UNICEF Warning: Indian Students Not Skilled Enough (Why?)

I invite you to read this article: Over half of Indian students will not have skills for 21st century jobs, warns UNICEF - Business Insider India (ampproject.org)

That's about the same percentage that doesn't attend classes and believes that college campuses are essentially dating sites, gaming zones, fashion show ramps and drugs & booze dens.

Sounds about right.

India: A Multitude Of Linguistic, Cultural and Religious Identities!

Think about this deeply:

India has a multitude of linguistic, cultural and religious identities living together as one people. Travel from North to South and East to West and you will find Punjabi Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians; Tamil Hindus, Muslims, Christians; Bengali Hindus, Muslims, Christians; Marathi Hindus, Muslims, Christians; and so on...

The sensible way to think is that we have Punjabis, Tamilians, Bengalis, Marathis, and a multitude of other linguistic and cultural identities living together as one nation, one unified identity: Indian. And religion is simply an individual choice - that's all.

However, over the last few years we've been made to think absolutely in the opposite way. We are obsessing about religion and forgetting that someone is actually simply an Indian Punjabi with his/her religious preference or an Indian Tamilian with his/her religious preference or an Indian Bengali with his/her religious preference or an Indian Marathi with his/her religious preference and so on...

Worse, It has become Hindus Vs. Non Hindus!

Look, this is simply the old Divide and Rule political trick at play. Rulers and politicians all through history have used it to retain power. And it's always the common man and woman, i.e. you and me, that gets hurt - never the rulers.

Read about the Mutiny of 1857 and how the British, completely in shock of how united Hindus and Muslims were, officially implemented the Divide and Rule Policy to break us down and retain power. Officially! This is a matter of historical record! From 1857 to the India-Pakistan partition in 1947 to now when politicians openly talk about the electorate being a 80-20 split : it's the same sick game! And we keep falling for it!

This has to stop. Insist that politicians talk only and only about Job Creation, Education, Healthcare, Law and Order, and other sensible matters. If anyone tries to distract you from these, simply tell them to shut up.

(Note: As you reflect on the post above, bear in mind that I have supported the present government every time they acted to cancel minority appeasement freebies (Haj Allowance, PM Iftar Parties, Triple Talaaq). But from 2019 to 2024 their speeches and IT Cell actively spread hatred against ordinary Muslim citizens. Not only can this not be allowed, it is fundamentally nonsensical. To understand this better, I invite you to read: Strike a Pause: Why Push Away Muslims? (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com))

Kindness: The Greatest Talent Of All!

You know, I've been watching some performances on America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent. And I don't understand something:

There are times when the performance is not up to the mark and the audience boos the candidate loudly. Sometimes even the judges aren't polite with either their words or facial expressions.

That shows we undermine the greatest talent of all: kindness, goodwill, compassion.

It's alright if someone doesn't qualify, but why break his or her confidence by ridiculing them? Let them gently know they didn't make it and encourage them to come back stronger.

Look at the state of our society. I would first and foremost want people to be kind, and then by all means sing, dance, do some physics, math, or whatever catches their fancy.

You get what I'm saying?

Being Indian!

Here's a message from the Youth Icon of India:

"To me an Indian is one who has got a Vedantic brain which probes deep and soars high; an Islamic body that is vibrant and valiant; a Buddhistic heart overflowing with compassion and kindness and Christian limbs of service and sacrifice.”

-- Swami Vivekananda.

It is he who won everyone's heart at the World's Parliament of Religions in 1893! It is he who took Hindu Philosophy to the west! It is he who emphasized the Synthesis of Religions with the theme: The Goal is the same, Paths there are many!

If we bear the above in mind, there is no power on Earth that can stop us from being the best country in the world. If not, simply forget about becoming first world because we'll just keep wasting all our time and energy in fighting with each other.

Absorb this deeply! It is such Spiritual Giants that have stood the test of time that we need to pay heed to and learn from!

[As I cry out every time his birth anniversary comes around: Wish he had stayed on for a few more decades! He would have straightened us out nice and proper! Went so early! Went so early!]

The Genius Of Guru Nanak

While many may talk about the underlying unity of all religions, few have the genius to bring out the same formally. Guru Nanak did. The Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy scripture of the Sikhs, talks about Ram, Krishna and Allah, and embraces them alike.

Regardless of whether you are a theist, atheist or agnostic, or which religion you belong to, this is a person to befriend. You will fall in love with him, I promise 🙂!

PS: All those Sikhs who were, or still are, mislead by the terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale: Learn to distinguish between a Sant (Saint) and an Uggarwadi (Terrorist).

True Worship

True worship of Saraswati is studying and practicing your skills.

True worship of Lakshmi is working hard.

True worship of Ganesh is a resilient Never Give Up attitude.

True worship of Ram is living a honest life free of corruption and exploitation.

True worship of Krishna is fearlessly defeating every evil force one encounters while bringing a smile on everyone's face and protecting everyone in times of difficulty.

True worship of Durga is living a life imbued with both compassion and fearlessness, knowing when to forgive and when to punish, while at the same time staying pure oneself.

If you are not doing the above, I assure you that you are wasting your time offering flowers in temples and lighting incense sticks. God is not an idiot.

Being Hindu Not Enough (You Have To Be A Good One)!

There have been absolutely amazing Hindus like Swami Vivekananda. But it is also true that:

Kans, the psychopath who killed seven of his sister's babies, was a Hindu.

Duryodhan and the Kauravas were all Hindus.

It is by no means enough to be a Hindu 😊, you actually have to be a good one 😊! And that effort, to refine your character, to be a decent human being, is entirely ours to make! No one, not even God, can do that for us. Just going about thumping our chests and going Hindu Hindu Hindu is of no interest to God. Neither is God in need of anything we can offer. I often see all sorts of corrupt folks going to temples to "make offerings" and that makes me laugh 😅! It's God who provides for us, not the other way around 😅!

PS: Needless to say, Whatever I have said above applies absolutely equally to all religions: Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jain, Parsi, Jew. Just declaring yourself to be religious, going to places of worship, praying, is not going to grant you a spot in any swarg or jannat. God, in any form and by any name, is not stupid. His first and foremost demand from you is that you be a good human being.