The Pretty Lady!

This very old Chinese Zen story reflects the thinking of many people today. We encounter many unpleasant things in our life, they irritate us and they make us angry. Sometimes, they cause us a lot of hurt, sometimes they cause us to be bitter or jealous...

But like the little monk in this story send by Vinay Vashisht from New Delhi, we are not willing to let them go away. We keep on carrying the baggage of the 'pretty lady' with us. We let them keep on coming back to hurt us, make us angry, make us bitter and cause us a lot of agony.

Why? Simply because we are not willing to put down or let go of the baggage of the 'pretty lady'. We should let go of the pretty lady immediately after crossing the river.

This will immediately remove all our agonies. There is no need to be further hurt by the unpleasant event after it is over. Read this story and enjoy...:)

-- Dharmendra Kumar

Once upon a time a big monk and a little monk were traveling together. They came to the bank of a river and found the bridge was damaged. They had to wade across the river. There was a pretty lady who was stuck at the damaged bridge and couldn't cross the river.

The big monk offered to carry her across the river on his back. The lady accepted. The little monk was shocked by the move of the big monk. 'How can big brother carry a lady when we are supposed to avoid all intimacy with females?' thought the little monk. But he kept quiet... The big monk carried the lady across the river and the small monk followed unhappily. When they crossed the river, the big monk let the lady down and they parted ways with her. All along the way for several miles, the little monk was very unhappy with the act of the big monk. He was making up all kinds of accusations about big monk in his head. This got him madder and madder. But he still kept quiet... And, the big monk had no inclination to explain his situation.

Finally, at a rest point many hours later, the little monk could not stand it any further, he burst out angrily at the big monk. 'How can you claim yourself a devout monk, when you seize the first opportunity to touch a female, especially when she is very pretty? All your teachings to me make you a big hypocrite. The big monk looked surprised and said, 'I had put down the pretty lady at the river bank many hours ago, how come you are still carrying her along?'

टर्राते मेंढक!

निंदा से बड़ा डर लगता है। हर वक्त हमें चिंता लगी रहती है कि लोग क्या कह रहे हैं हमारे बारे में। वैसे कहा गया है कि 'निंदक नियरे राखिए...' बड़े फायदे हैं इसके... आत्मावलोकन का मौका मिलता रहता है। लेकिन क्या वास्तव में अपनी निंदा किए जाने की चिंता करने की जरूरत है? कहीं ऐसा तो नहीं कि हम राई का पहाड़ बनाए बैठे हो... नई दिल्ली से विनय वशिष्ठ ने यह मजेदार कहानी भेजी है। कहानी का सार यह है कि टर्राते मेंढकों की चिंता में शरीर को दुबला करने की जरूरत नहीं है। हो सकता है वास्तविकता कुछ और ही हो... :)

--धर्मेंद्र कुमार

A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many frog legs! The farmer replied, 'There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs - millions of them. They all croak all night long and they are about to make me crazy!' So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant, five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.

The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, 'Well.... where are all the frogs?' The farmer said, 'I was mistaken.

There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!'

So, next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember, it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

कहानी कछुए की...!

हम में से बहुत से लोग, दूसरों से कुछ ज्यादा ही उम्मीद करते हैं। वे इस इंतजार में बहुत सा वक्त गुजार देते हैं कि जब दूसरा शुरू करेगा तो उसके साथ हो लेंगे। या फिर, दूसरा काम शुरू तो करे, हम उसका साथ देंगे। दूसरे क्या कर रहे हैं, इसकी चिंता उन्हें ज्यादा होती है... और परिणामस्वरूप, वे कुछ करते ही नहीं। करते हैं तो बस इंतजार... दूसरे के द्वारा काम शुरू करने का।

आज कछुए की कहानी सुनाता हूं...। वो पुरानी कछुए - खरगोश की कहानी नहीं...। एक दूसरे कछुए परिवार की कहानी है ये। नई दिल्ली से विनय वशिष्ठ ने भेजी है। पढ़िए जरा...

--धर्मेंद्र कुमार

A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally, the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last!

For about six months they cleaned the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed.
After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell. He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned.

The family consented and the little turtle left.

Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years... six years... then on the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and begun to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, 'See! I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt.'

यादों को सहेजना है...!

यादों को सहेजकर रखने का पुराना शगल रहा है। फोटोग्राफ इसका एक माध्यम है। श्वेत-श्याम से लेकर रंगीन फोटोग्राफ तक हमारे घरों में संभालकर रखे हुए हैं। बीते दशक के दौरान तकनीक में आए कई बदलावों के चलते यहां भी परिवर्तन दिखता है। अब इलेक्ट्रॉनिक रूप से फोटो को सहेजा जा सकता है। डिजिटल फोटो को सीडी, डीवीडी, कंप्यूटर या ऐसी ही किसी युक्ति को प्रयोग में लाकर संभालकर रखा जा सकता है। लेकिन अब बहस यह है कि कौन सी व्यवस्था सुरक्षित है? कागज पर उतारकर रखे गए फोटो या डिजिटल फॉर्म में रखे गए 'इमेज्स'। अपने-अपने तर्क हैं। उचित देखभाल न करने पर दोनों ही तरह से रखे गए फोटो खराब हो सकते हैं।

आगरा के संजय गोयल फोटो को कागज पर उतारकर सहेजने पर जोर देते हैं जबकि एक और पाठक, जिन्होंने अपना नाम नहीं लिखा है, सभी फोटो को तुरंत इलेक्ट्रॉनिक रूप में बदलने की सलाह दे रहे हैं। मुझे तो लगता है कि दोनों ही तरीके अपनाए जाने चाहिए... आखिरकार इनसे हमारी भावनाएं जुड़ी होती हैं। हमारे सुख, दुख के कई पल इन फोटो में समाहित होते हैं। हां, यह थोड़ा महंगा जरूर पड़ेगा, लेकिन यादों का मामला है भाई! पढ़ लीजिए काम आ सकता है...। साथ ही अपना एक पुराना फोटो भी दिखा रहा हूं, श्वेत-श्याम। ये तब का है जब मैं पहली कक्षा में पढ़ता था। दाएं से दूसरा मैं ही हूं...:)

--धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Digital storage is as good as saving phtos in photo albums, the only reasons that you loose your photographs are ignorance and incomplete knowledge of using your gadgets.

Few points to adopt for safe computing.

1. Always get partioned your hard disk (c:, d:, etc.,)

2. Always store your data or photographs in d:, e:, etc partitions, never on c: drive)

3. Always use genuine good Antivirus and keep it update.

4. Never rely on local media (as speed give digital photo on unbranded cheap media). Always use good quality media which ensures long life storage.

Idea of digital imaging is take multiple photographs for example 100-200, transfer it on computer select the good ones for example 10-20, get printed only good ones. which help you to save money. It is different from previous technology where you come to know whether photos are good or not only after your film role get developed. (Already lost some Rs.100-200).

Any technology if we use wisely is helpful else it can make us helpless any time.

How To Make A Good Impression!

कहा जाता है कि पहला प्रभाव आखिरी प्रभाव होता है...first impression is last impression...। अगर पहली नजर में किसी को भा गए तो बात दूर तक जाती है। अब चाहे वह नौकरी की बात हो, गर्ल या बॉयफ्रेंड की बात हो या फिर होने वाले ससुरालियों के सामने शादी की बात हो... हर कोई पहली नजर में प्रभाव छोड़ना चाहता है। इसमें बुरा भी क्या है। ये अलग बात है कि असलियत सामने आनी ही होती है। खैर... मानव संसाधन प्रबंधक शशांक कंचन कुछ टिप्स दे रहे हैं, जो आजमाई जा सकती हैं। मैं भी कुछ कोशिश करके देखता हूं। :)

--धर्मेंद्र कुमार

7 Ways To Make A Good Impressions

Impressions are important. They leave an initial taste in people's mouths that can remain prevalent for the entire relationship. If you are paranoid about what kind of impression you make, run through these seven list items and see if you are consistent with them; if you are, then you will probably expose the best of yourself. If not, then work to meet these standards.

1. Dress: The absolute first impression you will make on someone will be through your clothing, because that is what is seen from a distance, and cannot change throughout your meeting. Make sure to dress according to the situation-don't over or under dress-and maintain within the limits of good taste. If you aren't sure if what you're wearing looks good, ask people for an honest opinion. One last thought: always, and I mean always, pull up your pants.

2. Hygiene: Take a shower! Shave! Brush your teeth! You must be fully bathed and groomed before you meet with someone for the first time, because scruffy looking people generally don't seem as neat and mature. Pay attention to the little elements like breath: keep a pack of mint gum with you wherever you go, and periodically check to make sure you aren't killing bugs every time you breathe out. If you sweat heavily, keep a small stick of deodorant/anti-perspirant close, and if you notice you're stinking you can freshen up. People notice the minutiae!

3. Manners: At the table and with other people be civilized, polite and respectful: keep your elbows off of the table, open doors for people and address everyone-initially, at least-by their formal title. This will make an especially good impression on senior citizens, because you will prove that you aren't one of those "new fangled punks."

4. Speech: Have clean, clear diction and speak sans "like" or "you know." It is important to be articulate because that inspires a feeling of intelligence and education in the person you are meeting with. Always leave out profanity, and whatever you do, make sure to speak loud enough for all to hear, because conversationalists are easily agitated if you force them say "excuse me?" more than a few times.

5. Discretion: Choose what to share about yourself: forget to tell everyone about that time you went camping and ruptured your appendix, then fell face first into a pile of bug infested leaves-it is rude and will alienate you from the group. Try to withhold from conversations on personal subjects like religion or more disgusting topics like personal medical care. Before you speak, think about the possible impact of what you might say, then imagine its implications in the long run.

6. Humor: Humor can be your most powerful tool or your doom, because everyone has a slightly different sense of humor. What might be hilarious to you might seem disgusting to another, or vice versa. Try to withhold from any jokes that aren't family or dinner table friendly; you can tell those later.

7. Start and End with a Bang: Whoever you are meeting with will remember how you greet them, and then in what manner you left them. If you feel you have trouble with this, practice a few different phrases in the mirror, and introduce elements like: "pleased to meet you," or "honored to make your acquaintance." Ignore the antiquity of these phrases; it often makes them more memorable.

Making a good impression will set any relationship off on a good foot. If you are in a situation where you need to be judged at face value-such as a job interview or date-then make sure to go through this list and make sure you are within bounds of reason and good taste on all of your decisions.

बदल रही है दुनिया...!

दुनिया तेजी से बदल रही है। अब चाहे वह पुरानी और नई परंपराओं की बात हो... उपभोक्ता संस्कृति की बात हो... शिक्षा, व्यापार, पर्यावरण या इनमें सरकार की भूमिका की बात हो... और या मीडिया व दूसरे सामाजिक सरोकारों की बात हो। बदलाव है... और महसूस भी हो रहा है। कोपेनहेगन में हुए शिखर सम्मेलन में खूब विचार-विमर्श हुआ... इस बदलाव पर कुछ नियंत्रण करने का। लेकिन मामला जमा नहीं। कोशिश जारी है। आगरा से बृज खंडेलवाल ने एक बिंदुवार अध्ययन भेजा है। एक नजर डालिए...

शुभकामनाएं...

--धर्मेंद्र कुमार

The Rise and Fall of Consumer Cultures

The world’s richest 500 million people (roughly 7 percent of the world’s population) are responsible for 50 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, while the poorest 3 billion are responsible for just 6 percent.

Business-as-usual is projected to lead to a 4.5 degree Celsius increase by 2100. Even if all countries stuck to their most ambitious proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, temperatures would still go up by 3.5 degrees Celsius.

To produce enough energy over the next 25 years to replace most of what is supplied by fossil fuels, the world would need to build 200 square meters of solar photovoltaic panels and 100 square meters of solar thermal every second, and 24 3-megawatt wind turbines every hour nonstop during this period.

A study of British children found that they could identify more Pokémon characters than common wildlife species. And an investigation of US two-year olds found that although they could not identify the letter M, many could identify the M-shaped golden arches of McDonald’s restaurants.

In 2006, some 83 percent of the world’s population had access to television and 21 percent had access to the Internet.

Two pet German shepherd dogs use more resources in a year than the average Bangladeshi.

Traditions Old and New

72 percent of Americans say religious beliefs play at least a “somewhat important” role in their thinking about environmental stewardship and climate change.

Women with no schooling worldwide average 4.5 children each. Women with some primary school average 3 children, and those who complete at least one year of secondary school average 1.9 children. After 1–2 years of college, fertility drops to 1.7 children, well below population-maintaining “replacement” fertility.

Several of the world’s longest-lived peoples eat just 1,800–1,900 calories a day, no processed foods, and minimal animal products. By comparison, the average American consumes 3,830 calories a day.

Education’s New Assignment: Sustainability

US marketers now spend $17 billion annually targeting children, up from $100 million in 1983.

US children now spend more time in front of television screens than in any other activity besides sleeping: about 40 hours a week outside of school. Nineteen percent of US babies under the age of one have a television in their bedroom.

Some 67.5 percent of the food served in Rome’s schools is organic, 44 percent comes from “bio-dedicated” food chains that focus exclusively on organic products, 26 percent is local, 14 percent is certified “fair trade,” and 2 percent comes from social cooperatives that employ former prisoners or that work land confiscated from the Mafia.

Business and Economy: Management Priorities

In the United States, the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) neared its per capita peak in 1975, at a time when per capita GDP was about half what it is today.

A study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that if the United States were to shift to western European patterns of time use, US energy use could decline 20 percent even without changes in technology.

In 1900, every $1 spent on a typical US foodstuff item yielded an estimated 40¢ for the farmer, with the rest split between input and distribution. Today, only some 7¢ of every retailed food dollar goes to the farmer, rancher, or grower, while 73¢ goes to distribution.

Government’s Role in Design

Australia’s “ban the bulb” policy is projected to save 4 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually by 2012 and also bring sizable economic savings.

Ireland’s levy on plastic shopping bags has reduced usage by 90 percent.

The United States will spend $65 on military costs for each $1 devoted to climate programs in fiscal year 2010.

The travel demand management program TravelSmart in Perth, Australia, led annual patronage on the city’s rail system to increase from 7 million to 110 million in 17 years, moving public transport from 5 to 10 percent of work journey trips taken.

Media: Broadcasting Sustainability

Spain’s government voted to ban commercials on public television stations starting in 2010.

In 2008, spending on advertising exceeded $271 billion in the United States and $643 billion worldwide.

Only one in every 1,000 marketing dollars in the US is spent on broadcast public service announcements that market for the public good—and only a tiny fraction of that is spent on sustainability messaging.

The Power of Social Movements

The average American puts in 200–300 more hours at work each year than the average European.

Western Europeans now live longer than Americans. They are also a little more than half as likely on average to suffer from chronic illnesses such as heart disease, hypertension, and type-2 diabetes after the age of 50.

US researchers found that for every 1 percent increase in unemployment, US mortality declined by half a percent.

A 2003 study found that per capita emissions in two German ecovillageswere 28 and 42 percent, respectively, of the national average.

Biased!

पुरुष महिलाओं को अपनी तुलना में निचले दर्जे का 'मानते' हैं। महिलाएं पुरुषों को...। पता नहीं... ऐसा है भी कि नहीं...। लेकिन चाहे वे पश्चिमी देश हों या पूर्वी... मानते हर जगह हैं। अपने कार्यक्षेत्र यानी कि मीडिया में भी कैमरे के सामने महिलाओं की बराबरी की बात करने वाले लोग कैमरा ऑफ होते ही मजाक उड़ाने लगते हैं। इसके उलट, महिलाएं भी जब पुरुषों पर जुल्म की खबर पढ़ रही होती हैं तो चेहरा देखिए जरा उनका! आप यकीन करें या न करें लेकिन मैं उन लोगों की बात कर रहा हूं जिन्हें आम दर्शक या पाठक महिलाओ और पुरुषों की बराबरी की बात करने वाला सबसे बड़ा पैरोकार समझते हैं।

असल में मुझे लगता है कि इसकी वजह पुरुषों और महिलाओं के कुछ जन्मजात गुण हो सकते हैं। प्राकृतिक गुण...। आखिर क्या जरूरत है किसी को बड़ा या छोटा समझने की... या... बराबर का समझने की। जो जैसा है उसे वैसा ही न समझा जाए... चाहे महिला हो या पुरुष...। सभी समान...। बस में सीट खाली हो तो उसपर महिला भी बैठ सकती है और पुरुष भी। ऑफिस में प्रतिभा दर्शाने पर मौका महिला को भी दिया जाना चाहिए, पुरुष को भी। इसमें किसी को प्राथमिकता देने वाली क्या बात है।

खैर, ये मेरा मानना है, आपका मानना कुछ और हो सकता है। जानना चाहूंगा। एक संदर्भ दे रहा हूं। भेजने वाले ने नाम न लिखने के लिए कहा है। आप पढ़कर मजा ले सकते हैं। :)
शुभकामनाएं...

--धर्मेंद्र कुमार

A new sign in the Bank Lobby reads: 'Please note that this Bank is installing new Drive-through ATM machines enabling customers to withdraw cash without leaving their vehicles.

Customers using this new facility are requested to use the procedures outlined below when accessing their accounts.

After months of careful research, Male & Female procedures have been developed. Please follow the appropriate steps for your gender.'

Male Procedure:

1. Drive up to the cash machine.

2. Put down your car window.

3. Insert card into machine and enter PIN.

4. Enter amount of cash required and withdraw.

5. Retrieve card, cash and receipt.

6. Put window up.

7. Drive off.

Female Procedure:

1. Drive up to cash machine.

2. Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.

3. Set parking brake, put the window down.

4. Find handbag, remove all contents on to passenger seat to locate card.

5. Tell person on cell phone you will call them back and hang up...

6. Attempt to insert card into machine...

7. Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.

8. Insert card.

9. Re-insert card the right way.

10. Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.

11. Enter PIN.

12. Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.

13. Enter amount of cash required.

14. Check makeup in rear view mirror.

15. Retrieve cash and receipt...

16. Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.

17. Write debit amount in check register and place receipt in back of checkbook.

18. Re-check makeup.

19. Drive forward 2 feet.

20. Reverse back to cash machine.

21. Retrieve card.

22. Re-empty hand bag, locate card holder, and place card into the slot provided!

23. Give dirty look to irate male driver waiting behind you.

24. Restart stalled engine and pull off.

25. Redial person on cell phone...

26. Drive for 2 to 3 miles.

27. Release Parking Brake.

:)

Good Questions To Ask...Intelligent Answers!

आज बात हाजिर जवाबी की...। हाजिर जवाब व्यक्तित्व की संगत सभी को पसंद आती है। लड़कियों को तो विशेष रूप से। इतिहास में तमाम ऐसे नायक हैं जो इस गुण की वजह से अब तक याद किए जाते हैं। तेनालीराम, बीरबल की कहानियों से कौन वाकिफ नहीं है। इन लोगों नें अपनी हाजिर जवाबी से न सिर्फ लोगों का मनोरंजन किया बल्कि कई अनसुलझी गुत्थियों को भी सुलझाया। आज भी जिम्मेदारी भरे पदों के लिए ऐसे लोगों के चयन की कोशिश की जाती है जिनमें मुश्किलों को सुलझाने की काबिलियत इस हद तक हो कि वे उन्हें आसान उपायों से हंसते-हंसते ही हल कर लें। प्रशासनिक सेवाओं में साक्षात्कार के दौरान पूछे गए अजीबोगरीब सवाल इसी की एक बानगी हैं। आगरा से बृज खंडेलवाल ने ऐसे कुछ सवाल जवाब भेजे हैं... आप बस मजा लीजिए...!

--धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Q.How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
A. Concrete floors are very hard to crack! (UPSC Topper)

Q.If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it?
A. No time at all it is already built. (UPSC 23rd Rank Opted for IFS)

Q.If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in the other hand, what would you have?
A. Very large hands.(Good one) (UPSC 11th Rank Opted for IPS)

Q. How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
A. It is not a problem, since you will never find an elephant with one hand. (UPSC Rank 14th Opted for IES)

Q. How can a man go eight days without sleep?
A. No Probs, He sleeps at night. (UPSC IAS Rank 98)

Q. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
A. It will Wet or Sink as simple as that. (UPSC IAS Rank 2)

Q. What looks like half apple?
A : The other half. (UPSC - IAS Topper )

Q. What can you never eat for breakfast?
A : Dinner.

Q. What happened when wheel was invented?
A : It caused a revolution.

Q. Bay of Bengal is in which state?
A : Liquid

उम्मीद है ठंड से राहत मिलेगी...!

आज मकर संक्रांति का त्यौहार है। उम्मीद है, आज के बाद ठंड से राहत मिलेगी। यहां फरीदाबाद में चमकीली धूप निकली हुई है। थोड़ी ठंड कम होगी तो बिजली आपूर्ति बढ़ सकती है। पिछले कुछ दिनों से बिजली कुछ ज्यादा ही परेशान कर रही है। लोग हीटर और वार्मर चला रहे हैं। रात तो आराम से कट जाती है लेकिन दिन में गर्म पानी मिलने में थोड़ी दिक्कत हो रही है। खैर, मकर संक्रांति है तो इसी की बात करते हैं। फ्रेंड्स ऑफ ह्यूमैनिटी फाउंडेशन के प्रबंधन ट्रस्टी आशुतोष शर्मा ने कुछ जानकारी भेजी है... कुछ संदर्भ उन्होंने दूसरी जगहों से लिए हैं। उनका उल्लेख अंत में करूंगा। ज्यादातर चीजें आप जानते ही हैं... कुछ नई जानकारियां भी हैं। शुभकामनाएं...

-- धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Makar Sankranti festival, unlike other Hindu festivals, is not dependent on the position of the moon, but on position of the sun. On this day, the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn. To compensate for the difference that occurs due to the revolution around the sun, every 80 years the day of Sankrant is postponed by one day. In the present period Makar Sankranti falls on 14th January.

Sankranti is considered a Deity. According to a legend Sankranti killed a demon named Sankarasur. The day followed by Makar Sankrant is called Kinkrant or Karidin. On this day, the female deity (devi) slay the demon Kinkarasur.

Information on Sankranti is available in the Panchang: The Panchang (Hindu Almanac) provides information on the form, age, clothing, direction of movement etc. of Sankranti.

The northward movement of the sun begins on this day. The period from Karkasankrant (the passage of the sun into the zodiac sign of Cancer) to Makar Sankrant is called the Dakshinayan. A person who dies in the Dakshinayan period has a greater chance of going to Yamalok (southward region), than one who dies during Uttarayan (northward revolution).

Importance from the point of view of spiritual practice: On this day, from sunrise to sunset, the environment has more Chaitanya (Divine conscious-ness); hence those doing spiritual practice can benefit from this Chaitanya.

Benefit of highest merit acquired by a Holy dip on the day of Makar Sankrant. The time from sunrise to sunset on Makar Sankrant is auspicious. A Holy dip during this period carries special significance. Those who take a Holy dip in the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krushna and Kaveri at the Holy places situated on the banks of these rivers acquire the highest merit.

The period from Makar Sankrant to Rathsaptami is an auspicious period. Any donation and meritorious
deeds in this period prove more fruitful.

An offering of new vessels, clothing, food, sesame seeds, pot of sesame seeds, jaggery, a cow, a horse, gold or land should be made depending on the capability. On this day, married women also make some offering. They take things from unmarried girls and give them sesame seeds and jaggery in return. Married women organize a ceremony of Haldi-Kumkum (applying vermilion and turmeric to the forehead) and gift articles to other married women.

Giving a gift to another woman amounts to surrendering to the Divinity in the other, through body, mind and wealth. Since the period of Sankrant is favorable for spiritual practice, a gift given during this period results in bestowal of Divine grace and the jiva (embodied soul) gets the desired fruit.

Nowadays a wrong trend of gifting inappropriate commodities like soaps and plastic items has started. Instead, substances that are complementary to spiritual practice and are indicators of a married life, for example, incense sticks, utane (fragrant powder used during bath), religious texts, Holy texts, pictures of Deities, CDs on spiritual topics etc. should be gifted.

The festival of Sankrant requires small mud pots called sugad (in the Marathi language). Vermilion and turmeric powder is applied to the pots and a thread is tied to them. They are filled with carrots, jujube fruits, sugarcane pieces, pods, cotton, chickpeas, sesame seeds with jaggery, vermilion, turmeric etc. Five pots are placed on a wooden seat, Rangoli is drawn around the seat and worshipped. Of these, three are gifted to married women, one is offered to the Tulsi plant and one is retained.

Maximum use of sesame seeds is made during Sankrant festival. For example, bathing with water containing sesame seeds and eating and distributing Tilgul (a sweet made from sesame seeds), offering sesame to Brahmans, lighting lamps of sesame oil in a temple of Lord Shiva and performing Pitrushraddh (rite for the departed ancestors) in which an offering of sesame seeds is made.

On this day those who apply sesame seed oil and utane to the body, bathe in water mixed with sesame seeds, drink water mixed with sesame seeds, perform a sacrificial fire, make an offering of sesame seeds and make similar use of sesame seeds, are liberated of all sins.

This festival is celebrated differently in different parts of the country.

In Uttar Pradesh, Sankrant is called ‘Khichiri’. Taking a dip in the holy rivers on this day is regarded as most auspicious. A big one-month long ‘Magha-Mela’ fair begins at Prayag (Allahabad) on this occasion. Apart from Triveni, ritual bathing also takes place at many places like Haridvar and Garh Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna in Bihar.

In Bengal, every year a very big Mela is held at Ganga Sagar where the river Ganga is believed to have dived into the nether region and vivified the ashes of the sixty thousand ancestors of King Bhagirath. Mela is attended by a large number of pilgrims from all over the country.

In Tamil Nadu, Sankrant is known by the name of ‘Pongal’, which takes its name from the surging of rice boiled in a pot of milk, and this festival has more significance than even Diwali. It is very popular particularly amongst farmers. Rice and pulses cooked together in ghee and milk is offered to the family deity after the ritual worship. In essence in the South this Sankranti is a ‘Puja’ (worship) for the Sun God.

In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a three-day harvest festival Pongal. It is a big event for the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugus like to call it 'Pedda Panduga' meaning big festival. The whole event lasts for four days, the first day Bhogi, the second day Sankranti, the third day Kanuma and the fourth day, Mukkanuma.

In Karnataka, the festival is marked by visiting one's friends and relatives to exchange greetings, and by the preparation of a dish called Ellu (made with sesame seeds, coconuts, sugar blocks, etc.). A common custom found across Karnataka is the exchange of sugarcane pieces and Ellu with one's neighbors, friends and relatives. In Karnataka, Pongal is known as 'Sankranti', and cows and bullocks are gaily decorated and fed 'Pongal'- a sweet preparation of rice. Special prayers are offered. In the evening, the cattle are led out in procession to the beat of drums and music. In the night a bonfire is lit and the animals are made to jump over the fire.

Makar Sankranti is marked by men, women and children wearing colorful clothing; visiting near and dear ones; and exchanging pieces of sugarcane, a mixture of fried Til (Sesame seeds), molasses, pieces of dry coconut, peanuts and fried gram. On this auspicious day, people in Karnataka distribute Yellu and Bella (Sesame seeds and Jaggery) and greet with the words " “Ellu bella thindu, Olle Maathu Aadu” (Eat sesame seeds and speak only good). The significance of this exchange is that sweetness should prevail in all the dealings.

In Maharashtra, on the Sankranti day people exchange multi-colored Tilguds made from Til (sesame seeds) and sugar and Til-laddus made from Til and jaggery. Til-polis are offered for lunch. While exchanging Tilguls as tokens of goodwill people greet each other saying – ‘Til-gul ghya, god god bola’ meaning ‘accept these Tilguls and speak sweet words’. The under-lying thought in the exchange of Tilguls is to forget the past ill-feelings and hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends. This is a special day for the women in Maharashtra when married women are invited for a get-together called ‘Haldi-Kumkum’ and given gifts of any utensil, which the woman of the house purchases on that day. Hindus wear ornaments made of 'Halwa' on this day.

In Gujarat, Sankranti is observed more or less in the same manner as in Maharashtra but with a difference that in Gujarat there is a custom of giving gifts to relatives. The elders in the family give gifts to the younger members of the family. The Gujarati Pundits on this auspicious day grant scholarships to students for higher studies in astrology and philosophy. This festival thus helps the maintenance of social relationships within the family, caste and community. Kite flying has been associated with this festival in a big way. It has become an internationally well-known event.

In Punjab, where December and January are the coldest months of the year, huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankranti and which is celebrated as "LOHARI". Sweets, sugarcane and rice are thrown in the bonfires, around which friends and relatives gather together. The following day, which is Sankranti, is celebrated as MAGHI. The Punjabi's dance their famous Bhangra dance till they get exhausted. Then they sit down and eat the sumptuous food that is specially prepared for the occasion.

In Kerala, 40 days Anushthana by the devotees of Ayyappa ends on this day in Sabarimala with a big festival.

In Bundelkhand and Madhya Pradesh, this festival of Sankranti is known by the name ‘Sakarat’ and is celebrated with great pomp and merriment accompanied by lot of sweets.

Many tribal in India start their New Year from the day of Sankranti by lighting bonfires, dancing and eating their particular dishes sitting together. The Bhuya tribals of Orissa have their Maghyatra in which small home-made articles are put for sale.

In Assam, the festival is celebrated as Bhogali Bihu.

In the coastal regions, it is a harvest festival dedicated to Lord Indra.

(Reference: Vmission.org, Holy Festivals, Religious Festivals and Vowed Religious Observances, compiled by Dr. Jayant B. Athavale and Dr. Kunda Athavale, published by the Sanatan Sanstha)

मूंछ नहीं प्यारी ‘प्यारी’ को!

आज बात करते हैं मूंछों की...। एक बॉलीवुड फिल्म में अमिताभ बच्चन ने कहा था, ‘मूछें हों तो नत्थूलाल जैसी, वरना ना हों…’ लेकिन अब शायद मूंछों का महत्व घट गया है। कम से कम भारतीय महिलाएं तो मूंछ वाले पुरुषों को पसंद नहीं ही करती हैं। चेन्नई में पत्रकार सईद अली मुज्तबा सईद इस लेख में कुछ ऐसा ही दावा कर रहे हैं... पढ़िए... मजेदार है...

-- धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Why Indian Females Prefer Men Without Moustaches

By Syed Ali Mujtaba Syed

Remember, if you like to kiss your girlfriend then first thing you got to do is to shave your moustaches. The hairs above your lips may epitomize a macho persona but it does not appeal the Indian females. Most Indian females like their men clean-shaven.

The mustaches may no way come in way of lip locking, but then females have their own preferences to mooch. A survey found though 36% of men nationwide sport moustaches, but 27% of women find that style of facial hair old-fashioned.

A survey conducted by AC Nielsen with more than 1,000 men and women in eight Indian cities revealed while Indian men love their mustache, women in urban India prefer clean shaven men.

Women in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Bangalore and Patna have spoken on how they prefer their men. A whopping 72% women respondent in Mumbai and an even greater 83% of female respondents in Chennai are more likely to kiss a shaved man. The majority of respondents in Delhi and Kolkata concur with this idea.

However, women don’t seem to mind stubble. In Mumbai, 64% of women say stubble increases the sex appeal of a man, revealed the survey.

As far as shaving is concerned though 90% men prefer to be clean-shaven, only 55% actually shave. A greater number of men in Mumbai (72%), Delhi (82%) and Ahmedabad (79%) shave than in other cities.

The most quoted reason for shaving in urban India is that the face looks clean. However in Chennai, as many as 56% men have a moustache. Men in Chennai and Bangalore say moustaches looks well on them. South Indian customs makes it mandatory to sport moustaches till the person’s father is alive and can be shaven only once he is no more.

Indians’ shaving frequency is less than thrice a week. While the average shaving time is between six and 15 minutes, men in Chennai and Bangalore are the slowest shavers, taking at least 30 minutes while those in Lucknow finish the same job in 25 minutes.

The frequent shaver also has his reasons. In Delhi, Chennai and Ahmedabad, men shave to look younger; in Lucknow and Patna men do so for good hygiene. Gujaratis and Tamils do it to fit in with their peers.

More men in Ahmedabad and Bangalore cut themselves each time they shave, majority of men in Mumbai and Kolkata do not hurt them while shaving.

Across Asia, men and women frown on the full-bearded look. Indian and men favor moustaches and stubble, but the most desired style in India is the clean-shaven look or a goatee.

Historically the handlebar moustache has been part of Indian culture. Before the 18th century, when the caste system was prevalent in India, only high caste men were allowed to keep moustaches. Lower caste men were either clean shaven sported a beard.

During the period from 1850 to 1950, men kept moustaches as a symbol of power and to display of their robust personality. During the 1930s, Mahatma Gandhi's Swadeshi Movement against British rulers advised Indians to have beards so that imported shavers and blades could be stopped.

As a college student at AMU, Aligarh I have seen its Chancellor Nawab of Chattrari, the first Indian to be Governor of the United Provinces and the Prime Minister of erstwhile Hyderabad princely state, with his majestic grey mustaches that covered half his face. His grand mustaches provided an aura to his personality and remained unparallel in those times.

A book "Hair India- A Guide to the Bizarre Beards and Magnificent Moustaches of Hindustan" says that India's extravagant beards and moustaches- proudly sported by generations of Indian men- are being trimmed as the country becomes more clean-shaven and urban.

Its author Richard McCallum says that clean chins are becoming more commonplace among younger people who no longer have role models sporting beards or moustaches.

He points out most well-known Indian cricket players no longer have facial hair, while many in Bollywood have opted instead for token designer stubble.

The book categorizes beards according to bristle-design. There is the "the chin strap", "the soup strainer", "the wing commander" and "the walrus".

What is claimed to be the world's longest beard, measuring 1.6 meters (five ft) and the world's longest moustache also feature in the book.

But the emphasis is on ordinary stall-owners and rickshaw drivers displaying moustaches and beards that are cut, dyed, waxed and preened in various shapes and sizes. One of the few professions where it remains a mandatory requirement is among doormen of five-star hotels.

The book says beards and moustaches tell the story of modern India- how it is becoming a more westernized, homogenized place, but also how the great traditions and the love of display still exist.

In spite the fact that that clean-shaven men stand to score more then who sport a mustache, eighty percent of south Indian men prefer to sport moustaches while their counter parts in north India refer to be clean shaven.

There is no doubt that trend of keeping moustaches is on decline in India but its more to do with hygiene and cleanliness than to pander to the preferences of the women folk. Majority of those in teen and twenties prefer to sport moustaches but as they add on to years may like to shave it off. Its individual choice and that’s hard to generalize.
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राष्ट्रीय युवा दिवस की बधाई...

राष्ट्रीय युवा दिवस के मौके पर दिल्ली से प्रताप मलिक ने बधाई भेजी है... 12 जनवरी को हर साल स्वामी विवेकानंद के जन्मदिवस के मौके पर मनाया जाता है। आप सभी को भी बधाई...!

--धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Married Man's Lament!

‘शादी’ और वैवाहिक जीवन को लेकर तमाम तरह के चुटकुले प्रचलित हैं। अक्सर लोग मजे लेकर इन्हें पढ़ते हैं... और हंसते हैं... विवाहित लोगों का मजाक भी उड़ाते हैं...। और जब खुद को शादी करने का मौका मिलता है तो झट से निमंत्रण देंगे और बोलेंगे... ‘शादी है... जरूर आइएगा!’ और मंडप के नीचे बैठ जाते हैं... :)

शादी का लड्डू सभी खाना चाहते हैं। और क्यों न खाएं... ये लड्डू जीवन में एक अनोखी मिठास जो भर देता है। शादी केवल यौन इच्छाओं की पूर्ति का माध्यमभर नहीं होती... बल्कि अपने एक अभिन्न साथी के साथ कई तरह के अनुभवों को बांटने का जरिया भी होती हैं। दिनभर की सफलता और असफलताओं की कहानी को बांटने के लिए एक पति या पत्नी से बेहतर कौन हो सकता है। जीवन के अंतिम पड़ाव पर जब बच्चे अपनी गृहस्थियों में रम जाते हैं और आप काम से रिटायर हो जाते हैं तब यही साथी आपके साथ होता है जो आपको अभी भी उतना ही प्यार कर रहा होता है जितना 40 साल पहले करता था। यदि आपने शादियों को लेकर चुटकुले सुने हैं तो बुढ़ापे के पति और पत्नी के प्यार के किस्से भी खूब सुने होंगे। आगरा से बृज खंडेलवाल ने ऐसा ही एक किस्सा भेजा है। ये पति अपनी पत्नी से कुछ बोर हो गया है...। जीवन जीने का नाम है, हंसने का नाम है। हंसते रहिए... मुस्कुराते रहिए... शुभकामनाएं... :)

---धर्मेंद्र कुमार

A woman awakes during the night to find that her husband was not in bed.

She goes downstairs to look for him. She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of him.

He appears to be in deep thought, just staring at the wall. She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee.

"What's the matter, dear?" she whispers as she steps into the room. "Why are you down here at this time of night?"

The husband looks up from his coffee, "Do you remember 20 years ago when we were dating, and you were only 18?" he asks solemnly. "Yes I do" she replies.

The husband pauses; the words were not coming easily. "Do you remember when your father caught us in the garden?"

"Yes, I remember" said the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him.

The husband continued… "Do you remember when he showed the shotgun in my face and said, 'Either you marry my daughter, or I'll send you to jail for 20 years?"

"I remember that too" she replied softly.

He wiped another tear from his cheek and said, "I would have been released today!"

ये पैसा बहुत जरूरी है... शायद नहीं!

पैसा बहुत जरूरी है... बिना पैसे के कुछ हो नही सकता... दुनिया चल नहीं सकती...। ऐसा लोगों का मानना है। धन संपदा के लिए लोग एक दूसरे से झगड़ा कर लेते हैं। रिश्तों को खत्म कर लेते हैं। कुछ लोग तो ऐसे भी हैं जिनका मानना है कि दोस्तों और रिश्तेदारों के बीच धन का लेन-देन नहीं होना चाहिए, चाहे दूसरा कितनी ही मुश्किलों में क्यों न हो...:)। लेकिन चूंकि वह दोस्त है... रिश्तेदार है... इसलिए उसे न पैसे देने हैं... न उससे लेने हैं। पता नहीं वे सही हैं या नहीं... लेकिन क्या वाकई ऐसा जरूरी है। क्या वाकई धन का होना इतना जरूरी और उसकी इस कदर परवाह करना बहुत जरूरी है... मेरे खयाल से शायद नहीं।
यदि नहीं तो... आखिर इसके चलन की जरूरत क्यों हुई? जरूरत तो थी, भाई! इसीलिए मानव ने धन के लेन-देन की शुरुआत की। चलिए... छोड़िए... बेकार में कनफ्यूज हो रहे हैं। दरअसल धन की बहुत जरूरत होती है... क्योंकि यह एकमात्र ऐसा औजार (Tool) है जिसकी वजह से चीजें चलती रह सकती हैं। रुकेंगी नहीं। इसीलिए इसकी ‘तरलता’ बहुत जरूरी है। इसका चलते रहना जरूरी है। अगर उपयोग के लिए जरूरत से ज्यादा है तो दोस्तों और रिश्तेदारों की मदद खुलकर दीजिए। रिश्तेदारों और दोस्तों पर भी यही नियम लागू होता है। उन्हें भी ‘तरलता’ में विश्वास रखना चाहिए... और... धन तथा समय के पहिए को चलाने के लिए ‘स्निग्धता’ बनाए रखनी चाहिए। आगरा के बृज खंडेलवाल द्वारा भेजी गई इस कहानी के जरिए आपसे यह बात अच्छी तरह से कह पाऊंगा... तो पढ़िए जनाब और जरा इस मसले पर सोचिए...

---धर्मेंद्र कुमार

It is the month of August, on the shores of the Black Sea.

It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted.

It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one.

The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.

The Butcher takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the pig grower.

The pig grower takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel.

The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the town's prostitute that in these hard times, gave her "services" on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything.

At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 Euro note, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.

One Apple And One Apple And One More Apple… Four Apple!

यदि कोई हमारे किसी सवाल का ऐसा जवाब दे, जिसकी हमें ‘उससे’ अपेक्षा न हो तो इसका मतलब यह नहीं कि वह शर्तिया गलत ही है। इसके पीछे वह दृष्टिकोण हो सकता है जिसे हम उस समय समझ न पाएं। हमें उसे सुनना और समझना चाहिए, बिना किसी पूर्वाग्रह के...। इस आशय को जाहिर करते हुए आगरा के बृज खंडेलवाल ने यह कहानी भेजी है... पढ़िए...!

--- धर्मेंद्र कुमार

A teacher teaching Mathematics to seven-year-old Arnav asked him, "If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?" Within a few seconds Arnav replied confidently, "Four!"

The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three). She was disappointed. "May be the child did not listen properly," she thought. She repeated, "Arnav, listen carefully. If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?"

Arnav had seen the disappointment on his teacher's face. He calculated again on his fingers. But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make the teacher happy. His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that will make his teacher happy. This time hesitatingly he replied, "Four..."

The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that Arnav liked strawberries. She thought may be he doesn't like apples and that is making him loose focus. This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her eyes she asked, "If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?"

Seeing the teacher happy, young Arnav calculated on his fingers again. There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new approach to succeed. With a hesitating smile young Arnav enquired, "Three?"

The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she asked him, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?"

Promptly Arnav answered, "Four!"

The teacher was aghast. "How Arnav, how?" she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.

In a voice that was low and hesitating young Arnav replied, "Because I already have one apple in my bag."

Donate Blood, Save Life, Isn’t It!

‘रक्तदान महादान है’, ‘खून की दो बूंदें किसी का जीवन बचा सकती हैं’ आदि... आदि... ये बातें मेरे लिए महज एक स्लोगन से ज्यादा कुछ भी नहीं थीं। लेकिन... 27 जून 2007 से पहले। उस दिन मेरी दुनिया बदल गई। रक्तदान को लेकर मेरे विचार बदल गए। मुझे पहली बार अहसास हुआ कि रक्तदान कितना जरूरी हो सकता है। मेरी जुड़वां बेटियां रोहिणी और रुक्मिणि का जन्म हुआ था 26 जून 2007 को, और उसके बाद मेरी पत्नी रश्मि को हुआ लगातार रक्तश्राव... जिसे चिकित्सकीय भाषा में ‘पोस्ट पैटम हेमरेज’ कहा जाता है। फरीदाबाद के फोर्टिस हॉस्पीटल में रश्मि को रैफर कर दिया गया। वहां डॉक्टरों ने कहा कि लगातार खून दिया जाना है...। उस रात मेरे सभी शुभचिंतक और मित्र वहां थे, लगातार खून दिया जाता रहा, लोग दिलासा भी देते रहे कि सुबह का सूरज नई रोशनी लेकर आएगा... लेकिन सुबह तो हुई पर ‘रोशनी’ नहीं...। 27 जून की सुबह सात बजे रश्मि ने हमारा साथ छोड़ दिया।

इस घटना ने मेरे तब तक के जीवन में बनी कई धारणाओं को बदल दिया। मेरे सोचने का दायरा कहीं ज्यादा बढ़ गया। अपने से किसी भी तरह जुड़े लोगों के प्रति जिम्मेदारी का अहसास कहीं ज्यादा बढ़ गया। इस दायरे में वे सभी लोग आते हैं... जिन्हें मैं हर रोज छूता हूं..., महसूस करता हूं..., बात करता हूं या किसी भी प्रकार का संवाद स्थापित करता हूं। इसमें शामिल हैं वे सब लोग जो मेरे घर में रहते हैं... मेरे मोहल्ले में रहते हैं... मेरे शहर में रहते हैं... मेरे समाज में रहते हैं... और जो मेरे देश और दुनिया में रहते हैं।

कई स्वयंसेवी संस्थाओं ने रक्तदान के इच्छुक लोगों को इंटरनेट के जरिए एक प्लेटफॉर्म पर लाने का प्रयास किया है। इसके जरिए जो लोग रक्तदान करना चाहते हैं वे अपने आपको पंजीकृत कर सकते हैं। अपने नाम, पते के साथ। और, जिन लोगों को खून की जरूरत आन पड़ी है... वे यहां अपने शहर के हिसाब से उनसे संपर्क स्थापित कर सकते हैं... उनसे मदद ले सकते हैं। ऐसे ही एक प्लेटफॉम का संदर्भ आगरा से डॉ. नरेंद्र मल्होत्रा ने दिया है। आप आड़े वक्त के लिए इसे बुकमार्क कर सकते हैं या फेवरेट में जोड़ सकते हैं...

--- धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Every 2 seconds their is need for blood and thousands of people are dying due to lack of blood in emergency cases. Why Should They Die?

On an average, 1000's of people are dying due to lack of blood everyday. Doctors always prefer fresh blood to survive easily but, blood banks provide stored blood and that to by charging money where poor people cannot afford money.

Is there any solution to obtain fresh blood without spending money?

Yes! This is made possible by http://www.friends2support.org/, This website helps the needy to find a blood donor in a matter of minutes.

Now I am also a proud blood donor and I wish you to be a part of this. "Donate Blood- Save Life".

Register as a Blood Donor here and ‘Save a Life’ by donating blood during emergency. Please inform to your friends and help people in need of blood donors.

‘ये अपुन का इंडिया है मामू…’

आतंकवाद से प्रभावित देशों के लिए घुसपैठ की समस्या बहुत ज्यादा खतरनाक है। अमेरिका में 9/11 के बाद तगड़ी सुरक्षा व्यवस्था पर ध्यान दिया गया और नतीजा यह है कि छिटपुट घटनाओं को छोड़कर वहां घुसपैठ की वजह से आतंकवाद की कोई बड़ी वारदात नहीं हुई। आव्रजन और दूसरे कई नियमों को इतना कठोर कर दिया गया है कि कभी-कभी तथाकथित ‘बड़े लोग’ भी उनकी चपेट में आ जाते हैं और उनकी हाय-तौबा हमारा मनोरंजन करती है।
इसके उलट हमारे देश में इस ओर बहुत ही कम ध्यान दिया जा रहा है। नतीजतन आए दिन आतंकवाद की घटनाएं होती रहती हैं। हमने न दिल्ली में हुए बम विस्फोटों से सबक सीखा और न मुंबई हमले से। जरूरत इस बात की है कम से कम इतना तो हम सीख ही लें कि अपनी हिफाजत कैसे हो... बाकी बातें तो बाद में भी होती रहेंगी। किसी देश में अवैध घुसपैठ करने का क्या नतीजा हो सकता है, इसका एक छोटा सा आकलन आगरा से डॉ. नरेंद्र मल्होत्रा ने भेजा है। इसपर आगरा के ही विवेक सरभॉय ने अपनी मजेदार टिप्पणी भी भेजी है... ‘ये अपुन का इंडिया है मामू…’। पढ़िए और जरा विचार कीजिए कि हम और आप इस मसले पर क्या कर सकते हैं...

--- धर्मेंद्र कुमार

If you cross the North Korean Border illegally you get 12 years hard labor.

If you cross the Iranian Border illegally you are detained indefinitely.

If you cross the Afghan Border illegally, you get shot.

If you cross the Saudi Arabian Border illegally you will be jailed.

If you cross the Chinese Border illegally you may never be heard again.

If you cross the Venezuelan Border illegally you will be branded a spy and your fate will be sealed.

If you cross the Cuban Border illegally you will be thrown into political prison to rot.

If you enter Britain illegally you will be arrested, prosecuted and sent to prison and deported.

If you are a Pakistani or a Bangladeshi and illegally cross the Indian Border you get

- A Ration Card,

- Passport (1 or more)

- Haz Subsidy,

- A Drivers License,

- Voter Identity Card,

- Job Reservation,

- Special Privileges,

- Credit Cards,

- Subsidized Rent Or A Loan To Buy A House,

- Free Education,

- Free Health Care,

- A Lobbyist In New Delhi with a ready Television Channel and group of expert human right activists.

- The right to talk about secularism, which was not heard of back home.

And of course,  Voting Rights!

Decade’s 10 Most Dastardly Cyber Crimes

बीते दशक में सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी ने जहां हर रोज नई ऊंचाइयों को छुआ वहीं यह दशक साइबर अपराधों के लिए भी जाना जाएगा। सुरक्षा तंत्र को बड़ी खूबी के साथ वेधकर इन अपराधियों (हैकरों) ने कई बड़ी संस्थाओं को जमकर चूना लगाया। कुछ पकड़े गए जो अब सलाखों के पीछे हैं तो कुछ की तलाश अभी जारी है। केविन पोल्सन ने तैयार किया है यह लेखा-जोखा... एक नजर देखिए जरा...

---धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Decade’s 10 Most Dastardly Cyber Crimes

By Kevin Poulsen

It was the decade of the mega-heist, when stolen credit card mag-stripe tracks became the pork bellies of a new underground marketplace, Eastern European hackers turned malware writing into an art, and a nasty new crop of purpose-driven computer worms struck dread in the heart of America.

Now that the zero days are behind us, it’s time to reflect on the most ingenious, destructive or groundbreaking cyber crimes of the first 10 years of the new millennium.

Year 2000: MafiaBoy- Michael "Mafiaboy" Calce

Once upon a time, “distributed denial of service attacks” were just a way for quarreling hackers to knock each other out of IRC. Then one day in February 2000, a 15-year-old Canadian named Michael “MafiaBoy” Calce experimentally programmed his botnet to hose down the highest traffic websites he could find. CNN, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, Dell and eTrade all buckled under the deluge, leading to national headlines and an emergency meeting of security experts at the White House.

Compared to modern DDoS attacks, MafiaBoy’s was trivial. But his was the cyber strike that put the internet’s security issues on a national stage, and inaugurated an era where any pissed off script kiddy could take down part of the web at will.

Year 2002: California Payroll Database Breach

On April 5, 2002, an unidentified hacker penetrated a California server housing the state government’s payroll database, gaining access to names, Social Security numbers and salary information for 265,000 state workers from the governor on down. The breach itself was small potatoes, but when it emerged that the California Controller’s Office had waited two weeks to warn the victims, angry lawmakers reacted by passing the nation’s first breach disclosure law, SB1386.

The law requires hacked organizations to promptly warn potential identity theft victims. Its passage pulled the rock off the string of major corporate breaches that companies would have preferred to hush up. Today, 45 states have enacted similar laws.

Year 2003: Slammer

In 2003, fear came in 376 bytes. The lightning-fast Slammer worm targeted a hole in Microsoft’s SQL server, and despite striking six months after a fix was released, the malware cracked an estimated 75,000 un-patched servers in the space of hours. Bank of America and Washington Mutual ATM networks ground to a halt. Continental Airlines delayed and canceled flights when its ticketing system got gummed up. Seattle lost its emergency 911 network, and a nuclear power plant in Ohio lost a safety monitoring system.

Slammer wasn’t the biggest worm ever, but in its aggressive, relentless spread, it exposed the secret interconnections that corporations were foolishly allowing between important private networks and the public internet.

Year 2004: Foonet- Saad Echouafni

Years before there was a Russian Business Network, a small ISP hosted in a suburban basement in Ohio gained the dubious reputation as the first black-hat hosting company. It was a safe spot for hackers and packet monkeys to attack an unsuspecting internet. Foonet’s hosted clients included Carder Planet— the dedicated “carder forum” for credit card hackers— and its IRC servers were where legendary German hacker Axel “Ago” Gembe controlled his Agobot network of compromised Windows boxes.

After two FBI raids, in 2004, Foonet’s founder and some of the staff were indicted for a DDoS-for-hire scheme that collaterally slammed Amazon and the Department of Homeland Security. Foonet’s owner, Saad Echouafni, skipped out on $750,000 to flee the country, and remains on the FBI’s wanted list today.

Year 2006: The Los Angeles Traffic Signal Attack

When Los Angeles traffic engineers went on strike in August 2006, the city decided not to take any chances: They temporarily blocked most access to the computer that controls 3,200 traffic signals throughout the City of Angels. Two of the striking engineers hacked in anyway. From a laptop, Kartik Patel and Gabriel Murillo picked four key intersections and changed the timing on the traffic signals so the most congested approach would hit long red lights.

The timing tweaks wreaked havoc in a city already flirting with gridlock, according to the Los Angeles Times, snarling traffic at the Los Angeles International Airport, backing up the Glendale Freeway and paralyzing Little Tokyo and the streets of the downtown Civic Center. It evidently took several days for managers to figure out what was going on.

In December 2009, the engineers were sentenced to probation.

Max Vision- Max "Iceman" Vision

In 2006, a former computer security researcher turned professional black hat weighed and measured the computer underground, and found it wanting. So in a two-night hackfest from his San Francisco safe house, Max Vision (aka Iceman) trained his guns on the online carder forums where hackers and fraudsters buy and sell stolen data, fake IDs and specialized underground services.

When he was done hacking in and wiping out their databases, he absorbed their content and membership into his own site, CardersMarket, turning it into the largest English-speaking criminal marketplace on the web— 6,000 members strong. The hostile takeover got the attention of the feds who’d thoroughly infiltrated some of the sites he hacked, and a year later FBI and Secret Service tracked Iceman to his hideout. He’s now awaiting sentencing for stealing 2 million credit cards that rang up $86 million in fraudulent charges.

Year 2008: RBS Worldpay Heist

The first time we learned that the payment processor RBS Worldpay had been hacked, it sounded like no big deal: The company announced in December 2008 that it had seen fraud on only 100 of the 1.5 million payroll and gift card accounts compromised in the breach. But it turns out the hackers were able to raise the withdrawal limits on 44 of those cards to as high as $500,000. Then they dispatched a global army of cashers to slam the accounts with repeated rapid-fire withdrawals.

More than 130 ATMs in 49 cities from Moscow to Atlanta were hit simultaneously just after midnight Eastern Time on November 8, 2008, resulting in a one-day haul of $9.5 million in cold, hard cash. In November, the United States indicted four of the alleged ringleaders, who are in Estonia, Russia and Moldova. Good luck with that.

Year 2005-2008: Albert Gonzalez- Albert "Segvec" Gonzalez

He called it “Operation Get Rich or Die Tryin”. For nearly four years ending in 2008, 28-year-old Albert “Segvec” Gonzalez and his accomplices in America and Russia staged the biggest data thefts in history, stealing credit and debit card mag-stripe data for sale on the black market. Using Wi-Fi hacking and SQL injection, the gang popped companies like 7-Eleven, Dave & Buster’s, Office Max, TJX, and the credit card processor Heartland Payment Systems, which alone gave up 130 million cards.

The intrusions didn’t just make Gonzalez a millionaire— he buried $1.1 million in his parents’ backyard— they exposed slipshod security in America’s card-processing infrastructure, and positioned the former Secret Service informant to break a new record: longest US prison term for hacking. His plea agreements envision a 17-25 year sentence. It could be worse. One of Gonzalez’s overseas accomplices got 30 years in a Turkish prison.

Year 2009: Conficker

Bots were probably the biggest black-hat innovation of the decade and the biggest and best was Conficker. From the start, the Conficker botnet had a trouble managing expectations. But just because the worm didn’t destroy the internet, as predicted by the mainstream press, doesn’t mean it wasn’t an impressive achievement.

Packing state-of-the-art encryption, and sophisticated peer-to-peer update mechanism, Conficker tantalized security researchers and resisted attempts at eradication, inhabiting at its peak as many as 15 million un-patched Windows boxes, mostly in China and Brazil.

Experts think it’s the work of an organized team of coders, and there are hints that it originated in Ukraine. And like most of the hacking out of Eastern Europe, the software has a profit motive: It’s been seen sending spam, and serving victims a fake anti-virus product that offers to remove malware for $49.95.

Money Mules

Another innovation from the former Soviet empire were the so-called “money mule” scams that emerged in 2009. Using specialized Trojan horses like Zeus and URLZone, the perps target small businesses that use online banking, stealing the victim’s credentials and initiating wire transfers from their accounts, usually totaling tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In some cases, the Trojan horse even covers up the crime by rewriting the victim’s online bank statement on the fly; other times, the hacker just wipes the hard drive to keep the target off the internet for a while. The stolen money goes to mules who’ve been recruited through bogus work-at-home offers, and whose job it is to withdraw the cash and send the bulk of it to the scammers via Moneygram. It’s the perfect crime, one the FBI says has racked up $100 million in thefts, and counting.

(Courtesy Wired.com)

Dear DM Sir, Act Against Polluters, Not Organize Just Walks...

District authorities in Agra are planning yet another symbolic Yamuna Cleaning on January 11. School kids and all those who claim to be working for Yamuna's restoration of health, plus the NGOs, theatre groups, media organizations, are being roped in to clean some Ghats and march in a procession. It is wonderful initiative but will that be enough? Journalist and social activist Brij Khandelwal from Agra asks…

These well meaning folks have to be reminded that the real problems are political.

Unfortunately the district authorities and the state government departments lack the will and vision to do what should have been done years ago. They have the legal sanction.

And don’t forget that the Yamuna Ghats were demolished at the order of late Sanjay Gandhi. The whole Yamuna Kinara road was forcibly cleared of temples, ghats and community facilities.

The Yamuna Kinara road has not been cleared as yet of transport companies, even after 30 years. The transporters are powerful people and they always manage to bribe away decision makers. In recent months the divisional commissioner has thrice ordered their shifting. Can the district magistrate do that? The Hathi Ghat is being used to park trucks which are washed and all oily waste flows into the river.

Agra's share of Yamuna water has to be fixed. Delhi is taking all the water. Haryana draws large quantities. Even Rajasthan's share is fixed. What about the claim of downstream cities. Why is Okhla barrage, of the UP government, holding back water for Delhi's consumption?

More importantly why are effluents and untreated water being discharged by Delhi into the river. For good 22 kms Yamuna flows into the union territory and picks up all the pollutants and effluents, which people downstream consume.

What is the UP Pollution Control Board doing? How many cases has it filed against polluters? Has the directive of the Supreme Court to shift Dhobies and dairies been implemented? If not why?

How many drains open into the river? How many have been plugged? Last count by the pollution board officials said there were 19 Nullahs opening into the river.

And what is the state of the flood plains? How many unauthorized colonies have come up? What action has been taken against colonizers?

Some specialists have pointed out that the quality of water at the point where Yamuna enters Agra district is better but between Keitham and the Taj Mahal the water quality deteriorates. If that is true, the culprits should be booked for polluting the river. District authorities have to do that under the Prevention of Water Pollution Control Act which is mandatory and clear cut.

Awareness camps and processions are ok at the level of voluntary agencies. But district authorities need to act according to the law and the orders already pending in respect of Yamuna pollution. The Agra Nagar Nigam, the UP Pollution Control Board which has the police powers, and the District Magistrate of Agra along with other agencies must draw up an action programme and book polluters. Shift the transporters. Ask the UP horticulture department to develop and maintain the parks along the bank. The drains must be diverted to the treatment plants. The district magistrate should find out why pumping stations are not working and take immediate action.

How To Manage E-mail Overload

यदि आप अपने ईमेल बॉक्स में बहुत ज्यादा ई-मेल आने से परेशान हैं तो उनके उचित प्रबंधन के लिए दिल्ली से केवाई अय्यर ने कुछ टिप्स भेजे हैं। उन्होंने ये टिप्स माइक्रोसॉफ्ट.कॉम से लिए हैं। पढ़िए संपादित अंश...

-- धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Use the "Four D's for Decision Making" model. The "Four D's for Decision Making" model (4 D's) is a valuable tool for processing e-mail, helping you to quickly decide what action to take with each item and how to remove it from the Inbox.

Decide what to do with each and every message. How many times have you opened, reviewed, and closed the same e-mail message over and over? Some of those messages are getting lots of attention but very little action. It is better to handle each e-mail message only once before taking action—which means you have to make a decision as to what to do with it and where to put it. Under the 4 D's model, you have four choices:

* Delete it

* Do it

* Delegate it

* Defer it

DELETE IT: Generally, you can delete about half of all the e-mail you get. But some of you shudder when you hear "delete." You're hesitant to delete messages for fear you might need them at some point. That's understandable, but ask yourself honestly: What percentage of information that you keep do you actually use?

If you do use a large percentage of what you keep, then what you're doing is working. But many of you are keeping a lot more than you use. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you decide what to delete:

- Does the message relate to a meaningful objective you're currently working on? If not, you can probably delete it. Why hang on to information that doesn't relate to your main focus?

- Does the message contain information you can find elsewhere? If so, delete it.

- Does the message contain information that you will refer to within the next six months? If not, delete it.

- Does the message contain information that you're required to keep? If not, delete it.

DO IT (in less than two minutes): If you can't DELETE IT, then decide, "What specific action do I need to take?" and "Can I DO IT in less than two minutes?" If you can, just DO IT.

There is no point in filing an e-mail or closing an e-mail if you can complete it in less than 2 minutes. Try it out—see how much mail you can process in less than 2 minutes. I think you will be extremely surprised and happy with the results. You could file the message, you could respond to the message, or you could make a phone call. You can probably handle about one third of your e-mail messages in less than two minutes.

DELEGATE IT: If you can't DELETE IT or DO IT in two minutes or less, can you DELEGATE IT?

If you can delegate it, do it right away. You should be able to compose and send the delegating message in about two minutes. Once you delegate the action, delete the original message or move it into your e-mail reference system.

DEFER IT: If you cannot DELETE IT, DO IT in less than two minutes, or DELEGATE IT, then the action required is something that only you can accomplish and that will take more than two minutes. Because this is your dedicated e-mail processing time, you need to DEFER IT and deal with it after you are done processing your e-mail. You’ll probably find that about 10 percent of your e-mail messages have to be deferred.

There are two things you can do to defer a message: turn it into an actionable task or turn it into an appointment. When you're using Outlook, you can DEFER e-mails with actions by dragging the message onto your Task List to turn it into a task. Name the task to clearly state what action is required so that you don't have to reopen the e-mail message. The result is a clearly defined list of actions in your task list that you can prioritize and schedule to complete on your Calendar. Or you can turn the message into a meeting request by dragging it onto your Calendar.

Using the 4 D's model on a daily basis makes it easier to handle a large quantity of e-mail. Experience shows that on average, people can process about 100 e-mail messages an hour. If you receive 40 to 100 messages per day, all you need is one hour of uninterrupted e-mail processing time to get through your Inbox. Our statistics show that of the e-mail you receive:
50 percent can be deleted or filed
30 percent can be delegated or completed in less than 2 minutes
20 percent can be deferred to your Task List or Calendar to complete later

Of course, if you have a backlog of hundreds of messages, it will take time to get to the point where your daily routine keeps you up to date. It's important to get that backlog down. Then you can really enjoy processing your messages every day using the 4 D's.

Don’t Trust Everyone…

विश्वास... एक मानवीय गुण... हर व्यक्ति में होता है। किसी में कम, किसी में ज्यादा... लेकिन होता जरूर है। सच कहें तो बिना विश्वास के उत्तरजीविता नामुमकिन है। इसे संपूर्ण सृष्टि की धुरी माना जा सकता है। लेकिन, जैसा कि कहा जाता है कि किसी भी गुण की अधिकता या न्यूनता हानिकारक होती है। इसलिए एक निश्चित अनुपात में अगर यह हमारे गुणों में प्रभावी रहे तो... :) खैर..., अब अगर किसी का विश्वास इस कदर टूटे जैसे कि आगरा से बृज खंडेलवाल की भेजी इस कहानी में... तब...! पढ़िए और मजा लीजिए... शुभकामनाएं...

--धर्मेंद्र कुमार

A burglar decided to rob the safe in a store.

On the safe door he was very pleased to find a note reading: "Please don't use dynamite. The safe is not locked. Just turn the knob."

He did so. Instantly a heavy sandbag fell on him, the entire premises were floodlighted, and alarms started clanging.

As the police carried him out on a stretcher, he was heard moaning: "My confidence in human nature has been rudely shaken."

नए साल का स्वागत...

नई दिल्ली से विकास अग्रवाल ने नए साल का स्वागत करते हुए यह रेखाचित्र भेजा है। विकास! आपको और सभी दूसरे पाठकों को नए साल की एक बार फिर से शुभकामनाएं... नया साल आप सबके लिए ढेर सारी खुशियां लाए, ऐसी कामना है...

--- धर्मेंद्र कुमार