Friday, November 30, 2018

నగర జీవితం - పల్లె జీవితం


ఏముంది నగర జీవితంలో, ఎటు చూసినా కాంక్రీట్ అడవులు, ట్రాఫిక్ జాములు, నీళ్ళ కాలుష్యం, వాయు కాలుష్యం, ఏ కాలుష్యం పడితే ఆ కాలుష్యం...తాగే పాలు కల్తీ, తినే తిండి కల్తీ….
కూరగాయలు, పండ్లు వంటి వాటిలో ఏ విష పదార్ధాలున్నాయో తెలియదు.
పొద్దున్నుంచి సాయంత్రం వరకు ఎ.సి. లో గడిపి కొంచెం ఎండలోకి వస్తే చాలు తల పైకెత్తి చూడలేకపోతున్నాం.
పాల ఉత్పత్తి కోసం పశువులకి ఏవొ హార్మోన్ ఇంజక్షన్లు చేయటం, లేదా ఏవో రసాయనాలు కలిపి కృత్రిమ పాలు తయారుచేయటం, ఆ పాలు మనం తాగి లేని పోని రోగాలు కొని తెచ్చుకుంటున్నాం. చివరికి మంచినీళ్ళు కూడా కొనుక్కొని తాగుతున్నాం. కనీసం అవి అయినా మంచివేనా అంటే చెప్పలేని దుస్థితి. ఈ మంచి నీళ్ళు కొనుక్కొని తాగే పాడు సంస్కృతి పల్లెలకు కూడా వ్యాపిస్తుంది మెల్ల మెల్లగా.


ఇక కూరగాయలు పండ్లు విషయానికొస్తే అవి తాజాగా ఉండటానికి వాటిపైన వ్యాక్స్(మోతాదుకి మించి) వేస్తున్నారు. అంతే కాకుండా చాలా కూరగాయలపై రకరకాల ఎరువుల అవశేషాలు అలానే ఉంటాయి..అలాగే కొన్ని పండ్లు త్వరగా పండాలని రకరకాల రసాయనాలు జల్లుతారు. ఆరోగ్యం కోసమని మనం తినే కూరగాయలు పండ్లు మనకి తెలికుండానే అనారోగ్యాన్ని కొని తెచ్చిపెడుతున్నాయి.వ్యాపారం చేసేవాడెప్పుడూ లాభాపేక్షతోనే చేస్తాడు..ఇలాంటివి జరగటం సహజం...ఇలా జరగకూడదు అని అనుకోవటం మన పిచ్చి. పసిపిల్లలకు ఎక్కువగా ఆహారమైన పాలని కూడా ఇంత దారుణంగా కల్తీ చేస్తున్నారంటేనే అర్ధం చేసుకోవచ్చు వ్యాపారం చేసేవాళ్ళకు డబ్బే ముఖ్యం అని.


ఊర్లో వాతావరణం ఇందుకు పూర్తిగా విరుద్ధం. పాలు మనమే పితుక్కోని తాగొచ్చు, మనకున్న స్థలంలో మనమే కావలసిన కూరగాయలు పండించుకోవచ్చు.అలాగే కాలానుగుణంగా లభించే మామిడికాయలు, బొప్పాయి, జామ, దానిమ్మ, నారింజ, అరటి, పనస, ఉసిరి, సీతాఫలం వంటి పండ్లు చాలా వరకు మనకు ఊర్లో దొరుకుతాయి.


మనం ఇక్కడే నగరాల్లో బతుకుతున్నాం, మన పిల్లలు ఇక్కడే పుడతారు, ఇక్కడే పెరుగుతారు. ఇది కోడి, ఇది ఆవు, ఇది పిచ్చుక, ఇది తూనిగ, ఇది కోకిల అని ఫోటోల్లో చూపించటం తప్పితే మన పిల్లలు వాటిని చూడలేరేమో అనిపిస్తుంది. తెలతెలవారుతుండగానే కోడికూతకు లేచిన రోజులున్నాయి, ఇంటి బయట మంచాలు వేసుకొని ఆకాశంలో నక్షత్రాలకేసి అలా చూస్తూ పడుకున్న రోజులున్నాయి. నగర జీవితంలో రాత్రిల్లు నక్షత్రాలు కనిపించాయంటే అదొక వింత.


ఏ కారణం చేతనైతేనేమి, పండించేవాడికన్నా తినేవాళ్ళు ఎక్కువైతే తిండి ఎక్కడినుంచి దొరుకుతుంది.
అన్ని కృత్రిమంగా తయారు చేస్తున్నారు.
రేపటి ప్రపంచాన్ని ఊహించుకుంటేనే భయంకరంగా ఉంది.
కనీసం నా చివరి రొజుల్లో అయినా నా బాల్యంలో నేను పెరిగిన ప్రపంచంలో ఉండాలని కోరుకుంటున్నా.


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Thursday, March 27, 2014

దేవుడు

చిన్నప్పటి నుంచి మనం పెరిగే వాతావరణం, మన పెద్దవాళ్ళ ఆచార సాంప్రదాయల్ని చూస్తూ పెరగటంవళ్ళ కావచ్చు మనలో చాలామందికి దేవుడనేవాడొకడున్నాడు, దేవుడిని పూజించాలి, ప్రతి పండగకి తప్పకుండా గుడికి వెళ్ళాలి లాంటి నమ్మకాలు ఉంటాయి.

నా దృష్టిలో దేవుడు అంటే

అమ్మ నాన్న

అమ్మ నాన్నల ప్రేమ నిస్వార్ధమైనది.

ఈ సృష్టిలో ప్రతి జీవికి మూల కారణం అమ్మ. నవమాసాలు తన కడుపులో మోసి, తన రక్తాన్ని పంచి, నాకు జన్మనిచ్చిన అమ్మ నా దృష్టిలో దైవం. పుట్టిన్నప్పటినుంచి మననే తన ప్రపంచంలా చూస్తూ, మనకి కొంచం అనారోగ్యంగా ఉన్నా చివరికి అన్నం తినటం కూడా మానేసి మన కోసం కళ్ళళ్ళో వత్తులేసుకొని కూర్చుంటూ..ఒకటా రెండా, ఇలా ఎన్నెన్నో త్యాగాలు మనకోసం చేసే అమ్మ మన మొదటి దైవం కావాలి.
మనకి చిన్న దెబ్బ తగలగానే అమ్మ అని అరుస్తాం...కనిపించే ప్రత్యక్ష దైవం అమ్మ.

జీవితంలో తోటివాళ్ళకి ఎంతో కొంత సహాయం చేయటం నాన్న దగ్గిరే చూసి నేర్చుకున్న…
మనం పెరిగి పెద్దై ఒక మంచి స్థితిలొ ఉన్నామంటే నాన్న శ్రమ, భాద్యతలే కారణం...
ఏదడిగినా కాదనకుండా మనకోసం తన పనులు, అవసరాలు ఆపుకొని చేసిపెట్టే నాన్న, మన విజయాలను తన విజయాలుగా చెప్పుకునే నాన్న మనకు రెండో దైవం కావాలి. నా కోసం ఎన్నో అవమానాలు భరించిన అమ్మకి, ముఖ్యంగా నాన్నకి ఒక్కసారి కూడ మనస్పూర్తిగా క్షమాపణలు చెప్పలేదు…

అమ్మమ్మ తాతాయ్య

నా చిన్నతనం, ఇంకా చెప్పాలంటే పదవ తరగతి వరకు అమ్మమ్మ తాతాయ్య వాళ్లతోనే….
అమ్మ నాన్నలతో సమానంగా నన్ను పెంచి పెద్ద చేసిన అమ్మమ్మ తాతాయ్యలు కూడా నాకు దేవుళ్లతో సమానం.
ఉన్నదాంట్లోనే నలుగురితో పంచుకుంటే వచ్చే ఆనందం ఎలా ఉంటుందో వీళ్ళని చూస్తూ పెరిగాను.

చెల్లి బావ

కూతురి కోసం జీవితంలో ఇప్పటికే ఎన్నో త్యాగాలు చేసిన చెల్లి, బావ లో కూడ నాకు దైవత్వం కనిపిస్తుంది.

కష్టకాలంలో వెనకా ముందు అలోచించకుండా డబ్బులు ఇచ్చి ఆదుకున్న నా స్నేహితుడు నాకు దేవుడు.
ఇంకా చాలా మంది చాలా సంధర్భాలలో నాకు సహాయ సహకారాలు అందించారు.

వీళ్ళని నిర్లక్ష్యం చేస్తూ కనిపించని దేవుడికి పూజిస్తే కలిగేది పుణ్యం కాదు...

ముక్కు మీద వందసార్లు గీసుకుంటే దేవుడు కనిపిస్తాడనో, గుడికి వెళ్ళకపోతే మంచి జరగదనో, కనిపించే ప్రతి చెట్టుకి పుట్టకి మొక్కితే పుణ్యం కలగదు..చాలామంది గుడికి వెళ్ళి హుండీలో తోచినవిధంగా నగదు సమర్పిస్తారు...వారిలో ఎంతమంది ఆకలితో ఉన్న ఒక కుర్రాడికి పది రూపాయలు ఒకటికి పది సార్లు అలోచించకుండా ఇవ్వగలరు...నువ్వు చేసే పని వళ్ళ ఎవరికన్న మంచి జరిగితే వాళ్ళకు నువ్వు దేవుడు..అది దైవత్వం అంటే.. అంతే కాని ఎక్కడో ఉన్న తిరుపతో, విజయవాడో, షిర్డీనో ఎంతో ఖర్చులు పెట్టుకోని వెళ్ళి, అక్కడ కానుకగా మళ్ళీ కొంత సమర్పించుకుంటే ఏమొస్తుందో అర్ధం కాదు. ఆ ఖర్చులో కనీసం సగం దానం చేసినా ఎంతో కొంత పుణ్యం కలుగుతుంది. అలాగే నీకు కష్టకాలంలో సహాయం చేసే ఏ వ్యక్తి అయినా నీకు దేవుడితో సమానం.

దేవుడు లేడు, దేవుడిని నమ్మొద్దు అని నేను చెప్పట్లేదు...దేవుడి పేరుతో మూర్ఖత్వంగా ముఢాచారాలను పాటించొద్దు….వీలైతే నలుగురికి సహాయం చెయ్యండి..


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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Why I Laugh - Dalai Lama

In an excerpt from his new book, My Spiritual Journey, The Dalai Lama shares his belief in the surprising power of laughter and smiles to reach other people, even our enemies.
 
I Am a Professional Laugher
I have been confronted with many difficulties throughout the course of my life, and my country is going through a critical period. But I laugh often, and my laughter is contagious. When people ask me how I find the strength to laugh now, I reply that I am a professional laugher. Laughing is a characteristic of the Tibetans, who are different in this from the Japanese or the Indians. They are very cheerful, like the Italians, rather than a little reserved, like the Germans or the English.

My cheerfulness also comes from my family. I come from a small village, not a big city, and our way of life is more jovial. We are always amusing ourselves, teasing each other, joking. It’s our habit.

To that is added, as I often say, the responsibility of being realistic. Of course problems are there. But thinking only of the negative aspect doesn’t help to find solutions and it destroys peace of mind. Everything, though, is relative. You can see the positive side of even the worst tragedies if you adopt a holistic perspective. If you take the negative as absolute and definitive, however, you increase your worries and anxiety, whereas by broadening the way you look at a problem you understand what is bad about it, but you accept it. This attitude comes to me, from my practice and from Buddhist philosophy, which help me enormously.

Take the loss of our country, for example. We are a stateless people, and we must confront adversity along with many painful circumstances in Tibet itself. Nevertheless, such experiences also bring many benefits.
As for me, I’ve been homeless for half a century. But I have found a large number of new homes throughout the vast world. If I had remained at the Potala, I don’t think I would have had the chance to meet so many personalities, so many heads of state in Asia, Taiwan, the United States, and Europe, popes as well as many famous scientists and economists.

The life of exile is an unfortunate life, but I have always tried to cultivate a happy state of mind, appreciating the opportunities this existence without a settled home, far from all protocol, has offered me. This way I have been able to preserve my inner peace.

I Love the Smile, Unique to Humans
If we are content just to think that compassion, rationality, and patience are good, that is not actually enough to develop these qualities. Difficulties provide the occasion to put them into practice. Who can make such occasions arise? Certainly not our friends, but rather our enemies, for they are the ones who pose the most problems. So that we truly want to progress on the path, we must regard our enemies as our best teachers.

For whoever holds love and compassion in high esteem, the practice of tolerance is essential, and it requires an enemy. We must be grateful to our enemies, then, because they help us best engender a serene mind! Anger and hatred are the real enemies that we must confront and defeat, not the “enemies” who appear from time to time in our lives.

Of course it is natural and right that we all want to have friends. I often say jokingly that a truly selfish person must be altruistic! You have to take care of others, of their well-being, by helping them and serving them, to have even more friends and make more smiles blossom. The result? When you yourself need help, you will find all you need! On the other hand, if you neglect others’ happiness, you will be the loser in the long run. Is friendship born of arguments, anger, jealousy, and unbridled competition? I don’t think so. Only affection produces authentic friends.

In contemporary materialistic society, if you have money and power you have the impression of having a lot of friends. But they aren’t your friends; they are the friends of your money and power. If you lose your wealth and influence you will have trouble finding those people again.
Unfortunately, so long as things are going well, we think we can get along by ourselves. However, as our situation and health decline, we soon realize how wrong we were. That is when we understand who really helps us. To prepare ourselves for such a time, by making true friends who are useful when we need them most, we must cultivate altruism.

As for me, I always want more friends. I love smiles, and my wish is to see more smiles, real smiles, for there are many kinds—sarcastic, artificial, or diplomatic. Some smiles don’t arouse any satisfaction, and some even engender suspicion or fear. An authentic smile, though, arouses an authentic feeling of freshness, and I think the smile belongs only to human beings. If we want those smiles, we must create the reasons that make them appear.


Source: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/10/24/dalai-lama-on-laughter-and-compassion.html


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Monday, September 9, 2013

మానవత్వం పరిమళించిన వేళ

A good story from Eenadu Sunday's special edition on 8th September 2013.







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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Disability no barrier for Bhavana Botta

Every mother loves her kids more than her own life. One can't express the feeling of a mother when she hears her baby starts speaking and calls her 'Amma'(meaning Mother in telugu). She loves to see her kids play like other kids do. But, Bhavana Botta can't speak or walk like a normal child. She has Athetoid Cerebral Palsy; meaning, she has never spoken or walked in her life. Imagine the pain that Bhavan's mother, KalpanaRao, would have gone through. But she never gave up when doctors diagnosed Bhavana with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. Bhavana is now a successful entrepreneur. She has set up a boutique called Saahaagika, which sells organic cotton clothes, (supporting the cotton farmer community) and handmade craft. Bhavan's dedication and her mother's efforts to raise her child is truly a great inspiration to everyone of us.

Thanks Sunayana garu for sharing the inspiring story of Bhavana and her mother.

More on Bhavana's success stories:
http://dayatrust.com/bhavna-botta-education-girls-india
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/youth/all-smiles/article2945697.ece


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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A Very Touching Story

Received this through an email from a friend.


One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.
He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.
The director discovered from the CV that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, “Did you obtain any scholarships in school?” the youth answered “none”.

The director asked, ” Was it your father who paid for your school fees?” The youth answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.
The director asked, ” Where did your mother work?” The youth answered, “My mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, ” Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?” The youth answered, “Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.

The director said, “I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother’s hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother’s hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.
This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother’s hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director’s office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth’s eyes, asked: “Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?”

The youth answered,” I cleaned my mother’s hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes’

The Director asked,”please tell me your feelings.”

The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, “This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of
others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company’s performance improved tremendously.
A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop “entitlement mentality” and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent’s efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?

You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.


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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Time for India's children

Dear friends across India,

As families around the world buy holiday gifts, millions of Indian children are slaving away in brutal conditions to produce their presents and decorations. But in days India’s Parliament could pass a ban on child labour, and stop their suffering.
 
Children as young as five are snatched up by traffickers and forced to work 12 hour days in cramped sweatshops, often not knowing if they'll ever see their parents again. A bill to ban underage labour is on the table in Parliament, and stands to get majority support. But it's been stalled by a fuss over another issue. In days child rights groups will meet Parliamentary leaders to bust the logjam, and if tens of thousands of us from India and across the world strengthen their hand, we can get this critical law agreed.

India's children should be getting an education, not slaving away to profit heartless corporations. Sign the petition to get Parliamentarians to stop their squabbles and agree a ban child labour under 14 years and harmful work under 18 years:

Sign the petition

Child labour is a global issue -- 215 million children around the world work in mines, quarries, and factories. More than half are them are living under threat of violence. Chocolate, clothes, jewelry, electronics we use, and even Christmas and New Year decorations – all get produced by these children.

India has one of the highest number of child labourers in the world. Local child welfare groups are lobbying the Indian Parliament to pass a proposed amendment to the child labour laws that would ban all forms of child labour under 14 years, all harmful work under 18 years, eliminate school fees, create stipends for girls, and more stringent enforcement of child labour laws -- all measures that would put children back into school, and set a path out of poverty for India's most vulnerable.

We only have a few days to save these children from a bleak future -- Parliament can decide this week whether a child's place is in school or in slavery. Sign the petition to MPs, then send this widely:

Sign the petirion

The Avaaz community has rallied for the most vulnerable, time and time again. While many of us plan end of year family gatherings, let’s take a stand for the future of India’s suffering children.

With hope and determination,
Alex, Alaphia, Michelle, Ricken, Dalia, Rewan and the whole Avaaz team


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