Sweet words of a wise Parrot

In the great Kāñcī Kṣhetram, there used to be one famous silk saree merchant (śāṭikā Vyāpāri). One day while coming back from his shop, he saw a parrot (śuka) in a cage (pañjaram) being sold. It was very beautiful and attractive. The Vyāpāri bought it and was very happy to bring it to his house. He hanged the parrot's cage before his house's simhadvāram. Everyone in the house, the kids, the wife were very happy to see the beautiful parrot . Obviously the parrot was not happy and was thinking "last time when a Vyāpāri caught me, I escaped with great difficulty. Now I must think of a clever idea to escape". Paramātma not only gave that beautiful parrot the gift of speaking sweet words, but also good intelligence.

The next day morning after doing his kāla kṛtyas, immediately the Vartaka came to see the parrot. The parrot said "O Vartakaśreṣṭha! I will tell you three Satya-vākyas if you free me from this cage". The Vartaka was surprised by the sweet words of the parrot. He thought why will I loose such rare parrot. The parrot then started praising the Vartaka "Dāsajana rañjaka! Mahānubhāva!" with these words it addressed the Vartaka. The Vartaka was overwhelmed by its words and the parrot continued "If you like my first Satya-vākyam take me to the terrace. In case you like my second one too then leave me on the big coconut tree and then set me free if you like my third Satya-vākyam too". Awestruck by the sweet and clever words of the parrot the Vartaka said, "then please tell me the first one". The parrot said "Whatever we loose, Bhaviṣhyat will not be destroyed (it will remain). Hence one must never feel sad on loosing even a very precious thing". The Vartaka was impressed by the first Satyam and took the parrot to the terrace. "We must not believe in anything until we see it. Dont you think so?" said the parrot with confidence. "Excactly true" the Vartaka said and left the parrot on the tree. The parrot climbed till the end and said "In my stomach there are two Vaiḍhūryas!"

Immediately Vartaka thought "Hatavidhī! why did I come into the words of this parrot. I must have not lost it". Seeing that the Vartaka is sad, the parrot replied "You heard two of my Satya-vākyas but never learnt anything from them. You did not put them into ācaraṇa (action). Firstly you became sad on knowing that you lost two Vaiḍhūryas, secondly you believed that in my stomach there are two Vaiḍhūryas. How will I have them in my stomach O mūrkha!"

"By the way, my last Satya-vākyam is: my elders told me, we must not do nīti bodha to people who even believing and listening to them do not put them into ācaraṇa". Saying this the parrot flew away.

Morals in the story:

1. We all listened to many beautiful Moral stories that are told by our elders, Purāṇas … If we do not practise them in our everyday life and do good to the society then what will be the use? Let us all try our level best to remove all durguṇas and imbibe all the great morals taught in our Bhāratīya sāmpradāyam.
2. As the parrot rightly said we must never be sad for what we have lost. What ever happens, it is for our own good.

Think before acting

A Viveka will never do any Kaaryam without Sameeksha (thinking, careful examination).

Long time ago, there used be a King in a city by name “purika”. He was a Para-himsa-rata. He used to do himsa of other creatures. Because of this in his next janma, he was born as a Gomaayu (jackal). However due to the Punyam and Gnyaanam the King acquired, the Gomaayu had puurva-janma-smruti.

Gomaayu used to have great pashchaattapam for his Ahimsa-svabhaavam. Hence it decided to leave Himsa in this janma atleast. It never used to do Himsa of others. Even as aahaaram it used to take only fruits which, by themselves, fell on the ground. Later it started taking only water. It used to always speak Satyam only. Like this, with Dhruda-vratam, it used to lead an Ahimsaayuta-jeevanam.

As for other jackals, the Gomaayu’s home was in Rudra-bhuumi (smashaanam). It never used to leave its janma-bhuumi and used to always stay there and show Krutagnyata to Bhuu-maata. However other Gomaayu in the neighbourhood never used to understand the actions of this one. They used to do many “hita-bodhas” to it; but the Gomaayu never used to leave Ahimsa, Satyam and always used to have Indriya-nigraham, Shuchitvam and Gnyaanam. Like this many days passed by.

Once, the King, a Shaarduulam (tiger), realizing the greatness of this Gomaayu, came near it and said “O Soumya! I came to know about your Vignyaanam. You deserve to be my Mantri and serve this Raajyam. You can also enjoy all the pleasures of a King”. With great Vinayam the Gomaayu replied “Mrugaraja! Only a Gnyaani, Sajjana deserves to be in the position of a Mantri. Else it will lead to the downfall of the Kingdom. I dont have any interest in the Bhoga-bhaagyas of a King; however I will accept to be your Mantri and do Desha-seva. But your previous servants will have Iirsha on me. They might create differences between you and me. Hence I will be your mantri only if you trust me 100%”.

The Shaarduulam accepted and they together did Dharma-paalana of the Vana-raajyam. As Gomaayu expected, the other servants of the King developed Iirsha, Matsaram on the Gomaayu. Once out of Matsaram, they hide the Shaarduulam’s lunch in Gomaayu’s house. When the Shaarduulam ordered them to find who stole his food, they bring it out from the Gomaayu’s house proving that the Gomaayu only stole the food! Believing in the Kapata-naatakam of the animals, Shaarduulam immediately orders that the Gomaayu must be killed.

Knowing that his child is acting without thinking, the mother of the Shaarduulam said “O son! This is looking like a Kapata-naatakam. You must always think before acting and never take decisions in haste. Paapaatmas always hate the people who have shuchitvam, Muurkhas hate Panditas, Adhaarmikas hate the Dhaarmikas. Some Panditas, who are equal to Bruhaspati, also give false-evidence. We must be careful about these people. Even if we see something, without examining we must never accept it without thinking. A person who acts without thinking will always have pashchaattaapam. Remember that you only carefully examined the sadgunams of the Gomaayu. Also dont forget all the help it did for your Raajyam. I think giving such shiksha to this Gomaayu is not good”.

Listening to this Hita-bodha of his mother, Shaarduulam then thought carefully and left Gomaayu without punishing. Gomaayu then thought it is dangerous to be in the company of a King who is an Asameekshaa-kaari and left the place. Later the Shaarduulam’s Raajyam also perished because of a dushta-mantri.

Morals in the story:

1. We must never act without Sameeksha. The Shaarduulam, even being a King, ordered to kill the Gomaayu without thinking.
2. The importance of Ahimsa, Shuchitvam, Satyam are well shown by Gomaayu. Though it took birth as a Gomaayu, it never left these sadgunas.
3. A person’s nature, behaviour depend a lot on the teachings of his mother, parents. The mother of the Shaarduulam saved him from unnecessarily punishing the Gomaayu.

Try and Try Again

The little bear stood at the bottom of a tree, looking up to the top. "That’s the tallest tree I’ve ever seen," Bruce said. "Is that a beehive dangling from one of the branches?" Bruce was feeling very hungry. His tummy was rumbling. "I think I’ll climb up there and knock the beehive down. It’s big and must be filled with delicious, sweet honey."

Using his large paws and sharp claws, he started to climb the tree. "Whew, this trunk is higher than I thought," he sighed. He was only a few feet off the ground and already he was tired. "The bark is sharp and hurts my soft paws," he groaned. "I can’t hold on any longer." He let go of the tree and fell backwards, landing on his back in a pile of leaves that had gathered around the bottom of the trunk. "Ouch!"

Bonnie Beaver was on her way to chop down a small tree with her sharp teeth and spotted Bruce lying on the ground. "What happened?" she asked.

Bruce rolled over onto his paws and stood up. "Do you see that beehive up there? It’s full of golden honey. I was trying to climb the tree but I fell down. It’s very tall!"

Bonnie looked at the top of the tree. "Wow! That is a tall tree. You can do it though. You’re a bear. Bears are experts at climbing trees. Try again," she said and ran off to chop down a tree for her lodge.

Bruce tried again. He put his paws and claws on the tree trunk and started to climb up. He scooted his furry body higher and higher. "I’m higher than I was last time, but I just don’t think I can go any further." He let go of the trunk and fell backwards, landing on his back in the leaves. "Ouch!"

Ronald Raccoon had just raided Mr. MacDonald’s trashcans and was heading back home with an armful of leftover chicken legs when he spotted Bruce lying on his back in the pile of leaves. "What happened?" he asked.

Bruce rolled over onto his paws and stood up. "I’m trying to climb this tall tree to get that beehive. Do you see it? It’s dangling from that branch way up there. It’s filled with tasty honey and I’m very hungry." He brushed the leaves from his fur.

"Wow! That is a tall tree! You’re a bear, and bears know how to climb trees. Keep trying, Bruce. I’m heading home with my chicken legs," Ronald said and ran off into the woods.

Bruce looked up at the beehive. There were hundreds of bees buzzing around it. "I’m sure there’s lots and lots of honey in there. I’m so hungry. I’ll try again. After all, I am a bear." He wrapped his paws and claws around the tree and started to climb up. He climbed and climbed and climbed. He passed the place he first fell from, and then he past the place he fell from the second time. "I’m doing it! I’m climbing the tree! I’m halfway up." He went a little further, but was getting very tired. "I can’t go much further. This tree is too tall. Maybe I can go just a little bit more," he sighed, but couldn’t hold on. He let go and fell to the ground, landing on his back in the pile of leaves. They flew into the air and fell on top of him. "Ouch!"

Shonna Squirrel was running about, gathering acorns that fell from the oak tree. She saw Bruce’s paws sticking out of the orange, red, yellow, and rust colored leaves. "Is that you in there?" she asked.

Bruce rolled over onto his four paws and stood up. "It’s me." He brushed the pieces of twigs and crushed leaves off his fur.

"What happened?" Shonna asked.

"I climbed halfway up that tall tree. I’m trying to reach the beehive because it has honey in it and I’m hungry, but I fell. I was too tired. How will I ever climb that high?" he sighed.

"Bruce, you’re a bear. Bears can climb any tree. You can do it. Just start climbing and don’t let go," Shonna said and then ran back to the oak tree with her cheeks filled with acorns.

Bruce looked at the beehive. "I’m going to do it this time. I’m going to climb all the way to the top and get the honey. I’m a bear and bears are the best tree climbers in the forest." He used his paws and claws and started to climb the tree. He climbed and climbed and climbed and didn’t look down. Finally, after having to stop to rest several times, he reached the beehive. "I did it! I’m at the beehive!" He felt so happy and so proud.

Bees were buzzing all around him. They didn’t want him to knock their beehive down and take all the honey. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. He stuck his paw into the beehive and took a big scoop of honey out. He started to lick his paw. "This is delicious honey." He licked and licked and licked.

The bees came flying out of the beehive and started to sting Bruce. "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" He swatted at them, but there were too many. He fell to the ground from the very top of the tree and landed on his back in the pile of leaves. "Ouch!"

This time the bees came after him. They started to sting him through the leaves. "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" He rolled over onto his paws and ran into the forest. The bees chased him.

He ran past Bonnie Beaver. She was gnawing a tree. "I see you climbed to the top," she said, as he whizzed by with the bees chasing him.

He ran past Ronald Raccoon. He was nibbling away on his chicken bones. "I see you made it to the top of the tree," he said, as Bruce and the bees zipped by.

He ran past Shonna Squirrel, who was putting all her acorns into a hole in the tree trunk. "I see you made it to the top," she said, as Bruce and the bees flew past her.

Bruce ran and ran and ran. When he got to the pond, he jumped into the water. The bees flew all around looking for him. He held his breath and stayed under the water until they gave up and flew back to their beehive. Bruce came up and took a deep breath.

Bonnie Beaver ran along the side of the pond carrying a log and saw Bruce climbing out of the water. "I think you’d better practice climbing trees in another part of the woods," she advised and went into her lodge.

Bruce went back to his cave for the night. His tummy rumbled with hunger. He was happy that he learned to climb the tall tree, but knew that from then on, he’d stick to eating fish. No more honey for him. He let out a big yawn and then curled up in a ball and went to sleep.

Reaching For the Sky

Two bunnies, two bears, two chicks, a cow, a cat and a mouse all lived together in a field next to an apple orchard. Every spring when the apple trees blossomed, the animals danced around with excitement knowing that in a few months, lots of big, red, juicy apples would hang from branches over the fence. Some would even fall to the ground in the field.

Before the first blossom, Mr. Winesap walked over to the fence. He looked at the animals in the field and then at the apples trees. The animals watched in horror as he cut all the lower branches off, gathered them in a pile and carried them away.

“Oh no,” cried the cow. “Now we'll never get to eat the apples.”

As spring passed the flowers blossomed and in the summer the leaves grew large and green and tiny apples appeared. By autumn the apples were huge and red and looked oh so juicy.

The cat, being the wisest of all the animals in the field had an idea. “Let's make a pyramid. If some of us climb on each other's backs or stand on each other's shoulders, we could reach some of those apples.”

The cow moved as close to the fence as he could. One of the bears climbed on its back. The other bear climbed up and then one of the rabbits and the mouse. “I can reach!” The mouse plucked an apple and handed it to the rabbit, who passed it to the bear, who passed it to the other bear, who handed it to the other rabbit, who put it in the basket.

They did this over and over again until the basket was full. “That was a good idea,” the mouse said to the cat.

They sat on the grass and gobbled all the apples, wiping the juice from their chins. “I love apples,” said the chicks.

“Me too,” said the others.

Think twice before you act

Long ago, there used to live a very great King by the name Nruga, the son of Ikshvaaku. He gave as many goodaanams as there are grains of sand on the earth, stars in the heavens, or drops in a rain shower. He gave the best quality kapila varna cows, decorated with pure golden hooves and horns, along with their calves. He gave them to the most learned braahmanas, whose families were in need, were young and possessed of excellent character and qualities, who were dedicated to truth, famous for their austerity, vastly learned in the Vedic scriptures and saintly in their behaviour. He performed many other such great daanams for the needy. In addition, he performed many yagnyas and executed various pious welfare activities.

Once, a cow owned by a learned braahmana wandered away and entered the herd being given as daanam by Nruga. Unaware that he was giving a cow that did not belong to him, he gave it to one other needy braahmana. When the owner of the cow saw his cow being taken away, he said "The cow belongs to me!" and the other said "No! It was given to me by Nruga." Nruga comes to know about this and offers each one of them a thousand cows of highest quality and asked them to save him from this difficult situation. However, both the braahmanas go away leaving the cow.

Yamadharmaraaja, after King Nruga leaves his physical body and comes to Yamaloka, asks Nruga "do you wish to experience the results of your paapam first, or those of your punya? Indeed, I see no end to the greatest daanams you have performed, or to your consequent enjoyment in the urdhva lokas. However, you made the sin of stealing a cow from a braahmana". Nruga chooses to face the consequences of his paapam first and immediately falls as a huge chameleon in a well. Since he always had bhakti towards the Lord and performed uncountable number of great daanams, he always remembered who he was, and what mistake he committed. He used to repent for his mistake and spent a very long time alone in the well, always doing Bhagavat-dhyaanam.

After a very long time, once when Shri Krishna, Saamba, Pradyumna, Chaaru, Bhaanu, Gada and other boys were playing, out of thrist they goto the well where Nruga was living. Out of pity, Shri Krishna takes him out of the well. The touch of the Lord of the universe made Nruga get a divya tejaswi form, with radiating kiritam and ornaments and tejas of Sun. On being asked by Shri Krishna, the Sarvagnya, the reason for the chameleon form, Nruga tells him his unfortunate story. He does a stotram to Lord krishna, does a pradakshinam, takes leave from the Lord and before the eyes of everyone flies to urdhva lokas in a divya vimaanam.

Morals in the Story:

1. Even for a great person like Nruga, one mistake, which he did unknowingly, made him experience the result of his paapam. Thus one should be very careful not to commit any kind of sin even unknowingly and lead a very ideal life.
2. Some or the other time, one must experience the results of his paapa or punya. However, if one surrenders himself to the God, He will lift you from the samsaaram and in the end give you kaivalyam, as Krishna did to Nruga.
3. Since Nruga never forgot remembering the Lord and the Lord was impressed by his great acts, Krishna granted him urdhva lokas in the end. So the end result for a good person will always be good.

Hard work can do wonders

In Indian culture vairaagyam was always given ultimate importance. But careful, there is a very thin line that separates vairaagyam and laziness. In vairaagyam all karma is done but without expecting anything in return, without being involved in the materialistic aspects of karma. Bhagiratha, with his unparalleled effort to bring Ganga to earth, showed us how much effort a man can put in and as a result what wonders can be done.

On knowing that his ancestors (60000 Sagara Kumaras) will reach swarga only if the pure waters of Ganga flow through their ashes, from his mother, Bhagiratha immediately leaves to Himalayas to do tapas for Lord Brahma:

1. After purifying himself in a pushkarini, it starts tapas with extra-ordinary concentration.
2. Starts with padmaasana and in winter stood in the freezing waters of the lake with water up to chest!
3. In Summer stands in the middle of burning pancha-agnis (four agnis + sun) and steadily stared at the sun with eyes wide open (all the while concentrating on Brahma deva)!!
4. During the first few days, he had food only once a day. Later it was once in a few days. Then it became once in a month. After that, he just used to drink a little water and continue his ‘Tapas’. Finally the air was his only food!!!
5. 1000 years passed….!!!!

Brahma, the creator of the worlds, on the requests of Gods to save them from the tremendous tapaagni of Bhagiratha, appears before him and blesses him with children and Ganga. However, Brahma deva suggests that none except Parama Shiva can take the force when Ganga falls onto earth, and if not with that force earth will be washed away…

Men are of three kinds:

1. There are cowards, who do not begin their work at all, afraid that some trouble may arise midway.
2. Those who begin but later give up the task, afraid of the difficulties that arise.
3. Brave people who belong to a third group. They continue to work in spite of even an army of difficulties, and finally achieve the goal.

Bhagiratha belonged to this third category of brave men. He again began a severe ‘Tapas’ to please Lord Ishwara. With folded hands, and standing on one leg, he meditated on Lord iswara with the deepest concentration. So a whole year passed. Pleased with Bhagiratha’s devotion Lord ishwara takes the immense force of Ganga and controls her in his jataajutam. He completely stops her from flowing to teach her a lesson (she was a mischievous girl, proud of her strength!), but for Bhagiratha it was another difficulty… But he again with tapas pleases Lord Shiva to release Ganga down to earth. Ganga followed Bhagiratha shyly and slowly, like his daughter (Bhaagirathi). But she grew a little mischievous, though Shiva taught her a lesson once, when near Jahnu maharshi’s ashram. She wandered all over the Ashrama like a small girl and the entire place was filled with water. Disturbed from tapas by it, Jahnu maharshi in a single gulp swallows her entirely. And suddenly difficulties again for Bhagiratha. But it is not the first time for him, so immediately pleases Jahnu maharshi (Jaahnavi comes out of Jahnu maharshi’s ear) and finally sends his ancestors to higher worlds…..

Morals in the story:

1. Karma must be done in massive quantity as Bhagiratha did, but selflessly…
2. Brave people continue to work in spite of even an army of difficulties, and finally achieve their goal.
3. Man can achieve wonders, once he puts in effort and dedication….
4. One must never be proud of one’s strength or other qualities. Else you will be humiliated when you meet a greater person. (Shiva taught the naughty kid, Ganga, a lesson by controlling her unparralled strength & force, with great ease….)

Message:

Let us all put effort, learn all the good qualities and be true Indians. Impossible is nothing.

Do not blame others

Our Indian culture is great. The rules it provides make everyone lead an ideal life. According to our shastras, it seems, a person who blames others (unnecessarily) gets half of the entire paapam of the person blamed and in addition gives away half of his entire punyam to the person blamed! So there a big loss for the person who blames and a big gain for the person blamed. The following is a small story showing how careful one needs to be while doing Dharma nirnayam and eventually blaming others.

Once a poor braahmana, with hunger, came to a person’s house and asked for bhiksha. The kind woman in the house took pity on him and immediately offered food. She asked the brahmana to sit under the shade of a huge tree in their house and she brought food for him. Before the braahmana cleaned himself, prayed to the God and started eating, a very unfortunate thing happened. There used to live a poisonous snake under the shelter of the tree and vidhi vashah it spilt its poison and it directly fell into the food the braahmana was going to eat. The braahmana unknowing that the food is poisoned, ate food and died.

Now, who needs to be blamed? Is it the woman who gave the food, or the snake or the owner or the braahmana himself. It seems that the person who decides and makes a decision that a particular individual is to be blamed will get the brahma-hatyaa-paatakam.

So did you notice how critical is a dharma-nirneta’s role. How many shastras should he have learnt before taking the seat of dharma-nirneta? How careful and unbiased should his thinking be? Imagine how great is Yamadharmaraaja to be able to do perfect justice for so many people for such huge amount of time. That is why He is called ‘Samavarti’. He has one of his legs in Shri-chandanam and the other in fire. Both are same for Him and thus very unbiased and impartial.

Morals in the story:

1. A lot of thinking needs to be done before putting blame on others.
2. A person should be highly knowledgeable and learned in order to be a dharma-nirneta. That is why it is customary in our Indian culture to always say “As far as i know, this is Dharma….” or “This is what I heard from my elders, hence …..”.

Message:

Atleast on hearing to this story, we hope all the govt. officials will be still more careful in performing their duties. The pathetic state of today’s nyaayasthaanas is well-known. The power given to a nyaayaadhikaari is immense. The story also shows how impartial, unbiased, honest and most importantly learned must the nyaayaadhikaris be… One may assume everything is going fine, but at sometime or the other one must experience the effects of his own karma.

A Small Touching Story Mainly For Professionals

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his
5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
SON:"Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD:"Yeah sure, what is it?" replied the man.
SON:"Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD:"That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
the man said angrily.
SON:"I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD:"If you must know, I make Rs.100 an hour."
SON:"Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON:"Daddy, may I please borrow Rs.50?"
The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs.50 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.
"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.
"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man.
"It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you.. Here's the Rs.50 you asked for."
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled.
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.
"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.
"Daddy, I have Rs.100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?
Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.
Do remember to share that Rs.100 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family.

After reading this story could you guys give me a feed back

Flying car to be unveiled in 2011

An American company Terrafugia Transition, based near Boston, is set to unveil the dual-purpose car-cum-plane vehicle called 'The Flying Car' as early as 2011. The two-seater vehicle can let you fly if you wish to avoid the congested city traffic. If you want to drive on the road, just touch the road. The vehicle will fold up its wings in 30 seconds and transform itself into a car.

"The Flying Car" can travel up to 725 kilometres in the air at a speed of more than 115 kilometres per hour. Fuelled by gasoline, it has front wheel drive on the road and a propeller for flight. With its wings folded, it can be parked in your ordinary car garage. Its initial cost is expected to be around $200,000 (nearly Rs.1 crore), says the company which has already orders for 60 vehicles.

The CEO of the company told Canadian TV (CTV) network here that they have successfully test-flown "The Flying Car" as many as 28 times. The tests have shown that the vehicle can drive, fly and switch from being a plane to a car in just 30 seconds. He said this miracle vehicle will ease problems for pilots who currently face problems like weather which sometimes doesn't allow them to take off or land.

WHO warns of severe form of swine flu

Doctors are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said Friday.

Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients hospitalized with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need intensive care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems, WHO said in an update on the pandemic.

"During the winter season in the southern hemisphere, several countries have viewed the need for intensive care as the greatest burden on health services," it said.

"Preparedness measures need to anticipate this increased demand on intensive care units, which could be overwhelmed by a sudden surge in the number of severe cases."

Earlier, WHO reported that H1N1 had reached epidemic levels in Japan, signaling an early start to what may be a long influenza season this year, and that it was also worsening in tropical regions.

"Perhaps most significantly, clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections," WHO said.

"In these patients, the virus directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialized and demanding care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays."

MINORITIES AT RISK

Minority groups and indigenous populations may also have a higher risk of being severely ill with H1N1.

"In some studies, the risk in these groups is four to five times higher than in the general population," WHO said.

"Although the reasons are not fully understood, possible explanations include lower standards of living and poor overall health status, including a high prevalence of conditions such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension."

WHO said it was advising countries in the Northern Hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic spread. "Countries with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere, also need to prepare for an increasing number of cases," it said.

Every year, seasonal flu infects between 5 percent and 20 percent of a given population and kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally. Because hardly anyone has immunity to the new H1N1 virus, experts believe it will infect far more people than usual, as much as a third of the population.

It also disproportionately affects younger people, unlike seasonal flu which mainly burdens the elderly, and thus may cause more severe illness and deaths among young adults and children than seasonal flu does.

"Data continue to show that certain medical conditions increase the risk of severe and fatal illness. These include respiratory disease, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and immunosuppression," WHO said.

"When anticipating the impact of the pandemic as more people become infected, health officials need to be aware that many of these predisposing conditions have become much more widespread in recent decades, thus increasing the pool of vulnerable people."

WHO estimates that more than 230 million people globally have asthma, and more than 220 million have diabetes. Obesity may also worsen the risk of severe infection, WHO said.

The good news -- people infected with AIDS virus do not seem to be at special risk from H1N1, WHO said.

Roll, Baby, Roll

Delhi's on a roll, literally. It seems everyone from students at North Campus to corporate

honchos in Connaught Place are getting drawn to the lure of steaming hot veg/non veg 'rolls' during lunchtime. Students are increasingly turning to this new avatar of fast food to escape the monotony of their college lunch menu. "Most canteens in DU have the same chole bhature or rajma chawal combo on offer for lunch," said Ankush Kumar, from Ramjas College. "Out-station students like me have the same dinner menu at our PGs, too. So for us, rolls are a refreshing change," he added. Parakram Hazarika agrees. "Besides being boring, I find college food too heavy. A chicken roll, however, is filling and doesn't make you doze off during late afternoon tutorial sessions," he said. Accessible and delectable, the corporate world, too has given in to the temptation of the 'roll''. "There's a roll vendor right below my office building," said Rajneesh Mittal, an MNC employee at CP. "The vendor knows me and has my mutton roll prepared when lunch break begins. All I have to do is go down, pay the man and grab a mini bottle of coke with it. I'm done with my lunch even before I reach my 15th floor office by lift." Perhaps it's the quickness of such a meal that attracts the 'sociable but busy' types like Saloni Verma. "Lunch is often the only time I get to chill with my friends working in other stores," said this manager at a Noida mall.

Reservation based on Castes / religions in India..

This is currently the talk of every town/village in India (my country). I really did not want to discuss this in my blog here but then I do not have any other blog dedicated for this kind of subject.
I have never really understood the caste/religion based reservation system in todays scenario. Few questions really comes to my mind when I read about all this.

How much sense it really make to have this kind of reservervation system now? This systems was introduced 50-60 years ago. It really made sense at that point of time since our society was really divided based on all this crap and an upliftment was required. But again it was meant for only next 30 years. It was not scraped afterwards because of our great politicans.

When Mr. Arjun Singh (whoever he is, am not sure) came out with this idea, did he make any kind of study/analysis before? why does not he present the number/analysis to the whole nation about his study. At least, I will be really happy to buy his ideas if he has concrete numbers with him which show that its really required. In God we trust, rest of us have to present the numbers to prove the point.

What kind of purpose it serve? A person is characterised by his persona not by caste or religion or any geographical boundry he belongs to. Also a caste / religion does not necessarily represent the economic status of a person. I agree that even in today's world, the society in some places of my country is really divided based on all this crap. But then there are lot of people who do not believe in all this and do not want anybody to believe either. Then why our politicians want to create a bigger divide in our society based on all this? just to keep their chair safe.

What kind of system we need? I know that in my country lot of of people are below poverty line. Their kids, instead of studying or getting the quality education, goes to work. Why not our politicians think about them? They are the people who need help irrespective of their caste/religions/region. May be we need a free education system in place for them or may be even reservation. Since having a free quality education is a distant dream as of now.

I recently read an article where Lalu mentioned about having a reservation for upper caste people. He is the maan!! Infact the right man to lead the nation!! ha ha :) kidding.

One of my friend Vivek has written an article about this. You can read it here .

Online Storage Drive..

I have been hearing about Google's ambitious project GDrive for some time now. Recently I read Michael Arrington's article about Microsoft's Live Drive.
I sometime wonder about Microsoft's overall strategy in terms of product. They had always believed in making a thick Client (powerful) and a thin Server.. But ever since Google has been pursuing the ideas of shifting the focus more on server side, Microsoft has been trying almost everything what google is upto. I think Microsoft missed the search focus early on to give google an advantage and that is the reason they do not want to miss anything else now :-)

I looked on the web and found that there are few social storage sites like www.xdrive.com, www.esnips.com etc. Though I have never tried them. I am eagerly awaiting to push all my data in hard drive to GDrive. I just can't stop imagineing a day when we should be able to do everything online with our small gadget like a smart phone.

Who's to blame for US financial market crisis

The question comes to my mind whenever I hear about another financial institution filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy in one of the sound financial system in the world.

1. Do we blame Government/Fed/Monetary authorities for the lack of regulations in the market? They saw the housing prices going north since 2001. Fed had kept the interest rates low for a longer period since the tech bubble burst obviously with good intentions but overlooking future implications. They saw the questionable practices of banks lending loans to the credit unworthy customers and did nothing perhaps to respect the free market practices. Well, free markets work only in theory and now we know it.
   
2. Do we blame these financial institutions and their highly paid executives who were hell bent on making more money at any risk under the practice called subprime lending? Debt to equity ratio was never an issue for them. Idea was simple; credit worthiness of customers is barely an issue because even if customers default on their mortgages, these banks could make more money by selling the same houses at higher prices in future. But then who said housing prices will always go up? Taking risk is good but it is said that not a well calculated risk is greed. Looking at how many people are losing their bread and butter money, the only thing one can hope for is that tax payers money is not used to pay severance packages for these executives.
   
3. or do we blame people for driving the housing prices like crazy? Isn't it a basic that we back ourselves financially well with sound assets (or savings) before opting for mortgages or any liabilities in general?
   

I think the answer is combination of all these. Underlying problem in the system has always been the housing bubble. Even after falling sharply for months, the housing prices are still far from reality. It is hard say now how the government's most liberal economic stimulus plan so far to bail out the economy is going to help troubled house owners with their mortgages. The problems aren't going away unless the housing market is stabilized. I also spent some time in past looking for a house to buy but then gave up after seeing the craziness in prices. Looking back now, I don't have anything to regret.

How poor we are!!

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad.” “Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked. “Oh yeah,” said the son. “So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father. The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. “We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. “We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. “We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”

Healing Power of Writing

Putting pen to paper can help you lose weight, reduce stress and take control of your health
After suffering from PMS for over a decade, Debra Van Wert, 44, of New York, started recording her symptoms. Three months later, she saw a pattern. “Writing helped me anticipate hormonal phases and identify which weeks I felt my best and worst,” says Van Wert. Today, she’s in better control of her condition.
She had the right idea. Researchers are discovering that keeping a journal can reduce pain, help with weight loss, even ease serious stress. “Writing may produce changes in immune or hormonal responses to stress, and improve relationships and our capa- city to cope with stress,” says Joshua M. Smyth, an American psychologist. He found that writing about a traumatic experience eased pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients and boosted lung function in asthmatics. Other research has found the following benefits of writing:
Lose weight Keeping a detailed food diary has been shown to help people drop kilos. In one study it was the strongest predictor of weight loss. Researchers with America’s Women’s Health Initiative found that food diaries help create awareness about calorie consumption and fat intake. And when you know how much you’re eating, it’s easier to make changes.
Improve sleep At an American university, women who wrote about traumatic experiences like rape or a serious car accident reported fewer headaches, sleep problems and depressive symptoms than those who didn’t.
Fight illness In a 2002 study at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University, people who wrote about a stressful event made fewer visits to health clinics over the next 15 months.
Slash stress In a study at Chicago Medical School, when cancer patients who lacked family support wrote about their illness for 20 minutes a day, they reported less stress for up to six months.

Those lips that Love's own hand did make by William Shakespeare

Those lips that Love's own hand did make
Breathed forth the sound that said "I hate"
To me that languished for her sake;
But when she saw my woeful state,
Straight in her heart did mercy come,
Chiding that tongue that ever sweet
Was used in giving gentle doom,
And taught it thus anew to greet:
"I hate" she altered with an end,
That followed it as gentle day
Doth follow night, who like a fiend
From heaven to hell is flown away.
"I hate" from hate away she threw,
And saved my life, saying "not you."

A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns

O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry:

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.


And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it ware ten thousand mile.

To a Stranger. by Walt Whitman

PASSING stranger! you do not know how longingly I look upon you,
You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me, as of a dream,)
I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you,
All is recall’d as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,
You grew up with me, were a boy with me, or a girl with me,
I ate with you, and slept with you—your body has become not yours only, nor left my body
mine
only,
You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh, as we pass—you take of my beard,
breast,
hands, in return,
I am not to speak to you—I am to think of you when I sit alone, or wake at night alone,
I am to wait—I do not doubt I am to meet you again,
I am to see to it that I do not lose you.

I Taught Myself To Live Simply by Anna Akhmatova

I taught myself to live simply and wisely,
to look at the sky and pray to God,
and to wander long before evening
to tire my superfluous worries.
When the burdocks rustle in the ravine
and the yellow-red rowanberry cluster droops
I compose happy verses
about life's decay, decay and beauty.
I come back. The fluffy cat
licks my palm, purrs so sweetly
and the fire flares bright
on the saw-mill turret by the lake.
Only the cry of a stork landing on the roof
occasionally breaks the silence.
If you knock on my door
I may not even hear.

A Sincere Man Am I (Verse I) - by Jose Marti

A sincere man am I
From the land where palm trees grow,
And I want before I die
My soul's verses to bestow.

I'm a traveller to all parts,
And a newcomer to none:
I am art among the arts,
With the mountains I am one.

I know how to name and class
All the strange flowers that grow;
I know every blade of grass,
Fatal lie and sublime woe.

I have seen through dead of night
Upon my head softly fall,
Rays formed of the purest light
From beauty celestial.

I have seen wings that were surging
From beautiful women's shoulders,
And seen butterflies emerging
From the refuse heap that moulders.

I have known a man to live
With a dagger at his side,
And never once the name give
Of she by whose hand he died.

Twice, for an instant, did I
My soul's reflection espy:
Twice: when my poor father died
And when she bade me good-bye.

I trembled once, when I flung
The vineyard gate, and to my dread,
The wicked hornet had stung
My little girl on the forehead.

I rejoiced once and felt lucky
The day that my jailer came
To read the death warrant to me
That bore his tears and my name.

I hear a sigh across the earth,
I hear a sigh over the deep:
It is no sign reaching my hearth,
But my son waking from sleep.

If they say I have obtained
The pick of the jeweller's trove,
A good friend is what I've gained
And I have put aside love.

I have seen across the skies
A wounded eagle still flying;
I know the cubby where lies
The snake of its venom dying.

I know that the world is weak
And must soon fall to the ground,
Then the gentle brook will speak
Above the quiet profound.

While trembling with joy and dread,
I have touched with hand so bold
A once-bright star that fell dead
From heaven at my threshold.

On my brave heart is engraved
The sorrow hidden from all eyes:
The son of a land enslaved,
Lives for it, suffers and dies.

All is beautiful and right,
All is as music and reason;
And all, like diamonds, is light
That was coal before its season.

I know when fools are laid to rest
Honor and tears will abound,
And that of all fruits, the best
Is left to rot in holy ground.

Without a word, the pompous muse
I've set aside, and understood:
From a withered branch, I choose
To hang my doctoral hood.

Conference Of The Birds - by Farid al-Din Attar

Attar began The Conference of the Birds (Mantiq al-tair) with an invocation praising the holy Creator in which he suggested that one must live a hundred lives to know oneself; but you must know God by the deity, not by yourself, for God opens the way, not human wisdom. 'Attar believed that God is beyond all human knowledge. The soul will manifest itself when the body is laid aside. One cannot gain spiritual knowledge without dying to all things. When the birds assemble, they wonder why they have no king. The Hoopoe presents herself as a messenger from the invisible world with knowledge of God and the secrets of creation. She recommends Simurgh as their true king, saying that one of his feathers fell on China.

The Nightingale says that the love of the Rose satisfies him, and the journey is beyond his strength; but the Hoopoe warns against being a slave of passing love that interferes with seeking self-perfection. The Parrot longs for immortality, and the Hoopoe encourages the Peacock to choose the whole. The Duck is too content with water to seek the Simurgh. The Hoopoe advises the Partridge that gems are just colored stones and that love of them hardens the heart; she should seek the real jewel of sound quality. The Humay is distracted by ambition, and the Owl loves only the treasure he has found. The Hoopoe reprimands the Sparrow for taking pride in humility and recommends struggling bravely with oneself. She states that the different birds are just shadows of the Simurgh. If they succeed, they will not be God; but they will be immersed in God. If they look in their hearts, they will see the divine image. All appearances are just the shadow of the Simurgh. Those loving truly do not think about their own lives and sacrifice their desires. Those grounded in love renounce faith and religion as well as unbelief. One must hear with the ear of the mind and the heart.

A total of 22 birds speak to the Hoopoe or ask questions about the journey. Short anecdotes are told to illustrate the Hoopoe's points. The Hoopoe says that it is better to lose your life than to languish miserably. The Hoopoe says,

So long as we do not die to ourselves,
and so long as we identify with someone or something,
we shall never be free.
The spiritual way is not for those wrapped up in exterior life.5

You will enjoy happiness if you succeed in withdrawing from attachment to the world. Whoever is merciful even to the merciless is favored by the compassionate. It is better to agree to differ than to quarrel. The Hoopoe warns the sixth bird against the dog of desire that runs ahead. Each vain desire becomes a demon, and yielding to each one begets a hundred others. The world is a prison under the devil, and one should have no truck with its master. The Hoopoe also says that if you let no one benefit from your gold, you will not profit either; but by the smallest gift to the poor you both benefit. She says,

Good fortune will come to you only as you give.
If you cannot renounce life completely,
you can at least free yourself
from the love of riches and honors.6

A pupil becomes afraid in facing a choice between two roads, but a shaikh advises getting rid of fear so that either road will be good. The Hoopoe tells the eighth bird that only if death ceases to exercise power over creatures would it be wise to remain content in a golden palace. The ninth bird is told that sensual love is a game inspired by passing beauty that is fleeting. The Hoopoe asks what is uglier than a body made of flesh and bones. It is better to seek the hidden beauty of the invisible world. An anecdote about Jesus yields the following lesson:

Strive to discover the mystery before life is taken from you.
If while living you fail to find yourself, to know yourself,
how will you be able to understand
the secret of your existence when you die?7

The Hoopoe advises the eleventh bird that giving yourself over to pride or self-pity will disturb you. Since the world passes, pass it by, for whoever becomes identified with transient things has no part in the lasting things. The suffering endured is made glorious and is a treasure for the seer, for blessings will come if you make efforts on the path. The fifteenth bird is told that justice is salvation, and the just are saved from errors. Being just is better than a life of worship. Justice exercised in secret is even better than liberality; but justice professed openly may lead to hypocrisy. A story of two drunks teaches that we see faults because we do not love. When we understand real love, the faults of those near us appear as good qualities. When you see the ugliness of your own faults, you will not bother so much with the faults of others.

The journey of the birds takes them through the seven valleys of the quest, love, understanding, independence and detachment, unity, astonishment, and finally poverty and nothingness. In the valley of the quest one undergoes a hundred difficulties and trials. After one has been tested and become free, one learns in the valley of love that love has nothing to do with reason. The valley of understanding teaches that knowledge is temporary, but understanding endures. Overcoming faults and weaknesses brings the seeker closer to the goal. In the valley of independence and detachment one has no desire to possess nor any wish to discover. To cross this difficult valley one must be roused from apathy to renounce inner and outer attachments so that one can become self-sufficient. In the valley of unity the Hoopoe announces that although you may see many beings, in reality there is only one, which is complete in its unity. As long as you are separate, good and evil will arise; but when you lose yourself in the divine essence, they will be transcended by love. When unity is achieved, one forgets all and forgets oneself in the valley of astonishment and bewilderment.

The Hoopoe declares that the last valley of deprivation and death is almost impossible to describe. In the immensity of the divine ocean the pattern of the present world and the future world dissolves. As you realize that the individual self does not really exist, the drop becomes part of the great ocean forever in peace. The analogy of moths seeking the flame is used. Out of thousands of birds only thirty reach the end of the journey. When the light of lights is manifested and they are in peace, they become aware that the Simurgh is them. They begin a new life in the Simurgh and contemplate the inner world. Simurgh, it turns out, means thirty birds; but if forty or fifty had arrived, it would be the same. By annihilating themselves gloriously in the Simurgh they find themselves in joy, learn the secrets, and receive immortality. So long as you do not realize your nothingness and do not renounce your self-pride, vanity, and self-love, you will not reach the heights of immortality. 'Attar concluded the epilog with the admonition that if you wish to find the ocean of your soul, then die to all your old life and then keep silent.

l(a... (a leaf falls on loneliness) - by e e cummings

l(a

le
af
fa
ll

s)
one
l

iness

“Hope” is the thing with feathers—by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

The Giving Tree - by Sheldon Allan Silverstein

Once there was a tree....
and she loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come
and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
and swing from her branches
and eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired,
he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree....
very much.
And the tree was happy.
But time went by.
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.
Then one day the boy came to the tree
and the tree said, "Come, Boy, come and
climb up my trunk and swing from my
branches and eat apples and play in my
shade and be happy."
"I am too big to climb and play" said
the boy.
"I want to buy things and have fun.
I want some money?"
"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I
have no money.
I have only leaves and apples.
Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in
the city. Then you will have money and
you will be happy."
And so the boy climbed up the
tree and gathered her apples
and carried them away.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time....
and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back
and the tree shook with joy
and she said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk
and swing from my branches and be happy."
"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy.
"I want a house to keep me warm," he said.
"I want a wife and I want children,
and so I need a house.
Can you give me a house ?"
" I have no house," said the tree.
"The forest is my house,
but you may cut off
my branches and build a
house. Then you will be happy."

And so the boy cut off her branches
and carried them away
to build his house.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time.
And when he came back,
the tree was so happy
she could hardly speak.
"Come, Boy," she whispered,
"come and play."
"I am too old and sad to play,"
said the boy.
"I want a boat that will
take me far away from here.
Can you give me a boat?"
"Cut down my trunk
and make a boat," said the tree.
"Then you can sail away...
and be happy."
And so the boy cut down her trunk
and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy
... but not really.

And after a long time
the boy came back again.
"I am sorry, Boy,"
said the tree," but I have nothing
left to give you -
My apples are gone."
"My teeth are too weak
for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone,"
said the tree. " You
cannot swing on them - "
"I am too old to swing
on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone, " said the tree.
"You cannot climb - "
"I am too tired to climb" said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree.
"I wish that I could give you something....
but I have nothing left.
I am just an old stump.
I am sorry...."
"I don't need very much now," said the boy.
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree, straightening
herself up as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting
Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.

Mother To Son - by Langston Hughes

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Feelings - by Spike Milligan

There must be a wound!
No one can be this hurt
and not bleed.

How could she injure me so?
No marks
No bruises

Worse!
People say 'My, you're looking well'
…..God help me!
She's mummified me -
ALIVE!

Where The Mind Is Without Fear - by Rabindranath Tagore

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

I Cry - by Tupac Shakur

Sometimes when I'm alone
I Cry,
Cause I am on my own.
The tears I cry are bitter and warm.
They flow with life but take no form
I Cry because my heart is torn.
I find it difficult to carry on.

If I had an ear to confiding,
I would cry among my treasured friend,
but who do you know that stops that long,
to help another carry on.


The world moves fast and it would rather pass by.
Then to stop and see what makes one cry,
so painful and sad.
And sometimes…
I Cry
and no one cares about why.

Alone - by Edgar Allan Poe

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

Cinderella - by Roald Dahl

I guess you think you know this story.
You don't. The real one's much more gory.
The phoney one, the one you know,
Was cooked up years and years ago,
And made to sound all soft and sappy
just to keep the children happy.
Mind you, they got the first bit right,
The bit where, in the dead of night,
The Ugly Sisters, jewels and all,
Departed for the Palace Ball,
While darling little Cinderella
Was locked up in a slimy cellar,
Where rats who wanted things to eat,
Began to nibble at her feet.

She bellowed 'Help!' and 'Let me out!
The Magic Fairy heard her shout.
Appearing in a blaze of light,
She said: 'My dear, are you all right?'
'All right?' cried Cindy .'Can't you see
'I feel as rotten as can be!'
She beat her fist against the wall,
And shouted, 'Get me to the Ball!
'There is a Disco at the Palace!
'The rest have gone and I am jealous!
'I want a dress! I want a coach!
'And earrings and a diamond brooch!
'And silver slippers, two of those!
'And lovely nylon panty hose!
'Done up like that I'll guarantee
'The handsome Prince will fall for me!'
The Fairy said, 'Hang on a tick.'
She gave her wand a mighty flick
And quickly, in no time at all,
Cindy was at the Palace Ball!

It made the Ugly Sisters wince
To see her dancing with the Prince.
She held him very tight and pressed
herself against his manly chest.
The Prince himself was turned to pulp,
All he could do was gasp and gulp.
Then midnight struck. She shouted,'Heck!
I've got to run to save my neck!'
The Prince cried, 'No! Alas! Alack!'
He grabbed her dress to hold her back.
As Cindy shouted, 'Let me go!'
The dress was ripped from head to toe.

She ran out in her underwear,
And lost one slipper on the stair.
The Prince was on it like a dart,
He pressed it to his pounding heart,
'The girl this slipper fits,' he cried,
'Tomorrow morn shall be my bride!
I'll visit every house in town
'Until I've tracked the maiden down!'
Then rather carelessly, I fear,
He placed it on a crate of beer.

At once, one of the Ugly Sisters,
(The one whose face was blotched with blisters)
Sneaked up and grabbed the dainty shoe,
And quickly flushed it down the loo.
Then in its place she calmly put
The slipper from her own left foot.
Ah ha, you see, the plot grows thicker,
And Cindy's luck starts looking sicker.

Next day, the Prince went charging down
To knock on all the doors in town.
In every house, the tension grew.
Who was the owner of the shoe?
The shoe was long and very wide.
(A normal foot got lost inside.)
Also it smelled a wee bit icky.
(The owner's feet were hot and sticky.)
Thousands of eager people came
To try it on, but all in vain.
Now came the Ugly Sisters' go.
One tried it on. The Prince screamed, 'No!'
But she screamed, 'Yes! It fits! Whoopee!
'So now you've got to marry me!'
The Prince went white from ear to ear.
He muttered, 'Let me out of here.'
'Oh no you don't! You made a vow!
'There's no way you can back out now!'
'Off with her head!'The Prince roared back.
They chopped it off with one big whack.
This pleased the Prince. He smiled and said,
'She's prettier without her head.'
Then up came Sister Number Two,
Who yelled, 'Now I will try the shoe!'
'Try this instead!' the Prince yelled back.
He swung his trusty sword and smack
Her head went crashing to the ground.
It bounced a bit and rolled around.
In the kitchen, peeling spuds,
Cinderella heard the thuds
Of bouncing heads upon the floor,
And poked her own head round the door.
'What's all the racket? 'Cindy cried.
'Mind your own bizz,' the Prince replied.
Poor Cindy's heart was torn to shreds.
My Prince! she thought. He chops off heads!
How could I marry anyone
Who does that sort of thing for fun?

The Prince cried, 'Who's this dirty slut?
'Off with her nut! Off with her nut!'
Just then, all in a blaze of light,
The Magic Fairy hove in sight,
Her Magic Wand went swoosh and swish!
'Cindy! 'she cried, 'come make a wish!
'Wish anything and have no doubt
'That I will make it come about!'
Cindy answered, 'Oh kind Fairy,
'This time I shall be more wary.
'No more Princes, no more money.
'I have had my taste of honey.
I'm wishing for a decent man.
'They're hard to find. D'you think you can?'
Within a minute, Cinderella
Was married to a lovely feller,
A simple jam maker by trade,
Who sold good home-made marmalade.
Their house was filled with smiles and laughter
And they were happy ever after.

Mirror - by Sylvia Plath

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful ‚
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.

If I could write words - by Spike Milligan

If I could write words
Like leaves on an autumn forest floor,
What a bonfire my letters would make.

If I could speak words of water,
You would drown when I said
"I love you."

Himself - by Alice Guerin Crist

Last night, when I was listenin’
Alone, to wind and rain,
He took the chair beside me,
Himself - come home again.

His kind blue eyes were smilin’
Beneath his thatch of grey,
He laid his hand on my hand,
The ould sweetheartin’ way.

I pressed my cheek upon it,
Remembering bitterly
The times he faced his daily toil
Without one smile from me.

And yet, his meals were always good,
His clothes well kept and clean,
The neighbours, sure, will tell you,
The splendid wife I’ve been.

But in Life’s stress and struggle,
We somehow, grew apart,
You know these Irish mothers,
'Tis “the childer” has their heart.

And he grew grim, and close-lipped,
And harder, day by day,
Poor man - too tired for laughter,
Too worried to be gay.

But - how his care enclosed us,
For all he was so grim,
The very rafters of our home
Were cut and laid by him.

And I, that might have cheered him,
The bitter words I said,
Oh! God, that we remember,
Only when they are dead.

But now - my arms were round him,
The room seemed full of flowers,
And Youth came back and sunshine,
That glorious time was ours.

The firelight flamed and flickered,
The embers fell apart,
I woke to empty silence,
With sorrow at my heart.

The wild winds brought the morning,
The dawn was red and chill,
And Himself was lyin’ sleepin’
In the graveyard on the hill!

The Man from Snowy River -by A B 'Banjo' Paterson

There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses - he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight.

There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup,
The old man with his hair as white as snow;
But few could ride beside him when his blood was fairly up —
He would go wherever horse and man could go.
And Clancy of the Overflow came down to lend a hand,
No better horseman ever held the reins;
For never horse could throw him while the saddle girths would stand,
He learnt to ride while droving on the plains.

And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast;
He was something like a racehorse undersized,
With a touch of Timor pony — three parts thoroughbred at least —
And such as are by mountain horsemen prized.
He was hard and tough and wiry — just the sort that won't say die —
There was courage in his quick impatient tread;
And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye,
And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.

But still so slight and weedy, one would doubt his power to stay,
And the old man said, "That horse will never do
For a long and tiring gallop - lad, you'd better stop away,
Those hills are far too rough for such as you."
So he waited sad and wistful — only Clancy stood his friend —
"I think we ought to let him come," he said;
"I warrant he'll be with us when he's wanted at the end,
For both his horse and he are mountain bred."

"He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciusko's side,
Where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough,
Where a horse's hoofs strike firelight from the flint stones every stride,
The man that holds his own is good enough.
And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between;
I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam,
But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen."

So he went; they found the horses by the big mimosa clump,
They raced away towards the mountain's brow,
And the old man gave his orders, "Boys, go at them from the jump,
No use to try for fancy riding now.
And, Clancy, you must wheel them, try and wheel them to the right.
Ride boldly, lad, and never fear the spills,
For never yet was rider that could keep the mob in sight,
If once they gain the shelter of those hills."

So Clancy rode to wheel them — he was racing on the wing
Where the best and boldest riders take their place,
And he raced his stockhorse past them, and he made the ranges ring
With the stockwhip, as he met them face to face.
Then they halted for a moment, while he swung the dreaded lash,
But they saw their well-loved mountain full in view,
And they charged beneath the stockwhip with a sharp and sudden dash,
And off into the mountain scrub they flew.

Then fast the horsemen followed, where the gorges deep and black
Resounded to the thunder of their tread,
And the stockwhips woke the echoes, and they fiercely answered back
From cliffs and crags that beetled overhead.
And upward, ever upward, the wild horses held their way,
Were mountain ash and kurrajong grew wide;
And the old man muttered fiercely, "We may bid the mob good day,
No man can hold them down the other side."

When they reached the mountain's summit, even Clancy took a pull -
It well might make the boldest hold their breath;
The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full
Of wombat holes, and any slip was death.
But the man from Snowy River let the pony have his head,
And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed,
While the others stood and watched in very fear.

He sent the flint-stones flying, but the pony kept his feet,
He cleared the fallen timbers in his stride,
And the man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat —
It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride.
Through the stringy barks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground,
Down the hillside at a racing pace he went;
And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound,
At the bottom of that terrible descent.

He was right among the horses as they climbed the farther hill
And the watchers on the mountain standing mute,
Saw him ply the stockwhip fiercely; he was right among them still,
As he raced across the clearing in pursuit.
Then they lost him for a moment, where two mountain gullies met
In the ranges - but a final glimpse reveals
On a dim and distant hillside the wild horses racing yet,
With the man from Snowy River at their heels.

And he ran them single-handed till their sides were white with foam.
He followed like a bloodhound on their track,
Till they halted cowed and beaten, then he turned their heads for home,
And alone and unassisted brought them back.
But his hardy mountain pony he could scarcely raise a trot,
He was blood from hip to shoulder from the spur;
But his pluck was still undaunted, and his courage fiery hot,
For never yet was mountain horse a cur.

And down by Kosciusko, where the pine-clad ridges raise
Their torn and rugged battlements on high,
Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze
At midnight in the cold and frosty sky,
And where around the Overflow the reed -beds sweep and sway
To the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide,
The man from Snowy River is a household word today,
And the stockmen tell the story of his ride.

Impact of Global Recession on Indian Market

The recession in the US market and the global meltdown termed as Global recession have engulfed complete world ecomony with a varying degree of recessional impact. World over the impact has diversified and its impact can be observed from the very fact of falling Stock market, recession in jobs availiability and companies following downsizaing in the existing available staff and cutting down of the perks and salary corrections. Globally the financial sector sacking the existing base of employees in high numbers in US the major example being CITI Group same still followed by others in hospitality industry Jet and Kingfisher Airlines too. The cut in salary for the pilots being 90 % can any one imagine such a huge cut in salary.

In the globalized market scenario, the impact of recession at one place/ indusrty/ sector perculate down to all the linked indusrty and this can be truly interpreated from the current market situation which is faced by the world since approx 2 month and still the situation is not in control inspite of various measures taken to fight back the recession in the market.The badly hit setor at present being the financial sector, and major issue being the "LIQUIDITY Crises" in the market.

In-spite of the various measures to subsidise the impact of the recession and cut down the inflation present nothing really sound have been done.

Various steps taken by RBI to curb the present recession in the economy and counter act the prevailing situation.
The sudden drying-up of capital inflows from the FDI which were invested in Indian stock markets for greater returns vizualizing the Potential Higher Returns flying back is continuing to challenge liquidity management.At the heart of the current liquidity tightening is the balance of payments deficit, and this NRI deposit move should help in some small way.

To curb the liquidity crises the RBI will continue to initiate liquidity measures as long as the current unusually tight domestic liquidity environment prevails. The current step to curb these being lowering of interest rates and reduction of PLR.However, the big-picture story remains unchanged – all countries in the world with current account deficits and strong credit cycles are finding it difficult to bring cost of capital down in the current environment. India is no different. New measures do not change our view on the growth outlook. Indeed, we remain concerned about the banking sector and financial sector. The BOP- Balance of Payment deficit – at a time when domestic credit demand is very high – is resulting in a vicious loop of reduced access to liquidity, slowing growth, and increased risk-aversion in the financial system.

In total the recession have turned down the growth process and have set the minds of economists and others for finding out the real solution to sustain the economic growth and stability of the market which is desired for the smooth running of the economy.

Complete businesss/ industry is in dolledrum situation and this situation persist for a longer duration will create the small business to vanish as they have lower stability and to run smoothly require continous flow of liquidity which is drived from the market.

In present situation down fall in one sector one day leads to a negative impact on the other sector thus alltogether everyone feel the impact of the Financial crises with the result of the current recession which started in US and slowly and gradually due to linked global world have impacted everyone.

Solution for the problem still remain at the top of the mind of every one, still everyone facing the impact of recession but how long is the major question which is of great importance.