Can money buy happiness? With this query we should also ponder whether we could do without money.
Everybody desires for a life of leisure, security, healthfulness and possessions of varied requirements. Do all these lead to happiness?
Can we live without money, social status, comforts and other related factors? Can all of us obtain these in the same degree?
Against these arguments, what should an average person do to keep himself happy?
Money can buy medicine, but not health. Similarly, money can buy you comfort, but not happiness.
Prince of Gaffe or Prince who knows Indians?
Britain's Prince Philip, consort of Queen Elizabeth, has been made a butt of many drawing room jokes, as also in elite social clubs, almost like what American humorists and late night TV shows did to their former President George W Bush.
No doubt, the newspaper readers and the TV viewers who would otherwise be grumpy are, for a change, made to smile if not laugh. But the Truth as I see it is both the Prince Philip and Bush are in fact speaking the Truth, rather bluntly when they could have used euphemistic language like our pseudo intellectuals do.
Recently the Queen and her husband Prince Philip hosted a dinner to celebrate Indian President Prathiba Patil's visit to England. The 88 – year - old Prince Philip turned to greet a business chief of England one Mr. Patel. Taking a glance at Patel’s name badge, the Prince turned to the Indian President Prathiba Patil and said, "There is a lot of your family tonight."
The comment appeared to jokingly suggest that all Patels are related to Patils. Though, of course, our Indian President's surname is Patil, not Patel, a difference the Prince, like other Britains, did not know.
Incidentally it is said there are about 6,70,000 Patels living in England.
This comment by Prince Philip was considered by some as a gaffe. I am reminded of a similar light hearted but certainly truthful comment made by Prince Philip some years ago when he was attending an exhibition held by the Indian community in London. While he was being shown around the exhibition, the Prince happened to see a blown fuse of an electrical installation on the wall and instinctively asked the host accompanying him if that was fixed by an Indian!
The suggestion was that Indians are known to do sloppy jobs. Well, these are the days when we are not ready to accept our weakness, poor performance, incompetence — in fact the Truth. Amen.
Love Jihad:
We hear of Love Jihad these days and non - Muslims are nervous. After marriage the wife (married under “Love Jihad”) is either trained as a terrorist or treated as one more convert to Islam, it is alleged.
Sri Rama Sena Chief Pramod Muthalik, who was here recently, was eloquent about the danger of “Love Jihad” for Hindus. Muthalik had announced the launch of “Beti Bachao Abhiyan” all over the State beginning December 20. However, I have not heard of its launch till today. But the problem is what if the Beti is in deep love with the Muslim Beta who may not be a Jihadi? How to find out the real intent of the boy? After all the language of love is of the heart.
And who do you guess was the first victim of “Love Jihad”?
According to a veteran journalist, it was the famous Malayalam and English Poet Kamala Das. She in her late age married a Muslim, became a convert to Islam, making headline news only to be “divorced” by her lover or ditched by her lover. A good example of “Jihadi Love”. That's generally the way “Jihadi Love” ends, according to the veteran journalist.
According to statistics provided to a law court in Kerala during the last four years, 3000 to 4000 religious conversions have taken place through Love Jihad. The special branch of Police says the fundamental outfits like National Democratic Front (NDF) have roots in college campuses in various cities. The plan was to track upper caste Hindu and Christian girls. According to information, the Love Jihad was launched in 1996 with the blessings of some Muslim organisations.
The modus operandi is to entice the girls to marry Muslim boys under the pretext of love. According to the Kerala State High Court, the Love Jihad should be of concern to people at large and ask the Legislature to enact a law to prohibit compulsive conversion to Muslim religion in this manner.
But then, in a democracy how many laws can you pass? When it concerns individual's choice to what extent the law can prevent operation such as Love Jihad? It is something beyond anybody's understanding.
Look, in spite of Anti - Corruption law, the evil of corruption persists; in spite of Anti - Dowry law, the evil of dowry persists. Hey Ram!
An interesting development is opening of Love Jihad Centres in all districts of the State by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti in order to stop or prevent religious conversions in the name of love by Muslim boys. This is to create awareness among Hindus about the dangers of Love Jihad.
Pyaar kiya tho darna kya...!
