my thoughts

  In their speeches, all our leaders talk about the development of the nation. Our present Prime Minister Mr. Modi once said “I have a vision of a Modern India. I have embarked on a huge mission to convert that vision into reality. My mantra is Development.” The concept of development is almost as old as civilization; it has been the driving force behind all progress in the history of mankind. And although in the current modern times, it finds the most amount of mention while describing economic and monetary state of affairs, it is pertinent to all walks of human life, whether social, technological, psychological or personal. Development is a phenomenon, so holistic and fundamental that if understood closely it would help define the very purpose of our lives, but how often do we see it that way? The book that I am currently reading, ‘Small is Beautiful – A Study of Economics as if People Mattered’ by E F Schumacher has touched my heart indescribably and helped me see things in a very

    “Ashwathama hatha, Iti narova kunjarova” “Ashwathama is dead”, said Yudishthir, “I don’t know if it’s a man or an elephant”, he murmured. With conches being blown by the Pandava army as the second part of the sentence was being said (thus making it inaudible), Guru Dronacharya was led to believe that his son Ashwathama had died. Hearing this, the shaken Guru Drona lost his will to fight and fell to the ground.   We are all well acquainted with the above episode from the Kurukshetra War in Mahabharat which ultimately ended with the almost invincible Guru Drona laying down his weapons in grief and being executed by Dhristadyumna. The incident holds great significance in the Hindu Mythology, which got the Pandavas closer to winning the war against evil. The question that each one of us then ask is, is it okay to deceive / lie? The quest to identify right from wrong, just from unjust, good from evil is something that has vexed the human race for centuries and will continue to do