Musings Own Thoughts

The verdict is out. The people of Gujarat have chosen their leader. While I beleive that in a democratic set up the verdict of the people obtained by fair means is to be respected.  An important distinction has to be made here and I want to draw the readers  attention to it. This victory cannot and does not absolve Modi of the crimes he and  his cohorts have commited against a large section of the muslim population  euphemistically called the minorities. State terrorism is a bigger crime than religious  terrorism. Those of us who complacently stand by with a"not in my backyard" attitude must remember that unless civil society resists and opposes the communal politics of  hatred which Modi and his ilk stand for they too may some day become  victims of state terror. The Congress party has failed the people by not opposing Modi's ideology.  I am certainly not of the view that the Congress erred by calling a spade a spade ie. calling Modi a merchant of death. In fact the apol

The events in Nandigram in West Bengal over the last few days and the issue as a whole is the focus of my post today. The evidence is damning and the double standards and hypocrisy of the CPM stands thoroughly exposed. To terrorize a population of an area in which people were merely demanding to be left alone and allowed to live their own lives in the way they have done so is totally undemocratic. The CPM is not guilty of merely terrorizing the people but has killed looted and burnt down the dwellings of the people it was supposed to protect. This is being done to make way for Special Economic Zones for corporates and their rich clients. It is not that the land under question is a barren arid desert land. By all accounts Nandigram is a green and fertile agricultural zone. The CPM which swears by the common man and socialistic ideals all over the country are unable to apply the same yardstick to their show piece Government of West Bengal. The CM the so called wise Buddha has the gall to

The nuclear deal negotiated by the Indian Government with the US has become a bone of contention among the proponents and the opponents of the deal. In this game the stakes have reached sky high and the very survival of the UPA government is now dependent on this issue. Where does the common man or " Aam Aadmi " come in on this issue? To my mind this is a battle between idealism and pragmatism. While I do not believe that our PM is a traitor or a stooge of the US, I do believe that the policies of this UPA government have not been in accord with the welfare of the poor. Debating specifically on the nuclear deal I feel a nation wedded to the ideals of non-violence and renunciation does not need weapons of mass destruction. India has not waged a war in its history and we don't need a bomb. We have enough for deterrence even taking a pragmatic view. Today corporate India has hijacked the development debate in the corridors of power. Providing cheap power to sustain our 8.

An Eye for an Eye Makes the World Blind Although the above statement is an evident truth and therefore must not be desirable, the saga of the Mumbai bomb blast trial is an endorsement of this philosophy. Where do we begin and where do we end? Some may say Babri Masjid demolition, some the December riots, some the January riots. In all the hype of the media over one man we forget that the issues involved are far more complex. In an imperfect society we are both victims and perpetrators of heinous crimes against our own brethren. According to me we have all failed in our duties. While civil society to tackle the menace of terrorism, must have legal mechanisms, they should be humane and such that we see a decline in terrorism. The intransigence of the fundamentalist leadership of the Muslim community over a virtual non-issue of the origin of a piece of land enabled the right wing Hindu leadership to polarize opinions. The Babri Masjid a defunct unused mosque became a live iss

The Theory of Natural hygiene is the basis of the diet cycles in Ayurveda or the ancient science of medicine. We need to ingest, excrete and assimilate what we eat and drink. Therefore we divide the day into three eight hour cycles for the same. Excretion or detoxification is the key to good health. This starts occurring from 4am to 12 noon. Therefore in this period it is mandatory on our part to consume foods which are easily digested and put no or minimal strain on the digestive system and at the same time make us alert and energetic for the day to begin. This is best done by fruits and fruit juices alone. Fruits consumed on an empty stomach get digested and emptied from the stomach in less than half an hour and give instant energy and alertness to the body. From 12 noon to sunset is the time for ingestion. A meal containing raw vegetable juice, raw salad, sprouted salad and steamed vegetables is an ideal combination. In the evening a repeat dose of fruits along with raw unsalted nu

Yoga & Orthopedics By Dr. Vispi Jokhi M.S. Orthopedics I would like to share with the reader my journey in the field of Yoga, which began eight years ago and will continue till my innings on earth is over. Yoga or union of mind, body and soul is truly India's gift to the world and today the sad fact is that we seem to be importing Yoga back from the West rather than exporting it. As an Orthopedic Surgeon, physical fitness was certainly high on my priority list, however the hectic life of Mumbai made me look for quick fix solutions. Gymnasiums, free hand exercises, brisk walks, swimming all came into my life, but with limited results. Often they became workouts, which left me tired instead of raising my energy levels. My scripture reading gave me an idea about the ancient system of Hatha Yoga of Patanjali and about the importance of all the eight limbs of Yoga. But my "scientific mind" in its arrogance was under the impression that Yoga was merely a series of contor

Viveka or Discrimination The most natural thing that we do as soon as we meet a person or a situation in life is form an opinion based on our past experience. This is what we call being judgmental. Is Viveka or discrimination the same as judging or different? It is actually a judgment with a difference. The homo sapiens are blessed with the faculty of discrimination which gives him the power to choose between right and wrong, good and evil. This is the ability to react to sensory stimuli and act to choose what may not seem pleasant in the short term but which leads long term joy. It is correct use or abuse of this faculty which enables him to reach the sublime heights of divinity or plunge into the depths of despair. Most of us live in this world superficially as slaves to our senses and fail to look at ourselves and persons around us as manifestations of the divinity which pervades each and every object. That is the reason why we have connotations like fair, tall, elegant, s

Responsible Actions by Dr Vispi Jokhi By Dr. Vispi Jokhi August 25, 2006 In the humdrum of daily life we do many things, which seem trivial, innocuous and insignificant but adding them up they can have a Force Multiplier effect. I have no claims to be a preacher but in the spirit of karmayog I try to make every decision on the basis of three questions. Is my action ethical? By this I mean is it morally correct? Is it a truthful, non-violent, unselfish act? Is my action ecological? My action must be least harmful to mother earth. In fact it should conserve mother earth. Is my action empowering? All the changes I bring into my life must enable me enhance me spiritually and take me on the path to freedom. Quoting the first verse of the Isha Upanishad: The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of All. The Lord is the Supreme reality. Rejoice in Him through renunciation. Covet nothing, All belongs to the Lord. Thus working you can live a hundred