THE OTHER SIDE OF A COIN

               ''Will you pay the current and water bill today? '' I asked my son as he was having his morning breakfast. It was monday his weekly off and I thought he could finish all the household pending works that day. The  bills had to be paid, the tap in the kitchen needed replacement, the a.c was to be repaired.  Normally I did all the work but now due to demonetization and switch over to online transactions I had to depend on him.
  ''Papa  today I will teach you how to do online transactions.'' my son said to me . I felt very happy . In these days where children didnot bother about parents my son was ready to teach me the latest technology. I felt proud and learnt how to pay the bills online.
                 Another day when his mother asked him to get groceries  he instantly ordered them in key kirana and saw that all items were delivered home in neat and fresh condition. His mother was so happy that the pain of going to the market and spending hours together on selecting items , standing in long queues to pay the bill was not there. He booked cab for us whenever we wished to go out,  Previously he had to take us to our relatives place or temples, or movies. For that we had to wait for the day he was free to take but now everything was available at the click of a button. We were happy that we could also join the new generation.
                  But slowly I understood that I was seeing less of him. we went to temples or relatives places without him in cabs, saw movies in home theatre, paid all bills on my own without his help. He spending time with us reduced drastically and the happiness of going out as a whole family reduced . The electronic media was occupying more time and space than relations In fact it was increasing the distance between human relations making man more lazy and  greedy.
         I decided---  I had to draw a line on how much of technology was needed by a person. Next month I will ask my son to take me to where ever I want to go  instead of booking cabs or paying online!  Only if it was necessary I will opt for technology.

Bouncing deeds

    When Suma reached the bus stop she saw the old man sitting under the tree shaking like a leaf.  She felt sorry for him and thought of giving him something.  She searched her bag and found a ten rupee coin and placed it on his begging bowl. The old man said May God bless you with three times what you have donated. She looked at him surprised for his words. But at the same time her bus arrived and she boarded it. When conductor came near her  she gave him a ten rupee note.  She knew that her fare was  ten rupees and hence she gave him the money. But to her surprise the conductor gave her back money and said "Today being women's day you ladies can have a free travel anywhere today."  Suma was reminded of the beggar's words and gazed at the money for a second.
            At lunch she went to canteen to eat and ordered tiffin. The bill mounted to hundred and ten rupees. She gave a hundred and a ten rupee at the counter and the cashier gave her back ten rupee note. Puzzled she looked at him and he said "today being women's day you ladies get 10% discount on your billing."Again She was reminded of the beggar's words.  Later in the evening her friend Anita came to her and said I am going to Shirdi along with my family. I will not be coming to office for three days " Immediately Suma took out a ten rupee note and asked her to put it in the hundi. But Anita refused to take the money saying that she already had to give Suma twenty she had taken long back and said that she will put a ten in the hundi and returned another ten.Suma was left speechless. She understood one thing for sure.
     What we do to others certainly comes back to us . Beggar's  words were true.

THE PATH --- LITTLE ROUGH

                      Little  Sindhu came crying home. Daddy Raghu hurriedly lifted her asking what had happened? " My friend Meenu pushed me. I fell down and got hurt. "  she answered crying. "Come . Let's go and scold her. " Raghu said to her. Sindhu stopped crying and started smiling . Both of them started to the door. '' All these fights are a part of their playing. We need not interfere . Leave them''  said  Kavya entering into the house. Sindhu was just five years old and she was their only daughter. Both Raghu and Kavya loved her so much and never scolded her. But recently Raghu noticed that Kavya was slightly insensitive towards Sindhu. The other day Sindhu had cut her finger while sharpening her pencil and Kavya had behaved as if nothing had happened instead of panicking. 

             One day Sindhu came home from school and asked her mother to buy mobile phone similar to the one she saw with her friend. Kavya strongly refused to get her one and even slapped her when Sindu started crying badly for it. That night when Raghu returned from work Sindhu complained to him about Kavya. He said that he would talk to her mother and get a phone for her. Later after Sindhu went to bed he started discussing the matter with his wife. But Kavya strongly opposed the thought of buying a phone for her daughter. '' What is wrong in it . Nowadays children are so techie savvy and they are very intelligent too. All the children of this generation know how to use the phone . Our child should not be left behind.' Hearing this Kavya was silent for a second and then started saying. 'I do not want my child to be victim of over confidence, pride or bad behavior in future . If we start providing her all the luxuries and whatever she asks she will grow into a adamant lady in future. Let her learn adjustments with others, with nature, with environment. Let her grow naturally. We will not be with her all the time  to save her from her difficulties. Let her learn to face the harsh realities, hardships as she grows so that in future she is ready to face any dire situation.''  Raghu hearing her words understood that Kavya was the best mother in the

world and was giving the best education to her daughter.

Feb The Flying month

Facts about February
1)   In the past the month of February was considered as the month of bad luck and was devoted to honouring the dead and performing the duties of purification In fact there was a Roman ritual  februare which means to purify.
2)It is the only month which can pass with no full moon.
3) Much ado about nothing is the only Shakespeare play that mentions February.
4) February is known as the month of National pet dental health.
5) It is known as the black history month in US, Canada,UK...
6) It is dedicated to chocolate and celebrated as National chocolate lovers month.
7). It is the month where lovers enjoy as Valentine day falls in this month.
8)  Lastly it gives tension to students as exams seem fast approaching.

Positivity __The driving force

            Positive thinking means thinking on the brighter side of things or life. Positive thinking brings brightness to eyes ,more energy and happiness to mind.
             Water should keep on flowing to be fresh and useful to mankind. If it stagnates, it smells foul and becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents.  Mind is similar to water. It should be constantly working that too in positive direction. Otherwise it will start rusting and unnecessary thoughts will drag the person towards his downfall.
              We all know that ideal man's brain is devil's workshop.. So let us all make sure that we think good, so that we do good and live happily. Let's teach our children to think positively and aim high.  For this to happen we  should first become positive, ignore those who try to suppress us, forgive those who try to harm us and forget about negativity. It is really very difficult to do so but certainly it works wonders if we constantly keep trying.
              To get rid of negativity we should
1) Change your body language
2)Be creative in your thoughts and work.
3) Take a walk when confused .
4) Spend one minute calming your mind of negativity
5) List out for all that God has given you and you should be grateful for.

                             Make a habit of thinking good about something  you do not like everyday. Slowly you can see that you are thinking positively about everything without any difficulty. You will not fuss over small mistakes done by others for you will start seeing them from their angle.
              To improve positive thoughts
1)Use only positive words while talking
2)Use only  the words that evoke strength and success
3)Let your thoughts not wander.Direct them in positive direction
4) Push out all that is negative from your mind.
5) Believe in yourself and your success.
6) Read good books and success stories.
        So be positive and see the difference it makes.

Dear soldier. I salute you

A person cannot live alone in this world . He needs the help of his parents, family , and friends to live happily.  Even the milkman, the grocer, the doctor play an important role in our lives. Of course we thank them for the help they have rendered.  But have we ever thought of the soldiers  who are always alert  so that we can relax. The soldiers who do not enjoy birthday parties , festivals, or  ceremonies are the people to whom we should show our gratitude in the front. They sacrifice their happiness for the sake of our well-being.  We enjoy the feats displayed by them during the republic day celebrations or on Navy day,army day.....  But is that enough?   
         So what else should we do?   We should try to make them a part of our family. But how?  What do we do with our family.? We try to safe guard their interests by not letting them down ,by seeing that they are happy.  We pray to God to take care of them.  So why not we do the same with our soldiers? Why not we pray every day that they are healthy and safe  so that they can do their duties properly.
           Let us take a resolution on this republic day that we shall give due respect to our soldiers, see that they stay healthy and happy . We should make a habit of including the soldiers well-being in our everyday prayers. We should also cultivate the courage they display....That is to help the fellow citizens in emergency and dire situations.  and not leave them to their mercy. 
                           .       Happy Republic day.!

SMALL GESTURES.

 The words 'please 'and 'thank you' are used by each one of us in our daily life so many times. Do you know how much powerful they are?  Here is an example.  A lady had a habit of buying betel leaves from a paan broker every week she went to buy vegetables in the vegetable market. She used to give change of ten rupees to paan seller and get the betel leaves from him As betel leaves were not easily available there she could not get them anywhere else and was forced to give ten rupees for four leaves instead ten leaves . But instead of grumbling over the loss she used to thank the paan seller for selling the betel leaves for they donot appreciate the idea of selling the leaves separately instead of paan. [two leaves are enough to make a paan and it costs about three times the rate of leaves.]. This paan seller also used to provide change to that lady.

           One day it had rained heavily and the market was very slippery . There were very few people at the market and they were in a hurryto return to their homes before it started to rain again. Unfortunately this lady slipped and hurt her leg. It pained a  lot and she could not move her leg.  There was no one to help her. She tried calling her husband frantically but of no use. She did not know what to do. Nobody was ready to help her.  But then this paan wallah came to her rescue.  He got a auto , helped her to get in and sent her home. It might be a small help but a timely one   A timely help is always appreciated than an ordinary one.  All she did to get that timely help was just saying the two ordinary words  'please and thank-you.

FARTHER THE BETTER

                             

  Just now I read an article about effects of alcohol  by my blogger friend Mr Alok Singhal. What he has expressed is exactly true.  But I think  that if a person starts consuming alcohol, he slowly gets addicted to it and it is a herculean task for him to refrain from drinking. Slowly the quantity he drinks increases leading him to all illness. This habit haunts him till his death. So it is always better to stay from this. Why to entertain a habit when we know that nothing useful comes out of it?  
                                                         

A HEARTY MESSAGE

                         Of late ,many people are dying because of heart attacks-----a sign of defeat in the age of modern technology. The reason may be junk food, bad life style, stress,  or what not . Even youngsters of the age 35 or 40 are becoming victims of the heart attack. They value money more than health as a result spend most of the time in earning money. They are not health conscious, smoke, drink, eat junk food which all lead to the blocking of arteries and valves. And one day or perhaps one fine night they get a stroke. A few years before only ma ternary hospitals were full of patients. But of late cardiologists, urologists, oncologists all have pockets full of patients and accounts full of money.
                        The common man unaware of the sequences gets addicted to bad habits at the college age and by the time he starts realizing his mistakes and starts correcting them it is too late. When he himself is unable to walk in a right path what is he going to teach his children? Youngsters atleast  now start thinking. See the evil effects of bad habits and stop them atonce. Practice yoga and medication to overcome stress. Live and lead a healthy life. Let your children learn your good qualities. Then you can rest in peace at your old age not worrying about children's health for they would have learnt only good things from you

imPURE PICTURE

                      They tell they respect women -

but the photos they post decrease the impact of the message they try to deliver. Should they not try to put a more decent photo of a pregnant woman which is ofcourse not difficult to get.  When the mind starts thinking pure,  pure actions will follow.  

SALUTE TO AGE

                     I am so confused today on reading an article about how an 92 year old lady still works to earn a living. this information was posted on facebook and she got many likes. My confusion was should such an old woman work still? If she has children and still has to work  government should see that her children are punished for making her work. If she has none to look after then government should arrange for a living.  At that ripe age none would like to work. Their heart and soul  yearn for rest and we should understand it. And
that too making them do difficult tasks just in the name of dignity or respect is a sure no--no!
                                                      

A SHELTERING DEED

                 Food, clothing and shelter are the important  basic needs of every living person. Some are blessed to have these in abundance while some are deprived of these basic needs.  While food and  clothing can be arranged for the needy with the help of philanthropists and like minded people, arranging dwellings or helping the poor to have their own shelters is a difficult task, as it involves a lot of money, labour and time. Since Christian Sarkar  has taken a step forward. to provide those who live in dark ghettos with low cost housing solution, this should be appreciated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haMM-hiG6k4
                         A proper house is a dream for many which sometimes goes unfulfilled. so when such a option like low cost housing solution is available ,  many are likely to get benefited.So Sarkar can be thanked for puttingforth such a idea

REVIVING THE PAST

                      Today I saw a  talented man in my lane  He was carrying a basket full of bamboo guitars, balancing it carefully on his head .  He was playing it with his two hands , walking briskly in the lane , trying to sell them.  This instrument was simple in its structure--just a strong twig of desired length  with a small cup made of clay at one end . another twig and string in bow shape.  even though it was simple  it give out melodious tunes, and the person was talented in giving out latest numbers. such artists should be encouraged by the govt for they are struggling to survive.

TODAY'S SEED IS TOMORROW'S TREE

             Just because you have iron deficiency you do not eat iron bars or coins.similarly since you have job deficiency you should not take  anti social activities. no one is going to gain anything by killing others. what you sow ,you reap the same. Today if you resort to killing, tomorrow you will be killed.

                  So let us make sure that our children understand that human life is the -most important thing than any mortal thing. The more you make the world happy, the more happier you are.

SOMETHING DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW

                            Now a days celebrating a festival seems to do more harm than help. Each and every festival is associated with pollution. Think about the amount of noise  and debris involved  on Diwali day does it not point to sound and land pollution?  If you talk about Ganesh chathurthi,  it involves a lot water pollution taking place . Same is the case when we celebrate  Dassera.  Holi is no less , it not only pollutes but the chemicals involved harm both men and plants..... a reason to worry.

                           So let's think before we celebrate the festivals. They can be celebrated in a peaceful manner by doing social work . The lakhs of money involved  can be used for laying proper roads in their area , by cleaning garbages and slums,  constructing proper schools and hospitals  for the unprivileged ,educating a poor child, blood donation  etc . For this to happen govt should take the proper step It should give incentives to people who avoid pollution and participate in social work. That might bring a change in the attitude of the people.

YOUTH STOP AND THINK BEFORE YOU ACT

                              I am still wondering to know where the mistake lies?  Does it lie in our education system or in the unemployment thereby resulting poverty problem persisting in our country ?  Today's youth are slowing turning to small crimes  like pick pocketing, chain snatching  illicit relationships and robberies.Recently when I went to a engineering college,  my purse along with my cell was robbed. It was definitely the work of a students as I was .with the students all the time. It pained me a lot to think that students are restorting to such immoral acts.  No, not the money I lost or trouble of lodging complaint or buying a new one matters me,  but the level to which the students have stooped pains me. What moral values will they teach their children if they themselves resort to such mean acts?

                                  Stealing money in buses, chain snatching on roads, robbery near ATM's or banks can be thought of the handwork of someone who is a regular wrong doer, but in my case it was a student who had done it. For a moment I thought it was  a waste to blog to youth on moral values as noone is going to listen, but let continue  for even if  one mind changes from vice to nice my aim is
fulfilled.

YOUTH AND CREATIVITY

                      When you try to do something good or innovative , you come across many obstacles which try to pull you down. Some try to frighten you by saying that 'you will be left alone to fight' , or ' you will be the odd man in the crowd'  'you will lose health, wealth, happiness or peace'. But if you really wish to succeed, you have to ignore all these remarks and proceed towards your goal with determination and full fledged interest .

Anything got easily will not give much pleasure. Only the success got after struggle and hard work will be cherished .......... just like  butterfly........the more it struggles ,the more stronger are its wings

                                   so, youth decide what you would like

FAIRER SEX TO BE FIRST

                                One  learns to earn  If , what a person has learned does not help him to earn,  is there any use of such education?  Recently I came across a doctor who had spent half  his life time in serving the poor. What he earned through it  was a meager amount compared to the amount he had spent on it.  But the satisfaction he derived---- nothing can be compared to it. but how many of us are willing to do so?  Most of us want our  kids to earn more than what we earn.

                                   I think most of you have gone through one or the other matrimony column. It might read like this. wanted  for a fair, 160 cms tall, B Tech bride  a groom tall, handsome, earning 1.5lakhs per month.

                     When girls earn high  salaries there is nothing wrong in expecting a higher salary earning husband. But is that all they need in life? Is money everything ? When can we see an ad like this

                   wanted a boy good looking, well educated, willing to part 5% of his salary to social causes every month.......................

                    The day the mindset of women change ,the country will benefit ........for....... behind everyman there is a woman. 
                   SO   let we, the ladies take the initial step to help the needed.

                       

HELPING HANDS---2

                            
                   These days we come across people asking to donate for one or the other social cause. Once in a fortnight either a person from so called social organisation or deaf and dumb person showing a letter requesting to help him stand at our doorstep. If not these  people,  a brahmin asking monetary help for his daughter's marriage has become a common sight. How far does the money we donate reach the genuinely needed ?  Helping a needed soul is good  At the same is it not our right to really know that money reaches proper hands. So better take out some time from your busy schedule to know that money you donate is properly channelized

          
    Why not help those  whom you know fairly well.for example----educating your servant or driver's child or providing medicine for the really poor and sick living pathetically in government hospital Even talking to them patiently will relieve them of some pain

   So think twice before you blindly donate  to anyone. By the way  I think donating a rupee or two to a beggar at a traffic signal is not actually helping them In fact we are promoting their laziness  So let's not do that mistake unless we are sure that our hard earned rupee is used properly.

PUNCH WITH PETROL

Some have twittered that Vijay Mallya  should be happy seeing the escalating prices of petrol for his beer is cheaper now. It is true that common man  is left to suffer at the cost of the rich few. But now not only thecommon  man, majority of the people  will learn to adjust  and use public transport instead of travel ling independently in own vehicle. They might  go for  bicycles also which  is good for  their health. This also reduces pollution,  prevent traffic jams , minimize the travel time, thus saving both money and oil. The parents will hesitate to buy two wheelers for their children and hence the number of accidents may reduce.     So owning  a vehicle was yesterday’s luxury ,today’s necessity  but tomorrow’s unnecessary waste.. See the numerous advantages of the rise in petrol prices and so donot  grumble