आदमी की कीमत

मंच पर एक बुद्धिमान व्यक्ति न... 1000 रूपये का नोट हाथ में लेकर पूछा, " यह नोट किसे चाहिए?" हाथ ऊपर उठने लगे. वह बोला," मैं आपमें से किसी एक को यह नोट दूंगा, लेकिन पहले मैं यह कर लूं.' कह कर उसने नोट को अच्छी तरह से मरोड़ दिया. फिर उसने पूछा," अब यह नोट किसे चाहिए?" लोगों के हाथ अभी भी हवा में थे. "ठीक, अब में नोट केसाथ यह करने वाला हूँ." कहकर उसने नोट को जमीन पर गिरा दिया और फर्श पर पैर से मसल दिया. अब उसने नोट उठाया, नोट मुड़ा-तुड़ा और गन्दा था. "क्या आप अभी भी इसे चाहते हैं?" उसने पूछा. अब भी बहुत से हाथ ऊपर हवा में थे. "दोस्तों, आप जिन्दगी का एक बहुत कीमती सबक सीख चुके हैं . भले ही इस नोट के साथ कुछ भी हुआ हो, लेकिन इसने अपनी कीमत नहीं खोयी. इसकी कीमत अभी भी 1000 रूपये ही है. जिन्दगी में अक्सर हम कभी अपने गलत फैसलों की वजह से तो कभी हालात बस अपने आप को गिरा हुआ, कुचला हुआ या इस समाज में अवांछित समझते हैं. हम अपने आपको किसी लायक नहीं समझते. लेकिन हमारे साथ ऐसा कुछ भी हो चुका हो या आने वाले समय में हो सकता है कि ऐसा कुछ हो , बावजूद इसके हमारी कीमत में कोई गिरावट नहीं आती और हाँ एक बात और, हम में से हर-एक कुछ खास है- यह बात हमें भूलनी नहीं चाहिए.

Soldier and Software Engineer in Shatabdhi Train

A conversation between a Soldier and Software Engineer in Shatabdhi Train .........An interesting and a must read!

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdhi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought; he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!!

He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.

"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.

"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized. "

"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.

"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."

Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naive ness demanded reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it."

For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement. "It is complex, very complex."

"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid," came the reply.

This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone. "

Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing."

He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point.

"Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centers across the country.

Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"

The man was awestruck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination.

"You design and code such things."

"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager."

"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over,

"So your life is easy now."

This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work.

Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality.

To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday."

Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realization. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth.

"My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire"

.

The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek.

"I know sir.... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......."

He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.

"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night.

The enemy was firing from the top.

There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom.

In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."

"You are a...?"

"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment.

But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier.

On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker.

It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself.

He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time."

"He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me. I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."

Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop.

It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valor and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes.

The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.

"It was nice meeting you sir."

Vivek fumbled with the handshake.

This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.

It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

संदीप-मोनिका ने कन्याओं को बचाने के लिए लिया आठवां फेरा

May 09,2011 07:56 pm

भिवानी, जागरण संवाद केंद्र। घुड़चढ़ी कर नई इबारत लिखने वाली खापड़वास की मोनिका बृहस्पतिवार को भारीवास निवासी संदीप के साथ आठ फेरे लेकर उसकी जीवन संगिनी बन गई।
मोनिका और संदीप ने बृहस्पतिवार, 5 मई को अग्नि को साक्षी मानकर हिंदू रीति-रिवाज में बताए गए सात फेरे और कसमें पूरी करने के बाद एक और अतिरिक्त फेरा तांबे के पवित्र लोटे में गंगाजल डाल लोटे को हाथ में लेकर एक फेरा और लेते हुए संकल्प लिया कि वे जीवन पर्यन्त कन्या भ्रूण हत्या नहीं होने देंगे। उन्हें ईश्वर चाहे लड़का दे या लड़की, वे उसे स्वीकार करेंगे और कभी भी लिंग जांच नहीं करवाएंगे।
आठवां फेरा बेटी बचाओ अभियान अगवा रेडक्रॉस सचिव श्याम सुंदर ने दिलाया। पवित्र तांबे के लोटे में गंगाजल डाल संकल्प लेने वाले दूल्हे संदीप ने कहा कि कन्याओं को बचाने के लिए आठवें फेरा दिलाने की अगुवाई करने वालों की आवश्यकता है।
शादी में शामिल संदीप के दादा ने भी बेटियों को बचाने के लिए शुरू की गई मुहिम को एक सामाजिक मुहिम का दर्जा देते हुए कहा कि नई पीढ़ी को इस ओर कदम बढ़ाते हुए शादी के मंडप पर संकल्प लेना चाहिए कि बेटियों की रक्षा के साथ-साथ वे वृद्ध लोगों को भी अपने साथ रखेंगे।

Self Appraisal.... short and meaningful story

A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits. The storeowner observed and listened to the conversation:

The boy asked, "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?

The woman replied, "I already have someone to cut my lawn."

"Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now." replied boy.

The woman responded that she was very satisfied with the person who was presently cutting her lawn.

The little boy found more perseverance and offered, "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of North Palm beach, Florida."

Again the woman answered in the negative. With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.

The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy and said, "Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."

The little boy replied," No thanks, I was just checking my performance on the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady, I was talking to !"

Be Confident on what you do cause that's the only thing which matters

Lesson to be learnt from Japan - need of the hour for us Indians

Last night, I was sent to a little grammar school to help a charity organization distribute food to the refugees. It was a long line that snaked this way and that and I saw a little boy around 9 years old. He was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. It was getting very cold and the boy was at the very end of the line.
I was worried that by the time his turn came there wouldn't be any food left. So I spoke to him. He said he was at school when the earthquake happened. His father worked nearby and was driving to the school. The boy was on the third floor balcony when he saw the tsunami sweep his father's car away.I asked him about his mother. He said his house is right by the  beach and that his mother and little sister probably didn't make  it. He turned his head and wiped his tears when I asked about his relatives.
The boy was shivering so I took off my police jacket and put it on him. That's when my bag of food ration fell out. I picked it up and gave it to him. "When it comes to your turn, they might run out of food. So here's my portion. I already ate. Why don't you eat it?"

The boy took my food and bowed. I thought he would eat it right away, but he didn't. He took the bag of food, went up to where the line ended and put it where all the food was waiting to be distributed.
I was shocked. I asked him why he didn't eat it and instead added it to the food pile. He answered: "Because I see a lot more people hungrier than I am. If I put it there, then they willdistribute the food equally."
 When I heard that I turned away so that people wouldn't see me cry. A society that can produce a 9-year-old who understands the concept of sacrifice for the greater good must be a great society, a great people.
Well, a few lines to send you and your family my warm wishes. The hours of my shift have begun again.
 Ha Minh Thanh

************ LESSON TO LEARN FROM JAPAN ***********

10 things to learn from Japan.

 1. THE CALM Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.
 2. THE DIGNITY Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture. 
 3. THE ABILITY The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.
 4. THE GRACE People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.
 5. THE ORDER No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding. 
 6. THE SACRIFICE Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?
 7. THE TENDERNESS Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.
 8. THE TRAINING The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.
 9. THE MEDIA They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.
 10. THE CONSCIENCE When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly!


----------------------
THIS letter, written by Vietnamese immigrant Ha Minh Thanh working in Fukushima as a policeman to a friend in Vietnam, was posted on New America Media on March 19. It is a testimonial to the strength of the Japanese spirit, and an interesting slice of life near the epicenter of Japan 's crisis at the Fukushima  nuclearpower plant. It was translated by NAM editor Andrew Lam, author of "East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres." Shanghai Daily condensed it. 

MONEY IS YOURS, BUT RESOURCES BELONG TO THE SOCIETY

Germany is a highly industrialized country. It produces top brands
like Benz, BMW, Siemens etc. The nuclear reactor pump is made in a
small town in this country. In such a country, many will think its
people lead a luxurious life. At least that was my impression before
my study trip.

When I arrived at Hamburg, my colleagues who work in Hamburg arranged
a welcome party for me in a restaurant. As we walked into the
restaurant, we noticed that a lot of tables were empty. There was a
table where a young couple was having their meal. There were only two
dishes and two cans of beer on the table. I wondered if such simple
meal could be romantic, and whether the girl will leave this stingy
guy.

There were a few old ladies on another table. When a dish is served,
the waiter would distribute the food for them, and they would finish
every bit of the food on their plates.

We did not pay much attention to them, as we were looking forward to
the dishes we ordered. As we were hungry, our local colleague ordered
more food for us.

As the restaurant was quiet, the food came quite fast. Since there
were other activities arranged for us, we did not spend much time
dining. When we left, there was still about one third of unconsumed
food on the table.

When we were leaving the restaurant, we heard someone calling us. We
noticed the old ladies in the restaurant were talking about us to the
restaurant owner. When they spoke to us in English, we understood that
they were unhappy about us wasting so much food. We immediately felt
that they were really being too busy body.

"We paid for our food, it is none of your business how much food we
left behind," my colleague Gui told the old ladies.

The old ladies were furious. One of them immediately took her hand
phone out and made a call to someone. After a while, a man in uniform
claimed to be an officer from the Social Security organization
arrived. Upon knowing what the dispute was, he issued us a 50 Marks
fine...

We all kept quiet. The local colleague took out a 50 Mark note and
repeatedly apologized to the officer.

The officer told us in a stern voice, "ORDER WHAT YOU CAN CONSUME,
MONEY IS YOURS BUT RESOURCES BELONG TO THE SOCIETY. THERE ARE MANY
OTHERS IN THE WORLD WHO ARE FACING SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES. YOU HAVE NO
REASON TO WASTE RESOURCES.´

Our face turned red. We all agreed with him in our hearts. The mindset
of people of this rich country put all of us to shame. WE REALLY NEED
TO REFLECT ON THIS. We are from country which is not very rich in
resources. To save face, we order large quantity and also waste food
when we give others a treat.

THIS LESSON TAUGHT US A LESSON TO THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT CHANGING OUR
BAD HABITS.

My colleague took photocopy of the "fine ticket" and gave a copy to
each of us as a "souvenir". All of us kept it and pasted on our wall
to remind us that we shall never be wasteful.



This mail is received as forwarded one, but please think on that We
should learn to save resources like petrol food, water electricity
etc.

A real story : just fantastic

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!!

 

He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.

 

"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.

 

"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized."

 

"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.

 

"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."

 

Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it."

 

For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement. "It is complex, very complex."

 

"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid," came the reply.

 

This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone. "

 

 

 

Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing."

 

 

 

He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point.

 

"Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centres across the country.

 

 

 

Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"

 

 

 

The man was awestuck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination.

 

 

 

"You design and code such things."

 

"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager."

 

"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over,

 

 

 

"so your life is easy now."

 

This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work.

 

 

 

Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality.

 

 

 

To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday."

 

Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realisation. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth.

 

 

 

"My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire".

 

 

 

The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek.

 

"I know sir,..... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......."

 

He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.

 

 

 

"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night.

 

 

 

The enemy was firing from the top.

 

 

 

There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom.

 

 

 

In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."

 

 

 

"You are a...?"

 

 

 

"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment.

 

 

 

But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier.

 

 

 

On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker.

 

 

 

It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself.

 

 

 

He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time."

 

"He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me . I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."

 

Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop.

 

 

 

It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valour and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes.

 

 

 

The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.

 

"It was nice meeting you sir."

 

Vivek fumbled with the handshake.

 

 

 

This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.

 

It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

 

PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.

 

Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn from them!