The possibility

Our spirituality teaches us hope and opens our hearts to boundless possibilities. It offers us the transformative power to reshape our lives through uncompromising dedication to sadhana, much like the Sadhus who walk this path of spiritual discipline.

But what is sadhana?

Sadhana is a sacred practice—a discipline through which an individual seeks spiritual awakening and ultimately attains samadhi, the state of deep inner union. In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, it often involves devotion and training, sometimes using a physical representation of the divine as a step toward realizing the formless, eternal truth.

One of the most inspiring examples of this transformative power is the story of Ratnakar, the notorious bandit who could not even pronounce the name of Rama. Through the intervention of the sage Narada, Ratnakar was given the mantra Mara (meaning "death"), a path to his inner awakening.

This same Ratnakar, once unable to utter the name of the divine, transformed into the sage Valmiki, the revered author of the Ramayana. His metamorphosis was the result of relentless penance, devotion, and a willingness to embrace the difficult process of change.

If Ratnakar could become Valmiki, so too can we. Transformation is not only possible, it is our birthright. The first step is acknowledging the need for change within ourselves.

As Samuel Beckett wisely put it: "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." The key is persistence—never giving up, even in the face of setbacks. The possibilities for growth are limitless.

Laughing at the language

 

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The Most Intriguing Yet Overlooked Psychological Aspect of Language Learning

One of the greatest deterrents to effective language learning is the tendency to laugh at the language itself. This often hidden, yet significant factor, can severely undermine the learning process for an entire group, especially if the instructor does not address it in a timely manner.

Even after months of study, it's not uncommon for participants to show little to no progress. The reason? They repeatedly mock the language. Despite investing time and money, and aspiring to earn their B2 certificates, many fail the examination. In fact, the failure rate often far exceeds the success rate in many language institutions. It’s not unusual to see external candidates pass the exam, while internal candidates struggle or even flunk.

The cause of this failure could be as simple as this "soft" factor—some individuals in the class who persistently laugh at the language. I hesitate to label them as "bad apples," as they may not be aware of the impact of their behavior. They may not realize that by mocking the sounds, grammar, or structure of the language, they are hindering the learning process for themselves and their peers. These participants may require counseling and, ideally, should be separated from the rest of the class.

Such behavior undermines the growth of the entire group. Laughing at the language is an easy way to avoid the effort required to learn, and it can be a subtle yet effective way of discouraging others from fully engaging. It’s a form of mental laziness that spreads like a virus, infecting the classroom atmosphere and impeding progress.

Unless this psychological barrier is addressed with care and vigilance, it risks reflecting poorly on the instructor's competence. Therefore, it is the facilitator's responsibility to guide students toward an environment where they can laugh with the language, rather than at it.

The ultimate goal of language instructors should be to help students transition into "auto-learning" mode—where they can take charge of their own progress. By the time learners reach the A2 level, they should be self-sufficient, continuing their language practice beyond the classroom. When this happens, that's when the real magic occurs.

This shift can only be achieved when learners embrace the inherent differences and challenges that come with the language. It's this acceptance that sets the foundation for true progress.

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A short note on CTOP

CTOP, a self-invented jargon that means to consider the other person, where 'person' is obviously a metaphor.

This is the key to integrating in any society or to any organisation, as the case may be. 

If an employee thinks like an employer, the employer like an employee and if a parent thinks like a child, the child like the parent, if the countries consider their neighbours, the world would automatically heal.

Consider coaching on CTOP on micro and macro platforms and see the difference it makes in creating a healthy atmosphere in the world.

I beg your pardon if it had surpassed any cringe threshold, but training on CTOP could help remove deleterious effects on children, of all ages, across the world.

Promoting our own brand

Introduction

The objective of this article is to highlight a counterproductive element that is killing our world and thereby explore some ways in which we can cope with it. I may be from Bengal. You may be from Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Bihar, or Mizoram. But we are Indians. It is disheartening to note this lack of consciousness in our workplace and at home. We invariably mock each other, either because of some difference in the way we speak, in the way we eat, in the way we dress, or in the way we look. We can come up with scores of examples that distance us from each other. This is the virus that’s preventing us from learning how to learn together. We don’t realize that this is the singular inimical factor that's preventing us from the spirit of being one nation.

Our ability to accept people from other parts of the country will go a long way in ushering in growth and stability in our part of the world. It can even help in removing prejudices against each other thus ensuring peace in our country. 

Once we are convinced of its potential, there could be various activities to promote and strengthen the belief that we are one; we may be 'eating'* water and fish, we may have this horrible image of doing black magic, some may put too much sour in their food, others may eat chickpeas or other kinds of pulses, some may look like our neighbors, but at the end of it all, we are one nation. We are all Indians, we are all Bharatvasis.

How does one promote a brand India or Brand Bharat

If we observe any advertisement, we will find that the constant depiction of a product or service in all forms of media sends a signal to the brain. When users see a product or service in the market, they immediately choose it, and this continues. In the same way, we can promote our brand within ourselves.

Identity harassment

At the moment there is a gap between our words and actions; unity in diversity stays only at the level of terms, while our actions unfortunately are the opposite. In action, we are intolerant towards each other. First of all, we need to accept that we have this germ in us; making fun of people because of their differences has become the norm since time immemorial. This creates war in us. If we come up with engaging activities to educate people as to how to accept differences through various programs and workshops, then in time, this cloud of intolerance will slowly and surely clear up. This needs to be regarded as identity harassment which is as grave as sexual harassment.

A collective effort

There needs to be a collective effort from the leaders, the government, the industrialists, and the influencers. If people who matter believe in the fact that the change of this mindset can usher in a true ‘unity in diversity’, then it is possible to change the perspective in the days to come. The point is to see if it makes sense to remove this nonsense from our country, or if this intolerance benefitting us in some way or other.

The overall atmosphere

It is very grim everywhere; in families, workplaces, in politics, this damaging model plays its pattern over and over again in time and space. We are constantly making fun of each other and showing us how we are a) different and b) never going to accept our countrymen. As a consequence, information doesn’t flow, it gets blocked, and so does work.

We have delivered

We have fought with many monsters and have successfully killed them for good. Smoking on public transport and in public places has been completely removed from the face of this earth. We have come a long way in upholding gender equality. While the exchange of dowries is regarded as a crime now, the criminalization of the same sex has been removed. We are raising our voices consciously against global warming, social injustice, and religious intolerance. It is time to pat our back and say hey we have done it. If we had shifted our paradigm in these areas, we could also remove intolerance from our country, not only in words but also through our actions.

Conclusion

If we become successful in India, we can spread the model beyond our country and replicate it throughout the world. A Chinese, a Burmese, a Brit, a Nigerian, a Mexican, a Canadian, a Kiwi, an Australian at the end of it all belong to one world. If we take up this project seriously and work collectively towards this one goal, we can have a much more tolerant society with a no-war zone. Wars are the most damaging phenomenon to the environment that the civilization has known. We could promote the world brand of actionized camaraderie and tolerance. However, we need to first of all be convinced that the culture of dogmatism and fanaticism has to stop.

*Bengalis use the verb 'to eat' for water, they do not use the verb 'to drink'

 

Force majeure mechanics

Every house could have flying balloons on their terrace to ride on during earthquake, flood. 

Specially designed helicopters to produce rain during forest fire. 

A machine fitted in specific gaps of a forest to alert firemen much before the fire outbreak. (remote sensing) 

When a house catches fire, a machine that would auto-alert the nearest fire station. (remote sensing) 

Like every flat house has an indicator inside the flat, every building can have a master indicator outside the house that can be switched off when the building catches fire. 

Instead of using water pumps to extinguish fire, there could be some specially designed blankets that could prevent the fire from spreading. Know it sounds weird, but just letting out-of-the-box thinking take its course. 

Evacuation is a major concern during fire. Every house might have en elevator attached outside the building from every floor that helps the residence evacuate during fire. If we could have an elevator inside, we might as well have one outside. Fear of theft could be handled through remote sensing. 

When there's a shipwreck, instead of lifeboats, we could also have para-rise (chute gravitates, rise can help passengers fly), this could come handy during sea-storms too, why get into lifeboats on the sea during storms. 

Villages get most adversely affected during floods. We could have a tower in every village where villagers can take shelter during floods. Help, in terms of food and drinking water can be distributed more easily. Every tower should have the capacity to host the population of its village. At other times, the tower can be creatively used for other purposes. 

Next-gen gadgets

Was wondering

If egg-boilers could pop up messages when it's half-boiled, hard-boiled! 

If a fridge had an in-built stabilizer and an auto power saver that could keep it on even after a power cut, for at least 6 hours! 

If air-conditioners would be as small as mobile and if they could easily fit in anywhere in a room instead of being ceremoniously installed? 

11 steps to cure insomnia, 'Good night sweet dreams'

Insomnia is a disease. Treat it with care. Here are some steps to have a sound sleep. 

Hard factors (the physical ones,external) 

1. Avoid taking medicines. This is a lazy way of curing, sadly it doesn't cure, this makes you dependent on the drug.

2. Have a glass of warm water before going to bed. 

3. Take foot bath for 15 minutes and then go to bed. 

4. Comb your hair (the skull part) for 5 minutes. 

5. Smile, then slowly laugh allowing your belly to move; you should feel the tremor. 

6. If possible, try gibberish for five minutes every day. 

7. Breathe in (10 counts), hold your breath (10 counts), breathe out (10 counts); this is one round, try seven of such rounds.This is called kumbhak pranayama

8. Diet plays an important role in helping an insomniac get good sleep. What you should have is a balanced diet. But how and when you should eat is of extreme importance. Supper should be light.

What

A balanced diet: with balanced diet, one can see almost an immediate effect resulting in good and sound sleep. 

How

How you should eat is of primordial importance. You shouldn't gulp, gobble, and gorge, never eat on the move, never. You should always chew your food, eat as slowly as possible. It should be unhurried. Remember, fasting also helps. But for this, consult your doctor. 

When

There should be a gap of 2 to 3 hours between your supper and going to bed. Ideally, if you could go for a light walk after supper, that would be great. 

Soft factors (the ones that are internal) 

1. Check your anger, see it coming, control by avoiding the company that induces anger. Chant the mantra (anger is not natural, I have let my anger go), breathe rigourously and chant the mantra 50 times until you realise that no situation or person was responsible, anger came because you allowed. So disallow anger. 

2. Check your habit of lying. You have grown up believing lying is natural, you cannot survive without lying. Go the reverse way by feeding the thought 'lying is not natural, I can survive better without lying. Lying is a slow poison, I will disallow it and stop being toxic. I have successfully let go of my habit of lying'. 

3. Chant the mantra, 'everyday I have a sound sleep. My stress has gone, all my diseases are leaving my system. I am completely cure. I have healed myself. Now, I am healing others'. 

Good sleep is still considered as a panacea, a remedy for all diseases. Unfortunately, with complicated lifestyle, insomnia is almost an endemic disease that's spreading the world over across age and gender. Please follow the steps and get back to sleep. 

Disclaimer: Without medicines, 100% effort is required by those who have insomnia. 

The patient, also the writer, had acute insomnia. Now, following the steps mentioned, the patient is out of it for good. Call at 9163472016 or email at supratiksen1@gmail.com for any assistance, guided meditation for absolutely free of cost. 

Good night, sweet dreams! 

Additional steps added by the readers:

You can add few more steps-
1. Drink a small cup of milk (in normal temp) with Haldi (turmeric)
2. Eat small amounts of posto (poppy seed) with sabzi (vegetables) for supper. 
3. Maybe listening to some soothing music and saying a sincere prayer would also make for good sleep.