The Bodhi Tree, also known as the Bodhi Fig Tree or
Bo Tree, is a large sacred fig tree located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India.
Siddhartha, the prince who went on to be a the spiritual teacher and who later became
known as the Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment or Bodhi circa 500
BCE under it.
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2002, the
Mahabodhi Temple and the famous Bodhi Tree, under which Buddha attained
enlightenment after six years of meditation, is believed to be the fifth in its
succession. The original Bodhi Tree was destroyed due to natural calamity. However
historians say, in 254 BC, Tissarakkha, Emperor Ashoka's queen, destroyed
the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, as she did not favour Ashoka sacrificing
the materialistic world and embracing Buddhism after his victory in the Kalinga
battle. The bloodshed and destruction made him give up everything and take up
Buddhism.
There are many things to see about this 2300-year-old sacred
fig tree, which is also known as the bodhi or bo tree: The Sri Maha Bodhi is said to the oldest and
longest-surviving tree in the world. It was planted in 288 BC during the reign
of King Devanampiyatissa.
The sanctum sanctorum is home to the gold painted
Buddha. Temple complex consists of other spots where Buddha is believed to have
sat in meditation. One of them is Mucalinda Sarovar. It is believed that he
would meditate here after he attainted enlightenment and, during heavy rains, a
snake would appear and protect him.
The Bodhi Tree is located in the small dusty town
of Bodhgaya in the state of Bihar in northern India. This is a prime pilgrimage
centre for Buddhists as this is the Mahabodhi Temple, where Gautam Buddha
attainted enlightenment stands.
After seven years of wandering Gautama sat under a
peepal tree. He attained peace knowledge under this tree and was enlightened
here. He renamed the tree as Bodhi tree which means the tree of wisdom. Buddhism,
founded in the late 6th century B.C.E. by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), is
an important religion in most of the countries of Asia. Many people around the
world are attracted to Buddhism and the spiritualism in India.
The Bodhi tree remains a powerful symbol in
Buddhism since it represents a human being's capacity to attain
enlightenment and find the joy and peace of Nirvana. Since the leaves of the
Bodhi Tree are shaped like a heart, Buddhists believe in allowing their
enlightenment to grow as the Bodhi Tree grows.
The Bodhi tree (wisdom tree) is a sacred symbol in
Buddhism for a number of reasons which variously represents the place of the
Buddha's enlightenment, mythical world tree, growth toward liberation, etc.
Bodhi, (In Sanskrit and Pāli: awakening,
enlightenment), in Buddhism, the final enlightenment, which puts an end to
the cycle of transmigration and leads to Nirvāṇa, or spiritual release; the
experience is comparable to the Satori of Zen Buddhism in Japan.
The place attracts the followers of Buddhism,
tourists and visitors throughout the year. Approximately 130 km from Patna,
Gaya district is characterized by the crowds and noise. But as soon as you move
to the centre of Bodhgaya, you find peace, serenity and a sense of calmness,
except a chorus of chants by monks and nuns from across the world. The
experience is spiritual and satisfying. In July 2012, a series of bomb
explosions rocked the temple and disturbed the peace there. But now, one can
experience the same serenity and the sense of calmness as before.
One of the favourite spot is the butter lamp house,
a part of the holy tradition, offering lamps comes naturally to every Buddhist.
The Meditation Park, which is close to the entrance of the main temple complex
allow visitors to meditate from sunrise to sunset at a nominal charge. The
entry to the temple complex is free. The closest airport to Bodhgaya is Gaya
airport, 21 km away. One can also reach the place by train and bus from other
cities.
It is said that emperor Ashoka's daughter,
Sanghamitta (or Sanghmitra), took a branch from the original Bodhi tree from
Bodh Gaya to Sri Lanka, and planted it in the city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. That Bodhi
tree is still alive and is supposedly the oldest continually documented
tree in the world.
People like writers, artists, painters,
manufactures, marketing, service-providers and people from other fields have
found a platform for louder expression of ideas. The silent and shy-type have
found an expression to their creative urges without having to spend. In no time
the thought, ideas or expression reaches your friends and others who matter
around the world. In many cases the early struggles of the previous generation
have vanished making communication much easier and instant allowing one to
reach a wide audience in the blink of the eyes.
It makes it easier to make friends and helps one to
finding his voice. It tends to foster empathy and offer support. It offers speedy
communication making the world seem smaller. It helps in building a business
and establishing authority. It has also become a fantastic medium for
communication and marketing. And online business has made it easy for a wider
reach and a larger market. It helps you build relationships, even across places,
borders and countries
With all the positives, it has a negative side too.
It is also responsible for the spread of fake news as news spread fast, leading
to excitement or panic and disturbances. Inflammatory messages leading to
misunderstanding among people, groups, communities thereby creating
differences, anger and leading to abuse and violence. And some people out to
make quick money resort to cheating and swindling funds. And some misuse the
social media for their own benefit without bothering about others reputation
and standing.
Friends on social media may not actually be your
friends, and may even be strangers. Increased usage, the more time spent on
social media can lead to cyberbullying, social anxiety, depression, and exposure
to content that is not appropriate. Social Media is addicting.
There are many positive aspects of social media,
but there's also a darker side to the endless scroll that keeps coming back for
more. Social media can often harm one's mental health. It can cause
depression and anxiety and can lower self-esteem. Then there is FOMO (Fear of
Missing Out), Unrealistic expectations, negative body image leading to
unhealthy sleeping and eating habits and general addiction.
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Second Lt Arun Khetarpal, PVC (P) - For his
extraordinary courage he was awarded Param Vir Chakra (India’s highest military
gallantry award awarded during wartime). Major (later Col.) Late Hoshiar Singh,
PVC who was a witness to his courage and guts, mentioned about his bravery in
his interview too. He was impressed with his dedication and raw courage.....
Many people of the present generation ask - What
did Arun Khetrapal do in the Bangladesh War to deserve a Param Vir Chakra? Second
Lt Arun Khetarpal was a young Indian military officer of 17Poona Horse, which
had a big reputation in Indian military history. His father was himself a Brigadier
in the Engineer Corps and took part in 1965 India-Pakistan war. Second Lieutenant
Arun Khetarpal PVC was born in Pune, Maharashtra, was an officer of the Indian
Army and a posthumous recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest
military decoration for valour in face of the enemy. The youngest
recipient of Param Vir Chakra then, Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, is
remembered for his bravery and sacrifice during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
Born in Pune, Khetarpal had army blood running in his veins as he was the
fourth generation officer from his family.
Arun Khetarpal was born in Pune, Maharashtra on 14
October 1950 into a Punjabi family. His family originally belonged
to Sargodha, Pakistan, and had migrated to India after partition as
refugees. His father Lt Col (later Brigadier) M. L. Khetarpal was
a Corps of Engineers officer serving in the Indian Army and his
family traced a long history of military service. Attending The
Lawrence School, Sanawar, he distinguished himself both as an able student and
sportsman and was the school prefect. Khetarpal joined the National
Defence Academy in June 1967. He belonged to Foxtrot Squadron where
he was the Squadron Cadet Captain of the 38th Course. His NDA No was 7498/F/38.
He subsequently went on to join the Indian Military Academy. In June 1971,
Khetarpal was commissioned into the 17 Poona Horse.
The Battle of Basantar is considered to be one of
the bloodiest tank battles fought in the Indian war history. It happened during
the Bangladesh Liberation war in 1971 war. The war was nearing the end. But the
intension of Pakistan to take revenge was always looming. And the Pakistanis
planned to enter Kashmir through Shakargarh bulge to take the Indian forces by
surprise and avenge their humiliating defeat in Bangladesh.
During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971,
the 17 Poona Horse was assigned to the command of the 47th Infantry
Brigade of the Indian Army. Through the duration of the conflict, the 47th
Brigade saw action in the Shakargarh sector in the Battle of
Basantar. Among the tasks set for the 47th Brigade was to establish a
bridgehead across the river Basantar. By 21:00 hours of 15 December, the
brigade had captured its objectives. However, the place was extensively mined,
which prevented the deployment of the tanks of the Poona Horse, and the
engineers clearing the mines were halfway through their tasks when Indian
troops at the bridge-head reported alarming enemy armour activity, asking for
immediate armour support. It was at this critical juncture that the 17 Poona
Horse decided to push through the mine-field. The regiment was able to link-up
with the infantry at the bridge-head by first light the next day.
And then began the horrific battle. In retaliation
Indian forces crossed the border and captured some strategic points and posts
in Pakistan. The Pakistan forces tried to recapture it but failed, and later
they launched an assault with tanks. Poona Horse was called to meet this
challenge. Col (later Lt Gen) Late Hanut Singh was the commanding officer. He
ordered his forces and the tanks to repulse the attack.
There was this young officer who was undergoing his
YO course for tankmenship and only few weeks were remaining for the completion
of his training. He was Second Lt Arun Khetarpal. He volunteered to join the ongoing war but he
was not permitted as he was still undergoing training. He requested Col Huntie (Hanutji)
to allow him to join the battle. But he refused as his training was on. But the
young officer was adamant to see action.
On his insistence and seeing his zest to
participate in the war Hanut Singh agreed to his request but on one condition;
he had to clear a test before being allowed to go for war. Arun Kethrapal completed
the test successfully and he was given permission to go. He was thrilled as he
was going to see real action for the first time. And he wanted to be a part of
it along with others.
On reaching the battle ground, he saw the actual
fighting which was fierce with deadly firing from both sides. Young Arun
Ketharpal took charge and immediately started targeting the enemy tanks and
destroyed around seven enemy tanks. In this firing, his tank was hit by an
enemy tank and it was on fire. Khetarpal was ordered to come back. He responded
– No Sir, I will not abandon my tank. My main gun is still working and I will
get this bastards. These were the last words of young Arun Khetarpal.
He launched an attack and destroyed the enemy
positions and hit more tanks. In the ensuing tank battle, Lt. Arun Khetarpal
with his two remaining tanks fought off and destroyed ten
tanks before he was killed in action. In this confusion and cross-firing,
an enemy tank only a few meters from his tank hit his tank. Famagusta (Arun
Khetarpal’s tank) was destroyed and up in flames, his tank crew, too were all
badly injured, and Arun Ketharpal was severely wounded his body was badly burnt.
He asked his buddy for water, but an officer asked him to give tea. As he
returned, the brave young Arun Ketharpal succumbed to his injuries, a supreme
sacrifice for his motherland.
The citation for the Param Vir Chakra awarded to
him reads: On 16 December 1971, the squadron Commander of 'B' Squadron,
the Poona Horse asked for reinforcements as the Pakistani armour that was
superior in strength, counter attacked at Jarpal, in the Shakargarh Sector.
Brigadier Naser from the Pakistan army had met
Brigadier Madanlal Khetarpal thirty years after the 1971 war and had confessed
to killing his son Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal on the battlefield. This is
what happened at their meeting in Pakistan.
In 2001, Brigadier M.L. Khetarpal – then 81 years
old – felt a strong desire to visit his birthplace at Sargodha, now in
Pakistan. At Lahore airport, Brigadier M.L. Khetarpal was met by Brigadier
Khawja Mohammad Naser, who took it upon himself to be Brigadier M.L. Khetarpal
host and guide. Brigadier Naser really went out of his way to ensure that
Brigadier M.L. Khetarpal had a satisfying and nostalgic visit to his old house
in Sargodha. Upon his return to Lahore he was once again the guest of Brigadier
Naser for three days.
Brigadier M.L. Khetarpal was overwhelmed by the
extreme kindness, deference, courtesy and respect bestowed upon him by
Brigadier Naser and by all the members of his family and his many servants.
However Brigadier Khetarpal felt that something was amiss but could not make
out what it was. Was it the long silences that punctuated their animated
conversation or was it the look of compassion in the eyes of the women in the
family? He could not make out but was sure he was being treated as someone very
special.
Finally, on the last night before Brigadier M.L.
Khetarpal's departure, Brigadier Naser said - Sir, there is something that I wanted to tell you
for many years but I did not know how to get through to you. Finally, fate has
intervened and sent you to me as an honoured guest. The last few days we have
become close to one another and that has made my task even more difficult. It
is regarding your son who is, of course, a national hero in India. However, on
that fateful day, your son and I were soldiers, unknown to one another,
fighting for the respect and safety of our respective countries. I regret to
tell you that your son died at my hands. Arun's courage was exemplary and he
moved his tank with fearless courage and daring, totally unconcerned about his
safety. Tank casualties were very high till finally there were just two of us
left facing one another. We both fired simultaneously. It was destined that I
was to live and he was to die. It was only later that I got to know how young
he was and who he was. I had all along thought that I would ask your
forgiveness, but in telling the story I realize that there is nothing to
forgive. Instead I salute your son for what he did at such a young age and I
salute you too, because I know how he grew into such a young man. In the end it
is character and values that matter."
Brigadier M.L. Khetarpal was silent as he did not
know how to react. To be enjoying the hospitality of the person who had killed
his son was a confused feeling. However being a soldier himself he genuinely
admired the chivalry of an officer whose complete squadron was decimated by his
son. Both the Brigadiers retired for the night deep in thought.
The next day photographs were taken and Brigadier M.L.
Khetarpal returned to Delhi. Later the photos reached Delhi along with a note
from Brigadier Naser that said:
"With Warmest regards and utmost sincerity,
To: Brigadier M.L. Khetarpal, father of Shaheed Second Lieutenant Arun
Khetarpal, PVC, who stood like an insurmountable rock, between the victory and
failure, of the counterattack by the 'SPEARHEADS' 13 LANCERS on 16 December
1971 in the battle of "Bara Pind' as we call it and battle of
"Basantar" as 17 Poona Horse remembers.
— --Khawja Mohammad Naser, 13 Lancers, 2 March
2001, Lahore, Pakistan.
Russia defaults on foreign-currency debt for first time in a century
Russia defaulted on its foreign-currency sovereign
debt for the first time since 1918, the culmination of ever-tougher Western
sanctions that shut down payment routes to overseas creditors. For months, the
country found paths around the penalties imposed after the Kremlin’s invasion
of Ukraine. But at the end of the day on Sunday, the grace period on about $100
million of snared interest payments due May 27 expired......
Russia defaulted on its foreign-currency
sovereign debt for the first time in a century, the culmination of
ever-tougher Western sanctions that shut down all payment routes to overseas
creditors. For months, the country found paths around the penalties imposed
after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. But at the end of the day on
Sunday, the grace period on about $100 million of snared interest payments due
May 27 expired, a deadline considered an event of default if missed.
It’s a grim marker in the country’s rapid
transformation into an economic, financial and political outcast. The nation’s
euro bonds have traded at distressed levels since the start of March, the
central bank’s foreign reserves remain frozen, and all the biggest banks are
severed from the global financial system.
Russia has pushed back against the default
designation, saying it has the funds to cover any bills and has been forced
into non-payment. As it tried to twist its way out, it announced last week that
it would switch to servicing its $40 billion of outstanding sovereign debt in
rubles, criticizing a “force-majeure” situation it said was artificially
manufactured by the West.
“It’s a very, very rare thing, where a government
that otherwise has the means is forced by an external government into default,”
said Hassan Malik, senior sovereign analyst at Loomis Sayles & Company LP.
“It’s going to be one of the big watershed defaults in history.”
A formal declaration would usually come from
ratings firms, but European sanctions led to them withdrawing ratings on
Russian entities. According to the documents for the notes whose grace period
expired on Sunday, holders can call one themselves if owners of 25% of the
outstanding bonds agree that an “Event of Default” has occurred.
But given the damage already done to the economy and markets, the
default is also mostly symbolic for now, and matters little to Russians dealing
with double-digit inflation and the worst economic contraction in years.
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The most noteworthy list of richest men in India is
the Forbes rich list. It tells you who stands where. Interestingly, four Indians featured in the top 100
Forbes World’s Billionaire list. They are Mukesh Ambani, Azim Premji, Shiv
Nadar and Lakshmi Mittal. Overall, 106 Indians featured in the Forbes list. In
the top 10 list of richest persons in India, women’s name was missing……..
In 2020, there were four Indians in the list of 100
richest people in the world. This included Ambani, Adani, Nadar, Uday Kotak of
Kotak Mahindra bank. A lot has changed since. Forbes released its new list of
India’s Billionaires. Despite the recent Covid-19 Pandemic wreaking havoc on the
everyday Indians, there were a few who managed to grow their wealth
significantly during this time. The country has seen an 18.5% growth in the
number of billionaires, according to Forbes, in the year 2021 to 22. Gautam
Adani has moved up to number 2 and Azim Premji has moved down from Number 2 to
Number 17. The drop in Azim Premji’s rank is due to his various philanthropy
activities.
Gautam Adani pipped Warren Buffet as the 5th
richest person in the world. Forbes rich list pegs Adani Group chief’s total
net worth at $123.7bn, about $2bn more than Berkshire Hathway CEO’s $121.7bn. Now
Adani is the richest Indian, ahead of Mukesh Ambani with a net worth of $105bn.
Elon Musk with a net worth $270bn stands first on
the list. Jeff Bezos with a net worth at $170bn is second. Bernand Arnault with
a net worth of $168bn is third. Bill Gates with a net worth at $130bn is
fourth. Gautam Adani with a net worth at $124bn is fifth. And Warren Buffet
with a net worth at 4122bn is sixth on the list.
India has generated a good number of
billionaires, many of them even ranking substantially among the richest persons
in the world. Hailing from a variety of industry backgrounds, Indian
billionaires have helped build the country’s economy in a significant way.
Wealth is bound to fluctuate under the volatile market conditions, especially
since most billionaires have their fortune invested in publicly traded stocks.
Here is the latest ranking of 10 richest persons in India in 2022 as per ‘The
World’s Real Time Billionaires 2022’ published by Forbes.
Gautam Adani
and family :The second in the list of India’s richest persons,
Gautam Adani Group has a staggering net worth of $112.6 billion.
Gautam Adani controls the Mundra Port, which is the largest in Gujarat. Adani
Group has its interests spread across sectors like power generation and
transmission, real estate, commodities and infrastructure. In September 2020,
Adani acquired a 74% stake in the second busiest airport of India, the Mumbai
International Airport. Adani also owns a coal mining project in Australia known
as Abbot Point.
Mukesh
Ambani: Scoring tenth place among the richest persons in
the world in 2022, Mukesh Ambani has $100.0 billion in net worth. The
founder and chairman of Reliance Industries has his interests across
petrochemicals, oil and gas, retail and telecom. The launch of 4G phone
services in the Indian telecom market by Reliance in 2016 spiked a price war
creating strong whirls and sending several networks out of business. During the
Covid-19 lockdown period, Mukesh Ambani sold one third of Jio to some investors
like Google and Facebook raising over $20 billion.
Shiv Nadar: Shiv Nadar, the cofounder of HCL ranks in the third
place among India’s richest billionaires with his wealth estimated at $28.7
billion in 2022. HCL started in 1976 manufacturing calculators and
microprocessors and today it is among the largest providers of software
services in the country with a $102 billion revenue. HCL technologies employed
169,000 people across 50 countries. After Shiv Nadar stepped down as
the CEO of HCL in 2020, his daughter occupied his seat. Shiv Nadar is currently
chairman emeritus. A leading philanthropist in the country, he has given away
over $662 million to Shiv Nadar Foundation to support causes related to
education.
Cyrus
Poonawalla: Cyrus Poonawalla’s net worth stands at $25.8
billion making him the fifth richest person in India in 2022. He is a big name in horse racing too. He founded Serum
Institute of India in 1966, which is today the largest vaccine maker in the
world in terms of doses. The firm produces more than 1.5 billion doses of a
variety of vaccines for flu, polio and measles. His son Adar is the CEO of
Serum which has also invested around $800 million to build a new factory
producing Covid-19 vaccines.
Radhakishan
Damani: Radhakishan Damani’s $20.2 billion net worth places
him in the fourth place among India’s richest persons. He is considered by many as the silent billionaire, as he is rarely seen or heard. The champion of Avenue
Supermarket, he became the retail king of the country after the supermarket
chain completed the IPO in March 2017. He started retailing in India with just
one supermarket in the suburb of Mumbai. Now the retail chain has over 221 D Mart
stores across the country. Damani has his stakes in other businesses like the
tobacco firm VST and India Cements. He owns the 156-room Radisson Blu
Resort in Alibag, which is a famous beachfront getaway near Mumbai.
Lakshmi
Mittal: The sixth rank in the list of India’s richest
persons in 2022 is scored by Lakshmi Mittal who has a net worth of
$182 billion. He is the chairman of ArcelorMittal, the largest steel and mining
company of the world in terms of output, generating $53.3 billion in revenue.
In 2019, Arcelor and Nippon Steel acquired Essar Steel, earlier controlled by
billionaires Ravi Ruia and Shashi. After ceding the firm’s CEO position to his
son Aditya Mittal, Lakshmi Mittal continues to be Arcelor Mittal’s executive
chairman.
Savitri
Jindal and family: With their $19.9 billion net worth in 2022, Savitri
Jindal and family occupy the seventh position among the richest persons in
India. The interests of Jindal Group range across power, cement, infrastructure
and steel. The group is now chaired by Savitri Jindal, widow of Om Prakash
Jindal who founded the Jindal Group. In 2005, Om Prakash Jindal died in a
helicopter crash after which the group’s firms were divided among his four
sons.
Kumar Birla: Kumar Birla is the eighth richest person in India
with his $17.5 billion net worth. Known as the commodities king, he is the head
of the Aditya Birla Group making $46 billion in revenue. The group has its
interests in aluminum and cement besides offering telecom and financial
services too. In August 2021, Kumar Birla stepped down as the chairman of
Vodafone India, a debt strapped firm after which Idea Cellular and Vodafone
India merged in 2018.
Dilip
Shanghvi: Dilip Shanghvi’s $16.3 billion net worth
places him in the ninth position among the country’s richest persons in 2022.
In 1983, his father gave him $200 to start Sun Pharma manufacturing psychiatric
drugs. Today, the firm is among the nation’s leaders in pharmaceutical supplies
with annual revenue of $4.5 billion. Sun Pharma grew through several
acquisitions and the notable one was the purchase of Ranbaxy Laboratories in
2014 in a deal worth $4 billion. Over the recent past, Shanghvi has also
invested in oil and gas and renewable energy.
Sunil Mittal
and family: The tenth place in the list of India’s top 10
richest persons is occupied by Sunil Mittal with his $15.3 billion
net worth. Founder and chairperson of Bharti Enterprises, Sunil Bharti
Mittal, a first-generation entrepreneur is the owner of India's second largest
telecom company – Bharti Airtel. Mittal is also known to work towards educating
India through the Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti
Enterprises.
Though we look back at the days of telephone, later
telex, fax machine, answering machine and other communication gadgets with
nostalgia, we get more and more dependent on the virtual world. Today technology
is also aiming to connect people worldwide and strengthen communities. It has
made life a lot easy. Literally at your finger tips!
The web and internet has changed our lives and
habits. And it has also made people lazy and inactive. More and more things
that we used to do traditionally like - shopping, eating, ticketing, reading,
planning vacations or handling our finances and bank accounts, regardless of
the location have developed the ability to connect and communicate through the
mobile or laptop. Specifically mobile technology now allows us to interact with
people and online communities from anywhere at any time without boundaries.
Just with a smart phone or an IPhone you can do
wonders, communicate, transfer funds, order stuff, do booking, sending
information in text, pictures or video in no time. Some years ago one could
only dream of it or see it in sci-fi movies. Today it’s a reality.
With Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype, IMO, Twitter, etc
makes the previous generation ancient. But they were more organized than us
though we have all these means of instant communication. No doubt digital has
ushered in a revolution in communication. But it also has a flip side!
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