Oh what bliss it is to stop judging

Imagine how beautiful life would be

If you were to stop judging

Yourself, others and the very moment you’re in.....

If you could Stop for a moment judging the past,

Leave anxieties about the future

Forget the way you look, speak and are dressed

Imagine how beautiful Life would be...

Imagine how beautiful life would be

In that moment of internal silence

Coming in contact with your innermost nature

Existing simply as a vibrant source of consciousness

Feeling a miracle in each breath you take in

And realizing the treasure trove of love and peace within

Imagine how beautiful life would be....

Pity those who can’t help but keep judging others

Because judge they do, themselves the most

If only they could stop seeing existence as a constant competition

By simply realizing the beauty of the present moment

Imagine how beautiful life would be

Born we are complete, pure and joyful

But then we start to judge and compare

And make our thinking our own despair

We invite into our lives restlessness and inefficacy

Always postponing happiness from the present moment

Imagine how beautiful Life would be...

No need to prove anything to anybody

No need for false smiles and fake expressions

No need for Hatred, Contempt or Jealousy

Imagine how beautiful life would be

Realizing our own perfection and everyone’s around us

And letting beautiful actions flow effortlessly

Realizing how beautiful Life already is, Realizing how beautiful life always is...

Imagine how beautiful life would be...



-Vijayaditya Indrakanti

Corruption and why there is hope for India

What is Corruption? Corruption at its core is not the millions of dollars siphoned away in huge contracts, but its our society's ability to accept corruption as a part of daily life. We live in a continuous world, not discrete quantums that somehow each occurrence is independent of the grand reality. When you decide not to ask questions when you see corruption and if it doesn't perturb you, anger you and bite you like a rattle snake, thats the real corruption. Like the fact that you are willing to bribe a traffic officer than pay the speeding fine. By summing up all our lives' complacency and low expectations on the transparency of the procedures in our rather small areas of control, we add up to grand corruption of the system.

There is hope, in fact there is a lot of hope for our nation. One of the main reasons is that it's simply not possible to go on like this. When there is corruption in governance, the most affected sections are the poor of our society. In more crude terms a corrupt society eats away like cannibals on the poorest and more vulnerable sections of society. Jai Prakash Narayan of the Lok Satta Party who is one of the more respected and honest politicians of India once said "I am not surprised at the violence and killing by the Maoists, in fact what surprises me is that there is so less bloodshed in the society, the desparate and exploited cannot be coaxed by mere words". So the increase of unrest among the neglected will make change inevitable. Also, there is a growing awareness among the youth and conscientious people of our nation, among us! and when we make a that collective decision in our lives not to tolerate corruption anymore, we will have changed the very psyche of the "Indian". Do not underestimate the effectiveness of good convictions, good convictions like good ideas spread like wild fire. Repeat this in you head "INDIA IS NOT A CORRUPT SOCIETY BUT INDIAN SOCIETY HAS BECOME CORRUPT", believe me there are a lot of good people like you and me who are stuck in this quagmire of corruption and as much as they wish are limited by the society from bringing change. We have the potential to make something happen, and in the meanwhile you can play a meaningful role by:

1. using your right to vote (trust me, a lot of educated middle class families don't bother)
2. refrain from taking the easy way out by bribing government officials, try getting your driving license the correct way
3. when you are really enraged about certain practices communicate your ire on the particular government department by writing letters to the concerned department. For example, write letters when the roads in your area are damaged, when you have observed any government servant misbehaving etc.
4. complain to municipality about dumps on the road (if any)
5. assert your rights as a consumer
6. If you can, educate your maids or other uneducated people in your society about various benefits available from the government for economically backward people. They may not be aware of certain concessions or facilities.

Lastly, let me relate to you an incident in the city near Delhi, Noida. The roads of Noida are pretty good but there was a rather unexpected speed bump immediately after descending from a really huge flyover which connected Delhi to Noida. Most people like my dad were annoyed by it but learnt to tackle it after one or two uncomfortable experiences. But my friend Ajitesh's dad took the pains of writing a letter to the roads authority regarding the problem saying that it was too unexpected and sudden for people coming at high speeds from the flyover. And guess what the bump was removed withing two days and put further down the road!

But obviously, we cannot expect any immediate result all the time, but by asserting your rights, you indeed make a change, at least in the minds of the people who probably never been approached before. And when indeed your complaint is given due consideration, Democracy and India are the real victors.

Lastly, have hope for you nation. Jab Hindustan Jagega, poori Duniya Jagega!

Hate Singapore??- The Grass is always Greener on the other side, the opinion of an international student in NTU

The Grass is always Greener on the other side

Singapore is such a wonderful place. It’s clean, safe, has a strong economy and is so close to India. Yet almost each and every expatriate Indian I have met would someday like to leave Singapore to other more industrialized nation or go back to India for seeking their future. It is completely understandable, but not only do they express a desire to go to leave Singapore but also comment on how “boring” Singapore can be once you get into the work environment. Are they indeed being less gratuitous to what Singapore has to offer? Or is Singapore which is such a prime tourist destination in Southeast Asia really boring for living? I did a random search on the internet and found out that the opinion that Singapore is a boring place has some credence, many people feel so. In contrast, what many people also say is the very opposite, “Singapore is one of most happening places”, “Singapore is awesome, I wish to visit it again and again” etc etc. Why such starkly contrasting views? Let’s examine what Singapore has to offer:

1. Awesome Weather: If you are an outdoor person, nobody can doubt that Singaporean weather allows a person to be active throughout the year. Apart from the occasional heavy rains (also which can also be enjoyed from the window of your home) Singaporean weather is really awesome. A hot day is almost surely to be followed by a cooler evening. Could a perfect weather with almost no variations indeed make life boring? Possible. But if you do to cold places like Canada and Northern Europe, you understand how cold and boring their winters can be. If you go to India “heat” and “sweat” are a part of daily vocabulary. My suggestion, when god gives you lemons make lemonade and enjoy it, when he gives you good weather, go out, play and after enjoying it, feel happy for it. Maybe that would make your stay better.

2. Clean and Safe: Undoubtedly Singapore is one of the safest, cleanest, greenest countries in the world. You can enjoy the cool Singaporean night sitting with your friends in the most isolated place without absolutely any fear. Some of my friends comment that the cleanliness and safety in Singapore makes life “uninteresting”. I find this simply outrageous. Enjoy what you have and make the most of it, also appreciate the fact that it is indeed a privilege not many people have. That will definitely improve you outlook about Singapore a whole.

3. Very Active night life: It has an abundance of 24 hour night-clubs and live bands. If you’re interested in this kind of stuff, there you have it. But not me, so I can’t comment much on it.

4. Singapore is “small”: This is something even I used to feel. But then I realized, even in your home country your actual area of travel can be pretty small. So, this feeling may be more psychological than anything else. Many middleclass families in India have a very routine lifestyle and don’t indulge themselves in the many sights and sounds which their big cities/big country has to offer. If you have enjoyed whatever Singapore has to offer, nobody is stopping you from going to the many neighbouring Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

5. The People: One of most comic statements I have found online is: “Singapore is most definitely boring. Its citizens need to be reminded to 'smile' from government campaigns”. I think this is a very judgmental statement. From my experience, I think Singaporeans are really nice people. They are willing to listen to you and help you if you approach them. Obviously not everybody may be like that but I think that all expats need to mix more with the locals, understand their culture and outlook about things. Be willing to challenge your own opinions and beliefs. Then I am sure you can get into the Singaporean psyche and really start experiencing Singapore. Many people are not willing to take the effort, so obviously they will have the feeling of “us” and “them”. There is absolutely no harm in such an attitude but please do not pass judgemental statements about a whole people.

In conclusion, Singapore may be having some really boring element about it. After all everything seems orchestrated by the government, the press, the news, even your existence is probably the government’s decision to give a scholarship to an international student. But undoubtedly Singapore has a lot to offer. Explore and enjoy. Venture out of your usual waters and make a good friends circle. As long as you are here, enjoy what’s available.

Apart from these factors if you are just really just badly homesick then maybe International study and work wasn’t made for you in the first place. Peace.