Christian Inculturation

I was exposed to Christians and their religion at a very young age. I was born in Hospital Assunta which was started by the Christian missionaries. I grew up having many Christian friends around me. 

When I was 6, I was admitted in the same hospital I was born due to asthma. Since I was too young to walk outside the hospital in order to worship in the nearest temple, I decided to just worship in the hospital chapel. I saw no harm in doing that. I still feel the same way. 

Russian Church in Sofia. One of the few churches which I visited.

I did the same thing when I was in Bulgaria. Went into churches, light up candles, offered my prayers to the Holy Mother in silence. This will not make me less Hindu. I still chant the Kalabhairava Ashtakam and the Panchakshra during my daily prayers.

But despite the religious tolerance I have, I do have a different opinion about missionary activities. I never liked their style of work and many things which they do. This is because I do believe in respecting native culture.

Should someone intend to preach Christianity, then let it be based on the true teachings of Christ. Let is be based on the contents of the Holy Bible. 

Christianity should not be spread by lies and fraudulent methods. People should become Christians for what it really is than for what they think it was.

My 1st contact with missionaries happened at the age of 13. I lived in Kajang back then and I used to be active in football. So one fine Saturday, I attended a football clinic in town. It was organised by some local footballers. They had a Brazilian white guy as the coach for the day. 

So we were playing football and one of the guys committed a foul. We had an agreement that whoever commits a foul must do 10 push ups. Our team had a mix of races. One Malay guy committed the first foul.

As he was about to do his push ups, the Brazilian guy stopped him. He offered to do the push up for him.

"Jesus died for us in the cross. I will do push ups on your behalf"

I was happy when he did that. Because I played defence and I always end up committing lots of foul.  

During the end of the clinic, there was a briefing.

"Boys, we are very happy you participated today. We hope we helped you improve your football skills. If you are interested to participate again in the future, please join us for further explanation. It will be in the church tomorrow morning. We can probably talk about sending you boys to Brazil for further training. Breakfast is provided."

Only then I got the message. They are here not to only teach football but to also spread their religion.

My 2nd contact happened when I was in secondary school. This time I was in USJ. No more in Kajang.  My door bell rang on one evening. I went out and noticed there were two white guys on bicycles.

"Hi! I am XXX and this is YYY. We were cycling and noticed your house. It looks very pleasant. Ermm the picture on your entrance, is that the elephant God Ganesha?"

I responded with a Yes and asked him what they want.

"Oh nothing actually. We just wanted to meet your parents to talk about Lord Jesus. We would like you to know how life can be better, more peaceful with Jesus in your life. Can we come in?"

I just told them that I appreciate their presence but we are not interested. Shook hands and told them to just leave.

My 3rd contact happened when I was in college. I had this Chinese male lecturer for my Multimedia class. We once had a group discussion. My friend asked him for some assistance. He then replied,

"Son, things like this needs further explanation. Trust in Jesus and he will fix it for you"

Me and my friend were quite shocked but we didn't want to make an issue out of it. Is Jesus going to sit in exams for us? 

We thought he was joking but well he wasn't. Few days after the incident, he invited me over to his house for a Christmas party.

"Hey Sharmalan. Why don't you join us for the party? We will have grilled beef. You know, Indians should stop eating lamb. It is not good for the heart. Try beef. It is better. Your classmates XXX, YYY, ZZZ and KKK will also join us for the party. We can talk about life and also how Jesus helps us alot"

An invitation which I declined for obvious reasons.

But these people are not that bad. They never forced their religion on me and their attempt was quite mild. There is another group of people who do even worse things.

The former pastor of a particular church in Klang, Pastor Jambunathan, told me many things about the method used by the missionaries. 

He claimed that he was kicked out from the church for disagreeing with them especially on things like conversion of orphans and the poor. Many Nepali and Myanmar workers were also converted by them. 

Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The real issue is not the conversion but the method used to convert people.

I am not sure how many of you are aware of the term "Christian Inculturation". It is a covet method used by the missionaries. Basically they adopt local practice, modify it, re-brand it as Christian practice and sell it back to the people. 

Perhaps I should show you some pictures which I took from the internet on how this is being done in India:

The Upanishad is a Hindu scripture now it became Christian scripture. 

Images like this are now being circulated in the internet to bring Jesus into Hindu celebrations.

Hare Rama! Hare Krishna! Hare Yeshu??? 

Hindu Temple or Christian Church?

Hindu Yatra or Christian Yatra? Kumbham in Christianity??

Hindus or Christians?

Part of the ceremony in the Christian Yatra. They also conduct something called Christian Pooja by using coconuts and incense sticks like the Hindus.

The Saffron Christians

Christians dressed as Hindu monks going around to convert Hindus.

Krishna or Jesus? Jesus in blue and flute?

Baby Ganesha now a Christian?

Christ became Hindu god?

A new Hindu God?

Hindu God?

The new Buddha?

Bharathanatyam, a Hindu classical art dedicated to Shiva Nataraja now dedicated to Jesus?

Christian Bharathanatyam?

Christian Bharathanatyam?

The album Suprabatham is now a Tamil Christian song album. It has songs like Saranam Yesuve. Suprabatham is no longer Venkatesa Suprabatham which we all know.

Hindu slokas and mantras modified. OM SRI YESU BHAGAVATE NAMAHA. Is this from the Bible?

These pictures were taken from the internet. It was compiled by the people behind the following page which was formed in response to the missionary activities in India.

The page can be accessed at  https://www.facebook.com/hinduconversioninfo

There was another page in the past. It was known as Ban Christian Missionaries in India. They deactivated the page due to pressure from the Christians.  

Christian Inculturation is not something new in India. Back in the 17th century, there was an Italian missionary named Father Constanzo Beschi. 

Also known as Viramamunivar due to his contribution towards the Tamil script, Beschi was among the first to use inculturation in a very radical manner.

He dressed up in saffron robe like Hindu saints. He then claimed that the Bible is the 5th Veda. Therefore, all Hindus must now adhere to this Veda because it is the conclusion of the previous 4 Vedas. He claimed that this Veda was lost and he brought it back.

How cunning!

During the last decade, a new cult group emerged in India. They also have a branch in Malaysia. They are supported by Tamil film personalities like Snehan. 

According to them, their method of conducting weddings is the real Tamil way of doing it. So all Tamils must now follow this method.

The video below shows how their wedding is done:

This cult group known as Dynamic Puratchi Kalyanam (Revolutionary Dynamic Wedding) was started by a Tamil Christian man named Dr.Gabriel.

Need I explain more?

Hindus in general are not against the preaching of another religion. We have always welcomed other religions with open arms. In fact, Hindus were the only few people who gave the Jews protection in India when the rest of the world was busy chasing them out.

However, Hindus can't be blamed for speaking up against inculturation like this. This is definitely not the right way to spread Christianity.

Woman On Period & Hindu Rituals

This image is now being circulated in social media. I think the person who created this image has an unexplainable hatred towards religion. His/Her view on Hinduism is a misguided one. 

I remember one joker from Utusan once wrote an article on Manusmriti and tried to make fun of the Hindus. Looks like Utusan is not alone.

Manusmriti is a Smriti, meaning written by man. Therefore, it has no authority over modern Hindus. Vedas are Sruti, meaning non-human and divine origin. It is based on revelation received by Sages through their spiritual experience. 

Manusmriti was actually written by Manu, a king who ruled during ancient times. It was actually the constitution of his kingdom. As we all know, man made law can always contain flaws. Manusmriti has alot of good things in it and also loads of crap. 

It is not necessary for modern Hindus to follow Manusmriti. It was written for people of a different era. Hindus have the free will to use their own intelligence.

Women actually have a high position in the Hindu world. There are also many rituals which can only be done by them. Certain fast are only observed by women. So the joker who created this image need to do some homework. 

Hinduism is perhaps the only remaining religion which sees God in the form of woman, Shakti. What else is needed to explain this?

However, women are usually prevented from conducting rituals when they are on periods. The actual reason behind this is deep rooted in prehistoric times.

Those days, there were no sanitary pads. The women on periods used cloth. So there was odor and blood stain. 

Prehistoric people lived in jungles and women on periods had a higher tendency of attracting predatory animals like lions and tigers.

Religious rituals were not individual but done in groups. People lived in groups. So their rituals will always have some sort of gathering.

So segregating such woman during such ritual reduces the chances of danger for the others in the community/village. But of course, our good prehistoric ancestors would have assigned someone to guard the woman in the hut when the rest are busy with their ritual. 

This could be one reason. 

The other reason is women on periods usually have mood swings and many go through pain. Periods are also not hygienic. They may not feel comfortable to conduct a ritual. It is better for them to just take a break on such occasions.

Over the time, people forget the actual purpose and turn it into a tool to discriminate women. 

Logic eh?

Indian Malaysian Gangsters - A Historical View

I usually don't talk about gangs in my blog or Facebook page. I see too many people talking about it but I guess one article with a different perspective will be needed.

Gangsterism is a menace in this country. There are gangsters from every race. But we will look into the involvement of Indian gangsters in the Peninsular. 

To understand how it started, we need to look at the history of the community.

When the Indians migrated from India to then Malaya, the triads of India moved in with them. Back then, Indians had their own triad network just like the Chinese. The underworld of the triads has been in existence for many centuries. It is not something which was created overnight.

It is also not something which was born out of poverty. It is all about power. The Indian triads are still around but they are very secretive.

Some of these Indian triads could be older than the Mafias of Sicily. Their main source of income comes from smuggling, contract killing, protection money. They also had access to guns. So it was not just parangs like what you see today.

Like sea piracy, it was once a way of life for some.

But these triad men, though they were criminals, were not causing much trouble to the ordinary people. They were a nuisance to the law enforcers and the business community but not the general public. 

Such Indian triads existed in Port Klang too. 

Indians were numerous in the Klang harbour area. Certain triad clans were controlling the trade over there. Smuggling is a lucrative business.

Areas such as Tengku Kelana was once full of Chinese shops until the Indians took over. The Chinese are still in control in certain areas of Klang but they did loose some territory to Indian triads. I have heard of stories of clashes between Indian triads and Chinese triads from my relatives. 

My father and grandfather used to tell me that the gangsters of their time do not recruit school boys. They also do not disturb the public during temple festivals unlike what you see during Thaipusam in KL. 

But things started to change in the 1970s......

Global demand for rubber dropped and Malaysia went through a period of "Estate Fragmentation".

You may ask what was there before the rubber estates. The area was of course a thick jungle. The British brought the Indian coolies and made them clear the jungle, plant rubber and work in the rubber estates for a few generation.

After the rubber estates were fragmented, former estate lands were privatized. New owners find it cheaper to hire foreigners to work than local Indians. The skill of the Indian rubber tapper was no longer needed.

Large percentage of the estate land was converted into housing areas, industrial areas, highways. 

The present administrative capital of Putrajaya was once known as Prang Besar Estate with many Indians. I have been to that estate before it turned into Putrajaya. It was a beautiful place. 

Today you see many Malays in Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor. They are the majority now.

But Shah Alam was also once a very large estate full of Indians. When the estates were taken over for new projects, Malays moved in not just from their neighboring kampungs but also from other states. Large number of Indonesians from Java moved in too.

The Indians of the former estates were then left in the dark after the fragmentation. They had no land, no experience living in cities, no skills and no education. 

When they moved in to live in the new township, things became very hard for them. They were so used to the estate life and a sudden change was just too hard to accept.

Since they were not educated, many did not see the importance of legal registration of marriage. Because of no marriage certificate, it becomes difficult to register the birth of their children. These children then grow up as adults with red MyKad. They become stateless.

The Indians with red MyKads are often discriminated when they walk into any government offices for help. They are not treated as Malaysians. 

Life becomes very tough for them. No legal documents to help, no proper education, broken family, no help from society, no strong kinship network.....

They become the social outcast of the city and turn into crime. These are the new breed of gangsters in the society.

Unlike the previous Indian triads, these underclass Indians were very desperate. They were not well established. The adults turn to alcoholic drinks such as samsu to forget about their misery. 

The school boys join gangs. They also turn to drugs becoming both users and pushers. It gave them money. They don't have to depend on their poor parents anymore. Furthermore, they have no communal pride to worry about.

These are the type of Indian gangsters who then become a nuisance during temple festivals ramming their motorbikes, whistling, blowing vuvuzelas, drinking and dancing. They seek the attention of the society in a very unpleasant way.

This is what happens when we forcefully move people out of their existing environment and place them at the bottom of the social hierarchy in a new environment.

The well established Indian triads and Chinese triads are no longer in the front line of their business. They outsource their work to these new Indian gangsters. The triads have morphed into "Corporate Gangsters". They only deal directly with people who have influence, money and power.

Our government is also at fault here. 

They should have provided the underclass Indians with necessary skills training before moving them out. This is so that they can survive in the city.

They could have at least come up with a scheme similar to FELDA. Many Malays today are enjoying the fruit of FELDA. 

If a similar scheme was offered to the underclass Indians of the estates back in the 1970s, their children would not be suffering from poverty today. 

They would have not turned to gangs to solve their problem. Indian gang menace could have been avoided or at least minimized.

Nobody wakes up in the morning and suddenly decide to become a gangster. There is a history behind everything. In the case of the Indian Malaysian gangsters, the real problem started in the 1970s.

Boycott Israel? Start with Facebook

I noticed that some of Facebook users have recently circulated pictures like the above in Facebook. They have been suggesting that the Malaysian Muslims boycott those companies. 

So no more buka puasa (break fast) in places like McD. No more Nestle products. Forget about Huggies diapers for your babies. 

The list of things to avoid goes on.

Well I respect your choice to criticize Israel but the call for a boycott of Israel/Jewish linked products in Malaysia is just a waste of time because there is no benefit in it.

To make it worse, some Muslims even asked if I am supporting Israel's action in Gaza because I eat McD. I mean like what the......

It is nothing but an emotional outburst with no outcome for our community in Malaysia.

Why do I say this?

Because those who are calling for a boycott are still using Facebook. They are still uploading selfies and enjoying the free service provided by Facebook. They are still giving Facebook the income it needs.

The creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is a Jew. Zuckerberg appeared in Jerusalem post as the most influential Jew. I am sure he gives money to the state of Israel. Every single rich Jewish company does it. 

To add on, Zuckerberg is an active member of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi). This is a fraternity of Jewish people in America. They are hardcore supporters of Israel.

The younger Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg and former Israeli PM Shimon Perez.

Zuckerberg and current Israeli PM Netanyahu.

As long as you stay in Facebook, you are helping Israel make money. So if you really want to boycott Israel, why still use Facebook?

My HINDRAF Experience

To know more about HINDRAF check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HINDRAF . All pictures taken from Google.

The rally organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) on 25 November 2007, created a political tsunami that affected the Indian votes in the 12th Malaysian General Election in 2008.

However, it was not the first of its kind. We did have the Klang Indian Riots of the 1940s and Thondar Padai movement of Kedah in the past. There was also strong trade union movement among Indians during colonial times. I will write about it on another day.

HINDRAF was the first of its kind in the new century. Although I disagree with HINDRAF with their ideology, I decided to join the rally back then because at that time, it was crucial for the Indians in this country to be part of it. The Indians needed something like this to knock some sense into them.

I got up early on 25 November 2007 and told my parents that I am meeting up with some friends. They actually believed me. While most people chose Orange as their colour (signifying Hindu saffron), I wore Red for the rally.

My first rally experience started in Kampung Baru. I called up my friend Jullian and told him that I will SMS the updates. He decided to post my updates in Friendster so that our friends get to know the latest happenings from my side. Some could not make it to the rally because of roadblocks.

Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) a.k.a Malaysian Riot Police

The FRU surrounded that area. They issued warning and requested the crowd to disperse. People did not listen. So they fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. 

Many Indians ran into Kampung Baru which is a Malay Muslim majority housing area. The Malays even tried negotiating on their behalf.

Some of us continued with our "cat and mouse" game with the FRU. People ran in all directions. The crowd then moved to the area near Ampang Park to join another bigger crowd. There were at least 30,000 people there.

Once again, the FRU started shooting tear gas. Some of the protesters threw the canisters back at them. We were also sprayed with chemical laced water. At that moment I was already near the Tun Razak Police Station.

One tear gas canister fell near my left foot. I started suffocating and I could not see anything. My eyes and skin were burning. I inhaled too much of the gas and I knew I had to run from that place a.s.a.p. I am asthmatic and that is definitely not good.

Somehow, I managed to move away from the crowd and walked into the police station. The protesters were getting arrested at this time. Some, like me, escaped.

I saw many policemen nearby and also a group of journalist. Since I had my office lanyard and tag in my pocket, I wore it around my neck and pretended like a journalist. It saved me for a good 30 minutes.

Another crowd then emerged at Ampang Park, they decided to face the FRU batallion. The police were getting ready to charge at them. 
I didn't want to miss the action so I left my "journalist team" and joined the crowd. 

I would say that it was one of the stupidest thing I have ever done in my life. Should have just stayed quiet and enjoyed the show as a "journalist"

Once again, tear gas....chemical water......tear gas.......chemical water.

The mass arrest began.

One officer asked me "You buat apa kat sini?"
(What are you doing here?)
Me: Oh I am a tourist. What is happening here? 

You know what? He actually believed me and let me go. Probably because I spoke in English and pretended like I don't know Malay. He told me to avoid the crowd and even showed me how to get out.

Nice!

Just when I thought I was lucky and walked away, two young officers from behind grabbed me. They were shorter and smaller than me. They refuse to listen to my explanation. I even told them that their superior officer told me to go.

Nope. Not interested to listen.

I was finally caught and made to sit with the rest inside the police vehicle. My phone rang at that moment. Guess who? It was my wife (then friend) with details of people who can be contacted in the event of arrest. 

I hid my phone in my socks because some of the detainees told me that the police confiscated their phones. I didn't want to loose my phone. 

We were brought to PULAPOL at Jalan Semarak.

There were around 200 of us in the detention center. The police gave us drinks which I refused to take because of my ego. We were not ill treated but I did see some guys getting kicked during the rally.

I managed to call one of my uncles. He is a lawyer. He told me what to do. He advised me to inform the other detainees not to sign any papers and wait for lawyers to arrive. So I did some messenger work inside the detention center explaining to them on what needs to be done.

I was actually frustrated with some of them. They refused to listen and decided to make things hard. Others including some "community trash" who I think don't deserve to protest were also there.

There were also guys from the MIC Youth/Putra division. A few of them went on to become popular bloggers/social media personalities later. I don't wish to name them here.

I wondered......

What are these guys doing here? Is something going on and I am not aware of it? But never mind, it doesn't matter anymore.

A few hours later, Latheefa Koya and her team arrived. The police briefed us and informed that we can leave. There were no charges. I was among the few who refused to sign any papers. 

The policeman who spoke with me actually gave up. 

"Okay la. Tak mahu sign tak apalah. You pergilah" 
(Okay la. If you don't want to sign then it is okay. You leave)

I left the place after spending about 7 hours inside. 

News of my detention reached home even before me. I received numerous calls from friends and family members asking if I was alright. Did they beat me? etc.

I was okay, unharmed. Looks like Jullian did a good job :)

I can't write every single detail about that day here but it was one hell of an experience. 

Back before and after HINDRAF, I used to be quite active in Indian forums before blogs became popular. We used to have discussion via emails and online groups. 

Few months after the HINDRAF incident, I was approached by their overseas coordinator, Ravi Shan. We met in Seremban for a teh tarik session. 

Ravi found out that I do research on the Indian community. I used to visit the National Archives frequently. He knew that I could help their front line propaganda team. So he introduced me to few others in the HINDRAF team hoping that I will join their cause.

But our ideologies are different. If Ravi reads this and still remembers me, I want him to know why I never joined them.

HINDRAF was formed under the Hindu banner but it claimed to champion all Indians, which includes non-Hindus. There was a flaw in their foundation.

They were inconsistent in certain matters especially their decision to sue the British government which never saw any positive outcome. It was probably used as a bait to gain the support of the community. 

Their struggle was of a communal nature and not a class struggle. 

To make matters worse, they later joined hands with the same people they once fought against. This betrayed many of their own supporters.

Perhaps the movement was hijacked and that lead to its failure. One brother became Deputy Minister and the other went to prison. Whatever happened after that is history.

HINDRAF brothers Waythamoorty (left) and Uthayakumar (right). Waythamoorty later joined the BN government as a Deputy Minister while his brother went to prison. Ganabathi Rao (centre).

Many people who read my writings tend to judge me wrongly by assuming that I must be a hardcore right wing Indian-Hindu champion. 

There were even some who asked if I am interested to join their Indian organisation. This includes some friends from MIC. 

I never joined them. 

Because although I may do research on Indian related matters or talk about Hinduism in my blog, politically, I am inclined towards Left.

I believe in the ideals of Socialism within a proper democratic system. I believe in the separation of state and religion without any racial preference.

A Socialist who prefers Merit over Reservation.

So someone like me can never join HINDRAF or MIC as they are based on something which I think should never even be part of governance.

He Saw His Death Coming

Yama @ Dharmaraja, the Lord of Death on his buffalo.

My maternal grandmother, Visalatchy, once told me a story. It is regarding her great grandfather (her mother's maternal grandfather). His name was Vaiyapuri Pillai.

So the late Vaiyapuri Pillai lived up to around 80 years of age. He was healthy. Like most of my maternal relatives, Vaiyapuri Pillai was also from Thanjavur.

On one evening, the late Vaiyapuri Pillai was having a chat with his wife outside their house. She was sweeping while listening to her husband's words.

Suddenly, he told his wife, "Look! I see a man riding a buffalo. He is coming towards our house!"

His wife turned and saw nothing. There was nobody at the entrance.

What happened the next moment shocked her. Vaiyapuri Pillai fell down and died......just like that!

He saw his death coming. The Hindus and Buddhist believe that death comes in the form of Yama on a buffalo. 

I have heard of many similar stories about death and afterlife. It is interesting to know that certain people are able to see their death coming. 

If you have a story, do share it :)

Housewives & Working Women - My Response To Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat

My mother worked for 40 years. My wife is the COO at an international bank. It makes me proud. She doesn't make phulkas for me. We outsource that work to our help, and it doesn't really bother me. If my wife had spent her life in the kitchen, it would have bothered me more. 

One,
a man who marries a career woman gets a partner to discuss his own career with. A working woman may be able to relate better to organizational issues than a housewife. A spouse who understands office politics and can give you good advice can be an asset.

Two,
a working woman diversifies the family income streams. In the era of expensive apartments and frequent lay-offs, a working spouse can help you afford a decent house and feel more secure about finances.

Three,
a working woman is better exposed to the world. She brings back knowledge and information that can be useful to the family. Whether it's the latest deals or the best mutual fund to invest in, or even new holiday destinations, a working woman can add to the quality of life.

Four,
the children of a working woman learn to be more independent and will do better than mollycoddled children.

Five,
working women often find some fulfillment in their jobs, apart from home. Hence, they may have better life satisfaction, and feel less dependent on the man. This in turn can lead to more harmony.

We must accept and even celebrate our successful women. They take our homes ahead and our country forward. We may have less hot phulkas, but we will have a better nation. — Chetan Bhagat


What you have just read is Chetan Bhagat's opinion about women's role. I respect his opinion and the choice made. For those of you (esp Malaysians) who have never heard of him, kindly Google about him and his writings.

Our living cost has shoot up and yes I do agree that under the present condition, it will be financially practical for both husband and wife to work. However, I disagree with his portrayal of housewives in the article above.

In his article, Chetan made it sound like housewives are naive people who are born to make phulkas for their family. He has underestimated the role of housewives to a mere cleaner and cook who does not know anything about the world outside her house.

Phulkas

Let me tell you why housewives are among the most awesome people to ever walk the earth.

Both my mother and wife are housewives but that does not mean they never had a fair share of life in the office. 

My mother quit her job when I was young. She was 34 when she quit. She used to win the annual best staff award in the company for more than a decade. She also represented her company in volleyball.

My wife who is the same age as me was a 1st class honors graduate. She is smarter than me. She worked in the bank and also as a teacher for many years before quitting her job. She still teaches part time and her students love her. The schools she worked for has on several occasions, requested her to consider working for them again.

My wife and mother

Like them, there are many women out there who became housewives.

Why do I think they are great?

Because despite having a bright future in their respective careers, women like these willingly make sacrifices for the sake of their family. They let go career life because they feel that family matters more to them. My wife prefers to raise our daughter by herself than to depend on a nanny.

A man who is married to such women is probably the luckiest in the planet. Because he is married to someone who loves her family more than her own career aspiration.

How many men are willing to let go a prospective career to be at home?

It is not easy being a housewife. I have seen how hard life can be for them. Not only do they need to manage the entire house, they also need to manage the people who live in that house. 

If you think you are great because you are some Senior Manager with a Phd in office politics, think again because the housewife manages both you and your money.

A housewife is the de factor Home Minister. She is the pillar of the family. 

She is also the Premise Manager who takes care of the house. A Psychologist and Counselor  for her husband and children. Your 5 digit salary earned from the corporate world is actually managed by this Finance Manager who knows better on how to save and how to spend. She also knows what to buy and what not to buy, where to get the best deals, when it should be bought and for how often.

Whenever there is an event at home, be it a simple family gathering or a grand wedding, it is she who plans, organizes, and executes the tasks with military precision. If it was not for her, everything will be chaos or as what we Malaysians say, it will be kelam-kabut.

Chetan's claim that children raised by working women are more independent is actually a myth because it is a matter of how the child is raised. 

Most working women hire maids to do almost everything for their children. These children actually have a higher tendency to become more dependent than independent. 

But a good housewife mother will teach the children how to get things done in the house than to just do everything for them. She leads by example and that actually makes the children not only capable of taking care of themselves but also more appreciative of their mothers.

A housewife is not a naive person who does not know the world. In fact, she may know the world better than you do. If you want to know about the economy of a country, ask the housewives. They can give you more information on things like inflation, available goods, ration and living cost because they deal with it daily. 

Having said all these, I am not claiming that those career women are inferior or superior. But I wish to strongly make a point here that the housewives are not inferior to anyone. 

Many people are under the impression that women who work are much more capable. Let me tell you this, be it a woman or man, having a high position in a large multinational company does not make you better than others. 

I have met Senior Managers who are not able to even fix a simple problem at home. There was this guy who I know. He earns a 5 digit salary in a large company. He does not know how to bargain in a shop. He often gets cheated by paying more than he have to at the market. 

There was once a problem with the piping in his house after some renovation. I checked it out for him and asked him how were the pipes connected. He does not know because he just paid money and asked the contractor to deal with it. He did not even bother to take the ladder and check the piping for himself. He is too dependent on  others to work for him. Get what I mean?

There are also many corporate people out there who don't even know how to deal with people on the street. 

Although they may sound firm and authoritative in their offices, some become weak when confronted on the road. Many also do not know how to handle an emotional situation in life.

I am not saying that corporate people in general or corporate women are useless. I am only saying that success in corporate world does not guarantee you success in life outside the office.

Therefore, it is not right to stereotype housewives as less intelligent or less capable than those women who work. 

They are not phulka machines and they can manage life better than most of us. That makes corporate knowledge or office politics expertise sound really useless for a happy life at home.