Food For Thought

Friday, June 29, 2007

" Mahatma Gandhi, the friend of the poorest, loneliest and the lost."

If Gandhi had lived in India in the middle of Kaliyuga, his birth would have wrapped in myths and his youth in miracles. But the cold light of nineteenth century shows that his origin was ordinary, his childhood normal, his student days uneventful,and his early professional career a failure. When Gandhi died, he was a private citizen without wealth, property, title, official position,academic distinction or scientific achievement. Yet all the chiefs of all governments except Soviet Union , and the heads of all religions paid homage to the thin brown man of 78 in a loin cloth. The president Trueman, the British king , President of France, Arch Bishop of Canterbury, Pope Pius, the Chief Rabbi of London, Dalai lama, sent unsolicited messages of condolence to India. The Security Council interrupted its proceedings to pay its tribute to Gandhi. The UN lowered its flag half-mast. U.S.Secretary of state described him as spokesman of the conscience of mankind.

Gandhi's religion made him political and his politics was religious. He felt that we live not in order to feed, clothe,shelter and pamper the body, we provide for the body in order to live. The soul also needs a temporary abode, but a clean mud hut will do as well as a palace, for when the physical absorbs the lion's share of man's effort the spirit languishes, life loses content, and discontent appears. Gandhi's renunciation was unselfishness of love. He says ' A mother would never by choice sleep in a wet bed, but she would gladly do so to spare the dry bed for her child."

Gandhi's weapon was something unique, he could not find a name until, he hit upon a name ' satya-graha '. Satya means truth, the equivalent of love, and both are attributes of soul ; and agraha means firmness or force. satyagraha is therefore translated as ' soul force'. soul force does not dependent on numbers. it depends on the degree of firmness.

Gandhi had mental health because in him word, creed and deed were one. The truth shall make you free-and well, through truth Gandhi set himself free in order to go to jail.

It was Rabindranath Tagore who conferred the title " mahatma" - ' great soul in peasants grab' on Gandhi. Tagore and Gandhi revered one another. They both shared the emotion and wept seeing India as ' the eternal rag-picker at other people's dust bins'. they were also deeply different. Tagore was prodigal, Gandhi the emaciated ascetic with shaven head and face; Tagore the large, white manes, white-bearded, rich aristocrat- intellectual with visage of classic beauty , Gandhi the rice field ; Tagore the rose garden; Gandhi the general ; Tagore the Herald ; Gandhi the working arm, Tagore the singing voice.

Hindu-Moslem amity, Gandhi wrote was possible ' because it was so natural, so necessary for both, and because I believe in human nature". THAT SENTENCE CONTAINS MOST OF GANDHI . Since the goal is good, man is good, the goal can be achieved. HERE WAS THE FAITH THAT MADE HIM THE GREAT MAHATMA.

Gandhi wanted a new Indian today, not just a free India tomorrow. To him, true freedom for India meant the emergence of a new, free, Indian Individual. Gandhi belonged to specific individuals and groups of individuals , they knew it and therefore, they belonged to him. India now called him ' bapu ' Father.

Gandhi when he was lodged in Yeravda jail, wrote about his thoughts on God. a jail where god is talked about and worshiped becomes ' mandir "- ' Yeravda mandir'. The word 'satya' means ' truth' and it derived from the word 'sat' meaning " to be ". Truth is one thing which was, is and will be - it is not affected by tense. God is therefore 'sat' or " truth ". Existence of god can be be looked upon from the orderliness of the Universe. There is unalterable law that governs everything and every human being that exists or lives. It is not a blind law for no blind law can govern the conduct of a human being.... that law which governs all life is GOD; ....I do dimly perceive that whilst everything around me is ever changing, ever dying, there is underlying all that changes a living power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves and re-creates . That informing Power or Spirit is God.In the midst of deaths life persists, in the midst of untruth truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists. Hence I gather that God is Life, Truth, Love. HE is the Supreme God".

If men were able to solve all the mysteries of the Universe, he can co-equal God. Every drop of water in the ocean shares its glory, but is not the ocean. By analogy, every human being partakes the nature of God, but is not God, and can not know what HE is. " the safest course, Mahatma advised, is ' to believe in the moral government of the world and therefore in the supremacy of moral law, the law of truth and love ..."

" HE reveals Himself daily to every human being, but we shut our ears to the " still, small voice..". God never appears to you in person, but in action."

Gandhi describes the Hindu renunciation by a simple word ' desirelessness'. 'To renounce the fruits of action means the road to success. He who broods over loses nerve in performance of his duty. He becomes impatient, gives vent to anger, jumps from one action to the other and begins to do unworthy things. He is a slave to his senses, ever-distracted, says good-bye to scruples, resorts to means fair and foul to achieve his end. Renunciation , whereas, creates inner peace and poise , oneness of purpose, everlasting, ever faithful. For the exceptional practitioner of self denial, a special prize is in store. Lord Krishna declares :

BUT THERE IS A UNIQUE REWARD. THE GREAT YOGIS, THE MAHATMAS OR GREAT SOULS HAVING COME TO ME, REACH THE HIGHEST PERFECTION; THEY COME NOT AGAIN TO BIRTH, UNLASTING AND ABODE OF MISERY.

Thus the yogi's highest recompense is to become so firmly united with God after death that he need never again return to the status of migrating mortal man.

Several times in his life Gandhi expressed the hope not to be born anew. HIS LEGACY IS COURAGE, HIS LESSON TRUTH, HIS WEAPON LOVE .

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

" We Choose Our Joys and Sorrows Long Before We Experience Them "

Mirthyunjia was in his early thirties and was working for a multinational in a senior management level, drawing a fat salary with exceptional perks. He was also a work alcoholic. His uncle advised him if he put in same type of hard work in a private business, his income would triple when he would be regarded as a master of the game. Money and power lured him and Mirthyuinjia soon found himself in a hurry to start a new business with almost all his hard earned savings. In less than a year, he found himself miserable and was lamenting that " WE CHOOSE OUR JOYS AND SORROWS LONG BEFORE WE EXPERIENCE THEM "

Mirthyunjia's case becomes a lesson to learn which explicitly advocates the importance of decision making. In any moment of decision making, the best thing you can do is to do the right thing, the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing, the worst thing you can do is nothing. Some persons are very decisive when it comes to avoiding decisions.

' think before you leap ' is the mantra before we decide. The thought process of arriving at a decision can be explained in a novel way so that it could be remembered every time. The method will involve as if of wearing hats of six colours in a particular order viz. white, green, yellow, block, red and blue.

1)The white cap reminds you not to become prejudiced at start. Keep your mind open and clean as white as possible. The first and most important thing will be to " IDENTIFY THE DECISION TO BE MADE ". Next step will be to collect relevant all round information and data.

2) Wear the green cap next. The green reminds you to put in your own new and fresh ideas/plans in addition to data collection. your imagination takes a geometric progression when you sit in a green garden.

3) The action when you wear the yellow cap is to sort out the data/action in the order of priority like doing a " A, B, C " classification - prioritize.

4) Black cap reminds you not to be a black sheep in your actions or thoughts. In other words, care must be bestowed that actions that are to be initiated will no way affect the neighborhood or society at large.

5) Next wear the red cap. Red cautions you to think intuitively and not necessarily by the established protocol only. LIFE IS SUM OF ALL YOUR CHOICES, KINDLY REMEMBER THIS MAXIM AT THIS PHASE OF DECISION MAKING.

6) Blue- the royal blue- the colour of a clear sky - indicative of the Superordinate Goals of the business - wear the blue cap and bring out the ' Mission statement' of your business. Peter Drucker says ' WHERE EVER YOU SEE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS, SOME ONE HAS MADE A COURAGEOUS DECISION "

7) WARNING :- " IF YOU CHOOSE TWO RABBITS BOTH WILL ESCAPE "
Let me brief a story to bring home this rule. In an old village ' Vanda Vasi ' by name about 40 miles off Salem, people became afraid in course of time to visit the temple, the only one in that village, as it was in a dilapidated condition. The governing body of the temple took notice of it and attended to do some touch up work in a random fashion and a colour wash to give some appeal to the public. Very soon the villagers identified that the temple was in no way safe and might fall due to its weak structure and stopped entering the temple.

The managing trust held its meeting again to review the situation. They were unanimous in arriving at four major resolutions after deliberating the subject in all respects. (1) First resolution was passed for building a new temple (2) The second resolution was to build the new temple in the same place. (3) The third one favoured to make use of such bricks and other old building material of the existing temple. (4) The fourth resolution they passed was that the old temple should not be destroyed because of age old sentiments and beliefs.

The case study presented above emphasise that " IF YOU CHASE TWO RABBITS AT A TIME, BOTH WILL ESCAPE '

Decision Making in every day's life : -

As we get up in the morning, we think of the day ahead, but we do not really plan what to do or where to start. We may have to go to different banks, do shopping, whether to have break fast or an early lunch or brunch or whom to vote in the election and so on.

In order to decide, one easy way is to list the advantages and disadvantages of each action. Sometime when a situation arises as no way to decide, a coin is tossed or flipped - this is a random way to choose. The first option that becomes clear that may fetch the desired result is another way of making up the mind.

Anxiety or worry associated with the action prompt people to resort to prayers, consult astrologer or other form of divination. We do consult knowledgeable persons or pay for opinion from experts.

Value added concept or expected value of the outcome is often taken up in the process of decision making. For instance, while deciding between two offers of jobs in case of employment, one offer may indicate that there is a 60% chance of getting a 30% raise in salary in the first year while the second job may contain 80% scope for getting a 10% raise in emoluments in the first year. Expected benefit can be arrived by multiplying the two percentages. In the first case it is 60% into 30% = 0.18 ; and in the second the benefit is 80% into 10%= 0.08.
The first job offer is acceptable as per this analysis, the other things remaining the same.

Of course, GOOD DECISIONS COME FROM EXPERIENCE AND EXPERIENCE COME FROM BAD DECISIONS. It also happens that good decisions do not always guarantee good results or the best outcome. IN THE LONG RUN , MEN HIT ONLY WHAT THEY AIM. It can also be said that groping in the dark need to be avoided and instead adopting a calculated risk policy may prove to be beneficial.

Where benefits are not deterministic, decisions are arrived on a tentative basis to enable course corrections. There may be no one right choice and alternate choices may need to be developed preferably by consensus in the process of decision making.

LISTEN TO YOUR INNER VOICE AND TRUST YOUR INTUITION when risks are involved or when we launch new business or when diversification plans are under way.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

" Happiness is looking in a mirror and liking what you see "

' The Sahu ' thinker from Egypt by name Awi ( Awi is an ancient Egyptian name meaning glory ) was once camping in China. He was not only a thinker but also was a great Artist. ( ' sahu ' is an Egyptian concept that deals with the concept of soul )
He was seen addressing a small gathering . He referred " yesterday - a broken pot ; today - a musical instrument ; and tomorrow - a cat on the wall " . He cited a scenario in a beach where old people who sit in idle talks in a corner belong to ' 'yesterday' ; the small boys who run about carrying a basket of edibles like ' nuts ' or ' sundal ' and earn their bread by selling them could be compared to ' today ' and the youth brooding near the sea-shore could be an example for ' tomorrow '. The man who drags the goat by a towel sprung around its neck for butchering is indeed worried about tomorrow. It would be more proper to say that the worries of tomorrow was dragging the man by a towel and not he , the goat. The sahu thinker advocated ' Live for today and taste its essence ' and " don't die today thinking of tomorrow ". The crowd shouted ' ha, ha ' and applauded with thunder .

The King of China sent his minister to listen to Awi, the sahu thinker from Egypt.
Awi was seen preaching, " if one needs to hear good counsel, he must come with a clean heart. He must come with an open mind without blemishes - no need to carry any burden or worries in his mind. He must unload everything from his mind first to receive anything new". One person in the audience raised the doubt how difficult it would be for relinquishing one's mind. Awi narrated a story about a villager who was travel ling in a train. The co-passengers could not resist asking him why he was carrying a load on his head which he could as well place it below. The villager replied that it was his son's wish and he could not deny. Those who were sitting near by, remarked that his son was not there and he could as well place the load down. The clever villager let the cat out by saying that what he was carrying on his head was his son only for whom he didn't buy any ticket. The sahu thinker clarified that we should not carry any burden like the villager in the train, when we wish to start fresh. He added that if some one wants to fill up fresh water in the pot, he must clear the pot first, clean it and keep it ready to fill the fresh water.

The King of China heard from his minister what the sahu thinker was preaching in the streets of China. He invited him to his Court and asked what he could do. Awi replied that he could do something what others could not do in any Art. The Head of Art in King's Court challenged Awi whether he was ready to compete with him to do a painting of his choice. The King made it clear that he would set two month's time from that date, both would use the opposite walls in the ' Diamond Hall ', a thick screen would serve as a divider between the artists and the decision whose art work proved to be the best would rest with the king.

The die was cast and king's artist seemingly appeared more busy and earnest in going about the job. The Sahu thinker was seen busy in his own way. People around were guessing who would emerge as the ultimate winner. The ' D' day arrived and the King was brought by the council of ministers to the' Diamond Hall' . The King's first choice was to study his country man's job and to his amazement the painting work of his man had come out superbly and the King was convinced that no other work could match with the masterpiece of a job carried out by his artist. The King remarked " SUPERB " before he opened the dividing screen.

What the King saw on the opposite wall ( alloted to the sahu thinker ) was ' a wonder ' . The king saw the VIRTUAL IMAGE of the work of his artist which , just a minute before, he had certified as ' the masterpiece ' . Awi, the sahu thinker, has polished the wall during the last two months in such committed manner that it then shined as a beautiful glassy mirror. The reflection in the mirror appeared to the king as an enhanced value of the masterpiece of art created by the artist of his court. The King admitted that Awi had done something which proved to be the beyond the thinking of anyone.

Awi, the sahu thinker , explained that he had created a new art by polishing the wall like a mirror to impress upon everyone to explore a new beginning. There is always a desire to capture meaningful portraiture of a person's once-in-a-lifetime moments. Awi added that he had converted the wall itself into a mirror to capture the portrait of the masterpiece work of the King's Artist.

The Sahu thinker went on to give a small lecture to the king and his men:-

(i) LIFE IS LIKE A MIRROR , WE GET THE BEST RESULTS WHEN WE SMILE AT IT.

(ii) LIFE LIKE A MIRROR NEVER GIVES BACK MORE THAN WHAT WE PUT INTO IT.

(iii) WHEN LOOKING FOR FAULTS, USE A MIRROR, NOT A TELESCOPE.

(iv) BEHAVIOR IS THE MIRROR IN WHICH EVERYONE SHOWS THEIR IMAGE.

(v) CONSCIENCE IS THE MIRROR OF THE SOULS WHICH REPRESENTS THE ERRORS OF OUR LIVES IN THEIR FULL SHAPE.

(vi) A GAME IS LIKE MIRROR THAT ALLOWS YOU TO LOOK AT YOURSELF.

(vii) HAPPINESS IS LOOKING IN A MIRROR AND LIKING WHAT YOU SEE.

The King of China appreciated the Awi's sound thoughts and asked the people to emulate the sahu thinker of Egypt.










pn

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

' Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder '

Beauty is a quality present in an object or a person that gives intense pleasure to the mind. The viewer tends to behold it again and again. His mind captures the beauty even when the object is not present. That which provides perceptual experience or pleasure can be qualified as beautiful. Beauty is an entity as being in harmony with nature or there is affirmation that it gives a meaning of good.

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. An object of beauty is anything that resonates or reveals a personal meaning. This becomes subjective. A good apple is perceived as more beautiful than a bruised one. People may be good but not beautiful or beautiful but not good. You don't love a woman because she is beautiful bur she is beautiful because you love her.

Religious and moral teachings often focus on the divinity and virtue of beauty and to assert that natural beauty is an aspect of spirituality and truth. It is beyond the interpretation of an individual. Natural beauty is merely a sensual delight - ' a thing of beauty is a joy for ever ' fits in here. Its loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness. We usually experience God in the awesome beauty of nature, or in the sublime beauty of music or a work of art, or in the intimate beauty of relationship with another, or in the peaceful beauty of silence and meditation.

We can always find connection between beauty and mathematics. The Divine Proportions or the Golden Ratio or Fibonacci series explain that objects which are proportional to the divine ratio are considered as beautiful. People whose facial feature are symmetrical and according to golden ratio are more attractive. Ancient Greek architecture , the pyramids in Egypt are found to have the divine proportions and attract tourists even today , as they are majestic in looks and pleasing to the eyes. As the golden ratio is found in the design and beauty of nature , it can also be used to achieve beauty and balance in the design of art. Leonardo used this principle extensively and " Mona Lisa', 'The Last Supper' are treasures for all time to come.

Large eyes and clear complexion are considered beautiful in men and women.Youthfulness is generally associated with beauty. But inner beauty is a concept used to describe positive aspects of something which are not observable physically. Good quality, kindness, intelligence, creativity, gratitude and the like fall in the line of inner beauty. Here beauty lies in the heart and not in the eye of the beholder. Small is also beautiful when you are able to observe it. The blemish less smile of a child and its tiny steps , the endless reflections between parallel mirrors, the ripples in a pool of water, the rain bough are beautiful to eyes, likewise melodies of music, bhajans are beautiful to the ears.

The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it is not beautiful. And very shortly, you discover that there is no reason. Everything has its beauty but not every one sees it.

Monday, June 11, 2007

' SOMETHINGS NEVER CHANGE "

P.Natarajan, Denver, CO.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE. So is ESTES PARK which people have visited over 10000 years to enjoy the Nature's Wonder. Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park surround the village of Estes Park with spectacular mountain scenery. Estes Park is one of the America's greatest Parks and is named after its founder Joete Estes in 1859.

We had the opportunity to visit this place on June 10, 2007. The highest continuous high way in U.S. leads to Estes Park and the road reaches to 12200 feet in elevation to the popular destination of Al pine's visitors center over the continental divide.

We reached by road this place in two hours time. We started climbing further the icy path by feet to reach the peak. As the path way was laden with rocks of ice, a wooden stair case like structure was laid on the path way to enable visitors to climb the 12000' peak. We were able to stamp our legs slowly and slowly but
steadily and when we reached the summit on 10th of June 2007, we were overjoyed to feel that we can touch the bear blue sky with our wet fingers by stretching one hand to the limit. We wore our overcoats to enjoy the cool breeze without shivering and looked up the clear sky at a very close range.

Hiking , climbing, mountain biking, skiing, snow shoeing are the most common adventures that the Americans enjoy here. Grand lake is situated at the highest altitude. Visitors spend time in fishing at different lakes and also in river rafting and boating. There are miles of hiking trails in the mountain range. Riding on horse back is also another brave activity in the westward Rocky Mountain region which is surrounded by abundant wild life habitat. The Trail Ridge Road leading to to the continental divide offers scenic drives peak to peak.

Shops and restaurants invite the visitors to have a go and we found the Sub Way for ordering the lunch which proved sumptuous and delicious too.

We started the return drive sometime around 4p.m. and reached home safely close to 6.30 p.m. What a feel to think that we touched 12000 feet and had the vision of the blue clear sky at a very close range from the top of the Rocky Mountain, CO.

pn

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

CULTURAL HERITAGE OF INDIA

India's Cultural Heritage dates back to 5000 years. Very few countries in the world has a social and religious structure which withstood invasions and kept its identity. Indian culture is unique because of its diversity and variety. Let us take a Pilgrimage tour of India: -

1) Indian pilgrimage:- The tradition is embedded in the cultural psyche. Hindus call the sacred places as ' thirtha ' and going on a pilgrimage is referred as ' thirtha-yatra '. Indians believe ' thirtha-yatra' will be an anti-dote for the states caused by " prarabhdam " or ' Karma -theory '. Shaving one's hair from the head completely at sacred shrines, contributions in 'Thirupathi - Hundi ', 'Angapradhakshinam' are all part of the rituals undertaken during the span of one's life , which gives a sense of relief and hope for a better future in their minds.

Important Pilgrimage Centers :- Ajmer Sharif, Bodh Gaya, Char Daham, Golden Temple, Haridwar, Manasarovar, Mathura, Nasik, Prayag, Puri, Rameswaram, Ujjain, Varanasi

2) Indian Religion :- Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism exist in India. Hinduism is the oldest and was originated in India. Jainism ans Sikhism was also originated in India

3) Indian Monuments :- Buland Dharwaza, Charminar, Gateway of India, Golgumbad, Gomatiswar, Hampi, Humayun Tomb, India Gate, Jama Masjid, Khajura Temples, Mahabalipuram Rathas, Nalanda, Quitib Minar, Safdarjung Tomb, Sanchi Stupa, Dharmekh Stupa, Tajmahal, Victoria Mahal.

4) National Anthem :- Salutations to Bharatha Mata comes in glory in its meaning:-
Thou art the rulers of the minds of all people, dispenser of India's destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts ofPunjab,Sind, Gujarat and Maratha, Of the Dravida and Orissa andBengal; It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyasand Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Yamuna andGanga and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea. They pray for thy [Underline] blessings and singthy praise.The saving of all people waits in thyhand, thou dispenser of India's destiny,
Victory, victory, victory to thee !!

5) National Animal:- Tiger, the lord of the jungles.

6) National Bird :- The Peacock, symbol of grace, joy, beauty and love.

7) National calender :- is based on the 'Saka' era with 'Chaitra' as the 1st month.

8) National Emblem :- Three Lions mounted on an abacus with Chakra in the center of the abacus. The chakra is eternal wheel of law or precisely is referred as Dharma Chakra.

9) National Flag:- A pleasure to watch the National Flag flying high with bright colors Saffron at the top, White in the center, bright Green in the bottom with Navy Blue Dharma Chakra in the center.

10) National Flower:- Lotus . The lotus symbolic of Spirituality, Fruitfulness, Wealth, Knowledge and Illumination. Though Lotus grows in murky water, it is untouched by its impurity. the Lotus is symbolic of purity of heart and mind.( the Lotus is also known as the water Lilly)

11) National Fruit ;- Mango takes the pride as the National Fruit with its vast variety, colour and taste and is grown in most parts of India. Akbar has planted 100000 Mango trees in Darbhanga(modern Bihar)

12) National Game:- Hockey - India won six successive Golds in HOCKEY IN OLYMPIC and 1928-1956 was the golden era.

13) National Song:- "Vande Matharam" composed by renowned poet Bankim Chandra Chatterji in 1875 . Rabindranath.sung the National Song and Shri Aurobindo interpreted its deep the meaning.

14) National Tree :- The Banyan Tree takes the place of the National Tree which is believed to be sacred and has a long life. In fact Banyan Tree is immortal and with its massive spread protects people from hot Sun.

15) Indian Music :- Pleasant melodies of Indian Music which includes Carnatic, Hindusthani, Ghazals, Fusion ring in the ears. They are Majestic in Compositions, Poetic in Diction, Lifting in Rhythm, Moving in Appeal fills the heart with a sense of Devotion.

16) Indian Dance:- Classical dances include,BharathaNatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipadi, Mohiniyattam, Manipuri and Odissi. Folk dances are common and reflect the culture of rural India.

17) Indian Cinema:- is one of the largest in many Regional Languages and include Art, Commercial.

18) Indian Forts:- Famous among Forts are Agra Fort, Amber, Chittorgarh, Delhi, Gwalior, Jaigarh, Jaisalmer, Junagarh, Lohgagarh, PuranaQuilla, Tughlagabadh.

19) Indian People: The people of India are very friendly and hospitable. It will not take long before you find yourself in conversation with them. The fact that many Indians speak English will makes it easy to communicate. The people are hard working, healthy and tolerant.

20) Indian Languages :- India's original 14 states were formed mainly on language barriers. Hindi is the official language. Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, , Bengali, Oriya, Marathi, Rajasthani are the other languages, to cite a few.

21) Flora & Fauna:- India has a very rich flora and fauna . It is estimated that there are over 500 species of mammals, 200 plus species of birds and about 30,000 species of insects. In addition to the above, there are hundreds of species of fish and reptile

22) What will be the future Culture in India ?

It is not going to be a question mark in my opinion. India's Culture, as written in the beginning of this narration, dates back to 5000 years have retained its cultural identity. Individual families are bound by emotional bond and traditions. This type of close knit relationships will not change due to passage of time. The younger generation of people will continue to respect elders and will help them physically and financially.

Happiness is a state of mind and people derive happiness by integrity and devotion to the work. There is no price consideration arises in this regard.

Peace is linked to the mind . Politically India is stable . People are the assets. India has developed a strong Army, Navy and Air force, besides nuclear and its freedom and peace will be protected in future also.

Hinduism is the oldest religion originated in India. When it is thriving now over centuries, why doubt about its future. Same is the answer for the epics like Ramayana, Maha Bharatha. Gita is the fifth Veda and its unique teachings are propagated throughout the world for peace and prosperity.

Understanding meanings of Mantras is individual's effort. Sapthapadi is an oath taken by the marrying couples to help each other in both diversity and prosperity. Literature is available and if one is interested , can always seek guidance on these subjects.

The passage covers the past, present and future of Indian Culture. Exceptions are not to be treated as rules whenever such macro subjects are taken up for discussions.