– Vignan Tej

How many times  have we taken the adage “Men are from and Women are from Venus” in dark-humor, jest, or even desperation! It shows how little we know about the other sex, and how to deal with them. As with the planets there are some qualities which are distributed on either side of the median. Venus – Earth – Mars. And life on earth is all the more pleasurable, if we rein these qualities in. Then we would be galloping our way to satisfying relationships with your partners as well as in the social scene on our beautiful planet – the Earth.

Though we are born on earth, and almost as equals, both the sexes start to differentiate in their general behavior noticeably during their 10th year onwards. Till then we can notice that almost a half of the friends of a child are from the opposite sex. The factors of differentiation are many. Some of which are differential treatment by the parents, teasing by the peers, social stereotypes, etc..

The major qualities we find in Venus (Women) are:

• They are essentially emotional creatures
• More attuned to emotions in themselves as well as in others
• More empathetic
• Social beings

The major qualities found in Mars (Men) are:

• Analytical
• Pragmatic
• Emotionally veiled
• Less empathetic

The qualities discussed above are the extremes and sometimes even women are from Mars!!

The key to a smooth ride to our life on earth is a moderation of these qualities. But, before we discuss about what to do let’s just face some of the problems faced by couples in a relationship.

Venus:

• He just does not listen to what I say
• He avoids discussion on topics relating to the relationship
• I have to shout to get him to respond
• He just stares blankly at me

Mars:

• She keeps on blabbering till eternity
• She doesn’t listen to reason
• Why does she have to talk so much?
• Why does she always have to make a mountain out of a mound?!

And the list goes on….

The common undercurrent in these queries spawned in both of these aliens (from Mars and Venus) has a basis in their basic differences of the way the experience emotion.

A Venusian (woman) being an emotional creature likes to express her emotions and the way she feels, while on the other hand the Martian (man) is taught not to express his as it is considered a sign of weakness.

So judging from this, the first step to be taken by the Venusians as well as the Martians, to get along well on earth are as follows:

Venusians:
Try to keep your arguments to the case in point and try not to over generalize the situation.

If he is late to pick you up for movie, You can tell him that you felt ignored that he did not call you and that you are upset. But, don’t overgeneralize it say that he is a irresponsible, and doesn’t care about you at all. The focus should always be on the case in point but should not be an attack on his character.

The moment the Martian experiences an attack on his character, He either explodes in anger, or stonewalls. Both, signalling a bumpy ride or in due course the end of the road.

Martians:
Listen to what she has to say before jumping to a conclusion.

If she’s bringing up a topic for discussion, don’t offer a solution too early. It makes her feel that her feelings are not of any consequence to you. Just the act of you listening to her gives her the satisfaction of being heard.

The Venusians being emotional creatures (how many times have I mentioned that?) need an emotional outlet. It doesn’t matter whether you agree with what they say. It is important that you’ve heeded their feelings, and then arrived at a solution or a conclusion.

There may be many differences in these two alien species. But, the differences are only in the degree of expression of the qualities. Like the diverse climates and even the color of the two planets on either side of earth, which is incidentally a harmonious and beautiful mix of the reddish tinge of Land and the deep blue of the ocean. And, in pursuit of this beauty, the Venusians and Martians ended up on earth.

– Vignan Tej

It’s been 64 years since our Independence from the British Raj. What changes has our nation undergone in these 6 decades? Was it any different from the situation before Independence? Or is it still the same?

A quick comparison:

Are freedom and Independence just refering to our territorial independence? Or is it a state of mind?

If we take it as a state of mind. Then India became enslaved after our Independence. People were Visionary thinkers and advocates of Action pre-independence. Post-Independence, people are plagued with a ‘slavish mentality’ characterised by,

What is it then that would set us on a path to freedom, in its fullest sense?

Change. A change in our mentality. In our approach and outlook. In our preparedness to take action. Our willingness to take things into our own hands.

Not taking things into our own hands in the fear of burning our fingers is again a ‘slavish mentality’. There is no dishonour in taking an action and failing in it. We can learn from our mistakes. But, not taking an action amounts to sacrilege. We would be on the path to imperialism in the mental sphere where the rulers (the developed countries as well as our own fears) would dominate us (Ours is still a developing country even after more that 6 decades of Independence)!

So let us initiate change. In ourselves first. And then those around us. This may be just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean ceases to exist without these drops. And let us lead India to a truly Independent Nation in mind, body and spirit.

- K Vignan Tej

Human beings the most advanced species on this earth. They have an intelligence unparalleled on this planet. We have made many advances in Science and Technology including in the field of Biology. We have created many Genetically Modified (GM) crops developed new species resistant to drought and other extremities and much more. All these are quite an achievement indeed. But, with great power comes greater responsibility. We should utilize the power which we have wrenched from the hands of mother nature with great caution and responsibility.

I am not against GM crops or any other advancements per se. They gave us higher yielding crop varieties which have alleviated the impact of poverty and hunger. Drought resistance varieties for the sustenance of life in and around Deserts.

But, it is this very property, the ability of trees and crops to survive in the environment which they were not meant to be in, that has in a way brought about the wrath of nature and wreaked havoc in Leh, J&K, India on this day the 6th of August, 2010.

What happened in Leh is that it experienced an unprecedented rainfall of such proportions that it left around 60 dead (as of now) and about 200 injured. The reason this came as a surprise to many is that the area is a cold Arid Desert!

Looking at the geography of this place, it is at 3300m MSL (Mean Sea Level), i.e ~10,800 ft, and is surrounded on almost all sides by mountains and is at the bottom of the valley. But, this has been the geography for millenia with no recent drastic changes to its topography. Then what has triggered this uncharacteristic  rebuke from mother nature?

The statistic of importance here is the altitude. Its at a height of 10,800 ft. Any Environmentalist concerned with forests would tell that forests barely exist beyond 10,000 ft. But, the Forest Department has done a commendable (?) job of afforestation in ad around Leh. An example of man’s prowess over the elements.

During my visit to Leh in 2004, I’ve noticed quite a few buildings which were being reconstructed. The accompanying DFO explained that they have collapsed due to the immense weight of the snow accumulated over them. But, aren’t there any houses in areas of Snowfall? There are. But, they have slant roofs. Why aren’t there slant roofs here? Because it never used to snow!

This was in 2004. The Snowfall must have been heeded and measures must have been taken foreseeing the inevitable changes in the climate conditions in the region.

But, why did it start to Snow? and how did the tricle of 2004 become the torrent of 2010? This could be attributed to the Afforestation. As the Forest cover increases it increases the precipitation of water in the atmosphere, thus causing the rain bearing clouds.

Thus, seemingly beneficiary action on our part (Afforestation) has led to Devastation. Everything in this world has its own designated place and purpose. So let’s not have a tiff with mother nature with power we wield and use it cautiosly and responsibly understanding thoroughly its consequences.

Update: 85 killed and 350 injured (17:29 | 06-08-2010)

Update: 166 dead, including 23 foreigners, while around 400 people still missing (11-08-2010)

- K Vignan Tej