Nat Yogachandra

The growing income gap between the world’s richest and the poorest was again confirmed by a recently published report by the British charity Oxfam. The report, titled, “Working For the Few,” claims that a small elite group of more than 85 individuals hold wealth equivalent to that owned by the bottom half of the world's population. The study further says that the top 1 percent have 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half of the world’s population. The growing income gap between the world’s richest and the poorest was again confirmed by a recently published report by the British charity Oxfam. The report, titled, “Working For the Few,” claims that a small elite group of more than 85 individuals hold wealth equivalent to that owned by the bottom half of the world's population. The study further says that the top 1 percent have 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half of the world’s population. In the United States, America's 400 richest families have more w...

Bihar is a State in India, where Lord Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist Religion is said to have attained enlightenment under the Banyan tree. Millions of Buddhists around the globe go on pilgrimage to this place. But, in a small village in the Bihar sharif cluster, about 80 km from Patna, the capital city of the State of Bihar, the villagers are striving hard to build a community that will contribute to the spiritual and material transformation of society. I had the distinct opportunity of visiting the Bihar sharif cluster and meeting with the villagers and the chief of the village. To create such a society, it is essential that every one in the village be empowered to participate in the constructive process that will give rise to it. It is just happening in this small village of population 2,000. The village is called Hargawan. I visited this village during my recent trip to India and my trip was coordinated by Mr. Rajnish Singh, an Auxiliary Board Member (ABM), an appointed mem...

Black and White: America’s Most Critical  and Challenging Issue                        So, we observed the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King’s famed “I have a Dream” speech recently. The anniversary presented us the perfect opportunity to reflect on how those four words helped change the course of the history of this great nation. Yes. We have made remarkable progress during the past five decades in terms of racial disparity. African Americans now hold senior positions in the military, business and politics. America has produced many African American cultural icons. Interracial marriages are widely accepted in the society now. Yet, not withstanding the efforts already expended for its elimination, racism continues to work its evil upon this nation even after a half a century. Racism runs deep. It infects the ...

Preparing Children in Value Education in the 21st Century ( a paper developed by me when I was working at RiverDale International Residential School, in Pune, India as the Vice Principal) ABSTRACT Facing a worsening moral dilemma in today’s complex world, everyone recognizes the need for educating youngsters about the importance of moral values. The decline in ethical standards, poor parenting, dishonesty by government and business leaders and violence have come to characterize the present day society all over the world. However, social changes and scientific progress during the past decade have been enormous. A new social media culture is silently taking over the world. Therefore, the current environment of political, social and religious decay  has lead to a renewed interest in teaching moral values to our children. As we enter the 21st century, character and good moral values must become an important part of social life during the periods of childhood and youth if we wa...

                 BEGGING must be discouraged Do you know a beggar can earn up to 10 to 30 dollars per day in Thailand. Or sometimes even up to 60 dollars per day. Beggary is a multiple-million dollar industry in Asia. In Thailand alone, according to the Social and Human development Ministry, begging generates up to 20 million baht a month (US$600,000) Begging ring in most countries in Asia are run by human trafficking gangs. They usually kidnap the victims and put to work on streets. A mother with a child can earn up to 120,000 baht (US$4,000) for an 18-month service, begging for the gangs on the street. In some areas, parents drop young boys and girls to beg at bus stops or public places to beg. Should the government take action against such parents who force their kids to beg? We want to make sure the kids stay in school. In some parts of india, some are beggars for generation and continue their...

Equal Rights to Women - a long way to go I am shocked and disturbed. A UN report published last week says more than half of working women lack even basic legal protection on the job. It is sad to notice that even today, millions of women still have no access to justice. Women all over the world have come a long way but they still have a long way to go. Ms. Michelle Bachelet, executive director of U.N. Women, the first global agency for gender equality and women empowerment, said that even when the laws to provide equal justice exist, the implementation and enforcement of those laws can be poor, even in the most progressive countries. For example, in India and several countries in Asia, there are many progressive laws that protect women. However the implementation of these laws and the policies is in the hands of men. In many countries around the world, women have been paid routinely less than men despite the minimum wage law or despite working in the exact same job. For...

Meet the Children at the Children Development Organization ( CDO ) in Siem Reap, Cambodia CDO is now taking care of 27 students between the ages of 4 and 15. (8 girls and 19 boys). In Cambodia, it’s estimated there are over 100,000 orphans or abandoned children. Some have parents but come from families that can’t provide enough food for their children or they suffer from physical abuse and neglect. Here at CDO , the children are trained to do chores around the orphanage. They take turn to do laundry, wash dishes, cook, dust and myriad of other tasks. Konti and Map’s turn to do the dishes when I visited them. Konti (left) and Map are seen doing their daily tasks behind the only well available for the orphanage. The girl on left is Konti (age 6) and the boy is Map (age 7). Both are orphans and living at Children Development Organization’s orphanage ( CDO ) in Siem Reap. Konti ’s parents gave her to one of their relatives and moved to Thailand either to...