Waking up to Naxalism.

The killing of 74 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers on the wee hours of April 6, 2010 at Chintalnar near Dantewara in the Bastar area of Chattisgarh state seems to have finally woken up the Indian establishment to the fact that while they have been obsessing with economic growth and India's place in the world, the country's hinterland is witnessing an awakening of another kind. A raging insurgency, with its epicenter in the Adivasi homelands of central India, is threatening to engulf at least a quarter of India's 590 districts. It would not be very far off the mark to state that over 200 million people now live in areas where insurgents of some kind or the other are in armed conflict with the Indian State. It's not by coincidence that in much of this area, there is a sizable tribal population. Much of the insurgency can now be attributed to Naxalism, probably making it the last communist ideology inspired insurgency in the world. But now the geographical scale dwarfs every such conflict the world has known save the Chinese civil war that finally ended with Mao Zedong's victory. China has moved on a long way since then, and almost certainly China's present Chairman no longer inspires the Naxalites, as the first Chairman did.

Biorhythm Is Gonna Get You

Timing is everything. You knew that. A study now suggests you can use that. On condition you ride mood swings, the biorhythmically regulated emotional highs and lows we go through everyday. So, all ye married men, avoid a fight with the missus at 3 p.m. That's when your better half becomes the smarter half, pulverising you in any argument. Which means hubbies out to shirk housework or to stag-party had better not rebel mid-afternoon. Else, with due apologies to singer Gloria Estefan, the wife's biorhythm is gonna get you.

As for all ye gals out there, wait till evening for your partners to grant your wishes. Want your guy to potty-train your mean mastiff or fund your overpriced tattoo? Hit a sixer after 6 p.m., when he-men become more manipulable. Clearly, the virtue of timing is no clock-and-bull-story. Why, this study even tells you when to ask for a promotion. Accost the boss around 1 p.m. to drop the (time) bomb. An explosive 'finding', that.

Rediscovering Emperor Ashoka

Writes Sen, in a foreword to Rich's volume, that an "underlying concept of fairness is based on Ashoka's basic belief, influenced by his conversion to Buddhism, in the fundamental value of all life. It is a shared reverence for life that can, according to this approach, make everyone behave spontaneously in a responsible and considerate way, without the compulsion of forced good behaviour."

Yours Faithfully, With Grace

When we do not face reality, especially when we consider it 'unpleasant', we may tend to push our own suffering - by unconscious but active denial - on to other people and out into the world, seeing them as 'bad' or 'wrong'. Parents who cannot tolerate their own imperfections, will criticise and alienate their children for their imperfections; one partner, blind to his own faults will notice, criticise and condemn the very same imperfections in the other.

This is not about being satisfied with the mediocre or about condoning 'evil' or inhumanity; it is about facing reality and working with it rather than against it.

The Option Is Yours

We can maximise our happiness by minimising two habits - expectations and comparisons. When we have high expectations of others, especially our near and dear ones, we invariably end up getting hurt. Similarly, making comparisons can cause negative emotions like discontentment, jealousy and an unhealthy competitive spirit.

Life, however, may not always be rewarding. During troubled times, we need to maintain an unwavering faith in Divine functioning. A trusting, non-resistant attitude will help us embrace reality gracefully. Accept the world the way it is rather than brood over its imperfections. A negative attitude will certainly not alter reality - the option is in our own hands!

For true, undiluted happiness, it is imperative to live in the present. Past is a grave and the future is unknown. Living in the present moment is what can yield positive results. Again, the choice is ours. Simply pondering over past miseries and not learning lessons will make us cling to the past in sadness. It is only when we wisely embrace the lessons that we let go of the past and move on in life to brighten our present.

Protecting The Lawgivers

The Constitution (One Hundred and Fourteenth Amendment) Bill, 2010 seeks to make long overdue amendments to Articles 217(1) and 224(3) of the Constitution of India, which peg the retirement age of high court judges at 62. Introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 25, 2010, the Bill takes its cues from the 39th report of the parliamentary standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice, that the retirement age of high court judges be "brought at par with the retirement age of [judges] of the Supreme Court", who presently retire at 65. However, while the objectives of the proposed amendment are laudable, the Bill in its present form may have an adverse impact on the length of the term of Supreme Court judges, unless its enactment is paired with a definitive policy on the age at which judges will be appointed to the Supreme Court.

Multidimensional Life

All of us see the world and life from our limited perspective. If we knew this, then we would not be in conflict with others. But we assume that what we know is the whole truth and that the other is wrong. And hence there are conflicts all over the world, basically because my truth does not agree with yours, although both of us don't know that we are both only partially correct, and are both likely to be wrong. We strongly hold on to our partial or wrong concepts, and fight over it, tooth and nail. When the final picture emerges, or with the passage of time, when we look back at the past, we will often see how our words and actions were often wrong.

Our knowledge is partial and incomplete. We form our central core from this partial truth, and hence are prone to get into conflicts with others. If we recognise that we don't know the whole picture, we are likely to become less aggressive and more humble, which will pave the way for more peace and joy on earth.