Ma Saraswati

O’Goddess Saraswati, salutation to you

O’ Goddess of consciousness

The metaphor of creative faculty, praise to you

O’ goddess, the personification of knowledge and learning

The cornerstone of Upanishads, may she enlighten our conscious!

O’ Goddesss, the faculty of wisdom

The goddess of purity and true knowledge

The bestower of knowledge, we bow to you

O’ discriminator of real and unreal

O’ vakdevi, the goddess of speech,may she live on our tongue!

O’ the essence of sound, by your name the

World of sound and form is realized, we bow to you

O’goddess of cognition purifies our minds and intellects.

O’ muse of creative faculty

The essence of self (swa)

The devotion of artist and ascetic

The giver of self knowledge

The Devi of creative potential

The call of higher self

Let unveil the mystery of life,

And omit the darkness of our lives.

O,Ma Saraswati provider of boon

As we began our lives

Provide success in all our efforts

O’ bestower of learning and skill

Illuminate the world with light of knowledge

O’ Ma Saraswati, salutation to you,salutation to you!

Those moments

Dear readers, this post is a part of Close Up's Fire-Freeze contest. You can submit your own stories here or as a comment to this post. :)

The silence prevailed in the classroom as everyone was busy in solving the questions with rapt attention. Walking in between the rows for the while I stopped near the table to put my specs on it.

After a while reverberation of distant cymbal drifted across the classroom. Following the source I gazed the cathedral across the road of a prestigious campus- a convent school.

Just out of university and with fizzy confidence I had cleared my first interview successfully at an Institution.

Moving towards the vehicle with the appointment letter in hand I had suddenly spectacled a splendid cathedral inside the campus of a prestigious school across the road. Perplexed I analyzed my miss to notice the magnificent Institution at the unfamiliar place.

Magnetically I moved towards it. A gothic cathedral was there at the entrance of the Institution with beautiful flower beds in front of it. Beside it there was a fenced pond with flocks of geese floating into it.

Next moment I found myself in carpeted waiting room of the esteemed Institution with testimonials in my hand. Inside the campus walk of missionary people in robes were complimenting the anglicized air of the Institution.

In the Principal’s room positivity and congeniality were rolling. My testimonials received appreciative look with few cordial queries and my application got accepted over there.

The season of spring enchanted inside when I was asked to join the same at the start of the session. Off course after clearing the written and interview that I was confident to clear at comparatively smaller place. And then flung the last query regarding my experience and naively I flashed my appointment letter from another school to him. That was the end of spring over there. A solemn expression reigned the principle’s face- “We don’t appoint teachers of neighboring school.” My one misplaced step had crushed the brilliant opportunity there in a moment.

Battling the mental debate for two years I worked at the previous school situated across the road. From the assembly till dismissal the silent comparisons would rule my mental frame-“the present work place” verses “that-esteemed- my would be Institution.”

Suitably qualified I was being paid nicely over there. In amiable work mores I had been given charge of computer and science lab. I was the class teacher of senior section. Still I had been working or rather preparing over there for the life of “ my would be Institution - the bigger-esteemed one-across the road.”

Every morning alighting out of the vehicle and walking through the cheery echoes and wishes of students I would steal the glances of “my school and flocks of my students’ appreciatively.

Day by day the determination to be at the best had been scaling- I was working on every details- on course materials, the subjects, the soft skills and computer. Although I had visited and worked at the campus of “my esteemed Institution” at several occasions- attending the science seminars and teachers’ workshop as an invitee teacher from other Institution.

And then at a point I felt enough and decided for a discrete talk over there to “my esteemed Institution.”

In next session according to ethic and rules I applied and got call for demo class over there. That was my chance to make an entry and for that I had been waited for long two years.

In the demo class I had to prove my gripping prowess- I had to grasp attention of the class- first to last desk. I had to invoke “whys?” at every possible step and provide apt solutions at best of ease. I had to make the explanation gripping without dropping the spirit of the class even for the moment.

Inside the class room the flashes of curious eyes, resonances of my explanations and shuffling of pages were only vibrations. In pin drop silence the class was jotting down the details explained by me. When the bell rang then I realized presence of the Principal at the back of the class.

During the recess I was asked by the students about my joining date. By the Vice Principal I was assigned work as regular staffs though my date of joining was due next month.

After the recess I was told to invigilate the mock tests of senior section. At the hall I got the sight of him- a person more than a decade older than me. My greeting startled him - he congratulated me and made a fast escape from the place. In the elation the first brush of seize I felt over there.

In the staff room he was the weakest among teachers and frown of every gaze. His departure over there was being viewed as the delights of the students and relief of the Institution.

Next day during the assembly, adoringly watching the flower beds my gaze followed a pair of worn out shoes. Ascending above the shoes I greeted him- again the same sadness engulfed me sapping my contentment. This time he came near me- composing himself he was explaining something about the unruly children, the obnoxious colleagues and many more things.

My eyes were unintentionally gripping the details- of his unspoken words - his forty plus age, a vivid picture of jobless house hold, the engulfing poverty that was raising ugly head from every possible corner of his persona, out of his worn out shoes and cuffs, his shaken self confidence, illogical explanation and incoherent choked voice, more intensely his painful, hopeless look.

Everything sent a shiver through me-“how long will I survive this heaviness?” I felt I had never wished for these sights. I wanted to move immediately as the entire cheer inside me had evaporated. There was complete loss of liveliness- the sweetness of long wait and my success all seemed so heavy to carry. To escape that heaviness I wanted to run away from there…

The key to success

“Nothing succeeds than success.” Success is the sweetest of all tastes. And off course a much needed and aspired recipe of good life? A much coveted thing for all of us. All of us are behind the success, perseveringly honing and working on our skills. Still few of us achieve it the while others get lost somewhere in the path.

More often curiously we analyze the success and failure graphs of different lives, to find out. Let’s analyze.

Taking a journey I bought the concise Bhagvad Gita while I was going through it one chapter caught my attention:

-Gyana or knowledge

-Karma or action

-And bhakti (a word which in today’s world hardly catches the fancy)

All words were heard and seen before there was not anything new in them. But the little perception unfolded a deep insight out of it. Amazingly I closed my eyes for the moment imbibing the depth of explanation and checked all pages as if I was going to get many more out of them. In that particular chapter, how different people accomplish their jobs were explained.

Gyani( a knowledgeable person)- when he performs his duty he reaches near the goal anchoring on his knowledge, still a gap remains in between him and the goal.

Karmi (the man of action) always believes in action, but amazingly he too fails to reach the goal. A little gap remains to reach the goal despite his believe in action.

But bhakta( a person of devotion) achieves his goal.

Gyani spent most of the time in discussion on the knowledge. Being aware of his knowledge the gyani (knowledgeable or intellectual) lived in vanity “ the ego”. Ego always limited a person.

Karmis thought I accomplished according to my potential and accepted the result. Karmis felt pride in his accomplishments. He too was not fully devoted as he worked to show his accomplishments.

But bhakta(the person of devotion) performed the job in blissful state(a mind full of love). He was neither elated nor regretted on success and failure even if he encountered it initially. He was thoroughly enjoying the job- in blissful state.

So the recipe of sure shot success in work is the blissful state of mind while under taking it. The success and failure are the part of journey not destination. An unwavering devotion always leads to success.

The goal of our works or lives should be bliss not the success and failure. It is important to feel the bliss while doing it. And when we learn to acquire the everlasting bliss in whatever we do the success follows automatically.

So the success is the permanent companion of calm and blissful mind.

That is why it is advised by sages that choose the job which you enjoy. So later in life you enjoy thorough out the life without having the work to be done.

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62yrs of Indian Republic-Achievements and Expectations

The Indian democracy matured 62 years. For more than six decades being a democratic republic, we have been guided by the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.

Now a retrospection on the six decades of the 62-turned republic as it is time to ponder how truly the denizens realized the promises of constitution.

The formation of republic on 26 Jan 1950 was the first landmark to realize the dreams of citizens in the aftermath of independence. Certainly at several fronts we progressed and new dimensions were added in the life of common people.

Like Right to Education act came into being which facilitated access to education of all children of the country belonging to age group five to fourteen.

NREGA is another facility which penetrated at the grass root level and at the remotest of the country. Besides providing the employment it helps to some extent in mitigating the migration of rural folks.

The 2005 Right to Information act has given to the citizens to seek accountability in governance.
Constitution guaranteed individual freedom and dignity under the fundamental right. It gives character to the country and the rights to the people.

The power to franchise has given to the citizens the right to determine their political choices. Following the constitutional amendments in 1992, India has introduced democracy at grass root level. Today 3.2 million representatives who have been elected are from villages, town and cities. About 1.2 million of these representatives are women.
As per constitution of India, the Panchayat-the local self government at the village level mandated one third participation of women.

The judicial system of India as courts at all levels , special and fast track courts hear petitioners and dispense judgments.

Human rights are protected by the National Human Right Commission.

The first electronic ID cards were rolled out by the Unique Identification Authority. Its smart application can offer a number of social services and it is expected to be a game changer in India.

India is the largest and one of the most stable democracies in the world. India is the world’s fourth largest economy and the second fastest growing among the major economies and now a rightful contender for getting a permanent seat in UN Security Council.

62nd milestone of Indian republic marked with many successes that have been achieved in different fields. But there are many issues still awaiting urgent attention and better handling. As some of the issues are throwing up challenges and yet need a better monitoring and response mechanisms to address the inadequacies.

Especially transparency (in dealing with public funds and rules), accountability (in duties) and implementation (of desired actions) are the fields that need improvement.

But the active participation and awareness of citizens and media in government agenda are bringing effective, sustainable and humane results in work culture.

India has always had a vision and message for the world and it will continue to create a better world free of terror, poverty diseases, ignorance and inequality.