Heart Of Gratitude

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A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He
held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a
few coins in the hat.





A man was walking by. He took a few coins

from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign,

turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that

everyone who walked by would see the new words.


Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who

had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized

his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this

morning? What did you write?"







The man said, "I only wrote the truth.

I said what you said but in a

different way."





I

wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I

cannot see it."





Both

signs told people that the boy was

blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second

sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind.

Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?











Moral of the Story: Be thankful for

what you have.. Be creative. Be

innovative. Think differently and positively.





When

life gives you a 100 reasons to cry,

show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile Face your past without

regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future

without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.





The

most beautiful thing is to see a person

smiling…





And

even more beautiful is, knowing that you

are the reason behind it!!!





Enjoy your day with a heart of gratitude .

Wise Words From the Cancer Survivor

Dear All,

I am very sure we are the loving children of God and He is the one who is testing us so that we come out with flying colors. Please find some of the “dos” and “donts” in the trying period.

After Surgery

What I have observed is during this period “Pranayam” (the Art of Living style) is the most suited specially for BrC. The most effective cure without any medicines and side effects. If possible, do it throughout your treatment period and even after that.

1) try to raise your hands as much as you can, but do not exert yourself.

2) 3 simple exercises prescribed by my doctor –

     (a) take your arms sideways and shake your arms like a bird flying in the sky

     (b) take your hands above your head trying to touch the arms to your ears and                  do the namaste pose. Do this with your back to the wall – start while sitting and             then standing.

     (c) Keep the palms of hands on the wall with your face to the wall and then                         crawl your fingers up the wall – slowly and then as high as you can go. With                  this, the sutured portion in the arm will be loosened. Do the execises                            slowly, starting with 5 times and then increasing after 3 days to 7 times upto 20            times, 3 times a day.

3) Right from day one, increase your intake of liquids – water, buttermilk (2 spoons of curds and remaining water in a 1 litre vessel), soups of various pumpkin fruits (all gourds, orange variety pumpkin, yellow variety pumpkin), etc.

After Chemotherapy

This is the part where you have to have immense faith in god and belief in your strong will power. There would be pain but definitely I will give you the tips how to reverse that pain to pleasure (ofcourse out of my own experience) -

1) Generally the chemotherapy lasts from 5-8 hours (for me it was 13 hours since my vein was thin).

2) Please drink lots of water and liquids before the chemo procedure is started so that the toxic / excess medicines are flushed out by way of urine.

3) A standard chemo is of 6 cycles, every 6 weeks. Sometimes, there is also a cycle every 1 week. It probably depends on the intensity of the ailment, age of the person and other factors.

4) Body temperature shoots up after every chemo due to the medicine which kills the good blood cells as well as bad. I would suggest the following –

(a) Drink lots of liquids.

(b) Keep drinking buttermilk as much as possible with salt and chaas masala.

(c) Use “Dudhi” oil on your feet soles and the “head” to cool the whole system. Use it on your eyelids also. It is available at any normal medical store.

(d) Use “Ice Box” which we get at the medical store. Put the Ice Box in a duppatta and tie the duppatta around your stomach till you find that the ice has become water (it takes about 15 mins).

(e) You may face severe constipation leading to piles many a times. Buttermilk has a very soothing effect on this. Doctors generally advise, to take laxative “Cremaffin” which will work at the beginning but then the body gets used to it.

(f)Similarly, for burning sensation and acidity doctors advice “Gelusil” a replacement for which is the himalaya drug “Himcocid” having no side effects. You can take it throughout your treatment period.

5) One mantra to increase the blood count is to take hot sizzling soup atleast 3 times a day – 3 leaves spinach, ½ piece of tomato, ½ piece of beet, ½ piece of carrot. This you can continue for years together even afterwards.

6) Haldi (Turmeric Powder) has positive effects on this process. Drink a glass of warm milk to lots of haldi at night. Use more haldi in your cooking.

7) As after effects of chemo, the immune system of the body comes down. Weather change or even if your neighbour sneezes, you are prone to get cold. It is advisable to skip all public places viz. market area, malls, movie theatres etc. Further, to strengthen your immune system, himalaya tablets “Septilin” one tablet per day.

8) Use slippers so that you do not catch cold. In case of cold, you can rub “Vicks” on your feet soles and wear socks. Next day itself you will be rid of cold. This can be done for kids as well as older people.

9)  Now for a slightly tough part. I am sure you will be convinced after I tell you my experience. Generally, after the second chemo, hair starts falling off which increases with every chemo. I had shaved off my hair after the 2^nd chemo and again after the 6^th chemo. You will find nausea when you see hair fall in your plate or food or milk etc. So better do away with it with a happier heart, coz, it will all grow back more healthier afterwards. The reason for shaving again after 6^th chemo is that all the toxins are flushed out from urine and the pores of the body by way of sweat etc. When you scratch your scalp, you will find black tar like substance on the scalp. That is the toxins given out by your scalp. The hair will not be healthy if you keep it that way. So shave off your hair again, rub it with oil everyday (you will find cotton turning black), use a mild shampoo (baby shampoo) and then you will get your lovely long black hair again.

10)     Now for the tips –

(a)    Read lot of books – whatever you like and whatever will make you laugh.

I would recommend – Louise Hay’s “You can heal your Life”

                                    Rhonda Byrne’s “Magic” and “Secret”

                                    Archies and Tinkles

(b)   Play games – specially, Sudoku, Scrabble, Snakes and Ladders – it will make you use your brain much more efficiently then at other times – keep a time schedule of 1 hour everyday for this without fail.

(c)    Hear lots of music – whatever you like – hear loud not on earphones.

(d)   Think of the chemo red liquid being injected into your body, not as the deadly medicine but as “rose water” or “juice of life” which is going to heal and cleanse your body of all ailments.

(e)    Positive thinking helps a lot in bearing the pain

Radiation

After the chemo, one is wary about the treatment, but but don’t lose heart….. Angels are just nearby. Each human has 2 angels, just like we have best friends, only very few know about it. Only they will approach on your calling. They are around you, waiting to be called by you for help, guidance, protection and also for shopping. You can try this anytime when u wait for a bus, want to find out your lovely dress at a shopping mall, etc. Please read the book “Angel Therapy” by Doreen Virtue.

The main reason why I have written this is to tell you, now is the time you must call for help (starting from chemo stage).

1)      If the breast is removed fully, radiation is given for 5 weeks.

2)      But if the breast has been saved, the normal dosage is 6 weeks, generally 1-3 minutes at the site of the CA. With the latest machines and the best radiation doctors, you wont feel any pain. You wouldn’t know when you are on the table and when you are out.

3)      During this time, it is advisable to take a front buttoned maxi (since you have to change during radiation) or a front buttoned blouse if you are wearing a saree. Preferably, always wear cotton clothes only.

4)      During this time, it is advisable to keep on doing the exercises with a slow pace, since the tendon and muscles are burnt (think of the tandoori effect) and need to be flexed slowly so that they do not become tight due to radiation. 

5)      Last but not the least, the tip - be happy, laugh a lot, sometimes take a small piece of cake or flowers for your radiation doctor (my doctor in on my facebook – my sons age) or even some namkeen to distribute among the patients whom you see everyday. The happiness you see on their faces makes you heal faster and lessens the pain.

Post Treatment

A winning horse doesn’t know what is WIN ??

It only runs bcoz of the pain given by the rider….

So, whenever u r in pain

Think GOD your rider wants U to WIN J

1)      Sympathy is the last thing that should be on one’s mind. Deck up (dress, flowers, jewellery, etc – we are lucky to be ladies) as if everyday is a b’day, live n enjoy every moment of life as you live only once and laugh lots. That’s the key to healthy life. Blessings is found to be more healing than sympathy.

2)      Start your day with pranayam. If you have read “magic” start the day with “thank you” and make it a point to say “thank you” at the smallest help / care you get from anybody.

3)      Please intake lots of soup, juices, fresh vegetables everyday. Tomatoes, Broccoli, gourds of various varieties as vegetables and halwas, carrots, kidney beans, beans in other forms, etc. Remember that all yellow & orange colour fruits and vegetables should be given top most priority.

4)      Handful of sprouted moong in the form of soup, vegetable, even boiled as in “pani puri” to be had everyday.

5)      Lemon is supposed to have healing properties – slice a piece of lemon and put in a glass of water for 4-5 hours – drink the water. You can do it as many times you want it.

6)      For nausea, just chew on ginger and little salt. It will give you immediate relief.

7)      Sometimes, you are not able to close the fist of your palms due to chemo, so slowly everyday basis, 10 times do the palm closing exercise (3 times a day).

8)      I have done some reading on alternate therapy and found many sites which are useful – kindly check www.men-tsee-khang.org and this full fledged hospital is at Koparkhairane. You will go thro’ some miraculous alternate therapies on the net. You can visit the hospital too since the doctor, checks only your pulse and suggests medicines made of fruits and barks of trees.

9)      Milk with haldi (Turmeric) to be had regularly. Prepare food with haldi.

10)  It is observed that tendency to put on weight increases 10-fold. So, brisk walking for 45 minutes is a must (which frankly I am not able to do).

11)  You can have vitamins & calcium two times in a week, if need be.

12)  In case of piles problem, sit in a plate of water, as hot as much you can bear. Buttermilk is the only solution for that. Due to medicines the body temperature will be high and heat automatically generated. Keep the Ice-Box & Oil therapy on.

13)  With all the chemo your hormones go in for a toss and fatigue, restlessness, sometimes lymphodema (swelling in arms), weight gain are the side effects. I visited a naturopathist in Vile Parle – Dr. Mamta Trivedi (who is available at Mumbai Prabhadevi, Opera House and Breach Candy also), who is a obesity and diabetes specialist. She has suggested a juice made out of tulsi, neem, pudina, ginger, amla, honey, bel, etc. which I have been taking for past 5 yrs now. It helps build your immune system and you feel revitalized.

14)  The sugar levels also soar – for that you can have 1/3 of karela (bitter gourd), same quantity of tomato, same quantity of kakdi and some coriander leaves – mix in mixer and drink it (preferably without sieving). Coriander has the properties to flush the toxins from kidney and keeps your liver healthy which deteo

15)  By now your hispathology reports would have come (ER/PR/HER2) which will tell you if you can take the hormone therapy after radiation is over. For me all the three i.e. ERPRHER2 was negative, I was not supposed to take the hormone treatment. If any of the above is +ve then 1 tablet per day (hormone therapy) of a certain medicine is prescribed by the doctor.

16)  I will write some shlokas for healing faster. Do keep faith and chant them (108 times) :

(a)               Dhanvantari Mantra –

"Om Namo Bhagavate,   Maha Sudharshana
Vasudevaya Dhanvantaraye,     Amrutha Kalasa Hasthaaya
Sarva Bhaya Vinasaya,   Sarva Roka Nivaranaya
Thri Lokya Pathaye,       Thri Lokya Nithaye
Sri Maha Vishnu Swarupa,        Sri Dhanvantri Swarupa
Sri Sri Sri, Aoushata Chakra Narayana Swaha"

(b)               Rama (Healing Mantra):

Om Apadamapa Hataram Dataram Sarva Sampadam
Loka Bhi Ramam Sri Rama Bhuyo Bhuyo Namamyaham

"This is a long mantra to put in a chapter for those just starting off, but is placed here because it is the most powerful healing mantra I have ever encountered. The very rough translation is, 'Om, Oh most compassionate Rama please send your healing energy right here to the earth, to the earth (twice for emphasis.)'

(c)                Health Protection Mantra

Om hansam hansaha

(d)               Cancer                            Om Krishnaya Namaha
  a) Tongue Cancer             Om Krishna-Viththalaya Namaha
  b) Lung Cancer                  Om Narayani-Krishnaya Namaha
  c) Throat Cancer               Om Mahesh-Krishnaya Namaha
  d) Chest Cancer                 Om Shankara-Krishnaya Namaha
  e) Liver Cancer                   Om Narayani-Krishnaya Namaha
  f) Blood Cancer                   Om Shrikant-Krishnaya Namaha
  g) Breast Cancer                 Om Narayani-Krishnaya Namaha
  h) Bone Cancer                    Om Krishna-Krishnaya Namaha
  i) Prostate Cancer          Om Shriram-Narayan-Krishnaya Namaha

17)   Mantra for Longevity and getting rid of Ailments
Om Trayambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pusti Vardhanam, Urvarukamiva Bandhanan Mrityormurksheeya Mamritat. (maha mruntunjay mantra)

18)   The mantras need not be chanted tediously. Say whatever you can with a cool heart – under no pressure. Please be calm and happy, this will benefit you all in the long run. God Bless You all and hope and I am sure you  all will get strength to go through everything smilingly.

Lots of blessings from the LORD

Be prepared with a smile and prayers J

Lots of hugs and wishing a speedy recovery, 


Sumegha  (IDBI Bank, Mumbai, India) 


She can be reached at her 
email:  sumegha67@gmail.com

SUMEGHA SHANBHAG

A Serving of Salad Everyone, from mothers to dieticians, recommends a serving of salad. Salads are easy to prepare, good for health and do not add to your weight. When we mention salad, the first thing that comes to one's mind is a blend of greens, raw vegetables and dressing. The list of ingredients that can be added to these is endless. Seasonal fruits, nuts, berries, boiled vegetables, seafood and lean meat are but a few of the many food items you can make salads of. In fact, recipes for salads do not even need to be followed to the "T". One can conjure up new recipes at will, allowing for a lot of creativity. While we cannot bring to you an exhaustive list of salad ingredients and the health quotient of each, we can try and scratch the surface of "Saladology" and see what makes a serving of salad so beneficial. The benefits of salad Raw leafy vegetables provide volume to our diet. They contain dietary fibres or roughage which provide bulk to stools and help in relieving and preventing constipation. Salads are filling and prevent us from overeating. Because they are low in calories, the end results could be weight loss! Eating salad before your main course will give you a sense of satisfaction and limit your calorie intake. At the least, it keeps us from putting on weight through eating. (And we thought gaining weight was inevitable!) Raw vegetables and fruits are the most alkaline foods. They held us balance the intake of acid-forming food which includes meat, fish, dairy products and grains. Most ingredients we use in salads are uncooked and hence, they retain most of their nutrients. Greens and raw vegetables are very rich in nutrients. Lettuce, cabbage, beetroot and tomatoes are rich in potassium. Leafy greens are also very rich in magnesium, as are peas, green pepper and onions. Broccoli and cauliflower are rich in calcium. Though they don't taste great when eaten raw, it is always a good idea to boil and add them to your salad. Raw vegetables and fruits are also very rich in vitamin A , vitamin C, beta-carotene and folate. Vitamins are necessary for maintaining good health, fighting infections, boosting immunity and carrying out most metabolic functions. Most of these nutrients are not sufficiently present in our normal meals and eating salads is a convenient way of meeting the necessary requirements. Our body also needs sufficient amounts of minerals such as iodine, iron, zinc, copper, phosphorus, manganese and sodium. Salads with raw vegetables, green leaves and added fruits are rich in minerals and complete our daily requirement of these minerals, which may be lacking in our regular diet. Raw vegetables and fruits also contain natural plant compounds called phytonutrients. These are not as necessary as minerals and vitamins are but are beneficial to the body in many ways. Examples of phytonutrients include Lutein, Zeaxanthin and beta-carotene, all of which act as antioxidants. Beta-carotene is converted to Vitamin A in the human body. Salad dressings contain fat. However, most of them have monounsaturated fats, which lower the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body and increase that of good cholesterol (HDL). Making healthier salads As mentioned before, there can be more varieties of salads than one can count. However, knowing the levels of nutrients in the ingredients helps us come up with healthier mixtures. Sodium is required for regulation of blood pressure. The daily intake of sodium should ideally not cross 2-3 grams a day. While most greens and fruits contain sodium, its richest source is common salt and other salts such as monosodium glutamate. Try to avoid adding MSG or excessive salt to your salad. Not only does salt add excessive sodium to your diet, it also robs the greens and fruits of their natural taste. Use dressings with oils that contain beneficial fats. Sunflower, soybean and olive oil are good choices since they contain a greater percentage of monounsaturated fats. Also, check the list of ingredients to ensure that they do not have hydrogenated fat or large amounts of total carbohydrates. Often, we tend to overuse salad dressing. A little bit of dressing is usually sufficient to coat the leaves of the salad. The trick is to use a small amount of dressing and to toss the salad really well. As far as picking your ingredients are concerned, remember, dark greens and red ingredients usually have more nutrients than light green ones. To avoid repeating your recipes, you can also vary the shape of vegetables you use. Dice them, cut vegetables into cubes or strips; make them look different and you will come up with interesting looking salads almost every day. Changing the dressing on the same ingredients will also give you new flavours to experiment with everyday. It is also easy to make your own dressings at home. The number of creative mixtures you can conjure up is countless. Salads don't always have to be vegetarian. If you have a liking for seafood, try making a salad out of prawns, shrimps or oysters, instead of frying or making curry out of them. Seafood is a good source of minerals and makes for tasty salads. You can also always add lean meat and fish to your salads. Make sure you boil the meat well before making a salad out of it. If you have hypertension, cardiovascular diseases or diabetes, keep a check on the things you add to your salad. Garden salads are safe, but keep a tab on the amount of salt and sugar that go into them. Try searching for new recipes on the internet. Salads are a favourite the world over and you will be surprised at the number of alternatives you will find.

Guide to a better life....

This is amazing, he died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, but wrote a book 'The last lecture" before then, one of the bestsellers in 2007. What a legacy to leave behind…  In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan , and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful "guide to a better life" for his wife and children to follow.  May you be blessed by his insight. POINTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE  Personality: 1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present  moment  3. Don't overdo; keep your limits  4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does  5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip  6. Dream more while you are awake  7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.. 8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/ her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. 9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. 10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present  11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you 12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. 13. Smile and laugh more 14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. Community: 15. Call your family often 16. Each day give something good to others  17. Forgive everyone for everything  18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6  19. Try to make at least three people smile each day  20. What other people think of you is none of your business  21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch. Life: 22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.  23. GOD heals everything  24. Do the right things  25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change  26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up  27. The best is yet to come  28. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful  29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it  30. If you know GOD, you will always be happy. So, be HAPPY.  While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with, people you play with, people you work with and people you live with. Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you.

Cancer news from Johns Hopkins University

1.Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2.Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3.When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5.To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6.Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc., and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7.Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8.Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

 9.When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11.An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

WHAT CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

Sugar is a cancer-feeder - By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk, cancer cells are being starved.

Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells.

To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water--best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.

Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

 

Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. 

Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells. 

(PLEASE FORWARD IT TO PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT) 

This is an article that should be sent to every one you care abouT.

"VALUE HAS A VALUE ONLY IF ITS VALUE IS VALUED BY YOU".

 

Humour: Family problems

 
 

Family problems  Two men, one American and an Indian were sitting in a bar & drinking Shot after Shot. The Indian man said to the American, 'You know my parents are forcing me to get married to this so called homely girl from a village whom I haven't even met once.' We call this arranged marriage. I don't want to marry a woman whom I don't love... I told them that openly and now have a hell lot of family problems.' The American said, talking about love marriages... I'll tell you my story. 'I married a widow whom I deeply loved and dated for 3 years. After a couple of years, my father fell in love with my step-daughter and married her, so my father became my son-in-law and I became my father's father-in-law. Legally now my daughter is my mother and my wife my grandmother. More problems occurred when I had a son. My son is my father's brother-in-law.   Situations turned worse when my father had a son. Now my father's son, my brother is my grandson. Ultimately, I have become my own grand father and I am my own grandson. And you say you have family problems.' The Indian fainted...........

  

Have Passion!!! Outstanding article…Spare time to read this……..

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Have Passion!!!

It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and Gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies' hostel. Other girls were pursuing research in  different departments of Science.

I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in Computer science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US . I had not thought of taking up a job in India .

One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex, I Saw an advertisement on the notice board. It was a standard job-requirement notice from the famous automobile company Telco (now Tata Motors). It stated that the company required young, bright engineers,

hardworking and with an excellent academic background, etc.

  

At the bottom was a small line: "Lady candidates need not apply."

  

I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up against gender discrimination.

  

Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge. I Had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male peers. Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not enough to be successful.

After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform The topmost person in Telco's management about the injustice the company

was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but there was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco.

  

I thought it must be one of the Tatas. I knew JRD Tata was the head of The Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in newspapers actually, Sumant Moolgaokar was the company's chairman then). I took the card, addressed It to JRD and started writing. To this day I remember clearly what I wrote.

"The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who Started the basic infrastructure industries in India , such as iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for higher Education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study there. But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the basis of gender."

I posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview at Telco's Pune facility at the company's expense. I was taken aback by the telegram. My hostel mate told me I should use the opportunity to go to Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris for cheap! I collected Rs 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari. When I look back, I feel like laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they seemed good enough to make the trip.

It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the city.

  

To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune as I  do  in Hubli, myhometown. The place changed my life in so many ways. As directed, I went to Telco's Pimpri office for the interview.

There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this was  serious business.

  

"This is the girl who wrote to JRD," I heard somebody whisper as soon as  I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the job.

The realisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather cool while  The interview was being conducted.

  

Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased, so I  told them, rather impolitely, "I hope this is only a technical  interview."

They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am ashamed about  My  attitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I answered all of  them.

Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, "Do you  Know why we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we have  never employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed  college;  this is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first ranker  throughout. We appreciate that, but people like you should work in  research  laboratories. "

I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a limited  place.

  

I did not know the ways of large corporate houses and their  difficulties, so I answered, "But you must start somewhere, otherwise no woman will ever be able to work in your factories."

Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So This was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I would  Take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there, we became  good friends and we got married. It was only after joining Telco that I realized who JRD was: the  Uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to meet him till I was transferred to Bombay .. One day I had to show some reports to  Mr Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in his office on  The first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters) when, suddenly JRD  walked in. That was the first time I saw "appro JRD". Appro means

"our"  in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by which people at Bombay House called him.

  

I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM Introduced me nicely, "Jeh (that's what his close associates called him), this Young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate. 

She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor." JRD looked at  me . I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or the postcard that preceded it).

Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, he remarked. "It is nice that girls are  getting into engineering in our country. By the way, what is your name?"

"When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir," I replied. "Now I am  Sudha Murthy." He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion with SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room.

After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman  And I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in common. I was  In awe of him.

One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after office  hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not know how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard. Looking back, I  realise JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a small incident for him, but not so for me.

"Young lady, why are you here?" he asked. "Office time is over." I said,  "Sir, I'm waiting for my husband to come and pick me up." JRD said, "It  Is getting dark and there's no one in the corridor.

I'll wait with you till your husband comes."

  

I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting alongside  made me extremely uncomfortable.

  

I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a  simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing. There  wasn't any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, "Look at this  person. He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is  waiting for the sake of an ordinary employee."

Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, "Young lady,  Tell your husband never to make his wife wait again." In 1982 I had to resign  from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did not have a  choice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my  final settlement when I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I  wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. He saw me and paused.

Gently, he said, "So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?" (That was the Way he always addressed me.) "Sir, I am leaving Telco." "Where are you going?" he asked. "Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a company called Infosys and I'm shifting to Pune."

"Oh! And what will you do when you are successful."

  

"Sir, I don't know whether we will be successful." "Never start with  diffidence," he advised me. "Always start with confidence. When you are  successful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we must reciprocate. I wish you all the best."

Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed  like a millennium. That was the last time I saw him alive. Many years later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying the chair JRD once did. I told him of my many sweet memories of working with Telco. Later, he wrote to me, "It was nice hearing about Jeh from you. The sad part is  that he's not alive to see you today."

I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice. He must  have received thousands of letters everyday. He could have thrown mine  away, but he didn't do that. He respected the intentions of that unknown  girl, who had neither influence nor money, and gave her an opportunity  in his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and  mindset forever.

Close to 50 per cent of the students in today's engineering colleges are girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry segments. I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks me  What I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see how the company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it wholeheartedly.

My love and respect for the House of Tata remains undiminished by the  passage of time. I always looked up to JRD. I saw him as a role model for his simplicity, his generosity, his kindness and the care he took of his employees. Those blue eyes always reminded me of the sky; they had the same vastness and magnificence.

(Sudha Murthy is a widely published writer and chairperson of the  Infosys Foundation involved in a number of social development initiatives. Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy is her husband.)

Article sourced from: Lasting Legacies (Tata Review- Special Commemorative Issue 2004), brought out by the house of Tatas to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of JRD Tata on July 29, 2004