The Real Reel Life

Today, global terrorism is the greatest security threat faced by humanity.

(REMEMBER the 26/11-its two years now) Many believe that the world is presently going through the third world war. Scriptwriters, producers and directors put their minds to work and come up with unimaginable movies depicting violence; which is then imitated by adolescents, considered as the most vulnerable part of the society. Their impressionable mind is what makes them an easy target. The insensible dialogues, punch lines, body language, jokes of actors, actresses and comedians are very well inflicted on movie buffs.

The lyrics of some hit songs are obscene. The music we hear and the performances we watch can subconsciously influence us. The songs of some movies are stuck in our heads to an irritating degree. The tunes tend to be simple with a repeating melody or motif, which triggers the brain to repeat it on its own. Mesmerised by the high status of celebs? It’s our money, spent on purchase of tickets of movies, which has helped actors and actresses to live a life “King size”.

Mahatma Gandhi was the man who turned humility and simple truth more powerful than empires. Just as our bodies need good food every day, our minds need good thoughts every day. Nurture your mind with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes. So, next time instead of rushing to a cinema hall, wait for the weekend and step into a book store. Look out for all-inspiring autobiographies of some of the best people ever born. Do recommend this to your friends, friends of friends. And who knows? You may become a role model for the future generation.

(Be the change you want to see in the world. –Gandhiji)

More than one billion Indians

A GIGANTIC PROBLEM OR A SEA OF OPPORTUNITIES?

One of the most visible changes in India is its population explosion. We have the second highest population in the world, next to China, i.e. a staggering 120 crores, of which 60% of the people are below the poverty line. With unemployment and poverty being the cardinal factors which hold us back from becoming a super power, it’s up to the government to react quickly.

Dale Carnegie, one of the world’s best professional speakers rightly quoted, “If you have a lemon, make a lemonade”. Framing favourable economic policies, providing free education, ensuring that every employable person has a job will help us turn the burden of population to a sea of opportunities in a short time.

“Be Indian buy Indian”, is a phrase commonly used. Are we following it? Mostly not. With the advent of LPG (Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation) policy, Indian goods can hardly be seen in the Indian market. A shocking fact which lay shrouded is that a staggering Rs.1, 32, 000/- crores is earned by the 5000 multinational companies operating in India. This is literally higher than the India’s annual budget (State & Centre)

Nothing will happen unless we act. If we decide to boycott foreign goods and buy indigenous products, it will directly or indirectly benefit the toiling farmers who bear the heat of the sun beating down on their backs. Our economy would improve to such an extent that even the so called super power nations will look up to us. Then the one billion Indians will not be a gigantic problem.

Book review of Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography

                                                 BOOK REVIEW

                                                            OF
                                    MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH
                                                                                                       -Mahatma Gandhi

The autobiography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi titled ‘My experiments with truth’ covers his life from early childhood through to 1920. His life from that point onward had been so public that there was hardly anything about it that people did not know.

Gandhiji was born in the mystic city of Porbandar, Gujarat on October 2, 1869. Son of Kaba Gandhi and Putlibai, he was the youngest among three brothers and one sister. At school he was typically shy and avoided the company of friends. He was mediocre in studies and the strict discipline enforced by his father kept him from telling lies or copying.

By custom, at the age of thirteen, Gandhiji was betrothed to be married. A person who hardly knew what life is was entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of his wife. Even before he could understand his counterpart, suspicion creped in. Things did not turn out to be worse as according to Hindu society a child wife spends more than half her time at her father’s place.

Gandhiji was one such illustrious person on the face of the earth to live by example. When it comes to learning from his life, the points could well be incalculable. Albert Einstein quoted on Mahatma Gandhi- “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a person as this, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon the earth.”

In what better means can religious tolerance be illustrated than his saying, “Truth is God” He kept in view the sensitivity of Christians’ leaders who propagated,” God is Truth” Thus he made people realize the value of truth and the immeasurable benefits that come along, one among them being fearlessness.

Who would have thought possible in the 19^th century that independence from the British rule was in the offing. But this man dressed up in loin cloth with a stick in his hand and determination in his mind made the unthinkable possible. He shook the British Empire by his firm resolve to change the way Indians were treated. And it is the word ‘Swaraj’ that sent shockwaves across the globe. Translating it means self-rule.

Once when Gandhiji was travelling in a first-class compartment of a train in South Africa, he was thrown out merely because he was not white in complexion. He boldly said, “You have thrown me out of this train. Wait and watch, I will throw you out of this country.” And he ultimately did. Gandhiji, the man who turned humility and simple truth more powerful than empires, may be dead for a few. But he still lives in the minds of millions of people- including mine.