"Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn"

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.India is one of the largest democracy in the world. But its politics remains dirtier than before, as more and more criminals have found their way into it. By hook or crook they win the majority with their corrupt, unhealthy power game and achieve considerable success in making their word the law in all parts they hold. Shockingly a good number of the Indian parliament members face criminal charges. Even after six centuries of independence the country could not provide very basic resources like food, water, power, proper education or health systems to the Nara- Narayanas (as named by father of our nation). Criminals join politics to gain influence and ensure that cases against them are dropped or not proceeded with. Though law disqualifies convicted criminals from contesting elections, legal delays often abetted by political pressures, make resourceful crooks escape convictions. Growth of criminalisation in geometric progression call on political parties to ban criminals from contesting in elections. Candidate selection committees of parties thoroughly fail due to their own inexplicable andA inexcusable moral lapse.In the past, criminals were helping (clandestinely) the politicians win elections and in turn getting protection. The order has now reversed. Now the politicians are seeking protection from criminals, as the latter get direct access to power as they become legislators or ministers using money and muscle power. Drastic reforms in the existing law is nothing but an urgent necessity to force the political parties take initiative to curb the mass production of criminal legislators by denying tickets to those with criminal background. Criminals under trial or whose appeals from earlier convictions are pending for disposal before courts for murder, rape, corruption or theft from the public treasury, can represent the people in the country’s highest legislative forums, as election commission is totally helpless here. None of the political parties have taken any step to curb this as being the only way of their existence.Cases against politicians remain pending for long time letting them contest and win elections. Here the extreme necessity of settling cases pending against politicians arise or else they contest, win and with their power manipulate the cases for their favour .Punishment is deterrent to crime to instill a sense of fear in would-be criminals. Fear is a strong emotion but its efficacy in crime prevention is scarce. This happens because of the active presence of gangsters the mafia. Mafia is not an abstract concept, or a mere literary term. It is a criminal organization regulated by unwritten but iron and inexorable rules with oppression, arrogance, greed, self-enrichment, power and hegemony above and against all others. The myth of a Mafioso is just the opposite of the generous 'man of honor' It is a sign of India’s endemic political corruption. Its life is sustained by a widespread lot which breeds a general distrust in the average Indian, distrust of everything, including the system of justice. Those who deny the existence of Mafia are deceptive or plain dishonest. Mafia growth is so fast and wide and are powerful enough to own anything and extort hundreds of millions of rupees in any span of time to bring ever more businesses or clear some from the array. It is cancer that spreads fast and destroy India’s economic base. It is the most serious social problem confronting the country today.Abdication of democratic responsibility by delaying decisions on contentious issues or leaving decisions to the judiciary results in virtual paralysis of the decision-making apparatus. Here the developmental activities come to a standstill and the country’s problems remain unresolved. Delaying of decisions hinder the growth of the country. This is very unfortunate for a country like India which needs fast pace in all means. Politicians responsible to run the system are making fortunes for themselves. The working of government is carried out by a few honest public servants and a minority selfless real citizens which forms just twenty five percent. Barring this odd twenty five percent, balance is uncouth, selfish, loudmouthed, dirty and untruthful without any civic sense. The need of basic human values is a thing of thought here. To make this thought, the current disgraceful political activity of the corrupted politicians who are spoiling the very future of our mother country, must be banned.Multi-party democracy is a curse. India is the only country which can form a political party with a smack of a few hundred members. Here happens the birth of more new politicians (scoundrels). The endless love to become a political leader leads to the fragmentation of existing political parties in to as many as or more than what English alphabets can suffix. This results in coalition governance which is mere polygamy at its worst, where the husband (party) is trying to please all others, who never fuse homogenously but stands to divide and fall. The objectives of all political parties are to get public votes without which they cannot survive. So their interests conflict substantially and go to the extent of spoiling the good work that is being done by any other party. They make issues out of nothing to stall and get cheap popularity.The problem thus created will never get a solution during the entire tenure of that house. Billions are drained from the public fund in the name of discussions, chartering flights, making calls over land, cell or satellite phones in the name of inter and intra party meetings inside and outside the state. Here is the birth of 2G and 3G scams (gains). “Nonagenarian godfathers turning saviors”

The asset bubble collapsed, but the debt remains though one man's debt is another man's claim.

Never dismiss those who caution us against rising debt levels as doom-mongers.
Credit cards are the non-stop, high-speed highway to bankruptcy. They offer the opportunity to make large purchases now instead of saving up and hence are so attractive to people. It gives a feeling that we can afford anything we want. The low minimum payments seem reasonable, and easy to fulfill which is the biggest trap associated with credit cards. It makes forget about the high rate of interest being paid; and force the mind focus more on the low minimum payments. There are ever so many desperate victims of their own misuse of credit cards who illustrate the most unfortunate effect that debt can have on one’s finances. They just went along, living with their debt, until the (un)expected happened which put them in irrecoverable financial crisis leaving no way to meet their debt obligations except bankruptcy. Thus money strain took its toll on all relationships.
When one is on a tight budget or fixed income, there are seemingly countless temptations to spend more than he/she actually has, further increasing the debt. This is especially true when the rather humorous maxim is taken into account: "The less money one has, the more he needs to buy." The urge to buy what he doesn't actually need, but what is most likely nothing more than a fleeting desire should be curbed as much as possible so as to avoid depleting his bank account and causing undue grief later, when he learns that such items as those novelty-sized sunglasses aren't nearly as impossible to live without as he first thought
What is the solution to avoid such situation? Avoid credit card debt. They are so seductive as they offer the prospect of instant gratification. Create a budget and live within the means and track spending. To be not at the mercy of an unexpected financial situation keep an emergency fund. Thus if unexpected expenses come up, they won’t be so devastating and let shun the temptation of borrowing. Keep away debt boom which tends to induce euphoria like alcohol or drugs. Debt is a moral as well as an economic issue. Discard the encouragement to become homeowners and thus to take on debt because every debt is a liability for the borrower and an asset for the creditor. Credit which is derived from the Latin word credere means to believe. Who to believe whom in money deal? Nobody turns believer and nobody is believed when debt is not settled. Creditors lose faith in their borrowers, they will demand the repayment.
In the aftermath of the latest collapse the distinction between debt in the private and public sector has become very clear. The idea of using borrowed money to buy assets is the smart road to riches drained the very soil under the foot overnight. All options for dealing with the debt overhang turned unpalatable. Rampant deregulation is just as much a cause as rabid consumerism. Both borrowers and lenders have been irresponsible. Lenders were hamstrung and blinded by short-term incentives maliciously preyed on borrowers. Borrowers were blissfully complicit and happy to be bought off with their own short-term "happiness". Here both parties failed all the while to see the house of cards for what it was. Life was good! Everyone was rich (on paper)!!! . All bark and no bite.
When capital has been lent at extremely low rates and mal-investment was rampant, a trillion dollars spent on empty houses in the southwest American desert bear testimony to the desperation for investment opportunities, applaud those who had the foresight to curtail their spending and escape the universal debt crisis though they are a minority.Perhaps the need to consider defining happiness by and seeking it through things other than material worth and impulsive shopping sprees. Austerity is not such a dirty word, and there's more to life than what advertisements would have us believe.

"A man must himself starve before he would see his parents starve."

Care for parents
We should care for our parents as they cared for us - when we were vulnerable and unable to care for ourselves, they placed their personal desires aside and went to great lengths to ensure our safety and prosperity. Their personal sacrifice to forgo their wants and needs in the best interest of their children should be an example we, as their children, should attempt to emulate closely. We should care for our parents because they taught us the value of family, decency and honor, and express great concern for our parents is a demonstration that their efforts were not wasted. We should care our parents just not to repay the debt we owe them but to set a worth example for our children.

We have a moral responsibility to care our parents. We should never desert them as they can no longer be of benefit to us. Getting away from our responsibility is tantamount to theft - the theft of love, concern, energy and devotion which they had. In childhood we accepted and enjoyed these eagerly as splendid gifts. The parent-child relationship is a mutually unspoken pact, an always be there joy and comfort for the other person. A reprehensible individual only can deny care for his/her parents. In terms of depth and personal integrity we altogether are merely empty vessels. Selfish needs and me first attitudes of children are emotional crush to the aging and ailing parents. They should better stay away from parents for heaven’s sake, as their lack of concern serve only to make the elderly parents disappointed at their efforts. Such worthless people should understand that it is their final gift to parents. It is their last chance to make the parents happy by letting them feel that their efforts and lives were not wasted as they have created individuals who sense divinity through love and responsibility. Most people think of "honoring father and mother" only in terms of a young child or teenager being obedient to their parents.
Show your appreciation! Financial support is not the only way to honor our loved ones. (It is definitely a major factor as the aging process brings with it a lot of physical and physiological ailments that calls in unaffordable medical expenses .) We witness this truth in raising children. A parent can buy every toy his child desires but still have no influence over the child. The best things in life are those things which money cannot buy. A child needs us! A parent needs us! How often do we hear, “no one appreciates me’ Employees, wives, husbands, children—and even parents are left with an empty, lonely feeling when no sign of appreciation is shown? A few kind words, thoughtful phone calls or letters, and various gifts of remembrances will help show that we care them.
Our father, through hours of labor, helped provide our needs, Our mother, through sleepless nights when we were sick, had time to help us through troublesome periods. Is it true that now we have become “too busy” with the mundane things of life to make a few small sacrifices for those who gave so much to help us become what we are? The word “honor” inherently describes something of value, and we honor those whom we esteem highly.
Perhaps we have all heard the story of the father, who along with his young son was driving his aged father to admit him into the nursing home. As he topped the hill the nursing home came into view, and the father remarked “what a nice place it is”!. The young lad asked, “ls that where l will be taking you some day?” The father was dumb-struck. He had never thought of himself in that role. He turned the car around at the next convenient place and took his father back home.
Taking care of an aged parent in both monetary and emotional sense is simply repaying the love and terms they gave us in our time of need, with love and terms in their time of need. The honor of loving parents to whom we have to pay the first and greatest and oldest of debts, considering that all which a man has belongs to those who gave him birth and brought him up. He must do all that he can to minister to them; first, in his property; secondly, in his person; and thirdly, in his soul; by paying the debts due to them for their care and travail which they bestowed upon him in the days of his infancy, and which he is now able to pay back, when they are old and in the extremity of their need.

There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it.

"Mania for professional courses"

The prospect of getting an admission in an engineering or medical college for their offspring after standard XII, is exciting for the parents as they seem to have a notion that these are the only professional courses which have status symbol. Even educated persons are misguided and fall into the trap of this professional offspring mania. Many feel that their children will ensure a prosperous future and a super dignity in the society, combined with a sell sale value in the matrimonial market if they enter a professional college and hence willingly spend any amount to make their children doctors or engineers.(Nationalized, scheduled and new generation banks are there to extend loans) This belief has led to a prolific increase in the number of self-financed professional colleges whereas more than 50 per cent of them provide sub-standard education and produce under-qualified professionals. What the parents fail to realize is that unless their wards have a real aptitude for the chosen course they can never become successful doctors or engineers. The society also needs other professionals like writers, journalists, artists, dancers, actors, singers etc. Some of the doctors and engineers have given up their profession to become artists, film actors, playback singers, civil service personnel etc. This proves that not only they have the aptitude to become doctors/engineers but also prevented the ones with the aptitude for the professions from becoming real professionals.

Parents should not compel their children to study only professional courses as there are many other different opportunities. They should give freedom to them to choose a course of study of their choice. Irrespective of whether a student has a flair for any professional course, there is a craze which is performed much like a ritualistic step to put him/her in a coaching centre and cough up thousands of rupees. In most cases even parents are insensitive to their child's capabilities and thrust these courses on them. Also, there is an imbalance in the number of professionals coming out of these institutions each year vis-a-vis the industrial intake.

Ideally, the institutes, industry and the government should jointly chalk out a programme for larger benefit. There is an uncontrolled proliferation of engineering students. The AICTE should review the situation and deny permission for any more new colleges. This will keep the mediocre students away from the professional courses. A professional course offers higher and specialised level of education and training in any discipline like engineering, medicine or agriculture. It also gives a strong foothold in the discipline desired. But the professional course mania is mainly for the lucrative jobs that are now available for the (most successful) professional degree holders in the market. As a result, the percentage of students opting for professional courses is increasing each year though the demand in jobs is much less. It will be of interest to note that India has been producing 40 per cent of world's engineering graduates. But a recent industry study has revealed that only one out of every 47 engineering graduates is employable in accordance to their profession. Remaining work for a pittance or are in jobs unrelated to their education. If this scenario continues, future is unlikely to be rosy for a majority of engineering graduates

The imbalance created between the demand and supply ushers in huge employment crisis in the country. It is a wrong presumption that a mere engineering degree will earn a job in some multinational company. The mania for a professional degree may still be persisting among students but the credibility of such degrees in now increasingly coming under a doubt. This mania is not of the student’s but of their parent’s. Though the student is not willing or deserving, parents admit their wards in any self-financing institution without knowing the availability or capacity of the faculty. Adding the so called status symbol word “professional” is the basis for this craze.

The craze for professional courses cannot be termed unnatural what with multinationals luring away the professionals. Everybody is keen to join the bandwagon of professionals and merit is thrown to the winds. For, undertaking a professional course only requires money. Admission to such courses is easy. Examinations held for such courses are nothing but a farce. Everybody is on the run for money. But being in the stream belt of professionals need sincere aptitude, exceptional brilliance in the art and a supreme mental strength to keep ahead in the full run of highly competitive profession, where slips reward nothing but clannish failures.

Any education should be viewed with a perspective of acquiring knowledge in terms of the ability of the student to access it for his happy survival and not as a qualification to dream of lucrative jobs. Before investing their money in professional courses, parents and students must be aware of different options of courses and colleges. While opting a course, parents should also take the capacity of the students into consideration. Parents must discuss with their children and allow them to choose their option as desired.

A learned man is an idler who kills time with study. Beware of his false knowledge: it is more dangerous than ignorance.

Why Arundhati Roy thought she is not a veteran artist, she may not be bound by the political and artistic beings of the nation. So many much better artists or not even one book wonders would never demand to or say what they want about the internal or external policies of this country, about the diction and the right of the people to break away from the union. One cannot set these boundaries as we are already after the ban on Salman Rushdi’s Satanic Verses. We have become a nation of self sectoring cowards. As an artist whether it be M.F.Hussain, Anupam Kher, Nasaruden Shah or Arundhathi Roy, we should never say anything which is outside our power.
Rattling before an audience is entirely different from writing a book. Here Arundhathi’s is not a matter of writing something related to Kashmir. There is always freedom for a writer or an artist. In the case of political activist there are certain restrictions too. When one is operating as a political activist has to be more cautious about his/her words. One respects Arundhati much better than any other respected woman. The kind of argument which Arundhati spills is bound to make it more rational. When she asks people of Kashmir to ……………… . Every Indian has feelings. The feelings of soldiers, feelings of mothers who lost their children, the feelings of hundreds of pundits who are forced to live in camps. The common man has very high feelings. There is a concept that writers, actors and artists only have the feelings and upheavals and they only feel rightly about a fact or a situation. There are many who have lost heavily in the context course. They are the most important people here. Nobody cares that an artist is carrying freedom of expression of everybody else. It is not only if Arundhati Roy is right or wrong. The point of issue is, do artists of varying degree like M F Hussain to any other vernacular artist have the right to speak their mind to a critical political issue like this. Do they have the right to speak anything directing the split up of India? A citizen’s freedom is limited by the constitution. It has expressly stated that every citizen should think and act to maintain the clauses of the constitution and the integrity of the country even if it encroaches upon the freedom of his/her speech. Freedom of speech doesn’t mean…………. Is India becoming an intolerable country? The government is becoming highly irresponsible to allow anything to go just because somebody is a writer, a painter, an academician a……… It doesn’t mean that he/she is above the constitution. Then what is the need of a constitution. If we are going to speak on these lines, then there is no need for constitution, no laws…… we will go jolly good society where everyone will speak his mind
What we need to do is understand the person. May be Arundhati is just trying for another prize .. a greedy cunning personality .. nothing else . She sounds like ISI megaphone. Is she balanced and thoughtful in her saying. We have people around us who live here and later for a small material gain sell their souls, take shelter outside without having the least shame to be a slave of that country. What we need to do is to understand these types of people. I feel deeply sorry for the soldiers who gave away their life to win Kashmir for Indians, Indians like Arundhati Roy.
So sad, a booker prize winner saying this. Is she aware that she's insulting the martyrdom of thousands of soldiers who fought and died for it?

Gambling promises the poor what property performs for the rich--something for nothing.

Special KSRTC buses operating to the all pilgrim centres were allowed to bear signs but these would be avoided totally from now on. According to the corporation, this step is being adopted to avoid problems related to religious sentiments.
Indians, especially keralites irrespective of religion have strong faith and belief in god. Over generations we are taught and brought up by inculcating this belief right from the indecipherable stage. Definitely the concept of God is the best available method to attain high mental states to tap the mental energies lying dormant in humans. This faith in God gives one more confidence and energy and helps to transfer this high mental energy in to very creative state and style.
It is certain that one would be scared to go in a street which is totally deserted. So a belief of the presence of that unknown, unseen, spirit which one calls omnipresent and omnipotent on the street will help gain confidence, proportionate to one’s faith. Here the presence of a total stranger relives the dreary solitude. Hence we say that God resides in every person on the street. Faith, which when present in high proportions in a person, takes him closer to spiritual state. It is downright foolishness to believe that one religion is better than another, and to fight for the religion. Religions are good and they are there to help individuals. Religion and God are best paths for mental, physical and social well being.
A pilgrim takes pride of his status when accepted thus, for he is in the effort to lessen his troubles and reach the heights of his dreams through pilgrimage. He believes that every word and action is carried out by god than by himself. Symbolic of this faith and belief, he courses through actions like putting sandal paste on forehead, wearing dress which suits his identity as a devotee, decorating the vehicle on which he travels by all means. Here his aim and enjoyment is his destination from where he hopes to gain the power to bring his mind and body to indefinable placidity. Allowing to bear devotional signs, words or slogans like “Swami Saranam”, Saranam Ayyappa” “Amme Narayana” “Malayattoor Nadha” “Allah the protector” be on the bus or on the dress is mere sensibility and love to fellow beings. Ears are to hear, tongue to speak, eyes to see and skin to feel. But these feelings should never be confined only as physical or materialistic but be seen emotional, mental and soul searching. Soulless decisions will hurt and destroy the attitude and may induce an instinct to react maliciously. Hegel was right when he said that “we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history”. A fool's brain digests philosophy and sensibility into folly and fail to understand that if the lesser mind could measure the greater, as a foot rule can measure a pyramid, there would be finality in universal suffrage. As it is, the political problem remains unsolved as all politicians are laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion. This is due to the fact that they are power sizzled and soporific.

The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.

It would be great if people never got angry at someone for doing something they have done themselves. This never happens as we consider individuality is somebody’s business and we just have to copy it in to our life. When we go wrong we choose to blame that somebody. We do not see the value is ours, our own. To whomsoever we give that value, our value rises.
We become perfect individuals only when our values and actions are determined by our own distinctive judgment. Almost all we say and do is in conformity with the beliefs and behavior of other members of our family, community or nation. The way of dressing, eating, choice of education and career, greeting friends or strangers, codes of conduct, judgments of other people, sense of superiority or inferiority to others depending on wealth, class, education or caste - all indicate that we are not distinct social individuals in the true sense. We in many ways try to convince ourselves and others of our uniqueness by affirming our favorite habits. But these are only skin deep appearances. Individuality is not a surface difference. It is born and emerges from deep within us.
There are so many factors in the society that moulds and governs an individual. It is his attitude which runs the whole game in the fair way. He should think and form his own opinion of social and national issues. Accept only after understanding them to be right and not because they are spoken or endorsed by others. The right should be decided on the strength of his mental judgment and do what he feels to be right than what others do or approve. He should rely on himself and accept only what is due to him from others and judge himself in terms of what he knows himself to be as a human being. Individuality of those who disagree with him must be respected. Their criticisms should be taken as their personal opinion and impartially evaluate the truth of in them, rather than taking them as abuse that evokes his anger, defensiveness or resentment. Becoming a perfect individual is the highest human achievement of self realization which is the direct path to supreme accomplishment in life.
Each individual is birthed from the societal stew, yet our lives are our own expression and responsibility. Part of being an adult is to learn how to stop blaming others and start manifesting ourselves. This may be hard to do unless we carefully examine what we believe, where we came from, and how these two things relate to each other. Individual mind is very much influenced by other’s minds as it tends to think what others think, and create along the lines others have created. Individuality is to break out of this mode, to think differently and manifest what has not existed before. In fact, to think and create something out of nothing is the process of creation itself.
A person who becomes consciously aware of his or her true self will facilitate the expression of his or her individuality, thereby accelerating the process of personal accomplishment and growth for themselves and the world. A moral sense has traditionally been considered to be a unique attribute of the human personality. The transformation from a biological organism to a socially responsible individual is the hallmark of the development of personality and is a shared social development necessary for viable human society.
Society can influence the behavior of its members in many ways by making laws to give severe punishments for antisocial behaviors. It can develop a strong desire for ethics and morals through religious institutions. It can hold professionals to strong ethical codes of conduct, educate and inform them through school systems and media outlets. But a society can control the behavior of its citizens by virtue of the inherent ability for mental growth and maturity, which is called self-actualization or individuation, a natural inclination of humans to behave in a perfect moral or ethical manner.

I SHED MY TEARS

As an Indian I am really sick and tired of all this quite introspective talk of cricket. When the poor have been starving to death in India and prices of all commodities shooting up so high out of control, the nation and state are busy in sweeping, swabbing and drying the stadium at Kochi.
India is cricket, is a misconception held by many in the country itself. Commercialization of cricket has undoubtedly made this misconception. Has cricket the potential to entertain the average and the poor lot of India. Cricket got transformed in to mere gambling. The only acceptable moral response is to put a ban to cricket till it furnishes proof of redeeming itself. Many may think that a ban would be too harsh akin like throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Sure it could be like. If a lot is saved by such an action, it must be made a rule. India has become both home to the cricket world’s greatest ill gained riches and its largest illegal betting syndicate. The parasitic relationship between players and sports agents has reached alarming proportions. It’s a seething mass of greed and official complicity, of agents trying to fully monetize the skill in the race to sign young talents. All possible should be done to keep filth out of the system. Punishment meted to the spotted guilty (players and agents) should be severe enough to act as a deterrent. A law specifically against wrongdoing in sport will help well. There’s no harm in having such a law, because match-fixing is happening far too often.
Cricket in India has earned a lot of money for people who made cricket their business. The popularity of cricket in India has made Indian cricketers extremely popular and rich. However, we can see a negative of this over-importance and over-glorifying of cricket in India that is the negligence of other sports in India. India is actually a hockey-playing nation where Indians used to emerge as champions in hockey. Hockey is the national game of India and not cricket.(A non gambling game also)
India winning the finals in international hockey tournament is a proud moment for our country. But the ignorant, stupid and insensitive public whose love is only for cricket did not cheer, nor did they care about the achievement. Even the media refused to give the deserving note for the achievement because it wasn’t as money-pulling as cricket. Cricket has made our nation a sport weakling. Present day cricket is very bad for the nation and it will turn our country into a sports failed nation. If we need to show ourselves as a strong, powerful nation, we need to change this attitude. The government should spend more on new football fields, swimming pools, tennis courts, badminton courts and other facilities, instead of spending so much money on new cricket stadiums. Or else the coming generations will not forgive us for believing that our glorious nation has nothing but crummy corporate cricket to offer.

No man stands so straight as when he stoops to help the deserving.

"JAI HO CHILE"
Undaunted courage and indomitable spirit, possessing the firmness and perseverance of purpose for which they worked together day and night, eliminating the very word ‘impossible’, not to divert the attitude or lose heart of the whole people of Chile in their attempt in bringing back their dear 33 who have become dearest when sight was denied by nature and whose very life was thought to last only for days. Rescue of the miners from the longest underground entrapment in human history which trapped them 69 days has taught the whole world the meaning of the proverb “Where there is a will there is a way” through action.
Atacama desert that holds Chile's San Jose gold and copper mine has literarily changed in to a place of worship for the whole world witnessing the scenes through visual media, holding their breath. The incarcerated fears of all breed, freed out as tears of joy and victory. They did what we all wished when Florencio Avalos, 31 slipped out of the phinix wearing sunglass that protected him from the bright light as he was being transited from the little illuminated underground, radiating his brilliant smile to all the viewers making many burst in to loud cry of in-explainable emotion.
Any group kept in isolation cannot remain healthy for more than a month without becoming mad. President Sebastian Pinera Chile's first elected right-wing president in a half-century, did the best in making the venture success. Credit goes to the shift foreman Luis Alberto Urzua aged 54, who helped the trapped miners endure 17 days in isolation before it was discovered that men had survived the mine collapse. With Urzua by his side, Mr. Sebastian Pinera led the crowd in singing Chile’s national anthem.
Pinera cracked a joke by saying ‘welcome to life’ to Victor Segovia which is never an overstatement on such a day of miracle. All the miners were safely brought above ground in 22 hours, 37 minutes, after the operation started.
The purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affects this. Hence, it is important to learn that love towards fellow beings and hard work will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.

UGLY ART

Every day of their lives, women face what can only be described as an assault on their fundamental right to free movement and personal dignity. The sexual harassment that women are subjected to constitute a serious infringement of women's basic rights which are unique to them. It is imperative that women themselves assert their rights, fight collectively, awaken others who bear their humiliation in silence and find new ways of defending their rights .Women in India experience eve-teasing almost in every phase of her life every day, anywhere and everywhere ,on the roads, in the buses, railway stations, trains.. It is a clear case of sexual violation but most women prefer to ignore it as the authorities and the law-enforcing machinery are not always helpful and in fact connive with hooligans and criminals. As the situation deteriorates, in the context of hooliganism, harassment and official apathy, women should organize and assert themselves in the most effective way.
No girl can escape a derisive comment, uncouth staring, pinching, stalking, hooting, singing with sexual undertones and flashing objects or the ugly exposure of an ugly man. As they try to board a bus or train they are subjected to a squeeze here a touch there or a poking in the most undesirable place. There are those who make it a point to press against a woman in a crowded bus or train and enjoy the pleasure of the continuing with the pressure maintained at peak levels. If she does not protest, the thing will go on until the natural pressure releasing system comes to work. . No woman-whatever be her age-will be spared. Imagine their plight at night or after dusk has fallen.Sexual harassment and assault are targeted at women due to the view that women can be controlled and manipulated as there is a very false notion that females are the weaker sex. Assault is committed not only for sexual gratification but also to exert power or rather show superiority. In all societies and in almost all cases one can see women as victims and men as perpetrators.

Exhibitionism a psychological disorder causing a compulsion to show the genitals in public is yet another type of eve teasing. In Kerala no girl can pass alone through the roads without getting victimized to this nasty art of the psycho-neuro patients. Many of these ‘artists’ dressed well wait the whole day at less traffic parts of the roads to perform.

NEGATIVE FOR POSITIVE

In the forthcoming panchayat/municipal/corporation election, as has become the practice, the choice we get to exercise will be voting for A,B,C……. or Z. It’s bad that there isn’t barely any choice. Worse still, though all A to Z may turn out to be criminals as has been the reality earlier in some constituencies. Often a voter is faced with the choice between a crook and a criminal, which is no choice at all. Why to choose between two evils? Behind the noisy and colorful facade of elections, political parties decide which candidate they will field regardless of the background. He may not be a criminal before law, as he is not convicted or punished but the society would not be in a position to accept him as their representative. Vote we must, but the question is for whom, if the choice happens to be between two devils. To vote without a real choice is not fully democratic. Hence an option of ‘do not vote for any of the above candidates’ has the potential of giving voters some real choice, taking them closer to real democracy. It can nudge political parties to select better candidates. To make this effective, a rule should be made that the winning candidate should get a definite percentage of the total voters or else would require re-polling, that too with the earlier candidates not being allowed to contest again. This will act as Negative polling. The very need to resolve the dilemma of political nihilism and effective political participation in the present state of democratic system. As the Negative polling accounts “Negative Votes” which can give the quantum of negativity of the voters it is the best step towards fair election.
It is essential that the best available candidates should be chosen as people’s representatives for proper governance of the country. This can be best achieved through men/women of high moral and ethical values, who win the elections on positive votes, obtained on their own merit and not by the process of elimination based on comparative demerits. But what if no candidate of attractive merit and established characters comes to the election? Will the voters still have to select the lesser of two evils? Will they still have to pick from a slate of unworthy candidates in today’s world of choice? If the electors decide that none of the candidates is worth their vote, what is the way out? There is no scope for a voter to refuse to vote. Providing an extra button in the electronic voting machines that says ‘none of the above’ will enable the voter to exercise his right in secrecy and also will convey a memorandum of anger of the voter to the political mentors.
If this is exercised, parties are sure to learn to be fair and sensible. The purpose of the exercise is not to ask voters to boycott voting but rather to nudge political parties to select better candidates. Democracy is all about choice. This choice can be better expressed by giving the voters an opportunity to verbalize themselves unreservedly and by imposing least restrictions on their ability to make such choice. Pressing the button of ballot machine is not just the pressing of a button, but it is the expression of sincere choice through intelligence, sensitivity and understanding, which are fundamentals for democracy.
What could the voters in a constituency do if they did not want to vote for those who are not worthy? There is no option currently; but there could easily be one. That is "None" at all.

“Every one thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself”

Leo Tolstoy said “Every one thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself”. Leadership remains in short supply in India which hardly follows the normal election conventions. Ideology, if it has to withstand the test of time, could never remain in frozen state. It has to go through stages of evolution. This should be the scale in judging political ideology. Every political ideology has its growth cycle. The pillars of nation states rest on well defined ideology.
We think that national enemy is somewhere lying at the other side of the boarder of our country and spend huge amounts on procuring weapons to defend. But that the real national enemy is within our own country, along with us and moving with us which is corruption. Abuse of public power for private gains is corruption. The constitutional right to govern the state has been taken for granted as a right to corruption. It is so much so that corruption has almost become an accepted reality and a way of life in Indian society. Degrading of moral values is the most endemic and entrenched manifestation of poor governance.
Not only the corruption that is worrying this country, but the criminal character and attitude of the people involved, the evils associated and the determination of those people to suppress, deface and dilute the issues is more disturbing. Really people are confused as for whom to blame for the sad state of affairs in our country. When it comes to the public, it is the “yadhaa raaja, tadhaa praja” attitude. How the rulers live, the same way people live. They do not have any thing of their own and so flexible that they just imitate the rulers. In the organized corruption, one clever and corrupt makes ground for corruption, silently drags all the people around him and swiftly infects this disease to as many people as possible. He pulls, traps, and entangles more and more innocent people into the ring and creates a wall around him with these innocent people.
India is the largest democracy in the world. Indian politicians, who are at the helm of affairs or holding power, to transfer power legitimately to their wards ignoring or simply overlooking the claim of other able politicians in their bid to remain in power permanently, have converted democracy into hereditary democracy. The motives are to enjoy enormous powers and prestige; they are inured to it, dislike to shift the balance of power and amassing enormous wealth and unaccounted black money, disproportionate to income.
Political competence neither comes by conventional education alone, nor by mere acquaintance or association or heritage as well. A competent political leader’s wife, son or daughter need not be equally competent. Most of them do not know real public service. Degeneration of our democratic framework can be traced back to this dangerous reality. There is no minimum qualification to enter this profession and there are no minimum standards to be maintained for climbing the career ladder. The most unqualified and unscrupulous are proving to be most successful in politics. Those who are more visible inside and outside the parliament are those who do not participate in the law making process and debates about the country’s development and future. Most of them are blissfully ignorant of the requirements of a struggling population and the options available in terms of technology, infrastructure and resources for taking India forward. Many are sitting in the law making bodies only by virtue of their heredity or seniority in career politics. Once out of power, many of them will be like fish out of water.
Politics should not become a profession but professionals are needed in politics if development and deliverance are the purpose of governance. It is time for democratic India to think seriously about minimum qualifications for being in politics. Left to career and hereditary politicians, Indian democracy where there is one out of every 27 persons living in slums and one out of every 5 persons going to bed without food and each person living in India carries Rs. 22,500 public debt on his/her head; Rs.1300 is paid towards the interest alone every year by every citizen including the infant child will be in shambles in not so distant future.
The present rule of our elected governments is to spend the first year for the celebration of victory, lobbying for the choice post in government etc. The next on studying & understanding the problems, situation, status, areas, approach, strategy, actions needed for the development, administration, mechanism, system etc. Third for making proposals, getting funds, meetings and negotiations. Fourth for making plans which are never practical. And the fifth, time to prepare for the battle once again to win in the next elections.
If we fail to prevent the degeneration of democracy into hereditary democracy, it may deteriorate further in the near future, making every system a casualty, posing threat to very existence of democracy.

SPOONERISM

Homesickness was the most miserable heartache in my younger days. The school hostel with little facilities of entertainment made me think ever so many times of running in to one of the night’s darkness, not to disappear but to see and enjoy the panic stricken faces of the warden and his aids, the kitchen crew, when they found me missing at the mess roll call. Sadism? Yes, at times this art provides an enjoyment, satisfaction or both, to all I feel. But Nanni never let this happen. It was the watchdog of the hostel, ever free to go anywhere any time and never let others enjoy freedom. He was extremely faithful to his master the warden and hence the name, which in Malayalam means faith. His barks switched on his masters mouth to yell “All get in. Don’t repeat” as if he had seen somebody trying to sneak out. Though there were about sixty inmates, I failed to get along with the dramas which some staged having no talent in acting or go for movies with them for mere impatience to hold myself in the cine hall for so long as three hours. Being very friendly with books found them "The House that Jack built!". My father despite his hectic schedules visited me at least twice a month, never forgetting to buy one or two books of my taste. One day he handed me a book about Spooner and his art Spoonerism the type of which was never in my taste list. There are times when the least preferred becomes the most enjoyed. When one has no other choice. I also took the book one day as the most preferred. The start itself startled me and the art there in taught me to get happily engaged in my spare time.
Spoonerism is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are misplaced. It is named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844–1930), Warden of New College, Oxford, who was notoriously prone to this tendency. Spoonerism is commonly heard as slips of the tongue resulting from unintentionally getting one's words in a tangle. Spooner had a nervous tendency to sometimes transpose initial letters or half-syllables in speech. This tendency became the hilarious transpositions known as Spoonerism. Dr. Spooner's occasional transpositions created a reputation and started a fad. Students began devising transpositional puns, and attributing them to him. Despite such occasional presumptions for almost seventy years Spooner was a much loved character in the city of Oxford with an opinion that was highly regarded. He had a successful career as an eloquent and amusing lecturer on divinity, Aristotle's Ethics, philosophy and ancient history and unconsciously won for himself an enviable reputation as a genial, kindly and hospitable man. But Spooner was no featherbrain. In fact his mind was so nimble his tongue couldn't keep up. The Greeks had a word for this type of impediment long before Spooner was born: metathesis. It means the act of switching things around
He seems also to have been something of an absent-minded professor. He once invited a faculty member to tea "to welcome our new archaeology Fellow."
"But, sir," the man replied, "I am our new archaeology Fellow."
"Never mind," Spooner said, "Come all the same."After a Sunday service he turned back to the pulpit and informed his student audience: "In the sermon I have just preached, whenever I said Aristotle, I meant St. Paul."
.He reprimanded one student for "fighting a liar in the quadrangle" and another who "hissed my mystery lecture." To the latter he added in disgust, "You have tasted two worms."
He raised his toast to Her Highness Victoria: "Three cheers for our queer old dean!" During WWI he reassured his students, "When our boys come home from France, we will have the hags flung out."
Spooner died on 29 August 1930. Let us salute the eponymous master of the verbal somersault. He left us all a legacy of laughter. He also gave the dictionary a new entry: spoonerism. The very word brings a smile. It refers to the linguistic flip-flops that turn "a well-oiled bicycle" into "a well-boiled icicle" and other ludicrous ways speakers of English get their mix all talked up.

SUPREME VERDICT

The Allahabad High Court has given us a supreme verdict to look in to our inner self and find the soul of pure Indian than mere religionist.
Hindu-Muslim unity is one of the most essential pillars for the existence on our nation which is symbolic of ‘UNITY IN DIVERSITY’. At a national level, the secular restraint works quite effectively, at a regional or local level it risks falling apart completely. In any outbreak of communal violence locally less numbered communities often have to pay a heavier price. The preservation of peace and harmony requires prevention at all levels in ensuring that incendiary incidents do not occur, and the reaction to them is immediately controlled. All communities need to be extra vigilant and isolate irresponsible and provocative elements, rather than cover up for them. Religious leaders and theologists from all religions over the country should come together to renew the different religious perspective and adopt singularism.(all religions form the integral part of one and are equal) One of the most important methods of conflict resolution is through effective communication between different religious communities so that rumours can be squashed and problems be solved before they become too big.
Religious principles are intended for the whole of mankind. If any particular section of humanity does not follow the great virtues taught by religion - such as kindness, patience, tolerance and understanding, it would be difficult for others to live peacefully. It is quite natural for cunning and cruel people to take advantage of any kind of virtue. The religionists must see that those who fight and shed blood in the name of religion, do not follow religious principles and do not serve the cause of humanity. They fight for their own personal gain or power using religion. Those who truly practice a religion have no reasons to fight. They settle their problems in the most peaceful manner. A true religion never encourages any form of violence under any circumstance. One religionist can live and work with other religionists without anydiscrimination.
Because of the atrocities that had been done and are still continuing in the name of religion, many people are disillusioned at the mention of the very word, 'religion'. Materialism, hypocrisy and fanaticism masquerading under the guise of religion have caused great injustices to mankind. The true religious values are rapidly disappearing from the minds of men as they run in search of fake myths. On one hand great religions of the world are breaking into myriads of forms while on the other some are going all out to ridicule religion. The time has come for religionists of the country to get together and introduce religious values in their proper perspective, instead of merely arguing and quarrelling over the differences of religious ideologies and mythologies.
Religion should not be confined to worshipping and praying only. Religion is not a means for lip service only but a practical medium for man to act harmlessly, to be of service to others, to teach everyone to be good and to gain liberation, peace and real happiness. Each person has three natures, That of Animal, Human and the Divine. The purpose of religion is to help human beings realize their noble divine nature.
Different religions may have different beliefs and views regarding the beginning and the end of life, as well as different interpretations regarding the nature of ultimate salvation. But one should not bring forward such discordant issues to create conflict, confrontation, clashes, hatred and misunderstanding.
All are calling on the same God. Some the formless, and some with forms. Let one meditate on God with form, if he believes in form, and another who does not believe in any form, meditate on the formless God. But dogmatism must be avoided. The attitude must be that all religions are right and for the good of the people. A religion which regards ultimate reality as impersonal truth and at the same time recognizes the validity of its concrete manifestations for the benefit of struggling aspirants cannot but admit the validity of all religious ideals and show them respect.
“Personal God the ultimate reality” principle is wrong. A man’s spiritual life and method of worship are determined by his inner evolution. Religion is not God, but shows the path to God. Clocks and religions should be corrected from time to time. As flowing rivers, be Ganga, Yamuna,Godavari or Sindhu disappear in the sea losing their names and forms, so are the religions. They also attain the ONENESS. Nobody can distinguish a Hindu from a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew, when they are absorbed in the infinite spirit.
The time has come to play a pro-active role in schools and colleges and introduce inter-religious education that can promote communal harmony as part of the curriculum. We must work towards creating alternative curriculum material, which present a more balanced view of religions, as well as promote respect for all religious traditions.

Fraudulent and misleading ads

Advertisements influence our life to superlative extent. In all walks of life we swallow the advertisements as such and show our pockets wide open to be picked with ease. Here we lose our analytical ability or rather get in to the fancy of ads. No other animal on the whole earth will ever show its head to the ‘predator’ like humans. Here public the host, is the prey and the fraudulent product launcher the parasite, is the predator. Advertisement misleads or affects the judgment of the consumer or which, for many reasons, is detrimental to him. We should check certain factors like the characteristics of the goods or services, price, the conditions governing the supply of the goods or the provision of services, the nature, qualities and rights of the advertiser etc in to account to determine whether advertising is misleading in nature or not.
Why does the market need such a lot of advertisements? Obviously for certain vested interests like unhealthy competition (comparative advertising), promotion of inferior quality goods,……….. the list goes up to direct cheating.
Comparative advertising identifies a competitor or goods or services offered by a competitor.
• Here we need to establish some criteria to make sure that a comparative advertisement is not misleading but acts only as a legitimate means of informing consumers of what is in their interest. It should never create confusion in the market place between the advertiser and a competitor, thereby putting the customer in confusion or in a state of dilemma. Discrediting or denigrating the trade marks, trade names or other distinguishing signs of a competitor should never be adopted.
• Very recent ads of oil which claims to make body slim is misleading. Countless consumers nationwide are being victimized by these type of advertisers. Marketers are constantly looking for ways by which they can sell their commodities at a profit as most of them employ unethical mechanisms or methods which are objectionable and questionable. The body massaging oils like Lavana Thailam help only temporarily shrinking the physique as they contain some ingredients like rock-salt, which helps to decrease the body size by removing water to a great extent, a process called osmosis. (Can call it as salting or a method very similar to or next to it) Have faith in yourself and be motivated. Better you choose a gym or a health club which you consider most safe (Just for women, in case optical eyes may scan and record your curve lines!!) and compromises well with you. If you have a very busy schedule a little conscious in the regular activities will help you stay slim and fit at no extra cost.
• Imagine if you will, that you are a woman with dyed blonde hair and you have advanced gum disease due mostly to the fact that you have never seen, let alone used a toothbrush. You now have some insight into the star of this commercial. The highlight comes when the woman recoils in pain from incidental bristle contact, as if she were brushing with a steak knife. The point is hammered in several times as the voice-over repeats the word "hurt" in the language the ad is telecasted but non-synchronized lip movements. It gets better at in a few seconds, when star uses subtle non-verbal cues to communicate to the audience which toothbrush she prefers. The "conventional" toothbrush receives a look of contempt and scorn where as the "magic toothbrush" receives an appreciative head nod.
• Another funny ad of a potato chopper. A lady with a knife looks anywhere but at the knife she is wielding and the thick slices of potato she is lopping off. Here the inevitable happens. She cuts herself, yells and is exasperated with the whole concept of this two million-year-old technology, takes up the potato peeler. By this logic, the Handy Peel for potato, Fish Dresser for fish ete .. etc ..etc.. It's hard to say which is the saddest exaggeration here.

Is the customer getting better, or are advertisers getting trickier? How easy it is to find blatantly misleading ads and labels, something's up which isn't honesty. The most interesting part is that the sophist gains comfortably well,as orders for the magic brushes and potato peelers flow in far above the aim of the ‘product’ launcher.
Some advertisements give us a very false notion that as long as their products are in the market one can do maximum atrocities to the master gland liver by consuming alcohol. Medicines are for the well being of mankind and hence should be treated as gifts of god. It must be presented for public knowledge with utmost respect and reverence.
Advertisements are a crucial aspect of any type of business because they promote products or let the public know about them. Consequently, when this route is exploited by unscrupulous businesses persons to mislead the public, then it may destroy the very image of advertising. When that occurs, the public may loose faith in advertising in general and this may hinder sales for vast numbers of companies. It should be noted that the public can loose faith in advertising if they discover that large numbers of businesses are engaging in misleading advertisement. Additionally, misleading advertising is of interest to the country as a whole because if allowed to continue, it would deteriorate the country's business environment. Unscrupulous businesses would sell at the same level as honest businesses and this would violate marketing principles. Eventually, the overall marketing climate or the country's economy may even begin to decline.

You can only be young once but can always be immature

"You can only be young once but can always be immature"
There are times when one loses the ability to cry,rather fails to give vent to a shock which is far above the endurance level. These helpless moments are beyond transference, as words fail miserably before the tour de force here. One really couldn't believe what he faced at that instant which is coded indelibly in the brain when the never expected happened. Normally one goes with family in the best terms other than when any member goes or seems to go only on emotions and imaginations. Here an advice or a show of anger at times to create an active striving for the growth and happiness of the dear ones is inevitable.
‘Have when changes in to a have-not’ feels a sort of anxiety. It’s not the sign of an immature person who is focused too much on fantasy and fear of rejection nor the tone condescending or objectifying. Sometimes the world turns upside down in an instant, and one’s life is never the same again. Some events act as a catalyst for changes in lives. Enduring the hell of being abused and stalked are in some ways a great gift. It makes one think about one’s role, position, worth, strength, wisdom, and gives a new lease on life and the opportunity to understand the transition of change that others have undergone. These transitional ‘progress’ of others may open one’s eyes to those new things, strange and bitter, but realities, which would never have striked the mind or sensed ever before.
Now one looks up, down and all around, to see pure darkness. That's when the tide is higher than one can breathe and need something to hold on to,lest will drown.No judgment,no reprimand. Just a sense of openness and truth, where one can let go and allow oneself to fall on the sword that will pierce the heart,die not to be reborn.
Everything can be going along just fine when suddenly the personal sky falls down and get blindsided. No one is immune to life’s art and its tendency to turn upside down. Be Bill Gates or beggar it never matters.
Unfortunately many people have been faced with the excruciating decision of whether or not to continue a strained life.The relationships, when stressed or tensed, are the worst to endure. If one has to cut the ties,the term tough love comes to mind, but the need is more about peace of mind which over powers.
The interesting aspect about families is that people can tolerate more bad than good, yet it can still be considered a satisfying relationship for members.In this instance, families can drive one as nuts, and also be there by his side in tough spots. Family members are those who've seen one at his best and worst.They keep their unconditional state to disagree, which is otherwise called respect without willing to change or control.
Imagination, the supreme delight of the immaturity, should be limited in order to enjoy life.

BRAIN SHARPNER

The habit of reading has declined in the people of all sections. But the gradual decline of the habit of reading in the students is an alarming factor. Students’ prime concern is study. They should not confine themselves in the reading of their course books. They need to have a wider knowledge of the day-today affairs and a general awareness in all fields touching their lives. As the present system of education tests the curricular knowledge of students through certain examinations, excelling in the examinations should, of course, be the prime concern of the students. The marks in the mark-sheets are very much required for students for admission into higher courses of study and also for job purposes. Certain qualifying percentage of marks is mandatory for getting short-listed for jobs and higher studies. So, while acquiring general knowledge, one should not forget the books of the syllabus.
Reading is not merely decoding information or pronouncing words correctly. It is aninteractive dialogue between the author and the reader in which theyshare their experiences and knowledge with each other to understand the text and impart meaning to the text other than what the author may have implied. Good readers are critical readers with an ability to arrive at a deeper understanding of not only the world presented in the book but also of the real world around them. They not only recall what they read but comprehend it too. Their critical reading and understanding of the text helps them create new levels of understanding, solving problems, inferring and making connections to other texts and experiences. Reading does not mean reading for leisure only but also reading for information. One may be encouraged to read on topics as diverse as science and technology, politics and history. This will improve the critical thinking skills and also help in improving concentration.

It is often seen that reading book projects are assigned to children in which they are expected to read a book and write a report on it. Though the spirit behind the assigning of the project is commendable, the project does not often interest the students nor does it fulfill the objective which is to inculcate in students the habit of reading.
One of the most important suggestions for promotion of learning is to develop reading habits among children. As habits are more or less routine ways of acting they are considered as second nature. Happiness depends on developing good habits which in turn motivate behavior. Hence efforts should be made to develop reading habits of children after due planning. Reading books is a great ‘brain tool’, to learn and develop important life skills, in terms of education, self improvement, positive life choices and all round well-being. Reading helps one stretch memory muscles in a similar way as the other muscles are stretched through gyms or games. Good books help students to be rational enough to differentiate between right and wrong. This deep and wide wisdom provides students the ability to reduce mistakes. Books are good source for language skills and intellectual development. Several researches have been conducted showing that book reading is indeed associated with one’s use of language and giving new details about how the variety of book reading impacts linguistic development.

Reading has both mental and physical benefits. Psychiatrists believe that reading keeps mind active. Developing good reading skills produces the quality of assimilating the content. Reading is an active mental process. Books provide information that goes deeper than just classroom discussion. They elaborate on what one takes as small chunks of information from different sources; thus make the focus and concentration better. Reading makes students disciplined and scheduled. A book reader is a problem solver and expert on the topics that translates him/her into higher self esteem. Reading exposes one to a huge world of new words and gives an insight of etymology. Knowledge about new cultures and places are inevitable for students of elementary, high and secondary schools. Books can expand horizons by providing information and are good source of education. Where formal education requires time commitments, books which are cheap and portable have no late-bells or hourly commitments
This good habit should never die down in us. Let us encourage reading books.

AN ART

Friendship is the cooperative and supportive relationship between people. Here the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect along with a degree of rendering service to each other in times of need or crisis.

It’s not easy for everyone to make friends. It takes dedication and work on either parts to keep the friendship going. True friends are hard to find, and lifelong friends are a rare gem. To maintain a good friendship, one will have to take time and more over one should have to be a good friend. When this order is set friendships will improve greatly.
Like any other relationship, friendship needs honest communication. Many friends count on each other for advice,a listening ear and just someone to talk with. One should keep the lines of communication open, and show to be a true friend by keeping word. Refrain from ever spreading each other's business. Truthful to one another and discussion of ones problems in order to make sure that communication doesn’t break down improves the health of relation.
There will be times when one is looking for someone who will listen to one’s problems without judging. Whether agree or disagree depends on the way the friend is handling certain things. Always be a good listener. One must work very well at maintaining a two-way path with in friendship. If only one person is attempting to be a good friend, the friendship doesn’t work, as the entire friendship can’t be carried on one’s own. It has to be a perfect partnership where both contribute equally. A good friendship needs both give and take policy. If one only take and never give, the friendship will wither.
Never be idle and watch a friend make mistakes. If the friend is making a mistake, express concerns and speak up in order to protect him/her. Be honest about how one feel, but be careful not to berate the other. Choose words carefully, and do not insult in the process. Keep fighting and arguing to the minimum. There will be times when one disagree with the other, but don’t blow things out of proportion. Instead, try to talk things over and put the situation to rest. Avoid arguments and be patient in case the other is adamant over a point. Discuss it over another time and try to convince if it doesn’t seem to tighten the situation or topic to break the fine threads of relation.
. Friends should have love and respect for each other and never do things to hurt the other. Be there for each other through good times and bad times. Celebrate each other's successes, and help each other get through failures. Give friendship room to grow.
The concept of friendship changes with age. In kindergarten a good friend would be the person who shares a crayon or help to dispose off the food without the notice of the care taker and make time to play. But in upper school levels the idea could be of a person who accompany to the bathroom or save a seat in the school bus. The friend concept rises as the person grows as who gives rides in a new car; convinces ones parents not be grounded; consoles when broken up. Now the idea of a good friend is the person who gives the better of the choices, hold hand when cared, helps to fight off those who try to take advantage of, thinks of one at times when not there, reminds of what one has forgotten, helps to put the past behind but understands when the need to hold on to it a little longer, stays with to give confidence, helps to deal with the pressure from others, helps to become a better person, and so on. No matter where one goes or who one becomes, never forget those who helped to get there. There's never a wrong time to pick up a phone or send a message telling one’s friends how much one misses them or how much one loves them. Every person one meets has the right to be accepted (or not) on his or her own merits, it's better to just be oneself than let anyone else influence one into being someone one is not.
Live by the golden rule to treat a friend as one would want to be treated.

RESPECT MOTHERS

Revere and respect motherhood, because the mother's role in shaping the family unit and the individuals within it is unique and very great.
Mother’s love and kindness are in-drainable. Her deep parental kindness in bringing us up and the hardships she has gone through will never be repaid as they are priceless and incomparable. Her love for her child is endless and indescribable! The symbol of patience, endurance, kindness, love, help and what not. Motherhood is the greatest potential influence in human life. Mother's image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of a child's mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world. This ability and willingness properly to rear children make motherhood the noblest office or calling in the world. She who rears and cares successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters deserves the highest honour that one can give. Sociological significance of the mother's role is immense. Her relationship with her children and her guidance in their growing years influence the formation of values and attitudes they carry throughout their lives.
She who gives the child life, is first and foremost to give it a way of life, teaching the child what it should and should not do. She encourages strong character formation as she teaches the child to put limitations on some of its natural instincts. Through her words and actions she teaches her child the regard that should be given to other individuals, if that child is to be included and loved as a member of the family and later of the society.Religions, it be Hindu, Christian, Islam, or else and myths place motherhood in the most exalted realm. From her body were born the first human woman and man, who became the parents of all mortal beings on earth.As mothers symbolize familial ties and unconditional loyalty, motherhood is invoked even in extra familial situations that call upon these values. Women-as-mothers, become key players in the maintenance of linkages and acquire important community responsibilities.

Washington Irving has described mother as “the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our shine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts”.
It is a universal truth that, a mother, regardless of her species in terms of life and living, continue to feed her child even if she is herself deprived or incapacitated. This is because of her extreme of quality as love, affection, kindness and protection, the most fantasia based concept, be any faith and belief, granted as gesture of her supreme personality and trait by all, to honor her legitimate and innate services to the progeny as natural agent .Motherhood is such a unique concept that it’s meaning in terms of love, affection and protection, never vain off wherever and whenever it is utilized. One would have the only option left to tag and define the words love, affection and protection as synonym to the term mother.
The concept of motherhood, motherland, mother tongue and any thing affiliated with this terminology, as prefix and suffix; have same legitimate and affectionate bearing indicating the built-in quality as console and the ultimate solace.
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Everyone encourages you to have alcohol

Everyone encourages you to have alcohol – producers, your friends, and the government too..
Kerala is India’s tippler state. It has the highest per capita consumption of alcohol over eight litres per person a year.. Alcohol helps in giving Kerala’s economy a good hike. Shockingly, more than 40% of revenues for it’s annual budget come from booze. Kerala State Beverages Corporation, our state-run monopoly curiously named to breed drunkards runs 340 liquor shops, open seven days a week.Harthal or Bandh never affect their function. The role model que where perfect socialism, mutual understanding and patience is observed. Each shop caters on an average an astonishing 75,000 clients. Revenues from alcohol to the state’s exchequer have registered a whopping 100% rise over the past four years. The monopoly is so professionally run that consumers can even send text messages from their phones to a helpline number to record their grievances. That’s not all. There are more than 750 privately-run bars in the state and more than 6,000 shops selling toddy , the local brew. There is also a thriving black market liquor trade. Despite a growing number of people who demand a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol, there is an equally spirited group of hard-core drinkers who lobby for cheaper and more widely distributed liquor.
Drinking is killing a lot of people and exacting a heavy social cost. Rising numbers of divorces in Kerala are linked to alcohol abuse. Hospitals and rehabilitation centers are packed with patients suffering from alcohol-related diseases. The situation is so grim that, ironically, the Kerala State Beverages Corporation itself has to plan to open a hospital specializing in treating alcohol-related problems.
Why do people of Kerala drink so much and so heavily? A societal problem what possibly means is that drinking liquor is almost a social rite of passage, taken very seriously? Perhaps more important reasons could be high unemployment, easy access to alcohol and the fact that drinking has become a part of upwardly mobile living. Prohibition is not at all the solution as it just drives buyers and sellers underground. The solution possibly lies in introducing methods from every level possible to make the drunkards love and live with family than do it with alcohol and bars . Since drinking is also a cultural problem, people need to be made aware of the havoc that alcohol can wreak on their lives. Until then alcohol will continue to dominate the lives of many of Kerala’s people – and boost its exchequer’s finances. Kerala has the highest percapita consumption of alcohol in the entire country. Almost 8 and a half liters of alcohol for every man woman and child in the state per year!
How alcoholism affects family? While alcoholism can negatively affect one’s marriage and family, it is sad that marital and family problems also catalyse drinking. Not surprisingly, alcoholism is most common factor among couples who seek marital therapy, and marital problems are common in drinkers who seek a cure from alcoholism.
How does the alcoholic transformation take place? Drinking is deceptive. Initially it starts as a social experience. Next it seems an enhancer of these experiences. Then, one turns to it for relaxation, or stress reduction. Finally, one just drinks for getting drunk. And before one knows it, one turns into an alcoholic!!! Alcohol only provides a veil that clouds life’s realities by distorting the true picture. If one continues to seek the false security of this veil, one is no longer a responsible person. When alcohol seems vital to handle any stress, one becomes a real alcoholic !
Habitual drinking is slow suicide. And the craving for alcohol will turn into a crime against those who love and depend one, as he is stealing what is their due, to spend it all on alcohol.
The alcoholic trend in our state is getting from bad to worse with each passing year. Despite all measures to control alcoholism, there is only an increase in the craze and consumption! It’s said that Keralites spend more money on liquor than on rice. While the liquor industry is worth Rs 7500 crore a year, rice consumption is worth only Rs 2880 crore, notwithstanding the annual hooch tragedies killing thousands and making innumerable others go blind.
60% of the road accidents happen due to drunken driving. The cases of drunken driving and the accidents that ensue are now almost a permanent matter in daily news reports. They say that because of the pervasive nature of young drinkers, many are flying their vehicles rather than driving and the issue of alcohol abuse among them is much larger than previously imagined. There is a confirmed link between adolescent’s alcohol consumption and antisocial behavior or poor social performance.

Alcohol is also the gateway for drug use. It is sad that even when attempts are made to educate people and make them know about its ill-effects, only a few pay attention to it. We take pride that there is high literacy in Kerala but this does not mean high education. The trend is so bad that many of these young people get so addicted that they steal and tell lies at home for the money. The slightly more grown up ones spend more than they earn and end up taking loans to support their habits. 18% of alcoholics lose jobs in 1 year. Once jobless, they get an authentic reason to drink more! Alcohol is the most widely used anti-depressant. Females too are increasingly on the alcohol roll and it has become socially acceptable too. When they take on it, they really get into it. Social and family acceptance to occasional drinking encourages the youth to embrace it even otherwise. Alcohol is now part of marriages, birthdays and other parties. These youngsters later on resort to drinking to overcome anxieties rather than facing life and overcoming obstacles with their own skill-sets. Alcoholism is a demon and it affects not only the body, mind and productivity of the person but also affects the entire family too, not to forget, the society in general. The cost of treatment and the social cost paid are colossal in comparison to the revenue that the government sees filling its coffers. Talking about its effects on the family, it seems the atrocities on women have increased four-fold in the last seven years. Almost a quarter of Keralite women suffer from some kind of violation. In fact many more women just endure this violence and harassment very silently because of the nature of the relationship with the perpetrator. Most of it never is brought out into the open. : The kids not only lose their dad to alcohol but also much of the money that would have come their way for their welfare and well being. Sometimes, the grown-up kids get dragged into the physical abuse when they try to protect their mothers from their alcohol inundated fathers. Several more commit suicide to call curtains to the never ending saga. Many of these drunkards show off their manliness before their women but do not have the spine to face the financial mess they get into because of their habit and finally they resort to the pathetic getaway of suicide.
There is no doubt that broken marriages affect children. Over 50 percent of kids are going to see their parents breakup. A large percentage will never even see their parents together in one room. It isn’t an incredible leap to say that the breakup of a marriage could lead kids to abuse alcohol?