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Unanswered Questions and Equally Startling Historical Wonders…

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India has always been a land of great achievements, people, fables, anecdotes and what not. It goes without saying that it is indeed very difficult to understand and define India in one go. Other than the beauty, culture, rich history, diversity in nature so on and so forth, we have some mindboggling things that made scientist from the west and around the globe question their understanding.

Numerous things in India, including the ones that are mentioned below stand unanswered and beyond doubt startling for the world. Here they are;

1. Karna’s Kavach

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Karna the child of Surya ( Sun god) was born with a shield that protected him from weapons and atrocities of the war. It might be similar to the organic shield like exoskeleton found in tortoise, still extremely solid. Not at all like fake exoskeleton used by people, Karna’s Kavach was mixed with his body. He later gave it to Indra, the father of Arjuna, who was threatened by Karna’s skill, perseverance and strength.

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2. Hand Carved Sundials (clock ) at Konark Temple

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This temple is dedicated to the Sun god Surya, and no wonder that it embodies an accurate clock, which dates back to 1250 A.D. The whole sanctuary is a flawlessly adorned chariot mounted on 24 wheels (for day clocks and night clocks), each around 10 feet in measurement and drawn by 7 strong stallions. The 7 steeds speak to the times of the week and the 12 sets of wheels speak to the 12 months of the year.

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3. Shiva Lingam at Amarnath Cave

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Arranged in a thin canyon at the elevation of 3,888 meters, the sacred Amarnath cave bears the world renown stalagmite of ice. The well known Amarnath Ice Linga is framed by dropping water through the mountain hole, which grows up vertically to form that Linga. People say that on the Shravan day, Lord Shiva described Amar Katha — the mysteries of the universe — to Goddess Parvati.

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4. Fine architecture of Kailasa Temple Ellora Caves

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As a world heritage site, Ellora caves invite plethora of visitors every year, in search of historical anecdotes, however, what lies ahead of that idea is the magnificent design, architecture, structure and individuality of the caves. The entire temple has been carved out of a huge mountain, a technique so unique and hard to accept from that period. It remains one of its kinds in the entire world. Looks like a well contemplated result of a very advanced civilization.

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5. Ancient Indian Rope Trick

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Even though, the world claims that nobody has seen the classic version, but what people are talking about is a much simpler version of the trick, which many believe as the amalgamation of numerous tricks at once. This rope trick showcases an erect rope that is sturdy enough to bear the weight of a human.

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6. Gyanganj- The Land of Immortals

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In numerous mythologies, mountains are common homes to celestial and godlike creatures. Accordingly, its no shock that the world’s mightiest mountain extend, the Himalayas, is liable to obscure whisperings of secretive creatures hidden away in the remote and inaccessible valleys of the Himalayan mountains. It is said to be an antiquated Indian and Tibetan story of a city-kingdom of complex and everlasting creatures. It is said that Gyanganj is shrewdly covered or actually existing in a totally distinctive plane of reality.

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7. Ancient acoustic devices of Golconda Fort

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Clap your fingers and you might be heard a division away. The basic thing anybody entering the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad does is a clap. As soon as you enter through the main entryway into the great patio, you’d clap because the fine architecture allows it to be heard at the other corner of the fort. Furthermore, this clap can be heard high up the slope outside the King’s chamber. When you finish your trek up there, you’d be able to hear other’s clapping on the other end.

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8. Vacillating relationship or Ayurveda and Modern Science

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When everything is said and done, we shall see the dwindling bond between the two. Even years of accuracy, perfection, validity and results kept the alliance weakly. Why hasn’t the amazing show of research into Ayurveda brought any explanation for modern medications? Why are these medications unique to cutting edge drug? It is safe to say that it is that Ayurveda takes a shot at confidence alone? Provided that this is true, what is one to make of the a great many “exploratory” studies contending for Ayurvedic medications?

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9. Existence of Adam’s Bridge (Rama Setu)

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With a considerable amount of heated debate, people in agreement and the one’s against it; the bridge is 30 kilometers (19 miles) in length and differentiates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (upper east). The scaffold was initially specified in the old Indian Sanskrit epic Ramayana of Valmiki. It shaped piece of an area connects that joined Sri Lanka to the landmass of Asia amid the last ice age. Hindu devotees hold it as the bridge that Lord Rama and his armed force of gorillas and monkeys assembled to achieve evil spirit ruler Ravana’s Lanka.

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Amazed, aren’t you?

SOURCE:::: http://www.storypick.com

Natarajan

Grounded…An Angry Passenger Stands on the Runway Infront of Plane … !!!

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One angry passenger managed to delay flights out of a Nigerian airport after stepping out on the runway in front of a plane.

After finding out his flight from Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport was cancelled, the flustered passenger decided to take his frustrations out by taking his luggage and entering the runway.

Passengers on board an Arik flight to Lagos were forced to disembark after the man refused to move, with one eyewitness saying security failed to show up and it took the pilot to plead with the man before the plane could take off.

The man was angry that his flight to Sokoto was cancelled, and so entered the runway
The man was angry that his flight to Sokoto was cancelled, and so entered the runway

At least two flights out of the Nigerian airport, one to Calabar and one to Lagos, were delayed by two hours by the man’s actions.

Passenger Cedar Chinwuba, who was on the flight to Lagos, posted a series of photos on Twitter as the scene played out.

Speaking to MailOnline Travel, Mr Chinwuba said: ‘It was very terrible. What came to my mind was that Nigeria Airport Authority needs to step up.

‘For two hours, no security agent showed up. It got to the point the pilot announced that he had placed a call to Arik airline to send the Nigeria police but had no response.

The man's actions caused panic among passengers on a flight bound for Lagos, who were forced to disembark onto the tarmac
The man’s actions caused panic among passengers on a flight bound for Lagos, who were forced to disembark onto the tarmac

‘An announcement was made by the pilot that we couldn’t take off due to some disgruntled passengers blocking the plane and he has tried to reach the airport security but no response.

‘After a few minutes, he requested that due to security reasons those who wish to disembark from the trip should do so.

‘Only in Nigeria issues like this happen and they never get penalised.

One eyewitness said security failed to arrive for more than two hours after the pilot had radioed through

One of the angry passenger I had a chat with stated that all they wanted was a senior officer of Arik coming to the tarmac to address the issue.

‘It worries me as an airport user.’

He explained that along with all the other passengers on the Lagos flight were told to get off the plane and that ‘no Arik flight was leaving Abuja.’

MailOnline Travel have contacted Arik Air, and are awaiting comment. The flight is believed to have taken off at 5.15pm local time, two hours behind schedule.

SOURCE:::: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

By JOHN HUTCHINSON FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 00:21 EST, 3 March 2015 |

 

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Joke of the Day…” i want to know… ” !!!

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A man goes to the police station wanting to speak to the burglar who broke into his house the night before.

“You’ll get your chance in court” says the desk sergeant.

“No, no, no!” Says the man. “I want to know how he got into the house without waking my wife. I’ve been trying to do that for years!”

SOURCE:::: http://www.joke a day .com

Natarajan

Image of the Day…. ” Rare Straight Lightening …”

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Rare straight lightning over Zimbabwe

No zig-zagging. No branching. A lightning expert said this single, straight bolt of lightning was extremely rare …

Animated gif by Peter Lowenstein in Mutare, Zimbabwe

A friend in Zimbabwe, Peter Lowenstein, created the animated gif image above from a video he captured of a rare straight lightning bolt. He wrote….

… a most unusual lightning strike occurred during an afternoon thunderstorm in Mutare on 15 February 2015. Unlike most lightning which travels in zig-zag fashion and has branches, this single bolt descended in an almost straight line to strike the ground about two kilometers away. This was followed a few seconds later by a very loud bang which was sufficient to cause alarm and then a distinct echo which returned from the surrounding hills. The lightning must have been very energetic as it was so bright that it completely over-exposed the first flash frame on the gif and produced thunder that was so loud that it frightened people over a wide area. I believe that straight lightning is very rare and wonder if anyone else has either observed it firsthand or seen it in other photos or videos?

Richard Orville, an expert on lightning from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University, wrote:

…straight lightning is extremely rare, indeed very rare.

The atmosphere appears to have a high amount of moisture which suggests many small droplets may be in between the channel and our eyes. This will obscure any branches. But there is no evidence of ANY branching. This is highly unusual. The straight channel suggests a lack of small particles in the atmosphere or in other words, a very clean atmosphere. It appears to homogeneously clean! A uniform atmosphere devoid of particles and with a uniform density.

Peter Lowenstein added that the consensus between experts consulted on this image is that his capture is:

… of a positive cloud-ground (CG) strike.

These are much less common than negative strikes and tend to be smooth and less branched.

Bottom line: Animated gif of a rare straight lightning strike over Mutare, Zimbabwe on February 15, 2015, as captured by Peter Lowenstein.

SOURCE:::: http://www.earthskynews.org

Natarajan

 

Why 21 Gun Salute …?

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The 21-gun salute that we know today has its roots in the ancient tradition of warriors demonstrating their peaceful intentions by resting the point of their weapons on the ground.

The notion of making a soldier’s weapons useless to show that he came in peace continued even as warfare changed over the centuries. Gunpowder and cannons became commonplace among militaries and private forces, both on land and at sea around the 14th century. In order for a ship entering a foreign port to show those on shore that they came in peace, the captain would have his crew fire the guns. This rendered the weapons inoperable for a period of time, with early guns only being capable of firing a single shot before crews needed to reload them.

Traditionally when a British ship entered into a foreign port, it would fire its guns seven times. The reason for the seven shots is widely debated to this day. One theory states that the majority of the British ships at this point only carried seven guns and so firing seven shots became the standard to signal those on shore that the ship was now unarmed. Ships carried enough gunpowder and ammunition to reload multiple times, but beyond symbolism, the idea here was that the lengthy process of reloading would allow the soldiers onshore more than enough time to disable the ship with their own weapons if needs be.

Another proposed theory for the number seven relates to the Bible. After creating the world, the Bible states that God rested on the seventh day (or for the seventh “event”- there is some debate over the “day” vs. “event” translation). So it has been theorized that the number could have been chosen in reference to its Biblical significance, perhaps of resting with the ship coming to port after a long journey. Yet another theory stems from the pervasive superstitious nature of sailors combined with the historic notion in certain regions that the number 7 is sacred, and that odd numbers are lucky and even unlucky. In fact, for a time it was common to use an even number of shots to signify the death of a ship captain when returning from the voyage the death occurred on.

Whatever the underlying reason, the guns onshore would return fire as a form of welcome once the incoming ship finished firing the seven rounds. However, the shore bound guns fired three rounds for every one fired by the incoming ships, putting the total number of shots fired at twenty-one in these cases. As with the “7” number, it’s not known precisely why in the regions that used this number scheme that they chose a 3 to 1 ratio.  What is known is that as time went on where this was practiced, it became traditional for the ships themselves to start firing off 21 shots as well, perhaps due to the ships becoming larger and being equipped with more guns, with the captains ostensibly preferring a 1 to 1 salute.

This then brings us to when firing the 21 shots became considered a type of official salute, rather than a symbolic way to indicate peaceful intentions.  This seems to have started around 1730 when it became a recognized salute to British government officials. Specifically, the British Navy allowed its ships and captains the option to perform the 21-gun salute as a way to honor members of the British Royal Family during select anniversaries. About eighty years later, in 1808, the 21-gun salute officially became the standard salute to honor British Royalty.

While the British Navy adopted the 21-gun salute in 1808 as the standard, other nations, such as the United States, didn’t adopt it until much later. In fact, the United States War Department decided in 1810 to define the “national salute” as having the same number of shots as there were states in the nation. That number grew every year that a new state joined the Union.  Needless to say, this quickly became a cumbersome way to salute the United States and its dignitaries.

That said, the United States did make the “Presidential Salute” a 21-gun salute in 1842, and in 1890 officially accepted the 21-gun salute as the “national salute.” This followed the 1875 British proposal to the United States of a “Gun for Gun Salute” of 21-guns to honor visiting dignitaries.  Essentially, the British and French, among other nations, at this point were all using 21 guns for their salutes, but the U.S. system required many more shots for their dignitaries.  Besides needing to fire off more cannons, this also potentially signified greater honor to the U.S. dignitaries than to those of other nations. Thus, the British proposed a 1 for 1 shot, with 21 being the number, which was accepted by the U.S. on August 18, 1875.

The 21-gun salute still represents a significant honor today. In the United States, the 21-gun salute occurs to honor a President, former president, or the head of foreign state. It can also be fired in order to honor the United States Flag. The salute also occurs at noon on the day of the funeral of a President, former President, or President-elect along with on Memorial Day.

You may have noticed that there’s no mention of the 21-gun salute occurring during military funerals and that’s a common misconception. Known as the “3 Volleys,” the salute that occurs during soldiers’ funerals follows a battlefield tradition where both sides stopped fighting so that they could remove their dead from the field. The series of three shots, or volleys, let the other side know that the dead had been taken care of and that that battle could resume. Therefore the number of volleys is more important than the actual number of shots. Even the United States Army Manuel’s section on the Ceremonial Firing Party at a funeral named the number of riflemen as between five and eight, rather than an exact number.

SOURCE:::: http://www.today i foundout.com

Natarajan

How a Team of 70 is Helping People to Find Jobs …An Inspiring Story of “Mera Job “

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Pallav Sinha and Girish Phansalkar of MeraJob

A team of 70 based out of Delhi is helping nearly 4 lakh job seekers find their careers across sectors. This is their story. 

Every year, thousands of people move from India’s villages and towns to its cities looking for employment opportunities.

They pack their bags and bid their families goodbye with no idea how their life will shape up in a city which is already crowded with people competing for every job opportunity.

On the other hand, there are companies that fall short of manpower because they struggle to find the right match.

When the supply is huge, why do companies still struggle to fill lower end white collar and skilled blue collar vacancies?

This is exactly the question Pallav Sinha, Founder and CEO of Mera Job, asked himself.

“I moved to India in 2008 and soon realised the challenge of hiring good resources. I knew from my past experience in building teams that there was plenty of talent available in the country but it missed the employer’s attention due to lack of right exposure,” shares Sinha.

He saw that no one was focusing on the mass recruitment segment and decided to tap this enormous potential and Mera Job was founded in 2012.

Mera Job is a hybrid talent acquisition startup that strikes a balance between offline and online hiring.

It offers a marketplace for lower end white collar jobs like telemarketing and sales executives, receptionist etc. and even skilled blue collar workers like drivers and delivery boys.

How is it different from similar players in the market?

Mera Job has a unique pre-screening process for jobseekers where they verify and match the skill set of the candidate with the employer’s requirement.

Jobseekers have an option to either get pre-screened online or call the tele-recruitment centre to go through the quick test.

The company plans to rely on its technology platform to gather unique data about registered candidates to analyse future behaviour.

“Once we know (through our data analysis) that a candidate is not looking for say a banking job and would prefer a company located in Ghaziabad we make a note of these preferences.

We don’t send a job recommendation to the candidate that doesn’t match his liking. This not only saves the jobseeker’s time but also helps employers screen candidate without arranging a telephonic or personal interview,” explains Girish.

Pallav, 51, co-founded Fullerton securities (now Dunia Finance) before Mera Job.

He met his co-founders Girish Phansalkar and Raman Thiagarajan at McKinsey, where the two were consulting Pallav on a project at Fullerton.

“I never thought that I would become an entrepreneur. I still feel that I might be the oldest in the startup lot in the country,” giggles Sinha with the enthusiasm of a 23 year old. Girish, in his self-assured and pragmatic style, shares the story of the bonding the founding team shares.

“Pallav, is the ‘ideas man’ in the team. He has vast understanding of consumer markets and Raman brings in high problem solving ability with global experience. I am a techie with years of technology and operational experience,” says Phansalkar, the IIM-A and IIT-B alumnus.

The MeraJob team

The initial idea of Mera Job was to make a repository of around two million profiles which can be accessed by employers through a subscription. But the team soon realised that with this model they would only burn resources in achieving scale without connecting with the employers.

They quickly pivoted and designed a systematic pre-screening process. They will soon be launching their mobile app.

During the discussion Pallav shared a very interesting trivia which changed my assumption about this market.

As many as 80 per cent of job seekers in the mass market own a smart phone.

When they come to the city they do not have a social circle hence they buy a smart phone which is their only source of entertainment.

With a team of 70 people, 400,000 job seekers, and operations in 12 cities, Mera Job raised its initial investment of $ 3 million from private investors and is looking for a series A funding by end of this year.

Their current revenues come from B2B transactions and all services for job seekers are free.

“We feel that skill development of the job seekers will become our focus in the coming months. We have sealed a partnership with NSDC and plan to add counselling and language training to our services portfolio,” adds Pallav. However, sourcing right candidates at the right time stays their biggest challenge.

Like any other businesses, managing efficiency throughout the value chain is critical to their operation.

Pallav feels that the work pressure you feel as an entrepreneur is a positive one as it helps you and your company evolve.

Girish however fears failure for a reason.

“I had an unsuccessful business before Mera Job. At that time failure did not matter much because I was bootstrapping. It was my own money at stake. Now I dread failure because my investors’ money and employees’ careers are at stake.”

The recruitment market in India is worth about $800 million and is growing at 20 per cent annually, according to data by Matrix partners.

We are seeing a second wave of online hiring firms post the Naukri, Monster era.

The new entrants in the market are targeting specific problems that exist in acquiring talent at different levels.

The Indian start-up ecosystem itself is predicted to create 300,000 new jobs in the next few years.

The recruiters however still struggle with piles of unsuitable resumes, long recruitment cycles and fleeting employee loyalties.

Ensuring retention of selected candidates in the lower end job segment is even more challenging as a hike of even a few thousand rupees leads to attrition.

Companies like Mera Job have to fight against the legends of the online hiring industry and find inventive ways of partnering with offline consultants who serve as industry insiders. But with clear focus and 40 years of collective core team experience, Mera Job has already bagged clients like HDFC Bank, Yatra, Britannia and JLL.

source::::: Reema Sathe  in http://www.rediff.com

Natarajan

” When We are Old , Who Do We Depend on … ” ?

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The Way We Were – Young vs. Old

The ageing process is not something we usually pick up on our daily lives. Loved ones that we see every day seem to never age, while those we haven’t seen in a long time seem to have done so over night. However, when you see early photos of your parents, the difference is very clear. 

    
   
   
   
   

WHEN WE ARE OLD, WHO DO WE DEPEND ON ? 

Have your own abode.
No matter what, do not lose it.
If you have an old companion, keep each other good company.
Watch your health while it is still good Maintain a positive outlook and you will be happy.
Now, when our health is still good, Our mind still clear.
But on who can we depend on in our old age ?
We will have to analyse
Accept
this in various stages.

1st Stage :

Just after retirement, between 60 to 70 yrs old,
Our health will still be comparatively good
So too our financial means.
Eat moderately while we have the means
At times, wear what we fancy
Those who like it, have some fun.
Do not be hard on ourself
Our days are numbered, so grasp every opportunity

Have enough savings ! Keep the house !
Make arrangements for the days ahead or retreat to a peaceful and quiet place.
If the kids are well off, it is their business ….
If the kids are loving, they have good traits ….
We need not decline financial help from our kids
Nor decline their respect.
But we should remain independent Live our own life well.

2nd Stage :

If no mishap and illness strikes after we are 70,
We will still be able to take care of ourselves.
Not a major problem.
However, we must realise we are really getting old
Gradually, our mind and body will give away
Our reflexes will slow down with time …
We will have to eat slowly, to avoid choking.
We will have to walk slowly, to avoid falls.
We can no longer rely on someone, we have to look after ourselves!

Do not meddle any more or try to control the kids!
Some even interfere and try to control the kids lives!
Some even interfere with the third generation !!!
We have devoted our entire life, It is time for us to be a little selfish …..
And take hold of ourselves. Life comes in a full circle.

Keep ourselves busy in whatever we love to do ….
Try to maintain good health for as long as possible.
Give ourselves more opportunities to take control of our own life …..
We lead an easier life when we do not have to solicit help from others …..

3rd Stage:

Our health begins to fail ….
We have to request help from others ….
We have to be mentally prepared for it.
The majority of us cannot escape this hurdle.
We have to prepare ourselves, emotionally, to accept that :-
In life, living and ageing, sickness and death are milestones
we have to encounter.

This is the final stage in life ….. Nothing to fear !
Be prepared for it in advance and you will not be too depressed.
Either check into a private nursing home … Or an old folks home ….
Depending on affordability, of course.
There must be a way out ….
The idea is not to add to the kids’ burden, emotionally,
Increase their chores their financial commitments.
Try your best to overcome –
What hardship our generation have not endured ?
What disasters we have not experienced ?
Trust ourselves to take life’s last lap in our stride.

4th Stage:

Our mind is still clear,
But when our quality of life has deteriorated drastically ..
We must be courageous enough to face death!


WHEN WE ARE OLD, WHO DO WE DEPEND ON ?

Ourselves, Ourselves, Only Ourselves !

SOURCE….. input from a friend of mine

Natarajan

Just For Laugh … ” Just Reminding You… ” !!!

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A married man’s prayer;
Dear God, u gave me childhood, u took it away.
U gave me youth, u took it away.
U gave me a wife……….
It has been years now, just reminding you……

Husband: I found Aladdin’s lamp today.
Wife: wow, what did u ask for darling??
Husband: I asked him to increase your brain ten times..
Wife: oh..jaan..luv u so much.. Did he do that??
Husband: He laughed and said multiplication doesn’t apply on zero.

A man gifted his wife a diamond necklace for their anniversary and wife didn’t speak to him for 6 months.
Was the necklace FAKE?
Nooooo! That was the deal 🙂

A couple was having dinner at a fancy restaurant. As the food was served, the husband said, “the food looks delicious, let us eat.”
Wife: honey…..you say prayers before eating at home.
Husband: that is at home, sweetheart……here the chef knows how to cook.

Best Slogan on a MAN’s T-Shirt :
“Please Do Not Disturb me,
I am Married and already very Disturbed”

“If you want to be Happy with your husband,
Love him Less Understand him more!
If you want to be Happy with your wife,
Love her More and never try to Understand ! 


SOURCE::::: input from my friend
Natarajan