LOK PAL BILL DRAFTING COMMITTE = ARRESTING SMEAR CAMPAIGN = WHAT PRIME MINISTER CAN DO = WHAT CIVIL SOCIETY MUST DO

LOK PAL BILL DRAFTING COMMITTEE

SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST

MEMBERS FROM CIVIL SOCIETY SIDE

Why could we not pass the Lok Pal Bill in last 42 years?

It is said, that the first Lokpal Bill was passed in the 4th Lok Sabha in 1969 but it could not get through in Rajya Sabha; subsequently, Lokpal bills were introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and in 2008, yet they were never passed and its pending.

Some body is definitely interested in introducing. But, some body is  definitely interested in stalling. So, it could not be passed.

But, who is interested in stalling the Bill – and why?

Now, there is a momentum from Government side and from civil side both, to draft the bill and get it passed in Parliament this year itself.

But, some people here and there are obviously and definitely interested in carrying on a smear campaign against the civil society members and other “fighters against Corruption” and see that the drafting of a strong Lok pal bill will not fructify – before the deadline or even after that.

Now, they want to find at least some small charge against all crusaders of corruption!! Even if it relates to periods long ago.

The main question therefore is – W H Y   EXACTLY   N O W  ??

I tell them - My dear Sirs, you won’t gain any thing if you win – in proving X or Y from the civil society or some one fighting corruption to have been corrupt in some sense in a small way at some long time in the past.

But, the whole country will lose – forever. What could not be passed for 42 years will remain without being passed for next 42 years too.

Yes, Sir. No one in India can perhaps be 100 percent free from all corruption. May be, you can prove it also against most Indians.

I am not denigrating my fellow Indians in this. We, the 99.9% of Indians want to be honest. But, the moment I step into the street, just to protect myself, feed my self, do the smallest things for my family, I have to indulge in corruption today, in our great Country. Don’t you see that at all? And sir, do you want that to continue in India, forever?

There is a stinking atmosphere of corruption all around us today – and therefore the civil society members have come forward to fight this in some way through the Lok pal Bill.

There are many, many others also fighting corruption, as Individuals, in their own small way, all over India. Don’t we see that many RTI activists are even getting killed – merely for seeking information about corrupt people and guilty people? And, what is India doing about them?

I therefore very strongly appeal to every one – stop all of your smear campaigns against ALL LOK PAL BILL DRAFTING COMMITTEE MEMBERS – FROM CIVIL SOCIETY SIDE, AND GOVERNMENT SIDE – and support the Bill whole heartedly and ensure that it becomes a reality. If you have any real problems against any member – fight your private battles later, after the Bill becomes a reality.

But, all the same – I know that, some one or other will be attacking all the active members fighting corruption on some ground or other – because, that was how, Lok pal bill could not become a reality for so long.

Therefore, I am making the following proposal /appeal to ensure that a strong LOK PAL BILL becomes a reality in India.

AN APPEAL TO

THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

I appeal to the Prime Minister of India, Shri Manmohan Singh, in whom I do have immense confidence, to confer the status of Cabinet Ministers on the Drafting committee members, till the Bill is drafted, introduced in Parliament, argued in Parliament and approved finally and made into a Bill. This is essential to confer on them some immunity from any Petty cases that the smear campaigners may try to lodge against them for their ulterior reasons.

MY FIRST APPEAL TO

CIVIL SOCIETY MEMBERS

My First appeal to you is – Kindly support vigorously my above appeal to the prime minister, so that your  aim, my aim, many others’ aim about the success of Lok Pal Bill becomes a reality.

I request every reader of this Blog Post to convey this with their strong support -  to the Civil society activists and drafting committee members and those in the Government.

MY SECOND APPEAL TO

CIVIL SOCIETY MEMBERS

Today I saw, Swami Agniveshji saying some thing like this that – we did not level similar charges against the Government members in the committee (and probably retaliate thereby – which seems to be the implication).

I do welcome this statement, and say that you need not and should not retaliate against government members of the committee, who are reasonably clean.

But, please find a way to fight the smear campaigners - as a unified campaign. You, I and all of us  must protect all of us  from the smear campaigners.

You can’t leave the Bhushans or Anna Hazare or Santosh Hegde or any other fighter against Corruption to fight lone battles, even assuming some small mistakes by any of them. 

If We Don’t Protect the 

“Fighters Against Corruption”,

Their will be no 

“Fight Against Corruption”

The whole of India needs to remember this – and Act.

Arise, Awake, and stop not – till the goal is reached ! (Swami Vivekananda)

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EARTH DAY 2011 = 22ND, APRIL, 2011 = EARTH IS IN NO DANGER, BELIEVE ME = BUT, WE ARE = LET'S DO SOMETHING TODAY

Earth Day

2011

22^nd,April, 2011 (Yesterday) is EARTH DAY.

Wikipedia says – “Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator from Wisconsin, called for an environmental teach-in, or Earth Day, to be held on April 22, 1970. Over 20 million people participated that year…”

From then on – we are celebrating Earth day every year on April,22^nd.

But…let us face the Facts a little more frankly.

The earth is not in any danger. All that it ever had, it still has, and will continue to have, for ever.  Matter, the earth’s property, cannot be destroyed by us!

So, what is the problem?

Man is digging his own grave. That’s the problem.

By all sorts of myopic, short-sighted (repetition for emphasis please), self-destructive, unthoughtful, risky, dangerous, catastrophic acts of his own, primarily, - man is creating an environment in which it is difficult for him to live, survive and thrive.

The Cockroach may still survive. Man may not. That’s the problem.

Earth has no Problems. It just has to revolve round itself and round the sun, to get all the energy it needs. Believe me – it has absolutely no problems. It is doing what it should.

But, you and I, neither revolve around our-self, nor around the earth, moon and sun, the trio who guard us – and therefore, we are in problem.

And, there are different types of problems, which either –

(i)           we understand but ignore sheepishly, or,

(ii)          we understand only partially and therefore are still curiously looking into what could be a huge time bomb ,or,  

(iii)        we don’t even know at all.

For the last type – ignorance is a temporary bliss. When it comes, we will any way know.

For the second type – a problem remains a problem, until we understand and attack and solve it! We must be doing that. Why we are not doing it right now is – we are divided into nations, religions, regions, colors, races etc – and, we look at our problems through these lenses, which distort the whole earth picture horribly.

A fellow producing a dozen or more children never understands that he must also plant green vegetation for a hundred people to take care of his progeny and their progeny, even in the short term (by earth’s standards).

Those who are selling non-green technologies to other countries never understand that air, water and everything else, after all, will travel back to them any way, may be, a few hours or days later.

The river is a natural phenomenon and must flow. If we stop at where it just starts, after millions of years of flow, the rest of the river, which has bred huge civilizations is not going to keep quiet. It will hit back, in ways unknown to us, when we least expect it. Take loving care of the river and our brothers on the other aside of our region; the river and earth will also take loving care of us. Else, the river and earth will hit back in ways unknown to us.

I am not saying, don’t do this or that.. Understand its full impact on the earth, on the things around, on ecology, on you and your brothers down the line – and do in such a way, that the earth is happy with you. Your brothers and ecology must also be happy with you. At the moment, this realization is very rarely present.

One stark reality before us today is – man’s overwhelming ambition is eating away his long-term wisdom. His intelligence, the short term intelligence, is unquestionable. But, his long term wisdom is – highly questionable today.

And, there are things which we understand and yet ignore sheepishly. There were cities which were called green cities, garden cities, and so on  just a decade or two earlier also – but, there is no greenery there. We know it is wrong; yet we do it sheepishly.

As the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran awardee, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev says frequently – what you breathe out, the tree breathes in. What it breathes out, you breathe in. Your one lung is actually, physically there on the tree. Why are you cutting down one of your lungs?

If it is not sheepish and foolish, what else is it?

The Earth is not in any Danger.

You are. I am. Who amongst both of us is the culprit is immaterial. Both of us are in problem. The time bomb is ticking. Let us wake up.

Let us go out and plant a few trees in a hurry. There is really no time to lose.

Let us minimize the use of all plastics and go for bio-degradable products.

Let us go for harmless, long-lasting, green energies.

We have a tryst with the Earth – that we will ever live on earth; Either alive or dead; that is the choice.

Earth day 2012 is not far off – just one year ahead. Can each of us plant a few (say, ten !) trees, restrict human re-production to more manageable levels, ensure that river waters reach all people, and mother earth is pleased with us!

= yours

Vijayamohan. V

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GOOD FRIDAY = 22ND APRIL, 2011 = MESSAGE & GOOD WISHES TO ALL =

GOOD FRIDAY

22^nd,April,2011

Ø JESUS CHRIST was crucified on a Friday.

Ø It was followed later by his resurrection.

Ø And, that…  was followed by greater, deeper Faith in Christ – in the hearts of the people around him..

Ø Christ taught love, compassion and faith in God to all humanity.

Ø Therefore, the day of crucifixion is truly a Good Friday – for the humanity.

Ø Therefore, the whole world bows down before Christ today, and remembers him for all that he has taught.

Ø May this GOOD FIRDAY usher in an era of love, peace, friendship and progress  all around the world.

****  With Best  Wishes To  All ****

BUILDING NATIONAL CONSENSUS ON FIGHTING CORRUPTION = & ON LOK PAL BILL = ANNA HAZARE & FRIENDS MUST TAKE SUPPORT OF ALL = TO MAKE LOKPAL BILL A GOOD REAILITY

NATIONAL CONSENSUS on

FIGHTING CORRUPTION

IN INDIA

ANNA HAZARE, the veteran Gandhian, has done well to focus the attention of the Nation, on the issue of Corruption and the need for passing a stringent Lok Pal Bill. Thanks to his and his associates’ efforts – the Lok pal bill drafting committee is now functioning.

But, let us be very frank that – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has responded quite quickly and sufficiently to the demand of Anna Hazare and his supporters, for formation of the drafting committee including five civil activists and five central Ministers.

But, corruption in India is too Big a phenomenon and too wide spread to be tackled by Anna Hazare and his small band of followers. When I say, small – I specifically compare them with the large numbers of powerful people involved in corruption – and therefore bound to be against the crusade against corruption.

Some of the corrupt people have a Big, vested interest in its continuance and will find many methods of throwing mud on the civil activists and their members in the committee.

Look at how, the RTI Activists are being attacked in recent past, in many parts of India and even being killed. How much seriousness is there in protecting these RTI Activists who are involved in exposing the corrupt people and corruption – right now? Many of them are already serious fighters against corruption.

Are we all sensitive enough to this basic problem? The RTI act will become totally ineffective – if these attacks on the RTI Activists continue unabated. Likewise, if the attacks, even if only verbal, legal and judicial, on the civil activists and Lok Pal drafting committee members do not stop, there will be serious hurdles in finalizing the Lok Pal Bill draft. This much is already clear.

Where RTI Act cannot succeed, because of violence against RTI Activists, is it possible that Lok Pal Act , will succeed, even after it is passed, against even more powerful people? It requires lot more co-operation from all sections of non-corrupt people. Just a small number of civil activists ,whose interests also do not always coincide, cannot be effective enforcers of the Act. What they are unable to do against RTI Act, can they do against Lok Pal act?

We have seen that happening earlier too.

Many times, it takes the Supreme court to come to the rescue of the affected persons. Some of these times, I don’t say, thank God. I say, thank the Supreme Court!

But, the sad fact is – legislatures are failing to take note of all these and come up with appropriate legislations and administrative actions,  to protect people’s rights fully.

Now, people say, on the experience of Dr.Vinayak Sen’s case and Supreme court Judgment – that the Law of sedition needs a re-look. I begin to feel, too many laws in India have not changed with times and needs and need thorough revision.

The Lok Pal Bill is no different – and is like a drop in the pond. But, of course, it is needed urgently.

We needed the RTI Act. And it came. Let us give the credit to not only the activists behind that – but also to Dr. Manmohan Singh’s team, for giving a good legislation to us. Let us also give due credit to all Opposition parties who voted overwhelmingly for the Act.

And, I say – the civil activists are failing precisely in this.

Recognize that Dr. Manmohan Singh, despite his all other coalition compulsions, which are real and cannot be brushed aside, is still moving ahead and has announced a clean committee from his side fast enough. Let us also recognize that the principal opposition Parties also said unequivocally that will support the Lok Pal Bill. I personally would have liked a committee with a few prominent opposition leaders too. It would have made the passage of the bill in Parliament that much easier, and the bill would have looked as a National Consensus from the beginning.

But, some of the civil activists – don’t want any such support, from some people elected by people of India with good majorities and sent to Parliament for the Purpose. This attitude divides the movement against corruption very badly – and creates unnecessary divisions against the Bill.

From the people’s side – a Kiran bedi, a NRN Murthy would have been great additions to the committee. Even now – they can be co-opted in some advisory capacity.

All those who want to fight against corruption, must enlist and take the help of all others too – in the fight against corruption. 99.9% of people, even those who are presently corrupt due to some compulsions, will willingly come out of  corruption, if the country provides an environment free of corruption. Less than 1% will be hard core in corruption. They only will need to be dealt with finally, harshly.

Look at what is happening in 2G scam. Industry leaders are also being put behind bars. In a corruption-filled environment, who were the persons who were frontrunners in corruption, and who were the ones who had to run along with others, just to secure their business too – is not clear at all.

When the ordinary man wants his Ration cards, Rations, registration of a plot of land, pass port verifications and so many other essential things of life, is he able to remain non-corrupting? He bows down before a system – for bare living and for a few simple essential purposes. Some times, it happens to a Business man too. The whole atmosphere is such. Even an honest Business man has to bow down before the corrupt system – to thrive and not just get left behind.

So, we first of all, need an atmosphere, which is reasonably free of corruption, and where the corrupt have some potent thing to be afraid of.

But, each of us have our other likes and dislikes – like some of us may be against naxalism, some against communalism, some against capitalism, some against this or that particular religion, some against this or that caste – and so on. These likes and dislikes are clearly dividing the fight against corruption. All the latest news about the committee members getting pitched against powerful opponents and getting totally distracted – is clearly disturbing the fight against corruption.

Please Put your likes and dislikes aside for the time being. They can come later.

Take all Support that comes by and do not spurn any  Support and any help - and ensure that a good, strong, potent Lok Pal bill becomes a reality in the next 4 months.

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MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS (POST.8) = MAKING THEM LIFE LONG PARTNERSHIPS = HOW TO REMEMBER ONLY THE PLEASANT & HAPPY WORDS & EVENTS?

SUCCESSFUL

Marital Relationships

= Making them

Life Partnerships =

POST 8 DATED 19 04 2011

In Post.7 and earlier, we saw a few basic differences between men and women.

Ø  Logic plays greater part in the lives of men and emotion plays lesser part.

Ø  This implies that men will be more ambitious, have more worldly goals and run after worldly successes – but have lesser capability to enjoy any success, and lesser capability to enjoy many, many beautiful aspects of life.

Ø  Emotion plays greater part in the lives of women and logic plays lesser part.

Ø  This implies that women would get emotionally involved in many aspects of life and are capable of enjoying even their smallest successes and the small, beautiful things of their lives. But, at the same time, they  pay lesser attention to safety, security and success.

Ø  This is true for the average man and average woman.

Ø  There are of course, some men, who are more emotional than women and there are some women who are more logical than men – but, in both cases, the other aspect comes down by the same proportion in their life.

Ø  A more logical woman is less capable of enjoying her life (much like men) and a more emotional man frequently gets into trouble (much more than women).

Ø  The Goal of Human life, for both men and women, is JOY - which is an emotion – which implies that woman is generally more capable of enjoying life.

Ø  If this Joy can be secured in a safe, logical way – life will be a heaven. Else, life gets into unending troubles.

Ø  The need for a wholesome combination of EMOTION + LOGIC  in every one’s life brings man and woman automatically together and nearer.

Ø  Marital life requires both love and liking.

Ø  Love, which springs 100% from the heart, makes marital relationship the most intimate and enjoyable relationship but is blind almost totally to reason; but, Liking, which springs 50%  from the heart, and 50% from the intellect, makes it the most enduring and mutually beneficial and safe relationship.

Ø  Be a Good complement to your marital partner – and not a competitor. Merge the You and I in your marital relationship into we, with a new, combined Individuality! You must sink your separate individuality. This is the unbreakable law in marital relationship.

Ø  Never  seek Perfection in your Partner. Your partner becomes perfect for you, and so will you for your partner, only when and if you become each other’s complement. Otherwise, there is no perfect partner in the world.

Ø  Be a loving, lovable, liking and likeable partner to your marital partner. Understand your and your partner’s emotional and logical mental make-up. Let your partner also understand you – and both must be willing to complement each other.

Ø  Love  expressed – multiplies. Love not expressed, remains a seed; and finally dies. Therefore, express your love at each moment of opportunity.

Ø  Words are the principal and most frequent means of expression.

Words :

Ø  Words can please; But, words can also hurt.

Ø  Pleasing words are easily and quickly forgotten. Hurting words are remembered for long; some times, forever.

Ø  Men and women differ significantly in using words in their expression and in assimilating what they receive from others.

Ø  Women have greater powers of expression and remembrance in respect of words.

Ø  Women tend to forget all of her own hurting words (so does man) – but remembers all hurting words of her partner with graphic details. It is of course not a boon. She suffers more, when she remembers all hurting words again and again.

Ø  Man’s powers of remembrance and expression in words are both inferior to woman. His mind is more futuristic and there is no event in the future to recall! It is his weakness superficially which makes him lose most wordy duels with the woman, but it can be his strength and the strength for both the marital partners.

Ø  Both men and women love to listen to praise and appreciation, especially from their marital partner, but, with some qualitative differences.

Ø  But, both are some what deficient in giving what each other needs – until they learn and actually practice the art.

HOW CAN MAN AND WOMAN

MAKE THEIR RESPECTIVE,

SUPERFICIAL WEAKNESSES

INTO GREAT STRENGTHS?

This is the billion dollar question, answering which can lead people to a happy, marital life.

The answer is very simple, and springs from absolute common sense. Actually, this answer has a four part closely related question – answer string.

Ø  What do you want to forget? Unpleasant incidents. Right! But, you remember these more acutely, vividly and more often, without any effort at all!

Ø  What do you want to remember? Pleasant Incidents. But, you don’t remember them at all. You forget them so easily.

Ø  What must you express to your life partner, in words or, other means of expression.

Ø  What must you avoid expressing to your life Partner?

I am sure, you are now able to answer these 4 questions very easily:

Ø  Forget all hurting, negative and abusive words & Incidents of the past.

Ø  Remember only pleasant words and incidents.

Ø  Express / Create loving and pleasing words & Incidents now.

Ø  Avoid expressing hurting words & creating negative incidents.

Are these not simple, straight forward, self evident rules for life partnership. But, how to remember only pleasant words and forget all hurting words?

The problem with hurting words is – remembering them is an automated process, more especially, in women, and to a lesser extent, in men too. We must stop this automated process. How to do that?

In Patanjali Yoga sutras, there is as beautiful method mentioned for such purposes. Patanjali says, for stopping any negative emotion, raise its opposite emotion POWERFULLY, in you. But, Patanjali says one word as answer, and leaves us there.

It is called in Sanskrit, Pratipaksha Bhavana.

It is based on another law of the mind. Mind can only accommodate one emotion at a time and cannot accommodate its negative with in it. For instance-

You can be either pleasant or unpleasant.

You can be either joyful or sorrowful.

You can be either friendly or inimical.

You can either love or hate… and so on.

All this means, that on a daily basis, you must make it a conscious habit to do 2 things

1.   Express a few pleasant words and create some pleasant events today.

2.   Remind (each other) of some pleasant event of the Past, to remember.

Everybody now knows the power of positive thinking! Many experts have dinned into our ears of its magical effect. But, this is not merely what we create in our own lives. This is what we must create in EACH OTHER’S LIVES, consciously, periodically and lovingly.

You must make it a conscious, daily habit.

Your mind is terribly habit bound, and currently, it is habituated to remember unpleasant events and words more, and more easily.

Just look at the blogs / web sites of a few women!! You will find many instances like, my husband abused me today; my husband slapped me to day and so on. And, they will naturally go on remembering it for life! Or, somebody around will remind them too, may be, after two decades. Many of them are actually, happily married women!

As, if writing them down in their mind computer is not in itself enough of a curse! They are recording in diaries, computers, blogs and so on.

It is not deliberate; but it is more of a biological instinct. Some of these are enough to book a most loving husband for a life sentence in prison.

So – how do we avoid it? First, become conscious – that this is not the thing you want to remember.

Now, raise the Pratipaksha Bhavana.

Fill the pages of your mind, your diary, your blog, your conversations with friends and relatives – with pleasant events and pleasant words which happened between you and your life partner. Talk a few pleasant words daily. Create a few pleasant incidents frequently.

Take a secret vow  once in 3 days, that – this day, I am going to  please my life Partner, come what may, and I am not going to be angry with him / her for any reasons what so ever.

The more you consciously do this, the more your mind (unconsciously) throws all the unpleasant words and events into its scrap bin to destroy.

I am now consciously using the term Life Partner now, in place of the term marital partner – because, once you do all this, your marriage is for ever; for life;

So – let us write three “First Things First” for each day of our life.

1.   Today, I am going to consciously create a pleasant, happy event (through words or actions) between me and my life partner.

2.   Today, I am going to share at least one past pleasant event between me and my life Partner.

3.   Today, I am not going to anger or be angry with, my life partner, for any reason on earth, what so ever.

This is just for today. It takes five to ten minutes each day but makes the whole day, a happy day. Simple – isn’t it? Remember this – and we will carve out a more detailed plan in the next Post.

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