Sunday, August 1, 2010

We were once "Malaysian"

By Tengku Razaleigh HamzahThe following keynote speech given by former finance minister and Gua Musang parliamentarian Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah at the 4th Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit (MSLS) today.

I have played some small role in the life of this nation, but having been on the wrong side of one or two political fights with the powers-that-be, I am not as close to the young people of this country as I would hope to be.
History and the 8 o’clock news are written by the victors. In recent years, the government’s monopoly of the media has been destroyed by the technology revolution.
You could say I was also a member of the United Kingdom and Eire Council for Malaysian Students (UKEC). Well, I was, except that belonged to the predecessor of the UKEC by more than 50 years, The Malayan Students Union of the UK and Eire. I led this organisation in 1958/59.I was then a student of Queen’s University at Belfast, as well as at Lincoln’s Inn. In a rather cooler climate than Kota Bharu’s, we campaigned for decolonisation. We demonstrated in Trafalgar Square and even in Paris. We made posters and participated in British elections.
Your invitation to participate in the MSLS was prefaced by an essay that calls for an intellectually informed activism. I congratulate you on this. The Youth of today, you note, “will chart the future of Malaysia.” You say you “no longer want to be ignored and leave the future of our Malaysia at the hands of the current generation.” You “want to grab the bull by the horns… and have a say in where we go as a society and as a nation.”
I feel the same, actually. A lot of Malaysians feel the same. They are tired of being ignored and talked down to.
You are right. The present generation in power has let Malaysia down. But also you cite two things as testimony of the importance of youth and of student activism to this country, the election results of 2008 and “the prime minister’s acknowledgement of the role of youth in the development of the country.”
So perhaps you are a little way yet from thinking for yourselves. The first step in “grabbing the bull by the horns” is not to require the endorsement of the prime minister, or any Minister, for your activism. Politicians are not your parents. They are your servants. You don’t need a government slogan coined by a foreign PR agency to wrap your project in. You just go ahead and do it.
A man at ease with himself
When I was a student, our newly independent country was already a leader in the post-colonial world. We were sought out as a leader in the Afro-Asian Conference that inaugurated the Non-Aligned Movement and the G-77.
The Afro-Asian movement was led by such luminaries as Zhou En Lai, Nehru, Kwame Nkrumah and Soekarno. Malaysians were seen as moderate leaders capable of mediating between the more radical leaders and the West. We were known for our moderation, good sense and reliability.
We were a leader in the Islamic world as ourselves and as we were, without our leaders having to put up false displays of piety. His memory has been scrubbed out quite systematically from our national consciousness, so you might not know this or much else about him, but it was Tunku Abdul Rahman who established our leadership in the Islamic world by coming up with the idea of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) and making it happen.
Under his leadership, Malaysia led the way in taking up the anti-apartheid cause in the Commonwealth and in the United Nations, resulting in South Africa’s expulsion from these bodies.
Here was a man at ease with himself, made it a policy goal that Malaysia be “a happy country”. He loved sport and encouraged sporting achievement among Malaysians. He was owner of many a fine race horses. He called a press conference with his stewards when his horse won at the Melbourne Cup.
He had nothing to hide because his great integrity in service was clear to all. Now we have religious and moral hypocrites who cheat, lie and steal in office, who propagate an ideologically that shackled the education system for all Malaysians while they send their own kids to elite academies in the West.
Days when we were on top
Speaking of football – you’re too young to have experienced the Merdeka Cup that Tunku started. We had a respectable side in the 60s and 70s. Teams from across Asia would come to play in Kuala Lumpur: Teams such as South Korea and Japan, whom we defeated routinely.
We were one of the better sides in Asia. We won the bronze medal at the Asian Games in 1974 and qualified for the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Today our FIFA ranking is 157 out of 203 countries.
That puts us in the lowest quartile, below Maldives (149), the smallest country in Asia, with just 400,000 people living about 1.5 metres above sea level who have to worry that their country may soon be swallowed up by climate change. Here in Asean we are behind Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, whom we used to dominate, and now only one spot above basketball-playing Philippines.
The captain of our illustrious 1970′s side was Soh Chin Aun, R Arumugam, Isa Bakar, Santokh Singh, James Wong and Mokhtar Dahari. They were heroes whose names rolled off the tongues of our schoolchildren as they copied them on the school field. It wasn’t about being the best in the world, but about being passionate and united and devoted to the game.
It was the same in badminton, except at one time we were the best in the world. I remember Wong Peng Soon, the first Asian to win the All-England Championship, and then just dominated it throughout the 1950. Back home every kid who played badminton in every little kampung wanted to call himself Wong Peng Soon.
There was no tinge of anybody identifying themselves exclusively as Chinese, Malays or Indian. Peng Soon was a Malayan hero. Just like each of our football heroes. Now we do not have an iota of that feeling. Where has it all gone?
Capital flight troubling
I don’t think it’s mere nostalgia that makes us think there was a time when the sun shone more brightly upon Malaysia. I bring up sport because it has been a mirror of our more general performance as a nation.
When we were at ease with who we were and didn’t need slogans to do our best together, we did well. When race and money entered our game, we declined. The same applies to our political and economic life.
Soon after independence, we were already a highly successful developing country. We had begun the infrastructure building and diversification of our economy that would be the foundation for further growth. We carried out an import-substitution programme that stimulated local productive capacity.
From there, we started an infrastructure build-up that enabled a diversification of the economy leading to rapid industrialisation. We carried out effective programmes to raise rural income and help the landless with programmes such as Felda.
Our achievements in achieving growth with equity were recognised around the world. Our peer group in economic development were South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, and we led the pack. I remember we used to send technical consultants to advise the South Koreans.
Bmalaysia stock exchange market klse 141008 05y the late 90s, however, we had fallen far behind this group and were competing with Thailand and Indonesia. Today, according to the latest World Investment Report, FDI into Malaysia is at a 20-year low.
We are entering the peer group of Cambodia, Burma and the Philippines as an investment destination. Thailand, despite a month-long siege of the capital, attracted more FDI than we did last year. Indonesia and Vietnam far outperform us, not as a statistical blip but consistently. Soon we shall have difficulty keeping up with the Philippines.
This, I believe, is called relegation. If we take into account FDI outflow, the picture is even more depressing. Last year, we received US$1.38 billion in investments but US$8.04 billion flowed out. We are the only country in Southeast Asia that has suffered net FDI outflow.
I am not against outward investment. It can be a good thing for the country. But an imbalance on this scale indicates capital flight, not mere investment overseas.
Time to wake up
Without a doubt, Malaysia is slipping. Billions have been looted from this country, and Billions more are being siphoned out as our entire political structure crumbles. Yet we are gathered here in comfort, in a country that still seems to ‘work’ – most of the time. This is due less to good management than to the extraordinary wealth of this country.
You were born into a country of immense resources, both natural, cultural and social. We have been wearing down this advantage with mismanagement and corruption. With lies, tall tales and theft. We have a political class unwilling or unable to address the central issue of the day because they have grown fat and comfortable with a system built on lies and theft.
It is time to wake up. That waking up can begin here, right here, at this conference. Not tomorrow or the day after but today. So let me, as I have the honour of opening this conference, suggest the following:
1) Overcome the urge to have our hopes for the future endorsed by the prime minister. He will have retired, and I’ll be long gone, when your future arrives. The shape of your future is being determined now.
2) Resist the temptation to say “in line with” when we do something. Your projects, believe it or not, don’t have to be in line with any government campaign for them to be meaningful. You don’t need to polish anyone’s apple. Just get on with what you plan to do.
3) Do not put a lid on certain issues as “sensitive” just because someone said they are. Or it is against the Social Contract. Or it is “politicisation”.
You don’t need to have your conversation delimited by the hyper-sensitive among us. Sensitivity is often a club people use to hit each other with. Reasoned discussion of contentious issues builds understanding and trust. Stress test your ideas.
4) It’s not “conservative” or “liberal” to ask for an end to having politics, economic policy, education policy and everything and the kitchen sink determined by race. It’s called growing up.
5) Don’t let the politicians you have invited here talk down to you.
Don’t let them
Don’t let them tell you how bright and “exuberant” you are, that you are the future of the nation, etc. If you close your eyes and flow with their flattery, you have safely joined the caravan, a caravan taking the nation down a sink hole.
If they tell you the future is in your hands, kindly request that they hand that future over first. Ask them how come the youngest member of our cabinet is 45? Our Merdeka cabinet had an average age below 30.
You’re not the first generation to be bright. Mine wasn’t too stupid. But you could be the first generation of students and young graduates in 50 years to push this nation through a major transformation. And it is a transformation we need desperately.
You will be told that much is expected of you, much has been given to you and so forth. This is all true. Actually much has also been stolen from you. Over the last 20 five years, much of the immense wealth generated by our productive people and our vast resources has been looted. This was supposed to have been your patrimony.
The uncomplicated sense of belonging fully, wholeheartedly, unreservedly, to this country, in all its diversity, that has been taken from you. Our sense of ourselves as Malaysians, a free and united people, has been replaced by a tale of racial strife and resentment that continues to haunt us. The thing is, this tale is false.
Reclaim your history
The most precious thing you have been deprived of has been your history. Someone of my generation finds it hard to describe what must seem like a completely different country to you now.
Malaysia was not born in strife but in unity. Our independence was achieved through a demonstration of unity by the people in supporting a multiracial government led by Tunku Abdul Rahman.
That show of unity, demonstrated first through the municipal elections of 1952 and then through the Alliance’s landslide victory in the elections of 1955, showed that the people of Malaya were united in wanting their freedom. We surprised the British, who thought we could not do this.
Today we are no longer as united as we were then. We are also less free. I don’t think this is a coincidence. It takes free people to have the psychological strength to overcome the confines of a racialised worldview. It takes free people to overcome those politicians bent on hanging on to power gained by racialising every feature of our life including our football teams.
Hence while you are at this conference, let me argue, that as an absolute minimum, we should call for the repeal of unjust and much abused Acts of Parliament which are reversals of freedoms that we won at Merdeka.
I ask you in joining me in calling for the repeal of the ISA (Internal Security Act) and the OSA (Official Secrets Act). These draconian laws have been used, more often than not, as political tools rather than instruments of national security. They create a climate of fear.
I ask you to join me in calling for the repeal of the Printing and Publications Act, and above all, the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA). I don’t see how you can pursue your student activism with such freedom and support in the UK and Eire while forgetting that your brethren at home are deprived of their basic rights of association and expression by the UUCA. The UUCA has done immense harm in dumbing down our universities.
We must have freedom as guaranteed under our constitution. Freedom to assemble, associate, speak, write, move. This is basic. Even on matters of race and even on religious matters we should be able to speak freely, and we shall educate each other.
Make BN multiracial
It is time to realise the dream of Hussein Onn and the spirit of the Alliance and of Tunku Abdul Rahman. That dream was one of unity and a single Malaysian people. They went as far as they could with it in their time. Instead of taking on the torch, we have reversed course. The next step for us as a country is to move beyond the infancy of race-based parties to a non-racial party system.
Our race-based party system is the key political reason why we are a sick country, declining before our own eyes, with money fleeing and people telling their children not to come home after their studies.
So let us try to take 1Malaysia seriously. Millions have been spent putting up billboards and adding the term to every conceivable thing. We even have ‘Cuti-cuti 1Malaysia’. Can’t take a normal holiday anymore. This is all fine.
Now let us see if it means anything. Let us see the government of the day lead by example. 1Malaysia is empty because it is propagated by a government supported by a racially-based party system that is the chief cause of our inability to grow up in our race relations.
Our inability to grow up in our race relations is the chief reason why investors, and we ourselves, no longer have confidence in our economy. The reasons why we are behind Maldives in football, and behind the Philippines in FDI, are linked.
So let us take 1Malaysia seriously, and convert Barisan Nasional into a party open to all citizens. Let it be a multiracial party open to direct membership. Pakatan Rakyat will be forced to do the same or be left behind the times. Then we shall have the vehicles for a two party, non-race-based system.
If Umno, MIC or MCA are afraid of losing supporters, let them get their members to join this new multiracial party. Pakatan Rakyat should do the same. Nobody need feel left out. Umno members can join en masse. The Hainanese Kopitiam Owners’ Association can join whichever party they want, or both parties en masse if they like.
We can maintain our cherished civil associations, however we choose to associate. But we drop all communalism when we compete for the ballot. When our candidates stand for elections, let them ever after stand only as Malaysians, for better or worse.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Healthy lifestyle and Diet- swapping the bad with the good..

It is hard, at the best of times, to stick to a healthy lifestyle and diet, and there are foods out
there that can completely ruin your chances of this. With the staple ingredients in Malaysian dishes being high in cholesterol such as coconut milk, clarified butter and sugar cane, we think that the Malaysian diet is among the unhealthiest food in the World.

It maybe an Asian gastronomic heaven and the diversity reflects the culture, but the truth is, these sinful delights are not only making it incredibly hard to stick to a healthy diet and lose weight, but that obesity levels, diabetes, strokes and heart disease are all on the increase and Malaysia has the highest rates in South East Asia.

The Nutrition Society of Malaysia says that: “Healthy eating is about meeting your daily nutritional requirements, while avoiding the deficiencies and excesses that contribute to the risk of diet-related diseases.

Lets look at some local and foreign delights that are truly bad for you and suggest delicious substitutes. That way, you'd be able to stick to your diet easier.

1.White Rice
While we know that rice is a staple part of the Malaysian diet and is pretty much served with most traditional dishes, we aren’t saying cut it out completely. While it isn’t a deadly sin, as we know, too much of something is not good.
White rice pretty much just converts to glucose (sugar) in your system and while most of it is used for energy, any excess will be stored as fat. It also probably won’t help you meet your nutritional goals as once it's cooked, the germ, fibrous chaff, and bulk of nutritional value gets stripped away. The result is refined starch that is largely deprived of its original nutrients

Healthy alternative: brown rice
Brown rice, on the other hand, is great, and after eating brown rice for a while, you’ll find white rice to be rather bland. With brown rice, you are going to get more dietary fibre out of it, and it provides 15 essential nutrients. The Nutrition Society of Malaysia emphasises that “whole grain products have a greater amount of iron, phosphorus, B-vitamins (thiamine, niacin & riboflavin) and fibre.”
By metabolising slowly and maintaining stable levels of blood sugar and/or serotonin, brown rice snips away food cravings. Brown rice can substantially reduce the risk of colon cancer, as it is a very good source of selenium, a trace mineral that induces DNA repair and synthesis in damaged cells and inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells.

2.Nasi Lemak
One portion of nasi lemak contains a whopping 279 calories and the estimated amount of those that come from fat is 41.9%. The protein, fats and carbohydrates content in the nasi lemak exceed the recommended nutrient intakes.
Therefore, if it is to remain a daily staple of the Malaysian diet, you need to watch out for the nutrient intake. The highly saturated fat content in the coconut milk can increase atherogenicity (fat deposits in the artery walls) and cause arterial thrombosis (blood clots).
This can increase many lifestyle diseases, such as heart disease, certain cancers, obesity and diabetes. The excess intake of carbohydrates will be stored as body fats which in turn, affect the body weight.

Healthy alternative: Modified nasi lemak
Now, rather than scrap this favourite meal completely, nasi lemak can be modified to make it better for you. Trim coconut milk or soya milk in comparison to raw coconut milk which contains 45% less fat.
The cucumber and egg in nasi lemak is perfectly good for you, but make sure that you don’t have more than one egg a day as they have a high cholesterol content of 212mg and the recommended daily intake is 300mg. A boiled egg is also going to be a lot better for you than a fried egg.

3.Teh Tarik
Recent research has indicated that drinking tea as part of a healthy diet and life style can help maintain a healthy body, including your heart. However, the condensed milk and the amount of sugar contained in teh tarik, Malaysia’s dear national drink, makes it so sweet and therefore so tasty to many. But, it is no surprise that it is bad for you - in one cup, there are 142 calories and of the 3.3g of fat, 10% of that is saturated fat.

Healthy alternative: Teh-O-kosong
Teh-O-kosong, on the other hand, is your healthier alternative as it is plain tea without the sugar (and milk). Tea without milk and sugar has virtually no calories and are full of antioxidants that are beneficial to us. However, the milk and sugar that people add to tea actually suppresses all the goodness that tea can offer. Even Teh-O-kosong is a better option as you won’t be having the added sugar. All you need to do is ask “kurang manis” and we are sure that they will accommodate.

4.Coconut Milk
The essential ingredient in the majority of Malaysian curries is fattening coconut milk and the saturated fat content of this is quite high. This is probably bad news, since saturated fats can raise your cholesterol levels. Even reduced-fat coconut milk contains about 10 grams of saturated fat per 100 grams, compared to about 2.3 grams per 100 ml in reduced-fat cow's milk.

Healthy alternative: Soy Milk
Coconut milk is slowly being shunted aside for nutritious soy milk by those who suffer from high cholesterol or who are trying to avoid saturated fat.
Soy milk only contains vegetable proteins which have the advantage that they cause less loss of calcium through the kidneys. It also contains no hormones or lactose, it reduces cholesterol and contains isoflavones, which is the most important and unique benefit of soy milk.
Isoflavones have many health benefits including reduction of cholesterol, easing of menopause symptoms, prevention of osteoporosis and reduction of risk for certain cancers (prostate cancer and breast cancer).

5.Hamburgers
If you're on the road or in a rush, sometimes you can't avoid finding yourself in a fast food restaurant. Hamburgers are a pretty popular menu item, and since every fast food joint prepares them differently, it's hard to make the healthiest choice. That said, they are loaded with tons of sodium and calories.
The meat is usually of poor quality and is high in fats and cholesterol. Like all red meat, they're linked to a variety of health troubles, including heart disease and cancer.

Healthy alternative: veggie burger or turkey burger
Not all burgers are bad for you and if you choose to have one with turkey meat or a vegetarian burger, it is certainly not as unhealthy.
Veggie burgers which are usually made from a patty of vegetables, grains and soy protein have less sodium and cholesterol and one of the best reasons for choosing a veggie burger is to cut saturated fat. Veggie burgers are known to be very good imitations of regular burgers.
A turkey burger is also better for you as the meat is lean meat. Therefore, it contains less fat and healthier for you if you have high cholesterol.
On the whole, it is also the extra additives that come with the burger that also make it bad for you. However, you do not need to give up beef completely. Instead, opt for leaner cuts of beef or any meat for that matter. Just make sure you don’t order the fried and add lots of mayonnaise!

6.Ice-cream
Traditionally, ice-cream is made with heavy cream loaded with saturated fat. An average half-cup serving of Häagen-Dazs ice cream contains half a day's saturated fat and a third of a day's cholesterol that coats your artery walls and gives you an extra 300 calories.

Healthy alternative: Frozen yoghurt
You can buy frozen yogurt at almost any supermarket or ice-cream parlour, and there are some fantastic varieties on the market. Good news: half a cup of frozen yogurt usually contains 100 kcal and less than 2 grams of saturated fat.

Give the healthy alternative a try...for a better and fitter you. Just my Thot and wish you well!

*Source- Healthy life style MSN & www.dailyplate.com

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A New Year's Gift from Robin Sharma


62 WAYS TO MAKE 2010 YOUR BEST YEAR YET


1. Remember that leadership isn't about your position. It's about your influence.

2. Get fit like a pro athlete.

3. Lift people up versus tearing people down.

4. Protect your good name. An impeccable reputation takes a lifetime to build. And 60 seconds to lose.

5. Surround yourself with positive, ethical people who are committed to excellence.

6. Remember that even a 1% daily innovation rate amounts to at least a 100% rate of innovation in 100 days.

7. Believe in your dreams (even when others laugh at them).

8. Measure your success, not by your net worth but by your self worth (and how happy you feel).

9. Take an intelligent risk every 24 hours. No try-No Win.

10. Read "Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist".

11. Watch "Man on Wire".

12. Regardless of your title at work, be a team builder.

13. Remember that business is all about relationships and human connections.

14. Say "please" more.

15. Say "thank you" more.

16. Know your Big 5: the five things that need to happen by the end of this year for you to feel its been your best year yet.

17. Read your Big 5 every morning while the rest of the world is asleep.

18. Read "As You Think". At least twice this year.

19. Be willing to fail. It's the price of greatness.

20. Focus less on making money and more on creating value.

21. Spend less, save more.

22. Leave everything you touch better than you found it.

23. Be the most positive person in every room you're in.

24. Run your own race.

25. Stay true to your deepest values and best ideals.

26. Write a handwritten thank you note to a customer/friend/loved one every day.

27. When you travel, send love letters to your kids on hotel stationery. In time, they'll have a rich collection to remember your travels by.

28. Read "Atlas Shrugged".

29. Be a problem solver versus a trouble maker.

30. Rather than doing many things at mediocrity do just a few things-but at mastery.

31. Honor your parents.

32. Commit to doing great work-whether anyone notices it or not. It's one of life's best sources of happiness.

33. Give more than you receive (another of the truths of happiness).

34. Have your 1/3/5/10/25 years goals recorded on paper and review them weekly.

35. Be patient. Slow and steady wins the race. The only reason businesses that went from zero to a billion in a year or two get featured in magazines is because 99% of businesses require a lot more time to win.34. Underpromise and then overdeliver.

36. See part of your job as "a developer of people" (whether you work in the boardroom or the mailroom).

37. Wear your heart on your sleeve. When people see you're real, they'll fall in love with you. Be authentic versus plastic.

39. Read "The Alchemist".

40. Remember that life wants you to win. So get out of your own way.

41. Consider that behind every fear lives your next level of growth (and power).

42. Eat less food and Drink more water.

43. Rest when you need to.

44. Read "SUCCESS" magazine.

45. Write your eulogy and them live your life backwards.

46. Demand the best from yourself.

47. Remember that the more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.

48. See everything that happens to you as an opportunity to grow (and therefore, as a precious gift).

49. Be obsessed with learning and self-development.

50. Become comfortable alone (you are the only person you get to be with your whole life).

51. Smile. It's a stunningly effective way to win in business and life.

52. Reflect on the shortness of life.

53. Be bold when it comes to your dreams but gentle with those you love.

54. Remember that success is dangerous because it can kill drive/innovation/passion and going the extra mile. Be successful yet stay hungry.

55. Read "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin".

56. Be of deep value to this world.

57. Own beautiful things but don't let them own you.

58. Use excellent words.

59. Laugh more.

60. Don't complain, gossip or be negative.

61. Plan as if you'll live forever but live as if you'll die tomorrow.

62. Feel free to pass these lessons on to those you want to help

Happy New Year and have a wonderful Year ahead...

Monday, January 25, 2010

Bhajan Yatra -South Indian temples December 2004

What I am about to write took place in 2004…it was a wonderful experience, these are just snippets.. nevertheless enjoy this as i ponder of organizing the 2nd yatra at the end of the year.Hmmm...

Pre Yatra trip-Kuala Lumpur
Wow! What kinda mess have I got myself into?.I thought. Besides arranging and getting people together(almost everyone seems to have a particular request) , the tour/travel agency itself gave me few headaches on unfulfilled promises as things ALWAYS seems to change when I visit them .Imagine when they told me (less then 2 weeks before the tour) that they couldn’t confirm the airline tickets for 8 people(despite furnishing them the FINAL name list of 32 people a month ahead).Reason giveb - amnesty and peek holiday period and gleefully suggested we should cancel this trip!!? I was furious beyond words nevertheless manage to keep my temper in check and told them under no circumstance this will happen and demanded they sort the flight tickets for all 32 of us.I also stood my ground on few financial issues. By this time even Uncle Jega started having doubts if we choose the right travel agency. At about this time,when I was feeling sad that I might let everyone down on the whole trip,I called Sis.Gayathri (Aunty Rajeswari’s daughter) regarding her Mom, brother (Prahalad)and Sis.Madhani’s Visa application and accidentally mentioned my doubt and fear that this trip might be a failure .What she said next jolted me and gave me the confidence…I will never forget those words…”Prem you are doing a wonderful job!Gods Job! How can anything go wrong? I know you have given your best and let him take care of the rest. Trust me it will be a very successful trip. I haveno doubts about it”..... WOW!!! How true her words are to became…my God!!

Kabaleeswarar Temple
All my initial doubts vanished the moment we set foot in this enchanting temple.We even had a welcoming party and from the 1st puja and the song we sang at this temple….the mood was set for the rest of the trip.I felt a strong vibration growing as we went from one inner sanctorium to another…a sense of peace enveloped me. It was amazing to see the reaction of the crowd when we sang bhajans and the way they profusely thanked Uncle Jega(he was practically looked upon as a demi-god) for coming and giving them something they never had in more the 40 years at this temple…a sense of belonging and appreciation. We became instant celebrities for a short period of time. WOW! ….this was just a beginning of a wonderful journey.

Ucchi Pillayar Temple
A sight to behold even from a far as we crossed the Kaveri River !!! Bhajan was tremendous at this temple from the 1st step all the way up the 642nd step of the temple. I had the rear privilege of seating right infront of Uchi Pilliar in the Inner sanctorium next to Aunty Rajeswari (whom Iwill come to regard as a mother-figure by the end of this trip). Felt very strong vibration. Could I ask for more??…Pillayar in front and a mother beside .Words fail me though the Bhawa lingers on.

Palani
It was an awesome experience to be at Palani and going up the Tramp (still can picture how Bro.Prahalad looked and all the stick he got from me). The scenery below was so captivating it was as though being in heaven and looking down at the Grandeur of the land of Bharat
Bro.Pritivy Raj and Bro.Nithia Nantha decided to go Bald!! Perhaps the only time in the history of Palani …where a group of people stood around, singing Bhajans as their heads were being shaven bald!!! Right there and there we had (or rather born/created) with us “Adi”(Bro.Pritivy) and“Andam”(Bro. Nantha) throughout the journey right up to Prashanti Nilayam…Two wonderful souls…or was it three?(only those on the trip will know what I mean..hehehe)


All the Guys, 7 of us , had the most auspicious puja at the inner sanctorium as we were garlanded by the priest with “Rose Mala”….All 7 of us!!!…and there was ONLY 7 “Rose Malas”

Madurai Meenakshi Amman
Of all the temples that we went to…Meenakshi Amman temple had a profound effect on me.. Something extremely close to my heart and something I cherish more then my life itself…the love of my beloved Mother. TheUnconditional and pure love only a mother can grant has been missing for the most part of my life. It has been nearly 15 years since I physically experienced this feeling until I saw Meenakshi Amman up close and personal. As we were seated in front of her for the 1st time, suddenly a surgeof energy hit me and tears started pouring profusely…tears of joy, love and peace. Tears of being reunited with a mother. Never knew a mere statue could emanate such powerful vibration and divine energy and for along period I was lost in that feeling. Swami, knowing what I desired, granted not once but trices the opportunity to see AMMA for the next 3 days. Instantly my intuition told me that this will not be my last visit to Madurai Mennakshi Amman …Iwill be back!! The bond of a mother and son can never be broken. By the way, is it coincidence that my mother’s name was Paruvathy??Strange is the divine leela. Both Amma are one.

Anadam Nilayam-Madurai
Strong and very blissful experience….a feeling of ananda no doubt.The bhajan here was good especially when the 2 in-house ladies sang!!We also felt a sense of awe and wonder when listning to swami’s leela’sand the personal experience of Uncle Srinivas, the close association of his Father with Swami and the wonderment of how this Anandam Nilayam Abode was built. Pure Namasmaran as we ate dinner while listening to their stories(by the way, Uncle Srinivas's father was the person who built swami the Golden Chariot) …what a blissful experience. A nice prelude before reaching Puttaparthi. I also learnt the lesson in modesty form Aunty Kala…an extremely humble and loving soul with such great devotion. Was a privilege to have her with us.

Thiruparakundram
My istha Deva has always been Murugan…and visiting 3 of the Arupadai Vedu (6 abodes of Lord Murugan)was a blessing itself. After the majestic experience in Meenakshi Amman, we rushed to Thiruparankundram.

After pooja and the wonderfulsight of the celestial marriage of Murugan and Devianney followed by electrifiying Bhajan…something special happened. Earlier during the pooja when I received the Mala from the priest (Normally all this mala’s I would pass to one of the ladies in the group) something urged me to hand this particular mala to a mother (Remember less the 2 hours ago we were in Meenakshi Amman and the experience I felt there?) and the 1st person that crossed my mind was Aunty Rajeswari. When I gave her the mala she was a bit stunned for a while and then sincerely thanked me (I never told her the urge I had earlier to give this to a “mother”).As we were about to leave and having time at our disposal most of us were doing shopping at the entrance of the temple. I was determined not to buy anything. Period!. Suddenly I came across a very beautiful picture of a young and playful Murugan.The picture really captivated me and as I was talking to Prahalad regarding this aunty Rajeswari appeared and insisted to buy this picture for me.I was adamant and said no. Imagine the very next wordshe said…”Prem you gave me the mala and as a mother I accepted it…and I treat u the same as Prahalad.. if you are my son you will not say no”…Now…how can I say no!!!!

I treasure this picture much more dearly now…

Some of the other temples we visited were Pazhamudir solai, Tirucendur(we were there 3 days before Tsunami hit the shores..but never touched this beach side temple), Peciamman, Azhagar (there was a myth abt this temple, were by those unmarried if they sincerely pray within a year marital bliss dawns upon them - 6 ppl from the trip got married..and within a year..including me!!! met my wife in less then a year after this trip ), Pillayar Patti, Tiruvanai Kaval… etc

Hmmm…..just my Thots...Shall we go North or South Indian Temples in December 2010??…help me decide?…and if you wanna jump in the bandwagon..gimme a tinkle

Breath

The one thing that we do without thinking is ….breathing.Have we ever stopped and THOT abt it?? How important its is to us?? Hey! its free.. why do we need to think abt it? , you may say..but what if i told you…if you stop.think.and breath properly…you could actually live longer!.

Many Illustrations could be given of the mathematical relationship between man’s(and of course woman’s too) respiratory rate and the variations in his/her state of consciousness.A person whose attention is wholly engrossed, as in the following some closely knit intellectual argument, or in attempting some delicate or difficult physical feat, automatically breaths very slowly.Fixity of attention depends on slow breathing; quick or uneven breaths are an inevitable, accompaniment of harmful emotional states: fear,lust,anger.The restless monkey breaths at rate of 32 times per min.,in contrast to a man’s average of 18 times.The elephant,tortoise, snake and other creatures note for their longevity have a respiratory rate that is less then man’s.The gaint tortoise, for instance, which may attain the age of three hundred years(Remember Nemo), breaths only 4 times a min.

The rejuvenating effects of sleep are due to man’s temporary unawareness of body and breathing.The sleeping man becames a yogi; each nite he unconsciously performs the yogic rite of releasing himself of bodily identification, and of merging the life force with the healing currents in the main brain region and in the six subdynamos of his spinal centres.Unknowingly, the sleeper is thus recharged by the cosmic energy that sustains all life.

So the next time you breath…stop and think, do you wanna live longer with proper breathing or breath like the restless Monkey?…but which ever you decide.. do not STOP and think too long…you may die of shortness of breath.

Now take a deep breath ….

Lateral Thinking Vs Logical Thinking

Phew!! I am actually blogging…never THOT i would be doing something like this..given the flow of my thots…and my poor translation of what goes on in my "Monkey Mind".Brace urself , it might get lost in translation..

Anyway..my Name is Prem and welcome to my Other Thots!

How does lateral thinking work?The traditional Western thinking system, commonly know to us all as logical thinking , was fashioned by the Greek gang of three - Socrates,Plato and Aristotle , more than 2300 years ago. It has sequential,judgemental and adversarial characteristics.while logical thinkings has immense strength, it tends to have some limitations. one of which is its inability to be creative.Thus, lateral thinking was introduced to supplement logical thinking.
Well to demonstrate the power of lateral thinking lemme tell you a story of a "damsel in distress".Can you help her and save her from her misery???

Well the story goes like this…"Many hundred years ago in a small Italian town , a merchant had a misfortune of owing a large sum of money to an AH LONG(a Sicilian Along..wow!).The Ah long, who was old and ugly, fancied the merchants beautiful daughter.So he proposed a bargain.He said he would forgo the merchant’s debts if he would be allowed to marry his daughter.Both the merchant and the daughter was horrified by the proposal.So the cunning Ah long sugessted that they let providence decide the matter.He told them that he would put 2 pebble - 1 white and the other black , into an empty bag.then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.If she picked the black pebble , she would become his wife and her fathers debts would be forgiven.If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven.But if she refused to pick the pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.As they talked the Ah long bent and picked up 2 pebbles..the sharp eye girl noticed that he had picked up 2 black pebbles and put them in the bag.He then asked the girl to pick a pebble to decide her faith as well as her father’s".

If you were to advice her, what would you tell her??

Careful logical analysis would produce 3 possibilities :
1)The girl should refuse to take the pebble.
2)The girl should show that there were 2 black pebbles in the bag and expose the Along as a cheat.
3)The girl should pick the black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.

Whats your take or rather…."THOTS" on the above??!!