Being with Lord Almighty's destitute...

तुम पास पास रहना तुम साथ साथ रहना
राही नया नया हूं हमराही बन के रहना I
(LIVE FROM SHIRDI)

Family of Nelson Mandela: His health is in God's hands now By CNN Staff July 1, 2013 -- Updated 1353 GMT (2153 HKT

Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- The former wife of Nelson Mandela visited him Sunday in the hospital where the ailing anti-apartheid icon is clinging to life, the South African Press Association reported.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who was married to the former South African president from 1958 to 1996, described what it's like to see her former husband of 38 years struggle to live in an exclusive interview with UK network ITV News.

"It is extremely painful to see him going through what he's going through now. But it's God's wish," Winnie Mandela told ITV.

Nelson Mandela, 94, remains in critical but stable condition at a Pretoria hospital where he has been battling a recurring lung infection since June 8.

Opinion: In an African slum, talking to Mandela

His condition worsened last week with family members saying his health was "delicate" and "anything is imminent." But daughter Zindzi Mandela told ITV between hospital visits that her father is alert and recognizes when a new person enters his hospital room.

"The one time he did speak was to tell my mom to sit down ... because she was standing at the edge of his bed," she said, laughing.

As his condition has deteriorated, South Africans have gathered outside the hospital, praying, lighting candles and leaving notes for the man they refer to as "tata," the Xhosa word for father. Those tributes continued Sunday as a Salvation Army band played hymns near the hospital and well-wishers gathered to be close to their beloved Madiba.

Winnie Mandela shot down any suggestion that the family was discussing whether to end life support.

"It was nonsense to suggest we needed to take a decision to pull the tubes," she told ITV.

Obama challenges students to follow Mandela legacy

Mandela became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid, the country's system of racial segregation. He was elected the nation's first black president in 1994, four years after he was freed. Even as he has faded from the spotlight, he remains popular and is considered a hero of democracy worldwide.

CNN

Thought of the day...

“If you are depressed you are living in the past.

If you are anxious you are living in the future.

If you are at peace you are living in the present.” - Lao Tzu

Our so-called 21st Century!

Living in the 21st century and still people thinking in the same way and with the same ideology as in the time of cavemen! What we accept or reject is based on our values, thoughts and beliefs incluenced by our norms. What we accept may be challenged by others..does that imply we should be declaring war on everything? The world is globalising but will our thoughts and values ever go beyond its own limits to open doors for more ideas and creativity or shall we simply accept our imposed culture for the sake of acceptance by the mass. Fear breads cowardness which in turn breeds incapability to progress..

One of the most revolutionary Indian Poems ever: 'Taj'

ताज कविता

हाय! मृत्यु का ऐसा अमर, अपार्थिव पूजन?

जब निषण्ण, निर्जीव पड़ा हो जग का जीवन!

संग-सौध में हो श्रृंगार मरण का शोभन,

नग्न, क्षुधातुर, वास-विहीन रहें जीवित जन?

मानव! ऐसी भी विरक्ति क्या जीवन के प्रति?

आत्मा का अपमान, प्रेत औ’ छाया से रति!!

प्रेम-अर्चना यही, करें हम मरण को वरण?

स्थापित कर कंकाल, भरें जीवन का प्रांगण?

शव को दें हम रूप, रंग, आदर मानव का

मानव को हम कुत्सित चित्र बना दें शव का?

गत-युग के बहु धर्म-रूढ़ि के ताज मनोहर

मानव के मोहांध हृदय में किए हुए घर!

भूल गये हम जीवन का संदेश अनश्वर,

मृतकों के हैं मृतक, जीवतों का है ईश्वर!

ताज -सुमित्रानंदन पंत

कवि  सुमित्रानंदन पंत

जन्म 20 मई 1900

जन्म स्थान कौसानी, उत्तराखण्ड, भारत

मृत्यु  28 दिसंबर, 1977

मृत्यु स्थान प्रयाग, उत्तर प्रदेश

मुख्य रचनाएँ        वीणा, पल्लव, चिदंबरा, युगवाणी, लोकायतन, हार, आत्मकथात्मक संस्मरण- साठ वर्ष, युगपथ, स्वर्णकिरण, कला और बूढ़ा चाँद आदि

Hinduism in the 21st century!

     "If Hinduism is a religion still alive and growing today, it is solely because of the eternal truths it embodies. Assess the validity of this statement and describe, in your words what the future of Hinduism might be."

<< If I were asked to define the Hindu creed, I should simply say : Search after the truth through non-violent means. A man may not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth. Hinduism is the religion of truth. Truth is God. Denial of God we have known. Denial of truth we  have not known. >>

---Mahatma Gandhi

     Hinduism is the predominant of the Indian subcontinent, and one of its indigenous religions. Hinduism includes Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Śrauta among numerous other traditions. It also includes historical groups, for example the Kapalikas. Among other practices and philosophies, Hinduism includes a wide spectrum of laws and prescriptions of "daily morality" based on karma, dharma, and societal norms. Hinduism is a conglomeration of distinct intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid common set of beliefs.

     Since ages, Hinduism has been portraying a very long and opulent antiquity. The ideas and ideals, percepts and practices, means and modalities, rules and regulations of conduct put forth in Hinduism are indeed worth emulating. In other words, if Hinduism is still alive and growing today, it is solely because it is a whole way of life as well as a highly organised social and religious system. The infinite, eternal truths it embodies makes it an ever-growing entity analogous to a flowing river absorbing many streams and tributaries on its way.

     Similarly, Hinduism represents the religious responses of different races and classes at various stages of cultural evolution. Hinduism has been a growing religion ever since its very inception. The Shruti (what has been heard), the Smriti (what has been remembered), the Vedas and the Upanishads all represent the various cornerstones upholdin the ultimate truths embodied by Hinduism. For instance, the central theme of the Upanishads is the absolute and profound quest for the ultimate truth, that is, God.

A well known shloka from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is:

ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय । तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।।

मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय । ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्ति ।।

– बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् 1.3.28.

Asato ma sad gamaya

Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya

Mrtayorma amritam gamaya

Which means

From unreal lead me to real

From darkness lead me to light

From death lead me to immortality

     The message of the Upanishads has, since eras, been of utmost importance to this divine religion of God, Hinduism. The truth embraced by the the opulent Upanishads is parallel to the light of the morning, like the pure air of the mountains, so simple and so true to mankind, ifonce fully grasped to the inner soul. More to this, Ram Mohan Roy, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda have found in the Upanishads, the call for civilisation, rational strength and faith in the strength of Spirit. Hitherto, in the words of the Great Swami Vivekananda:

''Tell the truth boldly, whether it hurts or not.

Never pander to weakness.

 If truth is too much for intelligent people and sweeps them away, let them go: the sooner, the better.''

---Swami Vivekananda

     Furthermore, Hinduism is not only the religion of truth, but also, that of the conscience, reason and independent thinking. The Puranas, one of the major pillars of Hinduism, are solemnly part of the Smriti and follow the itihasa (epics) in point of time and importance. The Puranas, as related by Sages Valmiki and Vashist, are all pantheistic and revealed to mankind by gods to authors. They are all written in verses whereby accounting the pronounced and distinguished truth of:

I.       The creation of the world

II.    The family history of gods and sages

III. The destruction of the universe

IV. Its re-creation

V.    Dynastic legends of the solar and lunar dynasties

One of the most prominent reasons behind the infinite propagation of the religion of God, Hinduism is definitely because of the eternal and abysmal truths codified in the six Vishnu Puranas, six Shiva Puranas and, not forgetting, the heirloom six Brahma Puranas whereby the whole human kind is psychologically benefitted.

Aum bhur bhvah svah

Tat Savitur varenyam

Bhargo devasya dhimahi

Dhiyo yo naha prachodayat

In other words

''We meditate on the transcendal glory of the Deity Supreme,

who is inside the heart of the Earth,

inside the life of the sky,

and inside the soul of the heaven.

May He stimulate and illuminate our minds.''

---The Gaytri Mantra

     Hinduism, additionally encourages mankind to grasp the eternal truths of life-

Whatever takes form is false.

Only the formless endures.

When you understand

The truth of this teachin,

You will not be born again.

For God is infinte,

Within the body and without,

Like a mirror,

And the image in a mirror,

As the air is everywhere,

Flowing around a pot

And filling it,

So God everywhere,

Filling all things

And flowing through them everywhere.

---Ashtavakra Gita  1:18-20

     Moreover, it is noteworthy to mention that the Mahabharata holds an unparallel historic epic in the world of Hinduism. Maharsi Vyasa declares-

Dharme charthey cha kame cha mokshe cha purusharbh I

Yadihaasti tadanyatra yannehaasti na tatkavachit II

- Maha.Adi. 62153

    

     Conversely, the Mahabharata also sheds light on the ultimate truth that the Brahmanas were proudly created in view of preserving the Vedas and the other scriptures, the Kshatriyas for ruling the Earth, for they were believed to be the only medium towards prevailing the truth to all human kind on Earth. The Mahabharata also lays tremendous emphasis on the universal application of truth and honest means in the family, society as well as the World, for they are believed to be ascribed values.

     Hinduism as it is commonly known can be subdivided into a number of major currents. Of the historical division into six darsanas, only two schools, Vedanta and Yoga, survive. The main divisions of Hinduism today are Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Smartism and Shaktism.[47] Hinduism also recognizes numerous divine beings subordinate to the Supreme Being or regards them as lower manifestations of it.[48] Other notable characteristics include a belief in reincarnation and karma, as well as in personal duty, or dharma.

McDaniel (2007) distinguishes six generic "types" of Hinduism, in an attempt to accommodate a variety of views on a rather complex subject:[49]

I.       Folk Hinduism, as based on local traditions and cults of local deities at a communal level and spanning back to prehistoric times or at least prior to written Vedas.

II.    Śrauta or "Vedic" Hinduism as practiced by traditionalist brahmins (Śrautins).

III. Vedantic Hinduism, for example Advaita Vedanta (Smartism), as based on the philosophical approach of the Upanishads.

IV. Yogic Hinduism, especially that based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

V.    "Dharmic" Hinduism or "daily morality", based on Karma, and upon societal norms such as Vivāha (Hindu marriage customs).

VI. Bhakti or devotionalist practices

     Hindus recognize three possible paths to moksha, or salvation. The first is the way of works or karma yoga. This is a very popular way of salvation and lays emphasis on the idea that liberation may be obtained by fulfilling one’s familial and social duties thereby overcoming the weight of bad karma one has accrued.

The second way of salvation is the way of knowledge, or jnana yoga. The basic premise of the way of knowledge is that the cause of our bondage to the cycle of rebirths in this world is ignorance. According to the predominant view among those committed to this way, our ignorance consists of the mistaken belief that we are individual selves, and not one with the ultimate divine reality – Brahman. It is this same ignorance that gives rise to our bad actions, which result in bad karma. Salvation is achieved through attaining a state of consciousness in which we realize our identity with Brahman. This is achieved through deep meditation, often as a part of the discipline of yoga.

The third way of salvation is the way of devotion, or bhakti yoga. This is the way most favored by the common people of India. It satisfies the longing for a more emotional and personal approach to religion. It involves the self-surrender to one of the many personal gods and goddesses of Hinduism. Such devotion is expressed through acts of worship, temple rituals, and pilgrimages. Some Hindus conceive of ultimate salvation as absorption into the one divine reality, with all loss of individual existence. Others conceive of it as heavenly existence in adoration of the personal God.

     Accordingly, Hinduism is an unfalteringly tolerant religion. By virtue of its being a huge and opulent universe of religions, tolerance has become a necessity of its nature, thus leading the path of mankind towards truthfulness. This spirit of high tolerance has rendered possible the emergence of newer and more elevated and magnificent forms of Hinduism. In addition, it has also made it possible for some to exercise the greatest possible religious freedom. Truth, patience and perseverance are the real means for spiritual elevation and all these innate values of Hinduism are clearly demonstrated and viewed in the Hindu festivals. They have a purifying and intrinsic viable effect on the devotees. The Hindu festivals are the remover of all pains and sorrows, bestower of sheer happiness and honesty, as well as creator of brotherhood and equity. Below are examples of some of the most pious verses of Lord Ganesh, on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, Hindu festival not only depicting union and fervour but also the triumph og untruth over truthfulness:

 No reflection is possible in a lake which is not still
Your form can not stay in a disturbed mind
Fill fully in my mind and give me peace of mind
Pillayaya! The Presiding Deity of Yanam town!
-----
 Originating calmly in a tiny way in Nasika Thrayambaka
Receiving waters from tributaries and rivulets through Maharashtra and Andhra,
Becoming water to cleanse the Divine Feet of Lord Ramachandra at Bhadradri,
Encircling Lord Veerabhadreswara at Pattiseema,
Turning into a huge river and Annapurna at Rajahmundry,
Then proceeding from there, at a spot, just before Godavari merges her Lord, the Sea
You reside, Grace me with your benevolent looks
Pillaraya! The Presiding Deity of Yanam town!
-----
 You, the Lord of Fulfillments and Intellect
Your brother, Lord of Sri Valli and the Divine Army, Devasena
Will be blessing us with good intentions, riches and wealth
Pillaraya! The Presiding Deity of Yanam town!

What is the future of hinduism?

At present, Hindu mythology is under strain from two opposite tendencies that are not entirely unrelated to broader debates about religion and politics in India and the diaspora. There seems to be a "didactic" extreme and an "experimental" extreme in present approaches to the tales of the gods. The didactic tendency views mythology as a litany of facts about history and geography. It shows up in some of the recent animated mythological movies. The gods are depicted like pop culture superhero figures while a pedantic voice lists facts about them. The experimental tendency, on the other hand, sees mythology as open to virtually any sort of reinterpretation without regard to virtue or intent. Some artists and intellectuals espouse this view, and end up assuming that any imputation of sanctity to mythology is inherently fundamentalist.

Despite these unfortunate extremes, it is my belief that the tales of the gods, like the philosophy that is infused in them, like Hinduism as a whole, are deeper and more resilient than any constraint that our era can put on them. Commercialism may have turned mythology into a media formula, with virtually any movie being cited as a retelling of the Ramayana and Mahabharata  politics may have rubbed the stories of the gods the wrong way, from Right and from Left, leaving out the greatness of heart in them altogether. But when we look at the history of our "myths" more accurately, we will surely find what it was about them that made them both timeless and timely for so many generations. After all, even in the relatively short span that these tales have appeared in the media, there are great contributions only beginning to be acknowledged. For instance, long before mythological allegedly provoked religious extremism by turning up on Indian television in the 1980s, they were sparking the spirit of Gandhi, social reform, and Indian independence in the stages and cinema halls of early 20th century India (seen in the work of film pioneers Phalke and Nagiah). The question for us to ask now is what the tales of the gods need to liberate us from in the future. In an age of terrorism, wars, environmental degradation, financial hoaxes and mass mediated delusions, the need for the tales of the gods is stronger than ever. The challenge for us is simply to tell them better.

A.HEERAH

UPPER 6 S2 STUDENT

DR MAURICE CURE STATE COLLEGE

Dr Maurice Curé State College: the history beghind the school

The Dr Maurice Curé State Secondary school opened its doors for the girls in 1977 at a time when free education had only just been introduced in Mauritius. In honour to those who made this possible the new school situated at Vacoas was named after one of the founders of the Mauritian Labour Party, Dr Maurice Curé. It is a matter of pride to know that our school was only the third secondary school for girls.

  

For those who remember the old green building made of wood, it used to be a hospital for The Royal Navy which then got converted into a building to provide education to girls. To populate the school an ad was placed in the newspapers and girls from other schools were accepted. At that time Dr Maurice Curé was just a state school, it was only later that it became known as a star school.

You will be surprised to know that our school which now houses close to 1000 pupils used to constitute of only 74 students divided in two classes and 7 teachers. The yard was mostly green with grass and more trees than classes. The school body were all held in the old green building which was brought down in 2008 to be replaced by The Administration building. In 1977 there was no rector, the school were managed by Miss Medha Motee and Mr Goordyall. The school’s first rector,Miss Arlette Bazire came in 1980 and from then the construction and the development of the school began. Laboratories were installed and more buildings were built to house the ever-growing population.

Dr Maurice Curé SSS got its first laureates in 1984,Dehoutee Balgobin and Marie Louise Gautray and from then on the rector changed and new teachers were brought in order to make DMC one of the best secondary school in Mauritius and they succeeded.

Even now we still have the best teachers at our disposal and it is within our reach to make the name of the school shine. So even though we have not had any laureates for the past two years, we know we will not give up. Our school is still among the best. We, the new generations, will willingly contribute to the enhancing of our school’s history and to add our names to the board of laureates ornating the wall of the school’s gymnasium.

A break for jokes!

New Employment Rules

SICK DAYS

We will no longer accept a doctor's certificate as proof of sickness. If you are able to get to the doctor, you are able to come into work.

SURGERY

Operations are now banned. As long as you are an employee here, you need all your organs. You should not consider having anything removed. We hired you intact. To have something removed constitutes a breach of employment.

HOLIDAYS

Each employee will receive 104 holidays per year. They are called Saturday and Sunday.

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE

This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends or relatives. Every effort should be made to have non-employees to attend to the arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled for the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch-hour and subsequently leave one hour early, provided your share of the work is done.

ABSENT FOR YOUR OWN DEATH

This will be accepted as an excuse. However, we require at least two weeks notice to allow time for you to train your own replacement.

TOILET USE

Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilets. In the future, we will follow the practice of going in alphabetical order. For instance: All employees whose names begin with 'A' will go from 8.00 to 8.20, employees whose names begin with 'B' will go from 8.20 to 8.40 and so on. If you are unable to go at your allotted time, it will be necessary to wait until the next day when your turn comes again. In extreme emergencies employees may swap their time with a co-worker. Both workers' supervisors must approve this exchange in writing.

In addition, there is now a strict 3-minute time limit in the toilets. At the end of 3 minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper will retract, and the door will open.

LUNCH BREAK

Skinny people get an hour for lunch as they need to eat more so they can look healthy, normal size people get 30 minutes for lunch to maintain their average figure. Fat people get 5 minutes for lunch because that's all the time needed to drink a Slimfast and take a diet pill.

DRESS CODE

It is advised that you must come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing designer clothing we will assume that you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a payrise.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternations or input should be directed elsewhere.

Have a nice day!

The Management