Aneela Nike Post: September 2023

Friday 29 September 2023

Why Pedro was popular?

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Why Pedro was popular?

Words of wisdom and Smile with Pedro were popular on Facebook and other social media. In fact, Pedro was keenly followed and generated a lot of interest, so few friends and some readers were keen to know more about Pedro. Most guesses were that he is a smart old man from Goa, sitting on an easy chair on the verandah in his cottage, facing the sea, and getting great ideas! Possibly, the name must have led them to think so. Yes and no, he is universal.

Pedro, the friend of all seasons! Many friends have inquired and wish to know more about Pedro. Every few months, someone or another asks and wishes to know about Pedro. Pedro is a simple, God-fearing man who is young at heart. He loves his family, community, and festivals, and lives amidst nature. He also loves his daily evening peg. He is fun-loving and loves his land and country. He is also wise and likes to share his experiences through his "Words of Wisdom" and "Smile with Pedro." He is a good friend of mine and has conveyed his good wishes to you all. And on a serious note, he is a metaphor!

Pedro is appreciated by many regular readers. And I have been asked by quite a few readers about Pedro. Where does he get his humor and words of wisdom? And my reply to that is: For a writer, the older he gets, there are more people, experiences, and more memories to write about. So, one doesn’t run short of subject matter. But maybe, as I have grown over the years, my emphasis or focus has been more on wisdom and the funny side of life. And Pedro expresses that through: Smile with Pedro and Pedro’s words of wisdom!

Here we reproduce a few of his gems, which were posted under Words of Wisdom and Smile with Pedro. I am sure the blog readers will love it. If you wish to comment or say something, do write in the comment section. It will inspire him to do more.

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Pedro’s Words of Wisdom:

*You and only you can be the best mentor for yourself. So, keep yourself motivated at all times. Believe in the champion in you!

*It takes a minute to have a crush on someone. An hour to like someone. And a day to love someone. But it takes a lifetime to forget someone!

*No one notices your tears. No one notices your sadness. No one notices your pain. But all notice your mistakes.

*The moment you start valuing yourself, the world will start valuing you.

*Bad politicians are created by good and smart people who go on a picnic on election day and blame everyone else.

*Children are so busy with their lives they forget their parents are growing up. By the time they realize this, they themselves will be old!

*If you walk ahead, fortune will follow you. Followers will not be far behind.

*Most politicians have a tendency to shoot first and aim later!

*Half knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance!

*Trust that God will put the right people in your life at the right time and for the right reason.

*Never underestimate anyone because even a tiny virus has the power to stop the world.

*Don't mess with senior citizens. They have the time, they're sincere, and they're focused on pursuing any issue or any wrong done!

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Smile with Pedro:

*A person with two wives, when asked why two? He said, economists always say, break the monopoly!

*The hands get men into trouble, and the tongue gets women into bigger trouble.

*Overheard: Wife telling her close friend – I am plotting to kill my husband’s mistress. First, I will cut her cable; next, I will rip her off the wall and then kick on the screen!

*A psychiatrist is a person who will give you expensive answers that your wife will give for free!

*Best example of globalization: somebody eats something in China, and the whole world is washing its hands!

*Having a wife is part of living. But having a girlfriend along with the wife is the art of living!

*Life was much easier when Apple and Blackberry were just fruits!

*An advertisement for a graveyard: Cool and Quiet Place to Rest in Peace – with free WiFi!

*Did WiFi derive from Wife without E? It's moody like her!

*Bangalore is a beautiful city. You get stuck in traffic and can't reach the office on time; just start a start-up!

*Most hubbies don’t need GPS. The wife tells them where to go!

*A husband and wife had a serious argument. The man angrily said: Be careful, don't bring out the animal in me. The wife retorts: So what, who is afraid of a mouse!

Pedro will be looking forward to the comments from the readers in India and around the world. If it's inspiring, he might once again appear on Facebook and other social media with his Words of Wisdom and Smile with Pedro. Till then, he wishes you to be happy, healthy, and joyful.

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Sunday 24 September 2023

Did the British name India?

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Did the British name India?

India, Bharat, and Hindustan represent India and its people. One may call it by any one name it means the same. All Indians hold all the three names in great esteem. Some people believe, the British named India. It’s not true. One should know the history of how the names were derived. The Greeks and Iranians called India, Hindos or Indos or Indu meaning the land to the east of river Indus. From these names came the name India.

Poet Iqbal wrote: Sare jahan se acha Hindustan hamara, hum bul bule hai hiske..... He must have never imagined a day would come when people would start debating about the name of Hindustan, India, or Bharat?

Can name change be a game changer? Most agree its trivializing the issue. Recently there was an uproar, an unwanted debate on name-change from India to Bharat. With G-20 meeting being held in Delhi, the invites and banners read Bharat. This was the subject of debate during an international meeting created to gain some brownie points. It was uncalled for. India, Bharat and Hindustan is India. Some of the foreign leaders and delegates must be wondering what the Indians are trying to impress upon!

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As we all know, India is known by three names – India, Bharat and Hindustan. Abroad especially in some European countries, America and even in some Asian countries, you will be surprised to know many common citizens, young and old people are not even aware of these names. They know India only by Hind or Indu! Bharat came from Bharat Varsh, India came from river Indus (Indu, Sindhu), and Moghuls and foreign Muslim rulers called it Hind or Hindustan.

Bharat is derived from Bharat Varsh, considered to be the ancient name for this land mass, and it had no defined boundaries. The Indian sub-continent was considered Bharat Varsh, some even believe that some countries of south-east Asia were part of it, but there’s no concrete evidence. But there was regular contact and trade with countries of far- east and south-east Asia with people sailing to these far-flung places right up to Philippines.

Moghuls and foreign rulers from the middle east and central Asia knew India as Hind or Hindustan. If you travel abroad, you will be astonished to know, even in some developed and remote countries, like in Europe, local people are not aware of India, Bharat or Hindustan and where it’s located on the globe! If you tell them, you are from India, they give you a blank look. But when you say – Hind or Indu, they nod and smile! Many of the travel vloggers will agree with me.

Many Indians, including politicians and political analysts and commentators are of the view that during the British colonial rule (approx. 1757-1947), the British referred to the Indian sub-continent as India. As you all know, India was derived from river Indus. The fact is, yes India was derived from river Sindhu (Indus), used in Greek since the 4-5th century BCE. Since British were possibly unaware of the term Bharat so called it India, as India was already familiar in Europe and easier for the British to use. The British have nothing to do with the name India. The only thing they did was officially called it India and worked on defined boundaries. It is part of history since 4-5th century BC. The Greeks used it, the Persians used it. To some it was Indi and to some it was India.

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The Greeks labelled the region surrounding river Indus as Indi or India. The nomenclature came from the Sanskrit – Sindhu. Later, the Romans too embraced the Greek term, Indi or India. In fact, the word Hindu derived from Sindu. People living around Sindhu or Indu were called Hindus. By the logic of calling India as Bharat, then Hindus should be called Sindhus! Some even go further saying, kurta pyjama and pant shirt are not Indian wear, these are adapted from foreigner wear; they should revert to dhoti kurta. There is no end to such debate.

If one goes deep into the name game, India had 5 names – Bharat, Aryavarta, Hindustan, Tenjiku and Jamudweep. Some even claim more than 5 names. Before the British take-over of India, it was mainly Mughal and Marathas who ruled major parts of India. Their influence is evident. In China, India is known as Yin-tu. It goes back to the Tang period. The earliest recorded evidence of the name India can be traced back to the ancient text, the Vedas which dates back to around 1500 BCE or earlier. In the Vedas, Sindhu was used to describe the river Indus and the surrounding region. From Indus, came Indi, Indos, Indu and finally India.

Bharat, Hindustan and India co-existed in the subcontinent. The salutation/battle cry – Bharat mata ki Jai and Jai Hind (Victory to Hind). It must be noted here, the word Hind is used. It’s said, ancient texts have references to the name India. Megasthenes, was a Greek historian, diplomat and explorer. He described India in his book Indica during 4-5th Century BCE, as an ambassador to the Mauryan empire, gave detailed accounts of the kingdom under this name. Politicians must get their facts right before making loose statements.

Even the word Hindu (a person hailing from Hind) is derived from Sindhu. Should we change Hindu to Sindhu? Actually, foreigners pronounced Sindhu as Hindu or Indu. Should India be changed to Bharat? It is not as simple as it seems. There will be a lot of political, administrative and economic implications. No sane person would do that. India is known world-wide and is a brand. What will happen to Chak de India, Made-in-India, State of India, Reserve Bank of India, Non-Resident Indians, BCCI, in UNO and many more. Imagine the chaos and huge cost to just change the name of India because some politician feels so. May better sense prevail. Let us concentrate on other priorities to make India better and strong in the comity of nations.

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Thursday 7 September 2023

Eye-opener to our neighbors!

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Eye-opener to our neighbors!

India provides equal opportunities, education, employment, and facilities to all irrespective of caste and creed. In all India’s prestigious institutions all over the country devoted to science, space, technology, finance, defense, research, and development, including the armed forces, you can find Indians of all communities and religion.....

Most of India’s neighbors can’t comprehend India’s secular credentials or understand the social fabric of the nation. India is a Hindu majority country with Muslims, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, Jews, and others who live in peace and harmony. All are equal citizens of the country. All of them celebrate their festivals and participate in celebrations of each other. This has been a tradition since centuries. And all of them have their temples, mosques, and churches to pray and follow their religion without fear or restrictions. Some of the neighbors can’t understand or digest this, especially Pakistan, where the people are told India is a land of Hindus, where they mistreat and torture minorities, especially Muslims. This hatred is inculcated through the media, leaders, and even through school text books. The first reaction of most Pakistanis is that India is our enemy and that we can't accept anything good happening in India.

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I am a Hindu, studied in a convent school run by catholic priests; my classmates were Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Jews, and Parsis. We are still in touch with most of them and visit one another, know their families, have been part of their marriages, festivities, and celebrations, and are with them in good and bad times. This is our culture and tradition. Here, nobody thinks in terms of religion. All are equal and considered Indians in India and abroad. And all are proud to call themselves Indian and proud of the blue passport. If you ask any Indian, his response would be that the nation comes first, then comes religion. For Indians, religion is a private matter. It's common for people of the majority and minority communities to meet and visit each other on festive occasions and festivals, and take part in the celebrations and enjoy the feast. This is the norm.

India offers and provides equal opportunities, education, employment, and facilities to all irrespective of caste and creed. In all India’s prestigious institutions all over the country devoted to science, space, technology, finance, defense, research, and development, including the armed forces, you can find Indians of all communities and religion. All are proud to serve their nation. No one is differentiated in the name of religion, and people from minority communities can rise to the top in the field they have chosen. Abdul Kalam, Fakhruddin Ali and Zakir Hussein were elected President of India. Similarly, India as had top leaders, politicians, state governors, state chief minister, central ministers, army generals, chief of air force, heads of prestigious institutions from the minority community. Can you ever imagine this happening in Pakistan?

To give a simple example of how people from different religions are interconnected and need each other, morning bread and eggs are supplied to homes mostly by Muslims, Christians, and Parsis. The car mechanic could be a Hindu, Muslim, or a Christian. Meat, or chicken, is mostly supplied by Muslims. The plumber who comes to fix is a Muslim; the electrician could be a Hindu or a Christian, the computer technician, TV mechanic, refrigerator technician, or carpenter could be a Muslim, Hindu, or Christian. Same goes for doctors, house help, and maids. All of them know their job and are trusted in homes and by families. They have been offering their services for years. Hindu doctors treat patients from the minority community, and doctors from minority community treat patients from majority community, nothing unique about it in India, It's been happening for for ages as all are treated equally.

From this, you can very well understand the interdependency of all communities. They are all respected, treated, and paid equally. Some of the people have been handling repairs and services for families for decades and generations due to faith, excellent service, and trust. In some cases, once the father gets old and retires, the sons offer the same service, because of the mutual faith, satisfaction, and trust factor.

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In some cases, the bonding is so deep that a Muslim invites his Hindu friend to accompany him to see the groom for his daughter. His opinion is counted. And the same happens vice versa. In case of a medical emergency, nobody checks if the blood or organ is from a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or any other community. Pakistanis would be surprised to know that even in business, there are instances of Hindu and Muslim or others as partners in an successful enterprise or a manufacturing or a trading company.

There are petty leaders in India too who tend to create a rift among religions and communities for their selfish motives and self-interest. Sometimes some misguided youth or people get carried away by false stories, but soon realize that they are victims of false propaganda spread by these fake leaders. Here people are exposed to news, current affairs, development, science and technology, so the lies of such leaders are exposed sooner or later.

Seeing the Pakistan media and social media, it’s disheartening to see the Pakistani illiterate and even some of the educated people talking about hatred for India and don’t want to believe about India’s progress and development in IT, science and technology; they still believe their country is better, stronger and more developed when they have been isolated, and their leaders go around begging for funds. It’s discouraging to see students especially from madrassas ignorant of science talking about earth been flat and static, and the sun moving around the earth. With such education, it’s difficult to see progress in Pakistan. Educated and enlightened Pakistanis are leaving their country as they see no hope or future in their country.

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Some of India’s neighbors, especially Pakistan, can’t digest this unity and harmony. Their leaders and media feed fake news and hatred for India, for their own survival. In recent years, some educated and young Pakistanis are trying to change this with facts through social media. This is an eye-opener to many Pakistanis who have been fed hatred, false information, and propaganda about India. Now seeing India’s progress and development, the younger generation of Pakistanis are seeing and learning the truth about India and where they stand in the world. They have started questioning, though both became free nations more than seven decades ago, India has developed and prospered, whereas Pakistan is sinking and is forced to literally beg and borrow with prices of essential commodities shooting up and at the mercy of others and the FATF.

Pakistan’s economic and political conditions have deteriorated greatly. Cash-strapped Pakistan’s $350 billion economy is a meltdown, with inflation at a record 38%. The 2022-2023 Pakistani economic crisis is an ongoing economic crisis and part of the 2022-2023 political unrest. It has caused severe economic challenges due to which food, gas, and oil prices have risen. The predicament is further compounded by soaring sugar prices. The economy is under severe stress with low foreign reserves, a depreciating currency, and high inflation. Default risks increase significantly in fiscal year 2023-24. Poverty in Pakistan has been recorded by the World Bank at 39.3%. Pakistan’s external debt servicing obligations for July 2023 amount to USD 2.44 billion, with USD 2.07 billion owed to China and USD 195 million to Saudi Arabia. Besides, Pakistan’s crippling economy is sitting on a large pile of debt taken from international organizations and countries like China.

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