Ganesha's wise devotee

Om Ganapatai Namo!!

Lord Ganesha is well known for his wit and wisdom, but this folklore is about his smart and wise devotee, an old lady. There used to live ages ago an old lady in the village of Timarpur, a sleepy village on the banks of Tista river.

The lady resided in her small house with her son and daughter-in-law.

She was an ardent follower of lord Ganesha and prayed daily without fail.

The lord was so moved by her devotion that he used to appear before her everyday and granted her a wish. The lady used to say that she couldn't decide what to ask for. This routine continued for many days.

At last the old lady thought of consulting her son and daughter-in-law. The son asked her to ask the lord for wealth. The daughter-in-law asked her to ask the lord for a grandson. 

The lady wondered my son and daughter-in-law are suggesting what they think is important, let me consult my neighbour. Her neighbour advised her to ask for good sight. Now lady thought that all the three sugestions were valid for her family as a whole and started thinking of a way to get everyone's wish fulfilled.

The next day as the Lord again appreared and asked the old lady to make a wish. The old lady bowed to the lord and wished-" Lord please bless me such that I can see my grandson drinking milk from a golden bowl"

The lord smiled the witty old lady had asked for everything in her wish smarty. He granted the wish and blessed the old lady.

Ingenious Ganesha!!

As the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration slowly comes to its culmination .. here's another very interesting story on Ganesha which teaches us to find simple solutions to any challenge in life.

One day Ganesha , Kartik and Mushaka were playing when they were called by Goddess Parvati. Both Kartik and Genesha ran towards Parvati,on found her standing with a plate full of delicious "Modaks". She gave them the Modaks but as both Ganesha and Kartik were muching the delicious "Modaks" to Parvati's delimnea there remained one last "Modak" to which both Kartik and Ganesha staked their claim.

So goddess Parvati and lord Shiva decided to have a small contest between Ganesha and Kartik. They said that they had to take 3 rounds of the world and whosoever did it first will get the "Modak".

As soon as Kartik heard about the task he zipped off on his vahana (vehicle) the "peacock". 

Ganesha fell in deep contemplation - his vahana- Mouse was very small and slow. How could he win? 

 Then an idea came to his mind , he mounted on his vahana -Mouse and took three rounds of his parent - "Shiva & Parvati".

When Shiva and Parvati saw this they asked him why is he not going to take three rounds of the world? To that he replied "Dear parents you are the world for me so I took three rounds of my parents - that is equivalent to the trip across the world."

Lord Shiva and Godddess Parvati smiled on hearing Ganesha's point of view and declared him winner and gave him the "Modak"

Moral - We should make the best of the resources we have without whinning about lack of amenities. 

Parents are to be  revered !!

Ganesha - teaches Parashuram humility !!

Lord Ganesha teaches simplicity and urges all to be humble. Once he was playing with his dear friend and vahan (mode of transport) - "Mushak" (mouse) at Kailash Parvat. In excitement he and mushak created lot of commotion. Hearing the noise Parvati came there and reprimanded both of them and told them to maintain silence as his father lord "Shiva" was meditating and was not supposed to be disturbed, else he will get angry. Ganesha and Mushak started playing silently. After some time saint Parashuram came there and demanded to have an audience with Lord Shiva but Ganesha said he couldnt allow anyone to visit as he was meditating. He requested the saint to come again. This angered the saint and he engaged Ganesha in a fierce battle. Parashuram's all weapons were destroyed by Ganesha. Then Parashuman took out the weapon granted by Lord Shiva - seeing his father's weapon Ganesha did not neutralize it and took its impact on his tooth. This led to the breakage of his tooth.
So great was the impact that the lord gave out a cry in pain and fainted. This brought Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati to the spot. Seeing his favourite son in pain Lord thundered on Parashuram and both Shiva and Parvati reminded him that with great power comes great responsibility and humility.
Parashuram realized his folly and begged to Shiva and Parvati for forgiveness.
On repeated pleas by Parashuram Lord Shiva and Parvati forgave him.
Due to his loss of his tooth lord Ganesha is also called "Ek-Danta".

Ganapati Bappa Maurya !!!!

Why Moon is a taboo on Ganesha's Birthday!!

As Lord Ganesha is worshipped in many houses this Ganesh Chaturthi do you know why one is not allowed to see the moon on Ganesha BirthDay?

Well this is how the story goes ... We all know the cute and adorable lord ganesha was very fond of delicacies !!
Once he was invited on his Birthday for dinner at a devotee's house ...
Ganesha went there and the devotee treated the God to best of preparations !!
He had a very heavy meal. He blessed the devoted host and then started his homeward journey. 

On his way back home on his vehicle the mouse ...
A very black and scary snake crossed their path, it frightened the mouse so much that it fainted and as a result the lord fell on the ground and lord's stomach burst. 
The moon was seeing all this and the moon who saw this started laughing in a mocking manner!!
This angered lord Ganesha , he killed the snake and tied the snake around his stomach and chased the Moon!!
The Moon ran and hid in his palace and Ganesha came to his palace in search of moon!!
Ganesha thundered at Moon for his rude behaviour!!
Moon got so frightened of the warth of the lord and refused to come out!!
The moon hiding's in the palace caused havoc on earth and the cycle of day and night!!! Seeing this everybody prayed to lord Ganesha and asked him to forgive moon!!
Ganesha relented but he roared at the Moon- You hid in your palace like a thief I curse you that from now on whosoever sees you on my birthday (Ganesh Chaturthi) will be called a thief!!
Hence we are not supposed to see the moon on Ganesha's Birthday ....

Durva grass is dear to Lord Ganesh

There's a wonderful story related to Lord Ganesha " On why Durva grass is dear to Lord Bal Ganesh"
the story goes like this:-
Its said once there was a demon by the name "Analasura" whose eyes used to emit fire and wherever he went he caused destruction and devastation.
So much so that none could stop his trail of devastation- people prayed to lord Ganesha. Bal Ganesha confronted analasura who rained fire on the lord- evrything in the vicinity except for Lord Ganesha was destroyed and the demon started launghing in a mocking tone!!!
Bal Ganesha then took its Virata Avatar ( Huge incarnation ) and gulped the demon.
The fire spitting demon got annihilated but the Ganesha body temperature rose dangerously so much so that lord fell on the ground.
All Gods tried various remedies but to no avail...
Lord Bal Ganesh's burning did not stop. Everyone was worried.

Then, thousands of sages who came there with bunch of 21 Durvas and put on Bal Ganesh's head and a miracle happened. 
The burning sensation of Bal Ganesh was subsided and Ganesh became all right after putting the Durva grass on the head . 

Then, Lord Ganesh uttered that most of the Gods tried to help but only ‘Durva’ a simple grass made my agony into normal.

With this Lord Ganesh announced that whoever with devotion offer me Durva would be pious and get Punya which will be equal to thousands puja's,pilgrims, donations,etc..
Whether you offer flowers or not you should offer the Durva grass to Lord Bal Ganesh in his Puja.
The message this story potrays is - We should not think anyone to be small or insignificant,time changes in fraction of seconds and in that time everyone gets their chance to play their role.

Ganapati bappa Mourya!!!

Random Thoughts and Notes

Premonition
The dictionary meaning of Premonition is :-

1. a feeling of anticipation of or anxiety over a future event;presentiment: He had a vague premonition of danger.
2. a forewarning.

One does gets premonitions. While the happy ones are always welcome  but those pointing to some dangerous event are scary and  leave you shaken. One gets disturbed when you can relate them to a future happening.On second thoughts premonitions are a forewarning and a warning more often than not is about an imminent danger - how stupid of me? The other day over tea in office I was discussing about such fore-warnings with some colleagues  - that how unsettling they can be if its actually related to a real life incident. I recollect standing at one of the floors of my office and suddenly a thought crossed my mind that these unguarded heights had the potential of killing someone and I was terrified as I knew something will happen for sure in the coming days. Also another feature of Premonitions they keep recurring till its true or else you talk about it so much that they are rendered ineffective (that's my hypothesis that if you talk about the forewarning it may be averted though - irrational well I am a very rational person but with premonitions my rationale flies off the window). The same thought crossed my mind again as I was standing by the cafeteria window. To make matters worse a person jumped to his death in that building. Scary isnt it ... Also I think what good is a forewarning if the mishap cant be stopped I better not have a premonition.

Another one which comes to my mind relates to my stay in Chandigarh ... The house in front of ours was undergoing renovation and the day their work was completed , I noticed that the father and son duo of that house were collecting the scrap woods into a pile ... As I saw the pile it quite awkwardly looked like an unlit pyre to me ... I struggled to wish away the thought ~ watched TV , read a book , even went for a walk but that thought just wouldn't leave me alone - at last sleep came to my rescue. In the morning I saw a big crowd outside our house and came to know that the son had meet with a fatal accident and was in a coma (he expired later)... I was thoroughly disturbed ... 

There have been quite a few - I remember getting a Premonition of 2 planes colliding mid-air just before the mid-air crash of 2 planes at Charkhi- Dadri ....

One gets premonitions about friends and family too ..

I have arrived at a prophylaxis- talk about them and render them ineffective ... though one runs the risk of being called crazy or paranoid ~ but its better than people losing their lives ..... 

Smells

Of late I have been getting nostalgic about the various smells and fragrances I associated with my childhood. In our ancestral home there is a storage room where one stores supplies for long periods - this storage room called a "Bhandar Ghor" has a fusion of smells of jaggery, semase, coconut, sour and pungent smells of pickles , smell of condiments, spices .. it was my favorite place to hide while playing "Hide and Seek" ...

The other smell which I fondly remember - is the smells and fragrances associated with the "Puja Ghar" where the smell of sandal paste, fresh flowers and burning incense sticks rendered the atmosphere divine - though at that time the Peras offered to the god did capture my attention and imagination!!!!

The burnt charcoal smell associated with the lighting of angithi too lingers on ...

    

Why are we critical of Anna Movement or Satyameva jayate!!

There are many who are skeptical about phenomenons like “Satyameva Jayate” or “Token Fast by Team Anna” at Jantar Mantar. Many crack unsympathetic jokes at them. I sincerely believe if one can’t be optimistic one should at least not pronounce doom for people who are trying to make a difference. If the issues raised are corrected it will only make our country/society a better place.  Many people may argue the people raising these issues have vested interests or their credentials are questionable. Point taken friends, but so does chemotherapy, but still its used to save lives.  Let’s not miss the wood for the trees; all of us want a better, civil, safer and a more cultured India. An India devoid of corruption, dowry, khap panchayats to name a few is I believe everyone’s dream. Like the most popular President of this country Kalam said I want to see India in the league of developed nations. We can be part of that August league only when we take everything with a pinch of optimism and true/unbiased self analysis. An India which truly recognizes the flaws it has and instead of pushing them below the carpet boldly and sincerely works for solution.

For those who see fault in things will find spots in the moon too (an old Indian proverb), while there are people who see a silver lining in every cloud. So the optimists please take over. Even I too accept all these people are not an absolute philanthropist but at least some leeway will be made in our ultimate goal for an Incredible India.

The following arguments are put forth by many for their criticism or indifference to such initiatives:-

• ·    Nothing has changed in India since independence and hence there is no merit in trying. à So you mean to say a spider is wiser than us humans, it keeps trying till it succeeds. Come on we are more highly evolved than that arachnid so we can try a bit more!!!
• ·    People question the credentials of people driving such moves à For example Aamir charging 3 crore per episode, well if he manages to change public opinion, its well deserved.   
• ·       Some of these movements are politically motivated à let them be we will employ them to achieve the goals that are important for us like get the economy back on tracks or put check on rampart corruption, I guess that concerns everyone and if its solved even by a politically motivated movement I am fine with that. For me what is important is resolution of things which are holding India back. Besides are we so gullible that we can be taken for a ride?
• ·         Many say these movements are becoming personality based that is there are other people doing much work in these areas but they are unsung. Well at least we have the attention of the people now, the next step would we be to focus on the real heroes. Come-on friends Rome was not built in one day!!!  Lets start taking baby steps towards our ultimate goal a Wonderful India!!!

They very fact that India is talking about these issues so openly and these issues trend on twitter the whole day is a good sign that we all Indians aspire for A Better India. Well 1 billion people having that dream will surely make mountains move!!! Being a pessimist has helped no one lets trying being an optimist this time around.

What is wrong with Mamata?

        

I see Mamta as a person of character (if she continues her current form it may be endangered) who braved odds to be Bengal’s CM though she might have been mercurial in nature and at times whimsical. The lady who braved the deadly assaults by Left cadre suddenly cannot tolerate banter and a harmless caricature on her. She or her carders are trying to discipline people what they say/express about her, but isn’t it counterproductive? Trying to quell opposition is like fanning a fire – the more you try to tell others what they should/should not talk about you the more you antagonize them.

Perhaps after getting such a landslide mandate- Mamata doesn’t expect people to be critical? Come-on Mamatadi the bigger the mandate - the higher the expectations. People of Bengal in you see the remedy for all ills that has plagued Bengal. Yes we agree the infrastructure is in shambles but they why not discipline the state government employees who refuse to work. On the contrary mam you have gifted the female doctors in your state with 2 years of maternity leave, why? Anyways these guys don’t attend their duties religiously, so why this incentive? Why reward the inefficient staff? I was expecting some though talking from you but to no avail. I mean you have done things aesthetically like Rabindra Sangeet on traffic lights but Bengalis need basic amenities. What good is Rabindra Sangeet when your kid is dying of lack of medical care? Or can I enjoy the stream of music if you don’t know how you will meet your ends?  

I was most overjoyed when Bengal shrug off the Red … embraced the Trinamool but somewhere the plot has been lost and there may not be a second chance!!!!

She has to realize she is no more the rebel/activist who fought the oppressive left regime – she is the CM of the state and has to think with magnanimity both for her supporters and detractors. She is a statesman now no more an activist … In anticipation that Ms. Banerjee shows more tolerance.

Earthquake - a contingency plan

When the earth quivers

If you are a resident of NCR you must have received SMSs from NDM (National Disaster Management - Ministry of Home Affairs) about mock drills for earthquake. Or you must have heard the sad incident wherein in Bangalore a 25 year old woman died during a mock drill. We all work in places which are housed in high rises and even live in places which are high rises.
Do we even have a contingency plan for such situations?
I think the following are good pointers to start with and someone has rightly said mercy begins at home:-
1. The first thing one needs for a counter to disaster is preparedness. There should be a line of command for such contingencies. A group of people with statistics like :-
   a) Head count of the building (residents + people who come there to work depending upon the time)
   b) Count of elderly people who would need compulsory help to be evacuated
   c) Contact number of each family + Emergency contact number of a relative
 2. People should be taught and told to store their valuables in Bank Lockers and  a Kit should be handy in which they should keep their necessities (Like vital medicines , water bottle , some money , keys , food)  
3. Also there should be escape routes built for such contingencies. Nets from vantage points touching the grounds
4. Periodic checkups to see all such safety tools and means are in order.
5. First aid and information to handle injuries or other human and material loss during the disaster.
 Long term measures:-
1. Houses should be built to resist quakes.
2. Furniture should be mounted in a way that earthquakes cause minimal damage.
3. Spreading awareness about what needs to be done in such situations.

I could think of these things - please add yours .. Also the big question how to motivate people to implement this. For this we need not depend on government its for us ....
Believe me when the earth shakes its scary and more so if you are working on the 8th floor - the building literally shakes!!!

Abandoning Responsibility

Abandoned

Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring with the intent of never again resuming or reasserting them. Causes include many social and cultural factors as well as mental illness. For records sake an abandoned child is called ~ foundling.
Of late news channels have been inundated with news of Baby Falak and her plight. Strangely the parents of the kid have not came forward to claim the child . This is quite surprising in the backdrop of massive media glare. Either her parents are dead or they dont want to shoulder the responsibility of a kid in distress (sad considering we are homo sapiens even a baboon fares better in such circumstances). Also one recognizes that there has been a spurt in such incidences which might be due to more focused reporting in the backdrop of Falak incident. Yesterday there was news about a baby abandoned in a train in Bengal , today the news cries a baby abandoned in a carton box in Bangalore.... I presume the tendency that if one sweeps anything under the carpet it is as good as "disappearing of the problem" or "Out of sight out of mind syndrome". Parents / individuals who do this should be hunted and exposed and right to franchise should be withdrawn from such individuals. Logic being~ if one cannot stand up for one's offspring they dont have any business in being part of  governance process.

Also I am appalled by the comments of doctors attending Falak ~ stating brazenly that even if she recovers she may be reduced to a vegetative state ~ there is no need to repeat this . Besides if the doctor himself is not confident,then what are the odds of the patient surviving ~ I consider this as a very negative and unhealthy trend and very unbecoming of ethics of the medical profession.