A story by Kahlil Gibran

I was strolling in the gardens of an insane asylum when I met a young man who was reading a philosophy book.

His behavior and his evident good health made him stand out from the other inmates.

I sat down beside him and asked:

‘What are you doing here?’

He looked at me, surprised. But seeing that I was not one of the doctors, he replied:

‘It’s very simple. My father, a brilliant lawyer, wanted me to be like him. My uncle, who owns a large emporium, hoped I would follow his example. My mother wanted me to be the image of her beloved father. My sister always set her husband before me as an example of the successful man. My brother tried to train me up to be a fine athlete like himself.

And the same thing happened at school, with the piano teacher and the English teacher – they were all convinced and determined that they were the best possible example to follow. None of them looked at me as one should look at a man, but as if they were looking in a mirror.

So I decided to enter this asylum. At least here I can be myself.’

Author:  Paulo Coelho

The porcelain vase and the rose

Alessandra Marin tells the following story: the Grand Master and the Guardian shared the administration of a Zen monastery. One day, the Guardian died and a replacement had to be found.

The Grand Master gathered together all the disciples in order to decide who would have the honour of working at his side.

‘I am going to set you a problem,’ said the Grand Master. ‘And the first one to solve that problem will be the new Guardian of the temple.’

Once this briefest of speeches was over, he placed a small stool in the middle of the room. On it stood a priceless porcelain vase containing a red rose.

‘There is the problem,’ said the Grand Master.

The disciples looked in some perplexity at what was there before them: the rare, sophisticated designs on the porcelain vase and the elegance of the flower. What did it represent? What should they do? What did this enigma mean?

After a few moments, one of the disciples got to his feet and looked at the master and at his fellow students. Then he walked resolutely over to the vase and threw it to the ground, shattering it.

‘You are the new Guardian,’ the Grand Master said to the student.

And as soon as the student had returned to his place, he explained.

‘I made myself perfectly clear. I said that there was a problem to be solved. Now it does not matter how beautiful or fascinating a problem might be, it has to be eliminated.

 
A problem is a problem. It could be a very rare porcelain vase, a delightful love affair that no longer makes any sense, or a course of action that we should abandon, but which we insist on continuing because it brings us comfort.

There is only one way to deal with a problem: attack it head on. At such moments, one cannot feel pity, nor be diverted by the fascination inherent in any conflict.’

Author: Paulo Coelho

Cheers!

Temper Control

Once upon a time there was a little boy who was talented, creative, handsome, and extremely bright. A natural leader. The kind of person everyone would normally have wanted on their team or project. But he was also self-centered and had a very bad temper. When he got angry, he usually said, and often did, some very hurtful things. In fact, he seemed to have little regard for those around him. Even friends. So, naturally, he had few. “But,” he told himself, “that just shows how stupid most people are!”

As he grew, his parents became concerned about this personality flaw, and pondered long and hard about what they should do. Finally, the father had an idea. And he struck a bargain with his son. He gave him a bag of nails, and a BIG hammer. “Whenever you lose your temper,” he told the boy, “I want you to really let it out. Just take a nail and drive it into the oak boards of that old fence out back. Hit that nail as hard as you can!”

Of course, those weathered oak boards in that old fence were almost as tough as iron, and the hammer was mighty heavy, so it wasn’t nearly as easy as it first sounded. Nevertheless, by the end of the first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence (That was one angry young man!). 

Gradually, over a period of weeks, the number dwindled down. Holding his temper proved to be easier than driving nails into the fence! Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He felt mighty proud as he told his parents about that accomplishment.

“As a sign of your success,” his father responded, “you get to PULL OUT one nail. In fact, you can do that each day that you don’t lose your temper even once.”

Well, many weeks passed. Finally one day the young boy was able to report proudly that all the nails were gone.

At that point, the father asked his son to walk out back with him and take one more good look at the fence.

 “You have done well, my son,” he said. “But I want you to notice the holes that are left. No matter what happens from now on, this fence will never be the same. Saying or doing hurtful things in anger produces the same kind of result. There will always be a scar. It won’t matter how many times you say you’re sorry, or how many years pass, the scar will still be there. And a verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. People are much more valuable than an old fence. They make us smile. They help us succeed. Some will even become friends who share our joys, and support us through bad times. And, if they trust us, they will also open their hearts to us. That means we need to treat everyone with love and respect. We need to prevent as many of those scars as we can.”

A most valuable lesson, don’t you think? And a reminder most of us need from time to time. Everyone gets angry occasionally. The real test is what we DO with it.

If we are wise, we will spend our time building bridges rather than barriers in our relationships.

Cheers!

Who still wants this bill?

Author: Paulo Coelho

Cassan Said Amer tells a story about a lecturer who began a seminar holding up a one dollar bill, and asking:

- Who wants this dollar bill?

Several hands went up, but the lecturer said:

- Before handing it over, there’s something I must do. 

He furiously crushed it, and asked again:

- Who still wants this bill?

The hands continued raised.

- And what if I do this?

He threw it against the wall, letting it fall to the floor, kicked it, stamped in it and again held up the bill – all dirty and crumpled. He repeated the question, and the hands continued to be held high.

- You mustn’t ever forget this scene – said the lecturer. – No matter what I do with this money, it’ll still be a one dollar bill.

“Many times in our lives, we are crushed, stamped on, kicked, maltreated, offended; however, in spite of this, we are still worth the same.”

Cheers!

Put First Things First

Stephen Covey’s “Big Rocks”
 
In the middle of a seminar on time management, recalls Covey in his book First Things First, the lecturer said, "Okay, it's time for a quiz." 

Reaching under the table, he pulled out a wide mouthed gallon jar and set it on the table next to a platter covered with fist-sized rocks. "How many of these rocks do you think we can get in the jar?" he asked the audience. After the students made their guesses, the seminar leader said, "Okay, let's find out." 

He put one rock in the jar, then another, then another-until no more rocks would fit. Then he asked, "Is the jar full?"

Everybody could see that not one more of the rocks would fit, so they said, "Yes."

"Not so fast," he cautioned. From under the table he lifted out a bucket of gravel, dumped it in the jar, and shook it. The gravel slid into all the little spaces left by the big rocks.

Grinning, the seminar leader asked once more, "Is the jar full?"

A little wiser by now, the students responded, "Probably not."

"Good," the teacher said. Then he reached under the table to bring up a bucket of sand.

He started dumping the sand in the jar. While the students watched, the sand filled in the little spaces left by the rocks and gravel. Once more he looked at the class and said,

"Now, is the jar full?"

"No," everyone shouted back.

"Good!" said the seminar leader, who then grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it into the jar. He got something like a quart of water into that jar before he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the jar is now full. Can anybody tell me the lesson you can learn from this? What's my point?"

An eager participant spoke up: "Well, there are gaps in your schedule. And if you really work at it, you can always fit more into your life."

"No," the leader said. "That's not the point. The point is this: if I hadn't put those big rocks in first, I would never have gotten them in."

In both our business and personal lives, we have big rocks, gravel, sand and water. The natural tendency seems to favor the latter three elements, leaving little space for the big  rocks. 

In an effort to respond to the urgent, the important is sometimes set aside.  What are the 'big rocks' in your life? A large project? Spending time with your family? Your health? Your finances? Your faith? Your personal development? Your dreams? Make a list of your big rocks. Then make a plan to ensure that your big rocks are put first.
 

Block out the time in your schedule for those activities. Amazingly, the other stuff still gets done.

Periodically reflect on how you're doing. Are you putting your big rocks first, or does gravel, sand and water dominate your life? If the big rocks aren't getting in, what will have to happen so that they do? When you're planning your month, your week or your day, and even when you're making specific decisions during the day, refer back to your list of big rocks. Then, put those in your jar first.

Cheers!

Nilgiri Traditional Food Fair @ Coonoor - 23 March 2013

The Nilgiris Summer Festival, the most awaited event will begin in another couple of months. I will try to post the schedule of the events in advance in my blog. To give a start to this, the Nilgiri Traditional Food Fair is being held this Saturday, 23rd March at Coonoor.

Article Courtesy: The Hindu dated 22nd March 2013.

Come Saturday, a Nilgiri Traditional Food Fair will be held at Coonoor under the aegis of the Nilgiri Natural History Society.

While generating interest among food lovers, it has triggered nostalgia among many others who have over the years witnessed the gradual decline in the consumption of such items and their consequent disappearance from the markets and houses particularly those of the Badagas – the largest indigenous social group in the Nilgiris.

Studies and interactions with long time residents of the Nilgiris have revealed that the Nilgiris was a place of high agriculture diversity prior to the Green Revolution in the 1960s.

The indigenous communities cultivated a variety of crops like Korali, Samai, Ragi, and Amaranthus but technologies and the miracle seeds of the green revolution have done what they were expected to do. Even the traditional containers are now hard to come by.

The introduction of commercial crops by the British has changed the cropping pattern on the Blue Mountains from a diverse food crop system to a mono culture cash crops scenario. In its wake, dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides has increased.

The cascading effect is the lack of food security and nutrition, especially among the small and marginal communities, and reduced the water retention capacity of the soil among other things. Expressing the opinion that the conservation of agriculture biodiversity is impossible without the participation of the indigenous communities, whose knowledge of native seeds surpasses all the emerging expertise on the subject, Pratim Roy, the Director of the Kotagiri-based Key Stone Foundation which has promoted the history society, told The Hindu here on Thursday that between 1966 and 2006, 44 per cent of the millet-cultivated areas were brought under other crops.

The changes in the agriculture practices in the Nilgiris have led to the near extinction of several native varieties of crops. Stating that these crops are of great significance, he said.

According to Paul Hockings, noted scholar and an authority on the Nilgiris, Badagas made use of close to 400 species of plants for food, for traditional rituals and medicines.

It is time to reflect over the neglect and subsequent disappearance of the vast base of ethno-botanical knowledge of the traditional Nilgiri Society, Mr. Roy said that it will not be an exaggeration to say that the role of the British colonial enterprises in the introducing and commercialising their vegetables and farming practices historically altered the ‘cuisine scape’ of the Nilgiri hills.

More than half a dozen varieties of soup quality mushrooms are not known anymore. Only about ten varieties of beans can now be identified with great difficulty whereas there were three times that number during the days of yore. A hoary blend of instant delicacy like wild berries, roasted amaranthus, grains, and curd cannot be concocted anymore. The objective of the proposed festival is to recreate the hospitality and revive millet farming. 

Cheers!

The two drops of oil

Author: Paulo Coelho 

A merchant sent his son to learn the Secret of Happiness from the wisest of men. The young man wandered through the desert for forty days until he reached a beautiful castle at the top of a mountain. There lived the sage that the young man was looking for.]

However, instead of finding a holy man, our hero entered a room and saw a great deal of activity; merchants coming and going, people chatting in the corners, a small orchestra playing sweet melodies, and there was a table laden with the most delectable dishes of that part of the world.

The wise man talked to everybody, and the young man had to wait for two hours until it was time for his audience.

The Sage listened attentively to the reason for the boy’s visit, but told him that at that moment he did not have the time to explain to him the Secret of Happiness.

He suggested that the young man take a stroll around his palace and come back in two hours’ time.

“However, I want to ask you a favor,” he added, handling the boy a teaspoon, in which he poured two drops of oil. “While you walk, carry this spoon and don’t let the oil spill.”

The young man began to climb up and down the palace staircases, always keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. At the end of two hours he returned to the presence of the wise man.

“So,” asked the sage, “did you see the Persian tapestries hanging in my dining room? Did you see the garden that the Master of Gardeners took ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?”

Embarrassed, the young man confessed that he had seen nothing. His only concern was not to spill the drops of oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

“So, go back and see the wonders of my world,” said the wise man. “You can’t trust a man if you don’t know his house.”

Now more at ease, the young man took the spoon and strolled again through the palace, this time paying attention to all the works of art that hung from the ceiling and walls.
 

He saw the gardens, the mountains all around the palace, the delicacy of the flowers, the taste with which each work of art was placed in its niche. Returning to the sage, he reported in detail all that he had seen.

“But where are the two drops of oil that I entrusted to you?” asked the sage.

Looking down at the spoon, the young man realized that he had spilled the oil.

“Well, that is the only advice I have to give you,” said the sage of sages.
 

“The Secret of Happiness lies in looking at all the wonders of the world and never forgetting the two drops of oil in the spoon.”

from the book "The Alchemist"

Cheers!

When I started loving myself - Charlie Chaplin

A poem by Charlie Chaplin written on his 70th birthday on April 16, 1959

 

When I started loving myself
I understood that I’m always and at any given opportunity
in the right place at the right time.
And I understood that all that happens is right –
from then on I could be calm.
Today I know: It’s called TRUST.

 

When I started to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody
When I tried to force my desires on this person,
even though I knew the time is not right and the person was not ready for it,
and even though this person was me.
Today I know: It’s called LETTING GO

When I started loving myself
I could recognize that emotional pain and grief
are just warnings for me to not live against my own truth.
Today I know: It’s called AUTHENTICALLY BEING.

When I started loving myself
I stopped longing for another life
and could see that everything around me was a request to grow.
Today I know: It’s called MATURITY.

When I started loving myself
I stopped depriving myself of my free time
and stopped sketching further magnificent projects for the future.
Today I only do what’s fun and joy for me,
what I love and what makes my heart laugh,
in my own way and in my tempo.
Today I know: it’s called HONESTY.

When I started loving myself
I escaped from all what wasn’t healthy for me,
from dishes, people, things, situations
and from everything pulling me down and away from myself.
In the beginning I called it the “healthy egoism”,
but today I know: it’s called SELF-LOVE.

When I started loving myself
I stopped wanting to be always right
thus I’ve been less wrong.
Today I’ve recognized: it’s called HUMBLENESS.

When I started loving myself
I refused to live further in the past
and worry about my future.
Now I live only at this moment where EVERYTHING takes place,
like this I live every day and I call it CONSCIOUSNESS.

When I started loving myself
I recognized, that my thinking
can make me miserable and sick.
When I requested for my heart forces,
my mind got an important partner.
Today I call this connection HEART WISDOM.

We do not need to fear further discussions,
conflicts and problems with ourselves and others
since even stars sometimes bang on each other
and create new worlds.
Today I know: THIS IS LIFE!    

                               - Charlie Chaplin

The Obstacle in our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. 

Some of the kirig's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. 

Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. 

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. 

After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. 

The peasant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition. 

Cheers!

The Blind Boy

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.

That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.”

What he had written was: “Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.”

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind.

Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story:

* Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

* Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets.

* When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

Great men say, “Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness! In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.”

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling. And even more beautiful, is knowing that you are the reason behind it!

Cheers!

மனதில் உறுதி வேண்டும்

A nice inspirational song on Women's Day 

திரைப்படம்: மனதில் உறுதி வேண்டும்

பாடலாசிரியர்: வாலி
இசையமைப்பாளர்: இளையராஜா

பாடகர்கள்: கே. ஜே. ஏசுதாஸ்

மனதில் உறுதி வேண்டும்

வார்த்தையிலே தெளிவும் வேண்டும் 

உணர்ச்சி என்பது வேண்டும் 

ஒளிபடைத்த பார்வை வேண்டும் 

ஞானதீபம் ஏற்ற வேண்டும்

இடைவரும் பலவிதத் தடைகளை 

தகர்த்திங்கு வாழ்ந்து காட்ட வேண்டும் 

இலக்கியம் பெண்மைக்கு

இலக்கணம் நீ என யாரும் போற்ற வேண்டும்.

மாதர்தம்மை கேலி பேசும் 

மூடர் வாயை மூடுவோம் 

மானம் காக்கும் மாந்தர் யார்க்கும் 

மாலை வாங்கி போடுவோம். 

வீடு காக்கும் பெண்ணை வாழ்த்தி நாடும் ஏடும் பேச வேண்டும். 

சமைக்கின்ற கரங்களும் சரித்திரம் படைப்பதை பூமி பார்க்க வேண்டும். 

தூரத்து தேசத்தில் பாரதப் பெண்மையின் பாடல் கேட்க வேண்டும். 

பெண்கள் கூட்டம் பேய்கள் என்று பாடம் சொன்ன சித்தர்களும் ஈன்ற தாயும 

பெண்மை என்று எண்ணிடாத பித்தர்களே. 

ஏசினாலும் பேசினாலும் அஞ்சிடாமல் வாழ வேண்டும்.

Cheers!

The Water Bearer

A water bearer had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot always arrived only half full. 

 

For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, fulfilled in the design for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was unable to accomplish what it had been made to do. 

 

After two years of enduring this bitter shame, the pot spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself and I apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. 

 

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." 

 

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and was cheered somewhat. But at the end of the trail, it still felt the old shame because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure. 

 

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you not notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, and not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we've walked back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." 

 

Each of us have flaws. We are all cracked pots. But if we will allow Him, God will use our flaws to grace His table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you, too, can bring something beautiful to the Lord Almighty.

 

Cheers!

 

Time

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. 

 

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course! 

 

Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow." 

 

You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today. 

 

- To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade. 

 

- To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby. 

 

- To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper. 

 

- To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. 

 

- To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train. 

 

- To realize the value of ONE-SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident. 

 

Treasure every moment that you have! Remember that time waits for no one. 

 

Cheers!

The Brick

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. 

 

He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! 

 

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" 

 

The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please! I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" 

 

With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." 

 

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. 

 

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. 

 

He kept the dent there to remind him of this message "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"

 

Cheers!

 

Who is the Rich Man?

One day a wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country so that the son could see how the poor lived. 

They spent a day and a night at the farm of a very poor family. 

When they got back from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" 

"Very good, Dad!" 

"Did you see how poor people can be?" 

"Yeah!"

 "And what did you learn?" 

The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the house; they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard; they have the whole horizon." 

When the little boy was finished, the father was speechless. 

His son then added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are!"

Cheers!