Visit to Gurgaon,Haridwar and Rishikesh

We spent ten days from 18th September in Gurgaon, Haridwar and Rishikesh. We had planned these trips some two months ago taking into account the Dasera Holidays for the children. In between my wife underwent endo-laser treatment for Varicose veins at the hands of Dr Shoib Padaria of Jaslok Hospitaal,Mumbhai. I asked the doctor whether we could undertake these trips after the key-hole surgery. He confirmed that we could go ahead as she, in any case, has to walk for four KMS every day for two months.

We reached Gurgaon on 18th late evening. The highlight of our trip is our experiences in Haridwar and Risikesh. I want to start my narration with our visit to these two places. We spent three days in both the places.Haridwar is about 220 KMS from where we stayed. We reached Haridwar by car. On the way, we passed through Noida, Ghaziabad,,Meerut,Muzafarnagar and Roorkee.We checked into Ginger Hotel at Haridwar.

Vedic history describes Haridwar as the land of salvation.This is the place where Ganga joins the plains and forms an entrance to the various pilgrim centres of the holy land of Uttaranchal. It is known as the land of Shiva and Vishnu. It is also described as the land of Power-MAYAPURI.Haridwar is the ideal pilgrim spot for people who worry about death and desire Mukthi. This is also the first spot of visit for religious scholors and intellectuals.

We first visited Mansa temple in Haridwar. It is located on top of a hill. We travelled by car upto the foot of the hill. We went to the top of the hill by a winch. The temple was very beautiful. As we visited the temple on a Sapthami day, there was tremendous crowd. There were monkeys of all sizes and colours all through the steps leading to the temple.After the temple visit, we went to Hari Poudi-were Ganges flows with ferocious power. We took bath in the Ganges. The flow of water was so very fast and ferocious, we could not even stand for a minute in the water with our feet firmly planted on the ground. Around us, there were shouts of "Alak Niranjan"."Hari Har Mahadev" and "Jai Ganga Mayi". These,along with bells from the temple creates a very spiritual atmosphere. It is a tangible proof of Hindu culture which strives continuously to seek salvation amidst chaos, pain and confusion. After the bath, we also saw the"Aarthi for Ganga". It was a very
enchanting experience.

The next day, we visited Chandi temple. This is again located on top of a hill. We travelled by a winch. Along side Chandi temple, there is also a temple for Anjana Devi, mother of Hanuman.

From Haridwar, we went to Rishikesh- a distance of twenty KMS from Haridwar.

Rishikesh represents the site where Lord Vishnu vanquished the demon Madhu. A gate-way to the Himalayas in the Tehsri-Garhwal region of Uttaranchal, Rishikesh abounds in natural splendour. The spectacle of river Ganga gushing through the foothills of Himalayas surrounded by scenic beauty of the hills from three sides and the verdant forest all around provides a wonderful sight to Rishikesh.

We stayed in Paramartha Niketan,founded by Swamy Sidanand Saraswathi, also called Muniji. This is an ashram built on the banks of Ganges. The ambience in the Ashram and the food are excellent. We just sat on the last step with our feet on the Ganges water. The scenic beauty is marvellous. We watched the Ganga Puja and Aaarthi performed at the Ashram.With more than eight hundred people participating, most of them foreigners, it was a sight to behold.Songs sung,prayers offered and the flames from the Homa Kunda made an extremely spritual atmosphere. We were really thrilled.I recommend Paramarth Niketan for any future stay by any one of you
We saw Laxman Jhoola,Ram Jhoola and Nilakantha temple in Rishikesh,Laxman Jhola ia a suspension bridege in iron and is an architectural marvel,considering that it was built some two hundred years ago..Ram Jhoola, built later between Shivanand Ashram and Swarg Ashram is also very beautiful. (thougjh kept unclean). View of the Ganges from these two bridges reminded me of what I saw in Switzerland and Kashmir. Triveni Ghat is a place where pilgrims take bath in holy Ganges.

Our visit to Neelkantha temple was thrilling. It is about 30 KMS from where we stayed. There was only a single forest road of ten feet with barely enough space for two cars to cross through. It was indeed a dangerous drive. As the mythology says when amrita or the ambrosia was being churned out, the venom also oozed out in the process. Lord shive, in order to save the world, drank this venom. His throat became blue with its effect and HE got the name Neelkantha- one with a blue throat. This is believed to have happend at this place.

Rishikesh is usually mentioned in connection with four other eminent places of tremendous religious importance,namely,Badrinath,Kedar Nath,Yamunotri and Gangotri.

There is a great spritual atmosphere in the air surrounding Rishikesh.Before leaving Rishikesh, I took bath in the Ganges with my wife early morning at 5.30 chanting Shiva Gayathri.

Incidentally, some of the begggers in Rishikesh looked like scholors. There was no trace of worry in their faces. No position.No possessions. No worry about the future. There was happiness wirt large on their faces. I was almost tempted to interview some of them. To a question, one of them replied' "Are you sure you will see to-morrow?".With this, I was afraid of proceeding further.

After seeing the similarity in practices being followed in the North and South, I am inclined to believe that Hinduism is not merely a religion.

Hinduism is a way of Life.

Be proud to be a Hindu.

While in Gurgaon, we also saw different places in Delhi. We also went to Agra to see Taj Mahal. On our return from Taj, we also went to Gokul where Lord Krishna was brought up by Yasodha Mayi.
The Taj has lost some of its shine. When I last saw Taj some thirty years ago, it was pure white in colour. Now the colour is dull. I was tempted to say in typical Raj Kapur style, 'Shaji (referring to Shajahan), Teri Taj, maili Hai". The great Shajahan would turn in his grave very uncomfortably if he sees the present condition of the TAJ. But then, considering that the taj is as old as USA, may be this is how it will be.It is no doubt impossible to construct another Taj. No one, be it Government or individuals, will wait for 22 years to complete a structure.

And finally a word about Gurgaon. It looks great. I never imagined that there could be a place like this in India. In the evening and under lights, it almost looks like down-town Chicago/Atlanta.

We returned to Bangalore late evening on 28th September after spending ten wonderful days in North India.

V.K.Balasubramanian

"Wide Awake"

The other day I was seeing a film called "Wide Awake". It is a very interesting film. It is about a boy's search for God. He is studying in a Catholic school and is taught by Catholic nuns. He does not want to accept their statement about existence of God. He wants proof that there is God. The nuns tell him to read the Bible where it is said " You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you".The boy also challenges a Priest when he goes for a Confession with the words " You and me are the same. Both are seeking God. If you find him earlier, please tell me". The Priest tells the boy that he would, if he found God.

The boy is very much attached to his grand-father. While walking together one day, the grand-father tells the boy that very shortly he will be going to God. The boy then asks the grand-father proof that there is God. The old man points out to the snow and asks the boy what caused snow. The boy gives a scientific explanation and the grand-father tells him that there is something more than a scientific explanation. Finally, the boy asks the question :"If there is no God who will take care of you there?". The film does not prescribe any solutions. It only raises some questions. Only when the title was shown towards the end, I realised it is a film made by Manoja Night S Shyamalan, maker of "Sixth Sense".

As a boy ten, similar questions also occurred to me. One day in the drawing class, I was asked to draw some pictures. Out of the ten pictures I drew, almost eight were the same --same nose, eyes etc. I then started thinking that if millions of people had different faces and looked different , then there must be some super-power guiding us.

As I grew older, I heard and read about the theory of Big Bang. The scientists claimed that the universe was created by a big explosion of energy and light, which they called Big Bang. According to them, this was the beginning of Universe-space and time. If the Universe had not always existed, it had a start at some point of time,. What had caused that?. Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter.

Besides, there is precise mathematical calculation behind the creation of Universe. If we have to accept Big Bang theory, what caused this precise mathematics?.
The Earth- its size is perfect.If earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible like the Planet Mercury. If the earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen like Jupiter. Earth is the planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gasses to sustain plant,animal and human life. There is mathematics in this.

WATER: -colourless,odourless and without taste and yet no living being can survive without it. It has unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water is a universal solvent. There is mathematics in this.

The Human Brain-It can simultaneously process an amazing amount of information. Likewise, the EYE can distinguish among seven million colours. There is mathematics in this,

The DNA Code informs and programs a cell!s behaviour. Is there not mathematics in this?.If we accept the Big Bang theory, who created this precise mathematics?. A Nobel Laurate, Mr Richard Feyman, who won his prize for "quantum electro-dynamics has said"Why nature is mathematical is a mystery. The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle".

As for me, I am presently in a state of of "absolute surrender".. I believe in the famous words ;' Faith is above all openness; an act of trust in the unknown".

"God loves us the way we are, but HE loves us too much to leave us that way"

DREAMS

Here, I am going to write about the dreams we have while asleep-and not about day dreams.

For the last four months, I am getting frequent dreams about examination. Either I am not able to complete the paper or I miss the bus while going to examination hall. This "missing the bus" dream has come very frequently. In reality, I have never missed an examination. Nor have I missed a bus while going to an examination hall. I am not able to interpret these dreams. The last examination I wrote was in 1966- a Banking Exam called CAIIB.Many people are not able to remember their dreams. I vividly remember the dreams the next day.

While these dreams disturbed me, I took consolation from the fact that we sleep best when we have dreams. It is believed that the dreams occur only during deepest sleep. The sleeper is almost impossible to wake in this state. If there is a loud noise or if the sleeper is shaken, it will take the sleeper a few seconds to wake up.

Last year. I used to have dreams about snakes. When I discussed this with a friend he told me I may have "naga dosha". I stopped consulting these half-baked astrologers after this.

On an average, one third of our life is spent on sleep.During this one-third we have dreams. Essentially,dreams are our own method of relaxing and letting our minds drift away to a distant world. While dreaming, we can interact with various people,places or things. Technically. dreams are nothing but hallucinations.

Interpreting dreams is a powerful tool. We can find out deep secrets or several concealed feelings towards something or somebody just by analysing a dream correctly. Scientists believe that to keep our minds active during sleep, we must have dreams. There is a reference to interpretation of the dreams even in BIBLE. It is mentioned that one Joseph interpreted the dreams of two men correctly.

Believe me when I say that had dreams of Mayavathi, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. I had seen her unveling her own statue in a Park on TV and went to sleep immediately after that. I had immages of Mayavathi and Elephants in the dreams that followed. She has installed fifty of her own statutes in various parts of Uttar Pradesh. She had also installed statues of Elephants in all those places. Incidentally, Elephant is the symbol of her Party.( Bahujan Samaj Party) .Mayavat is no less than a grown elephant. Visualise a scene where Mayavathi and Elephats appear in the same park. It would be difficult to distinguish between the two. What surprised me most was Mayavathi unveiling her own statue in Gonmathi Nagar, Lucknow. I am sure that if she looses the next election, all her statues will be demolished. How conceated and self-opinionated one can be is best illustrated by Mayavathi.

I would have been much happier, if instead of Mayavathi, Madhuri Dikshit had appeared in my dreams.

I believe in the theory of Sigmond Freud on dreams. He says that "the purpose of dreams is to allow us to satisfy in fantasies the instinctive urges that society judges unacceptable"

I will be travellling in September and will resume writing in my blog in October.

Hats off to America

Equality of expression and equality of freedom are enshrined in the Constitutions of all countries, but nowhere else is it practiced and accepted as widely as in U.S.A. (at least now). The case in point is the latest Tea Diplomacy of Barrack Obama, President of the country. The freedom of expression is so great that there were any number of jokes on Clinton and Bush--particulary on Clinton after his Monica affair. USA is one of the countries in the world where there is absolutely no press censorship of any kind.Look at the efforts of Bill Clinton in bringing back the two American Journalists from Korea---the same journalistic community which ridiculed him no end.

A small incident that happened on 16th July in Cambridge has caught the attention of the world. One lady, Mrs Lucia telephoned the Police informing that two black people were trying to break open the door of a house in the nieghbourhood. The Police Searjent who received the call was a while man by the name of James Crolly. The searjent immediately went to the spot and questioned the two men who were trying to break the door. The searjent asked for ID and one the men replied that he was trying to open the locks of his own house. The Policeman refused to accept the statement. He asked for ID Proof. The black man then tried to speak to a superior police officer. After much heated exchange of words, the black man produced an ID issued by Harward University. Yes, he was Professor Henry Louis Gates of Harward. The searjent then called the Harward Police. The Professor and his black driver were then taken to the police station and were detained for a few
hours. They were let off after some time. Here the important points to note are::

1)The lady who telephoned the Police believed either that a black man would not own a house in the neighbourhood. or house-breakers would be only blacks
2)The Police refused to accept the story of the Professor.
3)The Professor was detained because he initially refused to provide ID proof and used strong language. He used the words " Do you think that black man!s statement should not be accepted"
4)Another Police Officer who came on the scene after some time was a black man and he supported the stand of James Crolly.

This incident was widely published in all the newspapers of USA. President Obama made a statenent to the effect that USA was still not successful in overcoming racial issues. He also criticised the Police functioning in this case.

The Police Searjent did not accept the criticism of the President. He mentioned that the President was making a statement without knowing the facts.

The President immediately mentioned that he was not aware of the full facts of the case. He withdrew his criticism of the Police.

What happened next was most unexpected. The President invited the Police Officer and the Professor for TEA in the White House.. After the meeting with the President, both the Professor and the Police stuck to their respective stands.

That an ordinary police official could make a statement about the President openly is indeed remarkable. The President was also magnanimous in accepting his mistake.

Can you think of this happening in India?. Here even a very high ranking Police Official will be afraid of talking about even a Junior Minister or a bureaucrat. We are used to "Sir" culture. All the superior Officers are addressed as "Sir". In USA, they are called by their names. In India, if you call a Superior Officer by name, it will hurt his ego.

Here, I cannot but quote the folllowing famous words of Carl Schurtz:

"My Country,when right, kept it right. When wrong, set it right".

Efforts and Fruits

I was reading an article of Swami Sukhbodhnanda on " Enjoy the effort no matter what effect" .

He has said " I will recommend another approach. You can have a desire. Put in your best effort to fulfil it. But make sure you enjoy the effort rather than its fruits".

I do not agree with his view. I feel that unless we pursue our goal relentlessly, the intensity of the effort will come down. If we celebrate only the march towards the destination, we may not ever reach the destination at all. My view is that if we fail, we should not get discouraged, We should make all out efforts towards reaching the goal. When we have a dream, we must believe that our dream will come true. We must plan and work hard towards the goal. Imagine what would have happened if leaders like Mahatma Gandhi,Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela had been satisfied only with their march towards destination and not the destination. It is essential to have faith in one!s own abilities. It is said "Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around".

Here, I want to cite a case known to me. One of my friends, from an early age, wanted to become a successful lawyer. He would tell me that he would become a Senior Lawyer of Madras High Court by the age of forty, After completing law, he became a Junior to Mohan Kumaramangalam. When his mentor became a Central Minister, he started his own practice, He struggled very hard. For some time, he was known as a 'briefless lawyer". He never gave up hope and never lost faith in his ability to achieve his dream. True enough, he became a Senior Lawyer before forty years of age. He also turned down an offer of a Judge of Karnataka High Court, as he was making big money in practice. Unfortunately,he died at a very young age of heart attack. His wife, who became a lawyer at his instance after marrige, took over his practice. To-day, she( Mrs Prabha SriDevan) is a sitting Judge of the Madras High Court. She may even become a Judge of the Supreme Court as she has age
in her favour.

I do realise that failure is a fact of life. There is a spiritual lesson in every failure. Failures are necessary to remind people of their essential human vulnerabilities. An unbroken string of success can create pride and a sense of invincibility about one self in a high achiever .Mohamed Ali bragged "I am the greatest". Such unbriddled pride precedes a great fall.

Humility is a necessary virtue.Surrendering to God is an act of bhakthi-devotion and surrender happens only in a spirit of humility.

Imagine a situation in the Office. A person works very hard and sincerely and always meets his targets. If he does not get promoted or does not get his deserved increments, will he continue his good work? If countries participating in Olympics are merely satisfied with their efforts, they will never win Gold Medal. It is only their zeal to win, combined with training and hard work, that can fetch them Gold.

Reaching the destination is more important than the march towards the destination.

Floods and civic administration in India

I was just witnessing the scenes from Delhi where two hours of floods have played havoc with day-to-day life. In the Capital of the Country, we have not introduced systems to prevent flood havoc, even after 62 years of independence and self-rule.

This is the state of affiars in almost all the cities and towns in the country. The civic administration is so deplorably bad that we do not see any improvements during the last fifty years.This is a matter of great concern.
In Mumbhai, once in two years the rains destroy day-to-day life. The drainage system has not seen any improvements for many years. After the temporary disapperance of the problem, we forget about solving the problem for the future. Successive administrations, belonging to different parties, have failed miserably to grab the issue and solve the problems.

Civic administration in India is very corrupt. There was a report that only 50 percent of the money allocated for any Project reach the Project. The rest of the money disappears in the various corrupt hands.I can only think of the following steps:
1)The underground pipe-lines have to be replaced in stages in Mumbhai. For this, there has to be a time-bound action plan.
2)Effective steps have to be taken to prevent plastic bags from blocking the drainage pipes, preventing the rain water from entering the sea.
3)A high level commitee to be appointed with powers to take corrective action.

A bdul Kalam wanted young people to dream. His dream is that India should be a deveoped country by 2010. The way civic administrations function in India, this one dream, most certainly, will not come true. In Europe and USA even the most remote village has a proper road and drainage dream.

I am only reminded of the famous words of Victor Hugo:

"Nations, like stars,are entitled to eclipse. All is well,provided the light returns and the eclipse does not become endless night"

Will the light ever return to our motherland?

"KHAMBHAKT ISHQ" (to be published in Blog)

I had seen a dance sequence from a Hindi film of this name in Star Plus yesterday. From the mere song, I could guess the story-line. There was so much stretching of legs and throwing up of arms that I wondered whether the hero and the heroine would be left with any energy and time for love.The word "ishq" has a sinister implication. I will have to talk to a friend who knows Urdu to confirm my suspicion. I would rather prefer "Pyaar Mohabat" on any day to "Khambhakt Ishq".

What is love?. Erich Seigal is his book "Love Story" defines love as "never having to say sorry". According to me, love requires serious comimtment and determination. There was a famous Tamil movie hero, Gemiini Ganesh, who married so many times and yet called them "love' every time. He first married Babji and then Pushpavalli (mother of Rekha who was reigning queen of Hindi films at one time), After a few years, he again married Rajashree and called it as "love at first sight". Towards the end of his life, I saw him in a lift in Femina Hotel at Tiruchuirapalli with a twenty year old girl. (he was 78 ). There were reports that he had married this girl.. Is getting married (though illegally) to many girls over a period of time a sign of love or lust.

What are the famous examples we have before us of successful "loved and married" couples? I can think of Prakash Karat ( a Keralite) and Brind Karat (a Bengali). I can also think of late Vikram Sarabhai ( a Gujarati) and Mrinalinin Sarabhai (a South Indian). In Bollywood, I can think ONLY of Nargis (a Muslim)and Sunil Dutt (a Hindu). Their marriage was very successful because of the commitment shown by both towards marriage. Mr Dutt loved his wife so much that he spent eighteen months alone with her towards the end of her life,cancelling all his shootings, trying his best to save her from cancer. He even mortgaged his house in Bandra and raised money from friends for hospital expenses. Twenty years ago, he spent more than a crore of rupees for her treatment. He did not marry again after the death of Nargis and produced a film "yadein" in her memory. He was very much unlike Gemini Ganesh. No wonder the famous daughter of Gemini Ganesh, Rekha, wanted to
marry Sunil Dutt after her affair with Amitabh Bachan. I have great admiration for Mr Dutt, tholugh I do not think much his son.

We have also examples of J.F.Kennedy and Jacquline Kennedy, another case of "loved and married" couple. After the death of JFK, Jacquline two-timed Robert Kennedy and a Greek Ship Owner, Aristotal Onassis. As Rbert Kennedy was already married with nine children and a possible candidate for the post of President of USA, she eventually married Onassis for "financial security". She is the best example of how love could degenrate into" financial security".

I had also ocassions to "deal "with love. In my younger days, I was more keen to earn my lovelihood for the family that I had no time or inclination for love, We have three cases of "loved and married" couples in our extended family. My youngest daughter Nirupama had fallen in love with Bala Iyer, her College mate. As usual in most cases, we came to know about it last. Parents are always the last people to know. (and friends the first). I called Bala to my home at Chruchgate and asked him to wait for one year for my reply. I wanted to be sure that their love remained undiiminished after a year. When I saw that their love for each other only grew with lapse of time, I decided to get them married. I was recently in London with Bakla and Neema. I was happy to note that Bala reads stories to his two daughters every day before going to bed. The girls were also looking eagerly for the return from Office by Bala. This way, bonding between the father and the
children grows. And children remember this for a long time.

My brother Ramani!s two daughters, Lalitha and Vidya also "loved and married". My brother asked me to see Sunil and give my views before the marriage.. Sunil met me in my house at Churchgate. He impressed me as a young man was was capable of giving his commitment to love. I gave my views to Ramani. I did not have occassion to meet Aravind before marriage.

To-day, I am happy--enormously happy-- that Bala and Neema and Sunil and Lalitha are happily settled in their life. I pray God to bless all the lovers with long life and good health. After all, the whole world loves a lover.

I want to conclude with a little piece of advice, There is a tendency for young couples to turn to Laptop, immediately after returning from Office. This is not at all good. You must all spend quality time with children. You do all the work in the Office and do not touch laptop at home for any reason whatsoever unless it is very very important. Childen are more important than career and money. Do not become a victim of any habit and looking at Laptop, after return from Office, is an avoidable bad habit.

There should be no ego between husband and wife. Likewise, there should be no secrets between the two. Do not loose your trust and love for each other at any time,

With my blessings