World's 10 biggest banks

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove you don't need it, said US actor Bob Hope. But on a serious note, there is no denying the fact that banks are to economies what souls are to human beings.

The Bankersalmanac.com ranks the world's largest banks by total assets in US dolalrs. By the way, according to Bankersalmanac.com, Citibank NA is the world's 16th largest bank. So which are the top 10? Read on to find out:

UBS AG , Zurich, Switzerland

UBS AG is the world's biggest manager of other people's money. The bank's asset stood at $1,963.227 billion as in January 2008.

Present in major financial centres worldwide, UBS has offices in 50 countries. The bank had 81,557 employees on June 30, 2007. It originated in 1747, with its maiden branch coming up in the Swiss region of Valposchiavo.

The new UBS evolved out of a merger of the Union Bank of Switzerland and the Swiss Bank Corporation in June 1998. The merged bank's new name was originally supposed to be the United Bank of Switzerland. But it had to be named UBS as the proposed name clashed with United Bank Switzerland.

Marcel Opel is the bank's chairman of the board of directors, its executive vice chairman is Marco Suter, and the group CEO is Marcel Rohner. The bank's main competitors are Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse etc.

Image: The UBS' headquarters in Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse is pictured in this file photo.

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
Barclays PLC is a major bank operating in Europe, the United States, West Asia, Latin America, Australia, Asia and Africa. It operates through its subsidiary Barclays Bank PLC.

The bank has registered assets worth $1,951.041 billion. It is also the sponsor of the English Premier League. Forbes Global 2000 ranked Barclays PLC as the 18th largest company in the world in 2007.

The bank's roots can be traced back to 1690 in London. It borrowed its name from Alexander and David Barclay, who provided credit to slave traders. The bank is headed by Marcus Agius, the group chairman.

Barclays being a member of the global ATM Alliance, its customers can use ATMs of other banks free of charge.

Image: A man walks past a branch of Barclays Bank in London.

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
BNP Paribas is a major European bank. It was created on May 23, 2000 through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris and Paribas. As on January 31, the bank's assets stood at $1,899.186 billion.

It's history can be traced back to 1869, when a group of bankers and investors, including Adrien Delahante, Edmond Joubert and Henri Cernuschi, founded the Banque de Paris.

The bank employs 162,700 people and operates in 87 countries. The bank is active in the finance, investment and asset management markets.

Image: BNP Paribas Deputy General Director Georges Chodron de Courcel (right) talks to his counterpart Jean Clamon, during a press conference in Paris.

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, Edinburgh, UK, is the largest banking group in Scotland and the fifth largest in the world by market capitalisation. As on January 31, the bank's assets stood at $1,705.680 billion.

The bank originated from the Equivalent Society set up by investors in the bankrupt Company of Scotland. The Society was formed to protect the compensation the investors received as part of the arrangements of the 1707 Acts of Union.

Controversy has dogged the bank off and on. It has been infamously dubbed 'Oil Bank of Scotland' by environmentalists as it provides finance for the fossil fuel industry, thereby causing global warming.

In 2001, the bank received threats for having financed animal testing company Huntingdon Life Sciences. As a direct fallout of this, RBS withdrew the company's overdraft facility.

Image: A Royal Bank of Scotland branch logo is pictured in central London.

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
Credit Agricole SA is the largest retail banking group in France and the eighth largest in the world, according to The Banker magazine. On January 31, the bank's assets stood at $1,663.101 billion

Through its subsidiaries, Credit Agricole SA is involved in the following services:

Retail banking

International retail banking

Specialised financial services

Asset management, insurance and private banking

Corporate and investment Banking

The banks' varied activities are supervised by Rene Carron, the bank's chairman.

Image: French Bank Credit Agricole's Deputy Chief Financial Officer Betrand Badre delivers a speech during a press conference in Paris.

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
Deutsche Bank AG is headquartered in Frankfurt. It employs more than 78,000 people in 76 countries. As on January 31, the bank's asset stood at $1,485.008 billion. Deutsche Bank was founded in Germany in 1870 as a bank for foreign trade in Berlin by private banker Adelbert Delbruck and politician Ludwig Bamberger. Its chief executive officer today is Dr Josef Ackermann. Image: Josef Ackermann, CEO of Deutsche Bank, is displayed on a giant screen as he presents his company's financial report in Frankfurt.

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd came into being with the merger of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Limited and UFJ Bank Limited. As on January 31, the bank's assets stood at $1,362.598 billion.

The bank, through its several subsidiaries, performs the following activities: commercial banking, trust banking, securities dealing, leasing, venture capital deals, factoring, research and consulting, securities custody service, etc.

The bank's CEO is Nobuo Kuroyanagi.

Image: Pedestrians walk past a branch of Japan's mega bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, in Tokyo.

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
ABN AMRO Holding NV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, evolved from the amalgamation of AMRO and ABN. As on January 31, the bank's assets stood at $1,301.508 billion.

The bank created history when the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Fortis and Banco Santander announced on October 8, 2007, that an offer for 86 per cent of outstanding ABN AMRO stock had been accepted. This made way for the largest ever bank takeover in history. On November 1 2007, an extraordinary shareholder meeting changed the bank's management.

Mark Fisher from RBS took over as the bank's CEO. Since then, Fortis has been using the ABN AMRO brand name for retail banking in the Netherlands.

Image: File picture showing an ABN Amro building.

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
Societe Generale, one of the oldest banks in France, is also one of the main European financial services companies. As on January 31, 2008, its assets stood at $1,261.657 billion.

It is headquartered in France with the main head office in Tours Societe Generale in the business district of La Defense west of Paris.

Image: An unidentified employee of the Societe Generale Bank smokes a cigarette outside the bank's headquarters in La Defense.

World's 10 biggest banks

March 27, 2008
Bank of America was formed after the consolidation of quite a few historical banks, the most prominent of those being the Bank of Italy. On January 31, the bank's assets stood at $1,196.124 billion.

In 1958, the bank introduced the BankAmericard, which changed its name to VISA in 1977. A consortium of other California banks came up with Master Charge (now MasterCard).

Bank of America has divisions in US, Europe and Asia. The US headquarters are located in New York, European headquarters are based in London and Asia's headquarters are split between Singapore & Hong Kong.

Image: A man walks by ATM machines at a Bank Of America in New York City.

http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/27bank1.htm
New list provided by one reader
"No.1 Citi Bank, US (largest bank in US, so as in the world)
No.2 Bank Of America (BOA), US (2nd biggest bank in US)
No.3 HSBC, UK (largest bank in UK, and Europe by market value)(No.3 in 3rd Qtr'07, at present No.1 in the world with Gross profit of USD$24.42 billion for 2007 financial year)
No.4 UBS, SWZ (largest bank in SWZ,and in Europe by asset)
No.5 Credit Sussie (CSFB, SWZ)(2nd largest bank in SWZ)
No.6 RBS, Scotland, UK (2nd largest bank in UK)
No.7 Deutche Bank, Germany (largest bank in Germany)
No.8 BNP Paribas (largest bank in France)
No.9 Barclays, UK (3rd largest bank in UK)
No.10 Bank of Tokyo, Japan (Asia's largest bank)"

Life's little mysteries: Why do women wear high heels?

Why do women wear high heels? Why are soft drinks in round containers while milk cartons are rectangular? And why did kamikaze pilots bother with helmets? Here, ROBERT H FRANK uses economics to explain the weird and wonderful situations we encounter in everyday life.

Why do women endure the discomfort of high heels?

High heels are uncomfortable and make walking more difficult. Prolonged use can injure the feet, knees and back. So why do women keep wearing them?

The short answer seems to be that women in heels are more likely to attract favourable notice.

In Sense And Sensibility, Jane Austen describes the character Elinor Dashwood as having a "delicate complexion, regular features, and... remarkably pretty figure".

But Austen describes Elinor's sister, Marianne, as "still handsomer. Her form, though not so correct as her sister's, in having the advantage of height, was more striking".

In addition to making women taller, high heels force the back to arch, pushing the bosom forward and the buttocks rearward, thus accentuating the female form.

"Men like an exaggerated female figure," writes fashion historian Caroline Cox. The problem is that if all women wear high heels, such advantages tend to cancel out.

Height, after all, is a relative phenomenon. It may be advantageous to be taller than others, or at least not to be several inches shorter. But when all wear shoes that make them several inches taller, the relative height distribution is unaffected, so no one appears taller than if all had worn flat heels.

If women could decide collectively what shoes to wear, all might agree to forgo high heels. But because any individual can gain advantage by wearing them, such an agreement might be hard to maintain.

Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

On the heels of significant military setbacks in 1944, the Japanese military launched a campaign of kamikaze attacks, in which pilots attempted to crash their planes into American warships. Their aeroplanes were heavily laden with explosives, so a crash meant almost certain death for the pilot. Why, then, did these pilots wear helmets?

One reason is that in at least some instances, kamikaze pilots survived their missions. Another is that planes commonly experienced severe turbulence before reaching their targets, and in these cases Japanese military commanders had clear reasons for wanting their pilots to be adequately protected.

Perhaps even more important, the aviator's helmet had become emblematic of what it meant to be a pilot. Kamikaze pilots were pilots, and all pilots wear helmets.

But the most compelling explanation for why kamikaze pilots wore helmets is that it was not the express intention that these pilots commit suicide. Their charge was to destroy their targets by any means necessary. But the hope was that the pilots would return safely, even though the expectation was that most would not.

Why do women's clothes button from the left, while men's button from the right?

It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers might adhere to uniform standards for the various features of garments bought by any given group.

What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is precisely the opposite of the one for men. If the standard were completely arbitrary, that would be one thing. But the men's standard would appear to make more sense for women as well.

Around 90 per cent of the world's population is right-handed, and it is easier for right-handers to button shirts from the right. So why do women's garments button from the left?

This is an example in which history seems to matter. When buttons first appeared in the 17th century, they were seen only on garments of the wealthy. At that time it was the custom for rich men to dress themselves and for women to be dressed by servants.

Having women's shirts button from the left thus made things easier for the mostly right-handed servants who dressed them. Having men's shirts button from the right made sense not only because most men dressed themselves, but also because a sword drawn from the left hip with the right hand would be less likely to become caught in the shirt. Today, virtually no women are dressed by servants, so why is buttoning from the left still the norm for women?

In economics, a norm, once established, resists change. At a time when all women's shirts buttoned from the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women's shirts that buttoned from the right.

After all, women had grown accustomed to shirts that buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch.

Beyond that practical difficulty, some women might also have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed would assume they were wearing men's shirts.

Why are petrol caps on the driver's side of some cars but the passenger's side of others?

One OF the most frustrating experiences of driving a hire car is to pull up at a fuel pump as you would when driving your own car, only to discover that the fuel tank is located on the other side. Car manufacturers could eliminate this difficulty simply by putting petrol caps always on the same side of the car. Why don't they?

In countries in which motorists drive on the right side of the road, such as the U.S., it is easier to turn right than to turn left across oncoming traffic. A majority of drivers will thus buy fuel at stations they can enter by turning right.

Suppose fuel tanks were always on the driver's side of the car. Drivers would then have to park on the right side of an open pump in order to fill their tanks.

During busy times, all spots on the right sides of pumps would be filled even while most spots on the left sides of pumps remained empty.

Putting petrol caps on different sides of different cars means that some cars can access pumps from the left. And this makes it less likely that drivers will have to queue for fuel.

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Why are DVDs sold in larger packages than CDs, even though the discs are the same size?

CDs come in cases that are 148mm wide and 125mm high. By contrast, DVDs are sold in cases that are 135mm wide and 191mm high. Why use such different packaging for discs of identical size?

A little digging reveals the historical origins of this difference.

Prior to the appearance of digital CDs, most music was sold on vinyl discs, packaged in close-fitting sleeves that measured 302mm square. The racks on which vinyl discs were displayed were just wide enough, in other words, to accommodate two rows of CD cases with a divider between them.

Making the CD cases a little less than half as wide as the record sleeves they were replacing thus enabled retailers to avoid the substantial costs of replacing their storage and display racks.

Similar considerations seem to have driven the decision regarding DVD packaging. Before DVDs became popular, most film rental stores carried videotapes in the VHS format, which were packaged in form-fitting boxes that measured 135mm wide and 191mm high.

These videos were typically displayed side by side with their spines out. Making DVD cases the same height enabled stores to display their new DVD stocks on existing shelves, while consumers were in the process of switching over to the new format.

Making the DVD package the same height as the VHS package also made switching to DVDs more attractive for consumers, since they could store their new DVDs on the shelves they used for VHS tapes.

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Why are whales in danger of extinction, but not chickens?

Seldom does a year pass without a demonstration decrying international hunting that threatens extinction for many large marine mammal species. Yet to my knowledge there has never been a demonstration exhorting us to save chickens. Why not?

The short answer is that chickens have never been an endangered species. But that just raises the question of why one species is endangered and another not.

Whale populations have been dwindling because no one owns whales. They swim in international waters, and several nations have refused to respect the international treaties that have attempted to protect them.

Japanese and Norwegian whalers understand that their current practices threaten the survival of whales and hence their own livelihood. But each whaler also knows that any whale he does not harvest will be taken by someone else.

By contrast, most chickens in the world are owned by someone.

If you kill one of your chickens today, that is one less chicken you will own tomorrow. If chicken farming were your livelihood, you would have strong incentives to balance the number of birds you send to market and the number of new chicks you acquire.

Chickens and whales are both economically valuable. The fact that people enjoy secure property rights in chickens but not in whales explains why the former are secure and the latter are endangered.

Why don't more people wear shoes with Velcro fasteners?

Learning to tie one's shoelaces was a childhood rite of passage long before Swiss inventor George de Mestral obtained a patent for Velcro in 1955. Since then, Velcro has been replacing zips, hooks, laces and other traditional fastening methods in a host of applications.

As a method of fastening shoes, Velcro offers clear advantages over laces. Laces can become untied, for example, causing people to trip and fall. And fastening shoes with Velcro is much quicker and easier than tying a pair of laces. But although it once seemed that Velcro might drive laces from the marketplace, the proportion of adults who wear shoes with Velcro fasteners remains small. Why have shoelaces survived?

From the beginning, the most popular applications of Velcro in the shoe industry have been in shoes for children as well as the elderly and infirm. Velcro's popularity for children's shoes is explained by the fact that many of the youngest children have not yet learnt how to tie shoelaces.

Among the elderly, Velcro is popular for medical reasons. Some older people have difficulty bending down to tie their shoes, for example, while others have difficulty because of arthritic fingers.

The upshot is that Velcro fasteners on footwear are associated in the public mind with incompetence and fragility. Even though shoes that fasten with Velcro are in many ways more serviceable than lace-ups, shoelaces are unlikely to disappear in the near future.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=548730&in_page_id=1879

10 Ways to kill stress

Stress is a normal part of life and usually comes from everyday occurrences. Here are some ways you can deal with everyday sources of stress.
1. Eliminate as many sources of stress as you can.
For example, if crowds bother you, go to the supermarket when you know the lines won't be too long. Try renting videotapes rather than going to crowded movie theaters. Clear up the clutter in your life by giving away or throwing away the things that get in your way. A garage sale is one effective way to do this.

2. Make a Time-Table.
If you are always running late, sit down with a pencil and paper and see how you are actually allotting your time. Say it takes you 40 minutes to get to work. Are you leaving your house on time? You may be able to solve your problem (and de-stress your life a bit) just by being realistic. If you can't find the time for all the activities that are important to you, maybe you are trying to do too much. Again, make a list of what you do during the day and how much each activity takes. Then cut back.

3. Avoid predictably stressful situations.
If a certain sport or game makes you tense (whether it's tennis or bridge), decline the invitation to play. After all, the point of these activities is to have a good time. If you know you won't, there's no reason to play.

4. If you can't remove the stress, remove yourself.
Slip away once in a while for some private time. These quiet moments may give you a fresh perspective on your problems. Avoid stressful people. For example, if you don't get along with your father-in-law but you don't want to make an issue of it, invite other in-laws at the same time you invite him. Having other people around will absorb some of the pressure you would normally feel.

5.Avoid Competing with Others.
Competing with others, whether in accomplishments, appearance, or possessions, is an avoidable source of stress. You might know people who do all they can to provoke envy in others. While it may seem easy to say you should be satisfied with what you have, it's the truth. Stress from this kind of jealousy is self-inflicted.

6. Keep Your Distance from Gadgets.
Laborsaving devices, such as cellular phones or computer hookups, often encourage us to cram too many activities into each day. Before you buy new equipment, be sure that it will really improve your life. Be aware that taking care of equipment and getting it repaired can be stressful.

7. Try doing only one thing at a time.
Try doing only one thing at a time. For example, when you're riding your exercise bike, you don't have to listen to the radio or watch television.

8. Learn to do Nothing.
Remember, sometimes it's okay to do nothing.

9. Try to remain Calm.
If you suffer from insomnia, headaches, recurring colds, or stomach upsets, consider whether stress is part of the problem. Being chronically angry, frustrated, or apprehensive can deplete your physical resources.

10. Seek professional Help.
If you feel stress (or anything else) is getting the better of you, seek professional help -- a doctor or therapist. Early signs of excess stress are loss of a sense of well-being and reluctance to get up in the morning to face another day.

Source: The World Wide Web!

What is the main cause of death in Jamaica? (Pic)

Muslims population numero Uno in World

Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion, the Vatican newspaper said Sunday.


"For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us," Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. Formenti compiles the Vatican's yearbook.

He said that Catholics accounted for 17.4 percent of the world population -- a stable percentage -- while Muslims were at 19.2 percent.

"It is true that while Muslim families, as is well known, continue to make a lot of children, Christian ones on the contrary tend to have fewer and fewer," the monsignor said.

Formenti said that the data refer to 2006. The figures on Muslims were put together by Muslim countries and then provided to the United Nations, he said, adding that the Vatican could only vouch for its own data.

When considering all Christians and not just Catholics, Christians make up 33 percent of the world population, Formenti said.

Spokesmen for the Vatican and the United Nations did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Sunday.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/03/30/muslims_more_numerous_than_catholics/

Pepsi, Cognizant among America's 50 best

Global beverage giant Pepsico and outsourcing major Cognizant, both headed by Indian-origin persons, figure on a list of '50 best corporate performers' by US financial magazine BusinessWeek .

However, both the Companies -- Indra Nooyi-run Pepsico and Francisco D'Souza-headed Cognizant Technology – have dropped from their previous year rankings.

While PepsiCo has managed to beat arch-rival Coca-Cola in the annual BusinessWeek 50 list, it has fallen one rung from its previous year's ranking. Cognizant has shed seven places from its 2007 rank.

PepsiCo, which has Chennai-born Nooyi at the top as its Chairman and CEO, has been ranked at 31st position in this year's list, where Cognizant has been placed at 19th.

D'Souza, who was part of Cognizant's founding members, had become its President and CEO with effect from January 1, 2007.

The list, based on metrics such as sales growth and investment return, has been topped by US-based retailer Coach, biotechnology major Gilead Sciences, speciality metals firm Allegheny Technologies, telecom giant Verizon and energy company Questar at the top five positions.

Apple, which makes digital music player iPods and Mac personal computers, has been placed at sixth place, while consumer goods giant Colgate-Palmolive is at seventh.

The Companies were selected from among the constituents of S&P 500 index on two key metrics -- return on investment and sales growth over the past three years and return on equity and assets growth for financial service firms.

Other major firms on the list include Starbucks (16), Goldman Sachs (21), Amazon.com (23), AT&T (27), Lehman Brothers (33), Google (34), Microsoft (41), Moody's (44), Coca-Cola (45) and ExxonMobil (50).

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Pepsi-Cognizant-among-Americas-50-best/290225/

Wife taller than you? Go for 'a 2-inch head implant'

Is your wife or girlfriend taller than you? Forget shoe lift. Instead you can try out a two-inch head implant.

A cosmetic surgeon in Spain has developed a new way of adding up to two inches to a person's height by inserting a silicone head implant, leading British newspaper the Daily Mail reported.

According to Dr Luis de la Cruz of the Clinica La Luz hospital in Madrid, the operation takes 90 minutes during which an incision is made in one side of the head and then the implant is squeezed in between the skull and the scalp.

The cost of the operation is 4,000 pounds and it is usually performed by applying a local anaesthetic. Patients are released from the hospital the subsequent day.

Dr de la Cruz, who has already carried out the operation on 17 patients, said: "It is a relatively simple procedure that can have a wonderfully positive effect on the patient's life. Like most good ideas it came to me in a flash.

"I was approached by a young woman who always dreamt of becoming an air stewardess. She was rejected for being half an inch too small and asked if there was any technique to add to her height.

"At the time the only way was through lengthening the leg bones, which is an extreme and traumatic option. It got me thinking.

"I carry out many chin implant operations and suddenly I thought, 'Why not an implant between the skull and the scalp?'. She is very happy with the result and is now an air stewardess."
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Wife-taller-than-you-Go-for-a-2inch-head-implant/290233/

Worst Excuses made by Famous people

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Best Place to Hide your ipod (Pic)

Female Masturbation Tips

Masturbation gives women the opportunity to explore their body while at the same time giving them a high degree of sexual freedom. It allows women the opportunity to experience sexual pleasure without relying on a partner, and to release sexual tension when they feel the need to.
Masturbation can be very empowering teaching tool for women, it teaches them about their bodies, and how it responds to sexual stimulation. Many normal and healthy women only experience orgasm while masturbating, or it is their most intense type of orgasm. Masturbation is the first and most important sexual skill a woman should learn, as it holds the key to enjoying other forms of sexual activity. Ideally, this skill is learned prior to the age of five, but far too often it is not learned until a women is in her late teens or early twenties. This stems from the incorrect notion that children are entirely devoid of sexuality and they are to be protected from the 'evils' of sexuality. Children, especially infants, are incredibly curious individuals who will undoubtedly discover masturbation on their own. A parent, if they catch their child masturbating, should not chastise their child for it, but rather, tell them about private and public actions.
In spite of the sexual revolution, female masturbation is still somewhat taboo. Even though popular songs, movies, and television shows make mention of female masturbation, or the use of vibrators or dildos, it is not a common topic of discussion. Men and women are more likely to make mention of boys and men masturbating than girls and women. It is given that men and boys masturbate, but for girls and women, even though it is commonly accepted that it is okay for them to do it, they are not expected to. If a woman does not know that her peers masturbate and that they presume that she does, she is less likely to do it, or if she does, she feels guilty for doing it. Even if it is acceptable to do something, people are less likely to do it if they do not know that their peers do it. Since women do not generally talk about it, it is presumed that they do not masturbate.
A common misconception of women is that because they have a partner, they do not feel they should have to; or if they are single, masturbating would substantiate their single status. If they were not single, they would not have to masturbate. So instead of masturbating, they go in search of a partner. Which is not the solution and typically results in unfulfilled desires.
Since masturbation is seen as a "solo" activity, some women with partners do not feel it is appropriate for them to masturbate. If you have a partner, it is believed that your sexual activities with them should fulfill all your sexual needs. While a nice ideal, in real life, a lot of women's sexual needs are not met fully by their partner, no matter how good and loving a partner they have. For women with partners, it is important that they understand that it is perfectly healthy and normal for them to masturbate, and they should do so without feeling guilty. For many, if not most women, the frequency at which they masturbate should not change when they go from being single to having a sexual partner. Some women find they masturbate more when they have a partner, as having a partner makes them feel more sexual, and increases their desire for sex and sexual pleasure.
There are times in all relationships when your partner is not available for sex when you desire it, even when they sleep beside you. Couples frequently have different levels of sex drive, and expectations regarding physical intimacy. This is why women frequently masturbate secretively in the shower, or masturbate silently in the early morning hours while their sleeping partner lies beside them. Masturbating when you have a partner is normal and a woman should not feel ashamed for doing so, most women have probably done it at some point in their relationship. It is often a necessity. Forgoing masturbation and sexual pleasure because you have a partner does harm to you and your relationship because you will slowly begin to blame them for your sexual frustration. As your sexual frustration grows, so does your frustration with the relationship.
While it is extremely untrue, the majority of people believe that women are less sexual than men. We are led to believe that women think about sex and desire sex much less. Society creates outcasts of women who are openly sexual. This results in women believing they should not have strong sexual feelings and desires. Unfortunately, many women are ashamed to admit they become horny. This results in women introverting and denying their own sexual feelings and desires. While a woman's desire for sex may change with time as the result of hormonal influences, they are just as sexual as men. If a woman accepts that she is equally as sexual as a man, she is more likely to feel comfortable with her desire to masturbate.
The main reason a woman should masturbate is because it feels good. Women with strong sex drives may masturbate frequently, but they do so because it feels good, not because they are driven to. If it did not feel good, it is not likely that they would, no matter how aroused they were. A woman should not forgo masturbating just because she does not have a strong sex drive. Even if you have no desire for partner sex, you should still enjoy giving yourself pleasure. The fact that preadolescent girls masturbate proves that hormonally induced sex drives are not the only reason to masturbate. Young girls do it for no other reason than it feels good. Since it does feel good, there is no reason to expect women not to. There is nothing wrong with a woman giving herself pleasure on a daily basis, or less often if she so desires. For masturbation to be pleasurable, it does not have to end in orgasm. Masturbation may involve nothing more than placing your hands against your vulva when you go to sleep at night, because it feels good.
I do not want people to get the impression based on the above statements that all women have negative views of masturbation, or that all women need to masturbate. Women are increasingly developing very positive attitudes towards masturbation and the pleasure it can bring them. If given the opportunity, women will often discuss their masturbation habits with pride, without the least amount of guilt.

Basic Masturbation Techniques

Women and girls masturbate in an endless list of ways. Common methods are, massaging of the clitoris with hands and fingers, rubbing the vulva up against pillows, bed cloths, stuffed animals, and furniture, etc. The vagina appears to play a limited role in the masturbation practices of women, but vaginal penetration during masturbation is by no means unusual or uncommon. Some women employ anal and/or nipple stimulation in addition to clitoral and vaginal stimulation.
It is important to understand that there is no "correct" or "right" way to masturbate. Some women feel they should be able to masturbate to orgasm using a different or more correct method because they hear other women do it that way. It is important to keep in mind that each woman's anatomy is slightly different and her psychological makeup is quite different. This results in every woman masturbating differently, even if they use the same basic technique. While some women can masturbate to orgasm employing several different techniques, others find they can reach orgasm only when they use the same method each time. There is nothing wrong with this. Due to conditioning and the differences in women's bodies, learning new techniques for some can be difficult or even impossible. If you are orgasmic with your current masturbation technique, feel free to experiment, but do not feel you have to reach orgasm in other ways. Remember, masturbation is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, no matter how you do it.

The Beginner: www.ayurvedastreet.com

When you have relaxed your body, lie on a bed, or sit in a comfortable chair, and explore your nude or semi-nude body. Run your fingers and hands across your body. Explore your breasts and play with your nipples. Caress your legs and thighs. Cup your vulva in your hand and gently rub in small circles. Stimulate your body, but do not try to reach orgasm. Make yourself feel good. If you feel yourself get tense, stop what you are doing, breath deeply, and relax. Do this exercise as often as possible, but for no longer than 20 minutes per session. Do not tire or stress yourself out. The point of this exercise is to make you feel good while staying relaxed, not to have an orgasm. You want to feel a little aroused, but at peace, not compelled to go further.
After you become comfortable exploring and touching your body you will want to try more direct means of stimulating your vulva. Slip your fingers between the folds of your vulva and massage and play with your inner labia, perhaps pulling on them lightly or firmly. Slip your fingers up to the top of your vulva and place them on top of your clitoris. Gently move your fingers up and down, around, and perhaps even wildly jiggle them. Make the loose tissue covering your clitoris slide across the body and glans of your clitoris. If you feel a need to be filled, insert a finger or two into your vagina. You want to make yourself feel really good, but you do not want to intentionally try to have an orgasm. If an orgasm occurs, you want it to be a total surprise. If you are thinking about having an orgasm, you need to slow down, relax, and redirect your thoughts. You do not want your brain to know you are about to have an orgasm.
You probably will not experience orgasm the very first or first few times so do not try to. Just enjoy the pleasures of touching yourself. If you get to a point where you suddenly find your body is super tense, you are trying too hard. Try to enjoy yourself, not orgasm. You want to surprise yourself with an orgasm. If you feel yourself on the verge of orgasm, but cannot, you are probably trying too hard; you cannot force your body to have an orgasm. The more you concentrate on trying to have an orgasm, the less likely you are to have one.

Clitoral Stimulation

Using your hands and fingers, stimulate (rub, stroke, pinch, etc) the clitoris with one or more fingers or the palm of your hand. Some find direct contact with the clitoris too intense, and prefer stimulation near or around the clitoris. Others prefer to have a layer of clothing or some other fabric between the hand and clit. Try it both ways and see what works best for you.

G-Spot Stimulation

Inserting a vibrator or dildo into the vagina can help locate and stimulate your G-Spot and offers a feeling of fullness in the vagina. You can locate your G-spot with your fingers, but it's difficult to provide adequate stimulation through manual masturbation. Women who enjoy stimulation of the G-spot usually employ sexual toys to make it easier and more enjoyable.

Vibrators

Vibrators are used primarily for clitoral stimulation, though many women also use them for vaginal or anal stimulation. They also may be combined with other toys and used in any number of positions. A good, discrete alternative to a vibrator for clitoral or anal stimulation is a massage wand. However, massage wands cannot be used for vaginal or anal penetration.

Common, Everyday Objects

Rub your clitoris against any soft, non-abrasive object (e.g., a pillow, the corner of a couch, etc.) and see if you enjoy the stimulation it provides.

Showers

A detachable shower-head can be quite scintillating for just about any woman. The best shower available is the ones with the versatile control that switches the water from a steady stream to a pulsating jet spray. In hot tubs, avoid sending strong streams of water into the vagina; this can cause fatal air embolism.

Conclusion

In closing, there is no right way to masturbate and there is no specific number of times you should do it per week. As long as you feel comfortable with the frequency at which you masturbate and the pleasure it provides you, then keep on doing it. Masturbation is normal and should be pleasurable, so find out what you like the best and then show your partner, when you find one, how they can please you properly.

http://www.ayurvedastreet.com

This man wants to be American president (Pic)

Six ideas for a healthier India

1. Create a national health mission

“Throw out the term National ‘Rural’ Health Mission,” says Bali, pointing out that it shows the segmented approach to health care planning in the country. Others suggest the creation of a National Health Fund, resources for which can be generated from various indirect and direct tax measures.

2. Tax junk food

Make it impossible for the food and beverages industry to sell products that are nutritionally poor and loaded with calories, says New Delhi-based nutritionist Ishi Khosla, who advocates a “tobacco tax” on unhealthy food. Incidentally, several nutrition advocacy groups and even bodies such as the World Health Organization have been suggesting that nations should introduce a “Fat Tax” or a tax on junk food in order to encourage people to make healthy choices. They cite research that shows how prohibitive taxes on tobacco and alcohol have significantly curbed consumption of these items.

The revenue from taxes on junk food can be used to fund health education programmes just as some countries use tobacco taxes to fund anti-tobacco programmes.

The revenue can be pretty sizeable. A Yale scientist, Kelly D. Brownell, showed how a tax of 1% on a 12-ounce soft drink in the US would generate $1.5 billion (Rs6,000 crore) annually, and a national tax of 1% pound of candy, chips and other snack foods would generate revenues of up to $314 million.

3. Incentivize wellness programmes

Dr Pervez Ahmed, executive director, Max Healthcare, New Delhi, suggests giving incentives for wellness programmes. This, again, has been a subject of much deliberation, with various consulting firms working out the cost benefit analysis of investing in wellness programmes at the workplace and pointing out the positive gains. The government could incentivize such programmes by providing tax benefits to employers who have well-defined wellness policies and implement health measures at the workplace. Extending it further, incentives could also be given to schools that have a nutrition education programme, encourage sports and provide healthy food in cafeterias.

4. Set up a disease surveillance mechanism

Recognizing that diseases can ruin countries, there have been several proposals for setting up a special body for disease surveillance in India, on the lines of the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors and checks the prevalence of communicable, non-communicable and pollution-related diseases. The Indian Council for Medical Research does have an Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, but experts feel it is largely research-based. A separate authority on disease surveillance could work out timely strategies to tackle diseases and epidemics.

5. Create a strong third party insurance mechanism

Currently, according to government estimates, only 10% of Indians have health insurance coverage. The easiest way to realize the dream of providing health care facilities to all is through the insurance route, say experts. “The life insurance sector is in effervescent mode now. We need to see a similar energy in the health insurance sector,” says Bali. He suggests awareness programmes to boost the health insurance sector, doubling tax rebates for subscribing to insurance, and other policy moves to ensure wider coverage.

At the same time, community health insurance schemes, such as the ones piloted by Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in Ahmedabad, Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bangalore and Karuna Trust in Karnataka, could bring health care closer to the needy.

6. Farm policies to promote healthy eating

Take a lead from the European Union, which is looking into the connection between agriculture and health of nations. At regional EU meets, bodies such as FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) and WHO are debating whether promoting the production of healthier crops like fruits and vegetables could help reduce obesity. Other health proactive farm ways could include measures to reduce the use of toxic pesticides that are thought to cause cancers and give incentives to organic food manufacturers which would bring down prices of healthier, alternative foods.

http://www.livemint.com/2008/02/25234153/Six-ideas-for-a-healthier-Indi.html

10 Life Lessons From Your Fruit Bowl

1. The juicy fruit is often underneath
There will be times when life gets sharp and knobbly. Your challenge is to keep on smiling and look for the tasty treats underneath. It’s a question of balance: without hardship, the good times wouldn’t exist. Never give up—getting past the pineapple is what it’s all about.

2. Wear lightweight armour
Ever bitten into a whole pineapple? Didn’t think so. They’re tough old beasts at the worst of times, and so should you be. You want a solid outer shell to repel anyone trying to attack you, but you don’t need to harden up as far as the pineapple and dissuade people from talking to you altogether. Those in a full suit of wet copper armour don’t tend to be very approachable. (As Pratchett jokes—especially not in a thunder storm.)

3. Be patient
The moment a pineapple is picked, the fruit stops ripening. It’s a simple idea and a powerful one. Many people seem in a rush to ‘become’ something. Whether it’s a famous musician, a great designer or a problogger, don’t hurry to ripen. Your heroes became famous through hard work and good fortune and you’ll have to do the same. There’s no magic ticket — just take your time and enjoy the ride. Fame should be an added bonus; never a goal.

4. Aim for the sun
Few fruits grow in heavy shade. Fewer still revel in the darkness. This creates a lovely two-step metaphor for living: first, you have to leave the darkness of anonymity and actually put yourself out there, both online and off. Second, you have to do something unique if you want to really be noticed — the tallest fruit trees rarely grow in the shade of others.

5. Respect your parents
Most fruit ripens to the point where it’s mature — then it drops and is no longer dependent on the tree. If you’re a parent, you’ll be laughing heartily at this metaphor! People aren’t like fruit, of course — we can call on our parents for life. (I chose simply never to mature!) Treasure the connection with your folks and try to really get to know them through your adult life. They probably have more to offer than you think.

6. Don’t be a banana
The banana exudes ethylene, a gas that accelerates the ripening process in other fruit. It’s punishment? Many people separate it from their apples and pears altogether. The life lesson is simple: don’t be a banana. The underlying messages are these: firstly, let others develop at their own pace. Secondly, if you don’t want to live in isolation, play nicely.

7. Find beauty in simplicity
The Carambola or “Star Fruit”; is a beautiful little treasure. Its cross section is a simple 5-pointed star. Nature creates beauty in simplicity, and there’s a lot we can take from this and apply in our lives. Before you add complex systems and pick up new devices, first strip your life back to the basics. There is a world of magnificence hidden in simplicity.

8. Look after your assets
The wise farmer plants the tree and reaps the fruit for years to come. She doesn’t chop it down to sell the firewood. Look after your assets: your money, friends, family and health. You’ll gain more benefit in the long term by hanging onto them than you will by giving them up early on.

9. Pass it on
All apple varieties share a similar trait: they can’t pollinate themselves or any flowers of the same apple variety. The best fruit comes from pollinating with completely different varieties. Before your one track mind reads too much into this, the actual message is innocent: share your knowledge. Pass on your thoughts and ideas to everyone whether they’re part of your circle or not.

10. Never judge a tomato
You wouldn’t find one in a fruit bowl but, speaking scientifically, that’s exactly what a tomato is: a fruit. It’s important not to judge a tomato purely on its ability to work well with pasta. Lessons from the tomato: don’t label things unnecessarily, and don’t judge too early on.

http://zenhabits.net/2008/03/get-past-the-pineapple-10-life-lessons-from-your-fruit-bowl/

Pakistani girls get hooked to smoking early: Study

Pakistani girls may be getting hooked to smoking as early as 15 years, says a new study.

The study conducted by the Aga Khan University shows that 16 per cent of girls have tried smoking by the age of 15, while over six per cent smoked at least once a month by that age.

Interestingly, the users were found to be aware of the hazards of smoking. The university, which published its study in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, interviewed 644 Karachi girls with an average age of 15.

The sample was drawn from both government and private schools in the southern port city. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data.

While most girls admitted to smoking to keep a check on their weight, the findings endorsed other studies which suggest that sex differences in tobacco use are disappearing and that tobacco companies are aggressively targeting women in developing countries.

The percentage of Pakistani teen girl smokers is higher than that reported in some Indian cities as well as neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

"It is distressing how often studies of girls' smoking rates in countries previously protected by cultural and religious factors are finding results well on the way to catching up males of comparable age," said a report in the Tobacco Control Journal, which cited the study.

"Just a decade or two ago it was still assumed by most people in Pakistan that it was not even worth trying to measure schoolgirls' smoking as it was negligible. However, as often illustrated in this Journal, international tobacco companies, led by British American Tobacco, have let loose the might of their practically limitless promotional budgets in Pakistan, seeking to hook their next generation of regular smokers -- the youth market -- knowing that they could look forward to recruiting increasing numbers of girls," the report said.

"Girls increasingly have joined the general youth market being exploited by multinational and local companies, at least in the cities, where they have been exposed to promotions in the streets, discos and on televised pop music."

The study recommended interventions like effective anti-tobacco laws and stricter enforcement of existing laws to restrict the number of young female smokers.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Pakistani-girls-get-hooked-to-smoking-early-Study/289554/

Crunchies 2007 the most compelling startups, internet and technology innovations of the year

Best Overall: Facebook

Facebook revolutionized the idea of what social networking could be. [Learn More]

Best technology innovation / achievement: Earthmine

Earthmine picks up where Google Earth leaves off, bringing deep semantic data to 3D panoramas of the real world. Earthmine’s system can keep track of the objects found in the real world and attribute information to each of them, such as latitude, longitude, elevation, and other attributes. [Learn More]

Best Clean Tech Startup: Tesla Motors

Tesla’s green sports car has captured the imagination of a public who had come to expect electric cars to be dull are boring. Due to be released this year, the company has pre-orders from some of the biggest names in Entertainment and Technology. [Learn More]

Best video startup: Hulu

Hulu put television online. Their broadcasting system was modeled on the success of social video sites and drawn the praise of its previous critics. [Learn More]

Best user-generated content site: Digg

Digg’s simple voting system defined the emerging social media revolution. Getting “dugg” quickly became a badge of honor and established a coveted place in the geek lexicon. [Learn More]

Best mobile start-up: Twitter

Twitter, the new addictive microblogging platform. It wasn’t until after the South by Southwest conference that people realized the value of the incredibly simple microblogging platform. [Learn More]

Best International startup: Netvibes

Based in London, Tariq Karim and Freddy Mini’s Netvibes has made waves in the U.S. as a top personalized web portal. [Learn More]

Best consumer startup: Meebo

Meebo made instant messaging ubiquitous by bringing it online. They then developed it into a platform where anyone could add chat to their applications. [Learn More]

Best enterprise startup: Zoho

Zoho’s comprehensive online suite of 14 business applications ranging from document editing to CRM continues to lead the way in the move away from desktop computing to working in the cloud. [Learn More]

Best design: SmugMug

SmugMug is professional photo site. SmugMug’s attention to detail and design can command as much as $150 per year from their users. [Learn More]

Best new gadget/ device: Apple iPhone

See Apple’s acceptance speech by (fake) Steve Jobs here. [Learn More]

Best business model: Zazzle

Looking for a Star Wars hat or memorable mug? Zazzle is an on-demand factory of consumer goods for top brands. It also lets consumers become producers by uploading their own images onto that T-shirt, mug, or mousepad. . Consumers can also receive a commission on products that they sell and design themselves. [Learn More]

Best bootstrapped startup: Techmeme.

Founded and developed solely by Gabe Rivera, Techmeme serves as the front page of the tech blogosphere. The site’s advanced algorithms identify the day’s top stories by making sense of conversations across the web’s best blogs. [Learn More]

Best Startup Founder: Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)

Does this really need any explanation? At 23 Mark has built one of the world’s leading online destinations that has recently been valued at $15 billion. A remarkable achievement for anyone, let alone someone at the still relatively young 23. A well deserved award.

Best Startup CEO: Toni Schneider (Automattic)

Schnieder has lead the company from its roots as a open source alternative to Movable Type into a multi-million dollar enterprise that saves the world from blog spam and offers a free hosted blogging solution that competes with Google’s Blogger.

Best new startup: iMedix

iMedix combines search and social networking to change the way people find health information online. Users are encouraged to help each other by sharing health experiences and links from around the web. [Learn More]

Most likely to succeed: Automattic (WordPress)

The open source blogging platform that powers the long tale and turned into a multi-million dollar spam fighting and hosted blogging service. [Learn More]

Best use of viral marketing: StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon’s service lets users bookmark and discover new sites they love. With only a $1.5 million investment in 2005, StumbleUpon gew to over 4 million Stumblers and was bought by eBay in 2007 for $75 million. [Learn More]

Best time sink site: Kongregate

CEO Jim Greer describes Kongregate as XBox live for casual games. This site hosts some of the webs most addictive casual games. Remember Desktop Tower Defense? Moreover, the games are not only played by users, but also created by them in exchange for a share of advertising revenue and other rewards. [Learn More]

Most likely to make the world a better place: DonorsChose.org

DonorsChoose.org is dedicated to connecting classrooms in need with individuals who want to help. [Learn More]

http://crunchies.techcrunch.com/

GYAN GURU

Four new IITs, six IIMs to be set up

In a bid to give an impetus to the higher education sector, Government on Friday decided to establish four new IITs and six IIMs in various states besides upgrading some of the state universities to the status of Central Universities.

While the new IITs would be located in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh (Indore), Gujarat and Punjab, the IIMs would come up in Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh (Raipur), Uttarakhand and Haryana.

These new institutions would be part of the eight IITs and seven IIMs proposed to be set up during the 11th Five Year Plan.

Government has already announced establishment of four IITs in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh and one IIM at Shillong.

The location of the new higher education institutions has been approved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, HRD Minister Arjun Singh told reporters in New Delhi.

In addition, he said the government proposed to convert the Institute of Technology of the Banaras Hindu University into an IIT. Admission to this Institute was already based on the IIT-Joint Entrance Examination.

Singh said it is also proposed to establish during the 11th five year plan period 14 Universities with world class standards and 16 universities in states which do not have a Central University at present.

Singh said the establishment of new IITs, IIMs and Central Universities was subject to state governments offering adequate land at suitable locations and free of cost.

The 14 Central Universities aiming at world class standards would be located in Pune, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Mysore, Visakhapatnam, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Patna, Bhopal, Kochi, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Greater NOIDA and Guwahati.

The locations have been decided keeping in mind the connectivity and the infrastructure which such universities would need, he said.

The state governments would be requested to identify adequate land in or near the selected cities, Singh said adding the contour and shape of such world class universities would be defined shortly.

To a question whether the decision to set up these new institutions was based on political considerations, Singh said the government has decided on them after taking everything into consideration.

Dismissing a suggestion that Kerala has been left out in the exercise, he said the southern state has got a Central University and a world class university. "It is not correct that Kerala is left high and dry", he said.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/indianexpress/20080328/r_t_ie_nl_general/tnl-four-new-iits-six-iims-to-be-set-up-aaaedd4.html

The art of conducting a successful interview

By now, the secrets to a successful interview have been committed to memory: dress well, arrive early, bring plenty of resumes, think before speaking.

But what if you are on the other side of the table?

Most of the preparation related to interviewing focuses on the applicant. Yet, in an economy where young people are promoted into middle management at a rapid clip and many companies find themselves in a hiring frenzy, employers are increasingly formalizing their own interviewing processes and offering training to those in the position of asking the questions.

Illustration: Malay Karmakar / Mint

“The interview is the least effective way to recruit,” says P.B. Nageshwar, head of human resources (HR) with the real estate consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj. “The chances of getting in wrong are higher than getting it right.”

So, now Jones Lang LaSalle has two people that sit in on every interview—the line manager that the candidate would report to, and someone from HR. The manager looks more for hard skills, while HR looks more for soft skills.

And those who will be interviewing go through a full day of training before they can assess candidates.

When you have to gauge a candidate through a short general discussion rather than through assessment tests, you have to be clear about what you are looking for, suggests Nageshwar.

Prashant Bhatnagar, director of hiring at Sapient Corp., a business and technology consulting firm, says the company has a formal process in place to train interviewers also.

First, eligible Sapient employees attend a training session that outlines the dos and don’ts for an interview. Then they sit in on a few interviews, so they can watch how it works. Then they get certified to do it on their own.

Generally, employers agree that the candidate should talk more than the interviewer. Second, the Jones Lang LaSalle interviewers are told to focus on behavioural patterns, and ask open-ended rather than yes-or-no questions.

Candidates are asked to describe a challenge they faced at their previous jobs and how they dealt with it, or what they consider are their three biggest career successes.

Entry-level interviews are usually several rounds of half- hour sessions, the higher up the position, the longer the time frames.

Training also dwells just as much on the questions not to be asked: age, caste, marital status, what their parents do for a living.

But as much as someone is trained, interviewers should also rely on their sense of honesty and openness from the candidate, says Sumeer Sudhakar, manager (HR) at RDM India Pvt. Ltd, which specializes in information technology for the aviation and travel industries.

“I am seeking a certain level of earnestness in their answers,” he says. “Interviews have always been somewhat an intimidating task at any level. I have found so many applicants whose tone and answers was more earnest and clear than it was confident, and I have selected them. Today, they have built that confidence and are doing extremely well.”

Sudhakar likens the employer to a buyer and says the same rules for consumers apply: don’t mistake quantity (as in years of experience) for quality. Ask for specifics: if the candidate says she would apply progressive discipline, ask, “What is progressive discipline?”

Sapient shoots for 60-90 minutes for the technical/area expertise part of the interview, and 45-60 minutes on the softer skills/cultural fit part.

One thing Bhatnagar focused on was the interviewer being a “brand ambassador” for the company.

“Make sure the impression you leave is something they are excited about, irrespective of if they hired,” he says.

Sapient translates this idea into tips like, “respect time” —the company asks its interviewers to show up either on time, or a few minutes before the scheduled interview. It also advises against getting into an argument with the candidate.

Other tips the company stresses are, help the individual articulate their current interests and career objectives, and pick out traits that resonate with “Sapient culture”. Bhatnagar describes that as being able to give and take feedback, and not shying away from difficult conversations.

But the company’s biggest tip for interviewers is still a gut check. Would you want them on your team? If the answer is yes, says Bhatnagar, they’re hired.

Inquiry and listening tools for interviewers

# Follow the 70/30 rules. This means that the interviewer should listen 70% of the time during the interview and only talk 30% of the time.

# Use echoes. Paraphrase the interviewee’s answers to show that you are listening and understand. This gives them the chance to better explain if they need to do so.

# Be conversational! An interview should not be like an interrogation!

# It is important to give the interviewee a realistic and positive impression of the position, department. Remember, you are looking for the person who is the best fit and the applicant is looking for the same. Misleading the applicant will not benefit anyone.

# Don’t use phrases such as “as long as you do a good job,” or “until you’re ready to retire”.

As told to Megha Chhabra by Ankit Chaturvedi, project assistant at Asia-Pacific Management Consulting GmbH.

Good to see my name:)
http://www.livemint.com/2008/03/27004728/The-art-of-conducting-a-succes.html

PRITAM COPY ACTS - Bollywood Movie Video Songs Watch Online

CREDIT GOES TO THE ORIGINAL UPLOADER

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India among ‘most brand conscious countries’: Survey

A fast growing economy and a rising number of affluent consumers have pushed India into the league of most brand conscious countries globally, says a survey.

In the ‘Nielsen Global Luxury Brands Study’, India was placed at the third position after Greece and Hong Kong.

According to the survey, 35 per cent Indian respondents agreed to buying designer brands. On the other hand, about 46 per cent people in Greece and another 38 per cent in Hong Kong responded positively to having bought such brands.

Interestingly, the study conducted by global information entity Nielsen Company found that despite the prevalence of imitated designer-branded goods, more than three-fourth of Indians do not believe that imitation products match up to the real one.

While 34 per cent of respondents were found to have spent on Calvin Klein brand, 25 per cent preferred Gucci and another 24 per cent spend money on Diesel. About 16 per cent Indian consumers spent on Christian Dior and 10 per cent on DKNY.

About 26,312 internet users in 48 markets across Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and Middle East were surveyed in November 2007. About 500 interviews were conducted in India.

“Foreign brands are synonymous to status and our survey finds that 57 per cent of Indians surveyed buys designer brands as a status symbol,” The Nielsen Company Associate Director (Client Solutions) Vatsala Pant said in a statement.

In terms of brands, 41 per cent Indians prefer to buy the products of Italian brand Gucci, making it the top country for this brand in the Asia Pacific region, followed by Philippines (39 per cent) and Indonesia (37 per cent.

Meanwhile, the survey said if money was not an issue, Gucci (41 per cent), Calvin Klein (31 per cent), Christian Dior (26 per cent), Versace (25 per cent), Diesel and Giorgio Armani (both 22 per cent each) are the “most coveted” brands for the Indian consumers.

Pointing out that local brands are popular among Indian consumers, the study said 40 per cent of respondents in the country are buying these brands.

“This is the sixth highest percentage globally for a country that buys local brands,” it added.

Even though 73 per cent Indians feel that designer brands are usually overpriced for what they are, 35 per cent also believe that these brands are having a higher quality.

However, 45 per cent Indian consumers think that only fashion conscious people consider buying designer brands.

Another interesting fact is that consumers in the country approved the potential of a crossover product between a designer fashion brand and a new technology gadget.

“...56 per cent Indians surveyed would buy a mobile phone that was co-branded with a luxury brand... 40 per cent said they would buy a co-branded designer laptop computer, 32 per cent a ‘designer’ flat screen TV...,” the statement added.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/India-among-most-brand-conscious-countries-Survey/288714/#

What is Hinduism?

It is the true culture of Indians in India. Many call it "A way of life." It is not an organized religion like Christianity or Islam. It has no founder. It has no Pope. It has no hierarchy. Just a lot of scriptures. In Hindu scriptures, you are actually studying about the history and culture of India, like in 66 books of the Holy Bible you are actually studying about the culture and history of the Jews.

Hinduism and Judaism are mothers of all modern religions in the world. Buddhism, Sikhism and to some extent Jainism and Zoroastrianism came from Hinduism. Of course, Jainism existed during Rig Vedic Period. Statues of Rishabha, the first Thirthankara and founder of Jainism was found in the Mohenjadaro, Harappa excavations. Islam and Christianity came from Judaism. Judaism, Islam and Christianity have Abraham as the common father figure. All three have many common prophets. There is even mention about Jesus Christ many times in the Holy Koran.

Coming back to Hinduism, C.S. Lewis, the great author and theologist wrote, finally it will come to two religions. Hinduism and Christianity. The first [Hinduism] will grow absorbing ideas and concepts from everywhere and later [Christianity] will keep away from everything that is foreign to it. What C.S. Lewis wrote is very true.

Hinduism cannot be destroyed, even if we burn every Hindu scripture and kill every Hindu theologian on earth. Hinduism or Hindu Culture is a very dynamic living, breathing Reality. Strength of Hinduism lies in its most amazing ability to adapt to different circumstances and different ages while maintaining its very strong continuity with the past. How does it do that? That is a billion dollar question.

Who is the founder of Hinduism?

No body in particular. It is the research output of countless learned men called Rishis who were Christ like masters, through centuries.

Who is a Hindu?

I believe anyone who search after truth is a Hindu. There is One and only God and One Truth. The very first book of Hindus named Rig Veda proclaim, "Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti". (There is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways). So a Jew or a Christian or a Moslem who is in search after truth is automatically a Hindu. There are about 800 million Hindus in the world. There are more than 800,000 Hindus in the U.S., and about 160,000 in Canada.

What Attracts One to Hinduism?

The concepts of utmost freedom of thoughts and actions. That's what attracts many to Hinduism. Hinduism never forbids any one to question its fundamentals. On one side, in Hinduism, you may come across people worshiping pests like rats, and still on other side you will come across concepts parallel to Quantum Physics and Neil's Bohr Theory of nuclear structure and reactions. On one side Advaita (There is only one) philosophy is discussed and promoted, still on other side Dvaita (Two – duality) philosophy is discussed and promoted. Hinduism never ever banished any one, since he or she wrote a wrong scripture or did not observe a particular ritual.

There was never a Salman Rushdie (author of Satanic Verses) in Hinduism and never will be there one. Mahatma Gandhi wrote, even atheists can call themselves as Hindus. That is very true. In fact the Charvaka philosophy or Nastika philosophy, (existed during the Vedic period) founded by Charvaka rejected the existence of God and considered religion as an aberration. Voltaire in Essay on Tolerance wrote: "I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death, your right to say it." Hinduism is the symbol of what Voltaire wrote.

When did Hinduism Take Birth?

Nobody knows. If you go by Hindu mythological stories, Hinduism is trillions of years old. If you go by Max Muller, the German philosopher, it is at least 8000 to 9000 years old. Hinduism might have started as Dravidian civilization and later merged with Aryan civilization. Of course, my friend David Frawley has written a wonderful book, explaining that Aryan Invasion of India never happened and it is a myth.

However studying the relics of Mohenjadaro and Harappa excavations, I conclude, relics of the Indus civilization shows merging of many cultures and concepts. The Indus Valley was home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. Harappa and Mohenjodaro were cities in the Indus Valley civilization that flourished around 2,500 B.C. in the western part of South Asia. The roots of Hinduism can be traced to this civilization. The language spoken here is believed to be from Dravidian family, which includes Tamil.

Hinduism has the strange capability to absorb and grow from all quarters and that is why in it you can see relics of all other civilizations like Egyptian, Celtic, Mayan, Greek, Roman etc. To me it does not matter the exact date it was born, since nobody can prove or disprove the exact date. I am more concerned about what it has to give to the world.

What was the original name of Hinduism?

Sanatana Dharma or Righteousness Forever was the original name of Hinduism. It was Persians who invaded India during 6th century B.C. who gave the name Hinduism meaning the religion of people living near the Indus river. In Persian the letter H and S are pronounced almost the same so they mistook the word Sindhu (Sanskrit name for Indus) to H and then started calling Hindus and Hinduism.

What is the language in which the Hindu scriptures were written?

Sanskrit older than Hebrew and Latin. The first words in English language came from Sanskrit. The word mother came from Sanskrit word mata and father came from Sanskrit word pita as per the PBS video "The Story of English". Believe it or not the word geometry came from a Sanskrit word named Gyaamiti meaning 'measuring the earth'. The word trigonometry came from the word Trikonamiti meaning 'measuring triangular forms'. Sanskrit, which literally means "cultured or refined" was the classical language of India and is the oldest and the most systematic language in the world. Forbes Magazine, (July, 1987) wrote: "Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages and is the most suitable language for the computer software."

How was Hinduism Started?

According to Hindu scriptures it started as Shruti – that which is heard. The great seers of ancient times called Rishis who had perfected themselves have heard in their hearts, eternal truths and they taught those truths to disciples by telepathy and later they wrote them in books. Vedas and Upanishads are known as Shruti literature rest is called Smriti – that which is remembered – literature.

All Hindu scriptures were considered as revealed truths of God. In fact Hindu scriptures say that all Hindu Scriptures were written by God. According Christian theologians Holy Bible is considered to be Holy Spirit inspired book. According to Mimamsa school of thought, all Shruti literature existed all through eternity in the form of sounds. Therefore those sounds of words of Vedas and Upanishads are very important to Hindus.

What are the Sacred Books of Hinduism?

The very first sacred books of Hinduism are called Vedas. Vedas means knowledge. There are four Vedas and they claim to teach men the highest aspects of truths which can lead them to God. Vedas and Upanishads are Shruti scriptures. The word Veda came from the root word "vid" meaning "to know". Vedas are the very first scriptures of Hinduism. Vedas as per scriptures was written by God. Vedas state "Self Ralization" is one and the goal of human life. Vedas also discuss in detail rituals and ceremonies to attain self-realization. There are 4 Vedas. They are:

Rig Veda – Knowledge of Hymns – 10589 verses

The Hindu Rig Veda is the foremost book of Hindus. It is the oldest book in the world. Nobody knows when Rig Veda was written. According to Bal Gangadhar Tilak it was written in 5000 BC. German philosopher Max Muller dates 1500 BC. According to some it took centuries to write this book from 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. Rig Veda is older than Gilgamesh (2500 B.C) and the Old Testament.

The very first Veda, Rig Veda very clearly shows that it was written, when nomad man first settled down on the banks of rivers like Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus etc. That is the reason why, in Rig Veda, you see, people are worshiping natural powers like lighting, rain, Sun, fire (Agni); water; air, that effects cultivation. It consists of 1028 hymns, comprising of 10,589 verses in 10 chapters known as Mandalas. 33 gods are worshiped in Rig Veda. There are 100 hymns addressed to Soma; 250 addressed to Indra; 200 hymns addressed to Agni; Many addressed to Surya. Few addressed to Ushas, Aditi, Saraswati, Varuna and Asvins. Lord Vishnu is a minor god in Rig Veda.

One of the most important statement came from the Rig Veda is "Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti" –meaning "Truth is one but men describe it differently". Lord Vishnu has minor importance in Rig Veda. Name of Lord Siva is mentioned as Rudra. Soma in Rig Veda is intoxicating drink to gods. The word Sura came those who drink an intoxicating drink which I think is Soma. The word Asura came from those who do not drink that drink. Another word that caught my attention in Rig Veda is the word Rta which means some kind of cosmic order. I think the word Dharma originated from the word Rta.

One of the most prominent hymns of Rig Veda "Purusa-Sukta – Purusha (man) and the Primordial sacrifice of Purusha for the betterment of man and the world". Another one is "Creation Hymn.

Caste system started in Rig Vedic period. The Rig Vedic Hymn, known as Purusha-Sukta (Mandala-x, 19th hymn, 12th verse) states: "The Brahmin was Purusha's (cosmic man - the first principle of Sankhya Philosophy in Hinduism) mouth, the Kshatriya his arms, the Vaisya his thighs and Shudra his feet.

Yajur Veda – Knowledge of Liturgy – 3988 verses

Yajur Veda deals with knowledge of rites. This Veda is based on Rig Veda. It contains rules and regulations explaining how to conduct rituals. It consists of prose as well verse. This Veda is indeed a priestly handbook, even describing the details of how to make an alter. Sacrifice is one of the most important aspect of this Veda.

Sama Veda – Knowledge of Music – 1549 verses

Sama Veda deals with the knowledge of chants. Sama means "melody". The classical Indian music originated from this Veda. This Veda is also based on Rig Veda. Verses from this Veda is sung when "Soma Sacrifice" is performed. Sama Veda is similar to Psalms in Christianity. To some extent much of this Veda is a repetition of the Rig Veda sung in melodious format. Invocations of this Veda is addressed to Soma (moon or the narcotic drink Soma); Agni (fire); Indra (god of heaven). One of the Upanishads that came out of this Veda is Chandogya Upanishad.

Atharva Veda – Knowledge given by Sage Athrvana – 6000 Verses

Atharva Veda contains the knowledge given by sage Athrvana. Some state that sage Athrvana did not formulate this Veda but was the chief priest in the ceremonies associated with it. Atharvana who is mentioned in the Rig Veda was considered as the eldest son of Lord Brahma (God of creation). Atharva Veda is also known as Brahma Veda, because it is still used as a manual by Hindu priests and Brahmins. Ayurveda is a part of Atharva Veda.

A large number of Upanishads came from Atharva Veda. Belief it or not, much of Hindu exorcism of devils came from this Veda. At the same time, the oldest records on Veda do not talk about this Veda. There is absolutely no reference about this Veda in the Chandogya Upanishad or in the Brahmana tests or in the Jatakas or in the Bhagavad Gita. That very clearly shows Atharva Veda was non-existent when other 3 Vedas were composed.

Ayurveda

Ayurveda – The Hindu Medicine Scripture – consists of more than 100,000 verses initially. Still it is considered as a upa Veda of Atharva Veda.

More Books of Hinduism

Samhitas – basic texts for hymns to deities, formulas and chants. The Sanskrit word Samhita means "put together".

Brahmanas – description as well as directions for performance of rituals. The word originated from the word Brahmins. Brahmins are the original Hindu priests and they follow Brahmans to conduct rituals.

Aryanakasb – contain Mantras and interpretations of rituals. This book also known as "the forest books" since book is used by saints who meditate in the forests.

Upanishads – texts revealing ultimate truths by different saints. Upanishads teach men that there is One and Only thing and that is BRAHMAN. You and I are just reflections of Brahman. Or we are indeed God... Upanishads teach us "Tat Tvam Asi" – That Thou Art. In fact, the word Upanishad can be broken down as upa (near) ni (down) shad (sit) meaning that teachings of Upanishads were conveyed from masters to students when students sat very next to masters and nobody overheard those teachings.

There are a total of 108 Upanishads. Principle ones 13. Some of the Upanishads are named after the sages who answered all questions. Some as per the first word in the Upanishad.

1. Isa Upanishad, 2. Kena Upanishad, 3. Katha Unpanishad, 4. Prasna Upanishad, 5. Mundaka Upanishad, 6. Mandukya Upanishad, 7. Aitareya Upanishad, 8. Taittirya Upanishad, 9. Chandogya Upanishad, 10. Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad, 11. Kaushitaki Upanishad, 12. Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 13. Maitri Upanishad.

Smriti Literature consists of large number of books.

Vedangas – scriptures attached to Vedas.

1. Dharma Sutras – Codes of Manu, Yatnyavalkya etc
2. Jyotisha – Astrology and Astronomy
3. Kalpa – rituals and legal matters
4. Siksha – phonetics
5. Chhandas – measurements
6. Nirukta – Etymology
7. Vyakarana – Sanskrit grammar

Upa Vedas

1. Ayurveda – Hindu science of health and longevity
2. Dharnur Veda – Hindu science of archery and war
3. Gandharva Veda – Hindu science of Music
4. Artha Shastra – Hindu science of governing by Kings

Darsanans – Hindu Jnana Yoga – Path of Knowledge

1. Nyasa – Sage Gautama wrote Nyaya sutras
2. Vaisheshika – Sage Kanada wrote Vaisheshika sutra
3. Samkhya – Sage Kapila - Gita starts with this philosophy
4. Yoga – Sage Patanjali wrote Patanjali Yogasutra
5. Mimamsa – Sage Jaimini wrote Mimamsa Sutra
6. Vedanta – Sage Veda Vyasa

Vedanta (At the End of the Vedas) meaning it started at the end of Vedic age, has two parts : 1. Advaita Philosophy - One Only - great exponent Adi Sankara and 2. Dvaita Philosophy - Two - almost all Vaishnava Saints.

Itihasas or Epics : Mythological Scriptures

Ramayana – story of Rama, written by Valmiki. Ramayana is the story of Rama and princess Sita. Valmiki wrote the whole Ramayana as the narration of a crying dove (who just lost her lover to a hunter's wicked arrow) to him. This beautiful poem consists of 24,000 couplets. Lord Rama is one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu and Ramayana is a story which projects Hindu ideals of life. There are many versions of Ramayana. The Hindi version was written by sage Tulsi Das The Malayalam version (Kerala state) was written by Thuncheth Ezuthachan. The original text was written in very stylish Sanskrit language

Mahabharata – story of Pandvas and Kauravas 220,000 verses, 18 chapters Bhagavad Gita is part of this scripture. It is lengthier than Homer's ODYSSEY. It consists of episodes, dialogues, stories, discourses and sermons. It contains 110,000 couplets or 220,000 lines in 18 Parvas or sections or chapters.

Apart from 18 parvas there is a section of poems in the form of an appendix with 16,375 verses which is known as Harivamsa Parva. So in total there are 19 Parvas, even though many saints do not consider the last Parva as an important parva. The Bhagavad Gita is part and parcel of Mahabharata.

Is Bhagavad Gita the Hindu Holy Bible?

Bhagavad Gita is a part of the epic Mahabharata, appearing in the middle of the great epic. Many consider Bhagavad Gita as the most important scripture of Hindus. If the entire Upanishads can be considered as cows, then the Bhagavad Gita can be considered as milk. It is the essence of the Vedas.

Bhagavad Gita consists of 18 chapters and 700 verses. It deals with all type of Yogas, means of self-realization. It is in the form of a very lively conversation between the warrior-prince Arjuna and his friend and charioteer Lord Krishna, at the outset of the great Mahabharata war, in the middle of the battle field. Just before the beginning of the war, Arjuna refused to fight, when he found he had to kill thousands of his own kinsmen to be victorious in the war. Lord Krishna advised him on a very large variety of subjects in a question and answer format. At the end, Arjuna took Lord Krishna's advice and fought and won a very fierce war. Gita has an answer to every problem a man may face in his life. It never commands anyone what to do; Instead it discusses pros and cons of every action and thought. Throughout Gita you will not come across any line starting or ending with Thou Shalt Not. That is the reason why Gita is the darling of millions of seekers of truth throughout the world.

Versions of Gita

The very first English translation of Gita was done by Charles Wilkins in 1785, with an introduction by Warren Hastings, the British Governor General of India. One of the most popular translation was done by Sir Edwin Arnold, under the title The Song Celestial. There are many translations of the Gita and one of most descriptive translation on Gita was done by Swami Sri Prapupada of International Krishna consciousness. Almost all saints in India have published their versions of the Bhagavad Gita. Recently the Self Realization Fellowship, California have published an excellent translation of the Bhagavad Gita. Most intellectuals in the world go through Gita at least once in their life time. Aldous Huxley wrote: The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most systematic scriptural statement of the perennial philosophy" in his introduction of the The Song of the God by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. Gita won the interest and admiration of great intellectuals such as Von Humboldt of Germany and Emerson of America. It has influenced thinkers like Hagel and Schopenhauer.

Father of Atom Bomb and Bhagavad Gita

Robert Oppenheimer, the very first Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and father of Atom bomb was a great admirer of the Bhagavad Gita. He learnt Sanskrit during Manhattan Project to understand the true meaning of Gita. He really shocked the world, when he quoted a couplet from Gita (Chapter 11:12) after witnessing the first Atomic Explosion in the state of New Mexico. Later when he addressed congress regarding Atom Bomb he said Atom Bomb remind him of Lord Krishna who said in the Bhagavad Gita, "I am death devourer of all".

Puranas –18 are most important

Mahabhagavatam is the most read important scripture of ISKCON (Hare Krishan). Puranas are religious stories which expound truths. Just like the parables told by Jesus Christ, these stories are told to common folk to make them understand the higher truths of life. According to Jesus Christ "Mysteries of the universe are revealed to those who are spiritually awake, but to others those mysteries have to be explained in parables". On that Puranas are called the Vedas of the Common folk, for they present the mysteries through myth and legend. Six puranas addressed to Lord Vishnu are 1-Vishnu Purana 2-Narada Purana 3-Srimad Bhavata Purana 4-Garuda Purna 5-Padma Purana 6-Varaha Purana. Six Puranas --addressed to Lord Siva are 1-Matsya Purana 2-Kurma Purana 3-Linga Purana 4-Vayu Purana 5-Skanda Purana 6-Agni Purana. SIX Puranas addressed to Lord Brahma are 1-Brahma Purana 2-Brahanda Purana 3-Brahma-Vaivasvata Puranaor Brahma-Vaivarta Purana 4-Markandeya Purana 5-Bhavishya Purana 6-Vamana Purana . Apart from that we have 22 minor Puranas

Agamas – Sectarian Scriptures

They are a group scriptures worshipping God in particular form and they describe detailed courses of disciple for the devotee. Like Upanishads there are many Agamas. They can be broadly divided into three sets of Agamas.

Vaishnava Agamas – worship God as Lord Vishnu
Saiva Agamas – worship God as Lord Siva
Sakti Agamas – worship God as Mother Goddess.

Believe it or not there is no Agamas for Lord Brahma (God of creation). Saivates have 28 Agamas and 108 Upa Agamas (minor agamas). Saktiates recoganizes 77 agamas. I am not sure about the actual number of the Vaishna Agamas. Vaishanavates consider Pancha Ratra Agamas as one of the most important agamas. Each Agama consists of Philosophy, mental discipline, Rules for constructing temples and Religious practices.

Tantras

Started during Vedic age, Tantras consists of cosmology, erotic exercises etc. Tantra is very important and very vast. Sanskrit word Tantras means to expand. Tantrism researched into Astronomy, Astrology, Palmistry, Cosmology. Chakras and Kundalini power etc are the contributions of Tantras to the world. Of course Tantras also states salvation through sex. In any other religion scriptures like Tantra literature will not be tolerated. In Christianity, the first person William Tyndall who translated Holy Bible into English was mercilessly burnt at stake, and copies of his Bible burnt, since church did not like his version of the Holy Bible! That is why I take my hats off to Hinduism.

Charvaka – Hindu Materialism

Just like Tantras, Hinduism tolerated Chrvaka philosophy. Its founder was Charvaka. The most important book was Brihaspati Sutra. I am stating things in past tense since I am not aware if copies of this book are available in India. According to Charvaka, "Material world alone exists and our knowledge comes from sense perception". This philosophy openly propagated that there is no God, the Law of Karma has no basis and that the Vedas were written by clowns. It adds " Enjoy life while you can, for once cremated, you will never return to earth." There are still a lot more scriptures in Hinduism. I should say that there are more than 1000 scriptures in Hinduism.......We will now start discussing about each individual scripture....

What is the Hindu Concept of God?

Hindus believe in One and Only God – Brahman which expresses itself in trillions of forms. Hindus do not believe God has human form or any other form. God is nameless and timeless. But there is nothing wrong to worship a God with name and form (nama-roopa), since man cannot conceive anything without any name and form. In fact, in the Shruti scriptures of Hinduism, God or Brahman has been described as Saguna Brahman (God-Brahman with attributes) as well as Nirguna Brahman (God-without attributes. In the Upanishads, God is described as Neti–Neti (not this-not that) method. So first Hindus worshiped 33 natural gods in the Rig Veda. Then Hinduism came to the realization that there is one and only God - Brahman. Just like one and only Sun shines over the mountains of Afghanistan, dry deserts of Saudi Arabia; Penthouse of New York, there is one and only God which is present in the Hindu temple, Christian church, Moslem Mosque, Jewish synagogue, Buddha Vihars and Sikh Gurudwara.

If there is only One God, Why Hindus worship many God forms?

During the time of Upanishads, when the Hindu Rishis (scientists of that day) said there is only One God – Brahman, they found out that laymen could not understand that concept. So they wrote Itihasas (epics) and Puranas [mythological stories] filled with many gods, with the concept that when you worship any God form, you are actually worshiping one and only God Brahman. Lord Krishna reiterated that point by saying, "Call me by what ever name you like; Worship me in any form you like; All that goes to One and Only Supreme Reality." So a Hindu when worshiping any God form is actually worshiping One and Only God Brahman. In Christianity One God expresses himself in three forms, Father, Son and the Holy Ghost.

In Hinduism One God Expresses itself in trillions of forms. That is the reason why Hindus have no problem in calling Jesus and Buddha avatars (incarnations) of God, even though Buddha did not reorganize the authority of Vedas or belief in Brahman.

Believe it or not there is no word Trinity in the entire Holy Bible and it originated only after emperor Constantine became a Christian. He did that to fuse pagan Rome to Christianity. Only mention of Trinity concept of God in the Bible, is in the St. Matthew's account of Christ's last command to the apostles, "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the son and of the Holy Spirit" [MAT 28:19.] According to Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia the Trinity doctrine was not established until 363 A.D. It says that Trinity is the result of three or four centuries of theological development. The New Catholic Encyclopedia also states that devotion to Trinity had begun in monasteries at Aniane and Tours, during 8th century.

Why Hindus Workship Idols?

Show me any person [except may be Jews], who does not believe in an idol, image, or symbol and I will show you the greatest liar on earth. All religions have some concept of God with name and form, but Hindus alone have the courage to admit that fact.

The Cross in the Christian church, the picture of Jesus Christ, the statue of Mary, statues of patron saints, even the black stone in Kabba are all idols. If anyone bow in front of any of them, they are breaking laws of Old Testament [LED . . . 26:1, and EX 20:2-5.] Idol worship is every where and I never ever met a man who does not worship something or someone. In fact, the first sculpture of Christ was in the form of a small boy holding on to a sheep. Now, everywhere in the world, people have pictures of Christ according to their culture. A loving young white man in USA, a tough man looking like a judge in Russia, a nice black man in Africa and a man looking like a typical man from China with a sheepish beard in China.

I respect all those pictures. Believe it or not, all of them are idol worships. Once again, God is spirit...No word or image can describe or depict God or can encompass the greatness of God. God is neither the father nor the mother. Since man cannot conceive anything without name and form, man has the right to worship God with a form. At the same time, every worship leads to a God without any name and form in course of the development of the seeker in spirituality.

What are the Hindu Moral Codes?

Hindu moral codes are written a collection of books called Dharma Sutras. Hindu moral Codes are the integral part of Hinduism and they come under the big umbrella called Dharma. It is very difficult to translate the word Dharma. Some of the codes are Ahimsa (non-killing), Satya (truth), Dharma (duty), Karuna (compassion), Virya (fortitude), Dama (self-restraint), Saucha (Purity).

What is an Avatar?

An Avatar is an incarnation of God. Whenever God come down to earth in any form then Hindus call that an Avatar. According to that definition, Christ can be considered as an Avatar, even though there is no mention about Jesus Christ in any of the Hindu scriptures.

What is Salvation according to Hinduism?

Hindu salvation concept is different from Christian salvation concept. Hindu salvation is known as Self Realization. In Hindu salvation a person realizes that he is not the body, but the immortal soul (Adman) within. That is the reason why Hindu salvation is known as self realization or "Realizing that he is the Immortal self and not the perishable body. In Hindu salvation the identity of the soul is lost when it attains salvation. Hindu salvation can be compared to a pinch of salt trying to find the bottom of the ocean. The moment the pinch of salt touches the surface of the mighty ocean, it becomes part and parcel of the Ocean. Similarly, when a person seeks after God according to Hinduism, becomes One with God when he attains salvation. Hinduism never ever boasts monopoly on salvation. In fact, as per Hinduism, any one even an atheist can attain salvation. A Jew, Christian and Moslem can attain salvation, irrespective of whether they read any Hindu scriptural book.

What is the Law of Karma?

Hindus believe in life after death. They also believe in the Biblical concept "Whatever a man soweth, that shall he reap". That is the basis of karmic law. Every action and every thought has a result. Hindus believe that every thought and every action is weighed on the scale of eternal justice. The law of karma is one of cause and effect. Nobody can escape from the Karmic debt. I believe Christ took care of the Karmic debt of all the apostles so that he can make them fishermen of men.

What happens to us when we die?

According to Hinduism, the body alone dies. the soul within the body never dies, But the path the soul takes is decided upon the past actions which are known as karmas. So the actions of former body does not die with the body. Past actions are attached to the body and they decide what kind of body the soul takes in the next life. When an individual soul exhausts all its karmas and merges with God then Hindus say that soul has attained salvation.

Does that mean one has to take millions of lives to achieve salvation?

No, absolutely not. That question is the question many ask. Hindu scriptures, especially the Bhagavad Gita very clearly says that one can attain salvation in one life, provided one surrender his will to the will of God 100%. Lord Krishna said: "Those who surrender all actions to me and regard me as the supreme goal and worship me with whole hearted devotion, will be saved by me from repeated births and deaths." In another verse, Lord Krishna said: "Give up all your righteous and non-righteous actions and come to me; take refuge in me. Then I shall free you from all sins; grieve not." That me who is mentioned is not the Lord Krishna but the absolute soul or God. Krishna is one of the representations of that God. That God can appear in another form like Christ or without any form or name at all.

How can one attain Salvation?

Through four paths

1 Jnana Yoga – Path of Knowledge
2 Karma Yoga – Path of Selfless Actions
3 Bhakti Yoga – Path of Devotion
4 Raja Yoga – Path of Breath Control and Pranayama

Most of all religious devotees of all religions are Bhakti yogies whether they believe in Hinduism or not. Very good Christians go to church everyday and surrender themselves to the deity of Christ are Bhakti Yogis. So too Moslems. Hinduism is the only religion that explains the four paths very well.

What is Aum (Om)?

It is the Hindu word. It is a syllable that stands for absolute. It is uttered in the beginning as well as at the end of all Hindu prayers. To some extent it is the logos of the Holy Bible.

Do you believe that John 1:1 came from the Hindu Scriptures?

Yes, I think so. Long before JOHN 1:1 [70 AD] was written, Hindu Vedas [ at least 5000 BC] wrote the same thing "Prajapathi Vai Agre Aseet" In the beginning was Prajapati, The Brahman, The God "Tasya Vag dvitiya Aseet" with whom was the word: "Vag Vai Oarama Brahman" and the word was verily the Supreme Brahman - The God. John 1:1 states: In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God."

Why do women wear a dot on their forehead?

That dot is supposed to be the meeting point of eye brows. That important point is called Angina Chara or spiritual eye. Everyone is supposed to protect that. In fact all saints protect that point with sandalwood paste. But later women alone started protecting that area.

What is Namaste'?

It is the popular Hindu greeting performed by pressing two hands together and holding them near the heart. The whole act communicate to the world 'You and I are one. I salute and worship the God within you, which is a mirror image of myself".

Do Hindus Practice Monogamy?

Hindus practice monogamy and Hindus have stopped "child marriages in India by SAADA Act (1929) under the British. It is the Moslems in India who are allowed to marry four wives and Moslem Sharia law allows child marriages for Moslems in India.

Do Hindu Scriptures Forbid Abortion?

Yes they do. Hindu scriptures forbid abortion. From time immemorial, Hindus consider children as gifts from God. In the code of Manu, Manu forbids abortion. One of the worst acts described in the scriptures is Sis-Hatya meaning destruction of the unborn fetus. There are prayers in the Rig Veda to guard a growing embryo. Only time abortion is allowed is when the fetus is known to be defective as per Susruta Samhita, the Hindu Ayurvedic book.

What is Caste System?

There is nothing in Hinduism as complex as caste system. It emerged as a part of division of labor among people during the days of Rig Veda. The greatest apostle of caste system, was Sage Manu. He laid down all provisions governing caste system in Manu-Smriti.

Brahmins – Priests
Kshatriyas – Fighters and warriors
Vaisya – Business men
Shudras – helpers of every one

Unlike in the Holy Bible, where Slavery is discussed and accepted even by St. Paul (Holy Bible verses Col. 4:11; Exodus 21:21 1: Lev. XXV:44- 55 Thessalonians 3:22), there is no statement in the entire Hindu scriptures to ill-treat lower castes, except Sage Manu's Code, where punishments of lower castes are severe comparing to punishments for the higher castes for the same offense. There is no word "untouchable" in the entire Hindu scriptures. Still caste system degenerated in India. It is indeed the greatest curse on Hinduism. It attacks the core of Hinduism. It resulted in large scale conversion of Hindus to other religions. I sincerely pray and hope, caste system eventually will go away, making it a relic of the history. Hindus should do what Christians did. Even though slavery is mentioned and accepted as a practice in the Holy Bible, even though during Civil war many such as Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America quoted from the Bible to support slavery, Christians took it upon their chin and eliminated slavery completely.

Once upon a time, India had 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes. Even there were 1,800 Brahmin castes in India. Even different Brahmin castes did not mingle themselves socially or otherwise, in ancient times. Last of all, ancient India, persecuted a large group of people called untouchables. Mahatma Gandhi said: "Untouchability is a crime against God and men." Ambedkar once wrote out of his own experience, "To the untouchables, Hinduism is a veritable chamber of horrors."

Why Hindus Practice Suttee (Sati)?

None of the Hindu scriptures mention about Sati. Suicide of the consort of Lord Siva, Sati, has nothing to do with Sati or Suttee. Suicide of queen Madri in the epic Mahabharata has nothing to do with Sati. Suicide of 16000 wives of Lord Krishna in the Srimad Bhagavatam has nothing to do with Sati. At the same time Suttee is the most horrendous way of widows jumping into the funeral pyre of their fallen husbands. It is an ancient ritual practiced by a warrior race of India called Rajputs. Nobody else in India, practiced Suttee. Once again, Suttee is never mentioned in any Hindu religious scripture. There is not even one episode of Suttee in the vast Hindu mythology.

Many state Hinduism is very Complex and Contradictory!

All religions are the result of the works of thousands of thinkers. Hinduism and Judaism are cultures and they are the mothers of all religions. New religions like Christianity and Islam took the best aspects of Judaism and made part of them. So too Buddhism and Jainism took the best aspects of Hinduism and made part of them. In Christianity, there were several housecleaning in its 2000 years of history. Hinduism on its part, never had any house cleaning in its history. Since Hinduism never tossed anything away, in it you will see in it primitive religion as well as very advanced thoughts.

I have repeatedly stated that Hinduism has the good, the bad and also the ugly aspects in it like any other culture or religion in the world. We have to boldly face facts and eradicate the bad and the ugly aspects, to better the lives of millions of Hindus, for years to come.

The greatness of Hinduism can be summerized in few words. "Freedom of Thoughts and Actions." That is what Hinduism stands for.

– Ed Viswanathan
June 2, 2002

Ed Viswanathan is the author of the international bestseller "Am I a Hindu"?

http://www.boloji.com/hinduism/036.htm