utham

Konerirajapuram / Near Kumabakonam of Tamil Nadu /India / Lord Nataraja Statue.

2011-11-07T05:53:00.000-08:00

In the temple of Konerirajapuram there is a statue of Lord Nataraja, one of the trinity of Hindu Gods, whose statue is of five metals called Panchaloga in Hindu tradition , which is unique in the sense for the following reasons and the information we get while researching the topic.

As per the very own words of 'Appar' , one of the Tamil Saints who says, only who have poorva janma punya ( benefits in the previous births only) will be able to visit this temple. This place is no less than the Kailasam itself. Here we see a 'suyambu nataraja of 8 feet with parvathi'. The temple was originally called thirunallam as the place got submerged into the grounds, Lady Sembiam Mahadevi (Grand mother of Raja Raja Cholan) renovated and established this as grand stone temple. The legend says that while the King wanted to make out huge Nataraja Statue, despite all efforts of the sthapathi (sculptor ), he could not make one beyond 3 feet; when the deadline date was given by king to do this job, the worried sthapathi prayed to Lord and Lord shiva and parvathi came in front in manushya roopa ( human forms) and asked for little water; out of his frustration caused by the king, the sthapathi told them to drink the liquid he kept ready to make the natraraj statue (impon - pancha loka liquid) and then, Lord and parvathi drank the same and the very moment became a beautiful Nataraja & Parvathi statue of 8 feet. The King disbeliving it, tried his sword on the staute and witnessed the bleeding; the same time, he got affected with Kushta roga (white patches ) ; Having done a mistake, he prayed to Lord and as per the celestial order, did poojas for the "Lord Vaidyanatha swami" the suyambu linga and got cured of his illness.

This is the only temple where one can see 'swayambu nataraja of impon statue' .... the marks of king's stroke, a mole and skin colour patch in one of the hands of Lord Nataraja and the GREAT smile on Lord Parvathi's face are just remarkable and no word can describe the real beauty of the same.

Besides in the arm pits of Lord Nataraja people witnessing the growth of dark hair depending on the waxing and waning of the moon , increases the growth and goes down respectively.

This temple had been constructed by the grand mother of King Rajaraja of Thanjavur.
The temple priest is quite interesting personality explaining in detail about the temple and history surrounding the temple.

Does IITs standard fall as said by Narayana Moorthy.

2011-10-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

Few days we have seen the verbal dual between two people, one Chetan Bhagath, another one who made money Narayana Moorthy; first started on the standard of IITs by Naryana Moorthy, latter reply by Chetan saying , even the body shop Infosys made money by the hard work of IITians, no doubt , yes .. that only brought him now to the center stage of making comments on IITs which is the domain of academics to worry about, not Naryana Moorthy who knows what his body shop needs, where as the IITs produce not only for body shops but for various demands of the industry through out the world.
And to say the falling standards of IITs is childish not child like . These youngsters prove in every walk of life , not only in IT industry, and even NASA did not comment on the standards of IIT products, then what made this Infosys man to have made such comments, reason is simple when one's success goes to his head this happens despite the posture one maintains as though simple ; this kind of acting is nothing but the ego blurting out incognito despite the mask one puts on showing the world as though simple, my God how simpletons live and become role models.
When a graduate of English literature or Journalism comes out of the University , he is not coming out only to serve the BPO or talk to some foreigner over phone , by changing his or her name according to the convenience of customer overseas.
And if a BPO CEO says that University is not producing English litt students up to expectation of the industry is simply ludicrous, then what gives them the temerity to say that is the accolades and encomiums paid to them day and day out in various fora , that go into the them making them super human beings in their thinking, and so they feel they can comment on anything and will be digested and assimilated if given in a centralized AC halls.
Just imagine the same statement given in open ....... what would be the consequences.The media is to blame to certain extent for blowing anything out of proportion as though a Nobel Laureate made a statement on his own domain.
The same man made a statement on our National Anthem once when foreigners assembled in a venue........ and we know the consequences....... Now a days no one thinks and talks , just pour out as though intellectual wizards.
My God ..... humans are humans............ homo spaiens..........

Reflections of the reflections of my Morning walk

2011-09-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

I got up as usual morning 5.15 and started for my walk with the usual Gayathri,Thryambagam, etc on my lips and reached the place where many people come for morning walk, not very bright and Sun was about to come up , chill as usual at this time in Coimbatore, a blessing for Coimbatoreans.
Then four or five people , a group walked past me and I overheard their talk, one of them was telling to his other friends, ' He could not have become such a great personality without the grace of God and Goddess , though he is super brilliant since I knew him , both were batch mates in Chartered Accountancy and practicing simultaneously.... He was born in a small village , Urumandampalayam near Coimbatore and now All Indian President of the Chapter of Professionals....... my God though his personal development and dedication to his profession...... He has full grace of Goddess Saraswathy' And they passed me and went away ten feet ahead of me.
My mind started ruminating on the sentences they spoke and scanning my books and examples in my mind, like a super computer and memories flooding into the bowel of thoughts like a torrential rain and since I was walking more than an hour every day , I never stopped my thoughts since it is also a meditation like Osho says 'Meditation in a market place' and J.K says 'totality of becoming the observer and observed one....... and that happens which you may call that, power, God or any symbol your mind or some one taught you' ha ha ha, let me come the main core of my thinking.
Spiritual workings in human life....... this is what my mind was observing in my thoughts.
Osho in one of books, name of which I do not remember now, says ' the poet , this word in English does not match correctly the word 'Kavi' of Sanskrit and our sages who created Mahabharatha and Ramayana are not poets, they are Kavis, whose work can not be matched by some one who is a poet; for instance Arunagirinathar, the Tamil Saint, who with the blessings of Lord Muruga, sang the great work 'Thirupugazh' whose rhyme and metrics can't be matched by any other Tamil work, since spiritual working though Arunagirinathar.
We had a recent marriage in our home, my nephew marriage , when I happened to meet one Engineer and his wife , an ardent devotee of Shirdi Baba, who during the conversation mentioned one of the recent happenings in his life, though many such things happened to him in his life by the grace of Shirdi Sai.
He said ' recently as a routine to all the overseas countries, I was working on a project off shore in middle east before flying down to attend the marriage here... one technical aspect was not working out in the project despite being a leader of the team of more than 20 engineers, and I decided at last I would try with the same technique and formula, but different help .... I started chanting sairam, sairam while working and applied the same technique and lo and behold........ every thing became fine and going through...... all my colleagues asked me then.. sir what is that formula you were telling yourself and working simultaneously.. what to say my collegues....... formula is one and only one SAIRAM........' And he was laughing loudly in our visitors' hall and got a flight to pune to visit Shirdi with his wife.
My brother's brothers in law are maestros in their chosen fields whose names I am not using here..... but all are Parthy Sai devotees, one of them is a cardiac surgeon in one of the top hospitals in U.S and he used to come India every year and conduct surgeries in Puttaparthy Hospital for service.Swami calls him by his pet name and blessed him always , and he would not leave Puttaparthy unless Swami gives him permission to leave for U.S back. On one such occasions, he came down to India and discussing a complex cardiac operation with his fellow Docs and went in with his team and finished the surgery successfully...... after some time he took bath and went to see Swami........ Swami smiled at him and called him near.......Swami said ' what serious discussion [his name used by Swami] ha ha .. why worry when I do operation inside the theater...' Doc said ' Oh Swami, I realize '
Then Baba asked ' what happened your chain with dollar ?'
Doc touched his neck and found the chain was not there and worried a bit since that chain and Swami dollar was created by Swami and Swami personally put it around his neck, for Swami said ' Don't worry...... when you were in a hurry to see me you missed......' and Swami created a chain and gave it to him , Doc wore it around his neck, but Swami said' oh this is without dollar ok give it ' and Doc removed from his neck and gave back to Baba , Baba created the chain again with Dollar with his figure and gave back which he still wears in U.S.
But once he had a cardiac problem which needed surgery and his colleagues took all the tests and said they would do the surgery , for he said he would go to Swami and have his darshan and come back to surgery. He came to Puttaparthy and had the darshan of swami and asked the permission of Swami to leave for U.S , he did not inform Swami what problem he had, neither Swami asked anything ........ when about to leave Swami touched him near chest and went inside.
Doc came back to U.S and took tests again since almost 10 days gone during his visit to India; My Swami the results show he was alright completely......... both the reports he keeps with himself....... his colleagues did not know what to say. Spiritual working among us , another example.
To be continued..........

Sai Baba in my dream.......... a pleasant experience.

2011-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Early morning while sleeping I had a dream, Bhagwan Parthy Bala came and with another old man, but Baba looks like He was in His 50's and as usual Bright like Sun, effulgent and in pure white attire, I was standing among the crowd and felt happy to have been able to see a few feets away. He was looking around and looked at me signalled me to come near... I obliged and went near to him and stood a few feets away, Swami said ' Come near ' in Telugu.

Asked me to sit down very near to Him , but I refused saying, Baba if I sit near you , those in the distance can not see your physical body, so I would sit from a distance.

Swami said ' No no Come near and sit near to me'

Then went near and sat beside his Chair on the floor.

Swami asked me how many languages I know , for I said few, but fluent in two languages ..... only English and Tamil.

Other few things also He was talking , but whole conversation with Swami was in Telugu.

Then he created Vibhuthi, and applied on my forehead and around my eyes and chin and blessed me.

When immediately I got up time was around morning 2.30 then washed my face and went to sleep before I got up around 5.30 to start for morning walk .

While walking I was thinking about this dream........... very plesant indeed this dream and unforgettable.

Sai Ram.

Morning walk of Independence Day

2011-08-14T22:19:00.001-07:00

As usual I started for my walk early morning by around 5.30 A.M and the walking place is on the way to the nearest mountain and people were coming by that time to that road for walking , almost all known faces , both ladies and gents, porfessionals, owners etc., and that place we see all independent big bungalows or big houses, from where if we walk further towards the hill, I was informed by one retired teacher , sometimes wild elephants come and he warned me not to venture that area before 5 o clock morning since it was dark at that time and we could not make out if any wild elephant strayed into that area.

One retired teacher gentlemen brought out a stool on which he plaes flags and pins to fix on the shirts and good amount of choclates to be given to those walkers and passers by. I was greeted by this gentlemen and friends ' Happy Independece Day' and I also greeted them back , and he fixed a small flag on my shirt pocket and gave me choclates.

Ladies were given flags on their palms and reguested to fix either on their sarri or dhuppatta or sweater since my place already has become very cold, that too my area.

Total euphoria of Independence Day feeling among those who were walking or passing by in that area.

Thanks to that gentlemen whose name is Subramanyam Teacher.

Osho Story on Shirdi Sai Baba

2011-07-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

osho Story on Shirdi Sai Baba

Osho - If you come to meet God, you must meet him without any words. If you have some words, he may not fit and suit your idea. Because if a Hindu thinks he has one thousand hands, and if God comes only with two hands, a Hindu, he will reject: "You are not a God at all. Only with two hands? God has a thousand hands. Show me your other hands. Only then I can believe you."

It happened: One of the most beautiful persons of this past century was Sai Baba of Shirdi. He had a friend and a follower. Sai Baba was a Mohammedan. Or no one knows whether he was a Mohammedan or a Hindu, but he lived in a mosque, so it was believed he was a Mohammedan. And a Hindu follower was there, who loved, respected, has much faith in Sai Baba. Every day he will come for his darshan, and without seeing him he will not go. Sometimes it will happen that for the whole day he will have to wait, but without seeing he will not go, and he will not take food unless he has seen Sai Baba.

Once it happened the whole day passed, there was much gathering and much crowd -- he couldn't enter. When everybody has gone, just in the night he touched the feet.

Sai Baba said to him, "Why you unnecessarily wait? There is no need to see me here, I can come there. And drop this from tomorrow. Now I will do. Before you take your food you will see me every day."

The disciple was very happy. So next day he was waiting and waiting; nothing happened. Many things happened really, but nothing happened according to his conception. By the evening he was very angry. He has not taken the food, and Sai Baba has not appeared so he went again. He said, "You promise and you don't fulfill?"

Sai Baba said, "But I appeared thrice, not even once. First time I came, I was a beggar and you said to me, 'Move away! Don't come here!' Second time I came I was an old woman, and you just won't look at me; you closed your eyes-because the disciple had the habit of not seeing women; he was practicing not seeing women, so he closed the eyes.

Sai Baba said, "I had come, but what do you expect? Should I enter your eyes, closed eyes? I was standing there, but you closed the eyes. The moment you saw me, you closed the eyes. Then third time I reached as a dog, and you won't allow me in. With a stick you were standing in the door."

And these three things had happened. And these things have been happening to whole humanity. The divine comes in many forms, but you have a prejudice; you have a pre-formulated conception; you cannot see. He must appear according to you, and he never appears according to you. And he will never appear according to you. You cannot be the rule for him and you cannot put any conditions.

When all imagination falls, only then truth appears. Otherwise, imagination goes on making conditions and truth cannot appear. Only in a naked mind, in a nude, empty mind, truth appears, because you cannot distort it.

Questioner: Are emotions rooted in thought?

2011-07-06T00:27:00.000-07:00

Krishnamurti: What are emotions? Emotions are sensations,
aren't they? You see a lovely car, or a beautiful house, a beautiful
woman or man, and the sensory perception awakens the senses.
Then what takes place? Contact, then desire, Now thought comes
in. Can you end there and not let thought come in and take over? I
see a beautiful house, the right proportions, with a lovely lawn, a
nice garden: all the senses are responding because there is great
beauty - it is well kept, orderly, tidy. Why can't you stop there and
not let thought come in and say, "I must have" and all the rest of it?
Then you will see emotions, or sensations, are natural, healthy,
normal. But when thought takes over, then all the mischief begins.
So to find out for oneself whether it is possible to look at
something with all the senses and end there and not proceed further
- do it! That requires an extraordinary sense of awareness in which
there is no control; no control, therefore no conflict. Just to observe
totally that which is, and all the senses respond and end there.
There is great beauty in that. For after all what is beauty?

Is beauty in the world of reality? Or is it not within the movement
of thought as time? Please follow this carefully because we are
investigating together. I am not laying down the law. I am just
asking myself: does beauty lie within the movement of thought as
time? That is, within the field of reality. There are beautiful
paintings, statues, sculpture, marvellous cathedrals, wonderful
temples. If you have been to India, some of those ancient temples
are really quite extraordinary: they have no time, there has been no
entity as a human being who put them together. And those
marvellous old sculptures from the Egyptians, from the Greeks,
down to the Moderns. That is, is it expression and creation? Does
creation need expression? I am not saying it does, or does not, I am
asking, enquiring. Is beauty, which is both expression outwardly
and the sense of inward feeling of extraordinary elation, that which
comes when there is complete cessation of the "me", with all its
movements?
To enquire what is beauty, we have to go into the question of
what is creation. What is the mind that is creative? Can the mind
that is fragmented, however capable, whatever its gifts, talent, is
such a mind creative? If I live a fragmented life, pursuing my
cravings, my selfishness, my self-centred ambitions, pursuits, my
pain, my struggle - is such a mind (I am asking) creative? - though
it has produced marvellous music, marvellous literature,
architecture and poetry - English and other literature is filled with it.
A mind that is not whole, can that be creative? Or is creation
only possible when there is total wholeness and therefore no
fragmentation? A mind that is fragmented is not a beautiful mind,
and therefore it is not creative.

Arvind Adiga / Writer /Journalist / Novelist

2011-06-26T03:25:00.000-07:00

Arvind Adiga - who won ' Man Booker Prize ' in 2008 for his novel 'White Tiger ' now again with a bang came out with his novel ' Last man in Tower ' , plot of which revolves around Mumbai city , which has been a fascination for the Author in his life for its varied hues and happenings.

Adiga, whose mother wanted him to be an academic in Chennai, studied English literature, in New York,Oxford,and admitted for Ph.D in Princeton, had to part ways to become a journalist, writing for Times then changed course to become a Novelist , who feels writing is his Karma.

He stated in one of his interviews that ' The Guide ' by R.K.Narayan is still the great Indian Novel in English by Indian writer and says R.K.Narayan's writing is lucid and profound.

He further says, Ramachandra Guha about whom already I published in my blog ,is the one who writes good prose feels happy about him .

When I first bought White Tiger and having read it by one sweep I could not find any significance of why it has been a prize, but subsequently while ruminating on the book , I could feel and find the answer why .

A Devotee's experience of Sai Baba in Shirdi,Maharashtra.

2010-12-03T01:15:00.000-08:00

Shirdi Sai Baba before Mahasamadhi lived in his physical form in Shirdi Village of Maharashtra; where poojas, rituals,and Chavadi Procession are done regularly .

Actually, Chavadi means a place for discussion to give justice, but this Chavadi of Shirdi became a place of residence of God Incarnation - Sai Baba.

Seeing this daily routine of Baba, from December 10, 1909, devotees started a tradition of taking a procession admist band and music from Dwarkamai to Chavadi. People used to clean lanes of Shirdi on the day on which Baba had to sleep in Chavadi. A mixture of cow dung, mud and water was sprinkled to prepare a uniform platform to draw rangoli. Torches were ignited on polls in lanes to enlighten Shirdi.

Once a family of husband and wife with their two children, a boy and a girl, both of them software professionals,went to Shirdi to have a 'darshan' of Baba and left by train from one of the cities of Tamil Nadu.

They reached Shirdi and took a big family room for stay and visited Samadhi mandir,and sat for few hours inside the sanctum sanctorum silently and came back to room to relax owing to the tiredness of having traveled.

Evening the family was talking inside the room and when the time was around 6 O' clock, both brother and sister went out to see around the places and to know the topography .Even before this visit they had been to Shirdi many a time since the family is a family of all sai devotees.

After some walking around , sister asked the brother to buy ice cream which he did and both were eating; by then 'Chavadi Procession' was approaching the 'Chavadi'; a palanquin was carried by the devotees and the 'padugas' of Baba were kept inside the palanquin as is the practice,sound of cymbals, beating of the drums,playing of other instruments,shouting of slogans in praise of Baba by the devotees and all fun and color befitting the occasion.

The sister was watching and brother standing behind her watching the procession; they were standing near the 'chavadi'; the slowly the sounds were vanishing from his audibility [brother's]and he was doubtful whether he had any problem in his hearing, since he could see the people opening the mouths and shouting,drums being beaten,cymbals and other instruments playing,and he felt afraid.Suddenly the scene he was witnessing was slowly vanishing from his eyes; he felt really terrified , something was happening to him.

When this kind not hearing and seeing happening to him, as though he was seeing a white paper in front of his eyes and everything vanished in a smoke before his eyes, he saw Baba emerging from Chavadi and walking fast to the palanquin !!!!!!!!!! ............ Baba was like a luminous flame but Baba image was there walking..........he felt dizzy and started losing his consciousness slowly and slumping down on the slushy muddy sidewalk of the road since that was a rainy day.His sister after seeing the procession turned around to see the brother , but he was not there and was shocked to see his lying down on the wet floor without consciousness.

Somehow she managed to bring the brother to the lodge and slumped down on the bed and started sleeping for hours together and was so dazed for consecutive two or three days and they stayed there in Shirdi all the days. But they knew that he was alright but could not explain what happened to him and not being able to talk coherently about what happened.

After the few days he explained in detail what happened to him and what he witnessed to his family and not others .

This is explained here without revealing the identities and the relationship of the boy and the family to the writer since people might think that this is written to impress upon readers.

But those who read this would certainly be blessed since this is a real one and truthful presentation.

My visit to Puttaparthy and Sai Temple in Jayanagar,Bangalore.

2010-11-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

On 3rd October morning my sister,brother in law,nephew who works in Bangalore as a software engineer started for Puttaparthy to have a Darshan of Sai Baba and as the road was a six track which leads to Hydrabad the travel in our car was a pleasure and the car's speed was touching 140 K.M when I casually looked at the meter and my nephew at the wheels and the Bhajan CD was playing in the car.
As we had only tea while leaving Bangalore on the way he stopped near a Kamath Motel after an hour of journey and many of the travelers were dining in their white dress, a symbol of Sai Devotees usually. The crowd was heavy and took us around 40 minutes to finish our morning breakfast and tea and resumed our journey.
At the ahram gate the Car was not allowed inside , thanks to the security alert which we come across everywhere in the temple towns , and we stopped our car and inquired for stay and understood no space to stay , all booked already and people were swarming like flies all over.
Some how we thought of staying outside in some lodgings and went inside to meet one of our friends employed in the service of the Ashram- but informed us since students were waiting in the hall being a holiday Swami was going to come again to give Darshan for morning, so we rushed and my sister , nephew and brother in law were able to go inside the hall and I standing outside atop on some step near a building and seen the Swami moving around the devotees and blessing all and the Bhajan reached a crescendo of euphoric heights
Over the past two decades concrete jungles have sprung up inside the Ashram occupying every available space owing to the space constraint and spoiling the ambiance of the serene atmosphere.Language and communication have become a hassle inside the ashram, lot of North Indians knowing only Hindi swarming everywhere inside the dining hall and reception,entrance....... whereas 20 years back we could see smiling faces with calmness seen everywhere helping people in multilingual culture.Why now this change, are they all employees of the ashram or in the name of service intruded inside for livelihood ....... I don't know.Inside the dining hall, only sound in high pitch compared to the past calmness and servicing smile.Where gone all these devotees?.
We went for lunch for tokens are given for Rs.6 each, but food is sub standard compared to ten years back, it is like just rich and colored watery thing called Sambar, Rasam, and butter milk--better they can collect more money and give better food since devotees come far off places.Children could not eat what being served. I think those who manage food could concentrate further in this regard.Although I ate all kinds of food in my life owing to my business and professional travel, this food was so sub standard for consumption, although I was hungry and very hot. When I entered into the car the A/ C was adjusted to full blast .

We came out after the darshan and decided to leave Puttparthy having seen the Swami although we went there to stay and reached back Bangalore by 4.30 evening.
Next day morning I rang up my friend who happened to tour around the world always for his work and fortunate on that day he was available in Bangalore on 4th , and he was eager to see me , so we proceeded to meet him in Jaya Nagar , opposite to Central Mall and spent pleasant time and went for lunch some Restaurant , although we never concentrated on lunch despite being rich lunch, our talks were only on the happenings in the past and what were we doing etc., etc.,

Evening we went to Sai Temple in 9th Block of Jaya Nagar and what is unique here in this temple is the priest who conducts pooja does like one attending an elderly in our own home; the tamboolam [offering of betel leaves,betel nuts and other ingredients ] is like offering near the mouth of Shirdi Sai is like one giving to one old, respected elderly in our home.
We received Prasad, and others were distributing Cakes,sweets etc., and proceeded to Saravana Bhavan for our night dinner.
So pleasantly two days passed with our Puttaparthy and Shirdi Sai Temple and we stayed around ten days and proceeded back to our town Coimbatore.
Now I feel like visiting this temple again as if to meet my own grand father .
Somehow I used to visit this city often.

Electronic City of Bangalore

2010-11-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

Since I visit often to the Electronic City of Bangalore and my nephew is a software professional who lives nearby ,normally I go for walking inside the Electronic City.That is a energizing experience both for mind and body while watching youths working there bubbling with energy, watching of the younger generations achieving while making money is something great to the mind when everyday in and out we see scams,unscrupulous politicians,corrupt judiciary,corrupt defense personnel and all.

Electronic city is pollution free since the Industries of pollution are not there, except four wheelers, two wheelers and occasionally Autos hired by employees.Buses which pass through are limited since only those who neither use the company buses, cars, or two wheelers travel in that.We have direct buses, air-conditioned from Electronic City to the Airport.
Those who would like to take the fly over from the Electronic City can get a ticket and go into the city
without any disturbance and can travel around 10 K.M straight to the city.
My walking is usually around two hours daily inside the Electronic City....Watching HCL, Infosys, Wipro, Infotech etc.,
Marvelous experience indeed both to mind and body, seeing only positive things in life.

Ananda Vikatan's [Tamil Weekly ] Magnanimity and Etiquette

2010-11-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Normally I don't read weeklies of Tamil, long back I stopped reading this kind of weeklies,and I don't think it is worth a try any longer; no longer interested to half clad actresses and actors and all reading all useless wastes flying high owing to high tech ads.
Recently I happen to read a piece in their magazine , Sakthi Vikatan, [ these kind of magazines my sister buys and reads still,although some good also she buys ] one article about Kanchi Acharya, the one who attained Mahasamadhi, and wanted to write a letter of appreciation to the author of that brief and sent an email to that magazine, requesting them to send the email of the writer of that article , meanwhile I also translated that piece into English and published.
I never got a reply , that too not for the address or anything of the author, but an email id to send a token of appreciation to him.What a man like me could influence or anything to gain from either the author or from Ananda Vikatan. Besides, who wants to write for this tissue paper depicting good for nothing messages and write-up, in which no longer any great writers give anything to be published. Sheer ignoramuses and morons who think they deserve what they are.
How commercialized this mags who even block those who would like to send an appreciative letter.
Many an English Magazine and News Paper give the columnists' email id at the bottom of the article, thereby helping those readers who would like to send their opinions to the authors, then why the hell these Tamils block the readers to contact the writers.
Useless indeed reading this magazine whose stupendous heights reached by its ancestors have been lost by this magazine.
Those who would like to ogle at the actresses whose snaps are with little pieces of attire barely covering the vulnerable parts of anatomy can pursue reading them.
I think worst punishments Tamil get is reading this kind of magazines.
Oh how smart and intellects these guys who manage these weeklies.Pity the people who are forced by circumstances to read such 'finest' [?]magazines.

Why we need a Marketing man for Pharma Companies

2010-11-01T03:06:00.000-07:00

What is happening in Pharma Industry, especially why a Marketing team right now in every company is an anathema to the existing set up of information to the Medical Profession. This Marketing Concept was evolved like other Colonial yokes to inform,illustrate and convey the new drugs and the availability in a particular town when Doctors did not have their congregation every where as it is today; little towns except the Capitals of the state and Medical Colleges these informations were hard to come by.
Now internet,couriers,Indian Medical Associations, in almost all the places , no human power is needed to do the same Marketing.
Then a question arises as to why this continues--it is nothing but corrupting the Medical Profession and majority of the Doctors fall a prey to this ploy since now a days , no company worth its name is sincere to the national identity and service , even if it is a fraction.
All the business schools sent out robots without heart and mind , and these robots, concept of life is make money by any means and enjoy by any means.
Societal concern is absolute zero, both in the Drug Companies and in the Medical Profession
Reason, any Doctor even he or she got the seat by merit had to spend huge amount by way of tuition fees.Government participation, better not said, Govts are interested to hand over the health care to the Insurance companies and Private and corporate giants. Cool....... get your commission from the companies....... so doctors also come from that society... make a hell a lot of money as quickly as possible.
These so called Marketing men , will take care of their holiday stay with their families, trips abroad, supply discounted medicines to either the Hospitals or individual Doctors or discount by the way of costly compliments like car etc., if Dr preferred anything........that are not punchable in a keyboard.
Loot the country in any way possible, for we have robots from Business schools, do you know the reason....... only aping the west not any Indian mind set of compassion and love for fellow human beings.

Kanchi Sage/ Maha Periyaval /Miracle

2010-10-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Kanchi Sankaracharya,who has been affectionately called by all as 'Maha Periyaval ' of Kancheepuram Sankara Mutt, attained Maha Samadhi, and when he was in physical form on this earth, many miracles happened to thousands and thousands of his devotees and visitors and one such incident [miracle] is explained here below by a writer Saarukesi in 'Sakthi Vikatan' dt 22/10/10, a Tamil Magazine of Ananda vikadan Group of publications.

One Sivan , a resident of Thirunelveli, one of the towns of Tamil Nadu State of India,used to visit Kancheepuram regularly to have a Darshan of Kanchi Sankaraacharyaa, when he did so, he neither went near him or tried to talk to him; he would simply sit before him , sometimes days together and he felt happiness by seeing him. This Sivan was a puritan both physically and in his eating habits and always wearing the Saivite symbol of 'Vibhoothi' [holy ash] on his forehead, and anyone seeing him could perceive , he was a man of complete devotion by his looks and deeds.
Once after the Darshan , he neared the 'Maha Swami' as usual to take leave of him and which usually given by him by waving his hand showing blessing to Sivam.But on that particular day , Swami opened his sacred mouth and said
' started for journey? At least take a soda [aerated bottled water , popularly known as ' Goli Soda' ].On the way you can...'
Sivam started for his home town, came to Chengalpet and started for Thirunelveli. In the same bus, four boys were travelling making noise , troubling co-passengers.Sivam kept quiet and continued his journey.When the bus nearing Madurai on the way to Thirunelveli, stopped in a small village, where Sivam sitting in the bus , watched a small shop, keeping soda bottles arranged neatly in a row , and he remembered what Periaval said and besides he also felt like taking water, so got down and went to the shop to drink one Goli Soda.
On his coming back to the bus , to his seat, he was shocked to find his bag , which he usually carried and contained his meager belongings and money , missing. But the four boys shouted at him with out respect and said
' we have put your bag in one of the seats behind , go there, we want to travel sitting in that seat'

Sivam meekly went to the seat where his bag was kept and traveled. Immediately after exactly an hour the bus he was travelling met with an accident, and the two boys who were travelling in his previous seat died on the spot.
Sivam got shocked and dazed, started thinking , why Periyaval asked him to take Goli soda, which was unusual, why the bus stopped there , and why he saw the shop and the goli soda, and why he felt like drinking a soda.......... and all.
When the gentleman who narrated this incident to the original writer, met Mahaperiyaval and told him as to how Sivam escaped from the accident.Mahaperiyaval said
' Oh Sivam thought I saved him, the great Lord saved him'

Such is the divine humility of Great Mahaperiyaval.

My thanks to the writer of the original article Sri.Saarukesi,and 'Sakthi Vikatan,Tamil Magazine dt 22/10/10

Beware of Dogs

2010-10-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Birthday of my nephew and so we had programs of visiting Temples,Orphanage and to see the work progress in the construction site and the place we reside right now is one of the big cities of Tamil Nadu, rather the Industrial city of Tamil Nadu where lot of employment opportunities for both skilled , unskilled and semiskilled personnel.
Morning after visiting the orphanages and a few temples we went to see the progress of work in the construction site of the house right now under construction.
After seeing the work progress, since the car was taken reverse from the street we were seeing the nearby houses and and one board was unique in the sense that board contains instructions in English and Malayalam as follows:
Beware of Dogs,
പട്ടിയുണ്ട്സൂഷിക്കുക

Normally in Tamil Nadu you see such boards in English and Tamil only and my sister asked me as to why this house owner , may be a Malayalee, thousands and thousands of Malayalee families live here in this town since it offers jobs unlike Kerala where only thriving industry is Politics, keeping the board in malayalam instead of in Tamil since many a man or woman cross the road or passing by the house would either be in general a Tamil .

I said 'May be this Malayalee owner has some anger towards Kerala and he shows like this'

'Why? ' my sister asked.

' He feels that his state despite being a highly literate state, not providing opportunities and people suffer. This stupid Govt does make a record of those who read and write Malayalam as the literate, not knowing any other language.So his way of showing an attack on Govt of Kerala through the board'

My sister laughed it away and became normal pitying the fellow malayalees who have to go other states to earn a living despite being a highly literate state.

Somehow a board brought the feeling of Malayalees in general about the backwardness of industrialization of the state and the corrupt politicians who cheat the malayalees.I empathize with Malayalee boys and men and ladies too who go around the world to make money at the cost of the separation of their families and sometimes at the cost of their own lives.Fully qualified professionals going abroad and other places of India is different from eking out a living for the almost nil opportunities in kerala.

Here I am with my nephew on his Birthday.

My morning walk

2010-10-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

After getting up from bed at 4.45 AM I brushed my teeth, washed my face, looked at the mirror my face with unshaved chin of salt and pepper, mostly pepper,started saying my morning 'mantras' while dressing up, and preferred full sleeve shirt as the climate outside was very cold with mist and while walking you could feel as if you are in your flight through clouds, the light has not come out and it was dark.

The route usually I walk is partly the main road leading to the hill station Ooty , private cars started plying taking the officials and tourists to Ooty, and city buses and out station buses already started going. Birds started flying outside their nests making all kinds of sounds, like crowing,chirping,cooing,babbling, all kinds of sound........
Men already started out either for work or walking or on various errands spouting ' ooh..... aaahhhhhhhhhh' as cold was bit hight to tolerate. Tea shops one by one opening, here in my city tea shops are not like traditional boilers kept out and glasses arranged in a row on a metal or aluminium table, but brightly lighted and show casing bakery items and other eatables and could see a few people sipping their first tea or coffee of the day.
Then I tool a left turn which takes you to a calm residential area , mostly upper middle class or rich class locality with two or three cars parked inside the compound of the houses and dogs as usual awake barking at the walkers in different sounds since many a time all the houses keep the foreign breed .
Boys ranging from 15 yrs to 30 yrs walking towards the railway lines running parallel to the right side of the road I walk, though a bit far away, with bottles of water in hand, ... well going for defecating by the side of railway track; these boys are from the nearby ground where the rigs used for bore well are parked by night and the workers sleep either under the vehicles or at the roof of the lorries despite the cold------- hello! economist Prime Minister , watch this emerging India .
My mind left the 'mantra ' I had been repeating and jumped like a monkey on the article written by Mr.Sainath in The Hindu on the magnitude of the corruption in CW games and the tamasha of the highest magnitude and its ramifications.Today 'The Hindu' published two letters as a response to the article , showing the animosity to the article as if that article was born out of negativism; corruption is everywhere and this happens when this kind of macro projects done justifying the corruption .Remember the people going to railway tracks and millions do it in this great country when Ram prefers publishing these letters as a retribution for the article published and written by Mr.Sainath. Mr.Ram , for him no problem, his fore fathers by writing in the true spirit of democracy wrote and constructed his toilets at so many places in his house........ sorry his bungalow.
Mr.Ram is a business man of highest order, although who claims to be a journalist and editor, who knows how to toe the line of the Govt both at the center and State , so that to get ads for his paper and as a public opinion immediately after publishing an article which is neutral in approach by any writer, he would publish letters of long sentences against it and a few letters showing support to the article so that creating an illusion what stands for in the world of journalism is neutrality in reporting.His 'lakshman rekha' is 'Ram's rekha' of how to survive and make friends with the world that is ruling always.
Now the standard of this paper and its writings, for example they have a Readers' Editor who writes things like lawyers write in a drab and insipid way , so that anyone can confidently announce a prize for one who reads what he writes till the end. Only consolation is Mr.Paul Krugman , again this is represented in this paper , he is not writing for this paper, an arrangement with the original publisher.Better these correspondents could attend a workshop of Mr.Paul Krugman , if at all he is interested to teach these people as to how to write.
I have been reading this paper from the days of Mr.G.K.Reddy, Narain etc., how shallow this paper came down now, making only drab , insipid, tasteless,bland, flavorless writings.
Now we read 'The Hindu' inevitably like we got used to drinking tea , which once we drank with sugar, now owing to diabetics drink without sugar; not needed to drink the tea but habits die hard. Alternate drinks all slowly coming into every town like The Times of India etc.,
When I walked an hour I reached a usual tea shop and ordered for two salt biscuits and a tea without sugar like I read the tasteless paper.

Writer Sundara Ramasamy and his poem

2010-10-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Sundara ramasamy , a famous tamil writer who is no more, wrote this poem , which is translated here into English to make it known to the non tamil speaking community.

Alone

Have seen wings of a bird

flying with out the bird.

The bird which follows the wings

joined the wings in the nuances

of the music.

When wings came to know by flying
and flying alone,
how to fly alone without bird,

And the bird without wings,

In me that mystique

spreads,

A flower blooms in my mind.

Marshall Goldsmith and his workshop

2010-09-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

You can listen and try to be a bit relaxed to improve yourself in your working environment and your leadership qualities.Despite his outstanding experience he presents with lucidity and down to earth level.
He is a world authority in helping successful leaders even to get better -- in achieving positive change in behavior for their better change.

Do you have an obese child ?........ then read the article.

2010-09-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

If you are the parent of a obese child, though a modern day syndrome of overfeeding the kid irrespective of the physical activity of the kid, you need to read this below.

With the epidemic of childhood obesity, it is not uncommon for prescribers to puzzle over an appropriate drug dose for an obese child. Defining the optimum therapeutic dose of a drug relies on an understanding of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. [ don't worry about medical terminologies ]
Both these processes can be affected by body composition and the physiological changes that occur in obese children. As a rule of thumb, 75% of excess weight in obese subjects is fat mass, and the remainder lean mass.
Although it is reasonable to assume that increases in fat mass alter the distribution of lipophilic drugs [ drugs that dissolves with fat of the baby ]and increases in lean mass alter drug clearance, good quality and consistent clinical data supporting these assumptions are lacking for the majority of drugs.
The relatively few clinical studies that have evaluated the impact of obesity have often been limited by poor design and insufficient sample size. Moreover, clinical studies conducted during drug development rarely include (or are required to include) obese subjects. Guidance on dosing obese children ought to be provided by drug manufacturers.
This could be achieved by including obese patients in studies where possible, enabling the effect of body size on pharmacotherapy to be evaluated. This approach could be further augmented by the use of physiologically based-pharmacokinetic models during early (preclinical) development to predict the impact of obesity on drug disposition, and subsequent clinical studies later in development to provide confirmatory proof.
In the meantime, for the majority of drugs already prescribed in children, particularly those where the therapeutic range is narrow or there is significant toxicity, the lack of a validated body size descriptor to use at the bedside means the choice of dose will rely on empirical experience and application of the precautionary principle.
So whenever your kid being prescribed by a Doc, ask his counselling with regard to dosage and don't be shy in admitting that your kid is fatty or obese.
Please try to make your kid play [ I mean play physically not computer oriented ] Haaaaaaaaaaaaa..........

Note: meaning of obesity..........very fat or overweight; corpulent.

How Music training primes nervous system and boosts learning.

2010-09-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Those ubiquitous wires connecting listeners to you-name-the-sounds from invisible MP3 players -- whether of Bach, or any music -- only hint at music's effect on the soul throughout the ages.
Now a data-driven review by Northwestern University researchers that published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience pulls together converging research from the scientific literature linking musical training to learning that spills over to skills including language, speech, memory, attention and even vocal emotion. The science covered comes from labs all over the world, from scientists of varying scientific philosophies, using a wide range of research methods.

scientists use the term neuroplasticity to describe the brain's ability to adapt and change as a result of training and experience over the course of a person's life. The studies covered in the Northwestern review offer a model of neuroplasticity, Kraus said.

The research strongly suggests that the neural connections made during musical training also prime the brain for other aspects of human communication.

Nina Kraus, lead author of the Nature perspective, the Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences and Neurobiology and director of Northwestern's Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory says, A musician's brain selectively enhances information-bearing elements in sound,

"In a beautiful interrelationship between sensory and cognitive processes, the nervous system makes associations between complex sounds and what they mean." The efficient sound-to-meaning connections are important not only for music but for other aspects of communication, she said.

And musicians trained to hear sounds embedded in a rich network of melodies and harmonies are primed to understand speech in a noisy background. They exhibit both enhanced cognitive and sensory abilities that give them a distinct advantage for processing speech in challenging listening environments compared with non-musicians.

Children with learning disorders are particularly vulnerable to the deleterious effects of background noise, according to the article. "Music training seems to strengthen the same neural processes that often are deficient in individuals with developmental dyslexia or who have difficulty hearing speech in noise."

"The effect of music training suggests that, akin to physical exercise and its impact on body fitness, music is a resource that tones the brain for auditory fitness and thus requires society to re-examine the role of music in shaping individual development, " the researchers conclude.

Do we need to supplement calcium tablets regularly?

2010-07-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Beware of Calcium tabs or capsules! These supplements are popped by millions of women and senior citizens for strong bones, it apparently has a potentially dangerous side effect. The pills could increase chances of suffering a cardiac arrest, claims a new study.

An international panel of researchers -- many of them from New Zealand's Aberdeen and Auckland University -- claim those who take calcium supplements to improve bone density face a 30% higher risk of heart attacks. It could also increase the risk of minor episodes of stroke and mortality - that means angina [ chest pain] and death.

The researchers, who published their study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Friday, came to the conclusion after reviewing 11 random controlled trials of calcium supplements, which involved 12,000 patients. [This is naturally a clear study involving these many patients ]

The findings were consistent across trials, and were independent of age, gender and types of supplement. [very wide ranging study ]

The researchers maintained calcium supplements could rapidly increase calcium levels in blood, leading to arterial disease. [ means narrowing down of lumen [ space inside the blood vessels]

Interestingly, the study has been rubbished by Indian doctors, arguing such episodes of heart attacks could occurr in the West since calcium intake in diet is anyway optimum, thanks to the food habit. Don' we have the rich class who take all kinds of foods and all imported items thinking it is their affluence.

Most Indians, the doctors said, are calcium deficient. The docs mean poor class and BPL families.

Dr Ambrish Mittal, president of Endocrine Society of India, said, "This study applies to the Westerners, who are calcium rich." How this Doctor make such a sweeping statement, thereby misleading the common man , saying they can take Calcium as before?

"Except Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, the intake of dairy products -- a rich source of calcium -- are abysmally low across the country" he reasoned to bolster his claim. Did he do any study with wide data or simply talking as if an authority?

"While, a healthy adult may require 900 mg of calcium a day, a staple Indian diet provides just about 400 mg, that also if the individual has two glasses of milk along with paneer, cheese and curd with every meal. Hence, it is premature to say popping a 500-mg of calcium pill a day will cause heart attacks," Dr Mittal explained. Does he not feel responsible at least towards common man?

Dr Sushil Sharma, president of the Arthritis Foundation of India, said the normal level of calcium in human body should be between 8.8 mg/dl-10.8 mg/dl per 100 ml of blood. If it goes above 10.8 mg/dl, it could cause hypocalcaemia and cause heart attacks. But, that only happens when a diet provides optimum calcium requirement and on top of that an individual is taking a 500-mg pill. If anything goes down in the body, that creates problems, right, but how many go to hospitals to test and find out whether they are hypo or hypercalcaemia.

Ian Reid of the University of Auckland -- one of the lead researchers -- disagreed with the Indian doctors' assertions.

He claimed that calcium supplements are not necessarily the ideal way to protect bones since that could reduce chances of fractures by only around 10%.

President of Heart Care Foundation of India and cardiologist Dr K K Agarwal, who is also attached to Moolchand Hospital, said, "Around 1,500 mg of calcium intake a day is recommended for women and senior citizens in India. But, Indians largely suffer from acute deficiency of Vitamin D required for absorption of calcium. That's why the 40+ population needs to take calcium pills daily for good bone health." He is right , Vitamin D is what is required for the absorption of Calcium which we normally ingest through our normal intake of food like milk, cheese,curd etc.,
Anyway this is written to make an awareness to those above 40+.

Comment on fuel price hike in The Deccan Chronicle

2010-06-26T18:31:00.001-07:00

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/152143

George Washington's library book returned, 221 years later

2010-05-21T01:04:00.000-07:00

It was over two centuries late, but a copy of a library book George Washington borrowed was returned yesterday to a New York library.

The former president borrowed "The Law of Nations" by Emer de Vattel on 5 October 1789, the New York Society Library says.

Staff discovered, it was missing when they conducted an inventory of books in the library's 1789-1792 ledger earlier this year. Washington had never returned the book – an essay on international affairs – to the library, which shared a building with the federal government at the time and was used by members of Congress and the cabinet as well as the president. The former president's overdue fines, it has been calculated, would theoretically amount to $300,000 (£209,000).

After staff at Mount Vernon, Washington's former home in Virginia, learned of the situation, they got in touch with the library – New York's oldest – offering to replace the book with another copy of the same edition. A ceremony yesterday saw Mount Vernon staff present the book to the library.

Two hundred and twenty-one years later, The Law of Nations has finally come home, with – fortunately for Mount Vernon's coffers – no mention made of the fine.

About our brave Jawans

2010-05-13T04:46:00.001-07:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/usrmailcomment.cms?msid=5751612&usrmail=uthaman21@gmail.com&mailon_commented=1

comment on Amitabh Bachan

2010-05-13T04:45:00.001-07:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/usrmailcomment.cms?msid=5920912&usrmail=covaiutham@gmail.com&mailon_commented=1

Comment on retired Chief Justice of India

2010-05-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/usrmailcomment.cms?msid=5518179&usrmail=covaiutham@gmail.com&mailon_commented=1

Khushboo and Supreme Court of India

2010-04-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

The recent judgment of the Supreme Court upholds the right to freedom of speech and expression. Khushboo's right to freedom of speech was violated by the institution of multiple criminal cases against her in various courts across the country and consequent harassment that she suffered. dealt with the procedural loophole in s 177 of the Criminal Procedural Code which allows multiple cases to be filed, The Supreme Court has now given an important direction to Magistrates which should curb abuse of the criminal process:
Court is right in upholding the freedom of speech and expression as an individual right of a citizen in this country.Court is right in saying "We must be mindful that the initiation of a criminal trial is a process which carries an implicit degree of coercion and it should not be triggered by false and frivolous complaints, amounting to harassment and humiliation to the accused."
Besides it is implicit the moral policing taken up by any individuals with a few goons at their command is condemnable, if it allowed unchecked with or without the party's endorsement ruling at the state level , this may lead to chaos and coercion to the liberty of individuals.
At the same time it is equally important and a social responsibility on any individual to pass comments off the cuff on values and culture of a race or a country , using individual yardstick of standards, like anyone uses alcohol and saying since Govt runs liquor shops and now drinking is a social norm , so educated no longer mind drinking alcohol is a self defeating statement, many a doctor may drink but never says when he advises a patient to continue drinking, doctors go by the ethics of medical science and do the practice; likewise Khushboo should have restrained herself from bringing in educated people by saying that educated did not mind accepting wives who had not been virgins before marriage, stray cases where a girl had been cheated or second marriage this is implied and accepted as a standard , but not accepting in totality in the gamut of Indian culture and marriages.This holds good even for males although male chauvinistic society did not disapprove this behavior on the part of males.
Responsibility is responding to the social values and commenting on improving the society not making statement for making the ground of morality more slippery for youngsters at their impressionable age.
Finally do not use your personal yardstick of your set standards as the standards of Indian culture and ethos.
We come here to live as Indians with whatever we do without encroaching on others' personal space but India lives for ever with its standards of morality and values, do not tamper it.
This is not to sermonize on the standards of morality, which is changing , everyone knows, but taking a swipe on the minimum expected in every generation with regard to morality is misleading.

Shashi Tharoor an embarrassment to our Prime Minister

2010-04-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

What India can benefit from those who had been educated and outsourced from abroad for the ministerial berths is they invent more ways of how sophisticated the way they can exploit a country like India, recent example being how one who sits in the chair of public service can influence .

Tharoor detected political opportunities in mentoring a consortium that was intent on giving Kochi an IPL team is understandable. Yet, his role was more than that of a benign ‘patron’, as he now claims. Tharoor took an active interest in the operational aspects of the bidding process. He personally called on various bigwigs in the Board of Control for Cricket in India, including Sharad Pawar and Arun Jaitley, before the auction and was present in Chennai around the time the bids were opened. After his consortium won the bid and chose Kochi, Tharoor exulted publicly and attempted to extract maximum political mileage for himself in Kerala.

From being the outsider, he projected himself as the personification of Malayali pride.In his perspective Malayalee pride is playing cricket, leave alone the poor guy, who does not know the plight of Keralites who migrate to various parts of India for jobs and survival since he does not use the 'cattle class' of Indian Railways.Trains starting from Mangalore, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram to various parts of India do not carry Malayalees either for tour or pilgrimage.

Poverty, lack of opportunities there push an ordinary young man or woman to go out of the state in search of jobs.This gentleman who worked abroad , even in U.N could make crores of rupees in the name of his girl friend is talking of Malayalee Pride.

It is a shame to every Malayalee to see one who occupies the chair of authority and misuses compromising on integrity , making mockery of Indian system of democracy.

He is an embarrassment to our Prime Minsiter and the Congress Party.The congress party which had leaders like Lal Bahathur Shastry who resigned when Ariyaloor accident happened when he was the Railway Minister.Examples are many like T.T.Krishnamachary etc., Recent one being P.Chidambaram who offered to resign although we know the fact , immediately no one can occupy the chair to tackle the present scenario; even opposition did not demand his resignation although discussion was on course of actions contemplated on various issues.

Tharoor is only a symptom of deeper malaise.

Let this' honorable gentleman' put down his papers to clear the deck for the Prime Minister to function without embarrassment , right now Tharoor is not indispensable but we need a Prime Minister like Dr.Manmohan Singh to lead our country at this juncture of Nuclear deal,terrorism,internal security.Only now we want hands who could strengthen our Prime Minister not the ones who weaken his Government creating embarrassment.

Pride is making Kerala as a state of integrity not the other way round as Mr.Tharoor does .He is a shame to Kerala.

Mulayam Singh Yadav's audacity

2010-03-23T23:36:00.000-07:00

Mulayam Singh Yadav suggested on Tuesday that Parliament would be full of the sort of women who attract catcalls and whistles if the Women’s Reservation Bil was passed.

By the kind of statement he made he put his foot in his mouth , one derivative explanation being the kind of respect he has for the Indian womanhood and the way he looks at women despite his being a leader [?] and second his opinion about the male counterparts in Parliament irrespective of the party one belongs to .

Should we, as Indians , allow this sort of leaders to decide the future course of Democracy in this great country despite all the irregularities , nepotism, corruption etc ?

Where are we leading to with this kind of leaders, who even either pass or amend our laws and our future in this country?

Do they need the kind of limelight they get in the media of our times, if so we have to doubt the integrity of the media , and no big media worth its name questioned the wisdom [sic] behind such statement made in so a callous and unparliamentary language befitting a rustic who does not give a damn to the niceties of human existence on this earth. Except some news papers no one seems to take on the audacity of such statement made in the august house of Parliament, although some opposition parties did their duty in condemning the same.

My anguish is, the whole of parliament may unanimously condemn and pass a resolution throwing him out at least as a suspension from parliament for some time, showing the esteem of womanhood our country boasts of , from time immemorial .

Do you share my anguish and heart burn on this issue?

Tamil Nadu police / A friend or foe

2010-03-13T23:54:00.000-08:00

While browsing through the Blogs, I have come across a blog of a young software Engineer working in Bangalore in one of the reputed and big companies , who had an exposure in many countries and whenever any help needed , he asked for it to the Police personnel abroad and he is still happy about the way he had been helped abroad.
Recently when he traveled from Bangalore to Coimbatore by changing the buses , he reached Erode by midnight and since he was carrying one bag containing his two sets of dresses and his laptop , he wanted to visit the toilet and it was impossible to carry two bags and go into the toilet despite being smelly and dirty our public toilets. So he happened to see a police room attached to the bus stand where two policemen sitting and chatting, he went to them requesting them , after showing his company identification with his photo [ very big company ] to at least keep his laptop for few minutes and said he would carry his shoulder bad to the toilet.
The two policemen after seeing the id, looked him up and down and with scant respect said ,' no, we are on duty'
Again he requested, asking them that he is going to the toilet , pointing which toilet he is going to use and that is visible to them from where the police room is.
After being refused totally, he carried both to the toilet and placed before the person collecting money for using the toilet , and went inside ; after few minutes he came out and fortunately both luggage and laptop were there, but the old man in charge was sleeping snoring.
He carried the bag and laptop, thanking the God.
While boarding the Coimbatore bus starting from Erode , he looked at the police post where both were talking , laughing and sipping tea.
He came back to India with a patriotic spirit.Still carrying the spirit despite these happenings all around him.
We see placards with words 'Police is your friend'
Good example of being so callous ,conceited and helpless to public is the police department,though some officers try their best to rectify the image.I empathize with such officers.
Really God only saving the country.
Should well educated turn their back to this country or at least any one changes himself?
What kind of training these men in Khakhi is imparted towards the public ? Or competition for joining is only for making money by all means ?
I felt so ashamed to read that article as a true Indian.
Is anyone listening?

Cho Ramasamy and his reservation on Women's Reservation Bill

2010-03-09T00:41:00.000-08:00

Last night , 8th of March, Cho Ramasamy had been asked by the TV channel Times Now, with regard to his opinion about the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament , for he answered that if allowed to pass , only nepotism will follow in allotting the seats for the women, it would be either the daughter, wife, daughter in law,so on so on.

Now question remains before us very seriously , what is happening in Men contesting the seats; does not the same party allowing the family members in various places and even make them Ministers. So nepotism as a word used for blocking the bill is irrelevant and any move in a democracy like India will not be tolerated by the feudal mindset of people who soaked in the past and think as if their's is the only perspective which is always correct.

Come what may , we can always alter like the Law is amended, mended and sometimes ended; this bill should be passed. If we go back to history , first even Indians were discriminated, on the basis of caste, community,religion etc; females even did not have the right of franchise. Even today despite the tall talk on the constitutional equality, Dalits are not independently working without being dominated by other communities of the region.

This is not a caste debate, and India is not going to die with individuals who pass judgement on this bill; any move in good cause will be opposed, and hurdles created , but ultimately this gender bias should end.So this is a great move in parliament which should be passed , otherwise future generation will spit on the faces of those who oppose right now owing to various reasons.

That too the behavior of present parliamentarians shouting and interrupting the proceeding with vocal and muscle power is so disgusting , instead of using the brain power, all the ignoramuses , to put up a show go near the podium of the Speaker and continue the shouting wasting every paisa of the hard earned money of every Indian.

Former Speaker Mr.Somnath Chatterjee, is an example of how a responsible man felt so deeply in his heart about the behavior of the present day parliamentarians.

First allow the bill to be passed, people are watching, more intelligent people than parliamentarians and intellects watching what is happening in Parliament. The Mulayam and Lalu are not India.Besides these two are more brawny than brainy is the fact of History.

Cho Ramasamy is encased in an orthodox cocoon, no longer relevant to the present generation and neither he is a Bhismacharya on everything and anything. His gender bias is well know if one follows his track record.

May God help this Bill to be passed, and let us see what changes needed when the process runs on its own.

Another argument against rotation system of the Bill is , if so , the present parliamentarian , that is male, shall not develop the welfare measures or will not concentrate on the developmental activity of the constituency which elected him-- this is not a Zamindari system where as if traditionally some one will take care of his area.If at all parties interested to retain the constituency , let them develop or that seat will be grabbed by the opposition which is interested in that area. So development or nurturing the constituency argument is based on selfishness, may be known more to politicians rather than the common man.

Common man needs betterment in all spheres regardless of who , whether he or she is the representative.Why first of all everyone shouts from roof tops before a move is made.Are we not a democracy , where gender equality is of prime concern for everyone.When it comes to your own daughter and wife, you use a different yardstick, if a woman is some other, another yardstick. Why so?

Do English know their English? / Information Technology

2010-02-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

Yes they do certainly as far as their convenience allows them to be..When looting comes language takes a back seat conveniently. In a company , a subsidiary of a U.K based bank having branches through out the world ,which have a BPO, out sourcing, software company employing people , whose Ad is invariably given in the telecast of every Cricket match, or one of the sponsors of the national english channels

They are known for their low salary in software company and BPO, although boys and girls join there to have a start in their career. They take people not directly but through employment agencies and keep them for one or more years on consolidated salary ,then make them or give them a letter of appointment , and before which a formal letter of resignation sent from you to the agency which kept you so far in their pay role.So exploitation already for one year or more without lunch ticket, transportation or anything but have to go their software company with their dress code except fridays.

To this company their U.K Earls and other Dignitaries visit as if so much concerned about the company or their employees , welcomed with garlands and big Ads will be given.Bosses .......... right?

Somehow by manipulation of the so called rating given every year by the BPO and Software divisions either your increment or bonus or other facilities would be curtailed .This is like one year you are given a rating , making you believe that you are in the lime light and on the onward path of the administrative hierarchy, next year rating is given in such a way where you are kept on your toes with the feeling that if it continues you are about to say bye bye to the company, meaning you have to put down your papers in the name of resignations.

So already a bonded labor has been manacled , if by chance you get an opportunity since other people gather opinion of your working efficiency and intelligence, and try to join , this gentle man company will accept your mail as your resignation but while giving the relieving letter , you will find to your dismay and shock that your services has been terminated instead of relieved , pretty well knowing that you will have the trouble in the new company as if you have done something wrong with this Englishmen company.

If you ask, this is the truth of many an young man or woman who left the company for better prospects.So their mind set is, still they feel we Indians as second class citizens deserved to be exploited.This is not to suggest immediately all the political parties go to all the IT companies with multi-colored flags and try to get a ransom in the name of safeguarding the IT workers.
At least , companies can self regulate the ethics expected of basic human beings, thereby not sucking the blood and future of the workers like vampires uncontrolled.

The problem is none of the other companies who select these boys and girls from this company realize still, why termination letter given with ulterior motive ,why not relieving the personnel.This ignorance of other selecting companies is the substratum on which this devilish Egnlishmen company thrives merrily sapping the working youngster of this country.

We Indian don't know English, that is the problem.

They know their English well , only poor Indians we don't.

Termination of the services is the word synonymous to relieving from services.Now Good Dictionaries can emulate their British English.

Long live this U.K based bank operating in India and making good profits through BPO, Software by draining the blood and sweat of young Indians.

God must be an Englishman.

Let the God be an Englishman , but Please readers and those access this brief, spread the message to other IT companies so our boys and girls just because born in India need not be exploited.

Chetan Bhagat, a successful writer

2010-02-14T18:13:00.000-08:00

A year after the launch of Slumdog Millionaire, the Oscar-winning movie of Vikas Swarup's novel Q & A, : Who is the most read living Indian writer? Is it a) Aravind Adiga (Booker prize-winning author of The White Tiger); b) Salman Rushdie (Midnight's Children); c) Vikram Seth (A Suitable Boy); or d) Arundhati Roy (The God of Small Things)?

The answer: none of these. one of the vital characteristics of the new India is that the educated middle class who once turned to English for business applications now see it in a different light. The manner of typical English language and culture in many parts of former colonial society is coming out from its bitter colonial past.

This new middle-class audience like executives,salesmen,convent educated youth,clerks has an appetite for literary entertainment that falls between the elite idiom of the cultivated literati, who might be familiar with the novels of Amitav Ghosh or Salman Rushdie, and the Indian English of the street and the supermarket. Theirs is the Indian English of the outsourcing generation. For these people, one author appeals , that is Chetan Bhagath.

The author of the romantic comedy One Night @ the Call Centre has now published four novels and sold some 2.5m copies in the last five years. His work is available in all the places, though it has never been seriously reviewed there in the West. His real market is in India where, still scorned by the literati, he is known to virtually every college student. According to press reports, Bhagat's latest novel 2 States sells a copy every 20 seconds, and is only outperformed by his previous bestseller,The 3 Mistakes of My Life.

The key to Bhagat's success is that he addresses the everyday concerns of India's middle-class youth, in a language they can relate to, and also consciously strives for a mass appeal. His books sell at 95 rupees , the same price as a cinema ticket, and are aimed at supermarkets. "We don't have bookshops in every town", Bhagat has said. "We have supermarkets. I want my books next to jeans and bread. I want my country to read me."

Bhagat writes in the quick-fire campus idiom that young Indians use and exploits a brash populism critics as to reach the widest market. His first novel, Five Point Someone, adopted a breezy, ironic tone to explore the lives of the exam-oppressed students who cram to get into the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi and then rebel against the stultifying atmosphere of academic competition.

It features soft drugs, binge-drinking and an affair between a student and his professor's daughter. One Night @ the Call Centre is a romantic comedy set in an office where bored young Indians try to resolve the mindless inquiries of Midwestern American technophobes.

Inevitably, Bhagat has his own blog (chetanbhagat.com/blog). Just as inevitably, he has a theory about his runaway success. He says his novels reflect a generational divide in India. Bhagat's model society is China, Bhagat told the Guardian. "In China, it was bloody, but India needs to learn that the old ways are not always the best ways."

But in the world of books, in any culture, the old ways have a habit of persisting. After One Night @ the Call Centre was made into a successful movie, Bollywood came calling again. Five Point Someone was signed up by one of India's most powerful film city Bollywood , and retitled3 Idiots, for its most bankable leading man, Aamir Khan.

When it was released, in a manner horribly reminiscent of old Hollywood at its worst, 3 Idiots made scant reference to Bhagat's original work, to the author's well-publicised fury. But one thing sure has happened after 3 idiots, new generations will be reading more more from Chetan bhagath., their rocking star in writing.

My toddler English

2010-02-05T01:27:00.000-08:00

I am neither a writer nor do have any inclination to become one , leave alone become one to be noticed,but I have to admit that my teachers in school who used their pressure upon me to write something which might have been ridiculous to read in those days by them ,and they continued encouraging me which slowly made me as if I am a writer or arranger of words which for some understandable and for others non sense and undecipherable.
Then, if not to write , why not try to read something in English and that is how I started reading some of the works , among those some I remember some not able to recollect.
As any fellow who wanted to read something , I started R.K Narayan , one by one and I felt so close when I was an adolescent was 'My Days' by him and his describing his wife's passing away and living with his small child and the unknown area of his communicating with his better departed soul was interesting and poignant , made something churning inside me .His cigarette smoking in Coimbatore , while waiting for his would-be wife to come and collect drinking water in a pot at the corner of the road in those days was like an opening scene of yesteryear's movie camera depicting the ambiance.I could feel the back ground score of a violin playing in those scenes and I felt as if a small boy watching the hero ogling at his heroine from another corner.My God , now I understand how lucid and simple and deep his writing is in depicting a picture of those days.I am able to perceive the feelings of loneliness [aloneness?] of a man who lost his wife and a small girl to look after .
Mr.R.K.Narayan is my Dhronaacharya in whatever I scribble today in papers or in blogs.My middle class upbringing made to buy all the small books of 4 'annas' of communist literature not to know about communism , but to read something in English and know the structure of English language.I remember one economical magazine like 'The Link" was coming in those days, I am not sure and don't remember exactly which I used to buy on and off just for the price of the magazine , not for anything else.
My elementary school was not a school to boast of any standard, it was a school run by local Municipal administration, so no chance of any books or any library. Even for playing in school , no football or any thing else to play with, we used to play our own games invented by us , among those one of the traditional games we played is 'Khabadi' and 'Pacha kudhirai'
When I reached High school, school had a little library although to my eyes looked so big with neatly arranged books.Once in fifteen days , a batch of ten boys would be taken to the school library and would be handed over either Tamil or English book and asked us to return within ten days.That small book was supposed to be read and returned and no questions would be asked as to what was the story or anything about the book Just a routine affair for the teachers.In those days , Municipal High Schools were like old post office with no movement and almost no work except boys and girls shouting from their book, and teacher occasionally would come near the black board and teach something which might reach of course half of the students owing to the volume of the teacher , since class strength would be always huge and sometimes even teachers could not identify their own students in their class room.
I remember my dad bought me a small dictionary [English to Tamil} and taught me how to see the meaning for a particular word; first word he taught me to see is 'Pigeon" and that pigeon took me in its wings beyond Lifco's Dictionary to bigger Dictionary of Lifco,Cambridge Dictionary,Oxford Concise,Roget's Thesaurus,Advanced Learners, Websters etc.,
Some of my dad's old books , I started reading, one among them Maxim Gorky's ' Mother',although I read subsequently few more times , when I read first time it was for the sake of reading, not to know or improving the knowledge.
In elementary school when we came out during interval I remember ,one vendor would be there who sold in the name of 'Bombay Mittai" a slimy and stretchable thing out of which he would make so many things like watch and a string -like thing , a small locket and a chain which he would stick around the wrist or around the neck for girls.
When in High School I felt sad after reading Jean val jean ,sad about the orphan boys and slavery.Then all non-detailed books of many hues and situations.One book I remember is Jane Eyre, who despite being an orphan settling down after marriage and happy at the end.In the impressionable mind it was joy and happiness as if someone known to you is happy.
I was not able to read many famous or big books till I reached college.I had the opportunity of reading An autobiography and other books of Nehru like Glimpses of World History,Discovery of India etc.
Of course meanwhile I already read 'My Experiments with Truth' ,I like the book mostly for simplicity,lucidness and the truth flowing in all its pages.
'Autobiography of an Unknown Indian' and 'Continent of Circe' of Nirad C chaoudhry fascinated me for the depth and ornamental play of words dancing before our eyes and mind.
I was amazed by the lucid presentation of Ramayana by Sri.Rajaji
'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy was given to me by a friend when in college and challenged me that I would not finish the reading , although what he had told me remained correct for sometime owing to my lab practicals,studies,and record notes preparation, ultimately I finished and handed him back the book .
He laughed asking me "what Uthaman, you have accepted the defeat'
I said 'no Prabhakaran, I finished although I want to read it so many times,
Sad indeed that friend of mine passed away owing to an operation in the valve transplantation of his heart.Good heart passed away from me.Even now after decades whenever I think of War and peace I remember him.He was so joyous a personality without inhibition of any in our student days.
Many believe for writing in English, need to study only English works; I personally feel not so, many a Tamil work by good authors would certainly help you in presenting your ideas with clarity........ in that genre comes Sri.Jayakanthan who I started reading when I was in College days and once had the occasion of listening him in our College Tamil Association on the topic 'Sila Nearangalil sila manithargal' [few people at few times] , he talked extempore on the topic more than an hour and half and he was so happy to talk to the students.His books made me learn the art of chiseling a narration .Great author he is who started a new trend in story telling both small stories and Novels.
Again sujatha, a writer in Tamil , was a trend setter in story telling with the speed of a river, sometimes robust,sometimes gentle,intense when presentation is required, with an unknown string running with humor in all his writings. Lot I have learned from his writing since his knowledge of Tamil works of ancient to modern is well known and the ground swell is from his reading in depth of classical and modern literature in Tamil.In one word, he was a genius pretending to be a normal innocent man .May be Tamil writers masking the jealousy would be poking at him in the name of essays about him.
His genre of scientific fictions are a treat to read and know the things in the scientific world.His essays and question and answers are very famous to every Tamilian worth his education is proud of.
Balakumaran , a versatile writer about family, problems of day to day, human ego, temples,man woman relationships, his delineation of female mind in lucidity ,writing with historical back ground is simply superb.From him we can learn how to move a plot to next only with the aid of conversations , crating a graphic picture in the minds of readers.His spiritualism is an entity holding a place of its own in Tamil writing.He never claimed he raises the standard of Tamil and tamilians' reading habits , although certainly done by him.Besides he is not for controversy with other Tamil writers.He does what he thinks his duty and proceeds along like a seamless river.
Swami Aurobindo's works taught me how to go about complex area of philosophy like a disciple taking a pilgrimage by going up the steps of a temple situated on top of a hill.His vision of spiritual world makes you balanced in your approach to life. His style of English......... I am a dust to comment on.
Swamy vivekanands's all volumes of Speeches and writings always making waves of spirituality in my mind both calm and equally powerful and energetic.
Although reading hundreds of Books of Osho Rajneesh makes your freedom of thinking easy in any direction,ultimately in my opinion , he is a teacher but not a guru , who is versatile ,immensely knowledgeable .
J.krishnamurti, hmmmmmmmm , walking on a rope without biased towards anything but surely you improve both spiritually , analytically and your language becomes clear first to you , then to others to whom you address.
Rajam Krishnan's 'Maavilaigal' in my non detailed book made a lasting impression.'Tharayil Irangum vimanangal' of Indhumathy made me think days and nights like her.
One period of my life was consumed by Agatha christie,Desmond Bagly,Alistair Mclean,Mario Pazo,and you name the author of 70s and 80s fame I already read.
Self development books Napoleon Hill,Vincent Peale to Shiv khera,Stephen Covey and it continues even today.
When I was in college, a high school teacher of a private school became a friend to me and once I requested him whether he could help me in reading books from his school library; which he obliged immediately and gave me the school library index book and I selected out of my eagerness ten books which he would bring by the same evening , I would finish reading all within one week as if studying for college exams; likewise I read almost one year , and as a teacher he was also happy doing that.The books I read thus is a long list of Tamil and English almost all well known authors.
Like a weaver's shuttle if I come to the other extreme of the present day , I am spell bound by the diction and design of weaving words by Justice.V.R.Krishna Iyer on various topics like Social issues,Equality,gender issues,foreign policty,Justice , poverty,political issues and he is a man of Goddess Saraswathy's blessing.At least once I want to see him and sit with him for five minutes to get his blessings by falling oblong at his feet.
Nani Palkhivala , who was a great lawyer of Supreme Court , a constitutional expert,orator,writer,Ambassador to U.S, was a member and writer in a forum known as 'Forum of Free Enterprise, in which he used to write often on constitutional matters,budget,economy , social issues etc.and his presentation and English impressed me to greater extent.After every budget presentation, he would conduct a meeting talking on the budget which was a famous festival conducted only in foot ball stadiums to control the crowd.And he described Chennai as intellectual capital of India.He wrote many books out of which the book I liked is 'We,the Nation'.
Bhavan's Jounal is one which reaches you to many good authors of various hues and the simplicity and lucidity is a disease you will willingly get infected by this journal.K.M.Munshi was the one who brought me into many religious stories through Bhavan's Journal.
Edmund Burke speeches on American Taxation and conciliation shows you pattern of weaving the words of various hues,sticking to the subject , into a fabric of finest English oration, which if a part can be emulated, he is already an orator of English in public forum.
[to be continued]

Cost of a smile - story

2010-01-30T09:06:00.001-08:00

Cost of a smile – story.
When I went for a walk last evening I was reminded by my niece to buy some guavas; I said I would buy on my way back home.
Since I am living near Ragavendra Kalyana Mandapam in Rangarajapuram Main Road, I started walking and reached Arcot Road, after crossing all the big fruit stalls and on turning left I had seen four vendors, standing near their four wheeler push carts selling various eatables, one selling plantains,other selling roasted corns,and another selling guavas and fruits.
Showing honour to the seller of fruits I did not bargain and even asked him to select the fruits for me and gave him the money he asked for and standing for the one rupee back from him.
Vendor said ‘ a bit more than the half kg sir’ with a broad smile.
‘okay’ I said.
I walked back thinking, why people don’t patronise these small vendors like him and instead of big stalls selling fruits and vegetables with glaring lights and shining boards.All snobs.Everyone must help the fellow human beings in a humane way possible.People should stop and think before do anything…………….. in the same line of thought ……… walking.
Roads are busy with traffic and vehicles run with ferocity……. vehicles or the people who drive these machines, why this auto fellow is so closely coming when he has enough space to drive away from me.Policemen as usaual very busy in vehicle check, trying to find out the adolescent teanagers among the two wheeler crowd so that they could have the ‘collection’ from the young drivers for not having license.The aroma of vadai and bajji hot from the boiling oil taken out afresh,tingling the taste buds……….but controlled myself ……. my Doctor repeatedly warned me of anything fried in oil ……..cholesterol.Why I am warned of cholesterol despite being a vegetarian, when my maternal grandfather was a nonvegetarian and lived happily till he was 90 yrs, and he was taking nonveg food all along and a good smoker of cigar.What medical science sirs,one is having cholestrol another is a diabetic and another hypertensive……Have we all swerved from the path of Dharma for long and so these kind of impediments and health problems.
I was nearing my home .
I handed over the carry bag with guavas to my niece.
After having a look at the contents of the bag she shot back saying ‘where from you bought this’
‘from a road side vendor’
‘ go give back this stuff and get back the money ‘
‘but why’
‘not even one is in eatable condition……. you got cheated’
I took the bag and went to the one of the big shops with flashy name boards,throwing the bag into the corporation dustbin ……… I dont want to see that fellow again.
The bloody cost of his smile is very costly,my God.
The lady who brings fruits in my native little town carrying in a basket on her head gives best fruits when i ask her to select herself, although we bargain for long for fixing the price.She never cheats the way this slimy creature standing and selling in city roads.The little town fellows are honourable gentlemen.
A villager like me never fits in this atmosphere of cheat and get cheated.
After my brief stay here I am going back to my little town , where people smile and greet calling ‘annaa’ [elder brother ] although man addressing me older than me.Honourable gentlemen.
City’s smile is very costly sir…….. unaffordable for a villager like me.
After a week’s time I am going back to my little town sir,since the money I spent on the cheat could have been used for a week on a news paper like ,The Times of India’ , that I can't buy in my little town.

Drinking Alcohol and Cognitive Impairment

2010-01-27T22:44:00.000-08:00

In people with mild cognitive impairment, up to one drink of alcohol a day may slow their progression to dementia, according to a recent article. Mild cognitive impairment is a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia that is used to classify people with mild memory or cognitive problems and no significant disability.

The study found people with mild cognitive impairment who had up to one drink of alcohol a day, mostly wine, developed dementia at an 85 percent slower rate than people with mild cognitive impairment who never drank alcohol.Researchers evaluated alcohol consumption and the incidence of mild cognitive impairment in 1,445 people. They then followed 121 people with mild cognitive impairment and their progression to dementia. The participants, age 65 to 84, were part of the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging and were followed for three-and-a-half years.

"While many studies have assessed alcohol consumption and cognitive function in the elderly, this is the first study to look at how alcohol consumption affects the rate of progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia," said study authors Vincenzo Solfrizzi, MD, PhD, and Francesco Panza, MD, PhD, with the Department of Geriatrics at the University of Bari, in Bari, Italy. "The mechanism responsible for why low alcohol consumption appears to protect against the progression to dementia isn't known. However, it is possible that the arrangement of blood vessels in the brain may play a role in why alcohol consumption appears to protect against dementia. This would support other observations that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may protect the brain from stroke and vascular dementia."

The study did not find any association between higher levels of drinking, more than one drink per day, and the rate of progression to dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment compared to non-drinkers.

The research is published in the May 22, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. It was supported by the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging and by AFORIGE, an Italian association for aging research.

Please don't interpret according to your drinking habits.Body has the systemic capacity to adjust and adapt to any impairment unless provoked by the habits we pick up during our life time.

Jyothi Basu ,a gentleman!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-17T05:03:00.000-08:00

Indian tradition is to talk only good about one who passes away, that too, he or she happens to be a leader of sort to any community,caste,religion and most importantly a political party.
So for almost a week everyone would talk very highly of the departed leader Sri.Jyothi Basu and we have to bow our head like sacrificial goat listening all the harangue , that too when told by Left leaders .
This man is oldest till today morning as leader in Indian Politics and he had been the Chief Minister of Bengal almost 25 years and before that Deputy Chief Minister who systematically in the name of ideology battered Bengal and thank him for having closed the mills,shuttered factories ,rendered average bangali family as a family of jobless people.Bengali people is one of the most intelligent people of India who despite the intelligence could not live in Bengal ,all left for other states and abroad for want of livelihood.
This gentleman I hope is the richest comrade in their party who would fly to London for taking rest since his son lives there and son is known to have cheated the Tax departments and so his father could have taken rest in London and poor bengalis can read the news papers , hoping one day a change will come to their life which is not to be ,reason,no opposition party can win in Bengal since Government is an extension of the party cadre.
Soft spoken gentlemen of Bengal could not do anything despite their intelligence owing this honorable gentleman who rendered Bengal as good for nothing state in India.
We all know what happened to Congress at the center during the last term, thank God , now Congress need not have the support of the left , so they can do as per their planning, otherwise very systematically the Jyothi basu culture would have spread to other parts of India and we would be building a Somalia with books ofRed ink in our hands and reading that we all can die peacefully ,singing requiem also with our fisted hands.
Only state that has been competing with Bengal is Kerala and so keralites are known for going every where for jobs and now living throughout the world.
Even for ordinary collegiate degree in arts and science boys and girls are sent to neighboring States like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.You know why, running a college is so difficult in Kerala,neither Govt opens new colleges nor allows any one to run a college saying it is like business.These govts never know or wanting to know the reality that in the globalised atmosphere, education is paid for, no longer free anywhere in the world.So an ordinary Malayalee family ,even if they want to spend something more for their children's education ,this govt is a stumbling block.But rich Malayalees fly anywhere in the world for studies in universities, sufferers being middle and poor Malayalees.So obvious result they can still talk communism driving a wedge between haves and have nots and making have nots more poorer and less educated so ,these poor people go and work in menial jobs in the middle east and send money home.Shamelessly this so called politicians shout from the roof tops that Kerala gets foreign cash flow, for how much the poor malayalee sheds his sweat,blood and energy ,leaving behind his family in this ruthless state.
Only industry which runs profitably in both the states of Kerala and Bengal is POLITICS .And only comfortable people are politicians in both the states.
Ghero as a word gained Oxford Dictionary's recognition owing to this gentleman's politics.All Indians are equal in India except Bengalis and Keralities - thank the politicians of the so called ideology in both the states.Only option if at all either a malayalee or bengali wants to prove his or her mettle ,they have to migrate anywhere except their home states.I have Malayalee friends who were born and brought up in Tamil Nadu excelled in whatever the field they selected , thanks to the great ideology of the respective govts.

Poet Devadevan's Poem / Your Sun

2010-01-14T03:08:00.000-08:00

Poet Devadevan is one of the poets , one of the Tamil poems is published by Writer Jeyamohan in his website and the translation is given below.Those who would like to read the original tamil poem can visit the website at the end of this page

Your sun

What gives you the Happiness
Is your sun.
For example
A food packet
A papaya fruit
A friend's face
A tumbler of water
A mirror
Poems not packed in paper
Likewise we can keep on
Saying.
If a packet of food
does not give the instant
Satisfaction,
If a papaya does not make
a pleasant day,
A friend's face
does not light up your face,
A tumbler of water
does not satiate the thirsty,
If you could not smile before
A mirror,
If your life is not visible like poems
Unpacked in a paper,
Understand
Where ever you are
that place " A sunset zone"

Tamil poem of Devadevan can be accessed at the following site of Writer Jeyamohan
Link/ www.jeyamohan.in/?p=6276

Hymn on Sun / translation by writer Jeyamohan inTamil

2010-01-13T18:03:00.000-08:00

This hymn of sun is from Rigveda ,Book 10,37th song.
Translation by Mr.Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1896]

1. Do homage unto Varuṇa's and Mitra's Eye: offer this solemn worship to the Mighty God,
Who seeth far away, the Ensign, born of Gods. Sing praises unto Sūrya, to the Son of Dyaus.
2 May this my truthful speech guard me on every side wherever heaven and earth and days are spread abroad.
All else that is in motion finds a place of rest: the waters ever flow and ever mounts the Sun.
3 No godless man from time remotest draws thee down when thou art driving forth with winged dappled Steeds.
One lustre waits upon thee moving to the cast, and, Sūrya, thou arisest with a different light.
4 O Sūrya, with the light whereby thou scatterest gloom, and with thy ray impellest every moving thing,
Keep far from us all feeble, worthless sacrifice, and drive away disease and every evil dream.
5 Sent forth thou guardest well the Universe's law, and in thy wonted way arisest free from wrath.
When Sūrya, we address our prayers to thee to-day, may the Gods favour this our purpose and desire.
6 This invocation, these our words may Heaven and Earth, and Indra and the Waters and the Maruts hear.
Ne’er may we suffer want in presence of the Sun, and, living happy lives, may we attain old age.
7 Cheerful in spirit, evermore, and keen of sight, with store of children, free from sickness and from sin,
Long-living, may we look, O Sūrya, upon thee uprising day by day, thou great as Mitra is!
8 Sūrya, may we live long and look upon thee still, thee, O Far-seeing One, bringing the glorious light,
The radiant God, the spring of joy to every eye, as thou art mounting up o’er the high shining flood.
9 Thou by whose lustre all the world of life comes forth, and by thy beams again returns unto its rest,
O Sūrya with the golden hair, ascend for us day after day, still bringing purer innocence.
10 Bless us with shine, bless us with perfect daylight, bless us with cold, with fervent heat and lustre.
Bestow on us, O Sūrya, varied riches, to bless us in our home and when we travel.
11 Gods, to our living creatures of both kinds vouchsafe protection, both to bipeds and to quadrupeds,
That they may drink and eat invigorating food. So grant us health and strength and perfect innocence.
12 If by some grievous sin we have provoked the Gods, O Deities, with the tongue or thoughtlessness of heart,
That guilt, O Vasus, lay upon the Evil One, on him who ever leads us into deep distress.

The Tamil translation can be read in the following link.
http://www.jeyamohan.in/?p=6276

My days in Palghat , Kerala

2010-01-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

This remembrance of my days in Palghat is like going into the misty atmosphere of December and still be able to recollect the vivid pictures I had kept in my mind when I was hardly 4 or 5 years old.My paternal grandpa's house was in Palghat , I use 'was' since it no longer belongs to us which we sold around 70's and now I heard big buildings have come in that place and the old house with big garden around had been demolished along with the memories of the previous owners of the land.
That house so big ....well can be described as a bungalow with halls, bed rooms,pooja room,dining,kitchen ,garden around the building with coconut trees, mango trees,guava trees, flowering trees of many varieties,a big well and a nearby a big bathroom which was like a hall of present day.
From the bathroom there was a way connecting the Pooja room- without going into the house , could go to the pooja room directly.
Kitchen was separate and the dining hall was so big where around 40 or 50 people could dine.
For small boys like us this house was like a playground where my grandma or mother could not find out where we were unless our names were called for lunch .Hide and seek games could be played inside the house and the garden as well while doing so , we could pluck some fruits hanging low in the garden like guava or mango or 'seetha'
fruits which we never said we did to our elders since they could shout for eating them without washing.
Another escape from this house is , we could go into the next house which was our another grandfather's house [ my grand father's younger brother ]; to go into the house we did not need to go through the street.Between the two houses , the compound wall had a door which would always be open day and night though which we could go into the house and spend time , nobody would bother why we were there etc.,
If the grandpa happened to see us in that house , if ever we were seen, he would call and give sweets of those days , which were called 'orange mittais' in those days, I dont know whether that mittais are still available,that mittais were kept in a glass jar only for us since no young tiny tots were available in that house-- may be he would have used one or two mittais in those days.
My grandpa I have never seen since he passed away before we were born and we were told by my father he was in Railways and more than six footer and worked in various places. My another 'thatha'[ my grand father's brother] resigned from Railways to look after the properties and take care of the agriculture lands.
In one of the halls on the left side , I remember some musical instruments like tabla,harmonium , veena and violin were kept which we came to know latter days were played either by my uncle [ my father's younger brother] and one of my aunties.
Here I have to tell of my uncle , who is a master of many things; he was a photographer who developed his own photos in one corner of the building with his tables, cameras,developing room. He used to play many musical instruments and draw pictures of individuals in black and white either by seeing the photograph or asking them to sit in a chair and did.
My brother was admitted in the 1 std in a local school where one of my aunties was a teacher, since I was also adamant of going to school I was also taken to school by my aunt and I was sitting in school in a class.When everyone's name was called ,my name was never called in that school which I complained to my mum and aunt, so in the subsequent days the teacher used to call my name last and I was happy.I came to know when I grew up that I was not even admitted in the school since I was not eligible owing to my age, so my aunt asked the class teacher to call my name at last.
Then my father got a transfer to Tamil Nadu and I started my schooling ,well anyway my malayalam lessons were only one year although I see malayalam movies regularly , I dont know to read or write or speak, but understand completely.

Sea and its communion with me

2009-12-31T22:20:00.000-08:00

I was born in Pondicherry and I don't know when I first saw the sea in my place, may be I might have been taken to the sea shore when I was hardly a few months old , so sea knows me before I started knowing about the sea.The sounds brought out by the waves might have gone into my impressionable mind before I became conscious of it.
What sort of information and impressions it created in my mind is still unfolding before me .
When I started growing up physically and my itinerary took me to various sea shores and every time I never spent time along with anyone in the sea shore , may be sometimes with some friends, who when years rolled by went in their own ways.But still I meet sea every time I go to the sea shore.
Once I was working as an executive and living in my own big flat all by myself and whenever I found time I used to go alone to the sea and tried to concentrate further with my companion sea.
How vast and how magnanimous the sea is....... how immeasurable .... how immense.
Despite my scientific up bringing, and my education in Science it always fascinated me ..... its gloom,its secrets.......... but never I was surprised by its wealth.
During my education tour in college , I had the opportunity of going to an uninhabited island in a motor boat along with my fellow students and my professor was explaining the flora and fauna of the particular island, but although receiving the knowledge from my professor, my mind was with the sea all around.
Uncountable hours I might have spent standing in the shore when the waves touching my feet, impressing me the reality of something unknown always watching over our every act , even by touching us although we are not able to perceive the same.......................
Many a time I took a conch in my palm and started listening the reverberating sound emanating from it , so mysterious it is but soothing.Younger days when going to school we were collecting shells from the sand bed ,keeping in our trouser pockets.
Now I remember how many emptied homes we were carrying in our pockets, in what forms vacated creatures would have been born again ........ would they remember me for my carrying their homes in my pocket? Funny indeed...but something inexplicable .... right?
Many my fore fathers would have stood like me before the sea and the sea knows them all, whom I have not seen in my life.Does the sea anyway act as a conduit to connect me with my forefathers , is it possible or no one is needed to have a communion with them.But anyway i have a communion with the sea which had seen all who passed away before me and seeing me ....... omnipresent right? Good indeed is the feeling to know there is someone who has seen all my forefathers and still seeing me , ever lasting link till eternity.
Another unique aspect I regain now is ,when I was a boy around 6 or 7 I used to stand in the shore when waves came ,touched your feet and receded but when i watched as if I was moving backwards , and the sands beneath your feet going fast along the waves.May be when I became older I came to know it was an illusion when you look alone your feet and the waves coming and receding .

Complexion of the skin by Writer Jeyamohan

2009-12-31T03:33:00.000-08:00

Tamil Writer Sri.Jeyamohan in his website wrote yesterday about the skin complexion and its impact on the general public, in particular the teaching profession; he is much concerned about the unbalanced mind set of the teachers with regard to the students' complexion and the treatment meted out to the students from the teacher. One such incident he has been able to collect from his daughter , mentioning the teacher passing comments on the fellow students who are dark in complexion; one student who is dark in the class who when told the teacher she was not able to write on the paper since ink in her pen dried and over , for the teacher asked her to touch her skin and write- so audacious a statement, that too from a teacher to a student without thinking as to how much the girl concerned would be affected in her mind in her development period.

So disturbing in our minds it is that even a girl child not being able to be friendly to many since many students who are fair-complexioned don't even have friendship with dark skinned ones.And the fair skinned get many friends.This is brought out in his writing owing to another incident - his daughter asked for money to buy a birthday present to the fellow student and a friend also, for normally ten or twenty rupees , when joined together by other friends, would become 100 or 150 and present is brought and given.Here his daughter asked him 50 and the reason given by her is , her friend does not have many friends since she is dark skinned and she is the only friend and hence 50 rupees , for the author gave her 100 Rs and started interacting with his daughter.

He came to know this colour complex being inducted into the minds of the young students by none other than the teaching profession and that is the most pathetic aspect. How come this teaching generation came down from the acme of restraint, intelligence , sanity and sacrifice.

May be this profession of teaching has come to the low ebb owing to the fact that in those days teachers became teachers due to the liking towards this profession; now they become teachers for their survival.

What else you can expect from these people?

Is there anything we can do as responsible citizens and parents?
Those who would like to read it in tamil , pl do so by visiting his website http://www.jeyamohan.in/?p=5971

Sahithya Academy / A view by Writer Jeyamohan

2009-12-30T03:04:00.000-08:00

Writer Jeyamohan in his website registered his opinion on the awards of Sahithya Academy and the selections of that organisation when he answered one of the questions asked by his reader recently and he summarised the following as a brief which may seem a bit offensive to a few , but his argument seems to be rational to majority of literary readers.

Jeyamohan feels it is his duty to enunciate the fact that certain parameters of what he believes , have to be pressed for consideration to the Sahithya Academy.And he argues the good writers whom he thinks and believes should be brought to the front line.
He would accept even those who had contributed at least to one of the facets of literature, who otherwise personally he might not recognise as literateurs
He feels strongly and wants to pinpoint the lacunae in awarding the Sahithya Academy if there is any discrepancy.
He thinks the following writers are to be considered for the recognition by this organisation: Aa.Madhavan, Gnanakoothan, venkat Saminathan, Ambai, Naanjil Naadan, Poomani, Vannanilavan, Vannathasan, Rajendra Chozhan, Devadevan, Vittalrao, Thamizhavan, Rajgowthaman, Vikrmathithyan, Sukumaran,

Melanmai Ponnusamy or Thilagavathy has written from their field and contributed to the modern writing , though his opinion is, their writing is not of any standard, he says it is a category of its own, but when they are recognised by any award, accepting the comments is also an inevitability.
If Sahithya Academy is recognising people on the basis of literary standard and societal participation and if the organisation recognised the wrong people without these set standards this amounts to a sort of cheating and to be condemned.
When this Academy award compared to other awards [ giving more money ] is unique because it is by Govt and Democracy so responsibility is more , hence once a wrong individual is awarded it is the responsibility of the critique to expose and show the resistance , otherwise this award also becomes the run of the mill type.
The writers, Jeyamohan mentioned ,who deserve the award are not inferior by not getting it, but if we are silent on this conferring on the wrong people , it is construed as a sort of recognition and hence this resistance is needed and registered in the public domain.
He also says that in other languages this selection seems to be almost correct in the aspects on which this award is considered.
He is firmly of the opinion that this is understandable and comprehensible to those real literary readers.

Note: This following is my personal opinion, in general these awards are given now a days , owing to the political allegiance of the writers,sycophancy to a leader or leaders of a political party , shamelessness in praising the persons as if the persons of such praise are the only saviors of a particular language and culture.Many a time , useless guys who in their earlier part of their lives spent in a particular organisations for want of food and other things are patronized like one gives alms to the beggars by their political clout. Recently one fellow in Kerala got this owing to his allegiance to the Communist Movement and Communists shown their gratitude by way of this award by influencing the Govt. There are very many good writers who deserve this award better than him in other languages. SHAMELESSNESS , THY NAME IS SAHITHYA ACADEMY NOW.