Indian pilgrim sites vs American national parks

What happened to the natural beauty of India ..? 

In India, every place of natural beauty, from the grandest mountain to an insignificant hill or stream has a temple because the hill and the smallest stream were once seen with deep reverence. Some ancient man saw the work of god in this pristine setting as he bowed in reverence and admiration. (Gandhi echoes this in his autobiography after seeing the natural beauty of Hrishikesh .."I bow my head in reverence to our ancestors for their sense of the beautiful in Nature, and for their foresight in investing beautiful manifestations of nature with a religious significance")

Soon the masses throng the site to find God ...  completely oblivious of the beautiful surroundings that inspired the first man. Very soon a huge temple is built and the natural area is completely destroyed to accommodate hordes of pilgrims. 

Compare this with what happened in America. John Muir, a nature lover walked the length and breadth of the country and falls in love with every mountain, river, tree and even the lowly moss. His writings inspired a generation of people who strive to preserve the pristine forests, mighty rivers, lakes and the grand old trees of America. President Roosevelt created over a hundred wildlife refuges, national forests, parks spanning over 150 million acres.

To this day and into the far future, the natural wonders of Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park will continue to inspire people as they still reveal the magnificent glory of the creator!!  I can't say the same with Indian pilgrim sites like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Ganges, Sabarimala or the Pamba river.. all of which have been reduced from their former glory to mere concrete and filth. 

Real and Fake: Even the plants can tell ..

Creepers won't grow on nylon ropes .. 

The creepers of my cucumber and beans plants were getting hopelessly entangled. My father, resourceful as he is, started a project of building a stand of nets for the creepers to grow. I gave him all the ropes I found at home. He picked out only the jute ropes and left out all the synthetic ones.

He told me that the creepers won't grow and wind on to the synthetic ropes. The jute ropes were ok but not ideal. The best ones for the creepers are the "coir" ropes made from coconut fibre.

I learnt something today, that even the plants can tell the real from the fake!! 

Peace,Salam,Shalom,Shanti

The Jewish greet each other with Shalom (peace) and the Moslem with Salam (peace) and the Christians with "peace be upon you" and the Hindus chant "Om shanti shanti shanti-hi" or "peace peace peace". Despite the difference all the religions of the world understand that "peace" in every man is of utmost importance over everything else. Not happiness, health or wealth but simple "peace of mind"! Without this inner peace, man is violent and destroys the peace around him.

Black Elk

Black Elk, a medicine man of the Lakota tribe once said ..
"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realise their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers ... This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is known that true peace, which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men"