Relationships......

WHAT KEEPS A RELATIONSHIP STRONG ARE:

1. TRUST
2. COMMUNICATION
3. INTIMACY
4. A SENSE OF HUMOR
5. SHARING TASKS
6. SOME GETAWAY TIME WITHOUT BUSINESS OR CHILDREN
7. DAILY EXCHANGES (meal, shared activity, hug, call, touch....)
8. SHARING COMMON GOALS AND INTERESTS
9. GIVING EACH OTHER SPACE TO GROW WITHOUT FEELING INSECURE
10. GIVING EACH OTHER A SENSE OF BELONGING AND ASSURANCES OF COMMITMENT


How many ever times I read this, I feel so good. When I see any two people with such strong relationship, I feel great and inspired. That tells me that it is not just theory, but can be practiced.

A Prayer!

"When the heart is hard and parched up, come upon me with a shower of mercy.

When grace is lost from life, come with a burst of song.

When tumultuous work raises its din on all sides shutting me out from beyond, come to me, my lord of silence, with thy peace and rest.

When my beggarly heart sits crouched, shut up in a corner, break open the door, my king, and come with the ceremony of a king.

When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, O thou holy one, thou wakeful, come with thy light and thy thunder."

~Gitanjali Poem 39

(Rabindranath Tagore)

My all time favourite story...

"Once upon a time in an island there lived all the feelings and emotions : Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to them that the island would sink! So all of them constructed boats and left, except for Love.

Love wanted to hold out there until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love, in a boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?"

Richness answered, "Sorry Love, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat and so there is no place here for you."

Love next asked Vanity who was also sailing by. 

Vanity was also ready with the same answer. "I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat."

Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, take me along with you."

"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!", sadness said in a sullen voice.

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so preoccupied with her happiness that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder figure. An overjoyed Love jumped up into the boat. When they arrived at a dry land, Love got down and  the elder went her own way. In the overwhelming joy, Love forgot to ask who that caring elder figure was.

Realizing how much He owed to the 'elder', Love asked Knowledge, another elder there, "Who is the one who helped me?"

Knowledge answered, "It was Time." 

"Time?" thought Love. Then, as if reading the face of Love, Knowledge smiled and answered, "Yes, Time...only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."

Ah! after all the time's not lost!

"On many an idle day have I grieved over lost time. 
But it is never lost, my lord. 
Thou hast taken every moment of my life in thine own hands.

Hidden in the heart of things thou art nourishing seeds into sprouts, buds into blossoms, and ripening flowers into fruitfulness.

I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed and imagined all work had ceased. 
In the morning I woke up and found my garden full with wonders of flowers."

~Gitanjali (poem 81)

Taste of Tagore

Pluck this little flower and take it, delay not! 
I fear lest it droop and drop into the dust.

It may not find a place in thy garland, but honour it with a -touch of pain  from thy hand and pluck it.I fear lest the day end before I am aware,and the time of offering go by.

Though its colour be not deep and its smell be faint,use this flower in thy service and pluck it while there is time.

~ Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali (Poem 6)

P.S: Thanks Maya, for this gift. 

I never thought I would ever read Tagore!

The Visionay Leader...

I read this article on "Kamaraj" in facebook. Wanted to share it here.

எத்தனை பேருக்கு தெரியும் இந்த சிறந்தமனிதர் சாதனை?

காமராசரின் ஆட்சி காலம்:
ராஜாஜி நிதிப்பற்றாக்குறையைக் ... காரணமாகக் காட்டி, 6000 ஆரம்பப் பள்ளிகளை இழுத்து மூடினார். அடுத்தச் சில மாதங்களில் ஆட்சிக்கு வந்தார் காமராஜ். அதுதான் அவர் தன்முதலாக ஆட்சியில் அமர்வது. ஆட்சியில் இருந்த ராஜாஜி,அரசாங்கத்திடம் பணமில்லை என்று கூறி இழுத்து மூடிய 6000 பள்ளிகளைச் சிலமாதங்களில் ஆட்சிக்கு வந்த காமராஜ் மீண்டும் திறக்கும்படி உடனடியாக ஆணையிட்டார். அத்தோடு நில்லாமல் 14000 புதிய பள்ளிகள்
கட்ட உத்தரவிட்டார். படிக்க வரும் மாணவர்கள் பட்டினியாக இருக்கக் கூடாதென்று உணவும் அளிக்கத் திட்டம் தீட்டி நிறைவேற்றினார்! நிதிப் பற்றாக்குறை, அரசாங்க கஜானா காலி என்று ராஜாஜி தமிழகத்தைப் பிச்சைக் கார மாநிலமாக முன்னிருத்தினார்.

ஆனால், அடுத்து ஆட்சிக்கு வந்த காமராஜ் அதே பிச்சைக்காரத் தமிழகத்தை இந்தியாவிலெயே தொழில் வளர்ச்சியில் இரண்டாவது மாநிலமாகக் கொண்டுவந்து நிறுத்தினார்!
1.நெய்வேலி நிலக்கரித் திட்டம்
2.பெரம்பலூர் ரயில்பெட்டித் தொழிற்சாலை
3.திருச்சி பாரத் ஹெவி எலெக்ட்ரிகல்ஸ்
4.ஊட்டி கச்சா பிலிம் தொழிர்சாலை
5.ஆவடி கனரக வாகன தொழிற்சாலை
6.கல்பாக்கம் அணுமின் நிலையம்
7.கிண்டி டெலிபிரின்டர் தொழிற்சாலை
8.சங்ககிரி துர்க்கம் சிமெண்ட் தொழிற்சாலை
9.மேட்டூர் காகிதத் தொழிற்சாலை
10.கிண்டி அறுவைச் சிகிச்சைக் கருவித்
தொழிற்சாலை
11.துப்பாக்கித் தொழிற்சாலை
12.நெய்வேலி நிலக்கரி சுரங்கம்
13.சேலம் இரும்பு உருக்காலை
14.பெரம்புர் ரயில்பெட்டித் தொழிற்சாலை
15.அரக்கோணம் இலகுரக ஸ்டீல் ப்லான்ட்
தொழிற்சாலை
16.சமய நல்லூர் அனல்மின் நிலையம்
17.சென்னை அனல்மின் நிலையம்
18.நீலகிரி கச்சாபிலிம் தொழிற்சாலை
இவை மட்டுமா?
மணிமுத்தாறு , ஆரணியாறு, சாத்தனூர், அமராவதி, கிருஷ்ணகிரி, வீடூர், வைகை, காவிரி டெல்டா, நெய்யாறு, மேட்டூர், பரம்பிக்குளம், புள்ளம்பாடி, கீழ்பவானி என்று இன்றைக்கும் விவசாயிகள் பெரும்பங்கு நம்பிக்கொண்டிருக்கும் பாசனத்திட்டங்கள் காமராஜ் உருவாக்கியவை!

அவர் ஆட்சி ஏற்றபோது தமிழகத்தில் இருந்தது 3 சர்க்கரைத் தொழிற்சாலைகள். அவர் ஆட்சி விட்டு இறங்கிய போது 14. 

159 நூல் நூற்பு ஆலைகள், 4 சைக்கிள் தொழிற்சாலைகள்,  6 உரத் தொழிற்சாலைகள், 21 தோல் பதனிடும் தொழிற்சாலைகள், 2 சோடா உற்பத்தித் தொழிர்சாலைகள், ரப்பர் தொழிற்சாலை
காகிதத் தொழிற்சாலை, அலுமினிய உற்பத்தித் தொழிற்சாலை, கிண்டி,விருதுநகர்,அம்பத்தூர், ராணிப்பேட்டை, மதுரை,மார்த்தாண்டம், ஈரோடு,காட்பாடி, தஞ்சாவூர்,திருச்சி...என்று.
தமிழகத்தில் 20 தொழிற்பேட்டைகள் உருவாக்கினார்.

மனசாட்சியோடு கொஞ்சம் சிந்தித்துப் பாருங்கள் தோழர்களே...! காமராஜ் ஆட்சி புரிந்தது 9
ஆண்டுகள்தான்..! (பட்டியலில் இன்னும் சில விடுபட் ள்ளன). அவர் 9 ஆண்டுகள் ஆட்சிக் காலத்தில் செய்த இந்தச் சாதனைகளில்.....இந்தியாவிலெயே தொழில்வளர்ச்சியில்
இரண்டாவதாகக் கொண்டு வந்த காமராஜர் செய்தது சாதனையா..? இல்லை
"இலவச"த்தின் பேரில் நம்மைப் பிச்சைக்காரர்களாக மாற்றி இருக்கும் இன்றைய தலைவர்களின் செய்கை சாதனையா..?

When I read this I feel so sad.......that we have become so insensitive that we do not recognise the difference between an administration with a long term vision, that will make all of us be self-dependent.......and an administration that has plans only to make us all dependent on someone always.....and make us all self-centred. 

Atleast we can stop fooling us....that our 'leaders' are doing their best..........We need not blame anyone for not being a visionary. But at least can't we realize that there is something called a 'vision', which is not there at all now....and all what is there is lots of laziness which always pushes us to seek everthing for free.....We are so happy with the free TV, mixie, fans and laptops.....How shameless we are! 

Do we even realize where are we heading towards? 

And for all those people who want to tell me that, "It is easy to sit and talk or blog, it is easy to criticize others.....", I have only one thing to say....... realizing that there is a crisis is the first step to even make attempts to solve it. If  we just fool around saying everthing is alright, I don't think we can ever see light......!

The movie on Kamaraj that was released in 2004 is really very touching...depicting his life..If interested, watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9RORemfBBk

This great leader, it seems, just had Rs.12/- when he died......Why talk about comparing him with today's politicians. Can anyone even stand near him???

வலிமையும் எளிமையும் சேர்ந்த ஒரு மாமனிதர்!

The fury of Mother Nature.....

(Please click on this picture to read the content clearly.)
This was just one of another shared messages in facebook. I also shared it on my FB wall. That was the very least I could do. When I saw this little girl, my heart asked me "Do I have the capacity to support a girl child in my life?" My brain was crammed with lot of questions and thoughts. For a moment, it was very disturbing. But when I read some of the comments for this picture, it was little comforting....there were atleast 3 people willing to adopt this girl and were asking for the contact phone numbers to take further action regarding the same. My salutes to those great souls....

May God bless the little one with a better life!

This is just one glimpse of the fury of Mother Nature. A lot more are out there.......
I am not at all eligible to help any of them in any ways. But, this incidence only set me into one thought. What if this happens to me? If I end up with no home, 'no one' to possess me....At that time what will help me out...? Will my educational qualification help me? Will the money that I have earned help me? Will the post I hold in an office help me? I am stumped with no answers!

The law of garbage truck

I have just copied and pasted a forwarded message! Although it is not original., I thought today is the right time to put it in my blog.
Here read it..

The law of garbage truck!
How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood ???? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly one can get back their focus on what's important.
David J. Pollay explains his story in this way....

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean...he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the
Garbage Truck."
"?Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage,full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them,they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did."

I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over
me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore."
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. Love the people
who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that
everything happens for a reason. Never let the garbage truck run over."

Reading this did help me realize, I should not take garbage!