Majerhat Bridge in Kolkata collapse - another shocking incident

A section of an over 50-year-old bridge on the arterial Diamond Harbour Road in south Kolkata collapsed Tuesday evening, snuffing out one life, trapping several people and crushing many vehicles, police said. 

RVNL Chief Project Manager/Line A K Roy said the collapse of Majerhat road overbridge (ROB) girder over canal portion was a "mid-span failure of RCC girder which are very old and of longer length of approximately 40 metres". 19 people have received injuries. All of them are stable. We have reports of the death of one person but that hasn't been confirmed. 

There was a slum where the bridge fell and there might be 3-4 casualties at that place: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Central Armed Police Force reach the spot where part of Majerhat bridge has collapsed. Traffic is badly hit all across south Kolkata, with vehicles refusing to ferry passengers to Behala, New Alipore, Thakurpukur. Passengers complained that even app-based cab drivers are cancelling trips to Behala.

4th BIMSTEC Summit held in Kathmandu of Nepal

The fourth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit was held in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. The theme of the summit was ‘Towards a Peaceful Prosperous, and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region’. India was represented by Prime Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi. This was his fourth visit to Nepal after becoming Prime Minister in 2014...

Enhancing collaboration in areas of regional connectivity, coastal shipping, space, energy, transport and tourism were focus of the summit. Besides, Besides, countering terrorism, enhancing regional connectivity and boosting trade were dominant agenda of 4th BIMSTEC summit. Other leaders who who attended this summit are Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Myanmar President U Win Myint, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Bhutan’s Chief Justice and Chief Advisor to interim government Dasho Tshering Wangchuk....

BIMSTEC is regional grouping of seven countries in South Asia and South East Asia lying in littoral and adjacent areas of Bay of Bengal constituting contiguous regional unity. It was established on 6 June 1997 through Bangkok Declaration. It is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The first BIMSTEC summit was held in Thailand in 1997, second in India in 2008 and the third in 2014 in Myanmar.

Member countries: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka from South Asia and Myanmar, Thailand from South East Asia. They are collectively home to around 1.5 billion people which constitute around 22% of global population and has a combined gross domestic product of $2.8 trillion.

BIMESTC’s prime objectives:Promote technological and economic cooperation among south Asian and south East Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. BIMSTEC is sector-driven cooperative organization, starting with six sector including trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism and fisheries. In 2008, it was expanded to embrace eight more sectors including agriculture, public health, poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism, environment, culture, people to people contact and climate change.

India and BIMSTEC

India has been pushing for making BIMSTEC vibrant forum for regional collaboration as cooperation under South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework is not moving forward. India has been maintaining that it was difficult to proceed with SAARC initiative under current circumstances citing continuing support to cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. Pakistan was also blocking connectivity initiatives such as SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA). BIMSTEC excludes Pakistan.  India is now pushing for similar pact motor vehicle agreement in BIMSTEC with an aim to enhance regional trade.





Courtesy: currentaffairsgktoday

Review of "The Knight in Rusty Armor" by Robert Fisher

The book, written 30 years ago, includes a Forward which sums it up nicely: This is a lighthearted tale of a desperate knight in search of his true self. His journey reflects our own - filled with hope and despair, belief and disillusionment, laughter and tears. Anyone who has ever struggled with the meaning of life and love will discover profound wisdom and truth as this delightful fantasy unfolds. "The Knight" is an experience that will expand your mind, touch your heart, and nourish your soul.

This book was recommended to me by a fellow business coach who frequently utilizes it when working with his clients. It is a short read, but I recommend that you not read it too quickly, as you might miss some of the superb lessons and insights that are packed into it.

Here is a summary of the story, including some of its key points and lessons (from my perspective):

Chapter 1 - The Knight's Dilemma

Although he thought of himself as a good, kind, and loving man (e.g., he fought foes who were bad, mean and hateful; he slew dragons; and he rescued fair damsels in distress), he wanted to be the number one knight in the kingdom and so he was never satisfied. Unfortunately, he neglected his wife and son because he was either away on a crusade or preoccupied with his knight business when he was home.

He had become so enamored with his armor that he wore it constantly around their castle (even to dinner and to bed) and it began to become his sole identity.

The knight was faced with a dilemma when his wife threatened to take their son and leave if he wouldn't take off his armor (so she could see who he really was). Not wanting to lose his family, he went to remove his helmet but it didn't budge. When the local blacksmith couldn't remove it either, the knight knew he had to search for help in other lands, in the form of Merlin the Magician.

Chapter 2 - In Merlin's Woods

The knight searched the woods for months looking for Merlin, but without success. He was losing his hope and self-confidence when he finally found Merlin sitting in the woods, surrounded by animals of the forest. When the knight said that he had been looking for Merlin and was lost for months, Merlin corrected him saying "All your life" (that he has been lost). The knight responded that he hadn't come all this way to be insulted, but Merlin commented that "Perhaps you have always taken the truth to be an insult."

The knight was now upset and wanted to leave, but the weight of the armor had made him too weak to climb back on his horse and ride away. Merlin said that this was fortunate because "A person cannot run and also learn. He must stay in one place for a while." Merlin then told the knight that he was not born with the armor and the reason he had put it on in the first place was because he was so afraid. The knight responded that he wore the armor for protection and "to prove that I was a good, kind, and loving knight." "If you really were good, kind, and loving, why did you have to prove it?" Merlin asked. The knight then asked "Why do you always answer a question with another question?" to which Merlin replied "And why do you always seek the answers to your questions from others?"

Chapter 3 - The Path of Truth

Merlin sent the knight on his way down a new path, saying that "People are often unaware of the path they are on" and reminding him of his purpose: to get rid of his armor. This new path, the Path of Truth, looked narrow and steep to the knight, and although he wasn't sure it was worth the climb, he knew he needed to try it. Merlin agreed, saying "Your decision to take an unknown trail while encumbered with heavy armor takes courage." When Merlin mentioned that at the top of the Path there would be three castles blocking his way, the knight became excited, saying eagerly that "There will be a princess inside each castle, and I'll slay the dragon guarding her and rescue -" But Merlin interrupted him, saying "There will be no princesses in any of these castles. You have to learn to save yourself first."

Merlin continued. "The first castle is named Silence; the second, Knowledge; and the third, Will and Daring. Once you enter them, you will find your way out only after you have learned what you are there to learn." The knight sensed that this journey was going to be much more difficult than a crusade and Merlin agreed, saying "There is a different battle to be fought on the Path of Truth. The fight will be learning to love yourself."

Chapter 4 - The Castle of Silence

After many perils, the knight finds and enters The Castle of Silence, only to discover that the king of his home kingdom is there, working on his own self-discovery. The two have a long conversation, during which the king speaks words of wisdom such as: "One can't really see until one understands." "Most of us are trapped within our armor." "Being quiet is more than not talking." "Everybody understands crusades, but very few understand truth." After the king departs, the knight spends (what turns out to be) a very long time in silence, contemplating who he is and how to find the hidden door (of enlightenment) that would lead him to the next part of his journey. Exhausted from the deep exploration of himself, the knight eventually falls into a deep sleep, awakening outside of the castle. It is there that he discovers that his helmet has fallen away!

Chapter 5 - The Castle of Knowledge

Back on the Path of Truth, the knight walks all day before coming to the Castle of Knowledge and finding an inscription on the wall, which read: Knowledge is the light by which you shall find your way. And then another that read: Have you mistaken need for love? As he sat awhile and contemplated these readings, it dawned on him that he'd needed the love of his wife and son (and all of the damsels he had rescued) because he didn't love himself. And if he didn't love himself, he couldn't really love others. As the knight admitted this to himself, Merlin the Magician appeared and told him that "You have discovered a great truth. You can love others only to the extent that you love yourself."

The knight also came to understand that his ambition for becoming the best knight in the land might have led him astray. Merlin wondered aloud if the knight had been so busy trying to become, that he couldn't enjoy just being. Merlin said that "Ambition that comes from the mind can get you [material riches]. However, only ambition that comes from the heart can also bring happiness." When the knight pledged that, from that moment on, his ambition would come from the heart, he magically found himself back on the Path of Truth... and the armor on his arms and legs had fallen away.

Chapter 6 - The Castle of Will and Daring

The next day, the knight arrived at the drawbridge to the Castle of Will and Daring. When he was halfway across, a huge, fire-breathing dragon lumbered out who was aptly named the Dragon of Fear and Doubt. The knight was frightened, however, he recalled that Merlin once said that self-knowledge could kill the Dragon of Fear and Doubt, because self-knowledge is truth and truth is mightier than the sword. With his new-found knowledge that he was born good, kind, and loving, and that he didn't need to prove anything to anyone, he realized that he didn't have to feel fear and doubt. The dragon was only an illusion.

Mustering up all his courage, the knight marched toward the dragon, chanting to himself "Fear and doubt are illusions." The dragon threw gigantic flames at the knight, but none set fire to him. The dragon became smaller and smaller until it was no bigger than a frog, and then began spitting small seeds at the knight. But these seeds - the Seeds of Doubt - didn't stop the knight either. He had conquered the dragon who said in a small voice to the knight "I'll be back again and again to stand in your way"... and then the dragon vanished. Self-knowledge had killed the Dragon of Fear and Doubt, and the knight thought that nothing could stop him now.

The Final Chapter - The Summit of Truth

To complete this part of his journey of self-discovery, the knight needed to climb over sharp rocks on his way to the Summit of Truth. Near the top and blocking his path, he found a huge boulder with an inscription chiseled on it: Though this universe I own, I possess not a thing, for I cannot know the unknown if to the known I cling. He was no longer certain of all of the things he thought he knew about himself: such as his identify, his beliefs, and his judgments. He did know that he was clinging to the jagged rocks, so to know the unknown, he felt that he needed to let go, even if the fall might kill him. Trusting in "life, the force, the universe, God - whatever you want to call it," the knight let go and plunged down.

During his fall, the knight released his guilt, judgments, and excuses, accepting full responsibility for his life. And he was now unafraid. As an unfamiliar calm overtook him, he found himself rising back up and then standing on top of the mountain. "He'd let go of all that he'd feared and all he had known and possessed. His willingness to embrace the unknown had set him free. Now the universe was his to experience and enjoy." He cried tears of joy which melted away the last of his armor. He smiled through the tears, unaware that a radiant, new light shone from him.




By Kevin Brimhall 

Lets speak of our hearts

There are two components to communication. There is the speaker and there is the listener. So when we talked about mindfulness in communication, we must remember that mindful listening is equally important, not just mindful speaking. Since we have covered mindful listening in a previous post, today we will cover mindful speaking.

Just like mindful listening, when we talk mindfully, we should start by dropping whatever it is we are doing and just focused on what we want to say. Again, it is important to establish good eye contact with the listener.

In addition to these two points, here are a few extra tips to speaking mindfully.

1. Clear your head of all assumptions

It is always a good idea to clarify what the listener already knows instead of making assumptions that he already knows it. Then it becomes easier to tailor your speech to what is relevant to him. Likewise, the listener should also make it a habit to verify and clarify any points he is unsure about. Making unnecessary assumptions can lead to misunderstanding.

2. Before you speak, pass through the Triple Filters test

Whenever we communicate something, it is important to reflect first before we say it. The Triple Filters test, attributed to the wisdom of Socrates, is a good way to reflect on what you want to say. The first filter is TRUTH. Is what you say true? If it is not, do not say it. Even if it is true, we then need to filter it at the next level.

The second filter is GOODNESS. Ask yourself, is it beneficial to the listener? Will it do him good, or otherwise? If it will not benefit him, or may even harm him, what would be the wisdom of saying it to him? On the other hand, if it is true and good, then we pass it through the third and final filter.

The third filter is APPROPRIATENESS. For appropriateness, we need to look at whether it is appropriate in time, in place and in person. Is it the right time to say it? Is this the right place for it? Are you the right person to say it, or is this the right person to say it to?

Passing your speech through this Triple Filters test will make sure that your motive for speaking is good and not due to some hidden selfish agenda.

3. As you are speaking, be mindful of a few things

The first thing to be mindful of when you speak is to notice whether the words you choose are appropriate and accurately send the message you intended. Next, watch the tone of your voice. Is it friendly and warm, or hostile? Is there any hint of criticism or judgment? Be mindful also of your body language, gestures and postures. Remember that a warm friendly speech is always more welcoming than a harsh speech, and the listener is more likely to be receptive to it.

It may be difficult to be mindful of all the above when we first practice mindfulness in speaking, but as with all skills, with constant practice it will become easier. Once you have become good at it, you will notice the transformation in your relationships with others in a positive way.



By Tim Ong