Nobel for Obama but none for Mahatma! Is the Nobel Peace Prize a farce?

Use of dynamite as a weapon of mass destruction and sufferings of victors, vanquished and neutrals alike led Alfred Nobel to institute the Nobel Peace Prize with a motto to acknowledge " the most or the best work for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the promotion of peace congresses."

By calling the Nobel Peace Prize a farce, are we questioning the credibility of the committee of high intellectuals or, are we questioning the committee which had bestowed the honour on Mother Teresa for her work among the poor and destitute, Muhammad Yunnis and Bangladesh's Grameen Bank for their endeavor to end poverty, the enthusiastic Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai and our own R.K. Pachauri who led the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Have they not kept up with the tradition of awarding the prize to those who have initiated the mantra of world peace?

If your answer is a vehement NO, then i presume you are of the view that awardees such as Mikhail Gorbachev who facilitated the end of cold war, Martin Luther King who fought against racial segregation and discrimination, President Wilson Woodrow founder of League of Nations, did not deserve a merit!

Personal preferences stand on one side, and credibility on the other.

To analyze the case of Mahatma Gandhi let us sift the pages of the archives. Was Gandhi's work of global dimension?

He did not preach for peace but defiance in a peaceful manner. Ahimsa and Satyagraha were tools to facilitate the independence of his own country. He worked within the boundary of India and not for fraternity among nations. Even his struggle in South Africa was on behalf of the Indians, not the blacks whose lives were even worse.

In 1948 when his name was seriously considered his fellow countrymen did not let him live long enough. Due to practical reasons a posthumous award could not be conferred on him, but by reserving the prize for that year, place of Mahatma was silently yet respectfully left open.

If we are questioning the Nobel Committee's decision to award the Peace Prize to Obama, If we are saying that he only made promises and did not contribute any substance to world peace, we need to give it another thought.

From the ashes of the dead and obsolete, rise the phoenix of all that is relevant and pertinent.

The Nobel Peace Prize Committee has evolved with times its policy. It believes in being proactive rather than reactive. The Nobel Peace Prize is now being used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes that will lead to peace and harmony. This award is a call to action, a call for all nations to confront common challenges.

The Nobel Committee is a pragmatic body, which would like to maximise peace outcomes. It could of course have avoided controversy by giving the award to some inconsequential tree hugging activist somewhere. But crucial matters of global safety depend on decisions taken by powerful nations. The future of the world hinges on men like Obama!

You Are The Architect Of Your Own Destiny

Your dreams, decisions and deeds

Are the fodder on which destiny feeds. 

O mystical man! You have the wings to fly

Flutter them and try.

Know no leaps or bounds,

And your dreams will be found.

Brake old barriers, chart new course,

Sail ahead with full force.

Build foundations strong and wide,

For that will help your castle to survive ( jolts, quakes or landslides).

Your determination, dedication and devotion to the cause,

Must go undeterred without pause.

You are a designer freak

Design your destiny. Chances are bleak 

It will not listen to you.

But this fact is realised only by a few,

And they today rule the world

While the others in their own cocoons are curled.

O thy mortal! Arise, awaken from your slumber,

Don't lose hope, courage you muster.

From the ashes of the old and obsolete,

Rise the phoenix of all that is pertinent and concrete

To take you higher and higher in your quest

Your conquest, the universe will attest.

If you detour, deviate or dwell in the past,

A black shadow will be cast.

So, stop building castles in the air

You are the architect, go out there

Chart the path of your life.

To help, the universe shall strive.

Contrasting Times

Chirping birds, innocent laughter

Vibrant butterflies children ran after

Oh, dew on roses, green grass and trees

No smog in the morning, cool evening breeze.

No asthma or SARS 

No late night TV hours

Books were companion to the children

Oh, the olden days were golden.

Grandpa, Grandma, uncles and aunts

Giant families had huge children gangs

Sharing, caring, loving together

Life was fun and simple rather.

No hectic pace, no mad race

Writing letters was people's craze

Honesty, integrity took precedence

Over money, power and influence.

No terrorist attacks, no war cry

No orphan, injured children, no wet eye

How green was the valley 100 years ago

I wonder the robotic generation would ever know!

THE AGE OF ROAD RAGE

Scene 1 : A busy interaction with traffic cops and lights conspicuous by their absence. High drama is enacted in the square jam packed with vehicles with drivers yelling and honking their loudest.

Scene 2 : One motorist whizzes past another. Not to lag behind the second one opens the throttle fully. The resultant race ends up in a smash on the centre divider, run over and multiple head injuries.

Welcome to the age of road rage. Our roads are fast becoming a theatre of iring public behaviour with motorists speeding down the way becoming more and more intolerant. reckless and rash. In this insane rush it is depressing to note that people's blood scoots faster that their vehicles, resulting in skirmishes which at times provoke reactions, fatal in nature.

The face of drivers are quite a sight to study with stress and tension written large on them. It is alarming how people shed the family and work related fury on their steering wheels. And others speed just for the incomprehensible pleasure, putting their lives at stake. They just don't care about the fact that "Speed Thrills But Kills".

If there is a will, there is a way. We can change the present scenario. That is, if we want to. It is in our very own hands, provided we amend our ways. Following traffic rules, keeping in mind that "Lane driving is Sane driving"  and keeping cool and alert is all it takes transpose road rage into a driving pleasure. Remember while driving that someone awaits you at home!