The Great Indian War (Maha Bharath Yudh) According to the Urantia Book !

The divinely revealed book of modern era, which I have now adopted as my favorite book of supreme life guidance, gives us the opportunity to understand the details of the lost history of our earth in the most matter-of-fact manner without any exaggeration.

This is the Urantia Book- a marvellous masterpiece of knowledge.  [If you do not know or heard about it, I would suggest that you know more about it by visiting the urantia-india website that I have created to spread awareness about this book. If you are a regular reader of my blogs you might have already noticed that my blogs are essentially based on the truths and guidance that I happen to learn from this book.]

The book tells us that Adam and Eve were not the first human pair on earth. However, Adam and Eve were a real couple who lived on earth some 38000 years ago. In reality they were of a different genus of superior people who are inhabitants of some distant worlds. The Adam and Eve who came to our earth were volunteers of their kind who were brought to earth using a de-materialisation and materialisation technique known to the invisible divine administration of the universes.

But human beings of earth were developed using the controlled evolutionary techniques, again under the supervision of the same administration.

At this juncture, I would like you to read the following blogs also, just to enhance your concepts:

1. Origin and Development of Human Beings on Earth-Have You Ever Heard This ?

2. Adam and Eve : Did God Create them for Making Us Sinners for Ever ?

3. Negative Blood Group and the Adamic Connection !

Okay ! The first human beings who came into existence on our earth were named Andon and Fonta according to this revelatory book. Remember, there is no other reference whatsover about this earlier in our known history.

So, this first human couple were twins born to a superior kind of tree dwelling ape like animals, but different from their parents due to some changes effected in their genetic structure.

They were born some one million years ago some where near north west India.

Their immediate descendants are the Andonites as per the book. In later years they moved in large numbers to the east and the west. Those migrated to the south east got intermixed with the inferior groups of animalistic cousins where as those migrated to the north west retained more of their human characteristics.

The struggle and development of each groups of these peoples for the next thousands of years is a great event of human development on earth.

Now a group of their descendants existed near about the same place in the Indian sub continent near the highlands of the north. They were the descendants of Badonan, a great-great-grandson of Andon.

Now let me quote what the book says about this peoples who are now called the Badonites:

" These people were the only descendants of Andon who never practiced human sacrifice.

These highland Badonites occupied an extensive plateau surrounded by forests, traversed by streams, and abounding in game. Like some of their cousins in Tibet, they lived in crude stone huts, hillside grottoes, and semiunderground passages.

While the tribes of the north grew more and more to fear the ice, those living near the homeland of their origin became exceedingly fearful of the water. They observed the Mesopotamian peninsula gradually sinking into the ocean, and though it emerged several times, the traditions of these primitive races grew up around the dangers of the sea and the fear of periodic engulfment. And this fear, together with their experience with river floods, explains why they sought out the highlands as a safe place in which to live.

To the east of the Badonan peoples, in the Siwalik Hills of northern India, may be found fossils that approach nearer to transition types between man and the various prehuman groups than any others on earth.

850,000 years ago the superior Badonan tribes began a warfare of extermination directed against their inferior and animalistic neighbors. In less than one thousand years most of the borderland animal groups of these regions had been either destroyed or driven back to the southern forests. This campaign for the extermination of inferiors brought about a slight improvement in the hill tribes of that age. And the mixed descendants of this improved Badonite stock appeared on the stage of action as an apparently new people — the Neanderthal race.

I have strong reasons to feel that this war should be either the war of Ramayana or the Mahabharath Yudh that are depicted in the great Indian epics.

The Siwalik mountains need to be explored for those fossils.

We need to undertake strong research to connect our missing history from the clues given in this book.

It would be an interesting undertaking for those curious anthropologists.

Hope some one gets interested !

[View the linked list of all Blogs of the Author Here ! ]

City Management and Administration-A Lesson to be Learnt from the Canadian City of Edmonton !

I have not visited the Canadian City of Edmonton or Canada. For that matter I have never ever gone out of India so far. That is definitely a disqualification in my country. Because, in the official parlour,  the number of countries visited is counted as a mark of experience and competence of an employee in the higher echelons, especially in the governmental organizations.

But there is a rider to it. If you have made any private visit abroad, that is not counted. An official is considered competent if he or she has managed to go abroad in his official capacity. So, managing to get an official trip abroad is one of the highest rewards an Indian official can have. Quite naturally, this is one type of carrot the Indian organizations usually employ to motivate their employees.

So thousands of Indian officials keep going abroad, mostly for getting higher learning and training. Foreigners keep training Indian officials ever since India became independent from direct foreign rule some six decades ago.

One of the motivating factors for Indians to procure equipments and systems from foreign sources is the lure and scope of potential foreign tour and training that it may provide to some. Foreign suppliers well understand this weakness of Indians very well that they are never very conservative in offering lavish training facilities in their home country while offering their equipment and technology to Indians.

Learning something good and new from outside is not a bad idea. But sourcing things from abroad only for the purpose of having some official foreign visit cannot be considered that way. The net effect in this kind of a situation is that Indians would never learn anything from their foreign visits. It has become so acceptable now that the teams of officials getting sponsored for foreign study tours from India are never any one associated with any discharge of responsibilities associated with that kind of a training!

Foreign study tours from India have become pleasure trips for those officials who are favoured persons of their seniors who nominate them rather than those who have to utilize their knowledge later. Foreign suppliers have also recognized this aspect that is special to India that they no more bother to make elaborate training arrangements for Indians in their respective countries any more. They would rather happily arrange some pleasure trips for them in the guise of the training trips, the way their Indian clients require.

Well connected government officials from the elite Indian administrative services are routinely sent abroad for higher studies. Some US universities like Harvard have permanent arrangements for this kind of training for the Indian officials.

But even after six decades of such perpetual training, the Indian professionals are not proving their skills in their respective administrative and other fields in their own work areas in India.

There is nothing in India where their performances could be bench marked to what they had learnt abroad.

During the same period some other Asian countries like China, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and the Koreas have gone far ahead than India by utilizing the knowledge that their professionals have been learning from the western sources. Now they have come to that level that they are in a position to offer some better technologies and management systems even to the westerners !

In the recent decades, due to the higher intermingling of Indians in western countries like the US, Canada, Australia and the UK, the westerners  are more aware of the Indian psyche and their weaknesses that they are no more so considerate to the Indians as their immediate ancestors were. This implies that Indians in future are going to struggle a lot to keep them abreast with the high rate of technological advances that are taking place in those countries.

Knowing the double standards of Indians, no sane mind would think of trusting Indians fully, which would likely make things more difficult in the future for India as a nation to keep pace with the developments that take place in this world.

India is likely to become a country of all kinds of paradoxes, enhancing from its current level. Money and wealth in India would no more ensure a good life in this country. Affluent Indians would keep fleeing from this country and the rate of flight would increase from the current levels.

There are many at the top echelons of the elite administrative services in this country who have got ample chances to learn from the developed nations.

It is their responsibility to save India from non-inclusive and unplanned development.

It is easy to help the children to go abroad and settle for a good life in those countries and migrate abroad to live the rest of the old age life in the US or Canada. But Indians would be Indians wherever they live. Their skins and minds cannot change. That is engraved in their genes !

But learning good things from the westerners and adapting that to India is some thing else. It is difficult. It is indeed difficult when you have immature elected representatives who have made it a routine to blame the west for all the odds that the people face in India. 

But it is not impossible !

It is not impossible for those who are still rightly placed in India. But they have to come out of their complacent self created shells to act. 

You may be wondering why I started with Edmonton and wrote this much, apparently unrelated.

Not at all unrelated my friend !

I feel concerned because those Indians who visit abroad are not using their experience for the good of their own motherland !

There are much to be learnt from this land blocked city of Canada. For that matter, any city there perhaps ! 

How efficiently they keep managing and improving it !

You need not visit that country or city to learn it .

They have very nicely made it known in their website. [You may click the hyperlink to know more about the City Management in the Canadian City of Edmonton in Alberta]

It is indeed a very practical, efficient and transparent city management !

If you ask me, there is nothing that prevents the Indian cities and towns to adopt such a system of municipal administration. Incidentally, as I have learnt, there are many Indians associated with the prosperity of this Canadian city of Edmonton !

The professional pride of those connected with that city's efficient administrative system is reflected in their website.

And in my opinion it should be how the administrative professionals or public servants should work to help the elected representatives of the citizens.

If they can do it in Canada, can we Indians not do it in India ?

Don't repeat the same old Indian excuse that Canada is a rich country !

Canada and Canadians are rich because they manage their systems wisely and transparently.

Please correct me if I am wrong !

Do We Indians Have a New Hope in Aam Aadmi Party ?

Ever since my childhood I have been observing politics and politicians with much curiosity, though I could never understand its dynamics well for many years.

During my teens, I had been watching some of those senior youths who were always in the news with their white khadi uniforms and making voices on all kinds of issues. They all are still in the scenes, many of them achieving their life's ambitions long back by becoming the so-called democratic rulers of this big nation and blissfully continuing in those 'royal' positions.

With enhanced knowledge and experience over the years, I could regrettably realize that none of these so-called political leaders are capable or willing to do any good for the country at large. They somehow have chosen politics as a career for their own selfish purposes to gain offices of profit using a different route that was available and that the majority citizens normally avoided. Other than achieving what they wanted to achieve for themselves, they never had any agenda for the  citizens of the country. But they were not at all ashamed to declare their intentions as 'selfless service' for the people even when they knew that it was not at all in their minds !

I was shocked when an old white uniformed man from the north in his eighties declared his immense joy and satisfaction over his accomplishing his life dream to sit in the Prime Minister's chair at last. He had no agenda or plans or vision for the nation ! He was simply happy that he achieved his career ambition that he had in politics !

What was erroneously in my mind was that these politicians are leaders and representatives of the people whose job was to ensure the welfare of the people. I thought they were unselfish men and women who were extremely committed with many ideas and plans to give the nation and its people unbiased leadership. I could never have imagined that these political leaders have chosen this career for their own self aggrandizements !

  

Even the kings of the past thought much about their nation and their people. But somehow, in this new system of democracy in this new republic, the  democratic neo-kings are only interested in occupying the kings' thrones and enjoy the privileges and privypurses. They acknowledged the existence of the citizens only during the elections and they had no agenda for ensuring the well being of the citizens.

By experience they learned that by keeping the permanent administrative servants of the nation in good humour, they are only to benefit the most without much efforts. Experience taught them that their kingly positions are much enjoyable and beneficial by being in league with the nations' public servants or officialdom !

So over the years, they have been shamelessly reconciled and compromised in their roles in forgetting the citizens of the nation on whose backing they rose to the positions they enjoyed.

The young nation has been consistently slipping down in its mission, vision and development as it failed to identify polical leaders with selfless commitment and vision to man its leadership positions of rulership. They thought those fiery ones who enthralled them through their oratory skills could be a better choice only to find it otherwise.

The citizens like me are now a confused lot. Whom to believe and trust ? No one seems to know for sure !

Even those ladies whom they thought would be of help have shown them that they could be potential tyrants of modern era if not checkmated !

Whom to trust ? Who would come forward for their rescue ? They cried to themselves !

Anger and helplessness made the citizens of this nation dizzy and confused !

They are slowly and slowly willing to come to the streets to raise their voices against those faceless and grim leaders occupying those kingly positions with the least concern to their woes.

Then came this young fragile looking bureaucrat and his well wishers projecting a modern era Gandhi to raise their voices to be heard by their elected representatives to enact a law that would bring some transparency and accountability in the governmental system.

Hitherto hibernating citizens of the nation joined with them moving out from their shelters, almost spontaneously as if waiting for a call !

Having enjoyed the advantages of a non-transparent and unaccountable system for long, their elected representatives were apparently in no mood to listen to the citizens' aspirations.

That caused the birth of one more political party in India: the Aam Admi Party or the Common Man's Party.

Will the citizens of India trust the new party and its fragile looking ex-taxman founder ?

Those in the established parties have already declared that AAP cannot be any different. After all AAP is also constituted of the Indians, by the Indians and for the Indians. Just as their parties !

But me and thousands like me wish AAP to be different.

AAP is just organizing. It is calling the citizens to be part of it.

With the limited resources they are trying hard to establish their foot prints.

I happened to read what Arvind Kejriwal had written in his book titled 'Swaraj'. I feel proud of this young Indian who sacrificed his lucrative administrative career and decided to lead the citizens to clean the establishment that has gone corrupt.

Whether AAP would succeed in its mission or not, that only time would tell.

But one should read what is written in this book Swaraj. [ Click SWARAJ to read and download this book in English. क्लिक स्वराज अगर आप हिंदी में इस किताब पढ़ना चाहते हो .]

The Aam Aadmi Party has also made their website [ Visit the website of Aam Aadmi Party here !]

Let us hope their mission would do some good for India in the future !

[View the linked list of all Blogs of the Author Here ! ]

Value and Character of a Genuine Religion !

A majority of the people of our world are followers of some religion. Religion is their platform or institution to express their devotion or faith to a divine power.

But religious faiths and religions have caused immense hatreds, wars and bloodsheds in this world and that is one of the reasons that make those people with a higher mind capacity to think negatively of religion. That might even force them to abandon their belief in any unseen divine universe power and might turn them into atheists.

If God is one and all humans are children of one true God, then this kind of a situation should not arise.

Indeed some thing has gone wrong some where !

To find out that something which went wrong, we should try to find out the character of a true religion and the value such a genuine religion can have in our lives.

Let us consider some of the following statements from my divine guide book regarding the character of a true religion :

Genuine religion renders the religionist socially fragrant and creates insights into human fellowship. But the formalization of religious groups many times destroys the very values for the promotion of which the group was organized.

Human friendship and divine religion are mutually helpful and significantly illuminating if the growth in each is equalized and harmonized. True religion puts new meaning into all group associations—families, schools, and clubs. It imparts new values to play and exalts all true humor.

True religion is a meaningful way of living dynamically face to face with the commonplace realities of everyday life.

But if religion is to stimulate individual development of character and augment integration of personality, it must not be standardized. If it is to stimulate evaluation of experience and serve as a value-lure, it must not be stereotyped. If religion is to promote supreme loyalties, it must not be formalized.

No matter what upheavals may attend the social and economic growth of civilization, religion is genuine and worth while if it fosters in the individual an experience in which the sovereignty of truth, beauty, and goodness prevails, for such is the true spiritual concept of supreme reality. And through love and worship this becomes meaningful as fellowship with man and sonship with God.

After all, it is what one believes rather than what one knows that determines conduct and dominates personal performances. Purely factual knowledge exerts very little influence upon the average man unless it becomes emotionally activated. But the activation of religion is superemotional, unifying the entire human experience on transcendent levels through contact with, and release of, spiritual energies in the mortal life.

During the psychologically unsettled times of the twentieth century, amid the economic upheavals, the moral crosscurrents, and the sociologic rip tides of the cyclonic transitions of a scientific era, thousands upon thousands of men and women have become humanly dislocated; they are anxious, restless, fearful, uncertain, and unsettled; as never before in the world's history they need the consolation and stabilization of sound religion. In the face of unprecedented scientific achievement and mechanical development there is spiritual stagnation and philosophic chaos.

There is no danger in religion's becoming more and more of a private matter—a personal experience—provided it does not lose its motivation for unselfish and loving social service. Religion has suffered from many secondary influences: sudden mixing of cultures, intermingling of creeds, diminution of ecclesiastical authority, changing of family life, together with urbanization and mechanization.

Religion has always been a conservator of morals and a stabilizer of society. And this is still true, notwithstanding the contrary teaching of many modern socialists and humanists.

Always keep in mind: True religion is to know God as your Father and man as your brother.

Religion is not a slavish belief in threats of punishment or magical promises of future mystical rewards.

Sectarianism is a disease of institutional religion, and dogmatism is an enslavement of the spiritual nature. It is far better to have a religion without a church than a church without religion.

As religion becomes institutionalized, its power for good is curtailed, while the possibilities for evil are greatly multiplied.

Man can never wisely decide temporal issues or transcend the selfishness of personal interests unless he meditates in the presence of the sovereignty of God and reckons with the realities of divine meanings and spiritual values.

If you have read it all, please do some meditation on these in solemn divine presence !

 Share your convictions with your fellow beings !

[View the linked list of all Blogs of the Author Here ! ]

പട്ടണവാസികള്‍ ആകാന്‍ വെമ്പുന്ന മലയാളികളുടെ ശ്രദ്ധയ്ക്ക് !

വര്‍ഷങ്ങള്‍ക്കു മുമ്പ്‌ കേരളത്തില്‍ നിന്നും ഉപജീവനാര്‍ത്ഥം നാട് വിടുന്ന മലയാളികളുടെ അഭയ കേന്ദ്രം ആയിരുന്നു ഇന്ന് മുംബൈ എന്നറിയപ്പെടുന്ന ബോംബെ നഗരം. അന്ന് മുംബയിലെ കുടുസ് ഫ്ലാറ്റ് മുറികളില്‍ ഊഴം വച്ചു ഉറങ്ങിയിരുന്ന തലമുറകളുടെ കൈയില്‍ അവരുടെ നാടന്‍ കസിന്‍മാരെ അപേക്ഷിച്ചു ഒരു പക്ഷെ കാശ് കൂടുതല്‍ കാണുമായിരുന്നിരിക്കണം. നാട്ടുകാര്‍ ഫാഷന്‍ എന്ത് എന്ന് മനസ്സിലാക്കിയത് ബോംബെക്കാരെ നോക്കിയാണ് എന്ന് വേണമെങ്കില്‍ പറയാം.

ബോംബെവാസികളായ മലയാളികള്‍ പക്ഷെ ശ്വാസം നന്നായി എടുത്തിരുന്നത് വര്‍ഷത്തില്‍ ഒരിക്കല്‍ നാട്ടില്‍ എത്തുമ്പോഴായിരുന്നു എന്നത് അവരുടെ നാട്ടുകാരായ സ്വന്തക്കാര്‍ ഒരു പക്ഷെ മനസ്സിലാക്കി കാണില്ലായിരിക്കാം.

അത് മനസ്സിലാകണമെങ്കില്‍ ബോംബെ നേരില്‍ കാണണം.

അങ്ങനെ ഒരവസരം വര്‍ഷങ്ങള്‍ക്കു മുമ്പ്‌ എനിക്ക് ലഭിച്ചു. മുംബയിലെ മാത്രമല്ല അതുപോലെ ഉള്ള ഇന്ത്യയിലെ എല്ലാ മഹാനഗരങ്ങളുടെയും അവസ്ഥ ഏതാണ്ട് ഒരുപോലെ ആണെന്ന് മനസ്സിലാക്കാനും സാധിച്ചു.

നഗര ആസൂത്രണമെന്ന കൊനഷ്ടു വിദ്യ ഇന്ത്യക്കാരെ പരിശീലിപ്പിക്കാന്‍ പണ്ട് ഇന്ത്യ ഭരിച്ചിരുന്ന സായിപ്പന്മാര്‍ കുറെ ഒക്കെ പരിശ്രമിച്ചെങ്കിലും നടന്നില്ല. വളരെ ശ്രദ്ധ വച്ച് അവര്‍ സിവില്‍ എഞ്ചിനീയറിംഗ് ഉപരി അഭ്യസന വിദ്യയായി മുനിസിപല്‍ എന്ജിനീരിങ്ങും സാനിട്ടറി എന്ജിനിയരിങ്ങും ഒക്കെ ചില നല്ല സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യാ കേന്ദ്രങ്ങളില്‍ തുടങ്ങി വച്ചെങ്കിലും അതൊക്കെ സായിപ്പനെ വിറ്റ വിദ്യ അറിയാവുന്ന ഇന്ത്യക്കാര്‍ അട്ടിമറിച്ചെന്ന് പറഞ്ഞാല്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞല്ലോ.

ഏതായാലും അത് നിമിത്തം ഇന്ത്യയിലെ മഹാ നഗരങ്ങള്‍ ഒരു ആസൂത്രണവുമില്ലാതെ തന്നത്താന്‍ അങ്ങ് വളര്‍ന്നു വികസിച്ചു.

മനുഷ്യന് കുടിക്കാന്‍ പറ്റിയ വെള്ളമെത്തിക്കുന്നതും, മലമൂത്ര വിസര്‍ജനങ്ങള്‍ അടക്കമുള്ള മാലിന്യം നീക്കം ചെയ്യുന്നതും, ഗതാഗത സൗകര്യം ഒരുക്കുന്നതും, മഴവെള്ളവും മലിന ജലവും ഒഴുക്കി വിടുന്നതും ഒക്കെ രാഷ്ട്രീയര്‍ക്കാര്‍ക്ക് അടക്കം ആര്‍ക്കും കൈകാര്യം ചെയ്യാവുന്ന ചെറുകിട സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യകളായി പരിണമിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു.

അപ്പോപ്പിന്നെ ബോംബയും ചെന്നൈയും ഡല്‍ഹിയും ഒക്കെ നാറ്റ നഗരങ്ങള്‍ ആയതില്‍ അതിശയം ഒന്നും ഇല്ലല്ലോ.

അതൊക്കെ അങ്ങ് ഉത്തര ഇന്ത്യയിലെ കാര്യം ആയിരുന്നു കുറെ നാള്‍ മുമ്പ് വരെ. കേരളക്കാര്‍ പട്ടണങ്ങളെ അത്രയധികം സ്നേഹിച്ചിരുന്നില്ല എന്ന് വേണം കരുതാന്‍.

ഗ്രാമങ്ങളില്‍ തങ്ങള്‍ക്കുള്ള വസ്തു വകകളില്‍ മഹാസൌധങ്ങള്‍ കെട്ടിപ്പൊക്കാന്‍ പട്ടണങ്ങളിലെ മലിനത മൂലം സഹി കെട്ടിരുന്ന മലയാളികള്‍ ശ്രദ്ധ വച്ചു. കേരളം ആകപ്പാടെ ഒരു സുന്ദര ദേശം ആകാന്‍ അത് സഹായകമായി.

പട്ടണവുമല്ല, ഗ്രാമവുമല്ല എന്ന മട്ടിലോ അത് രണ്ടും കൂടിയ മട്ടിലോ ഒക്കെ ആയി കേരളം.

റോഡും ഗതാഗതവും വൈദ്യുതി വിതരണവും സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ ചുമതലയിലും ബാക്കിയൊക്കെ സ്വയം പര്യാപ്തതയിലും എന്ന രീതിയില്‍ കേരളം മുന്നേറി. അധികമൊന്നും നാറാത്ത ഒരു വികസന പ്രക്രിയ.

എന്നാല്‍ പിന്നീട് കമ്പ്യൂട്ടര്‍ വിപ്ലവവും വിനോദ സഞ്ചാര വിപ്ലവവും ആരോഗ്യപരിപാലന സേവന വിപ്ലവവും അധികമാരും ശ്രദ്ധിക്കാതെ കിടന്നിരുന്ന കേരളത്തിലെ ചെറു പട്ടണങ്ങളെ വിഴുങ്ങി കളഞ്ഞു എന്ന് പറയാം.

ഉള്‍നാടുകളില്‍ നല്ല വീടുകളില്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞിരുന്ന പുത്തന്‍ തലമുറയ്ക്കും പഴമക്കാര്‍ക്കും പട്ടണങ്ങളില്‍ ചേക്കേറാന്‍ പൂതി കൂടി. പട്ടണ പ്രദേശങ്ങളില്‍ ആര്‍ക്കും വേണ്ടാതെ കിടന്നിരുന്ന സ്ഥലങ്ങള്‍ അമ്പര ചുംബികളെ കൊണ്ട് നിറഞ്ഞു. അതില്‍ വസിക്കുന്ന പതിനായിരങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് അവരുടെ മാലിന്യം ആര് എവിടെ കൊണ്ട് കളയുന്നു എന്ന് ഒരു പിടിയുമില്ല ! 

പണ്ടത്തെ മുംബൈ നഗരത്തെക്കാള്‍ നാറുന്ന നഗരങ്ങള്‍ ആയി കഴിഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു ഇപ്പോള്‍ കൊച്ചിയും അനന്തപുരിയും ഒക്കെ.

ഇങ്ങനെ ഒരു അനര്‍ത്ഥം ഒരു പക്ഷെ പട്ടണത്തെ സ്നേഹിച്ചു പോയവര്‍ ഒരു പക്ഷെ സ്വപ്നത്തില്‍ പോലും നിരൂപിച്ചു കാണില്ല.

അവരുടെ പ്രശ്നങ്ങള്‍ കൈ കാര്യം ചെയ്യാന്‍ കഴിവുള്ള രാഷ്ട്രീയക്കാരും ഇല്ലാതെ പോയി.

പറഞ്ഞിട്ടെന്തു കാര്യം ? രാഷ്ട്രീയക്കാരെ ഉപദേശിക്കാന്‍ പറ്റിയ സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്വാന്‍മാരും ഇല്ലെന്നു തോന്നുന്നു.

നിങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് എന്തു തോന്നുന്നു ?

[View the linked list of all Blogs of the Author Here ! ]

Education Service through Societies: A Non Profit Service With Huge Potential Gains for Some !

Today let me use this columns to discuss about an honorable business in India which very eminent personalities use for gaining respect and money very safely and legally under the aegis of what are known as Societies.

Yes, I am referring to the modern education business of India.

Earlier I had written some blogs on the subject, which you may read by clicking the linked title below:

School Education System in India: Systematic Undermining of the Constitution !

In this blog let us examine how the school education business or for that matter any education system is established in the guise of social service or charity which ultimately provides the scope for gaining money and status legally, but not so much as a charitable service or mindset.

The legal framework for this activity is provided by a law that was enacted more than a century ago by the British Raj through this statute: The Societies Registration Act -1860

Many of the state governments of India had enacted statutes as applicable in those states based on the above said act with some modifications.

For example here you can see the rules framed by the Delhi Government for registration of Societies in Delhi:

Now we should appreciate the fact that the original act of 1860 was enacted to facilitate associations of like minded people to do some charitable non profit activity for the benefit of the people and not for making profits. Mostly the charity work used to be associated with some religious devotion as well and hence the act also recognized the religious aspect of the charitable work that could be managed through a Society formed in accordance with this act.

Therefore the Societies Act has only provisions for its members contributing to a common objective and does not have any provisions for the members to share any profits or money or wealth that the Society may possess in the course of time.

Any Society registered with the Registrar of Societies of the state is a legal entity set up under this statute.

Hundreds and perhaps thousands of Societies got set up in the past by various religious groups and even by various governments which run various institutions especially educational institutions for imparting knowledge. Thousands more are getting registered every year for various purposes especially for setting up educational institutions such as schools and colleges including public schools, engineering colleges, medical colleges and management institutions.

The management of the Socities are carried out by their governing committees or councils based on the bye-laws of the concerned Society. Elections are democratically done to elect the various office bearers such as the President, Secretary, Treasurer, etc. Essentially, it is the President of the Chairman who matters much in the management of a Society because it is this office bearer who has the controlling power in most instances.

Educational Societies have been good platforms for eminent personalities to get associated and get some additional influential and respectful position among the public.

But in the recent years it has become a forum for much unnoticed corruption and money laundering.

For example let us take a typical public school in India run by any such Society which has been in existence for the past few decades.

Typically such a school is likely to have a strength of 5000 students. Assuming that they collect an average fee of Rs 1500 per student per month (in the metros it is much higher !) the school collects something to the tune of Rs.9 Cr in a year as fees.

Typically this school would have nearly 100 teaching staff and another about 30 non-teaching staff.

Evenif the Society that runs the school makes a good payment to the staff it never exceeds an average of Rs 30,000/- per month per staff. That makes a cash outflow of Rs.4.68 Cr towards staff salaries, the major component of expenditure of the school.

Let us also assume that the school is well maintained and the school spends considerably for other such activities. Even when they spend another Rs 2.3 Cr for that, they make a neat Rs.2 Cr as yearly profit.

Since the money is gained by the Society under the Societies Registration Act with an objective of imparting knowledge on a non-profit charitable basis as declared in its objective, the Society is not required to pay any income tax.

The excess amount accumulates in the Society's bank account soon swelling to many crores in a couple of years that make the Society and its management committee powerful with regard to money.

Ofcourse they cannot share the profits as legal dividents as per the existing laws that govern the Societies.

But they can siphon out money by corrupt practices without any enforcement agency ever seriously watching them.

They can spend money for lavish constructions at exhorbitant rates and take huge kickbacks as commissions. They can make deals for purchase of land and other items and again take kickbacks.

And when this happens in the Societies formed by private citizens can we call these as corruption ?

The law is silent !

But in a way it is corruption, because the source of the funds of the Society comes from the fees paid by the general public for educating their children.

If the society had been a non-profit organization as defined in their bye-laws, they should not have charged the parents heavily on fees and other such things if their expenditure is well within their income.

In other words, the fees would have been commensurate with their expenditure which is subtantiated by proper audits and presented to the public.

There are many good schools and school running Societies and most of them have their own websites.

Interestingly, none of the schools publish their income expenditure statements. They are all secrets.

I also doubt whether they file any mandatory returns to the authorities.

Now with this kind of a legal situation, many businessmen are getting attracted to this field of education business.

Considering the fact that only seven individuals are needed to set up a Society, a few family members and relatives can form a Society, invest some money and establish a perennially paying business. Only thing that they should know is how to take back the money for their personal needs. They can appoint themselves as various kinds of officials of the Society and get paid in different ways.

To gain some respect, many such family run charities may have some retired influential government officials in their member list. In reality such members are actually dummy members with out any actual say or decision making powers.

Many Societies in India are cash rich and so they can determine the ways the governments work by various kinds of influences.

It is an area of power, money, influence and status.

Operating smoothly and invisibly.

And shamefully non-charitable !

Proliferation of such Societies, has no doubt, contributed to the rapid growth of private educational institutions in India in the recent past. 

Charity had not motivated many in the past, but the lure of money making in indirect manner through the same law, has now contributed to this growth.

But time has come for the governments to intervene to prevent such money laundering through such charitable Societies and find ways and means to differentiate actual charity work from pseudo charities.

It is time that people know what these Societies are doing with their money ?

It is time that they are made accountable ! 

What do you think ?

[You may also read this in this context : School Education: An Open Suggestion to the Government ! ] 

[View the linked list of all Blogs of the Author Here ! ]

Earning Money While Hobbying and Learning Using Internet !

One of the greatest inventions humans have ever made in their evolutionary history is the invention of the computers and the use of computers in global communications and knowledge management.

Even when the micro details of computer hardware and software could be complex and boring technicalities, at macro level they are quite refreshing and simple.

The evolution of computers and the internet happened in my life time and it is still advancing. Millions of the new generation youngsters around the world have made this field as their sole source of earning a livelihood.

For millions of others, there is no source of earning and living  if computers were to disappear from the scenes.

The level of money the new generation computer companies make is unimaginable and ununderstandable by the conventional business men and politicians of around the world.

Even it is beyond comprehension by the so called technically learned people. I am no exception.

But it is somehow a marvellous example to demonstrate the truthfulness of what people say : drops make an ocean ! After all, business is all about making ocean from drops !

In the internet business today, sharing of information and knowledge is the fundamental of doing business and making money.

While a good number of people browse the world wide web of the internet for fun, hobby and some information by spending small affordable sums of money, huge accumulations of money happen in some pockets.

Again what makes the whole thing going continuously is its ability to keep people hooked up with new and new ideas and innovations.

While in the process of being hooked up to the internet casually for some time during my spare time, I have come across scores of instances and advertisements in the world wide communication highway which announce the details of making money casually without much serious efforts.

It appears that there are ample opportunities for people with some time and motivation for making money through the internet without being in the pay roll of any company or on regular employment.

Since money making is not a motivation for me, I have personally not ventured to try any of those seriously yet.

But the other day, it so happened that I got a link sent to me by some of my twitter account [join me here !] followers which opened up an invitation to me to join a site which claimed that it would help in making a few dollars for fun.

As I had some time, I thought of giving some attention to what they wanted to say.

What they explained did not go fully to my head.

But here is the gist of what I understood:

I can become a member of the said dot com company by simply registering with them using the registration page.

All I need is to fill up  my name, my valid e-mail id, a suitable password for accessing the website and a user name which would work as the user id. By filling these information I would be able to sign up to this site.

It was so simple and so, I signed up.

Then they have sent me a validation mail to my e-mail id with an e-mail validation link. Clicking  the same validated my e-mail account and perhaps my existence for them.

Then followed a few mails from them which explained the process by which I could earn very small fractions of dollars by clicking some advertisements that they post me when I sign in to their site using my user name and pass word.

Further instructions followed on completing my profile and the manner in which I should get the money that I would earn in the process from them.

Okay, it all appeared very genuine and reasonable, though I haven't made any dollars yet.

There seems to be ample potential for those who are keen and have the time to study the whole process carefully.

For me it is just a test case to understand the dynamics of the internet business out of curiosity.

But I know there are many others for whom opportunity to earn some money is important.

If you happen to be one of that kind or one of the curious one of my kind, I am giving here a link through which you could also sign up for this site and proceed to make some money at leisure. [Click and Sign Up Here !]

If you find it useful share your experience with others as well.

Best of Luck !

But this blog would not be complete if I do not write a word of caution.

The internet being an ocean of all kinds of information, there are ample situations of danger too in it.

All kinds of fraudsters operate in the world wide web with various kinds of offers and lures.

Opportunities of simple money making is perhaps the biggest lure. I am not sure in what all ways the fraudsters operate.

So beware and be cautious !

It would perhaps be better if we do not get lured in to such things !

[ View the linked list of all Blogs of the Author Here ! ]

Organization of the Universe According to the Urantia Book !

Our scientists and astronomers in various astrophysical laboratories and universities in the world are working hard to theorise and prove the origin and organization of the universe. Inventions in telescopy and capability to go out in to the orbits of our planet and beyond in the last few decades have given us some confidence that we can eventually solve the mysteries regarding all these.

NASA's scientists using their Hubble Space Telescope have been doing immense discoveries regarding far flung star clusters, black holes and nebulae that are beyond the understanding of the common masses, for the past few years.

But with all these scientific studies, could they come up to some precise understanding of the universe ?

Perhaps not.

Okay, I leave them to find out those things in their own way.

But the super human authors of the Urantia Book [My favorite book ! If you have not heard about it, know more about it by clicking the hyperlink ! ] have already told me more about the organization of the universe which itself is beyond my comprehension.

Since they (the authors) are non-material beings, they do not have the limitations of the human beings or even the Hubble telescope. They are visitors to the far flung globes and they know for sure what they speak of !

Let me reproduce some of those things that they have revealed to us through the book that I mentioned which explains the way the universe is organized :

The immensity of the far-flung creation of the Universal Father (God) is utterly beyond the grasp of finite imagination; the enormousness of the master universe staggers the concept of even my order of being. But the mortal mind can be taught much about the plan and arrangement of the universes; you can know something of their physical organization and marvelous administration; you may learn much about the various groups of intelligent beings who inhabit the seven superuniverses of time and the central universe of eternity.

In principle, that is, in eternal potential, we conceive of material creation as being infinite because the Universal Father is actually infinite, but as we study and observe the total material creation, we know that at any given moment in time it is limited, although to your finite minds it is comparatively limitless, virtually boundless.

We are convinced, from the study of physical law and from the observation of the starry realms, that the infinite Creator is not yet manifest in finality of cosmic expression, that much of the cosmic potential of the Infinite is still self-contained and unrevealed.

To created beings the master universe might appear to be almost infinite, but it is far from finished; there are still physical limits to the material creation, and the experiential revelation of the eternal purpose is still in progress.

The authors give us much details about the eternal centre of the universe. According to them the enormous special material body which is stationary and non-spherical and of eternal existence is the central nucleus of the whole of the Universe. They designate this Universe with a word that is familiar to many of us that we use for denoting the residence of God. That is Paradise ! [ You may read more about this in this blog : Paradise is not an Imagination; It is Real ! ] Now let us see more about the organization of the Universe or more precisely the universes:

Proceeding outward from Paradise through the horizontal extension of pervaded space, the master universe is existent in six concentric ellipses, the space levels encircling the central Isle:

1. The Central Universe—Havona. 2. The Seven Superuniverses. 3. The First Outer Space Level. 4. The Second Outer Space Level. 5. The Third Outer Space Level 6. The Fourth and Outermost Space Level.

Havona, the central universe, is not a time creation; it is an eternal existence. This never-beginning, never-ending universe consists of one billion spheres of sublime perfection and is surrounded by the enormous dark gravity bodies. At the center of Havona is the stationary and absolutely stabilized Isle of Paradise, surrounded by its twenty-one satellites. Owing to the enormous encircling masses of the dark gravity bodies about the fringe of the central universe, the mass content of this central creation is far in excess of the total known mass of all seven sectors of the grand universe.

The Paradise-Havona System, the eternal universe encircling the eternal Isle, constitutes the perfect and eternal nucleus of the master universe; all seven of the superuniverses and all regions of outer space revolve in established orbits around the gigantic central aggregation of the Paradise satellites and the Havona spheres.

The Seven Superuniverses are not primary physical organizations; nowhere do their boundaries divide a nebular family, neither do they cross a local universe, a prime creative unit. Each superuniverse is simply a geographic space clustering of approximately one seventh of the organized and partially inhabited post-Havona creation, and each is about equal in the number of local universes embraced and in the space encompassed. Nebadon, your local universe, is one of the newer creations in Orvonton, the seventh superuniverse.

The Grand Universe is the present organized and inhabited creation. It consists of the seven superuniverses, with an aggregate evolutionary potential of around seven trillion inhabited planets, not to mention the eternal spheres of the central creation. But this tentative estimate takes no account of architectural administrative spheres, neither does it include the outlying groups of unorganized universes. The present ragged edge of the grand universe, its uneven and unfinished periphery, together with the tremendously unsettled condition of the whole astronomical plot, suggests to our star students that even the seven superuniverses are, as yet, uncompleted. As we move from within, from the divine center outward in any one direction, we do, eventually, come to the outer limits of the organized and inhabited creation; we come to the outer limits of the grand universe. And it is near this outer border, in a far-off corner of such a magnificent creation, that your local universe has its eventful existence.

The Outer Space Levels. Far out in space, at an enormous distance from the seven inhabited superuniverses, there are assembling vast and unbelievably stupendous circuits of force and materializing energies. Between the energy circuits of the seven superuniverses and this gigantic outer belt of force activity, there is a space zone of comparative quiet, which varies in width but averages about four hundred thousand light-years. These space zones are free from star dust—cosmic fog. Our students of these phenomena are in doubt as to the exact status of the space-forces existing in this zone of relative quiet which encircles the seven superuniverses. But about one-half million light-years beyond the periphery of the present grand universe we observe the beginnings of a zone of an unbelievable energy action which increases in volume and intensity for over twenty-five million light-years. These tremendous wheels of energizing forces are situated in the first outer space level, a continuous belt of cosmic activity encircling the whole of the known, organized, and inhabited creation.

My dear reader, there are more of such information in the Urantia Book.

Information that is being revealed for the first time to human beings at a time they have evolved to a level to understand such complex knowledge at least to some extent.

Personally speaking I am thrilled to know that there are nearly 7 trillion material spheres in this Universe where intelligent living beings like we humans of earth live. I am also thrilled to know about the 100 billion odd non-evolutionary administrative worlds in this Universe.

The authors of the Urantia Book inform me the reason why they are invisible to me and also about the future likely adventure that is in store for human beings like me. Many of us are thrilled to visit other parts of our world now. Imagine the future when we are in a position to visit other worlds ! Ofcourse that is a future that exists after we cease to exist as material beings ! Our scientist Einstein had already found out that materials cannot travel more than the speed of light. And all those worlds are many light years away !

They remind  us the limitations that we have now due to which we are unable to visit the other worlds, though our NASA scientists are now in a position to scientifically deduce the existence of those worlds.

In other words the Urantia Book authors assure us of the existence of God and a Universe Administration intelligently doing every thing for some good cause.

More than anything else it reinforces my belief in God !

Now my belief is not just a belief, it is a conviction !

I would be very happy if you too get that conviction !

Because a lowly earth being who lives with firm and truthful conviction about the existence of God and His purpose is a potential Universe Citizen !


[ View the linked list of all Blogs of the Author Here ! ]

Some Ridiculous Income Tax Provisions of India !

Income Tax or IT is a taxation tool in the hands of the Finance Minister of India Union to use against the Indians every year in the month of February during the secretive ceremonial presentation of the Union Budget in the Parliament.

I am not against the government taxing its citizens. After all that is what the governments are for !

But I am a bit confused and surprised at the manner in which it is done year after year.

Decades ago, the IT never used to be a major contributor to the national exchequer. It used to the the indirect taxes such as excise duty, sales tax, customs duty, etc on the goods. Later services used to be introduced in the tax net and now service tax has become a major contributor. Another new taxation idea that came up in the recent past is the value added tax or VAT.

When some of the irrational taxation stipulations in IT, for example the high rates as high as 90%,  were removed,  IT also became a major contributor to the national exchequer in the recent years. Perhaps, more and more people started giving the income tax, instead of evading it.

The highest income tax rate in India for some years has stabilized at around 33 % of the  taxable income of the individual or the corporate. The taxable income used to be different from the gross income because the former was deduced after giving some rebates and allowances in the latter.

Earlier IT rebate used to be  a long list. Those with a good knowledge of the loop holes of the tax system could use their knowledge to their convenience to get their tax liability reduced considerably. Income tax consultants thrived on this. Top officials of the government and top executives in some private industries used it well for their advantage.

For example perquisites or perks of the salaried class were not covered in the income tax. The private sector companies in many instances therefore used to pay their employees more in perks than in actual salaries. Cash awards received by individuals were another thing which was not taxed. If a high influential officer gets a cash award of say a few lakh rupees it used to be tax free !

However in recent years most of the perks became taxable. 

In this process tax authorities introduced some ridiculous provisions that make some of the employees of the Public Sector Undertakings (step children of the government !) in utter disadvantage as compared to their elite fellows in government service or private sector service.

For example, they introduced this concept that if any employee is given any accommodation by the employer then it is deemed as a perk having some value. Regardless of what the employer charges for the housing facility, the government introduced a ridiculous rule to calculate the value of the housing perk.

If the employee stays in any accommodation provided by the employer in a metro city, the value of the housing perk is 30% [ In tier two cities it is 20% and in cities of lower population it is 10%] of the basic salary. This value (not actually paid) is then added to the income of the individual and taxed as income tax.

Now let us see how this works out for three different people employed in Delhi.

First let us take three types of employees, A , B and C,  getting the same basic pay , say Rs.50,000/-

A is a government officer, B is a PSU officer and C is a private company officer.

If they do not avail the quarters provided by their respective employers both A and B can get 30% of their salary (Rs.15,000) as House Rent Allowance or HRA and for C it can be any thing as per his company policy. This HRA if availed will be taxed in this case at the maximum rate and effectively they get a net of about 10,000 in hand as net HRA. They might get a rented 2-3 bedroom flat in delhi by paying another 10,000 from their pocket. Or they can think of getting their own flat by taking a loan and the net HRA would help in paying their EMI to some extent. [Considering the cost of a 2 BR flat in Delhi at more than Rs 100,00,000/- it would be just impossible for these people to own a flat in Delhi with their income from salary alone! And that is another point to be noted !)

Now there is a possibility that A who is a government officer could get a decent quarters in Delhi. For B, the chances of getting a quarter from his government owned company depends on which company it is. For C, the company might get him a leased accommodation if it is a reputed one. In all these cases, the type of accommodation and the facilities that these three people get widely vary. If fortunate and well connected, the government officer might get the most spacious bungalow as his residential quarters having a potential market rent that is substantial. If not so lucky, both A and B might get some dilapidated substandard quarters some where.

But if they take the accommodation that is provided by the employer, regardless of its quality or facilities, the IT rules ridiculously stipulate that its perquisite value should be at 30% of their basic pay. Thus their gross salary is deemed as risen by Rs.15000/- per month and an IT of 5000/- per month drains out from their salary income. The government takes out Rs.5000/- from them as IT per month on account of them staying in a dilapidated 'sarkari' quarters !

Now  a person who happens to be provided with a decent well maintained accommodation, will not cry for this, perhaps. But that is not the case with  his colleague who is forced to live in a shabby dilapidated quarters paying the same tax on account of the housing provided by the employer. In reality a good majority of the employers, whether they are government departments, PSUs or private organizations or academic institutions, do not give much importance to maintain their townships and housing facilities that had been built up in the past decades. Any one travelling in India can well distinguish the employee quarters provided by these organizations because of the extreme neglect of these by the respective organizations ! 

It is quite possible that the government officers who assist the Finance Minister in preparing the budget proposals live in good government accommodations and are blind to the actual realities elsewhere !

Thus a person who opts for HRA gets Rs 15000/- per month in hand extra while the one who lives in a shabby accommodation provided by his employer gets poorer by Rs.5000/- per month. The disparity widens as all these calculations are done on the persons basic salary with no consideration whatsoever to the facility provided.

The best approach in this would be that all employers should give HRA to their employees and the employees should be allowed to choose the accommodation either rented or their own. The employers should offer the quarters by declaring their rents.

There are many more such ridiculous rules and stipulations that need to be rationalized.

For example the IT rebate for housing loan interest that is declared from time to time does not help any one considering the cost of housing as it stands today.

Education has become the costliest affair now in India as the government has washed it hands from that responsibility.

But it is more of a ridiculous insult when the government offers rebates to the tune of few hundred rupees to a person who spends thousands or lakhs as fees to educate his wards ! It is better that such rebates are not offered at all !

Self employed and business people are allowed to deduct depreciation of their cars and certain other items from their income while no such facility is available to the employed class. This makes the business people to change their vehicles every 5 years while their salaried fellows with equivalent incomes look on enviously with no such IT bonanza for them . Perhaps this makes some of them look towards other means of earning income by adopting corrupt practices !

There are many such ridiculous things in the Indian income tax rules that keep changing and swinging as per the whims and fancies of the Finance Ministers and their advisers.

I am just waiting to see what is in store this year !

Read also this:

Income Tax e-Filing in India : Did Anyone Foresee These Problems Before Making it Mandatory?

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