second opinion - Sensitive Indians

Jug Suraiya





We as a nation are becoming more and more thin-skinned

Are we Indians the most sensitive people in the world? Every other day, and sometimes twice on Sundays and other public holidays when there isn't much else to do, one lot of Indians get their religiousculturalmoralpoliticalideologicalnone of the above sensitivities hurt by what another lot of Indians are doing, or not doing. A non-meat eating community gets its sensitivities hurt because other communities want to eat meat on days which the first community considers to be auspicious. No one is asking the non-meat eaters to eat meat. Indeed, no one is asking them to eat anything, should they exercise their right to go on a fast-unto-death as sanctioned by their faith.Sensitivities also get hurt by books, and by films, and by paintings, and by rationalists who argue against religion, and by questions like whether Subhas Bose diddid not die in that plane crash in Taiwan.
Sensitivities get hurt by how people, specifically people who belong to that suspect minority called women, dress and behave in public, if they wear what is deemed to be `immodest' clothing or drink alcoholic beverages.
How did we develop so many sensitivities which are capable of getting themselves hurt by all manner of things? Some people are said to have a low pain threshold; they tend to feel physical pain more than others who are, figuratively , less thin-skinned than them.
Are we Indians genetically predisposed to have a low sensitivity threshold, so that our sensitivities keep getting hurt all the time?
Medical science claims that Indians are genetically programmed to develop diabetes and heart disease. Are we also physiologically programmed to getting sensitivism, a unique malady that manifests itself in hurt-prone sensitivities?
The curious thing about this condition is that the more one lot of sensitivities get themselves hurt the more inured these same hurt sensitivities become to the hurt they might be causing to another and opposing lot of sensitivities.
Sensitivities are tricky things, to say the least. And the less said about them the better because you never know which sensitive toe you might inadvertently tread on. Ouch!

 Free Of Constraints, You Are The Universe

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev





Who exactly is a yogi? Yoga, as is often reiterated, means union.So, yogis are those who have experienced existence as a part of themselves. But is that possible? If you are a part of existence, how can existence be a part of you?
Let's consider the simple act of eating.In a few hours, food is integrated by the human system to become you. You have assimilated an external piece of existence within the boundaries of your sensory body. This miraculous alchemy of human digestion takes place every single day.Yoga simply means extending this sensory body to include not just food but entire existence. It prepares the human physical, mental and energy system to house lifeenergy in its highest possible intensity and exuberance. Gradually, the sensory body expands until you experience the universe as part of yourself. When you know this experientially, you are a yogi.
The Indian subcontinent is heir to innumerable stories of larger-than-life yogis whose lives seem near-miraculous to many. The very first recorded yogi in human history was Adiyogi, a radiant being who appeared thousands of years ago in the Himalayan wilderness.Sometimes he sat absolutely still. At other times, he danced, wildly, ecstatically. People gathered around him because his presence was extraordinary.What Adiyogi bequeathed to humanity was yoga ­ a profound science of self-transformation.His seven disciples, the saptarishis, powerful yogis, carried forth this tremendous technology around the planet.Yoga has endured down the ages thanks to these seven sages.
Adiyogi is often depicted as an amalgam of opposites: terrible and beautiful; compas sionate and ferocious; ascetic and ideal householder; mystic and drunkard. He has a million names and is still regarded, ultimately, as nothing. He is everything that life can be. There is a deep cultural intelligence behind creating such a persona, because aspects that seem oppositional are actually, in more profound experience, complementary.Once you accept Adiyogi, you have accepted all of existence in one stroke.
Another much-loved, multidimensional figure in yogic lore is Krishna ­ childlike prankster, enchan ting flute-player, irresistible lover, valiant warrior, states man, kingmaker, profound spiritual master. He embodied leela, the path of the playful.
His life was one grand celebra tion, as he explored the most profound aspects of life playfully, with a vibrant body , joyous mind and a heart full of love.
Tradition tells us also of the legendary Matsyendranath, an exceptional adept, venerated as a reincarnation of Adiyogi himself. Although he often punished his frequently disobedient disciple, Gorakhnath, for forays into the occult, Gorakhnath later matured into one of the greatest yogis the world has known.
Countless yogis of the highest order have remained undocumented because they never aspired to have their names recorded in history books. I cannot think of a yogi greater than my own guru, Sri Palani Swami. He lived an absolutely incredible life in the Velliangiri Mountains of southern India, but remained largely anonymous.
Often viewed with incomprehension by society, yogis have always been proud, fearless human beings who never aspired to be anything other than the source of creation itself. They reverberate like the divine because they have become life ­ as effervescent, as celebratory, as free.They remind us that there is much talk of God and Heaven around us only because we have forgotten the immensity of being human. Their lives testify that this life of exuberant joy and freedom is the birthright of every human being.

Runaway boy returns to J'khand

Ambika Pandit

New Delhi:





SHOs Traced His Home; Teen Lived At Railway Stn Before Being Rescued

Sixteen-year-old Monu (name changed) ran away from home in a Jharkhand village to make a living in Delhi along with other boys from his neighbourhood. After a short stint on odd jobs in Chandigarh he landed at Old Delhi railway station. Lucky to be rescued and admitted to the first drug de-addiction shelter for street and runaway children at Delhi Gate in June, he was happily reunited with his brother from Jharkhand on Monday .Monu would have been one of the many children who get lost and do not even make it to the database of missing children but for the efforts of counsellors at the night shelter that was converted as the first de-addiction centre for street and runaway children.The SHOs of police stations in Delhi and Hazaribagh helped trace the boy's house. Finally , it emerged as a heart-wrenching story of a boy who lost his parents while he was just a toddler.
According to Jhanvi Jain, counsellor and in-charge at the de-addiction shelter run by NGO Society for Promotion of Youth & Masses, from the day Monu arrived he wanted to return home. “He gave us the address and de tails and we started the hunt for his family . After much struggle and coordination with the police we finally managed to connect with the family on Sunday . Monu was delighted to hear that his brother was coming,“ Jain said.
The boy told TOI that he dropped out of school after Class V . He was living with his brother who was married with two children and worked in Assam. Earlier this year, Monu had gone to his village in Hazaribagh with his brother and sister-in-law. But soon his brother left for Assam and his sister-in-law for Kolkata to meet her children enrolled in a residential school. Alone for almost a month, Monu was lured by other boys coming to Delhi to earn money .
“I caught a train along with my friends without informing anyone. I reached Chandigarh where I worked for some time and then came to Delhi in June. When we got off from the train I got lost in the crowd and then an NGO brought me here,“ Monu said.
He was produced before the Child Welfare Committee (Kingsway Camp) which allowed him to return with his brother after an assurance that he would be enrolled in a vocational course and the proof sent to the CWC.
While Monu has left the capital happily with a promise to fight poverty , now it is for the authorities to ensure rehabilitation once he returns to Jharkhand. Without follow up on cases of poor children like Monu, child rights activists say they many times return to the streets to fight hunger and poverty .

Source: The Times of India, 16-09-2015

Cosmic Vision Alone Reveals The Truth

True realisation takes place on knowing and seeing God in his transcendental form. It is a metaphysical experience and it is accessible to all human beings. It is upon this trans-sensuous experience that we become truly religious. Krishna says in the Bhagwad Gita, “Neither by study of the vedas nor by austere penance, nor by charity , nor even by rituals can I be seen in my transcendental form, Arjuna.“

In an earlier verse, Krishna tells Arjuna that para vidya or knowledge of the spirit can be imparted by a wise seer and an illumined soul alone (4.34), who does not stuff your mind with prolific descriptions of atman and Parmatman, but one who takes you beyond the different paths of realisation. Mere reading and recitation of religious texts and scriptures does not make one learned, nor does it help in attaining salvation.

Adi Shankaracharya in the `Vivekchudamani' says: “Without taking the medicine, by just repeating the name of the medicine, no malady can be cured.Likewise, without practical perception and experience, by merely repeating words, no one can attain salvation.“ Both the Katha Upanishad and Mundaka Upanishad say, “The Supreme Brahmn cannot be attained just by reading scriptures and listening to religious discourses. God can neither be attained through mind nor logic but is accessible to those who have a strong craving to know and unravel the supreme secret and essence of God.“

Sufi saint Bulleshah asked, “One may have read many scriptures and may have a large collection of books but if there is gloom in the heart, without grace of murshid (guru), how can supreme bliss and fulfil ment be possible?“ The Gurbani says one should not limit oneself to reading only but should also strive to know and attain Him. Even the 18 puranas and four vedas have not been able to unravel the mystery of God. Had not Ravana, the demon king, mastered the puranas and the vedas?
Let's rise above dogmas and rituals to attain salvation. Reading scriptures, recitation of mantras and hymns and singing of devotional songs alone cannot make us `religious'. In the bargain, we only end up being arrogant and grow disdainful of others.

No doubt, scriptures give us a vivid account of the glory and splendour of the nature of the Supreme.

However, the immanence and transcendence of Brahmn as avatars for instance cannot be understood by mere intellect and logic. This is comprehensible only to those who have known and seen His cosmic vision. The many incarnations and manifestations of divine power are classified as nimit avtaars and nitya avtaars. Every nimit avtaar had a definite purpose. Nitya avtaars in the form of saints and sages have always remained to provide direction for a meaningful life.

For most of us, everyday life is replete with trials and tribulations of varying degrees and magnitude. While the thoughtful among us seek to know the meaning and purpose of life, the ignorant ones just grumble and talk of a `cruel' God whenever in distress.Human life has a higher and nobler purpose and the destiny of a human being is to move higher up in the cosmic order to reach perfection and to realise permanent and supreme bliss in the realm of God. Religious books themselves exhort human beings to know and realise the real aim of their life and not just confine themselves to ritualistic reading and recitation of scriptures.

Now, A Portal for Geography

In a bid to make the tedious subject of Geography into an interactive one, the National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) has asked all affiliated schools to ensure the initiation of its web portal, a statement said.

Named ‘School Bhuvan’, the web portal will provide map-based learning to bring awareness among the students about natural resources, environment and their role in sustainable development. It is an initiative of Bhuvan – NRSC/ISRO based on the syllabus of NCERT, said a statement issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

“Geography is comparatively easy, but only those students who find working on maps interesting wish to take up this subject at the higher level. This web portal will surely attract a lot of students, and their knowledge will also increase,” says a geography teacher at a government model senior secondary school .

Kavita Das, Principal, St John’s School, said, “With this web portal, geography will become interesting. It will act as an educative video game for students since they will get to know the results while working on it. It will be a hands-on experience without teachers having to dictate anything. The best part is that the web portal takes you to the main link of the MHRD, which has a lot of things for students to learn about from across the country.”

Source: Digital Learning

Call for Papers: 3rd Pan IIM World Management Conference on “India: The Next Decade”; 16-18 Dec; IIM Indore

About The Conference: The third Pan-IIM World Management Conference at IIM Indore offers an exciting opportunity for professionals, academicians, policy-makers and thought leaders to share their contributions in various disciplines of management, preview current research, initiate collaborative efforts, and grow professional networks. Spurred on by the success of the conferences in Goa (2013) and Kozhikode (2014), the Indian Institutes of Management have once again come together to create a forum where the best minds from India and across the world can map the future course of management thought and practice. The three day conference, organized with support from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, promises a rich mix of research presentations, invited lectures, workshops and plenary sessions. The resultant synergy is sure to set the tone for a slew of forward thinking ideas. 

CALL FOR PAPERS: Submissions of conceptual/empirical research papers in management and allied disciplines are invited from academicians, students and practitioners for oral and poster presentations. Authors are encouraged to submit papers on the conference theme and the following sub themes from any functional perspective.

Sub-Themes
Competitiveness in Manufacturing and Services
Economic Growth, Development & Inclusiveness
International Trade and Investments
Financial and Capital Markets
Regulation
Risk Management for Countries, Regions and Firms
Emerging Forms of Businesses and Industries
Strategies for Growth in an Uncertain Environment
Leadership for the Enterprise of Tomorrow
People Management in and Uncertain World
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Ethical Business Practices and Corporate Governance
Corporate Social Responsibility
Global Operations and Sustainability
Communication Challenges in Multicultural Organizations
Engaging with the Consumer in a Digital World
E-Governance

AWARDS: Selected papers will be considered for awards in the Best Paper, Best Doctoral Student Paper and Best Poster Presentation categories. Selected papers will also be considered for publication in a peer-reviewed special issue of the Indore Management Journal. Extended abstracts of all papers will be made available as part of the conference proceedings.

Important Dates
30 Jun, 2015 – Submission Closes
1 Sept, 2015 – Communication of acceptance
15 Sept to 15 Nov, 2015 – Early Bird Registration
10 Dec, 2015 – Registration Closes
15 Dec, 2015 – Professional Development Workshops
16-18 Dec, 2015 – PAN-IIM Conference commences
Also visit: http://cssp-jnu.blogspot.in/2015/06/cfps-3rd-pan-iim-world-management.html 
Source: https://knowledgesteez.wordpress.com/2015/06/12/call-for-papers-3rd-pan-iim-world-management-conference-on-india-the-next-decade-16-18-dec-iim-indore/

In a 1st, 2 Indian institutes make it to world's top 200

Kounteya Sinha

London:





Two Indian institutes have for the first time made it to the top 200 list of the world's best universities.The Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has taken the top spot among its Indian counterparts, bagging the 147th rank. The only other Indian institute to make it to the top 200 is Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, ranked 179th this year. It has made great progress from last year when it was ranked 235th in the world.
According to the QS World University Rankings 2015, there are 14 Indian institutions in the World Uni versity Rankings and half of them are among the global 400. The bad news is that the University of Delhi and the University of Mumbai have lost ground.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the world's top university , closely followed by Harvard.The University of Cambridge is tied to Stanford Uni versity for the third place.London is the only city in the world with four universities in the top 50, more than Boston and New York (3) Paris, Sydney , Hong Kong and Beij ing (2), with the London School of Economics and Po litical Science making the top 40 for the first time.
In an exclusive interview to TOI, Ben Sowter, QS head of research, said, “India has two institutions in the top 200 this year, which has occurred as a result of QS evolving its methodology to be more even-handed across subject areas and it has revealed strength in research in engi neering, technology and the natural sciences. If you want to compare India and China, the primary shortfalls are money and consistent policy leadership.“
Thirty-four countries are represented in the top 200.
The US is the dominant nation, with 49 institutions, ahead of the UK (30), the Netherlands (12), Germany (11), Canada, Australia, and Japan (8), China (7), France, Sweden and Hong Kong (5).
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com

Source: The Times of India, 15-09-2015