INDIAN ROMANCE VIII

Slapping and Beating

According to the newest National Family Health Survey – III interviewing 125,000 women in 28 of the Indian States in the period of 2005-2006 find out that , 41 % of all the interviewed women justified wife- beating if it was because they showed disrespect towards their in-laws while 35 % agreed with being brutally assaulted by their husbands if they neglected the households or their children.
Almost in all states the victims don’t feel victimized, both in the case of dowry or spousal violence. They feel being beating up by the husband is all right.
Bihar was found the worst state with abuse rates as high as 59%. Bihar was followed by Rajasthan 46,3 %. Etc
Most of the women assaulted by their husbands were less than 2 years in the marriage. Slapping was the most common act of physical violence by husbands. More than 35 % in general said their husbands slapped them, while 15 % said their husbands pulled their hair or twisted their arm. And now very amazing at least for me: Buddhist woman reported the highest level of violence (41%). Followed by Muslim and Hindu woman with 34-35 %. Women of the Jain community reported the lowest rate of violence (13%)

The cartoon above is from Ann Telnaes, Ann Telnaes Womens eNews Cartoons, http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/bysubject/womensrights/byartist.php?id=70&p=3

WISE WORDS III

Letting Go of the Past

It is good to know that mere facts never burden us. The memory of our name or phone number is not a burden but a psychological memory or an insult or even a felicitation can become a hang up. Interestingly, many of us tend to forget facts but we tend to remember and dwell upon psychological memories.
Osho points out, “Memory has technical uses. You have to know how you drive, you have to know where your home is and you have to recognize your wife and your children. But those are not the psychological hang-ups Factual memories are useful. It enhances life, facilitates it.
But if you come home and you look at your wife and think of all your past experiences with her then this is a psychological hang-up. If she was angry with you in the recent past, then that memory can cloud your eyes. If she was nasty or sad, then it too can color your perception. Psychological impressions change your way of looking and perceiving her as she is standing in the front of you at this moment You are not longer looking at her but at someone who doesn’t exist. You are looking at a ghost, not at your wife. And she may also be looking at you at the same way.
Drop the past each moment … Just as you clean your house, clean your inner house of the past. All psychological memories have to be dropped. Just keep the factual things and you mind will be very clean and clear
Soon n you will find there is a new light in your life – the light of here- now the PRESENT.
OSHO, citations from timesfoundation@timesgroup.com

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WISE WORDS II

About Anger

Negative emotions like lust, pride, attachment, anger, ego, greed, and jealousy are distortions of love. These distortions manifest in animals, but they have no way to go behind them, as they are bound by Nature. Endowed with the power of discrimination, human beings can move from these distortions to a state of pure love. Every sincere seeker wants to get rid of anger and reach state pf perfection.

You may remind yourself hundred times that you shouldn’t’ t not get angry, but if you feel the anger, you are unable to control it. It comes like a thunderstorm. Emotions are much more powerful than our thoughts and the promises you make. Anger is distortion of our true nature. It is part of his creation, but we still call it a distortion because it doesn’t allow the Self to shine forth fully. And this is what a sin is. Anger is a sin, because if you are angry, you loose your centeredness; you loose the sight of the Self.
Anger is a sign of weakness. A strong man doesn’t get angry easily. When you focus on other’s mistakes you are bound to get angry easily.
The cause of anger is the lack of total knowledge of what is happening inside that person. Showing anger itself is not wrong, but being unaware of your anger hurts you. There is a place for showing anger, but if you get angry yourself you are shaken completely. Are you ever happy with the decisions you have made or the words you have spoken when you are angry? No because you loose your total awareness. If you are aware and you are acting angry, that is fine. In fact anger is an instrument. It is useful if you are able to control it. It can work wonders when you know how to use it.
Spiritual practices helps you maintain your centeredness. This is where a little knowledge about ourselves, about our mind, our consciousness and the root of distorting our nature will help. It is when you are exhausted and stressed that you lose your nature and get angry. Breathing techniques and meditation are effective in calming the mind.
Meditation is letting go of anger of the past and the events of the past. It’s accepting that moment and living every moment totally with depth. Often anger comes you don’t accept the present moment. You look for perfection; that is why you are angry at imperfections. Even when someone commits a mistake know that he is not the culprit the stress inside is causing him to make the mistake. Just this understanding and a few days of continuous practice of meditation can change the quality of your life.
Usually you give your anger freely and your smile rarely as though a smile is expensive. To the ignorant, anger is cheap and a smile is costly. To those of knowledge, a smile is free- like sunshine and water- and anger is expensive. Make your smile cheaper and your anger expensive.

Discourse of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Oct 5 in Sathya Sai International Centre, Delhi

BEANS IN YOUR EARS

In the news paper last week there was an announcement that leafs are sprouting out of the ears of a young Punjab boy , What is even more strange that these are the leafs of different tree species. The article included an interview with a medical doctor confirming the strange effect and showing some of the leaf samples on a white rag. I did not took this very serious , but yesterday there was an interview with the Sikh boy and his father and the medical doctor on TV, unfortunately I saw just a small part of it and it was in Hindi. I will try to follow-up this amazing story. If there is someone who has more information about this case please comment.

TRAFFIC RULES

In India during a drive along the highway or some of the main roads, but also in the city streets you will see nearly one infraction of the traffic rules every minute. And not the small ones, but trespassing the stop light, driving on the wrong side of the highway, completely overloaded truck, (not just a little the double of what is allowed), cattle and other animals all this is in the normal repertoire and has far as I could see police is not really interested to restrict these what Indian citizen see as essential freedom of Indian traffic and now suddenly…….
Now Mumbai police came out of this year long hibernation state and in getting short jail terms for 3 persons who where talking on the mobile phone during driving.
The Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Rule states that the offence of driving and using the mobile phone can attract a fine of Rps 100. But the Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Rules for rash and negligent driving can send them to jail. I hope on a continuation of these reinforced actions maybe not with the ridiculous exaggerations but with more consequence. For a start the police could take care that the passenger of public transport do not wait as a group of sheep in the middle of the street, provocating accidents, but stay in a queue at the bus-stop as in all civilized countries. Behaving this way, accidents as on Sunday in Delhi were a bus driver (Blue lines of course) killed seven people standing in the middle of the street.

THE TRUTH ABOUT DENGUE AND CHIKUNGUNYA

At the end of the rainy season the possibility to get infected by Dengue or Chikungunya is the highest and most cities hide the figures of infected and deaths because of the disease. Pune seems to be more open with his figures and this gives also the possibility to make extrapolations. The State Health Department confirmed 164 cases of Chikungunya in the same time there were 56 cases of dengue and 6 succumed form the disease. Pune has just 3 Mio habitant and is not really an area with swamps or morast so that the total Indian population must have at least 50,000 cases of Chickunguya and some 20,000 cases of Dengue. But I am sure that in the areas of Bengal especially around Calcutta , where there are real swamps and contantly innondations the figure will be a lot higher.

This morning it was announced that in Gurgaon there are 84 cases of dengue in the local hospitals , it was stated that they all were out of danger. From another 36 suspected cases , probes are under examinations.

.Chikununya ”Die meisten infizierten Personen erkranken gar nicht oder leiden nur unter grippeähnlichen Allgemeinsymptomen. Bei etwa zehn Prozent verläuft die Krankheit jedoch schwer und ist gekennzeichnet durch Kopfschmerzen, Fieber, Hirnhaut- sowie Gehirnentzündung. Im weiteren Verlauf können Muskelkrämpfe, Zittern in Armen und Beinen sowie Lähmungen auftreten. Kinder erkranken eher mit Bauchschmerzen und Durchfall. Bei bis zu 40 Prozent der Erkrankten bleiben Nervenschäden oder psychische Veränderungen zurück. Die Sterblichkeit schwankt zwischen einem und 40 Prozent, je nachdem wie gut die medizinische Versorgung ist.

Dengue: “Nach einer Inkubationszeit von zwei bis zehn Tagen beginnt das Dengue-Fieber abrupt mit stark erhöhter Temperatur, Kopfschmerzen, Abgeschlagenheit, Schwindel, schwerem Krankheitsgefühl und meist ausgeprägten Muskel,- Glieder- und Gelenkschmerzen. Der Krankheitsbeginn kann von einem feinfleckigen Hautausschlag und Juckreiz an Handflächen und Fußsohlen begleitet sein. In der Regel ist die Prognose gut, und die Krankheit heilt über eine lang dauernde Erholungsphase, in der auch deutliche Stimmungsschwankungen auftreten können, langsam aus.Das Dengue-Virus kann aber auch schwer verlaufende Krankheitsmanifestationen im Sinne eines sog. hämorrhagischen Dengue-Fiebers (DHF) oder eines Dengue-Schock-Sydroms (DSS) verursachen. Krankheitszeichen sind dabei ein zweiter Fiebergipfel, ein deutlich verschlechterter Allgemeinzustand, Blutungen in die Haut, in die Schleimhäute und die inneren Organe, Blutdruckabfall und Schock

Gandhi Jayanti

For sure there is no doubt about Gandhi’ s contribution to history is unique and is non-violent but after all in a timely matter extremely efficient actions made an end to the Raj. The Nobel price committee now stated in a non official declaration that is was perhaps the biggest error in Nobel price history that this non- violent person did not got the Nobel price for peace. A late but very appriciated statement


Nowadays is custom that on Gandhi Jayanti the kids make a small show in the school or in communities dressed like Mahatma.

But Indian has more strange and less understandable customs related to Mahatma Even in the 139th year of the Mahatma's birth, the country is 'prohibiting' wearing the Gandhi cap inside jails. The prohibition is contained in the Punjab Jail Manual of 1916 which to date is applied for prisons in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. It says "the wearing of political symbols such as the Gandhi cap and black pugree are (sic) strictly prohibited". A colonial relic from the time the British simply is still remaining in the regulations.

But worse the birthtown of Mahatma is a real mess: Porbandar the place where Mahatma Gandhi was born is now known for its crime, mafia dons and corrupt politicians.
The road to Gandhi's birthplace is overrun with unseemly sights. But the rot, residents say, runs deeper.

“Gandhiji and Kasturba's birthplace has been sold. Everyone here is behind money.
Two years ago, it was money and a bullet that killed business Bharat Modhwadiya's father just outside their home just after dinner with the enemy.
Family and business rivalry is the reasons behind many a murder in Porbandar.
And so it is ensured that that police protection and a gun is never too far away from Modhvadiya.
“You don't know when you will be attacked,” says Modhwadiya.
Organised crime has been plaguing Porbandar for over 20 years now, which is evident only in the city’s outskirts.
The crux of what has turned Mahatmaland into mafialand is the mines that are probably a 100km of coastline, which is a 100 km of natural wealth.
About 20 lakh metric tons of limestone are cut out of Porbandar each year. It is the largest depository of high-grade limestone in Asia and other minerals too.
It is this 200-crore industry that has spawned generations of mafia dons.
The original one - Sarman Munja Jadeja and his wife, the notorious Santokben Jadeja’s stories are echoed through the streets.
Today's mafia king Bhima Dula who is behind the Modhvadiya murder, and behind prison now, is as well known in Porbandar as Gandhiji used to be.
“I have a son, I have sent him to boarding school out of town, I don't want even the shadow of Porbandar to fall on him,” says Modhvadiya.
The police insist Porbandar is peaceful now, but residents say police are pawns in the hands of criminal-politicians who run the mining lobby.
At the last Assembly Elections, a quarter of the candidates had criminal records.
And amid widespread allegations of booth capturing, Bhima Dula's brother won.
He will run in the grips of water and power crisis, an ineffective police and gang wars now.
So with seeing satya and ahimsa as forgotten ideals in Porbandar, what would have Gandhi done?“He would have gone on a fast immediately,” says Palan.

THE WORLD AT THEIR FEET

As a nation that tend to follow extreme moods swings the past months was the months of surge I still can see the titles

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

THE WORLD AT THEIR FEET

ROAD TO GLORY

Now you might thing what happened, at first I thought is because sensex went to 17,000 but no I should know better. One win of the Indian in an Hockey tournament was enough to spread such an euphoria. Obviously they have no middle ground.
Now INDIANS declared themselves as world champions, although the name of the tournament was World Twenty 20. It was never called world championship.

Does anybody remember here there was a real WORLD CUP the one India did not only fail to win, but were dumped out even before the quarter finals started. Do Indians know that their ON TOP OF THE WORLD was even not noticed in one simple press release in W-Europe.

60 YEARS INDEPENDENCE

CONGRATULATIONS
CONGRATULATIONS
CONGRATULATIONS

BLUELINE BUSSES, THE OTHER STORY

Nearly each day, there is some more or less severe or mortal accident with one of the Delhi busses. In the press than described as speeding up murder busses. Of course the busses are in a status no European country would allow them on the road and of course the drivers or not the most educated …. For 6000 Rps (approx. 120 Euro per month nobody should expect a very intelligent, moral impeccable and with reflexes as Michael Schumacher). But there are also so-called speeding up murder trucks as well as there are cars, killing people.
So obviously the reason is somewhere else, the reason is the total disorganization and lack of discipline but also control of the traffic.
It starts with the sidewalks. Indian sidewalks are good for a lot of things. You can plant big trees or rampant bushes on it; cows may use it as a dirt track. The pavement is also the preferred spot for small business as bicycle repair, shoe polishing, mom-and-pop store. And during the night as public latrine and even as last deathbed. To walk on it is not very suitable, therefore most Indians do not even make an attempt to use it and walk on the street. The use of zebra crossings is unknown and an Indian respecting himself, does not care about separation of lanes as long as they are not so high he can’t overcome them. That is already the reason #1 one for the accidents. But there is more, it is the mixture making the danger. Slow pedestrian, a bundle of unnecessary bicycle rickshaw, driving zickzack, cutting curves and with a swirl to the wrong side of the street, scooters and motorcycles looking for the smallest gap to jump in it.


Trucks in deplorable conditions almost always overloaded not just by 20% but by a factor of 2 or so, all this together with the unreasonable use of the horns give the right mixture for deathly accidents. During daytime the only goal of the total ignorant of any traffic rules, is to be at the first place at any traffic light or other mostly self- created traffic jam. Of course if the left lane is already completely filled with cars and in the empty spots with scooters and bikes, despite the white line on the street, the right lane will be taken, as a result now also on the other side there is a traffic jam. Sometimes I really wonder how people can be so stubborn and sometimes I really wonder how people can be so stubborn jam just to win 2 m.
Under these conditions there is no need for so-called criminal blue line busses, it is the system, the tumultuary of the traffic and lack of the will to follow traffic rules being responsible for the fatal casualties. And the police? You may ask. Well sometimes I see some control on helmets, but I never saw that someone taking the wrong lane on the highway was stopped and prosecuted. Only yesterday I saw 2 man on one scooter, the man in the back had a bundle of at least 10 PVC tubes under his arm, each with a length of at least 5 m. Police stopped the scooter, the driver was asked to put his helmet. No further actions were taken and both continued in peace their trajectory. If now a bus, just touch the in the muddle of the traffic and the scooter falls of course once again officially it will be the speeding – up criminal bluelines, but for me it will be the police or the government allowing the infraction of the most essential traffic rules.