Expect nothing, live frugally on surprise.
Showing posts with label Puja's Postings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Puja's Postings. Show all posts

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Meena Bazaar

Bazaars in 17th century India were normally in the open air. A covered bazaar although of a design common to West Asia, was an innovation in India. Shah Jahan had heard about the arcade in Isfahan, and it seems that the notion of a covered bazaar, stimulated to him by the one he saw in Peshawar in 1646



A Sari Shop at Meena Bazaar: He instructed Mukarmat Khan who was supervising the construction of the Red Fort, to build a similar covered market there. Shah Jahan was greatly impressed as its design was suitable for the hot climate of Delhi.
Chatta Chowk (Covered Bazaar). True to the name, this is a covered bazaar between the gate and the fort itself, now filled with souvenir hawkers.

Read more...

Monday, January 19, 2009

Start the week with a SMILE :-)

Some stupid qustions and their answers. Happy Reading :- )

When you see a friend/colleague with evidently shorter hair.
Stupid Question: Hey have you had a haircut?
Answer: No, its autumn and I'm shedding.

At a restaurant: When you ask the waiter...
Stupid Question: Is the "blah blah blah" dish good?
Answer: No, its terrible and made of adulterated cement.

In the bus: A fat girl wearing pointed high-heeled shoes steps on your feet...
Stupid Question: Sorry, did that hurt?
Answer: No, not at all, I'm on local anesthesia.

At a funeral: One of the teary-eyed people ask.
Stupid Question: Why, why him, of all people.
Answer: Why? Should it rather have been you?

When a friend announces her wedding, and you ask.
Stupid Question: Is the guy you're marrying good?
Answer: No, he's a miserable wife-beating, insensitive lout...it's just his money.

When you get woken up at midnight by a phone call.
Stupid Question: Sorry, were you sleeping?
Answer: No. I was playing cricket.

You are smoking a cigarette and a cute woman asks.
Stupid Question: Oh, so you smoke
Answer: No, it's a miracle ...it was a chalk and now it's in flames!!!

Read more...

Friday, January 16, 2009

Missing but Not Wanted

A wife went to the police station with her next-door neighbor to report that her husband was missing. The policeman asked for a description.

She said, "He's 35 years old, 6 foot 4, has dark eyes, dark wavy hair, an athletic build,
weighs 185 pounds, is soft-spoken, and is good to the children."
The next-door neighbor protested, "Your husband is 5 foot 4 inches, chubby, bald, has a big mouth, and is mean to your children."
The wife replied, "Yes, but who wants HIM back?"

Read more...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Day of Festivals

January 14th is probaly one day which is celebrated in all parts of India in diffreny way. Here a glimpse of Our India festivalsMakar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun. It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated as Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati's not only look reverentially up to the sun, but also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form of beautiful kites all over the skyline. They may be trying to reach upto their glorious God or bring about greater proximity with the one who represents the best. It is a day for which Bhishma Pitamah kept waiting to leave his mortal coil. Bihu is one of the most popular festival is observed with immense joy and gaiety in the the state of Assam. Celebrated to mark the change of season, it is celebrated thrice a year.

Pongal is an ancient festival of people in South India particularly Tamils. The history of the festival can be traced back to the Sangam Age i.e. 200 B.C. To 300 A.D. Although, Pongal originated as a Dravidian Harvest festival and has a mention in Sanskrit Puranas, historians identify the festival with the Thai Un and Thai Niradal which are believed to have been celebrated during the Sangam Age.. The celebrations of Sangam Era led to today's Pongal celebrations. As part of the festivities, maidens of the Sangam era observed 'Pavai Nonbu' at the time of Thai Niradal which was a major festival during the reign of the Pallavas (4th to 8th Century AD). It was observed during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December-January). During this festival young girls prayed for rain and prosperity of the country. Throughout the month, they avoided milk and milk products. They would not oil their hair and refrained from using harsh words while speaking. Women used to bath early in the morning. They worshiped the idol of Goddess Katyayani, which would be carved out of wet sand. They ended their penance on the first day of the month of Thai (January-February). This penance was to bring abundant rains to flourish the paddy. These traditions and customs of ancient times gave rise to Pongal celebrations.
Bihu: The first of the three Bihus, is celebrated in the month of April coinciding with other harvest festivals like Sankranti, Chait or Baisakhi It is a time for rejoicing as well as praying for a bountiful harvest.The history of Bihu celebration can be traced to 3500 B.C., when it is was celebrated for around a month, in the present times, it is however celebrated for a week. Incessant dancing, singing mark the occasion. Dancing was earlier restricted only to men, but with the change in times, women folk is sometimes made a part of dancing. Some people observe lot of praying and fasting,a night before the beginning of the festive celebration.
Lohri: The history of Lohri, a seasonal festival of North India is as old as that of story of Indus Valley civilization itself. The Festival of Lohri marks the beginning of the end of winter and the coming of spring and the new year.
The fires lit at night, the hand warming, the song and dance and the coming together of an otherwise atomized community, are only some of the features of this festival.

Read more...

Monday, January 5, 2009

The wait


IT’S A NIGHTMARE DGCA directive not to board passengers till departure time has a flip side too.IGI Airport saw massive chaos on Saturday with around 30 flights cancelled and over 150 delayed by one to four hours after flight schedules went haywire due to fog. Making the situation worse was an increase in passenger movement on Saturday. With several airlines having combined a few flights a day earlier, the sudden reservations caught them off guard

Read more...

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

2008: Watershed Year for Indian Sports

India's performance at the Beijing Olympics should inspire all those connected with Indian sport. Shooter Abhinav Bindra, boxer Vijender Singh and wrester Sushil Kumar exemplified what self-belief can do to sport in India. They all and a few other boxers and shuttler Saina Nehwal, who even if they have not been able to win medals, made the country proud.Bindra's shooting gold and the bronze each that Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar claimed triggered celebrations across the country. If a poised Bindra became India's new youth icon, then Vijender and Sushil gave hope to millions like them who nurture the dream of making it big.Young Saina reached the quarter-final in her debut Olympics, the first Indian woman to do so. Boxers Akhil Kumar and Jitender might have missed a medal by a whisker but their gutsy performance gave the sport a big boost to bloom in rural India. Most of the Olympic boxers hail from the nondescript Haryana town of Bhiwani.The Beijing Olympics will also be remembered for some of the stars failing to live up to promise. The 2004 Athens Olympic silver medallist, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, could not qualify for the finals of the men's double trap event. For tennis star Sania Mirza, it was a forgettable year. Her debut Olympics ended in heartbreak. Dogged by a chronic wrist injury, she dropped out of top-100 rankings after beginning the year among the top 30 on the WTA Tour. Much was expected of veterans Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi who kept aside their differences to play for the country for one last time. But they could not move beyond quarter-final as a resolute Roger Federer and Stanislas Warwinka stopped them.

The failures apart, Beijing Olympics was a watershed year for the Indian sports as it saw many disciplines coming out of the shadow of cricket and finding a place in the sun. And this despite the fact that the hockey team could not qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years and the lone women weightlifter from India, Monika Devi, failed the dope test.

The national sport hockey touched its nadir this year. When the nation was still reeling from the hockey team's Olympic failure, a sting operation exposed corruption in the selection procedure. As a result, the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) led by K.P.S. Gill was superseded and was replaced by an ad-hoc committee.

And just when things seemed to be looking up, Ric Charlesworth, the technical director appointed by the International Hockey Federation to assist Indian hockey, quit saying he could not function in the bureaucratic jungle where planning as well as execution was tardy.

The Indian colts though gave us reason to cheer, winning the junior Asia Cup hockey and beating Argentina in their backyard in a Test series.

The year turned out to be a landmark year for golf and badminton.

Veteran Jeev Milkha Singh once again showed that he could hold his own in world golf by winning four titles and achieving the career-best ranking of 36.

It all began with Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia creating history by winning the first ever European Tour event in India, the $2.5 million Indian Masters at the Delhi Golf Club in February.

Jeev ended his 18-month drought with the Bank Austria title and then went on to triumph at the Singapore Open. He also won two tournaments on the Japan Tour. He registered his best performance in Majors after he tied ninth at the PGA Championships, the best by an Indian.

His win in Singapore took him to the top of the Asian Order of Merit. Jeev finished top-10 at the PGA Championships and registered three wins on three different Tours this season.

Young badminton star Saina challenged the Chinese and Indonesian domination in badminton. Carrying on her stellar performance in Olympics, Saina won the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix and followed it with top performances in other tournaments, which saw her break into the top-10 this month to become the second Indian woman after Ami M. Ghia to achieve the feat. She went on to make the semi-finals in the season-ending World Super Series Masters final.

Chetan Anand cracked into the top-15 in the men's rankings with four title wins, including Bitburger Open and Czech International Open.

Tennis, too, fared decently. India entered the play-offs of the Davis Cup World Group for the first time in three years and a young talent in Somdev Devvarman came to the fore. Devvarman first created history by winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for the second successive year and then with consistent play took rapid strides in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings to dislodge Prakash Amritraj as the top-ranked Indian.

But tennis had its share of controversies, too, when Davis Cup players led by Mahesh Bhupathi revolted against Leander Paes' captaincy, forcing him to step down ahead of the World Group play-off tie against Romania that India lost 3-1.

Indian football was also on a high as the country qualified for the 2011 Asia Cup for the first time in 24 years after winning the AFC Challenge Cup.

It was a sensational year for cueist Pankaj Advani, who in April became the only person to win the Asian Billiards Championship twice. He then went on to become the first Indian to win the Australian Open Billiards Championship in Melbourne before winning the coveted IBSF World Billiards Championship in Bangalore in September.

Chess, too, prided itself in the eventful calendar year when Viswanathan Anand beat Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn to become the World Champion. The Indian Grandmaster thus became the first player to win the official world title in three different formats - knockout, round-robin and matchplay.

Gagan Narang put behind the Olympic disappointment with a gold medal in the 10m air rifle event at the World Cup in November. Ronjan Sodhi won the gold in the double trap event at the World Cup in Belgrade, equaling two world records.

The petite woman boxer MC Mary Kom won her fourth consecutive World Championship title in November and Akhil, Jitender Dinesh Kumar and Anthresh Lakra continued to make the country proud, with all four bagging a bronze each in World Cup boxing last week.

If the performance this year is anything to go by, then it certainly gives a fillip to India's hopes at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Read more...

Insurgencies in Northeast Dominated 2008, Economic Climate Improving

Though violent separatist insurgencies continued to rock most northeastern states in 2008, the region also saw mobilization of investments, the launch of the ambitious Vision 2020 and new governments in four states. After a three-year deliberation, the Vision 2020 document was released in July by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. The three-volume document promises to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in the region through a multi-pronged strategy that includes spurring private investment and industrial development, empowerment of the people by maximizing self governance, rural development, increasing agricultural productivity and augmenting infrastructure in the region.Pitching strongly for making the northeast region an economic hub, Minister for Development of the Northeastern Region Mani Shankar Aiyar said the region requires billions of dollars in investments and stressed that the development of the region will push India's growth rate to double-digit figure. With a high degree of investment interest in the industry-starved region by the corporate world, the fourth northeast business summit saw 247 expressions of interest (EOI) from 64 companies, including some foreign business houses.

Agro and food processing sector received 65 EOIs. This was followed by tourism with 50 EOIs and infrastructure sector with 70. This was besides interests shown in the IT and manufacturing sectors.

Diplomats, investors and delegates from 12 countries took part in the two-day Northeast Business Summit, held in September.

The four northeastern states -- Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Mizoram -- set up new governments with Meghalaya and Mizoram witnessing change of regimes.

In Meghalaya, after a fractured mandate, Congress leader D.D. Lapang was sworn in as chief minister March 10. But he could not prove his majority in the assembly and the Congress-led government resigned after nine days, paving the way for the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) of Donkupar Roy to form the government March 19.

In Nagaland, a 12-member ministry headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio assumed office in March as the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) came to power for the second consecutive term after defeating the Congress.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front stormed back to power in Tripura for the sixth time - including four times in a row. CPI-M politburo member Manik Sarkar was again sworn in as chief minister.

After successive setbacks in the three northeastern states, the Congress won the November polls in Mizoram after a gap of 10 years.

Voting out the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), the Congress won 32 seats in the 40-member house. Lalthanhawla, who shaped the Congress base in the state, became chief minister for the fourth time on Dec 11.

"The security situation in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland -- which together account for over 90 percent of incidents of militant violence in the region so far this year -- has become a cause of concern...," a report of the union home ministry said.

Manipur and Tripura witnessed this year's worst terrorist violence in the two states when a series of bomb explosions took place on Oct 1 and Oct 21 respectively.

In Tripura, over 100 people were injured with the capital Agartala rocked by a wave of bombings.

Eighteen people were killed and 44 more wounded in a powerful bomb blast in Manipur capital Imphal.

Amid rising tension arising out of rampant factional hostility among rival underground groups, specially two factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), overwhelming peace and reconciliation campaigns by social groups and churches dominated Nagaland's socio-political scenario during 2008.

Notwithstanding hope for peace nurtured by the people, the war of attrition between the NSCN factions refused to die down.

The outgoing year was very low key in Arunachal Pradesh except for the agitation launched by government employees over implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendation, resurfacing of the boundary problem with Assam besides China's claim over Arunachal territory.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his maiden visit to Arunachal Pradesh in January announced a mega Rs.200 billion (approx $4 billion) development package. The prime minister during his visit announced the launching of several schemes, including rail, road and air connectivity, development of infrastructure, education and healthcare facilities besides the Rs.55 billion, 1.840 km Trans-Arunachal Highway project connecting Tawang to Mahadevpur.

Read more...

2008: The World Year of Extremes

The year 2008 can be called a year of extremes: it saw huge trauma, beginning in the shadow of the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto just days earlier and ending with a global market crisis that has brought despair to millions across the world. Yet the worst is still to come.
The final months of the year were marred by attacks, with hundreds dead in India's bustling commercial metropolis Mumbai, chaos in Thailand, pirates in the Gulf of Aden and continuing violence in the world's top conflict regions, Iraq and Afghanistan.The Middle East is still far from a peaceful solution between Israelis and Palestinians, or indeed between Palestinians and Palestinians. Russia and Georgia erupted into a war just as the world was watching the glittery opening of the skillfully staged Olympics in China.

In Italy, Silvio Berlusconi is again prime minister.

In Zimbabwe, expectations for better government were withering even faster than President Robert Mugabe's regime could print ever higher dollar bills to stem inflation.

The risks of global warming are worse than ever as concerns about the world climate were drowned out by concerns about the world economy.

The death toll in the five-year war in Congo has passed the five-million mark and continues to be largely neglected by the international community.

Yet in the midst of all the bad news of 2008, there was also reason for hope, and indeed some genuinely good news.

Worry over the world's tumbling markets brought leaders across the world racing to one table at previously unheard of speed to search for ways out of the crisis.

The European Union, usually a prime example of snail-speed diplomacy, managed to broker at least a ceasefire in Georgia and a return to - although still difficult - diplomacy between Russia and its Western neighbors.

After years of half-hearted pursuit, former Serbian leader Radovan Karadzic is finally being brought to trial over war crimes.

Serious progress has been made in research on illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, which have seen millions dead especially in Africa.

Even the fiercest critics agree that Iraq has seen some genuine security improvements and is now inching towards a reduction in US troops.

Coming up to Christmas, the year ended with the appearance of what many cast as a political messiah: Barack Obama was elected the first black president of the US.

The world - desperate for a change after eight years of George W. Bush calamities - celebrated the news not just in the US, but also in Africa, European capitals and in the Arab world.

The incoming US president is inheriting a global financial crisis, two wars and a whole series of international relations in tatters.

As heavy as Obama's new presidential burden is, problems like the global market crisis have brought the focus of the world's leading players back to the need for pragmatic talk, listening and the need for multilateral conflict resolution.

There may not be stardom for anybody, but there is certainly hope in that.

Read more...

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Sir, Why are All Terrorists Muslims?

"Sir, why is it that all terrorists are Muslims?" Prajvi Bagga Malhotra, a Class 11 student of Modern School, asked me this question during a discussion about current events. This was a very timely, bold but sensible question and being a Muslim, I was accountable to address the curiosity in the minds of a class of 52 students. Prajvi isn't the only one to have alluded to the Western media coined statement that all terrorists are Muslims but all Muslims are not terrorists. With so many voices stating that the religion advocates violence, Islam is today under the scanner. Not all of them can be wrong - people judge by what they see and today these terrorists speak and act violently in the name of Islam. told Prajvi that the guiding themes of every religion are the same. Islam too has the same theme and ideology as other religions but a few people misled some of its followers in the name of god.

26/11 (Mumbai), Kafeel in Glasgow, Mumbai blasts by the Memons and others in India, the jehadis in Kashmir, 9/11, 7/7 (London), 13/12 (Delhi), 29/10 (Delhi) and the Al Qaeda at a global level - all these make my head go down in shame.

It's so embarrassing that each time a Muslim name is found attached with the inhuman and insane acts of terrorism.

Note that jehad is the most misunderstood and misconstrued concept by our non-Muslim brethren and even Muslims. The true concept of jehad in Islam is not to be against other communities, groups or religions but to be against one's own selfish nature, vices and shortcomings within Muslim society in order to fight evil, injustice, inequity, illiteracy and ignorance. First an individual fights jehad against himself to get cleansed. After that he continues the efforts with his wife, family, locality and the whole community. This is Jehad-e-Akbar, the right meaning of jehad.

Terrorism is a political process and religion or a religious community has nothing to do with it. Neither does any religion teach to kill innocents (that is what the terrorists do) nor are the terrorists the people chosen by that religious community to undertake such ghastly acts on their behalf.

Nevertheless, an average Muslim's fears are hate crimes, difficulty in finding jobs, admissions and residential accommodation, unwanted repercussions, distrust and other such things that always get exacerbated by such incidents. Muslims also fear a backlash like the 1984 Sikh riots against them. Terrorists should not be helped in creating a rift between communities.

The Mumbai attackers did try to create a cleavage between Hindus and Muslims. However, though a tragic incident, it did have a silver lining in that it cut across religious lines and saw people uniting in their horror and outrage.

But leaders of some parties have even begun to think that any criticism of Pakistan would not be relished by this country's Muslims.

I still remember that during the last general elections in India, to appease Muslims the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) boasted of the Lahore bus and improving relations with Pakistan as one of its major achievements. It's so sad that these people still treat Indian Muslims as Pakistan's stooges.

Though all Indians know that a few terrorists do not tarnish a whole community, the government for fear of losing votes will not take the matter up with the Pakistani government seriously and will just resort to rhetoric.It is quite clear now that Indian politicians of all shades were somehow living under an illusion that if they were to turn harsh against acts of terror, they would alienate the Muslims of this country.

When will they ever realize that by doing so they are clearly reflecting their perverted psyche of labeling all Indian Muslims as pro-Pakistanis, which is the worst abuse for any Indian Muslim.Going soft on terror will not make Muslims happy as the perpetrators of such acts do not segregate their targets by religion. If the politicians of this country think that by shying away from taking on terrorists directly and by going soft on terror they will get kudos from Muslims, they are sadly mistaken. The public in general has now had enough of those who exploit religious sentiment in order to gain electoral and political mileage. The recent poll results in Delhi are an indication of that.

The rider is: let us save Islam from "the Muslims", Hinduism from "the Hindus", Christianity from "the Christians", Judaism from "the Jews" and Sikhism from "the Sikhs" and other zealots as religion is a very personal matter and as humans, we are all same.

Read more...

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Sunset or sunrise?

From bankruptcies, collapse and bailouts, the words defining economic crisis have changed a bit. Layoffs, cost-cutting, right sizing, cash conservation are the new defining terms. Yet, as the clouds hanging over the economy get darker and darker, the question uppermost on everybody’s mind isn’t how bad things really are, but how bad will things get. Have we seen the worst or is the worst yet to come?To be sure, a definitive answer is impossible at this stage. But a few key economic indicators and global developments do point to the shape of things to come. Major global economies like Japan and Germany have already slipped into a recession, and the largest of them all, the US, seems to be headed into one. To India’s north, export powerhouse China has announced a $586-billion plan to combat the slowdown. India hasn’t felt the need for a bailout, but GDP growth has already tapered off to just under 7 per cent from the heady 9 per cent plus levels. From New Delhi to Darjeeling, India shining is now India slowing. More ominous than the speed of slowdown is its spread. Sample this: In October, exports growth was down 15 per cent from its level a year ago—the first such decline since March 2002. Excluding oil exports, the decline was 20 per cent. The worst hit? Merchandise exporters in textile, handicrafts and leather sectors. The Commerce Secretary has warned of a staggering 5 lakh jobs being lost in the textile sector alone.
Yes, the Indian economy is much less globalised than most other Asian economies, but over the years our global linkages have become much stronger than before. Trade (exports plus imports) now accounts for 35 per cent of the country’s GDP, versus 22.5 per cent in 2000-01. Goodbye export target for 2008-09 ($200 billion). Exports are down, so Jimmy Engine Driver has fewer freight trains to pull. Railway freight, a key indicator of overall economic activity, clocked negative growth in October—the first such decline in seven years. Says A. Prasanna, Head of Research, ICICI Securities: “Shrinking exports is one of reasons for the downturn in railway freight. A big part of what is transported is related to exports.” That’s one indicator of how the sectors. Index of industrial production for the month of August grew by just 1.3 per cent. Worse, from the future point of view, is the downswing in new investments. This will curb job and income creations, which, in turn, will further dampen the already muted consumer demand. Most urban consumers are faced with the present reality of wealth erosion and imminent possibility of slower or no income growth. Did your neighbour buy that new car? If he did, he is the odd man out: The automobiles sector has reported negative sales in the Diwali month. Commercial vehicles, two wheelers and passenger car sales, were all down, forcing manufacturers to cut production or shut plants. Though the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram would like companies to cut prices and not production, India Inc. is doing exactly the opposite. On his part, Chidambaram has ensured no let up in government spending (e.g. pump priming) by stating that fiscal deficit isn’t an issue right now. The RBI has tried to do its bit too, intervening aggressively to improve the cash crunch. The cash reserve ratio (CRR) has been lowered by a cumulative 350 basis points between October 6 and November 1. This will release Rs 1,40,000 crore into the banking system. Repo rates have been slashed by 150 basis points. But how much and how soon will all this help the funds flow if foreign institutional investors continue to pull out of India. Then, the RBI’s dollar sales in the open market may have removed more than Rs 50,000 crore from the banking system. Says Sachchidanand Shukla, Economist, Enam Securities: “As long as the RBI continues defending the rupee, it’ll be difficult for banks to significantly lower rates.” A. Prasanna It’s not that there are no silver linings. Reversal in the direction of inflation rate, which should eventually lead to reduction in interest rates, is the most significant positive trend. Remember, the slowdown started earlier this year partly due to the RBI’s obsession with bringing down the then raging inflation. Good monsoons have kept rural incomes growing and investment pipeline— though fast depleting—is still strong. So, where does the net effect of the negative and positive factors leave us? Most economists and forecasts point to worsening economic situation for both producers and consumers in the months to come. But if the global economy doesn’t throw up any new surprises, the positives should get stronger than the negatives from April 2009 onwards— at least for the producers (lower cost of capital and slower wage growth). But the speed of recovery is most likely to be slow and staggered. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its November 2008 World Economic Outlook Update observes: “... financial conditions continue to present serious downside risks. The forceful policy responses in many countries have contained the risks of a systemic financial meltdown.

Nonetheless, there are many reasons to remain concerned about the potential impact on activity of the financial crisis.” It estimates that the Indian economy will grow at just over 6 per cent in 2009. That is as slow a rate as in 2004-05. And this is the GDP figure. Other growth figures that matter to us more—e.g. salary increments, number of jobs, corporate profits—may not look as good as the GDP. So, conserve your cash for the cold winter ahead and hope for an early spring thaw, so that growth can flourish again.





.
.

Read more...

From boom to bust

In a year or two, investors will no longer be pushing up prices of stocks in sectors like real estate or telecom or financial services or infrastructure. Sure, they’re all industries whose prospects are bright over the long term. But there’s a limit to jacking up stock price in anticipation of performances expected two to three years down the line.Last year, around the same time, the mood on the street was bullish, with the bull run showing few signs of petering of, and the Sensex rampaging into 20,000-plus territory. Although the subprime crisis had erupted in the US, few expected it to impact the great India story in the way it has now. Yet, there was always a fear lurking in the nooks and crannies of Dalal Street and stocks in pockets had raced way ahead of fundamentals. Concern over fundamentals of Indian companies were severe in the last two months (September-October) when the BSE Sensex fell by almost 38 per cent.
Those concerns were doubtless valid, what with price-earning ratios (P-Es) in overheated sectors like real estate climbing to as high as over 100 times. But when the equities did come tumbling down, few expected the markets to crash with such ferocity. Blame it on the US subprime crisis, greedy investment bankers or slack regulation on Wall Street or the resultant tightening of liquidity globally, but back home, a slowdown in the economy as well as in corporate earnings was only beginning to make its presence felt at the beginning of the year
When that slowdown finally revealed itself—now manifest in lower GDP projections and single-digit earnings growth for India Inc. in the second quarter of 2008-09—the writing was on the wall. The boom has got busted. The benchmark BSE Sensex is down by half, real estate is down in the dumps, manufacturers across sectors are cutting jobs and production, and yesterday’s outbound M&A adventurists are scurrying for funds needed to pay up for multi-billion dollar acquisitions made when valuations were near peak levels.Amidst such gloomy conditions, the BT 500—where the rankings are based on average market capitalisation for the April-October period—serves as a handy barometer of India Inc.’s performance in tough times. Encouragingly, there are quite a few companies who were able to minimise the impact of the global meltdown, and actually show an increase in market value over the previous year’s corresponding period. For the sixth year in a row, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries (RIL) grabbed the top slot of India’s most valuable company. Despite the carnage on Dalal Street, its average market cap increased by a handsome Rs 32,400 crore. Younger brother Anil, who took another company to the stock exchanges this year, Reliance Power, wasn’t so lucky, in taking over his elder brother in terms of market cap. The Reliance Power listing was expected to polevault Anil into a bigger league, but that didn’t quite happen.

The biggest surprise, however, came courtesy the public sector pack, where the overall market cap for the 50 companies in the list increased by almost Rs 1 lakh crore; in percentage terms that works out to a 10 per cent increase. The biggest contributors to the massive rise in the value of the state-run companies were NMDC and MMTC, whose combined market cap increased by over Rs 1.3 lakh crore. Although the floating stock of these companies is less than 2 per cent, the increase in their share price shows that the market sees value in them (considering there is hardly any operator-driven activity in state-run companies). Marketmen point out that the government should take a cue from the massive rise and offload some more of its holdings in such companies; this will help release some pressure on government finances and improve market sentiment. If 2007 was the year of real estate on Dalal Street—some nine companies got listed on the exchanges in that year—the current year saw these darlings of the stock market falling from grace. The share prices of top real estate players like DLF, Unitech, and Parsvnath Developers fell like ninepins. DLF alone lost over Rs 38,500 crore in market cap during the period of analysis in comparison. Unitech’s market value fell by a little over Rs 18,000 crore. These two companies alone account for an erosion of over Rs 50,000 crore of market value in the real estate sector. The sole real estate company that managed to increase its market value is Modern India, thanks largely to its relatively lower leveraging and a more stable revenue model of leasing, rather than outright sale (which most real estate players follow).If banking stocks were hammered it was more out of fear rather than for Indian banks’ exposure to the subprime crisis (which isn’t substantial). The biggest victim of negative sentiment and rumour mongering was ICICI Bank, whose market value eroded by over Rs 27,000 crore. Although there are concerns about the quality of assets ICICI Bank holds, its exposure to Wall Street isn’t huge—its exposure to Lehman Brothers was $80 million. The notable exceptions to the bearish trend are HDFC Bank and Axis Bank, with both their market values rising. One factor cited by analysts for this is that the business model of both these banks revolves around profitability rather than asset growthThe sectors that bucked the turbulent trend are fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and pharmaceuticals. The leading players in both these sectors were successful in either maintaining or increasing their market value. For instance, in the FMCG space, Hindustan Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Marico Industries and Asian Paints saw their market value rising. In pharmaceuticals, Sun Pharmaceutical, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Ranbaxy Labs, Cipla and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, too, saw their market value rising over the previous year. Analysts point out that sectors like FMCG and pharmaceuticals are defensive in nature, which prove to be relatively safe havens in uncertain times.Long-term sustainability of a company is seen once its comes out of turbulent times. “This is not the first time we are seeing such times. The company (Tata Chemicals) has gone through such phases in the past,” says Homi R. Khusrokhan, Managing Director, Tata Chemicals, which acquired US company this year. He says the slowdown in the US will be offset by Latin American countries and new markets. There are companies which have accepted that the India’s corporate sector is headed for slowdown and aligning themselves with the reality. “Automobiles offtake has been hit by high interest rates, reduced liquidity, global financial markets and fuel prices,” says C. Ramakrishnan, Chief Financial Officer, Tata Motors. If one remembers, in 2000 Tata Motors, too, had gone through tough times just before the launch of Indica but came out of it unscathed.There is concern for companies that raised funds through foreign currency convertible bonds and the London Inter-bank offered Rate. Such companies’ market value has already fallen substantially.The sentiment on the Street is clearly bearish, and analysts feel the market has some way to go before it finds its bottom. In a technical analysis report, Enam Securities expects the Sensex to bottom-out in the region of 7,150-6,150. Now’s the time when the men in the BT 500 will be separated from the boys. This rough patch will provide an opportunity for cash-rich players to consolidate their positions, and result in shakeout of relatively weak players. Expect some big changes in next year’s BT 500. .

Read more...

The route to 'dharmacracy'

Come January and Vijay Govindarajan, Professor of Strategic Innovation and Management at Tuck School, Dartmouth, US, will be in India with a group of 50 USbased executives. His mission? “I have arranged for Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to spend a day with the executives. The Sadhguru teaches spirituality. I want western executives to understand how spirituality informs leadership,” says Govindarajan, who feels there is a need to temper capitalism and individual gains with compassion. “We celebrate individual financial success. But I have seen executives who are successful on the outside—they have multiple homes, fancy cars, etc.—but these same executives are not happy inside. Spirituality is about seeking inner peace. It is needed more than ever now.” In fact, in February this year, the Indian School of Business (ISB) set up a research centre called the Centre for Leadership, Innovation & Change, that, among other things, is looking at this area of Indian philosophy in management. The idea is to research deeper into it, and, perhaps, include it in the management course.Capitalism is facing a crisis—and desperately needs a remedy. “There are many reasons for this,” says Govindarajan, adding that a central problem is that there is something rotten at the core of American corporate values—it measures success by short-term personal financial gains. That needs to change. . Balanced approach
This is where Indian philosophy, which balances the pursuit of wealth and material success with the mastery of the self and the quest for inner happiness, comes in, offering, as it does, an alternative to the “greed is good” ethos that has characterised the neo-conservative economic thinking pervading the corporate corridors of the US and much of the western world. The deeply introspective, yet practical, wisdom contained in ancient Indian texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharat and the Vedas also stands in stark contrast to the language of conquest popularised by management theories based on Sun Tzu’s sixth century BC classic, The Art of War. Says T.V. Mohandas Pai, Member of the Board and Director, Human Resources, Infosys Technologies: “When people are in trouble, they always fall back on ancient wisdom to see what went wrong.”

It is not without reason, therefore, that recently, the ISB’s Centre for Leadership, Innovation & Change organised its first international conference on “Igniting the Genius Within.” One of the topics discussed was Indian philosophy. “The idea,’’ says S. Ramnarayan, Professor and Member of the Management Committee of the Centre, “was to expose students and management professionals to broader management vision and to look for integration of various perspectives.”
Karma capitalism
The following are the major takeaways for modern management from Indian philosophy.

Dharma or ethical code: This is the very foundation of Indian philosophy, best exemplified by the phrase “Yato Dharmah Tato Jayah”, which means “True victory comes from righteous conduct only”.

Balance: The pursuit of artha (wealth) and kaama (pleasure) should be in tandem with dharma (righteousness) and moksha (liberation). Pursuit of the first two with no regard to the whispers of conscience leads to imbalance and chaos.

Keeping sight of the larger picture: Indian philosophy teaches the value of equanimity in pain and pleasure. Being steady, when changes around you are large and intense, gives managers the ability to make the best decisions.

Focus on efforts, not results: Focus on results often distracts people’s attention from the goal. Results are not based on one person’s action alone and other people’s efforts as well as your past actions work together to create the result.

Clarity of intention: Every activity must start with sankalpam, the goal. Once the goal is clearly defined and communicated, the means will follow.

Appreciation: Leaders should appreciate others’ works and focus on encouraging optimism.

Divinity and uniqueness of every individual: Customise offerings for customers and cater to their unique requirements.

Multiple perspectives: Maitri (friendship), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (sympathy) and Upeksha (abstinence) are essential leadership qualities that encourage leaders to see things from others’ perspectives.

Self-control: When feeling all-powerful, self-control is essential. When feeling vulnerable, give to others what you want most. When you feel upset and angry, be kind to others.

Humility: Another cornerstone of Indian philosophy, humility is considered one of the important qualities of a good leader.
Inclusive capitalism
So, what specifically does Indian philosophy offer that the current thought in management doesn’t? Says V. Krishnamurthy, former Deputy Director, BITS Pilani: “The introspective qualities of ancient Indian philosophy are missing in the modern materialistic corporate chase. The latter is always focussed on getting things accomplished (without bothering much about the cost).” It means that the cornerstone of corporate philosophy should be something bigger than money. This is not to say that businesses should stop, or even slow down, their pursuit of profits. It simply means that corporate leaders should adopt a more holistic approach, incorporating the interests of all stakeholders— like customers, employees, society, etc.—instead of remaining focussed only on narrow shareholder value.C.K. Prahalad, Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, calls it Inclusive Capitalism. In this context, he says corporate social responsibility, so popular among companies and their spin meisters these days, is at best a transition phase for a company. “That’s where you learn that there is more to business than just profit maximisation. The final stage will be reached when companies realise that dealing with the impoverished in the world is not something they should do only once in a while. The key lies in thinking differently about the very purpose of business,” he says. Back to India, Via the US
But ISB’s initiative is not really as path breaking as it looks. Ironically, B-schools and management thinkers in India have woken up to the ancient wisdom contained in our holy books only after these ideas were embraced by the West. Leading management gurus of Indian origin such as Govindarajan, Prahalad, Ram Charan and Mohanbir Sawhney, McCormick Tribune Foundation Professor of Technology, Kellogg Shool of Management, among others, have disseminated this wisdom through their body of works for years now. In an article on the subject in 2006, BusinessWeek had quoted Dipak C. Jain, Dean of Kellogg School of Management, as saying: “When senior executives come to Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard, or Tuck, they are exposed to Indian values that are reflected in the way we think and articulate.”

Business organisations have woken up to the value of Indian philosophy in a big way over the past six years, says Swami Chidananda, Joint Secretary, Rajghat Education Centre, Krishnamurti Foundation India. From a corporate perspective, we have to make decisions based on what is good for the customer and the community—in other words, we have to think from an ecosystem perspective, says Prasad Kaipa, Executive Director, Centre for Leadership, Innovation & Change, ISB; and CEO Adviser & Coach, Kaipa Group. “Then, the Tata Group’s takeover of Corus and Jaguar-Land Rover and its belief that it can turn those companies around, have made the western world quite curious about Indian management approaches,” he adds.It is early days still, but many other B-schools are looking at this space. IIM Calcutta has a management centre for human values, and the FMS in Delhi and some others are also looking at it.Ethical dharmacracy
M. Rammohan Rao, Dean of ISB, feels Indian philosophy is relevant “because business should not just be about one self but about the society and the environment it works within”.

Pai of Infosys has an interesting take on the growing importance of Indian philosophy in management.

“The fact is that we are Indians; so, consciously or unconsciously, the country’s value system resonates in what we do.” And not only does it hold true for the companies but also for individuals leading them. He cites the example of Infosys Chairman & Chief Mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy: his philosophy of simplicity, many will argue, is really a reflection of pan-Indian values.

The Tata Group, which, arguably, practices inclusive capitalism with greater zest than any other business house, is another example. Says Radhakrishnan Nair, Chief Human Resource Officer, Tata Steel: “Wealth generation is important but it should be kept in trust to improve the communities in which we live. The Parsi motto of ‘good thoughts, good words and good deeds’ is extremely rich in its effort to elevate human suffering. A true Tata person believes in simple living, high thinking and being genuinely affectionate.” According to Prahalad, the idea is to develop a system that places the individual at the epicentre of corporate strategy. Such a goal, though, looks unattainable in the short to medium term. Can it ever be reached? That’s impossible to answer with any degree of certitude, but if it is, then India would have made a defining contribution to management science. Says Kaipa: “It may be time for what a Los Angeles Times reporter proposed last year—that the US should move towards Dharmacracy not Democracy.” .

Read more...

Monday, December 8, 2008

Music maker

Flautist Amit Majumdar’s creation — transparent flute — is creating the right notes at music concerts. He is the only musician in the country who makes acrylic flutes
He makes music, both literally and figuratively. While he is a flautist par excellence, he is also into making the instrument. But he likes to put things in the right perspective at the very beginning. As he says, he is a flautist first, who also manufactures flutes. "I would not even call flute-making my hobby; rather it’s my need," points out Amit Majumdar, who is one of the few flute-makers in the country and the only one who makes acrylic flute, which is transparent in colour. But what makes Amit’s achievements so interesting is that whenever he faces a problem he manages to turn it into success. "I never thought that I would be in the business of flute-making. It was purely need-based. After joining Gandharva Mahavidyalaya to learn to play the flute, I had to get one to practice. But the ones available in the market were quite expensive. Since no one in my family is into music, they didn’t realize the difference between a professional Indian classical flute and those available in the market. So they failed to understand why I couldn’t buy a common flute at Rs.25 instead of going for something as exorbitant as Rs.2500. Even though I finally managed to buy one, I was not happy with its tonal quality. So I started toying with the idea of making flutes myself," recalls Amit.
Then his experimentation with the instrument began. "Initially I got bamboo from Dibrugarh, Assam. It is quite a tedious job as to make the flute you need the bamboo of specific measurements. Then begins the technical part, which I would say is pure physics," informs this Mayur Vihar resident, who has a long list of satisfied clientele all over the world.
"But besides the technical part, you have to be a very good flautist. So before starting this venture I had to make sure that I had perfected the art. So a lot of credit for this goes to my guru Pt. Kailash Sharma of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. These flutes are perfectly tuned with Taanpura at 440hz.freq.as base. And from the feedback that I get from those who have bought flutes from me, I think I am doing fine," states Amit, who is really proud of the tonal quality of his flutes. And the pending orders that he has only confirm the success of his venture. As for his acrylic flutes, the first of its kind in the country, he says that he actually wanted to make a glass flute. "But since the instruments required were too expensive, I tried acrylic pipe which turned out be to very good. I have used it myself in two concerts. While its tonal quality, one of the major factors of a good flute, is very good, the sound that it creates on the microphone is very effective. So that makes it ideal for live concerts," says Amit. The prices of a bamboo flute ranges from Rs.1000 to Rs. 5500 while a transparent flute costs about Rs.3000 to Rs.7500.
Amit is also part of two fusion groups - Variation, a rock fusion, and Collegium, Jazz fusion. While for Variation he is the lead musician who creates compositions based on Indian ragas, he is one of the accompanying musicians of the latter. Besides giving live concerts, he also teaches at Mother’s International School, New Delhi.
Well, for someone who first got exposure to flutes by listening to a neighbour playing the instrument, he sure has come a long way. "The first time I heard someone playing the flute was a ’pados ke bhaiya’. I was so impressed by its melody that I asked him to teach me. It was he who told me to join Gandharva Mahaviyalaya. Now he learns from me," smiles Amit.

Read more...

Students get big picture

Screening of films is nothing new in the Delhi University’s North campus but for the first time the students witnessed a host of fantastic documentaries last week. The Department of Sociology, Delhi University in association with JB Media Resource Center, AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia/ School of Environmental Studies/ Alliance Francaise/ Embassy of France/ Embassy of Brazil/ Embassy of The Netherlands organised the first Delhi International Ethnographic Film Festival (DIEFF). For Delhi University the chosen venue was Vivekananda Hall, Delhi School of Economics, which incidentally is considered as the meeting points of many great working brains of the campus apart from being one of the coolest hangout zones.One thing that sets the film festival apart was the presence of filmmakers and film critics from different countries who took active part in several panel discussions and post screening interaction with the various audiences present at the venue. This not only provided a perfect opportunity for the spectators that comprised of the students, lecturers and other staff members of the colleges to discuss issues threadbare but also led to a more animated debate among the audience which is quite a rarity in the campus film screening programs that are often held in the premises of the campus. The Department of Sociology has made a fresh beginning with DIEFF. Hope it continues to touch new heights by screening famous documentaries in the coming years and enlightening the students.

Read more...

Innovation holds the key


Anukriti, the 52nd year old Hindi Dramatic Society of Miranda House, continues to stage meaningful plays that deal with burning issues of the day with a rare commitment

Miranda House College has always been in the vanguard of experimental theatres and pushing the limits of its creativity. No doubt, its Hindi Dramatics Society, Anukriti, continues to hold a mirror to socio-economic problems plaguing the country. The Dramatic Society recently celebrated its 52nd year. Apart from being one of the well-known societies in the campus, Anukriti also happens to be the oldest creative society existing in Delhi University (DU).


"As the name of our society suggests, Anukriti, meaning innovation, we always strive for creating something new, fresh and unique which are avant-garde pieces," says a beaming Neha Jain, the president of Anukriti. There are two major productions which are organised every year: stage play and street play. "This year’s stage play is an adaptation from Sharad Joshi’s writings called Andhon Ka Haathi and the street play is titled Gum Awaaz which talks about the issue of child trafficking," she explains while spilling more details about her passion for Anukriti.

With loud voices and expressive eyes, the girls are all gung-ho about their pursuits, be it street play or stage play they grab the spotlight. Donning red kurtas and black dupattas, they deliver every dialogue with a rare spontaneity and, if need be, improvise as and when the occasion demands. This is something that sets them apart. While the girls prefer to attribute this rare trait of theirs to the regular workshops being organised courtesy National School of Drama (NSD) where there is a high degree of detailing about all gestures right from the body language to perfect voice modulation as per the situation demands.

Anukriti has performed in a number of DU colleges like LSR, Hindu, winning the first prize at Gargi College and even at IIT Kanpur, where their street play was highly appreciated by one and all. "We are still left with our performances in Janki Devi Memorial College (JDMC), Jesus and Mary College (JMC) and SRCC Theatre Fest. Apart from going to the other colleges, we also invite experienced theatre personalities to our college to guide us in our shortcomings and prepare us for the next challenge.

For instance, last year a group of students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) performed Shakespeare’s Macbeth in Miranda in a very innovative way ie, by moving around the bonfires," reveals Neha. And adding another feather to their cap, Anukriti organised the first bilingual festival this year called DRIS`YA.

The alumni list of Anukriti is quite long as 70% of the NSD comprises of Anukritians. An interesting trivia: Amitabh Bachchan first performed in Miranda House during his heydays in Kirori Mal College (KMC). So it again call for a huge applaud for the girls’ acting skills as their group throws an open challenge for the guys too.

So, at the end of the day, what is the basic success formula behind this enormous success of this dramatics scociety ‘Anukriti’? The president takes charge again, "Well, frankly speaking, there is no magic potion that we drink or any success mantra that would be good enough to defines us, but, most importantly, it is the invigorating and the innovative environment which is enough to motivate all of us. We try to give opportunity to as many first year students as possible and explore new talent for our group. At the time of the selection, we make sure that we choose only those individuals who eat, drink and sleep theatre."

That says it all about Anukriti. Here’s North Delhi Plus wishing them all the luck with all their future endeavours.

Read more...

Naach baliye

Naach baliye North Delhiites these days don’t mind shelling out more than a lakh just to dance to the tune of professional choreographers. Gone are the days when family weddings used to be all about breaking into a silly dance sans proper movements. But not any more as North Delhiites are now hiring choreographers to synchronise the dance steps of all the family members, right from the granny to the toddlers, and make it look no less than a big fat Bollywood wedding. Be it the impressive sets, vivid props or the lights — all these play quite an important role in a typical North Delhi wedding. Just read about the various interesting must-haves involved in the latest choreography of the marriages.
Sets and props rule What’s a dance programme without sets and props? "These days it’s not just about the perfectly synchronised steps that people are looking for. Rather they want the dance to go well with the props and perfect backdrop," shares Rahul, a choreographer from Bharat Nagar. Diyas, stoles, firemen, daphli, matki et al are the props doing rounds in North Delhi marriages. "It was just our close family of 10 people who danced together. We were from three generations all together who shared the dance floor. There was a splendid use of diyas and colourful stoles which made the entire programme even more interesting," Aditi Jain from Sector-13 Rohini describing her brother-in-law’s wedding.
Moolah really matters

There is no limit to the money being spent in such lavish affairs. "When one wants some quality money cannot be a limiting factor. We had 8-year-old young kids to 70-year-old people sharing the same platform. And when it comes to a wedding it has to look best in every respect," says Aditi. Well, they may not disclose the money spent but our choreographers dug up the truth. "People looking for that special effect are ready to shell out any amount to make their programme a memorable affair. North Delhiites are spending more than a lakh in getting their wedding programmes choreographed by a professional," reveals choreographer Vikas Sharma from Pitampura.

What’s the theme?

Rather than picking up random dancing numbers and swaying to their music, people prefer to get it weaved around a story and then select the numbers. "Though getting it weaved along the jab we met theme is a little too outdated. The present trend is to have a series of numbers to gel with the individuals personalities and then add humour to the complete performance. So, no serious and sad songs please," says choreographer Divay Dua. Radhika Sharma from Ashok Vihar preferred doing her sister’s wedding in a unique manner. "We compiled a story about how she and my brother-in-law met each other and added few more tit-bits in that. It was really appreciated by one and all. But all this was possible with proper choreography only," said Radhika.

With wedding season in full swing, book your choreographer in advance and make this life long affair a memorable one!

Read more...

One more reason to opt for Delhi Metro

Waiting time for buses at bus stops in West Delhi is not just long and tiring, but it could be a life threatening experience also. No one knows when the rusted bus stop will come crashing down
be crowded, jam packed and claustrophobic during the peak hours but it is still bearable as compared to the long waiting hours under a dilapidated bus stop, which no one knows when will come crashing down on the waiting passengers. That’s what exactly happened recently with passengers waiting for a bus at Kirbi Place Metro Station.While several parts of South and Lutyens’ Delhi have already donned a new look, with swank new, user-friendly bus queue shelters. But West Delhi is still deprived of this modernisation drive. This grim scenario in West Delhi prevails at a time when DTC is planning modernisation of over 1,000 bus queue shelters across the Capital ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010. On the entire stretch of Ring Road in West Delhi from Brittania Chowk to Delhi Cantt, almost all the bus stops have been lying in a dilapidated state. With missing roof, damaged platforms and no place to sit, these rusted structures are hardly of any use to the commuters. Says Alok Shankar, a regular commuter, who boards bus from Punjabi Bagh, Rohtak Road, Bus Stop, "There is no proper place to sit here. This bus stop is in a dilapidated state and can fall any day. Passengers here avoid standing below theis old structure. It has been lying in this state for so many years." Strangely, since the beginning of 2008, DTC has been ’working’ on an ambitious plan to develop around 1,000 new BQS in a phased manner. "While 248 bus shelters are part of Phase I, 400 each are part of the Phase II and Phase III of the project," said a senior official from Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). However, how many of them will finally make their presence on West Delhi roads, only time will tell.

Read more...

Hattrick for Congress in Delhi; 'Queen' de throned in Rajasthan

The Congress on Monday scored a valuable goal ahead of upcoming General Elections by inching towards victory in Rajasthan, Mizoram and Delhi, three of five states where voters picked new assemblies, dealing a blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that, however, scored a grand win in Madhya Pradesh and seemed poised to retain power in nearby Chhattisgarh.
CAPITAL GAINS: Congress' 10-year reign in Delhi doesn't seem to be ending.


And even as officials continued to count the millions of votes cast in assembly elections which were widely seen as a "semi final" before the Lok Sabha elections due next year, Congress and BJP veterans began to analyse the rights and wrongs of the November 14-December 4 ballot.
The elections took on an added value as terrorists struck in Mumbai slaughtering 172 people from the evening of November 26, casting a shadow on all the states barring Chhattisgarh where two rounds of balloting had already ended.Even as overjoyed Congress activists took to noisy celebrations outside party offices in the Rajasthan capital Jaipur and in New Delhi, political analyst GVL Narasimha Rao warned that the state results were no great news for the BJP or the Congress. "The Congress is certainly doing better than expected but not as well as they should have done to win a national election," Rao said. "The BJP is doing worse than expected and does not look like it is in the lead to come to power nationally. It is a mixed result overall."Nevertheless, Congress leaders gloated in anticipation of the sweeping victory in BJP-ruled Rajasthan, and a stunning third five-year term win in Delhi, the national capital where the BJP was confident of snatching from the Congress until late Sunday. "There is no stopping the Congress now," thundered Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, a confidant of party President Sonia Gandhi. The Congress was on the winning track in distant Mizoram, outclassing the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), a former insurgent group that has ruled the northeastern state since 1998. The BJP, however, was on the winning track in Madhya Pradesh, with its candidates leading in 120 of the 230 seats. The BJP has ruled both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh since 2003.
NCT of Delhi (69)
Congess 42
BJP 23
Independent & Others 4
Congress Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit looks close to retaining power for the third straight term in the Capital. The ruling Congress won three seats in Delhi Assembly elections and was leading in 37 other constituencies while BJP was ahead at 26 seats in the 70-member Assembly.Mukesh Sharma of Congress was the first to emerge victorious in the Delhi Assembly elections by defeating his nearest rival BJP's Pawan Sharma in Uttam Nagar by a margin of 7,187 votes.
Sharma, who is entering the Assembly for the fourth consecutive term, has shifted to Uttam Nagar constituency following delimitation.Another two-time MLA who won this time was Mahabal Mishra. He defeated his nearest BJP rival Pradyuman Rajput by 13,981 votes.
In Jungpura, two-time MLA Tarvinder Singh Marwah defeated Akali Dal's Manjinder Singh Sirsa by a margin of 13,956 votes. Ministers AK Walia (Laxmi Nagar), Arvinder Singh Lovely (Gandhi Nagar) and Yoganand Shastri (Mehrauli) were ahead in the race.
Ministers Harun Yusuf (Ballimaran) and Raj Kumar Chouhan (Mangolpuri), who were initially trailing, were now ahead in the race. Delhi Assembly Speaker Chaudhury Prem Singh, who has never lost an election since 1958, is leading in Ambedkar Nagar.Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan is trailing in Krishna Nagar constituency. Congress is leading Vishwas Nagar, Kasturba Nagar, Rohtas Nagar, Patel Nagar, Uttam Nagar and Dwarka while BJP is ahead in Shakur Basti, Patparganj and Karol Bagh.
In a major surprise other parties are leading in eight seats. BSP is ahead in Babarpur constituency where Congress is in the third position. Counting of votes cast in the November 29 polling for 69 out of the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi, began on Monday morning amid tight security. Over 57 per cent of the more than 1 crore electorate had participated in the polling to decide the electoral fate of 863 candidates in the fray, including 352 independents. A clear picture of the outcome is likely to emerge by Monday afternoon. Polling for the Rajinder Nagar seat has been postponed to December 13 following the sudden demise of BJP candidate and sitting MLA Puran Chand Yogi. The results will decide if the BJP will end the Congress' 10-year reign in Delhi, or Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit will succeed in steering her party to power for a third consecutive term. At the last hustings in 2003, the Congress had a tally of 47 and the BJP 20 in the 70-member house.The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), trying to open its account in the Delhi Assembly, is likely to play an important role this time. It has put up candidates for all the 69 seats and is expected to queer the pitch for both the Congress and the BJP in few seats.
While the Congress, too, contested all the seats, the BJP had put up 68 candidates (including three Akali Dal nominees contesting on its Lotus symbol) and one candidate of the Akali Dal contested on the Akali symbol.
The Nationalst Congress Party (NCP) is in the fray in 15, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 11, Communist Party of India (CPI) in five and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in four apart from 353 independents. Other smaller parties have fielded 270 candidates. And the BSP meanwhile is hoping to spoil the party for both the rivals, claiming to grab a few seats this time and play the part of a kingmaker. All the 13 counting centres have been declared 'high-security zones' and elaborate security arrangements are in place to prevent any untoward incidents.
Rahasthan (200)
Congress 99
BJP 76
Independen & Others 25
The Bharatiya Janata Party has said that is disappointed with the Assembly election outcome in Rajasthan. "Rajasthan is sad. The results have been depressing. The rebel factor was not managed by the party very well. But Vasundhara Raje's performance has been very good," party Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said. Congress has established a big lead in Rajasthan and is all set to cross the half-way mark in the 200-seat Assembly. "Even before the Mumbai attack, terrorism was an issue for us just as the issue of price rise. Vijay Kumar Malhotra has been a senior leader but may be Arun Jaitley would have been a better candidate. But this is my personal view," said Prasad about the Delhi elections where too the Congress is leading.
BJP has some good news from Madhya Pradesh where its government is returning to power. In Chhattisgarh the race is close. Congress Spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said, "Those who governed well have been being rewarded. The perception that UPA did not perform was wrong. In Delhi, Shiela Dikshit's performance has been good."
Madhya Pradesh (230)
BJP 137
Congess 65
Independent & Others 28
The Congress may be heading for power in three of the five states following assembly elections but a cautious Digvijay Singh Monday said the result did not reflect national mood and the party would prefer general elections only in April.“April is all right. I don’t think we should advance the elections. There is no need to advance it,” the veteran leader told reporters. Reacting to the impact of these elections on the Lok Sabha polls due early next year, Digvijay Singh said: “These elections don’t tell the national mood.” His colleague and party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan disagreed: “It (the results) certainly will have an impact on the general elections (next year).”
Reacting to the poor showing in Madhya Pradesh, Digvijay Singh said: “We have to look into the results.” But he rubbished the idea that groupism and intra-party conflict had led to defeat in the state. As for Suresh Pachauri being projected as Congress chief ministerial candidate in the state, he argued: “He was not a bad choice. Pachauri has been there for a long time and knows the state very well.”Asked if he would be going back to Madhya Pradesh, where he has served as chief minister for 10 years, Digvijay Singh replied: “I am happy where I am. As such I am not going to contest the Lok Sabha elections.”
Chattishgarh (90)
BJP 49
Congess 35
Independent & Others 6
Opposition Congress continued to be pro-active in its electoral battle with the ruling BJP as counting trends showed a close contest between both these parties, with no major say for Bahujan Samaj Party or the Left Parties. As counting progressed in 90 constituencies, Congress candidates in 41 constituencies were leading by narrow margin while BJP nominees are ahead in 41 constituencies. BSP and CPI are leading in one contituency each. The strategy of BSP, which had fileded its candidates in 90 constituencies under its Uttar Pradesh strategy of Sarva dharma sambhav, apparently did not click in this election. Left Parties too are heading for a similar situation. Chief Minister Raman Singh was leading in Rajnandgaon by a margin of more than 4000 votes while former chief Minister Ajit Jogi (Congress) and his wife Dr Renu Jogi ( Both Congress) have established a comfortable lead in Marwahi-St and Kota constituencies respoectively. Leader of the opposition Mahendra Karma (Dantewada-Congress), Speaker Prem Prakash Pandey (Bhilai-BJP), state Congress President Dhanendra Sahu (Abhanpur) and state BJP president Vishnudeo Sai (Pathalgaon-St) were prominent among those who were trailing trends coninued to pour in.
Mizoram (40)
Congress 28
BJP 0
Independent & Others 12
The opposition Congress party in Mizoram Monday stormed back to power after being in political wilderness for 10 years by winning an absolute majority, while the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) accepted defeat as votes cast to elect the 40-member state legislature were counted. According to latest results, the Congress won 21 seats and was leading in four others, while the MNF managed to win in just four seats. Another regional party, the Mizo People’s Conference, bagged just one seat out of the 26 results declared so far.
In a major upset, Chief minister Zoramthanga and leader of the MNF lost the North Champai seat to his Congress rival. Accepting his party’s defeat, Zoramthanga said: ‘We accept the mandate and would work like a responsible opposition.’ ‘This is a verdict for change and a big snub to the 10-year-old misrule and corruption of the MNF government,’ Lalthanhawla, the Congress chief ministerial candidate, told IANS. ‘We are committed to providing a stable government with our focus on development and well being of the people,’ he added.
Lalthanhawla, a former three-time chief minister, won both the seats he contested. He beat F. Lalthanzuala of the MNF by 96 votes to bag the South Tipui seat and got the Serchhip assembly seat by 952 votes. P.C. Lalthanliana of the Congress won the Lunglei North seat, defeating his nearest MNF rival by 705 votes, while Congress candidate R.L. Pianmawia won the Tuivawl seat. He defeated his MNF rival by 473 votes. Congress candidate R. Lalzirliana won the Tawi seat defeating his nearest MNF candidate by 1,211 votes. In the Turial seat, Hminhdailova Khiangte of the Congress party defeated his MNF rival by 1,022 votes. Congress candidate H. Liansailova won the Aizawl North seat, defeating his MNF rival by 266 votes. Nihar Kanti Chakma of the Congress party defeated his nearest MNF rival in the West Tuipui seat by 1,540 votes, while S. Hiato of the same party won the Saiha seat, beating his MNF rival. Congress candidate L. Ralte won the Hachhek seat, defeating his MNF rival. Victory celebrations by the Congress erupted across the state as news of the party winning absolute majority came in. Jubilant Congress supporters were seen dancing and singing on the streets here. ‘This is a great victory as the MNF government swindled millions of rupees in central funds meant for Mizoram’s development. The MNF government was indulging in rampant corruption and the people gave them a fitting reply in the vote,’ said T. Sailo, a Congress supporter. The MNF had been in power in Mizoram for the last 10 years. In the last assembly elections held in 2003, it secured 21 seats, while the Congress bagged 12 and seven went to other smaller parties.
Note: Counting is still on in some places and these are not final results.

Read more...

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Clairvoyant Perception and Light

One of the paradoxes challenging scientific materialism today is the increasing number of published reports of perceptual experiences that extend beyond the normal limits of the physical senses. As a result, there is an increasing acceptance of the possibility that a nonphysical dimension of reality might exist, which can be perceived using extrasensory or clairvoyant vision.How do we explain clairvoyant vision? How do we account for the ability of the mind to perceive the same objective world either by either ‘looking out’ using the physical senses, or by ‘looking within’ using one's inner vision? How is it possible for the mind to experience inner images that accurately reflect real physical objects and events taking place anywhere in the external world? David Bohm, a quantum physicist, once suggested that the content of our thought does not represent some kind of reflective correspondence with ‘real things’ but that thought and thing arise simultaneously from a common source - from an underlying implicate order that contains both. Could it be that my perceptual experiences and the objective reality I experience are simply two inseparable aspects of a single process simultaneously manifesting from this implicate order? Bohm’s theory suggests that clairvoyant perception of the objective world, particularly at remote distances, cannot be due to neurological processes or the participation of our physical sense organs. Rather, it is the mind that ‘sees’ and not our physical eyes. But how is this possible unless both ‘image’ and ‘object’ arise from a common underlying implicate order, similar perhaps to the Alchemist’s concept of the Unus Mundus in which mind and matter form a single unity?

But what is the missing link that unites these seemingly distinct realities – the physical world perceived with the physical senses and clairvoyant reality perceived through inner vision? One of the research findings presented in this article is that light itself is the medium that unites the spiritual and physical world!

Based on both my personal experience and the research findings of many others, I believe that the spiritual nature of man is always present and perceptually active in our daily affairs, and that our inner perceptual faculties are able to see, hear and know things which are beyond the normal ability of the physical senses to acquire. Consequently, the existence of extrasensory perception is both a celebration and an acknowledgment of our spiritual nature.

Remote Viewing and LightRemote viewing, also know as traveling clairvoyance, refers to a nonsensory mode of perception in which the external world can be perceived through inner vision, even thousands of miles away. As it has been demonstrated that the energies involved in this perceptual process are not electromagnetic in nature, remote viewing is not subject to the same restrictive physical laws of space and time that are encountered in normal sensory perception.

But if remote viewing is possible, then we are immediately faced with the problem of explaining how a point of consciousness can become aware of geographical locations and events taking place far beyond the reach of the physical senses. How is it possible to perceive, for example, events taking place within an operating room from a point near the ceiling? How do we begin to explain how the perceiving mind is able to travel beyond terrestrial space and time to experience different dimensions of existence? As perceiving at a distance appears to involve some form of conscious projection, perceptual awareness cannot be entirely confined to a physical body or necessarily depend on the same cognitive energies and processes utilized by the physical senses.

Remote Viewing ExperimentsIn January, 1972, Ingo Swann conducted a series of remote viewing experiments for the Society for Psychical Research, during which he was asked to identify a series of colored symbols placed inside a lighted box suspended on a platform near the ceiling. While sitting in a chair with his eyes closed, Swann was asked to perceive these images through a small hole in the front of the elevated box. This he was able to do repeatedly, except on one occasion when he couldn't see anything in the box at all. Using a ladder, the individual supervising the experiment examined the box and found that the light was out; a fact that clearly demonstrates the dependence of inner vision on the presence of light.

At other times, Swann had complained that reflections from glossy surfaces within the box were obscuring his vision. After experimenting with different lighting setups, it was found that the use of light absorbing construction papers and diffused overhead lighting worked best. It was also found that the use of primary colors of Red, Green and Blue were more clearly perceptible than pastels.

These facts clearly demonstrate that for successful remote viewing the presence of light is required, however, it is not electromagnetic energy that is being perceived. Rather, particle of light called photons are continually absorbed and emitted from matter in the form of a secondary emission of etheric energy, which the experiments of Reichenbach, Reich and others have clearly demonstrated. Therefore, if the materials used in the viewing box are too reflective then this absorption-emission process is unable to take place, consequently obliterating the target being remotely viewed.

But, we might ask, why is the emission of a nonmagnetic etheric energy necessary? Is it not possible that the clairvoyant perceptual process is able to ‘see’ light, just as our physical eyes do? Is this interaction of light and matter really necessary to explain this visual phenomenon?

According to this theory of quantum electrodynamics two entirely different images are created - an electromagnetic image perceptible to the physical eyes and an etheric image of the same external world perceptible through clairvoyant vision. Although this duality of images is a byproduct of a single interaction they actually exist in different energy dimensions and therefore perceptible through different cognitive mechanisms.

Reichenbach and Odic EnergyThe important pioneering work of Baron von Reichenbach contributed greatly to our understanding of the energy dynamics of both sensory and inner modes of perception. Reichenbach discovered an unknown energy which he called ‘Od’, which was found to manifest due to the interaction of sunlight and matter. This energy, although associated with light was not perceptible to the physical senses but could be perceived clairvoyantly by sensitives while in total darkness.

The idea of being able to perceive through inner vision, phenomena taking place in the external world, may appear at first to be a rather strange notion, but this ability to observe physical events - even at a distance without using the physical senses, constitutes a perfectly normal mode of perception that we all possess although individually developed to a different extent.

Between 1840 and 1844, Baron von Reichenbach, a prominent Industrialist, chemist and member of the Prussian Academy of Science, conducted over a thousand experiments in his own laboratory in Germany, during which sixty individuals reported seeing energy emanating as streams of light from a wide variety of objects, including magnets, crystals and copper wires, while sitting in a completely dark chamber. Reichenbach called this energy ‘OD’ which he claimed was a hitherto unknown universal force.

These experimental observations were however ridiculed and scoffed at by fellow professors who supported more conservative views. After more than twenty years of struggling to have his discovery recognized by his peers, he finally obtained a hearing in Berlin during which he was given an opportunity to prove the existence of ‘Odic’ energy by conducting experiments before a committee of seven fellow scientists.

This committee was certainly not impressed for several reasons. Firstly, although this energy was expected to be some unknown physical force, it was neither electromagnetic nor electrostatic in nature and consequently was not subject to conventional methods of scientific observation and measurement. Consequently, being nonphysical, there was no way to experimentally verify its existence in the same way as the presence of heat or electromagnetic light could be demonstrated.

Secondly, because this energy was not visible to physical sight, it could only be perceived subjectively by ‘sensitives’ who were reported to be able to observe ‘Odic’ energy by means of inner vision while confined to a totally darkened room. Consequently, the evidence for the existence of "OD" appeared to be purely subjective as it was inaccessible to normal physical observation essential in order for other scientists to be able to duplicate Reichenbach’s experimental findings and thereby scientifically confirm that ‘Odic’ energy actually exists.

Thirdly, if Odic energy was nonphysical as Reichenbach claimed, then how could its presence possibly be explained? Within the materialistic world of the physical sciences, there is no current theory that could accommodate the existence of an invisible nonphysical energy, nor was there ever likely to be. Is it possible that a nonphysical energy could exist, undetectable by our physical senses and measuring instruments, and yet perceptible to the inner vision of gifted clairvoyants?

The Interaction of Matter and Sunlight
One of the key experiments conducted by Reichenbach clearly demonstrates that the interaction of matter and sunlight produces secondary emissions of energy that is perceptible to inner vision. Reichenbach attached a wire to a copper plate that was exposed to bright sunlight with the other end of the wire suspended in the total darkness of a ‘Camera Obscura’. The resulting effect was immediate, as luminous flame-like emanations were observed rising from the unexposed end of the copper wire.

Reichenbach discovered that the Odic energy conducted along a copper wire traveled slowly at 13 feet per second rather than 186.000 miles per second, which is the approximate speed of light. The actual speed that the Odic energy traveled appeared to depend on the density of the wire rather than its conductivity. He also demonstrated that this energy was similar to light as it could be focused through a lens, while at the same time flowing around it, like water being displaced by an object placed in its path.

In attempting to interpret his findings, Reichenbach, in spite of his scientific ingenuity, had difficulty in resolving serious contradictions pertaining to the phenomena being observed. On the one hand, he experimentally ascertained that Odic energy was nonphysical as it did not have the familiar electromagnetic or electrostatic properties of light or heat, properties which would in fact be essential for perceiving Odic energy with one's physical eyes

On the other hand, he observed that depending on one's degree of innate sensitivity, a period of several minutes or hours must be spent sitting in the darkened chamber before any phenomena could be observed. He also reported that Odic energy could produce sensations of coolness or warmth as well as other pleasant or disagreeable sensations, depending on the polarity of the energy. Here again, Reichenbach is at a loss to explain how these sensations could possibly arise from exposure to a nonphysical energy, an energy which other scientists of his day could not understand either, and which they firmly believed could not possibly exist.

Since the 1800's many other scientists have contributed through their research to solving the controversial problems encountered by Reichenbach- such as the nature of secondary energy emissions occurring when solar energy and matter interact, as well as advancing our understanding of how it is possible to observe phenomena or events taking place in the external world without using the physical senses.

Today, in spite of the materialistic skepticism of scientists in the 1800's, as well as many in the present, Reichenbach's research is now recognized by many prominent philosophers and scientists throughout the world as being immensely important in providing us with an awareness of the existence of nonphysical energies in nature as well as stimulating the development of the paraphysical sciences that is presently ushering in a new age of enlightenment for us all.

Light in a Black chamberIt is generally believed that if we were to physically construct a light-excluding chamber, that we would only experience total blackness if we attempted to perceive anything within it. But actual experiments have shown that after sitting in a sealed chamber for a period of time, the expected blackness gradually yields to a discernible gray and eventually is bright enough to see various objects in the room. As this has consistently taken place during repeated experiments, we might ask where this light is coming from? As it is not possible for ordinary light to have entered our sealed chamber, we must look for another explanation. Could it be that the sensations of light we experience in the chamber are not perceived by the physical eyes at all but instead are due to the presence of an unknown subtle form of energy, which is perceptible using another form of vision - clairvoyant sight?

Physicists claim that they are familiar with this light phenomena and refer to it as ‘intrinsic light’ believing that all such sensations are due to retinal noise or random neurological activity and therefore devoid of any possible relevance to any external phenomena. In other words, any reported sensations of light experienced in the chamber are considered to be entirely subjective, arising not from anything present in the chamber but rather from the nervous system of the observer. However, even if we attribute these sensations of light to the firing of retinal nerves, the fact remains that the observer can see the walls, furniture and other individuals within the chamber with his physical eyes open or closed. If electromagnetic energy in the range of visible light is not present within the chamber, then this ‘seeing’ is not taking place with the physical eyes. Rather this subtle energy is being perceived clairvoyantly, whether the physical eyes happen to be open or not.

Blind Vision and LightIngo Swann once remarked that although many experiments have been conducted with subjects who could see, many experiments have been conducted using blind individuals. According to Swann, sixteen totally blind volunteers at Rosary Hill College in Buffalo, New York, undertook an ESP experiment in colour perception. After eight weeks, upon the completion of the experiment, most of the blind volunteers could perceive the difference between white and black as well as red and green. One of the volunteers actually began to see outlines of doorways and furniture.

Douglas Dean, a Parapsychologist and former president of the Parapsychological Association, and a teacher at Newark College of Engineering, statistically evaluated this research with blind people and found that the results far exceeded what could be expected due to pure chance. He also found that there was a learning process taking place in which the subjects, although blind, learned to discern the different colours of these targets.

The question that arises from this research is this. How is it possible for a completely blind person to learn how to perceive different colours and even distinguish the outlines of furniture and doorways unless human beings also possess a nonsensory (spiritual) faculty of perception, which like sensory perception is equally dependent upon the presence of light?

C. B. Nash published an article in The Journal for Psychical Research in which he reported a case of eyeless vision, which is also referred to as Synesthesia or Dermo-optical perception. A subject had a box placed around his head to prevent him from picking up visual clues and was able to consistently distinguish different coloured paper, such as black and red but only if there was a light on them. The different colours could still be detected when the papers were covered with thin plastic but not when covered by glass. It was concluded that the subject’s sensitivity was due to the cutaneous perception of infrared light (heat) and was not due to physical touch or any ESP ability on the subject’s part. But it was not the presence of heat that was essential for blind vision but rather ultraviolet light.

As previously noted, whenever the target material was covered by a glass plate, ultraviolet light was filtered out preventing it from reaching and interacting with the paper's surface and consequently no clairvoyant image of the test papers was being emitted and therefore there was nothing for the blind subject to perceive.

The failure of physicists and parapsychologists to correctly understand the paranormal phenomena they study is largely due to a prevalent misconceptions regarding the nature of light. When science begins to recognize the subtle, nonlocal, nonphysical aspects of light and the role it plays in spiritual cognition, then the mystery regarding phenomena such as remote viewing and blind vision will vanish.

Jung and Ultraviolet LightAs ultraviolet light was discovered to play an important role in the Blind-vision experiments mentioned above, I would like to include some background information on ultraviolet light and its importance in the perceptual process.

Carl Jung, the founder of analytic psychology (1875-1961) was deeply interested in establishing a scientific foundation for his psychological theories regarding the nature and dynamics of the psyche. Through collaboration with physicists' Wolfgang Pauli and Heisenberg, Jung intuitively sought to unify the ancient concepts of alchemy with the emerging theoretical findings of quantum physics, both of which he found useful in developing his psychological theories.

One of the startling conclusions that Jung and Pauli came to was that an archetypal or divine energy existed which was capable of operating in a meaningful way in organizing both the inner and outer world, and which adequately accounted for the manifestation of synchronistic events. At this archetypal, psychoid level of existence which Jung called the Unus Mundus, psyche and matter were only different aspects of this divine energy. The surprising thing however is that Jung and Pauli claimed that this archetypal energy linking spirit and matter was located in the invisible ultraviolet end of the electromagnetic spectrum, emanating from our sun and the cosmos. If this were true then both mind and matter existed objectively at this quantum level which Jung called the objective unconscious. This tendency to try to discover a physical explanation for psychological phenomena was not surprising, as Pauli was a professional physicist and Jung was eager to establish scientific recognition for his analytic work.

Although Jung was deeply involved in studying alchemical texts and using alchemical concepts to develop his analytic psychology, he failed to mention that Akhenaten, an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled from 1347 to 1364 B.C.E. had provided a solution to this ultraviolet mystery. Akhenaten recognized the visible sun as the ‘one thing’ the source of all creative energy, which he called Aten. But more importantly, he recognized that the underlying nature of the world we live in was multidimensional. He realized that the electromagnetic energy emanating from the sun, manifesting as light and heat, also contained subtle energies which were not only invisible and intangible but Divine and everlasting. In other words, solar energy was perceived as having a physical and spiritual polarity that simultaneously manifested in the physical world. Thus for Akhenaten and his followers, the solar energy of the sun represented the ‘one thing’ or ultimate source from which everything both spiritual and physical manifested.

Consequently, everything that exists on earth reflects both a physical and an etheric or spiritual image of itself, created by the absorption and emission of light from matter. A flower, for example, can be either viewed from a physical perspective using the physical eyes, or from a spiritual or astral perspective using clairvoyant or inner vision. The same etheric reflection of the physical world is also perceptible during an out-of-body experience or astral journey. Both polarized dimensions of spirit (mind) and matter exist together sharing the same cosmic origin, which is the sun.

Our knowledge of the intimate connection that exists between clairvoyant perception and light would suggest that Jung was indeed headed in the right direction by concluding that the unity of ‘inner and outer’ and ‘spirit and matter’ were somehow associated with ultraviolet light. We previously discovered that objects and distant geographical locations could be perceived clairvoyantly when they were suitably illuminated and that during blind-vision experiments the target object was not clairvoyantly observable if it was shielded from ultraviolet light by placing a sheet of window glass over it.

We also previously mentioned the fact that Barron von Reichenbach was able to produce an energy he called ‘Od’ that was clairvoyantly perceptible as a result of the interaction of solar energy with a copper plate. Reichenbach discovered that when light interacts with matter it emits a subtle nonphysical energy that is not electromagnetic or electrostatic in nature. All these experimental facts together provide additional support for Jung and Pauli's theory that a spiritual archetypal energy linking spirit and matter was associated in some mysterious way to the invisible ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Radiesthesia and Light
Radiesthesia is defined as sensitivity to radiation from any source, living or inert. These include subtle vibrations beyond the normal perceptual range of the physical senses and are generally concerned with the hidden natural forces of nature.

One of the earliest and most remarkable radiesthesists in Europe during the early 1900’s was Abbe Mermet, a French priest who specialized in distant prospecting using a map or detailed plan of an area and could solve crimes, locate water, oil and mineral deposits with uncanny accuracy. And like Ingo Swan, he found that in order to obtain this kind of psychic information, a source of light was required. For Mermet, any kind of illumination, such as a lamp or the sun was perfectly satisfactory for carrying out prospecting when either using a map or while at the actual location.

Mermet came to the conclusion that radiesthetic rays are similar to ultraviolet and infrared light, with the main difference being that electromagnetic radiation is impeded by the presence of matter whereas radiesthetic rays are not. He is therefore claiming that these radiesthetic rays, although similar to light, are not electromagnetic in nature - a fact that was confirmed later by other investigators.

Let’s look at an example of Mermet’s clairvoyant abilities as he attempts to find out what happened to a missing person. Mermet was asked to find a missing boy using a pendulum and a map and was able to discern the following facts: an eagle with a known wingspan had carried the small boy away and he identified two possible locations where the boy could have been dropped.

Another case involved the distant investigation of a murder in which Mermet, using a pendulum and a map, was able to discern that the victim was stabbed in the back and thrown over a precipice at a particular location. However, I do not believe that simply moving a pendulum over a map could provide such detailed images of this crime without actually clairvoyantly seeing what had happened.

Mermet in searching for a possible explanation of how Radiesthetic rays are produced surmised that they were due to light being reflected from the magnetic field that surrounds the surface of every object. One of the reasons for this conclusion was due to the phenomena of signal fading. The emission of Radiesthetic rays was always found to be directly dependent upon the presence and intensity of light. As the amount of solar radiation decreased, so did the strength of these rays, which suggests that this fading effect proves that the emission of radiesthetic rays depends on the presence and intensity of light. As the amount of solar radiation decreases, so does the strength of the radiesthetic energy. Without light there are no radiesthetic rays or images. Mermet concluded that radiesthetic rays are similar to ultraviolet and infrared light, with the main difference being that normal light is impeded by the presence of matter whereas radiesthetic rays are not.

It is my contention that radiesthetic rays of energy are merely secondary emissions of energy produced by the interaction of light and matter. So in our attempt to describe the nature of radiesthetic rays or Odic energy, we are merely talking about a particular attribute of photon emission. If that is true, then photons must possess both electromagnetic and radiesthetic attributes, particularly in the ultraviolet range of visible light. As real visible photons are always accompanied by invisible virtual photons, virtual photons could very well account for the radiesthetic qualities of light while real photons, which are measurable, exhibit the electromagnetic qualities associated with the visible spectrum of light.

Every so-called physical object exists in both energy dimensions - that is, light interacts with matter as if it had both electromagnetic and ethereal properties. This perception of a dualistic multidimensional world is not mere idle speculation but, as we have seen, is based on actual experimental evidence. All matter, being composed primarily of photons, exists in both energy dimensions simultaneously. When solar radiation is absorbed and emitted by matter, dual images of objects are radiated out into space - one consisting of an electromagnetic image of the external world that can be perceived with our physical senses and an etheric image of the same world perceptible using ones inner clairvoyant vision.

Thousands of years ago cultures of the Far East, such as the Chinese, were well aware of the twofold nature of energy, which they referred to as ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ or heaven and earth. They saw quite clearly that although energy such as sunlight originated from a common source, all creation originates from the interactions taking place between these two energy dimensions. In the West, particle physicists are at a loss to explain the nature of the world without the necessity of reverting to invisible nonexistent entities, such as virtual particles and imaginary numbers - which exist theoretically but are nowhere to be found. Perhaps they have still failed to see that they are dealing with coexisting multidimensional aspects of the same reality.

Particle physicists are now faced with the dilemma of a disappearing physical dimension and the awesome discovery that vast energy resources manifesting as the physical universe actually consists of an empty vacuum devoid of all measurable matter. How must they now deal with their own discovery – the realization that as they approach the microcosmic limits of the physical world there is only a vacuous dimension of virtual energy that is the very source of all creation? Perhaps they have scientifically rediscovered what Eastern cultures have known all along – that light is the very foundation of all possible worlds and that it is multidimensional.

Read more...

  © Free Blogger Templates Blogger Theme by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP