Antara Echoes

A world without borders is just dream. A distant dream; attractive, alluring, desirable, fascinating, perhaps even a little intoxicating; but still a dream. Mainly because the concept of borders, frontiers has been ingrained into us at school, in our curriculum, home - everywhere. Nobody can deny that. For implanted below our threshold of conscious perception, a world sans frontiers IS impossible, even crazy. It exists in our hearts. Besides the geographical borders are many other deep rooted borders which cannot be ignored. To me, it does'nt a matter a fig what each one feels privately about Indians, Americans, Czechs, buddhists, muslims, women, dalits, aborigines, transexuals or any other section of the society, so long as it is agreed that all should be treated equally in the public domain, i.e under the LAW. All I ask is for affirmative legislation.

I'm sure most of you have heard by now of the massive bombing at Mumbai, the commercial hub of India. Perhaps most also remember the bombing a little while back in Bali, the series of church bombings across Indonesia as well as those that have occurred on a much smaller scale in the south of Thailand. Similar instances have also occurred across the Philipines. What do you make of those that indiscriminately kill and murder their own countrymen and foreigners to accomplish what goals? Are they religious patriots or terrorists? The simple answer is that the perpetrators are acting only in accordance with their own agenda; to prove their power over innocent citizens in the guise of representing the aspirations of a sect people.These terrorist outfits are killing for the sake of killing, regardless of who or what they are. This was a group of people who were obviously desperate enough to use whatever means possible to strike against their percieved enemy with personal gains as motiva...

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet - Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.You gain strength, experience and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face.You must do the thing you cannot do. And remember, the finest steel gets sent through the hottest furnace.In LIFE, remember that you pass this way only once! let's live life to the fullest and give it our extreme best.

Why my name matters! - Swetha Iyer When a woman marries, she is faced with having to make a decision about her name. That is, should she change her maiden name (her surname before marriage) and if so, to what. But why should the woman be the person to take such a decision? The idea of taking up the surname of a partner has never pleased my mind. I as a person, have career goals and see myself as a valuable and unique individual. Besides, a woman also goes through the same phases of identity creation right from day one, be it in her school, college, workplace and whereever just like anyother man. She represents a distinct and fights to create her own niche in the world. Why has all this to undergo a sea-change just by marriage? Why this identity-crisis upon marriage? For some reason, even though it is perfectly legal for a woman to keep her maiden name upon marriage, everyone expects otherwise. And such assumptions never cease to anger me. Surnames are one of the most po...