Mangalyan

Mangalyan or Mars Orbiter Mission( MOM) is India's first interplanetary mission. Spearheaded by ISRO the space research wing of India, Mangalyan is said to be the most cost-effective Mars Mission till date. Today MOM has fulfilled it's objective and it shall send it's maiden pictures of mars in a short while. Entire nation is in a joyous mood after this remarkable achievement. Launched 10 months back, the hardwork and dedication demonstrated by the scientists have brought cheers to 120 crore faces with equal pride and seld-confidence.
Now why, we as a nation pursued this goal and what can we achieve in this pursuit is something we can look into.

India can be termed as the least developed country compared to others who have already reached or pursued this Mars mission. No doubt, there is always a utility factor for any high capital investment. What material benefits this programme can bring and that too from the very next day onwards will be totally senseless. I remember the thoughts of the great Vikramsarabhai the founding father of India space research on the utility of India endeavoring into this field. He was sure about the solutions ISRO is going to provide to many puzzles like Climate changes, Disaster prevention, Remote Sensors, Planet Positions and others. Further he should have foreseen the turnarounds in communication, which has made equally viable and affordable for the common man living in the most remote villages. Moreover these achievements have become a clear confidence builder for the entire nation. These achievements raises the national integrity to a different level from existing plane. PM Modi compared our scientists to Rishi's, seeing their unconditional dedication to the welfare of humanity. It is a known fact that these people spend their whole energy and life for the projects they are entrusted upon. The last 300 days as far as MOM is considered where very crucial and none of these dedicated scientists have had a peaceful sleep. Continued....

Whu Guru Utsav and Why Not Teachers Day !!!!

Why Teacher's Day and Why Not Guru Utsav

The honourable union ministry of HRD, have evoked criticisms for introducing an essay contest for school children on the topic Guru Utsav. Some of the educationists debated in favour of this conceptual shift initiated by the HRD, meanwhile some has shown their apprehension against this decision. However a healthy dialogue between both the parties are required to clear the air of ambiguity surrounding this concept. Renaming the day to a more glorified and meaningful connotation enriches the experience and values attached to it. Lets do a brief study.

Guru Utsav :  A literal study:

The idea of Guru is deeply ingrained in the lives of every Indian. In the Sanskrit lexicon a Guru stands for an enlightened person who removes ignorance(ajnana) from his disciples and fill in with knowledge (Jnana). The position of Guru in the hierarchy of personal importance is after ones' own parents according to tradition. There are many examples in literary works such as vedas, epics and poems glorifying the role of Guru in the character formation of heroes, whom are considered embodiment of righteousness by the people. For instance devotional poet, Kabir Das in one of his poems had expressed that he shall postulate infornt of his Guru first then the Lord himself, because Guru was the person whom had taught him about the glory of Lord Therefore the position of Guru in the lives of Indians have definitely more relevance and meaning than the term Teacher have. 

Guru- Shishya Relationship

In ancient period the education system was characterised with the special relationship between the Guru and Shishya (Disciple). Historian A.L.Basham in his great work, The Wonder That India Was" stated that the education system of Anceint India was not based on any fees or emolument. In most of the cases, the Shishyas used to stay in the Guru's residence and assist him or his family in day to day affairs. The function of giving tribute called as Guru Dakshina after completing his/ her studies was considered as an auspicious action, which was the only material gift offered to the Guru during a student's academic life. In those days, apart from imparting technical and literal skills, these places where considered as centers for Character formation. Gradually these small centers transformed to Univesities in Nalanda, Taxila, Varanasi, Kanchi and so on. 

Teachers - The torch -bearers of nation building:

PM Modi in his speach to the children on Sept 5, mentioned about the diminishing respect for teachers in modern India. Researches shows that the country is finding dearth of good teachers for leading the nation to a developed economy. Skilled teachers are need of the hour and they should be role models for the children to guide the future of our nation in the rite path. There is a concern that new generation doesn't aspire to be take up the profession of teaching due to many reasons. Keeping aside other factors, one reason is current teachers are not able to demonstrate values and traits which were the symbols of Ancient Gurus. The notion of renaming Teacher's Day to Guru Utsava for the sake of doing it shall not serve the purpose. Adoption in action is what is required. Great academicians like Dr. Radhakrishnan, Dr. Ambedkar, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya etc have to be born again through our schools and universities for taking India to the next level of Social, Economical and Political Leadership. 

Finally to conclude with , renaming the occassion with a much valuable terminology alone shall not bring the aimed change in the education system. Assimilating and absorbing the eternal values which were promulgated by great teachers has to be bought into practice. The beginning of any change is the change in the hearts to achieve desired changes in the society. I think the key here is the teachers themselves. Therefore the paradigm shift from being a mere subject tutors to a Guru with exemplary quality is the need for an enlightened Bharath. 

Kautilya's Arthasasthra - 1

As circumstances lead me to learn and contemplate the teachings of Kautilya through his monumental treatise - Arthasastra, I assert that this indeed  is a marvelous piece of statecraft which gives you a transparent insight to the historical aspects, the political thoughts, tactics for success and strategies for good governance of Ancient India. Kautilya otherwise Chanakya who has been referred as the Guru of Chandragupta Maurya was said to be living in BC 300. He was also the prime minister in Chandra Gupta's Kindgdom and it is widely believed that he was the string puller behind the establishment and success of Mauryan Empire. A certain group of historians put forward that India was not united until the British came into the fore and annexed the hetrogenous kingdoms to a homegeous unit for the benefit of Administration. This view of a united nation is as the typical european way of looking at history. Whereas India was a nation before the mauryan empire was established and this unity is not a geographical unity it was a cultural unity. Kautilya, in Arthasastra has elucidated on who can be an Emperor of India. He said, One who rules from Himalaya from the north to the unseen oceans in the South can become the Emperor of India. Now how can Kautilya come to a conclusion of this Gepgraphical boundary of India, if there wasn't any nation called Bharat?

Further ahead his expalanations on various concepts and topics are excellent in clarity. Kautilya's mention on the role of spies cannot be matched even by James Bond movies. He always tried to give a holisitic picture with regards to the following aspects of each concepts. Who, Why, Where, When, Which and How. The roles of spies like, merchant, class mate, ascetic, .....etc are explained with unmatching wisdom. the duties of the King with regards to Discipline is a master piece in time management. Now in military, his grand strategies was undoubtedly the backbone of early Mauryan period. The relevance of keeping an efficient 

Seeking Oneness in Many

Each nation have inherent set of values and ethics which had evolved through centuries of life cycles. The set of values India have given to the world had inspired the elite thinkers from Greece in the East, to China in the west. Fortunately India was immune to attacks and unrest for long time due to her geographical advantages. When crusades and conquests were ruling the minds of west, men in India could peacefully contemplate and experience the highest truth humans had ever witnessed. Europe proclaimed their racial religious superiority over Asia and Africa leading to diabolical colonising. Meanwhile our nation accepted and assimilated various culture and stood for plurality which is the back bone of our culture. India's consciousness always pondered over one thing, How to assimilate the best from all spheres of life. The result is here, India has evolved and still evolving to a rich cultured society where you find fine examples in all ways of life.

Our philosophers in the past have envisaged a term which has no parallel in any other language, i.e. Dharma. What binds together the entire samaj as single unit, is one of the connotations of Dharma. There is a saying, Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha. Which means, Dharma has to be protected, So that Dharma Will protect You.  In general people have to stay together and function towards accomplishing their virtues. Olden days the duty of the king was to assure Dharma is prevailing and permeating the entire gamut of life in samaj. There was even a ritual, where the priests will remind the king during his coronation ceremony by saying Dharma will punish the king if he/she malign the position he is upholding. Closely following the life of my people, they do things within the hold of some intangible or unseen phenomenon which even they are not explicit about. This has been the way of life in India for centuries. The life moves on with great resilience and samaj never took the route by breaking links with its deep rooted values and morals. India also had it's share of genocides and struggles from the days of Islamic conquest to date. Although this have wrecked the equilibrium of life very much, samaj has overcome all the mishaps successfully over a period of time. And now India is a metaphor for universal religion. 

Mr. Nehru in his Glimpses of World History, mentioned the role India had played and going to play in the future. He stated India will function as the heart of the world. Needless to state what a heart does for the physical body, this land will purify the entire universe with her inherent purity. Sufism the mystic sect of Islam, flourished while coming in contact with India. It entered into new realm of spiritual heights in India. Likewise several major religions blossomed in this land and attracted the imaginations of people. Being an Indian, how am I defined by other nationalities? The answer could be, Seeking Oneness in Many..............

Limitations in Law and Possibilities in Us

''Ignorantia juris non excusat'' - Ignorance of the law excuses no one.
As goes the saying, all are bound to know the Law of the land. Ignorance of Laws cannot be excused. One should undertake necessary learnings on respective laws before venturing into any physical transactions in any domain. Countries graft laws and implement the same anticipating peoples' absolute adherence to the same. At times the ruling powers comes up with something which doesn't correspond to the mind of the people. Apparently these laws falls big in terms of execution for the simple reason that people don't accept it. Let's look into the Child Marriage Restraint Act, which was incorporated during the pre-partition era of India. The law says any marriage between a male and a female before they reach the age of 21 and 18 respectively, will be deemed to be illegal. It ensures the mental and physical maturity of both parties before stepping into a married life.  Now the question is, why is this law violated in a large way even after 85 years of legislation. Why these attempts are not producing the desired changes in the society? The emergency days have seen the worst law repudiations in the history of India. This points to the fact that,  Laws has to be enacted in concurrence with the mind of the people. Jurisdictions which does not justify the consciousness of the samaj, will fall flat. So what is the real remedy for an effective change in samaj?  Is it enactment of tough acts and their subsequent amendments later !

Greats always laid the foundations for building the Law Makers of the future. Their pursuit was to nurture the mankind, who will gradually lead the samaj towards betterment. Swami Vivekananda wanted the youngsters to be the torch bearers of nation building by enlightening the masses. He always upheld the principle that all have immense potentiality in changing the course of the sufferings. Gurus like him understood that change has to begin in the people, not by enforcing any policy or pressure.  Yes, educational institutions have the greatest role in nurturing and grooming the generations. I don't think even a staunch supporter of current education system, will agree that each child discovers his/her potentials after stepping out of these insitituitions.  At this point, as a nation how many organisations are involved in this process of Man Making. Even though its fewer, we do have some. Youth involvement determines the nations progress. We have examples of Libya, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt and many other nations facing the wrath of youngsters. Development of an individual should happen in three ways, Physically, Mentally and Spiritually. Spiritual development in one creates a sense of oneness being with the entire living organisms of the universe. Probably this was missing in all ways. There is a consensus among the elite leaders of our nation that, a collective effort from the people is the only way to bring a change. Drafting policies alone will not serve the big cause. Yes its this understanding each of us have to consider when we groom our future generation

Heroes, Politics and Indians

Each nation have their bunch of heroes and India too have, in fact more than any nation in the world. The two great epics which graced this divine land have depicted the greatest two heroes Sri Krishna and Sri Rama. They prevail and permeate the life of my people in one way or another. Its ironical that though we worship and regard Krishna as the greatest influence in our lives, we follow the footsteps of Sri Rama in our actions for the simple reason he is the perfect embodiment of a human being. And when I say perfect, yes absolutely perfect in all the roles he had in his life. Krishna had many wives but the ideal man Rama was only for Sita (Manifestation of the Goddess). Sri Rama has been the moral benchmark for an Indian man for time immemorial. Similarly anything and everything with regards to moralities, the reference point is and always the epics. The great Mahatma Gandhi's inclination towards ' Rama Rajya', conceptualised referring to Rama's governance was neither a theory nor a hypothetical subject. It is a reality in pursuit and Indians can accomplish his dream.

Though politics takes front page of several newspapers across the nation, it doesn't take the centre stage of an Indian family. If anyone asks Why, the answer is India is,was and never a political nation. Life moved smoothly irrespective of who ruled. Therefore the policy makers are mere debating subjects in India. Foreign invasions created havoc at different times, but the people resurged from its suppressions to go normal in spite of the repeated atrocities done by various empires. India still continued to assimilate as usual what was good. I would say if there is anything which hurts India, it is the erosion of Moral Consiousness in a samaj(society). This moralities unites the diversified demography and sustains the samaj strong.  I believe its' unfair to utter even the word, 'Self Restraint Indian'. Because the Indian mind represent the vast ocean where all rivers flows and in process get purified.


I have not seen too many countries and too many of other civilisations. Since am born with the identity of from the oldest living civilisation which has assimilated and adopted the entire mankind traits, I know the rest of the world is just a replica of what I had seen in my people. Paying tribute to the great author Sage Ved Vyas, the learned  says anything and everything in this material world is mentioned in the great Indian epic Mahabharata. Great American Author, Mark Twain has rightly said,''India is the mother of traditions and culture''. Here religions and philosophies flourished and was elevated to a higher level where all got ingrained in the life cycle of each individual in the course of centuries. And yet this evolution is not over, Mother India and her children are still evolving grabbing the best of life.

Billion People – One Voice

Following the resolution passed in the parliament of India, which is the ultimate law making body of the nation, India has shown a tremendous model of people’s will reflecting in the process of nation building. Evidently the successive governments failing to pass a bill for 42 years since it was first tabled in the parliament, the people came out in support of Team Anna and forced the belligerent political class to adopt the points put forward by Shri Anna Hazare and their team. Irrespective of the hues and cries by many of the liberal intelligentsia of the countries, the common man supported recommendations of JAN LOKPAL (the version of lokpal drafted by Team Anna). Consensus in the Parliament and that too 100 percentage was unheard except in matter of National Security. But today all the parliamentarians unanimously supported the three sticky points and passed a resolution in favour of the anti corruption movement. I was proud to see my political class acting in accordance with the minds of the AAM ADMI; perhaps they missed in the last forty odd years. Even though we have lost many precious years in the course of nation building, that day I was proud to say I am an Indian. And why I’ll come to it.

Functioning as the largest democracy in the world, it has never been able to fulfil the basic needs of all the 120 million people. I have often thought the lack of commitment from the politicians resulting in lapse of grabbing opportunities. There have been leaders with vision to constructively engage the resources for development but the political systems never rose to the levels of expectations of the people. Keeping all these flaws aside, How India drew attention of the minds across the globe is by an unprecedented saga of actions resulting in a perfect precedent for the coming generations. Without any bloodshed, riots, suppressing actions from the government the will of the people reflected in the exact manner where it matter the most. Unlike the youth of England who resorted to hooliganism and robbery to show their discomfort to the state authorities, Unlike the Libyan dictatorship who turned their ear drums against the call of the nation to step down or to change. India responded optimistically within the doors of the constitutional and moral framework with an ideal beginning for an anti- corruption bill.  Role of an ordinary man Anna Hazare, cannot be overlooked, history books will hail his contribution as vital and generations will read and might replicate his moral ideals for reforming the process when it is required. Ultimately India alone can show such resilience and spirit for the reason that she is the mother of civilisations and humanity. Born in such a heritage can we alienate ourselves from this way of life?