Think Different : Forgive yourself, you are a HUMAN

“To err is human, to forgive divine.” You might as well insert the word “yourself” into this all-so-true observation about being human. 

Let’s face it. We are human, and to be human means you’re going to make errors, at least some of the time. You’re going to make plenty of mistakes, mess up from time to time, lose your way, forget things, lose your temper, say things you shouldn't have, and all the rest. 

I’ve never understood why this simple fact of life – our tendency to make mistakes – is so surprising or disappointing to people. 

To me, one of the saddest mistakes we make is a lack of forgiveness, especially to ourselves. We constantly remind ourselves of our flaws and previous mistakes. We anticipate future mistakes. We’re highly critical of ourselves, frequently disappointed, and ruthless in our self-judgment. We blame ourselves, and often we’re our own worst enemy.

It seems to me that to be unforgiving of yourself is foolish and ridiculous. Most of us are doing the best that we can – really. But we’re not perfect. The truth is, we’re a work-in-progress. 

We should learn from our mistakes and from stumbling and keep moving ahead in life. 

Be willing to ask, but …

There’s an old saying: “If you don’t ask for what you want, you’re not going to get it.”

The only problem with the “be willing to ask” philosophy is that it doesn’t take into consideration the large percentage of the time that you don’t get something, even when you do ask or when you feel you deserve it. So, the old saying, if taken literally, can create some frustration.

Any potential frustration, however, can be prevented by including a lack of insistence upon your desired result. In other words, it’s terrific, courageous, and important to ask for what you want, but if you’re attached to the outcome, you could be in for a long and ongoing series of disappointments in your life. 

The key to becoming less attached to the outcomes of your requests is to depersonalize them. In other words, try to see that more often than not, being turned down has very little to do with you. For example, if you ask for a raise, your request may or may not be possible, depending on factors other than you – your company’s budget, the implications to other workers, rules within the department, and so forth. 

Change your perspective!

There was once an old lady who cried all the time. Her elder daughter was married to an umbrella merchant while the younger daughter was the wife of a potter. On sunny days, she worried, "Oh no! The weather is so nice and sunny. No one is going to buy any umbrellas. What will happen if the shop has to be closed?" These worries made her sad. She just could not help but cry. 

When it rained, she would cry for the younger daughter. She thought, "Oh no! My younger daughter is married to a potter. Pots cannot be made without the sun. Now there will be no pots to sell. What should we do?" As a result, the old lady lived in sorrow every day. 
Whether sunny or rainy, she grieved for one of her daughters. Her neighbors could not console her and jokingly called her "the crying lady." 

One day, she met a monk. He was very curious as to why she was always crying. She explained the problem to him. The monk smiled kindly and said, "Madam! You need not worry. I will show you a way to happiness, and you will need to grieve no more." 

The crying lady was very excited. She immediately asked the monk to show her what to do. The master replied, "It is very simple. You just need to change your perspective. On sunny days, do not think of your elder daughter not being able to sell umbrellas but the younger daughter being able to dry her pots. With such good strong sunlight, she must be able to make plenty of pots and her business must be very good. 

When it rains, think about the umbrella store of the elder daughter. With the rain, everyone must be buying umbrellas. She will sell a lot of umbrellas and her store will prosper." 

The old lady saw the light. She followed the monk’s instruction. After a while, she did not cry anymore; instead, she was smiling every day. From that day on she was known as "the smiling lady." 

Do not be unforgiving of yourself if you commit a mistake

Do not be unforgiving of yourself if you commit a mistake or make an error. Life did not come with a foolproof manual. Most of us are doing the best that we can. We are not perfect. We learn from our mistakes and from stumbling. 

Like almost everyone else, I have a great number of responsibilities. In fact, it usually seems like I am juggling ten or twenty balls in the air simultaneously. So, to assume, I will never make mistakes is absurd.

Can you sense how framing mistakes in this more realistic way gets you off the hook? In other words, when you make a mistake – even a stupid one – this more philosophical outlook allows you to keep your perspective and sense of humor instead of beating yourself up. 

Instead of saying to yourself, “What an idiot,” you should be able to say, “More proof that I’m human.”

Less you worry about your problems, the easier they will be to solve

Deep down, we all know that for every problem there is a solution. Many times, the solution is obvious to a dispassionate observer, which is the primary reason corporations as well as entrepreneurs hire outside consultants. 

Often, the reason we cannot see these obvious solutions is that we are trapped in our emotional reactions and habitual ways of seeing life.

The alternative to dealing head on with problems is to clear your mind instead of filling it with painful, confusing details. Quiet down, reflect, and listen. 

Allow your wisdom, that softer part of your thinking, to surface. More often than not, seemingly out of nowhere (actually from Supersoul – the Lord in the heart), you will have an insight, an answer to your problem. 

The less you worry about your problems, the easier they will be to solve!

Always be Happy : Steps you can take to ease the sting of criticism

To become a top performer, you will need to open yourself up to feedback from those around you. Here are some steps you can take to ease the sting of criticism and begin to make it work for you, instead of against you. 

1. Hit the Pause Button - It is important to maintain your composure and not lash back or respond defensively to criticism. Take a breath. Do not do or say anything. This brief pause not only helps you compose yourself and prepare to listen to what the other person has to say, it demonstrates your poise and self-confidence. Maintaining your composure when criticized shows that you are in control. 

2. Turn on Your Brain and Turn off Your Emotions - It is important to disconnect your automatic emotional response to criticism. Otherwise, you will not be able to objectively consider the value of the information. Focus on the words and facts, not on the feelings they generate within you. Regardless of how undiplomatic-ally the other person is in delivering the feedback, tell yourself that it is designed to help you improve, not to tear you down. 

3. Listen carefully - Listen intently to what the other person is saying. If you are busy formulating your rebuttal, you may miss some valuable information that can help you avoid errors in the future or improve your overall performance. 

While any criticism can be discouraging, it is important to keep in mind that negative feedback can contribute significantly to faster growth and higher performance.

WELCOME ADDRESS BY SWAMI VIVEKANANDA – Chicago,9.11/1893 The World Parliament of Religions, Chicago

“Face the brutes.” That is a lesson for all life—face the terrible, face it boldly. Like the monkeys, the hardships of life fall back when we cease to flee before them.

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The powers of the mind should be concentrated and the mind turned back upon itself; as the darkest places reveal their secrets before the penetrating rays of the sun, so will the concentrated mind penetrate its own innermost secrets.

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Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."

The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me." Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.

************************

 CONCLUDING ADDRESS - Chicago, Sept 27, 1893

The World's Parliament of Religions has become an accomplished fact, and the merciful Father has helped those who labored to bring it into existence, and crowned with success their most unselfish labor.

My thanks to those noble souls whose large hearts and love of truth first dreamed this wonderful dream and then realized it. My thanks to the shower of liberal sentiments that has overflowed this platform. My thanks to this enlightened audience for their uniform kindness to me and for their appreciation of every thought that tends to smooth the friction of religions. A few jarring notes were heard from time to time in this harmony. My special thanks to them, for they have, by their striking contrast, made general harmony the sweeter.

Much has been said of the common ground of religious unity. I am not going just now to venture my own theory. But if any one here hopes that this unity will come by the triumph of any one of the religions and the destruction of the others, to him I say, "Brother, yours is an impossible hope." Do I wish that the Christian would become Hindu? God forbid. Do I wish that the Hindu or Buddhist would become Christian? God forbid.

The seed is put in the ground, and earth and air and water are placed around it. Does the seed become the earth, or the air, or the water? No. It becomes a plant. It develops after the law of its own growth, assimilates the air, the earth, and the water, converts them into plant substance, and grows into a plant.

Similar is the case with religion. The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.

If the Parliament of Religions has shown anything to the world, it is this: It has proved to the world that holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character. In the face of this evidence, if anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of the others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written in spite of resistance: "Help and not fight," "Assimilation and not Destruction," "Harmony and Peace and not Dissension."

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God is self-evident, impersonal, omniscient, the Know-er and the Master of nature, the Lord of all. He is behind all worship and it is being done according to Him, whether we know it or not.

Swami Vivekananda's inspiring personality was well known both in India and in America during the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth. The unknown monk of India suddenly leapt into fame at the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, at which he represented Hinduism. His vast knowledge of Eastern and Western culture as well as his deep spiritual insight, fervid eloquence, brilliant conversation, broad human sympathy, colourful personality, and handsome figure made an irresistible appeal to the many types of Americans who came in contact with him. People who saw or heard Vivekananda even once still cherish his memory after a lapse of more than half a century.

In America Vivekananda's mission was the interpretation of India's spiritual culture, especially in its Vedantic setting. He also tried to enrich the religious consciousness of the Americans through the rational and humanistic teachings of the Vedanta philosophy. In America he became India's spiritual ambassador and pleaded eloquently for better understanding between India and the New World in order to create a healthy synthesis of East and West, of religion and science.

In his own motherland Vivekananda is regarded as the patriot saint of modern India and an inspirer of her dormant national consciousness. To the Hindus he preached the ideal of a strength-giving and man-making religion. Service to man as the visible manifestation of the Godhead was the special form of worship he advocated for the Indians, devoted as they were to the rituals and myths of their ancient faith. Many political leaders of India have publicly acknowledged their indebtedness to Swami Vivekananda.

The Swami's mission was both national and international. A lover of mankind, he strove to promote peace and human brotherhood on the spiritual foundation of the Vedantic Oneness of existence. A mystic of the highest order, Vivekananda had a direct and intuitive experience of Reality. He derived his ideas from that unfailing source of wisdom and often presented them in the soul-stirring language of poetry.

The natural tendency of Vivekananda's mind, like that of his Master, Ramakrishna, was to soar above the world and forget itself in contemplation of the Absolute. But another part of his personality bled at the sight of human suffering in East and West alike.

It might appear that his mind seldom found a point of rest in its oscillation between contemplation of God and service to man. Be that as it may, he chose, in obedience to a higher call, service to man as his mission on earth; and this choice has endeared him to people in the West, Americans in particular.

Swami Vivekananda, the great soul loved and revered in East and West alike as the rejuvenator of Hinduism in India and the preacher of its eternal truths abroad, was born at 6:33, a few minutes before sunrise, on Monday, January 12, 1863. It was the day of the great Hindu festival Makarasamkranti, when special worship is offered to the Ganga by millions of devotees. Thus the future Vivekananda first drew breath when the air above the sacred river not far from the house was reverberating with the prayers, worship, and religious music of thousands of Hindu men and women.

Before Vivekananda was born, his mother, like many other pious Hindu mothers, had observed religious vows, fasted, and prayed so that she might be blessed with a son who would do honour to the family. She requested a relative who was living in Varanasi to offer special worship to the Vireswara Siva of that holy place and seek His blessings; for Siva, the great god of renunciation, dominated her thought. One night she dreamt that this supreme Deity aroused Himself from His meditation and agreed to be born as her son. When she woke she was filled with joy.

The Parliament Of Religions :

On Monday, September 11, 1893 the Parliament of Religions opened its deliberations with due solemnity. This great meeting was an adjunct of the World's Columbian Exposition, which had been organized to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. One of the main goals of the Exposition was to disseminate knowledge of the progress and enlightenment brought about in the world by Western savants and especially through physical science and technology; but as religion forms a vital factor in human culture, it had been decided to organize a Parliament of Religions in conjunction with the Exposition.

Of the Swami's address before the Parliament of Religions, it may be said that when he began to speak it was of "the religious ideas of the Hindus", but when he ended, Hinduism had been created. The moment was ripe with this potentiality. The vast audience that faced him represented exclusively the occidental mind, but included some development of all that in this was most distinctive.

Message of Vedanta :

The message of Swami Vivekananda was the message of Vedanta -- a spiritual teaching that again and again saved India during periods of decline and crisis. The keynote of this message is: "Truth is one: Sages call it by various names." Its four cardinal points are non-duality of the Godhead, divinity of the soul, oneness of existence, and harmony of religions. Religion, in the light of Vedanta, is the manifestation of the divinity already in man. The central theme of Vedanta is harmony of religions. This spiritual harmony is to be realized by deepening our spiritual consciousness. Vedanta asks a Christian to be a true Christian, a Hindu a true Hindu, a Buddhist a true Buddhist, a Jew a true Jew, Moslem a true Moslem. The message was timely and powerful. America had received a rude shock from the Civil War and its aftermath. Science had already shaken the very roots of religious beliefs and dogmas, and the ideas of Darwin were challenging conventional American thought and religion. Americans were looking for a philosophy that could harmonize science with humanism and mystical experience, and Swami Vivekananda's words gave them hope for the fulfillment of their spiritual aspirations. The message was powerful not because of its dialectical superiority or philosophical subtlety, but because of the personality of Swami Vivekananda. The message was an ancient one, but it bore a fire of conviction that was new. One familiar with the life of Swami Vivekananda will recall that his Master, Sri Ramakrishna, saw in him the power and potentiality of a great world teacher. Before the Master passed away, he prophesied: "Narendra (Swami Vivekananda) will teach others ….. Very soon he will shake the world by his intellectual and spiritual powers."

The news of Swami Vivekananda’s success in America soon reached the shores of India and spread like wildfire. The country, lost in the slumber of inertia, woke up with its new vigor and confidence, and a spiritual renaissance was set into motion that would propel India to great intellectual and social development. Today Swami Vivekananda is regarded as the "patriot prophet" of new India. His words carry the power of inspiration and transformation.

Swami Vivekananda indicated Vedanta is the future religion of mankind. With his prophetic vision, he predicted that modern science and education would break down the barriers between nations and prepare the ground for the fulfillment of the age-old dream of one united world. But one world is possible only when there is one common Soul that transcends the limitations of race, culture, and religious denominations. Swami Vivekananda presents before humanity the World-Soul of Vedanta, the non-dual, nameless and formless all-pervading Pure Spirit that alone can make the dream of one world a reality. He foresaw a new world order in which science and religion would cooperate, mysticism would combine with humanism and spiritual harmony would replace religious dissension. His final words at the Chicago Parliament of Religions were, "Upon the banner of every religion will soon be written in spite of resistance 'Help and not Fight,' 'Assimilation and not Destruction,' 'Harmony and Peace and not Dissension.'" At a time when world peace is being maintained by continuous wars, divisiveness is glorified at the expense of unity, and the human soul is being buried beneath the debris of brutality, violence and hatred, the words of Swami Vivekananda give us assurance -- an assurance that we are not living the last days of our destiny and that the light of the Divine, shining in every heart, will triumph over the forces of darkness.

Incessantly he wrote to his Indian devotees about the regeneration of the masses. In a letter dated 1894 he said:

Let each one of us pray, day and night, for the downtrodden millions in India, who are held fast by poverty, priestcraft, and tyranny — pray day and night for them. I care more to preach religion to them than to the high and the rich. I am no metaphysician, no philosopher, nay, no saint. But I am poor, I love the poor.... Who feels in India for the three hundred millions of men and women sunken for ever in poverty and ignorance? Where is the way out? Who feels for them? Let these people be your God — think of them, work for them, pray for them incessantly — the Lord will show you the way. Him I call a mahatma, a noble soul, whose heart bleeds for the poor; otherwise he is a duratma, a wicked soul.... So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them.... We are poor, my brothers we are nobodies, but such have always been the instruments of the Most High.

Hindutva (Devanagari: , "Hinduness", a word coined by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? ) is the term used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. Members of the movement are calledHindutvavadis.  According to a 1995 Supreme Court of India judgement the word Hindutva could be used to mean "the way of life of the Indian people and the Indian culture or ethos".

Cultural nationalism

According to this, the natives of India share a common culture, history and ancestry.

M S Golwalkar, one of the main proponents of Hindutva believed that India's diversity in terms of customs, traditions and ways of worship was its uniqueness and that this diversity was not without the strong underlying cultural basis which was essentially native. He believed that the Hindu natives with all their diversity, shared among other things "the same philosophy of life", "the same values" and "the same aspirations" which formed a strong cultural and a civilizational basis for a nation.

Savarkar similarly believed that the Indian subcontinent (which includes the area south of the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush or Akhand Bharat (undivided India,) is thehomeland of the Hindus. He considered "Hindus" as those who consider India (Bharat,) to be their motherland (matrubhumi), fatherland (pitrubhumi,) as well as their holy land (punyabhumi,), hence describing it purely in cultural terms.

To be continued ..... Via Next Post .... Keep Reading ! #JaiBharat #JaiHindutva

Be Responsive

“Responsive” means acting appropriately to the issue at hand. Rather than being driven and controlled by habitual, knee-jerk reactions, being responsive means having the ability to maintain perspective and to choose the best possible alternative or course of action, given your unique situation. Because responsive people are able to see the entire picture so well, they are able to factor into every equation all the variables, instead of being limited to their usual way of doing things. Responsive individuals are willing to change direction, if necessary, and admit their mistakes when appropriate.

For example, it’s common for a builder to run into unexpected changes in the original plans – unknown soil conditions, a shortage of money, or unforeseen design problems. A reactive builder will panic, overreact and become difficult to work with. A good builder will take the changes in stride, be responsive to the changes, rise to the occasion and get the job done. Be responsive!

Seven wonders of the world

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present “Seven Wonders of the world.” Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

1.Egypt’s Great Pyramids

2.Taj Mahal

3.Grand Canyon

4.Panama Canal

5.Empire State Building

6.St. Peter’s Basilica

7.China’s Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noticed that one quiet student hadn’t returned her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.” The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.” The girl hesitated, then read, “I think the Seven Wonders of the World are: To see, to hear, to touch, to feel, to laugh and to love.” The room became so quiet that one could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and which we take for granted are truly wondrous! Next time when we complain about things which we don’t have, let’s remember these seven wonders of our lives.

.:: Earth Care Initiatives - Quiz Cause ::.

.:: Earth Care Initiatives - Quiz Cause ::.

How to keep yourself safe on the internet

If we follow a few golden rules we can easily protect our personal information and greatly reduce the possibility of fraud. Here are some of them:

Security suites

Outpost Security Suite: This is the only free security suite that offers antivirus, firewall and anti malware in a single package. It even offers email and web surfing security for online protection and monitors application behavior to keep a check on malicious infections. Being free, it does have some limitations — only one auto update is allowed in a day. Others need to be manually done. Also, it does not include identity theft protection or technical support.

Norton 360 (v 6.0): As an all-in-one suite, Norton 360 (Rs 1,649) is pretty complete. Apart from protecting against local threats, it has a set of tools for online identity theft protection, to tune up your PC, Email and instant message monitoring as well as browser plugins to warn you of harmful websites & downloads. It even has parental controls to track Internet usage and keep kids safe from online threats. Finally, the price includes 2GB cloud storage. Norton 360 can automatically take a regular backup of important files to the cloud.

Firewalls

Comodo: The free Comodo firewall uses cloud-based data to to protect your computer against online threats and programs. It is capable of detecting most trojans, worms, hacker attacks and even has a sandbox mode where new programs can be run in a protected, virtual environment to make sure that they are not harmful. In 'game mode', Comodo works silently in the background — useful if you don't want to be disturbed while playing a game or watching a movie. Finally, a built in 'TrustConnect' Wi-Fi feature encrypts and safeguards data transfers when connected to a public network.

ZoneAlarm Pro: The Pro version of ZoneAlarm's Firewall (US$ 30/year) protects your computer against hackers and makes it invisible online by hiding your information. It has a built-in anti-phishing tool that stops fake/infected websites from opening on your system and it even authenticates websites to show you which ones are secure and which are not. If an active download is infected, the firewall automatically suspends the download for protection. It even gives you 2GB online storage where the program uploads and backs up important data that can be restored if required.

Mobile

Avast for Android: Avast's free app provides real time antivirus protection and even offers a firewall that can stop any app from accessing the Internet. It even offers SMS/call filtering, an app task manager and can show access rights of each app installed to detect any data stealing. The app has a strong set of anti-theft features that include lost notification on the phone, SIM lock, SIM change notifications, remote restart, remote wipe as well as the option to remotely locate your phone using GPS. The only thing that this free app skips out on is any sort of data backup service.

VirusBarrier for iOS: This $2.99 app can do on-demand scans of content downloaded on to your iOS device. The program scans for malware, adware and hacker tools on the iOS device which might get transferred and then infect the computer (Windows/MAC/Unix) when the device is connected to it. It can scan through zip files, email attachments, files stored online inDropbox or on FTP severs and can also scan websites for phishing links or other online threats.

More options for advanced users

Stay safe while downloading: Using Torrents is not illegal - sharing of copyrighted information is. Having said that, if you are a torrent user and are fed up of internet service providers clamping down on torrent speeds or are wary about your privacy being compromised (because of over-zealous media industry watchdogs), you should consider services like www.peerblock.com and www.btguard. com.

BTGuard's paid service completely hides your computer's IP address and provides a secure, encrypted route for your torrent data. PeerBlock is open source and works in conjunction with www.iblocklist.com. It essentially blocks your computer's communication with advertising orspyware oriented servers, computers monitoring torrents or computers which have been 'hacked' ( botnets).

Safeguard your property: Normally, there's not a very good chance that a stolen/lost laptop will be returned to you. Unless you install Prey first, that is. Head to www.preyproject.com to create and account and get started - it is free and available for Windows, Mac & Linux/Ubuntu. Prey installs in stealth mode - you won't find it anywhere on your computer - not in the hard drive and there's no mention of it in the start menu. Instead, you control it using an online control panel which you log into from any web browser on any machine.

Prey sits idle unless it receives a signal from you that the laptop has been stolen. Then onwards, as soon as the machine is connected to a network, it's exact location is relayed back you to. You can also choose to take a screenshot of what the thief is doing, use the webcam to take a photo, hide your passwords and data or do a complete data wipe. The point is, you stay in control and because you can continuously track the computer, chances of recovery are good. Prey is also available for smartphones running Android and iOS (download them from the respective app stores).

iSpy CCTV: Head to www.ispyconnect.com and you can download free software for Windows that converts your existing webcam into a surveillance device, complete with features like video recording, motion detection, face detection, audio feeds and automatic YouTube uploading. Advanced features like remote access (login to the website to monitor your cameras), access from mobile devices and automatic SMS/MMS/Twitter alerts cost upwards of $7.95 per month.

Today before you complain about…

Today before you think of saying an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

Today before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Today before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.

Today before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

Today before you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.

Today before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us are without sin.

WORD PORTRAIT : Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

WORD PORTRAIT : Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

THE POET : Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

THE POET : Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Ease off your expectations a little!

Life just isn’t neat and trouble-free. We all have bad days. Sometimes people are rude or insensitive. Phone lines and computers occasionally break down.

When I met Anuj, he worked for a software development company. He described it as his first “real job.” He was young and had exceptionally high expectations. The problem was, many of his expectations weren’t being met. He wasn’t being treated with the degree of respect he wanted (or expected), and his ideas weren’t being taken seriously. He felt under-appreciated and taken for granted. He was frustrated and burned-out.

I suggested he lower his expectations and consider thinking of his job in a new way. I asked him to see his job as a stepping stone to bigger and better things later on. He took the suggestion to heart, and his world began to change for the better.

Make room in your heart for bad moods, mistakes, errors, and glitches. Instead of spending so much time being annoyed about the way things unfold, take most of them in stride. This will conserve your energy and, ultimately, make you more productive.

No matter how hard you try, life still isn’t always going to go as planned. One of the best ways to deal with this inevitability is to stop expecting it to be otherwise. So ease off your expectations a little. Then you won’t be easily disappointed.

Never Give Up!

Its madness -

To hate all roses, because you got scratched by one thorn.

To give up all your dreams, because one did not come true.

To lose faith in prayers, because one was not answered.

To give up on your efforts, because one of them failed.

To condemn all your friends, because one of them betrayed.

Not to believe anyone, because someone was unfaithful.

Remember that, another chance may come up.

Never give up!

Do not be aggressive during confrontation !

It’s hard to imagine people working together without at least some degree of confrontation. After all, we live in a world of conflicting interests, desires, and preferences. We have different standards and expectations. There are so many issues and people to deal with, that an occasional confrontation seems inevitable. At times, you may have to confront someone in order to achieve a desired result, shake someone up or make things happen.

While confrontation may be inevitable, they don’t necessarily have to seem like a war or lead to hurt or angry feelings, stress, or disappointment. Instead, it’s possible to confront someone (or be confronted) in a gentle, effective way that leads not only to your desired result, but also in a way that brings the two of you closer together personally or professionally.

It seems to me that most people are too aggressive and defensive during confrontations. They lose their humanity and their humility. They approach the issue in hostile way, as if they are right and the other person is wrong. It’s “me against you,” or “I’m going to teach you.” The assumption seems to be that confrontations are by definition confrontational, and that being aggressive is the best approach.

If you’re too aggressive, however, you’re going to seem adversarial to others, thus encouraging them to become defensive. The people you confront will see you as difficult, as if you are the enemy. When people are defensive, they become poor listeners, incredibly stubborn, and seldom change their point of view or see their contribution to a problem.

They don’t feel respected and they lose their respect for you. So, if you are confronting someone in an aggressive way, chances are you’re going to run into a brick wall

Reactive v/s Proactive person

As human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Look at the word responsibility -- "response-ability" -- the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.

Reactive people are often affected by their physical environment. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, it affects their attitude and their performance. Proactive people can carry their own weather with them. Whether it rains or shines makes no difference to them. They are value driven; and if their value is to produce good quality work, it isn't a function of whether the weather is conducive to it or not.

Reactive people are also affected by their social environment, by the "social weather." When people treat them well, they feel well; when people don't, they become defensive or protective. Reactive people build their emotional lives around the behavior of others, empowering the weaknesses of other people to control them.

Reactive people are driven by feelings, by circumstances, by conditions, by their environment. Proactive people are driven by values -- carefully thought about, selected and internalized values.

As Eleanor Roosevelt observed, "No one can hurt you without your consent. They cannot take away our self respect if we do not give it to them."

It is our willing permission, our consent to what happens to us, that hurts us far more than what happens to us in the first place.

Recognize the truth of the old adage & Recover quickly from your mistakes

There will be times when you make mistakes, sometimes big ones. There will be times when you overreact, offend someone, overlook the obvious, say something you shouldn’t have, and so forth. I’ve yet to meet a person who is exempt from these oh-so human facts of life. So, perhaps the most important question isn’t so much whether or not you will mess up, but rather how quickly you can recover when you do.

We can turn a relatively minor setback or mistake into a much bigger deal by overanalyzing our actions (or someone else’s), or being too hard on ourselves Or we say something wrong and can’t let go of it, or we become defensive of our actions and refuse to apologize.

When I’m able to see my mistakes, admit them, and move on – I recover quickly. The result seems to be that when someone I’m working with offers a suggestion, or some type of constructive criticism, rather than feeling defensive or struggling to point out how I’m right and they are wrong, I try to keep an open mind and remain receptive to growth.

In most cases, the person making the suggestion has at very least a grain of truth or some wisdom in their suggestion. The trick seems to be the willingness to forgive yourself – and others—for being human and for making mistakes.

Once you recognize the truth of the old adage, “To err is human, to forgive is divine,” you create the emotional climate to recover from practically any mistake and move on.

IEEE launches major e-health pilot in India « IEEE Societies and Communities Blog

IEEE launches major e-health pilot in India « IEEE Societies and Communities Blog

IEEE EDS hosts Solar Day Student Competition at 2012 PVSC « IEEE Societies and Communities Blog

IEEE EDS hosts Solar Day Student Competition at 2012 PVSC « IEEE Societies and Communities Blog

Be Careful: Again become mouse

A mouse came to a saintly person: "Sir, I am very much troubled. This cat troubles me very much." "So what you want?" "Let me become a cat." "All right, you become a cat." So he became a cat. Then after few days, he came back. "Sir, still I am in trouble." "What is that?" "The dogs trouble me very much." "So what you want?" "All right, you become." Then after few days he came again... “The tiger troubles me." "What do you want?" "Now I want to become a tiger." "All right, you become a tiger." Then, when he became tiger, he began to stare at the saintly person. The saintly person, "What do you mean by this?" "I shall eat you." "Oh, you shall eat me? I have made you tiger, and you want to eat me. All right: Again you become a mouse." So our civilization is like that, that in the gradual process of evolution we have come to the platform of human being. This human being is meant for understanding God, but we are forgetting God. Just like the tiger; instead of becoming obliged, if you want to eat, then again become a mouse. If the saintly person has got the power to make you from mouse to tiger, then he can convert you again from tiger to mouse. You must always remember this. So by the grace of God, Krishna, you have become so powerful, rich, beautiful, educated. But if you misuse it, if you forget God, then you are again going to be mouse. Therefore we should be very, very careful.

फूलों सी नाजुक चीज है दोस्ती

फूलों सी नाजुक चीज है दोस्ती,
सुर्ख गुलाब की महक है दोस्ती,
सदा हँसने हँसाने वाला पल है दोस्ती,
दुखों के सागर में एक कश्ती है दोस्ती,
काँटों के दामन में महकता फूल है दोस्ती,
जिंदगी भर साथ निभाने वाला रिश्ता है दोस्ती,
रिश्तों की नाजुकता समझाती है दोस्ती,
रिश्तों में विश्वास दिलाती है दोस्ती,
तन्हाई में सहारा है दोस्ती,
मझधार में किनारा है दोस्ती,
जिंदगी भर जीवन में महकती है दोस्ती,
किसी-किसी के नसीब में आती है दोस्ती,
हर खुशी हर गम का सहारा है दोस्ती,
हर आँख में बसने वाला नजारा है दोस्ती,...

Understanding the motivation behind the criticism!

Criticism is an extremely valuable element to success. It is important to value the opinions of others and change your actions based on good feedback. It is this feedback that helps us to achieve success. The first rule of accepting criticism is to understand the motivation behind the criticism. Understanding this motivation helps you decide how valid the criticism is, and whether to accept it or not. Here are some of the more common reasons why people criticize.

Out of jealousy.

When others are jealous of your work, they will criticize with the intent of damaging your self-esteem. It is usually easy to spot this motivation because the critic will usually have something to gain by your failure.

Out of anger or frustration.

Often when someone gets frustrated they misdirect their frustration and start playing the blame game. This blame is dished out in the form of undue criticism. This kind of criticism can easily be identified by the tone and the words used to criticize.

Concerned for one's own interest.

People have different tastes and preferences. Some critics will criticize based on their own personal preferences. Take for example someone who hires an artist to paint a portrait. The one who is being painted is justified in criticizing the work based on his own personal preferences, since the work was specifically done for him.

Concerned for your best interest.

Criticism made by parents, loved ones, or good friends is usually done with your best interest in mind. This is important to realize because it is this group of "critics" that are usually the most resented for their criticism.

Hidden Thought : Count to 10 before you speak

If you react immidiately to criticism then you'll often react in a Knee-jerk manner, and the words that come outmay be overemotional, vivious and unnecessary. Count at least 10 after someone has criticised you, then respond. This simple way of calming yourself down and regaining some perspective can save you a lot of trouble and help you avoid saying something you can't take back. it's a good approach to avoid creating unnecessary problems. Maybe you've heard this one before. Its a great and practical way to look at criticism. It might be extra useful when dealing with angry, destructive criticism and nasty personal attacks.

A man interrupted one of the Buddha's lectures with a flood of abuse. Buddha waited untill he had finished and then asked him,"If a man offered a gift to another but the gift was declined, to whom would be gift belong?" "To the one who offered", said the man. "Then", said the Buddha,"I decline to accept you abuse and request you to keep it for yourself."

Simply don't accept the gift of a criticism, you don't have to. Then it still belongs tto the person who offered it.

Be Strong: Don't let your own thoughts stress you out!

Think about how often we all have conversations in the privacy of our own minds. It happens, practically nonstop, all day long, every day of our lives. We’re in the car thinking about something – a deadline, an argument, a potential conflict, a mistake, a worry, whatever. Or we’re at the office or in the shower, doing the very same thing – and it all seems so real. When we are thinking, however, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we think thoughts, not reality. Let me explain. It may seem strange, but most of us have a tendency to forget that we’re thinking because it’s something that we’re always doing – like breathing. But until I mentioned breathing, you weren’t really consciously aware that you were breathing—were you?

Thinking works in a similar way. Because it’s such a part of us, we tend to give enormous significance and take very seriously most of the thoughts that drift through our minds. We begin to treat our thoughts as if they were the real thing, allowing them to stress us out.

If you reflect on this idea, you’ll probably be able to see the practical implications. When you have a thought, that’s all it is – a thought. Thoughts certainly don’t have the power or authority to stress you out without your conscious or unconscious consent. Thoughts are just images and ideas in your mind.

Listen to the criticism and get the +ive/-ive

When someone criticizes you, instead of attacking the other person(s) for their words and building a hostile atmosphere try to calm it down. Try to remain level-headed, open and figure out how this can help you. Even when someone blurts out something not too constructive like “Your work/blog/product stinks!” you might want to ask a few open-ended questions like:

- Why does it stink?
- How can I improve it?
- How can we solve this?

If they can’t answer your questions then they are probably just lashing out. But there is sometimes valuable information in negative criticism. Try to get practical and concrete details about what’s wrong. Perhaps there is already a solution to the problem but you need more information to realise that. By improving the communication and making it more specific and detailed you can come closer to understanding each other and solving the problem. If you can understand, help and change the mood of the one delivering the criticism he or she will probably appreciate it quite a bit and you may have turned a potential conflict into a valuable relationship.

Dealing With Incompetence

Like so many things, incompetence seems to be represented by a bell shaped curve. There is always going to be a small percentage of people who are near the top, most people will fall somewhere near the middle, and a few will lie toward the bottom.

A few people in each field will be really good, most will be sort of average, and there will always be a few that make you wonder how in the world they manage to make a living.

Many people complain about incompetence, are bothered by it, discuss its rampant trend with others, and spend valuable time and energy hoping and wishing it would go away. I’ve seen people so upset about obvious incompetence that I thought they might have a heart attack or a nervous breakdown. Instead of seeing it as a necessary evil, they get all worked up, often compound the problem with their harsh reaction, and bang their head against the wall in frustration. In the end, nothing was accomplished except that the frustrated person had an emotional meltdown and made himself look bad.

In no way am I saying it’s pleasant to deal with incompetence, but if you want to avoid feeling so irritated, it’s important that you stop being so surprised and caught off guard by it. It’s helpful to understand that some degree of incompetence is about as predictable as an occasional rainy day.

The next time you run into incompetence, even if it’s deliberate, see if you can make the best of it, rectify the situation if possible, and then go on with your day. --

देवभूमि काशी : ब्रह्माण्ड में एक दिव्य स्थान

Varanasi is definitely very old and takes pleasure in a History that dates back to 3000 years. The History of Varanasi city starts with the inhabiting of some Aryan peoples out here.

Some Aryan people came from the north of country and made this land their residence. According to accepted religious myths Lord Shiva made Varanasi his habitat after marrying Parvati. Varanasi is also mentioned in the Indian epics Mahabharata, Ramayana and also in the Buddhist Jataka tales. They all are great indicator to Varanasi’s archaeological find. In History of Varanasi it is also mentioned that Lord Buddha visited here a way back in 500 B.C. Actually it was on the outer edge of Varanasi where the Lord Buddha moralized his first sermon after becoming “The Enlightened One”.

Although reading the History of Varanasi, one is sure to experience that it is a liquefying point of many different cultures. Apart from its close association with Buddhism and Hinduism, it has links with one more religion – Jainism. The Jains admire this city very greatly because their three तीर्थंकर were born here.

During continuous attacks starting with the gang of Mahmud Ghazni in 1033 CE followed by Mohammed Gori in 1193 CE. Muslims rob and destroyed Hindu temples many times in Varanasi, and used the temple stuffs to construct mosques. At the begin of the 17th century, Mughal Emperor Akber brought some relief in the demolition of Hindu temples, but at the end of 17th century, another Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb again start temple destruction. Even he renamed the Varanasi city as Mohammadabad. These years Muslim, who escaped from other parts of India, learned scholars in Varanasi. Than finally Marathas came to the salvage of the city. Varanasi lost its pride when it was under the control of Mughals but Marathas brought back the old city.

Varanasi has also been a hub of education for ages. Varanasi is linked with encouragement of spiritualism, religious studies, yoga, Hindi language, Sanskrit, and privileged with writers such as the legendary novelist Prem Chand and famous saint and poet तुलसीदास, who wrote राम चरित मानस.

******************************************************************************************************************************************

विश्व प्रसिद्द धार्मिक स्थल :

* काशी विश्वनाथ मंदिर

* संकट मोचन मंदिर

* काल भैरव मंदिर

* तुलसी मानस मंदिर

* भारत माता मंदिर

* दुर्गा जी मंदिर

विश्व प्रसिद्द ज्ञानार्जन के स्थल :

* काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय

* महात्मा गाँधी काशी विद्यापीठ

* संपूर्णानंद संस्कृत विश्वविद्यालय

* राजर्षि उदय प्रताप कॉलेज

* हरिश्चंद्र महाविद्यालय



वाराणसी के घाट :


There are number of temples on the bank of the Ganga river in Varanasi. It is believed that people are cleansed physically, mentally and spiritually at Ganga Ghats. It is at the Ganga Ghats where we see life and death together. For thousands of years people have been thronging these Ghats to offer their morning prayers to the rising sun. There are more than 100 ghats along side Ganga in Varanasi. Some of the prominent and popular Ghats at Varanasi are the दशास्वमेध घाट , मणिकर्णिका घाट , हरिश्चंद्र घाट , कबीर घाट , पंचगंगा घाट ( जहां पांच नदियों का संगम होता है ) और अस्सी घाट .

वाराणसी के पर्व :

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By virtue of its religious and cultural importance, Varanasi is abuzz with fairs and festivals all round the year. Almost every month, some important festival is celebrated in Varanasi. Besides festivals and holidays, many "Melas" or fairs are also held at Varanasi. At Varanasi, fairs and festivals are celebrated with traditional gaiety and fervor and are symbolic of celebration of life at its best. The festive atmosphere never seems to end in Varanasi. It's not important to make itinerary according to the dates and months as one can come and enjoy the festive season of Varanasi anytime of the year!





1) महाशिवरात्रि 2) भरत मिलाप 3) रंगभरी एकादशी4) बुद्ध पूर्णिमा 5) देव दीपावली 6) हनुमान जयंती 7) नाग नथैया 8) नक्क्तैया 9) राम लीला - वाराणसी

वाराणसी की विश्व प्रसिद्द कला :

* बनारसी साड़ी

* बनारसी कालीन

* बनारस के हाथ से बने वास्तुशिल्प

दर्शनीय स्थल :

* Sarnath Museum * Ashoka Lion Capital * Buddhist Temples * Chaukhandi Stupa * Dhamekh Stupa * Dharmrajika Stupa * Bharat Kala Bhavan * Banaras Hindu University * Jantar Mantar * Ramnagar Fort * Chandraprabha Sanctuary * Chunar Fort * Jaunpur * Kaushambi * Vindhyachal

Lot more to come about Varanasi in my next Blog ;

Be grateful when your mood is high ; graceful when it is low

Moods are one of those unavoidable, mysterious parts of life that must be dealt with by everyone. Our understanding of moods greatly affects not only our wisdom and perspective but our overall level of satisfaction as well. Generally speaking, when our mood is high, our spirits are up. When our mood is low, our spirits are down. Moods are like the weather, constantly changing. When we are in low mood, we think of our dissatisfactions more than when we feel good. We worry! The fascinating thing about moods is that, to a large degree, we only believe these negative, fearful, and self-defeating thoughts when our mood is low. When our mood is high, we think very differently. We don’t worry as much. The trick is to be grateful when your mood is high and graceful when it is low. Try to keep in mind the effect your mood is having on the way you are thinking and feeling. Your understanding of moods allows you to keep your perspective and not take so seriously the thoughts you are having when you are low. Rather than believing in your negative and fearful perceptions, you can dismiss them as being mood related. When you are in a low mood, don’t make important life decisions. Your thinking and wisdom are not as sound as they will be in a higher state of mind.

Beware of “thought attacks”

We think practically nonstop, all day long, every day of our lives.

For example, you might have a series of thoughts while driving to work “Oh God, today is going to be really horrible. I’ve got six meetings and must finish those two reports by noon. I dread seeing Anil because he will still be angry about the disagreement we have yesterday.”

At this point, essentially only one of two things can happen. You can either take the thoughts seriously, start feeling worried, think about them some more, analyze how difficult your life has become, feel sorry for yourself, and so forth. Or if you recognize what has just happened, if you are consciously aware that you’ve just had a mini “thought attack,” you can simply remind yourself that all that has occurred is yet another series of thoughts has traveled through your mind.

You’re not even at work yet you’re still driving in the car!

This doesn’t mean that your day is going to be trouble-free or that you’re pretending all is well and good. But think of how illogical it is to be having a bad day at work before your day officially begins.

It’s ludicrous – but that’s precisely what most of us do all day long. We have thought after thought after thought. Yet we forget that it’s thought. We treat it as real.