nadia comaneci-perfect athlete

Nadia is the stuff legends are made of! At the age of 15 she created history at the Montreal Olympics by scoring a perfect 10 in every event she participated in. Whether it was the floor events or the vault and horse she dominated the Gymanstics event!
Nadia proved that the human body with effort is capable of unimaginable feats. She raised gymnastics to  an art performing with the ease of a ballerina. The erstwhile Communist bloc has produced some of the finest athletes in the world.
I hope more girls all over the world will emulate Nadia!

mother

sindhutai sapkal

Sindhutai Sapkal was born on 14 November 1948 at Wardha in Maharashtra. She could attend school only until 4th grade, attended part-time due to other family responsibilities. She was brought up in abject poverty. Got married at the age of 10 to a 32 year man. She lived a normal and tough life at her in law's place and gave birth to three sons by the time she turned 20! She put up a successful agitation against a local strongman who was fleecing the villagers on collection of dried cow dung used as fuel in India and selling it in collusion with forest department, without paying anything to the villagers. Her agitation brought the district collector to her village and on realizing she was right he passed an order which the strongman did not like. Stung by the insult at the hands of a poor woman, he managed to convince her husband to abandon her when she was beyond 9 months of her pregnancy. She gave birth to a baby girl in a cow shelter outside their house that night,all by herself and walked few kilometers away to her mother's place, who refused to shelter her. She had to set aside the thought of suicide and started begging on railway platforms for food. In the process she realized that there are so many children abandoned by their parents and she adopted them as her own and started begging even more vigorously to feed them. She decided to become a mother to anyone and everyone who came across to her as an orphan.

She later donated her biological child to the trust Shrimant Dagdu Sheth Halwai, Pune, only to eliminate the feeling of partiality between her daughter and the adopted ones.

Smt. Sindhutai Sapkal, aged 65, is fondly called ‘Maai’, has devoted her entire life for orphans. She has nurtured over 1050 orphaned children. As of today, she has a grand family of 207 son-in-laws, 36 daughter-in-laws and over 1000 grandchildren. Still she continues to fight for the next meal. Many of the children whom she adopted are well-educated lawyers and doctors, and some, including her biological daughter, are running their own independent orphanages. One of her children is doing a Ph.D. on her life. She has been honoured with over 272 awards for her dedication and work including 2010 - Ahilyabai Holkar Award, given by the Maharashtra State Government to social workers in the field of woman and child welfare. She used all that money to buy land to make a home for her orphan children. Construction has started and she is still looking for more help from the world. Sanmati Bal Niketan is being built in Manjari locality at Hadapsar, Pune where over 300 children will reside. There is lot of work to be done for making sure a good living condition but also to secure their future by providing quality education as well. A marathi film 'Mee Sindhutai Sapkal' released in 2010, is a bio-pic inspired by the true story of Sindhutai Sapkal. The film was selected for world premiere at the 54th London Film Festival. She is a great orator and She has orphanages & trust operating in western state of Maharashtra.

At the age of 80, her husband came back to her apologetically. She accepted him as her child stating she is only a mother now! If you visit her ashram, she proudly and very affectionately introduces him as her oldest child! In person, she comes across as an unlimited source of energy and very powerful inspiration, with absolutely no negative emotions or blaming anybody.

women power

women power

After I knew that God was a woman, I learned something from far-off about love; but it was only when I became a woman and served my Master and Paramour that I knew love utterly.
- Sri Aurobindo

But women, women are in principle the executive power. You must never forget that. And in order to receive the inspiration, you can take support from a masculine consciousness feel the need for it.  There is the Supreme Consciousness is more certain, but still, if you need an intermediary...But for the execution, it is you who have the power to carry it out in all the details, with all the power of organisation.  I am instilling this into our women Members of Parliament - you know, there are women in Parliament, and I am teaching them that: do not be submissive to men.  It is you who have the power of execution.  This will have its effect. - On Education Vol 12 Women are not more bound to the vital and material consciousness than men are.  On the contrary, as they have not, in general, the arrogant mental pretensions of men, it is easier for them to discover their psychic being and to allow it to them. In general, they are not conscious in a mental way which can be expressed in words, but they are conscious in their feelings and the best of them are so even in their actions. - Words of The Mother Vol 14 ... what I object to is the male element and female element.  Well, I find that it is not true, and I shall always say: IT IS NOT TRUE.  There is an element like this and another like that (Mother turns her hand from one side to the other).  There is an activity like this and an activity like that.  But why the devil do you want one to be masculine and the other feminine?  It is not like that.  This, this masculine-feminine business is a trick of Nature, it has arranged things here like that.  So, you see, I am going to tell you: when one descends from above, well, right up there one has no idea of masculine and feminine and all that nonsense; as you come down and arrive here, it begins to become something real.  So you tell yourself, "Well, well! that's how Nature has arranged things." Good!  But what I say is that these conceptions these very conceptions which make one element masculine and the other feminine - this is a conception which has come from below, that is, has come out of man's brain which cannot think otherwise than of MAN and WOMAN - because he is still an animal.  There you are!  And that's how I feel I have always felt this, I have said it from the beginning and will repeat it till the very end, and if you don't want to hear me say so, don't speak to me about it! -Questions and Answers Vol 6 Mother, since the beginning of creation, why is there this difference between male and female? Since the beginning of which creation?  Which creation are you speaking about?.... Of the Earth? Yes. First this is not correct.  There are species in which there Difference; and in the beginning there wasn't any - first Second point, the terrestrial creation is a purely material creation and is a sort of materialisation and condensation - universal creation, but in the universal creation this difference does not necessarily exist.  All the possibilities are and all things possible have existed and still exist, and differentiation is not at all the basis of creation. So your  question does not stand, for it is incorrect. But why in the material creation? I am telling you it has not been like that from the beginning. A zoologist could tell you that there are species which are not like that at all.  Nature has tried this method - it tries things, it has made all possible species, made the two , in one made every possible thing.... It tries like this because probably this appears more practical to it!  I don't know. That is all. But on the other planes, even in the terrestrial world, the subtle planes of the terrestrial world, even in the subtle physical and the vital and mental, there are beings divided in two like this, but also beings which are neither male nor female.  They exist.  For instance, in the vital world, it is extremely rare to come across differentiations of sex, the beings are usually sexless.  And I strongly suspect that the world of the gods as described to us by men, has been largely influenced by human thought.  In any case, there are many deities who are without sex.  In all the stories told of the pantheons of all countries, there is a good deal that has been strongly influenced by human thought.  So, this difference is simply a means used by nature to achieve its aim, that's all, nothing more than that.  We must take it like that.  It is not an eternal symbol - not at all. Now, there are many people who are very keen on this distinction - they may keep it if they like! - but it is not at all something final or eternal... or perfect in itself.  It was perhaps the ideal of the overmind creation, that is possible... and yet, even then not totally, only partially.  But still those who are so fond of this differentiation - let them keep it if they like!  If it gives them pleasure.... It has its advantages and disadvantages, many disadvantages. -Questions and Answers Vol 9 From the point of view of the idea of sex, that there are two different sexes.  That still exists. The idea!  But that's the fault of the person who thinks!  One can very well dispense with thinking.  You know, these very petty limits of thought are things which ought to disappear before you can even attempt to transform your body.  If you still have these very petty ideas which are purely animal, there is not much hope that you could begin the least process transformation of your body.  You must first transform your thought.... For that is something which is still far down below. if you are not able to feel that a conscious and living being can be quite free, even in a certain definite form, from all feeling of sex, it... it means that you are still up to your neck in the original animality. In the inner thought one feels it, but in the actuality of material life........ What about the actuality? In the Outer life I have not yet realised that.  In the inner.. You spend your time thinking about it? But one may live twenty-four hours out of twenty-four  without giving a single thought to this difference!  You must really be hypnotised by this affair.  Do you suppose that when I Speak to You I think that you are a man and when I speak to Tara I think she is a woman? Still there is a difference! Ah! but it is not at all necessary. In theory I understand. In theory!  What theory? That there is no difference.  But when I am in contact with someone, either I am speaking to a man or a woman. Well, it's a great pity both for you and for the other person. No, it is just the very opposite of what ought to happen!  When you are in contact with someone and speaking with him, it is precisely to what surpasses all animality that you should speak; it is to the soul you must speak, never to the body.  Even more is asked of you, for you are asked to address the Divine - not even the soul - the one Divine in every being, and to be conscious of that. -Questions and Answers Vol 9 What should be the ideal of a modem woman in ordinary life? In ordinary life, women can have all the ideas they like, it is not very important. From the spiritual point of view, men and women are equal in their capacity to realise the Divine.  Each one must do so in his (or her) own way and according to his (or her) own possibilities. -Questions and Answers Vol 10

women in space-50 years

On 16th June Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to go into outer space. Since then almost 60 women have breached the final frontier. Sunita Williams is the latest entrant to the exclusive club.
Women going into outer space has added a new dimension to space travel. They have a more holistic perspective which is not confined to nation,language creed,religion or sex. They have proved beyond doubt that they are equally competent as men in enduring isolation or confinement for long periods.
Space travel requires engineering and flying skills of the highest order. The astronaut has to be capable of rectifying any technical problem that may arise during the flight.
I hope Indian women also join their foreign counterparts in exploring space soon!

women and cooking

Cooking has traditionally been the preserve of women though now men are also increasingly developing culinary skills. Cooking is an Art and needs tremendous concentration and care. Since women are naturally good at multi-tasking,an important ingredient while cooking, it comes naturally to them. Cutting,mixing,grinding and heating are important components of any cuisine. The Kitchen and utensils should be spotless and the exact amount of heat must be maintained. Ideally cooking should be done in stainless steel utensils over a low flame. Microwave cooking has its advantages but cannot be a substitute for flame-cooking.The use of oils and spices should be minimal. Salads,milk,curds,fiber,leafy vegetables and fruits should form a part of any meal.
There is a fine link between emotions and the quality of cooking. If the cook is in a happy state of mind,the quality of food is of a high order. Cooking is a great stress-buster since it requires application of both mind and body simultaneously.
Food grown by organic means is ideal for health and prevents serious illnesses like diabetes,cancer,obesity and heart attacks.
Ideally there should be a gap of an hour between meals and bed-time. It is always better to take small meals and at regular intervals. A glass of wine goes well with any meal!
Bon-appetit!

world environment day

5th June is the World Environment Day! The environment is under attack as never before in human history. The signs are everywhere-abnormally high levels of CO,global warming,unprecedented floods in Europe, tornado in Oklohama,rising ocean levels,dwindling forest cover, destruction of marine life,oil spills,falling water tables and rising pestilence and famines in Africa.
If Mankind doesn't awaken now, a catastrophe of horrendous proportions is inevitable! We must realize that our eco-system is very fragile and cannot cope with human rapacity and greed.
The solution is to adopt a sustainable pattern of development. The Western dream of owning a house, an automobile and unbridled luxury is not in the larger interest. Instead of investing in nuclear plants a better solution is to explore and apply renewable sources of energy. Energy conservation should be high on the agenda. Use of paper should be avoided wherever possible. Digital Offices and schools are the future! Social responsibility and not profit-maximization should be the buzz-word for businesses.
Even Agriculture needs to be revamped. Organic farming and green houses should be encouraged. New and healthy varieties of crops should be adopted. Water should be conserved by recycling it.

Let us pledge to save the Environment!