5 more minutes!

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.

“That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

“He’s a fine looking boy” the man said. “That’s my daughter on the bike in the white dress.”

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. “What do you say we go, Melissa?”

Melissa pleaded, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes!”

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart’s content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. “Time to go now?”

Again Melissa pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes!”

The man smiled and said, “OK.”

“My God, you certainly are a patient father,” the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, “Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I’d give anything for just five more minutes with him. I’ve vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa.

She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get five more minutes to watch her play.”

Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?

Give someone you love 5 more minutes of your time today!

Meeting with GOD

A little boy wanted to meet God.
He packed his suitcase with two sets of clothes and some packet of Cakes and he started his journey.
He walked long and felt very tired,
So he sat in a park on the way and opened a packet of cake to eat.
Then he noticed an old woman sitting sad and hungry, nearby. So he offered her a piece of cake.
She gratefully accepted it with a surprised look and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy longed to see it again. After some time he offered her another piece of cake.
Again, she accepted it and smiled at him.
The boy was delighted!
They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
While it grew dark, the boy was frightened and he got up to leave but before he had gone more than a few steps, he ran back and gave her a hug and she kissed him with her prettiest smile. When the boy opened the door,his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you look so happy?"
He replied, "I had lunch with God."
Before his mother could respond, he added,
"You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen in my life!"
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home.
Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and asked,
"Mom, what did you do today that made you so happy?
"She replied, "I ate cakes in the park with God."
Before her son responded, she added,"You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of
a touch,
a smile,
a kind word,
a listening ear,
an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,

~ All of which have the potential to turn our life around.!!!

100 YEARS OF INDIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM

Our National Anthem is 100 years old.
Jana Gana Mana- India’s national Anthem,written and composed by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore ,was first sung publicly at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on 27th December,1911 and later adopted as our National Anthem on 24th January 1950 by the Constituent Assembly.

The year 2011 marks the centenary year of our prestigious National Anthem.

Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem of India. Written in Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of an ode composed and scored by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. This was first sung on 27 December 1911, at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress, Jana Gana Mana was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the Indian national anthem in January 24, 1950. A formal rendition of the national anthem takes fifty two seconds. A shortened version consisting of the first and last lines (and taking about 20 seconds to play) is also staged occasionally. The music for the current version is derived from a composition for the song by Ram Singh Thakur.

No other Indian song is said to capture the poignancy of a do-or-die moment, be it in the sporting field or at the frontiers, the way Jana Gana Mana can.

Jana Gana Mana, composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and sung for the first time at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911, has fired a nation's patriotism and united it in crisis and triumph for 100 years.

In its 100-year-old history, the Indian national anthem has played a key role in unifying a country torn apart by a bloody partition, nationalist movement and popular uprisings. It has moved a country to tears during sporting victories, unfurling of the national flag and cultural and public occasions.

Netaji Bose's Indian National Army adopted Jana Gana Mana as the National Anthem and Mahatma Gandhi in 1946 said the "the song has found a place in our national life." But the song's popularity is not without its share of controversies.

Hindi Lyrics

Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka, Jaya He

Bharata Bhagya Vidhata

Punjab Sindhu Gujarata Maratha

Dravida Utkala Banga (places in India)

Vindhya Himachala Yamuna Ganga

Uchchhala Jaladhi Taranga

Tava Shubha Name Jage

Tava Shubha Ashisha Mage

Gahe Tava Jaya Gaatha

Jana Gana Mangaladayaka Jaya He

Bharata Bhaagya Vidhata

Jaya He ! Jaya He ! Jaya He !

Jaya, Jaya, Jaya, Jaya He

English translation
You rule the minds of all people

and control India's future.

Your name brings joy to Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha;

and Dravida and Orissa and Bengal. (regions in India)

It echoes in the Vindhya and Himalayan hills,

and mixes with the music of the Yamuna and Ganga rivers.

It is also sung by waves of the sea.

We pray for your blessings

and sing your praise.

We look forward to your best wishes.

And we wish Victory, victory, victory for you.
The Story Behind Translation
Jana Gana Mana was translated, from Sanskrit to English, by Rabindranath Tagore and the music on this English Translation was set in Madanapalle, a small town in Andhra Pradesh. As to the story behind this translation, in 1918 Tagore was invited, by controversial Irish poet James H. Cousins, to spend a few days at the Besant Theosophical College (BTC). James was serving as the principal of the college, at that time.

On February 28, while attending a gathering of students at BTC, Rabindranath sang the Jana Gana Mana in Bengali. Suddenly, he thought of translating the song in English. A few days later, in Madanapalle, Tagore wrote down the English translation of the song. Cousins' wife, Margaret, who was an expert in Western music, set down the music for this English version. The framed original English translation is still displayed in the library of Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle.

Let us salute the great'Tagore' for his contribution on this memerable day.

Love India.

JAI HIND

by Siri Raj

Related articles

• JAYA HEY the new version of the national anthem (kish.in)
• Rabindranath Tagore: The Gardner (theinkbrain.wordpress.com)

As I Began to Love Myself

As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody as I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me.
Today I call it “RESPECT“.

As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow.
Today I call it “Maturity“.

As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at the exactly right moment, so I could be calm.
Today I call it “SELF-CONFIDENCE“.

As I began to love myself I quit steeling my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm.
Today I call it “SIMPLICITY“.

As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything the drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism.
Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF“.

As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time.
Today I discovered that is “MODESTY“.

As I began to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worry about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where EVERYTHING is happening.
Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT“.

As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But As I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally.
Today I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART“.

We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born.

Today I know THAT IS “LIFE“!

How Childish Games Impact and Read Life ( wonderful explanation - read to the end )

by Kishor Kulkarni
Our teenage son is a video game addict. Whenever he has free time, he is sitting at his computer playing some game or the other. I got talking to him about his addiction.

KK: Son, i see you playing the same games again and again. What you are doing is basically the same every time. In one of the games, you seem to be having a gun with which you are firing onto enemy tanks. Essentially, you are just pressing the up/down/ right/left movement keys and the Enter key on the keyboard. I wonder why it entices you so much. How is it that you don’t get bored?

Son: Dad, though the game is the same, it proceeds in a slightly different way every time i play it. I face different challenges and manage different scores every time. When i get a good score, i am happy and feel encouraged to play it again to better my score. Even when my score is less than the previous occasions, i still feel challenged to try again and do better.

KK: When one game is over, it asks the question, “Restart (Yes/No)?” and you seem to be clicking the “Yes” button to start all over again. When do you think you will have had enough of one game? Son:Probably when i get the highest score. KK: So, until then, you will be at it, right? Son: Yes, Dad. (All this while, my wife who is listening to this conversation interjects at this stage and then the dialogue between the two of us takes on a spiritual flavour. Our son being too young to appreciate spirituality, he continued playing his game.) Wife: I am sure you have a spiritual reason for saying all this.

KK: Yes. The repetitive cycle of life is also like a video game. The jivatma (embodied soul) that is born into this world with a body, is addicted to the game of life. It keeps playing the game again and again, by bearing different bodies, even in different life forms, to enjoy different pains and pleasures peculiar to each species. At every death, the jivatma mostly chooses to click the “Yes” button to restart the game of life, although he has a choice of quitting.

Wife: What would make a jivatma choose the “No” button in answer for “Restart Life (Yes/No)?” question?

KK: When a jivatma feels he has had enough, he will choose the “No” button. That feeling of having had enough is called vairagya. Unless and until one develops that feeling, one remains enslaved by the enchanting game of life.

Wife: And how does one develop vairagya?

KK: Vairagya is the first step on the path of spiritual evolution ultimately leading to liberation from this game of life. The role of a true sadhguru is crucial in developing vairagya to kindle the spark of craving for liberation in the seeker. As the seeker keeps fanning the spark by means of regular spiritual practice, the spark turns to fire and burns away worldly desires and attachments. Ultimately, the seeker reaches a stage where he is ready to click the “No” button in answer to the question “Restart Life (Yes/No)?” at the time of death. That is when the jivatma is released from the repeated cycles of birth and death to go return to the paramatma or super soul which is the source of entire creation and whose small part the jivatma is.

a note of my friend Raj Thaker on FB ... my salute to him ...