VIVA-RKMM - Inspired Living , PerspectivesVIVA-RKMM - Inspired Living , Perspectiveshttps://viva.rkmm.org/blogs/perspectivesThu, 09 Apr 2026 03:47:00 +0530http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Perspectives - दृष्टिकोण]]>https://viva.rkmm.org/blogs/post/feb2025In this multimedia post, we explore perspectives through two poems, an article in Hindi about acceptance, an article on active listening, a quiz and a short video titled Swami Vivekananda and purposeful inconsistency. There is also a teaser for the launch of the podcast on 1st March 2025!]]>

Podcast with Swami Shantatmanandaji Maharaj premieres on March 1st, 2025! 

Handling Hurt

By Smt. Saswati Ghosh

We stand on two ends of the spectrum wide,
You carry your sorrow, quietly inside.
I let mine erupt, like a storm in the sky,
You smile through the tears, while I let mine fly.

Your silence is poetry, deep and strong,
My voice - a siren warning those who do me wrong. 
You endure the weight with words unspoken,
I shatter the chains before I am broken.

Yet neither is wrong, for pain finds its way,
Through whispers or echoes, someone has to pay
Your calm is a river, my storm is the sea,
Both flowing toward where our souls long to be.

For life is a journey of battles unseen,
Of scars that we carry, both loud and serene.
Both of us look for what we think right,
Through the shadows of day and the trials of night.
In your quiet pain, and my fierce fight,
We both are struggling to find the light







Difficult People
By Smt. Reena Sinha
We’ve all come across them, sometime or the other,
For some, it’s a one-time hassle, for others, a daily bother. 
Difficult people come in all ages and forms,
There’re no clues to help spot them, nor any norms.
How to deal with them, no one can tell,
But they sure make our lives a living hell.
A domineering parent who wouldn’t let go,
A cantankerous boss with a massive ego,
A nagging wife breathing down your neck,
A headstrong child who doesn’t care a heck,
An opportunistic colleague, a troublesome friend, 
A suspicious neighbour, always ready to offend,
I’ve had my share of them too, as all of us do,
Let me share here some of my experiences with you.
A student of mine he was, a little boy of eight,
An innocent face, but a heart full of hate 
For his mother, his teachers, his school and studies,
And, will you believe it, even his buddies?
His teachers complained, his mother was ashamed,
He day-dreamed in class, whether Science or Arts,
His notebooks were empty, his homework undone,
Negatives he had so many, positives not one.
He was often marched down to the Principal’s office,
He was often punished, at times given toffees,
But kindness or sternness, nothing seemed to work,
He’d stare hard at you and stand like a rock.
I prayed hard to God to show him the light,
Years later, suddenly I met him on a flight.
“Hello, young man,” said I, “What a difficult one you were!”
“So I was,” said he, “but then, did you care?”
I was taken aback by his bitter stance,
What had I done to get such a response?
“I was difficult,” he said, “but so were you,
What you did to me, I did unto you.
You never gave me a chance, you always complained,
You never allowed me to express or explain.”
His outburst on me had a sobering effect,
It forced me to sit down and reflect.
Had I known all this, years ago,
I’d handle him differently, without much ado.
My thoughts went back to my former boss,
Who never ever agreed with my views or thoughts.
Undercurrents, bitterness, tension in the air,
Anger, hatred, for she was being unfair,
Fear, that she may cause me some harm,
I always lived in a state of alarm.
Would things have been different, had I understood
That I was the cause of the difficulty too?
My pupil and boss have taught me a lesson,
While judging people, let us not hasten.
Difficult people do not love being so,
More often than not, they just do not know!
Or perhaps, just cannot let go.
Sometimes it’s their egos that come in the way,
At other times, it’s ours that blocks the way.
Here’s what I learnt about dealing with them.
Peep into their minds and try to understand
What makes them act the way they do,
Their ego, a whim, some truth about you?
Then deal with them as the situation demands,
Calmness for anger, obedience for commands,
Compliance for stubbornness, truth for falsehood,
Humility for arrogance, will do a lot of good.
It always pays to bow down for a while,
To help them realize, it wasn’t worth their while.
Be a parent to a mother, who acts like a child,
Be a child to a daughter, who acts very wild,
A boss can be handled with gentle persuasion,
A friend, with a calm and forgiving disposition,
Psychological handling while dealing with them,
Can turn them around and make them your friends.
A positive attitude will also help,
Then negatives will become roads to success!
Let us consider yet another fact,
We haven’t perhaps thought of that:
It’s strange but true that we don’t realize
We are often those difficult people whom we so criticize.
A wonderful father may be a horrendous boss,
An excellent teacher may be at a loss
When it comes to dealing with her children dear,
So, she fills their lives with misery and tears.
It’s therefore odd to put people in slots,
Say who is difficult and who is not.
We are all difficult and easy at times,
Like our lives that are filled with both rain and sunshine.
So, what’s to be done when a difficult one
Walks into my life, removes peace for strife?
Apply understanding, patience, tact and thought,
Try my level best and leave the rest to God. 
Difficult people or people misunderstood?
It’s all the same, it’s just the way you look!

THE END

स्वीकृति - क्यों और कैसे?

By Dr. Nandini Seshadri

जब  बच्चे घर का सुरक्षित माहौल छोड़कर बाहर की दुनिया के साथ बातचीत करना शुरू करते हैं, उनका दृष्टिकोण धीरे-धीरे बदलने लगता है।  ऐसा होना लाजमी है क्योंकि बच्चा साथियों के प्रभाव में आने के साथ-साथ स्वयं अपनी सोच भी विकसित कर रहा है।  इसे अनदेखा नहीं किया जा सकता। मतान्तर, छोटी से छोटी बात  जैसे कि कपड़ों का चुनाव से लेकर इतनी बड़ी बात कि वह  जीवन पर  प्रभाव डाल  सके, कहीं भी हो सकता है।
क्या टकराव के या दबाव में आए बिना इससे निबटने का कोई उपाय है?
हमारे पास उपलब्ध साधनों में से एक है स्वीकृति – अर्थात, यह स्वीकार करना कि बच्चे का दृष्टिकोण हमसे अलग है।
यह महत्वपूर्ण क्यों है?
 जब आप स्वीकार करते हैं तो -
  • स्थिति का नियंत्रण आपके हाथ में होता  है
  • आप भावनात्मक रूप से स्थिर होते  हैं और बेहतर सोच सकते हैं कि आप अपनी बात दूसरे तक कैसे पहुंचाएं या समस्या का समाधान कैसे खोजें। 
उदाहरण के लिए, आपका बेटा मानता है कि सोशल मीडिया उसके लिए बहुत महत्वपूर्ण है और वह हर समय उसी में व्यस्त रहता है, जबकि आपका मानना ​​है कि यह समय की बर्बादी व हानिकारक है। यह स्वीकार कर पाना कि वह इसका आदी है और उसकी मदद करने का उपाय और साधन ढूंढना ही आगे बढ़ने का बेहतर तरीका होगा.
लेकिन क्या इसे स्वीकार करना आसान है?  नहीं, बिलकुल  नहीं!!
स्वीकारने की  दिशा  में  बढ़ने के  लिए  कुछ  क़दम 
  • स्थिति को बच्चे के दृष्टिकोण से देखें।
  • बिना किसी पूर्वाग्रह के, सकारात्मक होकर उसकी बात सुनें
  • आवेशपूर्ण प्रतिक्रिया देने के बजाय समझ कर प्रतिक्रिया दें
  • उसकी बात सुनने के बाद उसे अपना दृष्टिकोण बताएं 
  • स्वयं  को उसके स्थान पर रखकर देखें कि उस स्थिति में आप कैसा महसूस करेंगे ? 
  • उस पर विश्वास रखें 
  • इस बात पर विचार करें कि आपने उसकी उम्र में ऐसी ही परिस्थिति में क्या किया था?
आपके लिए, मतभेदों को स्वीकार कर इस भिन्न दृष्टिकोण को अपनाना क्यों लाभकर है ?
  • हो सकता है इससे आपको कोई सौहार्दपूर्ण समाधान मिले 
  • हो  सकता है आप बहुत कुछ न बदल पाएं पर आप स्वयं में धैर्य बरतने जैसे गुण विकसित कर सकते हैं

आप बच्चे को गलती करने दें ताकि वह उससे सीखे और मजबूत बने। इसके लिए आंतरिक शक्ति की अत्यावश्यकता होती है जिसका प उपयोग करते हैं। आप जीवन में उन स्थितियों से निपटने के लिए, जिन पर आपका कोई नियंत्रण नहीं है, धीरे-धीरे लचीलापन विकसित करते हैं। 

यह बच्चे की मदद किस प्रकार करता है?
उसके विचार को स्वीकार करते हुए -
  • उसे यह आश्वासन दिया जाता है कि उसे अपने स्वतन्त्र विचार रखने का अधिकार है, भले ही वह आपके विचारों से भिन्न क्यों न हों ।
  • इससे उसमे आत्म-सम्मान विकसित होता है जो उसे जीवन में उत्तरदायित्वपूर्ण विकल्प चुनने में सहायक होगा
  • संभवतः वह भविष्य में अपनी बात सम्मानजनक ढंग  से रखेगा 
यहां तक ​​कि यदि  उसने कोई गलती भी की है तो वह इसे स्वीकार करने से नहीं हिचकिचाएगा क्योंकि उसने आपके साथ एक सुदृढ़ सम्बन्ध स्थापित कर लिया है।

L.I.S.T.E.N

By Dr. Neera Pant

Listening is an essential yet often overlooked skill that plays a significant role in building stronger relationships. Let’s look at the word L.I.S.T.E.N. as an acronym. This provides us with a tool to be an active listener.

L - Look at the eyes of the listener while speaking

Maintain eye contact

I - Inquire with short questions

Is what is spoken clear?

S - Summarise

Tell the speaker briefly what you have understood of the conversation so far

T - Take part in the interaction

Using non verbal cues like nodding your head, etc.

E - Empathy

Listening with feeling

N - Non-judgemental listening

As a listener you do not respond with advice to a problem unless asked

This is the major difference between listening and active listening.

Weger et al. (2014) defines active listening as focusing on the speaker’s message, offering feedback to show understanding, and avoiding quick judgments or evaluations.

Research highlights that active listening improves empathy, reduces misunderstandings, and boosts problem-solving skills. It creates an atmosphere of trust and respect, which fosters more meaningful interactions. Feeling heard enhances self-worth and reduces stress. In the workplace, strong listening skills are linked to better teamwork, leadership, and conflict resolution. Developing active listening skills requires practice. By becoming better listeners, individuals can strengthen relationships and navigate challenges more effectively.

Play a quiz on differing perspectives!

What was the fundamental difference in the approach between Gandhiji and Netaji in India's freedom struggle?

Non-violent civil struggle vs armed struggle 

What did Duryodhana want from Krishna once the war was announced and what did the Pandavas want?

Krishna's army vs Krishna himself 

What is the fundamental difference between the modern education system and the education of the rishis?

Skilling for employment vs Knowledge of Self 

Swami Vivekananda and Purposeful Inconsistency

Attribution
  • Tall lady talking to a small girl by Rajiv Eipe, for KİTAP KURDU LOLİ written by Fatma Günbey under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
  • different children by Aindri C, for Your Body Is Yours written by Yamini Vijayan, published by Pratham Books (© Pratham Books, 2020) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
  • Sad man and people by Angie & Upesh, for Annual Haircut Day written by Rohini Nilekani, published by Pratham Books (© Pratham Books, 2007) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
  • An angry girl's eyes by Vinayak Varma, for Angry Akku written by Vinayak Varma, supported by Oracle, published by Pratham Books (© Pratham Books, 2017) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
  • Teacher scolding a student by Priya Kuriyan, for It's All the Cat's Fault! written by Anushka Ravishankar, published by StoryWeaver (© StoryWeaver, 2015) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
  • Angry woman by Rijuta Ghate, for Naughty or Not (Tell me now series) written by Madhav Chavan, published by Pratham Books (© Pratham Books, 2004) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
  • An angry girl in the midst of other children playing by Vinayak Varma, for Angry Akku written by Vinayak Varma, supported by Oracle, published by Pratham Books (© Pratham Books, 2017) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
  • Girl crying to her mother by Jesse Breytenbach , for Abel and his sister's doll written by Eyobi Kitaw, published by African Storybook Initiative (© African Storybook Initiative, 2017) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
  • Diverse people by Gitanjali Iyer, for How I Feel written by Varsha Seshan, published by Pratham Books (© Pratham Books, 2020) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
  • different sizes and shapes of human bodies by Aindri C, for Your Body Is Yours written by Yamini Vijayan, published by Pratham Books (© Pratham Books, 2020) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in
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