride on the donkey.

Further on the way home, they met an old Lady. She commented, "How can the man ride on the donkey but let the wife walk. He is no gentleman." The husband thus quickly asked the wife to join him on the donkey. Then, they met a young man. He commented, "Poor donkey, how can you hold up the weight of two persons. They are cruel to you." Hearing that, the husband and wife immediately climbed down from the donkey and carried it on their shoulders.

It seems to be the only choice left. Later, on a nar row bridge, the donkey was frightened and struggled. They lost their balance and fell into the river. You can never have everyone praise you, nor will everyone condemn you. Never in the past, not at present, and never will be in the future.

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

Personally I use to be conscious about the people around me when I am with my son & tend to not allow myself to be childish when I use to be outside with him. But then later i saw people around me were not really my concern but it was my conscience & that's when I started enjoying more with my son & did spend quality & fun time with him and my wife even when we are out. I am sure lot of the new parents may have experienced this some or the other time.

NO POINTING FINGERS

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?"

The father-in-law answered in a smile, "Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong. Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses, she could not find a better husband than you."

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.

Shama (Forgiveness)
Is the tool with which indian saints of the past and present have guided the society to its present status! The power to forgive, the biggest and most effective tool to conquer even the staunchest enemy is but a matter of record. An instrument of love which never fails ... come whatsoever may!!

Animosity brings with itself venegeance. You have to prevent yourself getting caught in the whirlpool of Ego, which drowns even the stauncest never to rise again! Salvage what you earn in this life ... Who knows what life you may inherit next!!

Shama (forgiveness) is the tool which was practiced by all, without exception! Lord Krishna, Mahavira, Buddha, Christ and prophet Mohammed ... none could do without it! Every society has its share of scavengers, who may stoop low. Left with no alternative one has to learn to forgive others. The ecstasy one feels after forgiving the perpetrators of crime cannot be explained in words ... Ananda which no other Karma can give!!

TRUST

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.

A telephone operator told me that one day she received a phone call. She answered, "Public Utilities Board." There was silence. She repeated, "PUB." There was still no answer. When she was going to cut off the line, she Heard a lady's voice, "Oh, so this is PUB. Sorry, I got the number from my Husband's pocket but I do not know whose number it is."

Without mutual trust, just imagine what will happen to the couple if the telephone operator answered with just "hello" instead of "PUB".

Trust is not just essential in personal relationships but in all walks of life. Everyday we rely on the information shared from our fellow colleagues & we then do something based on this information. I guess, this is again an example of trust. There are times, if one hears different stories from various sources about the same thing/s but the stronger factor will always be trust factor which will help you take a decision on the problem or issue. So be sure you are true to what you do, since you trust someone & that someone trusts you which builds relationship.

cheers..

A BEAUTIFUL STORY from Corey Breier

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out of the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window?

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy. "

Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."

An interesting story about vanilla ice cream that puzzled General Motors!!!!

This is a real story that happened between a customer of General Motors and its customer-care executive. Pls read on...

The Pontiac division of General Motors received a complaint: This is the second time I have written to you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of ice-cream for dessert after dinner each night, but the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem...

You see, every time I buy a vanilla ice cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds "what is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?" The Pontiac president was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an engineer to check it out anyway. The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinnertime, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start. The engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, they got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to start.

Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to take notes: he jotted down all sorts of data: time of day, type of gas uses, time to drive back and forth etc.

In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to check out the flavor.
Now, the question for the engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Eureka - time was now the problem - not the vanilla ice cream!!!! The engineer quickly came up with the answer: "vapor lock".

It was happening every night; but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.

Even crazy looking problems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution, with cool thinking.

In Case of Emergency (ICE)

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.

If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency?

Hence this "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) Campaign The concept of "ICE" is catching on quickly.

It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name "ICE" ( In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose.

In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as "ICE." For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today! Please forward this. It won't take too many "forwards" before everybody will know about this It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest .

ICE will speak for you when you are not able to.

Happy New Year 2008

Dear Friends,

Let us all gather round and cheer,

With a drink of wine or an ice cold beer

Perhaps you're like me and don't drink the swill,

Or your like my grandparents who live on pills.

Maybe this world seems harsh at times,

Or its just that most of us just like to whine.

I'd say that this is a great place to be,

It all depends on how we can see.

True we've had bad things in the past,

But we know in our hearts that these will not last.

If we try our best to be simple and pure,

There's nothing our hopes and dreams cannot cure.

So, I don't know the value this is worth,

But lets all try to be happy and heal Mother Earth!

Happy New Year!

Hope we can do good to others while we do good for ourselves....

Hope we can make someone happy when we make ourselves happy...

Hope we can keep the promise we make to someone when someone keeps their promises too..

Hope we can care for our mother earth when she takes care of us too...

Hope we make more friends and remember them all year through...

Hope we remember god at good times, when he always helps during the bad times get us through...

Lets Hope "Hope" stays with us as always, in this year too!!!!!!!!!!!!