Thought Control

Thought control refers to the control of our thoughts while traveling through the seas of life. As a kid we live in the moment enjoying everything that we come across with true spontaneity.As we grow older we spend an inordinate amount of time either regretting something in the past or worrying about the future and spoil a perfectly lovely present.
We do not realize that what is past is over and we should move on. This type of activity is a waste and does not serve any purpose. The key here is to control our thoughts so that we do not waste our mental breath on either things that have happened and cannot be changed or by worrying about events that may happen in the future.
Rather we should spend the time in learning from the past or in planning for a brighter future. Our minds come to each one of us with a fatigue limit.
Our minds can handle only so much of worrying, regretting, hoping, anxiety etc. After that we are just exhausted and do not have energy to focus on issues or opportunities in the present. Sometimes certain words or actions of others hurt us and tends to rankle in our minds. What happens after that is we spend our time reliving the situation and keep getting angrier by the moment. It is very essential that we break out of this cyclical thought process and move on in life. As difficult as it is, it definitely makes more sense to step back and look at the whole incident objectively and learn from it.
We then have to learn to consciously just “let go”. The ideal way to progress in life is to conserve our mental energies and focus fully on the task at hand. Our performance and the results will be far greater when we do not fritter away our energies on regrets, worries, and hatred and mind games. This is the true secret of success. We need to be aware of the workings of our mind and manage it intelligently so that our energies are always channelized to opportunities that require our whole hearted attention. We have to conserve our energy and follow the dictum, ‘When eating eat and when sleeping sleep’. We should neither be too overjoyed at good news nor feel down in the dumps when something bad happens. All these sap our mental forces and there is no energy when it is most needed. This active thought control requires us to put our heart and soul into what we do by conserving our mental energies in order for us to succeed. Finally as physicist Sean Carroll of California Institute of Technology puts it “The past has happened and the future is up for grabs".

10 for a Better Bangalore

(On a more personal note, I am nostalgic writing about the place I love the most – All the memories to cherish, family, friends, Food, weather, people and most importantly the feeling of home)

From being a somnolent hamlet to an active metro. From being referred to as a pensioners' paradise to a fashionable city, Bangalore has grown by leaps and bounds in the last two and a half decades. The city has projected itself onto the world map, thanks mainly to its admirable weather, sociable locals, multiethnic culture, scientific and defense installations, top scholastic institutions, high-end hospitals, and above all, software companies. Metro Rail is all set to get on to the tracks. Eco friendly Volvo buses for commuters are traversing the city. The job market is on a high, attracting bright youth from all over the country. There's simply no looking back.

But the other side of this success story is rather gloomy. The city's administrators have failed to provide matching infrastructure. They laze around in the glory that the software industry brought. They gained dividends from huge investments and netted big revenue. But they failed to give ample power and water supply, good roads, better connectivity, fast transport and a corruption-free system. Result: Haphazard growth. Frequent power breakdowns, incomplete fly overs, traffic jams, inadequate drinking water supply.

This doesn't mean that nothing good is happening. Expansion is on. But it’s all at snail pace. Lokayukta has fixed corruption. But the government has been slow in taking action against the guilty. A single window has been created to meet the needs of the industry, but it's anything but single. Infrastructure projects are being given a push. But vested interests, particularly corrupt politicians, are erecting either caste based or personal hurdles. Big promises remain on paper. For every step taken forward, the city moves two steps back.

It's still not late. The city needs efficient policy makers and law abiding officials who are given a free hand. It has some brilliant minds armed with strategies. After all, we ask for a peaceful city to live in.



1. Uninterrupted Power Supply: There is no reprieve from Power cuts anytime during the year- summer power cuts to account for no rains- monsoon power cuts due to rain and winter power cuts to save for summer. Maintenance of trees will be done without shutting down. No fluctuations. No unscheduled breaks. Streets will be brightly lit. Like any global city.



2. 24x7 Drinking Water Supply: The Chennai City officials made it mandatory for every house to have a rain water harvesting system to replenish the ground water table. Irony, Chennai never gets rain. When the existing alternate day supply, that too for a few hours, will become part of history. No water leakage or broken pipes. No theft. Rainwater harvesting system will be strictly enforced.



3. Garbage-free City: Follow the 3 Rs – Recyle, Reuse and Rethink. Effective garbage disposal. No overflowing garbage lorries. Solid waste management process will be strictly implemented. Busy roads will be cleaned at night. Heavy fines will be imposed to deter people from littering and dumping debris on road side bins and letting animals lose on public roads.



4. Smooth Traffic Flow: Better roads, lane system and orderly traffic. Elevated roads, underpasses, subways, skywalks and good footpaths will be in plenty. Toll roads and expressways will help traffic move out of the city. Multi-storied parking slots at crucial points. No overtaking, no honking, no road rage. More effective traffic lights and avoid blocking roads during politician visits in the city.



5. Better Transport: Something that makes us wonder- When Metro Rail will become the main mode of transport- how will people commute to and from the stations? How can the city accommodate parking near the stations? Monorail will serve as an effective feeder service. State-of-the-art buses will ply across the city. Dependence on autorickshaws will come down drastically. Use of two-wheelers and priavte cars will be cut down too.



6. Safe from Terror and Crime: An alert police force equipped with modern gadgets, weaponry, and vehicles police to keep vigil. An intelligence wing to keep a constant watch on suspicious elements and their activities. Policemen can someday be citizen-friendly.

7. Coordination between Civic Bodies: Civic workers and Officials from various departments must put their heads together and chalk out a work plan before a project is to be taken up. Avoid politicizing the issue and keep the corruption out of reach for anyone involved at any given time.



8. Road Safety: Keep drains covered to avert accidental deaths and to prevent dumping of garbage and debris. Regular desilting of lakes and sewage can prevent inundation of roads and low-lying areas during rains and have a mosquito-free environment.



9. Corruption-free Govt Offices: Lokayukta must have full powers to punish the corrupt and attach their property. Surprise raids be conducted. Whistle-blowers be awarded. Educated leaders and politicians must have candidacy in elections and not interfere in government work. There should be a minimum level of qualification for any of the people chosen leaders in all constituencies in the city.



10. Planned Growth: Good infrastructure support from private and commercial establishments. Proper approach roads, basement parking facilities, lung space, good drainage and fire safety. Encroachers will be punished. Officials who clear violations for a price will be put behind bars and their property attached. Tier-2 cities will be encouraged.



Its easy for us to read and wonder if a person is right in just blogging unrealistic ideas but these are some of the most common mistakes we can set right to make our home get a better tomorrow. This is the Bangalore of tomorrow.



Parting shot
Cash-for-vote politicians beware. Voters have learnt to se through your game. You can't take them for granted anymore. In a locality in Chikmagalur district, Karnataka, voters have laid down a condition for local politicians contesting a by-election. The local association had the following request - "If you want our votes, deposit a non-refundable sum of Rs. 30 lakh with the residents' association for a road that the area badly needs." And, for people who vote for the politician, ignoring this condition, the diktat says - "If you vote, you'll be fined Rs. 1001." Times are, indeed, changing.

What Life Means today