HEY guys, do u know What is friendship? What is the meaning of this relationship ? We have often sought answers to these questions, yet we have never come up with an adequate answer. This is because this relationship is an amalgamation of beautiful and complex feelings, which may not often be described in words. Defining a relationship is never easy, as there are so many facets to it. However we don't need a bunch of words to make us realize the deep meaning of friendship. According to George Elliot "Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words."

This heartwarming expression captures the essence of friendship. When two people share a strong bond of mutual understanding, respect and love it lays the foundation stone for an everlasting friendship. This bond just gets stronger with time; the trust between the two people grows and so does the attachment. This is the beauty of the relationship and is the essential meaning of friendship.

Being friends means being there for each other at all times, whether it's good or bad. A friend needs to be very understanding and give each other the benefit of the doubt. Ideally the meaning of friendship is sharing unconditional love for each other. However this is not an ideal world; therefore some form of expectations are allowed, but that has a limit too. The purpose and meaning of friendship is to make life's burdens lighter for our friends and not make them heavier.

Searching for the meaning of friendship has always been a burning question. However as soon as we meet our friends all these questions get answered automatically. The answer to what is the meaning of friendship lies within our hearts, because true friendship can only be felt, and not expressed. Something so pure and essential is not always visible to the eye, but is felt by the heart.

[Contributed by: Siddhartha Kumar Gautam, IT 2^nd year]

हम सब एक मिट्टी से बने,
एक ही जल हमे है सीचता,
हम सब एक सी हवा है लेतें,
एक ही खून हममें है दौड़ता ।
फिर ये मानव के बीच में आ गई कहाँ से कटुता?

मानव, दानव बन गया है,
हमपर संकट आ गया है ।
है कहीं त्रुटी हममें, या,
ये राजनीति की माया है ।

फिर से हमारे बीच में गूँगापन कहाँ से आया है?

सोचो, हमारी प्रशासनीक व्यवस्था में दोष है,
सुरक्षा व्यवस्था पड़ी बेहोश है?
बोलो, हमारे पास तकनीक नहीं,
या शिक्षण व्यवस्था खामोश है?

फिर ये आतंकवादियों में आया कहाँ से जोश है?

बताओ कुछ ऐसा हमें उपाए,
जो हमारे देश के काम आ जाये ।
सुख, शांति से लोग यहाँ जियें,
आओ मिलकर कुछ करें अपनी मातृभूमि के लिए ।

फिर ये इंतज़ार कहाँ से, पग अपना आगे बढ़ायें?

[contributed by: Shanti Bhai Patel, EN 2nd year]

I am searching for some answers...almost all of them, I know will never be answered because I will have to assimilate them from mundane world around...I believe that is a step towards “maturity” but still some of these questions disturb me a lot at this stage of my life.

We all are so different…differences in thinking, assessing things, differences in outlook in dictates of conscience. Why is every human so different from the other even if bred under same condition same habitat exactly same surroundings, some times same parents…is it that delicate combinations of genes that happens after procreation or is it imbibing of the world around and then ramifying it into understanding. Why majority of us have a very parochial outlook…why a higher conscience level lacks in majority. Why is the diorama so narrow for most of us?

A witty friend of mine spoke spontaneously “Khanti is it that some people have a spiritual instincts or is it abundance of time that few lucky ones have in this world that they are drawn towards abstract things, coz if they were busy they would never have thought over such things”

I almost laughed on his comment but then sometime after realized even if there was an iota of truth in his words then it could have been answer to one of my questions. But then I thought that many individuals around have idle time which they spend in boozing, womanizing, tourism or any kind of recreation. Even they can opt for such abstract thinking but no they chose a different way…and hence there is some thing as “higher conscience” “spirituality”, “thinking that draws a few out of a lambs walk.

p.s.: Lambs walk is a very relative term here. It is just one aspect of many, many things that people choose to walk with the crowd. They might not be with the crowd in many other issues so please don’t generalize Lambs walk...it’s a Relative term...my next blog will be on RELATIVITY.

Gaurav Khantwal
Fairfax / Dehradun, Virginia/ Uttranchal, United States
He is a Masters student in EE Depatment, George Mason University. &also working part time at
College of Science, GMU.
COER, Batch '07, E.T.
Know more

हज़ारों की लाशें, हज़ारों के आँसू, हज़ारों की पीड़ा
दिल में टीस बनकर बैठ गया,
ये आतंकवाद का नंगा नाच है,
जो पूरे देश में विष बनकर फैल गया ।
चारों तरफ था तबाही का मंजर,
थे आँखों में आँसू
और पड़े थे लाशों के ढेर ।
बह गए खून जैसे पानी,
सालस्कर, उन्नीकृष्णन, काम्टे जैसे
वीरों ने दे दी अपने प्राणों की बलिदानी ।
न जाए इनकी बलिदानी व्यर्थ,
करना है प्रयास हमें ऐसा समर्थ ।
तो जागो ऐ मेरे युवा पीढ़ी के दोस्तों,
योंकि तुमहीं तो हो इस देश का भविष्य,
और तुम्हीं को अब उठाना होगा कदम,
नहीं तो बढ़ जाएँगे इस देश की तरफ कई कदम ।।

[Contribute By: Alok Chaturvedi,EN,2^nd Year]

It was a childhood dream for me to do something for the society and it came true when I, with one of my friend undertook the task of educating the destitute and orphaned children at Kanpur central railway station.

We started our classes at VIP platform after obtaining the permission from the S.I. of the RPF.There were about 25 children each having their own story. We had provided these children with books, clothes, movie and games. We also conducted their yoga classes. On the whole we wanted all of them to live a dignified life but whenever they listen to the horn of a train they'd run to sell cigarettes, gutkha, water bottles and other such stuffs. After selling those items, they soon returned to continue with their studies.

We found these boys under some influence of drugs or other addicting substances like whitener. When I asked them to give up, they told us that they don’t have anything to eat, wear and dwell. So they are forced to use them so they could live their life.

What we found was, that their condition is not economically as bad as we had thought. Their income varies from Rs 70 to Rs 350 per day. But they don’t know how to spend it on themselves. They spend major part of their income in alcohol, whitener and other type of addictions and rest is taken by police and their contractor.

After my experience, I can say that once you start any task, how hard it may seem to be, sooner of later people do support you sooner or later. As in my case I found Saathi, and other NGOs not to forget the CWC (Child Welfare Center), which started working actively after my initiation.

By this article, I request you all to come forward and work for the development of the society as we owe a lot to our motherland.

[Contributed by : Sanjeev Pandey,CS,2^nd Year]

After my work at Kanpur central station I had experienced that our country needs a healthy education system. And from there a project came in my mind ”AGEOMAPS a revolution”.

Aim:
To establish an institution which not only imparts the knowledge but also develops the moral character of the student so that he/she could develop the will to work for the emancipation as well as development of all sections of the society.

AGEOMAPS:

A Group for Educating Orphans to make them Morally And Physically Strong is an idea which strives to provide a quality education together with imbibing our rich heritage so that each one of them may individually take up the responsibility to make this world a better place to live. This project is not only oriented towards educating orphan, but also aim to train them in a way so that they can bring a revolutionary change in the country by the means of love, compassion and honesty.

The sole idea of this project is to take complete care of each and every child adopted by it, right from his/her primary education to the specialization. Individual care and monitoring will be done so that the talent of the child could be explored and he/she will be pursued accordingly.

A sound mind lies inside a sound body. The institution will be committed to provide better health to the orphan right from the diet taken by them to physical exercise; everything will be oriented in such a way as to develop a healthy and alert individual.

Psychiatrist will also be available to monitor the performance. Meditation and yoga will enhance the mental ability of the individual. Also the social work done by the student will develop ones commitment to the society.

MEMBERSHIP:

We don’t mean that this is the only way to bring everything in right order but its one of the effective way. Till now we have assembled a few like minded people. We require more and more participation to make it a success. We invite every one of you to be the part of this project and help us to achieve our goal.

We need your strong support through your participation in this project.

You can get more information on this project and get your registration queries answered here. (Orkut link http://www.orkut.co.in/Profile.aspx?uid=4275205775669776076).

A change can't be brought by blaming the govt. and wasting the time in discussing what other are doing. 70% population in India is of youth and once youth has decided for a change no one can stop it. You are also a part of it so come forward and be the part of this mission.

To view media related to the work at Kanpur central visit the profile and add it in your friend list if u want to be part of this mission.

Please contact:

AGEOMAPS

email address- ageomaps@gmail.com

Sanjeev Pandey (9935424402) -305(AKB)
Swati bhatt 112(TWB)
Shubhi saxena 417(TWB)
Shubham srivastava 416(AKB)

“It is impossible to think about the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is impossible for a bird to fly on only one wing”

- SWAMI VIVEKANAND

From time immemorial, the women in this land of ours are treated as a sort of thing.

This very issue of women empowerment arises because of the harsh reality that women are considered as a use and throw commodity.

India being world's largest democracy still views women as 'second sex'.

Her placing in the society is not at par with other human beings.

Women should themselves come forward and unite in their march towards empowerment irrespective of the caste, creed, class or religion. They must draw inspiration from successful women like Kalpana Chawala, Sania Mirza, Sarojini Naidu, Kiran Bedi, Indira Gandhi – the list is endless.

Despite the fact that India has a strong written constitution laying down laws of equality and welfare of women, brutal practices such as female infanticide, child labor, dowry, rape, molestation, trafficking, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, etc still haunt women.

Marriage has become a profitable business which puts the bride on the debit side & the groom on the credit side. Thousands of women have to face ill treatment in the name of dowry.

A women is seen as someone lesser and to compensate for her “lesserness” her parents give dowry. Even today, in certain parts of Rajasthan, hundreds of minor girls and boys are married during the Akha Teej (Akshaya Tritiya) in the total violation of the Child Marriage Restraint Act. She is forced to become a mother at a time when she is not emotionally or physically prepared for it.

Laws alone can't help to combat this because we have a terrific capacity to twist laws. There should be a moment to restore human values. We have to look deep within ourselves.

What women need to do is, raise their voice against these crimes so that the culprits receive the desired punishment.

Women nowadays are at a political level where they are free to share their ideas and views in the parliament.

NGO's have played a vital role in the empowerment of women. The government must ensure that women must get access to primary education.

As a matter of fact it is very important that the women should establish their own identity, recognize her capabilities and should seriously work towards it.

[Contributed By: Maithili Massey,