India – Swadesh

“Athithi Devo Bhava”

Guests are like God.

This very phrase is believed to be the beginner of a war that lasted for more than 190 years – the war to get back our nation’s Independence from the British. Traders initially by trading goods; Masters later, treating us as slaves. Military superiority was their backbone with which their territorial ambitions were achieved through commercial acts. The four powers, the Portuguese, English, Dutch and the French colonized India. The first ever national war of independence was fought with the English, where both sides displayed brutality to such an extent, in 1857, which was not true to our tradition.

On the positive side, railways, postal service and many other establishments took place (though originally meant for their own convenience, yet they paved way for what we have now!); while on the negative side, we suffered from ultimate exploitation of our natural resources. Forest lands were grabbed from the tribes, denying their ownership, later declared as government property. The unrest against the East India Company rule kept on increasing. Revolt of 1857 shook the British Empire, when the mutiny broke between the Indian Soldiers and the “Sepoys” of the company, which engulfed northern and central parts of India. Southern India remained quiet during the revolt. 

In the late 1885, political life of India took a plunge with the formation of Indian National Congress, which dominated the political life of India; gave shape and form to the ideas of administrative and political reforms. Prior to congress, the three provinces; Bengal, Madras and Bombay initiated the political awareness in the veins of dhoti-clad men. The INC gave rise to two political parties, Moderates and Extremists along with the repercussion of the Swadeshi (Autocracy) Movement. Extremists always went with strikes (Boycott of Universities and Educational institutions). The movement was linked with the revolutionary activities before the First World War. Subash Chandra Bose arose with the formation of Indian National Army (INA) with the help of a self-proclaimed Independent Indian government. 

Indian civilization was primarily disturbed, due to various invasions and political instability in the form of Islam and Christianity. The religions became means of exploitation and were restricted to mere rites and rituals. The educated people however were introduced to a plethora of ideas about community life, religion, democracy. This led to the Reform Movement, from which a certain contribution to the Indian philosophy was also made. Hinduism developed in the form of Sri Ramakrishna’s disciple Swami Vivekananda who inspired by interpreting Karma, Vedic sciences and Yoga to serve our motherland. Shri Aurobindo offered his interpretations on origin of the Universe, man’s existence, cause and other spiritual aspects. Emergence of worlds one of the greatest enlightened soul, Mahatma Gandhi, was witnessed by this era. He provided a strong leadership and unity - introducing an ideal and constructive program to the nationalist movement in India.

British government knew they were ruling their last days due to the fierce struggle for total freedom by the Indians. The advances of Indian National Army, during Second World War made a significant impact on the eastern front. In the meantime, the communal hatred in India was at its peak. Slowly and gradually, Congress had to take the fact that partition would be the only solution, due to the rise of over-communal tensions between people who practiced Islam and Hinduism. The partition into two sovereign states on the basis of religious majorities in the parts of North-Western India was to take place. With many of the forces acting on the governance, British had to bow down to millions of Indians demands and we saw the rising of Indian Independence on 15th August 1947 through joy and wild rejoice witnessed in every village and city.

Truth is God. Without Truth it is impossible to observe any principle or rule in our life. There should be Truth in thought, Truth in speech and Truth in action. The only means of realizing Truth or God is Ahimsa (Non-violence). Without ahimsa it is not possible to seek and find Truth. God is the very image of the vow. If a man promises something, he should fulfill it in any adverse conditions.

I bow to the martyrs who laid their lives for us to live in an India that has Freedom for Thought, Expression, Speech, Education and Religion.

Jai Hind!
Happy Independence Day!

A Closer Look @ Worry

Do you think there is anything about to be worried in this world.  

Absolutely nothing!!!

 You may spend the rest of your life, worrying about the future, and no amount your worry will ever change a thing. People always confuse worrying with planning for the future. If you are planning, and the present activity will contribute to an effective future, then it is not termed as worry. Much of our worries always concerns things over which we have no control.  

Worry is endemic to our culture. Almost everyone in our society spends an inordinate amount of their present moments worrying about their future. Not one moment of worry will make things any better. To say the fact, worry will very well help you in being less effective in dealing with the present. Worry has also nothing to do with love, which predicates/dictates a relationship in which each person has the right to be what he chooses without any necessary conditions imposed by the other. Moreover, end result of which you are worrying about frequently turns out to be less horrible in reality than it was in your imagination. You may be in the professional worrier classification, creating unnecessary stress and anxiety in your life as a result of the choices you are making to worry about every conceivable kind of activity.

In order to eliminate worry, it is necessary to understand the why behind it. If worry is a large part of your life, you can bet that it has many historical antecedents. Guilt and worry are self-nullifying behaviors, which vary only in a temporal sense. Guilt focuses on the past and worry on the future. Worry is always a present-moment activity. By using your current life being immersed over a future time in your life, you are able to escape the now, that threatens you. Worry is a handy justification for certain self-defeating behavior. It is a clever device to keep you inactive, and clearly it is easier for many to worry; than to be an active, involved person. They can bring ulcers, hypertension, cramps, tension headaches, backaches and the like; and they do result in considerable attention from others and justify much self-pity as well, and some people would rather be pitied than fulfilled.

The next question in line is, what are the strategies for eliminating worry?

Its easier, just begin to view your present moments as times to live, love, rather than to obsess about the future.

When you feel yourself worrying, ask yourself this question. “What am I avoiding now by using up this moment with worry?” The best antidote to this worry is a firm action.

Recognize the reason for your worrying, ask yourself “Is there anything that will ever change as a result of my worrying over/about it?”

You may feel stupid when someone asks you to give yourself shorter periods of worry-time, but the constant effort my pay dividends like controlling your thoughts. Try to assess how many of the things you worried about ever materialized after all. You will soon realize that the worry is really a wasteful activity, which does nothing to alter your future.

Another strategy to be used is, begin to face the fears you possess with productive thought and behavior. An effective challenge to a fear or worry is the most productive way to eradicate it from your life. The most effective weapon you have for wiping your worry is your own determination to banish this neurotic behavior. The present moment is the key to understanding your guilt and worry activities. Learn to live now and not waster your current moments in immobilizing thoughts about the past or future. Remember that, there is not another moment to live but now, and all of your guilt and worry are done in the present now.

The golden rule is, “Jam tomorrow, Jam yesterday, but never Jam today”.

How about you? Any jam today? Since it must come sometime, How about now?