How to ask for raise in salary ?

Do you want a raise in salary?

Are you are not satisfied with the compensation package they are offering you at campus placement or a recruitment interview?

Are you not happy with your performance appraisal?

Do you feel that people are not recognizing your true worth?

Then, just tell them this Mulla Nasrudin Story:

 
 
TRUE WORTH – An Apocryphal Mulla Nasrudin Story
 
A disciple interrupted Mulla Nasrudin’s sermon on teaching stories and rudely said, “They say that you are a wise man and give out wisdom. But you are talking all nonsense. I cannot understand head or tail of what you are saying. And your so-called “teaching stories” are at best poor jokes – they don’t make sense or have any meaning. You call yourself a man of wisdom but actually you are a worthless chap.”
 
Mulla Nasrudin calmly removed the diamond studded gold ring on his finger, politely called the man, gave him the ring and told him, “Go outside to the roadside stalls and ask them the cost of this ring – for how much will they will buy this ring. I want to sell it – the minimum price is One Lakh Rupees. Don’t sell it for less than a lakh of rupees.”
 
The disciple returned after some time and angrily said, “You have made me a laughing stock. No one is prepared to pay One Lakh Rupees for this ring. They say this ring is not worth more than ten rupees.”
 
Mulla Nasrudin then told the man, “Now go to the best jeweller in town and ask him.”
  
After some time the man returned dumbfounded: “Mulla Nasrudin, I just can’t believe it – the jeweller paid Rupees Two Lakhs for your ring.” 
 

Mulla Nasrudin looked the man in the eye and said, “Just as only a good jeweller can understand the true value of my ring, only the truly wise can understand the true meaning of my teaching stories. You need to have calibre to recognize true worth and only those who have genuine calibre can recognize my true worth!”

 
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A bond of protection

Raksha Bandhan means pure bond of love between a brother and his sister and a pledge of protection. It symbolizes sincere and lofty human emotions.

Tying a sacred thread around the wrist of her brother is an expression of sisterly love and sublime sentiments, and is rightly called ‘Rakhi’.

As Rakhi is also tied on the wrists of friends and neighbours, it emphasises the need for an amicable social life, where every human being co-exists calmly as brother or sister. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore popularised in Shantiniketan such a society of neighbours to defend each other.

He encouraged thought the thought of unity and harmony among all. For him, this festival was the celebration of the expression of equality, fellow feeling and concern for each other.

If we can believe beyond our faith religon and caste, then we can become true human beings”, tagore had said. To spread this note of love , he considered Raksha Bandhan to be the most perfect day.

Vanishing Sparrows

These small birds are really cute and their chirping refreshes the mind. These birds have gradually or suddenly disappeared from your garden, or local area. The expansion of urban areas and related issues such as pollution and  habitat destruction, no doubt had left their impression on the environs.

The rats of Karni mata Temple

Incredible! That’s how I felt when I saw all of them dinning and crawling together. Before you think I happened to visit the set where Stuart Little was filmed, let me walk you through Mata Karni Temple in Deshnok in Rajasthan. Standing tall is the main shrine of Mata Karni accompanied by what the natives and many ardent devotees worship – rats! Almost 20,000 of them!

 During my stay in Bikaner, I’d heard so much about this temple that the very next morning, I had to see it to believe it. After a half hour drive, from the moment I reached Deshnok till the time I stepped inside the temple, I was more curious than scared. On entering, I saw rats teeming everywhere. Huddled in corners and flitting around, they are completely oblivious of devotees gawking at them. The sight was absolutely bizarre!

Fearlessly feeding them were devotees who come here to receive therats’ blessings. Once these rats nibble food, it is considered auspicious to be served as prasad. Creepy? Yes it is, especially if you’re rat phobic. At first, you might want to just run…and fast. But hang on…Soon, you realise these rats are harmless They’re too busy nibbling away on food and slurping milk.

At the temple, it’s believed that if you sight a white rat amongst the thousands of black rats, you’re considered fortunate. Legend has it that white rats are manifestations of Mata Karni who was an incarnation of Goddess Durga and her four sons. When the child of one of her clansmen died, she insisted Lord Yama (god of death) bring him back to life. He did so and reincarnated the child as a rat.

Thereafter, Karni Mata dictated that if any of her clansmen died, they would be reborn as rats.

Since then, thousands of rats move this story forward. In fact, the authorities take special care to safeguard these treasured beings. The temple is bordered by wires and grills over the courtyard to prevent birds and other animals from coming in. People are requested to walk carefully inside so that they do not step on them. If one is accidently killed, you’d be forced to shell out a 24 carat gold rat. Now, that is a huge penalty! A stranger fact is that not a single case of plague has been reported here ever since this temple was constructed. Professors, researchers and I still wonder…

Photo Credit: Wikimedia