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Friday,
March 15, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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What a way to die! Over-optimistic
HARI JAISINGH |
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Another journalist in PMO
Indian media & global developments
Should vitamin intake be limited?
A pain-killer checks prostate cancer
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What a way to die! Any piece of bad news coming out of Lucknow these days is immediately linked to the Ayodhya-related tension. However, the news that broke early on Thursday at the Army recruitment centre was simply heart-rending for reasons that had no link with Ayodhya or the Vishwa Hindu Parishad campaign. According to initial reports over 20 people were killed and three seriously injured when an underground sewerage drain on which they were standing caved in. The heart-wrenching part of the report was that the dead were all in their late teens or early twenties. They had come from all parts of Uttar Pradesh for joining the Indian Army. As the headquarters of the Central Command of the Indian Army, Lucknow is among the major recruitment centres in the
country. Those familiar with the Army recruitment drill in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh would know that usually a very large number of young men turn up for joining the defence services with the explicit objective of serving the country. Usually those reporting for recruitment come from families that have a tradition of serving the Indian defence services, mostly the Army. Patriotism runs in their blood and the only dream they have is to emulate the deeds of valour and bravery of their forefathers. The civil and military administration in Lucknow have conveyed the tragic news to the next of kin of the young men whose dream of serving the nation remained unfulfilled. The cause of the freak accident is also being investigated. The underground sewerage pipe that caved in must have been very old and the authorities evidently did not bother to have it replaced. Now they may, after so many young lives were lost in an accident that should never had taken place. But who cares? We as a people wake up and demand action only when some terrible tragedy visits us. The Dabwali tragedy would count among the worst accidents caused by human indifference to the observance of the basic aspects of safety. Over 400 school children were roasted alive when a tent made of inflammable material caught fire. Instructions were issued, thereafter, that shamianas and pandal should be made out of only non-inflammable material. Have, the orders been complied? No. Why? Because we do not bother to check out the safety of the material being used by the pandalwallahs. The death of the future soldiers of India in the freak accident should be investigated by experts. If it was caused by human neglect, responsibility should be fixed and the guilty awarded exemplary punishment. Defence Minister George Fernandes should take a personal interest in at least one aspect of tragedy. He should examine the scope of giving the status of soldiers to those who had turned up to join the Army and serve the nation but could not do so for no fault of theirs. Such a gesture would send out a very positive message and may even arouse the diminishing interest of most young men in a career in the defence services. |
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Over-optimistic Proposing no new taxes in the Budget is a highly pragmatic move. It gets you "tax-free Budget" headlines in next day's newspapers. Haryana's Finance Minister Sampat Singh has broken this eight-year tradition by proposing to impose 20 per cent sales tax on online lotteries to bring them on a par with paper lotteries. This is one segment taxing which won't get the goat of the common man. But make no mistake. This is only the beginning. Other taxes are bound to follow as the year 2002-03 proceeds. Mr Sampat Singh gave enough indications of this while presenting his third Budget in a row for the INLD Government. His observation that "it is necessary to target non-productive expenditure and high establishment costs" was loaded with taxes. If you think that luxury Baleno cars for ministers are what constitute unproductive expenditure, you have got your economics all wrong, because in the Sampat Singh scheme of things, these were only a one-time expenditure and were an absolutely necessary facility for the servants of the people to discharge their duties effectively. The Budget leaves a deficit of Rs 202.20 crore uncovered. And even that is a highly optimistic projection because the Finance Minister is hoping to balance the sheet by way of an increased share in Central devolution, by taking measures to augment revenue and "inherent buoyancy" in the state's economy. This buoyancy is a phenomenon which financial experts may find difficult to see because there is high outstanding debt and the growth of revenue is tardy. Just look at what happened during the current year. The Plan outlay had to be scaled down from the original Rs 2,150 crore to Rs 1838.68 crore thanks to the resource constraints caused by a sharp decline in the Central devolution to the state and an increase in non-Plan expenditure under various heads. There has been no dramatic improvement in the situation for the Finance Minister to see the future with rose-tinted glasses. Debt burden is unbearably heavy. The expenditure (both Plan and non-Plan) in 2002-03 is pegged at Rs 11,617.76 crore. About one-fourth of this would go towards loan payment and 14 per cent towards interest payment. That will leave out only 12 per cent for education, 8 per cent for power and 5 per cent each for agriculture and irrigation. Incidentally, infrastructure, social sectors and agriculture have been named among the major priorities but there is not much in the Budget for either of these. For positive features one has to look towards the attempt to review the present organisational structure and staffing pattern of the departments in order to rationalise them. Such fiscal corrections are the need of the hour. It has also been announced that a group of reputed consultancy firms engaged by the government is developing a perspective plan and designing legal and administrative framework for private participation in development process, especially in infrastructure development. The sooner such a plan is made operational, the better because that is where the salvation of the state lies. |
Rational commitment to nationalism In response to my last week's column, "Pangs of a wounded nation: Looking beyond the Gujarat divide" (March 8), a number of persons have asked me what exactly is the way out of the Gujarat-like tragic situation? Is there a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel? There are, of course, no instant answers to the mess we have created over the 54 years after Independence. All the same, viable answers we must explore with a view to putting the nation on the right track. This is the real challenge as we pick up threads from Godhra, Ahmedabad and Ayodhya. I have stated a number of times that the main failure in the polity has been of leadership. It is difficult to pinpoint whose failure was more and whose success was less. Successes and failures have to be seen in totality, especially when we have not been able to evolve a viable system which could successfully withstand the onslaught of turbulence and mad acts of certain lunatic elements. Not that a system as such does not exist. But it has been fiddled with so often on an ad hoc basis that it has ceased to be functionally responsive to new challenges. The main problem in the Indian scheme of things is the absence of responsiveness — from petty clerks to senior officers as well as politicians at the helm. Take the communal problem. Every explosive situation can be tackled effectively if the police along with other responsible functionaries get into action promptly and do their job honestly as guardians of law and order. But if the police is politicised and acts selectively then the situation is bound to go out of hand, as it happened in Ahmedabad and other towns in Gujarat. Take the case of the barbaric Godhra happenings and the subsequent equally horrifying acts of retaliation. How come intelligence agencies failed to have a clue about the mischief since the ISI has reportedly been quite active in parts of Gujarat? Let me now shift the focus from the grassroots reality to the sacred temple of democracy, that is, Parliament. What do we see there? Rowdy scenes, yelling and shouting with several parliamentarians rushing to the well of the House to disrupt proceedings. Nothing can be more shameful than such ugly scenes. Regrettably, this has been the standard obstructionist tendency on the part of a section of parliamentarians. Instead of coming to grips with the problem through dispassionate discussion, everything gets overpoliticised and communalised. This is how many of our politicians thrive. Do we have an answer to this type of street politics right within our legislatures? In every challenging and provocative situation parliamentarians are expected to rise above their community, religion and political tags and join hands on a positive note to defuse the crisis and provide a healing touch to the wounded humanity. Is this too much to expect from our representatives? A fragmented political response can only divide the polity. No nation can achieve its lofty goals by gimmicks and rhetoric. But do we have the answer to the way politics is being practised for limited gains and limited purposes? The likes of Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav think and act in terms of vote-bank politics to consolidate their following among Muslims and backward castes. Ms Mayawati of the BSP has her own crude calculations of how to counter Mr Mulayam Singh's populist postures of wooing Muslims. This time she has proved to be a phenomenon in UP. She has managed to rise above her old caste considerations and has widened her base by roping in high-caste people in her brand of you-love-me politics. Left parties have their own set angularities. Though the Communist order has changed radically the world over, Indian leftists continue to see the political spectrum in old Marxist dogmas. They do not know where they stand. No wonder, their political base is shrinking fast. The only saving grace among the left parties is that they still have some of the outstanding individuals who continue to believe in principles and practise what they preach. In fact, this is how most Indian leaders behaved in the fifties and the early sixties. But subsequently it has been a free-for-all tamasha of falsehood, intrigues and frauds. The main sufferers in this low-level politics have been ordinary citizens who continue to struggle with their poverty and deprivation amidst class and caste prejudices even after 54 years. This is not an India we had bargained for. Equally distressing has been the chorus for resignation or dismissal in a different situation. In Gujarat, the only noticeable reaction of the Opposition parties was to ask for the head of Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He apparently looks guilty as he failed to nip the trouble in the bud. He failed Gujarat and brought a blot on the face of the nation as Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has admitted. But more than the demand for resignation, what is important is the mustering of political will and forcing the state authorities to take the necessary steps and restore normalcy speedily. We must learn from the Americans and their Congressmen. When the disaster struck the USA on September 11 last year, the entire nation rose as one man. They sank their differences to meet one of the biggest tragedies in history. The result was for everybody to see. How President George Bush mobilised his countrymen and took on mastermind terrorist Osama bin Laden is a great saga of recent years. The message is clear. In a situation of calamity or tragedy, the first priority should be mobilisation of resources and political will so that the country faces the problem firmly, decisively and unitedly. A fragmented approach cannot give the desired results. In Gujarat, every political group has been trying to fish in troubled waters instead of mobilising public opinion to force the Narendra Modi government to mend its ways or get lost. The Centre has to see that the state government corrects itself and undoes the sins of omission and commission. This is the only way a healthy and all-embracing democratic system can be evolved and strengthened. This is how responsiveness in the system is to be generated. I have touched upon the Gujarat situation to show how the political process works against the nation's interests. As it is, India seems to be a country without a sense of direction. It has no set goals and objectives and hence this drift. Moreover, the country is not inspired enough by nationalism. The word has become a taboo in India amidst the confusing setting of caste, class and community labels. On the contrary, look at America; it is primarily guided by nationalism. It is true that this is hidden under a veneer of internationalism. But at times America takes off its mask. Thus in 1992, Paul Wolfowitz, deputy to US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfield, came out with a report saying that the US objective was to deter any power from challenging its leadership. He wants the USA to maintain its dominance which should be capable of deterring political competition against America. In sharp contrast, at the international level as well as within the country every political leader in India seems to be working at cross-purposes in the pursuit of his goals and ambitions which invariably go against the basic interests of the nation. Indeed, the moot question is: have we any goals? Even long-term goals? We have none. This is simply because politics at all levels is pursued for short-term gains by politicians and their hangers-on. They are apparently unfamiliar with such thoughts as destiny that Jawaharlal Nehru once talked about when India became free on August 15, 1947. The main challenge before the leadership is how to widen and consolidate rational commitment to nationalism not only among the Hindus but also among the minorities, especially the Muslims. There is scope for cultural synthesis. Highlighting that can be part of the Indian spirit common to all communities. And this can certainly be strengthened without inviting religious intolerance. The need of the moment is not to see the people's problems through the peep-hole of communal politics or adopt cash-and-carry attitudes. It needs to be constantly borne in mind that senseless acts of violence could only spell disaster for any democratic polity. It could pull down the edifice of democracy. In such a situation nothing will remain of distributive justice for any group or community to fight for. Of course, socio-economic roots of the problem cannot be ignored. Every community needs to have a stake in its own as well as the nation's well-being. What is required is breaking of the psychological barriers. In a democratic polity, every person has to be treated as an equal citizen under common law. Only then can the disturbing communal divide be done away with. |
Another journalist in PMO Yet another journalist has succeeded in entering the corridors of power and that too the South Block housing the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Now Minister of State in the PMO Vijay Goel has got an Officer on Special Duty (OSD): Rajkumar Sharma. The soft-spoken Sharma — in his forties — had hitherto been the Chief of Delhi Bureau of the multi-edition Hindi daily “Swadesh”, published from Madhya Pradesh. Incidentally, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was once the Editor of “Swadesh”, an RSS mouthpiece. Vijay Goel and Sharma are close chums for decades. They were together in Delhi University decades ago though Goel was senior to Sharma. But the two were involved in many a dharna, protest marches and agitations when Goel was the President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU). It is a fact known to every occupant of the Indian Newspaper Society building here — another hub of journalistic activities — that Goel used to visit Sharma’s office in INS building frequently, a routine stopped only after he was handpicked by the Prime Minister to be his MoS in the PMO. Ever since Goel’s induction in Vajpayee’s Council of Ministers and given the high-profile portfolio, he was being assisted by Sharma on a daily basis, albeit unofficially. Later, Goel felt this arrangement was inadequate and finally persuaded Sharma to join him. Raj Kumar Sharma was accredited to the Union Government and was a member of Lok Sabha Press Gallery Committee as well as the Press Accreditation Committee. He has to surrender his PIB card and resign from the various committees now that he has become a government servant, holding the rank of a Deputy Secretary. Incidentally, two journalists — Ashok Tandon and Sudheendra Kulkarni — are already serving as aides of the Prime Minister in the PMO while others of their ilk like former Editor of the Times of India H K Dua and Kanchan Gupta were in senior positions in the PMO not too long ago. Dua is presently India’s Ambassador to Denmark. Uncalled for bravado Air Marshal V K Bhatia, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Air Command (WAC), one of the most important and strategic commands of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which guards the entire western sector of the country, has been hogging the limelight for all the wrong reasons. In control of the command, which the present Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy also commanded so well during his tenure and which saw Air Marshal Patney excelling while in control during the Kargil conflict with Pakistan, Air Marshal Bhatia has come in for criticism and facing accusing fingers for his alleged escapade in the Pakistani air space on February 19. En route to Kargil aboard the inaugural flight as the airstrip had been extended in the remote region of Jammu and Kashmir, the Air Marshal flying an AN-32 transport aircraft himself, either chose purposely to stray into the Pakistani territory or lost his way and was hit by a surface-to-air missile. The controversy erupted after a news magazine broke the story. But the incident has taken an interesting turn after there was accusation that his plane was hit by friendly fire apparently from the Indian Army troops stationed on ground. But the other version, which is also likely to come out in the report of the Court of Inquiry is that the Air Marshal was in fact in Pakistani territory for a much longer period than expected from such a senior officer, even if he had strayed. His plane was seemingly hit by a missile fired by the Pakistanis, but what saved the plane and the Air Marshal is that it did not explode. The engine of the transport aircraft was damaged. The Pakistani claim that it hit the plane was muted to avoid embarrassment because the missile fired by them did not explode. Besides, they also have no evidence to show as the damaged engine of the plane, fortunately again for the Air Marshal, fell on the Indian side of the LoC. What, however, would be interesting are the findings of the Court of Inquiry headed by Air Marshal, M S Sekhon, who himself was interested in the WAC chief’s post. A close watch needs to be kept whether the report would gloss over the lapses of such a senior officer or hold him guilty. |
Indian media & global developments Is the Indian Press aware of its role in Indian society in the context of global developments? I am afraid, it is not. Which is why it imitates the Western model. But on this later. There was a time when the Indian Press used to pride itself on being patriotic and nationalistic. That was when the country fought for its freedom, and the political parties called themselves nationalists. But once India became free, the parties were shy of this label. In fact, the label became a burden because one could lose votes at elections. So they called themselves secular, although the two are as different as chalk from cheese. A secular man need not love his country. But a nationalist must. Be that as it may, the Indian Press followed the example of the parties. It shed its nationalist garb and took on a new task — to inform, to educate. That was the nearest it could get to a correct definition of its role. Formal education of the citizen ceases at a very young age. So the Press can take up further education of the young from then on till death. It is a major task. But this is not how the Press has conceived its task. We are told that the Press is an industry and that its true goal is profit. Others say that the role is to educate and entertain, with emphasis on entertainment. Today the media has been overtaken by technology. The world of the print media has changed beyond recognition. Today, particularly after economic liberalisation, success is associated with money and profit. With a decline in the role of editors, the Press is no more connected with causes. One of the most important developments is the emergence of business journalism. Thanks to liberalisation of the economy and the inflow of foreign investment, the coverage of business and industry by the Press has naturally expanded vastly. Its downfall began with the corruption of business journalists. Gifts and gift vouchers became the order of the day. And in this it is the foreign MNCs which played the most nefarious role. The Press is increasingly setting the political, economic, social and cultural agenda. But they are not brewn at home, but abroad. The idea is to copy the Western model. In this, the Indian media plays the most important role. It is the true Caliban to the Western Prospero. If the print media has suffered, it is because of other reasons. For example, elitism, commercialism and corruption. Big newspapers set the pattern for the medium and small ones and in the process transmit their debilities. As the proprietors, editors and others, who take decisions in the press, as also readers, hail from the same elite group, the press has, over the years, come to deal with the issues, concerns and interests of the elite. It also reflects their likes and dislikes, prejudices and priorities even if they are not in the national interests of the country. In fact, as this elitist group is largely Western-oriented, the Indian Press sells the Western way of life to its elitist readers. It is, thus, the most powerful agent of de-nationalisation in the country. Exceptions are of course there. But they are not my concern here. As a major part of this press is owned by industry and by powerful families, the situation is indeed worrisome. With growing costs, the press is confined to fewer and fewer hands. With the entry of the corporate sector into the media, commercial practices and values have taken hold of the press. The profit motive dominates over all other considerations. The business section of the press dominates over the editorial section. Naturally, what sells the paper and what attracts advertisements have the highest priority. In this, it follows the Western model. As a result, the Press resorts to suppression, distortion, disinformation and the planting of news to serve the interests of forces it supports or its own interests. Denigration of others through interviews, articles, reports, surveys have become common. Corruption is condoned. Economic journalism is an island of high wages and returns. It services the interests of the proprietors, not the interests of the millions of investors. It supports globalisation which serves the major economic powers. In the event, this promotes foreign MNCs and the interests of the major economies, which naturally stirs the economic nationalism of the developing countries. But the fact is: both globalisation and nationalism are inherent in a given situation. There are economic forces which work towards a global economy. This stirs up economic nationalism when national interests are threatened. The efforts should be to arrive at a balance. But that is not what the Indian Press promotes. It promotes globalisation, which is in the interest of the West. In the process, it is promoting the Western way of life. Globalisation cannot resolve religious differences, ethnic conflicts, civilisational differences, economic nationalism and, finally, issues of national security in a world of unipolarity. And, finally, nation states are transforming themselves into knowledge states today. In these circumstances, it will be necessary to put education as the highest priority. But it cannot generate much profit. Where does our Press stand in this context? Will it take the task of educating the reader more seriously? Or will it continue to copy the Western model of development? |
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Should vitamin intake be limited? While I am an ardent advocate of nutritional medicine, my career in it was almost snuffed out before it began. Just as my interest in the subject was burgeoning, I found myself aghast at what seemed to be the excessive quantities of nutrients punted by many natural-health experts. Often, I found recommendations for the unsuspecting public to take several times the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) I had learnt at medical school. I questioned whether taking what seemed to be super-stratospheric levels of vitamins and minerals was safe. I also wondered what purpose this megadosing might serve (other than making very expensive urine, that is). For the past half-century, the RDAs for vitamins and minerals have formed the basis for conventional nutritional wisdom. The commonly held belief is that as long as the RDAs are met via our diet and/or supplements, our nutritional needs will be amply covered. However, as I delved deeper into the subject of nutrition, it occurred to me that despite their hallowed place in nutritional dogma, the evidence suggests that the RDAs are set too low, and are well overdue for review. There is a wealth of research that shows benefits from taking nutrients in doses higher than the RDA. Despite this, it turns out that European legislation has been drafted which, if passed, will make the sale and purchase of useful quantities of nutrients simply illegal. The RDAs actually represent the level of vitamins and mineral nutrients needed to prevent nutrient deficiency. One common misconception about the RDAs, however, is that they represent what are deemed to be the `safe’ levels of nutrient intake. Many individuals fear that taking much more than the RDA of a nutrient puts them at risk of toxicity and overdose. However, the fact is the RDAs are not designed to reflect the safe levels of nutrients at all. The amount of a nutrient that can be safely taken is often many times the RDA. For instance, while the RDA for vitamin B6 is just 2mg, its upper safe limit is at least 200mg. Another example is vitamin B12, which has an RDA of 1mcg and a safe daily limit of at least 500 times this amount. For me, a major deficiency of the RDAs is that while they represent the minimum levels of nutrients needed to prevent an obvious deficiency, they in no way reflect the optimum levels of nutrients required for optimum health. For example, while 60mg of vitamin C each day is deemed to be enough to stop our teeth falling out due to scurvy, this dose is very unlikely to keep our body in tip-top shape. Vitamin C intake has been correlated with a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, and there is good evidence that supplementing with vitamin C can increase longevity, too. More and more evidence suggests that each of us should be consuming at least 200mg of vitamin C each day, and it may well be that much higher levels (perhaps several grams per day) are required for peak health and during illness. Another example of the yawning abyss that often exists between the RDA and more optimal levels of a nutrient concerns vitamin E. Two large studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1993 demonstrated that supplementing with 100IU of vitamin E for at least two years reduced risk of heart disease in both men and women by about 40 per cent. Despite this, the RDA for vitamin E remains at a measly 10IU. A critical shortcoming of the RDA system is that it simply fails to cover some of the nutrients known to be critical to health. Currently, RDAs exist for only 18 vitamins and minerals. Yet it is well established that we require 50 or 60 nutrients to sustain life. It is clear that several key nutrients are omitted from the RDA system. A good example is the trace mineral selenium. This antioxidant nutrient has been linked with a reduced risk of chronic illnesses, such as cancer. One study found that supplementing with selenium at a dose of 200mcg per day significantly reduced the risk of dying from cancer. To this day, no RDA for selenium exists. Other key nutritional players for which no RDA exists include betacarotene, chromium, copper and manganese.
The Observer |
A pain-killer checks prostate cancer Popping painkillers might have a lot more benefits than previously though to be among men. A recent study has proved that their risk of developing prostate cancer gets lowered by popping pain killers, reported BBC. It is possible they do this by reducing inflammation, which has been linked to cancerous tissue changes. However, the results are not enough to convince even the researchers involved in the study that millions of elderly men should be getting the drugs. Some patients react badly to long-term painkiller use, suffering gastric bleeding and liver problems - and there is no guarantee that the benefits to one group of patients would outweigh the risks to another. Mayo Clinic researchers looked at 1,362 men over a five and a half year period. Some were given a regular dose of the type of painkillers called “non-steroidal
anti-inflammatories”, these include ibuprofen and aspirin, while the rest were not. Over the 66-month period, 9 per cent of the non-treated group developed prostate cancer, while only 4 per cent of those given the painkillers were diagnosed with the disease. The older the patient, the more apparent protection was offered by the painkillers. This echoes similar, if not so pronounced, findings in both breast and colon cancer. However, the researchers say that more work needs to be done to confirm the findings and make sure that the drug would not do more harm than good. Dr Rosebud Roberts, one of the researchers, said, “We also need to determine the duration and dosage use that provides protection against prostate cancer, and to better understand the biologic mechanisms underlying the association between NSAIDs and prostate cancer.” She plans additional research into African American men, who appear to have the highest prostate cancer risk to see if the results can be reproduced there. Prostate cancer is now one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in elderly men. It affects a small gland just below the bladder, which produces a component of semen.
ANI Craze for facial injection to stay young Some people can go to any extent in order to stay younger, even if it involves pain. This is precisely what Americans are doing, with more and more of them taking botulinum toxin or Botox injections in their faces in order to stay young and beautiful, reports BBC. In fact, Botox has become such a craze in the USA that last year it was the fastest growing cosmetic medical procedure, with more than a million people undergoing the treatment. Moreover, its sales were more than $ 300 million and this despite the ban on its advertisement. Looking at its immense popularity, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now decided to lift that ban later this month. And once it is done, sales may reach a billion dollars a year by 2006. The drug’s popularity is no longer confined to American borders. Steve King, deputy editor of Men’s Health magazine, was recently given Botox in London in the name of journalistic research. “It was like any injection, slightly painful and then when the serum is actually injected... it does sting quite a bit,” he said. But like other drugs, Botox also has some side-effects. The associated health risks include droopy eyebrow, a weeping eye or problems with facial expressions. Doctors say they always warn people about potential side-effects beforehand.
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I do not own an inch of land, But all I see is mine. If the world seems cold to you, Kindle fires to warm it! If the world is a wilderness, Go, build houses in it! If the world’s a vale of tears, Smile, till rainbows span it! There is light in shadow and shadow in light, And black in the blue of the sky. — Lucy Larcom, A Strip of Blue; Three Old Saws;
Black in Blue sky. *** Having renounced the charms of body and mind, Remains immersed in the Absolute Unbiased, fair and truthful in speech. The highest of distinctions is service to others. — King George VI
in his broadcast *** The chessboard is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us. We know that his play is always fair, just, and patient. But also we know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance. — Thomas Henry Huxley,
A Liberal Education *** The world has narrowed to a neighbourhood before it has broadened to brotherhood. — Lyndon B. Johnson’s address December 17, 1963 *** Ever-compassionate ready to serve; with the power of unseen Shabad ensconced in the heart. Know all these as Signs of a true guru. Treating all living beings the same way, showering on them knowledge of love and equality. Such noble ones recognise no caste or creed. Their only criterion being True Meditation. — Mahatma Mangat Ram Ji Maharaj (1903-1954) |
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