India Friends/Pen Pals

Whats a million dollars when I have decided to spend my life in the service of India ?

Seriously do you think money is the solution to all problems that India face ?

I did work in a 9 to 5 job and I quit after a month because my heart never really got into

One thing is for sure the rest of my life will be spent trying to better the lives of people who live around me

The NRI's invest money where they see good profits whether it is in real estate or construction or just plain money laundering.
They send money with a profit motive not love for their motherland

There are many who donate money to noble causes but they are just a handful ,just a trickle that is insignificant

Whatever money is donated is usually done to buy a sense of moral uprightness

Do you know that the economic crisis that happened in 1991 was partly because the NRI's pulled out their money from India resulting in India having to pawn her gold reserves and defaulted on her balance of payments and then bent over to the world bank and IMF's dictates

I consider it a matter of shame that when an Indian woman aspires to reach the skies she needs to fly to Nasa as Kalpana Chawla did

There are millions of Kalpana Chawla in India's villages and towns and cities and I will see to it that they will not spend the rest of their lives in the kitchen or aspiring to fly to the USA

I consider the combination of capitalism and consumerism as a mental illness and america is the cradle of capitalism and its foundations seems all shaky to me

My views generally tend to lean towards the left

With great restraint I have keep my posts free from abuses

End of discussion I am done with trying to convince you NRI's
I am not even going to try anymore as there is nothing worthwhile to be achieved

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking at India through rose tinted specs, I've seen bad things here aswell, like rich Indians who give thousands to big western approved Swamis and won't even buy a chai or a samosa both only RS 3 each for a normal Sadhu whose travelling around the country in here bare feet with a stick and a little bag. I've seen how obnoxious some rich Indians are and the massive gap between the rich and poor. I've seen western women getting groped, but as much as it's terrible, women who come to India should have more sense and cover up more. It wouldn't eradicate the problem, but it would make it easier for them. I just think despite the negatives India has more than enough positives to make up for it, more than enough! I think on these boards people have a tendency to accentuate the negative aspects of everything. We all know India is not perfect, but it's still a beautiful and inspiring country.

 

I take that back, I did not mean to say that you are not doing anything and the NRIs are doing everything.

No and again , I did not mean that money is the solution to India's problems. I was only trying to say this : NRIs too are helping India even if they are living outside it. Yes, you can say that your help is somewhat greater than that of an NRI.

Then I would ask you how you can say that? who is to judge whose service to India is superior? A son who leaves his father/ his mother/ his big extended family... who decides to go out live alone in a different country - works hard for his money and saves a big amount in order to only send it to his family so that they can live a better life back at home... how can one say that he is only serving himself and not the country?



Remember, this man who is going to America also wants to enjoy diwali, also wants to spend time with his family, also wants to see his wife everyday after coming back from work... is it wrong for him to ask for a better life for his family and his relatives back in India?

I would think about this and say "no its not" but what you want to say is up to you.

good, be like that but first to really help others, one needs to learn to help himself and people who are immediately dependent on him. Once he does that, then he can go and help others. First, help yourself.

You see, some people in India take Sanyaasa...although honorable some people do it to just escape their real duties and responsibilites- that is wrong.

I am not sure about this, but most so called "NRIs" are really not that rich. They are well off. I am considered an NRI back in India, but really I am not rich enough to give millions of dollars to my country.

In business.. you always look for a win win situation I don't know why you are talking about profits like they are evil or something.

Lets say an NRI starts a company in India and hires computer professionals for that company. He makes big profits.

Now lets say an NRI uses the same amount of money but does not start a company ... he gives it away to charity. Who is great here?

I would say atleast the NRI company owner is helping the computer professionals- their families and other companies, contracters, skilled and unskilled workers etc. by making a profit and ofcourse if the company makes a profit everyone gets their share of it.

well, I consider this a matter of opinion. I believe that Kalpana Chawla who wanted to be a NASA engineer wanted to live her dream and she did. She didn't ask to be a role model for millions of Indians. She wanted to fly and she did.

haha, no there was only one kalpana chawla, she is dead now. However, there are people who are aspiring to fly and for them to get out of their kitchen, they have to start making changes, its good that you have the will to help them, but i suspect will is going to do very little. One needs to back it up by action.

Who cares about capitalism man, Dharma , Artha , Kama, Moksha. One needs to understand this. Through duty you should earn wealth, with wealth you should overcome your lust and finally liberate yourself.

haha you did a good job too, I appreciate the effort.

Yes well if you think that "we" NRIs are so stubborn , haha okay, lets stop here.

 

Yes , what you say is true. On the positive aspect of things, India is still a beautiful country.

 

The essence of service lies in love, not in anger and hatred. On the one hand halff_a_hippie, you speak of changing the world, like you could start a revolution overnight. Change comes, but slowly. You are not the only person doing things to help. I have friends, who even on a students stipend of 600 bucks a month, manageto tightn their belts and donate to charities that work in rural India. I do so myself. But its not something we talk about much. There are those who talk and those who do. In your entire rant on how evil capitalism is, how money is bad and all indians are corrupt fools, you forgot to mentionexactly what your plan is to change evrything and enrich everyone's lives so much.

To give happiness, you have to have happiness. A beggar cannot give charity.

As for making profits, I will quote the taittiriya upanishad teaching:

bhootyai na pramaditavyam - do not neglect prosperity

And a final thought: In the Ramharitmanas, Sri Rama tells Sabari that a true devotee does not dwell on the faults of others even in a dream (sapaneyu nahi dekhe paradosha). I think we could all learn a little from that.

 

He cook's for himself alone is a thief -- Bhagvad Gita

Capitalism is not only about cooking for oneself but also involves gorging on precious and scarce resources of mother earth at the cost of its other inhabitants until one gains an obscene amount of body mass eventually leading to clogging of the arteries that supply blood to the brain which results in a sustained state of oxygen deprivation which over a period of time leads to permanent mental retardation

(Proof--Two out of three adult Americans, or 60 percent, are overweight or obese and they re-elected george bush for a second term a clear indication that they have lost the abilty to differentiate between fundamental right and wrong which I feel is early sign of possible mental retardation)

Capitalism accepts man to be an animal driven only by greed and fear
By doing this it is suppressing the inherent good and god in man and every passing year under it man creates a new low in his evolution
Capitalism is hampering man's development

Capitalism doesn't have any copyright over prosperity and prosperity can be achieved in a hundred other economic and politcal systems

Its good to hear that you have such noble friends but
I know that these friends of yours are clearly not reprsentative of the majority
They are a miniscule minority
This is a fact

Nowhere have I slandered indians as corrupt fools

and as for plans I have many but
there are very few benefits that I will derive by posting it on an
internet forum
A basic framework is in place and I am constantly working towards it

I hope to manifest great programs and take part in events of great significance in the next two or three years (2008-2010)

Till that time comes I hope to acquire wisdom and knowledge
which will prepare and balance me for the great events that will take place in this century that will shape mine,your's and possibly evey other human's life on this planet.

 

what part of india are you in ?

 

Bangalore

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore

 

wow thats tropical ....like tamile ....are there mountains ? i lived in purto rico ...its an island neer cuba .... mangos bananas papaya breadfruit ....u know the drill

 

so its way different what they speek? like fron hindi .....is it tulugu ?

 

Mountain ranges lie about 250-300 kms to the west of the bangalore
Bangalore is a plateau and the climate is a soothing cool all year round not humid like tamil nadu
yeah mangoes,papaya's,bananas are available in plenty

 

No we speak Kannada ,telgu is spoken in neighbouring andhra pradesh
Please refer to the wikipedia article for more details

 

so they could do coffee or tea at higher elevations ? .....we had coffee in purto rico and were up a bit in mountains so it was cool at nite

 

yea im gonna look at it ......well awesome dude !

 

Good luck with your plans, half_a_hippie. May the force be with you.

 

Thank you

 

Yoda: Much to learn, the padawan has.
Yoda: Swift kick in the head, padawan will have.
Yoda: Realize the truth, Padawan must.
Yoda: hmmm, Enlighten himself!, the padawan will!.

 

hey all...

Namaste!!

whoever wants to have an Indian friend (pen or voice), do gimme a try. I have a wide ranging interests. I speak 7 Indian languages and have been educated in the Indian culture. I have travelled across the country (my work takes me across the country..that adds to my personal travel!!). when reading the posts above, I had a feeling I could be one of the guys you can try and get friends with or learn about India from...

In return, I expect you to share info about your respective countries...I have an eternal search for more info about this big and wonderful world..

Cheers,
indianguy

 

hi indianguy,

My name is Zoë
There is so much I still want to learn about india!I would really like you to be my penpal.In return I can give you lots of information about Belgium.
Hope you contant soon

Greets Zoë
kojiro35@hotmail.com
ps.if other people want to be my penpal,you're always welcome

 

I'm Indian although I've been brought up primarily in the Middle East. If any of you want to know anything at all about India, the culture, or if you're planning to travel there, don't hesitate to drop me an email. Having lived outside India almost my entire life, I'm aware of people's perceptions of India and would like to play my part in changing some of the false ones.. besides, it's always fascinating to learn about a foreign culture so questions of any kind are most welcome