- Chaten Bhagat
Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program 2008
Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates – there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.
Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.
I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?
Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing – to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.
To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure – a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.
Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement.
 But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions
They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.
I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
You must have read some quotes – Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.
 One last thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said – don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.
I’ve told you three things – reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.
stay tuned for partII :)
Read more...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Purpose of Life
An educated girl, especially when she is a good human being, and visionary with god gifted women emotions, always can find purpose of life, not for her self, but for other people also and can contribute to society in a real sense.
Dr. Neha Vakharia:
She has a fragile body, an anxious body language, agitated voice. If you look at this small bundle of energy, you won’t believe what she has done in and with her life.
First and foremost, she is an M.B.B.S. doctor. She had joined Oasis when she was a student and she says that Oasis added important values of humanity and selfless services in her training as a doctor.
Right from beginning, in every Oasis camp and gathering, like many other youths, she used to share her dreams of serving the poor of India and other third world countries. Mother Theresa was her ideal. But unlike many others, her passion to serve was so authentic that it only grew with time. After completing her studies, equipped by the lofty idealism of making life more meaningful by service to humanity, she joined a private hospital at Vadodara. But she felt some guilt pinching, the biting of conscience-that she was not doing the right thing by serving the rich when poor people were so under privileged.
As part of some “crazy” experiments facilitated by Oasis, she went to stay in slums for about 1 to 2 months to experience their living conditions. The experience in her words, “This exposure brought me closer to the reality of millions of underprivileged people of our country. They would share from whatever was in their home even if they were not sure about where the next meal would come from. I was astonished to see the greatness of their heart despite their poverty and felt ashamed of the poverty of my heart. While staying amongst them, I also witnessed the amount of physical abuse, mental torture, hard life, ill health, humiliation etc a poor Indian woman has to undergo. At the same time I felt proud of them as I could see them as tough warriors balancing between being a mother, loyal wife and most hard working, earning member of families.”
Of course, Neha left her job. It was adieu for life time. After getting married, she had to shift to Bangalore where she promptly started health service centers in the slums around her area. While working there for years in a dedicated way, she realized that people were visiting her centers again and again with the same illnesses. She also observed that many patients suffered from severe liver or lung diseases leading to early death. All these experiences compelled her to introspect. She had to find out some solutions and interventions at an early, tender age. Thus Oasis, ASHA – Adolescent Students’ Health Alternative- was born.
The help from volunteers slowly brought out another component of this activity viz. involvement of Women/housewives for educating these underprivileged slum children. Today, Neha and her core team of extremely talented and dedicated women friends are teaching health classes as a year round supplementary course to hundreds of students in municipality schools. “ASHA of Oasis” has spread to Surat in Gujarat and is dreaming to reach more and more children in different cities in the coming years.
Was all this easy? The answer is obvious - serious illness, fragile health, social pressures for traditional career, and with all human weaknesses, she did this. How? With her sense of gratitude for everything, with her unflinching passion-come what may-, and her dedication that’s so overpowering, life had to bow to her.
What gives her so much of strength? Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy has been life long inspiration for Neha- “It is only with great fortune and immense grace of God that you have got the opportunity to serve the ignorant, diseased and suffering humanity. If you dedicate yourself completely in a selfless way, you realize the unlimited power within you.”
Neha says, “I have no regret whatsoever about leaving the conventional career and serving poor people like this. I never cared for earning and being wealthy. Having millions of rupees in my account, has no comparison with what I have got today in my heart. I have a definite, important role to play through Oasis Movement, I have been able to recognize my mission and for that I feel very happy, very grateful to Oasis and God.”
Imagine a few more such educated youths emulating Neha’s example in future. Imagine them working for educating billions of children of our country. Thank you Neha for living your dream!
From OASIS Blog: http://www.oasiswebsite.com/asha/index.php
Read more...
Dr. Neha Vakharia:
She has a fragile body, an anxious body language, agitated voice. If you look at this small bundle of energy, you won’t believe what she has done in and with her life.
First and foremost, she is an M.B.B.S. doctor. She had joined Oasis when she was a student and she says that Oasis added important values of humanity and selfless services in her training as a doctor.
Right from beginning, in every Oasis camp and gathering, like many other youths, she used to share her dreams of serving the poor of India and other third world countries. Mother Theresa was her ideal. But unlike many others, her passion to serve was so authentic that it only grew with time. After completing her studies, equipped by the lofty idealism of making life more meaningful by service to humanity, she joined a private hospital at Vadodara. But she felt some guilt pinching, the biting of conscience-that she was not doing the right thing by serving the rich when poor people were so under privileged.
As part of some “crazy” experiments facilitated by Oasis, she went to stay in slums for about 1 to 2 months to experience their living conditions. The experience in her words, “This exposure brought me closer to the reality of millions of underprivileged people of our country. They would share from whatever was in their home even if they were not sure about where the next meal would come from. I was astonished to see the greatness of their heart despite their poverty and felt ashamed of the poverty of my heart. While staying amongst them, I also witnessed the amount of physical abuse, mental torture, hard life, ill health, humiliation etc a poor Indian woman has to undergo. At the same time I felt proud of them as I could see them as tough warriors balancing between being a mother, loyal wife and most hard working, earning member of families.”
Of course, Neha left her job. It was adieu for life time. After getting married, she had to shift to Bangalore where she promptly started health service centers in the slums around her area. While working there for years in a dedicated way, she realized that people were visiting her centers again and again with the same illnesses. She also observed that many patients suffered from severe liver or lung diseases leading to early death. All these experiences compelled her to introspect. She had to find out some solutions and interventions at an early, tender age. Thus Oasis, ASHA – Adolescent Students’ Health Alternative- was born.
The help from volunteers slowly brought out another component of this activity viz. involvement of Women/housewives for educating these underprivileged slum children. Today, Neha and her core team of extremely talented and dedicated women friends are teaching health classes as a year round supplementary course to hundreds of students in municipality schools. “ASHA of Oasis” has spread to Surat in Gujarat and is dreaming to reach more and more children in different cities in the coming years.
Was all this easy? The answer is obvious - serious illness, fragile health, social pressures for traditional career, and with all human weaknesses, she did this. How? With her sense of gratitude for everything, with her unflinching passion-come what may-, and her dedication that’s so overpowering, life had to bow to her.
What gives her so much of strength? Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy has been life long inspiration for Neha- “It is only with great fortune and immense grace of God that you have got the opportunity to serve the ignorant, diseased and suffering humanity. If you dedicate yourself completely in a selfless way, you realize the unlimited power within you.”
Neha says, “I have no regret whatsoever about leaving the conventional career and serving poor people like this. I never cared for earning and being wealthy. Having millions of rupees in my account, has no comparison with what I have got today in my heart. I have a definite, important role to play through Oasis Movement, I have been able to recognize my mission and for that I feel very happy, very grateful to Oasis and God.”
Imagine a few more such educated youths emulating Neha’s example in future. Imagine them working for educating billions of children of our country. Thank you Neha for living your dream!
From OASIS Blog: http://www.oasiswebsite.com/asha/index.php
Read more...
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Lateral Thinking
Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The Moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful Daughter. So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his Daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.
1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.
2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.
3) But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles.
As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two Black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.
Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with The hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral And logical thinking.
The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers. What would you recommend to the Girl to do? Well, here is what she did....
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. "Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the Bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked." Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don't attempt to think. Sometimes it’s not making the best what’s available rather it’s making the best of what’s not available. Out of the box thinking is what will do the trick.
Read more...
1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.
2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.
3) But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles.
As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two Black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.
Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with The hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral And logical thinking.
The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers. What would you recommend to the Girl to do? Well, here is what she did....
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. "Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the Bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked." Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don't attempt to think. Sometimes it’s not making the best what’s available rather it’s making the best of what’s not available. Out of the box thinking is what will do the trick.
Read more...
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Exemplary Life. Not by words, but by Deeds.
Just two, three good incident to share from my life..
It is more of touchy things I came across and both this incidents are touchy just by deed not by words.
Incident I:
This is about Ushaben and Ramanbhai. Both are husband –wife.
They are doing house cleaning things in few houses in our apartment, but live a wonderful, exemplary life. Hmm..surprised ? how?
They have not taken any training about time management or character Ethic. But still they just live these in their day to day life.
My mom met Ramanbhai on the occasion of my marriage; he was so simple, and nice to talk with. Mummy asked him to help her during marriage days, because Barart was coming from Nagpur and it is really difficult to manage everything alone at home. Amazing, he has done everything so nicely. If guest in one room do chai-pani, he immediately clean the room.
Wash the utensils and keep it properly. When guest finish with bath in the morning, he will clean both the bathroom and then wash cloths. He will arrange bed in all room in the night on time even without insturction. Each small thing at home, he was doing by himself just like a daughter or a mother does take care of a house cleaning things. We really admired his honesty, and his work. Then mom asked him about to help her in daily work. Generally my mom always like to do everything by her own, just because she wants everyhing on time.
He said yes and then both husband –wife daily come on time, never be late by even 10 minute. Ramanbhai come at sharp 10:00am in the morning, start brooming, and then exact after 10 minutes Ushaben comes and start wiping. and then Ushaben do clothwashing and then either Ramanbhai or Ushaben come at 12:00pm to clean the utentials. they manage 7 to 8 houses by 2 0'clock and then they just go home.
Both husband and wife, come on time, do their work so nicely and just leave with a smile, by telling “Ba, hu jau chhu :)”….even if they may not able to come some day, they will inform in a prior with reason.
Touchy things are
1)Both as a husband and wife has an amazing tuning in their work.
2)Honest with their work.
3)Punctual in their work.
4)They are carrying their self so nicely with confident that, no one can imagine that they are doing cleaning things. One day Ushaben told me, actually it is our hard luck that we couldn’t study and we are here from village just to earn bread and butter, but it doesn’t mean that we should live life like a servant. We are happy internally, so it must reflect on our face.
5)They respect their work because they are earning bred, butter out of it.
Que:
1) Are we really respecting our work? From which we are earning bread and butter?
2) Are we honest with our work?
3) Are we really happy internally? Can't we make someone’s day special just by throwing a smile?
4) Are we punctual in our work?
5) Do we really have such nice tuning with our partner?
Incident II:
In Leeds(UK), we went to Pratishthä, there were a lunch after the ceremony. This is very common in India.
But the different thing, What I noticed was after lunch, one person was cleaning the Hall, he is a CEO of a one very big company, he is a phd holder in his academic. but rather then doing social deal with people in Temple and doing marketing of his high profile, he was busy to clean the Hall of temple and collecting plates and putting them in dustbin. after seeing this, gradually we all joined him and cleaned the Hall and then left for the home.
Que:
1) Are we really respecting each small work?
2) Are we really maintaining such a high dignity in temple, where in we are just a common lay man in front of GOD, not CEO or anything?
3) Can we detach our professional tag from us when we enter into Temple?
Read more...
It is more of touchy things I came across and both this incidents are touchy just by deed not by words.
Incident I:
This is about Ushaben and Ramanbhai. Both are husband –wife.
They are doing house cleaning things in few houses in our apartment, but live a wonderful, exemplary life. Hmm..surprised ? how?
They have not taken any training about time management or character Ethic. But still they just live these in their day to day life.
My mom met Ramanbhai on the occasion of my marriage; he was so simple, and nice to talk with. Mummy asked him to help her during marriage days, because Barart was coming from Nagpur and it is really difficult to manage everything alone at home. Amazing, he has done everything so nicely. If guest in one room do chai-pani, he immediately clean the room.
Wash the utensils and keep it properly. When guest finish with bath in the morning, he will clean both the bathroom and then wash cloths. He will arrange bed in all room in the night on time even without insturction. Each small thing at home, he was doing by himself just like a daughter or a mother does take care of a house cleaning things. We really admired his honesty, and his work. Then mom asked him about to help her in daily work. Generally my mom always like to do everything by her own, just because she wants everyhing on time.
He said yes and then both husband –wife daily come on time, never be late by even 10 minute. Ramanbhai come at sharp 10:00am in the morning, start brooming, and then exact after 10 minutes Ushaben comes and start wiping. and then Ushaben do clothwashing and then either Ramanbhai or Ushaben come at 12:00pm to clean the utentials. they manage 7 to 8 houses by 2 0'clock and then they just go home.
Both husband and wife, come on time, do their work so nicely and just leave with a smile, by telling “Ba, hu jau chhu :)”….even if they may not able to come some day, they will inform in a prior with reason.
Touchy things are
1)Both as a husband and wife has an amazing tuning in their work.
2)Honest with their work.
3)Punctual in their work.
4)They are carrying their self so nicely with confident that, no one can imagine that they are doing cleaning things. One day Ushaben told me, actually it is our hard luck that we couldn’t study and we are here from village just to earn bread and butter, but it doesn’t mean that we should live life like a servant. We are happy internally, so it must reflect on our face.
5)They respect their work because they are earning bred, butter out of it.
Que:
1) Are we really respecting our work? From which we are earning bread and butter?
2) Are we honest with our work?
3) Are we really happy internally? Can't we make someone’s day special just by throwing a smile?
4) Are we punctual in our work?
5) Do we really have such nice tuning with our partner?
Incident II:
In Leeds(UK), we went to Pratishthä, there were a lunch after the ceremony. This is very common in India.
But the different thing, What I noticed was after lunch, one person was cleaning the Hall, he is a CEO of a one very big company, he is a phd holder in his academic. but rather then doing social deal with people in Temple and doing marketing of his high profile, he was busy to clean the Hall of temple and collecting plates and putting them in dustbin. after seeing this, gradually we all joined him and cleaned the Hall and then left for the home.
Que:
1) Are we really respecting each small work?
2) Are we really maintaining such a high dignity in temple, where in we are just a common lay man in front of GOD, not CEO or anything?
3) Can we detach our professional tag from us when we enter into Temple?
Read more...
Monday, September 14, 2009
AHIMSA IN CRISIS. A PAINFUL OBSERVATION
I regard veganism (pure Vegetarianism) as a matter of "lifestyle," "diet" "health" (except the health of my Atma) or anything less than a fundamental commitment of the individual to Ahimsa. Veganism represents a crucial and necessary step in the Atma turning away from the violence of the material world.
I do not think that the concept of Anekantavada gives us a "free pass” to say that veganism is a matter of option or choice. There are very few clear principles in Jain Dharma that admit of no exception despite the general recognition that truth is often a complex matter: inflicting intentional suffering and death on innocent, multi-sensed mobile creatures is one of those principles. And there can be no doubt that *all* animal products involve suffering, torment, distress, and death. Indeed, denying that is on the same level as denying gravity.
Unfortunately, Jainism as a general matter has not embraced veganism. Indeed, I had the honor of giving the keynote talk at an event celebrating Gurudev Chitrabhanu Ji's birthday. The event was held this past Saturday, August 1. One of the issues that came up was that Gurudev lost many followers when he started talking about veganism. How very sad. People accept that Gurudev is a great spiritual leader--until he tells them that their ice cream or ghee is Himsa. As someone raised in the Christian tradition, I always found it sad that so many Christians accepted what Christ said--until it came to something that they wanted to do. Chitrabhanu Ji was once considered one of the most important figures in modern Jainism. And he has lost followers to raita and ice cream and wool!
The fact that we are not embracing veganism is not only a problem in itself, but it is increasingly making flesh eating a matter of “choice," "opinion," "lifestyle"--a matter for more "free passes" under Anekantavada. An increasing number of Jains are turning to flesh/meat eating and more Jains are now investing in and owning stores and shops that sell flesh/meat products. I have seen statements that the number of Jains consuming flesh is rising in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Apparently, more and more Jains are accepting that these issues are all just matters of personal opinion and not fundamental moral doctrine. More and more Jains are using Anekantavada as an excuse for moral relativism. Anekantavada means only that truth is complicated; it does not mean that there is no truth because everything is relative to the whim of the individual. Indeed, if Anekantavada means moral relativism and denies that there are any clear moral truths, then Jainism collapses and loses all meaning.
I gave a lecture on animal ethics/veganism at Princeton University last winter. One of the students agreed with me that all animal products involved suffering and death but he pointed out that Jains did not reject dairy so Jain Dharma was arbitrary on the point of Ahimsa and Ahimsa means whatever the individual thinks it means. The student (who was not a Jain) made a correct observation: we are behaving inconsistently on this issue. Others see this; why don't we?
Jainism is the religion of Ahimsa. And Ahimsa is very clear. The fact that many Jains have not traditionally embraced veganism is now bearing its fruit.
In this age of relentless narcissism and materialism, it is quite natural that the failure to reject all violence against nonhumans will lead to more violence against nonhumans given that there is no logical distinction between flesh and dairy, ghee, raita, milk, wool, etc. And that will only facilitate acceptance of violence toward humans as well. That is precisely what is happening. We are living in a time of
unparalleled violence in conduct, speech, and thought.
The principle of Ahimsa is in crisis. Whether we realize it or not, we are facing a significant challenge to restore Ahimsa as the central doctrine of Jain Dharma and to give it clear, normative meaning.
If any of you are members of the Young Jains in the U.S. or U.K. and are inclined to post this on their lists that would be fine with me. It is my view that we need to get a discussion going and that the young Jains are key to this.
If I have offended anyone, Micchami Dukkadam, Micchami Dukkadam,
Micchami Dukkadam.
Gary L. Francione
Distinguished Professor of Law
Rutgers University, USA
Read more...
I do not think that the concept of Anekantavada gives us a "free pass” to say that veganism is a matter of option or choice. There are very few clear principles in Jain Dharma that admit of no exception despite the general recognition that truth is often a complex matter: inflicting intentional suffering and death on innocent, multi-sensed mobile creatures is one of those principles. And there can be no doubt that *all* animal products involve suffering, torment, distress, and death. Indeed, denying that is on the same level as denying gravity.
Unfortunately, Jainism as a general matter has not embraced veganism. Indeed, I had the honor of giving the keynote talk at an event celebrating Gurudev Chitrabhanu Ji's birthday. The event was held this past Saturday, August 1. One of the issues that came up was that Gurudev lost many followers when he started talking about veganism. How very sad. People accept that Gurudev is a great spiritual leader--until he tells them that their ice cream or ghee is Himsa. As someone raised in the Christian tradition, I always found it sad that so many Christians accepted what Christ said--until it came to something that they wanted to do. Chitrabhanu Ji was once considered one of the most important figures in modern Jainism. And he has lost followers to raita and ice cream and wool!
The fact that we are not embracing veganism is not only a problem in itself, but it is increasingly making flesh eating a matter of “choice," "opinion," "lifestyle"--a matter for more "free passes" under Anekantavada. An increasing number of Jains are turning to flesh/meat eating and more Jains are now investing in and owning stores and shops that sell flesh/meat products. I have seen statements that the number of Jains consuming flesh is rising in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Apparently, more and more Jains are accepting that these issues are all just matters of personal opinion and not fundamental moral doctrine. More and more Jains are using Anekantavada as an excuse for moral relativism. Anekantavada means only that truth is complicated; it does not mean that there is no truth because everything is relative to the whim of the individual. Indeed, if Anekantavada means moral relativism and denies that there are any clear moral truths, then Jainism collapses and loses all meaning.
I gave a lecture on animal ethics/veganism at Princeton University last winter. One of the students agreed with me that all animal products involved suffering and death but he pointed out that Jains did not reject dairy so Jain Dharma was arbitrary on the point of Ahimsa and Ahimsa means whatever the individual thinks it means. The student (who was not a Jain) made a correct observation: we are behaving inconsistently on this issue. Others see this; why don't we?
Jainism is the religion of Ahimsa. And Ahimsa is very clear. The fact that many Jains have not traditionally embraced veganism is now bearing its fruit.
In this age of relentless narcissism and materialism, it is quite natural that the failure to reject all violence against nonhumans will lead to more violence against nonhumans given that there is no logical distinction between flesh and dairy, ghee, raita, milk, wool, etc. And that will only facilitate acceptance of violence toward humans as well. That is precisely what is happening. We are living in a time of
unparalleled violence in conduct, speech, and thought.
The principle of Ahimsa is in crisis. Whether we realize it or not, we are facing a significant challenge to restore Ahimsa as the central doctrine of Jain Dharma and to give it clear, normative meaning.
If any of you are members of the Young Jains in the U.S. or U.K. and are inclined to post this on their lists that would be fine with me. It is my view that we need to get a discussion going and that the young Jains are key to this.
If I have offended anyone, Micchami Dukkadam, Micchami Dukkadam,
Micchami Dukkadam.
Gary L. Francione
Distinguished Professor of Law
Rutgers University, USA
Read more...
Philosophical but True
1 . ATTITUDE IS WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT.......
SOLDIER : SIR WE ARE SURROUNDED FROM ALL SIDES BY ENEMIES , MAJOR : EXCELLENT ! WE CAN ATTACK IN ANY DIRECTION.
2. EVERY ONE KNOWS ABOUT ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL WHO INVENTED THE TELEPHONE, BUT HE NEVER MADE A CALL TO HIS FAMILY. BECAUSE, HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE DEAF. THAT'S LIFE " LIVE FOR OTHERS " .
3. THE WORST IN LIFE IS "ATTACHMENT " IT HURTS WHEN YOU LOSE IT. THE BEST THING IN LIFE IS " LONELINESS " BECAUSE IT TEACHES YOU EVERYTHING AND, WHEN YOU LOSE IT, YOU GET EVERYTHING.
4. LIFE IS NOT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ACT TRUE TO YOUR FACE ........ IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO REMAIN TRUE BEHIND YOUR BACK .
5. IF AN EGG IS BROKEN BY AN OUTSIDE FORCE....... .A LIFE ENDS. IF AN EGG BREAKS FROM WITHIN...... .LIFE BEGINS. GREAT THINGS ALWAYS BEGIN FROM WITHIN .
6. IT'S BETTER TO LOSE YOUR EGO TO THE ONE YOU LOVE. THAN TO LOSE THE ONE YOU LOVE ....... BECAUSE OF EGO .
7. A RELATIONSHIP DOESN'T SHINE BY JUST SHAKING HANDS AT THE BEST OF TIMES. BUT IT BLOSSOMS BY HOLDING FIRMLY IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS .
8. HEATED GOLD BECOMES ORNAMENTS. BETTED COPPER BECOMES WIRES. DEPLETED STONE BECOMES STATUE. SO, THE MORE PAIN YOU GET IN YOUR LIFE THE MORE VALUABLE YOU BECOME.
9. WHEN YOU TRUST SOMEONE TRUST HIM COMPLETELY WITHOUT ANY DOUBT....... ....... AT THE END YOU WOULD GET ONE OF THE TWO : EITHER A LESSON FOR YOUR LIFE OR A VERY GOOD PERSON .
10. WHY WE HAVE SO MANY TEMPLES , IF GOD IS EVERYWHERE ? A WISE MAN SAID : AIR IS EVERYWHERE , BUT WE STILL NEED A FAN TO FEEL IT .
Read more...
SOLDIER : SIR WE ARE SURROUNDED FROM ALL SIDES BY ENEMIES , MAJOR : EXCELLENT ! WE CAN ATTACK IN ANY DIRECTION.
2. EVERY ONE KNOWS ABOUT ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL WHO INVENTED THE TELEPHONE, BUT HE NEVER MADE A CALL TO HIS FAMILY. BECAUSE, HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE DEAF. THAT'S LIFE " LIVE FOR OTHERS " .
3. THE WORST IN LIFE IS "ATTACHMENT " IT HURTS WHEN YOU LOSE IT. THE BEST THING IN LIFE IS " LONELINESS " BECAUSE IT TEACHES YOU EVERYTHING AND, WHEN YOU LOSE IT, YOU GET EVERYTHING.
4. LIFE IS NOT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ACT TRUE TO YOUR FACE ........ IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO REMAIN TRUE BEHIND YOUR BACK .
5. IF AN EGG IS BROKEN BY AN OUTSIDE FORCE....... .A LIFE ENDS. IF AN EGG BREAKS FROM WITHIN...... .LIFE BEGINS. GREAT THINGS ALWAYS BEGIN FROM WITHIN .
6. IT'S BETTER TO LOSE YOUR EGO TO THE ONE YOU LOVE. THAN TO LOSE THE ONE YOU LOVE ....... BECAUSE OF EGO .
7. A RELATIONSHIP DOESN'T SHINE BY JUST SHAKING HANDS AT THE BEST OF TIMES. BUT IT BLOSSOMS BY HOLDING FIRMLY IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS .
8. HEATED GOLD BECOMES ORNAMENTS. BETTED COPPER BECOMES WIRES. DEPLETED STONE BECOMES STATUE. SO, THE MORE PAIN YOU GET IN YOUR LIFE THE MORE VALUABLE YOU BECOME.
9. WHEN YOU TRUST SOMEONE TRUST HIM COMPLETELY WITHOUT ANY DOUBT....... ....... AT THE END YOU WOULD GET ONE OF THE TWO : EITHER A LESSON FOR YOUR LIFE OR A VERY GOOD PERSON .
10. WHY WE HAVE SO MANY TEMPLES , IF GOD IS EVERYWHERE ? A WISE MAN SAID : AIR IS EVERYWHERE , BUT WE STILL NEED A FAN TO FEEL IT .
Read more...
Friday, August 14, 2009
Beautiful Sentiments:)
Its really beautiful sentiments which I came across through one forwarded email.
Hope you will also enjoy it and will help you to cure your negative emotions. :)
Beautiful Sentiments
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Hope you will also enjoy it and will help you to cure your negative emotions. :)
Beautiful Sentiments
Read more...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Better India Better World
Was googling today something and came across one good book to understand all my questions related to our responsibility for our country. and what can be the answers? We are youth of our nation and have more responsibilities on our shoulders. This book is pending in my list to read and to become more responsible for my nation.
Just sharing with you the abstract…..This book is written by N.R.Murty. (Icon of present India.)
Better India Better World:
With one of the highest GDP growth rates in the world and an array of recent achievements in technology, industry and entrepreneurship, India strides confidently towards the future. But, in the world's largest democracy, not everyone is equally fortunate. More than 300 million Indians are still prey to hunger, illiteracy and disease, and 51 per cent of India's children are still undernourished.
What will it take for India to bridge this great divide? When will the fruits of development reach the poorest of the poor, and wipe the tears from the eyes of every man, woman and child, as Mahatma Gandhi had dreamt? And how should this, our greatest challenge ever, be negotiated?
In this extraordinarily inspiring and visionary book, N.R. Narayana Murthy, who pioneered, designed and executed the Global Delivery Model that has become the cornerstone of India's success in information technology services outsourcing, shows us that a society working for the greatest welfare of the greatest number — samasta jananam sukhino bhavantu — must focus on two simple things: values and good leadership. Drawing on the remarkable Infosys story and the lessons learnt from the two decades of post-reform India, Narayana Murthy lays down the ground rules that must be followed if future generations are to inherit a truly progressive nation.
Built on Narayana Murthy's lectures delivered around the world, A Better India : A Better World is a manifesto for the youth, the architects of the future, and a compelling argument for why a better India holds the key to a better world.
Review comments of this book:
‘Narayana Murthy is a role model for millions of Indians. An iconic figure in the country, he is widely respected and looked up to not only for his business leadership but also for his ethics and personal conduct. He represents the face of the new, resurgent India to the world. I am sure this collection of his speeches will inform, inspire and guide many in the years to come.’
—Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India
‘Narayana Murthy overcame many obstacles and demonstrated that it is possible to create a world-class, values-driven company in India. Through his vision and leadership Murthy sparked a wave of innovation and entrepreneurship that changed the way we view ourselves and how the world views India. In this collection of his speeches, he delivers a timely message about the importance of values and leadership in business.’
—Bill Gates, Chairman of the Board, Microsoft Corporation
Read more...
Just sharing with you the abstract…..This book is written by N.R.Murty. (Icon of present India.)
Better India Better World:
With one of the highest GDP growth rates in the world and an array of recent achievements in technology, industry and entrepreneurship, India strides confidently towards the future. But, in the world's largest democracy, not everyone is equally fortunate. More than 300 million Indians are still prey to hunger, illiteracy and disease, and 51 per cent of India's children are still undernourished.
What will it take for India to bridge this great divide? When will the fruits of development reach the poorest of the poor, and wipe the tears from the eyes of every man, woman and child, as Mahatma Gandhi had dreamt? And how should this, our greatest challenge ever, be negotiated?
In this extraordinarily inspiring and visionary book, N.R. Narayana Murthy, who pioneered, designed and executed the Global Delivery Model that has become the cornerstone of India's success in information technology services outsourcing, shows us that a society working for the greatest welfare of the greatest number — samasta jananam sukhino bhavantu — must focus on two simple things: values and good leadership. Drawing on the remarkable Infosys story and the lessons learnt from the two decades of post-reform India, Narayana Murthy lays down the ground rules that must be followed if future generations are to inherit a truly progressive nation.
Built on Narayana Murthy's lectures delivered around the world, A Better India : A Better World is a manifesto for the youth, the architects of the future, and a compelling argument for why a better India holds the key to a better world.
Review comments of this book:
‘Narayana Murthy is a role model for millions of Indians. An iconic figure in the country, he is widely respected and looked up to not only for his business leadership but also for his ethics and personal conduct. He represents the face of the new, resurgent India to the world. I am sure this collection of his speeches will inform, inspire and guide many in the years to come.’
—Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India
‘Narayana Murthy overcame many obstacles and demonstrated that it is possible to create a world-class, values-driven company in India. Through his vision and leadership Murthy sparked a wave of innovation and entrepreneurship that changed the way we view ourselves and how the world views India. In this collection of his speeches, he delivers a timely message about the importance of values and leadership in business.’
—Bill Gates, Chairman of the Board, Microsoft Corporation
Read more...
Sunday, July 5, 2009
LTE Introduction
Beyond 3G.
As we have seen in previous series of wireless telecommunication topics; After GSM(Global System for mobile communication)(2G) , HSPA is a 3G evolution of GSM supporting high-speed data transmissions using WCDMA technology.
In order to meet the continued traffic growth demands, an extensive effort has been underway in the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP) to develop a new standard for the evolution of GSM/HSPA technology towards a packet-optimized system referred to as Long-Term Evolution (LTE).
Goal:
The goal of the LTE standard is to create specifications for a new radio-access technology geared to higher data rates, low latency and greater spectral efficiency. The spectral efficiency target for the LTE system is three to four times higher than the current HSPA system.
In parallel, new network architecture is designed with the goal to support packet-switched traffic with seamless mobility, quality of service and minimal latency.
LTE Introduction
While HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) and HRPD(High Rate Packet Data) systems were being developed and deployed, IEEE 802 LMSC (LAN/MAN Standard Committee) introduced the IEEE 802.16e standard for mobile broadband wireless access. The 802.16e standard employed a different access technology named OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) and claimed better data rates and spectral efficiency than that provided by industry group named by WiMAX. (Mobile WiMAX also employed a similar network architecture based on IP Protocols.
The Introduction to Mobile WiMAX led both 3GPP and 3GPP2 to develop their own version of beyond 3G system based on OFDMA(Orthogonal Frequency Multiple Access) technology and network architecture similar to that in Mobile WiMAX. The beyond 3G system in 3GPP is called evolved universal terrestrial radio access (evolved UTRA) and is also widely referred to as LTE (Long-Term Evolution) while 3GPP2’s version is called UMB (ultra mobile broadband).
All three beyond 3G systems namely Mobile WiMAX, LTE and UMB meet IMT-2000 requirements and hence they are also part of IMT-2000 family of standards.
Now Stay tuned for Air Interface, Protocols, and Network Architecture for LTE. :)
reference:
1) Wikipedia,
2) couple of web search and blogs.
3) F. Khan, "LTE for 4G Mobile Broadband - Air Interface Technologies and Performance", Cambridge University Press, 2009
Read more...
As we have seen in previous series of wireless telecommunication topics; After GSM(Global System for mobile communication)(2G) , HSPA is a 3G evolution of GSM supporting high-speed data transmissions using WCDMA technology.
In order to meet the continued traffic growth demands, an extensive effort has been underway in the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP) to develop a new standard for the evolution of GSM/HSPA technology towards a packet-optimized system referred to as Long-Term Evolution (LTE).
Goal:
The goal of the LTE standard is to create specifications for a new radio-access technology geared to higher data rates, low latency and greater spectral efficiency. The spectral efficiency target for the LTE system is three to four times higher than the current HSPA system.
In parallel, new network architecture is designed with the goal to support packet-switched traffic with seamless mobility, quality of service and minimal latency.
LTE Introduction
While HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) and HRPD(High Rate Packet Data) systems were being developed and deployed, IEEE 802 LMSC (LAN/MAN Standard Committee) introduced the IEEE 802.16e standard for mobile broadband wireless access. The 802.16e standard employed a different access technology named OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) and claimed better data rates and spectral efficiency than that provided by industry group named by WiMAX. (Mobile WiMAX also employed a similar network architecture based on IP Protocols.
The Introduction to Mobile WiMAX led both 3GPP and 3GPP2 to develop their own version of beyond 3G system based on OFDMA(Orthogonal Frequency Multiple Access) technology and network architecture similar to that in Mobile WiMAX. The beyond 3G system in 3GPP is called evolved universal terrestrial radio access (evolved UTRA) and is also widely referred to as LTE (Long-Term Evolution) while 3GPP2’s version is called UMB (ultra mobile broadband).
All three beyond 3G systems namely Mobile WiMAX, LTE and UMB meet IMT-2000 requirements and hence they are also part of IMT-2000 family of standards.
Now Stay tuned for Air Interface, Protocols, and Network Architecture for LTE. :)
reference:
1) Wikipedia,
2) couple of web search and blogs.
3) F. Khan, "LTE for 4G Mobile Broadband - Air Interface Technologies and Performance", Cambridge University Press, 2009
Read more...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
THE 4 WIVES
There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.
The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives
a. The 4th wife is our body.
No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.
b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament
Read more...
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.
The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives
a. The 4th wife is our body.
No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.
b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament
Read more...
Sunday, June 28, 2009
ન-નામી
મૂર્ખને મુક્તિ મળે, એ પણ નકામી હોય છે એની આઝાદી તો ઈચ્છાની ગુલામી હોય છે દૃશ્ય જે દેખાય છે, એવું જ છે, એવું નથી આપણી દૃષ્ટિમાં પણ ક્યારેક ખામી હોય છે.આંખના કાંઠે તો બસ બે-ચાર બિન્દુ ઊભરે મનના દરિયે જ્યારે એક આખી ત્સુનામી હોય છે સૂર્ય શો હું, આથમીને, સત્ય એ સમજી શક્યો માત્ર ઉગતા સૂર્યને સૌની સલામી હોય છે નામ પાછળ જિંદગીભર દોડવું એળે જશે આખરે જે જાય છે એ તો “ન-નામી” હોય છે
Read more...
Read more...
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The danger of plastic bags.
Came across one forwarded email about plastic bag usage data. and what is danger about it. so, just sharing it with you all.
Hope you will like this information.
TheDangersof_PlasticBags
Read more...
Hope you will like this information.
TheDangersof_PlasticBags
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soft drink awareness
Came across forwarded email. which shows some data on soft drink awareness.
so, just sharing it with you.
Hope you will like this information.
Soft Drinks Awareness
Read more...
so, just sharing it with you.
Hope you will like this information.
Soft Drinks Awareness
Read more...
Friday, June 12, 2009
India In a world map through knowledge
This is a worth watching documentary on IIT (Indian Institute of Technology).
I am sure you will enjoy this :)
Read more...
I am sure you will enjoy this :)
Read more...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Human life and self deception.
Here in UK (Leeds) luckily met Prof K.V.Mardia. who is a statistician by profession and has passion for Jainism. He has written “Scientific foundation of Jainism” in 1990 and now he is working on his next book about “Negative emotions management”. This story is written in Hemachandra’s Parsistaparavan. Which Prof. k.v.mardia has mentioned in his book with pictures as well.
I heard such stories in my childhood. So, just wanted to have that in my diary(blog). I am sure this will help you for your spiritual life journey.
Human life and self deception.
Jainism is full of illustrative parables to depict it’s ideas.The story of the blind men and the elephant as used to express Anekantvad (the holistic principle) is well known.
Here I will share one another story which is also an eye opener when we are blindly running after something.
Story:
Once upon a time there was a man who was traveling with a party which happened to pass through a thick forest full of wild beasts and robbers. In the middle of the forest, they were attacked by a band of these robbers. The party fled for their lives in all directions; the man became separated from the group and lost his way.
When he looked back to see where he was, he saw a mad elephant running furiously towards him. He realized that if he did not find shelter, he would be killed instantly by the elephant. Noticing a well, he thought, “This elephant is sure to kill me, but I may perhaps save my self by jumping into this well”.
So he jumped into the well, grasping one of the branches of a banyan tree which overhung it. At the bottom of the well, the man saw a huge python ready to swallow him should he fall and at the bottom, on the four sides of the well, he could see four cobras hissing at him.
Two rats, one white and one black, were eating away the branch of the banyan tree that supported him. At the top of this branch there was a beehive with bees circling around him. The elephant stood on the brink of the well, and as it tried to capture the man with its mighty trunk, it caused the branch to move to and fro causing some drops of honey to fall on the man’s lips.
At that moment, a monk happened to arrive on the opposite side of the wall to the elephant and offered to help rescue the man from the well. However, the man seemed to be momentarily satisfied with the situation whilst he had the sweet taste of honey on his lips.
He did not realize that the branch of the tree would be eaten away by the rats and then he would have no support at all or the whole tree would be uprooted by the elephant and he would fall down to swallowed by the python.
Symbolism and Interpretation:
This whole drama is symbolic of the delusional state of man. The forest is the cycle of birth and death, and the man in the forest is the ordinary worldly man. The mad elephant is that ran after him is death. The well is his earthly life; the python is the symbol of the lowest state of existence (Hell). The four cobras are the symbols of Anger, Greed, Ego, and Deceit (the four main passions).
The two rats , white and black , represent time, the bright and dark halves of the lunar month, which exhaust his earthly span. The monk represents the true religion. The branch of the banyan tree represent the short duration of his earthly life.
The bees in the hive are organs of the senses and the honey drops represent sensuous pleasures.
So, the whole drama comes down to this: the common man, ignoring the fact that his life may be cut off at any time by death, satisfies himself by enjoying sensuous pleasures and is oblivious to the truths offered by philosophy: he is being influenced by Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit.
In a modern context, this parable warns against self indulgence in a very broad sense. The warning includes keeping away from top negatives such as smoking, drugs, and anything sparked by Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit. It emphasizes that the true solution exists in “religiousness”.
Read more...
I heard such stories in my childhood. So, just wanted to have that in my diary(blog). I am sure this will help you for your spiritual life journey.
Human life and self deception.
Jainism is full of illustrative parables to depict it’s ideas.The story of the blind men and the elephant as used to express Anekantvad (the holistic principle) is well known.
Here I will share one another story which is also an eye opener when we are blindly running after something.
Story:
Once upon a time there was a man who was traveling with a party which happened to pass through a thick forest full of wild beasts and robbers. In the middle of the forest, they were attacked by a band of these robbers. The party fled for their lives in all directions; the man became separated from the group and lost his way.
When he looked back to see where he was, he saw a mad elephant running furiously towards him. He realized that if he did not find shelter, he would be killed instantly by the elephant. Noticing a well, he thought, “This elephant is sure to kill me, but I may perhaps save my self by jumping into this well”.
So he jumped into the well, grasping one of the branches of a banyan tree which overhung it. At the bottom of the well, the man saw a huge python ready to swallow him should he fall and at the bottom, on the four sides of the well, he could see four cobras hissing at him.
Two rats, one white and one black, were eating away the branch of the banyan tree that supported him. At the top of this branch there was a beehive with bees circling around him. The elephant stood on the brink of the well, and as it tried to capture the man with its mighty trunk, it caused the branch to move to and fro causing some drops of honey to fall on the man’s lips.
At that moment, a monk happened to arrive on the opposite side of the wall to the elephant and offered to help rescue the man from the well. However, the man seemed to be momentarily satisfied with the situation whilst he had the sweet taste of honey on his lips.
He did not realize that the branch of the tree would be eaten away by the rats and then he would have no support at all or the whole tree would be uprooted by the elephant and he would fall down to swallowed by the python.
Symbolism and Interpretation:
This whole drama is symbolic of the delusional state of man. The forest is the cycle of birth and death, and the man in the forest is the ordinary worldly man. The mad elephant is that ran after him is death. The well is his earthly life; the python is the symbol of the lowest state of existence (Hell). The four cobras are the symbols of Anger, Greed, Ego, and Deceit (the four main passions).
The two rats , white and black , represent time, the bright and dark halves of the lunar month, which exhaust his earthly span. The monk represents the true religion. The branch of the banyan tree represent the short duration of his earthly life.
The bees in the hive are organs of the senses and the honey drops represent sensuous pleasures.
So, the whole drama comes down to this: the common man, ignoring the fact that his life may be cut off at any time by death, satisfies himself by enjoying sensuous pleasures and is oblivious to the truths offered by philosophy: he is being influenced by Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit.
In a modern context, this parable warns against self indulgence in a very broad sense. The warning includes keeping away from top negatives such as smoking, drugs, and anything sparked by Anger, Greed, Ego and Deceit. It emphasizes that the true solution exists in “religiousness”.
Read more...
Friday, June 5, 2009
Better Life. :-)
Today, One of my friend Amit Tyagi, has mentioned his google talk caption with the url http://whatyouwant.in/show_want.php?id=830. for better life...Nice to know about it and check how exactly we are living our life.
I am sure you will enjoy this and will improve in your life style :-)
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Read more...
I am sure you will enjoy this and will improve in your life style :-)
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Read more...
Friday, May 29, 2009
Believing in your Dreams
In one forwarded email; I came across one good article on "Believing in your dreams".
By seeing the background image, I recalled my friend Ankita, who gave me one greeting card on my birthday on 1997.
It was quoted with "Our destiney is in our own hand". On turning point of my career, that card always helped me to motivate my self in each and every stage in life then.
Here, Just want to have collection of such good things in my dairy (blog), I am mentioning main points here.
This is written by Marcia Wieder.
Part I:
Believing in your dreams
1) Never neutral
2) The Big Three
3) The BUT Theory
4) Dealing with Dought
5) It's a choice
6) Overcoming Fear
7) The Challenge of Change
8) The impossible dream
9) Creating a new belief
Part II:
Tapping your inner wisdom
1) Believe Anything is possible
2) Connect to your intuition
3) Ask simple questions
4) Experience New Ways of being
5) Appreciate your Abundance
6) Open your spirit
7) Share your gift with others
8) Let your intuition guide you
9) Trust your self
10) Insights
Read more...
By seeing the background image, I recalled my friend Ankita, who gave me one greeting card on my birthday on 1997.
It was quoted with "Our destiney is in our own hand". On turning point of my career, that card always helped me to motivate my self in each and every stage in life then.
Here, Just want to have collection of such good things in my dairy (blog), I am mentioning main points here.
This is written by Marcia Wieder.
Part I:
Believing in your dreams
1) Never neutral
2) The Big Three
3) The BUT Theory
4) Dealing with Dought
5) It's a choice
6) Overcoming Fear
7) The Challenge of Change
8) The impossible dream
9) Creating a new belief
Part II:
Tapping your inner wisdom
1) Believe Anything is possible
2) Connect to your intuition
3) Ask simple questions
4) Experience New Ways of being
5) Appreciate your Abundance
6) Open your spirit
7) Share your gift with others
8) Let your intuition guide you
9) Trust your self
10) Insights
Read more...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Birthday
On my birthday yesterday. Yes, first time I was out of India. No Derasar nothing...One Mandir is there which is far away; so will go there on weekend. (first time in my life on my birthday I missed to go to Derasar.
Rest, I did 2 Samayik yesterday. and will do one daily now.
I recalled all kids of parikrama and Prayed for all of them for their bright future.
Prayed for who ever I know that they are stuck somewhere in their life. Remembered maximum people came across in my life. recalled thier good things and deeds and their contribution to the society.
Recalled people Whom I never ever met but still thier thoughts and deed attracted me; I prayed for them as well.
In short yesterday I came more close to my self. did lot's of chintan+manan.
Read couple of things. Observed my self closely about pre married life and post married life. overall whole day was very busy with my self.
I guess vision for life is different at different time and in different situation. (at different age)
Read more...
Rest, I did 2 Samayik yesterday. and will do one daily now.
I recalled all kids of parikrama and Prayed for all of them for their bright future.
Prayed for who ever I know that they are stuck somewhere in their life. Remembered maximum people came across in my life. recalled thier good things and deeds and their contribution to the society.
Recalled people Whom I never ever met but still thier thoughts and deed attracted me; I prayed for them as well.
In short yesterday I came more close to my self. did lot's of chintan+manan.
Read couple of things. Observed my self closely about pre married life and post married life. overall whole day was very busy with my self.
I guess vision for life is different at different time and in different situation. (at different age)
Read more...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Jokes
These Jokes I have recevied as a one forwarded email from my friend Manish(Express Yourself!)
Doctor to patient: You will die within 2 hours. Do you want to see any one before you die?
Patient: Yes. A good doctor..
Sardar: My mobile bill how much?
Call centre girl: sir, just dial 123to know current bill status
Sardar: Stupid, not CURRENT BILL my MOBILE BILL.
Q: How do you make a sardarji laugh on Saturday?
A: Tell him a joke on Wednesday.
Wife-Oye ji, Sunte Ho,Utho Utho,Raat ke 2 baje he.
Husband- itni rat ko Q...Uthaya Mujhe
Wife-Aap neend ki goli Lena to bhul Hi gaye..!
Santa : "Ek litre gaaye{cow} Ka Dhoodh Dena."
Banta : "Lekin Tumhara Bartan To Bahut Chhota Hai."
Santa :"Theek He To Fir BAKRI Ka De de.."
Interviewer>To bataiye PANI ke bina Insan kaise Marega?
Sardar>PANI nai hoga to Insan Tairega kaise? Aur Tairega nahi to doob jayega!
Sardar: I think that girl is deaf..
Friend: How do u know?
Sardar: I told I Love her, but she said her chappals are new
Friend: I got a brand new Ford IKON for my wife!
Sardar: Wow!!! That's an unbelievable exchange offer!!!
Teacher: Which is the oldest animal in world?
Sardar: ZEBRA
Teacher: How?
Sardar: Bcoz it is Black & White
Sardar: Miss, Do u called 2 my mobile?
Teacher: Me? No, why?
Sardar: Yesterday I saw in my mobile- “1 Miss Call".
Judge: Don't U have shame? It is d 3rd time U R coming to court.
Sardar to judge: U R coming daily, don't U have shame?
Question: "Should Women have Children after 35?"
Smart Sardar Replied: "No!
35 Children R More than Enough!!"
Sir: What is difference between Orange and Apple?
Sardar: Color of Orange is orange, but color of Apple is not APPLE.
Sardar attending an interview in Software Company.
Manager: Do U know MS Office?
Sardar: If U give me the address I will go there sir.
Sardar in airplane going 2 Bombay .. While its landing he shouted: " Bombay ... Bombay "
Air hostess said: "B silent."
Sardar: "Ok. Ombay. Ombay"
Sardar got a sms from his girl friend:
"I MISS YOU"
Sardarji replied:
"I Mr YOU" !!.
Sardar: Doctor! My Son swallowed a key
Doctor: When?
Sardar: 3 Months Ago
Dr:Wat were u doing till now?
Sardar: We were using duplicate key
Why Sardar opens his lunch box in the middle of the road???
Just 2 confirm whether he is going to or coming back from the office....
Son: papa, 4+3 kithne hai?
Sardar: ullu ke patthe gadhe idiot naalaayak besharam tujhe kuch nahi aathaa? Jaa andhar se CALCULATOR le ke Aa..
After finishing MBBS Sardar started his practice. He Checked 1st Patient's Eyes, Tongue & Ears By Torch & Finallly Said:
"Torch is okay"
Sardar1: Oye, what will happen if electricity is not discovered?
Sardar2: Nothing, we must watch TV in candle light.
Teacher: "What is common between JESUS, KRISHNA , RAM, GANDHI and BUDHA?"
Sardar: "All are born on government holidays...!!!
Read more...
Doctor to patient: You will die within 2 hours. Do you want to see any one before you die?
Patient: Yes. A good doctor..
Sardar: My mobile bill how much?
Call centre girl: sir, just dial 123to know current bill status
Sardar: Stupid, not CURRENT BILL my MOBILE BILL.
Q: How do you make a sardarji laugh on Saturday?
A: Tell him a joke on Wednesday.
Wife-Oye ji, Sunte Ho,Utho Utho,Raat ke 2 baje he.
Husband- itni rat ko Q...Uthaya Mujhe
Wife-Aap neend ki goli Lena to bhul Hi gaye..!
Santa : "Ek litre gaaye{cow} Ka Dhoodh Dena."
Banta : "Lekin Tumhara Bartan To Bahut Chhota Hai."
Santa :"Theek He To Fir BAKRI Ka De de.."
Interviewer>To bataiye PANI ke bina Insan kaise Marega?
Sardar>PANI nai hoga to Insan Tairega kaise? Aur Tairega nahi to doob jayega!
Sardar: I think that girl is deaf..
Friend: How do u know?
Sardar: I told I Love her, but she said her chappals are new
Friend: I got a brand new Ford IKON for my wife!
Sardar: Wow!!! That's an unbelievable exchange offer!!!
Teacher: Which is the oldest animal in world?
Sardar: ZEBRA
Teacher: How?
Sardar: Bcoz it is Black & White
Sardar: Miss, Do u called 2 my mobile?
Teacher: Me? No, why?
Sardar: Yesterday I saw in my mobile- “1 Miss Call".
Judge: Don't U have shame? It is d 3rd time U R coming to court.
Sardar to judge: U R coming daily, don't U have shame?
Question: "Should Women have Children after 35?"
Smart Sardar Replied: "No!
35 Children R More than Enough!!"
Sir: What is difference between Orange and Apple?
Sardar: Color of Orange is orange, but color of Apple is not APPLE.
Sardar attending an interview in Software Company.
Manager: Do U know MS Office?
Sardar: If U give me the address I will go there sir.
Sardar in airplane going 2 Bombay .. While its landing he shouted: " Bombay ... Bombay "
Air hostess said: "B silent."
Sardar: "Ok. Ombay. Ombay"
Sardar got a sms from his girl friend:
"I MISS YOU"
Sardarji replied:
"I Mr YOU" !!.
Sardar: Doctor! My Son swallowed a key
Doctor: When?
Sardar: 3 Months Ago
Dr:Wat were u doing till now?
Sardar: We were using duplicate key
Why Sardar opens his lunch box in the middle of the road???
Just 2 confirm whether he is going to or coming back from the office....
Son: papa, 4+3 kithne hai?
Sardar: ullu ke patthe gadhe idiot naalaayak besharam tujhe kuch nahi aathaa? Jaa andhar se CALCULATOR le ke Aa..
After finishing MBBS Sardar started his practice. He Checked 1st Patient's Eyes, Tongue & Ears By Torch & Finallly Said:
"Torch is okay"
Sardar1: Oye, what will happen if electricity is not discovered?
Sardar2: Nothing, we must watch TV in candle light.
Teacher: "What is common between JESUS, KRISHNA , RAM, GANDHI and BUDHA?"
Sardar: "All are born on government holidays...!!!
Read more...
Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century
By Nandan Nilekani, "Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century"
When this book published I read these points in Times Of India.
Today I came across that article on internet. so, just wanted it in my dairy (blog) . I hope you will enjoy Indian software entrepreneur's view and vision for India in coming year.
Speaker: Mr Nandan Nilekani
Co-Chairman, Infosys Technologies Limited
One of the reasons I wrote the book was that I used to talk to people all over the world who would ask me very searching questions about India. They would ask; why do you have so many billionaires on the Forbes list and so many poor people, such beautiful university campuses and such large slums, you have this high-tech industry with so many highly qualified engineers and the world’s largest pool of uneducated children, why is it that you seem to live in the 17th century and the 21st century at the same time? These were questions that I really couldn’t answer. This book is in some sense my own voyage, figuring out why India is the way it is.
The other thing that struck me was that books on India are often on a particular discipline. Economists write about the economy of India, sociologists about the caste system, political scientists about different politics and governance, and environmentalists about environment issues. I felt that none of them really capture the entirety of India in a really wholistic manner. So this is a book that spans all of these different dimensions, that is the only way you can really describe the complexity of a country like India.
I also felt like many books concentrate on events and end up becoming historical or on personalities and end up becoming biographies. I thought the true way to look at India was through the frame of ideas. I believe that changes in ideas in India are responsible for what is happening today. When I looked at the patterns of ideas I noticed that there are some that have changed radically over the past 60 years and those I believe are at the root of the vitality, energy and growth that you see in India today. I also found ideas that were agreed upon and yet were not being implemented. And then I found ideas that we argue deeply about, issues that India is gridlocked about, ideological disputes.
I found that if India is going to go on and progress and prosper it must anticipate ideas. It must look at what is happening in the West today, look at some of the challenges there are elsewhere and perhaps learn from those challenges and choose a different path.
I found there were six things that have changed India dramatically. To give some sense of the change it can be seen in terms of economic growth: in the 1960s India was growing at the rate of 3.5% per year and this rate of growth was called the ‘Hindu rate of growth’. At that time the population was growing at 2% a year. If the economy is growing at 3.5% and the population is growing at 2% it takes 45 years to double your per capita income. Today India is growing at 8-9%, in the face of the global economic crisis growth rates have dropped to 6% and may drop even more, but when we get beyond this crisis I do believe that will go up as the fundamentals are in place. So if the economy grows at 8-9% and today the population is growing at a lesser 1.5%, your per capita income doubles every 10 years. It is this acceleration of the rate of change that is at the root of India’s opportunities and its challenges.
Demographic Dividend
There are 6 factors that led to this acceleration and huge upsurge in dynamism. The first is that India has vastly changed its view of its population. There was a time in the 60s and 70s when the population was seen as a burden, but today in modern India we think of our population as human capital. Human capital is really what drives the economy, drives the world, and drives progress. This notion of people as an asset rather than a liability is a huge change is perception which is responsible for some of the changes that you see. This change in perception coincides with India achieving a demographic dividend. A demographic dividend comes but once in the history of a country when you have a large number of people at the working age of 15-65, and relatively less people who are old or young. At the peak of India’s demographic dividend it will have four people working for every one to support. When you have a demographic dividend you also have a cycle of economic growth: you have more people who are working thereby more who have savings, more savings means more investment, and more investment means more economic growth.
India is doubly unique as is the only large country in the world to be having its demographic dividend, which means it will be the only young country in an ageing world. Thirty years back India and China were at the same level but because China implemented a one-child policy they accelerated their demographic dividend. China will start ageing by 2015 leaving the path clear for India as the only young country in this world. That opens up huge opportunities.
China does have growth rates significantly higher over the last 30 years but we must also remember that China has reached its demographic dividend by massive social engineering. China will have 400 million old people by 2020 and that will be a huge burden. In the next thirty years as China starts ageing and India’s young become productive, India has the potential of growing (in percentage terms) faster than China.
At the same time a demographic dividend is only engaged when the people are productive: they are healthy, educated, have roads to go to school, lights to study at night, and markets to get jobs. If you don’t do it right, a demographic dividend can go the other way. You have all these people with aspirations that have been unleashed by the media; by television, the internet and mobile phones. If they have nowhere to go the same young people who can contribute so hugely to the economy can become disgruntled, resentful, divisive and violent. A demographic dividend can become a demographic disaster. India has the choice. For this reason the election becomes all the more relevant.
Entrepreneurship
The second big idea that has changed is Indian attitudes towards entrepreneurship. In the 1940s and 50s the Indian state had a very suspicious view of entrepreneurs. It did not believe that entrepreneurs should have a large role in society and Indian entrepreneurship was not really given free reign. Instead of focusing on improving products and creating customer value entrepreneurs instead focused on getting licences from government. Today being an entrepreneur has changed dramatically, India has become a global player. I call this phenomenon ‘from Bombay plan to Bombay Club to Bombay house.’
In 1944 the leaders of Indian business came out with ‘the Bombay plan’ saying the state must have a large role in the economy, that private capital in India is too young and immature to build this newly independent country. So it goes back to the businessmen themselves who wanted huge state and public funding. In 1992 we had something called ‘the Bombay club’, a group of businessman who met in Bombay after the economic reforms of 1991. They observed that from living 50 years in a closed economy India hadn’t learned to compete, that India shouldn’t open up its borders and allow global capital and global trade to come or Indian capital would get wiped out. The Bombay club was about protectionism.
Today we have ‘the Bombay house’ spirit which is what I call the headquarters of Tata, a global group, more than 50% of whose revenue comes from outside India, who are very comfortable with global competition. This, in some sense, is a metaphor for the change in Indian culture; from someone who wants a large role for the state, to someone who wanted a lot of protection, to someone who is eager and willing to compete with global competition.
Technology
The third change in the Indian mind is the attitude towards technology. In the 1960s computer was a bad word in India. They were believed to be job-eating machines. As late as the 1980s when the central bank came out with a report on bank computerisation they did not even use the word computer in their report, they called them ‘ledger posting machines’. When they wanted to employ more powerful versions of these ledger posting machines they called them ‘advanced ledger posting machines’. They were worried that the unions of the day would react violently to the news of computers in the bank industry.
Today, however, we live in a country where 8-10 million mobile phones are sold every month. 99% of those phones are pre-pay which means they are bought by people who don’t have a credit history, they don’t have credit cards. For 40% of those mobile phones the average recharge is less than 10 rupees which is just a few pence. That little mobile phone of a computer has become a symbol of empowerment for the poor of India. They get access to services, prices, so many things.This is the third big change: the change of seeing technology as something intimidating and job displacing to something empowering and equalising.
The tech sector contributes around 50 million dollars in exports for India which is about 5% of GDP. There is no question that it is getting increasingly sophisticated, solutions and products are developing. I believe this trend will continue, and India will continue to be one of the world’s favourite places for technological products and services in the coming years.
Education
The fourth change is the attitude towards English. For many years Indians had a very ambivalent attitude, they believed we should all talk in Indian languages and so forth. Today, with outsourcing and globalisation, it is very clear that knowledge of English is essential for Indians participating in the global economy. English has become an aspirational language. Even the poor are sending their children to English speaking schools.
The good news is that India is spending more on education than ever before. The Tenth Plan which ended in 2007 gave the allocation for education at around 7.5%. In The Eleventh Plan which is now running it is 19%. 3 billion dollars a year in taxes is given to primary and secondary education. We need both primary education through programmes creating better schools and the reform of higher education. The problem is too big to sequence; you must do it on both fronts.
For higher education I think the problem is excessive regulation. You cannot start a university, increase fees, change faculty salaries or change the course content. The system requires deregulation which allows excellence and inclusion, and also allows for private universities to be brought in.
Globalisation
The fifth big thing I believe is that the Indian mindset has become far more comfortable with globalisation. In the 1940s and 50s Indians were scared of globalisation, they had just gained independence, so were building all sorts of barriers against globalisation. Today as Indian companies, workers and students go abroad globalisation is being seen as something they can take advantage of.
Now there is far less fear of foreign investment. There are still some sectors where domestic entrepreneurs prevent foreign investment from coming in but I think that is changing. By and large there is far more receptivity.
When India started globalising, those participants in the Indian economy who had the skills to contribute to the economy did well: those who were educated and knew English. Those who were not part of that were left behind. I think this has definitely exacerbated inequalities. We need to reduce those inequalities by expanding opportunities to these people. They must have the same access to schools, food and water.
I think NRIs [Non Resident Indians] are a very important part of the equation. And it has to do with the change in the Indian mindset. When Indians were not comfortable with globalisation they viewed Indians who left the borders as a brain drain. Today, as Indians become pro-globalisation, NRIs becomes a strategic asset and so in our eyes can contribute by knowledge, capital, entrepreneurship, and building a brand. I think that there’s a dramatic shift and both the people and the government are now very much open to globalisation.
Democracy
The sixth big thing is democracy. Again in the 1950s and 60s democracy was an elite concept, a set of London-educated lawyers came up with the idea. Today we see with the elections that democracy is rooted in the people. 740 million people are voting in this election, it will take a month and over one million voting machines. It is really a grand spectacle.
I think certainly there are many challenges on the democratic front. Externally there is terrorism and internally there are the Maoists in central India. However, the election is reasonably peaceful; 740 million voters, 100 million new young voters, and average turnout at around 60%. The combination of parties that will come into power on May 16th will have a peaceful transition.
These six factors: entrepreneurship, demographics, globalisation, IT, English, and democracy, all contribute to India’s growth. At the same time India faces many challenges for implementation. For example; primary education, full literacy, infrastructure, urbanisation and single markets all have a long way to go. These are simple ideas and there is no argument, they must be implemented. There should also be reforms in higher education, labour (there is the complex challenge of creating jobs), and the issue of affirmative action: how do we address centuries of social exclusion and redress the balance?
Micro-financing has been a success, although it is not the only factor. Today there are probably less than 50 million people benefiting from micro-financing, but it is one of the instruments for financial inclusion which is happening. The banks are now trying to open low cost accounts using technology and biometrics to reduce transaction costs. I don’t see India using micro-finance in the same way as China and Africa, we are not organised enough for that!
India has the potential to grow at 6-8% for years to come but then it must deal with the challenges of prosperity. We must look at the challenges from the West. There are two broad sets of challenges. One is when the population starts ageing. While the population is young we must design a healthcare system so when the country ages it does not become a huge burden. How do you create a system of social insurance and social entitlements which work right now for the younger population, but
again don’t create a huge burden when the population ages? Here we can learn from what happened in the developed countries if there is a different way of designing health and social security.
Social Security and Infrastructure
Historically India has not had any social security or any kind of social insurance beyond employees of the government who get a pension and those in the organised private sector who have formal jobs. The vast majority of people have no social benefits. It is very clear from the Western experience that creating a massive entitlement programme based on defined benefits can be hugely crippling. Look at the United States, their unfunded liabilities for social security is about 50 trillion dollars. You can’t have a defined benefits system for 1 billion people. The government launched ‘the new pension system’ in 2004. It was first extended to government servants and is now available to the public. I think we can leapfrog certain things and build very modern systems to provide social insurance.
Infrastructure is a big challenge and the base is undesirable. To give you a sense of capital, the Indian economy is over a trillion dollars in size and the savings rate is about 35%. Around 350 billion dollars are saved every year whilst the foreign capital that comes in is only around 10-15 billion dollars. The role of foreign capital in the Indian economy is actually quite marginal. The government had an ambitious plan to spend 500 billion dollars on infrastructure. Although a lot of private investment will be hampered by the liquidity crisis, most of the money is still tax generated.
I think infrastructure will happen, it has become very salient. It is reflected in our political slogans. About thirty years back our political slogans had ‘food, clothing and shelter’, but today’s slogans are ‘power, water and roots’. The manifestos say ‘broadband for all’. These are all examples of the fact that infrastructure has become very politically salient. So while it won’t be at the base of change, as you see in China, this election depends on it.
The other big challenge that India faces is what to do with energy and the environment because it is unlikely that India will be able to continue with rapid growth using the same hydro-carbon methods that is has used for the past 200 years. If India grows at 8% a year, it doubles every 10 years, which means by 2050 it will have gone up 16 times. Historically, there is a linear relationship between growth in income and growth in greenhouse gas emission. Clearly India can’t have its emissions going up 16 times. Therefore it must create a low carbon economy that allows its people to enjoy the lifestyle benefits of economic growth without causing environmental damage. We do not yet know what the solution is but India will have to do it.
Some states have been more dynamic than others although some of the laggard states are now catching up. For example Bihar now has a chief minister who in some sense is more progressive than the south Indian states that have historically been seen as progressive. Gujarat in terms of reforms and economic dynamism has done a lot as has Andhra Pradesh. I think the competition between states, and pressure from the people within the state for a better life will drive the growth phenomenon.
My basic thesis is that India is at a very critical juncture. It can either engage its demographic dividend or lose it. It can address the challenges of population and poverty. It can also avoid long term challenges by looking at issues elsewhere to create a wonderful country in the 21st century.
Read more...
When this book published I read these points in Times Of India.
Today I came across that article on internet. so, just wanted it in my dairy (blog) . I hope you will enjoy Indian software entrepreneur's view and vision for India in coming year.
Speaker: Mr Nandan Nilekani
Co-Chairman, Infosys Technologies Limited
One of the reasons I wrote the book was that I used to talk to people all over the world who would ask me very searching questions about India. They would ask; why do you have so many billionaires on the Forbes list and so many poor people, such beautiful university campuses and such large slums, you have this high-tech industry with so many highly qualified engineers and the world’s largest pool of uneducated children, why is it that you seem to live in the 17th century and the 21st century at the same time? These were questions that I really couldn’t answer. This book is in some sense my own voyage, figuring out why India is the way it is.
The other thing that struck me was that books on India are often on a particular discipline. Economists write about the economy of India, sociologists about the caste system, political scientists about different politics and governance, and environmentalists about environment issues. I felt that none of them really capture the entirety of India in a really wholistic manner. So this is a book that spans all of these different dimensions, that is the only way you can really describe the complexity of a country like India.
I also felt like many books concentrate on events and end up becoming historical or on personalities and end up becoming biographies. I thought the true way to look at India was through the frame of ideas. I believe that changes in ideas in India are responsible for what is happening today. When I looked at the patterns of ideas I noticed that there are some that have changed radically over the past 60 years and those I believe are at the root of the vitality, energy and growth that you see in India today. I also found ideas that were agreed upon and yet were not being implemented. And then I found ideas that we argue deeply about, issues that India is gridlocked about, ideological disputes.
I found that if India is going to go on and progress and prosper it must anticipate ideas. It must look at what is happening in the West today, look at some of the challenges there are elsewhere and perhaps learn from those challenges and choose a different path.
I found there were six things that have changed India dramatically. To give some sense of the change it can be seen in terms of economic growth: in the 1960s India was growing at the rate of 3.5% per year and this rate of growth was called the ‘Hindu rate of growth’. At that time the population was growing at 2% a year. If the economy is growing at 3.5% and the population is growing at 2% it takes 45 years to double your per capita income. Today India is growing at 8-9%, in the face of the global economic crisis growth rates have dropped to 6% and may drop even more, but when we get beyond this crisis I do believe that will go up as the fundamentals are in place. So if the economy grows at 8-9% and today the population is growing at a lesser 1.5%, your per capita income doubles every 10 years. It is this acceleration of the rate of change that is at the root of India’s opportunities and its challenges.
Demographic Dividend
There are 6 factors that led to this acceleration and huge upsurge in dynamism. The first is that India has vastly changed its view of its population. There was a time in the 60s and 70s when the population was seen as a burden, but today in modern India we think of our population as human capital. Human capital is really what drives the economy, drives the world, and drives progress. This notion of people as an asset rather than a liability is a huge change is perception which is responsible for some of the changes that you see. This change in perception coincides with India achieving a demographic dividend. A demographic dividend comes but once in the history of a country when you have a large number of people at the working age of 15-65, and relatively less people who are old or young. At the peak of India’s demographic dividend it will have four people working for every one to support. When you have a demographic dividend you also have a cycle of economic growth: you have more people who are working thereby more who have savings, more savings means more investment, and more investment means more economic growth.
India is doubly unique as is the only large country in the world to be having its demographic dividend, which means it will be the only young country in an ageing world. Thirty years back India and China were at the same level but because China implemented a one-child policy they accelerated their demographic dividend. China will start ageing by 2015 leaving the path clear for India as the only young country in this world. That opens up huge opportunities.
China does have growth rates significantly higher over the last 30 years but we must also remember that China has reached its demographic dividend by massive social engineering. China will have 400 million old people by 2020 and that will be a huge burden. In the next thirty years as China starts ageing and India’s young become productive, India has the potential of growing (in percentage terms) faster than China.
At the same time a demographic dividend is only engaged when the people are productive: they are healthy, educated, have roads to go to school, lights to study at night, and markets to get jobs. If you don’t do it right, a demographic dividend can go the other way. You have all these people with aspirations that have been unleashed by the media; by television, the internet and mobile phones. If they have nowhere to go the same young people who can contribute so hugely to the economy can become disgruntled, resentful, divisive and violent. A demographic dividend can become a demographic disaster. India has the choice. For this reason the election becomes all the more relevant.
Entrepreneurship
The second big idea that has changed is Indian attitudes towards entrepreneurship. In the 1940s and 50s the Indian state had a very suspicious view of entrepreneurs. It did not believe that entrepreneurs should have a large role in society and Indian entrepreneurship was not really given free reign. Instead of focusing on improving products and creating customer value entrepreneurs instead focused on getting licences from government. Today being an entrepreneur has changed dramatically, India has become a global player. I call this phenomenon ‘from Bombay plan to Bombay Club to Bombay house.’
In 1944 the leaders of Indian business came out with ‘the Bombay plan’ saying the state must have a large role in the economy, that private capital in India is too young and immature to build this newly independent country. So it goes back to the businessmen themselves who wanted huge state and public funding. In 1992 we had something called ‘the Bombay club’, a group of businessman who met in Bombay after the economic reforms of 1991. They observed that from living 50 years in a closed economy India hadn’t learned to compete, that India shouldn’t open up its borders and allow global capital and global trade to come or Indian capital would get wiped out. The Bombay club was about protectionism.
Today we have ‘the Bombay house’ spirit which is what I call the headquarters of Tata, a global group, more than 50% of whose revenue comes from outside India, who are very comfortable with global competition. This, in some sense, is a metaphor for the change in Indian culture; from someone who wants a large role for the state, to someone who wanted a lot of protection, to someone who is eager and willing to compete with global competition.
Technology
The third change in the Indian mind is the attitude towards technology. In the 1960s computer was a bad word in India. They were believed to be job-eating machines. As late as the 1980s when the central bank came out with a report on bank computerisation they did not even use the word computer in their report, they called them ‘ledger posting machines’. When they wanted to employ more powerful versions of these ledger posting machines they called them ‘advanced ledger posting machines’. They were worried that the unions of the day would react violently to the news of computers in the bank industry.
Today, however, we live in a country where 8-10 million mobile phones are sold every month. 99% of those phones are pre-pay which means they are bought by people who don’t have a credit history, they don’t have credit cards. For 40% of those mobile phones the average recharge is less than 10 rupees which is just a few pence. That little mobile phone of a computer has become a symbol of empowerment for the poor of India. They get access to services, prices, so many things.This is the third big change: the change of seeing technology as something intimidating and job displacing to something empowering and equalising.
The tech sector contributes around 50 million dollars in exports for India which is about 5% of GDP. There is no question that it is getting increasingly sophisticated, solutions and products are developing. I believe this trend will continue, and India will continue to be one of the world’s favourite places for technological products and services in the coming years.
Education
The fourth change is the attitude towards English. For many years Indians had a very ambivalent attitude, they believed we should all talk in Indian languages and so forth. Today, with outsourcing and globalisation, it is very clear that knowledge of English is essential for Indians participating in the global economy. English has become an aspirational language. Even the poor are sending their children to English speaking schools.
The good news is that India is spending more on education than ever before. The Tenth Plan which ended in 2007 gave the allocation for education at around 7.5%. In The Eleventh Plan which is now running it is 19%. 3 billion dollars a year in taxes is given to primary and secondary education. We need both primary education through programmes creating better schools and the reform of higher education. The problem is too big to sequence; you must do it on both fronts.
For higher education I think the problem is excessive regulation. You cannot start a university, increase fees, change faculty salaries or change the course content. The system requires deregulation which allows excellence and inclusion, and also allows for private universities to be brought in.
Globalisation
The fifth big thing I believe is that the Indian mindset has become far more comfortable with globalisation. In the 1940s and 50s Indians were scared of globalisation, they had just gained independence, so were building all sorts of barriers against globalisation. Today as Indian companies, workers and students go abroad globalisation is being seen as something they can take advantage of.
Now there is far less fear of foreign investment. There are still some sectors where domestic entrepreneurs prevent foreign investment from coming in but I think that is changing. By and large there is far more receptivity.
When India started globalising, those participants in the Indian economy who had the skills to contribute to the economy did well: those who were educated and knew English. Those who were not part of that were left behind. I think this has definitely exacerbated inequalities. We need to reduce those inequalities by expanding opportunities to these people. They must have the same access to schools, food and water.
I think NRIs [Non Resident Indians] are a very important part of the equation. And it has to do with the change in the Indian mindset. When Indians were not comfortable with globalisation they viewed Indians who left the borders as a brain drain. Today, as Indians become pro-globalisation, NRIs becomes a strategic asset and so in our eyes can contribute by knowledge, capital, entrepreneurship, and building a brand. I think that there’s a dramatic shift and both the people and the government are now very much open to globalisation.
Democracy
The sixth big thing is democracy. Again in the 1950s and 60s democracy was an elite concept, a set of London-educated lawyers came up with the idea. Today we see with the elections that democracy is rooted in the people. 740 million people are voting in this election, it will take a month and over one million voting machines. It is really a grand spectacle.
I think certainly there are many challenges on the democratic front. Externally there is terrorism and internally there are the Maoists in central India. However, the election is reasonably peaceful; 740 million voters, 100 million new young voters, and average turnout at around 60%. The combination of parties that will come into power on May 16th will have a peaceful transition.
These six factors: entrepreneurship, demographics, globalisation, IT, English, and democracy, all contribute to India’s growth. At the same time India faces many challenges for implementation. For example; primary education, full literacy, infrastructure, urbanisation and single markets all have a long way to go. These are simple ideas and there is no argument, they must be implemented. There should also be reforms in higher education, labour (there is the complex challenge of creating jobs), and the issue of affirmative action: how do we address centuries of social exclusion and redress the balance?
Micro-financing has been a success, although it is not the only factor. Today there are probably less than 50 million people benefiting from micro-financing, but it is one of the instruments for financial inclusion which is happening. The banks are now trying to open low cost accounts using technology and biometrics to reduce transaction costs. I don’t see India using micro-finance in the same way as China and Africa, we are not organised enough for that!
India has the potential to grow at 6-8% for years to come but then it must deal with the challenges of prosperity. We must look at the challenges from the West. There are two broad sets of challenges. One is when the population starts ageing. While the population is young we must design a healthcare system so when the country ages it does not become a huge burden. How do you create a system of social insurance and social entitlements which work right now for the younger population, but
again don’t create a huge burden when the population ages? Here we can learn from what happened in the developed countries if there is a different way of designing health and social security.
Social Security and Infrastructure
Historically India has not had any social security or any kind of social insurance beyond employees of the government who get a pension and those in the organised private sector who have formal jobs. The vast majority of people have no social benefits. It is very clear from the Western experience that creating a massive entitlement programme based on defined benefits can be hugely crippling. Look at the United States, their unfunded liabilities for social security is about 50 trillion dollars. You can’t have a defined benefits system for 1 billion people. The government launched ‘the new pension system’ in 2004. It was first extended to government servants and is now available to the public. I think we can leapfrog certain things and build very modern systems to provide social insurance.
Infrastructure is a big challenge and the base is undesirable. To give you a sense of capital, the Indian economy is over a trillion dollars in size and the savings rate is about 35%. Around 350 billion dollars are saved every year whilst the foreign capital that comes in is only around 10-15 billion dollars. The role of foreign capital in the Indian economy is actually quite marginal. The government had an ambitious plan to spend 500 billion dollars on infrastructure. Although a lot of private investment will be hampered by the liquidity crisis, most of the money is still tax generated.
I think infrastructure will happen, it has become very salient. It is reflected in our political slogans. About thirty years back our political slogans had ‘food, clothing and shelter’, but today’s slogans are ‘power, water and roots’. The manifestos say ‘broadband for all’. These are all examples of the fact that infrastructure has become very politically salient. So while it won’t be at the base of change, as you see in China, this election depends on it.
The other big challenge that India faces is what to do with energy and the environment because it is unlikely that India will be able to continue with rapid growth using the same hydro-carbon methods that is has used for the past 200 years. If India grows at 8% a year, it doubles every 10 years, which means by 2050 it will have gone up 16 times. Historically, there is a linear relationship between growth in income and growth in greenhouse gas emission. Clearly India can’t have its emissions going up 16 times. Therefore it must create a low carbon economy that allows its people to enjoy the lifestyle benefits of economic growth without causing environmental damage. We do not yet know what the solution is but India will have to do it.
Some states have been more dynamic than others although some of the laggard states are now catching up. For example Bihar now has a chief minister who in some sense is more progressive than the south Indian states that have historically been seen as progressive. Gujarat in terms of reforms and economic dynamism has done a lot as has Andhra Pradesh. I think the competition between states, and pressure from the people within the state for a better life will drive the growth phenomenon.
My basic thesis is that India is at a very critical juncture. It can either engage its demographic dividend or lose it. It can address the challenges of population and poverty. It can also avoid long term challenges by looking at issues elsewhere to create a wonderful country in the 21st century.
Read more...
Monday, May 18, 2009
Dr Hinohara's Perspective
At the age of 97 years, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara's magic touch is legendary: Since 1941 he has been healing patients at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke's College of Nursing.
After World War II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo; thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation's top medical facility and nursing school. Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations.
Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one "Living Long, Living Good" that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself.
Here are some of his views:
Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It's best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.
All people who live long regardless of nationality, race or gender share one thing in common: None are overweight. For breakfast I drink coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy. Lunch is milk and a few cookies, or nothing when I am too busy to eat. I never get hungry because I focus on my work. Dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat.
Always plan ahead. My schedule book is already full until 2014, with lectures and my usual hospital work. In 2016 I'll have some fun, though: I plan to attend the Tokyo Olympics!
There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65, half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was 68 years and only 125 Japanese were over 100 years old. Today, Japanese women live to be around 86 and men 80, and we have 36,000 centenarians in our country. In 20 years we will have about 50,000 people over the age of 100.
Share what you know. I give 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people. I usually speak for 60 to 90 minutes, standing, to stay strong.
Music and animal therapy. When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor would suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can't cure everyone. So why cause unnecessary pain with surgery? I think music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine.
To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. I take two stairs at a time, to get my muscles moving.
Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. If a child has a toothache, and you start playing a game together, he or she immediately forgets the pain. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients: We all want to have fun. At St. Luke's we have music and animal therapies, and art classes.
Don't be crazy about amassing material things. Remember: You don't know when your number is up, and you can't take it with you to the next place.
Hospitals must be designed and prepared for major disasters, and they must accept every patient who appears at their doors. We designed St. Luke's so we can operate anywhere: in the basement, in the corridors, in the chapel. Most people thought I was crazy to prepare for a catastrophe, but on March 20, 1995, I was unfortunately proven right when members of the Aum Shinrikyu religious cult launched a terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway. We accepted 740 victims and in two hours figured out that it was sarin gas that had hit them. Sadly we lost one person, but we saved 739 lives.
Science alone can't cure or help people. Science lumps us all together, but illness is individual. Each person is unique, and diseases are connected to their hearts. To know the illness and help people, we need liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones.
Learn from life's incidents. On March 31, 1970, when I was 59 years old, I boarded the Yodogo, a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and as Mount Fuji came into sight, the plane was hijacked by the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. I spent the next four days handcuffed to my seat in 40-degree heat. As a doctor, I looked at it all as an experiment and was amazed at how the body slowed down in a crisis.
Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could ever do. My father went to the United States in 1900 to study at Duke University in North Carolina. He was a pioneer and one of my heroes. Later I found a few more life guides, and when I am stuck, I ask myself how they would deal with the problem.
Retirement and contribution to society. It is wonderful to live long. Until one is 60 years old, it is easy to work for one's family and to achieve one's goals. But in our later years, we should strive to contribute to society. Since the age of 65, I have worked as a volunteer. I still put in 18 hours seven days a week and love every minute of it.
Read more...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
U.S. Solar Company To Build Plants In India
MUMBAI - U.S. renewable energy company Signet Solar is investing $2 billion to set up manufacturing operations in India over the next 10 years.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Signet Solar will start constructing the first of three planned factories to produce solar photovoltaic modules in early 2008. The company is still scouting for a location.
“We are talking to state governments and considering the infrastructure-readiness of various locations. We’ll take a decision in two to three months. It’s likely to be located in a SEZ [special economic zone] as we’re export-focused,” said Signet Solar CEO Rajeeva Lahri.
Earlier this year, the government announced a semiconductor policy under which it will incur 20% of the capital expenditure if companies set up in special economic zones and 25% if they come up elsewhere. The minimum investment limit for the benefits is $570 million.
Privately held Signet Solar, which was founded in 2006, is talking to investors in India and abroad to raise capital for its plans. “We’re looking at a mix of private equity, debt and government incentives for manufacturing in India,” Lahri told reporters in New Delhi Thursday.
The firm will target power plants, rural electrification and irrigation and large commercial units in India. The plant will initially have a capacity of 60 megawatt that will expand to 1 gigawatt annually over 10 years. “I think in India we have not realized the potential of solar energy here. It is a huge market and its demand is only going to grow,” Lahri said.
Signet Solar is also setting up a manufacturing plant in Dresden, Germany. Worldwide solar photovoltaic installations grew at an annual rate of nearly 40% in the last five years, and increasing demand is expected to sustain growth for a while, the firm said in a press release.
India’s government wants to produce 10% of its growing energy needs from renewable sources by 2012. At present, over 5% of power comes from renewable energy.
Both India and China, where energy consumption has surged because of rapid industrialization, came under fire in a recent S&P report for their reliance on carbon-intensive fuels to meet energy needs (See: “ Coal Still King In India And China”).
Read more...
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Signet Solar will start constructing the first of three planned factories to produce solar photovoltaic modules in early 2008. The company is still scouting for a location.
“We are talking to state governments and considering the infrastructure-readiness of various locations. We’ll take a decision in two to three months. It’s likely to be located in a SEZ [special economic zone] as we’re export-focused,” said Signet Solar CEO Rajeeva Lahri.
Earlier this year, the government announced a semiconductor policy under which it will incur 20% of the capital expenditure if companies set up in special economic zones and 25% if they come up elsewhere. The minimum investment limit for the benefits is $570 million.
Privately held Signet Solar, which was founded in 2006, is talking to investors in India and abroad to raise capital for its plans. “We’re looking at a mix of private equity, debt and government incentives for manufacturing in India,” Lahri told reporters in New Delhi Thursday.
The firm will target power plants, rural electrification and irrigation and large commercial units in India. The plant will initially have a capacity of 60 megawatt that will expand to 1 gigawatt annually over 10 years. “I think in India we have not realized the potential of solar energy here. It is a huge market and its demand is only going to grow,” Lahri said.
Signet Solar is also setting up a manufacturing plant in Dresden, Germany. Worldwide solar photovoltaic installations grew at an annual rate of nearly 40% in the last five years, and increasing demand is expected to sustain growth for a while, the firm said in a press release.
India’s government wants to produce 10% of its growing energy needs from renewable sources by 2012. At present, over 5% of power comes from renewable energy.
Both India and China, where energy consumption has surged because of rapid industrialization, came under fire in a recent S&P report for their reliance on carbon-intensive fuels to meet energy needs (See: “ Coal Still King In India And China”).
Read more...
Pegasus plans Rs 200 crore semiconductor plant in Ahmedabad
To manufacture white LED lighting systems.
In what could provide an impetus to energy conservation and reduce power costs, Ahmedabad-based Pegasus Semiconductors Pvt. Ltd. is setting up a manufacturing plant on the outskirts of the city for white light emitting diode (LEDs) semi-conductor chips.
At an investment of around Rs 200 crore, the plant is set to commission within two years.
White LEDs, which are prominent in western countries, offer better lumens per watt than incandescent bulb and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL).
However, currently white LED semi-conductor chips have to be imported in India from abroad. Once commissioned, the company will probably become the first manufacturer of such chips, said Sudhindra Tatti, president of Pegasus Semiconductors Pvt. Ltd.
The upcoming plant will begin assembling atleast 1,000-odd white LED light systems per month and subsequently ramp up the volume once the manufacturing activities begin. The company's operations will also be part-funded by Gujarat Venture Finance Limited (GVFL), which has expressed its desire to invest in the project.
Tatti said that while currently the market for white LEDs is only for early adapters looking for aesthetic application, the company will target rural as well as urban households for solar lighting systems.
"Once the market begins to understand and accept the benefits of white LEDs as against its conventional alternatives, we will have to manufacture atleast a million semi-conductor chips per month," he added.
"Initially, we plan to manufacture solar lighting systems consisting white LED technology and later introduce conventional energy based systems. White LEDs help save 2-3 times of energy as compared to other alternatives. They also reduce design cost for lighting systems, making them more affordable," said Tatti.
To begin with, the company is piloting these lighting systems at college campuses and intends to target public buildings, street lighting and households later on.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=331413
Read more...
In what could provide an impetus to energy conservation and reduce power costs, Ahmedabad-based Pegasus Semiconductors Pvt. Ltd. is setting up a manufacturing plant on the outskirts of the city for white light emitting diode (LEDs) semi-conductor chips.
At an investment of around Rs 200 crore, the plant is set to commission within two years.
White LEDs, which are prominent in western countries, offer better lumens per watt than incandescent bulb and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL).
However, currently white LED semi-conductor chips have to be imported in India from abroad. Once commissioned, the company will probably become the first manufacturer of such chips, said Sudhindra Tatti, president of Pegasus Semiconductors Pvt. Ltd.
The upcoming plant will begin assembling atleast 1,000-odd white LED light systems per month and subsequently ramp up the volume once the manufacturing activities begin. The company's operations will also be part-funded by Gujarat Venture Finance Limited (GVFL), which has expressed its desire to invest in the project.
Tatti said that while currently the market for white LEDs is only for early adapters looking for aesthetic application, the company will target rural as well as urban households for solar lighting systems.
"Once the market begins to understand and accept the benefits of white LEDs as against its conventional alternatives, we will have to manufacture atleast a million semi-conductor chips per month," he added.
"Initially, we plan to manufacture solar lighting systems consisting white LED technology and later introduce conventional energy based systems. White LEDs help save 2-3 times of energy as compared to other alternatives. They also reduce design cost for lighting systems, making them more affordable," said Tatti.
To begin with, the company is piloting these lighting systems at college campuses and intends to target public buildings, street lighting and households later on.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=331413
Read more...
IIM-A grads give a lukewarm response to entrepreneurship; but all mint gold in the end
Ahmedabad It is a fact that very few students who pass out of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), opt for entrepreneurship. This year only eight students of the total 281 who graduated, opted for entrepreneurship. But those who have done so are all pursuing a success path.
IIM-A Director Samir Barua says: “There is a policy by the name of ‘Placement Holiday’ at IIM-A wherein ex-students, who have opted for entrepreneurship, can approach the institute for placements. But not a single application has been made under the scheme till now, indicating the success of the entrepreneurship ventures.”
The start-ups have also been as diverse as they possibly can be.
Rohit Shankar and Nikhil Vaswani, who passed out of IIM-A in 2006, operated a pilot fitness centre at Gandhinagar for over a year, before starting their first wellness centre, ‘Wellocity’, in the heart of western Ahmedabad in February 2008. After a year of operations, it has 600 active members, with an 80 per cent renewal rate. Rohit adds: “We will soon come up with another centre in Rajkot. Diversification into ‘Healthy Food Joints’ and ‘Corporate Parks’ is also in the pipeline.”
Another IIM-A graduate, who is helping Gujaratis to remain healthy is Sidharth Jaiswal, a 2008 pass out. He started his joint, ’Juice’, where 69 certified organic and natural drinks are served. “We are also working in ‘Organic Farming’ with farmers from Gujarat and Bihar, and taking care of front-end as well as back-end operations of the business,” Sidharth says. His plans include opening ‘Juice’ outlets in Mumbai, Gurgaon and Delhi soon.
It is not only the service industry that has attracted IIM-A graduates. Akshat Khare and Sudhindra Tatti, both 2007 pass-outs, started a company, ‘Pegasus Semiconductors’, which manufactures Solar Energy powered LED Lighting Systems, both for homes and streets.
“Our USP is the price which is about two times lower then the conventional solar lighting systems,” Akshat says. Recently, Pegasus has started operating its own manufacturing facility in Gandhinagar, employing 12 people. Another successful venture includes ‘Mantis Technologies’, a provider for online ticketing platform for the bus industry in India using Software As A Service (SAAS) model, and ‘Bipler’, an Internet media company aiming to provide quality entertainment content.
The foremost reason for the low rate of entrepreneurship ventures from IIM-A, according to these brave-hearts is that the incubation centre at IIM-A supports only technology-related ventures.
“This leaves a big chunk of those who want to establish something new at the grassroots or in the service industry, out of the loop,” says Sidharth.
Akshat adds, “Factors like high opportunity cost, the high risk involved and earlier returns also aids the decision.” Another trend observed is that some graduates believe that a certain amount of work experience is essential before starting their own ventures. So they just delay their entrepreneurship ambitions by a few years.
Source:http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/iima-grads-give-a-lukewarm-response-to-entrepreneurship-but-all-mint-gold-in-the-end/434618/
Read more...
IIM-A Director Samir Barua says: “There is a policy by the name of ‘Placement Holiday’ at IIM-A wherein ex-students, who have opted for entrepreneurship, can approach the institute for placements. But not a single application has been made under the scheme till now, indicating the success of the entrepreneurship ventures.”
The start-ups have also been as diverse as they possibly can be.
Rohit Shankar and Nikhil Vaswani, who passed out of IIM-A in 2006, operated a pilot fitness centre at Gandhinagar for over a year, before starting their first wellness centre, ‘Wellocity’, in the heart of western Ahmedabad in February 2008. After a year of operations, it has 600 active members, with an 80 per cent renewal rate. Rohit adds: “We will soon come up with another centre in Rajkot. Diversification into ‘Healthy Food Joints’ and ‘Corporate Parks’ is also in the pipeline.”
Another IIM-A graduate, who is helping Gujaratis to remain healthy is Sidharth Jaiswal, a 2008 pass out. He started his joint, ’Juice’, where 69 certified organic and natural drinks are served. “We are also working in ‘Organic Farming’ with farmers from Gujarat and Bihar, and taking care of front-end as well as back-end operations of the business,” Sidharth says. His plans include opening ‘Juice’ outlets in Mumbai, Gurgaon and Delhi soon.
It is not only the service industry that has attracted IIM-A graduates. Akshat Khare and Sudhindra Tatti, both 2007 pass-outs, started a company, ‘Pegasus Semiconductors’, which manufactures Solar Energy powered LED Lighting Systems, both for homes and streets.
“Our USP is the price which is about two times lower then the conventional solar lighting systems,” Akshat says. Recently, Pegasus has started operating its own manufacturing facility in Gandhinagar, employing 12 people. Another successful venture includes ‘Mantis Technologies’, a provider for online ticketing platform for the bus industry in India using Software As A Service (SAAS) model, and ‘Bipler’, an Internet media company aiming to provide quality entertainment content.
The foremost reason for the low rate of entrepreneurship ventures from IIM-A, according to these brave-hearts is that the incubation centre at IIM-A supports only technology-related ventures.
“This leaves a big chunk of those who want to establish something new at the grassroots or in the service industry, out of the loop,” says Sidharth.
Akshat adds, “Factors like high opportunity cost, the high risk involved and earlier returns also aids the decision.” Another trend observed is that some graduates believe that a certain amount of work experience is essential before starting their own ventures. So they just delay their entrepreneurship ambitions by a few years.
Source:http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/iima-grads-give-a-lukewarm-response-to-entrepreneurship-but-all-mint-gold-in-the-end/434618/
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Solar Power Charges Amdavadis
I read an article about the solar power charges. It will be good. We will have less electricity to use. As we use less electricity, our bill will be less too.
Imagine a house running only on solar energy. From water heater to every light bulb. This thought could turn into a reality soon, with a sharp rise in number of takers for this alternative and green power source.
Advanced solar appliances have become popular among educational institutes and corporate houses to generate thermal and electric energy.
School of Solar Energy, a constituent of Pandit Deen Dayal Petroleum University in Gandhinagar is researching photovoltaic cell – a device that directly converts sunlight into electricity which could bring down the cost of using solar energy. They are not alone. Indian Institute of Management in city (IIM-A )has installed solar street lights in the campus, Intas Biopharma has started with a borocell solar heating panel for their kitchen facilities and even Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has plans for solar powered street lights in AMC gardens.
General Manager (projects- engineering) of Intas Biopharma, Satish Kolte says, “Not only is solar energy an environment-friendly option, it also cuts on costs in the long run. We started with this solar prototype two months ago in our kitchen and so far, it has given good results.”
“We will be using solar energy in all our upcoming plants. We believe industries can tap into this freely available large source of energy,” adds Kolte.
Recently, Gujarat government also announced Solar Power.
Policy, 2009, to promote solar power generation as an alternative source of energy.
Satish Deshpande, a solar power expert, has been using solar energy in his home since the last 12 years and now prefers to cook his lunch in his solar concentrator. Deshapande says, “It makes economic sense to embrace it.”
Akshat Khare, a young entrepreneur has started a solar-based lighting system to promote the use of solar energy. “We have installed solar streetlights at IIM-A, SEWA and at other organizations in city,” he says. –The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Ahmedabad/Solar-power-charges-Amdavadis/articleshow/4452492.cms
Read more...
Imagine a house running only on solar energy. From water heater to every light bulb. This thought could turn into a reality soon, with a sharp rise in number of takers for this alternative and green power source.
Advanced solar appliances have become popular among educational institutes and corporate houses to generate thermal and electric energy.
School of Solar Energy, a constituent of Pandit Deen Dayal Petroleum University in Gandhinagar is researching photovoltaic cell – a device that directly converts sunlight into electricity which could bring down the cost of using solar energy. They are not alone. Indian Institute of Management in city (IIM-A )has installed solar street lights in the campus, Intas Biopharma has started with a borocell solar heating panel for their kitchen facilities and even Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has plans for solar powered street lights in AMC gardens.
General Manager (projects- engineering) of Intas Biopharma, Satish Kolte says, “Not only is solar energy an environment-friendly option, it also cuts on costs in the long run. We started with this solar prototype two months ago in our kitchen and so far, it has given good results.”
“We will be using solar energy in all our upcoming plants. We believe industries can tap into this freely available large source of energy,” adds Kolte.
Recently, Gujarat government also announced Solar Power.
Policy, 2009, to promote solar power generation as an alternative source of energy.
Satish Deshpande, a solar power expert, has been using solar energy in his home since the last 12 years and now prefers to cook his lunch in his solar concentrator. Deshapande says, “It makes economic sense to embrace it.”
Akshat Khare, a young entrepreneur has started a solar-based lighting system to promote the use of solar energy. “We have installed solar streetlights at IIM-A, SEWA and at other organizations in city,” he says. –The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Ahmedabad/Solar-power-charges-Amdavadis/articleshow/4452492.cms
Read more...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
UMTS Architecture
Reading summary of UMTS Architecture.
The UMTS architecture comprises three parts (or domains):
1) Core network
2) Access network
3) User equipment. (Mobile device used to access UMTS services)
fig (a) High Level UMTS Architecture.
The user equipment has a radio interface to the access network. The access network manages access to the core network for all authorized users within its coverage area. The core network provides the central switching, transmission and service provisioning functions required to provide UMTS services.
The access network and core network communicate by the Iu interface. The access network and the user equipment communicate by the Uu interface.
User equipment has two components:
1) Mobile Equipment (ME). The ME is the terminal itself. It performs all radio transmission, reception and processing functions.
2) UMTS Subscriber Identity Module (USIM). A removeable card which uniquely identifies a UMTS user for authentication purposes, holds subscription-related information and provides
additional security features.
ACCESS Network:
The access network is known as the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) and performs the following functions:
1) Radio resource management
2) Call set up and handover
3) User access to the core network.
The UTRAN performs a similar role to the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) in GSM.
A UTRAN contains the following network entities:
1) Radio Network Subsystem (RNS)
The RNS is an abstract term that collectively defines the entities which manage the resources and transmission/reception for a particular set of cells.
Each RNS contains:
i) One Radio Network Controller (RNC).
ii) One or more Node Bs. Each Node B controls multiple UMTS cells.
2) Radio Network Controller (RNC)
The Radio Network Controller (RNC) controls the allocation and use of the radio resources in an RNS and performs most of the intelligent processing for the UTRAN. Each RNC controls one or more Node Bs.
RNC functions include:
i) Assigning and releasing radio channels. These may be locally controlled by the RNC or controlled from a neighbouring RNC
ii) Monitoring and maintaining connection quality
iii) Handover control
vi) Operations and maintenance:
- Configuration management
- Alarm and fault reporting
- Performance monitoring.
v) Macro diversity combining and splitting functions.
Most UTRAN functions are performed by the Radio Network Controller (RNC) entity.
3) Node B.
Node Bs are logical nodes that are responsible for radio transmission and reception between the User Equipment (UE) and UMTS cells.
1) One Node B serves multiple cells
2) Each Node B is controlled by one RNC
3) Node Bs can support Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD), Time Division Duplexing (TDD) or dual-mode operation.
Core Network:
The UMTS core network is responsible for:
1) Transmission and switching
2) User management
3) User services provisioning
4) Interworking with external networks.
The core network provides integrated support for packet and circuit switched traffic.
Most UMTS core networks are likely to evolve from an existing network infrastructure (GSM, PDN, N-ISDN, B-ISDN).
Services supported by the UMTS core network include:
1) Voice
2) Universal messaging (integrated email, voicemail, SMS)
3) Video
4) Wireless internet access
5) File transfer
Overview of soft handover in UMTS (unlike of GSM):
Macro diversity refers to the capability of a UMTS UE to receive signals from more than one cell and vice versa - multiple cells can receive the signal from a UE. The cells can be controlled by different Node Bs.
A UE can be connected simultaneously to two or more cells, providing a multi-path communication channel. User data is split and carried over several channels.
Macro diversity has two advantages:
1) Sending the data across multiple channels reduces the impact of interference in any one path, providing improved overall connection quality
2) It allows seamless handover of the UE between currently connected cells (“soft” handover). In soft handover the UE always keeps at least one active connection to one of the cells, so
the radio path does not have to be dropped and reconnected (as is required in GSM).
The RNC manages the data splitting/combining and handover function across the multiple paths.
The RNC performs a similar function to the Base Station Controller (BSC) in GSM networks, but has more intelligence.
Read more...
The UMTS architecture comprises three parts (or domains):1) Core network
2) Access network
3) User equipment. (Mobile device used to access UMTS services)
fig (a) High Level UMTS Architecture.
The user equipment has a radio interface to the access network. The access network manages access to the core network for all authorized users within its coverage area. The core network provides the central switching, transmission and service provisioning functions required to provide UMTS services.
The access network and core network communicate by the Iu interface. The access network and the user equipment communicate by the Uu interface.
User equipment has two components:
1) Mobile Equipment (ME). The ME is the terminal itself. It performs all radio transmission, reception and processing functions.
2) UMTS Subscriber Identity Module (USIM). A removeable card which uniquely identifies a UMTS user for authentication purposes, holds subscription-related information and provides
additional security features.
ACCESS Network:
The access network is known as the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) and performs the following functions:
1) Radio resource management
2) Call set up and handover
3) User access to the core network.
The UTRAN performs a similar role to the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) in GSM.
A UTRAN contains the following network entities:
1) Radio Network Subsystem (RNS)
The RNS is an abstract term that collectively defines the entities which manage the resources and transmission/reception for a particular set of cells.
Each RNS contains:
i) One Radio Network Controller (RNC).
ii) One or more Node Bs. Each Node B controls multiple UMTS cells.
2) Radio Network Controller (RNC)
The Radio Network Controller (RNC) controls the allocation and use of the radio resources in an RNS and performs most of the intelligent processing for the UTRAN. Each RNC controls one or more Node Bs.
RNC functions include:
i) Assigning and releasing radio channels. These may be locally controlled by the RNC or controlled from a neighbouring RNC
ii) Monitoring and maintaining connection quality
iii) Handover control
vi) Operations and maintenance:
- Configuration management
- Alarm and fault reporting
- Performance monitoring.
v) Macro diversity combining and splitting functions.
Most UTRAN functions are performed by the Radio Network Controller (RNC) entity.
3) Node B.
Node Bs are logical nodes that are responsible for radio transmission and reception between the User Equipment (UE) and UMTS cells.
1) One Node B serves multiple cells
2) Each Node B is controlled by one RNC
3) Node Bs can support Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD), Time Division Duplexing (TDD) or dual-mode operation.
Core Network:
The UMTS core network is responsible for:
1) Transmission and switching
2) User management
3) User services provisioning
4) Interworking with external networks.
The core network provides integrated support for packet and circuit switched traffic.
Most UMTS core networks are likely to evolve from an existing network infrastructure (GSM, PDN, N-ISDN, B-ISDN).
Services supported by the UMTS core network include:
1) Voice
2) Universal messaging (integrated email, voicemail, SMS)
3) Video
4) Wireless internet access
5) File transfer
Interworking is supported to:
1) PSTN
2) GSM
3) N-ISDN
4) IP
fig(b): UMTS Reference model
The core network is logically divided into a circuit switching domain and a packet switching domain. The network entities are grouped into functional areas accordingly:
1) Entities to support packet-switched services
2) Entities to support circuit-switched services
3) Entities common to packet and circuit-switched services.
Packet switching entities:
1) Serving GPRS Support Node (3G-SGSN)
2) Gateway GPRS Support Node (3G-GGSN)
3) Domain Name Server (DNS)
4) Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server
5) Firewall
6) Packet charging gateway.
Circuit switching entities:
1) Mobile Switching Center (3G-MSC)
2) Gateway MSC (GMSC)
3) Visitor Location Register (VLR).
Shared packet and circuit switching entities:
1) Home Location Register (HLR)
2) Authentication Center (AuC)
3) Equipment Identity Register (EIR).
Separation of the circuit switching and packet switching domains is also achieved by separate logical interfaces between the core network and the UTRAN:
Other areas that can be considered as part of the core network include:
1) Network management systems (such as billing and provisioning, and service management)
2) Operations and Maintenance Center (OMC).
Overview of soft handover in UMTS (unlike of GSM):
Macro diversity refers to the capability of a UMTS UE to receive signals from more than one cell and vice versa - multiple cells can receive the signal from a UE. The cells can be controlled by different Node Bs.
A UE can be connected simultaneously to two or more cells, providing a multi-path communication channel. User data is split and carried over several channels.
Macro diversity has two advantages:
1) Sending the data across multiple channels reduces the impact of interference in any one path, providing improved overall connection quality
2) It allows seamless handover of the UE between currently connected cells (“soft” handover). In soft handover the UE always keeps at least one active connection to one of the cells, so
the radio path does not have to be dropped and reconnected (as is required in GSM).
The RNC manages the data splitting/combining and handover function across the multiple paths.
The RNC performs a similar function to the Base Station Controller (BSC) in GSM networks, but has more intelligence.
Read more...
India's Biggest Roll Out of 3G to Boost Mobile Broadband
Europe : Ericsson is using its WCDMA/HSPA technology to help BSNL, India's second largest telecom operator, achieve India's biggest simultaneous launch of 3G services to date, across 11 leading cities. The commercial launch of much awaited 3G services in India will allow consumers to experience enriched communications including rich voice, video and data services.
The successful launch of 3G services in India's across multiple cities in Northern and Eastern parts of India brings 3G access to more than 15 million people and will help in driving quicker uptake of 3G services to a wide customer base.
As part of its roll-out strategy, BSNL plans to launch 3G services using WCDMA/HSPA technology across more than 700 cities in the first phase. Ericsson is BSNL's strategic partner for 3G roll-out in over 400 of these cities.
for more detail:
http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/March2009/Indias_Biggest_Roll_Out_of_3G_to_Boost_Mobile_Broadband.html
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