60 Logical Reasoning Questions

Number Series – Logical Reasoning Questions


Q1. Look at this series: 12, 11, 13, 12, 14, 13, … What number should come next?

A. 10

B. 16

C. 13

D. 15

Answer: Option D. This is an alternating number of subtraction series. First, 1 is subtracted, then 2 is added.


Q2. Look at this series: 36, 34, 30, 28, 24, … What number should come next?

A. 22

B. 26

C. 23

D. 20

Answer: Option A. This is an alternating number of subtraction series. First, 2 is subtracted, then 4, then 2, and so on.


Q3. Look at this series: 7, 10, 8, 11, 9, 12, … What number should come next?

A. 7

B. 12

C. 10

D. 13

Answer: Option C. Its an alternating addition and subtraction series. 3 is added in the first pattern, and then 2 is subtracted.


Q4. Look at this series: 2, 1, (1/2), (1/4), … What number should come next?

A. (1/3)

B. (1/8)

C. (2/8)

D. (1/16)

Answer: Option B. It’s a division series. Every number is half of the previous number. The number is divided by 2 successively to get the next result. 4/2 = 2. 2/2 = 1. 1/2 = ½. (1/2)/2 = ¼. (1/4)/2 = 1/8 and so on.


Q5. Look at this series: 80, 10, 70, 15, 60, … What number should come next?

A. 20

B. 25

C. 30

D. 50

Answer: Option A. This is an alternating addition and subtraction series. In the first pattern, 10 is subtracted from each number to arrive at the next. In the second, 5 is added to each number to arrive at the next.

Logical Reasoning Questions on Verbal Classification


Q6. Which word does NOT belong with the others?

A. index

B. glossary

C. chapter

D. book

Answer: D. Book. Rest are all parts of a book.


Q7. Which word is the odd man out?

A. trivial

B. unimportant

C. important

D. insignificant

Answer: C. Important. Remaining are synonyms of each other.


Q8. Which word does NOT belong with the others?

A. wing

B. fin

C. beak

D. rudder

Answer: C. Beak. Rest are parts of an aero plane.


Q9. Which word is the odd man out?

A. hate

B. fondness

C. liking

D. attachment

Answer: A. hate. Rest are positive emotions.


Q10. Pick the odd man out?

A. just

B. fair

C. equitable

D. biased

Answer: D. Biased. The others signify honesty.

Logical Reasoning Questions on Analogies

Q11. CUP : LIP :: BIRD : ?

A. GRASS

B. FOREST

C. BEAK

D. BUSH

Answer: C. BEAK. You drink out of a cup with your lips. Similarly, birds bite grass with their beaks.


Q12. Paw : Cat :: Hoof : ?

A. Lamb

B. Horse

C. Elephant

D. Tiger

Answer: B. Horse. Cat’s feet are called paws and horse’s are called hoofs.


Q13. Safe : Secure :: Protect :

A. Lock

B. Guard

C. Sure

D. Conserve

Answer: B. Guard


Q14. Melt : Liquid :: Freeze :

A. Ice

B. Solid

C. Condense

D. Push

Answer: B. Solid


Q15. Parts : Strap :: Wolf :

A. Flow

B. Animal

C. Wood

D. Fox

Answer: Flow

Logical Reasoning Questions on Matching Definitions

Q16. An Informal Gathering occurs when a group of people get together in a casual, relaxed manner. Which situation below is the best example of an Informal Gathering?


A. A debating club meets on the first Sunday morning of every month.

B. After finding out about his salary raise, Jay and a few colleagues go out for a quick dinner after work.

C. Meena sends out 10 invitations for a bachelorette party she is giving for her elder sister.

D. Whenever she eats at a Chinese restaurant, Roop seems to run into Dibya.

Answer: B.


Q17. A Tiebreaker is an additional contest carried out to establish a winner among tied contestants. Choose one situation from the options below that best represents a Tiebreaker.


A. At halftime, the score is tied at 2-2 in a football match.

B. Serena and Maria have each secured 1 set in the game.

C. The umpire tosses a coin to decide which team will have bat first.

D. RCB and KKR each finished at 140 all out.

Answer: D


Q18. The Sharks and the Bears each finished with 34 points, and they are now battling it out in a five-minute overtime.


A. When he is offered a better paying position, Jacob leaves the restaurant he manages to manage a new restaurant on the other side of town.

B. Catherine is spending her junior year of college studying abroad in France.

C. Malcolm is readjusting to civilian life after two years of overseas military service.

D. After several miserable months, Sharon decides that she can no longer share an apartment with her roommate Hilary.

Answer: C


Q19. Reentry occurs when a person leaves his or her social system for a period of time and then returns. Which situation below best describes Reentry?


A. When he is offered a better paying position, Javed leaves the hotel he manages to manage another one in a neighboring city.

B. Charan is spending her final year of college studying abroad in China.

C. Manan is readjusting to civilian life after 2 years of overseas merchant navy service.

D. After 5 miserable months, Sneha decides that she can no longer share her room with roommate Hital.

Answer: C


Q20. Posthumous Award occurs when an award is given to someone, after their death. Choose one situation below as the best example of Posthumous Award.


A. Late yesteryear actress Sridevi was awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in Filmfare 2019.

B. Chitra never thought she’d live to receive a third booker prize for her novel.

C. Emanuel has been honored with a prestigious literary award for his writing career and his daughter accepted the award on behalf of her deceased father.

D. Meenal’s publisher canceled her book contract after she failed to deliver the manuscript on time.

Answer: A and C

Logical Reasoning Questions on Verbal Reasoning

Q21. The ‘A’ state government has chalked out a plan for the underdeveloped ‘B’ district where 66% of the funds will be placed in the hands of a committee of local representatives.
Courses of action:

I. The ‘A’ state government should decide guidelines and norms for the functioning of the committee.

II. Other state government may follow similar plan if directed by the Central government.


A. If only I follows

B. If only II follows

C. If either I or II follows

D. If neither I nor II follows

E. If both I and II follow

Answer: A


Q22. The car dealer found that there was a tremendous response for the new XYZ’s car booking with long queues of people complaining about the duration of business hours and arrangements. Courses of action:

I. People should make their arrangement of lunch and snacks while going for car XYZ’s booking and be ready to spend several hours.

II. Arrangement should be made for more booking desks and increase business hours to serve more people in less time.


A. If only I follows

B. If only II follows

C. If either I or II follows

D. If neither I nor II follows

E. If both I and II follow

Answer: B


Q23. The ‘M’ state government has decided hence forth to award the road construction contracts through open tenders only. Courses of action:

I. The ‘M’ state will not be able to get the work done swiftly as it will have to go through tender and other procedures.

II. Hence forth the quality of roads constructed may be far better.


A. If only I follows

B. If only II follows

C. If either I or II follows

D. If neither I nor II follows

E. If both I and II follow

Answer: D


Q24. Alert villagers nabbed a group of bandits armed with murderous weapons. Courses of action:

I. The villagers should be provided sophisticated weapons.

II. The villagers should be rewarded for their courage and unity.


A. If only I follows

B. If only II follows

C. If either I or II follows

D. If neither I nor II follows

E. If both I and II follow

Answer: B


Q25. 10 coaches of a passenger train have got derailed and have blocked the railway track from both ends. Courses of action:

I. The railway authorities should immediately send men and equipment and clear the spot

II. All the trains running in both directions should be diverted immediately via other routes.


A. If only I follows

B. If only II follows

C. If either I or II follows

D. If neither I nor II follows

E. If both I and II follow

Answer: E

Logical Reasoning Questions on Logical Games

Q26. If a legislature decides to fund agricultural subsidy programs, national radio, and a small business loan program, what 2 other programs can they fund?


A. harbor improvements and school music program

B. harbor improvements and international airport

C. hurricane preparedness and international airport

D. hurricane preparedness and school music program

E. harbor improvements and hurricane preparedness

Answer: B


Q27. Kevin, Joseph, and Nicholas are 3 brothers. If the following statements are all true, which of them is the youngest?


✓Kevin is the oldest.

✓Nicholas is not the oldest.

✓Joseph is not the youngest.

A. Joseph

B. Kevin

C. Nicholas

D. Both Joseph and Nicholas


Questions 28-30 are based on the following information:


Mazzini, an Italian specialty restaurant stays open every Monday to Saturday but is closed on all Sundays. On Mondays, only lunch is served, as well as on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, just dinner is served. The restaurant’s floors are polished and plants are watered only on days that Quantum is open for business, according the following schedule:

✓Plants are watered two days each week, but never on consecutive days and never on the same day that floors are polished.

✓Floors are polished on Monday and two other days each week, but never on consecutive days and never on the same day that plants are watered.


Q28. According to a schedule, the restaurant’s floors are polished on either…


A. Tuesday or Wednesday

B. Tuesday or Thursday

C. Wednesday or Thursday

D. Thursday or Friday

E. Thursday or Saturday

Answer: C


Q29. If dinner is served on the same day as plants are watered, which of the following is correct?


A. Plants are watered on Tuesday.

B. Floors are polished on Thursday.

C. Plants are watered on Wednesday.

D. Floors are polished on Wednesday.

E. Plants are watered on Saturday.

Answer: B


Q30. Assume that floors are polished on consecutive days but all other scheduling policies are untampered. For how many of the days can it be determined whether plants are watered and floors are polished?


A. two

B. three

C. four

D. five

E. six

Answer: E

Logical Reasoning Questions on Statement and Assumption

Q31. Statement: Anger is energy, in a more proactive way and how to channelize it is in itself a skill.

Assumptions: I. Anger need to be channelized.

II. Only skillful people can channelize anger to energy.


A) If only assumption I is implicit.

B) If only assumption II is implicit.

C) if either I or II is implicit.

D) if neither I or II is implicit.

E) if both I and II are implicit.

Answer: Only II is implicit.


Q32. Statement: Medicine ‘P’ is a drug which is causing ripples in the medical field.

Assumptions: I. No other drug is causing ripples in the medical field.

II. Medicine ‘P’ is a great drug.


A) If only assumption I is implicit.

B) If only assumption II is implicit.

C) if either I or II is implicit.

D) if neither I or II is implicit.

E) if both I and II are implicit.

Answer: D) if neither I or II is implicit.


Q33. “Use PQR Ceramics tiles to decorate your house” – An advertisement.

Assumptions: I. People want to decorate their house.

II. Only ceramic tiles can make a house decorative.

Options:


A) If only assumption I is implicit.

B) If only assumption II is implicit.

C) if either I or II is implicit.

D) if neither I or II is implicit.

E) if both I and II are implicit.


Q34. The new ABC policy envisages major changes in the earlier policy.

Assumptions: I. ABC Policy should not be consistent with economic conditions of India and abroad.

II. There were some flaws in the earlier ABC policy.

Options:


A) If only assumption I is implicit.

B) If only assumption II is implicit.

C) if either I or II is implicit

D) if neither I or II is implicit

E) if both I and II are implicit.


Q35. It is a waste of time to discuss corruption online in forums. Corruption is rampant and cannot be erased, ever from India.

Assumptions: I. Corruption is inevitable in any system.

II. Corruption is a serious concern.

Options:


A) If only assumption/ I is implicit.

B) If only assumption II is implicit.

C) if either I or II is implicit.

D) if neither I or II is implicit.

E) if both I and II are implicit.

Logical Reasoning Questions on Statement and Conclusion

Q36. Statements: The old order changed yielding place to new.

Conclusions: Change is the law of nature.

Discard old ideas because they are old.


A. Only conclusion I follows

B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow


Q37. Statements: Government has spoiled many top-ranking financial institutions by appointing bureaucrats as Directors of these institutions.


Conclusions: Government should appoint Directors of the financial institutes taking into consideration the expertise of the person in the area of finance.

The Director of the financial institute should have expertise commensurate with the financial work carried out by the institute.


A. Only conclusion I follows

B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow


Q38. Statements: Prime age school-going children in urban India have now become avid as well as more regular viewers of television, even in households without a TV. As a result, there has been an alarming decline in the extent of readership of newspapers.


Conclusions: Method of increasing the readership of newspapers should be devised.

A team of experts should be sent to other countries to study the impact of TV. on the readership of newspapers.

A. Only conclusion I follows

B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow


Q39. Statements: Any student who does not behave properly while in the school brings bad name to himself and also for the school.


Conclusions: Such students should be removed from the school. Discipline will not improve behavior of the students.


A. Only conclusion I follows

B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow


Q40. Statements: Use “Kraft” colors. They add color to our life. – An advertisement.


Conclusions: Catchy slogans do not attract people.

People like dark colors.. Only conclusion I follows


A. Only conclusion II follows

B. Either I or II follows

C. Neither I nor II follows

D. Both I and II follow

Logical Reasoning Questions on Cause and Effect

Q41. Statements: Standard of living among the middle-class society is constantly going up since part of few years. Indian Economy is observing remarkable growth.


A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect.

B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect.

C. Both the statements I and II are independent causes.

D. Both the statements I and II are effects of independent causes.

E. Both the statements I and II are effects of some common cause.


Q42. Statements: Importance of Yoga and exercise is being realized by all sections of the society.
There is an increasing awareness about health in the society particularly among middle ages group of people.


A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect.

B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect.

C. Both the statements I and II are independent causes.

D. Both the statements I and II are effects of independent causes.

E. Both the statements I and II are effects of some common cause.


Q43. Statements: The farmers have decided against selling their Kharif crops to the Government agencies. The Government has reduced the procurement price of Kharif crops starting from the last month to the next six months.


A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect.

B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect.

C. Both the statements I and II are independent causes.

D. Both the statements I and II are effects of independent causes.

E. Both the statements I and II are effects of some common cause.



Q44. Statements: The literacy rate in the district has been increasing for the last four years.
The district administration has conducted extensive training program for the workers involved in the literacy drive.


A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect.

B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect.

C. Both the statements I and II are independent causes.

D. Both the statements I and II are effects of independent causes.

E. Both the statements I and II are effects of some common cause.


Q45. Statements: The university officers have decided to conduct last examination every year in March/April in order to announce the result at proper time. In past the result was declared late by the University due to the lack of number of examiners.


A. Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect.

B. Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect.

C. Both the statements I and II are independent causes.

D. Both the statements I and II are effects of independent causes.

E. Both the statements I and II are effects of some common cause.

Logical Reasoning Questions on Logical Deduction


Q46. Statements: No women teacher can play. Some women teachers are athletes.
Conclusions: Male athletes can play. some athletes can play.


A. Only conclusion I follows

B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow


Q47. Statements: All mangoes are golden in color. No golden-colored things are cheap. Conclusions: All mangoes are cheap. Golden-colored mangoes are not cheap.


A. Only conclusion I follows

B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow


Q48. Statements: Some kings are queens. All queens are beautiful. Conclusions: All kings are beautiful. All queens are kings.


A. Only conclusion I follows

B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow


Q49. Statements: All tubes are handles. All cups are handles.
Conclusions: All cups are tubes. Some handles are not cups.


A. Only conclusion I follows

B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow


Q50. Statements: All trucks fly. Some scooters fly. Conclusions: All trucks are scooters. Some scooters do not fly.


A. Only conclusion I follows

B. Only conclusion II follows

C. Either I or II follows

D. Neither I nor II follows

E. Both I and II follow

Logical Reasoning Questions on Letter and Symbol Series


Q51. AMB, CLB, BKC, DJC, ______


EID

CJD

EIF

EJF

CID


Q52. ZCF, YBE, XAD, WZC, ______


VUY

VYB

VYU

YUV

YVU


Q53. SCD, TEF, UGH, ____, WKL


IJT

VIJ

CMN

UJI


Q54. Four of the following five are alike in respect of their positions in the above series. Which is the one that does not belong to that group?


Q * 8

Σ R F

6 2 C

2 * 8

None


Q55. What should come in place of question mark in the following series?
S 9 K 6 W Σ Q 7 2 ? C α F


R Y *

* Y C

2 B R

R B *

None

Logical Reasoning Questions on Essential Part


To approach this question, use a sentence: “A ______ could not exist without ______.”

Find the word that fits in.


Q56. champion


A. running

B. swimming

C. winning

D. speaking


Q57. saddle


A. horse

B. seat

C. stirrups

D. horn


Q58. directory

A. telephone

B. listing

C. computer

D. names


Q59. contract


A. agreement

B. document

C. written

D. attorney


Q60. vibration


A. motion

B. electricity

C. science

D. sound

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish - Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, the late Apple co-founder being called the Thomas Edison of his time, revealed in a commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005 why he dropped out of college — and why he thought it was one of the best things he ever did. Yet he had other advice for the students. Jobs, whose death at the age of 56 was announced Wednesday night, started that speech by telling about being adopted as a baby, and why, 17 years later, he attended Reed College in Oregon for only six months before dropping out. He said: “My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: ‘We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?’ They said: ‘Of course.’ “My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. “And 17 years later I did go to college. “But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting. “It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5 cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example. “Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating. “None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But 10 years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.” At the end of the speech, his advice to the students went like this: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. “When I was young, there was an amazing publication called “The Whole Earth Catalog, “which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960’s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions. “Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. “And I have always wished that for myself. “And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

Short Motivational Story of a Butterfly in Hindi & English

एक बार, एक व्यक्ति को अपने बागीचे के एक पोधे पर, तितली का एक कोकून बना हुआ दिखाई दिया! तितली जब अंडे से बाहर निकलती है, तो वह एक इल्ली की तरह होती है, जब यह इल्ली पौधों की पत्तियां खा कर बड़ी हो जाती है, तो यह अपने मुह से, रेशम जैसे धागों को बनाकर, अपने आस पास एक खोल बनाकर उसमे बंद हो जाती है, इसी खोल को कोकून कहतें हैं। इस कोकून के अंदर ही, यह इल्ली आश्चर्यजनक रूप से तितली के रूप में विकसित हो जाती है।

वह व्यक्ति, प्रतिदिन सुबह उस कोकून को कोतूहल से देखने लगा। उसे इस प्रकृति की इस अनोखी प्रकिर्या को होते हुए देखने की बहुत इच्छा थी। एक दिन उसने देखा की कोकून का मुह कुछ खुला हुआ है, वह, वहीँ बैठकर तितली को कोकून से बाहर आने की लिए संघर्ष करते हुए देखने लगा। तितली अपनी पूरी ताकत लगाकर कोकून को तोड़कर बाहर आने की कोशिश कर रही थी।

उस व्यक्ति ने सोचा की क्यों ना में इस तितली की मदद करूँ, और यही सोचकर उसने, तिनके की सहायता से पूरा कोकून खोल दिया ताकि तितली आसानी से निकल जाये। तितली आसानी से निकल तो गयी, लेकिन उसका शरीर फूला हुआ और एक पंख मुरझाया हुआ था।

वह व्यक्ति इस इंतज़ार में तितली को देखता रहा की कब उसके पंख खुले और यह कब उड़ेगी। पर अफ़सोस एसा कभी नहीं हुआ, बल्कि वह तितली कभी नहीं उड़ पायी।

अपनी दया और उत्सुकता की जल्दी में, वह व्यक्ति, यह नहीं समझ पाया की कोकून की सख्त खोल को तोड़कर, निकलने के लिए तितली का संघर्ष, ईश्वर द्वारा बनायीं गयी एक आवश्यक तरकीब थी, जिससे तितली के शरीर का तरल और खून उसके पंख में पहुँच कर उसे फैला सके, और वह उड़ान भरने के लिए तैयार हो जाये।

कभी कभी, जीवन में, संघर्ष बहुत ज़रूरी होता है, अगर, God हमारी ज़िन्दगी से सभी कठिनाइयां और संघर्ष हटा ले तो हमारा सम्पूर्ण विकास नहीं हो पायेगा और हम ताकतवर नहीं बन पाएंगे। जीवन में आप जिन संघर्षो का आज सामना कर रहे हैं, वही आपकी उन शक्तियों का विकास कर रहे हैं जिनकी आपको कल ज़रुरत पड़ेगी।

A very inspirational short story that can teach you priceless life lessons to move ahead in life. This moral story also explains the importance of struggle in life for succeeding.

One bright morning a man found a silky cocoon of a butterfly in a garden. He was very eager to see what will happen to that cocoon. Next day the man found a small opening was appearing from the cocoon. He sat there in a sheer curiosity and started watching what happens next to butterfly for several hours.

The butterfly was struggling to wrench its whole body through the little hole. Then suddenly man found that butterfly stopped its movement and couldn't go further. Therefore, the kind man pitied the innocent butterfly and started to help it. He tried to free the butterfly from a tiny hole by cutting the cocoon with the help of scissors.

The butterfly emerged easily because the man helped it, but the butterfly had withered wings with the swollen body.The man was very happy as he helped the butterfly to come out from the tiny cocoon hole.The man continued to watch it.

The man was expecting that any minute the wings of the butterfly would begin to enlarge and it will start to fly but for the man’s surprise, nothing happened!

In fact, the beautiful and innocent butterfly was never able to fly with its beautiful wings.

The man was very kind but what he did not understand is, by restricting cocoon actually he is disrupting the whole life cycle of the butterfly because the struggle for coming out from the cocoon was necessary for butterfly’s life.

It was a natural process of progress but the man interrupted the entire process thus the beautiful butterfly died because of kind man’s foolishness.

Moral Lesson Of The Story:
What can we learn from this short motivational story?

This beautiful short story depicts the importance of struggle in life.The struggle is what makes us strong. The struggle is necessary for life to preparing ourselves for future opportunities.

So, next time when you feel your life is going through struggles, problems, and obstacles, try to remember this inspiring short story to embrace the truth that-

The struggle is a start of achieving something extraordinary.

How to manage difficult conversations at workplace?

What is a difficult conversation?

A difficult conversation is any situation where the needs/wants, opinions or perceptions of the involved parties are diverse, with their feelings and emotions running strong. Usually the reason behind such strong feelings and emotions is that they have a lot at stake and they dread the consequences such as a conflict. Difficult conversations — whether you’re telling a client the project is delayed or presiding over an unenthusiastic performance review — are an inevitable part of management. How should you prepare for this kind of discussion? How do you find the right words in the moment? And, how can you manage the exchange so that it goes as smoothly as possible?

Sometimes we face uncomfortable situations. For example, give or receive negative feedback, deal with a hostile colleague or customer, handle a bitter complaint, raise performance issues, or even ask the boss for a raise. Sharp differences of opinions may be unnerving, and make us feel fearful, anxious or angry. While the stakes may be high, issues may be complex, so we feel unsure and avoid these conversations. Negative feelings may be bottled up, but may erupt like a volcano at the wrong time and precipitate a major crisis. As a leader, it is important for you to learn to effectively deal with difficult conversations. Despite differing opinions, and strong emotions, how do you communicate in a manner that does not leave the listeners feeling defensive and angry? 

Let's work with a concrete example. Gayatri, a senior programmer, had joined the company two years earlier. She had received the performance rating of adequate in her first year. It was just an average rating. As a newcomer, she had spent the initial period learning the ropes and so she accepted her performance rating. In the second year, she made significant efforts, two key initiatives, and felt that she had made solid contributions to the team's success. But to her utter surprise and disappointment, she was again given the performance rating of adequate in her second year. A co-worker who did not do as much as she did receive a superior rating of good. Gayatri felt really disheartened. She wanted to talk to her manager but had nagging questions. 

Will she be able to constructively resolve the issue? 

Will her bitterness affect her performance? 

By raising the issue, will she antagonize her boss? 

Let us deal with Gayatri's dilemma using the Harvard framework. The framework is built around four key insights. 

First insight, in every difficult conversation, there are actually three conversations going on. The first one is the content conversation. It deals with what happened. For example, the intents of people involved or who is responsible. The second conversation is the feelings conversation. This deals with what emotions are involved. And the third conversation is the identity conversation. This concerns the issue of what does this say about me. The mistake that we make is that we tend to deal only with the content but don't recognize how this is affecting both the parties emotionally and fail to identify what is at stake for individuals about their own self-image. 

Second insight, often we get caught up with the battle of messages. We try to prove that we are right and they are wrong. For effectiveness in dealing with difficult conversations, we must move from the battle of messages to learning conversation. Learning conversation is characterized by curiosity. It is not that Gayatri has to give up her point of view but she has to try to understand the boss's perspective for the satisfactory resolution of the issue. 

Third insight, impact is not intention. Gayatri felt hurt by the boss's rating but it does not automatically imply that the boss intended to hurt Gayatri. It is quite possible that there were other compulsions that drove the boss to give the adequate rating, which Gayatri is not aware of at the moment. 

Fourth and final insight. Often, it is not content or emotions, but the issue of identity that is the most hidden and left unsaid, but the most dominant. Gayatri may be most bothered, whether she's seen as a competent, effective performer, and liked as a member of the team. We tend to look at issues in black and white terms. Gayatri may feel incompetent, disliked and not a part of the in group of favored members of the team. That makes difficult conversations really challenging. 

What specific steps should Gayatri take? 

Step one is to prepare by walking through the three conversations. Gayatri should avoid the battle of messages and get into a learning frame. She has to understand how the situation may have unfolded, address feelings without blaming and get into a problem solving mode. She has to think through with the following illustrative questions. 

What is my perspective? 

What elements am I missing? 

What do I think has been the impact of my work?

My guess about how I or boss may have contributed to the present rating? 

What do I think is the boss's perspective? 

What is my guess about the boss's intention? 

Is it possible that the boss has acted unintentionally or from multiple and conflicting intentions?

At the feelings level, what feelings underline my judgments? 

What might the boss feel? 

And at the identity level, how does the situation affect my self-image and identity? 

Step two is to raise issues as a learning conversation. To avoid the battle of messages, and foster a learning conversation, Gayatri has to carefully set the stage in terms of time and place for the interaction. In an amicable tone, Gayatri may ask for one-on-one meeting. 

Step three involves starting from the objective third story. The issue is raised in an impartial manner, just as a third person would. The third story is the most objective and unbiased, and helps informing a common ground for Gayatri and her boss to work together as partners in jointly sorting out the situation. 

Step four involves exploring their story and yours. Gayatri should describe the behavior or situation concretely, and specifically without blaming or negative judgement. She may also describe the impact of the behavior or situation on her and the reasons for the impact. It would usually include feelings. In sharing her perspective, Gayatri will discuss specific tasks or projects that she had taken on during her tenure in that position with a clear focus of performance in the previous 12 months. Then Gayatri may ask open questions, such as what's your perspective on this? And actively listens.

 

Step five involves problem solving. For effective problem solving, it is important to have a mindset of learning and problem solving. This requires openness, curiosity, a non-judgemental and caring mindset. Gayatri will acknowledge the boss's views by paraphrasing the message to make sure she has clearly understood it. She will acknowledge feelings, ask open questions, check interpretations, expand the story to include other's comments, probe for and reinforce counter examples, reframe complaints as desire for improvement and arrive at a concrete plan of action. 

As the author, Douglas Stone writes, difficult conversations are almost never about getting the facts right. They are about conflicting perceptions Interpretations, and values.

Principles to Remember while having unfavourable conversation
Do:

1. Take regular breaks during the day; the more calm and centered you are, the better you are at handling tough conversations when they arise.
2. Slow down the pace of the conversation — it helps you find the right words and it signals to your counterpart that you’re listening.
3. Find ways to be constructive by suggesting other solutions or alternatives.

Don’t:

1. Label the news you need to deliver as a “difficult conversation” in your mind; instead frame the discussion in a positive or neutral light.
2. Bother writing a script for how you want the discussion to go; jot down notes if it helps, but be open and flexible.
3. Ignore the other person’s point of view — ask your counterpart how he sees the problem and then look for overlaps between your perspectives.

Thank you so much Guys.

Stay Fit, Take Care & Keep Smiling

God Bless !!

What Ego demands & does to you?

What Ego demands & does to you?

The ego is the mind’s identity of our own construction, an identity which is false. We are more than just the mind. If we take all the beliefs of what we are – beliefs about our personality, talents, and abilities – we have the structure of our ego. These talents, abilities and aspects of our personality will be attributes of our skills, but the mental construct of our “self” is artificial. And while this description might make the ego seem like a static thing, it is not. Rather, it is an active and dynamic part of our personalities, playing an immense role in creating emotional drama in our lives.

I know in the initial stages, when I used to teach, the results we used to produce. It's not that it didn't get into the head. It did. There was a period I used to walk around, thinking that I was doing great things in life. One story and one incident changed my life. Even before we go into human engineering, I would love, if this story and this incident can also transform your life.

It seems, a crow was flying holding a piece of meat between its beak. And very soon, it saw many other birds were chasing the crow. The further and further it kept flying, more and more birds were chasing, till it eventually occurred to the crow, "They are all not chasing me. They are chasing the piece of meat I am holding between my beak."

It opened and dropped that piece of meat, and as that piece of meat was falling, all the other birds went after that falling piece of meat. Alone in the sky, it seems the crow remarked, "In dropping that piece of meat, I gained the freedom of the skies. The entire sky became mine." And that piece of meat in our life, is our ego. We think the world is against us.

We think the world is nasty with us, we think the world is hurting us.

But it is actually the ego which is going through all these things. I'm not giving you a very sophisticated philosophy. I'm just sharing with you a very simple understanding.

When ego comes, everything else, including your peace of mind, goes. When ego comes, everything else goes, when ego goes, everything else comes. The freedom with which you can live your life, because as long as your ego involved with the world, you have to live your life as if your own shadow is chasing you! You live in this eternal need to prove yourself to the world, which you don't have to!

You're accountable to your creator, not to every next stranger you cross in life. You're accountable to your conscience. You're accountable to truth. You're accountable to the magnificence with which you have been created as a human being. But we live our life in this eternal need to prove ourselves to every individual, not realizing, if you expect everybody to be happy with you, you can never be at peace with yourself, because it's impractical that everybody can be happy with you.

And yet, your ego puts this demand on you!

So, all I request is, before you realize, drop all your labels, drop all your ego identities & live a cheerful life.

Thank you so much Guys.

Stay Fit, Take Care & Keep Smiling.

God Bless !!

Ten Lessons from Sholay in times of Covid-19

As a Marketing Strategist deeply in love with Bollywood, Pop Culture is my saviour during trying times. Behind the evergreen dialogues of Sholay we can uncover the effective solutions that can help us defeat the dreaded villain CORONA SINGH! The premise came from a friend's share on social media but I had fun developing it further.

1. Jo Darr Gaya Samjho Marr Gaya.

KEEP CALM AND BE COOL. Do not succumb to fear in the face of uncertainty and unpredictability. Do not panic. These are testing times. Face the pandemic bravely. Every cough is not Corona. Do not die of a heart attack or suffer from depression or anxiety attacks even before Corona gets you.

2. Kitne Aadmi The?

MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING. Always be aware of how many people are going to be at a certain place. Do not go to crowded places. Do not gather as if you will miss watching something if you do not go out. You will miss nothing. Remember this is CORONA, not KAREENA.

3. Itna Sannata Kyun Hai Bhai?

MAKE THE LOCKDOWN MATTER. Do not ask this question unless you are living under a rock. This is not the time to show your Left-Liberal side. You should support Janta Curfew & should be ready for more of these sannatas in the coming days.

4. Kya Samajhkar Aaye The… Sardar Khush Hoga… Sabashi Dega!

DON'T SAY WTF to WFH. Do not think your going to the office at this time would be applauded (unless of course you work at a hospital). Your boss would not be happy if he or she comes to know that you have gone to the office especially when you have been told to Work-From-Home. Confine yourself and SIT AT HOME.

5. Basanti, Inn Kutto Ke Samne Mat Nachna.

FLATTEN THE CURVE. Do not go out dancing. Do not even throw dance parties at home. If you must dance… dance alone...but never with or in front of anyone. Better still, do some exercises to flatten the curve on your stomach. Yoga anyone?

6. Yeh Ramgarh Wale Apni Betiyon Ko Kaunsi Chakki Ka Aata Khilate Hain Re?

STAY CONNECTED. It is very important to know which chakki’s & grocery stores are open in the neighborhood during a lockdown. Do not hoard things but do know where all things will be available when you need them.

7. Yeh Haath Humko DeDe Thakur

FREQUENTLY APPLY A HAND SANITISER OR SOAP. Its extremely important to keep your hands germ-free.Meticulous hand washing is your best bet to get rid of the grime that clings to the hand, that might harbour nasty pathogens, including the coronavirus. Clean hands are also going to protect you from other infectious diseases, too, like the flu.Take your time to clean your hands. Else it can worsen to : Yeh Haath Nahin, Phansi Ka Phanda Hai!

8. Ab Tera Kya Hoga Kaliya!

STAY SAFE but LEAVE LUCK TO HEAVEN. And if you are still unlucky after all this & get hit by the virus bullet you can only wonder. Don't offer excuses. There’s no antidote. If you reach this stage stop following SHOLAY & declare yourself in front of the doctors and medical experts. Because when they say, Ab goli kha, they really mean it!

9. Yunki, Yeh Kaun Bola?

DON'T GO BY HERESAY! Verify your sources and go by authentic information before taking any hasty decision. Avoid unregulated online news sources and rely on depoliticized ones. Under stress, people are unlikely to rethink the filters through which they see reality.

10. Holi Kab Hai..Kab Hai Holi ?

HAPPY DAYS WILL BE HERE AGAIN. Don't worry, this crisis too shall pass. Be patient. Corona will be eliminated and all outdoors will open up. After some time, life will be back to normal. Will it be business as unusual? Will it create a dramatic change in attitudes, habits, behaviours and skill sets?

We shall see. Till then, 🙏 Be Indoors. Be Safe 🙏

Try to fall & stay in love with yourself

Practicing self-love and self-care can seem extravagant—especially when we feel like our jobs are beating us down or we’re not doing enough for the kids or our houses are a mess. You need to know that you’re enough. You are complete with or without a partner. You are enough just as you are.

Instead of allowing the world to dictate how we feel about ourselves, focusing on self-care, positive encouragement, and self-love can help increase our self-esteem and self-confidence. So what does self-care mean exactly? It can be different things to different people. For you, it could be surrounding yourself with anti-anxiety remedies like lavender and practicing mindfulness. Perhaps it's making sure you have time to exercise. Obviously, eating right will make you feel better.

The juice that comes out of a fruit depends on the fruit. What's within you will come out when life squeezes you which means that internal having is as important as external having and two essential changes that has to come to that internal having is one you got to love yourself. You will not be able to celebrate any relationship in life. You will not be able to cherish any relationship in life. You will not be able to enjoy any relationship in life unless you begin to love yourself. Do not define yourself by how you look, color of your skin, your height, your weight, your size, your length of hair, sharpness of nose, color of your eyes. This is not you that is just the surface of you. You are far more than that, you are much more than that once you start doing something worthwhile in life to nobody in the world it matters how you look. Have you ever thought about whether Mother Teresa is beautiful or not. Each one of you would say she is beautiful based on her physical looks. It doesn't matter to you how she looks. Your grandmother is beautiful, I don't think I've ever heard from anybody in the world till today my grandmother is not beautiful. Now, is it based on looks your grandmother is beautiful because she is a beautiful person not based on how she looks even today. Don't you admire when your grandfather speaks to you without all that a few people. Don't you enjoy why his looks do not matter to you then why at teenage, twenty-one and twenty-two or even 50 years of age, you define yourself by your looks. It's a fading phenomena. You look like a princess one day and lolled turn gray another day. You will have a flawless skin one day and it will all turn into wrinkles another day you can have a complexion which radiates through your skin one day and another day it is gone. It is not how the bottle looks from outside its how the bottle looks from inside that really matters just because all the perfume bottle looks very sexy can you drink what is inside it you cannot know and just make us your what is that bottles you buy we're used store water, Tupperware now doesn't matter how it looks because it's clean inside you will still drink the contents the bottle has to be clean from inside and one of the ways by which the bottle has to be clean from inside us you got to start loving yourself and two you got to be happy with yourself rather than thinking you can make everybody happy in the world and rather than thinking that everybody can be happy in the world. At least, try on one thing be happy with yourself and contribute one more happy person to this world and remove one more happy person in the world and once you become happy with yourself in your presence lot more people will be happy than nothing and because you are a happy person lot more people will be happy with you than they are right now. Self love and self happiness is the first step in the journey of life. Am I happy with myself? Am I able to love myself?These are few steps in the journey of life. Learn to love yourself. Be happy with yourself and see that the world will be enjoying you lot more than it is doing right now and you will be able to enjoy yourself a lot more then you're doing it right now.

You have to love yourself before you can ever truly love anyone else, If you don’t love yourself how can you expect others to love you? If you don’t love yourself, you might accept a type of love that is less than what you deserve. At times it can feel like it’s easier to love others than it is to love ourselves. We can give amazing advice to other people about how they can develop their own self-esteem, but when that conversation is over we can still struggle with loving ourselves. We can give great advice to others and talk to them in such a thoughtful and empowering way, but then when we talk to ourselves; we’re not thoughtful, we’re hurtful. And, instead of encouraging ourselves, we’re blaming ourselves for our past. We’ve all been there, laying in bed in the middle of the night beating ourselves up. But the good news is, we can change how we think about and talk to ourselves. You can feel good about yourself.

One of the most important lessons we can learn in life is to love ourselves because how we treat our self, will directly impact how we treat others. Our confidence will come from self love. Our compassion and empathy will come from our ability to forgive and see the best in our on self. Reading about self love can become mantras and change the way you speak to yourself. Loving yourself is not a selfish act, but it’s a fundamental skill to generate the strength needed to love others.

Thank you so much Guys. Stay Fit, Take Care & Keep Smiling. God Bless !!

Kranti Gaurav

How is your life going on after doing an MBA from an IIM?

Happiness can't be pursued, it must ensue - chasing happiness is self-defeating, chase the reason to be happy instead.

People have enough to live by, but nothing to live for.

Let me tell you a story.

Mohit is a fresh IIM graduate. He has recently joined his job. He works in a company that is a market leader in consumer electronics loans.

It is Thursday evening. His manager calls him, and informs him that he is supposed to be there at an electronics store of a well-known national electronics chain from morning till the store closes in the night from Friday through Sunday of the same week to learn the process from the point of loan approval to loan disbursement.

He is supposed to meet the ground sales staff of his NBFC present in the store, who take care of the tasks ranging from pitching the zero interest (on a majority of products) finance options to the customer to processing them in the store itself, learn from them, and present his learnings and suggestions for improvement in customer experience on Monday. At the thought of working on the weekend, he agrees, albeit grudgingly.

He peers through the cracks in the blinds on the glass walls of the office building. In a minute, he finds himself at the balcony of the building, having a wistful glance at the iron-grey monsoon sky, reminiscing the good old days of college, when they used to pull off weeks - not days - without a single holiday. He returns to his desk, with a clear head - devoid of any qualms about the impending slog on the weekend.

On Friday morning, he arrives at the store. After arriving at the counter of his NBFC in the store, he meets the salesmen. He finds them pretty humble and kind. He starts observing the way customers are pitched, treated, and the technology-driven way of loan processing. He jots down the points he thinks are worth taking a note of.

As the day passes by, he finds the value communication of zero interest loans to the customers pretty intriguing. He starts understanding how the products they manage sitting in the luxury of the air conditioned office are sold by the sales staff at the bottom end of the hierarchy of the organisation.

He finds out that the patience of sales staff is a well that never dries. There is no sign of exasperation on their faces when he asks them silly questions notwithstanding their insane workload of handling tons of customers. He is amazed to observe their work ethics and commitment towards their duty. He is awed when he notices them offering their chair(s) to the customer(s), in case the ones present fall short, and processing the loan on the system while standing.

He grumbles about him having to work on the weekend while his friends will savor the much awaited Saturday, only to find out that the sales staff works for as many as thirty days in a row without a holiday in the peak season of the year. A lump of gratitude passes through his throat.

He leaves the store at 9:30 pm on Friday. The next day, he meets a newly married couple who have come to buy a refrigerator of 20,000 Indian Rupees. On being informed about the zero interest instant finance facility offered by his company, they take away a TV, a Refrigerator and a Home Theater System worth 1,20,000 Rupees - by paying the down payment of the same 20,000 Rupees they had brought with them. The excitement on their faces of embellishing their new home with the electronics durables of their desires makes him experience the concept of customer delight he had studied in the classroom.

With each passing day of his store visit, his excitement and desire to spend more time there keeps soaring in his heart, like snow collecting on a wall, one flake at a time. On Sunday night, he bids adieu to the sales staff. He books a shared Uber to his flat, sharing it with some girls, who are headed towards a pub that was supposed to screen the India-Pakistan cricket match. When the cab driver and Mohit talk about India's defeat in the match, the girls are aghast - not at the fact of being unaware that India has lost, but at the fact that there will be no screening for them to enjoy the weekend. They start searching for other places to go to, without even asking how India lost. Mohit chuckles with his lips closed.

Come Monday morning, he is back in office. He is supposed to present his findings of the visit. Having a fair understanding of the process, the customer experience and the scope of in-store marketing, he prepares a report. He presents it later in the day, answering a few questions, stumbling at a few others - leaving everyone in the room pretty satisfied. He returns home late.

After having dinner, he dozes off only to wake up in the early morning shivering from cold due to the breeze flowing through the window of his room. He finds out that he has fallen ill. Notwithstanding the ongoing summer season, he places an online order for an air condition summer quilt at 5:30 am. Now, he starts reading the biography of Sam Walton (Founder of Walmart).

After some time, he leaves for office along with his flatmates. On reaching office, he realises that the three days spent at the store were the best days of his hitherto fifty-day long journey in the organisation. Scrambling to understand a plethora of things that he is supposed to learn from his seniors in the office, who carry the badges of their alma maters, designations, and the number of years of experience on their chests, he reminds himself of the humility of the sales staff at the store.

Exhausted through the day, he realises that his throat infection and fever have worsened. He decides to walk for the 1.5 km distance from his office to home, to buy medicines, fruits et al along the way. After returning home, he falls on the bed, only to wake up to have his dinner, and discuss the proceedings and gossips of the day in the office with his flatmates.

Lying on the bed, with the fan off, medicine pills gobbled, he browses Quora, finds this question, and decides to write an answer to it.

Would his life have been different had he not been from an IIM?

Probably wouldn't.

Would he have prepared himself for work on the weekend as easily had he not been from a college where he had slogged on almost all the weekends?

Probably wouldn't.

Is his life happier than his peers' who are not from an IIM?

Can't say. Life after an IIM is not two half-moons of white and black colors; it’s a thousand shades of grey peppered with glimpses of happiness and otherwise.

The same goes for life beyond an IIM, or for that matter, any other institute.

Office Office - A Short Motivational Story to Inspire Great Teamwork

A team of about 35 employees had come together for a team building event. They were a young, bright and enthusiastic team.

However, one big problem this team had was they wouldn’t share information or solutions with each other. The leader felt they were too focused on self and not enough on team.

So she started off with a fun team activity that would allow her to teach the importance of each team member working together and sharing more.

She brought the team into the cafeteria. All of the tables and chairs had been stacked and put away. Placed around the room were fun decorations and hundreds of different colored balloons.

Everyone was excited, but not sure what it was all about. In the center of the room was a big box of balloons that had not been blown up yet.

The team leader asked each person to pick a balloon, blow it up and write their name on it. But they were instructed to be careful because the balloon could pop!

A few balloons did indeed pop and those members of the team were given another chance, but were told that if the balloon popped again they were out of the game.

About 30 team members were able to get their name on a balloon without it popping. Those 30 were asked to leave their balloons and exit the room. They were told they had qualified for the second round.

Five minutes later the leader brought the team back into the room and announced that their next challenge was to find the balloon they had left behind with their name on it among the hundreds of other balloons scattered in the large cafeteria. She warned them however to be very careful and not to pop any of the balloons. If they did, they would be disqualified.

While being very careful, but also trying to go as quickly as they could, each team member looked for the balloon with their name. After 15 minutes not one single person was able to find their balloon. The team was told that the second round of the game was over and they were moving onto the third round.

In this next round the leader told the team members to find any balloon in the room with a name on it and give it to the person whose name was on it. Within a couple of minutes every member of the team had their balloon with their own name on it.

The team leader made the following point: “We are much more efficient when we are willing to share with each other. And we are better problem solvers when we are working together, not individually.”

Often times members of teams create obstacles that get in the way of teamwork by solely focusing on their own pursuits and goals. They hoard information, avoid collaboration and distance themselves. It is bad for the team and it is bad for that individual.

Every member of a team should ask themselves on a regular basis what they are doing for the team  and can do for the team my dear Friends.

Stay Fit, Take Care & Keep Smiling :-)

God Bless !!

शब्दों का भ्रम

बहुत समय पहले की बात है किसी शहर में एक राजा हुआ करता था। वो राजा बड़ा ही बुद्धिमान था। एक बार उसके राज्य में एक कवि आया, उस कवि की आवाज बड़ी सुरीली थी। उसने राजा से प्रार्थना की कि एक बार मेरी कविता जरूर सुनें।

राजा ने कवि का सम्मान करते हुए आदेश दे दिया कि वह अपनी कविता सुनाये। अब उस कवि ने एक से एक बढ़िया कवितायेँ सुनायीं और साथ ही अपनी कविताओं में राजा की खूब प्रशंसा की।

अपनी इतनी ज्यादा प्रशंसा सुनकर राजा बड़ा खुश हुआ। उसने घोषणा करवा दी कि इस कवि ने हमारा दिल खुश किया है इसलिए इसे कल सुबह बुलाकर एक हजार स्वर्ण मुद्राएं दे दी जाएँ।

अब तो वह कवि बड़ा खुश हुआ। ख़ुशी के मारे वह फूला ना समा रहा था। एक हजार स्वर्ण मुद्राएं तो उसने सपने में भी नहीं देखीं थीं। रात भर उसे नींद ही नहीं आयी, सोचता रहा कि स्वर्ण मुद्रा मिलने से तो उसका जीवन ही बदल जायेगा।

अगले दिन सुबह उठा तो कुछ खाया ना पीया बस सीधा राजमहल में पहुँच गया। अभी तो राजमहल में सभी लोग आये भी नहीं थे। राजा ने देखा तो बड़ा आश्चर्यचकित हुआ और उससे पूछा कि आप इतनी सुबह सुबह यहाँ क्या कर रहे हैं?

कवि ने बड़ा सकुचाते हुए कहा कि महाराज आपने ही तो कल कहा था कि सुबह आकर एक हजार स्वर्ण मुद्राएं ले जाना।

राजा बड़ी जोर से हँसा और बोला – देखो कल तुमने मेरी तारीफ में कुछ शब्द कहे, मैं बड़ा खुश हुआ, फिर मैंने तुमसे एक हजार स्वर्ण मुद्रा के लिए शब्द कहे तो तुम बड़े खुश हुए। तुमने मुझे शब्दों से खुश किया तो मैंने भी तुमको शब्दों से खुश कर दिया। अब इसमें रुपये पैसे की बात कहाँ आयी। बेचारा कवि अपना सा मुँह लेकर वापस चला गया।

Moral –

ये कहानी थोड़ी हास्यजनक है। लेकिन इस कहानी ने मुझे बड़ा प्रभावित किया। सच ही तो है - हम सब शब्दों के जाल में फंसे हुए हैं।

किसी मित्र ने कहा कि आज बड़े स्मार्ट लग रहे हो, तो हम खुश हो जाते हैं, जबकि हमको पता है कि हम कैसे हैं।

किसी ने कहा कि तुम जीवन में कुछ नहीं कर सकते, तो हम दुखी हो गए, हमने खुद के बारे में सोचा ही नहीं शब्दों के भ्रम में फंस गए।

हम जानते हैं कि हमारा चरित्र कैसा है, हम सब जानते हैं लेकिन किसी ने हमारी तारीफ की तो हम खुश हो गए।

राजा बुद्धिमान था वह शब्दों के जाल में नहीं फंसा, लेकिन हम फंस जाते हैं और जीवन भर फंसे रहते हैं। दूसरों के हाथ की कठपुतली बन गए हैं। कोई मन चाहे तो हमें दुखी कर देता है, मन चाहे तो खुश कर देता है। अरे खुद को पहचानो, शब्दों के जाल से निकलो, भ्रम से निकलो तभी सुखी जीवन का आनंद ले सकोगे।

ईमानदारी ही सबसे बड़ा धन है

मुरारी लाल अपने गाँव के सबसे बड़े चोरों में से एक था। मुरारी रोजाना जेब में चाकू डालकर रात को लोगों के घर में चोरी करने जाता। पेशे से चोर था लेकिन हर इंसान चाहता है कि उसका बेटा अच्छे स्कूल में पढाई करे तो यही सोचकर बेटे का एडमिशन एक अच्छे पब्लिक स्कूल में करा दिया था।

मुरारी का बेटा पढाई में बहुत होशियार था लेकिन पैसे के अभाव में 12 वीं कक्षा के बाद नहीं पढ़ पाया। अब कई जगह नौकरी के लिए भी अप्लाई किया लेकिन कोई उसे नौकरी पर नहीं रखता था।

एक तो चोर का बेटा ऊपर से केवल 12 वीं पास तो कोई नौकरी पर नहीं रखता था। अब बेचारा बेरोजगार की तरह ही दिन रात घर पर ही पड़ा रहता। मुरारी को बेटे की चिंता हुई तो सोचा कि क्यों ना इसे भी अपना काम ही सिखाया जाये। जैसे मैंने चोरी कर करके अपना गुजारा किया वैसे ये भी कर लेगा।

यही सोचकर मुरारी एक दिन बेटे को अपने साथ लेकर गया। रात का समय था दोनों चुपके चुपके एक इमारत में पहुंचे। इमारत में कई कमरे थे सभी कमरों में रौशनी थी देखकर लग रहा था कि किसी अमीर इंसान की हवेली है।

मुरारी अपने बेटे से बोला – आज हम इस हवेली में चोरी करेंगे, मैंने यहाँ पहले भी कई बार चोरी की है और खूब माल भी मिलता है यहाँ। लेकिन बेटा लगातार हवेली के आगे लगी लाइट को ही देखे जा रहा था।

मुरारी बोला – अब देर ना करो जल्दी अंदर चलो नहीं तो कोई देख लेगा। लेकिन बेटा अभी भी हवेली की रौशनी को निहार रहा था और वो करुण स्वर में बोला – पिताजी मैं चोरी नहीं कर सकता।

मुरारी – तेरा दिमाग खराब है जल्दी अंदर चल

बेटा – पिताजी, जिसके यहाँ से हमने कई बार चोरी की है देखिये आज भी उसकी हवेली में रौशनी है और हमारे घर में आज भी अंधकार है। मेहनत और ईमानदारी की कमाई से उनका घर आज भी रौशन है और हमारे घर में पहले भी अंधकार था और आज भी

मैं भी ईमानदारी और मेहनत से कमाई करूँगा और उस कमाई के दीपक से मेरे घर में भी रौशनी होगी। मुझे ये जीवन में अंधकार भर देने वाला काम नहीं करना। मुरारी की आँखों से आंसू निकल रहे थे। उसके बेटे की पढाई आज सार्थक होती दिख रही थी।

बेईमानी की कमाई से बने पकवान भी ईमानदारी की सुखी रोटी के आगे फीके हैं। कुछ ऐसा काम करें कि आप समाज में सर उठा के चल सकें। 

मन - A Short Inspirational Lecture in Hindi by Kranti Gaurav

सुख दुःख क्या है- सुख और दुःख दोनों ही एक दूसरे के पर्याय हैं मतलब एक ही हैं, जो सुख है वही दुःख है बस हमारी सोच दोनों में फर्क करती है। जैसे कि आप ने आम खाया आपको उसका स्वाद मीठा लगा ये सुख है फिर आपने नीम खाया नीम आपको कड़वा लगा, असल में नीम का कड़वापन दुःख नहीं है बल्कि आप हर चीज़ में आम जैसा स्वाद ढूंढ रहे हैं ये दुःख है। सुख दुःख तो पहिये की तरह है एक आएगा तो दूसरा जायेगा लेकिन आपको सुख का चस्का लग गया है यही तो दुःख है। सोचिये कोई ऐसी चीज़ है जो आपको आनंद देती है, सुख देती है जब वो चीज़ आपसे दूर चली जाये तो दुःख होता है। असल में दुःख का कारण है हमारी “चाह”, जब हम कुछ चाहते हैं और वो ना हो तो हम दुखी होते हैं। दुःख हमें कष्ट नहीं देता हमारी ये “चाह” हमको दुःख देती है। नहीं तो दुनिया में दुःख और सुख जैसी कुछ चीज़ है ही नहीं, ये तो सब समय है, अभी समय कुछ और है थोड़ी देर बाद कुछ और होगा। अगर हमें सच में पता चल जाये कि हर चीज़ temporary है, नश्वर है तो हम दुखी होंगे ही नहीं। ना तो दुःख हमेशा रहने वाला है और ना सुख यही सत्य है।

मन ही सबकुछ है- सोचिये आप सो रहे हैं और आपके हाथ पर से एक छिपकली होकर गुजरती है तो क्या होगा? कुछ नहीं, आपको कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ेगा क्यूंकि आपको पता ही नहीं। अब सोचिये आपके सामने कोई छिपकली आपके हाथ से होकर गुजरे तो आपका क्या रिएक्शन होगा? आप तुरंत परेशान हो जायेंगे और गन्दा फील करेंगे लेकिन सोचिये छिपकली ने आपको परेशान नहीं किया आपको आपके मन ने परेशान किया।

मेरे एक मित्र हैं वो पंडित हैं, बस में सफर कर रहे थे। बस में भीड़ थी सारे लोग एक दूसरे से सटे हुए खड़े थे यहाँ तक तो पंडित जी आराम से थे उनके बगल में एक लड़का खड़ा था। अचानक पीछे से किसी ने लड़के को आवाज लगायी, उस लड़के के नाम से लगा कि वो नीची जाति का था। अब तो तुरंत पंडित जी का धर्म भ्रष्ट हो गया लेकिन कब से उसी लड़के के साथ खड़े थे तब कुछ नहीं हुआ। जो किया सब मन ने किया नहीं तो इंसान तो इंसान है।

सोचिये आपके सामने आपका कोई फेवरेट एक्टर या एक्ट्रेस आ जाये तो आपको कैसा लगेगा, आप बहुत excited हो जायेंगे एक दम खुश हो जायेंगे वहीँ आपके सामने कोई ऐसा आदमी आ जाये जिससे आपकी लड़ाई हो तो आपको अच्छा महसूस नहीं होगा। जबकि वो एक्टर भी एक इंसान ही है और वो आदमी भी। बस फर्क है तो मन का।

मित्रों सोचिये जब आप कोई कॉमेडी सीरियल देख रहे हों या कोई जोक पढ़ रहे हों तो आपको मजा आता है वहीँ जब आपको कोई डांटता है तो आपको गुस्सा आता है। गौर से सोचिये आपका तो आपके मन पे कोई कंट्रोल ही नहीं है। हमारा कंट्रोल तो दूसरों के हाथ में हैं, कोई डाँटकर हमें दुखी कर सकता है कोई जोक सुनाकर हँसा सकता है, हमारा मन हमारे कहने में है ही नहीं बल्कि दूसरों के कहने में चल रहा है। इसीलिए हम परेशान रहते हैं, अगर आप अपने मन पर काबू पा लें तो सारा खेल खत्म, सब क्लियर हो जायेगा। सब सुख ही सुख रह जायेगा।

कैसे कंट्रोल करें अपने मन को (Meditation) - Meditation ही वो प्रक्रिया है जिसका use करके आप अपने मन को कंट्रोल कर सकते हैं; खुद को अपने वश में रख सकते हैं। मेरे अनुसार Meditation का मतलब ये नहीं कि आप अपनी आँख बंद करके कुछ देखने की कोशिश करें। नहीं, Meditation का सीधा सा मतलब है – “ध्यान”। आप जो भी काम कर रहे हैं, चाहे खा रहे हैं, घूम रहे हैं, पढ़ रहे हैं, काम कर रहे हैं xyz कुछ भी, अपने काम को पूरे ध्यान से करना ही Meditation है। अपने मन को किसी एक काम में लगाइये और फिर पूरा ध्यान वहीँ रखिये यही तो Meditation है। अपने मन की गतिविधियों को देखिये सब कुछ कैसे काम करता है, आप खुद कैसे काम करते हैं। हमारे हाथ पे कुछ गर्म चीज़ लगी तो हमारे मन को पता चला फिर मन ने एक feeling दी और उस feeling की वजह से हमारे शरीर ने तुरंत हाथ गर्म चीज़ से हटा लिया। गौर करिये खुद पर, हम जो भी काम करते हैं कुछ भी, वो सब एक विचार से होता है। मन उस विचार को बनाता है फिर विचार से feeling आती है और उस feeling के अनुसार ही हमारा शरीर काम करने लगता है। Meditation एक लम्बी प्रक्रिया है जिसको समझने और करने में बहुत समय लगता है। आप इस आर्टिकल को शांत मन से पढ़िए कुछ बोरिंग जरूर लगेगा लेकिन मुझे पूरी उम्मीद है कि कहीं ना कहीं directly या indirectly इससे हमें बहुत मदद मिलेगी।


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