NEED URGENT SOLUTION FOR WATER POLLUTION

                                                                                             - By Milan K Sinha

Monsoon is still on in many parts of our country with consequent deteriorating flood situation usually in states like UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam & Orissa, to name a few. It's an open fact that the water management has not been the priority of the Govt. at least in reality. May be on paper , it is shown to be high on its agenda and huge money allocated & spent too.

If  you could visit even  few parts of the country in monsoon season to know the ground realities of  our water management system, you would appreciate the gigantic problem of not only wastage  but also pollution of water in large scale. The pathetic state of  huge population suffering from water borne diseases are seen to be believed particularly in rural areas.

Before proceeding further, we may go through some facts related to water pollution: 

• The poor & BPL families are the worst hit of water pollution. These sections of Indian Society,which comprises 40% of our population i.e, nearly 500 million people,  have to use unclean & unsafe water. As such, various water borne diseases affect them most resulting in large number of deaths every year.
• In India, an estimated  21% of communicable diseases*  are related to unclean/unsafe water.
• Water borne diseases, Diarrhoea, Cholera, Malaria, Japanese Encephalitis & Filariasis,  cause more than 18 lac deaths annually.
• Water related ailments contribute more than 80% of total deaths due to various diseases.
• Most of our rivers including Ganga & Yamuna  are very polluted as sewage, trash,food,animal remains & industrial wastes containing toxic chemicals are dumped in large quantities. 
• Oxygen content in water is depleting very fast.
• Due to ground water contamination as a result of interaction between ground water & unclean surface water, situation has become further grave.

Interestingly, the overall cost of making provision of clean drinkable water to one & all in the country is lesser than the multiple heath related benefits.

The above list is indicative of the growing menace of water pollution and its disastrous impact on a very large population of the country. This naturally demands urgent corrective measures by all concerned in an integrated & concerted manner. Because:

गंभीर समस्या है प्रभावी जल प्रबंधन 

साथ में  बढ़ता जल प्रदूषण 

जब तक नहीं निकलेगा इनका हल 

कैसे बेहतर होगा हम सबका कल 

* Sanitation & Hygiene issues will be discussed in a separate post

                                    Will meet again with Open Mind. All the Best.

* Do visit my site : http://www.milanksinha.com/

IN SEARCH OF 'BLACK HOLES'

POEM                                                                              -By Milan K. Sinha
                         

                                  He was one

                            who always took inspiration

                            from Skyscrapers and Eiffel Towers

                            and kept on gaining new heights.

                            And I was one

                            who persisted with the mission

                            in search of drains and slums

                            in search of scraps of all kinds

                            to give them a new shape,

                            to infuse life into them.

                           Today,

                           He is discovering

                           'Black Holes" in space

                           and I am 

                           trying to discover

                           'Black Holes' in our society

                           like Gandhi and Teresa!

                         Shall await your comments, as ever.  All the Best.

PLAY THE GAME OF LIFE LIKE A TRUE HERO

                                                                                             - By  Milan K Sinha

          Have you heard of the Canadian sailor,Lawrence Lemieux, ? He was one of the very few Olympic Stars who was awarded a  medal, although he finished 22^nd in his game in 1988 Seoul Olympics. The reason was: During the event, when Lawrence was near the halfway point  & was in 2^nd place in a seven race event, he noticed that the boat of fellow competitors from Singapore, Joseph Chan and Siew Shaw Her had capsized. Without thinking of winning the Olympic medal, Lawrence took a turn to rescue Joseph &  Shaw  and finally handed them over safely to the official rescue team. He finished 22^nd in the game but the International Yacht Racing Union unanimously decided to award Lawrence Lemieux 2^nd place, his position when he left for rescuing the Singaporean pair. He was also awarded one of the most prestigious Pierre de Coubertin medal for his sportsmanship, sacrifice & courage in the best spirit of Olympic Ideals.

          Lawrence might not have expected in his wildest  imagination  to get the medal after formally not qualified for it.  But he must be full of contentment & having real smile to have done the right thing  he could do  at that moment.

         To inspire you a bit more, I have the following small  poem :

 Let others cheer the winning man,

There is one I hold worthwhile:

This is  he who does the best he can,

Then loses with a  Smile.

Beaten he is, but not to stay,

Down with the rank and file:

That man will win some other day,

Who loses with a Smile.

        There are a few such examples in and around all of us doing something exceptionally worthwhile without expecting any medal or commendation. They just listen to their own call of duty & feel the pleasure of accomplishing that job. Undoubtedly, such individuals play the game of life like a true hero, isn't it?

             Do think for a moment & post your comment. All the Best.

हास्य व्यंग्य कविता : पॉपुलर कारपोरेट मंत्र

                                                                  -मिलन सिन्हा 

सुबह से हो जाती थी शाम 

पर,                                                                            

हर दिन  रहता था वह  परेशान. 

मामला ओफिशिएल था 

कुछ -कुछ ,

कांफिडेंसिएल  था. 

इसीलिए 

किसी से कुछ न कहता था 

खुद ही चुपचाप , 

 सबकुछ  सहता था. 

देखी  जब मैंने  उसकी दशा 

 सुनी गौर  से 

उसकी समस्या, 

सब कुछ समझ में आ गया .

असल बीमारी का 

पता भी चल गया. 

रोग साइकोलोजिकल  था 

पर, समाधान 

बिल्कुल प्रक्टिकल  था. 

मैंने  उसे सिर्फ़  एक  मंत्र  सिखाया 

जिसे उसने 

बड़े मन से अपनाया. 

आफ़िस  में अब उसे 

नहीं है कोई टेंशन, 

सेलेरी को अब वह 

समझने लगा है पेंशन. 

"झाड़ने " को वह  अब 

"कला " मानता है .

अपने मातहतों  को 

खूब झाड़ता  है. 

और अपने बॉस के फाइरिंग को 

चैम्बर से  निकलते ही 

ठीक से "झाड़ता " है .

"झाड़ने " को वह  अब 

"कला " मानता है I 

Enjoy your Sunday. All the Best.

LET' S AIR OUR VIEWS ON AIR POLLUTION

                                                                                                         - Milan K Sinha

                                               

 It's a common knowledge that  the economic growth story of India has been witness of  rapid urbanisation and also of consistent migration of rural population to our cities which are otherwise facing lot of civic and sanitation problems.  The population of cities in India has naturally been  increasing fast - a fact which is vindicated by the latest statistics of 2011  census. Simultaneously, India’s vehicular population  has increased many fold in recent past – presently, we have more than 40 million passenger vehicles alone. In total, the country manufactures 11 million plus vehicles every year,  75% of which are two- wheeler. 

This has  directly impacted the air pollution scene very badly. The  country’s capital, New Delhi  ranks among one of the top cities in the world in this regard. According to a report the air pollution level in New Delhi is going to cross the human endurance level. Even non-metropolitan cities like Patna, Ranchi and Lucknow are having relatively  high level of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in the air.

     Before discussing this burning issue, why not  look at  the following facts  with open mind:

• India is growing fast economically –average GDP growth of 7% 
• India’s  population is also growing fast –its world’s 2nd  most populous country after China
• India ranks among the top Automotive Industry in the world.
• India’s energy needs, particularly Petrol/Diesel etc. is fast rising.
• We are importing 80% of our  crude oil needs and our oil import bill touched   475 billion dollar in 2011-12.
• Coal production & consumption is also increasing in good pace.
• Traffic congestion in big as well as mid -sized cities has risen to an alarming proportion.
• The Govt. initiatives does not  seem to take care of environmental issues seriously as the priority is tilted in favour of GDP growth.

      Obviously, all the above facts and some more have greatly contributed to making  India  one of the worst  countries in the world as regards the present status of Air Pollution (It is generally defined as the contamination of  life saving oxygen with obnoxious gases such as carbon mono oxide, carbon di oxide, sulphur di oxide, methane etc. mainly  due  to combustion  of  fuel - oil, coal,  biomass  &  firewood, in vehicles, industries  &  household.)  This problem has been  aggravating  with  every passing day. Consequently, the Indian population is face to face with such sordid situations as:

• Air pollution is causing almost 6.5 lac deaths annually.
• Even far greater population suffers from lung infections, breathing    problems,cancer & heart ailments. 
• Pregnant  ladies & children up to 5 years  are very vulnerable to ill effects of Air pollution.
• Plants, vegetation & animals too are worst affected destroying the ecological balance.      

     Then, what is the remedy which can earnestly be tried right from now both at the government level  as well as at the community level with greater intensity:

• Reduction in emission of  air pollutants including  Green House Gases .
• Vast improvement in public transport system .      
• Making Solar & Wind energy popular in all possible & time bound manner.
• Protection of existing forests & large scale afforestation.
• Encourage & convince people to drive less and walk & bicycle more. 
• Strict compliance of emission norms.  

Published in Patna Daily.com

                                                       Will meet again with Open Mind. All the Best.

ITS A GOOD IDEA - TAKE THE LIFE EASY

                                                            - By Milan K Sinha

         Lord Krishna told Arjuna during the battle between Pandava & Kaurva,”Do Your Best & Forget About The Rest". Famous Hindi film actor Dev Anand was shown singing this philosophical song:

            मैं जिंदगी का साथ निभाता चला गया 

            हर फिक्र को  धुएं में उड़ाता चला गया .   

      What else is in our hand except to abide by this eternal rule of life. In this competitive world where only change is permanent, we only can take best of efforts to achieve the goal. If we succeed , its fine, otherwise take it as part of your life. See, how one of the greatest Scientists, Inventors & Business leaders, Thomas Alva Edison takes it when posed with a question about his failure for more than 10000 times before the land mark discovery of Electric Bulb,” I have not failed. I have just found 10000 ways that didn’t work”. Another example of Edison  of his inimitable quality of taking the life easy even at a time when he was watching his own factory which was established with huge investment burning  to ashes before his own eyes. He commented,” whatever happens, its good. All my shortcomings are burnt. Now, by God's grace,I can start afresh”. And as we know, "God helps those who help themselves". Very interestingly, it came true when Edison invented Phonograph just after a few weeks of this accident. You would be thrilled to know that Edison, who had formal education of only three months in a school because of his persistent questioning to his teacher, finally had more than 1100 patents & fourteen companies including the famous General Electric to his credit. If you look around, you will find several such genius  who created history in respective fields of life that’s sometimes seem unimaginable.

          There is no denying the fact that at times we get perturbed, confused, disillusioned as what to do now and what is the exit route. In such situations, take  a few moments off, close your eyes &  breathe long for some time. Also try to say yourself, "what you have lost or going to lose that you are grieving for. What had you brought with you(at the time of birth) that you claim to have lost".

         Life is  no doubt complex but is equally full of suspense & surprises – that makes the life adventurous & guarantees it not to become insipid ,stereotype & boring. Each new day starts for us  with lots of hope and concludes with some success, some failures & lots of dreams. In this daily process of desire, hopes & expectations on one side and  accomplishments, despairs & newer  experiences on the other side, in real sense, we could discover what the life is all about.  Finally, before ending this post ,I cannot  resist the temptation of sharing with you few lines from a Hindi song in legendry Kishore Kumar’s voice:

          यह जीवन है, इस  जीवन का,

          यही है, यही है,यही है, रंग रूप 

          थोड़े गम हैं,थोड़ी खुशियां, 

          यही है, यही है, यही है, छांव धूप   

          यह जीवन है …

I await your comments/reactions as ever. All the Best.

LOVE YOURSELF & LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE

                                                  -By Milan K. Sinha
                                                                                           
Living your own life.

Are we living our own  life  or  our life has become a copy –paste version. Why copy others blindly, why get  swayed  by  what others say  about  you and  have either a sense of false ego or self-pity? Instead, go to the mirror & look for yourself. Because, आपसे  बेहतर  आपको  कौन  जनता है. Enjoy what Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  says, 'When you wake up every morning,  Look in the mirror &  give  yourself  a  big  smile. The smile is a sacred gift of life.'

        It is interesting & very pleasing to know that  you are the single unique piece of individual in the whole universe among the 6000 million people. Not only this amount of uniqueness you command, but also as per the medical facts- you can’t have another ‘YOU” even  among 3 lac billion people. Isn't it quite unique and amazing? Then, why not do what you know and decide in best of your judgement is right. After all , कुछ  तो लोग कहेंगे,  लोगों का काम है कहना .... 

     Think of Abraham Lincoln or Mahatma Gandhi or Swami Vivekananda or Albert Einstein or Mother Teresa or other great legends for a moment and browse through their book of life. Lincoln failed in business twice at the age  of 21 & 24, had lost his  wife  at the age of 26,  lost election of Senate & Congress a few times- the last being at the age of 49. But, he was Lincoln  & had intense passion for doing something worthwhile in his own way. So he kept on doing his best  and finally he won the American Presidential election at the age of 52 & had the honour of being the greatest change agent in American history. Now, see what happened with  Gandhiji. At the age of 24, he set sail for South Africa in 1893 as the legal representative of Indian Muslim businessmen. In June,1893 while travelling in a train in South Africa with a valid first class train ticket, he was thrown out of the train at Pietermaritzburg station, which Gandhiji resisted in all possible ways. The fire for seeking justice there through Satyagraha, historian say, was the turning point in Gandhiji's life and was the driving force that led his unique fight against the mighty colonial British rule. 

      The biographies of all great men  make you realise that every one of them lived their own life in their own way. True, it is neither very easy nor so difficult to live as you think right for you. Yes, for that to happen, one must follow  some value system in  life. If possible, lend a few moments to what is written below:

• Ø Think loudly every day that you are born with divinity.
  Ø You too are a potential high performer.
  Ø Love yourself in both prosperity & adversity.
  Ø Know your strength to consolidate & weakness to diminish.
  Ø Do the right thing passionately right away.
  Ø Stop blaming others for your own mistakes.
  Ø Thank the Almighty, parents & teachers for their blessings.
  Ø Try to live with nature
  Ø Have passion for doing something good for the have nots.

 Lastly, my small poem for you.

      खुद को जानो 

      तभी खुदा मिलेंगे 

      नहीं तो खुदा 

      तुमसे जुदा रहेंगे I 

      खुद से प्यार करो 

      जमाने  से प्यार हो जायेगा 

      फिर तो तुम्हारा जीवन 

      खुशियों से भर  जायेगा।

Did you like it? I shall be glad to know. 

                                                             Will Meet again with Open Mind. All the Best.
# Published in Patna Daily.com

SOCIAL AWARENESS AND MATCHING ACTION IS THE KEY

                                                                                -By Milan K Sinha

        Notwithstanding the deplorable situation as regards water management in all its dimensions at large, we have reasons to be optimistic towards finding culturally appropriate traditional as well as technological solutions to this alarming problem, as several silent movements to harvest, conserve & preserve water by various groups & communities in remotest drought prone & water starved places in a manner worth emulating by other interested groups, are under way  in the country. In Rajasthan alone, due to sustained community participation, almost 10000 small & big ponds were either repaired or resurrected during the last few years by collective efforts of persons like Rajendra Singh, Magsaysay award winner & other likeminded persons. Chipko Andolan, Paani Yatras, Aapiko Andolan and other water conservation & forest protection  movements are going on to serve this cause. In Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh &  Kerala, effective initiatives for rain water harvesting and artificial recharging of ground water have been undertaken. Consequently, not only the ponds, lakes, small  dams & canals have adequate water reserves but also the wells which had dried up because of water table going down even below 90 feet, are now full of water as the recharging took place slowly with the water availability in such ponds etc. around such places. Similar initiatives are to be taken urgently in other states before it is too late.

         It is interesting to know that two of the four BRIC( Brazil, Russia, India & China) nations, Brazil & China have already  in place the mechanism of roof top rain water harvesting in some cities for meeting drinking as well as other needs of the population besides finding ways for replenishing  ground water levels. In our neighbouring nation Sri Lanka, harvesting rain water is very popular & effective means of ensuring water availability in rural areas. Cuba’s “More With Less” economic philosophy based on proper management of its available resources including  rain water is an example in itself.

        Awareness among the affected & likely to be affected masses for stopping overuse & abuse of water is a must. Govt. spending running in lacs of crores in the name of either river cleaning programme, construction of large dams and other such money siphoning projects should be reviewed by a group of experts having high moral integrity for best use of public money for the good of the ordinary citizens of India. In fact, we can’t afford to have more external debts for such big projects of longer gestation period with comparatively little benefits for the society. Instead, we should go for mass scale real afforestation of fruit plants, construction of ponds, small dams & canals  in large scale, making it mandatory for every household in the cities to practice rooftop rain harvesting &  complete stoppage of dumping of industrial waste etc. into our rivers, to name a few. As the most famous painter/sculptor/ musician/scientist Leonardo da Vinci said,” Water is the driving force in nature”,so it would drive us towards our desired goal. Let us do our best individually & collectively.

                                                            will meet again with Open Mind. All the Best.  

TIME TO PAY SERIOUS ATTENTION TO WATER ISSUES

                                                                        -By Milan K Sinha

          The great civilizations of the world including ours blossomed on the banks of rivers. These rivers are so revered in India that people worship them as their mother. Whether its Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Saryu, Narmada, Krishna, Godavari, Mahanadi, Chenab or Jhelum, Indians particularly ordinary Indians have a feeling that their life moves with the flow of these rivers.

          But due to increasing population coupled with  modern technological initiatives in the name of GDP growth, the sanctity & survival of most of these rivers are at stake. The plight of most of them can be seen to be believed. On top of it, the traditional tested methods of water conservation & management by civil societies were assiduously weakened & destroyed by active intervention of colonial masters before independence followed by the new Desi masters afterwards. True, until water shortage impact the planners, policy makers & large sections of creamy layers of society, this life saving liquid will continue to be managed poorly.Not to overemphasise the issue, you must have seen  blatant abuse & misuse of water in  certain Govt. institutions such as Railways, municipalities etc. and   at the same time found to spend lots of public money in the name of water supply & its proper management.

          It is unfortunate that the educated & economically well off section of Indian society know well that due to global warming & other climatic changes together with erratic & gradual lesser rain fall during monsoon would result in dwindling water availability which is bound to intensify Inter State River disputes  & general water related conflicts in society at large. Naturally, this may threaten the democratic fabric of the nation and may have serious impact on our reported economic growth story in days to come.

         Can you believe that there were millions of ponds & thousands of lakes in different states even in 19^th & some periods of 20^th century in India? The then Mysore state alone had 39000  ponds in 1800 AD. Delhi too had more than 300 ponds.  And so was innumerable ponds in Rajasthan. These ponds either dried up or could not be maintained due to apathy & lack of support from the then masters of state. Now the situation in our country has come to this pass that we are facing the duel problem at the same time- water shortage & water pollution on the one hand  and severe drought & floods on the other. Even two days torrential rain in places like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata or even in Patna or Jaipur disrupts the normal life beyond imagination. In some cities even  civil life comes to almost stand still. But very little efforts at the Govt. level have been taken except making some promises on those crisis moments to be forgotten as a routine.

        In nut shell, there is a serious water problem in the world and also in India. We know many people find problems in opportunity but some people find opportunity in problems as well. These courageous & brave people are the solution finder in every society. They think out of the box & travel through  uncharted path to achieve their social goal on their own.           

 मजरूह साहेब ने इनके लिये ही  शायद लिखा है :

मैं तो अकेला ही चला था जानिबे मंजिल मगर ,

लोग साथ आते गये और कारवां बनता गया !

We shall talk about these inspiring initiatives in my next post. All the Best.  

SAVE WATER or MEET WATERLOO

-  By Milan K Sinha

       Its not a TRP enhancing news anymore for national media that even Delhi, Chennai or Mumbai is facing water shortage during the months of February  till the down pour of monsoon rain in June every year. Yes, people in many parts & ever enlarging parts of India do pray to Rain God to despatch monsoon a bit soon this time. Before discussing the issue further, it would be fair enough  to go through some frightening facts:

·         Only 0.08% of earth water is drinkable, which too is getting contaminated with each passing day.

·    Every year about 5 million people die due to consumption of undrinkable water all over the world.

·       Only 5.58 lac Sq.km of area is irrigated  out of total land area of 29.3 sq.km. in India.

·       17% of world population reside in India with 4% of water sources of the world.

·    Indian Agriculture uses 69% of water, Industries 23% and rest 8% by Indian households & others.

·         21% of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water.

·    The annual turnover of MNCs selling bottled water in India is Rs.28,000 crore which would touch Rs.5.6 million crore by 2025.

·    Only 15% of rain water, if harvested & conserved, would be sufficient to take care of India’s annual water requirements .

·    Out of 6.38 lac revenue villages in India, more than 30% are water problem villages.

·      73% of respondents of a question as to what truly make them proud of being an Indian said, “It is availability of safe drinking water to every Indian.”

    We all know, Water is Life. जल  नहीं  तो  कल  नहीं . Man can’t survive more than 3 days without water. But many of us use water thoughtlessly. Fresh portable water is already a precious commodity in many drier parts of  India. Nevertheless, the true value of H2O is yet to be fully understood even by the educated segments of society. That’s why Vandana Shiva, the environmental activist says,” I think the most pressing issue is really to bring back the culture for respecting water, for recognising its value.”

Pl. think for a while on this subject. Discussion would continue in my next post. All the Best.

GIVE LIFE A CHANCE- ITS PRECIOUS & BEAUTIFUL

                                                                             -By Milan K Sinha

        
Every morning you notice some reports in the newspaper on suicide deaths in different parts of the country. Let us first see the hard facts related to this growing menace in our society. Reports say, ”Suicide in India is slightly above world rate. Of the half million people reported to die of suicide worldwide every year, 20% are Indians. In the last two decades, the suicide rate in India has increased from 7.9 to 10.3 per 1,00,000 population. In a study published in The Lancet in June 2012, the estimated number of suicides in India in 2010 was about 187,000 ( 21 deaths every hour) of which  71%  are by persons below the age of 44 years. This is a serious cause of concern which imposes a huge social, emotional and economic burden.

                    We all know, Life is Precious & Beautiful. After the darkness of each night, the golden rays of morning fills our life with lots of hope & happiness. If you see the sky at dawn & dusk time, if you see the birds flying in herds in the sky with lots of conversation among themselves, if you see the new leaf, new flower in small plants in your terrace garden, if you could see the  whole life coming out for day long activity & struggle whether in the fields or factories, you would definitely feel the beauty of life all around you. Go out in the rain, play with small kids in the rain water like a child. Try to catch some rain drops and taste it. After this unique experience, come back, have a nice bath and  sit to sip your hot tea or coffee rethinking about the moments just passed by. Come out of your own “self” some time every day to live like an ordinary human being  and feel the fulfilling difference.

          Try to practice, in whatever manner & magnitude you like, the prescriptions of Swami Vivekananda, the great  role model  for Indian youth who lived in this world for only 39 years but could leave an indelible imprint on the soul & minds of  millions of people world over. Swamiji says,” Be generous in prosperity and thankful in adversity. … Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of the pledge . … Be a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a river for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victims of oppression. …Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive…. Be eyes for the blind and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring….

             No doubt, life is full of ups & downs, but if we open our hearts, say an emphatic “Go to Ego” and embrace the changes of life, believe me, even in most difficult situations, we can feel that life is full of suspense & splendid things. And after all who has all the goods & no odds in life. But all those great personalities whom we admire knew well that we are all born  with a divine fire in us . Our efforts should be to give wings to this fire and fill the world with the glory of its goodness, as our beloved former president, scientist & thinker, APJ Abdul Kalam used to say. And, by the by, happiness is not a happening, it is a state of mind. You can have everything in the world and still be miserable or you can have relatively little and feel unbounded joy. See around you and you will appreciate the truth of these words.

         Life is very precious & hope is the main driver. Do you know: man can live without food for 40 days, 3 days without water, 8 minutes without air(Oxygen) but without hope- may not be for a minute. Isn’t it? So, never say die. Give your life full chance. True, everybody doesn’t get everything at the same time despite putting up seemingly same & similar efforts. You may get something today which your friend might get some years later. Life is after all not a 20-20 cricket match. Everyone passes though different phases of life from childhood to senior citizenship, but  how young or old you are, you can still be creative & influential  provided you have faith in yourself and a conviction to do what you think is right. 

         The great Hindi poet, Ramdhari Singh  Dinkar expressed these sentiments in the following lines:

खम ठोकता है जब नर 

पर्वत के जाते पांव उखड़ 

मानव जब जोर लगाता है 

पत्थर पानी बन जाता है . …

          So, say a Big “YES” to life & the Biggest “NO” to negative thoughts. Have large circle of good friends to share the pain & gain, spend quality time with your family and last but not the least, have  time for  your passion.  Life has many  good things in store for you. 
                                                Will meet again with Open Mind. All the Best.
# Published in Patna Daily .com

* Do visit my site : milanksinha.com

JOY OF LIVING TOGETHER

       

                                                                            - By MILAN K SINHA

Birds flying.

Have you seen the famous Hindi movies “Naya Daur” of Dilip Kumar & Vyjayanthimala, “Lagaan”  of Aamir Khan  and Shahrukh’s  “Chak De India” to name only three, depicting the power & joy of togetherness. Have you heard about the Indian hockey team led by Major Dhyan Chand winning gold medal in three consecutive Olympic games of 1928,1932 & 1936? Many of you must know & watched the great world cup cricket match of 1983 under the captainship of  Kapil Dev which India won with all excellence. There are many such glorious team efforts not only in fields but also in labs, factories & in all other spheres of human life world over to celebrate & rejoice.   Actually, we have a great sense of togetherness & team spirit which drives us to achieve even the seemingly impossible goals   and history has been the witness of such human efforts. It is because of the fact that human beings realised long  ago,” Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress & working together is success.” To say, alone we can do so little, but together we can do much more. And in the bargain, we feel happiness in togetherness.

          Since time immemorial,  human race tries to live together in groups, notwithstanding the fact that with passage of time the human culture & civilization progressed with lot of developments in all spheres of life through out the world in varying magnitudes. Why to talk of only human beings, for that matter, all creatures on this earth like to live together  in one way or the other. You must have enjoyed seeing the herds of elephants roaming in the forest, honey bees’ super activity around the  honey comb, Zebras & buffaloes daring to put up a winning fight against the Lion or leopard. The other day I happen to see a  poster showing a few horses running together and the caption of the poster was, “Togetherness is Happiness. “ Rightly so, isn’t it?. The famous milky way is what else than a mass of innumerable stars planted together in groups.

            Right from our childhood, we learn to live in family, in villages & cities celebrating the festivals together, participating in games, getting education in schools/colleges/universities, working in different work places and thereby learn the great lesson of life to live like a social human being. We miss our kith & kin, friends so much and long for meeting them or at least taking to them, sharing our feelings of joy, sorrow & whatnot. The technological developments like transport, communication, mobile,  internet, face book etc. has proved to be great enablers in this direction.

          Whenever we set out for achieving some thing or have actually achieved something, we show “V” sign (for victory) to our well wishers, friends & supporters. But have you seen the cranes heading south for the winter, flying along in “V” formation? It is really beautiful to see &  inspiring to know the science & logic as to why they fly that way.  As each crane flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 70% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. As scholars and philosophers opine, it is quite interesting to learn a few lessons of life here:

·    Lesson No. 1: People who share a common goal and a sense of community can get where they are going more  quickly and easily, because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.

  When a crane falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone - and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in the front.

·   Lesson No. 2: If we have as much sense as a crane, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are.

  Now when the head crane gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another crane flies past.

·    Lesson No.3: It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether people or with cranes flying south.

  Cranes honk from behind to encourage those up to keep up their speed.

·  Lesson No.4: Cheering up by the fellow participants re-energise the front runners.

   So, let us all try to do something, however small,  individually & collectively   that can make the world a better place to live together joyfully till eternity. 

Published in Patna Daily.com

                                               Will meet again with Open Mind.All The Best.