Books, Granth, ચોપડી, પુસ્તક, ગ્રંથ.

In Gujarati language for 'book' has different levels- ચોપડી, પુસ્તક, ગ્રંથ. Every 23 April is World Book Day or Internation Day of the Books. In 1995, UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on this date the date is also the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare, the death of Miguel de Cervantes (novel Don Kihote), Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Josep Pla, and the birth of Maurice Druon, Manuel Mejía Vallejo and Halldór Laxness. Although 23 April is often stated as the anniversary of the deaths of both William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes, this is not strictly correct. Cervantes died on 22 April and was buried on 23 April according theGregorian calendar; however, at this time England still used the Julian calendar. Whilst Shakespeare died on 23 April by the Julian calendar in use in his own country at the time, he actually died eleven days after Cervantes because of the discrepancy between the two date systems. The apparent correspondence of the two dates was a fortunate coincidence for UNESCO.

Some quotes in Gujarati/English :

• 'તમે કહો છો કે તમને વરસાદ ગમે છે, પણ તમે છત્રી ખોલો છો;
• તમે કહો છો કે તમને સૂર્ય ગમે છે પણ તમે છાંયો શોધો છો;
• તમે કહો છો કે તમને પવન ગમે છે, પણ તમે બારીઓ બંધ રાખો છો.
• ઍટલે જ હું ડરી જાઊં છું જ્યારે તમે કહો છો કે તમે મને પ્રેમ કરો છો'.

'You say you love rain but you use an umbrella to walk under it. You say you love sun but you seek shade when its shining. You say you love wind but when it comes you close your window. So that's why im scared when you say you love me.

• બધા વાંચે છે ઍ જ પુસ્તકો તમે વાંચશો તો બધા વિચારે છે ઍવુ જ તમે વિચારશો. નવા વિચારો જોઈતા હોય તો મહેનત કરવી પડશે. 
• સુરેશ દલાલ કહેતા કે જી કઈ પબ્લિશ થાય છે તે બધું જ વાંચવા બેસિયે તો આંધળા થઈ જઇયે.
• પાઉલો કોયેલો કહે છે કે અમુક બારણાં બંધ કરતા શીખો- અભિમાન, ઉપેક્ષા, અણઆવડત કે આક્રમકતા ના કારણ થી નહીં, પણ ઍટલા માટે કે તે તમને ક્યાંય નથી લઈ જતા. Learn to close some doors- not out of ignorance, aggression, indifference, ego, but because they lead you nowhere.
• To read with speed is different from reading fast. On certain issues one should learn to stop and having read the whole, understand what is not to be remembered.
• રમેશ પારેખ ની પંક્તિ જેવું થાય 'ઍક પુસ્તક માં છે, ઍક મસ્તક માં છે'. Ramesh Parekh, renowned thinker, poet, writer, creator has said, 'one is (rubbish) in the book and the other (rubbish) is in the head'. Rubbish twice over. Learn to understand what to forget in a book.
• 'સુખ ઍટલે ખુલ્લી બારી, કોફીનો ઍક કપ અને ઍક પુસ્તક'.
• સોનલ પરીખ નો 'ફૅમિલી રૂમ', જન્મભૂમી પ્રકાશન, રવિવાર, 20 ઍપ્રિલ 2014.

Nuggets from ""EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE"

“I regret that it takes a life to learn how to live.”

“There were things I wanted to tell him. But I knew they would hurt him. So I buried them, and let them hurt me.”

“She wants to know if I love her, that's all anyone wants from anyone else, not love itself but the knowledge that love is there, like new batteries in the flashlight in the emergency kit in the hall closet.”

“Songs are as sad as the listener.”

“I missed you even when I was with you. That’s been my problem. I miss what I already have, and I surround myself with things that are missing.”

“In bed that night I invented a special drain that would be underneath every pillow in New York, and would connect to the reservoir. Whenever people cried themselves to sleep, the tears would all go to the same place, and in the morning the weatherman could report if the water level of the Reservoir of Tears had gone up or down, and you could know if New York is in heavy boots.”

“We had everything to say to each other, but no ways to say it”

“What did thinking ever do for me, to what great place did thinking ever bring me? I think and think and think. I've thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.”

"What's so great about feeling and dreaming?"

“I took the world into me, rearranged it, and sent it back out as a question: "Do you like me?”

“You can't love anything more than something you miss.”

“The end of suffering does not justify the suffering, and so there is no end to suffering.”

“Mom told me, “It probably gets pretty lonely to be Grandma, don’t you think?” I told her, “It probably gets pretty lonely to be anyone.”

“But I still couldn't figure out what it all meant. The more I found out, the less I understood.”

“He promised us that everything would be okay. I was a child, but I knew that everything would not be okay. That did not make my father a liar. It made him my father.”

“Every moment before this one depends on this one.”

“There's nothing wrong with not understanding yourself.”

“Even if I don't like what I am, I know what I am. My children like what they are, but they don't know what they are. So tell me which is worse.”

“We talked about nothing in particular, but it felt like we were talking about the most important things...”

"And how can you say I love you to someone you love? "

“Why I'm Not Where You Are”

“It was one of the best days of my life, a day during which I lived my life and didn't think about my life at all.”

When Dad was tucking me in that night and we were talking about the book, I asked if he could think of a solution to that problem. "Which problem?" "The problem of how relatively insignificant we are." He said, "Well, what would happen if a plane dropped you in the middle of the Sahara Desert and you picked up a single grain of sand with tweezers and moved it one millimeter?" I said, "I'd probably die of dehydration." He said, "I just mean right then, when you moved that single grain of sand. What would that mean?" I said, "I dunno, what?" He said, "Think about it." I thought about it. "I guess I would have moved one grain of sand." "Which would mean?" "Which would mean I moved a grain of sand?" "Which would mean you changed the Sahara." "So?" "So? So the Sahara is a vast desert. And it has existed for millions of years. And you changed it!" "That's true!" I said, sitting up. "I changed the Sahara!" "Which means?" he said. "What? Tell me."
"Well I'm not talking about painting the Mona Lisa or curing cancer. I'm just talking about moving that one grain of sand one millimeter." "Yeah? If you hadn't done it, human history would have been one way..." "Uh-huh?" "But you did do it, so...?" I stood on the bed, pointing one of my fingers at the fake stars, and screamed: "I changed the course of human history!" "That's right." "I changed the universe!" "You did." "I'm God!" "You're an atheist." "I don't exist!" I fell back onto the bed, into his arms, and we cracked up together.”

― Jonathan Safran Foer

Above are excerpts from the novel-

"EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE" by 2005 novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. On the challenges of writing a novel in a child's voice, Foer responded, "It's not the voice of a child exactly, " adding that

"in order to create this thing that feels most real, it's usually not by actually giving the most accurate presentation of it." Film adaptation- Jeopardy! Kids Week winner Thomas Horn, 12.

Golden Pagoda- Gorai, Mumbai

Date : 17 Mar 2014
Golden Pagoda, Vipassana Centre in Gorai, Mumbai
Preferable to carry sunglasses, hat, thin cotton clothing in March. Wear comfortable shoes as you have to walk some distance, travel in auto, bus, ferry. One has to walk from the bus stand at Gorai Jetty, to the jetty and from the Essel World Jetty to the Golden Pagoda. This Pagoda is on the land adjacent to Essel World Water Park and rides and hence don't take the other ferry service (Rs.10/-) as it does not go there. Take only Essel World Ferry (Rs.50/- both ways charged at a time).
At the Golden Pagoda there is a good eating arrangement with variety of menu and good seating arrangement too. So need not carry food. At the most a water bottle for the time one is in bus or on the road may be carried.. Otherwise Golden Pagoda has good arrangements.
We took help of Shri Navin Khanna, mobile no.9920649224 who handles Public Relations for the Golden Pagoda. 
email id of the PR-Golden Pagoda is pr@globalpagoda.org

Here is how we went from Ghatkopar East to Golden Pagoda in Gorai in Mumbai:

1. From Garodia Nagar to Ghatkopar East Bus Depot by Auto.
2. Took A/c. bus of BES&T No. AS 388 , First bus at 08:40 am. It is from Ghatkopar East Depot to Poisar Depot. (Kandivali West) via 

27. GOREGAON CHECK NAKA NO 1,	28. GEN.A.K.VAIDYA MARG JUNCTION,
29. PANDURANG WADI,	30. MADINA MANZIL,
31. CHINCHOLI PHATAK / SARVODAYA SCHOOL,	32. MALAD STATION (W),
33. N.L.VIDYALAYA,	34. BAL BHARATI / HITAVARDHAK HALL,
35. KANDIVALI STATION (W),	36. POISAR DEPOT,

3. From Poisar Depot to Gorai Jetty by auto. (Rs.50/- by meter).

4. Take to/fro (Rs. 50/-) Essel World Ferry ticket from the counter From Gorai Jetty by Essel World Ferry to Essel World Jetty. 

5. Walk down from the Essel World jetty to the Golden Pagoda (about 5-10 min.). Essel World is also on the same plot.

 We started from Garodia nagar at about 08-15 am, took 08-40 bus which took about one and half hour to reach Poisar Depot. We reached Golden Pagoda at about 11-40 am. (date 17 Mar. 2014).

(All particulars as on 17 Mar 2014. Confirm first.)

• The bus route AS 388 first service from Ghatkopar East bus depot starts at 08:40 am; then 09;15; 9-35; 09:55; 10-15; --------21-05. Different time table for Sundays.
• Its return journey from Poisar Depot to Ghatkopar East starts at 07-10 am; ---------14-30; 15-00; 15-30; 16-00; 16-30; 17-00; 17-30; 18-00; 18-26; 18-50; 19-15. Different time table for Sundays.
• Last Essel World ferry from Gorai jetty to Essel World (Golden Pagoda same) leaves at 17-25 hrs. as per information given.
• The Golden Pagoda closes at 19-00 hrs. Esselworld also closes at about the same time.
• For groups the Golden Pagoda may arrange a pick-up bus. Contact PR.
• One can also go from Malad Marve Jetty also. It comes ahead of Poisar (Kandivali West). But Gorai Jetty at Kandivali-Borivali (West) is more convenient and popular. Manori islands is via Malad Marve Jetty.

• BEST- Public Relation Officer Help can be taken on 1800227550 toll free no.
• Other BEST bus route no. 460 (non-A/c.) also goes from Vikhroli to Gorai Depot.
• Bus route no. C-60 goes from Deonar Depot to Borivali East.

ATTENTION VS FOCUS

PONDER AND CARE
Focus without attention makes one :-

1. more gross and less subtle,
2. less balanced vision,
3. more selfish and less concerned for other views,
4. stagnate,
5. live in illusions & delusions,
6. more artificial and less natural,
7. unreal,
8. deceitful in a gross/subtle way,
9. preach & teach more than learn,
10. more egoistic, subtly in the beginning then openly,
11. divide and spread disintegration,
12. always right,
13. think 'I always know',
14. stop walking in the direction,
15. violent, sometimes disguised as religion and faith,
16. lazy, sometimes disguised as unattached,
17. attached disguised cleverly,
18. hate disguised cleverly,
19. unaware
20. unloving towards some,
21. ritualistic,
22. addictive and habit forming,
23. self-conceited,
24. unjust & unfair disguised cleverly,
25. want more, give less,
26. sharing less & less,
27. cunning,
28. discriminative in giving respect 
29. possessive,
30. fearful, disguised cleverly,
31. pretentious,
32. pompous,
33. sacrifice unnecessarily, unwisely,
34. restricts intelligence,
35. prejudicial, parochial, and suspicious,
36. liar disguised cleverly,
37. create, develop, suffer complexes,
38. deceive self more and more,
39. unsecured, disguised cleverly,
40. cruel to near & dear,
41. crave for appreciation, motivation, followers, disciples, servers,
42. condescendingly bossy.

Oct. 2012, L B Nagar, Hyderabad. 

Real Swaraj- Mahatma Gandhi

Following words on Swaraj of Mahatma Gandhi, father of the nation Bharat-India-Hindustan:
The real swaraj will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few but by the acquisition of capacity to resist authority when abused.
Last 6 decades of corruption, nepotism, misrule, abuse of authority and power have reduced most of the checks and balances violating the letter and spirit of the objectives for which they were put in place. Law and Order is controlled by corrupt and powerful.
29 Mar. 2014

સમાજ ખરેખર ક્યારે વિકસિત કહેવાય એ સમજાવતી આજ ની વાત..

સમાજ ખરેખર ક્યારે વિકસિત કહેવાય એ સમજાવતી આજ ની વાત..

કોઇ એક નાનુ શહેર અતી સમૃધ્ધ હતું. શહેરના નાના મોટા તમામ લોકો આનંદથી પોતાનું જીવન વ્યતિત કરતા હતા.

 આ નાના શહેરના વિકાસથી પ્રભાવિત એક વ્યક્તિએ નક્કી કર્યુ કે મારે આ શહેરની સમૃધ્ધિ અને શહેરમાં વસતા લોકોના આનંદનું રહસ્ય જાણવું છે. 

આ માણસ શહેરની મુલાકાતે આવ્યો અને શહેરમાં પ્રવેશતા જ એક આલીશાન કોફી શોપ જોઇને ત્યાં ગયો. એમને થયુ કે અહીંયા જ થોડો સમય બેસુ અને આવતા જતા લોકોનું નિરિક્ષણ કરુ,  કદાચ લોકોનાવર્તન પરથી હું મારા સવાલના જવાબ મેળવી શકીશ !
કોફી શોપમાં દાખલ થઇને એ એક ટેબલ પર બેસી ગયો અને એક કોફીનો ઓર્ડર આપ્યો. થોડીવારમાં એક સુખીસંપન્ન દેખાતો માણસ કોફી શોપમાં આવ્યો. વેઇટર એની પાસે ઓર્ડર લેવા ગયો એટલે એમણે બેકોફીનો ઓર્ડર આપ્યો અને બોલ્યો , " એક મારા માટે અને એક પેલી દિવાલ પર. " આ સાંભળીને મુલાકાતી તો મુંઝાયો એને કંઇ સમજ ન પડી આથી એ જોવા લાગ્યો કે વેઇટર શું કરે છે ? 
થોડીવાર પછી વેઇટર એક કપ કોફી પેલા અમીર માણસના ટેબલ પર મુકી ગયો અને કોફી લખેલી એક નાની ચીઠી સામેની દિવાલ પરના બોર્ડમાં ચોંટાડી આવ્યો. મુલાકાતી આ હરકત જોઇને વધુ મુંઝાયો. 
થોડા સમય પછી એક મજુર જેવો દેખાતો માણસ કોફી શોપમાં દાખલ થયો. વેઇટરે પુરા આદર સાથે એને પણ કોફીશોપમાં આવકાર્યો અને ઓર્ડર લેવા એમની પાસે ગયો. પેલા મજુર જેવા દેખાતા માણસેવેઇટરને ઓર્ડર આપતા કહ્યુ , " સામેની દિવાલ પરથી એક કોફી." વેઇટર સામેની દિવાલ પાસે ગયો. ત્યાં બોર્ડ પર ઘણી બધી ચીઠ્ઠીઓ ચોંટાડેલી હતી તેમાંથી કોફી લખેલી એક ચીઠ્ઠી લઇને ફાડી નાંખી અનેએક કપ કોફી મજુરના ટેબલ પર આવીને મુકી ગયો. 
મુલાકાતીને એ નાના શહેરની સમૃધ્ધિ , વિકાસ અને લોકોના આનંદના કારણનું રહસ્ય આ એક જ ઘટનાથી સમજાઇ ગયુ.