Life is tough, and if you thought that the lives of animals were any easier, you’re wrong. Nature itself brings a lot of challenges we all have to face – whether you’re human or not. But essentially, life is created in such a way so as to enable us to withstand the challenges and overcome the hardships they bring. If there’s one creature in nature that’s a perfect example of this -it’s undoubtedly the bird, with all its patience and perseverance. Here’s what this beautiful animal can teach us about life…
Source……..www.ba-bamail.com Natarajan |
Message for the Day…” Have a sense of Gratitude …”
All of you should earnestly investigate the presence of Divinity in human life. Awareness of your duty is equal to the awareness of Divinity in daily living. In the modern world, nobody has a sense of gratitude. Some of you fail to show gratitude even to doctors who heal you when you were sick. You argue that you need not be grateful to the Doctor because it is their duty to cure a suffering patient. But remember, as a patient, you too have a duty. Flagrant violation of duty leads you nowhere. It is your duty to show gratitude to the mother who nourished you in the womb and fostered your well being. Strange, but many even question why they should be grateful to the mother, who, in their opinion, is duty bound to take care of her children. Please internalise that it is your primary duty to take care of your mother who gave birth to you and raised you.
Message for the Day…” One should earnestly investigate the presence of Divinity in human life …”
When you become conscious of the light, acquire wisdom and realise the meaning of existence, you will be transported from agony to ecstasy. Light here does not signify the light of the Sun, the Moon or the lamp, but that of the heart. Wisdom does not refer to scientific wisdom, but enlightenment brought about by the transformation of the heart. What about existence? Awareness of your own true reality is the proper meaning of existence. The awareness of your reality lies in the realisation that you are not the body, the mind or the senses. True realisation lies in understanding the fact that you are based on a transcendental principle that goes beyond the boundaries of matter. One should earnestly investigate the presence of Divinity in human life. Awareness of one’s own duty is tantamount to the awareness of Divinity in human life.
How a Zero Rupee Note Can Help You Fight Corruption and Bribery in India….!!!
India has a unique tool meant for fighting corruption in a non-violent manner and to shame corrupt officials asking for bribes – it is called the Zero Rupee Note. Launched by 5th Pillar, an NGO working against corruption in the country, the Zero Rupee Notes are for people to use whenever someone asks for bribes.
It empowers common citizens with the knowledge that they are not alone in this fight, and also gives them a very strong weapon to say no to corrupt practices.
Source: Wikimedia
The Zero Rupee Note was conceptualised by Vijay Anand, the founder of 5th pillar, in 2007. The NGO’s volunteers started distributing the notes in market places, railway stations, bus stops, shopping malls, etc. It resembles a fifty rupee note but is larger than a thousand rupee note. The organization’s contact information is printed on it along with an anti-bribery message saying – “If anyone demands a bribe, give this note and report the case”.
It also carries a strong pledge for citizens to take – “I promise to neither accept nor give bribe.”
Source: Facebook
More than 3 million notes have been distributed across the country so far and are being used well. One of the impact stories described by 5th Pillar on their website goes as follows –
“Mr. Ashok Jain went to retrieve his towed car from Chennai’s C1 police station. The police asked him to pay Rs. 800 (Rs. 150 fine + Rs. 650 bribe). Mr. Jain said he would pay in exchange for a receipt, which the police wouldn’t give. After much talking and pleading, Mr Ashok called his friend Vinod Jain, who came to the station and handed a Zero Rupee Note to the police. The police saw the note, withdrew their demand for the bribe, accepted the Rs. 150, and gave the receipt without question.”
“Many factors contribute to the success of the Zero Rupee Notes in fighting corruption in India. First, bribery is a crime in India punishable with suspension and jail time. Corrupt officials seldom encounter resistance by ordinary people that they become scared when people have the courage to show their Zero Rupee Notes, effectively making a strong statement condemning bribery,” Vijay told Zee News.
Find more information about Zero Rupee Notes here.
source…….Tanaya Singh in http://www.the betterindia.com
Natarajan
Images of the Day…Monday Night Moon and Jupiter…….
EarthSky friends capture the night sky’s 2 brightest objects, the moon and Jupiter, on Monday night, March 21.
Moon and Jupiter – March 21 2016 – photographed in Tucson, Arizona by Eliot Herman.
Jupiter and moon on March 21, 2016 from Jacob Zimmer in Louisville, Kentucky.
Moon and Jupiter on March 21, 2016 from Karl Diefenderfer in Pennsylvania.
Source…….www.earthsky.org
Natarajan
Anand Prakash saved a billion of Facebook users……
People think I do this for money, but I don’t. I do it because I value data privacy, says Anand Prakash.
Throwing a backpack casually over a table in a coffee house, Anand Prakash is completely in sync with his new-found popularity. “Ask me your questions,” says the 22-year-old who agrees that he is getting used to interviews.
Bengaluru-based Prakash’s name attracted attention after his blog post started seeing traction. Prakash wrote about how he had found a “simple vulnerability” on Facebook, for which the networking portal gave him a bounty of $15,000.
But this wasn’t the first time that Prakash, a security engineer at Flipkart, was rewarded for finding a bug. He has spotted 90 bugs for Facebook alone and about 30 for Twitter. Those who have given him bounties in the past for reporting security vulnerabilities include global web giants such as Google, Red Hat, Dropbox, Adobe, eBay and PayPal.
What was alarming about this particular bug was that it instantly allowed Prakash access to accounts of the billion users Facebook has — credit and debit card details, personal photos and more. Prakash’s friend and colleague Ankur Bhargava, also a security analyst, explains that Prakash got the bounty not for the bug itself, but because of the severe consequences that it could have.
“If this bug was sold in the grey market where hackers could have exploited it, Anand could have easily made millions of dollars,” says Bhargava. “He could have earned easy money, but he chose not to and waited till Facebook fixed the bug before making the bug public.” Similarly, when Prakash found a bug on Zomato and had access to all of its user accounts, he reported it straight to Zomato. There was no bounty for this one.
“People think I do this for money, but I don’t. I do it because I value data privacy,” says Prakash. His parents, back home in Rajasthan,
do not understand his work, but just know he has grown to spend a lot of time with computers now.
Once an intern with the cyber crime cell of the Gurgaon police, Prakash recalls seeing young girls walking into the police station to report harassment. “It was so disturbing to see them in tears. The main issue was of their private data being leaked. It was all happening in real time and I realised the importance of data security measures,” he says.
Prakash’s interest in website security dates back to pre-Facebook days in India, the days when Orkut was all the rage. “A friend bet that I couldn’t hack into his account; I didn’t even know how these things worked, so I just started looking things up,” he says. He went on to win the bet.
“Anand has found a lot of cool bugs on different websites; it’s his perspective and attitude towards things that makes him stand out against the rest. Hacking is a technique, but how you break things down and the way you think about it also matters,” says Bhargava.
Prakash doesn’t check in on Facebook, no matter where he goes, has no (private) messages online, or even a display picture on WhatsApp — Prakash is solely on social media to find and fix security vulnerabilities. “I never store my card details online, either — it’s just not safe,” he says.
In the days to come, Prakash has the tough task of sifting through his social media accounts. The morning after he first blogged about finding this particular bug, he had 500 new followers on Twitter and had hundreds of messages waiting for him on Facebook. Most of these were requests from those who wanted Prakash to hack into their girlfriends’ accounts.
Happy to be at Flipkart “because it’s a really cool and chilled-out place to work,” Prakash is also excited about what the future holds as he dreams of going the entrepreneurial way soon.
Image: Anand Prakash. Photograph, courtesy his Facebook page.
Source……..www.rediff.com
natarajan
இந்த வாரக் கவிதை ….இலவசம் என்னும் வசியம் !!!
இலவசம் என்னும் வசியம்
…………………..
இது இலவசம் …அது இலவசம் என கூவி உன்னை அவர் அவர் தம்
வசம் இழுக்க காத்திருக்கு ஒரு பெரிய கூட்டம் ….எல்லாம் உன்
ஒரே ஒரு ஓட்டுக்காக!!! ….சற்றே யோசி தம்பி …என்ன இல்லை
உன் வசம் ?
மசிய வேண்டுமா நீ இலவச வசியம் காட்டி மயக்கும் கூட்டம் முன்னால்?
அவசியமா உனக்கு இன்னும் உன் தன் மான இழப்பு ? நீ ஒருவன்
யோசிக்க ஆரம்பித்தால் உன் பின்னல் திரளும் ஒரு பெரும் கூட்டம்
வசிய மருந்து நமக்கு வேண்டவே வேண்டாம் என்று சொல்ல !
வசிய மருந்தும் வேண்டாம் …நீ யார் வசமும் விழவும் வேண்டாம்
நீ இருக்க வேண்டும் நீயாக …உன் முடிவு இருக்க வேண்டும்
தெளிவாக …உறுதியாக … உன் தேர்வு யார் என்று ..!!!
இன்று நீ எடுக்கும் முடிவு கட்டாயம் ஒரு நாள் யோசிக்க வைக்கும்
உன் வாக்கை யாசிக்கும் கூட்டத்தையும் சேர்த்து !
உன்னால் முடியும் தம்பி…இந்த நாட்டின் எதிர் காலம் இருக்கு
உன் முடிவை நம்பி !!!
Natarajan
Message for the Day…” The day you realise the purpose of life, You undergo a total transformation …”
t is the foremost duty of students to transform every activity of life into one of strength and beauty. But unfortunately, the education system of today fails to nourish the qualities of wholesomeness, unity and love, which are the hallmarks of true education. Students must realise that their lifespan is fast melting away like ice, whether they care to improve or not. Students of today are blind to the goal of life; many do not even feel the pain of not knowing the purpose of life. Only one in a million strives to realise the essence of life. This striving is the steppingstone for the realisation of the purpose of life. Many people feel that the acquisition of food, clothing, shelter, wealth, conveniences, and comforts constitute the very purpose of life. Life remains a tragedy as long as people toil under this kind of delusion. The day you realise the purpose of life, you undergo a total transformation, from agony (vedhana) to freedom from pain(nirvedhana)
Dharavi…….. Redesigned !!!
IMAGE: Is this all a potter’s wheel can churn out, ask Jorge Mañes Rubio and Amanda Pinatih. Photograph: Kind courtesy Design Studio Dharavi<
Museum is not exactly the word that comes to mind when you step into this little square of open land near the Kumbharwada (Potters’s Colony) signal in Dharavi, Mumbai’s much coveted real estate that sprawls over nearly 600 acres, houses families cheek-by-jowl in tiny one-room homes that lean into each other, accessed by everything from roads to very, very, very narrow lanes bisected by vein-like gutters though which flows sludge-like, smelly dark liquid… the amalgamated refuse of the thousands of people who inhabit this patch of land once infamously known as Asia’s largest slum and then made famous by Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire.
In front of you is a bright white 8 feet by 4 feet cart, a little like the one you see pushed vegetable vendors all over Mumbai. Only, it is larger, made of metal, brightly lit, with brick-coloured panels that open welcomingly to 24 feet, can bear the weight of almost 1,000 kgs and looks quite out-of-place.
It is this dichotomy that, hope Amsterdam-based artists Jorge Mañes Rubio and Amanda Pinatih, will draw the people of Mumbai in. And inspire the people of Dharavi, many of whom stand around stoically, wondering what was happening.
“Museum,” say best friends Akansha, Ayesha and Riya, bright eyed 10-year-old Class 6 students who stay nearby. They explain that museums normally “carry things about the past” but this one is different. This one, they proudly say, showcases “Dharavi ki kala (the creativity of Dharavi).”
That, says 31-year-old Rubio, is the museum’s very purpose. Both Rubio and Pinaith admire the way the denizens of Dharavi have found ways to earn a living. “You can bring a purse here,” says Rubio, “or a jacket, or hand over a design for shoes, and they will replicate it for you.”
What they hope this museum will do is help the citizens of Dharavi tap into their creativity.
Looking around him, says Rubio, is motivation enough, as he recalls his first visit to Dharavi four years ago. Crammed into tiny spaces, where you would believe a nuclear family could live, hundreds of cottage industries flourish, making everything from earthen lamps to designer rip-off to food products to even soaps.
With a dash of creativity, they hope these entrepreneurs — from those who maintain their generations old family trade to those who are using the latest technology to set up new business — will be able to expand the scope of what they do, reach wider audiences and make more money.
To break the communication barrier, and earn the trust of the residents of Dharavi, they turned to URBZ, an experimental urban research and action collective. It was here that they met Shyam Kanle, who lives in Dharavi and has been working to improve the condition of its residents. Kanle, who belongs to a family of basket weavers and broom makers, stepped in as facilitator.
On February 18, the museum launched in Kumbharwada with exhibits made by the potters, given a design and colour spin by Rubio and his team, whose effort is being supported by the Creative Industries Fund NL and The Art of Impact.
The museum, says Rubio, who has bundled up his hair in a bun to beat the heat, is interactive and will include workshops and, like a few days ago, even a cricket match. Each of the items in the museum, emphasises Rubio, is made by local talent.
Yes, those are bats and you are supposed to play with them. To add some more change, Design Museum Dharavi offers modified gloves and stumps too.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Design Museum Dharavi
Twenty-seven hand-crafted bats, made from recycled wood in different shapes, sizes and designs, are tested by four teams from across Dharavi. Each has a brightly coloured grip. The leather gloves, too, are handcrafted and features different styles. Each team had its own uniquely designed tee shirt.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Design Museum Dharavi
Now that the bats and gloves had been designed, it was time for some intense concentration and a game of cricket. Even the pink stumps did not distract the players.
While some of the bats worked, others shattered in a matter of minutes.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Design Museum Dharavi
But the teams had a good time, and slipper-clad team Purple won the Golden Stumps 🙂
Photograph: Kind courtesy Design Museum Dharavi
The launch exhibit celebrated matkas (pots used to store water and keep it cool), brooms and tea cups.
Pots, that were generally stacked one top the other to save space, were given an exotic design spin.
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
Why should a cup look like a cup? “Why indeed?” asks Rubio as he spotlights the exotic shapes of the cups, with handles shaped like the human ear, triangles or even rectangles, all inspired, he solemnly assures, from the varied ways in which he has watched the Dharavi residents pick up a hot cup of chai.
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
Resting on a pristine white block placed on a brightly coloured reed mat are still more exotic tea cups even more exotic handles. A couple look like diyas and we wonder how useful they would be while sipping a hot beverage.
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
Experiment is everything, seems to be the motto. So there are more cup; some with saucers. “Sharing a cup of tea or sipping it from a saucer,” says Rubio is something he has noticed as he watched endless cups of chai make their way down thirsty throats.
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
Rubio and Pinatih share a moment with Shyam Kanle, who has helped them with the project, as they celebrate the launch of what has been called the first ever moving slum museum in the world.
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
Best friends Akansha, Ayesha and Riya, who stay nearby, pose in front of the three-sided broom (in the corner) which they have made themselves and of which they are very, very proud.
You might thing that broom is good for dusting…
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
…But Rubio has other ideas. “Why not look at it as hand-held fan,” he asks with a smile.
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
These exhibits grabbed a lot of attention. Not only were they bright and colourful, nobody seemed to know what they actually were.
“Diaries?” somebody ventured. Touching them put paid to that idea.
“Tiles?”
“Door-stoppers?”
“Coasters?”
“Design samples,” says Rubio, “that the potters can offer as options to their clients.”
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
And these, ladies and gentlemen, were the most excited visitors to the museum.
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
Savera R Someshwar / Rediff.com
Source…….www.rediff.com
Natarajan
Message for the Day…” It is up to Parents to teach their kids to cultivate the right attitude and moral qualities….”
Parents today lavish too much affection on their children. But such affection alone is not enough. There should be both ‘love’ and ‘law’. Only when both love and restraint are present will the love prove beneficial. For all the evil habits of children, who are naturally innocent and uninformed, the parents are primarily responsible. Parents today do not make any efforts to teach proper ways of behaviour to the children. They pamper the children by giving them money and gifts freely. They want their children to become officers, to earn large incomes, acquire wealth and lead a life of comfort and ease. But they do not consider for a moment how they should make the children realise the need to develop good qualities. It is up to parents to teach the children to cultivate right attitudes and moral qualities. Parents should feel happy only when they see their children leading blameless lives, acquiring a good name and behaving properly.
