Source: Sai Inspires from Prasanthi Nilayam – August 14, 2016
Author: Natarajan
Tokyo’s Bird Menace …!!!
The 21-year-old who beat Michael Phelps first met him as a kid in 2008….!!!
Michael Phelps might still be snagging gold medals, but a lot has changed since 2008.
Michael Phelps’ only silver medal of the Rio Olympics came at the hands of 21-year-old Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling. Schooling beat Phelps in the 100-meter butterfly, claiming his and Singapore’s first gold medal in Olympic history.
During the victory lap after the race, Schooling turned to Phelps and said, “Dude this is crazy, out of this world, I don’t know how to feel right now,” according to The Guardian. Phelps smiled and simply replied, “I know.”
For Schooling, beating Phelps also meant beating his swimming idol. Phelps and Schooling met for the first time in 2008. Here is a picture that has been circulating on social media that puts that meeting into perspective:
“They came to the country club that I trained at,” Schooling told The Guardian. “Everyone just rushed up and was like “it’s Michael Phelps! It’s Michael Phelps!’ and I really wanted a picture … It was very early in the morning and I was so shell shocked, I couldn’t really open my mouth.”
Now it’s Phelps’ turn to be shell shocked, as Schooling put him in a position he’s not used to: second.
And the gold medal isn’t the only thing Schooling will take away from these Olympics. He also just became a millionaire. Singapore tops the rest of the world in prize money for winning a gold medal. According to Fox Sports Australia, athletes who win Olympic gold medals get paid 1 million Singapore dollars for their achievements (roughly $983,000 American).
Source…..www.businessinsider.com.in
Natarajan
Message for this Day… Independence Day…”Lord Rama said, “Mother and motherland are greater than even paradise” (Janani Janma Bhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi). You must recognise and live by this truth.”
“Did You Know, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s Best Friend Was 110 Years Old…? “
Meeting Arjuna, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s 110-year-old best friend who was a permanent fixture at the former President’s residence, 10 Rajaji Marg, in a book excerpt.
July 27, 2016 marked the first death anniversary of the nation’s best loved president, a teacher par excellence and a human being worthy of being called one of the most humble people in the current times: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
Srijan Pal Singh, a close associate of Dr Kalam as well as his student, has chosen to pay tribute to the People’s President through the book ‘What Can I Give: Life Lessons from my Teacher APJ Abdul Kalam.’ The book reveals to readers rare, personal and unheard of anecdotes as well as unseen pictures from Dr Kalam’s life. It also offers one a peek into his daily routine, travels and reflections on various issues.
Below is an excerpt from the book
The people who visited 10, Rajaji Marg to meet Dr Kalam were inevitably asked one question: ‘Have you met my friend Arjuna? Let me introduce you to him. He is a wonderful fellow.’
Then he would escort the guest to the front garden, where Arjuna stood—tall and majestic like the warrior he had been named after, the long years proudly etched on his body.
Dr Kalam would then say, ‘This fellow is very old. Hundred and-ten years old. He must have seen so much, imagine− Gandhiji, Nehru, the freedom wars and India’s rising story. He holds an entire section of history his heart. He is my best friend.’
Arjuna would wave back at Dr Kalam gently, its large branches swaying gracefully. The people who have seen it have always been tempted to take a selfie with it. Arjuna was almost three decades older than Dr Kalam. He was the most special occupant of 10, Rajaji Marg, loved and respected by the owner of the house.
Dr Kalam would walk up to him every day and they would exchange their thoughts silently. No one knew what they communicated, in what language, but we all knew that they made each other wiser. Dr Kalam would often thank Arjuna for taking care of 10, Rajaji Marg through the ages and for helping so many flowers and plants grow under his care. Arjuna was also the official bee-keeper of the house.
One day in 2012, while Dr Kalam and I were in the garden, I asked him, ‘What is so special about Arjuna? Why do you admire him so much?’ He looked at me, puzzled.
Then he said, ‘Because Arjuna lives to give and anyone who lives to give needs to be venerated. Arjuna’s mission in life has been “What can I give, what can I give, what can I give?” That is why he is standing so proudly and happily at such an age.’
I could feel Arjuna, the 110 year-old Terminalia tree, smile behind us.
The conversation did not stop there. Dr Kalam gave me a task one day. ‘Can you determine how many lives Arjuna supports?’ he asked. I was puzzled. It was an unexpected challenge. ‘Go ahead, find out,’ he said.
So I walked up to the giant tree and counted the thick rings of runners around the trunk. Runners are smaller plants that cannot support themselves and so spread themselves around the trunks of large and stronger trees like Arjuna.
One, two, three . . . eleven. Bingo. Eleven rings. I came back with my answer. ‘Sir, it supports eleven rings and of course, it gives out oxygen.’‘Oh. You missed the nests. Look again.’
So I went back to Arjuna. This task was difficult because the tree was heavy with foliage, which carefully shielded its inner branches. I managed to count about twelve nests. I went back. ‘Sir, it supports eleven rings, twelve nests, and gives oxygen.’
‘You missed something again. Come with me.’
This time he walked back towards Arjuna with me. Pointing down at the base of the trunk, he said, ‘You missed this. Didn’t you?’ There it was. Hidden in the dense bushes, growing around the base of the trunk was a peacock’s nest, and a beautiful peahen was laying her eggs in there.
‘Yes, I missed it.’
You know why? Because we often look for solutions that are above us and that makes the solutions look more magnificent. Our mind points us that way. Thus we ignore the inspiration that comes from below, from the ground level. You missed, the largest nest, with the prettiest birds in it, because it was lying on the ground—at the base, around the roots. Diamonds are found in the depths of the earth, and not at the height of the sky.’
A few weeks later, the nest became alive with the chirping of five little chicks. Dr Kalam asked me if I knew what a baby peacock was called. And before I could Google it, he gave them a name—‘Pea-children’.
The pea-children became a part of the 10, Rajaji Marg family. Dr Kalam would regularly ensure that they were fed in the courtyard, which was near the dining room. While we had lunch at the table, he would get birdfeed laid out at the courtyard for the pea-children. And the pea-children would flock to it hungrily.
‘We have more guests for lunch. Now they will always come here for their lunch happily, even when we are not there. You just keep watching; they will come, and come just on time, regardless of anything,’ he would say.
Of course, soon the pea-children were joined by many other birds—pigeons, parrots and crows. This established a tradition which continued for years to come. Even when Dr Kalam went out of town, those birds were served their food. He would remind his staff to feed them whenever he was gone for a long time. And he made it a point to check on them whenever he returned from his trip.When I returned to 10, Rajaji Marg after Dr Kalam’s death, the fact that he would never again eat in that dining room across the courtyard sunk in. But the birds are still fed, like they used to be in his time. The birds will always be fed, in his honour.
www. the betterindia.com
Natarajan
Celebrating 100,000 orbits for ISS….
Facts, links and photos here, with a word about ISS’s history and purpose.
Source: Celebrating 100,000 orbits for ISS
Natarajan
Message for the Day….”If you have aversion to any individual, quietly keep away from them. Do not hate them; try to develop love for them.”
Vietnamese Water Puppet Shows…!!!
The end of an era: Iconic Indian brands and establishments which shut shop…
Till recently, one of the most delightful moments on a train journey through the western suburbs of Mumbai, was passing through Vile Parle station and inhaling the delicious baking smells that used to waft in to the train. The aroma was that of the Parle G biscuits being baked at the Parle factory, located near the station. But, with the closure of the iconic 87 year old factory, came an end to a fragrant era. While, Parle G will continue manufacturing its much loved biscuits from its other factories across the country, the Parle factory at Vile Parle would be deeply missed.
Over the recent years, a number of iconic Indian establishments and brands have shut shop or stopped production across the country, due to legal issues, falling sales, competition, or not being able to stand up to the times. While modern businesses constantly fold up, and not much thought is given to them, these are icons that have served the country for decades, and have left behind nostalgic memories. We pay tribute to some of them:
HMT watches: Much before Titan, Swatch, Omega, Casio, and the rest of the popular watch brands told time, HMT adorned our wrists and dominated the watch market. The watch maker set up its first factory in Bangalore in 1961, in collaboration with Japan’s Citizen Watch Co, and the first batch of the Hand Wound Wrist Watches manufactured by HMT, was released by the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru. The watches continued to be an integral part of the average Indian attire in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s until competition and technological changes led to the watch maker facing growing losses. HMT Watches finally chimed its last in May, this year as it shut down its last manufacturing unit in Tumakuru.
Gold Spot: When foreign brands such as Coca Cola and PepsiCo exited the Indian market in the late 1970s, because the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) was making it difficult for them to continue in the country, Parle decided to launch its own line of soft drinks. Gold Spot, with the tag line ‘The Zing Thing’, was one of them. The drink, along with Limca and Thumbs Up, gained popularity in the country, and was much sought after by youngsters, and the older generation alike. With the re-entry of Coca Cola in the 1990’s, came the slow decline of the soft drinks. Parle sold its soft drinks to Coca-Cola in 1993, and, while the other two ( Limca and Thumbs Up) still remain in the market, the much loved Gold Spot was withdrawn to make space for Fanta.
Rhythm House: With the shutting of Mumbai’s Rhythm House came the end of a golden era for music lovers and city dwellers. The shop, which was established in 1948, offered its patrons a wide collection of Indian and western music, across all genres – filmy, non-filmy, classical and modern. Customers and passersby would walk in to browse through the albums of their favourite artists. And, if they could not find what they were looking for, it would be ordered for them. But, with the advent of technology, MP3s, downloadable music and Apple’s Music Store, the music shop started to feel the heat. After facing much losses and trying to stay afloat, it finally downed its shutters in March, 2016.
Ghantewala Sweets: A sweet shop that dated back to 1790, The Ghantewala Halwai had among its distinguished clientele emperors, Prime Ministers and Presidents, along with the common man. Set up by Lala Sukh Lal Jain, a small time sweet maker from Rajasthan, Ghantewala Sweets, in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, the sweet shop earned its name from when Jain started off by selling the sweets on a brass plate, balanced on his head, ringing a brass bell. As his business grew, Jain built a shop, which continued growing in fame. Known for its Sohan Halwa, the shop has even played a role in BR Chopra’s 1954 film, Chandi Chowk, where a replica was created in Mumbai. However, legal and licensing problems, as well as the changing customer tastes, led to the closure of the sweet shop in July, last year.
Vijayanand Talkies: The historic cinema house where the Father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke used to screen his motion pictures using a projector, finally downed its curtains in November, 2015. Vijayananad Talkies, located in Nashik, was one of the few remaining single screen cinemas of its generation, and had been conferred the ‘Oldest Exhibitor in India’ Award by the President in 2013 for being one of the longest operating cinema hall in the country. The historical Talkies had to shut shop due to non-renewal of its license by the government.
Ambassador cars: Once the car that India drove – from the politicians in their ostentatious white, beaconed cars, to the taxi drivers in their kaali peeli ones, the Ambassador was known for its sturdy body and powerful engine. The original made in India car was modeled on the Morris Oxford series III, and was in production from 1958. The once ubiquitous Ambassador had even been crowned the best taxi in the world by BBC’s Top Gear programme. The car zoomed in popularity through the 60’s and 70’s, until the Maruti Suzuki 800 brought its low cost car into the country. The opening up of the automobile sector and the entry of numerous other auto brands into the country led to its demise, with Hindustan Motors halting production in 2014.
AA Husain & Co: The go-to place for book lovers in Hyderabad, AA Husain & Co, which was started more than 65 years ago, shut shop in March, 2015. The much-loved book store, which saw the likes of painter MF Hussain, actors Dilip Kumar and Suresh Oberoi, and cricketer Sunil Gavaskar as its patrons, was closed down to make way for a mall which is being built on the Arasu Trust Complex, a Waqf property that housed the shop. The bookstore was started by Abid Asgar Husain, a surgeon of the 6th Nizam, in the mid-1940s, as a store for imported products. It was converted into a bookstore in 1949 by Asif Husain Arastu, his son.
Cafe Samovar: It was with tears that many of its loyal patrons bid the legendary cafe goodbye in March, last year. Surrounded by history and culture, the five-decade-old Cafe Samovar, situated in the Jehangir Art Gallery, with landmarks such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum, the Kala Ghoda square, David Sassoon Library and Lion Gate, within walking distance, was a popular haunt among city’s intellectuals, students and general public. Opened by Usha Khanna, the niece of noted Indian actor Balraj Sahni, the Cafe was especially known for its pudina chai and pakoda platter, and any food that came cold or was spilled, would be replaced free of cost. The Cafe had to down its shutters since the Jehangir Art Gallery has been looking to expand its space.
Source….www.in.news.yahoo.com
Natarajan
Take off with Natarajan 