INSPIRING SPIRITUAL FACETS

1.  There is an increase in subtle negative pressure and rise in negative energy attacks on full moon and new moon days. It starts two days prior and ends two days after. It is recommended that the quantity and quality of spiritual practice such as prayers, chanting the name of God and spiritual healing remedies are increased during these times. (Courtesy: Spiritual Science Research Foundation)

Sri Shirdi Sai

2. The Benefits of Spiritual Practice are:
     a. The Balanced State of Mind
     b. The increased tolerance for pain
     c. Personality Development
     d. Insulation from Destiny
     e. Bliss
      f. Liberation from the cycle of birth and death
     (Courtesy: Spiritual Science Research Foundation)

3. Don’t focus on what others want! See what is it that you want.
    When you stop looking inside and look at others, that is when you miss the boat.
    (Courtesy: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Daily Sutras)

4. Those who perpetrated violence in the name of a religion did not understand the essence of that religion.

5. Many people in this world are good teachers but unfortunately, are not good practitioners of their own teachings.

6. Misery simply means you are stuck to the outside. Joy means you are in your element. If you depend on others for your comfort, you lose your joy.
First, have this faith that nature will provide whatever I need or I deserve.
Secondly, I want nothing from anybody.
And third whatever I have, it is only for others and I will serve others as much as I can.
Finish! Where is the misery then? (Courtesy: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Daily Sutras)

7. What we consider as our strength can at times, turn out to be our weakness.

8. People tend to believe in a religion and a God that is supportive of their lifestyle at the present moment.
    Religion is just a peel of the fruit and spirituality is the pulp we should relish.

CONFLICT & RESOLUTION

Conflict is always emotional. Resolution is intellectual. Emotional conflict can’t be dealt with emotions. Similarly an intellectual argument cannot be dealt with the intellect. The emotional side of it has to be considered. If you observe carefully there is a stream of emotions behind an intellectual argument. Life is a fine balance between the emotions and the intellect. When to use what, is the real wisdom.
(Courtesy: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Daily Sutras)

CARBONATED SOFT DRINKS INCLUDING DIET SOFT DRINKS IS NOT HEALTHY

Carbonated Soft Drinks (Soda) include Water, Sodium, Caffeine, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup (another name for sugar), artificial colours, flavours, etc., depending on the type of drink. Carbonated Soft drink irritates the stomach, reduces Calcium in the bones, causes burping and has been linked to Cancer.
Diet Soda is even worse than regular soda since it contains chemicals with free-radicals and known cancer-causing agents instead of sugar. Diet sodas contain more caffeine than their regular counterparts.
Following are the ill effects of carbonated soft drinks:
1. Soda does not satisfy thirst if it contains sodium. Sodium is a form of salt and makes you dehydrated. According to the Beverage Institute, "fluids are important for healthy heart function and play a role in regulating blood pressure. Dehydration, decreases cardiac output, which may lead to increase in heart rates and reduced blood pressure."
2. Medical Studies have shown that one of the ingredients in Soda, Sodium benzoate has been linked to cause cancer because when it is mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance.
3. Studies have shown that growing teens who consume soda in large quantities have bone weakening and low bone density because they are lacking in calcium rich beverages.
4. Soda harms your teeth. Even if you drink sugar free soda, the acid content in sodas can be destructive to enamel tooth surfaces.
5. Diet soda contains Aspartame, which is highly unhealthy for your body- in more ways than one. Ten percent of Aspartame consists of methanol, also known as wood alcohol, which is an extremely deadly poison. Eventually, once you have consumed it, methanol will turn into formic acid and formaldehyde while it is in your body. Both of these things are, of course, poisonous to the body.
It is important to remember that it is one thing to drink diet soda because you genuinely enjoy the taste, but it is another thing to drink it solely because you feel that you will lose weight from drinking it. The truth is that you will not lose weight any quicker drinking diet soda than you would drinking regular soda. The only way to really lose the pounds that you are looking to lose is to eliminate all types of soda or other drinks that may be high in sugar or sodium from your diet. If you are going to be drinking diet soda, one of the most important things that you should keep in mind is that it should only be consumed in moderation - much like any other type of food or drink.
(Disclaimer: This article is a compilation of information from Internet.)

CANCER RISKS OF SUGAR-FREE SWEETENERS CONTAINING ASPARTAME

Well known saying “Jumping from Pan to Fire” is very appropriate for people who use Sugar-free sweeteners to control their weight.
The Cancer Prevention Coalition notes with alarm that sugarless powders sold under the trademark names of NutraSweet and Equal, contains artificial sweetening ingredient aspartame, besides citric acid and sodium citrate. Aspartame, 200 times sweeter than sugar, is also widely used as a sweetener in tea and coffee, especially by the weight conscious.

Cancer Prevention Coalition Chairman Dr. Samuel S. Epstein warns that, based on scientific evidence published in peer-reviewed journals and presented to the U.S. Congress, aspartame is both toxic and carcinogenic. The coalition is calling upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban all dietary uses of aspartame.
Aspartame was synthesized by G.D. Searle in 1965 after its strong sweet taste was first noted. Subsequent toxicology tests by Searle revealed brain damage in mice, and cancer in the liver, testes and thyroid of rats. However, the results of these tests were never published nor reported to the FDA.
After saccharin, aspartame is the second most widely used artificial sweetener in the world. It is found in more than 6,000 products including carbonated and powdered soft drinks, hot chocolate, chewing gum, candy, desserts, yogurt, and tabletop sweeteners, as well as some pharmaceutical products like vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.
Aspartame is consumed by over 200 million people worldwide and represents about 60% of the artificial sweetener market. Aspartame provides manufacturers of food, soft drinks, candy and chewing gum with substantial cost savings compared to sugar, which is 200 times less sweet. Aspartame also is a sweetener without calories, which helps people control their weight.

Check for Aspartame in the ingredients of all food products before consuming.

Complete article can be accessed from the hyperlink below:
https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1qGm7dUCnJCuiFiDGq9VjAerUvzuFLty2QEvF23L4Cog&hl=en
(Disclaimer: This article is a compilation of information from Internet.)

NAGA NARESH KARUTURA – A REAL LIFE HERO

At times, circumstances in this earthly world can be cruel, nevertheless God has best plans and paves the best path for them. Precisely, this is the story of Naresh. Complete article can be retrieved from the Hyperlink below.
On the other hand, there is a wide gap between the philanthropists and the people in distress which can only be narrowed by the media. Dr. Kalam during his presidency noted the difference between the media in Israel and India. He noted that contrary to the Indian media and it’s obsession to highlight the negative aspects in the Indian society, Israel media always highlights the heroics and the achievements of its citizen’s confining the terrorist threats and acts by radical Hamas to the back pages. Every country looks up to real life heroes among its citizens and makes it a point to highlight their achievements to inspire the younger generation for greater achievements. Unfortunately, we in India have only handful heroes and both the government as well as the media are indifferent to endorsing, highlighting and propagating such success stories. One such success comes from a 21 year old Naga Naresh who overcame financial constraints and major physical handicap to become a great success story, which makes him a role model to the younger generation. I admire his spirit as well as all his mentors, peers and family who were instrumental in his path to success. I wish Naresh all the success in the future.
 https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0ByOMpjy3KhxkMDBjMzI2MWYtZTMwNi00ZDU1LTgwZDYtMDMxNGExNWYzMWIy&hl=en

LIFE OF PENG SHUILIN - A TRIUMPH OF HUMAN SPIRIT

In 1995, in the city of Shenzhen, China, a freight truck sliced Peng Shuilin's body in to half. His lower body and legs were beyond repair. Surgeons sewed up his torso and he defied death. Peng Shuilin's life subsequently is a testimony to his spirit for survival.

His story can be an eye opener to other human beings who end their lives for some trivial issues and lack of spirit to face challenges in the human life.

Complete article with photographs can be retreived from the link below:
https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ASOMpjy3KhxkZGY4cms2aHdfMTJkc3E4eDhkcg&hl=en

VALUE HAS A VALUE ONLY IF ITS VALUE IS VALUED

RISE & FALL OF SHRI NITYANANDA

The first time I heard of Shri Nityananda was through his book LIVING ENLIGHTMENT in January 2010. I glimpsed through the book and found the content simple, logical and thought provoking. The first impression was that of awe for his spiritual knowledge and his abilities to make many people spiritually more inclined through his work shops and discourses.

I happened to travel to Srirangapattanam by road from Banguluru in February 2010, and could gauge his popularity in that region by the number of his cutouts and posters both in the city and along the highway. However, as fate would have been, he was implicated in a sex scandal in early March 2010, which tarnished his image to an irretraceable extent. Further investigations carried out till date by the law enforcement agencies are pinning him down further to various related and unrelated crimes. What an irony for a man who was worshipped by people not so long ago but finds himself in a pathetic situation at the moment. A great fall indeed...................
 This reminds me of a story by noted author and philosopher, Paul Coelho which appeared in the print media a few months back, and is reproduced in my own words below.

A disillusioned and unmarried young man, vexed with worldly pressures and demands seeks shelter and solitude on a remote mountain top, spending all his time meditating and in self realization. Some people in the nearby village close to the foot hills of the mountain, taking pity of his plight start supplying the essentials on a good will. One day, a village girl goes on to the mountain to oversee the gazing of her family goats and accidentally meets the young man. Incidentally, she is attracted to the young man and proposes marriage to him through the village elders. After some persuasion by village elders, the young man marries the girl. They build a house on the mountain and with time they bear a couple of children. The villagers in the mean time donate a few cows for their daily nutritional requirements and in turn they seek the young man’s spiritual insights and wisdom. The news rapidly spreads to other villages around, and people start regularly visiting him. A new settlement is created around the man’s house on the hill top and the young man is again dragged in to the worldly pressures, demands and pleasures. However, the man realises too late that he unconsciously diverted from his goals and is entangled in a tightly knit web which he cannot escape.

Precisely, this story reflects the plight of spiritually inclined young men with wisdom who UNCONSCIOUSLY become victim to their isolated momentary weaknesses and then get sucked in to the quick sand of earthly pleasures thereon.

Shri Nityananda, has the following challenges confronting him in the times ahead:
Firstly, society and followers demand much more from Evangelists or Spiritual leaders than it will get in practice during the current times. Precisely, this widening gap between expectations and reality has to be bridged through indisputable & authentic spiritual practices and commendable personal example befitting his role in the society.

Secondly, re-organising the marzipan layer of his organisation with right people for the right job, who are capable of demonstrating the organisations bona fide intentions through correct religious, spiritual and legal practices. (Alleged financial irregularities, Tax evasion issues, seizure of 180 litres of blue kerosene in the Ashram by Government officials etc., could have been avoided with the right people in the right places.)

Thirdly, the people in the marzipan layer of his organisation to relieve Shri Nityananda of his administrative responsibilities enabling him to concentrate more on spiritual aspects that are vital to the society.

PEACE........THE VANISHING FACET

Ironically, a part of the media is proud that India is rated better than Pakistan though; we are in the bottom quarter of the Global Peace Index (GPI) scale and slid from a pathetic 109th rank in 2007 to dismal 128th rank in 2009 of the 149 countries considered for the study. I, unfortunately, fail to figure out why most of us, including media, are so obsessed with Pakistan in every sphere. Even a child will admit to the fact that the only way to improve in any sphere is to look up to the one’s doing better than we are and working towards it. Pakistan, in no way is a Bench mark for our growth in this fast growing world. However, in absolute terms, we are dragging our selves down the scale due to obsessions, political opportunism, corruption, apathy of the common man towards day to day happenings, division of society and people through mounting animosity among humanity etc.
Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) a US based organisation considers following parameters in arriving at the rankings:
• Internal conflicts
• Terrorism
• Human rights abuse


What is plaguing India is not Human rights abuse? In some countries, the citizens do not have the right to expression and right to choose the government. After having travelled extensively in reasonable number of countries across globe, interacting with citizens of broad spectrum of countries and residing in different countries, I can confidently say that we rank much better in terms of Human rights abuse. Nevertheless, we are losing our PEACE due to internal conflicts and Terrorism which are on rise.
Internal conflicts, be it Ultra-left rebel movement, agitations for separate states, regional and linguistic animosities, River water disputes and Unrest arising from Unemployment and Inflation are result of apathy of the common man towards deterioration of the values in the Indian society, unclipped power enjoyed by the ruling elite, Business houses, emergence of fundamentalism in all spheres of life and resignation of common man to the happenings around him. It is worth while looking at contemporary case in points randomly to demonstrate the deteriorating society.

Corruption: Bofors scandal in l980’s was all about 400 Million Rupees. The citizens of the country at that point of time have rightly shown the door to the corrupt government then. However, telecom scam in the first decade of this new Millennium is worth 5 to 10 Billion Rupees. Despite the enormous magnitude of this scam, the regional party which was involved in the scam and the ruling National party were given another term in this great Democracy.
Political Bankruptcy: Around 20 Engineers in Shriram sagar (Major Irrigation) project in Andhra Pradesh were suspended by the government when Engineers involvement in the corruption surfaced. Paradoxically, a regional party fuelling animosity among the regions with in Andhra Pradesh for political gains is protecting the corrupt officials in the guise of regional bias by the present government. Can anything be more blatant than this? It is amply evident that the political elite we trust are fanning negative emotions and demeaning the society for their own narrow and disgraceful goals.
Ultra left rebels & Anti-social elements: These outlaws and devious groups are involved in extortion, mass killings and dis-orientation of society. In spite, they find backing of some devious individuals, a few ideologically bankrupt politicians and professionals. If successive governments in the infected states were committed, they could have easily surmounted these groups either during their infancy phase or their development phase. To demonstrate this, we need to look in to a news item on how Ultra-left rebels felt suffocated in Jharkand state after the state has come under President’s rule and resulted in the migration of the rebels to West Bengal. Unfortunately, political head wigs in West Bengal across all parties (including the Railway Minister) are indifferent on taking a firm action on the rebels even after so many innocent lives were lost in the train accident due to a suspected sabotage by the rebels. To top it all, there is a disagreement among Federal ministers on the ways and means to fight the rebels, thus mounting the probability of more threats to the common man on the street.
Terrorism: There is a growing scepticism in people across India and outside the country that the Federal and state governments are soft on Terrorist groups due to the fear of alienating a religious community which is considered an obvious vote bank. It does not require the knowledge of rocket science to understand how Afzal Guru, the master mind behind Parliament attacks which has shaken the country could survive so long even after being handed the capital punishment by the highest Judiciary of the country. There are persistence intelligence reports that terrorist groups may resort to terrorist activities and hijacking of planes to secure the release of surviving terrorists in the custody of the law enforcing agencies namely Afzal Guru and Kasab. We fail to understand why the government is dragging its feet in implementing the pronounced court judgements and thus putting many more innocent lives in danger to possible attempts by accomplices of terrorists in securing their release. Regrettably, a few disillusioned people and victims of terror in other communities have retaliated with acts of terrorism, which is highly condemnable and to be nipped in the bud. “An Eye for an Eye” justice does not auger well for our secular society.
Unfortunately, Indian Citizen’s memory is getting shorter and apathy to the transgression in the country is ever-increasing which is a sign of further deterioration in values in the Indian Society and escalation of unrest in the country. It’s time to wake up from the slumber and do our bit.
Citizens of Iceland need to be appreciated for ranking 2nd in the scale despite facing the worst economic crisis in their country’s history in 2009. Generally, economic crisis leads to social unrest and further escalation of crisis. This can be seen in Greece in 2010. However, the citizens of Iceland and the political big wigs across the party lines in that country had shown enormous resolve to overcome the crisis without hurting its social fabric. Kudos to its ruling elite and its citizens.

SOUL

What use is it for a human being even if he conquers the whole world and loses his soul? – New Testament.
The Bhagavad Gita, the most revered scripture of Sanathana Dharma defines “Soul” as an ethereal essence that is immortal and indestructible.Ironically, we human beings whether it is our ancestors or contemporaries had overlooked and are further ignoring the veracity of the very existence, whatever the reasons are.

Interestingly, the word “Soul” was coined in the Western world as late as early 10th Century and pioneering work in this field was attributed to Pluto. Soul can be trifurcated in to the following categories:

Logos: The conscious part of the soul wich essentially dictates course of one’s life and has significant control over Thymos and Pathos.
Thymos: The part of the soul which essentially controls the emotions in the human beings. The two most important emotions that govern a human existence are “Greed” and “Fear”.
Pathos: The part of the soul which essentially controls the requirements of the corporeal body which is a vehicle to the soul during the very existence on the earth.
Incidentally, all living beings in this planet have souls with all the three components as defined above. However, what differentiates other living beings with human being is carrying out an act consciously and changing the living patterns.(It may be noted that EVOLUTION of a species is an unconscious adaptation and transformation to the altering conditions on the planet.) All animals do exhibit “Fear” and “Greed”, but their emotions are confined to countering the imminent short term threats. They do not have cognitive abilities to change their living patterns.
Why do the sacred scriptures, prophets and Religious gurus propagate the importance of Self realisation and Consciousness? In an unconscious state and un-realised state, Thymos and Pathos take control of this corporeal body and mis-guide the very course of this existence. Ironically, when Thymos and Pathos take control of a human being, it can either lead to a unprecedented devastation either of the self, or the family(Examples: Psychopaths, egocentric, devious and cunning individuals), or the society (Examples: Religious fundamentalists, Regional fundamentalists, Anti-social elements viz., Naxalites, Terrorists, Corrupt individuals etc.,) or a country (Examples: Saddam Husain, Robert Mugabe, Zia-ul-Haq etc.,) or even the world (Examples: Osama Bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte etc.,) depending on the influence of the individual on the civilization.

The goal of every individual shall be towards achieving HARMONY WITH SELF, SURROUNDINGS & ENERGIES OF THIS COSMOS. (The spiritual believers christen it as DIVINE UNION.)

Hence, it is very important for each individual to act consciously through genuine introspection and self realisation. Self-realisation can be comprehended through finding solutions to the following simple questions:
• What I am?
• What do I value?
• What I want?

EMOTIONAL CAPITULATION

Times have changed forever…………….
The way we look at the world, the way we live, the landscapes, the threat perceptions and the nature & the quantum of risks have been changing.
We are living in constant fear, fear from nature, Environmental degradation, terrorism, financial and social insecurity, uncertain future etc.
Blitzkrieg is one of the successful battle plans used by the Allied forces during World War II and in Iraq war in 1993. Blitzkrieg is an idea of defeating your enemy using shock tactics to break his line, and fast moving forces to penetrate deeply and throw the enemy back in confusion.
On the other hand, this battle plan is transformed effectively in to a new weapon in this new millennium by the terrorists and Psychopaths to wage guerilla warfare during peace times to create chaos in the fragile social fabric of the society thus weakening the governments and emotional as well as social intelligence of the individuals of the society. This new weapon, Emotional capitulation, is mental, eerie, and unpredictable and at the same time is very powerful. Let’s see how this weapon is effective.

Mental toughness and physical well being of people is paramount for the development of humanity either collectively as a region or a country or a community or as an individual. However, the development can be either stifled or paralyzed by weakening the mental toughness or causing considerable physical damage.
Every individual is gifted with Emotional Intelligence. Emotional Intelligence is all about an Individuals traits and cognitive abilities applied to enhance one’s own Social Intelligence, Interpersonal Intelligence and Intrapersonal Intelligence. The quest for development or growth excites the positive traits and abilities in an individual or a group of individuals. This excitation of positive traits and abilities among the human race can result in to an effective, synergized, moral and empathetic society which is in Harmony with itself, nature and energies of the cosmos. A Harmonic society/ individuals are contented, mentally tough and physically strong.
On the contrary, misguided terrorist groups and malicious individuals in the quest of impious objectives have penetrated deep in to the society and areliving in the guise of a common man. They are resorting to diverse unpredictable, shocking and random guerilla activities generating fear psychosis in the societies eventually exciting negative traits in the individuals of the society and suppressing their cognitive abilities thereby ensuring a dis-oriented and unrest society. A dis-oriented and unrest society can further accelerate negative traits and plummet the cognitive capabilities in individuals which is nothing but Emotional capitulation. In emotional capitulation, an individual lives in fear which decelerates their self introspection and self realization capabilities and acts most of the time with unconscious mind. Actions resulting from an unconscious mind are akin to the animal behavior, thereby demeaning human race.


As an example let us take the case of a serial killer who is on the prowl. History tells us that most of the victims, even if they are physically strong, fall prey to the killers due to Emotional capitulation.
It is WE as individuals who have to make ourselves mentally tough and emotionally strong to face the changing world and achieve measurable growth.

GLOBAL ENERGY LANDSCAPE

Currently over 80% of all energy is provided by hydrocarbons. Global consumption is currently around 80 million barrels of oil per day. Rapid economic growth in developing countries like China and India could push the requirement up by 40 million barrels of oil per day by 2030. It is estimated that the global spending on oil exploration and production will increase by 10% on last year’s spending of $250 billion and is projected to rise over $350 billion by 2013. To meet the growing demand, world population needs additional crude production equivalent to that produced from Saudi Arabia every three years.

Since, production costs are considerably lower for existing oil and gas fields, existing oil fields are attracting higher investment. Qatar and Oman are in the forefront in the field of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) by constructing large LNG plants. However, higher hydrocarbon prices in the international market can also push up the development of more expensive hydrocarbon sources such as shale oil and oil sands. Coal, another common source of energy, is abundant but carbon capture and storage from coal burning are large-scale technical issues that haven’t been fully resolved yet.

Demand for energy, driven mainly by population growth and increase in wealth, along with concerns over climate change, are pushing for the development of alternative sources of energy namely, Wind, Wave, Tidal, Biomass, Solar, Hydro, Geo-thermal and Nuclear. However, each new source of energy has its own technical and economic challenges to overcome if it were to replace hydrocarbons as an energy source. Developing countries like China and India can benefit enormously, if they can overcome these challenges at the earliest and utilize the new sources of energy.

WHOM DO YOU TRUST................. INDIA

Reader's Digest conducted a nationwide poll on a list of 100 public figures including politicians, sports persons, business men and eminent personalities.
Reader's Digest felt the results are surprining, but my personal feeling is that they are very much in line with the general perception considering the trustworthiness of the individuals. Some of the rankings and names are listed below:
Rank 1.....Dr Abdul Kalam
Rank 2.....Ratan Tata (Highly rated business person)
Rank 7.....Manmohan Singh (Highest rated politician)
Rank 27...Rahul Gandhi
Rank 67...Pratibha Patil
Rank 74...Mukesh Ambani
Sonia Gandhi is in 70's, L.K.Advani is ranked in early 90's, Lallu Prasad and Mayawati are ranked last in the list.

(Complete article can be retreived from http://www.rd-india.com/newsite/other/facetoface_mar10.asp)

KEEP WALKING.......EVEN IF ALONE

Let’s revisit the well known story of a little girl and the snake.

On a rainy day, a young girl spots a snake very weak and shivering outside, on her way to school. She pities the snake and gets it to her home and nurses her to good health. The girl takes the help of the snake whenever her friends bully her in the school or in the play ground. All her friends are scared and jealous of her for possessing such a pet. However, one fine day, the snake bites the little girl itself and tries to escape from her. To this the little girl is so heartbroken and asks the snake why she has bitten her in spite of taking care of her so well. To this the snake replied “I need freedom and this is the only thing I know to achieve my objective.”
In the real life too, we experience similar situations with some near and dear, be it friends, relatives, professionals engaged by us etc., that we trust and whose intentions are not known till the “Back stabbing” day. Having learnt that the snakes are dangerous, we can be cautious with the known ones, but how can we be cautious with those in a human guise? Unfortunately, the greatest evils of the present day, fear of insecurity and greed for material and monitory considerations had weakened the human bonding between the people and at times leads to double crossing each other in life and causing anguish and loneliness in one’s life.
Precisely, for this reason many are drawn towards spiritual path and a guru who can lead them to a path of spiritual enlightenment and attain wisdom. However, some unfortunate few becomes victims of CONMEN in the guise of spiritual gurus, akin to those arrested in New Delhi and Andhra Pradesh recently. It may not be prudent on our part to lose faith in the system of Guru-Sishya parampara. I am fortunate enough to have a guru, Shri RAMANA garu (Balusupadu) who advocates PURITY as an essential feature of a guruji and TRUST in spiritual learners. He practises what he says and leads a simple and non-commercial life.
Summarily, we have become loners in this materialistic world and we should pave a path to continue our own journey despite all the setbacks. Utilising the human form and the life given by the GOD to live righteously is the key to a meaningful living, leaving sinners to the mercy of the GOD.

LOW CALORIE DIET; THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE WEIGHT LOSS

Researchers in US tested four types of diets for weight-loss effectiveness and the summary of the findings are as follows:

• Balanced food comprising carbohydrates, proteins and fats is recommended. It is not necessary to cut down on one type of macro neutrient akin to Atkin's diet.
• Recommended calories for Men are 2800 and 2000 for women.
• Key to weight reduction is reduction of calorie intake by 750 calories or burning of 750 calories through exercise for both men and women.

Complete article as published by CNN can be retreived from the hyperlink below.
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0ByOMpjy3KhxkMjlhMjMyMjUtODE1Zi00MzIwLWFmM2EtZjJkMzZjZTk0YTgw&hl=en

COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

The document titled "Your guide to weight management" can be retreived from the following hyperlink.

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0ByOMpjy3KhxkNzY2OTRkOGYtYzdmYS00NjE0LWEzYzktZWRiNDA2NTFkYzNl&hl=en

THE ART OF WELLBEING - STEPS TO ACCOMPLISH

“Wellbeing” has a wider perspective. It is all about being safe, comfortable, healthy and happy. In a nutshell it is feeling GOOD about oneself. However, it not only involves the physical state of a person but the mental state too. It is widely accepted notion that the mental state of a person shall have major ramifications on the physical state. According to Swami Sukhabodananda, “Most of our diseases are psychosomatic”. This insight is shared and agreed by many philosophers and medical professionals.
A presentation by Dr. Dráuzio Varella, attached in the following hyperlink, suggests a number of psychological and rational responses to keep oneself away from ILLNESS.
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0ByOMpjy3KhxkMGMyYmI1ZmQtYTZlMC00MTlhLWI4MzItODc4OWU0NjM1ZjI4&hl=en
Essence of the presentation on WELLBEING is BEING in.....
                                 HARMONY WITH ONESELF
                                 HARMONY WITH PEOPLE AROUND US
                                 HARMONY WITH SURROUNDINGS & NATURE

RATAN TATA – A GREAT HUMAN BEING

26/11 incident in Mumbai might have been a thing of the past. However, the deeds and sacrifices of the Maharashtra police, National Security Gaurds, Mumbaikars and other Indians who helped nation recover from the crisis are remembered and will be remembered for ever.
Politicians and business men are generally looked down upon by the common man as a symbol of exploitation during crisis. There is no denial to this argument as the common man was exploited in the past and is still exploited by some politicians, business houses and middle men during the making of a crisis or during crisis. Let us pose a few questions to ourselves:
 How did sugar prices go up so fast this financial year despite relaxation of the imports?
 Is the agricultural output so many folds down during this Kharif season for the essential commodity prices to double and triple?
 How can a politician spend crores and crores of black money during elections?
However, there is one kind human being, Mr. Ratan Tata who stands out tall from the business community. He belongs to the rare breed of business men with a human face akin to Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. All of us must have heard of Mr. Ratan Tata’s philanthropic activities and generosity to the people working for his group companies and the common man in the vicinity of his establishments, at some point or the other. Unfortunately, Singur incident saw him being exploited by politicians for their petty interests. In spite of such unsavoury incidents, he remains committed to charitable and philanthropic activities in West Bengal.
However, Mr. Ratan Tata, despite being on the receiving end during the 26/11 crisis both financially and emotionally (It’s a common knowledge that he was emotionally attached to the heritage building housing the Taj Hotel), evolved in to a super human being aftermath of the crisis, by his charitable deeds and reaching out personally to the victims and their families. His reactions to the crisis are well documented by the netizens and can be retrieved from the hyperlink below.
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0ByOMpjy3KhxkOTIyYjEwZTUtYWU1MS00YWM1LTg0ZmQtYjFmN2VkM2QxY2Vk&hl=en
I would personally like to see him being bestowed upon with BHARAT RATNA by the Indian government.

Appended on 26.06.2010.

I am elated to see Mr. Ratan Tata being recognised and honoured by Cambridge University, the ancient seat of learning. The news item and his humble reaction is reproduced below:

LONDON: India's leading industrialist Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group, has been conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Law BY Cambridge University for his role in producing the world's cheapest car Nano. The degree was conferred by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who is also the chancellor of the Cambridge University.

In his acceptance speech, India's leading industrialist Ratan Tata, said: "We have always tried to help people in need. One of the tenets of the Tata family has been to acquire wealth to distribute it. So 65 per cent of dividends of our holding company go to charitable trusts which distribute that, so we have been doing it for a hundred years".

STEPS TO ADDRESS A PROBLEM AND FIND A RIGHT SOLUTION

The present day struggles are highly complex due to complex setting we are living in, be it either from the blight or discord with the people around us or the financial circumstances or the nature’s affliction.

The complete sequence can be split in to the following segments:
A. Precursor
The most important step is to isolate oneself from the Emotions, fear and greed. It greatly helps if we can get the rational and spiritual cap on before we commence the process.
B. Problem
a. Identify: Every problem needs to be addressed in its entirety. We need to capture different perspectives and dimensions of the problem. List every aspect on a piece of paper.
b. Simplify: Simplification of every problem is the key to the process of finding the right solution. The more the simplification of the problem, the better is the solution. List down the simplified segments of the problem.
C. Solution
a. Evaluate: Every segment of the problem has numerous solutions. Hence, evaluate all the possible solutions on a piece of paper.
b. Define: Evaluate the pros and cons of each and every solution identified and tabulate them. This procedure pops up the most reliable and relevant solution.
c. Execute: Execute the solution in its true sense with out any major compromise.
D. Assess
If the subject problem and solution has time component to it, assessment from time to time will be most appropriate. If the executed solution requires a re-evaluation due to changed circumstances, it would be prudent to revisit all the segments.
The above process can be adapted for all types of problems, be it financial, health, relationships, careers etc.
Most times, we will be better off, finding a solution by ourselves rather than depending on others for a solution. This gives us total control of the situation in the immediate and long term future.
At times, where I deem it fit, I consult my spiritual guru for an affirmation of the whole process. The interaction and consultation with my spiritual guru annihilates the spiritual insecurity embedded in the above sequence.

INDIA'S ECONOMIC JOURNEY SINCE INDEPENDENCE

Indian economy was largely directionless till early 1990’s due to domestic political compulsions and bi-polar global politics. The GDP growth, from the Nehruvian economic model, was hovering around 2% on an average till India faced a Macro-economic crisis during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

However, Indian governments in the early 1990's realised the importance of pursuing a growth oriented model and in all earnest pursued following economic policies:
 Increased Private sector funding and participation in all sectors
 Impetus on Infrastructure growth and development
 Rationalisation of direct and indirect taxes, import and export duties, tax holidays etc.
 Liberalisation of foreign direct investment norms in to various sectors, foreign exchange regulation
 Sops for exporters and IT sectors
 Partial convertibility of Rupee etc.

This resulted in
 Country’s GDP growth touching 9%
 Reduced gap between imports and exports through increased exports
 Increased foreign exchange reserves
 Increased spending by the government
 Improved infrastructure in the country thus resulting in improved living standards
 Increased job opportunities
 Increased Per capita income
 Global integration of businesses and people
 Reduced dependency on the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other agency for loans and financial support (As was the case till 2000)
 Growth of the country as a possible economic super power and it’s ability to avoid arm twisting by the economic super powers

All the governments since early 1990's whether it is a NDA government or a UPA government are pursuing growth oriented economic policies which is augering well for the Country's development. However, there is still more room for improvement. It is high time we do away with populist and vote bank oriented economic policies like subsidies and loan waivers which will furthur help in India becoming one of the leading world's economic super power. Ofcourse, onus lies on respective state governments too, in areas of Fiscal responsibility, prudent spending, emphasis on state subjects viz., education, prudent utilisations of water resources, strengthening of rural institutions etc.

HOW TO EASILY UNDERSTAND YOUR BLOOD TESTS?

I was always intrigued by the number of medical (Laboratory and Radiological) tests carried out on  a patient when we go to a doctor whether it is for a common ailment or for a critical ailment. Every test result has many facets to it and unless it is properly interpreted by the doctor who has prescribed it, it will serve no purpose during the diagnosis and subsequent treatment. My father was a victim of wrong clinical tests, diagnosis and treatment.
Many of us being non-medical professionals fails to understand the relevance of each of the many tests prescribed by a doctor. Towards educating ourselves, I have attatched a 38 page booklet in the following path which can give us lots of information on all types of blood tests. The information includes, allowable and critical ranges, importance of the tests, effects due to upper and lower limits, nutritional tips etc.

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0ByOMpjy3KhxkNWY0MTNmNGItZGZlNi00Y2Q1LTg0N2YtNzE5MTc2MDY0NzA5&hl=en

I would like acknowledge the genuinity of Dr.P.V.Ramachandra Raju, Cardiologist at STAR hospitals, through this blog, who told me that the number of medical tests can certainly be minimised through proper physical examination carried out by a doctor. He practices what he says and we need many such genuine medical professionsals.

STOCK MARKETS & SELF PROFESSED EXPERTS

All investors in the stock markets are bombarded with “free of cost” advices by the so called “market experts” through print and visual media.

How many of us still believe that we are in an era where we can get a free and genuine advice to multiply our hard earned money? Alas! I have stopped considering “experts” advices after loosing nearly Rs.2 million in the stock market trading and investing in various instruments many a times influenced by the experts advices.

I have started asking myself following simple questions after the damage is done?

a. Did we ever get any stock specific advice well in advance from the most successful global investor, Warren Buffet and India’s most successful investor and trader Rakesh Jhunjunwala? NO. However, print media and visual media creates a buzz around the holdings of these investors from time to time. Also, Buzz is created around their new equity stakes and purchases. However, we have noticed them being bullish on specific sectors from time to time and voicing their views on the general direction of global and regional economies and markets. Why are these successful men not offering stock specific advises unlike other experts?

b. It is a well known fact that most of the experts offering you free advice have some interest behind their public utterances, be it solicitation to their subscription services from the retail & HNI investors or Portfolio management services or mutual fund services.

c. If the so call experts were so smart, they can utilise their special knowledge to further their own interests and earnings akin to Rakesh Jhunjunwala.

d. I have observed that most of the recommendations that come in to public domain have a time lag from the time they recommend to their clients and the time they express/recommend in the media. Average retail investor who is looking for making some quick money gets attracted to the recommendation and most of the times will become the spring board for the paid clientele of the expert to exit the stock with a profit.

Unfortunately, we are bombarded with too much unwarranted and contradicting information with the advent of many business channels and sites on the internet, which are corrupting our own investment rationale and decisions thus leading to wrong execution at most times.

FUTURES & OPTIONS – CHOOSE THE RIGHT DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENT FOR TRADE

As we all know there are two types of markets viz., Trending markets and Range bound markets.

Investors will benefit trading Index and stock Futures in Trending markets and trading Index and stock Options (Calls and Puts) in Range bound markets.

Based on the market movements, we can confidently say that we are in the midst of RANGE BOUND market and it is prudent to trade in Options.

SIMPLE TECHNIQUE TO REDUCE UNWARRANTED STRESS & PROBLEMS IN LIFE

Millions of people are suffering from unwarranted and undeserved stress, trials, heartache and problems.
A part of a person’s life is dictated by the events and actions of the people and nature we live in. All of us are aware that we do not have any control over such actions affecting us.
The famous Newton’s first law holds good even in the real life too. Every individual reacts to the action on which he has no absolute control. However, the individual’s reactions can enhance the stresses, problems, heartaches etc. It is imperative to recognize that we have absolute control over our own reactions. This is the quality which can make a huge difference to one’s life and whence, a focus area to work on to make our life more meaningful and worthy.
According to Stephen Covey, the author of “Discover the 90/10 Principle”, 10% of life is made up of what happens to you and 90% of life is decided by how you react.
90% of the life is in your hands. That’s great, isn’t it?
Let’s all work towards it and make our life as well as other lives associated with us meaningful.

LORD VENKATESHWARA

OM NAMO VENKATESHAYA

Lord Srinivasa, the Kaliyug avatar of Lord Vishnu has numerous names. One of them is Venkatesha or Venkateshwara. Every soul on earth liberates from the physical body at some point of time. Karma determines the duration of the association of soul with the physical body. However, during Kaliyug, every soul gets attached to a baggage containing either good deeds (Punyam) or Sins (Paap) depending on the earthly deeds of each individual. The ultimate goal of each soul is to liberate and attain the feet of EESHA or EESHWAR (Lord Shiva). Venkatesha means Cleanser of Sins to attain the feet of Lord Shiva. (Ven means Paap+Kata means cleanser or remover+eesha means Lord Shiva). Hence, all followers of SANATHANA DHARMA, pray Lord Venkateshwara and Lord Shiva with utmost reverence to attain the ultimate goal of every soul.

Power of Universal sound OM (ॐ)

The vibration of "OM" symbolizes the manifestation of God in form and embraces all that exists. The mantra "OM" is the name of God, the vibration of the Supreme. When taken letter by letter, A-U-M represents the divine energy (Shakti) united in its three elementary aspects: Brahma Shakti (creation), Vishnu Shakti (preservation) and Shiva Shakti(liberation, and/or destruction).

According to THE BHAGAVAD GITA, uttering the monosyllable Aum (ॐ), the eternal world of Brahman, One who departs leaving the body (at death), he attains the superior goal.

Om tatsatiti nirdesho brahmanstrividhah samratah (Sloka in The Bhagavad Gita)
Meaning "OM, tat and sat has been declared as the triple appellation of Brahma, who is Truth, Consciousness and Bliss."