SUN - THE SHINING STAR

 

In fact Sun is the living wonder right in front of us. Without His rays, no living species would survive and the Earth would freeze into an ice ball.   Though we made some inroads into knowing other stars in the Solar System, our research on Sun is still at nascent stage.

When I talk about Sun, I am reminiscent of a Sun Temple in my Home State Andhra Pradesh, India, called Arasavalli Sun God temple situated in the coastal district of Srikakulam. It is one of the ancient Sun God temples in the country. The beauty of the temple structure is such that sun rays fall on the feet of the idol twice in the year during March and September in early hours of the day. This ancient temple is believed to have been built in the later half of the 7th century by Devendra Verma, the Ruler of the Kalinga Kingdom.

When it comes to  research on the Sun, it is reported  that   a group of scientists from Hawaii, Braziland California have measured the diameter of the Sun with unprecedented accuracy by using a spacecraft to time the transits of the planet Mercury across the face of the sun in 2003 and 2006. They measured the Sun's radius as 696, 342 km with an uncertainty of only 65 km.

It is believed that this gigantic ball of spinning gases is about 5 billion years old. The base material is Hydrogen (71 %), Helium (26.5%) and other elements (2.5%). The nuclei of hydrogen collide and fuse to form helium and this chain reaction produces energy, which among other things, lights and heats the solar system.

Scientists estimate that the mean distance between Earth and Sun is about 150 million km. If translated into flying hours, it means that a jet aircraft with 1000 km/hr would need more than 17 years of non-stop flying to reach the Sun.

Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer (1571-1630) produced the first accurate model of the solar system.  Inspite of so many advances in science,  deeper aspects of life and origin of Universe are  shrouded with mystery.  We can't be able to connect dots and what Arthur Eddington said to the world 84 years ago in his work : “ The Nature of The Physical World, 1928 (291)” still holds good: Something unknown is doing and we don't know what it is.

So the home point is, we are part of that mystery which we are trying to solve!

THE LEADER IN YOU

 

Book Review :

Dale Carnegie is one of the foremost personality development gurus of 20th century in America.   During his time, Dale was known to conduct famous courses on self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking and interpersonal skills.

Now so many leadership courses are on offer at http://www.dalecarnegie.com/ and all the current courses are based on the ideology of  Carnegie whose books are sold widely  throughout India.  His famous books include How to Win Friends and Influence people and How to stop worrying & start living.

The above book is in fact not written by Dale Carnegie, but each chapter of the book starts with Carnegie's famous quote.  The chapters dwell at length on the real life situations underlying the core management principles of Carnegie.

The back flap of the book says  that the co-authors Stuart R. Levine and Michael A. Crom offers Carnegie's time-tested human relationship principles to demonstrate how anyone can harness creativity and enthusiasm to work more productively.  The book offers very rare insights of authors   to strike a balance between work and leisure.  The book also guides you to achieve  your goals and increase your self-confidence and above all, the book facilitates you to identify your own leadership strengths.

The interesting chapters on subjects such as Listening to Handling Mistakes bring a total transformation in your life.  It injects a positive mental attitude into your life  to achieve the goals set for yourself.

The crux of the book lies in overcoming your worries and tread a path to success !

TIME = MONEY; HAPPINESS = ZERO

 Ever since I decided to write on daily basis to improve my craft,  I search for triggers to ignite my mind. One such trigger recently came from the title of a small article in a news magazine which I adopted it here.

In fact, happiness is the underlying thread in any activity we undertake.   Instead of finding true centre of happiness, we aimlessly sail our ships which only aggravates the problem. 

The true wisdom lies in enjoying with our own being without encroaching into other's space. It is what Henry David Thoreau did when he left for Walden bank (United States) to live alone. He wrote about all his experiences in an epic book "Walden" which is a masterpiece of a journey of self-transformation. The chapter on 'Solitude' is one of the best inspiring pieces of his literature. When asked why he went to Walden bank to live alone, he contended that : "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front , only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover, that I had not lived. "

The paradigm of happiness has now undergone a tectonic shift  and people  grab material possessions so ruthlessly which brink them to shallow lives. Those who value time with money have neglected their relations and by the time they start realizing, it is too late for them as considerable damage already happens in their lives.

The work alcoholics who treat time as money should be more cautious. The new research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology shows that the more one treats time in terms of money, the more one loses the ability to 'experience' time and everyday happiness.

A  survey puta India ahead of so many advanced countries in terms of happiness. India ranks Number 2 with 43% 'Very Happy people' out of 24 countries in a survey conducted in February, 2012 by a French marketing company Ipsos. Indonesia tops the list at 57 %. It is time for others to learn something from India.

CREATING A BETTER FUTURE FOR CHILDREN

 

As our children grow, we worry so much about their future. Instead of allowing them to flourish on their own, we impose our own ideas on them, thereby condition their minds.

Noted Indian spiritual guru Sadhguru Jaggie Vasudev says that it is time to learn back from children. He further says that think for a moment: Who looks more happy – you, or your children ? He believes that children are consultants for happiness.

My daughters when they are taken to evening stroll, they make spirited discussions which they don't do when they are indoors. So take your children on regular walks and listen to their ideas. Robin Sharma in his much acclaimed book 'Who will cry when you Die' echoes the same point: "Children come to us more highly evolved than adults to teach us the lessons we need to learn."

The difference between your child and you is that you know a few survival tricks while he/she is still innocent and brimming with creativity.   Allow them the life they want to lead. Don't be their boss. Be a guardian and facilitator so that they feel comfortable and share their views liberally without any inhibition. If you frighten them, they will shy away from you. So be like a friend. Communication is very vital. The greatest gift you can give to your children, Robin Sharma says, is the 'gift of your time'. But how much time do we really spend with our children is a moot point.

When it comes to education, we evaluate our children through their report cards. We compare them with their peers, and question them why they are not better than their friends in studies. This mindless comparison kills their creativity. It is our duty to nurture their inherent talents so that they achieve their full potential in their area of interest.

Sam Pitroda, former adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information, Infrastructure and Innovation, says that you cannot really teach your children. They learn the way they can. Do what you are supposed to do, and your children will get the message loud and clear. He further says that give children enough space so that they can understand the works of the world and adapt themselves to the situations.

But the present educational system helps little to blossom children.  The marks mania is eroding the educational standards. I was shocked when I read a news item in a reputed news magazine that India ranked 73 out of 74 countries in a 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study based on extensive testing of nearly 5,000 upper primary students in the educationally advanced states of Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. What is more disgusting is that eighth graders from India could barely match the Math skills of South Korean third graders.

With regard to content of text books,  the same magazine in their story reported that Class 3 Urdu-medium schoolchildren in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh are being taught Hindustan kevazir-e-azam PV Narasimha Rao hai ( P.V. NarasimhaRao is India's Prime Minister).

Some tough decisions need to be taken to reform the education sector, otherwise children continue to be the victims of mediocrity.