Into the month of March and as the World Cup action picks up with Ireland's upset of England a few days back and South Africa again going "chokers" to cave-in to a 6 run defeat against England today while chasing a small total of 171, a few important news might just be missed during the news scan. Today I want to highlight another courageous act of defiance and truth plus a technological progress by the Nation thanks to the DRDO.
DRDO successfully fired a Missile Interceptor and achieved desired results off the coast of Orissa. A variant of the Prithvi II was intercepted successfully by the interceptor which was fired 5 minutes after the target missile. This test bolsters the nation's defence capabilities and is a shot in the arm for building a shield against foreign threats.
Now speaking of interceptors, one brave interceptor lost his life on March 2, 2011 in Jharkhand.
An Activist named Niyamat Ansari, who worked for the NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) Implementation was beaten to death in Jharkhand's Latehar district. The NREGS was recently mentioned in the Union Budget a few days back. (a damp attempt by the FM, according to me!) Under the scheme, huge sums of money are allocated for appointing the rural population some job for their daily bread and butter. But as we have seen in most schemes or plans by this Government, they are merely masks to divert money to the coffers of their own ministers; the same had happened when houses worth crores were sanctioned for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits but none came their way. With rising population and the resource crunch, the poor get desperate by the day for their basic needs and hence the importance of proper execution of such schemes. The NREGS funds have been swindled throughout its incorporation and the same phenomena was exposed by Niyamat Ansari and his colleagues. As has been the case in the past few years, RTI activists and whistle-blowers of corruption have been targeted by the mafia-minister-corporate nexus working for their vested interests; may that be the murder of Yogendra Pandey in Bihar over the construction dispute or that of Add. Dist. Collector Yashwant Sonavane over the kerosene-petrol adulteration in Maharashtra or Amit Jethwa's murder in Gujarat and many more. Upright men of high principles and honour are always a cause of worry for the evil forces at work. Niyamat Ansari had been at the receiving end of many death threats and yet had been unrelenting in his crusade against the false implementation of the NREGS and the stealth of funds. Finally, he had to pay with his life but like those before him and many more to follow, he has been immortalized in the nation's struggle for a better tomorrow by his great sacrifice and perseverance even in the hour of pain and death. As always, I salute the sacrifice and re-iterate that this murder is not a deterrent but an inspiration for me.
Speaking of troubles, pain and anguish, there is a nice tale to share (courtesy globalmarathi.com) --
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as when one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots, pulled out the eggs, ladled out the coffee and placed each in a separate bowl. Then, turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.' 'Carrots, Eggs and Coffee.' the daughter replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hardboiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she experienced its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?' Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. 'Which of them are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?' Think of this: What am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside I am bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Great Story, right? It is said that the tough get going when the going gets tough. In this state of adversity, when right men; when people who work for the greater cause and oppose the selfish bastards are harassed or killed left, right and centre; what do we choose? We choose to wilt away and die being intimidated and afraid of the perils before us or do we choose to stand up to live? Do we go "chokers" or do we rise up to the pressure and the tough situation and fight it out till the very end irrespective whether anyone joins us or not ?
"Character is tested not when everything is going right but when everything has gone awfully wrong."
Anonymous
I believe that a man is known not by the money, position and power he wields but by what he chooses to leave behind - it is the Legacy of an individual which defines him and his character. The few men mentioned above have shown theirs; what is the Legacy we choose to leave behind - a pathetic, depleting and sinking nation waiting to be obliterated or a nation of great power, tremendous excellence and a stamped authority on justice ?
Jai Hind!
DRDO successfully fired a Missile Interceptor and achieved desired results off the coast of Orissa. A variant of the Prithvi II was intercepted successfully by the interceptor which was fired 5 minutes after the target missile. This test bolsters the nation's defence capabilities and is a shot in the arm for building a shield against foreign threats.
Now speaking of interceptors, one brave interceptor lost his life on March 2, 2011 in Jharkhand.
An Activist named Niyamat Ansari, who worked for the NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) Implementation was beaten to death in Jharkhand's Latehar district. The NREGS was recently mentioned in the Union Budget a few days back. (a damp attempt by the FM, according to me!) Under the scheme, huge sums of money are allocated for appointing the rural population some job for their daily bread and butter. But as we have seen in most schemes or plans by this Government, they are merely masks to divert money to the coffers of their own ministers; the same had happened when houses worth crores were sanctioned for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits but none came their way. With rising population and the resource crunch, the poor get desperate by the day for their basic needs and hence the importance of proper execution of such schemes. The NREGS funds have been swindled throughout its incorporation and the same phenomena was exposed by Niyamat Ansari and his colleagues. As has been the case in the past few years, RTI activists and whistle-blowers of corruption have been targeted by the mafia-minister-corporate nexus working for their vested interests; may that be the murder of Yogendra Pandey in Bihar over the construction dispute or that of Add. Dist. Collector Yashwant Sonavane over the kerosene-petrol adulteration in Maharashtra or Amit Jethwa's murder in Gujarat and many more. Upright men of high principles and honour are always a cause of worry for the evil forces at work. Niyamat Ansari had been at the receiving end of many death threats and yet had been unrelenting in his crusade against the false implementation of the NREGS and the stealth of funds. Finally, he had to pay with his life but like those before him and many more to follow, he has been immortalized in the nation's struggle for a better tomorrow by his great sacrifice and perseverance even in the hour of pain and death. As always, I salute the sacrifice and re-iterate that this murder is not a deterrent but an inspiration for me.
Speaking of troubles, pain and anguish, there is a nice tale to share (courtesy globalmarathi.com) --
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as when one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots, pulled out the eggs, ladled out the coffee and placed each in a separate bowl. Then, turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.' 'Carrots, Eggs and Coffee.' the daughter replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hardboiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she experienced its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?' Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. 'Which of them are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?' Think of this: What am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside I am bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Great Story, right? It is said that the tough get going when the going gets tough. In this state of adversity, when right men; when people who work for the greater cause and oppose the selfish bastards are harassed or killed left, right and centre; what do we choose? We choose to wilt away and die being intimidated and afraid of the perils before us or do we choose to stand up to live? Do we go "chokers" or do we rise up to the pressure and the tough situation and fight it out till the very end irrespective whether anyone joins us or not ?
"Character is tested not when everything is going right but when everything has gone awfully wrong."
Anonymous
I believe that a man is known not by the money, position and power he wields but by what he chooses to leave behind - it is the Legacy of an individual which defines him and his character. The few men mentioned above have shown theirs; what is the Legacy we choose to leave behind - a pathetic, depleting and sinking nation waiting to be obliterated or a nation of great power, tremendous excellence and a stamped authority on justice ?
Jai Hind!
2 comments:
Very appropriate example in that story of carrot,egg & coffee. There are so many people doing so much of good work.We need to bring them together and increase their & thereby our National strength.
JUST THE WONDERFUL STORY....JUST THE WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN THINGS....JUST THE WONDERFUL TIME TO STEP UP AND FIGHT AGAINST THINGS AROUND...
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