Hillol Ray: Featured Under "The Nobel Laureates and other Famous Indian-Americans" On this joyous occasion of Diwali 2003, may I share with you another joyous news about the inclusion of our very own sawf.org family member, Hillol Ray, being featured under "The Nobel Laureates and Other Famous Indian - Americans" List on the following web site: http://www.vigyanprasar.com/comcom/kichammi/vamboos04.htm When the above page opens, please scroll down almost to the bottom, and look for photo and biography under the title: "The Nobel Laureates", followed by "Other Famous Indian - Americans". Congratulations to you, Hillol... Thanks. Irina Muro comments : It is amazing... Congratulations, Hillol. I was going over it just now and was very impressed. Regards, Irina Muro Caracas, Venezuela Anupama Handoo comments : Dear Hillol, You are definitely a famous Indian American. Someone who has made both, his native country as well as the adopted country ...proud! We look forward to seeing more of you...good luck always. Anu Prasad Thotakura comments : Hillol, Congrats! Keep it up. I'm forwarding this to Shabnam Modgil, President, IANT (India Assn. of North Texas). Regards, Prasad Thotakura Professor Tom Mayo comments : You're in good company, Hillol! Elizabeth Dandy comments : Congratulations Hillol ! You are doing a great job making your native and adopted country shine. Mother Teresa is with you all the way as her f avorite singer. Elizabeth Dandy Meenakshi Madhur comments : Way to go, Hillol! Congratulations! Hillol Ray comments : Hello Irina: Happy to view your comments..all the way from Caracas, Venezuela. I had the opportunity to visit Caracas in Summer 1978 during my technical presentation (based on my dissertation work) in a workshop, sponsored by KSB Venezolana, C.A. I enjoyed my weeklong visit and am looking forward for a future visit. Regards and best wishes, Hillol Ray October 25, 2003 @ 8:45:10 AM Hillol Ray comments : Hi Anupama: To say the least, I am touched by your comments and thanks a lot for that. Besides my regular full-time job, currently I am composing several poems on complex and controversial issues affecting human rights and humanity. Hope to share them with the readers in the near future. Best wishes, Hillol October 25, 2003 @ 8:56:09 AM Hillol Ray comments : Dear Prasad: Thanks a lot for your words of encouragement, and also for forwarding the "news" to the President of IANT. Regards, Hillol October 25, 2003 @9:03:47 AM Hillol Ray comments : Dear Professor Mayo: Many thanks for your uplifting word.. Take care, Hillol October 25,2003 @ 9:07:17 AM Hillol Ray comments : Hello Elizabeth: Let me thank you first for offering me your courage and wisdom.. because, I am nothing but a walking shadow beneath the human trees on our global map, and do hope my words will create the awareness among all ages, including a child sitting on the lap. Mother Teresa is the lightning rod to energize my spirit forever. Regards, Hillol October 25, 2003 @ 9:29:43 AM Hillol Ray comments : Hi Meenakshi: Thank you for your kind word and also for the attachment (Goodyear blimpe???!!.... laughing) under your comment. After many months, I found some free time this morning, and am trying to devote it exclusively to my writing. Have a nice weekend. Best wishes, Hillol October 25, 2003 @ 9:43:38 AM Uma Asopa comments : Heartiest congratulations Hillol...as Anupama says you have made our country proud, your writings are not only enjoyable poetry , but also poetry with a message..keep doing the good work, my best wishes. Hillol Ray comments : Hello Dr. Asopa: After viewing your message above, just to say "Thank you" is not enough. I am deeply touched by your words. Besides your duties as a Physician, you find time to compose poems and share with us, the global readers. I am simply amazed.. Through my poetry, I try to convey a message for humanity of today and tomorrow. Your positive feedback of today will lead me to the right direction in the days ahead. Regards, Hillol October 25, 2003 @ 10:20:30 AM Mike Ghouse comments : Hillol, I am glad to read about you and have always admired your poetry.... I remember publishing your poems in "Asian News", and after that I am glad to see that "Bharati" of IANT and several other organizations have taken the lead. Good to see your name in the list of the best. Congratulations. Take care ... Hillol Ray comments : Hello Mike: Thanks a lot for writing the comment out of your busy schedule. I still remember the days when you were the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of "Asian News" and published my English and Bengali poems. You truly paved the way for other organizations and magazines to take the lead. It will always stay in my memory lane .. Best wishes always, Hillol October 25, 2003 @ 10:45:44 AM Shah Pravinchandra Kasturchand comments : Hi Hillol Ray, This is the best gift you have given us all. I retrieve my gift with a return of my best wishes. Let us celebrate by one and all Say Hillol gets the grand call. My best wishes. Shah Sourav Dasgupta comments : Hello Sir, Congratulations!! I have been going through some of your works (the list is so huge). I am amazed by the variety of issues that you have covered in your poetry. Simply amazed, Sourav Dasgupta Hillol Ray comments : Dear SPK (Shah Bhai): In response to your poetic comments, may I add (from my earlier poem: Prisoner of Hope; May 10, 1999): Prides of my restless pen explore the planet where nature and humanity can form a monolithic joint/ And live in harmony without exploitations in the millenniums ahead, or stress on this pivotal point// Conniving schemes, followed by deceptions, may bring us a short-term gain/ But my belief in the devotion of God and fellow human being will never go in vain//. Looks like we are surrounded by the celebrations at this very moment .. Diwali 2003, Beatification of Mother Teresa, and ... !! Regards and best wishes, Hillol October 25, 2003 @ 2:45:37 PM Hillol Ray comments : Dear Sourav Dasgupta: Thank you so much for your congratulations, and exploration of my works. Best wishes and Happy Diwali to you. Hillol October 25, 2003 @ 3:00:01 PM Barbara Sharik Vail comments : Congratulations, Hillol!! Looks like you are still doing very well in the poetry/writing department! Keep up the good work. Very proud of you! Barbara Hillol Ray comments : Hi Barbara: Many thanks for your encouragement. Take care, Hillol October 25, 2003 @ 5:02:09 PM Zindagi comments : Dear Hillol Ray, CONGRATULATIONS AND JUBILATIONS LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA. U have done the SAWF family proud! regards, Zindagi. Hillol Ray comments : Hello Zindagi: Thank you so much for your kind words. I really liked the styles (all alphabets in capital letters, and so different from others on this comments section) of your comments. It's a good feeling to be in the company of SAWF family .... Regards and best wishes, Hillol October 27, 2003 @ 9:26:33 AM Dr. Pompeyo Carlos Andrade comments : It is really wonderful that you have been placed in the company of such notorious Indians. I was only familiar with the works of Dr. Khorana, Nobel laureate, on his investigations of biotechnology - since I myself am taking a master degree course on the subject. Also it is interesting to see that one third of the scientists in Silicon Valley are from Indian descent. Their IIT is a factory of first class engineers. Indians seem to have brains that can achieve wonders. It maybe, of course, a matter of genes, but these intellectual achievements can be also related to the fact that India has a long tradition of mystical training. This spirituality - that in neuroscience is the development of very complex synaptic connections that tend to grasp and explain the totality of being, can - once that science and technology are also included - produce the wonders of very productive minds - which happen to be also strong in morals and ethical standards. For modern neuroscience, spirituality is the attempt of the mind to grasp reality! The above is somewhat a description of your own mind - of which you should be proud. It is noticeable, however, that Adam Osborne - I did not know that he was the first to produce portable computers - who, although not an Indian by birth but rather an Indian by upbringing, wanted to teach Indians to have pride in themselves. I notice the same malaise or mind problem in our Latin America. Our people are ashamed of their roots and try to erase or forget about them, especially those with an "education" or training. This is really sad and accounts for some of the corruption that permeates Indian society as well as Latin American social problems. This subject is a good theme for one or two poems: "The pernicious shame of being Third World citizens" as opposed to "How we have to struggle to be proud again". This lack of pride makes us shy and humble and really sickens the mind not only in social ways, but also in the gestation of personal inadequacies or even tragedies. Psychologists or social scientists have not studied the problem in depth. It is, however, a subject that should call attention: this subtle shame of being Indian or Latin American - compounded to the real shame of being poor or undereducated or colored. This is shame elevated to various degrees of potency. Shamed people produce resentful people, incapable of really enjoying themselves and their families. The solution is the excess: our people are heavy drinkers, heavy eaters and their family lives are tarnished as well. There are attempts of trying to rescue pride through being among cheering crowd in a sport arena, shouting for their local team. As Osborne says, people have to be taught to feel pride - not of being Punjabi or Bengali, Muslim or Hindu - but of being Indians. The same feeling I have with our people, who should be taught to be proud not of being Ecuadorian or Peruvian or Chilean, but of being Latin American - if we are ever to become a working group. India has it better, because it is already a single country, divided by multiple religions and languages. We are a poor mess still and there is little hope for immediate improvement. Well, my heartiest congratulations to you, Hillol… Regards, Pompeyo Andrade Ecuador October 28, 2003 Hillol Ray comments : Hello Dr. Andrade: Thank you so much for your insightful comments. Regards and best wishes, Hillol October 28, 2003 @ 9:36:44 PM