Is a prayer answered? Yes, if you really believe so
When you align with forces above – of course that entails belief and persistent Sadhna, the Universal Power comes to your rescue when you are trapped in crisis. And you come out. In the common area near the entrance of most hospitals we find a prominently affixed statue of God. That has loads of meaning. […]
Is consumer really a king, or a captive?
Adept in reading your mind & heart, the marketer instantly assesses your affordability to buy the product or services. You are trapped and return from market with something you didn’t plan or need. The current scenario of material ambitions and show of ostentations driving people offers unending opportunities for the market to flourish and eventually […]
Mother tongue: Trigger for individual and social growth
The growth and prosperity of an individual, society or nation is a function of esteem and affinity one has for nativity that includes the language that parents taught us. We have already paid heavily for neglect of our mother tongue. This International Mother Language Day (21 February), let us see how best to re-align ourselves […]
Valentine showers are not for the beloved alone
‘Love’ is very strong force that works when any other power – money, muscle or political power fails. Why to restrict its multifarious benefits to beloved alone? In this stress-laden age and era torn with turmoil and conflicts, let none be deprived of the Valentine showers. With flowers beginning to sprout, weather pleasant and ambience […]
For prosperity, take care of girl child
A well educated, nurtured girl is likely to be a big asset to the family, society and nation. Any discrimination against her is likely to cost too much in long run. In my early teens in 1960s, a typical scene of Republic Day parade in Delhi’s India Gate lawns ever perplexed me. As the group […]
In the festival of lights, bank on the light already within
Come the eighth month Kartik of Hindu calendar, the no-moon day is agog with illumination of homes, government buildings, workplaces and industrial houses of northern and other parts of the country. A few days later similar lighting is fervently observed by the Sikh people. To Hindus in particular, Diwali or Deepavali (literally meaning the array […]
Magnanimity of a petty vendor
As we were to set out with our two children for day-long trip of the holy city of Rishikesh after breakfast at our sister’s home where we were lodged, I suggested her two kids to join us, which would be a bonus pleasure to them. They were, as if awaiting the opportunity. I recalled my […]
Let interpersonal spaces be bridged, not widened
Interpersonal spaces determine behaviour, communication and social interaction patterns. Knowledge of how much distance to maintain in different contexts facilitates healthy growth of individuals and society. Kahlil Gibran’s often-quoted line, “Let there be spaces in our togetherness” is more than an admonition against intruding into personal affairs of others. A pun is intended in ‘spaces’. […]
Skip the words, read the intent
Due to poor vocabulary, not everyone is adept in proper use of words. Don’t go just by what she or he said. Try to understand the intention. Relations break, malice and enmities crop up when we take the words at their face value. Sitting with my uncle in his electrical parts shop in downtown Delhi, […]
Anatomy of suicide: Ethical considerations
The entire home and neighbourly ambience is agog with happiness and joy at the advent of a child … with so many expectations from family members and others. Yet a moment comes when the same person decides to end one’s life. What leads him to resort to this heinous act?
Making the best of times during the lock down
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …” This opening line of ‘Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens was meant to pinpoint the-then glaringly divergent conditions of contemporary London and erstwhile Paris; however, it is more true to the home-bound Indians today than it was to Brits way […]
Learning before it is too late
Ironically, the gravitas of precepts of teachers and the other elderly is often realised belatedly. However, the revelation is useful for a more meaningful life and key to sustained teacher-student bonds. The news of demise of Mr S.C. Sharma, our teacher in class VII, immersed me down the memory lane of school days in mid […]