Placidity in Today's world

I have found that most people speak when they do not know how to be silent. A wise person certainly knows when he has to hold his peace. As Ambrose says, "Tie your tongue, lest it be wanton and luxuriate; keep it within the banks; a rapidly flowing river soon collects mud."

When we are not peace within ourselves it is in vain to seek it from outward sources. Let us try to be silent, so that we may hear the soft whispers of the Heavenly Gods above. I am sure all of you agree to this.

There are five great enemies to peace that inhabits within us: They are avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride. If these enemies were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.

I was just browsing my closet last week when I came across a beautiful piece of advice given to me by my late father just a year before he passed away. I would like to share it with you all, readers and then may be You shall agree that it is very true and justified.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
Even the dull And ignorant; They too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain And bitter;
For always there will be greater And lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise Caution in your business affairs; For the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
Many persons strive for high ideals;And everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity And disenchantment,
It is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the Council of the years, Gracefully surrendering the things of Youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with imaginings.

Many fears are borne of fatigue And loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the Universe; no less than the trees And the stars;
You have a right to be here, And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
And whatever your labors And aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,
Keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery And broken dreams,
It Is Still A Beautiful World. Be Careful, Strive to be happy.
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Time Tested Beauty Tips

I believe in the Quote by Sterne when he says, " Beauty hath so many charms one knows not how to speak against it; and when a graceful figure is the habitation of a virtuous soul - when the beauty of the face speaks out the modesty and humility of the mind, it raises our thoughts up to the great Creator; but after all, beauty, like truth, is never so glorious as when it goes the plainest."

I give you some Time tested beauty tips which were first discovered by Sam Levenson:


For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, Let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, Walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, Never throw out anybody.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, You'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you'll discover that you have two hands,
One for helping yourself, The other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
The figure that she carries, Or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen from, in her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passions that she shows.
And the beauty of a woman with passing years ------ Only Grows!!!

The beauty seen, is partly in the person who sees it. There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us.

The Unscrupulous, Fraudulent Section of Society called -"CORRUPTION":

What exactly is Corruption ?

As quoted by Burke, "Corrupt influence is itself the perennial spring of all prodigality, and of all disorder; it loads us more than millions of debt; takes away vigor from our arms, wisdom from our councils, and every shadow of authority and credit from the most venerable parts of our constitution."
Recollecting the sayings of the former President Abdul Kalam, Corruption begins in the Home. The epithet of corruption includes bribery, dishonesty, insults, immoral activities and bad habit etc. It is the fiend that could destroy the life, family and society. As far as the good law of any country is concerned Corruption has no place in a respectable society, because Law is totally against it. However, Corruption seems to be above the law. To act upon the wicked people has become a herculean task . Many feel that no force is available to eradicate corruption.

So where does Corruption begin from?

All of us have the tendency to think that corruption is committed only by bureaucrats or politicians. But it starts from the home where we dwell in with parents and siblings. Obviously we know that home is the institution headed by the parents. In every home, father and mother should make God first and teach the children that the fear of the Lord God is the beginning of wisdom. A well-ordered and well-disciplined family begets well-ordered and well-disciplined children. A successful and happy home must have a foundation of faith in God and in true religion. Religion is needed in the home. Only this can protect and prevent the grievous wrongs which so often disillusions and flusters the peaceful life.
Take the case of the birth of the Dowry system. It first began with providing the newly married bride some support, to herself and her children, if the husband was to die, for any reason, in the marital home. It slowly got promoted to the status of misusing, boasting and keeping up with the Jonesses amongst people and castes. Had this been nipped in the bud stage, the prevalent scene would not have been existing today, like the cases of Dowry harassment and dowry deaths that we hear and read in the news. When will people learn to stop giving dowry and also to stop accepting and demanding the same? Is this not a dignified form of Corruption?
As with many developing nations, corruption is widespread in India. One of the major problems and obstacles to development that many developing countries face is corruption by greedy, power-hungry politicians, which is widespread in certain parts of the world. Some people in India strongly believe that the root of corruption lies at the higher levels, and that the major conspirators have to be punished first. Everyone will agree that we are one of the most corrupt nations on Earth. There is corruption in every dimension of human endeavour.
Corruption is rampant in the judicial system of India. Judicial corruption in India is attributable to factors such as "delays in the disposal of cases, shortage of judges and complex procedures, all of which are aggravated by the existence of new laws". The police often torture innocent people until a 'confession' is obtained to save influential and wealthy offenders. And of the wealthy and influential who are apprehended by the legal authority are left on a compassionate sentence or a bail, which for them does not lower their esteem in any way. They are really incorrigible to the core. These people should be drowned in the Pacific Ocean.
In India, the corruption has also crept into religious institutions.(e.g. Tirupathi Darshans),where the film stars and the elite class of people, including the Politicians get a VIP treatment to view and take darshan of the Gods at close proximity, in short they have even bought the Gods!!! But the common man is frisked in a manner in which every one is made to feel like a suspected terrorist, out to do something drastic. Why?.
One of the main causes of corruption has been the relatively low pay scale. All professionals in most government offices are been lowly paid. And so to compensate for their measly incomes they begin taking money and favors unofficially. And the trend continues till date, and has spread rampantly affecting every common man. So, what do we get to see? A huge line of red tapeism, bribery, and every possible immoral activity under the table and over the table.
Corruption and bribery are the two evils of society. Corruption is watered by the bribes one pays. And people are not ready to give up paying bribes, simply because it speeds up their work. They do not want to waste time and effort crawling from one department to another to get the work done. For them paying is like taking the escalator or elevator up, rather than the steps. It is a vicious circle that one is trapped in.
Whistleblowers play a major role in the fight against corruption. India even today does not have a law to protect whistleblowers. The Common man is not ready to come forward to help the law in nabbing the culprits, for fear of his life and that of the family and his loved ones.The latest Administrative Reforms Commission also has suggested to encourage whistleblowing and to protect whistleblowers. But that appears to be only on paper, in black and white.
Individuals of integrity, are those who will never listen to any plea against conscience. Self-respect is one of the most important of the common qualities of men/women of integrity. They are content with what their qualifications are, and very well know that their honest work can fetch them good oppotunities in life. And if their present state does not meet their ambition, they will strive to improve in a legitimate way. They love themselves, their families and their mother land. They do not exhibit such cheap behaviour as throwing trash in their neighbour's plot, elbowing others to beat the queue, jump the traffic signal etc. Instead they are calm and composed in public, follow rules and desire harmony in society. They are all law-abiding citizens. While some of them oppose corruption publicly, others are content to be clean themselves and leave the others' behaviour to their own conscience.
Corruption can be eradicated when the punishment laid by the law is very severe. Officers involved in corruption must not be given any job anywhere, in order to put a full stop for their earnings. Their faces must be revealed to the public, like the pickpockets identities shown in the railway station, bus station, police station, etc. So that, on seeing this, other persons will not indulge themselves in corruption. Only when a unselfish leader comes to power, corruption will come to an end, as the culprits are seeking help from the selfish political leaders....
We were taught in school, that there are three persons one must never deceive: Firstly our physician, then our confessor, and last comes our lawyer. But in today's world of high level corruption, I begin to wonder as to whom can we practically trust in the course of our lives?
Please Don’t get me wrong. Lawyers, who are supposed to uphold law, have ended being the perfect channel for corruption as if there is no monitoring or initiatives on the part of bodies like bar associations. They are supposed to be setting an example and are role models for today's youngsters in maintaining discipline and honesty in every sphere in life. The common man puts his entire trust on the law and when he is back-stabbed by these very same lawyers, what must he do? When an ordinary citizen of any country breaks the law, he is punished severely, but when an advocate breaks the rules, goes against all the promises that he took when he takes an oath on becoming an advocate, the question arises," Is he truly honest in his profession, is he dedicated and committed to his profession with utmost loyalty and sincerity?
They could put up notice boards to file complaints or give telephone number for passing on information against corrupt lawyers. There is not a single case of a lawyer being suspended for practice on account of such complaints or any effort made to get such corrupt practices enquired into independently. Although cases about delays and even prevalence of corruption in judiciary have been reported, media has never reported giving specific examples of corruption by lawyers.
We in India have seen enough and more about wide spread and rampant corruption. We see it in daily headlines and TV news, day in and day out. And given that we are also a very righteous people, rampant corruption was at first obnoxious. Then it became a handle of ridicule. Later, it turned on our feeling of helplessness. In recent times, we began to ignore it as we go about our daily life, as if somehow, we must learn to survive and even succeed in spite of it. The deep seated feeling is one of utter helplessness; overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem. What can I, as an individual do? Why should I be the first goat to be sent to the slaughter house? I am a simple Citizen of India, helpless and resigned to this cancer afflicting us all. No one is ready to accept accountability for his actions, knowing very well that he is doing something wrong.
So, how does one eradicate corruption?

My best solution is that this should be left to the legal fraternity, who are really honest and unselfish in every sense of the word. Even after this if the members of the legal fraternity are found to be corrupt and caught red-handed, then every possible effort must be made to strip the lawyer of his license to practise anytime during his lifetime and he should be prosecuted with heavy penalty so that he will think twice before embarking on such actions in future. The law needs to be made more stringent. The common man needs to be made aware of his rights and where he can apply the same. Strict laws have to be enforced which does not make any differentiation between the rich and the poor, the Politicians and the common man. Law is Law and that point should be drilled into every person's head.

The Precious woman in your life.

Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with these facts as well.....

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are; who is earning almost as much as you do;
One, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have, Because she is as human as you are;
One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your sisters haven't, as she
was busy in her studies and competing in a system that gives no special concessions to girls
for their culinary achievements.

One, who has lived and loved her parents and brothers and sisters,
almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;
One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that,
her home, people who love her, to adopt your home,
your family, your ways and even your family name;

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day One,
while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen;
One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even is she is tired as you are, may be more, and yet never ever expected to complain, to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you do;

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;

Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply Because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise.
One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met;
One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important, relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her sometime and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.

BUT, not many people understand this...
Please appreciate "HER." I hope you will do...
Respect her.

If I could put the clock back.......

Of all the joys that can brighten the suffering earth, what joy is welcomed like a new-born child? When I look back on my childhood I cannot help smiling and remember the good times we had. I remember my father singing along with the harmonium, all his favourite K.L.Saigal songs and my uncles would also join him soon after dinner. The song session would go on till late at night and the womenfolk of the house would sometimes join with them, serving them cups of tea. This would mostly occur during the week-ends. Sometimes it would take the rounds on Antakshari and we children would prompt our team just because we wanted to win, even if it was for fun.
Dad's favourite song was,"Soja Rajkumari, Sojaa... sung by K.L.Saigal and I would eventually go into a deep slumber. Singing was a passion in our family. I do miss Mumbai a lot. That was one place where I really enjoyed my freedom. We often had family picnics where we could go for long drives, without the fear of any terrorist attacking us or even the fear of getting mugged like it is today, anywhere in India. I do miss the beautiful evenings in the rain getting drenched in the famous Juhu Beach, and at the same time eating Bhel puri, or Vada-Paav and then ending it with coconut water.
As a child we enjoyed domestic happiness and bliss in our homes. It was my mother who took great pains to keep all of us happy, even though we had our ups and downs in our day-to-day lives. "A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home." A person is the happiest, be he a monarch or a simple peasant, who can find peace in his home. My mother would keep reminding us about the essentials for keeping the home warm and loving, which she terms it as six components that are requisite to create a "Happy Home." Integrity must be the architect, and tidiness the upholsterer. The warmth should come from affection, which can be lighted up with cheerfulness; and members in the family must be the ventilator, renewing the atmosphere and bringing in fresh salubrity day by day; while over all, as a protecting canopy and glory, nothing will suffice except the blessings of God.
I slowly graduated into maidenhood. I remember all of us being a set of blushing beauties of a modest maid. I was a child no more; a maiden now; a graceful maiden, with a gentle brow, and a cheek tinged lightly, and a dove-like eye; and I could feel all the hearts blessing me, as I passed by. I was a bit more on the reserved side. Yet, in school we were academically head-strong and serious about what we wanted in our studies. Once the school time was over we were back to our usual pranks. I would keep humming the song from"Boot Polish - Nanne Munne bacche tere mutti mein kya hai", on my way back from school and it was a
chorus from my peers.
I miss my youth a lot. Compared to today's world, I find that children of this generation hardly have anytime to spend their childhood without racing. They hardly have any free time as there is so much of competition all around us. I believe that if a young man is loose in his principles and habits; if he lives without plan and without any object in life, spending his time in idleness and pleasure, there is more hope of a fool than of him. Every period of life has its peculiar temptations and dangers. But youth is the time when we are the most likely to be ensnared. This, pre-eminently, is the forming, fixing period, the spring season of disposition and
habit; and it is during this season, more than any other, that the character assumes its permanent shape and color, and the young are wont to take their course for time and for eternity.
I love the acquaintance of young people because, in the first place, I do not like to think myself growing old. In the second place, young acquaintances must last longest, if they do last; and then the young ones always have more virtue than the older folks; they have more generous sentiments in every respect. What could be more charming than a young boy before he has begun to cultivate his intellect? He is good to look at; he gives himself no airs; he understands the meaning of art and literature instinctively; he goes about enjoying his life and making other people also enjoy theirs.
True liberty consists only in the power of doing what we ought to will, and in not being constrained to do what we ought not to will. In my consideration, Personal liberty is the paramount essential to human dignity and human happiness. There is so much good in the worst of all of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it becomes necessary for all of us not to talk about the rest of us.
In today's youth I find that eighty per cent of our criminals come from unsympathetic homes. It is indeed a sad thing to say.