| Those who have worked in the corporate world know that it is a kind of jungle, where only some survive. Over the years, a few lessons have been made clear to those who work in the world of big corporations. These 3 lessons are the most valuable of the lot, and I feel that I have to share them with you. Warning, some rude language ahead!
Source…www.ba-bamail.com Natarajan |
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Don’t let all those things happening at your workplace get you down. Read on to find out how you can beat stress.
It’s Monday morning and the start of a new week. You get up from the bed with a sinking feeling.
The new boss shouts at you before others, he is never content with the work you do, and quick to pounce on you at the tiniest error.
But this job means a lot to you. You have a housing mortgage on your shoulders.
You are in your mid 40s and it would be extremely difficult to find another job.
Stress spirals into depression
The physical symptoms of stress shows on you: the stomach tightens into a knot, the heart races in panic, breathing becomes shallow and your palms go damp.
The food is tasteless and you worry even in sleep.
There is an emotional quotient too.
A stressed employee suffers from a hurt morale, bruised ego, fears and insecurity.
Instead of job satisfaction there is job revulsion.
If not checked, it could spiral into a depression or a nervous breakdown.
Here’s how to manage your stress:
Don’t make it worse:
Your stress is not going to go away by smoking all the day.
It makes you fall prey to self-pity and seek solace from cigarettes and alcohol.
Don’t crib about your boss to colleagues:
If you are stressed it is better not to spill out the angst to others in the team by painting oneself as a victim or the boss as a devil.
You could lose a lot in the long term including your job.
Identify the sources of stress:
Once you know the cause behind it you need to address it.
Determine how you are going to deal with it and whether it’s something that can be fixed or managed.
Being aware of your own stress level is a worthwhile objective.
Instead of being reactive to situations, try to observe your mind and the emotions as stress in the environment meets you.
Don’t be afraid to talk to your boss or top management about your stress source.
See the big picture:
Experts say that one experiences stress when s/he feels that the situation is out of control.
That vulnerability activates the stress hormone and wears down your confidence and concentration. The first step is to identify the stress factors.
Take breaks:
In today’s fast-paced work environment many people spend their entire day at their desk, even working through lunch.
This may cause heightened stress levels besides strain for the eyes!
Experts advise you to take short breaks, stretch arms while seated in the chair, let eyes wander to the furthest end of the room for respite from staring a computer monitor for hours, have coffee or tea at the pantry or even listen to favourite songs over the headphone.
Short breaks help you in calming your nerves.
Relax at home.
Your lifestyle outside the office plays a big part.
Experts say getting enough sleep, supportive friends and family can help maintain a more stable state of mind.
There are stress relievers like exercise, yoga and music.
Take up a hobby and you’ll find the office blues lose their potency to torment you.
Photograph (used for representational purposes only): Dadang Tri/Reuters
Love is Divine. You must love all. More so, impart your love even to those who lack love. Love is like mariner’s compass. Wherever you may keep it, it should always point towards God. In every action in your daily life manifest selfless love. Divinity will emerge from that love. This is the easiest path to God realization. But why are people not taking to it? This is because they are obsessed with misconception relating to the means of experiencing God. They regard God as some remote entity attainable only by arduous spiritual practices. God is everywhere. There is no need to search for God. All that you see is a manifestation of the Divine. All the human beings you see are forms of the Divine. Correct your defective vision and you will experience God in all things. The power of love is immeasurable. Hence, develop and practice the sense of the spiritual oneness of all beings.
அசையாத சிவனும் அம்பாளால்தான் அசைந்து காரியத்தில் ஈடுபடுகிறார் என்று வருவதை சயன்ஸ்படி கொஞ்சம் விளக்கிப் பார்த்தால், ‘மாட்டர்’ என்று பதார்த்தத்தைச் சொல்கிறார்கள். அதன் சுபாவம் ‘இனர்ஷியா’ என்கிறார்கள் அதாவது சலனமில்லாமல் போட்டது போட்டபடிக் கிடப்பதுதான் என்கிறார்கள். அதனால் ‘இனர்ட் மாட்டர்’ என்றே சேர்த்துச் சொல்வதாக இருக்கிறது.
ஆனாலும் அப்படிப்பட்ட `இனர்ட் மாட்டர்` பல தினுசில் சலனப்பட்டு, பல தினுசில் ஒன்று சேர்ந்துதான் பிரபஞ்சம் உண்டாயிருக்கிறதென்று நன்றாகத் தெரிகிறது. அப்படியானால் ஏதோ ஒரு பவர், சக்திதானே சலனமில்லாத `மாட்டரை` சலனிக்கும்படியாகப் பண்ணியிருப்பதாக ஆகிறது? அந்தச் சலனமில்லாத `மாட்டரை` தான் சிவன் என்றும் அதைச் சலனிக்க வைக்கும் சக்தியைப் பாரசக்தி, அம்பாள் என்றும் சொல்லியிருக்கிறது.
நிச்சலனமான சிவனும், கிரக நட்சத்திரங்களில் ஆரம்பித்து அணுவுக்குள் உள்ள பரமாணுவரை எல்லாம் சதா சலனித்துக்கொண்டே இருப்பதற்குக் காரணமான சக்தியும் பிரிக்க முடியாமல் ஒன்று சேர்ந்திருக்கிறார்கள் என்பதை அவர் ‘மாட்டர்’, அவள் ‘எனெர்ஜி’ என்று சயன்ஸ் அடிப்படையில் விளக்கிச் சொல்லலாம். இணைபிரியாத இரண்டு பேர் என்றாலும் அவர்கள் அடிப்படையில் இரண்டுகூட இல்லை, ஒன்றேதான் என்பதையும் அடாமிக் சயன்சில் ‘மாட்ட’ரே ‘எனர்ஜி’யாவதாகச் சொல்லியிருப்பதைக் காட்டி உறுதிப்படுத்தலாம்.
ஆனால் ஒரு வித்தியாசம், பெரிய வித்தியாசம். என்னவென்றால், அங்கே ஒரு மாட்டரை எனர்ஜி ரூபமாக்கிய அப்புறம் மாட்டர் இல்லாமல் போய்விடும். இங்கேயோ சிவனும் சக்தியும் எப்போதுமே சாச்வத சத்யமாக இருக்கிறார்கள். சக்தியோக எனெர்ஜி வெளிப்பட்டுக்கொண்டே இருக்கும்போதும் சிவ `மாட்டர்` அழியாமலே இருந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறது.
ஆனால் ஒரு வித்தியாசம், பெரிய வித்தியாசம். என்னவென்றால், அங்கே ஒரு மாட்டரை எனர்ஜி ரூபமாக்கிய அப்புறம் மாட்டர் இல்லாமல் போய்விடும். இங்கேயோ சிவனும் சக்தியும் எப்போதுமே சாச்வத சத்யமாக இருக்கிறார்கள். சக்தியோக எனெர்ஜி வெளிப்பட்டுக்கொண்டே இருக்கும்போதும் சிவ `மாட்டர்` அழியாமலே இருந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறது.
ஏனென்றால் இங்கே ‘மாட்டர்’ என்பதே ஜடமாக இல்லாமல் உயிரான ‘ஸ்பிரிட்’டாக இருக்கிறது. அழியாத, அழிக்க முடியாத ஆத்ம தத்துவமாக இருக்கிறது. சைதன்ய பூர்ணமாக இருக்கிறது. ஜடத்திலேயே ஆரம்பித்து ஜடத்திலேயே முடிந்துவிடும் சயன்ஸ்படியான மாட்டருங்கூட இந்த சைதன்யத்திலிருந்து வந்ததுதான். இப்போது மெள்ள மெள்ள ஐன்ஸ்டீன், சர் ஆலிவர் லாட்ஜ், எடிங்டன் போன்ற பெரிய சயன்ஸ் மேதைகள் அந்த சைதன்ய ஆதாரத்தின் பக்கமாக சயன்சைத் திருப்பி விட்டிருக்கிறார்கள்.
ஆனாலும் அதை லாபரடரியில் எக்ஸ்பெரிமென்ட் பண்ணி நிரூபிக்கவோ, அநுபவிக்கவோ முடியாது. மதாநுஷ்டானத்தினால்தான் அதன் நிரூபணமும், ப்ரத்யக்ஷ அநுபவமும் கிடைக்கும். சயன்சுக்கும் மதத்துக்கும் மாறுபாடுகள் இருந்தாலும் ஒப்புவமை காட்டும்படியும் அநேகம் இருக்கின்றன. ஐன்ஸ்டீனின் ரிலேடிவிடி தியரியிலிருந்து நடந்துள்ள அணு ஆராய்ச்சிக் கண்டுபிடிப்புகள் மத சாஸ்திரங்கள், குறிப்பாக அத்வைத வேதாந்தமும் சாக்த நூல்களும் சொல்வதற்குக் கிட்ட வந்துகொண்டிருக்கின்றன.
லோகத்தில் ‘டைம்’, ‘ஸ்பேஸ்’ என்பவை உள்பட எதுவுமே தன்னுடைய ஆதாரத்திலேயே சத்தியமாக இருப்பதல்ல, ‘ரிலேடிவா’க இன்னொன்றைச் சார்ந்தே எல்லாமும் ஒரு ஓட்டத்தில் ஓடுகிறபோது அந்த ஓட்டத்தின் தொடர்ச்சியாலேயே அததுவும் சத்தியம் மாதிரி நடைமுறைக்கு இருக்கிறது என்பதுதான் நான் புரிந்துகொண்ட மட்டும் ‘ரிலேடிவிடி தியரி’.
பிரம்மம்தான் ஒன்றேயான ஆதார சத்தியம். அதைச் சார்ந்திருப்பதாலேயே சத்தியம் மாதிரித் தோற்றம் அளிக்கும்படியாக மாயை கல்பித்துக் காட்டுகிறதுதான் இந்த லோகம் பூராவும் என்று அத்வைதம் சொல்கிறது. அந்த மாயையாகவே அம்பாளை சாக்த சாஸ்திரங்களும் குறிப்பிடுவதாகச் சொன்னேன். மாயா தத்துவம்தான் ‘ரிலேடிவிடி’ என்று கொள்வதற்கு நிறைய இடமிருக்கிறதல்லவா? இந்த ரிலேடிவிடிக்கு ஆதாரமான ‘அப்சொல்யூட்’ என்னவென்று சயன்ஸ் கண்டுபிடிக்கவில்லை.
மத நூல்களும் தத்துவ சாஸ்திரங்களும் அதைத்தான் பிரம்மம், சிவன் என்கின்றன. மதம் ‘ரிலிஜன்’, தத்துவ சாஸ்திரம் ‘ஃபிலாஸஃபி’ என்று ஒரு பாகுபாடு சொல்லப்பட்டாலும் நம்முடைய மதத்தில் இந்த இரண்டும் பிரிக்க முடியாமல் சிவ-சக்திகள் மாதிரி ஒன்று சேர்ந்துதான் இருக்கின்றன. புத்தகத்தில் சொன்னது மட்டுமில்லை, அந்த அப்சொல்யூட்டை மகான்கள் ஆத்ம ஸ்வரூபமாக அநுபவித்தும் இருக்கிறார்கள். அதுதான் உயிருக்கெல்லாம் உயிராக இருக்கும் ஒரே உண்மையான உயிர்.
அதாவது ஒன்று மத்தியிலிருப்பது, மற்றது சுற்றியிருப்பது என்பதற்குப் பதில் இரண்டும் பேர் பாதி என்று சொல்லியிருக்கிறது. அதுதான் அர்த்தநாரீச்வர ஸ்வரூபம் – வலது பக்கம் பாசிடிவ் ஸ்வாமி, இடது பக்கம் நெகடிவ் அம்பாள். இப்படிச் சொல்வதிலும் புஷ்டியான காரணம் தெரிகிறது. என்னவென்றால், இடது பக்கம்தானே இருதயம் இருக்கிறது?
தேகம் பூராவுக்குமே அதுதான் சக்தி தருகிறது. ஒரு தேகத்தில் இடது பக்கத்தை விடவும் வலது பக்கம்தான் ஜாஸ்தி பலத்தோடு, ‘பவ’ரோடு காரியத்துக்கு உதவுவதாக இருக்கிறது. வாகாக வேலை செய்ய வலது பக்கம்தான் உகந்ததாக இருக்கிறது. வலது கையால் செய்ய முடிகிற மாதிரி இடதால் முடியாது.
வலது பக்க வியாபாரத்தை மூளையின் இடது பக்கம் கன்ட்ரோல் பண்ணுகிறது என்றும், இடது பக்க வியாபாரத்தை மூளையின் வலது பக்கம் கன்ட்ரோல் பண்ணுகிறது என்றும் தெரிகிறது. அதாவது ஜாஸ்தி சக்திகரமாகக் காரியம் பண்ணும் நம்முடைய சரீரத்தின் சிவ சைடுக்கு அப்படி சக்தி கொடுத்து கன்ட்ரோல் பண்ணுவது மூளையின் சக்தி சைடே என்றாகிறது.
‘This can lift us out of confusion, misery, melancholy and failure, and indeed guide us when it is contacted.’
‘For us to ignite our spirituality, we need to look inward and transcend our egos. We need to recognize, connect with and integrate the eternal spirit within,’ says A P J Abdul Kalam in his latest book, Transcendence.
I have vivid memories of my childhood in Rameswaram, but one memory particularly stands out, and comes to mind occasionally. As a ten-year-old boy, I recall seeing three contrasting personalities meet from time to time in our home: Pakshi Lakshmana Shastrigal, the Vedic scholar and head priest of the famous Rameswaram temple; Rev Father Bodal, who built the first church on Rameswaram Island; and my father, who was an imam in the mosque. These three would sit in our courtyard, each with a cup of tea; and they would discuss and find solutions to the various problems facing our community.
Reflecting on this, I can see that my father and his religious counterparts in Rameswaram were expressing a long-standing cultural trait. India has shown a healthy propensity for integrating diverse ideas and reaching a consensus, for thousands of years. And I cannot help but feel that the example of those inter-religious meetings at my family home is most worthy of emulation. Because now, throughout the nation and the world, the need for such frank and genial dialogue among cultures, religions and civilizations is more urgent than ever.
Starting with my father, Jainulabdeen, I have been blessed with some great teachers, who appeared at different stages of my life. My father taught me to view one’s role in life as that of an instrument or vessel, through which one takes with one hand and gives with the other. “There is only one light, and you and I are holes in the lampshade,” he would say.
My father lived a simple life as it unfolded before him but never lost sight of the underlying divinity. Throughout my life, I have tried to emulate my father in this regard. My experiences of eight decades have validated the teaching I received from him.
I do believe that all human beings carry divinity inside themselves, and that this can lift us out of confusion, misery, melancholy and failure, and indeed guide us when it is contacted.
As a young engineer, I worked with Dr Brahma Prakash. He taught me how tolerance of others’ views and opinions is essential in building teams and accomplishing tasks that are beyond the individuals’ capacities.
He taught me that life is a precious gift, but it comes with responsibility. With this gift, we are expected to use our talents to make the world a better place, to live an ethical and well-balanced life, and to prepare for the spiritual life, which is eternal.
Dr Brahma Prakash changed the way I saw the world. He once told me, “Kalam, if you see this world as mean and rude, it will interfere with your concentration. Negative thinking is similar to carrying twenty bags of luggage on a trip. This baggage will make your trip miserable, and progress will be slow.”
As a project director, I worked with Professor Satish Dhawan, who taught me that a good leader takes the responsibility for the failures of his team, but gives the credit of his success to his colleagues.
His academic accomplishments were awesome. He had a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in physics, followed by a Master of Arts in mathematics. These were augmented with a Bachelor of Engineering in mechanical engineering, a Master of Science in aerospace engineering.
When I asked him the secret of his brilliance, he told me: “Academic brilliance is no different than the brilliance of a mirror. Once dust is removed, the mirror shines and the reflection is clear. We can remove impurities by living pure and ethical lives and serving humanity, and God will shine through us.”
Later, I met Jain muni Acharya Mahapragya, who made me realize the affirmation of a divine life upon earth and an immortal sense in mortal existence. He taught me that our consciousness is the birthplace of our ethics. He said, “We know something is right when our consciences are clear. Our consciences are our true friends.”
Together we wrote Family and Nation and articulated two steps to the process of listening to our conscience — to become self-aware so that we can connect to our conscience, and to act on what our conscience says.
I met Pramukh Swamiji, my ultimate teacher, unwittingly. Fate and my curiosity had drawn me to him. Earlier, as principal scientific advisor to the Government of India, I had visited Bhuj to review the rehabilitation work in the aftermath of the earthquake.
There, on 15 March 2001, I met Sadhu Brahmaviharidas, a disciple of Pramukh Swamiji. He asked me a startling question which elicited a spiritual response. He asked: “After the detonation of the first atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer remembered the Gita: ‘Time I am the shatterer of the world.’ What came to your mind after you detonated India’s first atomic bomb?”
I was puzzled by this question, and said, “The energy of God does not shatter, it unifies,” to which he replied, “Our spiritual leader, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, is a great unifier. He has unified all our energies to regenerate and restore life from the rubble of damage.”
I was moved and expressed my desire to meet such a swami. What began as a chance introduction became a divine destiny.
Over several years and multiple meetings with Pramukh Swamiji, I realized that a divine life can have no base unless we recognize the eternal spirit as the inhabitant of this bodily mansion, and integrate all of which the eternal spirit is comprised.
That all those living on this planet Earth — around me, away from me, in my country, in other countries; even other species and vegetation and minerals — are all different forms of a great unity.
At the most elementary level, all nature is one. Only one noble material weaves constantly different garbs. The nascent convergence of Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno technologies is testimony to this. How can we ensure that this convergence leads to human good and not harm; to the benefit of the marginalized and poor and not to merely an influential few?
With these thoughts on my mind, I travelled to Sarangpur, Gujarat, on 11 March 2014 to see Pramukh Swamiji. This was our latest meeting. We met in a garden inhabited by peacocks, surrounded by beautiful flowers.
In an emotionally and spiritually charged atmosphere, Swamiji held my hand for ten minutes. No words were spoken. We looked into each other’s eyes in a profound communication of consciousness. It was a great spiritual experience.
I have had a few spiritual experiences even earlier. On 30 September 2001, I survived a helicopter mishap. That night, I had a very vivid dream. I saw myself in a desert on a moonlit night, surrounded by miles of sand. Five great men, namely Emperor Ashoka, Mahatma Gandhi Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln and Caliph Umar, communicated a mission to me for igniting the minds of the young with hope.
On 28 April 2007, in the cave on Philopappos Hill — the place of imprisonment and self-sacrifice of the great soul Socrates — I saw in my mind’s eye a powerful streak of lighting.
Out of the dark corners of the cave came four apparitions, walking towards me in white robes. Foremost among them was Socrates, who said in a soft voice, ‘Thinking is freedom.’ Next came Abraham Lincoln who said, ‘No human being can be a slave of another.’ Then I saw Mahatma Gandhi, who said, ‘Eliminate violence in all human missions, let peace prevail.’ Finally, I saw Galileo Galilei, who said, ‘Truth is beyond human laws.’
But at the garden in Sarangpur with Pramukh Swamiji, there was a difference. On the earlier two occasions, I felt that perhaps my own imagination was at play. This time, Pramukh Swamiji was holding my hand. I became oblivious to the people around us, and was drawn into a kind of timeless silence.
I felt that his was the hand of transformation that could bring a change that the world needed today. In these moments, a world vision based on Mother Earth was intuitively communicated to me.
Pramukh Swamiji is Gunatit Satpurush, a spiritual person. He has transcended the ephemeral and the modes of nature. I felt as if through Pramukh Swamiji a divine message was transferred to me about something endowed to mankind by God almighty, but forgotten by humanity.
In a revelatory flash, I realized that the struggle between happiness and unhappiness that had so far been the story of human existence — and the struggle between peace and war that had been the history of the human race — must change.
I heard in the silence of his grip on my hand, “Kalam, go and tell everyone that the power that would lead us to eternal victory amid these struggles is the power of good within us. Communicate to mankind the vision of a harmonious world. This vision would be greater than any other goal ever aspired to by humanity.”
A harmonious world may seem an impossibly utopian vision. But with the guidance of the Divine, and in acknowledging the unity of all creation — and with the helping hand of such transcendent souls as Pramukh Swamiji — the impossible may be achievable. And a harmonious world begins with a harmonious inner world — an unavoidably spiritual quest.
For us to ignite our spirituality, we need to look inward and transcend our egos. We need to recognize, connect with and integrate the eternal spirit within.
There are four steps for this: Search in the right place, Remove the dust, Open your inner eye and See your destiny waiting for your effort to be realized.
Accordingly, I have written this book in four parts. The book starts with my spiritual experiences in the presence of Pramukh Swamiji. The second part reflects on the social work undertaken by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) under the stewardship of Pramukh Swamiji. The third part shows the way ahead for humanity, with a vision of the fusion of science and spirituality. The fourth part calls for creative leadership, which is essential for the realization of this vision.
The spirit of inclusiveness of BAPS offers a seed to build a glorious crystal of a peaceful and prosperous world, where all civilizations coexist harmoniously and accommodate each other.
Pramukh Swamiji has already made an example, by creating a reflective society living through its cultural heritage. He has taken the glory of India to Africa, Europe, America and the Far East in the form of magnificent Swaminarayan temples, strong fellowship of devotees and well-wishers that encompasses millions world wide.
Let it now expand into public dealings — transparent governance and ethical business — based on truth. Driven by the convergence of Bio-Nano-Info-Eco-Cogno technologies, human beings will have unprecedented power.
A vision is required to ensure that living conditions at the bottom of the social pyramid will improve across social, political and economic boundaries.
When this book was almost complete, my elder brother A P J Muhammad Muthu Meera Lebbai Maracayer called me from Rameswaram one morning after fajr prayers. Such a call so early in the morning initially worried me, but I was relieved upon hearing his cheerful voice. He asked me, “Tell me, brother, what is the most important thing you are doing these days?” I had told him about this book. I expressed my doubt to him: Whether it is appropriate for me as a Muslim to write about the leader of another religion.
I have much respect for my brother Maracayer’s judgement. He is fourteen years my senior and had lived a very pious life, grounded in Islamic religion and service. He said, “Kalam, when Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, arrived in Medina, there were Jewish and Christian tribes living there. He entered into a treaty with them within a larger framework dealing with inter-Muslim relationships. One of the clauses laid down in the treaty required that each party hold counsel with the other. Mutual relations shall be founded on righteousness; sin is totally excluded.”
My brother concluded by asking me to go ahead with the book, and share with everyone details of the pious and virtuous life of Pramukh Swamiji. Thus, the book was finally completed.
I dedicate this book to all the righteous people of the world wherever they are. The Swaminarayan temples and Akshardhams are indeed the sanctuaries of pious and virtuous living. They are abodes of peace and beacons of hope, rescuing people from the bottomless pit of self-indulgence, and, through service, reminding them of their true selves and allowing them to become wholesome human beings.
An increasing number of people, particularly in the developed world, are finding freedom from superficial relationships, trivial communications and the constant noise that pervade the modern world, in the counsel and guidance of BAPS saints.
May this divine presence increase!
Excerpted from Transcendence, by A P J Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari, with the kind permission of publishers, Harper Element, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
IMAGES: President A P J Abdul Kalam with Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Kind courtesy: Trancendence.
Source…..www.rediff.com
Natarajan
The true meaning of Guru is, ‘One who is beyond attributes and forms, the Supreme Self (Brahman)’. When this Self is within you, where is the need to search for a Guru? A teacher who teaches others has had a teacher himself. The one who has noGuru above him is the true Guru. The Sanskrit stanza which hails the Guru as Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara and asParabrahman is misinterpreted. The right approach is to consider Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara as the Guru. These three are symbolised by the three gunas or attributes: Brahma is Rajas, Vishnu is Satwa and Shiva represents Tamas. The whole cosmos is constituted by the three gunas and the gunasare present in you. The Trinity are present in the form of the three gunas in every human heart. Hence, you are your ownguru. You need not seek him elsewhere. You have to feel at all times your inherent divinity, which is also present in everyone. When you help or feed someone you must feel that the Divine in you is feeding the Divine in others.
Siddharth Jaykumar (left) says Dr Kalam “taught him to be a good human being”
Former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam died on Monday at the age of 83. He was known for his humble and friendly nature and touched many lives during his illustrious career. BBC Monitoring’s Vikas Pandey speaks to Siddharth Jaykumar, whose life changed after meeting the former president.
Mr Jaykumar still remembers every detail of his first meeting with Dr Kalam on 2 December, 2005.
The president had written to him after reading his story of “grit and determination” in an article on web portal Rediff.com.
Mr Jayakumar has cerebral palsy, but he overcame the odds to get a degree in economics and become an executive in a private bank.
Dr Kalam, who was the president at the time, was impressed with his story and wanted to meet him.
The banking executive vividly remembers how he was mesmerised with Dr Kalam’s humble nature when they met for the first time in the southern Indian city of Chennai (Madras).
“I did not feel even for a second that I was meeting the president of India. He told me he was proud of what I had achieved. He encouraged me to continue doing well in life,” Mr Jaykumar says.
That was the start of a “friendship” that lasted for more than a decade.
“I really don’t know what to say. All the memories of the times spent with him are coming back to my mind and heart,” he says.
The 35-year-old still remembers that he was surprised and amazed when Dr Kalam shared his story with the world in a speech on the International Day for Persons with Disabilities in December 2005.
The two interacted several times after their first meeting, but Mr Jaykumar fondly remembers one “unplanned encounter” three years ago.
“I had gone to listen to him at an event in Chennai. He recognised me from the stage and broke the protocol to come and meet me in the crowd,” he remembers.
He adds that the incident explains why people loved him so much, earning him the unofficial title of the “people’s president”.
He broke protocols to meet people, specially children, wherever he went and always wore his infectious smile.
This was in stark contrast with most Indian politicians who usually follow strict rules and stay behind layers of security.
He is also known as India’s “missile man” for his contributions to the country’s satellite programmes, guided and ballistic missile projects and nuclear weapons programme.
He loved sharing his experiences and knowledge with young minds through his books and speeches.
And that is what he did until his last moments. He suffered a cardiac arrest while giving a lecture at a management institute in Shillong, Meghalaya.
He inspired a generation of Indians and Mr Jaykumar feels proud that he knew him personally.
“He was a beautiful human being. He inspired me to share my experiences with the world,” he says.
Mr Jaykumar suffered great difficulties in his childhood. Doctors had “diagnosed him as mentally retarded”.
He also faced problems in getting admissions at schools and colleges. But he says he loves winning against difficult situations.
Dr Kalam too liked this quality and encouraged him to study further and inspire others.
Mr Jaykumar today is a well-known motivational speaker, but he never forgets to thank Dr Kalam.
“I always mention him and his stories in my talks. I became a better human being after meeting him. I also became more visible after he mentioned my story in his speech in 2005,” he says.
He adds that Dr Kalam taught him a valuable lesson in life that “no matter who you are, you must be a good human being above everything else”.
Mr Jaykumar says that he will now honour “his friend’s” wish and write a book.
“I think I will definitely write a motivational book in honour of a great president, a great scientist, but above all, a great human being and a friend,” he says.
The banking executive adds that he still takes refuge in Dr Kalam’s teaching whenever he faces difficult situations.
“He changed my life in so many ways. Professional success aside, I give him more than 100% credit for making me the person I am today. He taught me to dream,” he says.
Many agree that Dr Kalam’s legacy lies in the people he inspired and nurtured.
It’s hardly surprising that there are many like Mr Jaykumar who are feeling that “one of their own” has died.
Source…..www.bbc.com
Natarajan
From the Archives of Rediff.com …. This Article dates back to 6 NOV 2014….
Once, during his Presidency, President A P J Abdul Kalam received a letter from a student shocked with his class 12th mark-sheet.
He had secured 10 per cent in Maths and Physics, whereas throughout his school career, he had always scored 90 per cent and above.
In utter dismay, he wrote to the President of India, asking for his help.
President Kalam referred his case to the authorities and two weeks later got a reply that indeed there was a mistake in the evaluation and a rectification had been done.
In the last 15 years, President Kalam — arguably India’s most popular President and among the founders of the country’s space programme — has interacted with 18 million young Indians, face-to-face, through e-mail and over Facebook.
He receives 300 e-mails everyday.
Some of these letters have been turned into his latest book Forge Your Future, which provides an insight into the issues which concern and engage the minds of young Indians today. President Kalam’s replies are based on his personal experiences, his reading and his interactions with political and spiritual leaders.
The title of the book was selected after an online public vote.
In his quiet bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi, President Kalam speaks to Archana Masih/Rediff.com about India becoming a developed country by 2020-2022, the heroes he admires, how 90 per cent of India’s space programme is intended for the people and the individual’s potential to become unique.
Photographs: Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com
Dr Kalam, please can you tell me a little about your daily schedule? What’s it like
The garden here has a 107-year old tree. Edwin Lutyens himself built and stayed in this house — so he maybe somewhere here (laughs).
His relatives had come to see this building.
The 107-year-old tree is beautiful. Parrots and various other birds live at the top and at the bottom live peacocks. Every year there are baby peacocks. I have a very bioactive tree.
I walk for 1 hour and 15 minutes every day. I spend time in my library.
In a month, I spend 15 days travelling in India. For ten days in a year, I go abroad. I am an honorary professor at the University of Beijing.
Every month, I meet a minimum of 100,000 young people. A million people in a year. So far I have met 18 million young people below the age of 25 in my country.
You get 300 e-mails everyday and spend two hours answering them. When did this process begin? When did you start actively engaging with young people?
It all started when I wrote Wings of Fire, in which I conveyed my life, how I had lived it, how I got myself educated, how I started meeting youth…
I was also teaching at Anna University at that time. After my work as scientific advisor, then projector director SLV 3, programme director AGNI — after all that I went in 2001 to Anna University as a professor.
I also get some handwritten letters. I consider them very important and I love to reply to them because they come from people from the grassroots who do not have access to the Internet. They come with unique questions and I have to give unique answers.
You mention what President Mandela told you about courage in your book — who are some of the most inspiring world leaders you have met?
Two world leaders exclusively come to my mind — Mahatma Gandhi and his unique life. Similarly, Nelson Mandela. I went to the prison where Mandela lived.
Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character. That’s the example of Mahatma Gandhi throughout his life.
In 2006, I travelled in the same kind of train with a steam engine from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. I could imagine the courage which Gandhiji showed in that cold winter.
Ahimsa dharma came after the battle of Kalinga. It transformed King Ashoka. The second time ahimsa dharma was put into action was by Mahatma Gandhi at Pietermaritzburg.
This book gives three messages. First: You can become a unique personality. Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela were unique.
The other important thing about this book is about continuously acquiring knowledge. Thirdly, when the problem arises — become the captain of the problem and defeat it.
You envisioned a growth plan for India called Vision 2020. How close are we to achieving that vision, in view of that deadline being six years away?
Actually India 2020 is a vision for an economically developed India by 2020. Up to 2008 our GDP was 8 to 9 per cent. Then there was a problem across the Atlantic Ocean, and our GDP crashed to 6 to 7 per cent, then to 5.5 and then to 5 per cent.
So in the 2008-2014 period, we had a slack in our development programme.
Six years is a long period in a nation like India with 600 million youth, nowhere in the democratic world there exists this strength.
We also have a natural way of life. Our agriculture is doing well. We have 250 to 260 million tons of food. Our IT, small scale and pharma industries are doing very well.
Of course, we have to do lots in the development of the rural area. We have 600,000 villages where 700 million people live. We have to Provide Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA). Seven thousand PURAS are needed to lift 600,000 villages.
Even now it is not too late. Fortunately, I understand the present government is taking a priority for PURAS. If they push it along with small scale industry and smart waterways, then definitely 2020 — plus or minus 2 years — we can get there.
So you are confident by 2022, that we may be able to do it?
We can do it, provided we have a national vision.
Do we have that national vision?
From 1930 to 1947, we wanted Freedom. Our caste system vanished, our religions vanished, our differences vanished and we were fighting only for Independence. I call that the first mission that India had.
The second vision: Economic development. If you work like that and declare that mission in Parliament and people and government work for it, irrespective of whichever party they belong to, it is possible. Because our resources are youth power and our natural resources.
Image: President Kalam’s latest book Forge Your Future
In your book, you say ‘The orientation must turn from the past to the future and focus on how India can become a developed nation. The real issue is that we are not to see ourselves as a nation and because of that there is no national vision.’
Why do you think we have not been able to see ourselves as a nation?
When we see the types of conflicts all around — religious conflict, caste system, language problems — any big nation will have such types of problems but the nation can be united for a big cause.
Independence was a big cause that united us. That’s why I am pushing this idea that the tool for India Vision 2020 is Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas. This way we can enhance village development. I have talked about all this in my book.
Independence was a common goal that united people, but some would say that India today is more divided than what it was then.
Any nation goes through a number of problems in various decades, but India has the experience of bringing together people on a big cause.
I am a believer.
The second great movement that India needs is India 2020 Vision and this will make people come together. Plus if the economic programme grows, the poverty level will come down.
Only a national vision can lift 300 million — that’s one third of the population — below the poverty line out of poverty.
As one of the co-founders of India’s space programme, you must be very proud of our Mars achievement. But at the same time when you say that we have to lift the large masses that remain poor, should not basic needs like healthcare, education, infrastructure precede loftier goals or at least go hand in hand?
The space programme is targeted at uplifting the people. In geosynchronised orbit, more than 200 transponders are communicating to the Indian earth station.
These transponders transmit communication, weather reports, 24 hour TV broadcast, the path of cyclones.
All the recent major cyclones have been forecast by various satellites. 90 per cent of the space programme is for remote sensing and communication. You can remote sense what is the kind of wealth we have on earth like water, minerals etc — so it is intended for the people. 90 per cent of the space programme is intended for the people. It is a people’s programme.
You asked about the Moon and Mars programme. We are spending less than 10 per cent of our space programme for finding and research on Moon and Mars so that we are partners in the research and no one can claim that it belongs to them. I don’t want to see Moon and Mars as the property of some other nation. It should be international property.
Ours is the lowest cost of going to the Moon or Mars and we found trace of water also on the moon. From Mars we don’t know… some revolutionary ideas will come from our Mars programme.
What kind of a leader was Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of India’s Space programme?
When you read this book Forge Your Future, you will know how to become a unique person. It contains the experience of great thinkers and doers. Dr Vikram Sarabhai was a unique personality.
He was a visionary. In 1970 he gave a report about what the nation’s space programme should be for the next 20 years.
What according to you are India’s greatest strengths?
One is our farmer community. Whatever weather condition, whatever shortfall — they will give us 200 million tones of food.
Hats off to our farmers and our agriculture scientists!
Second is youth power. No other democratic nation has 600 million youth. The ignited mind of the youth is the most powerful resource — on the earth, above the earth, under the earth — and we have that.
Third, just like every family asks the government for an economically developed nation; every family has the responsibility to give a great citizen to the nation.
We have 200 million families. Parents have the responsibility to make their children righteous — where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character.
Only three people can give a good citizen before s/he turns 17. Father, mother, the spiritual environment and the primary school teacher.
You mention women like Marie Curie and Sister Antonia as role models. Who are some contemporary Indian women role models you admire?
I have great respect for Dr V Shanta, for her contribution towards cancer diagnosis, treatment and teaching how to avoid cancer. I admire the mission of Ela Bhatt, founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India and, of course my favourite, whom I respect because I like Carnatic music — M S Subbulakshmi. I love her music.
When she was alive, I used to go to her music festival.
You say in the book that India needs to cast off its inferiority complex vis-a-vis China and work towards coming together to become a master civilisation because together they constitute 37% of the world’s population.
How can this be achieved in the background of the tension, hostility and border incursions?
I remember in April 2007, I addressed the European Parliament. There were around 800 parliament members from 23 nations.
I told them when I see you all — for hundreds of years you were fighting each other and you generated two World Wars, so a billion Indian people congratulate you. Forgetting all your wars, forgetting the difference of society, you formed a European Union for prosperity and peace.
This should be an example. I had composed a poem and recited it there. They gave a standing ovation.
That is not the issue, the issue is that such nations that created World War I and II, when they came together, we — China and India — are a people of great civilisation, in spite of all the differences, there are some great philosophy that is common.
Buddha and Confucius are common to us.
I believe we have to have a great mission. I suggested when the Chinese president came here that we have a World Knowledge Platform. I teach at the University of Beijing, I told them the time has come that both nations should combine our core competence, our 60 billion dollar business, should become 250 billion dollars.
The border issue we should sort out once for all. People of the European Union fought for hundreds of years, a people who generated two World Wars and Hitler and lost millions of people are a union today for economic growth and peace and it happened in front of our eyes.
So for me the differences between nations can be solved by mutual discussions.
Both sides should decide what we can give and what we cannot. It should be an intensive one month discussion with experts and we should sort it out. I hope the present governments in India and China will do that.
What are your thoughts on the present government?
We are getting into politics, next question!
I just asked your thoughts…
Any elected government will perform in five years. We have to give time.
You believe social media affected the results in 30 to 40 per cent Lok Sabha constituencies. How will social media and the Internet affect future elections?
Social media and the type of information flow should have credibility. It reaches fast. It connects people. It is one of the important mediums for putting forth ideas, thoughts and discussing problems.
In India, we also need contact on the ground, but in the future I see that you can sit in your home with a biometric signature and security approved and you can vote. That way you will have 100 per cent voting. It is a long way off, but I visualise it.
Selection of the candidates will also follow an electronic process — to determine if s/he is a good or bad candidate, how many cases s/he has etc. This will happen, it is only a question of time.
Archana Masih/Rediff.com in New Delhi
Source….From The Archives of www.rediff.com
Natarajan
Turn the love that arises in you towards God. Dedicate your body to the Divine. This is the true mark of devotion. There are three constituents in every human being: the mind, the power of speech and the body. These three are called Trikaranas – the three active agents. It is when all three are used for sacred purposes, your life is sanctified. All need devotion. Every person must cultivate this spirit, irrespective of one’s beliefs. It is only spirituality that can purify the heart and mind of human beings. The second requirement is morality. Morality helps to purify speech (Vaak).The third is called Dharmikam. All righteous deeds done by the body or hands sanctify you. It is through spirituality, morality and righteousness that the three instruments get purified. Only the one who has achieved this triple purity can realise the Divine. If any of these instruments are impure, you will not be able to realise the Divine.
A full 40% of Americans don’t like to fly.
It makes sense if you think about it: hurtling across time zones in a metal tube at the height of Everest isn’t something our ancestors evolved to face. We get by on white knuckles, a Xanax, or a pre-flight pit stop at the terminal bar.
But about 3% of us are grounded, refusing to fly at all, even if it means being left out of family vacations, spending multiple days on interstate freeways, or never seeing Paris in the springtime.
Fear of flying can grow from many different roots—particularly harrowing turbulence, knowing someone who was in a plane crash, learning to be afraid as a child from a fearful parent, or media images of crashes, hijackings, or terrorist attacks.
So what to do to keep fear at bay? Here are 5 tips to deliver you safely and sanely from jetway to jetway:
Learning accurate information is the quickest way to calm your fears. There are a number of extensively detailed and very reassuring websites available explaining how airplanes work, so I won’t reinvent the wheel—an online search will land you on an explanation that works for you. But here’s a quick primer on some common fears:
You may have a preconceived flight tragedy movie in your mind that plays over and over when you have to get on a plane. I’d be willing to bet it ends at the most terrifying moment.
For example, let’s say you’re frightened of the plane crashing into the ocean. You picture it happening and freeze frame at the most horrifying image. Instead, keep the movie going until you’re safe. Picture the flight attendants deploying those yellow slides, then sliding into a raft. Then picture a helicopter or rescue boat arriving, heading to land or a military carrier, and getting checked out at a hospital, if necessary. And then? And then you’d go home.
Keep your imaginary movie rolling until you picture yourself safe. You’ll feel better knowing that even in the unlikely event your fear comes true, it doesn’t end with the scariest moment.
Images of US Air 1549 floating in the Hudson River, the Asiana crash at SFO, and of course, September 11, are rightfully seared into our collective memory. However, the detailed media coverage of these tragedies makes us perceive that crashes, hijackings, or terrorist attacks are common and likely to happen.
This is called overestimation of threat, a common misstep of the mind. We misjudge the potential for catastrophic consequences based on highly visible, but extremely rare, outliers. We confuse possibility with probability—a crash is possible, but it’s definitely not probable. Crashes make the news precisely because they are rare.
Specifically, in 2012, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade association for the airline industry, recorded just 1 accident per 5 million flights on western-built jets. Even if you’re on that one-in-5-million flight, of all passengers involved in U.S. plane crashes from 1983-2000, a full 96% survived.
Tip #4: Tune into What’s Going on Around You
Take a page from the mindfulness book to root yourself in the safe, present moment. Keep yourself from spiraling into imaginary worst-case scenarios by looking around you and describing what you see. Look at each person who files past you down the aisle, describing them without judgment. Describe the interior of the plane. Look internally as well—scan sensations but don’t interpret them.
“My heart is beating quickly” is fine but stop short of “and that means I’m going to have a heart attack.” Absorb yourself in what is, and you’ll have less room for hypothetical what ifs.
Virgin America today announces its new summer menu and partnership with Dean & DeLuca.
To get your mind off a racing heart or catastrophic imaginary thoughts, tune outward, not inward. Soothing music works for some, but for others it reminds you that you’re trying not to be nervous. So rather than trying to soothe yourself, which can feel too “therapeutic,” engage yourself with a riveting movie, captivating book, or addictive app.
Plan ahead and bring something you’ve really been wanting to read or watch so you’re not limited to in-flight entertainment or whatever’s in the airport bookshop. And although the research says distraction doesn’t help you get used to flying; I say do whatever gets you through to baggage claim. Remember, zero judgment.
Test out these 5 tips, and after a while, you might even like to fly. As for liking airline food or baggage fees, well, we’ll leave that to the crazy guy trying to jimmy the door.
Read the original article on Quick and Dirty Tips. Copyright 2015. Follow Quick and Dirty Tips on Twitter.
Source… ELLEN HENDRIKSEN, QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS in www.businessinsider.com
Natarajan
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Take off with Natarajan 