Heroes like this:
Owners like this:
Paramedics like this:
Tips like this:
Professors like this:
Families like this:
Animal lovers like this:
Source….www.stumbleupon.com
Natarajan
Author: Natarajan
Message for the Day…” Desire for worldly and sensual objects will wane with constant spiritual practice…
When people are asked to do spiritually salutary acts, initially no one has any inner urge. Still don’t give up in despair. Until the taste sprouts, strictly follow the disciplines. This taste is a result of training. No one has it from the very beginning, but constant practice will create the zest. The infant doesn’t know the taste of milk. By taking milk daily, it starts liking it; in fact the taste becomes so dear that when milk is to be given up to be substituted with rice, it starts to protest. But the mother doesn’t despair; she persuades the child to take small quantities of cooked rice daily, and over time the child starts liking rice and eventually gives up milk. Milk, its natural food, is now replaced with rice again in a natural way. Indeed now if no rice is available for one day, the child becomes miserable. Similarly with constant practice, the desire for worldly and sensual objects and matters, will wane and good company(Satsang) will prevail.
These 16 companies control almost everything you buy….
Powerful companies create brands and products that we might not know are theirs.
Companies’ signature brands add to their annual revenues and provide an edge to competition.
To determine how powerful each company is, we factored together fiscal 2014 revenue, the number of employees, and press mentions on Google News over the past year.
Here is a list of retail companies that own brands and products that we use every day.
Procter and Gamble
2014 revenue: $83 billion
Number of employees: 118,000
P&G is the global leader in consumer goods with an unparalleled production scale and international reach. Some of the top P&G brands are everyday household items such as Tide, Swiffer, Crest, Olay, Pampers, Pantene, Herbal Essences, Old Spice, Vicks, Gillette, and Head and Shoulders.
CVS
2014 revenue: $139.38 billion
Number of employees: 200,000
More people than ever pick CVS as their go-to spot for filling prescriptions, making it the biggest retailer of prescription drugs in the US. CVS, headquartered in Rhode Island, will purchase Target’s pharmacy and clinics businesses for about $1.9 billion, adding almost 2,000 pharmacies to its business.
eBay
2014 revenue: $17.9 billion
Number of employees: 34,600
In its 20th year of operation, eBay has a huge command over online shoppers spanning 203 markets worldwide. While it previously ran PayPal, it continues to run the online-ticketing-company StubHub.
Costco
2014 revenue: $110.2 billion
Number of employees: 195,000
Costco, which sells in bulk for lower prices, consistently outperforms competitors Walmart and Target. Costco’s Kirkland signature collection includes food, clothes, and household supplies. It’s more than just home goods and food — it’s also a growing force in car sales.
Starbucks
2014 revenue: $16.4 billion
Number of employees: 191,000
While some of its stores are also rolling out beer, wine, and gourmet-food options, Starbucks is the fifth-most-admired brand in the world, according to Fortune. With 22,000 retail stores in 66 countries, the Seattle-based coffee retailer spent most of 2014 dedicated to going green and launching plans to send its employees to college and hire more of America’s military families and veterans.
Nike
2014 revenue: $27.7 billion
Number of employees: 56,500
Selling sneakers, fitness tech, athletic clothing, and outdoor wear, Nike is predicted to outperform the industry for the next five years. Athletic gear is becoming a mainstream clothing staple — whether you actually work out or not — and no one does it better than Nike.
Kroger
2014 revenue: $108.56 billion
Number of employees: 400,000
Kroger is the largest supermarket chain by revenue in America. It operates more than 2,500 stores under some two dozen different banners. In addition to Kroger Stores, its groceries include Cala Foods, City Markets, Dillons, Foods Co, Fred Meyer Stores, Fry’s, King Soopers, Quality Food Centers (aka QFC), Ralphs, Food 4 Less, and Smith’s Food and Drug. It also owns Barclay, Fox’s, Fred Meyer, and Littman jewelers and the Kwik Shop, Loaf ‘N Jug, and Quik Stop convenience stores.
Coca-Cola
2014 revenue: $45.99 billion
Number of employees: 129,200
Chances are, you’ve consumed at least one of the 657 billion Coca-Cola products purchased annually. Powerade, Sprite, Fanta, Minute Maid, Vitamin Water, Odwalla, Smart Water, Simply Orange, Fresca, Dasani, Fuzi, Ciel, and Burn are all brands from Coca-Cola.
Disney
2014 revenue: $48.8 billion
Number of employees: 180,000
The Disney name is everywhere: toys, movies, television, apparel, and theme parks. Its last major movie release, “Inside Out,” brought in $7.4 billion worldwide at the box office, and the much-anticipated “Star Wars” sequel debuts in December.
McDonald’s
2014 revenue: $27.4 billion
Number of employees: 420,000
With 36,258 chains worldwide, McDonald’s food options are adapting to consumer trends in favor of fast casual by rolling out all-day breakfast and revamping some of its stores to launch the “create your own” gourmet-burger option.
McDonald’s lists eight countries, including China and Russia, as high-growth markets — aka locations with high expansion and franchising potential, which is important since a large majority of McDonald’s restaurants (about 80% by the end of 2014) operate as franchises.
PepsiCo
2014 revenue: $66.7 billion
Number of employees: 271,000
As America’s leading beverage producer, PepsiCo owns 22 of the most well-known food and drink brands in the world, including Gatorade, Frito-Lay, Tropicana, 7-Up, Doritos, Cheetos, Quaker, Lipton, Ruffles, Tostitos, Aquafina, Brisk, Fritos, and Starbucks ready-to-drink beverages.
Johnson and Johnson
2014 revenue: $74.33 billion
Number of employees: 126,500
Johnson and Johnson, a healthcare company, manufactures everyday-use, in-home products such as Neutrogena, Rogaine, Aveeno, Band-Aid, Neosporin, Bengay, Listerine, Splenda, Lactaid, and Visine.
Apple
2014 revenue: $182.9 billion
Number of employees: 92,600
Apple is the world’s most valuable brand, according to Forbes. Its products and services include the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Apple Music, and iCloud. It sells its products worldwide through its retail stores, online stores, and direct-sales force and third-party cellular-network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers to the consumer.
Amazon
2014 revenue: $88.99 billion
Number of employees: 154,100
As the largest ecommerce site in the country, Amazon recently surpassed Walmart as the most valuable retailer in America in terms of market capitalization. Amazon currently owns over 40 subsidiaries, including Zappos, IMDb, GoodReads, AbeBooks, Book Depository, Create Space, and Audible. It also has a huge consumer-electronics market by including an e-reader and tablet and launched Amazon Instant Video, which has produced an award-winning original television series, “Transparent.”
Target
2014 revenue: $72.61 billion
Number of employees: 347,000
Target owns a number of exclusive food, clothing, and supply brands, including, Archer Farms, Market Pantry, Champion, Cherokee, Circo, Up&Up, Xhilaration, Merona, Mossimo, Room Essentials, Gillian & O’Malley, and Threshold.
Walmart
2014 revenue: $485.62 billion
Number of employees: 2.2 million
With 11,500 stores in 28 countries, Walmart’s scope is undeniable. Walmart is also the single-largest employer in America and announced earlier this year that it’s raising wages for 500,000 of its 1.4 million US workers. The company sits at No. 1 on the Fortune 500. Walmart brands include Equate, Ol’Roy, Dr. Thunder, Special Kitty, Price First, Play Day, Mainstays, and Sam’s Choice.
Source…..Marina Nazario in http://www.businessinsider.com.au
Natarajan
படித்து ரசித்தது ….துணுக்கு துளிகள் …
‘சிரிக்கத் தெரிந்த மனமே’ நூலிலிருந்து:
தமிழ்க்கடல் ராய.சொக்கலிங்கம் நடத்தி வந்த, ‘ஊழியன்’ பத்திரிகை, சுதந்திர போராட்ட காலத்தில், மக்களிடம் செல்வாக்கு பெற்று விளங்கியது.
‘ஊழியன்’ பத்திரிகையில் உதவி ஆசிரியர் வேலைக்கு, புதுமைப்பித்தனை அனுப்பி வைத்தார் எழுத்தாளர் வ.ரா., புதுமைப்பித்தன் அப்பத்திரிகையில் பணியாற்றி வரும் போது, ஆசிரியர் குழுவில் முக்கியமானவராக இருந்த
ஈ. சிவம் என்பவர், புதுமைப்பித்தனுடன் அடிக்கடி சச்சரவு செய்து வந்தார். அதனால், ‘ஊழியன்’ பத்திரிகையை விட்டு விலகினார் புதுமைப்பித்தன்.
சில நாட்கள் சென்றபின், வ.ரா.,வும், புதுமைப்பித்தனும் சந்தித்துக் கொண்டனர். புதுமைப்பித்தனின் ராஜினாமா விஷயத்தை முன்பே அறிந்திருந்த வ.ரா., ‘என்ன புதுமைப்பித்தன்… ஈ.சிவம் எப்படியிருக்கிறார்?’ என்று கேட்டார்.
‘அவர் ஈ.சிவம் இல்லை; எறும்பு சிவம். என்னைக் அறுத்துத் தள்ளி விட்டார்…’ என்றார் புதுமைப்பித்தன்.
‘உலக மேதைகள்’ என்ற நூலிலிருந்து: பிரபல எழுத்தாளர் மார்க் டுவைன் தன் பக்கத்து வீட்டுக் காரரிடம் பேசிக் கொண்டிருந்த போது, அவரது மேஜை மீது இருந்த புத்தகத்தை பார்த்து, ‘இந்தப் புத்தகத்தை இரவல் தருகிறீர்களா… படித்து விட்டு தருகிறேன்…’ என்று கேட்டார்.
அதற்கு அந்த நண்பர், ‘புத்தகங்களை நான் இரவல் கொடுக்கிறதில்ல; இந்தப் புத்தகத்தை நீங்க அவசியம் படிக்கணும்ன்னு தோன்றினால், என் வீட்டிலேயே உட்கார்ந்து படித்து விட்டுப் போங்கள்…’ என்றார்.
மனவருத்தப்பட்டார் டுவைன். ஆனால், வெளிப் படுத்திக் கொள்ளவில்லை. சில நாட்களுக்கு பின், டுவைன் வீட்டிற்கு வந்த அந்த நண்பர், ‘நண்பரே… உம்முடைய மண்வெட்டியை இரவல் கொடுங்கள்; என் வீட்டுத் தோட்டத்தில் மண்ணை வெட்டிப் பண்படுத்தி விட்டு திருப்பித் தருகிறேன்…’ என்று கேட்டார்.
‘மண் வெட்டியை நான் பிறருக்கு கடன் கொடுப்பதில்லை; உங்களுக்கு அவசியம் என்று தோன்றினால், என் மண்வெட்டியைக் கொண்டு, என் வீட்டுத் தோட்டத்து மண்ணை வெட்டிப் பண்படுத்துங்கள்…’ என்றார் மார்க் டுவைன்.
தமிழறிஞர்கள்’ நூலிலிருந்து: பண்டிதமணி கதிரேசன் செட்டியாருக்கு ஒரு பிரமுகர், விருந்தளித்தார். விருந்து முடிவில், ஒரு தம்ளரில் பால் தரப்பட்டது. பாலை வாங்கிய பண்டிதமணி அதை உற்று கவனித்து, ‘திருப்பாற் கடலில், எவ்வளவு அழகாக சீனிவாசன் துயில் கொள்கிறான்!’ என்றார்.
விருத்தளித்தவர், பால் தம்ளரை வாங்கிப் பார்த்தார். அப்போது தான், பண்டிதமணி சொன்னதன் உண்மை விளங்கிற்று. ‘சீனி’ (சர்க்கரை)யில் வாசம் செய்யக் கூடியது எறும்பு என்பதால், சீனிவாசன் என்று குறிப்பிட்டு, அது, பாலில் மிதக்கிறது என்பதை, பண்டிதமணி நயமாகக் கூறியதை ரசித்தார் அவர்.
‘தெரிந்து கொள் தம்பி’ நூலிலிருந்து: ஆகாய விமானத்தைக் கண்டு பிடித்த, ‘ரைட்’ சகோதரர்கள், ஒரு விருந்துக்கு அழைக்கப் பட்டிருந்தனர். பல அறிவியல் அறிஞர்கள், பொறியியல் நிபுணர்கள் அங்கு வந்திருந்தனர். விருந்துக்கு தலைமை வகித்தவர், ‘அடுத்து, நம் ரைட் சகோதரர்களில் மூத்தவரான, வில்பர் ரைட் தங்கள் சாதனைகள் குறித்துப் பேசுவார்…’ என்று அறிவித்தார்.
வில்பர் எழுந்து, ‘ஒரு தவறு நேர்ந்து விட்டது; என் தம்பி ஆர்வில் ரைட் தான் நன்றாக சொற்பொழிவாற்றத் தெரிந்தவன். எனக்குப் பேசக் தெரியாது…’ என்று கூறி அமர்ந்து விட்டார்.
தலைமை வகித்தவர், ஆர்வில் ரைட்டை அழைத்து, பேசும்படி கூறினார். அவர் ஒலிபெருக்கி முன் வந்து, ‘என் அண்ணன் வில்பர் ரைட் அற்புதமாகப் பேசிவிட்ட பின், நான் பேசுவதற்கு என்ன இருக்கிறது…’ என்று கூறி அமர்ந்து விட்டார்.
Source….தி்ண்ணை!….www.dinamalar.com
Natarajan
Message for the Day…” When Ego Fades away, Knowledge Shines as Wisdom…”
Jnana Yajna is specially recommended by scriptures for all. Jnana does not simply mean knowledge gained from scholars and books, but actually conducting in accordance with that knowledge. Knowledge can never ripen into wisdom so long as the ego persists in craving for results to satisfy its desires. When ego fades away, knowledge shines as Wisdom. When yajnas are performed solely for the peace and prosperity of the world (Loka-Kalyan), they reach God. Jnana reveals that in every sacrifice, God is the Prompter, the Promoter, the Sacrificer, the Sacrifice, the Product achieved and the Recipient of the product. God is the consumer of every sacred offering (Yajnabhuk); He is guardian of the yajna (Yajna-bhrith) and its performer (Yajna krith). He is all; it is only when He is all that the act becomes a genuine yajna. If this attitude can soak into every activity, it will sanctify every moment of your life and make it a yajna.
Great Life Advice From Mark Twain….
| Mark Twain is considered by many to be one of the greatest American authors in history. He wasn’t only a writer though, he was also a source of constant inspiration, a fountain of memorable quotes and a man with an incredible intellect. So when we say we have some words of advice for you from the mouth of Mark Twain, there is a very good reason to listen!
1. Age is in your mind more than anywhere else.
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
With this clever play on words, Twain is telling us age doesn’t matter as long as you don’t give it significance. It means that a young soul can dwell in an old body and all the limitations we put on age, other than those physical ones, are actually in our head.
This advice isn’t just about age, it’s also about self-confidence. When we believe we have a problem, we transmit that to the people around us and so bring it to pass. People can feel the lack of self-confidence in others and they will treat you as you treat yourself. So, once you make that mental ‘switch’, the enviornment will too.
2. Humor is one of the most important things.
“Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.”
“Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.”
The simple act of laughing and responding to humor is one of the greatest experiences of the human condition. Life is nothing without laughter, just a sad shell, and although there are pleasures in life that have nothing to do with humor, they are always improved upon and made more palatable with a good side dish of laughter. Humor helps almost all situations and using it will draw people to you faster than anything else you may do.
3.Anger will hurt you more than help you.
“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
Anger is an inescapable human emotion; we all get mad once in a while. But there are ways to control out anger, and not let it control us. Just like laughter is transient in nature, so should anger be. A joke will make you laugh again and again if you think about it over and over, and anger is no exception, the more you think about it, the angrier you’ll become. So, when you are angry at something or someone, it’s important you let it die out naturally; don’t continue to feed it. Think of other things and apply your cognitive resources at things that make you happy.
4. The world doesn’t owe you, you owe yourselves.
“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
The feeling of being owed something by the world is common in this generation. We all feel entitled to something, whether it’s a steady job, money, happiness etc. But these feelings usually lead only to frustration, bitterness, anger and resentment. Let go of these expectations from yourselves and from the world, and you’ll see that everything becomes a bit easier. You do deserve the best, but you’ll need to go and get it for yourselves.
5. Having a new idea is not a crime.
“A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.”
When you see things differently than other people, expect mixed reactions. Some will support you, others ignore you, while still others will try to bring you down. Most people tend to hold on to their preconceived notions for dear life, and will even act aggressively or negatively when these are threatened by an opposing opinion. But remember, all great discoveries were once such novel ideas, and many of them carried negative reactions. You should say what you believe and act upon it, don’t let anyone tell you your ideas are ‘too weird’. After all, human flight used to be such a novel and strange idea.
6. Don’t let your thoughts dwell on the negative.
“Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.”
You must watch your thoughts, because it is so easy to get into a habit of thinking negatively, turning our worries and troubles over and over in our head, until they seem as big as mountains and as dark as the night. Thinking positively is one of the best gifts you can give yourselves, and will ultimately lead to you doing everything a little better, with people reacting much better to your attitude. In the end, life is made up of ‘tasks’ we must accomplish, some small, some big and difficult. Try to look at any ‘difficult’ task as a challenge and as an opportunity to learn something about yourselves.
7. Instead of worrying about yourself, worry about others and help yourself.
“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
There is something magical about making someone else smile or getting them out of a tough situation. Helping others not only makes us better people and buys us goodwill from those around us, it also makes our own problems seem smaller because we’re not preoccupied with them 24/7. If you help others without thinking, just jumping in and helping out, you’ll be the one who ends up with a smile on your face.
8. Try everything, regret nothing.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
A beautiful quote by Mark Twain and one that is full of truth. It’s always easier to delay things we want to do. After all, life usually gets in the way and we tell ourselves ‘well, we’ll try it later’. But as we get older, those opportunities become more and more rare, and the things we end up regretting the most are the things we simply never tried to do.
Failure shouldn’t scare us, it’s a part of life. What is scarier is having opportunities and never acting on them. So when you think you want to do something – do it. Failure may happen, but at least you’ll know the answer to the question: “What if?”.
Source….www.ba-bamail.com
Natarajan
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This Flight Costs Just Rs. 60 and Goes Nowhere….!!!
Never been on an airplane? Here’s your chance to board one for as little as Rs 60, or even for nothing if you don’t have the money. Retired aircraft engineer Bahadur Chand Gupta will be happy to show you around.
“I am in an aeroplane for the first time. I saw many things inside,” exclaimed an excited Jatin when he boarded the flight to nowhere.
He is one of many underprivileged kids who may never get a chance to fly on an actual plane. But he climbed the long stairway that took him to an orange and white aircraft set up on a patch of land on the outskirts of Delhi.
The plane, of course, is going nowhere. But it is giving an opportunity to people from some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the city to experience what it is like to sit on the jets they see fly above them in the sky.
When a retired aircraft engineer Bahadur Chand Gupta, who comes from the small village of Kasana in Haryana, started his career many years ago, the villagers curiously asked him what it was like to be in an aircraft. None of them had ever seen a real airplane and they wanted to get a glimpse of life in the aviation industry through Gupta’s eyes. –
For security reasons, Gupta was never able to take his fellow villagers inside an actual aircraft. But he always wanted to do something that would give them a taste of flying.
Finally, in 2003, Gupta sold some land and bought an old Airbus A300. He parked it on a vacant lot close the city’s domestic airport and started offering virtual ‘flights’ to the general public.
To make the experience close to real, the ‘passengers’ in his ‘flight’ are given boarding passes, shown safety instructions, and even offered in-flight snacks. Some even get to see the cockpit.
The passengers pay as little as Rs. 60 to board this flight and some can even get to be part of it for free (depending upon their financial condition). What adds to the amazing in-flight experience is the unique evacuation practice where the kids slide out of the the aircraft instead of taking the regular stairs.
Source….Shreya Pareek….www.the betterindia.com
Natarajan
Everyone Should Have a Last Day at Work Like This 60-Year-Old Liftman ….
When was the last time you smiled at a liftman or returned the morning wish of a watchman? Appreciated the kind people who are at your service even when you don’t notice them? These college students from Delhi did something remarkable for a liftman who had been with their institution for 34 years. And, in the process, sent an important message to the rest of us as well.
The watchman, the peon, the liftman, the gardener – aren’t these some of the very first people one sees on entering a college building? And also the first few people whose smiles mark the beginning of a new day for most students who walk the same paths and corridors every day?
While students enter and leave colleges every four to five years, these people keep doing their jobs silently and perfectly, day in and day out. They play a crucial role in the smooth functioning of a college and also form a special bond of friendship with many students.
Dhaniram, the ex-liftman at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in Delhi, is one such person.
This 60-year-old man, respectfully known as Dhaniram ji, spent 34 years of his life working as the liftman at the college. Be it students, parents, visitors, faculty members, or old students who have now become teachers, Dhaniramji knows one and all.
“He is a really nice guy, a very friendly human being and a very important part of the college family,” says Ayush Kamalia, a fourth year student at SPA.
And so, when it was announced a month ago that the liftman is going to retire on Sept. 30, 2015, students knew they had to do something for the man, something that would help him remember the college and its students forever.
So they got together, pitched in money, and organized a full-fledged, colourful, creative, and memorable farewell party for Dhaniram ji, leaving the old man both overjoyed and teary-eyed at the same time.
Dhaniram welcomed to his farewell party On Sept. 23, Dhaniram ji received a very warm and loud welcome by a gathering that had students, faculty members, administrative staff, and just about everyone from the college. –
“Everyone wanted to come together to thank him for his service, for his time and for his gleaming smile that brings out more happy wrinkles than the years he has given to the college,” says Ayush.
Being architecture students, everybody tried to contribute with their creative efforts.
Dhaniram ji was pleasantly surprised with a miniature model of a lift, inside which he found a scroll with a personal message thanking him for being his awesome self, and a memento marking his time in the college. Other gifts included a wallet, belt, wrist watch, and some cash. Faculty members gave gifts as well. One of the most incredible gifts was some graffiti – the students had painted Dhaniram ji’s face inside the lift, capturing his memory for years to come.
Students and teachers also took to the podium to speak about him and thank him – each sharing their own anecdotes and memorable experiences about Dhaniram ji.
The director and heads of departments, who have known Dhaniram ji since they were students, thanked him for understanding the college and contributing to its growth. –
This was followed by an event organised by a college society named Gupshup, which usually invites some eminent personalities from outside to come and give inspirational talks to the students.
This month, the chief guest and speaker at the event was none other than Dhaniram ji.
He was overwhelmed and really excited about the respect he was receiving at the place to which he had dedicated a large part of his life.
There was a ‘Wall of Thanks’ as well, and people wrote their messages on it throughout the day. –
Wall of Thanks
“On days when we did not have our assignments ready, we would ask Dhaniram ji to speak with the concerned faculty and tell them not to take submissions that day. And he would joke around with us. That was the kind of relationship we had with him. First year students who used to enter the college afraid and anxious, always felt calmer after speaking with him. If you were in any sort of trouble, all you had to do was to speak to him to feel better”, says Ayush, remembering his first days at the college. –
Every college, school, office, and administrative building has a Dhaniram – the man or woman who knows every nook and corner of the place, every face, every emotion, and yet, always remains in the background. The SPA students, who took such a wonderful step for Dhaniram ji, have an important message for all – that people like Dhaniram should be given the respect and love they deserve for their extraordinary service. And once in a while, they should be made to feel as special as they make others feel! –
Source….Tanaya Singh …..www.thebetterindia.com
Natarajan
Scott Kelly Becomes U.S. Astronaut to Spend the Most Time in Space…
Just before the 15th anniversary of continuous human presence on the International Space Station on Nov. 2, 2015, U.S. astronaut and commander of the current Expedition 45 crew, Scott Kelly, is breaking spaceflight records. On Friday, Oct. 16, Kelly begins his 383rd day living in space, surpassing U.S. astronaut Mike Fincke’s record of 382 cumulative days. Kelly will break another record Oct. 29 on his 216th consecutive day in space, when he will surpass astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria’s record for the single-longest spaceflight by an American. Lopez-Alegria spent 215 days in space as commander of the Expedition 14 crew in 2006.
In this July 12 photograph, Kelly is seen inside the Cupola, a special module which provides a 360-degree viewing of the Earth and the space station. On each additional day he spends in orbit as part of his one-year mission, Kelly will add to his record and to our understanding of the effects of long-duration spaceflight.
Kelly is scheduled to return to Earth on March 3, 2016, by which time he will have compiled 522 total days living in space during four missions.
Image Credit: NASA
Source….www.nasa.gov
Natarajan
Meet the Hindu who lets Muslims use his shop as a mosque, for free….
‘Kalesaab could have easily earned Rs 1 lakh per month as rent from this place but he gave it to Muslims for free. Secularism in India is alive only because of people like him.’
Image: Deepak Kale. Photograph: Afsar Dayatar.
Bajrang Bali housing society is a rather unusual name for a building that houses a mosque but in a part of Dharavi, known the world over as Asia’s largest slum, that’s where for the last six months the Muslim community has found a temporary prayer area.
All thanks to Deepak Kale, a leather shop owner who owns the property.
When Muslims of Mukund nagar in Dharavi, Sion, in Central Mumbai, were wondering where to hold prayers after their mosque underwent repairs, they turned to Kale.
Kale not only agreed to give them his 2,500 square feet shop on the ground floor of Bajrang Bali housing society for prayers, but also decided to not take any rent from them till the time their mosque is rebuilt.
“Some masjid trustees came to me to ask for my place. I have known these people since my childhood so I gave it them for offering namaaz. Khurshidbhai, who is a masjid trustee, is my childhood friend, I have spent my life with him.
“I didn’t want to take any rent from them because I bought this commercial space in order to sell it, and I had told them that the day I get a customer I will sell it after giving them two months’ notice,” said Kale.
A hundred metres from Bajrang Bali is the Noor Masjid Madarsa Faizaul Quran, the original mosque, where repair work is going on in full swing, with Muslim artisans trying their best to complete the work in two months time.
“In our country we need to respect each other’s faith. Muslims must respect the Hindu faith and vice versa,” adds Kale.
What has surprised Kale and Muslims of the locality is the publicity his simple gesture has received.
“We have been praying at Kalesaab’s place for the last six months. For us it was no news but after one Urdu paper published a report on this, all media people are writing about it,” says Tanvir Azmi, a businessman and resident of Mukund Nagar. “More than 90 percent of Hindus in India are like Kalesaab. He could have easily earned Rs 1 lakh per month as rent from this place but he gave it to Muslims for free. Secularism in India is only alive because of people like him.”
The locality has an equal number of Muslim and Hindu residents. On the left of Bajrang Bali building live the Hindus, while Muslims live on its right. So one side of the road sports green flags, while the other side sports saffron flags.
But not everything is as peaceful as it appears. Three lanes away, a small mob of 200 Hindus and Muslims was ready to take on each other last week over the issue of flying flags but a timely intervention by community elders defused the crisis.
“In a place where small riots break out over minor issues, it is a very big thing that Kalesaab has done. He is a prime example of what Indian secularism is all about,” says Atiullah Choudhary, a businessman who prays regularly at Bajrang Bali society.
Another friend of Kale, Naeem Shaikh, pitches in, “After seeing Kalesaab, I realised one has to work on secularism daily to build bridges between Hindus and Muslims. It is a daily effort. You cannot just say that you are secular and relax in a chair. You have to work for it in society. One mistake we Indians do is that we take secularism for granted, and that must not be done.”
Dharavi witnessed one of the most horrifying riots in Mumbai in 1992-93 and Kale had then taken an active part in saving a lot of Muslim lives.
“I housed around 200 Muslims safely in my leather shop during the 1993 riots. They left only after the situation normalised,” says Kale.
Asked what in his opinion was the one reason that caused riots, Kale says without blinking, “Rumours. There are some people in all communities — be it Hindus, Muslims or Christians — who do not want everyone to live peacefully. They are always up to some mischief and so I feel the government must bring in a law to stop people from spreading false rumours. Till that does not happen, riots will never stop.”
He has a recipe to save secularism, too. “I tell people to keep quiet and work for peace all the time. I feel if my lane is not harmed by communalism, then the country will take care of itself. If my lane is facing communal problems, what can I say about my country? So first keep communal peace in your own lane, and the country will follow suit.”
Syed Firdaus Ashraf / Rediff.com in Mumbai
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