I Quit Smoking

I quit smoking on 17^th September 2009. I want to share my experience on giving up this habit. It is more than two and a half year now and I have not smoked after this date. I can say now with reasonable confidence that this habit would not come back.

I started smoking in the end of 1987. I was in Class XI at that time. I do not recall why I started smoking. Perhaps, I wanted to do something different as I was in college now. In Bihar, XI and XII at that time were in college. One night I purchased Regent Gold packet and smoked for the first time. I smoked alone. First packet lasted for approximately a month. I used to purchase one or two cigarettes and smoke that in the dead of night. This gradually developed in full fledged habit. I used to smoke Charms (it was cheap). It went up from casual smoking to approximately ten a day.

After finishing graduation, I came to Delhi to try for civil services. It was a big preparation and cigarette was a must. It continued. Only change was the change of brand. Now, I was smoking 'SELECT'. 'SELECT' was Delhi equivalent of 'Charms'. I got job. Brand changed again, now I was smoking only Wills (Navy cut). The habit continued but I started thinking of moderation. I started cutting on numbers. I did one innovation. At that time, Navy cut was at Rs.1.60 and I was smoking around six a day. I started smoking Classic. It was priced at Rs.2.50 a day. I was smoking only two to four. It came down. But this practice did not last long. I again came back to Wills. I got married. I started feeling responsible. But this habit was difficult to quit. I went on foreign postings to Jeddah and Bratislava. Smoking remained. In foreign countries, I used to smoke Marlboro light. Nothing else changed, except I made few serious attempts of quitting. At one time, I did not smoke for a month and again went back to smoking. But all along, I was a responsible smoker. During pregnancy of my wife, I never smoked indoors. During Ramzan days in Jeddah, I avoided public smoking. It was never more than 10-15 a day.

Once, I linked savings on non smoking with school fee of my daughter to make it a serious pledge. It remained for few months. But probably with increase in salary, my expenditure on my daughter's school fee became proportionately small. And I went back to smoking. Once I felt hypocrisy in cigarette and doing yoga. I became a regular practitioner of yoga. I used to devote around half an hour every day. But I was smoking. I thought, I am fooling myself. If I quit smoking the benefit of Yoga would automatically come. I quit the Yoga, ha ha.... At another time I decided that I would smoke only at the time of taking alcohol. Intake of Alcohol increased, ha ha.. I want to say that quitting was never easy and I failed several times in past.

In 2009, I was going to Patna with my parents. As I was always with members of my family, I did not smoke for two days. I had cigarettes in my pocket but could not get time/ place to smoke. I decided, I would not smoke in future. I was able to quit. I was tremendously helped in this effort by having a positive frame of mind, eager to live a healthy life, drinking lot of water, doing yoga/ meditation. My thinking at the time of doing Pranayam now was changed. I knew that it is now benefiting me.      

Congratulations!!!!

Please accept my heartiest congratulations on the occasion of India's successful test-firing of Agni V. This missile is capable of hitting a target up to 5000 km. However, as per statement of DRDO chief, this range can be increased on WILL.  A Chinese expert has also claimed that India underplayed the capability of Agni V to allay fear of other nations. Branding it Long Range Ballistic Missile is just a misnomer. It can, therefore, be fairly assumed that threshold ICBM capability has been achieved by Indian Scientists. Icing on the cake is that it can take nuclear weapons on board. BRAVO!

In modern days, full scale war between capable nations will be rare. Enhanced defence preparedness will help in averting war. Countries know each other and their range of penetration. They would never strike if they know that response would be mighty. India's stated policy of 'no first use' of nuclear weapons is aimed at achieving this end.

We, the citizen of India, salute you for this historical achievement.  

Poems of Anubhuti

This Never-ending Path I Chose

In the land of nowhere

I was wondering were I was

Skeletons surronding me

Of those who chose the path I did

I wished at the fork of the road

I had chosen the other path

which many chose and came to an end

This neverending path I chose

with difficulties one above another

This neverending path I chose

which many did not choose to go

This neverending path I chose

This neverending path I chose

As far as the eye can see

I looked at myself

I can't believe what I see

I see all the stuff I hide

I saw me rotting

My mom thinks I am...

as charming as the moon

as beautiful as a rose

as lovely as a lake

where people like to stay

as atractive as fireflies

My dad thinks...

as sincere as sunlight

as disciplined as a teacher

as lazy as a hippo

as supporting as cheerleaders

My brother thinks...

as loving as mom

as humorous as a clown

as kind as a donator

as caring as well me

as honest as a sage

as wise an old person

as knowledgeable as a book

As a friend people think of me as

A fun friend to hang out with

I have a twinkle in my way

I am awfully

as kind as a donater

As respetful as a citizen to its country

Those just see my bright side

the way I look out side

but they don't know me inside

and as they do this poem will be the opposite of what it was

Litter is Bitter

I am bitter when I see litter

we should be hygenic

we should be green

we should keep our city green

I am bitter when I see litter

These are few poems written by Ms Anubhuti Chitra, my sweet daughter studying in Class VI

होली की अनंत शुभकामनायें

आप सभी को होली की अनंत शुभकामनायें. आपका  जीवन रंग बिरंगी हो, आपका सौभाग्य गुलाल की तरह ऊपर की ओर उठता जाये. ये पर्व आपसी प्रेम और सौहार्द्र का है. आइये हम सब मिलकर संपूर्ण विश्व को एक ही रंग में रंग दें. मानव मानवता के रंग में रंग जाएँ. वे मानव के अलावा कुछ और न हों. भगवान ने पुरे विश्व में विविधता भरकर होली की अनुपम छठा बिखेरी है. हर रंग का समुचित समावेश किया है. ना कुछ ज्यादा ना कुछ कम. मात्रा एकदम नपा तुला.    

होली हमें एक मौका देता है की हम आज सबकुछ भूलकर एक दुसरे से गले मिल जाएँ. केवल स्नेह की बयार बहे.  

मैथिल बंधुओं को होली के मौके पर नव वर्ष की बधाइयाँ. 

सदा आनंद रहे अहि द्वारे मोहों खेले होली हो. 

जोगीरा सा रा रा रा......... 

Polio Free India

India achieved a tremendous feat by making the country Polio Free. For last one year, there has been no new case of Polio. Last detected case was on 13.01.2011. This is a historic positive achievement for India. The mass immunization programme with help from World Health Organization has been extremely successful. This has been possible with the support of people, health personnel, media mobilization, celebrity especially Amitabh's 'Do Boond Jindagi Ki' campaign. This is a great success story and we should be proud on this. We could achieve this despite several problems like feeble health infrastructure in Rural areas, problems in keeping vaccine in icebox, scepticism about the efficacy of medicine, backwardness and unawareness among people and communal suspicion about OPV. May the Government initiate such mass immunization programmes for other diseases.

Ancient Debt

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

A crisis is hovering over our virtuous land

Disaster has befallen on our austere country

Enemies are having eagle's eye on our peace-loving country

Adversaries are looking with greed on our golden land

Blood is pelting over the king of mountains

Kashmir's daughter is being disrobed

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Fire of battle is ablaze in the country

Anger of country is roaring

Nation's valour is ignited

Amour propre is thundering

We lost many won battles

We have thrown away many winning garlands

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

We would ask neither throne nor riches

We would ask neither gold nor silver

We would ask neither abode in heaven or on moon

We would ask only ammunition and heavenly weapon

We would ask neither salvation nor nirvana

We would ask only brave sons and armed forces

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

O lord of gods, you would be remembering horrendous terror of Taraka

Who cachinated after taking your throne

Heaven was looted, pride of Gods was shattered

Nandan orchard was destroyed and the Kalpavriksha was dried

We then sent Kartik Kumar

Got you win the war and helped in reclaiming heaven

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Ravan defeated all Gods in the war

Meghnad defeated the Indra

Virtuous deeds, religious sacrifices were stopped

Heavenly pride was shattered

We then sent Ramchandra and Laxman

Ravan and Indrajeet were killed by our help

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Whenever there is calamity in heaven

And throne of Indra is destabilized

We run with arms, ammunitinon & force

We fight against enemy in those fierce battle

We have even donated our bones by damaging our body

We have even given infallible armour

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Please send Ram, please send Krishna

Please send Bheem, please send Parth (Arjun)

Please send thunder weapon (Vajra), please send chakra

Please send Gandiv with everfilled arrows

Please accept our pleadings, please keep our pride

Please return the debt and please clear your dues

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt

Boundary of patience has broken

Line of suffering has disappeared

We would break open the gates of heaven

We would take arms and weapons of braves

We would break the silence of heaven

we would loot armoury of the heaven

O Lord of Heaven, please listen with open ears

Please return the ancient debt.

* I have translated this Maithili poem, Prachin Rinn, of my father Dr. Janak Kishore Lal Das. This was published in the book Dillik Sarak Par. Any suggestion in translation is welcome.