Ramayana: Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa Essays -- Valmiki, Rama, Lakshmana

One of the most striking relationships throughout the entire RÄ mÄ yaá ¹â€¡a is that between India's epic hero RÄ ma and his half-brother Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a. What is interesting about this affair is Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a's pure fidelity toward his brother and all his goals. While RÄ ma is the king on leave throughout most of the Hindu epic, Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a acts more or less as his royal servant and bodyguard of his most prized possession, that being RÄ ma's wife, SÄ «tÄ . Interestingly enough, Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a is very much an intelligent being himself, and one who revels in the longevity of his brother's interests and aims. This paper will deal with how these Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a creates himself as the most loyal of companions within the first book of the RÄ mÄ yaá ¹â€¡a. In the BÄ la KÄ Ã¡ ¹â€¡Ã¡ ¸ a, VÄ lmÄ «ki sets forth the ideal relationship between the brothers, which only grows stronger and allows the story to finish at the termination of t he Uttara KÄ Ã¡ ¹â€¡Ã¡ ¸ a. In order to understand Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a, we have to understand that he, like RÄ ma, is an avatar of Vishnu, and again, like RÄ ma, is sent forth into the forest with the sage ViÅ›vÄ mitra in order to conquer the demons that inhabit the land. Therefore, Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a is a royal and legitimate heir to the throne, although he is the youngest of all of the King of AyodhyÄ 's sons. Seemingly, his most striking characteristic is that of not only loyalty to RÄ ma, but to dhà ¡rma as well. Dhà ¡rma, aside from being the "right course of conduct in every dilemma," is a social contract for all human beings to follow. With the rise of the demon RÄ vaá ¹â€¡a and his dispensation from BrahmÄ  of a boon of invincibility, RÄ ma and Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a vow to help save the kingdom and the world from this evildoer and henceforth, to promote and uphold dhà ¡rma. This, although truly heroic indeed, is le... ..." Works Cited Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online, s.v. "Dharma-shastra," http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/160730/Dharma-shastra (accessed May 3, 2011). V. Raghavan, The Two Brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, (Madras: Raghavan, 1976), 5. V. Raghavan, The Two Brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, (Madras: Raghavan, 1976), 5. G.S. Ghurye, The Legacy of the Ramayana, (Bombay: Popular Prakashan Private Ltd., 1979), 98. Swami Venkatesananda, THE CONCISE RÄ€MÄ€YAá ¹â€ A of VÄ lmÄ «ki, (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1988), 13. G.S. Ghurye, The Legacy of the Ramayana, (Bombay: Popular Prakashan Private Ltd., 1979), 98. V. Raghavan, The Two Brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, (Madras: Raghavan, 1976), 21. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, s.v. "adharma," http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adharma (accessed May 4, 2011).

Belonging: Travel and Word Boulevard

The song ‘boulevard of Broken Dreams’ is performed by Green Day. The song expresses a person’s struggle in finding where they belong in the journey of life. The titles of the song is ironic to what we would normally associate with the word ‘boulevard’ with something pleasant, glamorous and full of life it’s a direct contrast to what we many initially expect. There is no presence of life, apart from the solitary individual who walks the ‘lonely road’. The boulevard is paved with ‘broken dreams’ of darkness, of being isolated and cut off from the rest of the society ‘the city sleeps’ and not belonging to the outside world. The notion of belonging to a place is explored in the poem 10 Mary Street by Peter Skrzynecki and in Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green day, 10 Mary Street the metaphor that marked by stability, routine and familiarity; and adapting to Australia, ‘we became citizen of soil, that was feeding us’ and in the process adjusting to their adaptive home. The song opens with the declaration ‘I walk alone’ this means that on this lonely journey that it has been the ‘only’ road that he has ‘ever known’. Essentially the traveler is aware of his reality of being ‘alone’ and not knowing ‘where the road goes’ and that he recognizes that the boulevard has become his ‘home’. the co-relation between these two text is that over a long period of time they get used to the customs, in the song they get used to ‘I walk a lonely road, the only on that I have ever known’ the traveler adapted to the road and how the road has formed his ‘home’ also this song is about someone who wants to find a place where they belong and someone they trust, a safe place. The notion of not belonging to a place is explored in the poem Migrant Hostel by Peter Skrzynecki and in Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green day. line 22-23 in Migrant Hostel ‘A barrier at the main gate Sealed off the highway’ illustrates the migrants feelings of being separated and alienated, as it cuts them off from the outside the world. The road represents the road to the future were they will start a new life and their new home. The barrier represents their incarceration which is ironic considering they come here or freedom. The simile in line 25 ‘As it rose and fell like a finger pointed in reprimand or shame’ illustrates that the migrants were not wanted, stresses the lack of tolerance that they encounter the criticism that faces them and their own negative shame about leaving everything behind in order to start a new life. The reprimand and shame that faces them are obstacles to their integration. As the song indicates the traveler had dreams but the y have not come to fulfillment. But instead being ‘broken’ and the boulevard which he aimlessly travels which no one knows his existence or where he belongs. In the song Boulevard of Broken Dreams not belonging to a place is expressed in the repetition of ‘I’ throughout the song emphasizes that the traveler is alone ‘I walk a lonely road’, ‘I walk this empty street’ also ‘Where the city sleeps’ demonstrates that the traveler is isolate during his journey to find his home where he belongs, being excluded from the society. The repetition of the ‘Ah-Ah’ resonance throughout the song represents the traveler’s confusion of walking alone with the breakdown of the electric guitar in the song emphasizes that the traveler is frustrated of being segregated from the rest of the world. The frustration is emphasized as the tone consistently changes. The song highlights a sense of despair that an individual may suffer when isolated from others and when dreams fail ‘I walk alone’ confirms the traveler’s solitude and human need to walk together and to belong The contrast of not belong to a place between Migrant Hostel and Boulevard of Broken Dreams is that they both talk about having a dream of belonging to a place, the poem illustrates that they came here to start a new life with a new home and to be free but they are incarcerated by a gate that separates them from freedom and isolation and the song demonstrates the traveler is being ignored as the ‘city sleeps’

Belonging: Narrator and Sense

Humans are constantly in search for belonging, it is something vital to our existence. A sense of belonging emerges from our ability to establish connections with place, people and culture. However when these aspects are challenged, we find out if we truly belong or not. Such ideas are explored in the texts, ‘The Ride of Zhu Bao Sheng’, a third person short story by Nick Long, and ‘Big World’, a first person short story by Tim Winton, which both explore the idea of belonging being challenged and how this affects one’s sense of belonging. Our sense of belonging is derived from the connections to the places around us. One’s sense of belonging is challenged when changes or barriers arise between our connection with place, people and culture. In both ‘The Ride of Zhu Bao Sheng’ and ‘Big World’, we see the protagonists’ sense of belonging being challenged. Nick Long asserts that Zhu does not belong in the place he is in by using irony, making it clear Zhu feels a lack of belonging. This idea is shown through the line, â€Å"He was alone in this place. True, the town is full of people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here the obvious use of irony is used to emphasize Zhu’s detachment from the rest of the town caused by his sense of belonging being challenged after he moved from his ‘hometown’. Inevitably with effort, he makes a connection to the place. This is evident by the line â€Å"almost drunk with the scent of the acacias, and of the dust, and of this new landscape. † This dreamy state implies that a sense of belonging comes after we establish healthy connections with place. The unnamed narrator in ‘Big World’ tells of the differences between himself and his best high school friend in a confessional tone, saying â€Å"Unlike him, I’m not really from here. It’s not hosing blood that s**ts me off – it’s Angelus itself; I’m going nuts here. Unlike Zhu, the narrator chooses not to build a connection to the place, instead he intends to escape Angelus, evident in the line â€Å"f**k it, we’re outta here†. The use of the hyperbole, ‘I’m going nuts here’ shows that even after spending years in a place, one may never establish a strong connection with place to develop a healthy sense of solidarity with a community. We learn that when one’s sense of belonging is challenged, one can face the challenge and still establish a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging to place is closely intertwined with the people within that place. The relationships formed around an individual are the cornerstones of their sense of community and belonging. A sense of belonging is often reliant of the relationships we build; these connections may determine our own self-perception on how we fit the world around us. We see the importance of relationships in ‘The Ride of Zhu Bao Sheng’ as he felt no sense of belonging. Zhu was challenged by not knowing anyone, evident in the line â€Å"Who will I talk to? There was nobody to answer the questions. † The rhetorical question reinforces the idea that he could only talk to himself. However, after speaking to a girl, he felt a sense of a relationship, which is reinforced by the change in tone and the use of a simile. â€Å"Zhu didn’t understand the words, but was amazed by the sound of them. Her voice was airy and light, like the song of a small bird†. Throughout the text, the language had been pessimistic, this contrast in tone, was the direct result of a relationship formed, in essence, a sense of belonging had been formed. Similarly in ‘Big World’, the importance of connection to people is clear. The narrator felt a strong sense of belonging when around his best friend, Biggie, shown by the constant anaphora of the inclusive pronouns that runs throughout the entire text, ‘we’ and ‘us’. An example of this extensive use is â€Å"We fried. We’re idiots of a different species but we’re both bloody idiots. The repetition of inclusive pronouns shows the narrators strong connection with Biggie, which displays a strong sense of companionship when he is around biggie. It is only when this sense of companionship is challenged, that the narrator will know how strong this companionship actually is. We learn that challenges that arise in many forms and can be overcome to see what lies ahead for one’s sense of belonging. Belonging is derived from our sense of connection with people and place. It is also derived from one’s culture. It is harder for those of a minority in a dominant culture to thrive in terms of their sense of belonging. A minority must conform to the dominant culture in order to establish a healthy sense of belonging with the dominant culture. Zhu’s culture and ethnicity is considered to my a minority. Zhu experiences a barrier to belonging with the dominant culture. It writes, â€Å"But they were not Chinese people, and he could not speak to people who were not Chinese. Nobody ever taught him. † Zhu’s culture has restricted him from communicating with those outside his culture. Being in a situation where one is a minority, one will find it very difficult to build connections with those of the dominant group. Conformity is needed, which Zhu gives in to, eventually attempting to speak English, the dominant language. In contrast to Zhu, the narrator of Big World’ does not have such issues with culture. The narrator’s culture is tightly bonded with that of the dominant culture allowing his sense of belonging to excel. Such connections with culture can be seen through heavy Australian idioms as Winton writes, â€Å"Mag wheels, a lurid spray job like something off a Yes album and a filthy great mattress in the back, a chick magnet, that’s what we want . The heavily idiomatic language suggests a strong sense of association with the dominant culture, in effect, provides a strong sense of belonging. We learn that society will force you to conform in order to belong. When a person conforms to a culture, a sense of belonging to place and people will come with it. From the reading of ‘The Ride of Shu Bao Sheng’, we learn that one’s attachment to place is essential to their sense of belonging due to the human condition to want to form connections with place. This has been reinforced by ‘Big World’, where the narrator is challenged and could not form a connection with the place, resulting in a lack of belonging in that aspect. Both texts have shown me the degree at which the people surrounding and individual will influence their sense of belonging and when barriers arise, with effort, these challenges can be overcome to establish a stronger sense of belonging. In addition to these notions of belonging, both texts have solid but contrasting views on belonging to place, however serve the same purpose as important aspects of belonging. In conclusion, the notions of belonging such as place, people and culture are all intertwined and are thus the cornerstones of ones sense of belonging.

Farmers Suicides in India †A Bane To Agriculture

Farmers Suicides in India – A Bane To Agriculture Free Online Research Papers Agriculture is India’s lifeline. We must work towards strengthening it.The Indian Farmers should live long and prosper. Their families shall flourish in all aspects of life.We should contribute our efforts and life experiences to bring out the best in them and improve their quality of life. In the 1990s India woke up to a spate of farmers suicides. The first state where suicides were reported was Maharashtra. Soon newspapers began to report similar occurrences from Andhra Pradesh. Suicides in general, including farmers’ suicides, are a sad and complex phenomenon. Hence, their Underlying causes need to be addressed within an equally complex societal framework. In recent years, a large number of suicides have been reported, mostly resulting from the consumption of toxic pesticides by farmers in some cotton-growing districts of central and southern India. According to some official statistics, between 2001 and the summer of 2007, more than 4,500 cases of farmer suicides were reported in the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Maharashtra (Mukherjee 2007). Other sources have reported much higher figures: in particular, the National Social Watch, a coalition of civil society organizations, reports 11,387 farmer suicides in the same period in India, almost all in those four states (The Statesman 2007), while the National Crime Records Bureau reports more than 16,000 farmer suicides every year. In most cases, male farmers committed suicide after experiencing failed crops and increased indebtedness. The largest number of reported cases was concentrated in districts of northeast Maharashtra (Vidharba District), northwest Andhra P radesh, and northern Karnataka, where cotton was increasingly planted in the 1990s in response to demand generated by the large textile industry in Mumbai (Saunders2007). Over a lakh has been accounted and one in every eight hour is taking place. These numbers may look like the statistics of clientele build up of an upcoming BPO company, but unfortunately are the statistics of farmers suicide in India, the other side of an emerging Global economic giant. Excuses like Globalization, economic transition corrections and world economic scenario etc are surreal. The problem is our urban and neo urban ruling class and their laptop economic plans, whose agenda can never grow beyond statistics and stimulations. The crisis small farmers in India face as a result of globalization and government apathy. For the past ten years farmers have been committing suicide in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka as in many other parts of India. More than 1.5 lakh farmers have committed suicide across the country in the last decade due to financial distress, as per government’s report to the Parliament of India. The main act of this tragedy started in mid 60s with the introduction of the Green Revolution. Earlier, farmers saved their own seeds and practiced organic farming. The money they invested on their farms was very little. But with Green Revolution farmers were asked to buy seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, forcing them to borrow, mostly from private money lenders at exorbitant interest rates. With every farming season their debt increased and over the course of years it led to a loan trap. The second phase of this tragic situation can be directly attributed to globalization. Under the WTO (World Trade Organization) regime, which favors wealthy industrialized countries, the Indian government has eliminated or reduced its support to farmers, while Indian agriculture is invaded by multinationals. In April 2007 an NGO named Green Earth Social Development Consulting brought out a report after doing an audit of the state and central government relief packages in Vidarbha. The reports conclusions were: Farmers demands were not taken into count while preparing the relief package. Neither were civil society organizations, local government bodies, panchayats etc consulted. The relief packages were mostly amalgamations of exiting schemes. Apart from the farmer helpline and the direct financial assistance, there was scarcely anything new being offered. Pumping extra funds into additional schemes shows that no new idea was applied to solve a situation where existing measures had obviously failed. The farmer helpline did not give any substantial help to farmers. The basis for selection of beneficiaries under the assistance scheme was not well-defined. Also, type of assistance to be given led to problems like a farmer needing a pair of bullocks getting a pump set and vice versa (or a farmer who has no access to water sources being given pump sets) Awareness regarding the package was also fairly low. Thus, suicides are supposed to be the last steps of desperation, apparently driven by growing burden of debt. Its time that we, the people call up on the power for solutions. We do not want anymore farmer suicide. By: Prof.Jasmeet Kaur MBA VNS (IT) Research Papers on Farmers Suicides in India – A Bane To AgriculturePETSTEL analysis of IndiaArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Genetic EngineeringNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeEffects of Television Violence on Children

Stop looking and start writing - Emphasis

Stop looking and start writing Stop looking and start writing Conducting endless research can make you depressed and not just because you miss all your deadlines. According to psychologist Barry Schwartz, we often find it hard to make up our minds when faced with a surplus of possibilities. And this can make us miserable. Its not surprising writers are prone to falling into this trap. If theres one thing the internet offers us, its everything. And the wealth of information online means it can be tricky knowing when to stop looking, and to start writing. Less is more We tend to assume the more options, the better. But in his book The Paradox of Choice, Schwartz points out that our obsession with freedom of choice, fuelled by our consumer culture, has led to the increasing complexity of everyday decisions. For example, think about going online: whether its selecting a salad dressing or material for your report, we are subjected to an overload of promising links, images and information. And even when we pick a path, we are often only too aware of the alternatives we had to forego. No matter the genuine benefits our actual preference may bring us, the imagined superiority of the roads not taken can make us feel like weve missed out. Schwartz illustrates this decision-making paralysis with an anecdote about a company giving its employees the opportunity to invest in voluntary retirement plans. For every ten options on offer, participation dropped by two per cent. So one in 50 people effectively passed up $5,000 a year in contributions from their employers rather than make a choice. The problem was that they were offered too many ways to invest. Time out Adrian Hon, a neuroscientist and founder of online games company Six To Start, believes the only way to regain some control is to artificially limit our choices, by way of a secular Sabbath: a day without technology. Although he had the expected initial pang when disconnecting, he also found it liberating. After all, he says, It wasnt worth worrying about work or chores because there was nothing I could do about them for the next 24 hours. Were not suggesting you corner your boss and announce your own weekly secular Sabbath starting on Monday (although that would be nice). But switching off all your gadgets every now and then could not only give you space and time to finish that report it could also improve your wellbeing.

Diversity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Diversity - Research Paper Example Festivals function to meet particular needs, on top of providing amusement. These occasions of celebrations present a feeling of belonging for social, religious or geographical groups. A hobby refers to a habitual interest or activity, which is embarked on for joy, customarily done in one’s leisure. A mix of vegetables and meat and several kinds of white bread comprise the main diets. There is custom for baking white bread, which is flattened (tandyr, lavash,churek). Kuftebozbash (potatoes and meat in a reedy sauce) is also a widespread dish. Crammed pepper leaves, as well as soups likewise form a part of everyday meals. The broth borsch as well as other Russian food is part of the cookery too. Azeri’s restaurants offer numerous varieties of kebabas an international cuisine (WTG, 2013). At ceremonial occasions, steamed rice (Pulov) adorned with raisins and apricots are main dish during ritual festivities. It is taken alongside onions, meat and fried chestnuts. In the holiday of Novruz, wheat is sautà ©ed with nuts and raisins (gavurga) (Azer-embassy, 2012). Every homestead should have seven kinds of nuts upon a platter. Sweets like paklava (a rhombus-shaped finely coated pastry covered with sugar and nuts) as well as shakarbura (a pastry of thin bread covered with nuts sugar and nuts) are an essential part of festivities. On weddings, various kebabs and pulovare supplemented byshyra (a sweet nonalcoholic drink) as well as alcohol too. At burials, the major dish is usually meat and pulov, dished up with shyra and then followed with tea. The most observed traditional Azerbaijani festival is Novruz Bayram that is the customary festivity of the primordial New Year. Bayram Novruz is a festival celebrated by family. During the evening, a fore the feast the entire family assembles around the feast table arranged with numerous dishes to

Long Term Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Long Term Care - Essay Example t is not that easy to get a long-term –care insurance so late, because the cost of insurance may be quite huge or insurers will reject applicant at age 60 for health reasons. Therefore, the best age to buy a long- term –care insurance is mid 50s. One of the reasons is that the price for insurance keeps growing from 3 to 4% each year. For example, a price for the long –term care insurance annually for a 55 year old man nowadays is approximately 1,032$. But, if he will wait until his 65s he will purchase insurance that will cost 2,770$ as it grows 5% per year. The other benefit of buying a long-term – care insurance at age 50s is that with time the risk of health problems increases. The insurers are quite strictly in writing their policies. The statistics from the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance shows that 25% of applicants at age of 60 to 69 were not offered an insurance cause of their health worsened. (American Association for Long-Term C are Insurance, 2014) Inflation protection. All long-term-care insurance must include a 5% compound per year to protect from the inflation. This is a quite important option as it helps to insure all benefits of insurance with the rising cost of living. Alternative plan of care benefits. This option allowed insuring of all additional requirements of the patient. This feature helps for patients receiving alternative supplies or services that were not included in benefits booklet. Benefit period. Accordingly, to the statistic from the US Department of Health and Human Services a person spends approximately 2.4 years in the nursing home. Therefore, patients are able to choose the duration of the benefit period accordingly to their health. 1. American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.(2014). Whats The Best Age To Buy Long Term Care Insurance. American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance Online. Retrieved from