What does love mean?

This is from a widely circulated email where the source is unknown:

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?"

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all even when his hands got arthritis, too. That's Love."Rebecca - age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."Danny - age 7

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."Nikka - age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears iteveryday." Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her oldclothes and has to go out and buy new ones."Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you" Karen - age 7

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about contest he was asked to judge.

The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

The Pearl Necklace

A cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere--Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess-- the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."

"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

" Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And, when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of beautiful genuine pearls. He had had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.

What imitations are we holding onto.. that stops us from receiving God's genuine treasures?

Lets give up on the imitations to discover the genuine treasures stored for us ...

Dreams............

I came across this interesting article on Dreams..............

You dream every night whilst you sleep. The dreams you have are the interface between your conscious waking state and your subconscious mind. You dream during REM sleep, which occurs roughly every 90 minutes throughout the night and for progressively longer periods. For example, you may only dream 5 or 10 minutes in your first REM period, but by morning you dream for about 30 minutes, right until you wake up.

Everyone dreams for about 100 minutes per night; you just have difficulty remembering your dreams. 100 minutes is more than an hour and a half and longer than most movies you see at the cinema.
Your dreams express to you what is happening in your physical body. They are a way of expressing and resolving what happens in your sub conscious mind. Science has shown that without dreaming you quickly breakdown in both mind and body.

Through your dreams you access a massive library of insight and information from your subconscious mind and the collective consciousness of humanity. Your dreams are a source for premonitions, spiritual contact and guidance. They are also a means to solve problems both personal and work related.

Interesting insight.......

If only we dare let go...

Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a great crystal river. Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth.

But one creature said at last, "I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die of boredom."

The other creatures laughed and said, "Fool! Let go, and that current you worship will throw you tumbled and smashed across the rocks, and you will die quicker than boredom!"
But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks. Yet, in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more.

And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, "See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the Saviour, come to save us all!" And the one carried in the current said, "I am no more Saviour than you. The river delight to lift us free, if only we dare let go. "

Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.Lets just not cling to a grip but enjoy the voyage.

Nature of Life....

One day a saint was taking a bath in a river. His disciple sat on the bank with the saint's clothes, asana and rosary. The saint noticed a scorpion struggling in the current. Taking pity, he lifted the bedraggled scorpion in his palm and started wading toward the bank.

No sooner had the scorpion recovered than it promptly stung the saint on the palm. The saint felt an unbearable, burning pain shoot up his arm, but he did not drop the scorpion. Instead, he gently shook his hand to encourage the scorpion to move away from the wound.

The saint's disciple, watching from the bank, became alarmed, but did not say anything.The saint had only taken a few more steps when the scorpion stung him again. A searing pain more intense than the first one went all the way up his arm and throbbed in his hand. The saint staggered and nearly collapsed in the river.

This time the disciple did call out. "Put him down, guruji! He will only sting you again. Leave him to his fate. Your kindness is of no value to such a creature. He will learn nothing from it! The saint ignored him and continued walking. He had nearly reached the bank when the scorpion stung him for a third time. The pain exploded into his head, lungs, and his heart.

The disciple saw a blissful smile appear on the saint's face before he collapsed in to the river. The disciple dragged the saint to the shore, still smiling and still cradling the scorpion in his palm.

As soon as they had reached shore, the scorpion crawled away as quickly as it could. Guruji! said the disciple after the saint had regained consciousness.How can you smile? That wretched creature nearly killed you. You are right, my son, said the saint.


But he was only following his dharma, his nature. It is the dharma of a scorpion to sting, and it is the dharma of a me is to save its' life.

10 Principles for Peace of Mind

• Do Not Interfere In Others' Business Unless Asked
• Forgive And Forget
• Do Not Crave For Recognition
• Do Not Be Jealous
• Change Yourself According To The Environment
• Endure What Cannot Be Cured
• Do Not Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
• Meditate Regularly
• Never Leave The Mind Vacant
• Do Not Procrastinate And Never Regret

Conquer Your Weakness

This is a story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.

The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move.

"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"

"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the Sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the Sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches.

The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the Sensei intervened. "No," the Sensei insisted, "Let him continue."

Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and Sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"

"You won for two reasons," the Sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defence for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."

The boy's greatest weakness had become his greatest strength.

People In Our Life

During my second month of school, our professor gave us a pop quiz.

I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely, this was some kind of joke.

I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.

Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor.

"In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also spoke to her, learned her name and said Thanks!

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Instructions For Life - Dalai Lama

• Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
• Memorize your favorite poem.
• Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
• When you say, “I love you”, mean it.
• When you say, “I’m sorry”, look the person in the eye.
• Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
• Believe in love at first sight.
• Never laugh at anyone’s dreams.
• Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.
• In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
• Don’t judge people by their relatives.
• Talk slowly but think quickly.
• When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”
• Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
• Call your mom.
• Say “bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.
• When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
• Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
• Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
• When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
• Smile when picking up the phone.The caller will hear it in your voice.
• Marry a man/woman you love to talk to.As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
• Spend some time alone.
• Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Read more books and watch less TV.
• Live a good, honorable life.Then when you get older and think back, you’ll get to enjoy it a second time.
• Trust in God but lock your car.
• A loving atmosphere in your home is so important.Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.
• In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation.Don’t bring up the past.
• Read between the lines.
• Share your knowledge.It’s a way to achieve immortality.
• Be gentle with the earth.
• Pray. There’s immeasurable power in it.
• Never interrupt when you are being flattered.
• Mind your own business.
• At least once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
• If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living.That is wealth’s greatest satisfaction.
• Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.
• Learn the rules then break some.
• Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
• Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
• Remember that your character is your destiny.
• Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Give Value To Relationships...

A man stopped at a flower shop for ordering some flowers to be sent as a gift to his mother who lived two hundred miles away.

As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars."

The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose." He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother."

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave. The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the gifting order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.

At times we take many such relationships with our family and friends for granted. Learn to value them.

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Steps To Improve Your Persuasive Skills

An article on Persuasiveness that I read on net.

Reviews of the oral communication and persuasion research has identified a number of suggestions that can help you improve your persuasive skills:

1. Establish your credibility. Nothing undermines persuasive efforts more than a lack of credibility. People don’t want to listen to a person they don’t trust and respect. Develop your expertise in the area in which you are trying to influence others. By being warm and friendly and making sure that your information is reliable, you can develop mutual trust with influencees. A dynamic presentation style also helps, as does a good reputation with others whom the influencee might consult about your ideas and intentions.


2. Use a positive, tactful tone. Assume the person you’re trying to persuade is intelligent and mature. Don’t talk down to that person. Be respectful, direct, sincere, and tactful.


3. Make your presentation clear. In the event persuasion is successful, what exactly do you want to accomplish? This delineation of an objective should guide your presentation. Present your argument one idea at a time.


4. Present strong evidence to support your position. You need to explain why what you want is important. You should demonstrate with strong supporting evidence why someone should do as you wish. The responsibility for building the case lies with you.


5. Tailor your argument to the listener. To whom are you talking? What are the person’s goals, needs, interests, fears, and aspirations? How much does the listener know about the subject your’re discussing? Does the person have preconceived views on this subject? If so, how do they align with yours? How does this person like to be treated? What is his or her behavioral style? Answering questions like these can help you define the right persuasion strategy to use.


6. Appeal to the subject’s self-interest. To persuade people effectively, you need to understand what makes them tick. Then you can put yourself into their position when you make a request. An individual’s behavior is directed toward satisfying self-interests. You need to appeal to that self-interest by anticipating, before you make any demands, that the subject will ask, “What’s in it for me?”


7. Use logic. A logical, reasoned argument is not guaranteed to persuade the subject, but if you lack facts and reasons to support your argument, your persuasiveness almost certainly will be undermined.


8. Use emotional appeals. Presenting clear, rational, and objective evidence in support of your views is often not enough. You also should appeal to a person’s emotions. Try to reach inside the subjects and understand their loves, hates, fears, and frustrations. Then use that information to mold what you say and how you say it.

This too shall pass.....

One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it."

"If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?"

"It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.

Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of he poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah.

He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.
That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.

To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: "gimel, zayin, yud", which began the words "Gam zeh ya'avor" -- "This too shall pass."

At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.

In the wheel of life nothing is permanent; Happiness and sorrows come in cycles.

Take the Son and you take it all...

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son,shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around theworld, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection.The widowed elderly man looked on with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector. The son's trained eye and sharp business mind caused his father to beam with pride as they dealt with art collectors around the world.

As winter approached, war engulfed their nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, the elderly manreceived a telegram that his beloved son was missing in action. The art collector anxiously awaited more news, fearing he would never see hisson again. Within days his fears were confirmed. The young man had died while rushing a fellow soldier to a medic.

Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. The joy of the season-a season that he and his son had so looked forward to in the past-would visit his house no longer. On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home.

He opened the door and was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand.The soldier introduced himself to the old man by saying, "I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come infor a few moments? I have something to show you." As the two began to talk, the soldier told of how the man's son had told every one of his-andhis father's-love of fine art work. "I'm also an artist," said the soldier, "and I want to give you this." As the old man began to unwrapthe package, paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man's son.

Though the world would never consider it a work of genius, the painting featured the young man's face in striking detail.Overcome with emotion, the old man thanked the soldier, promising to hang the portrait above the fireplace. A few hours later, after the soldier had departed, the old man set about his task.

True to his word,the painting went above the fireplace, pushing aside thousands of dollars worth of paintings. And then the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given. During the days and weeks that followed, the man learned that his son had rescued dozens of wounded soldiers before a bullet stilled his caring heart.

As the stories of his son's gallantry continued to reach him, fatherly pride and satisfaction began to ease his grief, as he realized that, although his son was no longer with him, the boy's life would live on because of those he had touched. The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the priceless pieces for which museums around the world clamored. He told his neighbors it was the greatest gift he had ever received. The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away.

The art world was in anticipation, since, with the old man's passing, and his only son dead, those paintings would be sold at an auction. According to the will of the old man, all of the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the way he had received his greatest gift. The day finally arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world's most spectacular paintings. The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum list... It was the painting of the old man's son.

The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent."Who will open the bidding with $100?" he asked.Moments passed as no one spoke. From the back of the room came, "Who cares about that painting? It's just a picture of his son. Let's forget it and get on to the good ones." More voices echoed in agreement. "No, we have to sell this one-first," replied the auctioneer.

"Now who will take the son?" Finally, a friend of the old man spoke. "Will you take $10 for the painting? That's all I have. "Will anyone go higher?" called the auctioneer. After more silence he said, "Going once, going twice... Gone!" The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone shouted, "Now we can get on with it and bid on these treasures!" The auctioneer looked at the audience and announced that the auction was over. Stunned disbelief quieted the room.

Then someone spoke up and asked, "What do you mean it's over? We didn't come here for a portrait of some old man's son! What about all of the other paintings? There are millions of dollars worth of art work here. We demand an explanation!"

The auctioneer replied, "It's very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son...gets it all."Just as the art collectors discovered on that day...The message is still the same...the love of the Father....a Father whose son gave his life for others...And because of that Father's love...Whoever takes the Son gets it all.

Mistakes are an important part of life..

This is an interesting forward that I read recently.It goes as.....

Rutali married Hitesh this day. At the end of the wedding party,Rutali’s mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook with Rs.1000 deposit amount.

Mother said ‘Rutali, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your marriage life. When there’s something happy and memorable happened in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it’s about next to the line. The more memorable the event is, the more money you can put in.I’ve done the first one for you today. Do the others with Hitesh. When you look back after years, you can know how much happiness you’ve had.’

Rutali shared this with Hitesh when getting home.They both thought it was a great idea and were anxious to know when the second deposit can be made.This was what they did after certain time:

- 7 Feb: Rs.100, birthday celebration for Hitesh after marriage

- 1 Mar: Rs.300, salary raise for Rutali

- 20 Mar: Rs.200, vacation trip to Bali

- 1 Jun: Rs.2000, Hitesh got promoted….. and so on…

However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for trivial things. They didn’t talk much. They regretted that they had married the nastiest people in the world…. no more love…

One day Rutali talked to her Mother:‘Mom, we can’t stand it anymore. We agree to divorce. I can’t imagine how I decided to marry this guy!!!’

Mother said ‘Sure, girl, that’s no big deal. Just do whatever you want if you really can’t stand it. But before that, do one thing first.Remember the saving passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out all money and spend it first.You shouldn’t keep any record of such a poor marriage.’

Rutali thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the queue and planning to cancel the account.While she was waiting, she took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and looked.Then the memory of all the previous joy and happiness just came up her mind. Her eyes were then filled with tears. She left and went home.

When she was home, she handed the passbook to Hitesh, asked him to spend the money before getting divorce.The next day, Hitesh gave the passbook back to Rutali. She found a new deposit of Rs.5000.And a line next to the record: ‘This is the day I notice how much I’ve loved you thru out all these years. How much happiness you’ve brought me.’

They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back to the safe.Do you know how much money they had saved when they retired? I did not ask. I believe the money did not matter any more after they had gone thru all the good years in their life.

“When you fall, in any way, Don’t see the place where you fell, instead see the place from where you slipped.Life is about correcting mistakes.”

Rising Indian Footballing Hero....

Eight years ago, when he first arrived at the orphanage in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Raja Chinnaswamy had never seen a football. Today he is a rising star of Indian football, a 14-year-old already being talked about by his excited coaches as a future fixture in the national team.
The story of Raja is so extraordinary.Born in Tamil Nadu in 1994, he was four when his mother died. A couple of years later his father fell ill and lost his job at a sugar cane factory.

Hoping their luck would change, the boy and his father headed for the town of Thrissur in Kerala, but quickly found themselves penniless and on the streets. With his father too ill to work, Raja turned to begging.

If anyone needed a break, it was Raja. Finally he got one. A friendly bookseller found him sobbing in the street and took pity on him. He knew of an orphanage where the boy would be safe. It was Raja's good fortune that the Janaseva Boys' Home in Madhurappuram was run by a former international athlete, Jose Maveli, whose has a passion for sport.

Maveli offered the 100 or so boys who lived there a chance of an education, but, more importantly for Raja, sports training. It was not long before his natural footballing talents were spotted by a couple of former Indian footballing internationals roped in by Maveli to lend a hand with the coaching.

"He is a very speedy player with the ball and a very good goal-getter," said Soly Xavier, who played right back for the national side from 1986 to 1989. "He thinks about positioning and is always watching the other players. Whenever he gets an opportunity, he scores a goal. Within a year and a half he will be in the national side."

Last September, Raja was selected for the state football team: "I was happy and crying. Many of the players were crying because they had not been selected, but I was crying because I had."

Now trials for the Indian national side are beckoning. Neither Raja nor his coaches doubt that he will make it. "I will definitely play for India. I can do it," he says.

And he trots off towards the centre circle of the red dirt pitch carved out of a scrap of land surrounded by palm trees in one of the most beautiful parts of a country that does not yet care about football - but may soon have something to cheer about.

"A life without challenge would be likegoing to school without lessons to learn.
Challenges come not to depress or get you down,but to master and to grow and to unfold your abilities."