Sunday, November 30, 2008

Measures to counter terror

America, in spite of being at the helm of prosperity and economic development has not faced significant attacks after 9/11, because they swung into action from day one; they took measures that would not allow terror to breed.

While the need of the hour is exactly that, we are engaged in politicking and face saving trivialities. Beef up security in all places where people assemble, be it offices, temples, mosques, railway stations, airports, seaports etc. I am sure people will not mind the implementation of these measures as they would completely understand that it is only for their safety.Ask people at metros to carry any govt issued id proofs; make arrangements to issue to the genuine residents who might not have one already. The ideal system to adopt would be the social security system, but to get there we need to know who all stay in our country.

Measures are plenty, only if our leaders had the will.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Is Sathya Sai Baba God?

A unique phenomenon, Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthy remains the epicenter of many a debate among the scientifically driven, yet the spiritually curious.


One of the questions that torments minds is, can a mortal like you and me, be the incarnation of divinity? This question is born out of the tendency of the mind to play down human capacity; to grossly underestimate the possibilities in the realm of the spirit. It is also due to the pre-tuned mindset that God, if at all decides to descend, will come down with thunder bolt accompaniments, in a multi-limbed anatomy, with a blinding halo, and seated on a throne decked with unearthly precious stones, that will announce to the whole of the world, leaving no room what so ever for any second thoughts, that God is here. Believe me, even if that ever happened, God would be quarantined in a museum, and all of us would be lining up, along with our children, to buy a ticket, just to get a glimpse of this unusual creature. GOD, to teach, to set right, to rescue mankind, will develop kinship with man, move around like man, and so will always come down as Man.


Is Sathya Sai Baba God?


When you have a thousand worries in you head and Someone looks into your eyes and reads it all aloud, and takes all your burden upon Himself; you have found God.


When every renowned doctor in the world writes off your medical condition and sets a “best before” date for you, and then when Someone gives you a reassuring smile and waves his hand in small circles to produce a white ash that cures you off your illness; you have found God.


In a place where a cup of drinking water is hard to come by, Someone lays out pipelines stretching across thousands of kms just to ensure you get pure drinking water, free of any cost; you have found God.


When your loved ones fell sick and you knew not what to do as there was no healthcare centre in a hundred km radius, Someone sets up a huge edifice of healing, a super specialty hospital which provides free health care; you have found God.


When a square meal a day is considered a luxury, Someone sets up a primary school, a high school and a world class university to provide value based education without any cost what so ever; you have found God.


When homes around the world are crumbling due to differences of opinion, Someone gets peoples of different backgrounds, cultures and religions under one roof to pray silently, you have found God.


All of this, and that Someone expects nothing for Himself in return, just that the world becomes a peaceful place for Man. The embodiment of selflessness, Sri Sathya Sai, never wants anything for Himself; so much so that he refrains from using his Divine powers to cure his own body from certain discomforts. He even uses His physical condition to drive home a lesson to all of us; that we need to raise above body consciousness and focus on the Lord within.


It is also important to note, that had it been His intention He could have gained political mileage, public popularity both within India and internationally, but Divinity needs no recognition, needs no brand image. God has a mission and it will unfold in all its magnanimity as per His will.