Scriptures across the world have highlighted the significance of a married life while laying much emphasis on the ideal roles of a husband and wife. Husband and wife have been portrayed differently in various scriptures. The purpose of this post is to project the words of some scriptures which portrays the image and role of a husband and wife.

It is essential to grasp this knowledge and translate in real life by couples intending to spend a life blessed with idealism.

Let us analyse and understand the meaning of these scriptural quotes: 

CONTEXT 1:

Not those are true husband and wife that with each other [merely] consort: Truly wedded are those that in two frames, are as one light. 

Source: Sikhism. Adi Granth, Var-Suhi-Ki, M.3, p. 788

Further to my understanding of the above-mentioned quote highlighted from the Adi Granth, the real significance of a married couple is not that of uniting and yet viewed as two separate entities but rather to be seen as ONE. Thousands of artists, saints and religious teachers throughout the globe have tried to define this bond of love and it is remarkable to note that the majority has portray husband and wife as one rather than two different people. This is a beautiful contrast made to explain the incompleteness of one without the other. The same idea is also stated in this scriptural quote which add high value and significance to this idea that truly wedded are indeed one.

CONTEXT 2

Sweet be the glances we exchange,

our faces showing true cocord.
Enshrine me in your heart and let
one spirit dwell within us.

I wrap around you this my robe
which came to me from Manu,
so that you may be wholly mine
and never seek another.

Source: Hinduism. Atharva Veda 7.36-37

 The lines above have been quoted from the Arthava Veda and Line 4 is in pure harmony with the quote of Context 1 (Sikhism. Adi Granth, Var-Suhi-Ki, M.3, p. 788) which portrays husband and wife as ONE.  The lines are also verged on the belongingness to each other. This might be difficult to accept for egocentric husband or wife but is a pure reality which implies that wedding is not simply about sacred oaths but above all, about being sincere and dutiful which has been explained in Line 8. Line 7 implies the complete rights accorded to a husband and wife on each other. This is a beautiful aspect of married life where the husband has full rights upon his wife and vice-versa. To shed light on this quote from the Atharva Veda, husband and wife is seen as one single spirit, yet two different bodies. 

Now, let us have a look on the roles of a husband and wife based on a scriptural analysis. 

QUOTE 1 

A virtuous wife who, after the death of her husband, constantly remains chaste even though she have no son, will reach heaven just as do men living a life of renunciation.

 Source: Hinduism. Laws of Manu 5.160

QUOTE 2

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”
Source: 1Peter 3:7

QUOTE 3

Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because God has given the one more strength than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in the husband’s absence what God would have them guard.

 Source: Islam. Qur’an 4.34

QUOTE 4

You wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the Word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, when they see your reverent and chaste behavior. Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of fine clothing, but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. So once the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves and were submissive to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are now her children if you do right and let nothing terrify you.

Source: Christianity. Bible, 1 Peter 3.1-6

I have carefully selected the above-mentioned quotes which  remind the duties of an ideal wife and husband to the generation of today. I believe that the relevance of the scriptures is tantamount to holiness and must be shared with the world. This was a small attempt for me to help husbands and wives create a home rather than a house. This post will be useful for the young generation who consider engaging a marital life in the years to come.

There are over 100 of holy scriptures, over 1000 teachers, over 10 000 lessons but the choice is 1 and it is YOURS! 

On the 1st of January 2012, I have been to this Holy Lake and seized the same opportunity to take some snaps to share with all visitors of my weblog.

The question which has to be answered follows

Who is to be blame for this downgrading image of woman in the society?

From my outlook, you will be astonished to note that man cannot entirely be blamed for this happening – woman holds an equal share of this blame.

The rate of sexual and moral harassment, most commonly noted in workplaces, is increasing at an alarming velocity worldwide. On the other hand, rape and incest form the headlines of umpteen newspapers across the globe. You will be shocked if you will search for the increasing rate of prostitution throughout the world. Extra-marital affair is destroying homes every day.

The above-mentioned happening contributes to the downgrade of women in the society as they are largely blameful for these happening.

Media and the Copy-Paste (Stereotyping) culture is one of the cause to the erosion of idealism of women. Freedom is another factor contributing to this downgrade, if abused. There are various other factors contributing to this diminishing respect of women in the society.

I came across this quote in the Rig Veda

“The home has, verily, its foundation in the wife”

I will not elaborate on the above-quote but I will leave my readers with one question:

Is this still happening with the increasing number of extra-marital affairs?

I understand that man and woman both have to be blamed for loss of respect and status nowadays but I would affirm that women are more largely to be blamed and this is not a surprising statement. This is a post I would really appreciate to lay more emphasis on after witnessing the downgrade and lack of respect of women but I would prefer to leave you all with a deep question:

If you are a woman, what is more important to you – your purity or your societal network or your favorite movies?

If you are a man, what is more important to you – your sister/mother/wife or a glass of beer with your friends?

The questions above might seem simple but it hides a more detailed answer to this post

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 120,000 times in 2011. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 5 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

I would like to reiterate the fact that the completion of 366 days or one year is indeed a wonderful happening which holds much importance in the different spheres of our life. Though, the meaning of a changing year is not festive and abuse, it is rather reverence and gratitude for witnessing another transition. In this perspective, let us fold our hands together and close our eyes to thank the Almighty for blessing us with life to witness another year while praying for this year to be filled with bliss.

I wish you and your family a prosperous New Year 2012.

The number of Creole speakers exceeds a million across the globe but I am certain that those who understand the history and significance of Creole amounts to less than a thousand. My motive behind writing this post is to project forth the background and significance of Creole while outlining the challenges surfacing in the journey from a dialect to a language and highlighting the degree of achievement in this journey.

In the Mauritian context, approximately 1.2 million of inhabitants are speaking Creole but without understanding the source and evolution of it. I guarantee the same circumstance worldwide. This post will be helpful to bridge this knowledge gap but I would highly recommend you to learn more from the pool of information available on the internet. Creole is pronounced as Creare in Latin which implies to produce or to create. Light will be shed on this meaning as I progress in my explanation through this post.

Where does Creole come from?

Creole is a mixture of parent languages developed as a second language which later became the mother-tongue or the primary language of their children. This process is referred to as nativization. Referring to the Mauritian Creole, the majority of the words feature from the French language though some words come from English, African and Asian languages. The Mauritian Creole dates back around the 1720s when the slaves, mostly from Africa and Madagascar, set up a communication line to address their French Masters. However, the majority of Creoles known today initiated in the last 500 years across the world.

How did Creole emerge?

In the last 500 years, due to worldwide expansion in European maritime power and trade, Creole emerged due to an extensive European colonial empires and an intensive slave trade. In order to communicate with their masters, slaves of various origins came up with this dialect. Therefore the grammatical features and phonology of Creole differ from country to country depending on the colonization process and the quantity and origins of slaves. In the Mauritian context, African, Asian and Chinese indentured laborers helped in the development of Creole centuries ago through an indentured laborer system which later transformed into a nation with its own culture and history.

Is Creole a language or a dialect?

From my comprehension, Creole is a language specific to the country where it is spoken. Creole differs grammatically and phonologically from country to country, therefore it cannot be referred to as a standard language or global language. Creole has prejudices revolving around it which act as barriers to its acceptance as a structured language and rather position it as an undeveloped dialect of the politically dominant parent languages. This prejudice is rooted in the imbalance of the colonial system which caused the fading of Creole languages. Due to the improvement in the social, political, economical and academic changes in our contemporary world, Creole languages have seen a new beginning to affirm its position as a structured language while reinforcing its community prestige.

One of the best examples to demonstrate this is the inclusion of Creole as an official language in the academic curriculum in Mauritius. Linguists are leveraging the importance of Creole languages in the world while affirming that Creole languages are not inferior to any other languages. I highly appreciate and respect the addition of Creole language in the school curriculum in Mauritius. This is a sign of respect attributed to our mother-tongue, developed and spoken by our ancestors.

Creole is a powerful language rather than a rudimentary dialect, if treasured.

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References  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_language
http://www.toponlinecolleges.com

A child miseducated is a child lost.
John F. Kennedy

From the perspective of John F. Kennedy, a child who is not bestowed with proper education is considered to be ruined. If a child is not educated due to familial conditions, poverty, poor mental capacity, medical problem or any other reason, then that child will sooner or later end up in the labor market at a very tender age where he or she is tortured and exploited or even over-exploited. It is demoralizing to still witness child labor in this contemporary society where the advent of technology has revolutionized the world.

If we consider the adage of John F. Kennedy, a plausible question to ask is:

How many children has the world already lost and is still losing?

 Another wise question to ponder upon is:

If technology has transformed the world into a mechanized planet, then why is child labor still prevalent?

The United Nations and the International Labor Organization consider child labor exploitative, with the UN stipulating, in article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child that:

…States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.

 (Worst Forms of Child Labor Recommendation, 1999″. International Labor Organization & Convention on the Rights of the Child”. United Nations. Archived from the original on 2006-10-03)

Despite the above-mentioned convention, you will be astounded to note that according to UNICEF, there is an estimated of 250 Million children aged 5 to 14 in child labor worldwide, excluding child domestic labor (Affirming Rights, UNICEF).

Though numerous countries respect the stipulated convention, many are still resistant and employ children to perform repetitive and tiresome tasks in factories, to undergo mining operations, to indulge in prostitution which is a pure form of child abuse, to work in agricultural field or to sell things on the road.

I guarantee you that the majority of these children are working with tears in their eyes and pain in their hearts. These tears matter. It is deplorable to admit this fact but it remains an undeniable truth. The pure reality of life does not always project itself and child labor is a concrete example to demonstrate this. Millions of children are working under compulsion and they are being over-exploited daily. Some are victim of sexual harassment, some of moral harassment while some have to face severe hardships. These children need our help though they are unable to voice out because they are working with fear of being beaten or harassed. It is painful to see how various countries are still tolerant to this practice which should have been banned earlier.

It is high time to stop this wrong attitude of taking everything for granted in this world. It is time to realize that in this modern age, it is impossible to entrust anybody. Societal evils are increasing at an alarming velocity while ruining the peace and harmony in our society.

If you are still reading this post, then I have a genuine request with you all:

If you witness any form of child labor and child exploitation, then please denounce this act through the local authorities of your country. Further, please initiate social movement to discourage this bad practice where innocence is played with and violated. Child labor is the violation of human rights which must be outlawed in every nook and corner of the world. If we wait for something to happen, nothing will change.

Leadership is not a choice, it is a duty.

Resources will not come to you; you have to create the resources.

The above-mentioned quotes are taken directly from my book entitled My Message of Youth Leadership. It is our duty to stop child labor and as I mentioned we cannot await resources to come to us, we have to create resources to make things happen. The least action matters and can save the life of an innocent child.

I am ending here but my deep consideration for this subject and hope from everyone to discourage child labor will not end here.

References:
Child-Awareness.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour   

A disciplined environment and genuine interest was projected throughout this seminar. The content that I put forth was extracted from my book which are as follows:

1. Leadership is not a choice, it is a duty

2. In ONE, there are THREE

3. Leaders say NO even when it hurts

4. Be open to your mistakes

5. The magnitude of attitude

I adopted a practical approach through the explanation of anecdotes and real-life cases to highlight the importance of Youth Leadership. Once the concept was defined, role-plays and live testimonial were also part of the big picture.

I am thankful to Star Creation Event which acted as the official organizing body, all sponsoring parties, organizing team, participants and all those who contributed directly or indirectly to make this seminar a success.