Earthly Topics

2018-07-14T02:40:00.006-07:00

M A T H E M A T I C S

MATHEMATICS is also one aspect (Dimension?) that is strewn all over just as Space and Time. Just as Space and Time start getting counted, as soon as an activity starts taking place, Mathematics also starts getting applied from that moment.

In my student days, Physics and Chemistry always sounded glamorous and popular, and the findings in these subjects found immediate applications in all products and processes that were being developed all over the world, contributing to the development and welfare of the people And also jobs. But Mathematics stood next to them like the poor cousin Cinderella though attractive and beautiful the subject as it was, it was very much uncared for. It looked full of only theories, theorems, formulas and equations all remaining in paper, only some of it getting applied in Physics and Chemistry, and most of it remaining idle, though some of it found as mathematical application itself just as in surveying, astronomy, computer applications and the like.

Now, the Mathematics has come into its own, with huge applications in Space Travel, Super Computers, actuaries, statistics, share market predictions and the like.

But, come to think of it, everything happening in this world is applying some form of Mathematics, whether they are inanimate things or the living beings or are even in the arena of mind or psche. Thus, the moment a male sperm makes contact with the female egg they combine and start multiplying in the geometric proportions 2 -4- 8- 16 -32 ….. The formations and growth of organs in a human being or any living being follows some mathematic discipline. DNA acts as a blue print for the programme as per which the body develops and functions. Apart from seeing and admiring all the colours, designs and patterns that we see in all flowers and leaves of plants and trees, imagine how much mathematics is going into it! Everywhere, everything follows some mathematics – Not exactly using something like human brains, but, by using something dictated by super intelligence strewn in nature, not yet found by us human beings.

But, the brilliancy does not stop there! The mathematical theories and formulas etc are strewn all over, waiting only for the right person/character to pick it up!

Thus, Calculus was discovered and Newton used it to explain Gravity and Gravitational theory. Albert Einstein used the formulas called the Lorentz Transformations to explain the theory of relativity. But, the systems existed even before these discoveries obeying the mathematics involved to the core. And the mathematics existed even before that. Ramanujan the great mathematician discovered so many number theories, and people were wondering what use they will be put in. But these discoveries eventually found their applications in computers.

Every year mathematics experts and researchers will keep coming out with new theories and discoveries. Every year, we will find that some of these have been applied in such and such systems and we may find new applications of these discoveries as well. But, the discoveries will outnumber applications , and more so the undiscovered Mathematics will outnumber the discovered part.

Just as ‘AUM’ is said to be spread all over the Universe, so seem to be Mathematics.

Once, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa handed over a pink rose to a devotee, and that devotee expressed his desire to beget one white rose from Paramahamsa. Paramahamsa looked at the plant from which he plucked the pink rose, and expressed that somehow he was not very good at mathematical aspect of the devotion. But, next day, when the devotee again came to have His darshan, Paramahamsa pointed the devotee towards that flowering plant and the devotee to his amazement saw the plant full of white roses.

SIVASAKTHI

2015-08-25T10:30:00.003-07:00

Text both in Tamil and English

சக்தி இல்லையேல் சிவன் இல்லை - சிவன் இல்லையேல் சக்தி இல்லை, என்று திருவிளையாடல் சினிமாவில் சக்தியும் சிவனும் சண்டை போட்டுக்கொள்வார்கள். இது எப்படி சாத்தியம்? சிவம் என்றால் ஒன்றும் இல்லாத எல்லை இல்லாத சூனியம். சக்தியோ தான் என்ற உணர்வு பெற்றது. இது எப்படி சிவனிடமிருந்து சக்தி பெற முடியும்?

சக்தி என்பதை 1 என்று வைத்துக் கொள்வோம். சிவமாவது 0 அல்லது சூன்யம். 1ன் பின் 0 வைக் கூட்டிக்கொண்டே போக அதன் அளவு எல்லை கடந்து போகிறது. 100000....000..இப்படி. ஆக, எல்லையில்லாத சூன்யத்திலிருந்து அளவு கடந்த சக்தியை பெறுகிறாள் சக்தி. அந்த சக்தி நீள அகல உயர பரிமாணத்தில் இருக்கலாம். அல்லது கால நேர பரிமாணம். அல்லது அளவு கடந்த சக்தி இப்படி பல பரிமாணங்கள்!

அமெரிக்கா கண்டம் கண்டு பிடித்த புதுதில், ஐரோப்பியர்கள் தங்களுக்குள் ஒரு விதி வைத்திருந்தாக சொல்வார்கள். காலையில் ஒருவன் குதிரை மேலேறி சவாரி செய்ய ஆரம்பித்தால், மாலையில் இருட்டும் வரை அவன் எவ்வளவு தூரம் செல்கிறானோ அந்த மொத்த அளவும் அவனுக்கு சொந்தம். அதுவரை அவன் கண்டு கேட்டிராத நிலம், சொத்து அவனுக்கு சொந்தமாகிறது. இது ஓரளவு சக்தி சிவனைப் பற்றி புரிந்து கொள்ள உதவும் உதாரணம்.

ஆயினும் ஓரளவு அறிவுக்கு எட்டும் இந்த விதி எனக்கு அனுபவ பூர்வமாக இதுவரை எட்டவே இல்லை! விஞ்சான பார்வையில் கடவுள் இருக்கிறார் என்று நிரூபிக்கும் முயற்சி இது. ஏன், 1000000... என்பதற்கு பதில் 1111111.... என்றோ அல்லது 123456789123456789... என்று கூட இருக்கலாமே என்று கேட்கலாம். அது கணிதத்தின் படி சரியாக கூட தோன்றலாம். ஆனால் சூன்யத்தின் எல்லையற்ற தன்மை 1,2 என்று வந்த பிறகு நிச்சயம் குறைய ஆரம்பிக்க வேண்டும். அது, நமக்கு தெரிந்த கணிதத்தினால் விவரிக்க முடியாமல் இருக்க வேண்டும்.

ஒருவர் சமாதி நிலை அடைகிறார் என்பது அவர் தன்னிலை இழந்து நீண்டு பரந்த சூன்யத்திற்குள் நுழைகிறார் என்பதே என்பது என் கணிப்பு.

There is this dialogue exchange that there is no Sakthi (Energy) without Siva (boundless nothingness) and there is no Siva without Sakthi. Siva being boundless nothingness, how can Sakthi an entity in itself derive more power from Siva?

Take Sakthi as 1. Siva is 0, that is soonya or nothingness. When you add zeroes after 1, for example, 10000000....00000...., the value increases tremendously. Thus, from boundless nothingness, Sakthi derives immeasurable power. It could be in the dimension of length breadth and height, or in time scale or it could be in the amount of energy. It could have different dimensions!

I used to hear that when America was discovered, there used to be a system that if a man started riding a horse after sunrise, the land he covers by riding the horse till sunset used to become his. Thus a man owns the land and wealth he has not seen or heard before. This sort of helps us to understand the mammoth Sivasakthi.

This is a sort of an attempt to explain the existence of God to those in Science. Though I am able to understand the principle, I am not able to experience the same within me so far. One may ask why even 111111111111......... or 123456789123456789....
..... can also run endlessly, but, the boundlessness of nothingness must be getting reduced once it becomes 1,2,3, like that, and the mathematics of today may not be able to explain it so far.

My guess is that, when one attains Samadhi, one loses his self identity and mixes with the vast nothingness around.

2014-04-17T12:25:00.001-07:00

HEALTH AND MIND 5: LIFE FORCE/LIFE ENERGY

Body and Life are the two facets in any person that are inseparable. Each one has a bearing on the other. While the medical fraternity has analyzed the parts, features and functions of the body thoroughly, not much progress has been made in the analysis of Life in a person. May be the scholars have categorized all life forms existing in the world, may be psychology studies the mind and there are studies that deal with psychosomatic illness or pain caused in the body because of abnormality of mind or such factor, but, we have not gained so far the complete knowledge about Life. Only the Indian Medicine attempts to study Life. Some Sadhus (saints) have/had complete control over their life, and they have even attempted to impart this knowledge and understanding of life to all the common people around, but, this has not been understood much by the people at large.

There are/were many people who occupied the centre stage in the world who are/were full of Life Energy! Swami Vivekananda among saints, John Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Indira Gandhi among political leaders, Bill Gates among industrialists and innovators, Leonardo Dicaprio, Peter O’Toole, Clarke Cable, Vivian Leigh, Rajesh Khanna, and Rajini Kanth among actors are some of the people among many who exhibited/exhibit bountiful Life Energy. The people who are full of Life energy are full of verve, zest and zeal, they are leaders in whatever field they get into and they are adored by the people surrounding them. Their dynamism, verve, zest and zeal catch on to the other people fast.

How does one acquire this boundless Life energy??

The answer may surprise us in that it is a regulator switch in each one of us by putting on which, we let the Life energy in full flow in to our system. Just any of us feel and make himself/herself ‘on’, and to one’s fullest, and in no time he/she will see himself/herself in full energetic form with verve, zest and zeal. There is a catch though – It doesn't come easy even to set oneself on. There may be so much of laziness, procrastination, depression, fear and disbelief etc in each one of us that simply the system will refuse to comply with to being put on.

The body has its own life, mind and intellect within the precincts of a person that has an impact on life. At cellular level, DNA accumulates the knowledge and experience into its fold, adds these along with what it already has, makes use of these to good extent and passes on these to the next generation through its due share. Within the body itself there is so much interaction and communication that are sometimes hardly noticed by the person. Thus if an injury is caused to a person, the injured part sends the message, the brain gets into remedial action, pools up the other parts’ efforts and act till the person is cured of the illness caused by the injury and becomes completely alright. Our own intellect is somehow not capable of such knowledge before hand, unless it opens itself to Universal Existence. The life itself could be contributing to this life in the body, and both this life and the life in the body could be part and the parcel of this Universal Existence. There is total knowledge in each one of us, without any of us being much aware of it! It goes to prove the adage, “What is in Macrocosm is in Microcosm!”.

The life of the body and its very living is a natural phenomenon – its eating habits, sleep, sex, and all other aspects of life are all normal. But, anything excess is bad. Thus, food is a basic requirement for the body, but, excess of food is detrimental. And so are, sleep, sex, alcohol or any other aspect. But, the mind having tasted the pleasure from any one or all of these, wants more and more of these and will not like to settle for anything less. It wants to gloat in this enjoyment and indulges more and more into these pleasures to the avoidance of all other activities vital for the survival. The thoughts and actions surround only these activities. The deprivation from these pleasures causes uncontrollable anger. The thought of somebody or something depriving the person of these pleasures induces fear in him/her. The person gets jealousy of somebody enjoying equally like him/her or more. The whole existence like this gives him/her immense pride and leads to bloated ego. The person gets totally sunk into this way of existence.

But, the enjoyment diminishes over time, but, the person’s habit/addiction will not let him/her go. He/she experiences pain and gets diseases, and yet he/she cannot let go of his/her habits. There may occur innumerable other blocks, still he/she may not opt to come out of it. Finally, he/she succumbs to it totally and inescapably bears and suffers the consequences of these acts. Worse, the person is not in total agreement with himself/herself or in total harmony with himself/herself and is dissatisfied with himself/herself.

Only a few are lucky to be borne into best circumstances. Barring these, the rest are all borne into different forms and levels of laziness, procrastination, depression, fear and disbelief and such. To these are added the form of indulgence and addiction as described above, and the pathetic situation of the person is complete.

And to come out of it all and get rid of these all, all one has to do is to switch oneself on. That is it! “On means exactly that, ‘On’. ‘On’ means to get rid of all these negative qualities in one, like indulgence and addiction, which habits, one doesn't approve of in oneself. ‘On’ means to completely get rid of the fear, and face the ensuing days courageously. ‘On’ means not to procrastinate one’s acts, either due to laziness, or, out of fear or such reasons. ‘On’ means not to succumb to self pity and depression. ‘On’ means to take oneself seriously and not succumb to disbelief. And just be on and, on to your fullest, and all the ‘do’s and don’ts mentioned above occur naturally and instantaneously.

‘On’ means to swim over all that is not wanted by one oneself, and all that is unacceptable to one, and rise, rise and rise above all of these. One gets fresh and energetic naturally and one acts to one’s fullest efficiency.

These are naturally accruing benefits. I comprehend that much more benefits may come in one’s way! One gets automatically connected to Universal Existence and gains knowledge without effort. Happiness engulfs one naturally. Unimaginably wonderful ideas and thoughts occur to one from nowhere and which are beneficial to the world and which may catapult one to limelight and fame. Music flows into one, and one sees fun and joy all around him.
Normally, most of us are not fully on most of the time, and my guess is that a person may be on up to 20% or 30%. If the job on hand requires our urgent attention and focus, the 'On' factor may rise up to 50%. If the person loves his job and has full interest in the execution of the same, the 'On' factor may rise even to 80%. If a person is on 100%, he becomes enlightened.

There are people who are so diffident and lacking in self confidence that their each one’s life/intellect/mind does not control the body completely, the personality projection is vague and unclear and doesn't look belonging. Such people look anaemic. The nutrients of whatever good food they eat don’t seem to be absorbed and all the food doesn't seem to get digested. They are poor eaters. One’s life and body shall belong to each other and gel well to be healthy. In some others, this not belonging to the body causes slouch and laziness. And they get the pregnant tummy look. One shall love himself/herself and one shall totally identify oneself with the body and enjoy life, but, see that one doesn't succumb to its demands and that discretion is exercised.

When the body and mind/life gel well, the food one eats gets well digested and the nutrients are well absorbed by the body. The body becomes fluent and throbbing and looks full of life.

That 'Life' is a scientific quantity is proved by the very fact that a person lives only till he/she is alive, that is his/her Life is in his/her body, and the moment the person dies, that is when the Life goes out of the body, the body gets decomposed in no time. Life is formless as far as we know, and about its qualities and properties, we have not studied much to codify them

Disclaimer: I have expressed my thoughts on this subject for the benefit and welfare of the mankind. But, I am not an expert on this subject. I don’t belong to Medical profession or profession in Psychology/psychiatry. There may be some thoughts which may not be correct. I request the readers to take only what appeals as correct, experiment with it and verify the same as correct, and then take into one’s fold. I am a co traveler and student as all of you in this. Thank you!

Health and Mind - 4: BREATHING

2014-01-22T06:47:00.001-08:00

We all use the computers in our daily lives, and operate these computers day in day out. In the process we all have gained good knowledge about computers and software systems. This knowledge can give us some good insights into the human physiology. For example, the reflex actions resemble very much the short cut icons we use in the Desktop. We can see that, in sneezing, probably the body cannot even afford those minuscule seconds in getting the approval of the brain to execute the action and it carries out the action first and then sends the details of what had occurred, to the brain. Again, Just as it takes place in ‘spelling and grammar’ in Microsoft Word, and also in the Google Search etc, the mind prompts us with different suggestions on various occasions, which mostly we are not aware, and which may help us very much if we are aware of this facility in us. For example, when a neighbour comes and tells me that a house is for sale at a throwaway price, something in me immediately prompts that the house is built over a refilled area and it may sink, or, the house is in a low lying area, or that the neighbours of that house are not likable people and the like. It is upto me to accept the prompting or leave it.

Breathing can be considered as both voluntary and involuntary action. We take it as normal that we breathe air automatically, inhaling Oxygen into the system and exhaling Carbon dioxide, the rate being in the range 12 to 20 cycles per minute for adults. 3 to 5 seconds per cycle looks too small a time for us that we take the breathing as a matter of fact, and do not give many thoughts to the act.

But, 3 seconds or more is quite a time for the processors. Thus, it could be that the brain seeks the requirements of Oxygen to the various parts of the body from those parts of the body, and executes inhaling of that much Oxygen into lungs and sends the same to those parts. The most important outcome of this way of viewing by us is that we may conclude that the various parts of the body from the legs to the head unite together to draw Oxygen through nose and it is not just that the nose inhales air and Oxygen as a matter of fact, and as an independent act.

We understand that whenever we do physical work we require more Oxygen to the parts that we exercise. If we are not able to get that much Oxygen through normal breathing, we resort to gasping, that is inhaling Oxygen through mouth and in higher frequencies and drawing more Oxygen per cycle. Best example is running. Sometimes we resort to a one time deep inhalation of air through the nose drawing the maximum/required Oxygen to execute an act, say, like using a heavy hammer in one stroke to cut a rod.

It looks strange that our act of thinking requires quite much Oxygen. The reports say that the brain occupies 2% of the body weight but it requires 20% of Oxygen intake. It even happens that the thoughts rush to our minds even as we are breathing, wanted thoughts or unwanted ones. As thoughts occupy the mind, the brain gets clogged and becomes dull to the level that it becomes less serious about executing breathing. Even the nose slows down in breathing and draws less Oxygen than required. The whole body gets Oxygen lower than the quantity required and necessary. The body as a whole gets so foxed up that it forces breathing through the mouth, forcibly drawing maximum Oxygen through the mouth. That is how yawning probably takes place. Likewise, strange as it seems, at times if the brain is engaged in ‘some’ thinking, drawing more Oxygen for itself in the process, the part of the brain that is in charge of the breathing becomes clogged and dull, and the nose becomes slower in breathing, and the brain resorts to a similar act like yawning, but this time through the nose and the supply of Oxygen is limited to brain only. This is called ‘sigh’.

There is a regulator switch in the life force in each of us which ups the energy level, when we get involved in important acts, or, when we are in our happy moments etc. Those times the breathing is normal, fluent and easy. But, the same regulator also downs the energy level when we are bored with what we are doing, or, when we are strenuously involved in some acts that needs lots of thinking and involvement, which zaps and drains our energy mentally etc. These are the times the body resorts to yawning or sighing.

At a lesser level, probably breathing through mouth does not require much permission from brain, and hence the body resorts to breathing through mouth, whenever the body or brain gets tired. At some other level, when the body or brain is tired, the breathing through the nose is done with some difficulty, and the body resorts to (semi)deep breathing through the nose and even then the Oxygen intake may not match the requirements of the body. This (semi)deep breathing is voluntary and is not pranayama, and the lack of Oxygen can be felt all over the body by dullness and pain.

The thoughts that gallop in the mind include every type of thought. Normally from an important thought that occurs, many thoughts branch out and spread in all directions and they substantially express our desires or anger, worries and anxieties and what have you! To give an example, an important thought occurs in a person's mind, 'I shall go to the Office in time!'. Immediately the other thoughts rush into the person's mind like, ' Otherwise the boss will bark at me' and then the thoughts branch out to the unpleasant dealings the person had with the boss. It continues on. The thoughts being unpleasant, they zap and waste the energy. The regulator switch in the body downs the energy level. The whole thing creates a vague field where the brain/mind gets submerged and loses most of its energy and focus, and thus causing the breathing take a back seat in the process. Going to the office being an important act, the brain pulls itself, the person takes a deep sigh and moves on. It may be for the same or similar person that doing the Office work continuously becomes dreary and tiring! The body resists and protests, and becomes unable and weak to continue. This is the time the body resorts to yawning. Thus Breathing being so essential and a must thing, the body or the brain as the case may be rises to the occasion and forcibly executes the breathing.

Quite independently of the above, it looks even stranger that depending on whether the part that requires Oxygen is placed lower or higher in the body, the nose also breathes that much lower or higher within it. Thus for the leg, the nose breathes at lower part of the nose, and for neck, say, that much higher part of the nose. For head the nose breathes through the highest part of it. Breathing at the back side of the nose takes the Oxygen to the back parts of the body like back bone portions and breathing at the front side of the nose takes Oxygen to the front parts of the body like heart, stomach etc. The reports say that we alternate between breathing through the left nostril and the right nostril. More oxygen inhaling as in Pranayama is welcome, and the body accepts extra Oxygen probably upto a degree.

The blood flow in a person, supplying as it does Oxygen to the various parts of the body, probably plays an important role in getting the requirements of Oxygen for the various parts of the body and conveys it to the brain. Oxygen in take is more where blood supply is required maximum. When the blood supply gets concentrated in some parts, like say in the stomach area during digestion of food, the other parts get less blood supply and in turn less Oxygen. These are times when a person looks dull and experiences mild pain all over the body, because of lack of blood and Oxygen, and becomes less efficient during that time. The person goes for an afternoon nap.

How does knowing all these help us? Well, Pranayama (under the guidance of a proper Guru) teaches us to take deep breaths and inhale as much air and Oxygen as possible consciously, hold it for some seconds time and then exhale the Carbon dioxide. Conscious breathing cuts down on thoughts, thus lowering the requirements of the Oxygen, and eventually we will settle down for slower cycles of inhalation and exhalation done deeply and more relaxed and making the body also more relaxed and supple. Buddhism tells us to keep observing our breath and this helps us to continually cut down on thoughts. The whole process aids the regulator switch to have more energy level in our life force, and up the energy level in the body. We start enjoying our very being in this world!

We may also try cutting down on thoughts by our normal day to day practice. And also it will help us immensely, if we involve ourselves in physical work and exercise, which automatically cuts down thoughts.

Initially, the default system in each of us dominates. We get back to our routine levels of inhaling and exhaling soon after the practice. After a good long practice of Pranayama for a long period of time over days and years, and on our practice of cutting down thoughts, the practice gets ingrained in our system, and that is when it bears fruit.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I have not studied Medicine or any subject connected to Medicine. What I have written above can only be taken as postulates.

Evolution of Languages

2011-12-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

I have come to some conclusions as to how in the primitive stages the language could have evolved, though over the time it could have got mixed up and complex.

The diagram expresses how the various alphabets in Indian languages give the direction and the approximate distance, when a person lets out a vowel. Depending on the intensity with which one speaks, either the seriousness of the issue is revealed, or the distance gets multiplied. Thus a अ அ gives Y axis, e इ இ gives X axis, and u उ உ gives Z axis etc,and aa आ ஆ , ee ई ஈ and uu ऊ ஊ give the farther end of the same. ae ए எ gives the angular direction in the Y positive X negative quadrants and also X positive Y negative quadrants, and o ओ ஒ gives the same in XY both positive or both negative quadrants. औ ஔ gives the torque or turning momentum, and ஃ emphasizes static point. Thus i ஐ ई becomes origin or subtle vertical movements about the origin and thus becomes 'I' the self. When a person stands before you he forms z axis with you, and thus Uu becomes 'you'. In Hindi it is 'thum', and in Tamil, eventhough Nee is in X axis,it travels in z axis direction and comes back, Un, ungal etc form Z axis with I. He, She, Him, Her etc in any language form an arc in the speaker's eyeball and get away from the sight, settles in the low regions above the horizontal plane, X axis-Zaxis.
This logically leads to the other conclusion- Ka -Ga mean Solids, and Sa -Cha mean liquids; gas being not visible got submerged in Ya and Va. Some studies are to be made on Da and Ta which are basically Noice indicative. Na and nNa indicate sensitiveness (electricity). Pa is indicative of one's Pushing ability when challenged, and 'Ma' the cries let out by one when faced with distress. 'Ra' may mean slicing through in a rough way, and 'La' may express excitement.'zha' in Tamil is lubricating and meaning the softness of the commodity. Thus is formed a rash analysis of how the languages could have evolved.

Are we living the life fast forward??

2011-04-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

The news item “Ozone hole has dried Australia, says study” appearing in the The Hindu newspaper dated 25th April 2011 reports that the scientists say that the Antarctic Ozone hole is about one-third to blame for Australia’s recent series of droughts. But the same news item gives some comforting news at the end of the article saying that the U.N. Montreal Protocol has significantly curbed emissions of the substances that caused depletion of Ozone in the stratosphere, the upper atmosphere. The Antarctic Ozone hole should be repaired by 2045-60, the report adds.
The Ozone hole, the Global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions and the vagaries in the weather conditions and in nature that come with these are the visual proof that we are exploiting the nature beyond the tolerance levels. It is good that we are taking steps to curb this exploitation.
In general, we tend to use up whatever the nature offers us and end up fast in scarcity of the resources. Nothing is spared, the air, water….. ! There are two reasons for the using up of resources. The first reason is the population explosion. This needs no further explanation. The good thing is that all the countries are moving towards stabilization of the population. Someday, we will definitely have a stable population level, but, from then on to move towards a population level that is in total compatibility with the surrounding nature will be our next task.
The second and the more disastrous reason is the way we the individuals consume everything that we can lay our hands on! We want more of everything – a second car, a palatial bungalow with more space than we need, lavish use of timber, marble, granite and such resources, air conditioners, the list goes on endless. We want to out beat others. We want to be the richest, come what may. We put up a show, throw up a feast and what not to have that one-upmanship, wasting food and many other natural commodities in the process! This unwanted and unhealthy competition results in the deprivation of the genuine needs of a good lot of population for now, and in depriving forever the needs of the future generation. They also undergo these orgies to endlessly gratify themselves. ‘Have we the right?’ is a moral and ethical question that the individuals will not bother to answer. Okay! But, their acts don’t do good to these individuals either! Over the time, these individuals end up segregated from the main stream, sit on top lonely, lose their peace of mind and lose their health.
Mahatma Gandhi has said, "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. But, we ignore this dictum to our peril. It is time that we correct ourselves.
Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have shown the world the way by giving back the world much of what they took from it. That satisfies the economical aspects of the problem.
But, in general, we have to learn to live optimally utilizing the natural resources. In living the life fast forward, we will not only not enjoy the present, but we will lose the future for ever, may be.
I typed in Google search “the nature can supply for our need, but not our greed” to get Gandhi’s quotation correct. In the process I am amazed to find 5,260,000 results on the subject, all dealing with preserving nature and its resources. It feels wonderful that so many are involved in correcting this problem.

TREATMENT FOR THE TYPE 2 DIABETES AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF A PATIENT

2011-02-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Diabetic diet prescribed for the patients supplies around 2000k.cals a day, give some or take away some. It consists of three main courses, each supplying 400 to 500k.cals together with the accompaniments, interspersed with an evening sugarless tea and biscuits, morning coffee and night milk, both with no sugar and also buttermilk or vegetable soup or sugarless lime juice and Marie biscuits at 11AM, each drink contributing 60kcals and each biscuit 30k.cals. Added to this diet list is that the whole food will have no salt and no oil, which actually translates to a patient being allowed 5gms of salt per day, and very very little oil to go with the food. And the doctors advise forty minutes of brisk walk a day. Vegetables and fiber intake is a must, and the doctors insist on greens in the food being mandatory. Certain medicines are also given to keep the sugar levels under control.

Initially, right on the first day and second, the whole diet looks woefully little. The question creeps in the back of mind as to whether one will be able to survive on this diet. I for one had already reduced the intake of food, salt and oil, but, even then I was in for a shock looking at the dismal quantity. Both my colleague and my brother who were taking care of me in the hospital after I had a minor heart attack and was recouping, were adamant sticklers of the norms and rules, and they were aided by a battalion of nurses and doctors, so, I had no other go except to observe the system. And of boy, how nicely it worked!!

1. One week down the line, or may be a little more, I had lost 7kgs!! I was weighing 81kgs before the attack, and now it showed 74kgs as my weight, my height being 175cms. It was pleasure looking at myself in the mirror. With the strict following of the diet, I could maintain that weight right through to this day, 3 months after the attack. What is more, I could not observe the diet on certain days because of certain extraneous compulsions, and on these days, I had to eat much more, which resulted in the weight increase by 2kgs or more. But, two days of observations of the diet system brought the weight back to 74kgs. This happened two or three times. And, now I am very sure of how to get back to 74kgs, even if the weight goes up by a kg or two.

2. In the days before I took on to diet, I used to feel a bit sleepy after taking food, and now, that is gone! The meals are all very light and they don’t make a demand on the system. One can be brisk all through the day!

3. The visits to the toilets get reduced both in the day and in the night. The urine is lighter both in colour and in density. The irritability and the nagging feeling in the bladder and the tracts get reduced drastically, and the patient lives no more in the nightmare of having to look around for a toilet, just in case… ! A total relief!!

4. I always get a feeling that the high sugar level in the blood causes ulcers all the way, but, a doctor cousin of mine questions the veracity of the statement. May be it aids ulcers, but, it doesn’t cause one, he opines. Nevertheless, when I have more sugar levels, the gums in my teeth get minor cuts, with blood oozing out of them. Some people get persistent cough! The irritability of the urine tracts may also be because of the miniscule bruises caused by high sugar levels in the blood and may be urine. The cysts start appearing on the body. There may be many more ways the higher sugar levels in the blood show up!! Now, all these are gone if a patient follows the strict diet regimen. I don’t suffer from bleeding gums any more, and the cyst sizes in the body have shrunk.

5. The vegetables and greens are a must. For one it helps the patient to get the feeling that he has had sumptuous amount of food. The fiber controls the cholesterol levels in the body. And the vegetables and greens supply a good lot of proteins, vitamins and minerals needed for the body. From the patient’s point of view, the intake helps easing the bowel movements, especially as the intake of food has got reduced.

6. Stresses and tensions definitely make the sugar levels shoot up! When a diabetic patient gets sick, his sugar levels shoot up, and this prevents the healing of the system. It is better on such cases to agree to the doctor’s advice of administering Insulin injections till the body is cured of the illness.

7. Not that a diabetic patient loses much on the taste front! The diabetic food can also be prepared very tasty!
Actually, the body and the system show up their disapproval for the oily fried food and the like, but, the craving in us ignores these symptoms and goes ahead with such unwanted food stuff! When one takes more oil than what the body tolerates, one can feel that the underneath of the tongue has become thick and numb and the lower part of the eyes heavy and soggy, and somewhere along the way the body system asks one to stop it. When one takes too many sweets, the tongue tastes sour, the eyes become irritable and burning, and may be the body temperature goes up. There may also be this slight metallic sensation. The doctors call the whole thing as dry mouth sensation or something like that.
We can also avoid gas problems by limiting the intake of pulses to the required quantity.

8. In my personal opinion, may be the Marie biscuits part in the diet get substituted by fruits. For the same calorie value, the fruits add volume. They also have fiber content.
We can also quench our craving for the potatoes and the like, by reducing the quantity of cereals appropriately and taking them only as boiled vegetables.

A strict regimen of diabetic diet intake goes a long way in not only helping the patient lead a normal healthy and long life, but, it also helps him ward off blood pressure and other ailments.

Management Lessons 3

2010-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Most of us have watched street corner Cricket, school/College Cricket, College Football and many other such games available at our door step and enjoyed it to the hilt!! Some of the games had all the thrills and drama of world cup, personal achievements etc as we experience in Wimbledon or World Cup. We remember these games for life! Yet, we find that some among the players aim for the big, practise hard and one day attain the top position in these games, doing all of us proud! But, there are these sometimes, when a local match has more thrill and drama than a Wimbledon or a world cup final, though the talent and experience exhibited may be no match to the top games.

Starting an enterprise is something similar! Once we start an enterprise, we have to cross the initial hiccups and hurdles, make it sustain through hard work, intelligent inputs, focus and motivation, reach the break even point, and then move on to profits, which is akin to winning a trophy in a local game! Then the enterprise aims for bigger things and bigger profits, aims for the international arena, and one fine day, it becomes a name in the international market to reckon with!

To grow further and further for the enterprise is not wrong, and in fact it is a welcome thing for the nation. The enterprise may one day become a billion dollar company; It may acquire the majority market share for its product;

My only humble request is to follow some ethics in the process. some of them are:

1. Do not produce anything if it is not needed. examples: a) GM Foods are not welcome in India. May be someday, it may make grade and may be accepted by Indian public, but, as on today, GM Foods are perceived as harmful for health. b) Cars; when the stress is on saving fuel and on saving valuable resources, we, both the people and the Government encourage ownership of cars and two wheelers by individuals, whereas countries like Singapore discourage driving a car by a single individual and promote Public Transport in general. The emphasis of this article is more on improving Public Transport Systems and make them attractive to general public so that more and more people opt for the public transport.

2. Do not invest heavily in capital goods. Bad example: a) Every hospital worth its name goes for costly diagnostic equipments and having invested huge money, the hospital tries to recover the cost by recommending scans and other tests for patients to undergo, when they are not actually required. Good examples: Some of the factory sheds are shared by different manufacturers of the same product. Car manufacturers share factory sheds; Some white goods are manufactured by some companies and supplied to the big brand owners to be sold in their brand names; Mobile phone companies share towers;

3. Pay the employees well and be fair to them. IT companies have shown the way! Even big corporates pay well; A recent phenominon worries me: In chennai the construction labour costs have risen quite much that the builders and promoters are bringing labour force from other states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Bihar, and they are using these people in the construction activities, paying them far less; Thus, doing injustice to the labourers from both Tamilnadu and other states. These buildings constructed serve mostly the high end class, who can afford the price difference! These days, the labourers want to send their children to schools, and also expect a minimum standard of living commensurate with what is shown in TV programmes and that includes probably, a low end two wheeler, colour TV, cell phone and may be a fridge. These command a daily wage of say Rs500/-, which sums upto Rs12000/- a month for a specialized labourer like mason or carpenter. whereas, the high end people like IT employees, who already earn Rs60000/- plus per month, get these buildings cheaper and also save money on tax concessions on loan repayments. The labourers from other states are paid as low as Rs8000/-. A similar scene prevails in hotel industry.

4. Use recycling where it is possible; The building industry needs to go for the building parts which can be disassembled, taken out and reused elsewhere, if the entire building is to be taken off; We waste a lot of precious materials which go into the building by demolishing a building. the materials extracted from a demolished building are used just for filling up and raising lower areas.

5.Proper recycling also addresses the concerns of pollution and environmental degradation to some extent. It is imperative that the pollution and environmental degradation issues are addressed totally.

6. Adopt the latest in technology, wherever possible; Example: Nowatimes, building a wall with glass is considered as an alternative for brick or concrete walls.

7. Serve well the community around. After all, they have shared the land with you, and are sharing the resources and energy like water, electricity. Sometimes they are the immediate market for you!

Most of these have been covered by my earlier two topics on the same subject, though! They have been repeated because of the importnce of the subject and the theme. Here are some action plans:
1) The labourers in our country are quite casual about their work; We have to teach and train them constantly to work focussed and motivated for long hours and deliver efficient and intelligent outputs. The workers must be coerced to be upto date in their field of work.
2) May be, six day schedules all through the year not necessary for all the labourers.
3) We have to educate the public that alcoholism is an addiction, we have to compulsarily get rid of.
4) We have to understand that five or six years of experience as a specialized labourer entitles the labourer to be treated as a graduate.
In general, any labourer is to be paid decently for his/her living.
5) Batches and batches of educated people come out of schools and graduates come out of colleges. It is time to involve them in studies and researches so that we get to know what we want for our country, how to go about it economically and efficiently, and how to finance the schemes. Many new ideas and directions may get thrown up; For example, the best possible routes in a city are identified for transport buses to ply, we can identify and address passanger concerns, and we can draw a master execution plan, which is periodically reviewed. Normally, the employees tend to treat the surveys casually, and rather try to complete the job in hand than do a quality job out of it. Thus, guidance and supervision are imperative.
6. The Government can team up with the willing enterpreneurs and help them pool their resources to buy equipments and machinery needed for various industries and also cater to these industries for some income. This way we can avoid duplicating of the investment in these equipments and prevent from these equipments remaining idle. If for example, an MRI or CT SCAN equipment can be installed on a wheel, it can be taken to different hospitals as per the hospitals' requirements. And we avoid the risk of a patient travelling in an ambulance.
7. Most important, our equipment and machinery shall be the state of art, and this needs constant updating of the equipment and machinery. How do we go about it? We have to salvage the maximum benefit out of the old and the new investments. This needs a lot of study and research, good bit of recycling, and selling the outdated to the best price possible.
8. Thus, in our every enterprise we shall orient not just for very profitable business, but to strike an optimum in satisfying the needs of the people spending the resources in an efficient manner, employing a good lot of people in the process and paying them well and entitling the enterpreneur for a deserving profit, thus building a strong nation that is bereft of environmental problems

what has been provided here is only a basic premise. There are more ideas, action plans, and schemes possible to achieve more on these lines. It is worthwhile for us the educated lot to build on this premise.

Rebuild the old localities of the Cities

2010-09-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

The hue and cry raised all over India and probably the world is that the fertile agricultural lands are vanishing and buildings, gated communities, neighbourhoods etc are taking shape in those places. Meanwhile the cityscape shifts in different directions, because of growth and advancements in different fields like IT and people wanting to own the latest and most modern homes and a lifestyle to go with it. On the otherside the existing localities and townships die a slow death, because of the seeming impossibility of these townships to adopt to the latest developments. Narrow roads, pollution, the old and the dilapidated buildings all contribute to the decay of the locality. Over the time the locality may become unbearable and yet on, the locality will be in ruins one day. Examples in Chennai where I live are Parry's and Triplicane.

It is time that we redesign these localities to become the latest self contained, technologically and ecologically advanced green localities that improve the cityscape tremondously and contribute in no simple measure to the infrastructure of the city. The Government, the urban planners, the competent designers and builders, the financial institutions and all such bodies shall be pooled together to shape these localities.
1. Take the locality, and get the survey done on the total population that occupies it, how much area and built up area each one of them or his/her family owns, the value of each individual's/individual family's property and all such relevant details. Tabulate them, and ascribe to each individual/family his/her/the family's worth in money value or property.
2. Make it conditional that the locality will be redesigned. The idea shall be made acceptable to its occupants in that the redesign is going to benefit the occupants and the people in the near and long run.
3. Make note of Hertage buildings and of other important features that are going to stay in the locality. These shall be incorporated in the redesign.
4. Make a scientific study of the the total number of the buildings, the total number of residences and the total population the locality can hold, depending on various factors like the soil bearing capacity of the land, water, drainage facilities and other infrastructure needed like wide roads, electricity, parking, schools and colleges, hospitals, malls and entertainment areas, parks and ponds/waterways and the like. The floor area ratio need not be limited to just two, but can and should be increased to 4,5,6, or ten, the figure being arrived at through the scientific study. The land occupancy rate shall be minimum so that huge ground area is available for landscaping. We may adopt high rise structures.
5. Offer each original occupant/family a coupen value that is commensurate with the value of his/her/its property. He,she or the family can be accommodated in the locality accordingly. During the development period the occupants must be compensated in suitable and proper manner so that they can live elsewhere during the period and come back to the locality after the development is completed.
The remaining area in excess can be sold to the outsiders, and the money acquired can finance the development.
6. Demolish what is to be demolished as per the design. See that the latest technologies are adopted for the development, so that quick and quality execution takes place. The technology may adopt methods so that a structure may be dismantled in future and recycled if needed in future. The development shall reflect the latest advancements made in ecological and environment preservation, pollution control, green buildings and energy savings, etc.
7. Compartmentalize the execution of the development into different sections, so that these sections can be executed causing least difficulties to the people. It also facilitates to take up those developments where the occupants are prepared. The developments can also be executed simultaneously.
8. Ther shall be a overseeing authority to supervise and see that everything goes according to plans and schedule. Most important, the original occupants shall find their place back, come what may, such as the loss of coupens and the like. Utmost care shall be exercised to see that unwanted elements don't hijack the scheme or part of it.
When the development is complete it will become the pride of the city. We shall be saving on the precious agricultural lands and other lands. The localities will find a new meaning in relating to the city, and its occupants will enjoy the same facilities as the newly developed areas of the city.

Energy Stratagies

2010-08-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Dear readers, please excuse me for reproducing the mail I wrote and not writing a seperate article on the same. The subject dealt with, namely Energy stratagies is very important to the world. Writing a seperate article is a mammoth task and hence the reproduction,

Dear Sudhakar,

Eventhough you have covered all the points in some form or other including what I have to say now, these points need to be emphasized:

1.The abundant nature of the fuel, that keep coming, and that will be available even if we don't use it. Sun rays keep falling on earth even if we don't use it. In the olden days people directly used it like say for drying appalam(papads) for preserving it to have a longer shelf life.The river waters were available in plenty and were running into sea even if we were not using it. But, probably, we are extracting so much from water that it has become a limited quantity now. water falls are used to produce electricity. Air is also available in plenty as of now. Thus, a car while running, may directly use the sun by making it heat (or do something on) a solid, liquid or gas that could induce movement in the car, and to that extent cut off fuel usage from other sources, thus using sun energy on the days it is available, directly using its availability and when it is not available, resorting to other sources to the required extent, and only to the required extent, by employing micro processors or such things. The areas that need to be be more utilized are natural basic energy and other forms like gravity, vacuum and such things. We may use one such system or more or all in combination.The main point is these energy forms will be running a course even if we don't use them. We will be intervening only to make use of the system for a need of us, i.e. an energy production, and reverting the course back for it to continue its run.
The energy from splitting of an atom or molecule may also be abundant, but, it induces some destruction of the system. Nature and to some extent agriculture are fine examples of using the system. Using the so many forms of energy waves like light, sound is also a good exemple.

2. The end use shall fully exploit the use of system(energy) garnessed, and also not over exploit the system to cause intrusion into the system. Thus mass transportation is better than individuals using the vehicles, but, having more of mass transportation than needed may be counter productive, wasting on infrastructure, fuel etc and it may also cause some structural damage to the system of nature. We have to balance things.

3. Ideas are important. A telephone for example saves on transportation if it is only for conveying a thought, opinion or idea which can be conveyed through phone. Nowadays, managers inspect factories through video coverages. Then again video conferencing saves on time and transportation. Even doctors consult through video conferences.

4. We have also to be alive, alert and energetic to exploit the system to the extent we are allowed, and not over exploit to cause damages to the system. For example when we supervise a project we look into all aspects necessary, so that a second visit is avoided when not necessary.

5. Live simple with limited needs. Even when you want to interact more, use the required (not minimum) amount of the system and not more.

6. Collective sharing of everything and not individual possession is the needed thing. This is not communism or socialism, though the end aim may be the same. It is more towards Gandhian thoughts.This comes through more voluntarily out of wisdom and to some extent wisdom of inevitability. Bill Gates donating his wealth is one such thing. Eventhough love, compassion etc are other attributes for such philanthrophic acts, I am not getting into them as the discussion is scientific. The opposite of this is every hospital trying to have MRI and other such equipments, eventhough sharing these equipments will reduce the costs of everything. I am against mass production and reducing costs by volumes, if the products produced are not going to be absorbrd fully and put to good use.

7. Avoid destruction at all costs. War and terrorism shall not be there. Population control seems to be a must.

I enjoyed writing this reply/mail/article. It has brought out most of my philosophy. It is one of my best even if it is not in good and simple understandable language. The first item, 'system' and 'course' evolved as I was writing the item, and as such, is a discovery for me even. The second and third items were there within me for more than 20 years, even before PC or cell phone were invented, and I am very happy for the world that the world has fructified my thoughts. The fourth, fifth and sixth are there in our religions and emphasized by our philosophical leaders. The seventh is pure common sense, and we ignore it to our peril.
Thus it is the system and course we shall look into and not seperate energy from it.

Love, Murthy

----- Original Message -----
From: Murthy Sudhakar
To: Krishnamurthy R
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 10:18 PM
Subject: Fwd: Energy Strategies 10-0818

Your thoughts are welcome:

sudhakar
investing in rural India...for a change infraSys
ideas for action vishva-karma

Begin forwarded message:

Subject: Energy Strategies 10-0818

Dear Sujata & Chandra:

I have read both your mails and am pleased to participate in this discussion. Permit me to air some thoughts.

A. BROADLY:
From my perspective we cannot look for solutions by isolating the components of any energy delivery system. They need to viewed in their totality. This includes:
1. the source of energy (fuel)
2. the availability-local or distant
3. the cost and the technology needed for acquisition/extraction
4. energy (and efficiency) required from extraction to delivery to end use
5. control (cost & access to) of the fuel, the technology and the delivery system.
6. economic and political structure needed for the complete chain to be stable, egalitarian or helping those who need it.

B. COROLLARIES:
1. More local the fuel's availably better the access and control for the local population.
2. More capital intensive the technology of extraction, transportation and delivery, larger the costs & fewer the number who will benefit.
3. More capital intensive the technology of extraction, transportation and delivery, the control will rest with the investor of capital and not the end user.
4. More decentralized and more local the technology, lower the cost and more democratic the access to energy.

C. DEVELOPMENT:
1. All development is a mix of three ingredients; Resources, Energy and Waste. At its simplest level, life takes resources (food), generates energy (life activities) and waste (excretum and at death- the body itself)
2. So any energy system we propose must also take into account (analyzed through all the consequences) all these three.
3. Focus and fascination with technologies, combined with the lack of scientific and political vision to go beyond delivery, makes us ignore the Waste component.
4. Plastics littering the Indian landscape, dumping of sewage in our rivers, pesticides in our groundwater, or CO2 in the atmosphere (global warming)- and the list is long-are all examples of ignoring the Waste component of the system.
5. We must also ask the question who will benefits from the technologies and the systems. For example the Electricity Boards in India had a social commitment to bring power to a village- even if cost ineffective. After privatization has set in it is available to one who can afford it and can pay for it. The subsidy for cooking gas in India primarily does not benefit the poor. Privatized water in South Africa and other countries is denied to the poor who cannot afford it.

Practically:
1. I agree with Chandra that Solar/green is the right direction take.
2. Bio mass, wind and photo are all forms of solar energy.
3. It is obvious why the poor have always relied on bio mass. Resources are local, it is renewable, the technology is simple though inefficient (but less so than an automobile) and the wastes are local - some useful (potash)and some harmful (CO2)

For example take Photovoltaic systems and ask the above questions-but let me focus in particular the waste component first..
1. The manufacture of the collector involves many toxic chemicals-lithium and cadmium to name a couple. In fact the most toxic is the thin film collector- the most "advanced".
2. The cfls have mercury- which when discarded -unregulated or unmanaged- will leach and pollute.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not suggesting that our villages remain dark nor am I against progress. But any innovation and introduction of methods, systems and technologies must take this comprehensive view.

We are now unfortunately staring at the dire consequences of having ignored this in the past (and even currently).

nanbudan

sudhakar
investing in rural India...for a change infraSys
ideas for action vishva-karma

தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்புக்கு மெருகு ஏற்றுவோம்!!

2010-07-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

அந்த நாளில் தமிழில் விஞ்ஞானம் எழுதுவதோ படிப்பதோ அவ்வளவாக சரியாக இருக்காது! Mixing pot or vessal ஐ கறைப்பான் என்று மொழிபெயர்ப்பர். கரப்பான் பூச்சி என்று படிப்பது போல் கர்ண‌கடூரமாக இருக்கும். இப்போது நல்ல முன்னேற்றம்! url ஐ உரலி என்கிறார்கள். மற்றும் கணினி, மேல் ஏத்தி, அலை பேசி, எல்லாம் தமிழ் மொழிக்கு ஏற்ற‌வாறு காதுக்கு பாந்தமாக இருக்கின்றன.

ஆயினும் சில வார்த்தைகளில் மட்டும் ஏனோ முரண்பாடு உள்ளது! ஒலி வடிவத்தில் அவை தமிழுக்கு இசைவாகவே இல்லை. தமிழ் வார்த்தைகள் முக்கால்வாசி காதுக்கு இனிமையாகவே இருக்கும்!சில நேரஙக‌ளில் மட்டுமே அவற்றில் பொருளுக்கு ஏற்ப கடூரம் ஏற்றப்படும். அந்த காலத்தில் போர் நிகழ்ச்சிகளை விவரிக்கும் போது கடூரம் சேர்த்தனர். ஆனால் இப்போது?

மனிதத்தன்மையை 'மனிதம்' என்று எழுதும்போது எழுத்தில் தமிழாக இருந்தாலும், அது ஒலியில் தமிழை இழக்கிறது.
அவ்வாறே, புரிவது என்று அழகாக இருக்கும்போது ஏன் 'புரிதல்' என்று எழுதுகிறோம்?
இப்போது hardware என்ற‌ சொல்லுக்கு வன்பொருள் என்று மொழிப்பெயர்க்கிறோம். ஆயுதத்த்ற்கு வேண்டுமானால் வன்பொருள் என்று சொல்லலாம், மண்வெட்டிக்கும், ஆணிக்கும் கூடவா?
இதுபோல சில வார்த்தைகள் தமிழின் ஓசை ந‌யத்திற்கு ஏற்றவாறு இல்லை! எங்கேயோ ம்ற்ற மொழிகளின் ஒலி தாக்கம் ஏற்படுகிறது.

என்னுடன் கட்டிட வேலை செய்யும் தொழிலாளர்கள் என்ன அழகாக தமிழ் பேசுகின்றனர்! மைக்கேல் என்னும் கல்தச்சர் 'பலகணி' என்று கூறும்போதே காதில் சங்கீதமாக ஒலிக்கும்! அவ்வாறே சன்னல் என்று அழகாக இசைப்பார்!! மற்றும் பலர், sponge ஐ 'பாஞ்சு' என்று அழகாக கேட்பர். cement சிமெட்டி ஆகிவிடும். மெக்கானிக்குகள் countersink ஐ அழகாக 'கொய்வார்' என்று கூறுவர்.சாதா மக்களோ என்ன அழ‌காக புரியும்படி தமிழாக்குவர் தெரியுமா? ECG சுருள் போட்டோவாகிவிடும். Endoscopy 'குழா விட்டு பாப்பாங்க' ஆகி விடும்! பொருள் பளீரென புரியும், அதே சமயம், சொல் காதில் தமிழ்தேனாக பாயும்! இதெல்லாம், மதறாஸ் பாஷை பேசுகிறார்கள் என்று கேலி செய்கிறோமே, அதே தமிழ் மக்கள்தான் பேசுகிறார்கள். படிப்பறிவு இல்லாவிட்டாலும் அவர்கள் பேச்சில் ஓசை நயம் குறையாது.
அவர்கள் ஆங்கில சொற்களை அப்படி அப்படியே பேசும்போதும், தமிழ் ஒலி நயத்தை கொண்டுவந்துவிடுவர். போலிஸ், கார், பஸ், பென்சில் மாதிரி வார்த்தைகள் எல்லாம் தமிழ் வார்த்தை மாதிரி, தமிழ் ஒலியிலேயே பேசப்படுகின்றன. வழக்கத்தில் புகுந்து விட்ட, கலந்து பேச்சாகிவிட்ட‌ ஆங்கில வார்த்தைகளையும் தமிழாக்கம் செய்து கொண்டிருக்கவெண்டுமா? இதில் நான் என் கருத்தை தெரிவிக்கவில்லை. சாதா மக்கள் வாய் திற‌ந்து சொல்லாவிட்டாலும், சொல்ல தெரியாவிட்டாலும் அவர்கள் மனதில் அவர்களுக்கே தெரியாமல் ஊறியிருக்கும் எண்ணங்களையே வெளிப்படுத்துகிறேன்.

பொருள் தெரியப்படுத்துதலிலும் சில சொற்கள் அவ்வளவு சரியாக படுவதில்லை! Lift or elevator க்கு மேல் ஏத்தி என்கிறோம். ஆனால், அந்த சொல்லில் Lift or elevator என்ற சொல்லின் அர்த்தத்தில் உள்ள வீரியம் இல்லை. மேல் ஏற்றி என்றால் பரவாயில்லை. மேலேற்றி என்று சேர்த்து கூறும்போது வீரியம் வெளிப்படுகிறது

Health and mind 3

2010-07-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

The 68th Jagadguru of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Jagadguru Chandrashekarendra Swamigal (1894-1994), usually referred to as Paramacharya had said like this in one of his discourses: "Prana is different from Oxygen; When we inhale Oxygen, we also inhale Prana; While Oxygen cannot be stored, Prana can be stored; Prana is spent during when we think; It is spent away totally due to lust, anger, or jealousy (kama,krodha,loba,matschariyam)."

My guess is that prana is the life energy; Of the five elements of nature viz earth, water, fire, air and sky ( prithvi, jumbu, agni (jyothi), vayu, akasam ), the body is made of earth and water (solid and liquid); we drink water; we get earth, water and fire(heat energy, fuel) through food; and we get air (Oxygen, gas) when we breath. Akasam or sky may mean higher or different forms of energy which Science may not have found out so far; it may mean realization of space or space and time in some form to suit us, it may mean store of intelligence, or it may mean the very life, say life energy, itself. I guess some such thing is inhaled along in the form of prana when we inhale Oxygen. Prana may also exist in some other form in our body.

Our scriptures advise us to do pranayama before we get into meditation. Deep breathing quells thoughts and calms the mind preparatory to meditation. Both Pranayama and meditation help us to inhale maximum prana and store it, I guess.

What we normally mean by thinking may actually mean indulging in thoughts. On every issue, each one of us come to conclusion in no time; We may think a bit more to weigh the pros and cons, or to find out whether or not we have left out any important point and such. But, normally we brood over and brood over, and our indulgence saps our whole energy. And more important, on the conclusions we arrive at while in anger, grief or such overwhelming emotions, the actual correct conclusion gets superceded and eclipsed by the conclusions dictated by the emotions, and once the emotions die out, the correct conclsion will emerge. Thus, it is important not to arrive at conclusions on issues when we are engulfed in emotions.

Anxiety, fear, tension, obsession etc sap our energy; Courageous egoless life help us to lead a healthy peaceful life

Bill Gates deserves Nobel Peace prize

2010-06-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

15th January, 2014: "Microsoft Founder Bill gates has been named as the most admired person on the planet. The 'World's most admired people poll' was conducted by YouGov for The Times by surveying almost 14,000 people in Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, the US, Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, China, Egypt, Nigeria and Brazil." was the Headline news in PTI (Press Trust of India) on 13th January. THE PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY GIVEN THEIR COVETED PRIZE TO BILL GATES PLACING HIM AT THE TOP. His contributions to the world is such, and the world has immensely benefited by his contributions.

This is what I wrote to my friends in 24th July, 2007, so that a huge support base is created to suggest Bill Gates' name for Nobel Peace prize! His name has added weight now with his huge involvement in philanthraphic activities, making great impact on the world population. And now, I am able to appeal to a larger set of people through this blog! Let us all appeal for nominating Bill Gates for the Nobel Peace Prize the coming year. Bill Gates is a household name in India as much as Mahathma Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar or Amitabh Bacchan, and this sheerly due to the beneficial impact he has made in their lives and in Indian Economy. He has promoted real peace in the nations and among nations, and if he had zealously promoted Microsoft, it is as much to make contribution in every one's life as for filling the coffers of Microsoft, as his user friendly wholesome softwares will easily vouch. The Google search on "Bill Gates for Nobel Peace Prize" has 18 million entries; Bill Gates a Harvard drop out was honoured with a degree by Harvard University on June 7, 2007, and his great speech on that occasion is worth reading/listening to, which you can get in Google search
E mail posted on 7/24/2007 :
"Purport of this mail is, as given in the subject, Mr.Bill Gates deserves the Nobel Prize.

Last year, it struck to me that he deserves a nobel prize for peace, as he has united the world as nobody has done before through communication, business and merchandise, and his Foundation has made great inroads in improving the health and welfare of so many people of so many countries in the world. But, somehow he has not been considered!

In Sciences, I do not know anything as to how his contributions stand against ( or together ) with other's contributions, for him to be considered for a Nobel, and may be some others have got the Nobel for their contributions in chip making and for inventing the internet. It simply means, I am not qualified whatsoever to offer any suggestions on this, and in no way it comes in the way of his deservedness on this score.

But, speaking on Economics, I have seen with my own eyes, how his contributions have changed India ( and the world ) for so much better! In the villages of Tamilnadu, so many women have started earning Rs.3000/- plus, the children get dressed better, and get better food, because of the welfare created by the advent of computer to the central stage. People are forgetting the word unemployment, and not only IT and ITES, even Construction, Infrastructure, Agriculture, Health, Education and so many other fields are developing alongwith! Speaking about the benefits of computer is like speaking about that of water now, and the Windows has remained as the backbone of computer so far! Mr.Bill gates is held in great esteem and very dear to heart by so many Indians ( only Kennedy and Clinton made this sort of impact before, and Mr.Bill Gates has clearly overtaken them), and they will all be too happy he gets a prize. I am sure such situations prevail world over!

Mr.Mohammed Yunus got the Nobel in Economics for his contribution in Micro financing! Mr.Bill Gates' contribution had as much influence, if not more, in changing the economic conditions of the people world over for better. His contribution can be put in the catagory of economic tools, and I am sure the tools are as important as theories in the development

Thus, Mr.Bill gates deserves a Nobel in Economics, or, he deserves one for Peace, wherein while some have got one for stopping the war, his contribution has promoted peace, and beneficial interaction among people of different parts of the world, and has united the world like nothing else! If some argue that the Internet, and advances in computer hardware and software etc are as much factors as Windows in this contribution, well, the whole set of people can be awarded the Nobel, as they do in Physics, or, Chemistry, and their services recognized and acknowledged. Or else, Mr.Bill Gates may be awarded a special Nobel for his contribution encompassing the entire spectrum of so many fields.

I am sure you will see the merit in this suggestion, and carry it forward to fruition! If it materializes, we the world would have saluted and honoured the great man in the manner he desrves.

Love "

Health and Mind - 2

2010-05-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

Around two years ago or so, there appeared an article in the ' Science and Technology' section of The Hindu newspaper. The article reported the findings of a research carried out by Stanford University, CA. It said that there are stem cells in the marrow of one's bones, which decide on what the food one has taken shall be converted into; whether it shall be bones, or, muscles, or blood, or if nothing else, fat cells. It added that by doing the stretching exercises, one increased the possibilities of food getting converted into bone cells, muscle cells, blood cells, or the like and not fat cells.

Now that is exactly what Yoga is generally about: stretching. Doing stretching exercises in moderate everyday helps one to get rid of fat. One doctor advised me that after completing going for a walk 45 minutes a day, or carrying out similar exercise every day, one shall do some stretching exercises to get the full benefit of exercise. By moderate, I mean one shall not try to stretch beyond one's capacity, or ability, or, do the stretching exercises too long that one gets fatigue.

Devadas syndrome and alcoholism

2010-05-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Both the book and the yesteryear films on DEVADAS became famous and popular. Even today, the name Devadas evokes feelings and sort of empathy in most Indian men. The literary figure of Devadas has become an icon, mm.. an icon of Alcoholism, popular, nevertheless!

The story is all about Devadas, a feudal lord's son, falling in love with a poor girl Paro. Due to differences in class and wealth, the weak-willed youth is not able to marry his childhood playmate and sweetheart and Paro marries an old man. However Devadas cannot forget Paro and to dispel his frustration he succumbs to the bubbly bottle. A golden-hearted prostitute, Chandramukhi, befriends him and tries to make him forget his past. But soon he runs away and goes to meet Paro... Heart-broken he dies in front of her house.

Many thanks to ‘The Hindu’ newspaper and Mr. Randor Guy for the story line given above.

On one side, the youth and the older men and women with youthful feelings identify with the lover in Devadas who fails against the patriarch, casteist, class oriented society in winning his love. Even today, even in these days of so called modernistic and progressive society, the reprimands against the runaway couple are heavy. ‘Honour killings resorted to’ make periodic headlines and breaking news in the newspaper and the media. There come up huge outcries against this barbarism in the name of honour killings, and hopefully, some day we may get rid of this barbarism.

But taking to bubbly bottle…., well, this needs to be seriously looked into! The youth identify with this also in queer manner. Is Devadas able to forget Paro temporarily and the fact that he is not able to marry her, thus booze acting as sleeping pills? Or, does it lead to fantasies and imaginations that suits Devadas’s likes.

Practically viewing in real world, the answer is ‘No”. It is more an expression of anger and frustration against the reality and also against his inability. And torturing himself in retaliation and portraying himself as victim. Many people identify with this situation.

Many people take to Drinking as an expression of defiance against failures in many walks of life! It also helps them resort to escapism from the problems all around them. Though temporarily, they do understand! They need more and more of it over time, they become addicts, they spend all their money on it, their health goes haywire, and over the time they lose their productivity, they become totally useless and become burdens to their familes and the society.

Some people take to Drinking for they feel manly and adventurous, none of it in reality because of drinking though! Here again Escapism plays its part. Joy of making a beeline to liquor shops on salary day and spending fortunes on it cannot be explained any other way! They give a damn to the family running, or, to their children’s’ education!

Then the fancy of it! The elite class feels as a rule that consuming liquor is an essential part of any celebration. Here, they make a person or two get high in the game, and then enjoy the ramblings and stupid acts of the person/s.

One thing I cannot understand though! Many manual workers who put in hard physical labour every day need a ‘quarter’ to gulp the pain and ache down!! One cannot question the genuineness of it! They sincerely believe in it! How to get over this??

Education, continuous education is the answer for abolishing alcoholism and saving millions of people, may be crores. Remember how the nation succeeded in spreading Family Planning among masses?? By continuously educating the people on it. Some villages have succeeded in abolishing alcoholism and smoking within their boundaries.

And may be by enacting a State law abolishing liquor as they brought one for abolishing smoking!

This subject needs immediate attention and urgent action.

'Chalega' attitude

2010-05-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

Air India used to conduct Essay competition every year, some 20 years ago, for the school students and the winner of the competition got a free holiday trip to Singapore! In one of the years, the topic was "What ails India?" or something like that. A student from Chettinad Vidyashram won the competition that year!

"What ails India?", the boy asks the question. "Is it population?", "Is it corruption?", or, "Is it red tapism?", the boy goes on asking, replying in negative everytime. Finally he zeroes in on the chalega attitude of the people as the real reason for the country's ailments. People put up with everything that happens around them and grin and bear it without protest. The unscrupulous politicians and business people get emboldened by this attitude seen around them, take advantage of it and go on exploiting the people and damaging the country for their personal gains. (These are the impressions I had formed in my mind as the content of the article after reading the write up about the article in the newspaper. The actual content may vary from this.).

Does the situation remain same now, or, has it changed? The answer seems to be yes and no. The boys and girls these days are very smart, confident and bold. They don't take things lying down. The education seems to give them more authority to question the wrong doings around them. Media and consumer forums are playing their roles very well. The people gained great exposure to the world around, especially with the advent of colour television, and with more people travelling abroad. especially the children of those in power. Probably, these children have egged their parents to carry out the policies and action plans that put India on par with the other nations. Definitely the demands of the people were listened to, and better infrastructure, environment etc were put in place. With the gates opened up for globalization, and with IT occupying centrestage, things started moving faster. We are now rubbing shoulders equally with all the frontline nations without qualms.

Then why "No" for an answer ...........?? We are faltering on the human rights issue. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer! You see, the people are bothered about only what affects them directly it seems. They seem to let go on the other things. Thus we see the Adivasis and native people of Orissa being robbed of their moorings. All the fight put up to get proper settlements for those displaced by Narmada Dam did not bring much success. The people of the Seven sister states of the North East are a dissatisfied and disillusioned lot, and quite a lot of them see India as allien country. Telengana state is demanded because the region had been neglected all along! The labour force of the unorganized sector is underpaid, and when demands are made for increase in wages, the labour force is quietly replaced by people migrating from the rural areas and from other states, or by machines.

Much water has flowed in, no doubts! But, where the water has not flowed in, it has been left high and dry!! That is why Maoists are making some inroads, and Raj Thackeray is listened to.

Even where much water has flowed in, certain things don't make sense. Why for example, there are bumps and pits in all the roads all over India, barring highways and Expressways, and some of the roads having gaping manholes? These cause fatalistic accidents. Motorists' disregard for the traffic signals also cause deaths by accidents, especially the disregard by the drivers of containers and trucks. The Xrays, scans and ECGs don't work in General Hospitals, nor are essential medicines available. Toilets stink and are unhygenic, and yet we want toilets in every village. The MRTS stations are very dirty. Their huge empty spaces scare you! The list is endless and the less said of the rainy days, the better!!

Our Cricket team winning the world cup in 1983 was a real moral booster that drove out this chalega attitude from people, followed by our winning the T/20 world championship two years ago!! All forms of music and dance from Bollywood and other regional cinemas bear the stamp of excellence. The construction industry has come a long way. We are seeing excellence all around us.

Achievments of India since Independance

2010-04-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

IT boom happened all over the world, and India arrived on the world arena with a bang! But, She has to her credit many many more achievements before this that has resulted in her being counted now as a leading player on the economic front.

1. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel unified the whole lot of Princely States along with British era Colonial Provinces into one Nation.

2. Many Public Sector Enterprises in Heavy Industries have been established, ONGC, BSNL, SAIL, BHEL etc to name a few. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru sphereheaded the move initially.
Side by side, Electricity is generated in every possible and conceivable way to meet the demands of the Industry and the country, whether it be by Thermal, Hydro, or Nuclear Power projects, or by other means such as Windmill.
Indian Railways is one of the largest in the world.
Road transport has also been developed well, and Highways of International standards are built all over the country. Public Transport plays a significant role in all states.
Schools and hospitals are there all over the country

3. Establishing the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs), Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institute of Sciences, Baba Atomic Research Centre, Central Institute of Scientific Research, Indian Institute of Management and the like, that laid the base for promoting high degree technical education and Medical education and research in science and technology, as also creating top level Administrators and managers.

4. Creating a top order Defence set up.

5. Successful Family Planning measures.

6. Promoting Education: All children under 14 will go to school.
Employing children under 16 has been made an offence. The Government is enforcing the rule without any let up.
Nutrition meals schemes are in place in schools, so that the children get atleast one full meal, and they are not hungry and mal nutritioned while studying.

7. Promoting Healthcare. Small Pox has been eradicated and so has Polio been, I guess. The Government is arranging vaccination programmes for all children
Smoking in public places has been banned.
Government is educating the people on all aspects of health. For example, all women are advised to get medical check up, so as to rule out breast cancer, or, if any woman has, she is directed for proper medical treatment.

8. Empowerment of women.

9. Nationalization of Banks. It opened the gate for the common people to gat access to loans.
Life insurance and general insurance.

10. Green Revolution and White revolution. From Poverty stricken nation India has now emerged as exporter of rice. India is the largest producer of milk in the world now. Irrigation Schemes, Drinking water schemes. 11. Many good social schemes. Self Help Groups. National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. 12 Globalization Many many more....

Politicians have played a very big role in all these. How much ever the politicians are termed as corrupt, they only, in tandem with bureaucrats, have made these achievements possible to make India stand tall in the world arena. Let us respect them that much.

Desirable Management Attitudes 2

2010-02-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

The Hindu dharma spells out that you are only a trustee of the wealth you possess indicating that apart from keeping some wealth for one's welfare, one should put back the rest for the welfare of the people at large around one and for the society. Mahathma Gandhi and Rajaji great leaders of India during Freedom struggle, supported this theory vociferously.

To think back, eventhough, this notion appears to be a philanthraphic act of a high order, which it is, it is also on the basis of Law of Nature, where Might is Right. Initially, when civilization was dawning on earth, whoever was mighty robbed the wealth from others and kept it to himself/herself. Over a period, while one section continued to practise this law of 'might is right' and became kings, rulers and chieftons, the rest obtained truce with them, agreed to pay some tax to these people periodically in order to allow them to keep their wealth to themselves and prosper and also to get some security for themselves and their wealth. Thus were borne the States and countries. Over a time democracy set in many countries, where people bacame the rulers. Hereagain, we see that the Democracy dawned in many countries, mainly because, the kings kept most of the wealth to themselves and did not spend any money for the Public welfare. Even after democracy has started functioning, the wealthy ones keep amassing more and more wealth and have started keeping the wealth to themselves, proclaiming that it is the outcome of their hard labour. The divide between the rich and the poor is getting wider and wider.

In King's case, when the policemen were let free by the court of justice, violence was let loose in some towns and cities in USA, during which many malls and super markets were vandalized and looted. The owners of these malls and super markets complained that whatever they had saved over the years putting hard work and serving the local people were all gone. But, the version of the local people was different. They said that the people were supporting these stores all over these years, but the owners did nothing for the development of the locality, and instead went on amassing wealth.

Such will be the cases in future, if the companies concentrate only on profit ignoring the welfare of the people around them. This may result in the extinction of a set of people on either side, and the end result will not be palatable to us.

Nowatimes, the Corporates are becoming more and more socially responsible, atleast some. And you will be amazed to find that their equity value increases because of this. The image and the brand recall are far better for such companies and there are indirect, unforeseeable and unpredictable benefits that accrue to such companies. The Corporates concentrate on bringing healthcare and education to the local people, make the whole place greener, make the people computer savvy, increase the job oppurtunities and serve in so many other ways!

Even the staff of such companies are benevolent. They offer their services as volunteers to NGOs, and are also regular contributors to blood bank and such.

In all, it is a totally welcome outcome!

Desirable Management Attitudes 1

2010-02-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

Let us not pollute the air and atmosphere.

Water is too precious. Drinking water, agriculture, and ecological balance are the first set of priorities for usage of water. Let us not waste it much on industrial use.

Let us not pollute water. Already, Industrial effluents, dyes and chemicals and untreated sewage etc are let into rivers and water bodies in many places, contaminating these water sources and also the sub soil around totally. Two known examples are Noyyal Aaru(river) in Tirupur and Koovam river in Chennai. Let us not do it in future, and let us also retrieve the polluted and contaminated water bodies.

Recycling is very important!

Recycling retrieves very important raw materials, and as important, it contributes to lessening the contamination, pollution, and global warming.

Example 1: Fly Ash, a Byproduct of Thermal Power Plants is used in the manufacture of blended cement, improving the quality of cement, and saving on raw materials used in the manufacture of cement. Now the use of Fly ash is extended into making building blocks in lieu of bricks thereby saving on the top soil of fertile agricultural lands. Fly Ash if left as waste will occupy huge lands and will also pollute the atmosphere as hazardous dust.

Example 2: Chennai Corporation has advised people to seggragate organic and inorganic waste. This way we can use the organic waste for vermicomposting or for power generation, while plastics, metals and minerals are retrieved for recycling. We also avoid burning plastics in the process, and thus preventing letting in poisonous fumes into atmosphere.

Example 3: Near Coimbatore, sewage water is treated fully. While a huge agricultural farm is supported by the retrieved effluents and the manure obtained from this, the water is recycled for agricultural and industrial purposes. The purity of water is as good as drinking water.

Example 4: If the existing Tar topping is reused when the road is relaid, not only you save on tar, the road level also does not go up, thus causing no hardship to the buildings around.

These are examples we all can understand easily, while there are thousands of more ways things are recycled. I am sad that the building debris which contains precious materials such as cement, is under used as a land filling and level raising material only. Instead, building blocks may be made of it. A better option still is that the buildings are constructed out of blocks that are dismantable and reusable.

Much research is needed for retrieving from e-waste that contaminates and pollutes.

Thus let us not waste anything that has been extracted from Mother Earth. Let us also not extract from Mother Earth unnecessarily.

Why manufacture products in the first place that will not find much use in this world and that will end up fast as waste? Thousands of cars, TVs etc may be ending up as unsold, inspite of vigorous sales promotions, only because the manufacturers were over confident and over ambitious in projecting the demand. The manufacturers finally end up bankrupt. Sad! Worse is the fact that the resourses get that much depleted! And worse still is that the Plant and machinery are also put into disuse. I appreciate the manufacturers of cars and such products allowing other manufacturers to utilize any excess capacity available in the plant. A healthy cooperation!

A not well designed product, say a car or an airconditioner will consume more energy which is becoming a rare commodity.

Put everything into optimum use. Don't manufacture a less efficient product, if a more efficient one is available, and there is no demand for the less efficient. For example, incandescent lamps are being phased out as more and more CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) flood the market.

Much study and research is needed in calculating and projecting the exact demands for various products so that we don't manufacture excess quantities in these. Even the period over which the demand will be there may be calculated, and at the end of the period, the plants may be dismantled and recycled, especially in these days of hectic competition and upgradation.

Much study and research is needed to find out and tabulate the various ways of recycling, as also the products, places and situations that need recycling. Allied to this subject is the study how to prevent contamination and pollution of land, water and atmosphere.

With more and more automation taking place, less people are needed for running the factories etc, and more people are available for other purposes. Some of them may be utilized for projecting the demands for various products. This subject, and the subject of recycling as well as prevention of contamination and pollution may all be introduced as collage degree courses, as also as subjects for research, and in schools.

Let us safeguard the society around, the nation and the world...

Courageous acts

2009-12-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Four daring and courageous acts have got etched in my memory:

The first one happened more than thirty years ago, and I had read about it in a newspaper. The incident took place on a Mumbai Suburban Railway platform. A Gujarati group of persons were immersed in conversation among themselves and were totally oblivious to the surroundings. A child belonging to one of them was playing and while it was at play, it was moving backwards and suddenly it fell on the railway track. There was a hue and cry all around, and everybody was awe struck and did not know what to do. And the train was entering into the platform and was coming fast

A college girl suddenly jumped into the track lifted the child and with the child on hand she instantly climbed over the platform at the opposite side, and moved to safety! And within seconds the train had entered that spot.

When asked later by the journalists how she managed to carry out the act, she shrugged her shoulder and answered, “just like that!”.

The second one happened about five or six years ago. This was narrated to me by one of my friends, who had read it in a newspaper that day.

A Russian Security man was holding a baby in his arm and was standing in a balcony of a fourth floor apartment. The baby suddenly jumped out of his hands and was falling! Without even thinking for a moment, the Security man jumped out of the balcony. He was the first one to race to the ground, and as he fell he turned upwards, and throwing his arms upwards, he caught hold of the falling baby in his arms!! The baby was unhurt, and the man had a back bone fracture!

The third one happened about a year or so back! There were floods in a part of Rajastan. Many people were stranded in a village, and the water level was rising menacingly. A bank Officer belonging to that village and working nearby, rushed to the rescue of the village people in his jeep, and moved the people to safety, batch by batch. After completing the task, he was retuning back, when the water had raised neck deep already. Knowing that there is no hope for his survival, he rang up his brother, a high ranking police officer in Tamilnadu, and informed him of his plight, and soon he got immersed in water. His brother’s efforts to save him by contacting the officials in Rajastan were not successful. This I had read in a Tamil magazine.

The Fourth one took place recently, about one month back. A school van taking the children back home capsized into a tank. A teacher of the school named Sugandhi who was in her twenties, was also travelling along with the children in that van. She could retrieve herself from
capsized van and reach the bank safely, but, when she looked back at the van, she saw the young ones struggling to come out. Unable to bear it, she went into the water again, once, twice and thrice to help the children to get out of the van and reach to safety, but, in her fourth attempt, she was not successful . She succumbed to the water. When the firemen retrieved the bodies, she was seen holding the hands of three children in her attempt to save these ones also.
Salutes to these people!!

Eradication of poverty and upliftment of villages

2009-12-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

I find that lots of people, especially students and youth are offering their voluntary services to social organizations, which in turn are involved in the development of villages and in uplifting the poor. Volunteers from US, Australia and Europe visit India, the South Asian countries and the African countries to better the standards of living of the poor. Even in India, good lot of people from the top bracket are offering their services, timewise, moneywise or both to better the conditions of poor, especially children and women.

One of the major reasons for the villages lagging behind is the disparity in pay scales for the same job between a village and a town, a town and a city, a city and a metro, and a metro and a destination in a developed country. Thus if a villager gets $2 per day for a job, the wages are $3-4 in a town, $5 in a city, $6-8 in a metro, $10-12 in metros of top bracket and $40-80 in a developed country, that is 20 to 40 times that of a villager.

But, when it comes to buying an item by a villager, the product being manufactured somewhere else, costs more in a village, than say in a metro of top bracket. Thus, compared to his counterpart in a top bracket Metro, the villager pays 5 or 6 times more relatively. He is penalized here. This holds good for hospital expenses, education expenses, consumer goods, or even agricultural inputs, though many of the agricultural inputs are given at subsidized rates by the government. Where will the poor villager go?? Most of the items mentioned above have become essential items nowatimes.

Adding to these woes is the rampant alcoholism prevalent in the villages.

Making the villages computer savvy and linking these villages to other villages as well as to the world at large by internet is one good way of improving the income of the people. They will get better price for their produce which in turn will percolate down to the income of every one. For example, the price of an egg at Namkkal, a town in Tamilnadu is seen as a benchmark in the country.

Even at village level, all over India, the parents and the children are for good education for the children. Knowledge of English and knowledge of computer are becoming a must, that even the school drop outs attend the classes regularly, when the classes on these subjects are taken by some agency. Thus a good road linking the village to the outside world and an SMU vehicle to take these children to the schools and colleges nearby will be of great help. These vans can also be used to commute a patient to nearby hospital in an emergency. Even commuting the workers to nearby towns and cities to help them earn better wages may be thought of.

Local skills and attractions may be marketted to bring extra income to the people. People may act as guides in tourist locations in the villages or nearby. They also can market their produce there, which is happening already in most places. The NGOs may pitch in here to professionalize the business for the villager, where possible, so that the villager gets better value for his product or service. Local skills may be utilized to manufacture handicrafts, wherein an eye for the market is constantly kept. Thus the popular, modern and the new replace the existing ones. As example the food plates and cups made of leaves of some plants and trees are gaining popularity, especially with plastics shunned by people. These can be produced in large scale as cottage industry and supplied to the hotels and catering people in big way!

Educate the people to give off their addiction to alcohol. Industries may be found if they don't pollute the atmosphere, water bodies or the surroundings. Solar energy and wind energy may be encouraged in villages so that they get 24 hours uninterrupted cheap power supply. Utilize the Mahathma Gandhi National Rural employment Guarantee Schemes properly to improve the infrastructure in the villages, and the amenities and facilities. Form Self help groups especially of women.

Not that any of these ideas are new. Kuthambakkam village in Tamilnadu developed by Mr.Ilango Rangasami stands as an example. When I typed 'Ilango' in google search, somewhere it instructed me to type 'Ilango Rangasamy' or 'Kuthambakkam' to know about the developments in this village. When I typed 'Ilango Ramasamy', the very first web article nri-home-coming.com/LessonsFromKuthambakkamOct18Chicago.pdf gave much better write up on this topic than I can ever do. The article also gives the names of the developed villages in India, Ralegaon Siddhi near Pune (by Anne Hazare), Alwar and Neembi in Rajastan (by Rajendar Singh), Kuthambakkam (by Ilango), Nagarasu in Uttaranchal (Anil Joshi), Vanarai in Maharashtra (by Mohan Dharia), Sagroli in Maharashtra, Vizag area villages (Parameshwar Rao). A reading of the article throws up many interesting details and also an in depth look into the village development. The other articles may also throw up many more details.

Health and mind 1: seeing!!

2009-12-11T05:48:00.000-08:00

Seeing, just proper seeing is also a yogic exercise, like breathing, I feel. Yoga means ‘to unite’, and here the whole body and mind unites with the eye when one sees properly, relaxed and without effort, and to his best ability. To my amazement, I came to know that Dr.Bates had already explored, pioneered and spearheaded in this field of seeing properly and without effort. As per their website, Bates association for visual education has evolved the methods, and has trained a set of practitioners to teach people to see the right way! They teach one to improve the eyesight without lens (read glasses) or surgery. Please refer http://www.seeing.org/ or Google search “seeing” and click on Dr.Bates method – Bates Association for visual education, for more information. I am yet to find more about them, or enroll myself for improving my vision though!

When you put your body and mind behind seeing and without effort, the system pools up maximum or the needed energy for seeing and you are able to focus on the object fully. When the eye focuses, the zooming probably automatically happens! In a Phillips TV advertisement, Sachin Tendulkar declares that when he starts batting, he sees the cricket ball as a peck initially, but, as he bats more and more, he is able to see the ball as big as a football over the time! The Cricket coaches always advise the batsman to keep his head down, and probably that helps him to focus on the ball more easily. Pete Sampras, as I watched him in TV, used to swerve to his right and left to gear himself up to focus on the ball that is being served. Most Indians have read in Mahabharat about how Arjuna fully focused and concentrated on the reflection in the pond of the eye of the revolving fish yantra and shot at it by an arrow from his bow to win the hands of Draupadi. In a movie, Bruce Lee, when he points a finger towards moon, asks his disciple to see the moon, and only moon. A lover gobbling up his or her darling with his/her eyes is an ever endearing scene to poets and of course to all of us!

Any instructor on personality development, asks you to look directly on the eye of the person you are engaging in a conversation or in an activity. This helps you to develop confidence. But, seeing anything to your best always makes you confident naturally. You are looked upon as a leader. You are faster, more courageous and adventurous and more of an extrovert, when your vision is better, and proper seeing helps you to improve your vision and grasping.

Proper seeing in the relaxed manner probably pumps more blood to the brain. This helps you to feel fresh alert and energetic all through the day! Thus a simple natural yogic exercise that can be practised all through the day!

When a child is seeing along properly what he/she writes, his/her handwriting improves dramatically. And any act one does, seeing the act properly all along, comes out perfect, and the act is also executed faster