My message against racism...

Against the outrageous advertisement outside a supermarket in Australia, saying Indians or Asians aren't welcome for jobs there...

Hey there, brothers & sisters from Australia. I am not generalizing you all, but I am going to give a piece of my mind to the few pathetic racists your beautiful country has given rise to. It is  matter of pride to call yourselves Australians, no doubt. But there is no pride in calling yourselves Australians having little tolerance against people from other countries. That is what illiterate people do; and after all, we know a country can't achieve 100% literacy, so we accept the few random racists out there. Always remember, we are all great people living in our great country with other great people of other great countries; we are all humans. It's true that I am proud to be Indian, but I am also privileged to be global. We are nothing without the support of our brothers and sisters; united we stand, divided we fall. Brothers and sisters out there - fight racism, if any. Racists don't fall under the category of human beings. They are born to hate as they are so insecure about their own existence and consider themselves a rung above the rest. I feel sorry to say this, but religion and racism are the primary reasons that our beautiful world is breaking up into pieces. And always remember; Indians and Asians are known for their hospitality worldwide. We warmly invite anyone from any country to visit or live among us, like our own siblings; WE DON'T TOLERATE RACISM OF ANY KIND. Individual efforts yield less, but a summation of individual efforts can lead to a revolution. I urge all my brothers and sisters, including those from Australia, to stand firmly and strongly against this social evil.

Regards,
Sourav Gangopadhyay

Kites...

A boy was flying a kite with his father and asked him what kept the kite up. Dad replied, "The string." The boy said, "Dad, it is the string that is holding the kite down." The father asked his son to watch as he broke the string.

Guess what happened to the kite? It came down. Isn't that true in life? Sometimes the very things that we think are holding us down are the things that are helping us fly. That is what discipline is all about.

Be a good parent...

There are little eyes upon you

and they're watching night and day.

There are little ears that quickly

take in every word you say.

There are little hands all eager

to do anything you do;

And a little boy who's dreaming

of the day he'll be like you.

You're the little fellow's idol,

you're the wisest of the wise.

In his little mind about you

no suspicions ever rise.

He believes in you devoutly,

holds all that you say and do;

He will say and do, in your way,

when he's grown up like you.

There's a wide-eyed little fellow

who believes you're always right;

And his eyes are always opened,

and he watches day and night.

You are setting an example

every day in all you do,

For the little boy who's waiting

to grow up to be like you.

Low self-esteem...

A young executive with poor self-esteem was promoted but he couldn't reconcile himself to his new office and position. There was a knock at his door. To show how important and busy he was, he picked up the phone and then asked the visitor to come in. As the man waited for the executive, the executive kept talking on the phone, nodding and saying, "No problem, I can handle that." After a few minutes he hung up and asked the visitor what he could do for him. The man replied, "Sir, I'm here to connect your phone."

Dignity...

A beggar was sitting at the train station with a bowl full of pencils. A young executive passed by and dropped a dollar in the bowl. He then boarded the train. Before the doors closed, something came to his mind and he went back to the beggar, grabbed a bunch of pencils, and said, "They are priced right. After all you are a business person and so am I," and he left. Six months later, the executive attended a party. The beggar was also there in a suit and tie. The beggar recognized the executive, went up to him and said, "You probably don't recognize me but I remember you." He then narrated the incident that happened six months before. The executive said, "Now that you have reminded me, I do recall that you were begging. What are you doing here in your suit and tie?" The beggar replied, "You probably don't know what you did for me that day. You were the first person in my life who gave me back my dignity. You grabbed the bunch of pencils and said, 'They are priced right. After all, you are a business person and so am 1.' After you left, I thought to myself, what am I doing here? Why am I begging? I decided to do something constructive with my life. I packed my bag, started working and here I am. I Just want to thank you for giving me back my dignity. That incident changed my life."

Internal motivation...

Internal motivation comes from within, such as pride, a sense of achievement, responsibility and belief.

There was a young boy who used to come for regular practice but always played in the reserves and never made it to the soccer eleven. While he was practicing, his father used to sit at the far end, waiting for him. The matches had started and for four days, he didn't show up for practice or the quarter or semifinals.

All of a sudden he showed up for the finals, went to the coach and said, "Coach, you have always kept me in the reserves and never let me play in the finals. But today, please let me play." The coach said, "Son, I'm sorry, I can't let you. There are better players than you and besides, it is the finals, the reputation of the school is at stake and I cannot take a chance." The boy pleaded, "Coach, I promise I will not let you down. I beg of you, please let me play." The coach had never seen the boy plead like this before. He said, "OK, son, go, play. But remember, I am going against my better judgment and the reputation of the school is at stake. Don't let me down."

The game started and the boy played like a house on fire. Every time he got the ball, he shot a goal. Needless to say, he was the best player and the star of the game. His team had a spectacular win.

When the game finished, the coach went up to him and said, "Son, how could I have been so wrong in my life. I have never seen you play like this before. What happened? How did you play so well?" The boy replied, "Coach, my father is watching me today." The coach turned around and looked at the place where the boy's father used to sit. There was no one there. He said, "Son, your father used to sit there when you came for practice, but I don't see anyone there today." The boy replied, "Coach, there is something I never told you. My father was blind. Just four days ago, he died. Today is the first day he is watching me from above."

Positive and negative motivation...

Let me tell you a story of two brothers. One was a drug addict and a drunk who frequently beat up his family. The other one was a very successful businessman who was respected in society and had a wonderful family. Some people wanted to find out why two brothers from the same parents, brought up in the same environment, could be so different. The first one was asked, "How come you do what you do? You are a drug addict, a drunk, and you beat your family. What motivates you?" He said, "My father." They asked, "What about your father?" The reply was, "My father was a drug addict, a drunk and he beat his family. What do you expect me to be? That is what I am." They went to the brother who was doing everything right and asked him the same question. "How come you are doing everything right? What is your source of motivation?" And guess what he said? "My father. When I was a little boy, I used to see my dad drunk and doing all the wrong things. I made up my mind that that is not what I wanted to be." Both were deriving their strength and motivation from the same source, but one was using it positively and the other negatively. Negative motivation brings the desire to take the easier way which ends up being the tougher way.