Until a couple of days ago, you had to be either from Andhra Pradesh or be a political junkie to know the name of Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan


Former Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's son Jagan Reddy in Hyderabad. (AFP Photo)
Reddy — or simply Jagan Reddy as he's better known — much less his importance. Today, this 37-year-old has an even chance to be king of Andhra Pradesh. Even as he was grieving for his father YS Rajasekhara Reddy on Friday, it was clear from Thursday's clamour from a majority of party MLAs that either he had quietly acquired enormous popularity in the last few years or his supporters were an impatient lot. They didn't wait for his father to be buried before pressing his claim to the gaddi in Hyderabad. That city has known Jagan's rise rather well. In the last two months, Hyderabad was buzzing with stories of how Jagan Reddy was keen to start an English daily. The name being toyed with was said to be 'The Witness'. Jagan himself, it's said, preferred the name 'Indian Post', but the owner of the title, Shreyans Shah of Gujarat Samachar, was apparently not willing to sell out. Now that Jagan is seriously in the race for the CM's position, it's not known whether he will pursue his business plans with any seriousness. But even so, if he were to get the top slot in Andhra Pradesh, he would still be the only CM who is a media baron too. His Telugu daily Sakshi and his Telugu channel by the same name are up and doing fairly well — helped generously, not surprisingly, by advertisements from the state government. Although Jagan Reddy busied himself with business ventures for the last five years, he never lost sight of politics — indeed, it's said politics was his first love. Soon after the 2004 elections that brought Rajasekhara Reddy to power in the state, grapevine had it that young Jagan tried to cajole his uncle Y S Vivekananda Reddy to vacate his Lok Sabha seat, Kadapa, so that he could get elected from there in a bye election. The uncle resistance and the high command's worry about an unnecessary bye-election being forced so early are said to have kept Jagan away. Five years later, in the run-up to the 2009 elections, Jagan Reddy started out early. Large cut outs of him came up in Cuddapah town ahead of the polls, with the Congress young brigade demanding that the young man be the Lok Sabha candidate. Slogans of "We want Jagan" were raised at meetings addressed by chief minister Rajasekhara Reddy, and in the end, Vivekananda made way for his nephew. The uncle was accommodated with a nomination to the legislative council. Jagan is known as a chip of the old block — not quite the old block of his father but that of his grandfather Raja Reddy, a famed strong man of Cuddapah. In fact, it's said that old man Raja Reddy saw in his grandson a worthy successor. His son, he felt, was too gentle. This is not to suggest that young Jagan is either rude or crude as an individual. In his personal dealings, he is polite and respectful, a smile invariably on his face, perhaps hiding his razor sharp mind. Till he became an MP just 100 days ago, Jagan used to operate out of Bangalore. The Karnataka capital is closer to the home town of the Reddys, Pulivendula, than Hyderabad. It's believed that even during this time Jagan took a lot of interest in realty in the capital of Andhra Pradesh. That's not surprising: with land reforms never really taking place in the state, most top politicians and businessmen (including disgraced IT tycoon Ramalinga Raju) of the state have had more than passing interest in realty. There's a new buzz in town about Jagan's strong identification with the realty sector. In fact, it's said that this is responsible for the open lobbying by this sector for the son as the next CM. After he became an MP, Jagan has been active in Delhi to further the cause of Andhra Pradesh. He often led delegations of MPs to Union ministers for clearing the way for the state's projects and other sundry jobs. Political wags say he's also seriously trying to build a good chemistry with Rahul Gandhi. It's recognized that YSR himself was not really averse to building a Reddy dynasty in Hyderabad — as several Indian political families have built theirs. YSR was apparently planning to move to central politics in 2014, leaving the reins of the state in the hands of Jagan. But his sudden death has fast-forwarded things for Jagan even before his political apprenticeship isn't quite over. Is he ready for a steep learning curve?

Swami Vivekananda - The Universal Man
Rarely does humanity witness a combination of a great Guru (Spiritual Teacher) and equally capable Shishya (spiritual disciple) as Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda were.
The Upanishads and the Gita do mention of such noble pairs, when a yearning aspirant seeking higher knowledge humbly bows down to the Teacher and says, 'Sir, please tell me: Which is that thing which having been known, all this becomes known, and nothing else remains to be known? Give me that, acquiring which all desires nullify. O gracious one, I surrender at your feet; please tell me what is right for me.'
And the compassionate Teacher describes the nature of Self or Atman, starting as external reality and culminating into the true knowledge of our inner Self.
As the Guru speaks, so does the aspirant (sadhaka) experience the Truth contained in those words. It is as if a film on Brahman is being run in front of the yearning aspirant.
One such pair flourished in the last but one decade of nineteenth century, when Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa sculpted the most wonderful masterpiece in the form of Swami Vivekananda out of skeptical and rational, but fearless and dynamic Narendranath.
Their association has unleashed a tremendous spiritual force that has started destroying dreary ignorance covering the minds and hearts of mankind all over the globe.
Then, scientific knowledge based on reason and rationality was ushering in the era of Industrial Revolution; however, it also brought skepticism and contempt for religion.
Science appeared to be partial and sectarian in its study of various phenomena, for it tried to leave religion out of its purview. As a result the majority of people started believing that the goal of life was material progress alone.
Religion was on the defensive in the face of clattering advances of modern technology. Decline in religion (Dharma Glani) manifested as ritualistic monotony, crass materialism, and excessive engagement insense pleasures with resultant lack of discrimination and renunciation.
Values of kindness and generosity, of forbearance and simplicity were relegated to the back seat. The priests and the rulers, the rich and the privileged became the custodians of religious truths. Selfishness replaced altruism, and religious fanaticism erupted as a legitimate weapon to spread "true religion" and destroy "false beliefs".
Such states of decline in Dharma come in cycles. However, as the Gita says, a Man of God also comes on the scene to destroy wickedness and to reestablish the path of spirituality. These great seers and teachers come to'set in motion the wheel of dharma,' as did Lord Buddha 2500 years ago.
Such incarnations come from time to time, in every era, in every land, and help revive the noble path of transcendental realization as the source and proofof Knowledge and Truth. They give the sagging wheel of spirituality apowerful push for moving it again in right direction.
In recent times world faced such a situation when, to revive the declining faith in religion and to instill knowledge of the true goal of humankind, Swami Vivekananda entered the world arena as a great disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.
Swami Vivekananda revived Hinduism on the basis of the interpretations and meaning given to the philosophy of Vedanta by great Rishis at varioustime- periods of history. The externals of Hinduism appear to change from SriRama to Sri Krishna, from Sri Chaitannya to Sri Ramakrishna, but the core ofSanatana Dharma (Eternal Religion) remains the same.
Swami Vivekananda preached the essence of religion by way of finding newer insights in and application of Eternal Religion as per the requirement of modern times and global perspective.
He highlighted the truth of the 'divinity of each soul' and the constant struggle and evolution of an individual to manifest this divinity fully. Transcendental realization of our true nature, I.e. Pure consciousness, is what Hinduism (Vedanta) preaches right through the eternity.
This is the essential teaching mentioned and elaborated in the Upanishads, the Gita, and the Brahma-sutras. The attempt to realize this truth is the beginning of religion, and getting established in transcendental divine state is the aim of human birth.
Every person succeeding in this attempt is the basis and hope for fresh human endeavour and struggle for self-realization in future.

It is your attitude and not your aptitude that determines your altitude. Defeat never comes to any man until he admits it. Life is beautiful... !!!.

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