Science,Technology,God and Religion as Distinct Entities

Science, Technology, God and Religion as Distinct Entities

Albert Einstein said , “ Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.” It is therefore necessary to understand what these terms individually mean as they are sometimes used loosely. Just as science & technology are distinct but complimentary so also God and religions are different yet complimentary.

Science & Technology

Science through research converts ideas, thoughts, surmises and theories developed by human intellect and imaginative mind into a realm of proven possibilities through repeated physical experimentation and explains why various phenomenon occur with certainty. Technology converts scientific possibilities into a viable mechanism for exploiting commercially or otherwise for the benefit of mankind.Science showed the possibility of generating electricity when a coil could rotate in a magnetic field. Technology converted the phenomenon into well known electric generators and motors for human comfort. Science proved that when a current is passed through a tungsten wire it would glow and emit light. Technology converted the idea into a light bulb for our benefit.Science indicated the possibility of generating immense power through atomic fission. Technology converted the theory into atomic bombs and reactors for generating electricity. Man could use it any way.

Concept of God

Similarly God and religions are also different, yet essential and complementary.Creation of a concept of God is an amazing ingenuity of a fertile human mind. God is an unknown Supreme Power and has been vested with overall authority over the universe.
He can create and destroy the universe. God has been bestowed with all the purest values and attributes which humanity could think of. Humanity wishes and strives to assimilate these ideal values and virtues. Otherwise one may face God’s wrath. God is defined by humans. He has no beginning or end. He was neither born nor would He ever die. He is immortal and eternal. He has no form or substance. He does not exist physically. Fire can not burn Him and nothing can harm Him. His august presence is in our minds where He has the most influencing power. He can only be seen in mind through intense meditation in one’s own perception as visualized by him in his mind. Even in Gita, Bhagwan Krishna showed God in all His glory, splendor, piety and awe to Arjun in his mind. Nobody else could see Him. Mind is the most sublime place in human beings where the faith in God resides. He becomes the guiding force for all our actions
The fear of God was the main ingredient as the primitive society had not yet evolved enough to regulate and govern itself by one of its own member. We now call it Government. Faith in God has imparted tremendous social and mental strength to humanity. God gives solace and comfort to humanity even in their adversity. God is essential for sustenance and acquiring values for living at peace in a society at large. Faith in God is essential to keep societies alive, intact and peaceful. No normal human being can live at peace with himself without having faith in God. In adversity one finds solace mainly from Him. Faith ultimately begets belief. He becomes the savior. So God is an absolute necessity for all humanity.
We owe a great gratitude to our wise ancestral seers who gave us concept of God much before the Governments came into being to keep human beings at peace.


Religion
Religion is a guide to human beings for achieving salvation and become godly and pure like God without any desires and vices. This means complete adoption of God’s values and virtues without being aware that self has disappeared of its own without making any effort. One loses ones entity entirely in God. All actions are like writing on a slate and wiping them off. All actions or inactions are what God would have wished. To achieve this ideal state is an uphill task. This is where religion comes.
Religion indicates ways and means along with rigid and austere rituals to tread the holy and virtuous path to attain the heavenly bliss. Many saints from time immemorial have rigidly followed this path. Even in ordinary people religion imparts good human values and selflessness for a peaceful and happy life together in this world. In due course various religions generated philosophies considering the needs and environments of the time and the values the society cherished.

Philosophy is pure science of life and when transformed into living practice it is called “Religion”. Philosophy is a theoretical aspect delving into the purpose of life and rituals and practical aspects of religion, laying down the spiritual practices for attaining the presumed ultimate goal of life – to become one with the God with all His attributes.

Assimilation of Science and Religion
Science creates knowledge for physical and material benefits of mankind. Religion creates philosophies for the spiritual needs of the human mind. Both are essential as material comforts and disease free environment are necessary for the body and philosophical pursuits for peace of mind. Humanity needs both for a peaceful happy existence in pluralistic societies. All individuals have the intellect to discern and assimilate the best in both to suit their needs. Human intellect can create a balanced relationship for a happy, healthy and a meaningful life through coexistence..


Creation of Concept Of God - A Supreme Being, In Early Ancient Primitive Vedic Period


Now a question arises why at all and how the idea of a Supreme Being – The God - came into the mind of human beings and when.

Primitive human beings needed to live together for their very existence. Their only means of learning was by watching the behavior of animals in their vicinity. Survival instinct brought the people together to live as a society. Individual societies thus erupted all over the world where human beings lived.

Initially there were no major problems as there were neither clothes to wear nor any personal possessions. Each day all will go and eat whatever was available and edible in the jungles. This continued till the time man developed the art of stitching the leaves together to make a receptacle ( Dauna ). A social revolution had taken place. A storage device was in existence. Every one collected the edibles for future to avoid the necessity of going to jungle every day. Soon there was shortage of food and fights and quarrels became the order of the day. Thus a need arose for discipline in the society to avoid a possible extinction.

An accepted code of morality was required. Rules for morality had to be framed for individual conduct. Some one had to be put in authority for ensuring and enforcing these rules. Easiest way was to accept the strongest member as head as was prevalent in animal kingdom. Fear of punishment had to be instilled in the society. So the need for awarding punishments for delinquency emerged. Head's position was coveted by all young adults. Regular fights ensued to assume this position. The society was on the brink of disintegration. Ways and means had to be found out to avoid this.

The wise men among them felt the need of some one Supreme from outside the existing society. They had observed that among all of them there was fear of the Unknown, who was controlling the bounties and furies of the nature. They used this vital information in creating a concept of a Supreme Being who would control every thing in this world including human beings. Then they needed to connect all the beings with the Supreme Being to justify their hypothesis to the other members of the society. Hence they wisely and cleverly thought of the concept of 'souls'( Atma ) in all nonliving and living beings on earth. They logically related these 'souls' with the highest and noblest 'Soul' - "Paramatma"- the Supreme Being with all powers at His command. This divine view was easily acceptable to all the members of the society without questioning. Supreme Being is now called by various names, such as , God, Allah etc

Then the wise men , we now call them 'Sages' or 'Rishies", held long discussions on connecting the Paramatma with the universe and imparting Him with qualities which would be acceptable to all the persons just as a simple corollary to the basic tenet. This had to be a conscious effort for general acceptance.

Thus unwittingly and spontaneously a modern Democratic process was evolving in such ancient times. They thought that a single person be He a Supreme Being should not be assigned all the powers and authority , lest He may appear to be a Despot , a Dictator or an Autocrat . They felt that human beings would copy the Almighty some time or the other and absolute power would corrupt them with evil results. They thought of devolution of power just as democratic societies do now. A trinity was created of three semi gods. Brahma was given the responsibility of creation of universe, Vishnu for its sustenance and Mahesh / Mahadev / Shankar / Shiv for destroying the evil. The feature of destruction or punishment was necessary to instill fear in the minds of errants. Powers were further devolved into many more lesser gods, such as, Indra for controlling rains, Surya for light and heat , Varun for air etc ,etc. Thus each lesser god was assigned a specific regime. They all were vested with advisory and implementing authority by the trinity, who themselves were responsible to Paramatma for their actions.

After so many centuries modern democratic concept follows the same intuitive knowledge of our old Rishies and Sages. Modern democracies have a powerful Prime Minister or President who exercises authority through his cabinet and is held in bounds by the trinity - Legislature ( Creating rules and laws), Executive (Sustaining the society through implementation of rules and regulations ) and Judiciary ( Destruction of evil through punishment ) . This can not be brushed away by mere coincidence.

Humanity owes a great deal to our wise ancestors and we pay our homage to them. Plato, the Greek Philosopher, known to Islam as Aflatoon rightly said, “ He was a wise man who invented God.”



Creation of Life Through Science & Technology


Now a further question arises as to how was life initially created from inert matter and by whom.

. It seems obvious that creation of innumerable varieties and all kinds of lives in the universe be it human, animal or plant has to be simple. So also is the creation of all inert matter in the universe with no end. The greatest mystery however is how the universe was created initially from nothing. At the moment it appears to be beyond known reasoning.Yet the end result is before our eyes. Similarly the proof is also evident that living beings can be created from inert matter.

We can only infer that life has been initially designed and created by beings with brains who themselves were created perhaps by accident and developed with time on their own since eternity. ( If God created them then who created God earlier and from what ? There was nothing in the universe before Him. ) Once the art and science of life was developed by such intelligent and diligent brains, whose knowledge of science and technology was at the zenith unreachable by us for several centuries, ordinary laws of nature followed. Till we find out and master the chemical memory and unveil the mysteries of life, each one of us would be presenting a theory of our own. Perhaps one may brighten the hazy landscape.

According to the tablets of Sumerian civilization, deciphered only a few decades back, life on earth was seeded from the portions of the moons of a planet circling the sun every 3500 years from deep space in the opposite direction of other planets of the solar system which collided with it during its early formation and also tilted it enabling the creation of seasons. It appears that the debris uprooted from earth formed the asteroid belt and the Hailey's comet which also keep revolving round the sun. One clay tablet which is preserved in a museum shows very distinctly the locations and size of the sun and planets of the solar system existing at that time which is absolutely identical to the solar system as of now with the exception of an additional planet. It can be mentioned that the Sumerians knew how to preserve information for eternity unlike our scientists who have also tried to save existing knowledge in stainless steel containers underground with a life span of about 500 years or so. However tablets indicate life there too came from outside. Thus the mystery of creation of life still remains unveiled. ( Ref ‘ Tenth Planet’ by Sitchen Zakharia) Recently on 22 may 2010, US scientists successfully created through genetic engineering a first synthetic self-replicating bacteria cell. Venter’s team had taken a modern cell, removed its DNA and had replaced it with a host of other inert materials. Since life by definition has to be self-replicating and of independent movement, Scientists have at least shown that inert matter can be engineered to reproduce itself. Creation of synthetic life is yet a far cry.

Just like early humans on earth learnt and benefited from observing the animal behavior as they had no other inputs, so also we too are learning from observation. This way while we know the end result we can only visualize and imagine how the life came into being. We see that human and animal lives are quite similar. Functions of the organs and their locations are similar. Life seems to be from the same mould - the initial cell and insertion of instructions as memory.

Now let us observe the human body – both male and female. There is one obvious inherent defect because perhaps animal life came earlier as the animals walk on four feet, while our hands move in air when we walk except our toddlers initially walk on all fours. In a perfect design this could have been avoided. Secondly male bodies have nipples and small breasts which have no function and are not needed at all. Thirdly while female bodies are flawless, male bodies have reproductive external organs stitched to it as though an after thought. One would like to know why these two flaws came into being? A possibility of creation of first human being as a female appears obvious. Female would have the capacity to produce an egg with all the pairs of chromosome present without needing any external fertilization. Thus they produced their clones –all females. Initially there was no ulterior effect as the population was small and nature remained untouched, clean and devoid of pollution, parasites etc. But at some stage in the hoary past when the population increased genie defects multiplied and the species began declining. A real crisis developed to the possibility of extinction of the human life altogether. The designers intervened and modified the human life by inserting a male reproductive system and halving the female egg chromosomes. The other half pair of chromosomes would be provided by external fertilization. This could mitigate the decline in human life .Designers left the nipples and breast intact in the male body as they were not at all interfering with the new concept and would lie dormant. Just like any one else they took the easy path. The male organ was just stitched to the modified body as an addendum. This was perhaps the most simple and easiest way to solve the problem and proof of the pudding is that they have marvelously succeeded as observed now. The male body though remains imperfect yet functions well. Even today the females can not produce a male child. Only husbands have the capability for both.

Now the question arises why the designers took all the trouble to save the human race. Why the nature has applied all its force on reproduction whether human, animal or plant life. Every tree produces enormous number of seeds so that in any adverse circumstances the specie may have a chance not to become extinct. In animals and humans force of attraction has no limits. Thus there can be no possibility of reincarnation or resurrection. Once dead, it is the end. The concept and belief in souls which being part of God never perish falls through. Similarly God being infallible could not have made these errors in the first instance and secondly would have made the male body flawless in any case. It is obvious that this has not been done. His physical existence is therefore appears at least doubtful.

Albert Einstein had said, “Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter can not understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.”

R.K.Singhal
Air Commodore ( Retired )
25, B – Road
Maharani Bagh
New Delhi – 110065

Phone ( Res ) 011-26317214

Mysteries Of Human Life

. It seems obvious that all kinds of lives in the universe be it human, animal or plant are simple and not complex. So also all inert matter in the entire universe with no end. Only life has been initially designed and created by persons with brains who themselves were created perhaps by accident and developed with time on their own since eternity. ( If God created them then who created God earlier and from what ? ) Once the art and science of life was developed by such intelligent and diligent brains , whose knowledge of science and technology was at the zenith unreachable by us for several centuries, ordinary laws of nature followed.Till we find out and master the chemical memory and unveil the mysteries of life, each one of us would be presenting a theory of our own. Perhaps one may brighten the hazy landscape.

According to the tablets of Sumerian civilization , deciphered only a few decades back, life on earth was seeded from the portions of the moons of a planet circling the sun every 3500 years from deep space in the opposite direction of other planets of the solar system which collided with it during its early formation and also tilted it enabling the creation of seasons. The debris uprooted from earth formed the asteroid belt and the Hailey's comet which also keep revolving round the sun . One clay tablet which is preserved in a museum shows very distinctly the locations and size of the sun and planets of the solar system existing at that time which is absolutely identical to the solar system as of now with the exception of an additional planet. It can be mentioned that the Sumerians knew how to preserve information for eternity unlike our scientists who have also tried to save existing knowledge in stainless steel containers underground with a life span of about 500 years or so.However tablets indicate life there too came from outside. Thus the mystery of creation of life still remains unveiled.

Just like early humans on earth learnt and benefited from observing the animal behavior as they had no other inputs, so also we too are learning from observation. This way while we know the end result we can only visualize and imagine how the life came into being. We see that human and animal lives are quite similar. Functions of the organs and theirl ocations are same. Life seems to be from the same mould- the initial cell and insertion of instructionc as memory. Now let us observe the human body – both male and female. There is one obvious inherent defect because perhaps animal life came earlier as the animals walk on four feet, while our hands move in air when we walk. In a perfect design this could have been avoided. Secondly male bodies have nipples and small breasts which have no function and are not needed at all.Thirdly while female bodies are flawless, male bodies have reproductive external organs stitched to it as though an after thought. One would like to know why these two flaws came into being ? A possibility of creation of first human being as a female appears obvious. Female would have the capacityto produce an egg with all the pairs of chromosome present without needing any external fertilization. Thus they produced their clones –all females. Initially there was no ulterior effect as the population was small and nature remained untouched, clean and devoid of polution, parasites etc. But at some stage in the hoary past when the population increased genie defects multiplied and the species began declining. A real crisis developed to the possibility of extinction of the human life altogether. The designers intervened and modified the human life by inserting a male reproductive system and halving the female egg chromosomes. The other half pair of chromosomes would be provided by external fertilization. This could mitigate the decline in human life.Designers left the nipples and breast intact in the male body as they were not at all interfering with the new concept and would lie dorment. Just like any one else they took the easy path. The male organ was just stitched to the modified body as an addendum. This was perhaps the most simple and easiest way to solve the problem and proof of the pudding is that they have marvelously succeeded as observed now. The male body though remains imperfect yet functions well. Now the question arises why the designers took all this trouble to save the human race. Why the nature has applied all its force on reproduction whether human, animal or plant life. Every tree produces enormous number of seeds so that in any adverse circumstances the specie may have a chance not to become extinct. In animals and humans force of attraction has no limits. Thus there can be no possibility of reincarnation or resurrection. Once dead, it is the end. The concept and belief in souls which being part of God never perish falls through. Similarly God being infallible could not have made these errors in the first instance and secondly would have made the male body flawless in any case. It is obvious that this has not been done. His physical existence is therefore doubtful at the least. Hence His august presence is to be in our minds where He has the most influencing power. It is as it should be. God, a supreme being, is needed by all as otherwise we would feel helpless in adversity when we leave all our worries to Him.He gives solace and comfort. One would say that if someone does not need God in adverse circumstances, he is God himself. Faith in God is essential for sustenance and acquiring values for living at peace in a society at large. The religions have given all the ideal values and qualities to Him which we humans would aspire to imbibe and become Godly- in the end let the self disappear from the minds altogether unawares and thus be enlightened by Him. God is defined by humans. He was neither born nor would He ever die. He is immortal He has no physical form. Fire can not burn Him and nothing can harm Him. He can only be visualized in mind. Even in Gita, Bhagwan Krishna showed God in all His glory, splendor, piety and awe to Arjun in his mind. Nobody else could see Him. Mind is the most sublime place in human beings where the faith in God resides. He becomes the guiding force for all our actions. The creation and an absolute faith in God in our minds as an outcome of an extremely intellectual and fertile imagination of human mind has imparted a tremendous social and mental strength to humanity. We owe a great gratitude to our wise ancestral seers who gave us concept of God much before the Governments came into being to keep human beings at peace.

R.K.Singhal

09.05.10

My Impressions of Shanghai Visit

My impressions of China on a visit to Shanghai during 4th August to15th October 2009

Shanghai airport is huge yet user friendly. Stress was on neatness andcleanliness and beautification all around. Roads leading to and out ofthe airport were wide and well lighted. Magnetic Levitation traintakes just six minutes from airport to town and uses a special tractand has a speed of 450 KM per hour. However we used private car to reach ourdestination in Pudong.Immediately on entering the house and seeing some lovely photographs displayedbeautifully on the wall and elsewhere too, wefelt we had reached a very warm home in Shanghai.Unlike houses in India, the walls in the exterior of the house were allof transparent glass and one could see the entire panorama and thegrounds underneath. We could see the lovely Huangpu river with tens ofbig boats with materials plying on it day and night . We could see thenice colourful and well lighted buildings on the other side of theriver. It was an excellent view to watch and very peaceful. Justbelow there was a beautiful Swan Lake in which besides the fountainsand beautiful walking path all around there were four black and twowhite swans with a baby swimming carefree at leisure. It was a lovelysight to behold. Later we noticed that there was complete segregationbetween the black and white swans. So in nature human behavior is notdistinct.My wife had the first nasty experience of being locked in the bathroom. Icould not take her out. I imagined that Chinese locks were faulty too.So I called for help. She was told to unlock twice. This workedinstantly and she came out with much relief on her face. Then welearnt that Chinese locks use double locking system unlike ours. Welater found that all Chinese fittings were perfect and taps would notleak.We learnt that Shanghai has a population of more than 1.88 crores plusa temporarily moving population of about 15 lakhs. Shanghai is rightlybeing projected as the leading international financial and shoppingcenter of the world overtaking New York and London shortly. Throughwell developed Hong Kong and Shanghai infrastructure with largestairports and deep sea ports and budding districts in the vicinityChinese would fulfill their aim of being the greatest economic powerin the world in not too distant a future. They already have thelargest army in the world and are increasing fast their military mightand it is being said that they would surpass USA as a world power inperhaps just two decades.We felt that Chinese leadership was honest, proud, patriotic, marketforces oriented and extremely autocratic without any semblance ofCommunism. One can say benevolent dictatorship. They have a very clearand distinct vision of grooming China as the greatest power in theworld. In this they have the tacit support of their countrymen. We didnot notice any open annoyance or dissent. General public couldpurchase adequate meal in 3 RMB ( Yuan ) and wholesome meal for only fiveYuan. Chinese need very little space for living. Then why should theycrib? So there is no obstacle or hindrance for progress as visioned bythe leadership. They have all the wherewithal for achieving their aimsin real time.Though there were several languages and dialects in China , leadershipfirmly encouraged Mandarin for the entire country. This helped inuniting the diverse parts of the country. Now we learnt that Englishis being insisted as a second but necessary subject. We were surprisedthat even maidservants were well conversant with written and spokenMandarin. General public is literate..Women are great contributors to national economy. We saw that in themalls and shops young women were managing alone. We hardly saw men inshops. It appeared that they were engaged mostly in construction andproductive activities. We never saw workers sitting idle anywhere.Women were absolutely safe and could move about day and night. Theywere working alongside men everywhere. They had no hesitation inworking in expatriates houses when men were alone. They felt safe asChinese laws are strict and are enforced.What surprised me most was that roads, streets and places, unlike somedemocratic countries, were not named on individuals – leadershipconsiders itself like any other countrymen. Even on National DayParades all the leaders past and present keep standing all the time.This helps them tide over obstacles through public support.Chinese plan several years in advance and their implementation is nearperfect – both in time and expenditure. We visited Shanghai UrbanPlanning Exhibition Centre and were simply taken aback. Even in myprivate wildest imagination I could never visualize such precise anddetailed future planning in such a large scale for a city of the sizeand population of Shanghai. It was amazing. The future and currentshape of Shanghai was exhibited in plastic models to scale in threedimensional display of all high rise and multistoried buildings in avery large area in the museum for any one to see and comprehend thefuture shape of things to come including new districts visualized in adecade or more. Everything was transparently clear. My grand son afterseeing the model immediately told us that the building to come up infuture right in front of our house would not obstruct our view of theriver. How amazing. Possible enhancement of value of land andproperties was there for every one to see. No speculation or guessingfor the future. Perfect transparency. People can plan their futureeconomic activities with confidence.It appeared to me that Shanghai, being new, has been developed basedon Chinese exposure to Hong Kong ( very user friendly and denselypopulated city), New York ( High rise and multistoried buildings ) andWashington DC ( wide roads laced with green foliage and lined withdense trees, spacious museums and huge malls ) They have the best ofall the three. Almost all the roads even in newly developing districtsare very wide , four lanes and with one way traffic.Chinese have developed a huge deep sea port, largest in the world, inan island 35 KM from the delta of Yangtze river joining theocean, in a very short span of time. 35 KM Donghai bridge in the deep oceanwith two three and a half lane side by side roads was built andcommissioned in less thantwo years. We drove on this road when shipswere crossing it below. It was a lovely breathtaking ride. We saw thetownship on the island for the people engaged in activities there.They had made it self sufficient for daily needs.On our return from the island we spent time picnicking with friends ata lake side resort.The lake is spread in an area of several square kilometers . There isa very tall and abeautiful monument at its centre. All around the periphery of the lake there wasbuilt in pavement with other necessities. Chinese stress onbeautification of the landscape. Tourists were plenty and among themeven Chinese from other distant places. One such crowd beseeched uswhen we were eating puries and potatoes etc They appeared fascinatedto see our food . They took several pictures. We also took some snaps.We went for sight seeing to a water town with friends. Water town isa small town builtages ago on both sides of a rivulet. There were small old houses onthe banks with many wooden bridges to cross the river. Some houses areeven as they were before but most of them have been renovated withmodern fittings. Small boats for tourists were plying in the smallriver. We saw a very small post office building kept as it wasearlier. Museum there is worth seeing. Plenty of Chinese earthenware,potteries, small figurines , sculptors etc. There are sculpturedattractions at many of the wooden bridges. There are several shops oneither side of the river. The largest bridge was a bit toohigh with several stairs and we refused to tire ourselves. It was atthe fag end where the river ends at the sea. The bridge itself is agreat attraction. We took several pictures.We visited a wax factory a little away. Enroute we passed through oldShanghai suburbs and saw some lovely green fields with nice crops. Weobserved that the area was neat and clean as elsewhere . We enjoyedthe ride out of town. My friends made some purchases. China isfamous for various shaped candles for decoration. The factory wasexporting most of its production. To our surprise there was nobargaining here but rates were far below the market.The famous bank of the Huangpu river known as Bund is a fewkilometers long and wide walking space for lovely sight seeing of thebuildings, some from the British rule, well maintained lighted andilluminated during night. Leisurely walk on this stretch is verypeaceful. One walks and enjoys the panoramic sight and also thelighted boats that pass through the river. One feels being part of thescene. There are restaurants on the side and some activity or theother is always on- like dancing , flying candle balloons, kite flyingand other shows. The place is ideal for evening walks.We visited nearby Shimao lake and garden. It is a miniature Chinesegarden with zigzag path way around the lake with fish in it. Thereis a small waterfall too. Then we visited yuyaan gardens and lake.It is in a very big area with a large lake full of various colourfulvarieties of fish and turtles. This also has a beautiful zigzag patharound it but on a large scale. On this path they have smallrestaurants too. It is a beautiful sight right in the centre of thecity. Just outside are innumerable small time shops in a vast coveredarea.We visited Century Park which is spread in several acres with a hugelake within with plenty of lotus flowers of various colours. Entrance tothe century park is fascinatingly lovely – a long road on both sidesof which areflowerbedsand flowing water and green foliage hiding anything behind. Suddenlyone comes to a big open area with landscaping and green grass everywhere. Plenty of huge rocks through which one passes and reaches thelake. We sat on one such boulder for picnic lunch. There was a goodpath way all around the lake . Several people were there picnickingand enjoying the scenic beauty artfully created for them . In someareas crops were there. We saw many newly wedded couples gettingphotographed at various scenic spots in their wedding attire. Theywere making their day a memorable one.We visited Jade Budha Temple. It is an old Buddhist temple in a large areawith plenty of figurines in various smaller temples. Main Jade Budhais a large one in an upstairs temple and has been carved from onepiece of Jade. Surroundings of the temple are very peaceful withplenty of trees . Lots of people were paying their homage there. Wewere told about the custom that each of us must pay from his own moneyfor entry etc – not some one else’s.We visited Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. It is in a very bigbuilding catering for the future. Infact the museum is at presentperhaps meant for the school children who were there in plenty andenjoying interactive displays. We enjoyed the outside view from someheight.We then visited the area where the three of the world’s highestbuildings are located. We went up the Oriental Pearl TV Tower – rankedthird in the world. There we saw some exhibits and screen clips at onefloor. Jin Mao Tower – second highest is nearby. We saw it fromoutside. Then we saw Shanghai World Financial Centre Building – thenhighest building in the world as Dubai Burz had not yet beencompleted. We went to the Observatory on the top floor of thebuilding. It is a huge corridor having transparent glass panels oneither side except the ends where lifts operate. One central row ofthe floor is also of transparent glass. We could thus see the trafficand pedestrians below us – a frightening experience. Simultaneously wewatched airliners landing and taking off from the distant airport,ships plying in the deep ocean, boats in the river nearby and buildingtops and we could identify several places including our Shimaobuilding. It was indeed a life’s experience. We later went to arestaurant a few floors below and ate to our hearts content variousvegetarian dishes.Nearby we saw the work in progress on another high rise buildingproposed to be higher than any other in the world. It was expected tobe in use in next one and a half years. Amazing implementation byChinese.We were fortunate to watch construction work in progress in theadjacent building and its surroundings and also on the road outsideour complex. Chinese were using very aptly the heavy machines. The endresult was of quality and was swiftly carried out. Electric cables andsewerage pipes were laid out in a long dug out duct lined with bricksand the openings covered with either iron or pre fabricated cementcovers. These covers were the same as were being used on either sideof the road foot paths. Perfect standardization had been achieved.Volume of production, reduced the cost of the product. Imagine thenumbers required all over China. What national saving in effort andmaterial. I was reminded that in Mao Tse Tung’s time same cloth andthe same closed collar pattern was enforced all over China. A greatsaving in costs leaving the money for other priorities. We saw trees,obstructing any construction activity, being properly dug out withroots by help of cranes and kept aside to be replanted whererequired. They fully succeeded in doing this. We should also adoptthis technique. We saw the city beautification effort all over.Pavements were being re-laid with better tiles. Roads were being re-carpeted. We saw the work in progress during night. A heavy bitumencutting machine was digging out four inches of top material of theroad quite fast and was automatically being loaded in trucks behindand was directly taken for recycling. Then a similar machine was usedto lay out a smooth carpet which was later embedded with a heavyroller behind. Next night traffic marking were painted with hot paintby another machine. Paint dries up instantly and does not spread whenvehicles move over it. The beautification activity was for World Exposlated for May 2010 when Shanghai would be showcased to the world.Expo logo Hebao was exhibited everywhere.It was also obvious that government agencies were carrying outwholesale renovation / distempering and painting of exterior walls ofthe old buildings on either side of the streets to give a presentablelook. We saw old buildings including three storied residential blocksbeing raised to ground for the construction of new multistoriedbuildings and malls. Naturally there could be no opposition from theexisting residents. We also learnt that all the tops of themultistoried buildings had to be different compulsorily. The outcomewas unique and esthetically very pleasing to the eyes.Almost all the roads, streets and lanes have either shops or malls ontheir side. Shanghai is practically a world shopping centre with allthe infrastructure in place. It is very well connected on either sideof the river which divides it with rail/road tunnels, many bridgesand ferries every few kilometers. Luckily we also had shopping in ourmind for a wedding. Our favorites were APPlaza, Fabric Market, Kitchen mall, Yuyuan market and some closebymalls/shops. One has to bargain in China in everyshop. It is a tedious process and requires lot of patience. One hasto have some acumenand inclination too. My daughter displayed lot of patience anddetermination and largelysucceeded in getting good bargains. Language was a basic problem . Butsigns, demeanorand figures on the calculator helped. Our delight had no bounds when shesucceeded in getting the price reduced substantially. We thought wemade our day when we carried loads of items to the taxi. We generallyfound that the price initially quoted was several times higher forexample from Yuan 250 price would be reduced to less than Yuan 50. Onehas to know the average price in advance to successfully negotiate.Lastly our trip was made memorable by our daughter’s great friends wholater becameour own.. We enjoyed visiting all their beautiful homes and their warmhospitality.Some spent most of the time with us and immediately became one ofthe family. We had many enjoyable get-togethers on several occasionsand the high point was the celebrations on my birthday.We wish tem all a very happy and enjoyable future.

Useful quotes from Barack Obama's Books

Quotes worth enumerating and understanding Americans first hand from Barrack Obama’s books

Dreams from my father

Page 13
“Organizers did not make any money ; their poverty was their integrity”

Page 106
“ It is happening an ocean away. But it is a struggle that touches each and every one of us. Whether we know it or not. Whether we want it or not. A struggle that demands we choose sides. Not between black and white. Not between rich and poor. No – it’s a harder choice than that . It is choice between dignity and servitude . Between fairness and injustice . Between commitment and indifference. A choice between right and wrong, “

Audacity of Hope

Pages 51-52 .
“ I imagine that ( people –Democrats and Republicans ) they are waiting for politics with maturity to balance idealism with realism., to distinguish between what can and what can not be compromised, to admit the possibility that the other side might sometimes have a point. They don’t always understand the argument between right and left , conservative and liberal, but they recognize the difference between dogma and commonsense, responsibility and irresponsibility, between those things that last and those that are fleeting.”

Page 54
“ The openness of the White House said something about our confidence as a democracy. I thought. It embodied the notion that our leaders were not so different from us; that they remained subject to laws and our collective consent.”

Page 56
“ I was reminded of the dangerous isolation that power can bring and appreciated the Founders’ wisdom in designing a system to keep power in check.

Page 58
“ Tax cuts for the wealthy to be both fiscally irresponsible and morally troubling”

My comments – in Indian context – if we tax rich exorbitently there would be no surplus money left with them to invest in industry and they are the only ones capable of doing it to generate more income. In India earlier with 100% tax liability in the highest bracket we lost the opportunity of industrialization preventing us to go global. It is counter productive.

Page 66
“ how suffocating the demands of family ties and tribal loyalties could be , with distant cousins constantly asking for favours, uncles and aunts showing up un announced. ( Americans cherish their individual freedom). We believe in the right to be left alone and are suspicious of Big Brother or noisy neighbours – who want to meddle in our business. We value self reliance , self-improvement and risk taking. The values of drive, discipline, temperance and hard work. The values of thrift and personal responsibility.”

Page 68
“ In the hands of men values can be subjected to distortion and excess. Self reliance and indiscipline can transform into selfishness and licence, ambition into greed and frantic desire to succeed at any cost.”

Page 77
“ It becomes harder and harder for the public to distinguish between honest sentiment and political stage craft.”

Page 236
“ But for the most part , traditional religious practice – and certainly religious fundamentalism – was considered incompatible with modernity, at most a refuge of the poor and uneducated from the hardship of life.”
“The old time religion was withering away, it was argued, a victim of science, higher levels of education in the general population, and the marvel of technology

Page 244
“—confirmed my belief in the capacity of ordinary people to do extraordinary things.”:

Page 253
“ Liberalism teaches us to be tolerant of other people’s religious beliefs , so long as their beliefs donot cause any one harm or impinge on another’s right to believe differently. So long as the communities are content to keep to themselves and faith is neatly confined as a matter of individual conscience, such tolerance is not tested.
“But religion is rarely practiced in isolation, organized religion, at least, is a very public affair. They may feel that a secular state provides values that directly offend their belief. They want the larger society to validate and reinforce their views.

Page 259
“ In a pluralistic democracy religious values must be subject to argument and amenable to reason.”
“ Almost by definition, faith and reason operate in different domains and involve different paths to discerning truth. Reason – and – science – involve the accumulation of knowledge based on realities that we all can apprehend. Religion by contrast, is based on truths that are not provable through ordinary human understanding – The belief in things not seen.”
“ Politics (unlike science ) involves compromise, the art of possible. At some fundamental level religion does not allow for compromise. It insists on the impossible. To base ones life on such uncompromising commitments may be sublime, to have our policy making on such commitments would be a dangerous thing.

Page 267
“ ---body’s capacity to inflict pain on itself”

Page 230
“—in many ways Indonesia serves as a useful metaphor for the world beyond our borders – a world in which globalization and sectarianism, poverty and plenty modernity and antiquity constantly collide.”

Page 372
President Kennedy, “—we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves.---not because we seek their votes but because it is right. If a free society can not help the many who are poor , it can not save the few who are rich.” We will have to align our politics to help reduce the sphere of insecurity, poverty and the global order that has served us so well.”

Page 273
“ No person, in any culture, likes to be bullied. No person likes living in fear because he or her ideas are different. No body likes being poor or hungry and no body likes to live under an economy system in which the fruits of his or her labour go perpetually unrewarded. The system of free markets and liberal democracy that now characterizes most of the developed world may be flawed ; it may all too often reflect the interest of the powerful over the powerless. But the system is constantly subject to change and improvement – and it is precisely this openness to change that market based liberal economies offer people around the world their best chances at a better life.”

Page 875
“ In 1941 FDR said he looked forward to a world founded upon four eternal freedoms; freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Last two freedoms are prerequisite for all others.
For people living on two dollars a day , an election is at best a means , not an end;a starting point , not deliverance.
--- basic elements that for most of us define a decent life – food, shelter, electricity, basic health care, education for their children and the ability to make their way through life without having to endure corruption , violence or arbitrary power..”

Page 386
“ It was a difficult transitional period in my life. Privately I worried that it represented the abandonment of my youthful ideals, a concession to the hard realities of money and power – the world as it is rather than the world as it should be. “