ANI – Fri 27 Jan, 2012 (from Yahoo news)
Nevada (US), Jan 25 (ANI): A school in New Zealand has a 'Sanskrit Language Studies' program and claims that learning Sanskrit accelerates a child's reading ability.
Ficino School in Mt Eden area of Auckland (New Zealand), calls itself a 'values-based academic institution' and offers education for girls and boys from year one to eight. It says about Sanskrit: "It has a wonderful system of sound and grammar, which gives the child an excellent base for the study of any language. Children love its order and beauty."
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has applauded Ficino School for fostering universal virtues and encouraging Sanskrit studies and adds that Sanskrit has a close relationship with other classical languages like Latin, Greek, French, German, etc.
According to Peter Crompton, principal of this school founded in 1997, where curriculum includes "food for the mind, food for the spirit, food for the body", "Sanskrit with its almost perfect grammatical system...provides children with a roadmap for understanding English." Sanskrit not only gives young learners a clear understanding of the structure of language, it also heightens their awareness of the process of speech, creating a greater understanding of and ability to, enunciate words clearly, Crompton adds.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, pointed out that Sanskrit should be restored to its rightful place. It needed to be brought to the mainstream and hidden scientific truths in ancient Sanskrit literature should be brought to light, he said.
Rajan Zed strongly criticized India Government for not doing enough for Sanskrit language. He asked India Government to do much more for the development, propagation, encouragement and promotion of Sanskrit in India and the world, which was essential for the development of India and preservation of its cultural heritage. Sanskrit also provided the theoretical foundation of ancient sciences.
Besides Hindu scriptures, a vast amount of Buddhist and Jain scriptures were also written in Sanskrit, which is known as "the language of the gods". According to tradition, self-born God created Sanskrit, which is everlasting and divine. The oldest scripture of mankind still in common use, Rig-Veda, was written in Sanskrit, Zed added.
Mahatma Gandhi said, "Without the study of Sanskrit, one cannot become a true learned man." German philologist Max Muller added, "Sanskrit is the greatest language of the world." (ANI)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
MYSTERY OF CHINA'S WHITE DESERT LINES SOLVED?
A space researcher has offered what he believes is the correct solution to a mystery that's been flying around cyberspace for the past week: A strange tangle of white lines in China's Gobi desert discovered in Google Map images. Military pundits, armchair investigators, and conspiracy theorists have had a field day with the strange set of lines.
It's a UFO landing strip!
It's a mockup of the streets of Washington, D.C., constructed for nefarious military purposes!
It's a top-secret military installation doing experiments in controlling the weather!
It's a nuclear testing range!
It's a hoax: the Google Map images themselves are fakes, and the lines are not actually there!
A previous Discovery News piece concluded that it probably had some military connection (such as target practice range, based in part on the fact that other similar sites in the area had airplanes sitting in them), and now a NASA scientist thinks he’s got it figured out.
NEWS: The Ethics of Revealing Secrets
According to a story on Fox News the latest (and most plausible) theory is that “they are almost definitely used to calibrate China’s spy satellites. So says Jonathon Hill, a research technician and mission planner at the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University, which operates many of the cameras used during NASA’s Mars missions.”
The satellite calibration target solution seems as good an answer as any, and better than most. China, like many countries including the United States, is known to have spy satellites in orbit.
There's been no official explanation from the Chinese government—which is not surprising, since China doesn't need to "explain" some white lines in its desert to anyone, including NASA and President Obama. Of course even if Hu Jintao, the President of China, publicly offered a clear and complete explanation of the mysterious lines, conspiracy-minded folks wouldn’t believe him anyway.
It's a UFO landing strip!
It's a mockup of the streets of Washington, D.C., constructed for nefarious military purposes!
It's a top-secret military installation doing experiments in controlling the weather!
It's a nuclear testing range!
It's a hoax: the Google Map images themselves are fakes, and the lines are not actually there!
A previous Discovery News piece concluded that it probably had some military connection (such as target practice range, based in part on the fact that other similar sites in the area had airplanes sitting in them), and now a NASA scientist thinks he’s got it figured out.
NEWS: The Ethics of Revealing Secrets
According to a story on Fox News the latest (and most plausible) theory is that “they are almost definitely used to calibrate China’s spy satellites. So says Jonathon Hill, a research technician and mission planner at the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University, which operates many of the cameras used during NASA’s Mars missions.”
The satellite calibration target solution seems as good an answer as any, and better than most. China, like many countries including the United States, is known to have spy satellites in orbit.
There's been no official explanation from the Chinese government—which is not surprising, since China doesn't need to "explain" some white lines in its desert to anyone, including NASA and President Obama. Of course even if Hu Jintao, the President of China, publicly offered a clear and complete explanation of the mysterious lines, conspiracy-minded folks wouldn’t believe him anyway.
NRI woman delivers 'Jhatpat' on US train
TOI (PTI | Jan 18, 2012)
NEW YORK: An Indian-origin woman gave birth to her first child during the train ride from New Jersey to New York, in what would be her most unforgettable journey.
At first, Rabita Sarker, 31, of New Jersey said she thought she was experiencing false labour pains as she boarded the train run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in Jersey City. But as the Manhattanbound train entered New York, Sarker knew her baby could nor wait any longer.
As she went into labour, few passengers helped her panicked husband deliver the baby boy they nicknamed "Jhatpat" - the Hindi word for "fast", a report in the New York Daily News said.
"He decided to come and that was it. Nothing could stop him. Nothing could keep him inside for longer," the report quoted Sarker as saying.
She was later admitted to a New York hospital. "I don't think anybody could actually dream of such a delivery," she added. Sarker and her 30-year-old husband, Aditya Saurabh, were already on their way to the hospital for a medical check-up.
"We were coming here to check if it was false labour or not," she said. "I was like, 'Okay, I'm just doing it for peace of mind'". Wanting to avoid the always-crowded Lincoln Tunnel, they decided to take the commuter train 'PATH' that runs from New Jersey to New York.
----------- ---------- --------------- --------------
Interesting chain of comments follow the online news item.
reproducing a few:
"Both are intelligent and rich people. Rabita Sarkar is from IIT Kharagpur and MS from Rutgers University. Aditya Saurabh works at Amazon and is from University of Texas."
"congratulations my friends, May God be with you and my Best Wishesto you both and family. Do come to california as my guest -Air tickets are on me 408 621 3314..Best of Luck"
"something else happened which tells u how US treats its ordinary residents/citizens. It was instantly decided by the train driver as soon as he was informed of this to make this an EXPRESS train..this is actually a kind of mumbai local but this was considered an emergency and the train stopped only at Manhattan hospital stop where there were scores of ambulances and cops waiting to greet and take care of them! (of course with everything computerized-i am sure the trains control center had approved this instantly)"
"Also please tell everybody about the $900 bill for each ambulance that is on the way to the new born's family. lol"
"We heard about ‘it’s happen only in INDIA’ really right INDIAN will do everything possible anywhere everywhere........hahaha"
"NRI will go to any level for saving $$$ enjoy ur life in USA"
"There should be Free for Life pass to this Child Jhatpat on this Railway rout !!"
"Haha .. While going through the comments I forgot the about the actual news... funny/ Crazy ppl... BTW congrats to the new mommy and dad .."
NEW YORK: An Indian-origin woman gave birth to her first child during the train ride from New Jersey to New York, in what would be her most unforgettable journey.
At first, Rabita Sarker, 31, of New Jersey said she thought she was experiencing false labour pains as she boarded the train run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in Jersey City. But as the Manhattanbound train entered New York, Sarker knew her baby could nor wait any longer.
As she went into labour, few passengers helped her panicked husband deliver the baby boy they nicknamed "Jhatpat" - the Hindi word for "fast", a report in the New York Daily News said.
"He decided to come and that was it. Nothing could stop him. Nothing could keep him inside for longer," the report quoted Sarker as saying.
She was later admitted to a New York hospital. "I don't think anybody could actually dream of such a delivery," she added. Sarker and her 30-year-old husband, Aditya Saurabh, were already on their way to the hospital for a medical check-up.
"We were coming here to check if it was false labour or not," she said. "I was like, 'Okay, I'm just doing it for peace of mind'". Wanting to avoid the always-crowded Lincoln Tunnel, they decided to take the commuter train 'PATH' that runs from New Jersey to New York.
----------- ---------- --------------- --------------
Interesting chain of comments follow the online news item.
reproducing a few:
"Both are intelligent and rich people. Rabita Sarkar is from IIT Kharagpur and MS from Rutgers University. Aditya Saurabh works at Amazon and is from University of Texas."
"congratulations my friends, May God be with you and my Best Wishesto you both and family. Do come to california as my guest -Air tickets are on me 408 621 3314..Best of Luck"
"something else happened which tells u how US treats its ordinary residents/citizens. It was instantly decided by the train driver as soon as he was informed of this to make this an EXPRESS train..this is actually a kind of mumbai local but this was considered an emergency and the train stopped only at Manhattan hospital stop where there were scores of ambulances and cops waiting to greet and take care of them! (of course with everything computerized-i am sure the trains control center had approved this instantly)"
"Also please tell everybody about the $900 bill for each ambulance that is on the way to the new born's family. lol"
"We heard about ‘it’s happen only in INDIA’ really right INDIAN will do everything possible anywhere everywhere........hahaha"
"NRI will go to any level for saving $$$ enjoy ur life in USA"
"There should be Free for Life pass to this Child Jhatpat on this Railway rout !!"
"Haha .. While going through the comments I forgot the about the actual news... funny/ Crazy ppl... BTW congrats to the new mommy and dad .."
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Captain of capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia “cried like a baby”
Paris, Jan. 21: The captain of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship “cried like a baby” as he hugged its chaplain just hours after the boat hit rocks, the luxury liner’s priest revealed.
Father Raffaele Malena said he was among the last to leave the ship at around 1.30am local time last Saturday and then stayed “close to the injured” in the tiny harbour of Giglio.
“I descended on the rope ladder. I was picked up by a little lifeboat,” he said. Around an hour later, the captain, Franceso Schettino, appeared.
“I spoke to the captain. He embraced me for about a quarter of an hour and cried like a baby,” Father Malena told French magazine Famille Chrétienne.
“Of course, it’s a case of human error because shouldn’t have been so close to the island,” he said of the disaster, in which 11 people died 21 are missing. “But it’s not for me to judge. The experts will see to that.” But he staunchly denied some reported claims that the crew had been incompetent and unhelpful in helping terrified passengers escape to lifeboats.
“These boys, my boys, are not only heroes, they are super heroes,” he said. “My boys knew they were going to die but they didn’t abandon their posts.”
“There were heroes of all nationalities… They were shaking with fear. They were threatened. They were telling people to stop boarding lifeboats which were full but people were getting in anyway,” he said. “(The press) can throw as much mud as they want on their faces, but they can’t say the boys didn’t work, that they weren’t trained.”
At one stage, he saw a little girl fall down. “I took her in my arms, reassured her and returned her to her mother further back. They got into a lifeboat.”
Recounting the crash, he said that he was returning to his cabin after dinner when “I felt a big shock, a noise. I fell to the ground, as the boat rocked from side to side … The electricity cut out”.
A few minutes later the boat turned violently. “The captain cast the anchor,” he said. “Some — who consider themselves experts — say he made a mistake; for others, he did the right thing as the boat turned on itself and thus we didn’t hit the rocks.”
Body found, toll 12
The body of a woman was found on board the Costa Concordia today, bringing the total death toll to at least 12 people, a spokesman for the rescue workers said. Twenty people are still unaccounted for.
(The Telegraph, Calcutta, Sunday , January 22 , 2012)
Father Raffaele Malena said he was among the last to leave the ship at around 1.30am local time last Saturday and then stayed “close to the injured” in the tiny harbour of Giglio.
“I descended on the rope ladder. I was picked up by a little lifeboat,” he said. Around an hour later, the captain, Franceso Schettino, appeared.
“I spoke to the captain. He embraced me for about a quarter of an hour and cried like a baby,” Father Malena told French magazine Famille Chrétienne.
“Of course, it’s a case of human error because shouldn’t have been so close to the island,” he said of the disaster, in which 11 people died 21 are missing. “But it’s not for me to judge. The experts will see to that.” But he staunchly denied some reported claims that the crew had been incompetent and unhelpful in helping terrified passengers escape to lifeboats.
“These boys, my boys, are not only heroes, they are super heroes,” he said. “My boys knew they were going to die but they didn’t abandon their posts.”
“There were heroes of all nationalities… They were shaking with fear. They were threatened. They were telling people to stop boarding lifeboats which were full but people were getting in anyway,” he said. “(The press) can throw as much mud as they want on their faces, but they can’t say the boys didn’t work, that they weren’t trained.”
At one stage, he saw a little girl fall down. “I took her in my arms, reassured her and returned her to her mother further back. They got into a lifeboat.”
Recounting the crash, he said that he was returning to his cabin after dinner when “I felt a big shock, a noise. I fell to the ground, as the boat rocked from side to side … The electricity cut out”.
A few minutes later the boat turned violently. “The captain cast the anchor,” he said. “Some — who consider themselves experts — say he made a mistake; for others, he did the right thing as the boat turned on itself and thus we didn’t hit the rocks.”
Body found, toll 12
The body of a woman was found on board the Costa Concordia today, bringing the total death toll to at least 12 people, a spokesman for the rescue workers said. Twenty people are still unaccounted for.
(The Telegraph, Calcutta, Sunday , January 22 , 2012)
Barack Obama and Steve Jobs argued over outsourcing
Economic Times, 22 JAN, 2012, 10.13PM IST, ANI
WASHINGTON: Barack Obama and the late Steve Jobs had a terse exchange last February, over Apple out-sourcing the manufacturing of its famous products.
The New York Times had reported on this matter last February, and had said that when Jobs was about to give an answer, Obama interrupted him with a query and asked 'what would it take to make iPhones in the United States?'
It wasn't long ago that Apple used to brag about its products being made in America, but nowadays almost none of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products sold last year, are made in America.
According to an insider, Obama had asked, "Why can't that work come home?" and Jobs' reply was clear-cut, "those jobs aren't coming back".
That wasn't the first time that Obama and Jobs had a standoff. Jobs' biography says that the Apple founder had told the US President that he was "headed for a one-term presidency", mainly due to his administration's business policies, the Politico reported.
According to the biography, written by Walter Isaacson, Jobs was an admirer of Chinese business practices and was a critic for the US regulations as well as labor rules.
WASHINGTON: Barack Obama and the late Steve Jobs had a terse exchange last February, over Apple out-sourcing the manufacturing of its famous products.
The New York Times had reported on this matter last February, and had said that when Jobs was about to give an answer, Obama interrupted him with a query and asked 'what would it take to make iPhones in the United States?'
It wasn't long ago that Apple used to brag about its products being made in America, but nowadays almost none of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products sold last year, are made in America.
According to an insider, Obama had asked, "Why can't that work come home?" and Jobs' reply was clear-cut, "those jobs aren't coming back".
That wasn't the first time that Obama and Jobs had a standoff. Jobs' biography says that the Apple founder had told the US President that he was "headed for a one-term presidency", mainly due to his administration's business policies, the Politico reported.
According to the biography, written by Walter Isaacson, Jobs was an admirer of Chinese business practices and was a critic for the US regulations as well as labor rules.
In 1988, a rising novelist penned an open letter to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
The following are excerpts from the open letter, published on October 19, 1988 (THE NEW YORK TIMES), from Salman Rushdie to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi:
Dear Rajiv Gandhi,
On Oct. 5, the Indian finance ministry announced the banning of my novel, The Satanic Verses, under Section 11 of the Indian Customs Act. Many people around the world will find it strange that it is the finance ministry that gets to decide what Indian readers may or may not read. But let that pass, because at the end of the notification of the ban, an even stranger statement appeared.
The ministry — I am quoting from The Press Trust of India’s report — “added that the ban did not detract from the literary and artistic merit of Rushdie’s work”. To which I can only reply: Thanks for the good review.
The book was banned after representations by two or three Muslim politicians, including Syed Shahabuddin and Khurshid Alam Khan, both members of Parliament. These persons… have attacked me and my novel while stating that they had no need actually to read it. That the government should have given in to such figures is profoundly disturbing.
A further official statement was brought to my notice. This explained that The Satanic Verses had been banned as a pre-emptive measure. Certain passages had been identified as susceptible to distortion and misuse, presumably by unscrupulous religious fanatics and such. The banning order had been issued to prevent this misuse. Apparently, my book is not deemed blasphemous or objectionable in itself, but is being proscribed for, so to speak, its own good!
This really is astounding. It is as though, having identified an innocent person as a likely target for assault by muggers or rapists, you were to put that person in jail for protection. This is no way, Mr Gandhi, for a free society to behave.
Clearly, your government is feeling a little ashamed of itself and, sir, it has much to be ashamed about. It is not for nothing that just about every leading Indian newspaper and magazine has deplored the ban as, for example, “a Philistine decision” (The Hindu) or “thought control” (Indian Express).
It is not for nothing that such eminent writers as Kingsley Amis, Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard have joined International PEN and India’s association of publishers and booksellers in condemning the decision. The right to freedom of expression is at the foundation of any democratic society, and at present, all over the world, Indian democracy is becoming something of a laughing stock.
The question raised by the book’s banning is precisely whether India, by behaving in this fashion, can any more lay claim to the title of a civilised society.
Let us try to distinguish truth from falsehood in this matter. Like my zealous opponents, you will probably not have read The Satanic Verses. So let me explain a few simple things. I am accused of having “admitted” that the book is a direct attack on Islam. I have admitted no such thing, and deny it strongly.
… I have tried to offer my view of the phenomenon of revelation and the birth of a great world religion; my view is that of a secular man for whom Islamic culture has been of central importance all his life.
Can the finance ministry really be saying that it is no longer permissible, in modern, supposedly secular India, for literature to treat such themes? If so, things are more serious than I had believed. From where I sit, Mr Gandhi, it looks very much as if your government has become unable or unwilling to resist pressure from more or less any extremist religious grouping; that, in short, it’s the fundamentalists who now control the political agenda.
You know, as I know, that Mr Shahabuddin, Mr Khurshid Alam Khan and their allies don’t really care about my novel. The real issue is the Muslim vote.
I deeply resent my book being used as a political football; what should matter to you more than my resentment is that you come out of this looking not only Philistine and anti-democratic but opportunistic.
Mr Prime Minister, I can’t bring myself to address finance ministries about literature. In my view, this is now a matter between you and me. I ask you this question: What sort of India do you wish to govern? Is it to be an open or a repressive society?
Your action in the matter of The Satanic Verses will be an important indicator for many people around the world. If you confirm the ban, I’m afraid I, and many others, will have to assume the worst. If, on the other hand, you should admit your government’s error and move swiftly to correct it, I will be the first to applaud your honourable deed.
Dear Rajiv Gandhi,
On Oct. 5, the Indian finance ministry announced the banning of my novel, The Satanic Verses, under Section 11 of the Indian Customs Act. Many people around the world will find it strange that it is the finance ministry that gets to decide what Indian readers may or may not read. But let that pass, because at the end of the notification of the ban, an even stranger statement appeared.
The ministry — I am quoting from The Press Trust of India’s report — “added that the ban did not detract from the literary and artistic merit of Rushdie’s work”. To which I can only reply: Thanks for the good review.
The book was banned after representations by two or three Muslim politicians, including Syed Shahabuddin and Khurshid Alam Khan, both members of Parliament. These persons… have attacked me and my novel while stating that they had no need actually to read it. That the government should have given in to such figures is profoundly disturbing.
A further official statement was brought to my notice. This explained that The Satanic Verses had been banned as a pre-emptive measure. Certain passages had been identified as susceptible to distortion and misuse, presumably by unscrupulous religious fanatics and such. The banning order had been issued to prevent this misuse. Apparently, my book is not deemed blasphemous or objectionable in itself, but is being proscribed for, so to speak, its own good!
This really is astounding. It is as though, having identified an innocent person as a likely target for assault by muggers or rapists, you were to put that person in jail for protection. This is no way, Mr Gandhi, for a free society to behave.
Clearly, your government is feeling a little ashamed of itself and, sir, it has much to be ashamed about. It is not for nothing that just about every leading Indian newspaper and magazine has deplored the ban as, for example, “a Philistine decision” (The Hindu) or “thought control” (Indian Express).
It is not for nothing that such eminent writers as Kingsley Amis, Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard have joined International PEN and India’s association of publishers and booksellers in condemning the decision. The right to freedom of expression is at the foundation of any democratic society, and at present, all over the world, Indian democracy is becoming something of a laughing stock.
The question raised by the book’s banning is precisely whether India, by behaving in this fashion, can any more lay claim to the title of a civilised society.
Let us try to distinguish truth from falsehood in this matter. Like my zealous opponents, you will probably not have read The Satanic Verses. So let me explain a few simple things. I am accused of having “admitted” that the book is a direct attack on Islam. I have admitted no such thing, and deny it strongly.
… I have tried to offer my view of the phenomenon of revelation and the birth of a great world religion; my view is that of a secular man for whom Islamic culture has been of central importance all his life.
Can the finance ministry really be saying that it is no longer permissible, in modern, supposedly secular India, for literature to treat such themes? If so, things are more serious than I had believed. From where I sit, Mr Gandhi, it looks very much as if your government has become unable or unwilling to resist pressure from more or less any extremist religious grouping; that, in short, it’s the fundamentalists who now control the political agenda.
You know, as I know, that Mr Shahabuddin, Mr Khurshid Alam Khan and their allies don’t really care about my novel. The real issue is the Muslim vote.
I deeply resent my book being used as a political football; what should matter to you more than my resentment is that you come out of this looking not only Philistine and anti-democratic but opportunistic.
Mr Prime Minister, I can’t bring myself to address finance ministries about literature. In my view, this is now a matter between you and me. I ask you this question: What sort of India do you wish to govern? Is it to be an open or a repressive society?
Your action in the matter of The Satanic Verses will be an important indicator for many people around the world. If you confirm the ban, I’m afraid I, and many others, will have to assume the worst. If, on the other hand, you should admit your government’s error and move swiftly to correct it, I will be the first to applaud your honourable deed.
Friday, January 20, 2012
You Get what you Give...
This is a true story that had happened in 1892 at Stanford University.
Its moral will always be relevant.
A young, 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not knowing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea. A friend and he decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education.
They reached out to the great pianist Ignacy J. Paderewski. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2000 for the piano recital. A deal was struck. And the boys began to work to make the concert a success.
The big day arrived. Paderewski performed at Stanford. But unfortunately, they had not managed to sell enough tickets. The total collection was only $1600.
Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and explained their plight. They gave him the entire $1600, plus a cheque for the balance $400. They promised to honour the cheque soonest possible.
"No." said Paderewski. "This is not acceptable." He tore up the cheque, returned the $1600 and told the two boys "Here's the $1600. Please deduct whatever expenses you have incurred. Keep the money you need for your fees. And just give me whatever is left" The boys were surprised, and thanked him profusely.
It was a small act of kindness. But it clearly marked out Paderewski as a great human being. Why should he help two people he did not even know? We all come across situations like these in our lives. And most of us only think "If I help them, what would happen to me?" The truly great people think, "If I don't help them, what will happen to them?" They don't do it expecting something in return.
They do it because they feel it's the right thing to do.
Paderewski later went on to become the Prime Minister of Poland. He was a great leader, but unfortunately when the World War began, Poland was ravaged. There were over 1.5 million people starving in his country, and no money to feed them.
Paderewski did not know where to turn for help. He reached out to the US Food and Relief Administration for help.
The head there was a man called Herbert Hoover - who later went on to become the US President. Hoover agreed to help and quickly shipped tons of food grains to feed the starving Polish people. A calamity was averted.
Paderewski was relieved. He decided to go across to meet Hoover and personally thank him. When Paderewski began to thank Hoover for his noble gesture, Hoover quickly interjected and said, "You shouldn't be thanking me Mr. Prime Minister.
You may not remember this, but several years ago, you helped two young students go through college in the US. I was one of them."
The world is a wonderful place.
What goes around comes around!
Sometimes we notice it, sometimes we don't !!!
Its moral will always be relevant.
A young, 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not knowing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea. A friend and he decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education.
They reached out to the great pianist Ignacy J. Paderewski. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2000 for the piano recital. A deal was struck. And the boys began to work to make the concert a success.
The big day arrived. Paderewski performed at Stanford. But unfortunately, they had not managed to sell enough tickets. The total collection was only $1600.
Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and explained their plight. They gave him the entire $1600, plus a cheque for the balance $400. They promised to honour the cheque soonest possible.
"No." said Paderewski. "This is not acceptable." He tore up the cheque, returned the $1600 and told the two boys "Here's the $1600. Please deduct whatever expenses you have incurred. Keep the money you need for your fees. And just give me whatever is left" The boys were surprised, and thanked him profusely.
It was a small act of kindness. But it clearly marked out Paderewski as a great human being. Why should he help two people he did not even know? We all come across situations like these in our lives. And most of us only think "If I help them, what would happen to me?" The truly great people think, "If I don't help them, what will happen to them?" They don't do it expecting something in return.
They do it because they feel it's the right thing to do.
Paderewski later went on to become the Prime Minister of Poland. He was a great leader, but unfortunately when the World War began, Poland was ravaged. There were over 1.5 million people starving in his country, and no money to feed them.
Paderewski did not know where to turn for help. He reached out to the US Food and Relief Administration for help.
The head there was a man called Herbert Hoover - who later went on to become the US President. Hoover agreed to help and quickly shipped tons of food grains to feed the starving Polish people. A calamity was averted.
Paderewski was relieved. He decided to go across to meet Hoover and personally thank him. When Paderewski began to thank Hoover for his noble gesture, Hoover quickly interjected and said, "You shouldn't be thanking me Mr. Prime Minister.
You may not remember this, but several years ago, you helped two young students go through college in the US. I was one of them."
The world is a wonderful place.
What goes around comes around!
Sometimes we notice it, sometimes we don't !!!
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