Sounds amazing no???

Yes i become Santa Claus on every Christmas..since a couple of years. This i and my wife do every Christmas.

Santa Claus is the most fascinating and amazing character, especially for little kids who believe that he is going to give them their likeable gifts surprisingly by the time they wake up in the early hours of the Christmas day every year. Myth or a fantacy or a reality…whatever… the name of Santa Claus- the gifting grandpa who comes with tonnes of toys and gifts in a chariot of desire brings smiles and lots of joy and happiness among the innocent children.

Christmas is definitely a season where at the year end…the parents can gift their children with lots of toys, gifts, books, chocolates…& take a chance of being a part and also a cause of their happiness. What else can give more pleasure than seeing a smile on our childs face? Isnt it? It is also an occassion to show that we do care for them and love them a lot. Santa Claus is definitely a linking bridge between generations to keep the hearty relations going. He is a friend, philosopher and guide…an institution which teaches us about the goodness and the happiness we get from sharing, giving and caring.

How did I become Santa Claus?

We used to take our child Abhi whereever we went…whenever time permits or whenever we make time for him. He at every moment of our life is a part of our happiness. Infact he completes the definition of happiness for us. As I completed my studies in missionary schools and colleges, I had developed an inclination and belief towards Christianity and also used to visit Churches often…though I am a Hindu. Once it happened that we took Abhi to a Church in Bellary…my home town in Karnataka. We told him stories about Christ, Christianity and Santa Claus. He too developed an inclination towards going to Church and became a secret fan and admirer of the Gods messanger of love and humanity-Santa Claus. A couple of times we happened to be at Bellary during Christmas. A big fair and celebration takes place at athe Church premises every Christmas where lakhs of people come and celebrate…for a week or more and extends into the new year. The celebrations and colourful events thrilled him. Later on as he grew up he used to persuade us to take him to Bellary Church every Christmas…which in our schedules was not possible. We learnt that it was a divine message which is linking him to all these things.

We then thought about the concept of Santa Claus. I an dmy wife thought of bringing him some gifts during Christmas in teh name of Santa Claus. We used to get the gifts when he was off to the school. We wrote the messages wishing him Christmas and New Year in he name of Santa Claus. Later we used to hide the gifts out of his vision so that he can reach them in the early hours of the Christmas day. We would have got up early in the morning and would have placed the gifts near the entrance of the main door…so that when he opens the door…he gets the gifts. We will be waiting to see him enjoy on the day of Christmas.

I had told him a fantasy story that Santa Claus is going to leave his abode on December 11th every year and take a round of the world. He notes down the names of good children who are disciplined, respect their elders and parents, study well and those who are kind by heart…so that he can gift them during Christmas. He also notes down the wish list of those kids to fulfil them. Since that day on every dec 11th he innocently remembers that he has to offer prayers to Santa Claus and make a secret wish list…not being too greedy…and tell the wishes he has made only to parents. He used to tell us about his prayers and wishes. We then used to get an idea about what he expects from Santa Claus. He was so innocent to ask for only 1 or 2 small things. It also gave us time to plan his Christmas. The concept made some behavioural changes and attitude changes. He became a much tuned kid…more responsible. A new way to make your child happy and also to tune them with basices of life…isnt it? It worked out for us…You people can also try………..!!!!

We infact started celebrating Christmas at our home…for him. Why not? Mean while we also learnt respecting other religions adn making it ours being in a religious country. This gives us a broader spectrum of seeing human relations, getting involved in others happiness and feast. Star, baloons, decorations, cakes…everything for him. Its more than being a Hindu or a Christian or a Muslim….its our happiness…more over that of our children which matters…which is beyond any religion…..& to respect the concept of brotherhood.

Even this Christmas….Abhi’s Santa…i.e me and my wife…have arranged some surprise gifts for him. Hope he will like them and enjoy. We are waiting…not to gift him…but to see him happy. This time his Grandparents too have become Santa Claus and has a gift ready for him. See Christmas has become popular in our home…a family festival we can say….

Even you people can become Santa Claus in your childs life…Do it and feel the difference…When your childs innocence wanes off with age and when he or she understands that you were their Santa Claus…they will be proud of having such parents in their life. Thii also a way in bridging the gap of generations…wher we can dream of being good understanding friends in the lives of our kids………isnt it???

Then what you are waiting for….Go get gifts for your children….and enjoy Christmas…which has a divine message in it. God bless one and all on Christmas…and may the new year be more promising and joyful than ever….bestowing enormous happiness, success health and wealth on all.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all in advance……………..

Please promise me that you will never tell my child Abhi….That i am his Santa Claus. Dont forget to share your good moments of being Santa in your childs life. If you reply i will be happy for getting another Santa as my friend…..

A bitter incident became a hot news yesterday….when an actress was involved in one of the shameful events of being slapped on floors of her film by a much elderly and responsible director. Nagatihalli Chandrashekar is a known name in Kannada film industry…as a creative director who gave many thought provoking movies. The heroine of his latest movie “Nooru Janmakoo” which was on the verge of its complition at Singapore…..Aindrita Rai…complained to the movie forum that her director slapped her on the sets without reasons…and she was a victim of similar incidents of physical and mental trauma every now and again during the course of the movie. The director defended the act by telling that the irresponsible attitude and mis behaviour of the actress which led to this act of his….and being in the place of her father he could never dream of doing any physical mental or verbal assault on her…as indicated by his previous clean track record.

Who ever is a culprit….what ever is the fact….the incident on other side has rised the question of the value of a womans respect in the view of a man. Women has been a victim of physical mental and verbal assaults time and again at various fronts of life….home and away. Many tolerate…few forget…few forgive…few adjust…but a very few fight and revolt for their respect and rights.

It also rises the question of the responsibilities of elders towards their younger ones…and vice versa. Todays generation of kids are promising adn talented…no doubt…but at the same time they are pampered so that they become irresponsible and egoistic. Parents should take care of this issue and make their kids responsible towards society…rather than pampering them. At the same time the elders should also should find softer ways of teaching their younger generation and guide them in a positive path…rather than losing their temper…beating and shoutin at them. The generation gap should be patched up…and the attempt should be from both sides.

Another question is about the pressure management of situations. Those who are heading their teams should be calm and composed so as not to lose cool when matters. They should be the best counsellors when situation demands and manage pressure softly. Every problem has an answer…the problem is searching it…and that too a proper one.

To conclude….women are our responsibility. She should be respected from heart.And when things are beyond control…woman should fight for her dignity. Women should realise that they are not born to tolerate, sacrifice, forget and forgive….and at last to sit in a corner and cry in dark…so that no one notices her……………

Time and tide wait for none…and so quickly it is past one year…after the bitter Incident. Today lets take an opportunity to respect those heroes who in the due course of fighting against terrorism…did not even care for their lives. Lets bow in honour for all those policemen, armed soldiers and the defence of India…who fought for humanity…and saved lives of many innocents. Lets also pray for all those innocent people who lost their lives in the incident…and their ailing families and friends…who couldnt come out of the trauma which suddenly struck them like thunder bolt scattering their dreams and families. May those souls rest in peace. Lets pray for the evil too…May god sow goodness in the souls of those who think of destroying the man kind created by him…and make them realise the value of love for fellow men…and help them in conquering the devils in them…God show them a right path.

Come…Lets beat the terrorist in each one of us…and try to be better humans than ever… Lets spread the message of love and peace….

God has given us a valuable life…Lets respect and adore his gift…and try to live happily…letting others too to live happily and peacefully….

Is it a news or a record?……………….Both..But more than that she wanted to give a message to the jawans, sainiks and the defence that…when they are protecting the country from the rivals….they are not alone…and the whole country is with them…if not physically…morally…including the person of the highest rank…President of a country. She represented the whole nation alongside the air force and the other defence faculties.

Kudos…..President Patil….We are proud of you….Your act is an eye opener to the younger generation towards realising their dedication, duties and responsibilities towards the mother soil…when required and when mattered. Its a lesson that its not only the duty of warrriors with uniform to defend their country…but much more responsibilities also lie on the shoulders of the civilians and common man.

Jai Jawan….We are with you……

News: President Pratibha Patil made news on wednesday, the 25th of november 2009-when she took on board..in a  fighter jet aircraft  SUKHOI-30 MKI thereby becoming the first woman president to fly in a warplane.At 74 years she also created the world record of being the oldest woman in a jet fighter travelling at a supersonic speed…for 30 minutes, at a height of 8,000 feet around the Lohegaon air force base.

It would have been the proudest moment for Wing Commander S Sajjan, when he gat a pat on his back from the President for taking her for a smooth ride. The President expressed her confidence about todays women and was sure that many would serve the country by joining the defence forces of the country. Her step today whould be a moral booster for the younger girls seeking profession to serve their country.

“It was an out of the world experience. I was thrilled and overjoyed and I am proud of IAF for the work they are doing in securing the nation,”.. These words straight from the President herself would do much for the protectors of the nation…just made a day ahead of the anniversary of the most dreaded days of man kind….the 26/11 incident…which stays wet in the heart of all the Indians. “We also wanted to show to the defence forces that the country is with you,” she said.

“Yatha Raja Tatha Praja”…as is rightly said in a sanskrit proverb…”As king-as subjects”… The nation sill follow the footsteps of a wise, determined and a courageous leader. The leader has set an example today…and when our nation calls…its our duty to respond strongly……..

We are really proud of our Warriors……………….

Children are like the flowers of the garden and all of us like to have these flowers blossoming for ever in the garden of our lives. No children….no life. We all have have a sweet innocent and a loving child in all of us…and we lose that child as we grow. We should all pledge on this day that we not only should care about children we have around….but also care about the child within us and keep it alive for ever. This enables us to live happily with whatever life gives us. We can keep ourselves off the unwanted stress and think positively towards a better future and a quality life. This is possible if we keep our minds clean and clear as that of a child.

We try to teach our children about a lot of things what they should do and what not always. But do we ever think in the direction of our children? Children now are very promising and many time those talents and instincts are either lost or we curb it when they are budding. Children of today’s generation are very talented much more than us as they are influenced by the effects of the pacing evolutions. The way they think and the way they act are totally different from what we or our ancestors used to do. We are either egoistic or are the victims of generation gap that we do not understand the visions of our children…might be that their ideas are too mature for us to understand. They are a different generation and we shall try to learn from them too in the process of teaching them. Lets be open and clear by minds and soul. When our children have the potential….why dont we try to channelize them in a proper way and aid them to better their lives…then what we are leading?

Every important day is celebrated with a hidden message. Often we either ignore or neglect it. We will take the message right from the childrens day…Childrens day is not only meant for the children. It is for us also. Life is a stream of thought process which need to be chanellised in various directions at various stages of life. We shall not limit the day for providing sweets to the child, giving speeches or preparing the children to speak about the importance of the day in a given time, telling stories of Nehru whom they have never seen. Rather we shall try to implement the qualities of those gread leaders in the life our children. We shall sit with them and speak out openly as to what they want. Its not that we should fulfil all that they ask for. But we can tell them that some things what they are thinking good is the otherway. If we convey it in a smoother way…and children can surely understand. We shall try to fill in the best colors so that the dreams of our children come out realistic….and its not different from our happiness….isnt it? Try not to curb or insult the thoughts of your child..however small and stupid they may appear…try to understand them…..value it….who knows tomorrow shall be theirs….and you will be proud of being there in their lives when they needed the most.

The rest of the thing is Childrens day…..and children love it…….Allow your children to enjoy and have fun along with their basics and education…keep them physically and mentally fit for the challenges of life. See your happiness in their innocent smiles…

There they are………….!!!!!! Arent their smiles beautiful……………………??????

Happy Children’s Day to all of you………….Keep the child in you alive……………..

Kanakadasa was a poet who lived 5 centuries ago in the holy land of Karnataka. We can proudly tell that he belonged to this land of ours. He was not only a poet but was a philosopher, musician, composer, social reformer and a saint. He lived for 98 years in between 1509 and 1609 AD.. He is known for his Keerthanas and Vyabhoga compositions which are in the form of dialects(Regional speech pattern or a variety of language). He used to carry a tamboori and tala(musical instruments) and sing in the streets and conveyed eye opening philosophical concepts through his melodious music.

Kanakadasa was famous for propagating philosophies, ideologies and thought provoking ideas for the welfare of human race. He actively took part in Dasa Sahitya Movement. He used common language in his poetry which was easy to understand. He successfully blended the common spoken language into the complicated classical Karnataka music which was a unique talent by itself. He propagated the Dwaita philosophy of Madhwacharya through poetry and music.

About Kanakadasa:

Kanakadasa was born in a Kuruba family to a army chieftain Biregowda and his wife Bacchhamma at Bada village in Shiggaon taluk of Haveri district of Karnataka. Since he was born by the grace of lord Venkateshwara  he was named as Thimmappa Nayaka by his parents which is his original name. He initially was against Bhakti and Mukti(Worship and salvation). Lord Adikeshava used to come in his dreams again and again persuading him to become his follower. But the idea was not acceptable to him. He was trained in martial arts and warfare by his father. Once when he got defeated in the battle field and miraculously escaped death he realised the importance of hte almight. Later he sacrificed the riches of life and adapted devotion.Since he found enormous treasure in the form of gold(kanaka) he was called as Kanaka Nayaka too.At an early age he had aquired good knowledge about poetry and Karnataka music founded by Purandara dasa. Basically Shaiva by birth Kanakadasa followed Vaishnavism in due course of his life.Kanaka  joined the Haridasa Movement and became a follower of Vyasaraja who gave him the name “KANAKADASA”

Kanakadasa and Udupi: Kanakadasa’s name is strongly linked to the holy shrine at Udupi. A story goes that…Kanakadasa came to Udupi on the advises of Vyasaraja Swamiji.He was denied an entry into the temple because he belonged to a lower class. As a result he started calling Lord Krishna through his song showing his pain…The God got impressed and touched by his bhakti and turned around from his placement…the temple wall broke open and Lord gave his darshana to Kanakadasa through the orifice…This orifice which was named after this bhakta as KANAKANA KINDI. Even today all the devotees and the heads of the 8 matas of Udupi first get a glimpse of Lord Krishna through this kindi before entering the temple. But this fact is in controversy…Read this!. In all the temples the main deity and the entrance of the temple faces east…but it is towards west in udupi…just because the lord turned to give darshana to his Kanakadasa as per the beliefs explained above.It is also said that Madhwacharya installed the idol of Lord Krishna towards west itself contradicting the turn of idol theory. Whatever…the name of Kanakadasa is tagged with Lord Krishna…showing the level of bhakti he had in Lord Krishna. When you think of or go to Udupi Krishna temple…you will not only see Krishna but will also see the kindi…There the names of both the lord and the follower is taken together showing a bound relationship…possible for everyone if we believe and trust…and if our prayers are sincere and selfless.

Kanakadasa was buried in the Kaginelle village…Byadagi taluk of Haveri district.

His Work’s:

His works(krithis and poems) deal with various aspects and moral values of life, social issues, devotional aspects, critics on social evils and caste system etc. He was a strong devotee of Lord Krishna and Kaginelle Adikeshava. All his works- Karnataka music compositions end with a mudra(signature) Kaginelle Adikeshava. 240 of his works are available. His works include: Nala Charitre, Hari Bhakti Sara, Nrisimhastava, Ramadhyana Charitre and Mohanatarangini. Apart from this 240 Karnataka music compositions(kirthanas, upabhogas) are available.

On the occassion of 522nd anniversary of this great poet…we pay our rich tributes to him with utmost respect. May the concept of devotion, dedication and oneness among the human race preached by him help us to be  better living beings….

“…….Jai Shri Krishna…….”

Profile in brief:

*Birth: 2nd October 1904

*Place of birth: Ram Nagar,Ahmedabad Mughalsarai, United Provinces, British India

*Full name: Lal Bahadur Shrivastav

*Parents: Sharada Shrivastav Prasad and Ram Dulari Devi

*Achievements: Out of many things Shastry achieved…its the immence respect what he earned from the country fellow men and even the other countries stants first. He fought against the caste system, participated various movements, campaigns and ant british activities with the great leaders of freedom struggle and proved himself as true son of mother India. He served many state and national portfolios as minister…for Independent India. He served the country as its 3rd Prime Minister from 9th june 1964 to 11th january 1966. He witnessed the bad days of Indo Pak war and was instrumental in peace talks and cease fire between the two countries. He supported the green and white revolutions. He gave the famous slogan”Jai Jawan Jai Kissan”…reflecting the importance of a farmer and a soldier in various fronts for the development and protection of a nation respectively.Read more here. 

*Death: Shastriji passed away on 11th january 1966 at Tashkent(Now at Uzbekisthan) in a suspicious and mysterious way…while at office. Though it was declared as death due to a heart attack..the suspense of it never came into light…But India had lost one more loving son.

Lal Bahadur Shastry was a great hero and a pioneer of peace and independence. He was as simple and humble as he appeared. He was a short statured person which could miss ones sight easily…but the heights he reached in his life and the morals and standards of life he set for all of us to live as true human beings for others…was at enormous. He taught us to gain everything good in our life even by being humble, simple and selfless.

Salutes to this great hero…………………..

Being independant is a basic instinct of man. Even a child resists when being dictated in terms of do’s and dont’s. We feel chocked when we are restricted in terms of expressing our thoughts as we think and doing the tasks what we want to. Many of us subordinate and obey commands whether we want or not, since there is no way out. Many of us might have cursed our divine stars for putting us in a position where we are bent on doing things which we never meant to. A few of us fight and oppose unconditional rule on us, come out breaking the shells and try to establish ourselves as independent individuals and enjoy being free.Many of us accept slavery for granted and never ever try to dream of being independent in any aspect of life.The term “being free” seems to have no meaning in the dictionary of our lives.

What is INDEPENDENCE?  It is nothing but a thought process.We are free when we chanellize all our thoughts in a positive direction and start thinking that we can do a lot of things in life without depending on others and that we can initiate things not waiting for someone else to bell the cat first. Its a leadership quality.A feeling of being independent can be considered by some as an alternate face of egoism.But Independence is an egoism aided in a constructive pathway where we can not only better ourselves but also set an example for others to follow.

Egoistic feeling of being independent by a mass of people collectively motivated by a qualitative and selfless leader would have freed India long back from the clutches of the British empire. Infact the early resistance would not at all allowed the foreigners to enter our border.On the other hand the egoism of our rulers with a stuff of selfishness to crumple, destroy and rule over each other, rather than putting hands together to crush the foreign force enabled the westerners to use our weakness and later rule over us.

Though we were stronger and equipped enough to combat the British invasion, the problems within us made us look like broken fragments and the foreigners never allowed the pieces to come and integrate together.They never allowed us to unite into a single force. Their divide and rule policy made us to see a magnified vision of the otherwise tiny British force. Though a few rulers put up a gallent fight, they could not get the cake because they had no support from within. It took 3 centuries of tolerance and submission untill some heroes like Gandhi Mohandas(Mahatma) with his weapon of silence and tolerance on one side and brave heart attackers like Bhagath Singh, Subash Chandra Bose etc with their killer instincts on the other side to appear on the scenario of struggle for freedom rights to make the Britishers Quit India.

On the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, the birth day of the great Mahatma-the pioneer of Ahimsa i.e non-violence and Satyagraha i.e Fight for truth i.e on 2nd of october every year, it makes us feel proud that one of the greatest leaders; the name of whom makes every one bow their heads with respect even at the international front…Mahatma Gandhi was born on our holy land…our India. He was an institution by himself. He gained respect through his simplicity, humbleness and wisdom.He drafted independence to us without speaking or even touching a weapon. The insult he faced at South Africa made him to fight against the insult against his motherland. By appearances he never looked like a leader; but the whole country followed him. Just a dhoti. a shawl, a spectacle, a sharp talk, a brisk walk and a stick in his hand mesmerised the whole nation. Just by seeing and hearing him each person started feeling that they were Indians and a dream to fight for independence and freedom rights got seeded in their hearts.

Gandhi is not a character. He is not a story told and forgotten. He is much more than that. He gave us freedom and and taught us to be free, fight to be free… by thoughts, actions and deeds. His life is a lesson for us to oppose the wrongs and adapt the right things in life. He is an inspiration to tell us and the generation ahead that sincere dreams and a strong will power will surely help us to conquer our destiny…and also to win over wrongs however stong they may be. We dont need weapons to fight for our rights…a passion and a correct way of approach and an instinct to get it will make all of us leaders of self and get our rights. If each of us think in the way our Bapuji thought…then we will enjoy the fruits of a true freedom that Gandhiji got us at the cost of his life.

Think independent…act independent…