Captivating Lines from Here and There

For years now, I had this habit of jotting down lines from books that I read. Sometimes it could be from a magazine or a newspaper or a quote heard here and there.The common thread was that they made an impact on me; motivated and inspired me.
Given the times that I grew up, these were written in diaries or books.Quite of a few of them are lost or destroyed 'behind my back'.Yet some of them remained.

This practice can be an  exasperation for a spouse who finds valuable space eaten by these books which seem to have no value on this day and time.But I kept protesting and claiming that I went back to read them when  in  need of rejuvenation and  inspiration.Presently, however with the wonderful 'cloud' available to mankind, it struck me the other day that the sensible thing to do is to put them all up in my blog so that the space problems can be solved; I can visit them whenever I want and other readers with similar interests can benefit from these 'Captivating' lines.

The lines that  captivated me were connected to my interest areas ; the career that I chose and general approach to life.Thus, you will find in these lines self development material,corporate related stuff, thoughts on health and spirituality.Readers interested in these areas could find the connect and I dare say would benefit by them.At the time of jotting down,depending on my mood , I have at times  noted down the name of the book or the author. Readers are requested to bear with me on occasions when the author is not mentioned..

So, come read on and enjoy....

• We fail to notice how deeply conflicted our desires are causing us to send unwittingly mixed messages to the universe-  eg A chronic failure wishes wealth while wanting to accept no responsibility for himself
• There is more to life than the organization that you work for and there is more to an organization than a personal battle to bring about change
• You are what your deep driving desire is- As you desire , so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is so is your destiny.
• Winning organizations have leaders at every level
• There will be those fateful times when you will be 'damned' if you do and 'damned' if you don't. In such cases your best ally is good old fashioned integrity-  don't be afraid to do what you feel is morally right. Then come what may, you still have your self respect, the most satisfying souvenir.
• Duty: Your duty to society- to serve others; your duty to yourself- to unfold spiritually; your duty to God- to participate in the divine plan for humankinds' higher evolution.
• Modern marketing unlike the traditional marketing which focused only on developing a product, pricing it, promoting it and making it accessible to target customers is more about relationship. Building trust is the binding force with focus on value added relationship.
• A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be.
• Your expression is the most important thing you wear
• "I visualise my team as a group in which each member worked to enrich the others in the team and experienced the enjoyment of working together" - APJ Abdul Kalam
• 
  

What's Happened to me?

What's happened to me?

"Do your work dispassionately
without expecting, focusing on results"
says the Gita

Yet, here am I
after every poem
and  post in the blog
checking, cross checking so many times
for the comments, reaction of readers
with an ache and longing
bordering on obsession...

Is it the same me
who prided self
as being mature and able
 to avoid the beaten path?


Looks like all us, one by one succumb, eventually
and it's just  a matter of time...
Has the fever of the times caught me as well ?.

What's happened to me?

The Path of Peace

Love, the antidote to war and violence

Love, the path to peace and prosperity

Peace no longer a concern

when the love circumference

gets bigger and bigger

beyond the immediate family…

Beyond races and nations

encompassing all of mankind

and all living beings

banishing the disease of strife and violence

Yes, Love is like a gentle flowing river

that use no force to subdue, overcome

yet touches the hearts, gently embraces

One and all that crosses its path!

Ps: This poem was recited by me at the Guntur International Poetry Festival on 22nd September 2015

One Little Question

I’m Sorry, I’m sorry
but just can’t help asking a question

To the hep youngsters

Of urban India

Can’t hold back asking      

even at the risk of being dubbed

old fashioned, outdated, over the hill!

Granted you have the money

of which your parents could only dream

enough money for a fast life, fast food

in swanky restaurants, every other day...

But so much of food as ‘starters’

with no place in belly  for main course!

yet splurging because it’s a buffet

 topping it with alluring ’deserts’!

Slowly visitors come knocking

Mr Cholesterol, Ms Obesity …

yet, you couldn’t care less

With age on your side 

but when close friends have easily entered

would diabetes and CVD
be far behind?  

Ps: CVD refers to Cardio Vascular disease
This poem was recited by me in the multilingual poet's meet organized by the cultural centre of Vijayawada

Evasive Peace

It’s but natural

for man to be concerned,

worried about violence

all over the world

It’s natural for him

to worry and agonize

over future of the world order,

 of world peace….

Bur more concerned should he be

of violence in own country

in his own state

violence in his own district

in the neighbourhood…

First and foremost though

his concern should be

for the lack of peace in his

own mind and heart

Without the first step

world peace would be

like a flying bird

Ever evasive, out of reach!

Ps: This poem was recited by me at the Guntur International Poetry Festival on 22nd September 2015

How Much is Enough?

Whether it's a sales pitch
boy trying to impress girl
priest exhorting donations for the poor
some people just don't know
how much is enough!

So when the priest speaks
initially a person attending church
decides to give Rs10/
as he increases the pitch, the listener is impressed
and he decides to give Rs 50, 100, 500
but the priest goes on and on... on and on...
finally when the charity plate is passed on
our man takes away Rs 10 from it
instead of donating.

Similar things happen everyday
when you don't know when to stop
don't know how much is enough?
so when the orders don't materialize
or the girl turns you down
you wonder "what went wrong?"
after all you had given it your all....

.
Yes sometimes, why often times
less is more!

Another International Year

During the process of going through old papers, I came across the monthly bulletin of the Rotaract club of Pondicherry which had an article written by me when I was a student of the law college there. Rotaract club is the student wing of the Rotary club which seeks to contribute to service to the society Some of the goals of the rotaract clubs are  developing constructive leadership and personal integrity,encouraging thought and action in helping others,recognizing the worth of each individual etc.

It was around that  time that the United Nations started declaring years for focusing on various global issues that affect mankind.When I read the article, I felt that it is as relevant today as it was then, since after celebrating the year and talking about the issue people tend to move on and do not engage in sufficient follow up to ensure that the same are resolved. Now the article in the exact form that it was published in January 1981.


"  The UNO has been announcing quite regularly International years focusing on the various sections of society and our country has been celebrating them in a routine fashion.The sad aspect of the whole thing is that we tend to forget all about the very purpose of such celebrations when the year concerned comes to an end.

Thus,while it was not very long ago in 1975 that we celebrated the International Womens' Year,in 1980 we come across frequent bride burning and vicious rapes by the so called protectors of law.Today, the problems faced by women remain as grave as ever.Similarly, the celebration of the International Year of the Child cannot be said to have laid any foundation for the happy and secure future of our children.

Now, we are to celebrate 1981 as the International Year of the Disabled.It is essential that we ensure that this year also does not fizzle out weakly like the earlier years.The most important aspect concerning the disabled is that of training and rehabilitation.The handicapped need to be given an opportunity to make a respectable living of their own without having to lean or depend on others.

On the request of the Social welfare department of the Government, the rotaract club had made a survey two months ago in the city of Pondicherry in order to assess the total number of disabled persons and to understand the kind of help that may be made available to them.

However, an interesting finding of the survey was that a high percentage of the disabled did not wish to exert themselves but preferred to live on doles.Here, it would be essential to provide them with some employment counselling. The disabled may also come across problems of adjustment within the home or in the social environment for which general counselling would be helpful.

It is hoped that the Social Welfare department will continue to seek the help of rotaractors in carrying out any scheme that may be drawn up in this regard.For, if only the rotaractors involve themselves adequately in the definite area of rehabilitation can there be any sense of fulfillment.

Finally, let us remind ourselves that the welfare schemes for the disabled are not to be wound up the moment the year 1981, comes to an end..."