Visits to Jails !!!

Visit to Jails !

How many of us had been to  a jail ? I mean as a visitor only !  The chances are very  rare  for a common person .  But  I was in  a prison in Pune  at the age 19 ! Not as a juvenile criminal  ; but as a student  on a pilgrimage ! How come a pilgrim visits a prison?  The pilgrimage was a Gandhian one , visiting all places associated with Mahatma.  Gandhiji  was imprisoned  several years in the famous prison , Yerawada  Central Jail . Netaji  Subhas Chandra Bose, Bala Gangadhar Tilak  and  Jawaharlal Nehru were also served their jail term  there during the  freedom movement. The Yerawada Central Jail was famous because of its importance during freedom struggle.  Few of the freedom fighters  cells were kept as a monument  inside the jail premises.

Along with 25 other  college students, all over from Tamilnadu , a true Gandhian , freedom fighter and Tamra Patra holder, Mr.V.R.Radhakrishnan ( Sorry to say that he is not with us now ) took us on a Gandhian Pilgrimage during Sept.-Oct.1971 to many places including  Aga Khan Palace in Pune  , Mahatma’s birth place in Porbandar and  Wardha Ashram of Acharya Vinobha Bave ,

So I had an opportunity to visit Yerawada Prison in Pune.

Ajmal Kasab was hanged and buried in Yerawada Prison  in Nov.2012. Anna Hazare , a noted Social Worker and Magsaysay Awardee, was kept behind the bars in Yeravada  during  Sep.1998 and film actor Sanjay Dutt  was kept  in the same prison  during Aug.2007.

My second visit to another jail was Central Jail, Madras , built in 1837 during British period. But this visit was after the prison has been shifted to a newly built prison in Puzhal, away from city. and the old one was about to be demolished. It came in the news paper that public are allowed to visit  Central Jail, Madras, before demolition. Hundreds of visitors thronged into the 152 year old building . It has also a historical link as  Netaji was once kept inside during pre-independence period  and post independence inmates were many political prisoners of Tamil Nadu , for brief periods including LTTE Supremo Prbhakaran.  I am one among the crowd to have a  first and last glimpse of “A PRISON” ! Apart from all the cells , the hanging platform with  the scaffoldings  was a moving site . Now a new six story building for Madras Medical College was built on the same land. Shared few photos  of the old prison taken when it was opened to public.

Central Prison , madras Built in 1837

Entrance to the Prison

Common cell  bed 

Condemned prisoner's block

Political prisoner's block

Two tier cells

Individual cell

Toilet inside the cell

Hanging Platform with scaffolds 

Inmates paitning

De-adiction centre

Small temple and Mada church 

The temple and church inside the prison gives us a message that whatever punishment we get for the crime committed and after serving it , to come out and live a normal life  , the only approach is to pray God. 

No one will think of a crime to go to prison.  But there is a PRISON above  called ‘hell’ for our crimes, done knowingly or unknowingly . But to get away from such crimes in this Kali Yuga, let us chant Hare Krishna Maha Mantra to attain the abode of Lord Krishna when we 

leave our physical body.

Hare Krishna.

How Many Years Do You Want To Live HAPPILY ?

How  Many Years  Do You Want To Live HAPPILY ?

The normal  HUMAN  years is supposed to be 100 years.

The normal life of the LIBERATED SOUL  in MOKSHA is  100 Divine Years ( = 311,040 thousand million years )

Calculated thus :

1 Divine Day = 8,640 million years ( including nights )

1 Divine Year = 12 X 30 = 360 Divine Days

                         = 360 X 8,640 million years

100 Divine Years  = 36,000 X 8,640 million years

                               = 311,040 thousand million years

Therefore, the liberated soul may live in Bliss for 311,040 trillion years.

The above calculations, based on the famous book of Surya Siddhant / Jyotish Shastra, are considered to be the most authentic and correct in the Vedic Hindu Philosophy.

So,  CHANT HARE KRISHNA & BE HAPPY  and be assured of living in MOKSHA for 311,040 trillion years as a liberated soul in the ABODE of SRI KRISHNA, Goloka Vrindavan.

Chanting of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra cleans  our body mind and soul and prepares  our self to attain Moksha, when our  soul liberates  the physical body,  to enjoy the 'spiritual bliss' at the feet of Lord Krishna for 311,040 trillion years.

Courtesy : Hindu Tenets – J Agarwal 

Post Retirement Life - A Recap of The Past 90 Days

Post Retirement Life  - A Recap of  the past 90 days

I do not know whether this period is a long one or short. But sure of it, a quarter of a year is over from the dawn of New Year 2014. Still I remember the last day of my service, wishing everyone of my colleagues  ‘ A Very Happy New Year ‘ and bid a long lasting goodbye to all , without a plan of future, to be true. This is because , it was already 42 years  since the start of my career at the age of 19 , and  more keenly interested to fulfill the missed obligations in social and spiritual life. There is a time for everything  and  it has come to me to start a fresh retired life. I read a book titled “  THE JOY OF NOT WORKING “by Ernie J. Zelinski  , just before my official retirement in  December 2010, but I cannot go by that because of my continuous consultancy job till December 2013.

In fact my ex.Boss  liked the tile, when he heard about that book through me , and expressed his liking to read, as he is an ardent reader. I gave him a copy , just for him , got through my daughter, living on the other side of  the globe.

So the year 2014 started for me to chart out visits to  temples not visited at all or visited long time back. Happily started with a visit to our family deity , Sri Veera Raghava Swamy temple at Thiruvallur. My wife also took a retirement from her teaching job to physically challenged kids at Guild Of Service, to take care of me. Both  of my married children are away in upcountry for career growth and better living . It is good that they have a future plan.

The month of January 2014, almost every alternate day , there  was some engagement and February , having lesser days, gone fast with many visits to missed out family and  friends and by attending some festivals. March marched fast and soon the quarter of this year is over!

I should mention here that many of my ex.colleagues  talked to me frequently in January and steadily few calls in February and least calls in March.  Few of them visited my place and shared their feelings on  missing me. In this busy world talking is less and chatting through social media is more.

On the contrary, I started getting calls from my old colleagues of previous companies and it is getting strong day by day. I was wondering , WHY and HOW and for WHAT , it is happening like this, to me.  Does it mean ‘ world is small ‘ or  due to ‘ the cycle of life ‘ .  But no hard feelings on anyone who do not keep in touch with me . I am matured enough in understanding the facts of life and the fast life of people around us.

The social media network  helped me much during the last 90 days to get in touch with all friends, wishing their birthdays ( thanks for it’s  timely reminders ) , putting ‘like’ to any interesting posting of them and also critically comment, if I do not like some.

My son-in-law , devotee of Lord Krishna , explained me well on ,  the feeling of missing  family members and friends , close to us ,  by quoting  from Bagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavata Puranam.

This is another indication that destiny teaches us that despite all our endeavors to be close with family and friends, in Kali yuga, it has been predicted in Srimad Bhagavata puranam that family members although family cannot live close to one another. This is the nature of Kali yuga. This is material nature.

So material nature which is acting through Krishna is teaching us to not depend on family for support but actually repose our yearning and love for the individual who will never disappoint us at any time and shastra/sadhus says that individual is Paramatma Krishna. I hope as you get old you also will realize this more and more. As the body and mind will fail, our near and dear ones although may be right next to us will not appease our ailing heart. Only Krishna can appease at that moment. That is the reason in our Indian culture, once upon a time (not anymore though) that serving God and living close to God was inherent part of our daily life. Today it is just a sentimental ritual with no deeper purpose and hence people discriminate, quarrel and fight in the name of God.

So while you are far away from your children, you can also take this as an opportunity to understand that Krishna is teaching you and showing you how all of earthly relationships are temporary and that only HE (Krishna) will be there forever and so our purpose therefore is to spend time trying to know that elusive Krishna while we are still hail and healthy.

Regarding retired life, it is always better to keep busy by certain activities and balance your spiritual aspirations more with your daily life. 

 It is a self realization for me. I do not know about others acceptance on this fact and not necessarily need to be accepted by all ,  but I do accept it and look forward  to balance spiritual and personal life.

Books are a medium to transport us to another world. To anyone else, they may look like pages full of dull print, but to me, they open a door to a wondrous world of magic, mystery, wild imagination, legendary icons and ordinary heroes, adventure, love... all created through a fantastic interplay of words.

I love reading books of my interest. A big list of categories to my taste includes , Ancient Egypt, World War I & II , Poems , All about Pyramids, Krishna Consciousness , Other Reigions , Management , Fiction of selective authors , Classics , Self Improvement , Books on Gandhiji  and the list goes on in  my collections of my personal Library!

They are my best companions and now I could spend more time in reading and writing. As the Time Machine keeps clicking , I wish to spend it usefully. Music carries my to another world , when it is dark and silent. I too love music and my love towards that was blogged already in my post.

My Library

My Studio

My Collections

My Guide

So, I am looking forward to spend time wisely  and enjoy the LIFE given by Almighty , true to HIS  guidance.

My Pooja Altar  and Study

Chant Hare Krishna and Be Happy.

International Women's Day - March 8th - A Blog post for Career Women

International Women's Day - A blog post for Career Women 

Whether you're searching for a new job, are interested in a career change or just want to reinvigorate your professional life, having guidance is essential. 

To find out the best way to achieve a work-life balance, how to make an opportunity out of a setback, and more,  these practical and inspirational words of wisdom from successful women may help the career women to a larger extent.

Before that the  few or many of the following questions , often or occasionally, might be lingering in each career women’s mind !

1   What advice would you give women who are considering a new career?
       

     What's the most important thing to remember when it comes to your personal life? 

     

     How did you overcome your biggest career hurdle?

     How do you think a woman can successfully balance her career and personal life?

     What's the key to a successful career?

     What got you through tough times at work?

     What’s the biggest career mistake you’ve made?

     How can someone achieve long-term success in his or her career?

     What’s essential for having a successful career?

     What's the best way to stay focused at work?

     How can you have a successful personal life?

     How can being a woman help in terms of a career?

  

T  What do you attribute your success?

    What's the key to reaching your goals?

    If you could change anything about your career path or life, what would it be? 

So, please start answering yourself for each one of the above and compare with the answers of few Successful Women , who shared their views based on their own experience. In today’s world of competition and individual pride , it is difficult to get a free advice . Of course we can read from the books and articles published online. Share with your close career women folks , these questions for which you seek an answer to compare with your life style  and decide to change wherever necessary to proceed in a better path to achieve your career and personal goals.

Now let us go to the answers we got from successful career women for each one in the same order.

1     What advice would you give women who are considering a new career? 

Learn as much as you can about your chosen field from every perspective. Take on jobs or responsibilities that you're not crazy about so you can learn. The more well-rounded you are in your field, the more effective you will be at work and the more attractive you will be to prospective employers. Also, as an employer and leader, I am most interested in the results people produce rather than whether they're working long hours.

- Anne Lynam Goddard

                                                                                                                                       

2     What's the most important thing to remember when it comes to your personal life?

I have the belief that difficult times pass sooner or later. I believe in focusing on a positive future outcome. On my office computer I have a quote from Albert Camus that says: “In the depth of winter, I found in me an invincible summer.”

-Sepi Asefnia

  How did you overcome your biggest career hurdle?

I once got a new boss whom I perceived had a not-so-positive impression of me that was hindering my career. So I asked him to be my mentor; he agreed and we met on a regular basis for three months. Through our discussions he got to know me much better, and when a promotional opportunity came up, he was my biggest advocate and I got the job.

-Anne Lynam Goddard

   How do you think a woman can successfully balance her career and personal life?

My best advice is, don’t forget about “me” time. Schedule a window of time for yourself, like any other appointment, if you have to. In the end, taking personal time will make you more productive at work.

-Suzi Weiss-Fischmann
 

5     What's the key to a successful career? 

Always remember that hard work is necessary to achieve your biggest dreams. Your social life will suffer at intervals, but remember your goals and know that this is part of the journey toward achieving your dreams. When I was finishing a Newsweek cover story about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, I was nine months pregnant and often thought about napping rather than returning to my computer! But I focused on the mission and I kept working.

- Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
 

6      What got you through tough times at work? 

I tell myself, "I'm not a successful woman engineer; I'm a successful engineer who is also a woman." There's a big difference. Knowing what you are working toward and keeping in mind the big picture when things get tough or complicated is essential.

- Lenise Bent

7      What’s the biggest career mistake you’ve made? 

Believing that performance mattered more than relationships with people. It’s critical in hiring to be sure that individuals are a cultural and motivational fit to the organization. It’s all about the people.

- Karen Dee
 

8     How can someone achieve long-term success in his or her career?

If anyone, male or female, is passionate about a certain field, he or she will do whatever it takes to make it a career. If you are doing it to get thanks, you are doing it for the wrong reasons. Do something because you love it, not for recognition.

- Lenise Bent

9     What’s essential for having a successful career?

If you are not a whole person––a happy and content person––then your career does not matter. Respect your personal life; take time for it and don't feel that you are detracting from your efforts at work by doing so. The more joy you have in your private life, the better your performance will be at work.

- Sepi Asefnia
 

1    What's the best way to stay focused at work?

Always compete with yourself, not the competition. If you’re constantly using other people as the yardstick to measure your success, you’re not putting your energy and passion where it belongs. You’re the only person who can determine how successful you will be.

- Jan Marini
 

1    How can you have a successful personal life?

Give it the respect you give to your business. If you want to be successful and joyful in your personal relationships, communicate, generously give recognition, inspire, motivate and love fiercely and with all your heart. When I am working, I am intensely focused and in the moment. When I am with my husband, I am just as intensely focused on him and enriching our relationship. 

- Jan Marini
 

1    How can being a woman help in terms of a career?

It’s said the pay gap is now closing for women, but there’s still a pay divide. That said, women are being hired at a faster rate than men right now. I think in the recovery economy, women have tremendous opportunity to flex their career muscle. By being the less expensive option, you can go for a job that pushes you ahead—and use the pay gap as an advantage over the “pricier” guy colleague.

- Michelle Edelman
 

1    To what do you attribute your success?

Even in my field, which is replete with creative women, it’s rare to find a woman in management. There’s no way I would be if I didn’t have tremendous support from my husband. Most women, even though qualified to rise in companies, don’t because they really can’t organize their lives to support that rise. 

- Michelle Edelman
 

1   What's the key to reaching your goals?

Keeping my final goal in mind and establishing personal timelines: What do I want to achieve and by when? Am I willing to go through the necessary steps to get it done? It helps to write them down and break them into smaller goals and achievements to lead toward a greater end.

- Laura Torrado, DDS, FAGD
 

1    If you could change anything about your career path or life, what would it be?

I would change the motto that "the client is always right." This is not true. Trying to please everybody can be a futile exercise in business and in your personal life. In the end you won't have the results you were hoping for. To compromise for the sake of compromise really leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth. Define who you are and what you want to achieve and stick to it. Always be yourself.

- Laura Torrado, DDS, FAGD
 

Courtesy :  Woman’s Day  - WD’s Career Guide  Career Advice from Successful Women

Anne Lynam Goddard
President and CEO of ChildFund International, a global child development organization dedicated to helping children in poverty thrive and bring positive change to their communities

Sepi Asefnia
President of SEPI Engineering, a North Carolina–based civil engineering firm

Suzi Weiss-Fischmann
Executive VP & artistic director of OPI nail products

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Deputy director of the Council on Foreign Relations' Women and Foreign Policy program, and author of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana

Lenise Bent
DreamWorks sound engineer and instructor at SAE Institute, Los Angeles, which provides education for careers in the recording and post-production industries

Karen Dee
President and CEO of Fifth Third Bank (Central Florida affiliate)

Jan Marini
President and CEO of skincare company Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc.

Michelle Edelman
President of Solana Beach, California, advertising agency NYCA.

Laura Torrado, DDS, FAGD
Dentist with her own Manhattan practice who has been donating dental reconstruction work to victims of domestic violence, hate crimes and poor healthcare for eight years