Ideas & Inspirations

MIND SET - LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX - acknowledgement Neelabh TOI 28.09.2008

2008-09-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

As I told you recently, i am seriously getting involved with the blog that is close to my heart.

Today I present something which talks of courage in the context of current topicality of environment....

Trust this will touch you all the way it touched me

With Best wishes,

Ashis Sen

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LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX by Neelabh
Jump into the storm, do not stand on the sidelines, too scared to do anything about the ugliness around you, says Skye Thomas

Most of the world likes to play it safe. They go to their safe jobs, come home to their safe relationships, they drive safe cars, they invest money in safe corporations, they think safe thoughts, and they want nothing more than to feel safe and secure. Survival of the fittest dictates that these people live another day and therefore get to breed and would make up the majority of the population. We could say that they play it smart. But there is another kind, too. This other group lives for thrills. They don’t just occasionally think outside the box, they actually prefer to live outside the box. This is a group who thrives on adventure, change, and newness. They love innovative new ideas, they like to explore new things, and push the envelope beyond its capabilities. They are the visionaries who perceive something beyond where we stand today. This group often does not feel understood nor supported by the mainstream population. They are not rebels, although they are often accused of being rebellious because they do not embrace the status quo. This group is not anti-anything. They do not define themselves by not being a member of someone else’s group. They do not require group consensus to be who they are. Young adults often think that by dressing badly or by misbehaving that they are somehow brave and different from whatever it is that they are opposing, but that is not revolutionary and different, that is just anger turned inside out. Most of the time they are not accomplishing anything by simply making a mess of their lives. They are not making a point, they are not changing the world, they are simply behaving in a manner that causes people to shun them. That is not the group i am talking about today. This group is made up of people like Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Nikola Tesla, Susan B Anthony, Melissa Etheridge, Nelson Mandela, and countless others who do not strive to be different nor to go against the mainstream beliefs. They simply are different, they think different, they live different, and they make passionate choices to contribute something meaningful to humanity despite the fact that others oppose them. All of these people stand tall despite the chaos and anger of those surrounding them. “Why can’t you just leave well enough alone? Why do you always have to push people too far? Why can't you just get along?” Those who would keep things safe and comfortable become frightened and angry at these innovative new thinkers. They torment them, threaten them, mistreat them, ostracize them, and create a storm of ugliness to try and stop these people from simply sharing the gifts of their hearts that they were born to share with humanity. Years later, often after they have long been dead, future generations can look back in hindsight and see their bravery as admirable. But in the moment, these people are historically treated terribly. These people are typically men and women of peace who do not go out with an angry rebellious need to stir up trouble. They fight for higher ideals because in their heart of hearts they truly believe that things could be better for mankind. They hold a vision of better things to come and they follow that vision wherever it takes them. Today there are millions of people who would change the world with their beautiful openminded hearts and their incredibly brilliant minds, especially the upcoming teenagers and young adults in their early twenties. They feel that there is no point in even trying because the current political and cultural environment is so against them. I would be lying if i claimed that what you see as extreme hostility towards change was not at a peak right now.

You are right. They do not want to change again, but you are right, it is time for another change and you are the ones to help bring it. Do not be afraid of the backlash. Stand tall and do what you know in your heart is right and just for all, not just what benefits a chosen few. You know that ignorance can no longer rule the people. You know that blind obedience is no longer a viable option.

To you I say, meet me in the eye of the storm and together we will steer this mess in another direction. Jump into the storm. Do not stand on the sidelines too lazy and scared to do anything about all of the ugliness going on around you. Jump into the storm. Swim and fight your way to the center of the vortex. There we will sit together in the quiet and find the solutions.

Until we embrace the eye of the storm and really see what is at the root of humanity's hatred of each other, we will never find a longterm solution that creates real peace and equality for everyone. We need to heal our planet, our bodies, and the spiritual hearts of our species. People say that the signs are all here and Armageddon has begun. Why save the planet if the savior is coming to take the good and holy people away to a better place? Since we are not going to be here much longer, we may as well fry it on our way out. How selfish to assume that your god will come carry you off to heaven, therefore you do not have to care for the people and planet that are going to be left in the wake of your final choices.

Who is to say that is not the ultimate test of who stays and who gets to ascend to a better place? If you had to pick and choose who were truly worthy of burning in hell or going to heaven, would you pick the folks who were killing and raging war in the name of God or would you pick the people who were crying out for love, equality, and to save the planet?

I stand here in the eye of the storm, turmoil and war all around me, my heart quiet and strong. The vision is very clear here. I will do my part to save the planet for the sake of those left behind. It is not for me to say who should or should not prevail. Someone will be left standing here on this planet, with this atmosphere, with this water, with this soil. For them, I say let's create a plan so that they have the best possible chance of rebuilding a new world. For love of this place with its beaches, mountains, and forests that I love so much, I will hold the love of Mother Nature in my heart. You know, if the savior comes to haul all the good guys off to a better place, I think I will volunteer to stay behind to help make this battered planet a place of beauty once more. When you are done with your religious wars and your ascensions into heaven, give the planet back to those of us who care for her and please do not come back. Embrace the eye of the storm, for the vision is very clear here. (Skye Thomas is a spiritual writer, entrepreneur, astrologer and philosopher based in the US)

The Cup Of Life - Mother Theresa - Acknowledgement Gita Venkat

2008-09-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

All of you, whoever were visiting this blog regularly earlier, must have wondered at times what happened to its own inspiration to survive, and, provide others looking for inspiration, ideas and courage.... for this blog, sort of, went into a long period of hibernation since October 2007 ...... the reasons are many .... no point in elaborating them here and wasting your valuable time.

I was thinking this morning, (after in a chat with a new friend from Delhi, I asked her to have a look at the collections I assimilated here), how dear really is this blog to me? And, how unfaithful I had been towards it ... I made a resolution in my mind ... from October 2008 this blog will be bounce back to life .... another thought then hit me, more powerfully...why wait another week or so ...what is so sacrosanct about October 1.... the sun that day will also rise in the East and set on the Western Horizon.... there will be a morning following the night before and there will be a night to follow after.... so why not "Resumption" today as well ..... when Nature makes no differentiation of cycles of time in its frame of a day counted in 24 hours .....

So Friends with great pleasure on the eve of my trip out of town.... I am initiating the "REVIVAL" of the blog with an anecdote by none less than Mother Theresa....
It speaks of a simple way we can remain happy and content....

Gita, dear, thanks again for sharing this unique simple sermon.

With Best Wishes,

Ashis Sen

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The Cup of Life

A group of working adults got together to visit their University lecturer. The lecturer was happy to see them. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

The Lecturer just smiled and went to the kitchen to get an assortment of cups - some porcelain, some in plastic, some in glass, some plain looking and some looked rather expensive and exquisite.

The Lecturer offered his former students the cups to get drinks for themselves. When all the students had a cup in hand with water, the Lecturer spoke:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal that you only want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

What all you wanted was water, not the cup, but we unconsciously went for the better cups."

"Just like in life, if Life is Water, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold/maintain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change."

"If we only concentrate on the cup, we won't have time to enjoy/taste the water in it."

-Mother Teresa

Whatever Happens ... Happens For The Best - A Parable retold by Ashis Sen

2007-10-25T23:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Well the months of September and October have been a bit of a let down. I was confined for long periods in bed with viral fever and could do no justice to the blog. However, I am now on the path to recovery now and will hopefully be able to take up the work of nurturing my passion for the blog on a regular basis.

The Festive Season is on, so. SEASON'S GREETINGS TO YOU ALL MY FRIENDS, as I scribble a message of hope through a fable.

With Best Wishes,

Ashis Sen

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Whatever Happens Happens For The Best

Once upon a time a king decided to go for hunting. He and his men went to the forest. On the outskirts they set up camps for resting. Then they made merry picking and eating ripe fruits from the trees.

Suddenly, there was a major commotion people were shouting "The king had cut his hand". All the king's men ran here and there looking for herbs and water to apply to the wound, and there were shouting and commotion all around. Actually, the king tried to slice an apple into pieces with his sword, in the process he cut the little finger of his left hand.

The king felt pleased that his men were so concerned for him.

But then he noticed the minister was ignoring the issue and felt irritated. He called the minister and asked him " Are you not concerned about the spilling of royal blood?". The minister calmly replied "Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best." This reply enraged the king no end and he shouted "What! are you not concerned at all about my cut finger?" The minister kept his cool and replied again "Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best."

The king was most annoyed at the extreme indifference and ordered the minister to be put in captivity awaiting trial for royal treason after the hunting was over. He asked the minister for the last time if the minister had any submission to make, all he said again was "Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best."

The next day the king entered the deep forest with his men in search of a big game. With great zeal the King rode far ahead of his men and got separated from his group. In the deep forest he lost his way and was taken prisoner by a clan of ferocious dacoits. The dacoits planned to make a Royal sacrifice to propitiate their deity and seek her blessings for usurping the throne.

The next morning there was great chanting and merry making all around the den in preparation for the great event. The king duly bathed, appropriately ordained, was led to the alter for the sacred sacrifice. Just when he was to be beheaded, it was noticed that the subject for sacrifice , the king, had a cut on his left hand. The practice of the clan forbade offerings with defects.

So with no better option at hand the dacoits released the king and he finally made his way back to his camp. He narrated the experience to his men and then remembered that he had the minister in captivity waiting for trial for royal Treason.

He called for the minister and sat in judgment. The minister then said " My lord, consider the facts as they occurred. You cut your finger, and I said 'Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best.' you got annoyed and put me into captivity before going for the game hunting and I again said 'Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best'. You went deep into the forest and got lost from your companions and should I have not been left behind I would be keeping you company and we would have both fallen into the hands of the dacoits. The dacoits were about to make a Royal Sacrifice, but for your cut finger you escaped certain death and the Kingdom was saved from rule of the dacoits. Had I been with you failing to make a Royal Sacrifice the dacoits would have very certainly sacrificed me, as the next best alternative. So because your finger was cut you got saved, because I was left behind, I have now a chance to explain the deep philosophy of my statement 'Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best.'

The king reflected on the happenings and released the minister saying yes you are a wise man and see things in their positive perspective.

Always, Life has two forces, the positive force and the negative force, negative force pulls us down like gravity, the tragedy is most of us surrender to the negativities of life, but those who succeed see the brighter side of the worst tragedies and remain positive and psyche themselves up through positive energy to new levels of success.

So being able to say 'Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best' is a great way to look at LIFE and its happenings.

2007-08-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Of late I have been caught in a vortex of activities that is forcing me off from running this blog with regularity - an activity I cherish so much.

Well I am now trying to compensate a little for my failure to attend to the blog in the recent past, and, then what is a better way than to share with friends the live examples of LEADERSHIP in society.

So here we go with some extraordinary anecdotes and analysis on leadership.

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

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LEADER in DEED

Paralysed body, indomitable will

A bullet left him immobile. But could not break his spirit. Today, he has brought smiles to the faces of over 300 physically challenged in Delhi by providing jobs

Avijit Ghosh | TNN

It was late in the night and Rajinder Johar was getting ready to watch Siddharth Basu’s famous Quiztime show on Doordarshan. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Three men stood outside. They wanted to make a phone call. On being let in, one of the robbers pulled out a gun. In the scuffle that followed, Johar was shot in the chest. As he rushed towards the adjoining room, they fired a second shot. “It hit my neck,” he recalls, “I immediately felt a numbness enveloping me and collapsed like a sack of potatoes.”

They rushed Johar to Lucknow’s King George Medical College where, incidentally, he also worked as an occupational therapist. The bullets were taken out immediately. The doctors hoped he would be able to move his
limbs once again. But the recovery never happened. Only 37 years old then, Johar had become a quadriplegic, paralysed below his neck.

“The next five years,” he reminisces about 21 years later, “I was occupied by negative thoughts and trying to come to terms with my disability. I kept quarrelling with God and simply wondered, how long can I keep watching television. Then one day, I told myself, let me do something.”

Though bedridden since that eventful night in March, 1986, Johar, who moved to hometown Delhi the same year, set up an organisation, Family of Disabled (FOD), and started publishing a magazine titled, Voice. His objective: creating awareness and sensitising the masses on various aspects of disabilities.

But Johar soon realised he wanted to do more. His job profile earlier required helping people with cerebral palsy, paraplegia, polio and other debilitating diseases. In a different sense, he wanted to do the same thing: improving the lives of the disabled, especially those from disadvantaged sections. “If you are well-off, you have others to take care of you. But who takes care of a disabled if he or she is poor?” he asks.

Johar felt that economic self-dependence is imperative to their empowerment and set up the Apna Rozgar Scheme, which helps them kickstart self-employment of their own. ARS not only provides seed money but also teaches them how to run the business and maintain accounts.

So far, 325 individuals in and around Delhi have benefited from the endeavour. Jatinder Kumar, a gunshot victim of Punjab terrorism, successfully runs a kirana store. Polio victim Ashok Kumar of Dabri, owns an STD booth. Mohini Devi of Sultanpuri, who suffered a paralytic stroke, has a small grocery store. “People laughed when I told them, we only offer Rs 2,500 (now increased to Rs 3,000) worth of appliances and tools to set up business. But I have an 80 per cent success rate,” says Jo har, who is ready for work by 9.30 every morning at FOD's east Janakpuri office. The NGO can be reached at contact @familyofdisabled .org.

Johar now wants to set up a multi purpose centre for disabled persons “It will be a training centre with recre ational facilities,” he says. Consider ing what Johar has achieved, that wish may soon turn into a reality.

Blood, Tears & Sweat To Offer - Sir Winston Churchill - TOI 19.08.2007

2007-08-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

Blood, tears & sweat to offer

Noted orator, politician and writer, Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. This was his first speech to the British Parliament where he prepares the nation for a protracted war against Nazi aggression.

I say to the House as I said to ministers who have joined this government, I have noth ing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat We have before us an ordeal of the most griev ous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering.

You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea, and air. War with all our might and with all the strength God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.

You ask, what is our aim?

I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terrors. Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival. Let that be realised. No survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge, the impulse of the ages, that mankind shall move forward toward his goal. I take up my task in buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. I feel en titled at this juncture, at this time, to claim the aid of all and to say, “Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.

She stood up by staying seated - Rosa Parks TOI 19.08.2007

2007-08-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

TURNING point

She stood up by staying seated

ROSA PARKS CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

There are some people who are accidentally thrust into history books. Rosa Parks was one of them. A resident of Montgomery, Alabama, in the American south at a time when racial segregation rules applied in virtually all spheres of life, Parks made history by refusing to give up her seat on a bus for White passengers. On December 1, 1955 she had boarded a bus in downtown Montgomery after work and sat in the seats reserved for Blacks. But when several White passengers boarded the bus and the White-only seats became full, the bus driver asked Parks and three other blacks to get up.

Parks refused to comply and was arrested. She was charged with violating segregation laws and released on bail the same day. This would spark off what is now known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Parks would later write, “People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”

The day of Parks’ trial marked the beginning of a boycott of buses for 382 days by the Black community. The case would eventually reach the US Supreme Court where the court outlawed racial segregation on buses. The boycott was also the launching pad for the best known black civil rights activist Martin Luther King.

For her singular act of courage Parks was later dubbed the mother of the modern-day civil rights movement When she died in 2005, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice paid the ultimate tribute to Parks. If it weren't for Parks, Rice said, she would never have had the opportunity to become secretary of state.

MY Mmoment - Jagdish Khattar - TOI 19.08.2007

2007-08-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

MY Mmoment

A strike couldn’t break us

JAGDISH KHATTAR MD | MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA

In October 2000, the labour union protested against the management's decision to link bonus and incentives to productivity and efficiency. Almost 90 per cent of the workers agitated outside the factory, demanding that the decision be reversed.

What started out as an attempt to improvise on quality standards to become a competitive force in a liberalised economy, became an unpleasant situation. Some of the workers decided to go on a fast unto death.

The primary concern was that production should not stop. We got some employees from our suppliers and, along with supervisors and managers, got the plant started again in a week's time. But the story was far from over. There was indirect pressure from the government and the case was being discussed in parliament. Every move of the management was being noticed, for a lot was at stake — if the management of the country’s largest car maker succumbed, it would set an avoidable precedent for smaller companies.

The deadlock continued for 90 days As pressure mounted from the government and politicians, we had hours of heated arguments for and against our stand. After all, it had been over three months and how long could we continue? Often, I would have my doubts too. For, we were dealing with human lives here. Not only of our employees, but also of their families.

But I was aware that it was in the long-term interest of all and, I dug in and stood my ground. The strike broke on January 9, 2001, on the management's terms. The impact of this de termined effort was that the country was now recognised as a secure cli mate for investment, the company was acknowledged as one that did not com promise on quality and paved the way for the government to privatise the company and list it on the stock exchanges.

While it was a painful episode critical decisions have to take cognisance of the interests of the society as a whole.

A Leader Needs To Instil Trust - N R Naryanmurthy - Co Founder, Infosys - TOI 19.08.2007

2007-08-19T05:38:00.000-07:00

They got it WRITE

NR NARAYANA MURTHY | CO-FOUNDER, INFOSYS

A leader has to have followers to be a leader. That is why I stood by my controversial decision on CEO’s salaries being linked to company’s earnings. If you want to enhance the trust of employees in the leader, then the leadership of the company has to conduct itself in a manner that enhances trust. Also, the CEO or the leader must definitely reap benefits proportionate to the benefits derived by the company.

Never before in the history of the business community in the world did we have a situation where trust of man and woman in the street is lowest in business leaders. According to a US survey, corporate leaders are least trusted, as many of them violated codes of ethics and even laws.

On the Indian side, if you have analysed how salaries of CEOs have increased in 15 years, they have gone up from Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 to Rs 70 lakh (Rs 7 million) on an average. I am one of those who fought for this. When on board of a company, I saw to it that the CEO had a variable linked to output.

Indeed, salaries of the lowest paid persons have not correspondingly gone up. I won't get into a debate whether this is right or wrong.

We'll miss you, Dr Kalam by FALI S NARIMAN courtesy Mr P K SEN

2007-07-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Well for a while I had been in hybernation and now am emerging from my long sojourn.

I thought friends there is no better way to make a come back than to pay homage to one of India's greatest gift to MANKIND .... DR A P J ABDUL KALAM

I am sure my friends, you will agre with the observations of the eminent Jurist F Nariman.

Hope friends you all find this eloquent exposition very heart warming....

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

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We'll miss you, Dr Kalam
FALI S NARIMAN

We will miss him - that unconventional figure who became India's First Citizen in July 2002.

Never pompous, not even 'Presidential' (in either deportment or demeanour),

he walked into the Palace at Raisina Hill with few worldly goods -- he now leaves with even fewer:

"I will go with only two small suitcases,"

he wistfully said last Thursday.

We could have asked him to stay: but we didn't.

There were excuses (there always are).

It was said that apart from Rajendra Prasad there had been no 'precedent' for a second term.

But as any lawyer will tell you, if you have a good case in court there is no need for a 'precedent';

it is the good case that makes the precedent! But all this is in the realm of wishful thinking:

as the poet says: "We look before and after and pine for what is not..."

The stark reality is that this lovable figure - popular, sometimes even populist, but never ostentations

- now exits from Rashtrapati Bhavan in the same frame of mind as he entered it:

with an overriding concern for the 'underdog'. Hear this: one year into office, on the morning of July 14,

2003, at 8.40 am, the RAX in the office of the secretary to the President rang.

President Kalam was at the other end.

"Mr Nair," he said in a voice that was (as always) cool and composed,

"last night I could not sleep because my bedroom was leaking..."

PM Nair froze and muttered something.

"Any other President," he now recalls, "and my head would have rolled, although for no fault of mine."

At the other end of the line, the President (sensing Nair's embarrassment), continued reassuringly,

"Don't worry Mr Nair, I know you will immediately set things right in my bedroom.

What I am worried about are those houses on the President's Estate where they may not have a

second bedroom to shift to when the only one that is available leaks."

So Nair got moving, and with the help of the CPWD, the old staff quarters - until then dilapidated a nd neglected - were transformed into bright new leak-proof houses: in almost record time.

Nair tells me that he was greatly impressed at the concern and compassion shown by the President

- not for himself but for other inmates on the Presidential Estate.

It has been said that no man, however great, is a hero to his own secretary or his own valet.

In May 2006, President Kalam's relatives from the south decided to descend on him

(as relatives tend to often do). On instructions of the President they were welcomed by his staff at

the railway station, and were looked after right up to the time they departed.

But the Controller of Household was under strict instructions to keep a meticulous account of all

the expenses incurred on behalf of the relatives - all 53 of them.

Not once was an office vehicle used for any of them.

It was made clear by the President that he would pay - not only for the transport of all his relatives

to and from Delhi, and also within Delhi, he would also pay for the various rooms occupied by

them at Rashtrapati Bhavan and the food that was consumed by them - the rooms at the prescribed rate,

the food on the basis of expenses actually incurred.

When his relatives left after a week's stay, the president was of course sad to see them all go,

but he was also lighter in his pocket: the total expenses debited to his personal account was Rs 3,54,924!

As we practising lawyers often say in court "the facts speak for themselves":

President Kalam has set a high benchmark of rectitude in public office - worthy of emulation.

And as a living embodiment of 'Transparency-National', his parting words of advice were:

"Don't accept gifts." Delicately put: what he meant to say of course was:

on the Bihar Dissolution Proclamation, and for not insisting on a personal meeting with

Aung San Suu Kyi during his Presidential trip to Myanmar, in retrospect, these were but aberrations

- small lapses - in a hugely successful Presidency.

Of him it can be said, as Winston Churchill once said about his departed king:

"He nothing common did, or mean, upon that memorable scene."

Memorable scenes are rarely re-enacted, but they are always remembered.

The writer is an eminent jurist fnariman@hathway.com

--
Sriram Savarkar
Hinduism is more a way of life than a method of worship.

Jobs Possible

2007-07-12T13:17:00.001-07:00

Dear Friend,

Please pass this message on....

Any one looking for work opportunity or learning and earning after passing Madhyamaik or equivalent can contact me, particularly, if the person is Kolkata based, more so...

The jobs are of various kinds .... ....

In HardWare and Net Working, minimum qualification, successful completion of class X.

Other opportunities are servicing pepole, generally from X+II onwards, to experienced hands .... the jobs are in the Retail Chains, BPOs, Call Centres, Soft Ware Development, Insurance Sector, Marketing, Accounting and other Maagement Functions...in fact the jobs cover a wide area...

My Address

Ashis Sen,
BC 258, Sector 1,
Salt Lake City (Bidhan Nagar),
Kolkata 700064

Phone: 2358 1982
2359 6254
Cells : +91 98310 62155
+91 98831 72412
+91 98364 55267

With Love,
Thank You,

Ashis Sen

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody! - acknowledgement Diana

2007-05-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I am not a great believer.....

But here is an astounding story of LOVE....hard to ignore...

Diana, dear, thanks again for sharing this unique tale.

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

________________________________________________________

DO YOU SMELL THAT?
At the end of this story, it gives you two options. I think you will figure out what option I chose.
A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery. Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news.

That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver couple's new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing.
At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs.
"I don't think she's going to make it," he said, as kindly as he could.
"There's only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one."
Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived.
She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.
"No! No!" was all Diana could say.

She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four. Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away.
But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana.
Because Dana's underdeveloped nervous system was essentially 'raw', the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love. All they could do, as Dana struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.

There was never a moment when Dana suddenly grew stronger. But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there.
At last, when Dana turned two months old, her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time. And two months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.
Five years later, when Dana was a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life. She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she was everything a little girl can be and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of her story.

One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ball park where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing.
As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent
Hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, "Do you smell that?"
Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain."

Dana closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?"
Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet. It smells like rain."
Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced, "No, it smells like Him.

It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."
Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Dana happily hopped down to play with the other children.
Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along.
During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers so well.

The Yellow Shirt - acknowledgement Diana

2007-05-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

A touch of LOVE can take us through a lot of trauma....

This YELLOW SHIRT did....

Diana, my friend, thanks for such a touching contribution....

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

_____________________________________________________________

Y E L L O W S H I R T

The baggy yellow shirt had long sleeves, four extra-large pockets trimmed in black thread and snaps up the front. It was faded from years of wear, but still in decent shape. I found it in 1963 when I was home from college on Christmas break, rummaging through bags of clothes Mom intended to give away. "You're not taking that old thing, are you?" Mom said when she saw me packing the yellow shirt. "I wore that when I was pregnant with your brother in 1954!"

"It's just the thing to wear over my clothes during art class, Mom. Thanks!" I slipped it into my suitcase before she could object. The yellow shirt be came a part of my college wardrobe. I loved it. After graduation, I wore the shirt the day I moved into my new apartment and on Saturday mornings when I cleaned.

The next year, I married. When I became pregnant, I wore the yellow shirt during big-belly days. I missed Mom and the rest of my family, since we were in Coloradoand they were in Illinois. But that shirt helped. I smiled, remembering that Mother had worn it when she was pregnant, 15 years earlier.

That Christmas, mindful of the warm feelings the shirt had given me, I patched one elbow, wrapped it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. When Mom wrote to thank me for her "real" gifts, she said the yellow shirt was lovely. She never mentioned it again.

The next year, my husband, daughter and I stopped at Mom and Dad's to pick up some furniture. Days later, when we uncrated the kitchen table, I noticed something yellow taped to its bottom. The shirt!

And so the pattern was set.

On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt under Mom and Dad's mattress. I don't know how long it took for her to find it, but almost two years passed before I discovered it under the base of our living-room floor lamp. The yellow shirt was just what I needed now while refinishing furniture. The walnut stains added character.

In 1975 my husband and I divorced. With my three children, I prepared to move back to Illinois. As I packed, a deep depression overtook me. I wondered if I could make it on my own. I wondered if I would find a job. I paged through the Bible, looking for comfort. In Ephesians, I read, "So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will be standing up."

I tried to picture myself wearing God's armor, but all I saw was the stained yellow shirt. Slowly, it dawned on me. Wasn't my mother's love a piece of God's armor? My courage was renewed.

Unpacking in our new home, I knew I had to get the shirt back to Mother. The next time I visited her, I tucked it in her bottom dresser drawer.

Meanwhile, I found a good job at a radio station. A year later I discovered the yellow shirt hidden in a rag bag in my cleaning closet. Something new had been added. Embroidered in bright green across the breast pocket were the words "I BELONG TO PAT."

Not to be outdone, I got out my own embroidery materials and added an apostrophe and seven more letters. Now the shirt proudly proclaimed, "I BELONG TO PAT'S MOTHER." But I didn't stop there. I zig-zagged all the frayed seams, then had a friend mail the shirt in a fancy box to Mom from Arlington, VA. We enclosed an official looking letter from "The Institute for the Destitute," announcing that she was the recipient of an award for good deeds. I would have given anything to see Mom's face when she opene d the box. But, of course, she never mentioned it.

Two years later, in 1978, I remarried. The day of our wedding, Harold and I put our car in a friend's garage to avoid practical jokers. After the wedding, while my husband drove us to our honeymoon suite, I reached for a pillow in the car to rest my head. It felt lumpy. I unzipped the case and found, wrapped in wedding paper, the yellow shirt. Inside a pocket was a note: "Read John 14:27-29. I love you both, Mother."

That night I paged through the Bible in a hotel room and found the verses: "I am leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe in me."

The shirt was Mother's final gift. She had known for three months that she had terminal Lou Gehrig's disease. Mother died the following year at age 57.

I was tempted to send the yellow shirt with her to her grave. But I'm glad I didn't, because it is a vivid reminder of the love-filled game she and I played for 16 years. Besides, my older daughter is in college now, majoring in art.
And every art student needs a baggy yellow shirt with big pockets.

Stress Management - Acknowledgement Geeta Venkat

2007-05-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here are some tips on stress management.

I thank Geeta for this contribution.

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

_______________________________________________________

S T R E S S

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked,

"How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.

It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued,

"And that's the way it is with stress management.

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,

as the burden becomes increasingly heavy,

we won't be able to carry on. "

"As with the glass of water,

you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.

When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.

Don't carry it home.

You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now,

let them down for a moment if you can."

So, my friend, why not take a while to just simply RELAX.

Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.

Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Life is short.

enjoy it!

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

* Never buy a car you can't push.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because ! then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When every thing's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons..

Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today....

Life’s Lessons Learnt on the Sidewalk by Nikhil Hemrajani | TNN - TOI 20.05.2007

2007-05-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Well the blog went to sleep for a while....

I was away to Mumbai.....

So it is now a getting out of a stupor or should I a say slumber.....

Any way we make a reappearance wit a very positive thought for the future deprived street urchins....

Hope you will find this as a piece worth its praise...

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

_____________________________________________________________

The Shining Sidewalk

It is a regular evening on the Marine Drive. People are out with their walkman and Ipod. Couples on the parapet are locked in embrace. Everything is as it should be here.

But, across the road, is an unusual sight. On the sidewalk near Hotel Ambassador, in the dim light from a jewellery store, street children are sitting on newspapers. These kids are probably the same urchins who tug at your shirt to sell magazines, flowers or just utter the familiar line: `I am hungry.’’ But, here on the sidewalk, they are learning. This is the transient classroom of Hamara Footpath, an informal group of young boys and girls who want to do something for urchins.

At the helm of Hamara Footpath is its founder, 24-year-old Shubhangi Swarup. `It is an open community effort where people from all walks of life are encouraged to step in and engage themselves with the street kids in any manner that is helpful,’’ she says. Thrice a week, from 7.30 pm to 9 pm, volunteers assemble on the footpath facing a jewellery showroom and interact with the children.

Some take it upon themselves to teach the kids basic English and mathematics after which an extempore quiz is conducted to gauge progress. Others bring with them colouring books and pencils or sing and dance along with the children. And,
every few months, Hamara Footpath takes the children to films, circus or on a picnic. Last Sunday, for instance, they went to the the zoo in Byculla. There has even been a football session at Oval Maidan, a Christmas party, and a paper-making workshop.

“The development of a child is a holistic process,” Swarup says. “It involves schooling, sports, good nutrition, reading, giving and receiving love and more. Just sponsoring their education or putting them in a home is not enough. They also need personal time, attention and love which is what we are here for,’’ she adds.

The sidewalk classes see anything from 15 to 25 kids with five to 10 volunteers, picnics attract over 50 children, including a few of their streetdwelling parents, and about 20 volunteers.

Money for such outings is raised by volunteers from peers by way of e-mails and oral communication. But it does not end there. Nearby chemists, general practitioners and shopkeepers also offer a helping hand by sponsoring medicines or performing medical check-ups.

Volunteers come from diverse backgrounds. Swarup did an M.Sc in violence, conflict, and development from the University of London. 24-year-old Taha Jodiawala runs a family business of construction products. `Hamara Footpath quashed my misconceptions about street children and the poor after I spent time and unwound with them,’’ he says. Then there’s 28-year-old graphic designer Nupur Shah, who is endearingly referred to as Dupar Didi by several children.
She teaches children art and craft.

And, apart from the regulars — comprising IT professionals, dentists and doctors — passersby, too, often join the cause after observing Hamara Footpath in action. `Each volunteer with his or her unique thoughts contributes in a unique way, seeing a problem where the others have seen none,’’ Swarup says.

Hamara Footpath’s overall success has even garnered the attention of other groups in cities like Chennai and Kolkata who wish to extend Hamara Footpath there and continue its mission in their own localised manner.

Today, with more than 18 million kids on the street, India has the highest concentration of street children in the world. And the numbers are growing.

Many of these children die young for want of simple care. Many of those who survive are consumed by the city’s underbelly. Hamara Footpath offers more than what is tangible.

“To look at us as a group promoting education is a dry way of looking at it. Rather, our objective is to generate an interest in learning. And we attempt to do it at the basic human level by satisfying their needs, providing love, and positivity,’’ Swarup says.

My Wealth - Collected bt Ashis Sen courtesy Dolly Golecha

2007-04-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here is a poem that touched me , reminding me of the WEALTH i possess....

True I am an atheist, but I do appreciate fine sentiments,

Grateful I feel for whatever I have....

This may be exposition of simple thoughts in simple words but with

deep connotation of Life.

If this poem makes you feel thankful, just forward it to your friends.

I am grateful to Dolly for forwarding this collection to me ... thanks Dolly

With best wishes

Ashis Sen

________________________________________________

THE WORLD IS MINE

Today, upon a bus, I saw a very beautiful woman.

And wished I were as beautiful.

When suddenly she rose to leave,

I saw her hobble down the aisle.

She had one leg and wore a crutch.

But as she passed, she passed a smile.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two legs; the world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy.

The lad who sold it had such charm.

I talked with him, he seemed so glad.

If I were late, it'd do no harm.

And as I left, he said to me, "I thank you,

you've been so kind.

It's nice to talk with folks like you.

You see," he said, "I'm blind."

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two eyes; the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street,

I saw a child I knew.

He stood and watched the others play,

but he did not know what to do.

I stopped a moment and then I said,

"Why don't you join them dear?"

He looked ahead without a word.

I forgot, he couldn't hear.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two ears; the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go.

With eyes to see the sunset's glow.

With ears to hear what I'd know.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine,

I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine.

Tips for Happy Life - collected by Ashis Sen courtesy Elizabeth and Anthony

2007-04-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Moses had gone to MEET GOD and came back with two TABLETS OF STONE ....

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, to establish a way of life for the
nomadic civilisation of the time and sow the seeds of germinating
a society.

Well the earth has gone on millions of revolution since those days....

and the new thoughts for living well and in harmony is a bit more
elaborate at TWENTY ONE COMMANDMENTS .... but they are
still based on the original theme of love peace and brotherhood....

Trust you all will find the principles as universally acceptable
irrespective of caste, creed and religion, country and beliefs...

I am grateful Liz for your forwarding this from Anthony for my collections....

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

__________________________________________________

THE TWENTY-ONE COMMANDMENTS



   ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it
   cheerfully.

   TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As

  you get older, their conversational skills will be as

   important as any other.

   THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you

   have or sleep all you want.

   FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

   FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in

   the eye.

   SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get

   married.

   SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

   EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who

   don't have dreams don't have much.

   NINE. Love ! deeply and passionately. You might get

   hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

   TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name

   calling.

   ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

   TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

   THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't

   want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

   FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great

   achievements involve great risk.

   FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone

   sneeze.

   SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

   SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self;

   Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

   EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great

   friendship.

   NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake,

   take immediate steps to correct it.

   TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller

   will hear it in your voice.

   TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

Noah's Ark - Everything One Needs To Know - collected by Ashis Sen Courtesy Geeta Venkat

2007-04-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Some very deep thoughts in simple words to reflect on....

May be it is worth stopping in our tracks and examine the

relevance of the statements in the context of Life's parade through Time.

Geeta thanks a lot for allowing me to publish this collection ....

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

______________________________________________________

ONE Don't miss the boat.

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat.

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you

to do something really big.

FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that

needs to be done.

SIX: Build your future on high ground.

SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage.

The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.

TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

ELEVEN: No matter how bad the storm is, there's always a rainbow

waiting to show up.

Please share these thoughts with others if you feel they touched

you.

Most people walk in and out of your life......but FRIENDS leave

footprints in your heart.

Love to Die - Acknowledgement Diya Mukherjee

2007-04-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

In love people sacrifice a lot...

Here is someone sacrificing LIFE....

Diya thanks for the contribution

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

___________________________________________________

A girl and guy were speeding over 100 mph on the road on a motorcycle...

Girl: Slow down. I’m scared.

Guy: No this is fun.

Girl: No its not. Please, it’s too scary!
Guy: Then tell me you love me.

Girl: Fine, I love you. Slow down!

Guy: Now give me a BIG hug.

Girl hugs him

Guy: Can you take my helmet off & put it on yourself? It’s bugging me.

In the paper the next day :( A motorcycle had crashed into a building because of
brake failure. Two people were on it, but only one had survived.
The truth was that halfway down the road, the guy realized that his brakes broke,
but he didn't want to let the girl know. Instead, he had her say she loved him &
felt her hug him one last time, then had her wear his helmet so that she would live
even though it meant that he would die.

The Mystery of Life - Acknowledgement Brenda Webster

2007-04-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

This anecdote, though told in a light vein, does give a deep insight into Man's Psychology.

Greed does ruin our Life....

One needs to know the limit in every act and yarning else one is destined to pay like the monkey or the dog at the end of life.

Through Laughter and mockery the scenario described here makes us stop and think...

Brenda thank you for the contribution.

With best wishes ,

Ashis Sen

_______________________________________________________

On the first day, God created the dog and said: "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said: "That's a long time to be barking.

How about only ten Years and I'll give you back the other ten?"

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said: "Entertain people.

Do tricks. Make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said: "Monkey tricks for twenty years?

That's a pretty long time to perform.

How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?"

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said: "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said: That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty

years; how about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man and said: "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."

But man said: "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me MY 20, plus the 40 the cow gave back, plus the 10 the monkey gave back, and plus the 10 the dog gave back; that makes 80, okay?"

"Okay," said God, "You asked for it."

So that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy

ourselves.

For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support and nurture our families.

For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the

grandchildren.

And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at

everyone.

Hand Writing Reveals Us = Acknowledgement Brenda Webster

2007-04-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Our hand writing does give an insight into our characteristics as a person ....

Per kind favour of Brenda I am now in posession to share a short note on this interesting
science....

Hope you will all find this useful...

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

__________________________________________________

HANDWRITING AND WHAT IT MEANS

If letters slant to the left: Indicates introspection and a lot of emotional control.

If letter slant to the right: Reveals a person who's outgoing, friendly, impulsive, and emotionally open.

If letters are straight up and down: The sign of someone who's ruled by the head, not the heart.

Letters that slant in more than one direction: Indicates versatility and adaptability.

An erratic slant: Usually means a lack of flexibility.

Heavy pressure writing (like you can feel the rib made on the back of the paper): The writer is agitated.

Moderate pressure (the writing is dark, but you can't feel the rib on the other side of the paper): Shows ability to deal with stress.

Light pressure: Indicates someone who seems to take life in stride.

Tiny letters: Indicate the writer is has somewhat low self esteem but is intelligent.

Small letters: The hallmark of quiet, introspective types - they're generally detail-oriented and have good concentration.

Large letters: Sign of a confident, easygoing individual.

Huge letters: Indicate someone who's theatrical, usually loud, and needs to be the center of attention at all times.

Wide letters (their width and height are about the same): The mark of someone who's open and friendly.

Narrow letters: Show someone who's somewhat shy and inhibited but very self-disciplined.

Letters that don't touch: Indicate an impulsive, artistic, sometimes impractical free thinker.

Some letters connecting: Means the writer's personality blends logic and intuition.

All letters making contact: The sign of someone who's highly cautious.

A curved first mark: Shows a person who's traditional and plays by the rules.

A straight beginning stroke: Reveals someone who's rigid and doesn't like being told what to do.

A final stroke straight across: The writer is cautious.

An end mark that curves up: Reveals generosity.

Perfect penmanship: The hallmark of a communicative person.

An indecipherable scrawl: Indicates a person who's secretive, closed-up and likes to keep his thoughts to himself.

Tips for Living Life in Peace - collected by Ashis Sen, Courtsey, Brenda Webster

2007-04-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here are some Tips for Living Life in Peace.

Read Each One Of The Statements Carefully and Think About It

a Second or Two....

Brenda thanks a lot for the note on Life....

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

_____________________________________________________

1. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.

2. No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.

3. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

4. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand
and touches your heart.

5. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside
them knowing you can't have them.

6. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never
know who is falling in love with your smile.

7. To the world you may be one person, but to one person
you may be the world.

8. Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't willing to
waste their time on you.

9. Maybe we need us to meet a few wrong people before meeting
the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know
how to be grateful.

10. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.

11. There's always going to be people that hurt you so what
you have to do is keep ontrusting and just be more careful about
who you trust next time around.

12. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before
you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.

13. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.

REMEMBER: WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

What does LOVE mean - collected by Ashis Sen

2007-04-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

See the gamut of definitions from kids.....

It stops our breath in thoughtful thinking....

Just reflect for a while on the answers...

With best wishes

Ashis Sen

________________________________________________________

What does LOVE mean?

Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouths of babes. What does Love mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her

toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when

his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.

You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne

and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French

fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy -age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip

before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of

kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and

Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening

presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend

who you hate," Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more

Nikka's on this planet)

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it

everyday." Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still

friends even after they know each other so well."Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked

at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don't see anyone else

kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is

handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone

all day." Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old

clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars

come out of you." (what an imagination) Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's

gross." Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you

mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked

about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest

was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old

child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had

recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went

into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

"Nothing, I just helped him cry"

Best Friends - collected By Ashis Sen

2007-04-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here is a short and sweet definition of "BEST FRIEND"

Test it out...

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

The title of a very best friend
is given to precious few,
the ones who give love and support
in all that they say and do.
The ones you call to dry your eyes
and build your confidence up,
or even to just chat for a bit,
if only to say "What's up?"

The extreme importance of a very best friend
can't be measured in any way,
except in the actions you show to them
and in every word that you say.
That is how I know my friend,
from all that you've done and do,
that the title of my very best friend,
is deserving only of you.

Sayings of Dalai Lama - collected by Ashis Sen

2007-04-26T05:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Some very pertinent thoughts on ways of LIFE and how to conduct the same from the sayings o f Dalai Lama....

Trust you will find the thoughts worth reflecting upon (to read the contents of each tablet/block clearly, please click on each block to open it in a new window in enlarged clearer lettering form)
With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

Enough !! - as retold by Ashis Sen

2007-04-26T01:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here is a touching episode which does teach us the value of Love and wishing...

It touched my heart the way with emotions I rarely experienced....

May be like me you all my readers will also stop and think what do we wish our loved ones, indeed is that "ENOUGH?"

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

_______________________________________________________

Wishing Enough !!!

Recently, I overheard a Mother and daughter in their last moments
together at a regional airport. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and she said, "I love you. I wish you enough." She in turn said, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom."

They kissed and she left.

She walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there, I
could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her
privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye
to someone knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a
forever good-bye?" I asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?" She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused for a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, she smiled even more. "When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them," she continued. Then, turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life
appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye."

She then began to sob and walked away.

My friends and loved ones, I wish you ENOUGH!!!

They say

"It takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them,

a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them"

Share this phrase with people you'll never forget .....

It's a short message to let them know that you'll never forget

them. If you don't send it to anyone, it means you're in a hurry and

that you've forgotten your friends. Take the time to live!!! My friends and

loved ones, I wish you ENOUGH

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the

moments that take our breath away~.

Family - collected by Ashis Sen

2007-04-26T00:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

This is a touching little poem - makes you stop and think about things..

About our priorities in life ....

May be we can stop in our steps for a moment or two and reflect are we doing for us the right things?

With best wishes,

Ashis sen

_________________________________________________________

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,

"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me too;

I wasn't watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I.

We went on our way and we said good-bye.

But at home a different story is told,

How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,

My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.

"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.

I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,

Seemed, in my ears, a small voice from far away came and said,

"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you see,

But for the children you love, you seem too busy.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,

You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you

He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,

You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small,

And now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;

"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"

He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.

I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."

I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;

I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."

He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.

I love you anyway."

I said, "Son, I love you too, and

I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that

We are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work

Than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

F....Father

A...And

M...Mother

I...I

L...Love

Y...You

Making a Difference - Acknowledgement Brenda Webster

2007-04-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here are two incidents of making a difference.... a difference in value system....

And that go a long way to building a character of eac person and cumulatively

that of the community...

Read on....

Brenda thanks for sharing this anecdote

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

__________________________________________________________

PAINTED WITH A DIFFERENT BRUSH

One man who loved the color yellow had yellow carpet, yellow
furniture, yellow drapes, yellow walls and even yellow appliances in his yellow kitchen. He slept in a yellow bed with yellow covers andwore yellow pajamas. He got sick. You guessed it ... yellow jaundice.

He called a doctor who came to his apartment building. The manager
told him he'd have no trouble finding the right one. "You just go
down the hall and come to a yellow door," he said. "That's the one."

In a few moments the doctor was back. The apartment manager
asked, "Were you able to help him?"

The doctor replied, "Help him! I couldn't even FIND him!"

It's not a good idea to blend too closely with your surroundings.

I think of that story when I hear stories like this newspaper
account: A Miami mother came to police and spilled out cash and coins totaling $19.53. A young boy turned in 85 cents. After two days, they were the only people to return money scooped up from an armored truck that toppled on an overpass and rained more than half a million dollars onto the street below. Police said that witnesses reported seeing rush-hour commuters loading money into their cars and driving off while two Brinks workers lay bleeding.

Police had pleaded with residents to return the money, but got nothing but laughter until a mother and a boy came in.

In a world that seemed to think alike, two people had a different
idea. They were not painted with the same brush as everyone else.

"I have children and I needed to set a good example," said the mother of six, who could have used a little extra cash to supplement her low retail store wage. She chose not to blend in too closely.

Most people talk about values - what we believe to be right and wrong.

But whether or not we realize it, we all LIVE our true values. It is our actions, more than our words, that will show what we truly
believe.

An 11-year-old boy who turned in 85 cents because he felt "it was
wrong for me to keep anything," stood out from the crowd. And a
mother who wanted to teach her children to do the right thing set an example they will never forget. Like Ruth E. Renkel says,

"Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritances." If her children inherit her values, anything else is just money.

Paint them fortunate.

Can You Read This - collected by Ashis Sen

2007-04-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here is an interesting finding .... about the power and the way human mind works.

Trust we will all benefit from this little "LESOSN"

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

_____________________________________________________

Can you raed tihs? Olny srmat poelpe can.I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas the mesagse on !!

Keep This Philosophy of Socrates In Mind - collected by Ashis Sen

2007-04-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here is some basic principles of communicating knowledge,

fundamentals to be followed in chaffing out facts from rumour....

Trust this ancient anecdote leaves us with food for thought and a learning

for communication....

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

__________________________________________________________

Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you either hear or are about to repeat a rumour.

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued.

"Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.

Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"

"No, on the contrary .."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued." You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really ..."

"Well," concluded Socrates , "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The man was defeated and ashamed.

This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

You Are My Sunshine Acknowledgement Elizabeth

2007-04-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here is an incredible story of a miracle in REAL LIFE....

As Liz's friend Joel says

"The title of the story 'You are my sunshine' sung by the brother to his infant sister that saved her life. Something we all can learn. Joel."

I am sure this story will inspire HOPE in Life when everything seems lost in finality...

It is love and faith in Love that can make the impossible happen

Liz thanks once again for sharing such an wonderful true life incident.

With best wishes

Ashis Sen

___________________________________________________

"You are My Sunshine, My only Sunshine" (Be prepared to get Watery eyes!)

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They found out that the new baby was going be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes, every three, every minute.

But serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor. Would a C-section be required? Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.

The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The pediatrician had to tell the parents there was very little hope, to be prepared for the worst. Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral.

Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. I want to sing to her, he kept saying. Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the week was over. Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care.

Karen decided to take Michael whether they liked it or not. If he didn't see his sister right then, he might never see her alive. She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket. The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, "Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed."

The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings to his sister" she stated. Then Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside.

He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live.

After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
you make me happy when skies are gray."

Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate began to calm down and become steady. "Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes.

"You never know, dear, how much I love you,
please don't take my sunshine away."

As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr. "Keep on singing, sweetheart."

"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamed I held you in my arms."

Michael's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her. "Keep on singing, Michael." Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
Please don't take my sunshine away..."

The next day...the very next day...the little girl was well enough to go home.

Woman's Day Magazine called it "The Miracle of a Brother's Song."

The medical staff just called it a miracle.

Karen called it a miracle of God's love.

NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE. LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.
Life is good.

15 Things You Probably Never Knew or Thought About acknowledgement Elizabeth

2007-04-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Some simple but powerful thoughts .... positive thoughts

they have the power to change the course of our lives if we

seriously pursue them ...

Well Liza thanks a lot for sharing the ideas....

With best wishes

Ashis Sen

____________________________________________________

15 Things

1. At least 5 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. If not for you, someone may not be living.

8. You are special and unique.

9. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

10. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

11. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

12. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you believe in yourself, probably, sooner or later, you will get it.

13. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude
remarks.

14. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better
when they know.

15. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

A Minute: They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Take the time... to live and love.

Say A Prayer For Peace and Freedom - Acknowledgement Carolyn Andrews

2007-04-21T00:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

A mother tells me

I wanted to share this with my friends. I hope you will take the time to read all of it. This is from my oldest grandson who is now serving in Iraq. He has always been fond of writing. Please say your prayers for him and all who are fighting for our freedom.

Well Carolyn I am doing my best to spread the message far and wide and have posted the touching poem in my blog.

But friends, just reflect this poem is not limited in thought to the Iraq war I would say, it relates to all the misdeeds and terror across the Globe now.... It is so true for all the unrest, revenge and reprisals....

CAN'T WE BE MORE SANE >>>>>>F R I E N D S !!!

Please reflect and we can all WILL TO CONTRIBUTE TO >>>>

P E A C E A N D

H A R M O N Y .............

With best wishes

Ashis Sen

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Another Thousand Miles

No it's nothing like it,
Like the movies that you see.
He knows now all to well,
Freedom isn't free.

I hold tight to him,
As he bleeds upon my hands.
What a price to pay,
He is barely yet a man.

"Stay with me my friend,
The chopper's headed on it's way!"
I looked into his eyes,
And I watched him fade away.

Another thousand miles,
Another thousand lay ahead.
There's vengance in our hearts,
Called for by our lost and dead.

I lay awake at night,
I kiss the picture of my kids.
Lord, I miss my wife!
I promised her:
"Things will be different after this."

Another bomb has blown,
Some how he is still alive.
He swallows all his pride,
On bended knees he starts to cry.

As bullets pierce the air,
He only thinks about his wife.
He pushes fear aside,
Now he's fighting for his life.

Another thousand miles,
Another thousand still to go.
I know if I survive,
Eventually I'll make it home.

I lay awake at night,
My mother's cross around my neck.
I think about my dad,
And the last words that he said.

He had six months down,
He had six months left go.
The General added three,
Now it's 15 months before he's home.

No it's nothing like it,
Like the movies that you see.
He knows now all to well,
Freedom isnt free.

Another thousand miles,
Another thousand lay ahead...

Another thousand miles,
Another thousand still to go...

SPC J. Chilcoat,
U.S. Army

Letter To Liza from Ashis Sen

2007-04-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I am publishing a personal letter I once wrote to my friend Elizabeth, as, it is more than a just a personal letter, it in fact expresses certain of my beliefs and philosophy of Life which I feel compelled to share with my readers.

I am sure Liza you will have no objection to my publishing this personal note to you, in the backdrop of the thought that goaded me to share with my readers/visitors to my blog, the values and principles that are dear to me and very well captured in this communication.

While honouring your implicit trust in me, I seek your indulgence in the matter of allowing me to publish the letter in this blog.

Thanking you,

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

___________________________________

Dear Liz,

Thank you for the kind words you have for me and my children....

I am sure you and your husband will surely succeed in making your dreams come true.....

When you acquire knowledge....(study)....you acquire the most powerful source of wealth...and when that source is judiciously tapped....the outcome has to be one of satisfaction and success....

SURE YOU WILL SUCCEED......

But success may come the easy way..or the hard way.....

Success the easy way often means shortchanging values... and.... well not living up to all the promises made to others....in the short run ...it may bring in some quick bucks...but ultimately ...people lose faith in such dealings and therefore such successes are short lived....and bring in misery in the ultimate analysis....

Success that comes the hard way...is based on belief in basic values...and living by them...keeping all promises made to others..however difficult that may be or trying and frustrating at times....but ultimately that wins the trust of people and builds a solid foundation to erect your house of honour and success...and that success lasts one a life time.....

Please keep this simple principle in mind and then the world will be at your feet in whatever you do......

And for you to become a mother...well.... that would be the crowning glory of all your successes...and nothing can be more fulfilling than strengthening the society...with the gift of good citizens...as you bring up your children the ideal way and turn them into ideal honourable human beings...the mother is the ultimate depiction of NATURE in all its fine form...and the WOMAN does represent MOTHER NATURE.....like NATURE changes its beauty from season to season..from desolate winter to glowing spring... so does the WOMAN change in shape and beauty from the frail delicacy to full blown pregnancy.... and then back to a normal state....and so shall you also be a very fine mother as your husband says....

All my best wishes are with you two...

Love,

Ashis Sen

Say What You Mean - SAY NOW - Acknowledgement Brenda Webster

2007-04-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Remember to always say what you mean.

If you love someone, tell them.

Don't be afraid to express yourself.

Reach out and tell someone what they mean to you.

Because when you decide that it is the right time it might

be too late.

Seize the day. Never have regrets.

And most importantly, stay close to your friends

and family, for they have helped

make you the person that you are today.

The poem below touches on this thought so delicately.

Brenda, thanks once again for such a lovely contribution.

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen
____________________________________________

Around the corner I have a friend,

In this great city that has no end,

Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,

And before I know it, a year is gone.

And I never see my old friend's face,

For life is a swift and terrible race,

He knows I like him just as well,

As in the days when I rang his bell.

And he rang mine but we were younger then,

And now we are busy, tired men.

Tired of playing a foolish game,

Tired of trying to make a name.

"Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jim

Just to show that I'm thinking of him."

But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,

And distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner, yet miles away,

"Here's a telegram sir," "Jim died today."

And that's what we get and deserve in the end.

Around the corner, a vanished friend.

What goes around....Comes around Acknowledgement Brenda Webster

2007-04-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

For a few days I failed to feed you with thoughts one can munch over and reflect, I regret my failure.

However, today I relate an episode from my friend Brenda, which will really touched me.

Hope you too feel the difference we can make to people in our own ways ...whether we have money or not, just by our actions....

Brenda thanks a lot for this contribution.

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

______________________________________________________________

He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the

side of the road, but even in the dim light of day,

he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in

front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was

still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No

one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. was

he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked

poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out

there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that

chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you

wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name

is Bryan Anderson."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old

lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the

car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning

his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to

change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his

hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled

down the window and began to talk to him. She told

him that she was from St. Louis and was only just

passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for

coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady

asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have

been all right with her. She already imagined all

the awful things that could have happened had he not

stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid.

This was not a job to him. This was helping someone

in need, and God knows there were plenty who had

given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole

life that way, and it never occurred to him to act

any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him

back, the next time she saw someone who needed help,

she could give that person the assistance they

needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."

He waited until she started her car and drove off.

It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt

good a s he headed for home, disappearing into the

twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe.

She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the

chill off before she made the last leg of her trip

home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside

were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was

unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and

brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. she had

a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for

the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the

waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she

never let the strain and aches change her attitude.

The old lady wondered how someone who had so little

could be so giving to a stranger. Then she

remembered Bryan .

After the lady finished her meal, she paid

with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress

quickly went to get change for her hundred

dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right

out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress

came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be.

Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the

lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there

too Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping

you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what

you do: don't let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to

fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it

through another day. That night when she got home

from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking

about the money and what the lady had written. How

could the lady have known how much she and her

husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it

was going to be hard..

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay

sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and

whispered soft and low, "Everything's gonna be all

right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."

There is an old saying "What goes around comes

around."

I'm sharing this story with my readers with

the request to pass the message on.

Good friends are like stars....

You don't always see them, but you know they are always there....

Cost Of a Miracle .... as retold by Ashis Sen

2007-04-06T08:09:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

Miracles do ahppen...How much does it cost...
Just our belief in people and ourselves to make it happen...

Please make miracles happen when some one is in need and
you can do that miracle for that someone crying desparately
for a little undesrtanding...trust, loveand faith...Then we have
lived our life as worthy human beings...

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

________________________________________________________________

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glassjelly jar
from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change
out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even.
The total had to beexactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar andtwisting on the cap,
she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to
Rexall's Drug Store withthe big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give hersome attention
but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a
scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most
disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finallyshe took a quarter
from her jar and banged it on theglass counter. That did it!

"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed
tone of voice. I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom
I haven't seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply
to his question .

"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,"
Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone.

"He's really, really sick.. and I want to buy a miracle."

"I beg your pardon?"said the pharmacist.

" His name is Andrew and he has something bad
growing inside his head and my Daddy says only
a miracle can save him now".

So how much does a miracle cost?"

"We don't sell miracles here, little girl.
I'm sorry but I can't help you," the pharmacist said,
softening a little.

"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough,
I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."

The pharmacist's brother was a well
dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl,
"What kind of a miracle does your brother need?"

"I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up.
"I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needsan operation.
But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money".

" How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.

"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly.
"And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to."

"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man.
"A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. "

He took her money in one hand
and with the other hand he grasped her smitten
and said ....

"Take me to where you live.
I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see
if I have the miracle you need."

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon,
specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free
of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and
doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain
ofevents that had led them to this place.

"That surgery," her Mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder
how much it would have cost?" Tess smiled. She knew exactly how
much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents .... plus the faith
of a little child. In our lives, we never know how many miracles
we will need...

A miracle is not the suspension of natural law,
but the operation of a higher law..

I know you'll keep the ball moving! Here it goes.
Throw it back to someone who means something to you!
A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end.
It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends.
But the treasure inside for you to see is the treasure of friendship
you've granted to me. Today I pass the friendship ball to you.
Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you.

MY OATH TO YOU... When you are sad.....I will dry your tears.

When you are scared.....I will comfort your fears.

When you are worried.....I will give you hope.

When you are confused.....I will help you cope.

And when you are lost....And can't see the light.

I shall be your beacon.....Shining ever so bright.

This is my oath.....I pledge till the end.

Why you may ask?.....Because you're my friend.

Daddy's Day at School - Acknowledgement Brenda Webster

2007-04-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Today I have for you all a touching tale of a daughter and her daddy....

Just feel it please....

Brenda, thanks a million for this touching tale.....

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

_________________________________________________________________

Her hair was up in a ponytail

Her favorite dress tied with a bow.

Today was Daddy's Day at school,

And she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,

That she probably should stay home.

Why the kids might not understand,

If she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;

She knew just what to say.

What to tell her classmates

Of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,

For her to face this day alone.

And that was why once again,

She tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school,

Eager to tell them all.

About a dad she never sees

A dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in back,

For everyone to meet.

Children squirming impatiently,

Anxious in their seats.

One by one the teacher called,

A student from the class.

To introduce their daddy,

As seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,

Every child turned to stare.

Each of them was searching,

For a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"

She heard a boy call out.

"She probably doesn't have one,"

Another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,

She heard a daddy say,

"Looks like another deadbeat dad,

Too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her,

As she smiled up at her Mom.

And looked back at her teacher,

Who told her to go on.

And with hands behind her back,

Slowly she began to speak.

And out from the mouth of a child,

Came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here,

Because he lives so far away.

But I know he wishes he could be,

Since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,

I wanted you to know.

All about my daddy,

And how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories

He taught me to ride my bike.

He surprised me with pink roses,

And taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,

And ice cream in a cone.

And though you cannot see him,

I'm not standing here alone.

Cause my daddy's always with me,

Even though we are apart

I know because he told me,

He'll forever be in my heart"

With that, her little hand reached up,

And lay across her chest.

Feeling her own heartbeat,

Beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,

Her mother stood in tears.

Proudly watching her daughter,

Who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love

Of a man not in her life.

Doing what was best for her,

Doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,

Staring straight into the crowd.

She finished with a voice so soft,

But its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much,

He's my shining star.

And if he could, he'd be here,

But heaven's just too far.

You see he was a fireman

And died just this past year

When airplanes hit the towers

And taught Americans to fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,

It's like he never went away."

And then she closed her eyes,

And saw him there that day.

And to her mother's amazement,

She witnessed with surprise.

A room full of daddies and children,

All starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,

Who knows what they felt inside.

Perhaps for merely a second,

They saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy,"

To the silence she called out.

And what happened next made believers,

Of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,

For each of their eyes had been closed.

But there on the desk beside her,

Was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,

By the love of her shining bright star.

And given the gift of believing,

That heaven is never too far.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person,

An hour to appreciate them, a day to love them,

but then an entire life to forget them.

Take the time...to live and love. Until eternity.

HEALTH AWARENESS:India has largest pool of patients: WHO - reported by Subodh Varma | TIG TOI New Delhi :Dtd 03.04.2007

2007-04-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Today I bring to you some startling facts about HEALTH in India as determined by W H O.

To me health is a serious issue, and being healthy is more than half the battle won personally and Nationally, particularly in the context of the THIRD WORLD scenarios, where the prime indicators of development are HEALTH and EDUCATION (say literacy).

Here we do have a global scenario in which we get a peep into both the developed and developing countries, with specific reference to our INDIAN CONDITIONS....

Trust this will leave all you friends with some FOOD FOR THOUGHT....

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

__________________________________________________________

Communicable Diseases As Big Killers As Lifestyle Ailments Like Heart Diseases, Diabetes, Cancer

What is the more likely cause of death today — a disease caused by germs or failure of one of the body organs?

The answer depends on which part of the world you belong to. According to the World Health Organisation’s Global Burden of Disease projections based on 2005 data, 48% of deaths in India are caused by communicable diseases, 43% due to metabolic disorders like cancer, heart ailments, diabetes etc and the rest a result of accidents, natural calamities, suicides and murder.

In sharp contrast to the situation, in industrialised economies of Europe, for instance, only 6% of all deaths are caused by communicable diseases, while a whopping 86% are due to metabolic disorders and the remaining due to other causes.

However, in Africa, 70% of deaths are due to communicable diseases, while only 22% are from noncommunicable disorders.

India, thus, has the worst of both worlds. Lifespan has increased with the availability of modern medicine and increasing awareness. But so has the spread of high-carbohydrate, high-fat diets, sedentary lifestyles and other risk factors like tobacco. All this has contributed to prevalence of heart diseases, diabetes and cancer. At the same time, poverty and poor quality of life is a fertile breeding ground for communicable diseases. Till the first half of the 20th century, diseases caused by bacteria and viruses used to be big killers —plague, cholera, TB, influenza. The discovery of antibiotics meant that almost all communicable diseases were conquered, at least in advanced countries. This, coupled with progress in food and other basic necessities of life, led to people living longer. Then, non-communicable or metabolic diseases became the prime killers. The poorest countries are still where the advanced countries were a century ago, in terms of the relative importance of communicable and non-communicable ailments as killers.

Poverty is the biggest reason, but it is currently being augmented by the spread of AIDS, which also puts patients at risk of other infections like TB and respiratory diseases.

India’s situation means it has the world’s largest pool of patients. It is home to an estimated 70 million heart-stroke patients and 32 million diabetics. Every year, 2.2 million Indians get infected with TB and over a million kids die of diarrhoea.

Death rates due to communicable diseases are similar to the figures that prevailed a century ago in advanced countries, and deaths due to non-communicable diseases even higher. China, on the other hand, has gone through the transition in the last 50 years and now the balance has decisively tilted, only 15% of deaths are from infections while about 68% are due to metabolic disorders. The public health policy in India has to address both types.

“The Stanford Story” Courtesy : Economic Times

2007-04-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,


You can't judge a book by the cover....

                  Don't look at people with your eyes....
                  Look at them with your heart...

Hope the following anecdote makes all of us
sit up and watch our next interactions in
LIFE.

With best wishes,
Ashis Sen

_______________________________________

This is a true story of the Founders of Stanford University

A  lady  in  a  faded  gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a
homespun threadbare  suit,stepped  off  the  train  in  Boston, and
walked timidly without an appointment into the president's
outer office at Harvard.


The secretary could see that the people were not from Boston,
and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge. She frowned.
"We want to see the president", the man said softly.

"He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady
replied.  For  hours,  the  secretary ignored them, hoping that the
couple would  finally  become  discouraged  and  go  away.  They
didn’t.And the secretary  grew  frustrated  and  finally decided to
disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always
regretted to do.


"Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she
told him. And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone
of his importance obviously didn’t have the time to spend with them,
but he detested gingham dresses and Homespun suits cluttering up
his outer office. The president,stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward
the couple. The lady told him,"We had a son that attended Harvard for
one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here.  But about a year ago,
he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a
memorial to him, somewhere on campus".


The president wasn't touched he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly,
"we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died.
If we did, this place would look like a cemetery."


"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly, "We don't want to erect a statue.
We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard".

The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and
homespun suit, and then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any
earthly idea how much a building costs?
We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical
plant at Harvard".

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased.
He could get rid of them now. And the lady turned to her husband
and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a University?


Why don't we just start our own?"

Her   husband   nodded.  The president’s face wilted in confusion
and bewilderment. And, Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away,
traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University
that bears their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer
cared about.

Wisdom on a toilet wall By Aradhana Takhtani I TNN TOI Mumbai 01.04.2007

2007-04-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

Belinda Pereira Is Instilling Dreams In Urchins By Educating Them

Dear Friends,

I had been away for a while, so could not provide new food for thought to those who browse through this humble blog, I can only plead for your indulgence in the given circumstances to bear with me .....

Here is the story of an unique effort at imparting education and therefore basic human values....

Trust this inspires us, in its own way, in the little things we can do or are within our capabilities to share our best with our les fortunate friends...

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

_________________________________________________________

Amma’s Karuna Ghar is down the Upavan Lake, some eight kilometres from the Thane railway station. Here, starkly poor children, chiefly beggars, get their first lessons of life. Their names are neatly displayed on a white drawing sheet pinned on the wall. These names are not the only words on the wall. Look carefully and you will see on the wall ‘Rotary Club of Thane Lake City Toilets (female and male)’. It is the misfortune of some kids in this country that their blackboard is actually the wall of a dysfunctional toilet. But this is better than nothing.

For Belinda George Pereira, fondly called Amma by these kids, this seemed like a good place to start the education of urchins. From November 2006, 32-year-old Belinda set out with a humble objective of weaning these kids away from begging and scavenging. Teaching them would be both noble and challenging, she thought, and slowly talked them into it. Today, these tramps make a motley bunch of eager students with dreams in their eyes.

Ten-year-old Venkatesh, his spunky older brother Shekhar, Sunil, Rani, both aged six, shy Radhika who is three, brothers Birju and Arkit, orphaned and afflicted with disease, and the youngest of the lot, the two-yearold Anita, are the class. And there is 25-year old Allama, a mentally challenged woman who earlier begged around the garden. She assists Amma now besides trying to understand the world of letters. The class also has strict supervisors in the form of two eunuchs, Anarkali and Radha. They ensure that Amma’s students do not loiter around. The class meets at 11.30 every morning, starts off with a prayer, followed by meals, studies and then disperses by 2.30 pm. It all started when Belinda visited the garden around the Upavan Lake. “Since I live in Gawandbag, a short distance away from the Lake, I frequent the place and one sight which really bothered me was these little ones begging,’’ she says.

She was born in a family of four sisters and two brothers. After her father succumbed to cancer, Belinda had to traverse through various stages of struggle quite early in life. Once, she even faced the prospect of a disease (she does not want to disclose) and was terrified. “I had almost decided to end my life when my best friend showed me a very miserable leper who, against all odds, was begging for a living.’’ That sight changed Belinda. After months of treatment, hard work and loads of determination, Belinda, now a mother of three and a doting wife, survived. “Every time I see a destitute or sick person, especially children, I have this strong urge to revitalise them. Not through religion or blind faith but through education.’’

There is a certain simplicity about her. She is probably someone who believes that money is better spent on improving lives. “After few months of basic teaching and grooming, I want to put them in Manjiwada school for Telugu speaking students,’’ she says. The children nod their heads eagerly. Belinda finds the resources to take care of these children by spending a part of her income from a BPO job that engages her till 2:30 in the morning, and through the assistance of her husband. Her colleagues too pool in sometimes. These funds help her sustain her cause but she is worried what would happen to the toilet wall and this transitory classroom once the rains come.

aradhana .takhtani @timesgroup .com

SPREADING THE GOOD WORD: The teacher with her wards at the ‘class’

Learning To Teach How To Touch - Acknowledgement Elizabeth

2007-03-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here is an episode on making a difference in others' life.... and thereby doing good to the society at large.... All of us do come across one another knowingly and unknowingly... we do touch others by our words and deeds....we can if we are conscious make a difference to our environment and to those who are a part of that environment... The following episode is a bit too long ...but it did touch me, and I think it will be worth your while to do the little bit of reading and reflect on the fundamental substance of the episode... Trust you will find this touching and worth emulating in our own ways in our own surroundings...

Thank yoi Liza for this touching contribution

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

_______________________________________________________________________________

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of the school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers she looked at her students and said she loved them all the same. However that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in the seat was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were
messy, and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy
could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight
in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then
putting a big "F" at the top of his papers. At the school where Mrs.
Thompson taught, she was required to review each student past records and she put Teddy’s off until the last. However when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a
ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners. He is a
joy to be around."

His second grade teacher wrote Teddy is an excellent student, well
liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a
terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "Teddy's mother's death has been hard
on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much
interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps are not
taken."

His fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show
much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he
sometimes sleeps in class."

By now Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped beautifully in bright ribbons and paper, except for Teddy's, whose present was clumsy and wrapped in heavy brown paper, the one he would have got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents.

Some of the children started to laugh when she found the rhinestone
bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle of perfume that
was only one quarter full. But she stifled the children's laughter
when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and
dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed on
after school that day just long to say, “Mrs. Thompson, today you
smelled just like my mom used to." After the children left, she cried
for at long time

On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Instead she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular
attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come
alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the
end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in
class. And, despite her lie that she loved all the children the same,
Teddy became one of her “pets".

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling
her that she was still the best teacher he had ever had in his life.

Six years went by before she got another letter from Teddy. He then
wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she
was still the best teacher he ever had in is whole life.

Four years after that she received another note saying that while
things had been tough at times, he still stayed in school, had stuck
with it, and would soon graduate with the highest honors. He assured
Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and most favorite teacher
he ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he
explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a
little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and
most favourite teacher he ever had in his whole life. But now the
name was little longer ... the letter was signed, Theodore F.
Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end here. There was yet another letter that
spring. Teddy said the he met this girl, who, he was going to marry.

He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he
was wondering if Mrs. Thompson would agree to sit at the wedding in
the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what, she wore that bracelet
- the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she also
remembered to wear the perfume that Teddy's mother wore on the last
Christmas they spent together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, "Teddy, you
have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a
difference. I didn't know how to teach till I met you."

All of us can have a Teddy standing in front of us and yet not realize it . . .

Warm someone's heart today. Pass this message along.

I love this story so much. I cry every time I read it. Just try to make a difference in someone's life today, tomorrow. Just do it. Random acts of kindness I think they call it . . .

The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no
one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond our wildest dreams – Sidney Madwed

Blind girl finds her place in sun By Pinak Priya Bhattacharya/TNN TOI dtd 08.12.2004

2007-03-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here is a story of not an ordinary person reaching extraordinary heights, but that of a seriously physically challenged lady achieving truly heroic victory in Life, and showing us the way in spirit and deed to surpass all odds in LIFE, in our quest for meaningful existence.

I apologise to all my readers for my inability to put her picture here, for all to iconise her in their daily battles of Life, but then, simply iconising is not what the spirit is... far from it ...this story is about the fountain of inspiration to live a gallant LIFE in the true sense of the term.

Trust, all of us would draw courage and fortitude from NILANJANA, the protagonist of this exposition, in the trying hours of our own little struggles as we pass through our passage of LIFE.

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

Blind Girl Climbing

Jalpaiguri:

She still remembers the red glow of sunrise. She can recall the green fields around her home, birds fluttering in the sky and the little red and-yellow dress she first wore to school. Thereafter, the world turned dark. Fate had dealt a cruel blow to her at the tender age of five.

But Nilanjana Sen was made of sterner stuff. Our home-grown Hellen Keller proved to herself, her parents and the world that visual impairment is no impediment on the road to success. Today, this 26-year old girl from Jalpaiguri is an inspiration to thousands like her. She has just cleared the College Service Commission and is waiting for her appointment letter.

Nilanjana’s story is one of grit, stamina and an indomitable will to succeed. After losing her sight, she took admission in C a l c u t t a B l i n d School in 1986 and b e g a n studying u s i n g Braille. In 1994, she appeared for her Madhyamik examination — she was provided a helper who wrote the answers. Results showed she would go far. She passed in the first division. Then she returned to Jalpaiguri and got admitted at PD Women’s college. In 1996, she cleared Higher Secondary, again in the first division. Three years later, she topped North Bengal University in English (Honours) with 55 per cent.

In 2001, Nilanjana topped in her post-graduation with 63 percent marks.

With every exam she cleared, her determination to do better got stronger. In 2002, she cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET) and also received a scholarship for doing research. She picked Mahesh Dattani, the contemporary Indian dramatist writing in English, as her research topic.

In May this year(2004), Nilanjana appeared for the College Service Commission interview. Results were out in October and her name was sixth on the panel.

“We were all very upset when Nilanjana lost her vision. But she recovered from the shock very fast. These days, whenever I venture out, I hear people saying ‘look he is Nilanjana’s father’. I am really a proud father,” said Arun Sen, hugging her daughter.

And, what does the lady herself say of her achievement. “Yes, I am blind. But you can’t pass your life lamenting over it. You have to come out of it to survive.”

Keeper of the Spring - anecdote as retold by Ashis Sen - Acknowledgement Verena Gigon for the Pictures

2007-03-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

The small dabs of paints here and there, add up to give the big canvas its beauty and hue. The small deeds, of all who are at work, combinedly contribute to the well being of the society. So, to each according to our capacities, as we put in our bit. we do that much of touching up that gives the final glow to the scenario that people around admire. No work is thus redundant or unnecessary in Nature and Life....

Here is a beautiful anecdote elaborating this thought.

Trust you will find it reflects a deep philosophy of Life at work...

Verena with thanks, I do acknowledge your contributions to this anecdote in the form of the pictures used here...

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

The late Peter Marshall was an eloquent speaker and for several years served as the chaplain of the US Senate. He used to love to tell the story of the "Keeper of the Spring," a quiet forest dweller who lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slope of the Alps.

The old gentleman had been hired many years earlier by a young town councilman to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town. With faithful, silent regularity, he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise have choked and contaminated the fresh flow of water. The village soon became a popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful swans floated along the crystal clear spring, the mill wheels of various businesses located near the water turned day and night, farmlands were naturally Irrigated, and the view from restaurants was picturesque beyond description.

Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semiannual meeting. As they reviewed the budget, one man's eye caught the salary figure being paid the obscure keeper of the spring. Said the keeper of the purse, "Who is the old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know, the strange ranger of the hills is doing us no good. He isn't necessary any longer." By a unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man's services.

For several weeks, nothing changed.

By early autumn, the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped of and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water. One afternoon someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint in the spring. A few days later, the water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks, and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill wheels moved more slowly, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left, as did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.

Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross error in judgment, they rehired the old keeper of the spring, and within a few weeks, the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps.

Never become discouraged with the seeming smallness of your task, job, or life. Cling fast to the words of Edward Everett Hale: "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do. " The key to accomplishment is believing that what you can do will make a difference.

The Seven Wonders Of the World - Acknowledgement Brenda Webster

2007-03-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

A brilliant re-definition of the Seven Wonders of the World.

And, this is from a school kid .... children are uncomplicated and pure

perhaps that is when they introspect they come up with the TRUTH with more

ease and grace than we can do with all our maturity.

It is truly worth reflecting on the fundamental definition of the SEVEN WONDERS...

Thanks Brenda - a hatrick for you in the matter of your contribution to my blog.

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen
_____________________________________________________________

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 noted

that one student had not finished 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:

1. To See

2. To Hear

3. To Touch

4. To Taste

5. To Feel

6. To Laugh

7. And to Love."

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin

drop.

The things we overlook as simple and ordinary

and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!

A gentle reminder --

that the most precious things in life

cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

Well..... even in our busy schedules in life, we can perhaps pass this

BRILLIANT MESSAGE along ..... try it.....

The Best Day Of My Life - Acknowledgement Brenda Webster

2007-03-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Life is to be lived positively.

If today is the best day of my LIFE .....

Tomorrow will be still more better day....

Brenda thank you very much for this magnificent contribution...

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever

There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did!
And because I did I'm going to celebrate!
Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger.

I will go through this day with my head held high and a happy heart.
I will marvel at Nature’s seemingly simple gifts:

the morning dew, the sun,

the clouds,

the trees,

the flowers,

the birds.

Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.
Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people.
I'll make someone smile.
I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he/she is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for him/her or them and how much that means to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things that I have. ! I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my self belief and willingness to do good and the right things ensures everything will be just fine.

And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and raise my eyes to the sky. I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will appreciate the beauty of these magnificent treasures.

As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow,
I will be happy for the best day of my life.
And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child,
excited with expectation because
I know tomorrow is going to be “the day more better” than “the best day of my life, ever!”.

Life's Learning - Acknowledgement Breda Webster

2007-03-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here are some very simple but deep thoughts about the ways of LIFE.

Trust these will make a lot of sense to all of us if we reflect with the right approach.

Read on....and ....

Please pass the message on…..

You will boost another person’s self-esteem.

Brenda, thanks once again for sharing such precious thoughts,

With best wishes,

Ashis Sen

____________________________________________________________

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

“I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these

three things:

a rainy day,

lost luggage, and

tangled Christmas tree lights."

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents,

you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

"I've learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life’."

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt

on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."

"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart,

I usually make the right decision."

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.

People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget

what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

MIND SET - Count Your Blessings - by Gregory Hand, TOI dtd 18.03.2007

2007-03-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I do believe when one door gets closed on us...others open up, only if we are willing to search for the New Openings with an open mind and not give up on our quest for success in despair.

Gregory puts it as our prayer to God ... and positive prayer at that, I would like to rephrase it as positive posture of our self and mind in adversity - self belief to break the barrier, as a better expression of attitude for WINNING IN LIFE

Put it as how best it appeals to any of us, but the lucid clarification of the ATTITUDE FOR WIN, will, I am sure, provide us all with thoughts for reflection at leisure.....

Read on....

Withe best wishes,

Ashis Sen

Be thankful for all the wonderful things you have in your life and seek the hidden advantage in the events that surround you, says Gregory Hand

So many times a door in life closes and we become angry, cursing our fate. We lose a job, our girlfriend or boyfriend leaves us, our house is virtually destroyed in a storm and we have to move. The famous Roman orator, Cicero, who lived in the first century AD, had this to say about attitude, “A thankful heart is not only the greatest Virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.”

At first glance, this is a puzzling little saying, but since Cicero is probably one of the world’s first motivational speakers, perhaps it is worth taking seriously. Still, we must ask, what is a thankful heart, especially in a world where hearts are so easily broken, where calamity and disappointment for so many lurks behind every corner and where life seems so easily to dispense failure and dissatisfaction and heartbreak?

It would seem that a thankful heart is possessed by a man or a woman who habitually looks at the world with a feeling of thanksgiving or gratitude despite what other people might think of the world about them. To obtain a thankful heart, one must either be slightly insane, given the nature of things or have adopted an attitude of thankfulness, despite the normal course of things for some over-riding reason. Cicero says that a thankful heart is “the parent of all other virtues.”

Some say that the Law of Attraction operates by sending back to you whatever you send out to the universe. It would seem that it would be best to be sending out thoughts from a heart disciplined to look at the good side of things.

In other words; look at life by seeking the invisible opportunity in difficulties, seize the possibilities for growth in adversity, and look at life’s situations from the standpoint of a thankful heart. For most, the habitual response to those situations is purely negative. But to others there is always the possibility of a hidden advantage.

What could that be like? Well, obviously, if you lose your job, you could get a better job, one that you would never have thought of looking for. If you lose a boyfriend or have a divorce, there could be something in store for you.

Things that seem bad are not always the worst possible things. Sometimes they are just a way of the universe opening up new possibilities for you to enjoy.

Therefore, at the very least, when something unexpected happens, you can realise that you are stepping into the unknown. But, is there a way you can step into these unknown and perhaps seemingly dangerous waters — and still put your best foot forward? Perhaps, you can use the healing and strengthening power of gratitude. Gratitude is not just an emotion, but a power, a power that empowers you to move forward in life.

Greg Hand suggests that prayer should be a very positive part of our lives. How do we do this? By daily, hourly, thanking God for the many wonderful things. In a recent video called If you give gratitude to the universe, gratitude for the abundance, love, happiness and peace in your life, for the manifold blessings you have, the universe will return the attitude by bringing abundance, love, happiness and peace. The real secret, however, is to be thankful for all the wonderful things and to seek the hidden advantage in daily events. Dare to dream and make those dreams into your reality.