Never Stop Learning: Bill Gates

Never Stop Learning: Bill Gates

Every now and then I like to pick up a copy of Time magazine and read every article from beginning to end, not just the articles that interest me most. That way you can be certain to learn something you didn't know previously. Learning is an essential ingredient of any successful business. As soon as you close your mind to the possibility of another reality, you are closing yourself off to other greater opportunities that lie waiting for you. In this business, by the time you realize you're in trouble, it's too late to save yourself. Unless you're running scared all the time, you're gone.

The ability to be open to change and to continue to try and improve oneself and one's business is crucial to success, according to Gates. People always fear change. People feared electricity when it was invented, there will always be ignorance, and ignorance leads to fear. If you ignore your surroundings and stop asking questions about how to improve, you will be destined to failure.

One should never stop asking questions; never stop learning. Whether you're an entrepreneur or a doctor or a software developer, it is only by increasing your understanding of the world around you that you will be able to have a significant impact. If you never stop learning, you will never stop seeing the possibilities.

Slowdown a catalyst for entrepreneurs in India

Kolkata: When Scott Adams, famed creator of the Dilbert cartoon strip, recently said that recession is often a perfect spawning ground for serious entrepreneurs, he may have been alluding to what he saw back home in the U.S. But India may also have gravitated to the same league, according to the venture capital flock.

So much so, the number of high-value business proposals have actually surged in India since slowdown began. Indian Venture Capital Association (IVCA) - the apex organization of venture capital and the private equity industry in India - estimates that if, in the pre-recession era, average seed funding size was around $1.5-2 million, it has now risen to $2.5-5 million, reports Economic Times.

Indications are that this may rise further as the economy bounces back by mid-2010. "In the last one year, the number of business proposals for angel or early stage funds has definitely come down, weeding out the non-serious entrepreneurs. And a serious business plans will invariably require much higher funding," says IVCA President Mahendra Swarup.

Industry estimates suggest that total VC funding deals in India have already touched $600 million in the January-September period, as compared to an average of $500 million deals which used to take place annually before the slowdown. This is despite the fact that the number of cumulative deals has come down to 150 this year till September compared to the usual 250-260 a year, says Swarup.

For instance, IFCI Venture Capital Funds has already evaluated more than 150 proposals for seed funding this year. It has already closed nine deals and hopes to close four more this quarter. "With the downturn in capital markets in 2008 and the first half of 2009, there was a definite shift, with promoters leaning more towards PE deals than IPOs and QIPs. Things may have changed in the past 6-8 months with public market valuations rising dramatically. But in the start-up stage, more often than not, promoters still prefer seed capital," says IFCI Venture Capital MD BN Nayak.

The new business proposals are across sectors with thrust on sectors like IT, ITeS, internet, new media, FMCG contract manufacturing, packaged food, logistics, infrastructure, utilities and education.
As Nayak puts it, "The Indian VC industry is different from the U.S., where venture capitalists back mostly technology product start-ups for super-normal returns. In India, there are numerous opportunities across industries that can grow 100-200 percent year-on-year and provide 4-5 times returns on investments."

Intel Capital MD (India, Japan, Australasia and South-east Asia) Sudheer K Kuppam said the pace of activity had gone up since July. "There is an enhanced deal flow in the last couple of months. There is also a lot of interest to get 3-4 companies in our portfolio listed next year," he says. Intel Capital, which in 2008 had invested $50-million in India in nine deals, has completed four deals this year with a few more in advanced stages.

Entrepreneurship sky rocketing in Indian B-schools

Bangalore: The Indian B-schools are witnessing a major shift towards entrepreneurship as more and more students forgo placements to give wings to their ideas. At Indian School of Business Hyderabad, 65 out of the 420 students signed up to forgo placements and enroll for the entrepreneurship program.

"In the last two years we had only 60 students volunteering for the entrepreneur development program. But this year, we had around 240 students showing interest for the program," says Krishna Tanuku, Executive Director of Wadhwani Centre at ISB. Tanuku adds, "Although recession is not responsible for triggering this trend, it has certainly accelerated it."

This is not the case with ISB alone. IIMs in Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Lucknow are also seeing their incubation centers bustling with activities. IIM-A has already seen seven startup set ups this year. Tushar Walwadikar, final year student and Secretary of XLRI Placement Committee says, "Last year three students started their own ventures. But, this year we have more students showing interest in starting their own ventures." The trend is slowly gaining momentum. "The entrepreneurship development cell as well as the incubation facility has seen a good response this year," says Gayathri Krishnan, Secretary, External linkages (Media cell), XLRI.

Interestingly, S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai provides its students with an option to return after two years for normal placements if their venture fails to kick off. Several students of this institute plan to setup an independent venture this year.

However, starting a venture is not the only path that many MBA graduates are taking. A lot of them are also opting to join their family businesses, due to the current economic scenario. Karan Oberoi, an MBA graduate from ICFAI Hyderabad, who has joined his family business says, "Everyone wants to gain some vital experience before joining their family business. However, given the current economic scenario, I didn't really have much of a choice."

While most B-schools are still grappling with the placement process, the pay packages that have so far been offered to MBA graduates are not good either. Unlike two years back, this year, MNC's hit by recession no longer throng to top tier B-schools for placements. In fact, the average salary in top tier B-schools came down by 25 percent this year. The situation has been similar in other top-line B-schools like FMS, JBIMS, XLRI, IIFT and SPJIMR which have seen a drastic decline in pay packages.

However, the fact that more and more MBA graduates are choosing to start their ventures will boost the Indian entrepreneurship eco-system further.

Indian Entrepreneur: Electricity through running trains?

INDIAN ENTREPRENEUR:

Bangalore: An Indian entrepreneur has proposed a project to Indian Railways which will allow it to generate electricity through air pressure from running trains. Santosh Pradhan, who runs a bunch of engineering and mechanical units, has almost two decades of experience in manufacturing engineering tools.

"When a train runs at a full speed of 110-120 km, it creates an air pressure in opposite direction and no one has ever thought to utilize this huge air pressure which is freely and easily available," Pradhan told PTI. As per his technology, a small impeller is fixed at the front portion of railway locomotive and similarly on top of each coach of a train. "When the train is running, it will produce huge quantity of compressed air due to high velocity of the wind and by accumulating this compressed air in big fabricated tanks on either side of the track, we can run turbines or air turbine motors which can produce a considerable amount of electricity," he explained.

Pradhan has registered 20 patents with the government of India about his technology so that he remains the sole person to further develop this technology. He has now approached the higher railways authorities to seek permission for prototype and a subsequent demonstration of this technology which he says is 'eco-friendly and cost effective'.

Pradhan said about 14,300 trains were running on 63,028 route KMs in the country and about 20.89MW electricity can be generated per km with the use of air power technology. Thus approximately 14,81,134MW of power can be generated by using the entire railway track, according to his statistics and calculations. Pradhan says that the Indian Railways was spending 17 percent revenue on the fuel head which is roughly Rs. 15,000 crore (Rs. 150 billion) per annum. He also claims that the technology can save 2,586 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission in the country.

However, it all depends on the Indian Railways to allow additional fabrication of parallel wind pipes over the over head electric lines to pass on high velocity wind to reach tanks on either of side of track, Pradhan added.

Indian entrepreneur first to sell solar power

Bangalore: Inderpreet S Wadhwa has mostly been associated with start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. He also co-founded and sold a software education company in Silicon Valley a few years back. And though he's still associated with the word 'silicon,' it does not relate to information technology. Instead, he's now the Founder and CEO of Azure Power, a solar photovoltaic company that he founded two years ago in India.

On December 1, Azure commissioned the first phase (one Mw) of its two Mw solar PV plant in Awan, Amritsar, and has begun to sell solar power to the Punjab State Electricity Board. That makes him the first entrepreneur to sell solar power commercially in India, reports Rediff.

"I returned to India after 15 years to make a difference, besides making money," says Wadhwa. "Many small and big companies have entered the fray but none of them have commissioned any projects yet."

Commercial and sentimental reasons dictated his choice of Punjab. "I was born in Amritsar, so I wanted to give something back to this place," he said. Besides, the Punjab government is offering a peak rate (peak hours are billed at higher rates) for sale of power from solar projects at Rs. 8.93 per Kwh (kilowatt-hour) from 2011-12, higher than the Rs. 3 to 4 per kwH it pays for conventional energy.

This doesn't quite cover costs (Rs. 12-20 per kwh) but because the power purchase agreement with Punjab is valid for 25 years, Wadhwa reckons he'll make money at some point, since the costs of solar power generation are expected to decline at seven to nine percent per year by 2020. Hence, Azure Power gets the benefit of reduced costs over time and it also does not have to look out for buyers during this period.

After planning to generate 18 Mw power through solar PV power plants, the state government has started to allocate other such projects. Being environment-friendly and pollution-free, the Punjab government has stated that these projects should be eligible for carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism.

Wadhwa claims that his power plant is cost-effective - the 1 Mw plant costs Rs. 17-19 crore (Rs. 170-190 million). Compared to this, public sector Bharat Petroleum Corporation is building a one Mw PV power plant in Mohali for Rs. 25 crore (Rs. 250 million).

Wadhwa argues that his costs will fall further once the prices of silicon and PV modules fall. Azure Power received initial venture capital funding from Helion Ventures and Foundation Capital. Wadhwa is also talking to other state governments like Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka to set up solar plants.

All these states offer different peaking rates and assure purchase of solar power for a given period of time in a bid to encourage renewable energy projects and reduce carbon emissions. By September 2010, Wadhwa plans to set up another plant in Punjab to take the capacity to four Mw. He also plans to set up an eight Mw plant in Gujarat by the end of financial year 2009-10. To finance these plants, he has two more investors lined up.

Azure Power's uniqueness lies in the fact that the company designs, finances, owns and operates solar power plants. The solar PV modules are imported from countries like China and Wadhwa's team assembles the important modules as "completely knocked down kits." "Had the quality been better and cost of modules manufactured in India been lower, we would have considered buying the solar PV modules from India itself," rues Wadhwa.

He explains that the solar PV modules imported from China and the U.S. can generate more power per cell and hence occupy less land. "This helps us reduce the cost of setting up plants," says Wadhwa. The favourable policy of the MNRE and the government's National Solar Mission, he hopes, will only further his cause.

Satyam employees fooled to work on fake projects

Hyderabad: Satyam ex-chairman Ramalinga Raju's fraud game did not spare even its employees. While it inflated revenue through fake invoices, the company created teams to work on the fake projects. The employees working on these 'projects' were made to believe there were clients waiting for these products to be delivered.

According to the finds of the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), the employees were also regularly sent emails about the product and project progress as if they were all coming from the clients abroad. But the emails were fake and were used only to keep the employees engaged, reports DNA.

The fraudulent chairman along with the finance in-charges and the core team created at least seven projects, showing that clients were waiting for these products to be delivered. There was regular exchange of mails from the management to the employees to give an impression of the keen interest of management in execution of these projects.

The investigation also found the invoices do not match with the ledgers of banks with which Satyam had transacted in the U.S. "However, the ledgers maintained by Satyam were dishonestly and fraudulently forged pertaining to these seven customers to incorporate the collections pertaining to all the 63 invoices," the CBI said in its latest chargesheet.

What has caught the investigators by surprise is the way the emails to employees for monitoring the progress of the fake projects were generated. The CBI found that they were all generated from Hyderabad. "Detailed analysis of the emails revealed that the internet protocol addresses from which the emails were sent at the relevant time and date were all from within Hyderabad itself, which clearly shows that such emails have never emanated from these seven foreign customers. Further, it was also established that these emails were relayed by the Rediffmail server which has got a paid service facility called Domain Services, which facilitates its clients to create email IDs at their own domain names.

In this case, it was found that the payments for the said services were made through Bank of Baroda Visa credit card which belongs to D Venkatapathy Raju (one of the accused)," the chargesheet said. These email IDs were freely used by the core team working on fabricating the accounts to give sanctity to the fake projects. "For the purpose of executing the projects, which were never delivered to the customers, the accused have wasted thousands of man hours of the associates of Satyam there by incurring a wasteful expenditure to the tune of Rs65.88 crore towards the salaries of the associates and other overheads," the CBI said.

By siliconindia news bureau
Tuesday,08 December 2009, 13:47 hrs

Manish Patel: A Peon turns award-winning copywriter

Mumbai: Over the years you might have heard of many fairy tale stories, when a boy from a poor background reaches the pinnacle of success through his sheer will power and hard work. We bring you one such story of Manish Patel who got the job of an office boy with a Mumbai-based ad agency and is today an award-winning script writer.
According to a press release launched by Publicis Ambience, The 27-year-old had joined the company at the age of 18 as an office boy, anxious to support his household. "I was like a dying man desperate for oxygen. I was looking for something in admin but that's not how it worked out," Patel says. Two weeks on the job, however, and Patel says even his circumstances couldn't force him to work at a position below what he had expected. "I was ready to quit when someone from Admin happened to go on leave and I took his place for two months," he says. His employers noted his enthusiasm and commitment and were forced to reconsider his post.

Seven months later, Patel found himself in a job that took care of the office library. Here, he got curious about a breed of people who would touch up faces, go out for smokes and think together. "I want to learn this magic," he says, and approached the creative director, who lent him a helping hand along his way.

After three years of hard work and patiently working on feedback from various supportive creative heads, Patel was convinced that he was cut out for creative work and even freelanced with small time clients, outside of work, during his tenure as the library-in-charge. "I was like an unused chair, gathering dust in a corner for 15 years. Then someone takes a piece of cloth, dusts it, and it smiles. Like that, I felt my brain smiled. I got the freedom to think," Patel said.

Two year ago, Patel bagged Silver Radio Lion award at Cannes for his script that promotes a recruitment consultant firm. But what is truly fascinating is not about the award itself, but about Patel's journey to the Silver Radio Lion. "It took me seven years to write those lines", says Patel.

Commenting on Patel's win, Aniruddha Banerjee, President and COO of Publicis Ambience said: "This is indeed a real life fairy-tale. We are very proud of Patel and his achievements. It goes to show how highly Publicis values its talents and that we give opportunities to promising people who are willing to prove themselves. Manish is an excellent example of this."

Reflecting upon his journey, Patel adds that: "The metropolis does not wait for those who lags behind. When you see other people moving as fast, you have no choice but to pick yourself up, or they take you with them."

By siliconindia news bureau
Saturday,12 December 2009, 09:05 hrs

'Karwa Chauth'

'Karwa Chauth'


It is heartening to know that Hindus have always believed in worshiping the Male and Female aspect of God together and that Sri Ram was a staunch devoted husband. Not only that, one says Seeta Ram and Radha Krishna and as one can see the female name gets precedence. As the name signifies, Karva meaning a clay pot and chauth corresponding to the fourth, this festival is commemorated on the fourth day after the Full Moon in Kartik month of Hindu calendar. The fast of Karva Chauth is kept 9 days before Diwali. In the olden days, a woman was dependent on a man, whether he was her father, brother, husband or Guru. Without a man she was considered incomplete. Today that may not be the case. But it is still refreshing to see a loving wife or a loving husband.
The festival of Karva Chauth was earlier emerged as a day to celebrate the season of autumn and enjoy the company of friends and relatives. This festival is glorified and widely solemnized by the Hindus all over the world. On this day it is customary for the wife to fast the whole day. She does not drink water either. She paints her hands and feet with henna, dresses generally in red apparel and on her hair parting she smears vermilion powder. It is believed that a Pati-Vrat woman has the power to confront the God of Death, Yama. This Karva Chauth fast is undertaken by the wife, so that the husband enjoys a long and prosperous life. A married woman who observes this vrat is called ‘Saubhagyavati’ (joyous and happy state of wifehood).

This katha (narrative) first took place between Siva and parvati. Siva told Parvati about the significance of Karva Vrat. In Dwapar Yuga, Draupadi asked Lord Krishna about the vrat of Karva Chauth. Thereafter, the very first time this vrat was observed in the town of Shukraprastha by Veeravati, the daughter of Vedsharma and Leelavati. Ever since this vrat has been observed by married women till the present day.

The story of Karva is well known. Her husband was caught by a crocodile. Karva bound the crocodile with a cotton yarn. She then asked Yama to send the crocodile to hell. Yama refused. Karva threatened to curse Yama. Yama, afraid of being cursed by Pati-vrat (devoted) wife, sent the crocodile to hell. Karva and her husband enjoyed many years of wedded bliss. The fact that Yama was afraid of being cursed by a devoted wife showed the power a good faithful woman!Maybe you have heard the story of Savitri. The latter followed Yama, who carried away her dead husband. Yama said that she could ask for any other boon except for the life of her husband. Savitri asked that she be blessed with children. Yama agreed. Being a Pati-Vrat wife, Savitri would never any other man, be the father of her children. Yama was left with no other choice but to restore Savitri's husband to life.A few days before Karva Chauth, married women buy new karvas, the spherical clay pots and paint them on the outside with beautiful designs. Inside the pot, they put bangles and ribbons, home-made candy and sweets, make-up items and small clothes e.g. handkerchief. The women then visit each other on the day of Karva Chauth or immediately afterward, and exchange these karvas. Season-wise, soon after the harvest, it is an excellent time to enjoy festivities, meet one another and exchange gifts. During the time of Karva Chauth, parents send gifts to married daughters and their children.

The Rituals

The fast of Karwa Chauth observed by Indian women is the most difficult fast for the long life and prosperity of their husbands. On the festive day, married women wears special clothes usually red or pink saree/suit. They adorn themselves with best jewelry, colorful bangles, bindi and apply mehandi designs on both palms. In the evening, they worship Ahiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Kartikeya and a Kalash or Karwa filled with sweets.

Application Of Henna
Application of henna is considered auspicious for married woman and forms a mandatory part of Karva Chauth rituals. According to a popular belief, married woman, whose mehndi (henna) is gets dark, would get loads of love and care from her husband. In addition to this, henna symbolizes prosperity and good luck. Therefore, it can be said that it is a good luck charm for the married women in India. The auspicious ritual of the application of henna is performed on the day. However, nowadays, people also apply mehndi one day prior to the festival.

Fasting
Fasting is an important part of the celebrations of Karwa Chauth. After having the scrumptious meal called 'sargi' in the pre-dawn time, women observe a one-day fast for Karwa Chauth. Fasting symbolizes the ability of a woman to stay calm even after starving for a long time. Actually, on Karva Chauth, a married woman is bound to stay starve all through the day until the moon rise, without drinking even a drop of water. They break the fast only after having a glimpse of the moon rise (on their thali that is filled with water or through a sieve) and their husband.

Dressing Up For Karwa Chauth
As a part of the traditions, married women clad themselves in beautiful dress, on Karwa Chauth. The attire for the day is strictly traditional. Therefore, you would get to see variations in the traditional wear including sarees, lehenga and salwar-kameez. The chosen color for the dress is either red or maroon, because both the colors are considered auspicious for married women. The women would accessorize themselves with matching pieces of jewelry, including colorful bangles, heavy earrings and necklace.

Karwa Chauth Puja
One of the important traditions of Karwa Chauth is puja. The pooja is conducted somewhere between 4 pm and 5 pm, by the married women. One of them would call upon other married women to take part in the puja organized at her place. As a part of the tradition, a two-inch tall idol of Goddess Gauri is made using cow dung and a picture of the idol is kept aside, because she is the deity worshiped on the day. Songs are sung for Karwa Chauth puja aarti.

Ritual At Moon Rise

The ritual at moon rise marks the culmination of the festival. As the day proceeds, the women who have observed Karwa Chauth vrat (fast) would eagerly await for the moon to rise in the evening. The moment moon rises, they would have a glimpse of the moon through a sieve or look at the reflection of the moon in their thali. Thereafter, they would have a glimpse of their husband through the same sieve. Next, the women would drink water to break their fast. This marks the culmination of the rituals of Karva Chauth. This is followed by feasting.

First Sargi
Mother-in-law prepares an elaborate Sargi (the pre-dawn Karva Chauth meal) when her daughter-in-law observes her first fast. She wakes up early to prepare a sumptuous and lavish meal inclusive of sweets and other delicacies for daughter-in-law. She blesses her daughter-in-law saying 'Sada Suhagan Raho' which means, 'may you always enjoy a blissful married life' when the latter touches her feet with reverence. She also presents her daughter-in-law with gifts, which may be a piece of jewelry or a saree on the first Karva Chauth.

Baya
Baya is a gift given to a daughter's mother-in-law on the occasion of Karva Chauth. Mothers of newly wed daughters bring gifts for all her family members. Some utensils are also included in the baya which are to be distributed amongst women who join the newly-wed on her first Karva Chauth Puja.

He gave up a 5-star job to feed the mentally ill

'I don't feed beggars. They can look after themselves. The mentally ill won't ask anyone for food or money,' says N Krishnan who has been feeding them thrice a day for the past seven years.
For more information on N Krishnan's trust, log on to: http://www.akshayat rust.org/

Left 5-star job to feed the mentally ill
N Krishnan feeds 400 mentally ill people on the streets of Madurai three times a day, every day, all 365 days of the year.
The 28 year old has been doing this for seven years via a charity called the Akshaya Trust.

A look into the kitchen reveals a spotlessly clean room.. Sparkling vessels stacked neatly, groceries and provisions all lined up in rows -- rice, dal, vegetables, spices -- all of the best quality. One would think this was the kitchen of a five star hotel.

Maybe Krishnan achieves that effect because he was once a chef at a five star hotel in Bengaluru.

"Today's lunch is curd rice, with home made pickle, please taste it," he says, serving me on a plate made of dried leaves.
The food is excellent.

"I change the menu for different days of the week. They will get bored if I serve the same food every day," he says with an enthusiastic and infectious smile.
Image: N Krishnan feeds a mentally ill person on a Madurai street



Krishnan feeds 400 mentally ill people every day
Krishnan cooks breakfast, lunch and dinner with the help of two cooks. He takes it himself to his wards on the street each day.

"I don't feed beggars. They can look after themselves. The mentally ill won't ask anyone for food or money. They don't move around much too. I find them in the same place every day."

That morning he put the food in a large vessel, the pickle in a smaller one and loaded it into a Maruti van donated by a Madurai philanthropist.

Ten minutes later we stopped near a man lying on the ground by a high wall. Krishnan put the food next to him. The man refused to even look at it, but grabbed the water bottle and drank eagerly. "He will eat the food later, looks like he was very thirsty," said Krishnan.

At the next stop, he laid the dry leaf-plate and served the food. He then scooped some food and started feeding the mentally ill man himself. After two morsels, the man started eating on his own.

We then crossed a crowded traffic signal and stopped the vehicle. On seeing Krishnan, four individuals moved slowly towards the Maruti van. They stood out in the crowd with their dirty, tattered clothes and unshaven beards.
They knew this Maruti van meant food. But they did not hurry, knowing that Krishnan would wait for them.
Krishnan served them under a tree and carried water for them. "They are not aware enough to get their own water," he explained.

And thus we went around the city till the Akshaya patra was empty. Of course, it would be full again for dinner later in the day.
Image: Krishnan's wards often approach him when they see his food-laden van

Past 7 years
As we returned, a startling fact hit me. Not a single mentally challenged person had thanked Krishnan. They did not even smile or acknowledge him. Still Krishnan carried on in a world where most of us get offended if someone doesn't say thank you, sometimes even for doing our jobs.

The food costs Rs 8,000 a day, but that doesn't worry him. "I have donors for 22 days. The remaining days, I manage myself. I am sure I will get donors for that too, people who can afford it are generally generous, particularly when they know that their hard earned money is actually going to the poor. That is why I maintain my accounts correctly and scrupulously."
He then pulled out a bill from the cabinet and showed it to me. It was a bill for groceries he had bought seven years ago. "This bill has sentimental value. It is the first one after I started Akshaya."

The economic slowdown has resulted in a drop in the number of donors. Earlier, they sustained meals for 25 days.
Software giants Infosys and TCS were so impressed with his work that they donated three acres of land to him in Madurai . Krishnan hopes to build a home for his wards there. He has built the basement for a woman's block which will house 80 inmates, but work has currently halted due to a lack of funds.

Five idlis
This, however, is not the sum of his good deeds. Krishnan also performs the funerals of unclaimed bodies in Madurai . He collects the body, bathes it and gives it a decent burial or cremation as the need may be.

He gets calls, both from the municipal corporation and general hospital for the funerals.

He recalls with a little prompting how one day he saw a mentally ill man eating his excreta. He rushed to the nearest restaurant and bought the man five idlis. The man ate voraciously, and then smiled at him. The smile made Krishnan want to do it again and again.

Krishnan has not married and wonders if anyone would want to marry a man who spends his days cooking food for others. He is firm that his life partner has to agree to this kind of life.

His parents were initially shocked, but are now very supportive of their son. They advise him about the cuisine and also about how he can streamline the process.
One wonders why he left his job in a five star hotel to bury the dead and feed the mentally ill. To this he just smiles and says, "I like doing it."
For more information on N Krishnan's trust, log on to: http://www.akshayat rust.org/

Mr. Krishnan is doing this

** by not political motive, because they can't vote

** by not doing a conversion, because they don't know what they are

** by not having expecation in future, because they wouldn't remember him even they become normal

** not spoiling the beggars by giving freebies

He is doing his duty without having any expectation, he is also become God, by the will and doing his duty!

We are proud to see you and feel still there are great human hearts around us.

T H A N K you Mr.Krishnan !

Instructions For Life

Instructions For Life



• Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
• Memorize your favorite poem.
• Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
• When you say, “I love you”, mean it.
• When you say, “I’m sorry”, look the person in the eye.
• Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
• Believe in love at first sight.
• Never laugh at anyone’s dreams.
• Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.
• In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
• Don’t judge people by their relatives.
• Talk slowly but think quickly.
• When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”
• Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
• Call your mom.
• Say “bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.
• When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
• Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
• Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
• When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
• Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
• Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
• Spend some time alone.
• Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Read more books and watch less TV.
• Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll get to enjoy it a second time.
• Trust in God but lock your car.
• A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.
• In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
• Read between the lines.
• Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
• Be gentle with the earth.
• Pray. There’s immeasurable power in it.
• Never interrupt when you are being flattered.
• Mind your own business.
• Don’t trust a man/woman who doesn’t close his/her eyes when you kiss.
At least once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
• If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth’s greatest satisfaction.
• Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.
• Learn the rules then break some.
• Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
• Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
• Remember that your character is your destiny.
• Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

~ Words by Dalai Lama ~

About Love

A Nice Article about Love
-by Swami Vivekananda


I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me.

Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool, she filled the palm of her hand with some water and held it before me, and said this: "You see this water carefully contained on my hand? It symbolizes Love."

This was how I saw it: As long as you keep your hand caringly open and allow it to remain there, it will always be there. However, if you attempt to close your fingers round it and try to posses it, it will spill through the first cracks it finds.




This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet love...they try to posses it, they demand, they expect... and just like the water spilling out of your hand, love will retrieve from you .

For love is meant to be free, you cannot change its nature. If there are people you love, allow them to be free beings.

Give and don't expect.
Advise, but don't order.
Ask, but never demand.

It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice. It is the secret to true love. To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring."

Passing thought... Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by the moments that take our breath away.....

Life is beautiful!!! Live it !!!

NAVRATRI

NAVARATRI

The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit; Nava meaning Nine and Ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi i.e. female divinity are worshipped.

The beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn are two very important junctions of climatic and solar influence. These two periods are taken as sacred opportunities for the worship of the Divine Mother. The dates of the festival are determined according to the lunar calendar.
Dasahara, meaning ‘ten days’, becomes dasara in popular parlance. The Navaratri festival or ‘nine day festival’ becomes ‘ten day festival’ with the addition of the last day, Vijayadashami which is its culmination. On all these ten days, the various forms of Mother Mahisasura-mardini (Durga) are worshipped with fervour and devotion.

Forms of Shakti:

Nine forms of Shakti are worshipped during the Navaratris. The Devis worshipped depend on the tradition of the region.
• Durga, the inaccessible one
• Bhadrakali
• Amba or Jagadamba, Mother of the universe
• Annapurna, The one who bestows grains (an) in plenty (purna)
• Sarvamangala, The one who gives joy (mangal) to all (sarva)
• Bhairavi
• Chandika or Chandi
• Lalita
• Bhavani
• Mookambika

Rituals:

The Navratri commences on the first day (pratipada) of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Ashwin. The festival is celebrated for nine nights once every year during the beginning of October, although as the dates of the festival are determined according to the lunar calendar, the festival may be held for a day more or a day less.
Navaratri is celebrated in different ways throughout India. In North India, all three Navratris are celebrated with much fervor by fasting on all nine days and worshipping the Mother Goddess in her different forms. The Chaitra Navratri culmintes in Ram Navami and the Sharad Navratri culminates in Durga Puja and Dussehra. The Dussehra of Kulu in Himachal Pradesh is particularly famous in the North.
The last four days of Sharad Navratri take on a particularly dramatic form in the state of West Bengal in East India where they are celebrated as Durga Puja. This is the biggest festival of the year in this state. Exquisitely crafted and decorated life-size clay idols of the Goddess Durga depicting her slaying the demon Mahisasura are set up in temples and other places. These idols are then worshipped for five days and immersed in the river on the fifth day.
In Western India, particularly in the state of Gujarat, Navratri is celebrated with the famous Garba and Dandiya-Raas dance. Since the past few years, the Government Of Gujarat has been organising the "Navratri Festival Celebrations" on a regular basis for the nine days of Navratri Festival, in Gujarat. People from all over Gujarat and even abroad come to participate in the nine days celebrations. It is also popular throughout India and among Indian communities around the world including UK and USA.
In south India, people set up steps and place idols on them.This is known as golu.
Navratri is divided into sets of three days to adore three different aspects of the supreme goddess or goddesses.

First three days
The goddess is separated as a spiritual force called Durga also known as Kali in order to destroy all our impurities.

Second three days
The Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees inexhaustible wealth, as she is the goddess of wealth.

Final three daysThe final set of three days is spent in worshipping the goddess of wisdom, Sarasvati. In order to have all-round success in life, believers seek the blessings of all three aspects of the divine femininity, hence the nine nights of worship.
In South India, Sarasvati pooja is performed on the 7th day. Eight day is traditionally Durgashtami which is big in Bengal. The 9th day is Ayudha Pooja when everyone gives their tools of the trade -- pens, machinery, books, automobiles, school work, etc. a rest and ritually worships them. They start a fresh from the next day, the 10th day which is considered as 'Vijaya Dashami'. Many teachers/Schools in south India start teaching Kindergarten children from that day onwards. Students also pay homage to their respective teachers as they are considered the third god (Maathaa, Pitha, Guru, Daivam - Mother, Father, Teacher & God). On this tenth day of Navratri in October - the holiday of Dussehra or Dasara, an effigy of Ravana is burnt to celebrate the victory of good (Rama) over evil.
During Navratri, some devotees of Durga observe a fast and prayers are offered for the protection of health and prosperity. A period of introspection and purification, Navratri is traditionally an auspicious and religious time for starting new ventures.
During this vowed religious observance, a pot is installed (ghatasthapana) at a sanctified place at home. A lamp is kept lit in the pot for nine days. The pot symbolizes the universe. The uninterrupted lit lamp is the medium through which we worship the effulgent Adishakti, i.e. Sree Durgadevi. During Navratri, the principle of Sree Durgadevi is more active in the atmosphere.
Navratri is celebrated in a large number of Indian communities. The mother goddess is said to appear in 9 forms, and each one is worshipped for a day. These nine forms signify various traits that the goddess influences us with. The Devi Mahatmya and other texts invoking the Goddess who vanquished demons are cited.
During the eight or ninth day, Kanya Poojan, where virgin girls who have not attained puberty are worshipped, occurs.

Quotations of Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore, also known by the sobriquet Gurudev, was born in Calcutta, India into a wealthy Brahmin family. He was a Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj philosopher, visual artist, playwright, novelist, and composer whose works reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A cultural icon of Bengal and India, he became Asia's first Nobel laureate when he won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature. Tagore's works included Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced), and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World). His verse, short stories, and novels - many defined by rhythmic lyricism, colloquial language, meditative naturalism, and philosophical contemplation - received worldwide acclaim. Tagore was also a cultural reformer and polymath who modernised Bangla art by rejecting strictures binding it to classical Indian forms. Two songs from his rabindrasangeet canon are now the national anthems of Bangladesh and India: the Amar Shonar Bangla and the Jana Gana Mana. He was born on 7 May 1861 in Kolkata, India and Died on 7 August 1941 in Kolkata, India.

1. You can?t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.
2. I slept and dreamt that life was Joy. I woke and saw that life was Duty. I acted, and behold, Duty was Joy.
3. Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.
4. The emancipation of our physical nature is in attaining health, of our social being in attaining goodness, and of our self in attaining love.
5. Do not say, ?It is morning,? and dismiss it with a name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name.
6. Your idol is shattered in the dust to prove that God?s dust is greater than your idol.
7. According to the true Indian view, our consciousness of the world, merely as the sum total of things that exist, and as governed by laws, is imperfect. But it is perfect when our consciousness realizes all things as spiritually one with it, and therefore capable of giving us joy. For us the highest purpose of this world is not merely living in it, knowing it and making use of it, but realizing our own selves in it through expansion of sympathy; not alienating ourselves from it and dominating it, but comprehending and uniting it with ourselves in perfect union.
8. I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can?t make it through one door, I?ll go through another door - or I?ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.
9. We live in the world when we love it.
10. We gain freedom when we have paid the full price.
11. Children are living beings - more living than grown-up people who have built shells of habit around themselves. Therefore it is absolutely necessary for their mental health and development that they should not have mere schools for their lessons, but a world whose guiding spirit is personal love.
12. Objects of knowledge maintain an infinite distance from us who are the knowers. For knowledge is not union. Therefore the further world of freedom awaits us there where we reach truth, not through feeling it by senses or knowing it by reason, but through union of perfect sympathy.
13. It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.
14. If you shut the door to all errors, truth will be shut out.
15. Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.
16. Asks the Possible of the Impossible, ?Where is your dwelling-place?? ?In the dreams of the Impotent,? comes the answer.
17. Life is perpetually creative because it contains in itself that surplus which ever overflows the boundaries of the immediate time and space, restlessly pursuing its adventure of expression in the varied forms of self-realization.
18. Beauty is in the ideal of perfect harmony which is in the universal being; truth the perfect comprehension of the universal mind. We individuals approach it through our own mistakes and blunders, through our accumulated experience, through our illumined consciousness - how, otherwise, can we know truth?
19. We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.
20. There are two kinds of adventurers; those who go truly hoping to find adventure and those who go secretly hoping they won?t.
21. In love all the contradiction of existence merge themselves and are lost. Only in love are unity and duality not at variance. Love must be one and two at the same time. Only love is motion and rest in one. Our heart ever changes its place till it finds love, and then it has its rest. Bondage and liberation are not antagonistic in love. For love is most free and at the same time most bound.

Facts to make every Indian Proud

Proud to be an INDIAN


Q. Who is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems?
Answer: Vinod Khosla

Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it)?
Answer: Vinod Dahm

Q. Who is the third richest man on the world?
Answer: According to the latest report Lakshmi Niwas Mittal is the 3rd richest man in world in 2005.

Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based email program)?
Answer: Sabeer Bhatia

Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?
Answer: Arun Netravalli

Q. Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard?
Answer: Rajiv Gupta

Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000,responsible to iron out all initial problems?
Answer: Sanjay Tejwrika

Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart?
Answer: Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar.


*We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even faring better than the whites and the natives. There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET,

38% of doctors in USA are Indians.
12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are Indians.

Some of the following facts may be known to you. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with world history.

WORLD HISTORY - FACTS ABOUT INDIA

1.
India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
2.
India invented the Number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
3.
The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects.The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
4.
According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.
5.
Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
6.
Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.
7.
The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
8.
The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem.British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works dates to the 6th Century which is long before the European mathematicians.
9.
Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 1053.
10.
According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.
11.
USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
12.
The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
13.
Chess was invented in India.
14.
Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India.
15.
When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley
(Indus Valley Civilisation).
16.
The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.


Quotes about India

We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.
- Albert Einstein.

India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition.
- Mark Twain.

If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.
- French Scholar Romain Rolland.

India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.
- Hu Shih (Former Chinese ambassador to USA).

ALL OF THE ABOVE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, THE LIST COULD BE ENDLESS.

*** The Life of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad***

This is a best example of simplicity. Can we expect our politicians to be like the Iranian President? God loves those who are humble in their personal life too!

The Fox News TV (US) asked the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; " When you look into the mirror in the morning what do you say to yourself"? He answered: I see the person in the mirror and tells him " Remember, you are no more than a small servant, ahead of you today is the heavy responsibility, and that is to serve the Iranian nation". And this was how the broadcaster introduced him.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian President who astonished many when he first reached to the office of the Presidency by donating all the high valued Iranian carpets to one of the mosques in Tehran by replacing them with the low cost ordinary carpets. He observed that there was a huge extravagant langue for receiving and welcoming the VIPs and he ordered it to be closed and asked the protocol office to arrange for an ordinary room instead with the wooden chairs, though more impressive in fact! On many instances he joins the cleaning staff of the municipality for cleaning the streets in the area where his home and the Presidency office locates.

Under his authority whenever he appoints any minister to his post he gets a signed document from him with many points, particularly highlighting that he shall remain poor and that his personal and his relatives accounts will be watched and the day he leaves the ministry shall be with dignity, and therefore it is not lawful for him or his relatives to take any advantage of his office.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born on October 28, 1956. He is the 6th and current president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He became president on 6 August 2005 after winning the 2005 presidential election. Ahmadinejad's current term will end in August, 2009, but he will be eligible to run for one more term in office in 2009 presidential elections. Before becoming president, he was the Mayor of Tehran. First of all he declared himself all the "Big" wealth and property he owned was a Peugeot 504 car, model 1977, an old small house inherited from his father forty years ago in one of the poorest zones in Tehran. His accounts with a zero balance and the only money comes in to his a/c was from his salary from the university as a lecturer with an amount of US $250 only.

For your information the President still lives in that same house. This is all what he owns; the president of one of the world's important countries; strategically, economically, politically and with regard to its oil and defense.

He even doesn't take his personal salary with the argument that all the wealth belongs to the nation and he is the safeguard over it. One of the things that impressed the staff at the presidency is the bag the president brings with him every day, which contains his breakfast; some sandwiches or bread with olive oil and cheese prepared by his wife and eats and enjoys it with all happiness, While he stopped all the deliveries of the special food used to come for the president.

One of the other things he changed was his personal carrier "The President's Aircraft" to a cargo aircraft in order to save the spending from the public treasury and he ordered that he will be flying with the ordinary airline in the economic class.

He organizes meetings every now and then with all the ministers to know their activities and efficiency and he closed down the office of the manager of the president and any minister can enter to his office without any permission. He also stopped the welcome ceremonies like the red carpet, the photo session or any personal advertisement or respect of any kind while visiting any place in the country.

Whenever he has to stay in any of the hotels he asks them to make sure not to give him a room with any big bed because he doesn't like to sleep on beds but rather likes to sleep on the ground on a simple mattress with a blanket. Does any of such manners and practices shows any disrespect for the high post of the president?

Your temper according to your horoscope

ARIES (MARCH 21 ? APRIL 20)

Nothing seems to ruffle you more than a lack of discipline, disloyalty and decorum. But Arians are also known to go into a rage very easily when challenged. Those of you who have been on the receiving end of the Aries temper know that if not calmed down they can even get violent. But one thing is certain if the opponent remains calm and does not react to their outburst, Arians cool down very fast. They are also the first to apologize, which makes them easier to forgive.

TAURUS (APRIL 21 ? MAY 20)

You are generally quiet and have control over your emotions. It is difficult to predict what will upset you, so when you do lose your cool, people don't know how to react. Your temper is like that of a raging bull, and anyone trying to pacify you will be the first one to get a verbal bashing. You generally get upset when you are concerned or when people accuse you of doing something wrong. You also hate being reminded about mistakes you've made in the past. You also have the potential to be terribly vindictive if rubbed the wrong way.

GEMINI (MAY 21 ? June 29)

You are recognised by your cheerful disposition and your jovial nature is easily susceptible to anger. In fact, you are the best person to have around when there is an ugly scene at a party you can bring the warring factions together quite diplomatically. But when you lose cool, you yell and scream and will not listen to reason. You must have the last word in a wordy duel. Your capacity to argue aggressively is matched only by your seductive charm.

CANCER (JUNE 21 ? JULY 21)

Considering how charming, caring and kind you are, you dislike unpleasant scenes, much less creating one yourself. You have great tolerance and rarely get provoked into losing your temper. If someone is unreasonable or trying to create trouble, you are more likely to walk away quietly. But that does not mean you do not have a temper. When angry, in your effort to control your emotions, you tremble, your hands get sweaty and sometimes you fumble for words. Tears roll down your eyes easily and the opponent is touched by your innocence and will seek an apology immediately.

LEO (JULY 22 ? AUGUST 21)

If anyone has total control over their emotions, it is you. But then, you can be described as stiff, cold and uncaring. You are known to lack spontaneity but you really don't care about opinions. You don't like to create scenes and will never accept invitations to a party where you suspect the presence of an unruly lot. But your very presence seems challenging to some and they take vicarious pleasure in your disquiet. When angry you can use critical language. A dressing down can humiliate your opponent, causing a strain between both of you forever.

VIRGO (AUGUST 22 ? SEPTEMBER 21)

Most of you are gentle and have full control over your emotions but those of you given to temper tantrums can certainly get violent. When see things with rage, you yell and shout and tend to break things lying close at hand. You can even harm yourself by banging your hands on a glass top table or wall. You should never get into any argument, for you are a sore loser. You feel that others are trying to persecute you and don't quite respect your opinions. When hurt, you can also hold grudges forever.

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 22 ? OCTOBER 22)

Did someone say that you are the charmers of the zodiac? Well, it's true. Few have ever seen you ruffled or angry. You are very conscious of your image, and you believe that anger distorts your face and personality. You also think you are above things like anger. But wait before you get into self-congratulatory mood. Your family or those very close to you know you better. You have an unmatched temper amongst all the zodiac signs, and what makes it worse is your capacity to justify it.

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 ? NOVEMBER 21)

Of course you don't lose your cool. But your very demeanor (manner) projects haughtiness (arrogance, pride), pride and grand disdain (disregard) for lesser mortals (human). Others are often found saying that anger sits on your nose and you are raring to give your piece mind to the first person who try to be funny with you. You are selective in the choice of your friends, and have a low tolerance for the superfluous (extra) types. Your tongue-lashing (attack) is generally in a soft hissing tone for when you scream, your voice tends to get shrill and loud and you do hate drawing attention to yourself! When upset, you are angrier with yourself for having shown weakness, for the last thing that Scorpio wants to show is being out of control.

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22 ? DECEMBER 20)

You are insensible and generally have no complete control over your emotions. You do get angry quickly and others marvel at your anger levels even when provoked. Actually, you get tongue-tied when angry and you will remove your anger waiting for the other person to calm down. Then you will reason with your opponent and convince the other person in a very gentle manner that the whole thing was just his mistake. You're also likely to totally sever ties with someone when you're upset with them.

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 21 ? JANUARY 19)

Few will believe that a hardcore practical and materialistic person like you is capable of sensitivity and genuine emotions. You project a hard exterior but are actually very sensitive, a trait you successfully hide from others. You can see thing with anger but will not betray your feelings. But then, there are times that even you cannot control your temper. Under such circumstances you can shout and scream, more with frustration at the situation than with anger at any particular person. Your outbursts can shock others and can make them feel guilty too.


AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 ? FEBRUARY 18)

You are noble and kind and dislike losing control over your emotions. It is very rare for you to get angry. You are also the pacifier in situations that involve arguments. It is always your endeavor to be perfect and socially correct in your behavior and attitude, but if misunderstood and slighted you can give in to an angry outburst. You will shout and scream and then walk out from the scene. You cannot easily forget the situation and will be bitter about it for a long time.

PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 ? MARCH 20)

The only thing that can be said about you dreamers is that you appear even more attractive when angry. You are very sensitive to others' feelings, so you rarely hurt them. But when others tend to hurt you, then things take a nasty turn. You will yell and use harsh words and feel inclined to shake everything and everyone up. Your creative imagination is at its best when angry, and you tend to get pretty dramatic. When upset, you refuse to listen to reason and wish to be left alone. But once you calm down, you repent your tantrums and seek forgiveness. SO nobody can be upset with you for too long.

Some facts you might not know

Some facts you might not know

1. Money isn?t made out of paper; it is made out of cotton.
2. The 57 on a Heinz ketchup bottle represents the variety of pickles the Company once had.
3. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself.
4. The dot over the letter ?i? is called the title.
5. A duck?s quack doesn?t produce echo, no one knows why.
6. Forty percent of McDonald?s profit comes from the sales of ?happy meals?.
7. Every person has a unique tongue print.
8. 315 entries in Webster?s 1996 dictionary were misspelled.
9. On an average, 12 newborns will be given to wrong parents daily.
10. During the famous chariot scene in ?Ben-Hur?, a small red car can be seen at a distance.
11. Warren Beatty and Shirley Maclaine are brother and sister.
12. Chocolate affects a dog?s heart and nervous system. A few ounces will kill a small sized dog.
13. Most lipsticks contain fish scales.
14. Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn?t wear pants.
15. Ketchup was sold in the 1830?s as a medicine.
16. Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.
17. There are no clocks in the Las Vegas gambling casinos.
18. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange, purple and silver.
19. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it go mad instantly and sting itself to death.
20. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can?t sink in quicksand.
21. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.
22. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
23. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.
24. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a space suit damages them.

Do you know these facts?

1. If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side.
2. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
3. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
4. Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.
5. The Mercedes-Benz motto is 'Das Beste oder Nichts' meaning 'the best or nothing'.
6. The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.
7. The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing.
8. The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep at night.
9. Laughing lower levels of stress hormones and strengthen the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.
10. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
11. Dalmatians are born without spots.
12. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.
13. The 'v' in the name of a court case does not stand for 'versus', but for 'and' (in civil proceedings) or 'against' (in criminal proceedings).
14. Men's shirts have the buttons on the right, but women's shirts have the buttons on the left.
15. The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids.
16. The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it's already been digested by a bee.
17. Roosters cannot crow if they cannot extend their necks.
18. The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.
19. Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.
20. Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart.
21. The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.
22. When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red.
23. When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.
24. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903, and used a tomato can for a carburetor.
25. The lion that roars in the MGM logo is named Volney.
26. Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.
27. Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying jag of Flapan, instead of flag of Japan.
28. It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it.
29. The attachment of the human skin to muscles is what causes dimples
30. There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
31. The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.
32. Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.
33. It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.
34. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
35. Most soccer players run 7 miles in a game.
36. The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the air.
37. Every day 200 million couples make love, 400,000 babies are born, and 140,000 people die.
38. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch (and make it look like it is smiling).
39. Colgate faced big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command "go hang yourself.?
40. The only 2 animals that can see behind themselves without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot.
41. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
42. The average person laughs 13 times a day.
43. Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys? They are: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).
44. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
45. German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.
46. Large kangaroos cover more than 30 feet with each jump.
47. Whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.
48. Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two hapless protesters to death.
49. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural cause.
50. The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood 30 feet.

Finger Prints - Very Interesting Information

It is already an accepted fact that every single person in the world has a different set of fingerprints. The Chinese have devised a way to read personality & destiny traits by studying the waves and the circles that appear at the tips of everyone's fingers ? indeed so convinced are they that in the old days the fingers of prospective daughters-in-law were carefully scrutinized by prominent families to ensure they did not unwittingly welcome women who had fingers that showed alternate circles and waves on their fingers, as it was commonly believed that such women would bring trouble into the family, being particularly difficult to control and usually very aggressive.

In this article, we bring you some indications of destiny & personality traits based on the circles and waves on the five fingers of each hand. Guys should examine their left hands while women should look at their right hands.

Here are the two different patterns of circles and waves seen on every finger. To make a reading, look at your thumb print first, then your index finger, your middle finger, your ring finger and then your little finger in that order. This is the sequence that offers clues to your destiny & fortunes of your life.

For ease of reference we shall refer to circles as O and to waves as W.

Fingers: OOOOO (all whorls)
Means: This person is very confident, has a strong character and a hot temper. He/she is an independent person. The luck of this person changes dramatically in life from one period to the next. The undoing of this person will be his/her hot temper so it is vital that this person must learn to be patient and calm.

Shape: WWWWW (all waves)
Means: This person is a straightforward honest person who goes with the flow. The fingers indicate someone very sensitive, who is especially suited to design and creative work. People with these fingerprint patterns tend to be shy and uncomfortable in social situations, so are not suited to work in PR, politics or any kind of work requiring them to meet people.

Shape: OWWWO
Means: If you can choose a prestigious working career, you will be very successful. However, you should avoid the tendency to get big-headed and you must never take your career for granted. You should also watch your back, as you tend to attract jealousy into your life and could get betrayed. Always look for long-term benefits.

Shape: OWWOW
Means: You will need to work harder during the early days of your career. When you reach middle and older age, you will get recognition and wealth luck. So your life gets better the older you get.

Shape: OWOWW
Means: It is vital that you resist the tendency to be narrow-minded in your attitudes and in the way you think and work. Try to be humble and learn as much as possible. This is how you will get influential help that brings you to the peak of your business and career life.

Shape: WOOOO
Means: You are a very clear-minded person. As long as you work hard, you are guaranteed to be successful. Even though you tend to be in a hurry, there will be those who help you along. You are also a person with a kind heart.

Shape: OOOOW
Means: Because you are kind and have an in-built polite attitude, you will easily get help from older persons and friends. You will enjoy great success in your working life and your only weakness is you don't trust people too easily. This can make you too conservative.

Shape: OOOWW
Means: You have a tendency to be bad tempered, and rather quick to judge. This is a shallow attitude and could easily get you onto the wrong path. If you can correct this tendency of yours, you will have great success. The potential is in you, so try to be calm in your approach.

Shape: OWWWW
Means: You have good character but can only become really successful in older age. Be prepared to have to work really hard during your younger and middle age periods, but you will become a successful person in older years.

Shape: WOWWW
Means: You are very good in the social skills. No matter what industry you are in, you like to take risk and you will always face uncertainty. Be careful as the later years of your life could bring yet more challenges. Take less risk as you get older.

Shape: WWOWW
Means: You are a person who has high vision and heavy responsibility. Be careful. Your visions could get you into serious difficulty. Better to stay more grounded, then your life will have greater success.

Shape: WWWOW
Means: You are very intelligent and will enjoy a lot of scholastic honors. You will have a smooth life and benefit from wealth luck. If you can work hard, you will become a great and successful person.

Shape: WWWWO
Means: You will inherit a business or property from your parents or from an older person. Even though you are a capable person and can be successful in your own business, your tendency towards impatience could get you into a lot of difficulty.

Shape: OOWWW
Means: You have a tendency to be proud and snobbish, although deep inside you are a kind-hearted person. Your social skills however need improving. Your relatives tend to take advantage of you.

Shape: WOWWO
Means: You are a deep thinking person. At a young age, you are already thinking of your future. You will enjoy a smooth and peaceful life; you will be very happy in your old age.

Shape: WOWOO
Means: You are a very sociable person and you enjoy the carefree kind of life going out, partying and clubbing. When you reach middle and older age, you will rely on people to support you. Be warned, if you do not prepare yourself, you might have a hard time during your older years.

Shape: WOWOW
Means: You are not an easy person to control or to convince, as you are something of a rebel. If you can stay focused on what you want from life, you will be successful. The problem is that you can be fickle and vague in what you really want from life.

Shape: WWOWO
Means: Your whole life is full of ups and downs, successes and failures. However, if you can move steadily step-by-step, you can enjoy a peaceful life as you grow into maturity.

Shape: WWWOO
Means: You are very kindhearted person and there will be good people in your life, as you will attract these kinds of people towards you. Work hard and you will easily reap your just rewards. You will definitely become successful.

Shape: OWWOO
Means: You will get recognition and become famous. Even though your life appears unstable during your earlier years of working life and you need to work hard in your thirties, when you reach maturity, your life gets better and better.

Shape: WWOOW
Means: You are a very capable person, but you tend to lack good judgment. You also tend to start something and then lose interest. Stay focused if you want to succeed.

Shape: OWOOW
Means: You are a noble person with a good character. You tend to be very helpful towards colleagues and friends so you are a popular person. Because you can think in-depth and have sensitivity towards others, you will enjoy success in the creative fields.

Shape: OWOWO
Means: You are blessed with a fast and formidable intellect. You work very quickly and with great effectiveness. However, your character is very aggressive and people tend to be intimidated by you. If you can correct this trait, you can rise to great heights.

Shape: WWOOO
Means: You are a very straightforward person. But your thinking tends to be rather naïve and shallow. Even though your suggestions are good, if you don't think through what you say, you should not be surprised if people tend to ignore your views. Your speech tends to lack power.

Shape: OOWOW
Means: You are a high-minded person, able to see and grab opportunities. You are best suited to work in the financial and investment fields. Your luck gets better as you grow older.

Shape: OOWWO
Means: You are a very honest and reputable person. You have little urge to get rich or pursue material wealth. But watch it, if you don't know how to take care of yourself, you can easily get conned and taken advantage of by people.

Shape: OOOWO
Means: Your social skills are good, so you attract guidance and help from influential people. Many people help you in your rise to prominence, and your luck turns fabulous in later years.

Shape: OOWOO
Means: You are a very brave and hardworking person. A lot of people trust you when you are young. However, unless you work at preserving your reputation, you could make enemies on your rise up and find that life becomes harder as you get older.

Shape: OWOOO
Means: You are a kindhearted character and easily get along with others. You are not good at doing business, but you are good as a teacher or even as a spiritual master. You can enjoy success in the academic world.

Shape: WOOWW
Means: You are reputable and have a peaceful character. So you are definitely someone who can become successful and recognized. However, because of your tendency towards pride, you could end up offending the wrong people.

Shape: WOOWO
Means: You are a simple but logical person. If you can focus on the fundamentals of life and adopt a step-by-step approach in your climb up the success ladder and not be too impatient, you will benefit from wealth luck and be honored by people.

Shape: WOOOW
Means: You are a straight talking person who is forthright in your approach. You are strong in character, playful but you also easily offend people. But you are also lucky because when you reach middle age, you will rise to a prominent position and your luck really changes for the better.

Fun Facts About Dogs

Fun Facts About Dogs

These are just meant to be for fun! We cannot verify the authenticity of these facts.

1. Greyhounds can run up to 45 miles an hour for very short periods.
2. Dogs have 42 teeth, cats about 30.
3. Dogs and humans are the only animals with prostates.
4. The dalmatian dog originate from Dalmatian coast of Croatia.
5. According to tests made at the Institute for the Study of Animal Problems in Washington, D.C., dogs and cats, like people, are either right-handed or left-handed i.e. they favor either their right or left paws.
6. Domesticated cats are never mentioned in the Bible. Dogs are mentioned 14 times, lions 55 times.
7. The common belief that dogs are color blind is false. Dogs can see color but it is not as vivid a color scheme as we see. It is much like our vision at twilight.
8. There are 701 types of pure breed dogs.
9. The flea can jump 350 times its body length, that is like a human jumping the length of a football field.Anything over 45 minutes seems like forever to your dog. You will be greeted as enthusiastically coming back from a two-hour shopping trip as you will coming back from a two-day vacation.
10. A stray dog who is afraid of people will trust the people associated with the dogs it plays with.
11. The old rule "multiplying a dog's age by 7 to find the equivalent human age" is fallacious. A dog is able to reproduce at 1 year and has reached full growth by 2 years. To calculate a dog's age in human terms, count the first year at 15, the second year as 10, and each year after that as 5.
12. If a dog tolerates gentle handling between its toes, it probably is suited for children.
13. If two dogs are headed for a fight and they appear about evenly matched, the dog on his home turf will win easily.
14. If you want to be friends with somebody else's dog, let the dog make the first move, and don't be too quick to respond.
15. A kennel should be two times the length of the dog you are building it for. Measure the dog from its nose to the tip of its tail.
16. The best time for taking a puppy from its litter -- psychologically and physically - is when it is 49 days old.

Amazing 57 Facts

Amazing 57 Facts


1. People who ride on roller coasters have a higher chance of having a blood clot in the brain.
2. Black bears are not always black they can be brown, cinnamon, yellow and sometimes white.
3. People with blue eyes see better in dark.
4. Each year 30,000 people are seriously injured by exercise equipment.
5. The placement of a donkey?s eyes in its head enables it to see all four feet.
6. The sun is 330330 times larger than the earth.
7. The cow gives nearly 200000 glass of milk in her lifetime.
8. There are more female than male millionaires in the U.S.A.
9. A male baboon can kill a leopard.
10. When a person dies, hearing is usually the first sense to go.
11. Bill gates house was designed using Macintosh computer.
12. Nearly 22,000 cheques will be deducted from the wrong account over the next hour.
13. Almost all varieties of breakfast cereals are made from grass.
14. Some lions mates over 50 times a day.
15. American did not commonly use forks until after the civil war.
16. The most productive day of the week is Tuesday.
17. In the 1930?s America track star Jesse Owens used to race against horses and dogs to earn a living.
18. There is a great mushroom in Oregon that is 2,400 years old. It Covers 3.4 square miles of land and is still growing.
19. Jimmy Carter is the first USA president to have born in hospital.
20. Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
21. Cleopatra married two of her brothers.
22. Human birth control pill works on gorillas.
23. The right lung takes in more air than the left.
24. It is illegal to own a red car in shanghai china.
25. A hard-boiled egg will spin. An uncooked or soft-boiled egg will not.
26. Astronauts cannot burp in space.
27. The snowiest city in the USA is Blue Canyon, California.
28. Lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua is the only fresh water lake in the world that has sharks.
29. Kite flying is a professional sport in Thailand.
30. The great warrior Genghis khan died in bed while having sex.
31. No matter how cold it gets gasoline will not freeze.
32. SNAILS have 14175 teeth laid along 135 rows on their tongue.
33. A BUTTERFLY has 12,000 eyes.
34. Dolphins sleep with 1 eye open.
35. A BLUE WHALE can eat as much as 3 tones of food everyday, but at the same time can live without food for 6 months.
36. The EARTH has over 12,00,000 species of animals, 3,00,000 species of plants & 1,00,000 other species.
37. The fierce DINOSAUR was TYRANNOSAURS which has sixty long & sharp teeth, used to attack & eat other dinosaurs.
38. DEMETRIO was a mammal like REPTILE with a snail on its back. This acted as a radiator to cool the body of the animal.
39. CASSOWARY is one of the dangerous BIRDS that can kill a man or animal by tearing off with its dagger like claw.
40. The SWAN has over 25,000 feathers in its body.
41. OSTRICH eats pebbles to help digestion by grinding up the ingested food.
42. POLAR BEAR can look clumsy & slow but during chase on ice, can reach 25 miles / hr of speed.
43. KIWIS are the only birds, which hunt by sense of smell.
44. ELEPHANT teeth can weigh as much as 9 pounds.
45. OWL is the only bird, which can rotate its head to 270 degrees.
46. In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
47. On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.
48. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
49. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.
50. Tapeworms range in size from about 0.04 inch to more than 50 feet in length.
51. German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.
52. A female mackerel lays about 500,000 eggs at one time.
53. Crane sleeps standing on one leg.
54. Shark cannot see, they are very sensitive to sound.
55. Sneezing stops heart beat for a second and then continues.
56. Shape of the backbone is important to have sufficient breathing.
57. Tortoise has very sharp teeth it can rip open the stomach of whale with its teeth.