दोहा

बोझ ढोते दर्द जो रोए, चादर ओढे सोए |
रामेश देखो चींटी को, काज कैसे होए ||

Translation:-

When carrying loads if you cry,
If you feel like curling up to sleep,
Raamesh says to look at the ant
and learn how work is done.

Sikh boy, all alone, in a strange country.....

Gurinder Singh is a nine year old boy who was found abandoned at a clinic in the locality, in London. He does not speak English, but with the help of an interpreter, he said that he was left at a bus stop in Southhall by his ‘White’ uncle, whose name he does not know.

He says that he stayed with his ‘white’ uncle in a three-bedroom house. He had traveled by bus to Southall, where his uncle left him. He then walked into the clinic and sat watching TV, until the staff realized that he was all alone.

The sikh community is looking after him and feel that Gurinder may have been intentionally abandoned by his family in the hope of a better life for the boy in Britian.

Police are investigating whether Gurinder is the victim of child trafficking. Gurrinder speaks only Punjabi but told police he had been in the country for up to three years. Police are hoping and appealing his uncle to come forward. The child is now being looked after by social services until his family can be found.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/

Holi..the colorful festival of India....

If you want to have fun for this Holi festival then it is better to take precautions while playing with colors.



The chemicals that colors contain, are harmful to the skin and can cause irritation. It is better that we use natural colors such as turmeric, beet root or henna. More important we must close our eyes while putting colors. Just throwing only water is also a good idea. You just want to have fun.. Right? Playing with only water can be fun too. Some children enjoying throwing water balloons at each other. But we have to be careful too…..We don't wish to hurt anybody. Right?



Holi is the festival of colors. It is the festival of fun and frolic. We play with colors and we also burn a huge fire, one evening before the actual day, when all the neighbors and friends come and pray together. But do you know the story behind it? The story of evil demon king called Hiranyakashipu who was very proud and arrogant?

Well, this king Hiranyakashipu used to think that he was very powerful one in the world. He used to tell everybody to worship him and used to get angry with any body who would worship Lord Vishnu. But, his own son Prahlad was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and that made King Hiranyakashipu very, very angry. He told his sister, Hoilka, to get rid of Prahlad.

Now Holika had a magic blanket, which she would wrap around herself and be protected from fire. She wrapped herself with this magic blanket and took Prahlad in her lap and sat in the middle of the bonfire. However, little Prahlad was continuously praying to his Lord Vishnu. Suddenly, there was a strong breeze, the magic blanket that was protecting Holika blew from her shoulders and covered Prahlad. Holika was taken by surprise because it was she who got burnt and died, while Prahlad was saved because he was covered with the magic blanket.

Thus he was saved because of his devotion to Lord Vishnu. Later, Lord Vishnu took Narsimha avatar and killed the evil king too.



So, every year, we burn a bonfire on Holi, to remember that one should always be good, believe in God, and should always be careful of fire. Image source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/

Thanksgiving

My parents - theirs are the hands that I hold to stand up.
My school - what I am is because of my teachers.
My doctor - he instills in me faith in human nature.
My peers – they tell me what my place is.
My friends - they are the sunshine that surrounds me.
My dog - he has taught me compassion for all life.
My city and community - they give me an identity.
My country - its love of freedom gives me my voice.
flowers and birds and butterflies - they fill my world with beauty.

My creator – who gave me the gift of words.

Words to sorrow in.
Words to rejoice in.
Words to say thanks in.

Badli and Windy

by Pushpa Moorjani



"Whoosh! Swoosh! Oh what fun! I love you, Windy! Do you love me? Show!" said Badli, a young cumulus cloud, as she waved a tail of her fluffy white body against the blowing wind.

Badli loved the mischievous but gentle wind. She gave a deep belly laugh each time Windy blew furiously against Badli's soft face. Then Windy would take Badli on a piggy-ride, and swing her left and right, up and down, and in all the directions of the sky.



From morning till night, Windy and Badli played together, high up in the sky, above the rivers, and the mountains and the gardens and the flowers. Together, they watched the birds sing and the trees dance. They loved to watch the waters glide gracefully through the narrow valleys between the hills and slide down the rocks on the pebbles, following the rivers to meet the blue sea.

They gurgled and smiled at the stars and the moon. During daytime, they played hide and seek and hid behind the rainbow. They were the best of friends and they were very, very happy in each other's company.

One wet day, Windy asked Badli to follow her and meet some of their other friends. But Badli was getting very tired. She could not keep pace with Windy. She had put on lots of weight and she was finding it very, very difficult to run as fast as Windy could.

"Wait for me, Windy!" She said, "Please wait for me, slow down, I cannot run as fast as you can."

Windy slowed down to look at her friend.

"Can you take me on your back? I want a piggy-ride. Please." Said Badli

Windy tried to help her but she could hardly lift her. Badli was too heavy to go far on a piggy-ride with Windy. Her friend could not take her for a long distance, so they decided to play in a smaller area of the sky.

"Whoosh! Swoosh! Oh what fun! I love you, Windy! Do you love me? Show!" said Badli

"Whoosh! Swoosh! Oh what fun! I love you, Badli! Do you love me? Show!" said Windy

And they both laughed together, loudly, very loudly, jumping up and down, swinging from left to right, clapping, and somersaulting round and round, up and down, left and right, and in all the direction in the sky.

Suddenly, Badli knocked against a big mountain.

SSSSSSSSSSSSplash!

Badli broke her head.

"Oooh! Blup! Blup! Blup! Blup!" Said Badli, and water started dripping onto the mountain.

"Whoosh! Swoosh! Badli! Badli!" shouted Windy.

But Badli did not reply.

Windy turned towards the mountain. She watched the little cloud melt away. Water slid down rocks onto the pebbles in small streams, flowed gracefully through the narrow valleys and into the rivers, to meet the great blue sea.

Windy walked slowly down to the sea and blew against the waves of the sea and went…..

Whoosh!

Swoosh!

Oh what fun!

Do you hear me Badli?

Do you love me?

Show!

A small white arm waved at her from the sea and flipped a handful of spray into the air. Windy caught it and blew it higher. She could still play with her friend!

And she gently blew over the sea, teasing the waves.

Signature campaign to save tiger

Laws protecting the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger have failed to prevent tiger body parts being offered on open sale in Indonesia.

The survey conservatively estimates that 23 tigers were killed to supply the products seen, based on the number of canine teeth on sale.

Tiger body parts, including canine teeth, claws, skin pieces, whiskers and bones, were on sale in 10 percent of the 326 retail outlets surveyed during 2006 in 28 cities and towns across Sumatra. Outlets included goldsmiths, souvenir and traditional Chinese medicine shops, and shops selling antique and precious stones.

We have to save the Tiger from extinction or there will be no Tigers left in the future.



As part of the `save tiger campaign’ being organized by the NDTV across the country, the TV channel is collecting signatures for a mass petition at the Museum Compound

The mass petition would be submitted to the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers in defense of the Great Indian Tiger, according to a statement.

The campaign stall will be put up near the main entrance of the zoo. Those who wish to join this campaign may put their signatures on the register kept at the stall.

More details on Tiger can be found in the earlier post Here