Art – Page 131 – Take off with Natarajan

Message for the Day…” Ideal time for Developing the Quality of Forbearance { kshama}…”

September 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

For spiritual progress kshama (forbearance) is the real basis or foundation. Great people and countries have lost their glory, prestige, and reputation because of the disappearance of Kshama. Without patience and the capacity for forbearance, one becomes spiritually weak. Such weakness leads to bad feelings, undesirable thoughts, and unbecoming actions. This virtue is best cultivated under adverse circumstances, and one must therefore gladly welcome troubles instead of regarding them as unwelcome. Thus times of distress, and an environment of sorrow and misery offer the ideal opportunity for the development ofKshama. However, because of mental weakness and ignorance, we shun painful experiences and distress. You should not be weak; be brave and welcome troubles. Let them come, more the merrier. Only with such a courageous attitude, you would be able to bring out the kshama hidden within you.

Indian Railways Will Replace Regular Toilets With Vacuum Toilets & This Is How It’ll Work….

September 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

If you travel by air, you must be knowing about the vacuum toilets that they have. Well, now the Indian Railways is keen to incorporate the same. Earlier, we had told you about Japan modernizing Indian Railways. And now, this!

Indian Railways will soon adopt the concept of vacuum toilets. The trial run was launched in Dibrugarh Rajdhani from September 14 at an estimated cost of Rs 3 Lakh.

The filthy and stinky toilets will soon be a thing of the past as the Indian Railways have launched the vacuum toilets.

The idea of having a vacuum toilet came up in Union Budget 2015 and was announced by Union Rail Minister, Suresh Prabhu.

What is a vacuum toilet?

What’s different in vacuum toilets is their suction system. With that, the faeces and urine are removed with a minimal amount of water (0.5 – 1.5 litres). Other than that, the toilet looks and feels exactly like the toilets used everywhere.

Working principle:

Flush toilets that use a negative pressure (vacuum) to suck faeces away.

Working:

1. When the toilet is flushed, a strong vacuum is created inside the pipe which helps in taking the waste out successfully.

2. The waste is carried along quickly and efficiently using air instead of water.

3. The waste passes through the pump and then discharged to the collection or treatment point of your choosing.

4. And while someone flushes the toilet, a small amount of water is used to hygienically rinse the inside of the toilet bowl.

Time taken: Around 5 seconds.

Another advantage: Since it uses air, so when the toilet is flushed, air is drawn into the toilet from the surrounding environment. Odours, aerosols, and nasty bacteria are removed and literally sucked out of the toilet.

With all of these steps, the stench of the toilets will be a thing of the past.

Indian Railways will soon get a whole new avatar. With Japan’s help pouring in, Indian Railways is ready for the new look. And with that, I cannot help waiting for these changes to be incorporated.

News Source: Daily Bhaskar

Source….Aparajita Mishra….www.storypick.com

Natarajan

These students launched a GoPro into space in 2013 and only just found it, along with some stunning footage….

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Normally when you send something up in a weather balloon, you expect it to come back down again. But, what if you lose the ability to track your package, and the terrain it lands in is a virtually endless desert up to 80 kilometres away from your original launch location? Gulp.

That’s what happened to this group of Arizona-based university students who wanted to find out what their GoPro camera would see if they attached it to a weather balloon and sent it to the edge of space over the Grand Canyon.

The team’s video shows they weren’t exactly unprepared for the voyage, either, spending months testing parachutes, calculating wind trajectories, and custom 3D-printing their GoPro camera chassis for its maiden flight.

The GoPro captured some stunning footage during its time in space.

Everything goes swimmingly at first. On launch day the students drive out to their chosen spot, 32 kilometres west of the Grand Canyon. They release the balloon, which swiftly ascends to an altitude of more than 30 kilometres in less than an hour and a half, at which point the Grand Canyon has become more of a grand indentation on the distant orb below.

However, sometimes no amount of preparation can fend off bad luck. As one of the teamrecounts in a Reddit post, due to GPS and data coverage difficulties, their package’s return to Earth didn’t go quite as smoothly as planned:

“We planned our June 2013 launch at a specific time and place such that the phone was projected to land in an area with cell coverage. The problem was that the coverage map we were relying on (looking at you, AT&T) was not accurate, so the phone never got signal as it came back to Earth, and we never heard from it….

The phone landed ~50 miles [80 km] away from the launch point, from what I recall. It’s a really far distance considering there’s hardly any roads over there!”

AT&T may well have been responsible for the group losing their device, but as luck would bizarrely have it, it would later come to the team’s rescue also. Two years after losing track of their GoPro, an employee of the company happened upon the device while hiking in the desert. She was able to identify the SIM card and return the camera – and its valuable recorded footage – to the owners.

An amazing story and an awesome video.

Source….Peter Dockrill..Science Alert…and http://www.businessinsider.com…and http://www.youtube.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day….”Real Truth and Power are both inside your Heart….”

September 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Sathya Sai Baba

Study of books alone will not enhance your capability; they will merely provide you with superficial or bookish knowledge. This obviously is not enough. Real capability and strength come by tapping the Inner Power latent in you. All that is outside is artificial. Real truth and power are both inside, in your heart. It is the heart that must be strengthened, but, unaware of this fact, people become furiously active in the external world, only to get lost there. There are many types of food catering to the needs of the gross body but what about food for the heart? That food can be obtained only when you turn your head toward God. You must understand the subtle linkages here – food, head, and God. Thus, along with the acquisition of worldly knowledge, you must also give importance to culture and refinement.

Google and Indian Railways Will Soon Provide Free WiFi at 400 Railway Stations ….

September 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Isn’t it great when we get to access the internet for free while waiting for flights at some airports? Very soon, we can experience the same luxury at some railways stations as well. According to reports, Google is partnering with Indian Railways to set up WiFi hotspots at 400 key stations across the country.

Indian Railways sure seems to be taking the lead when it comes to the country going the digital route. If all goes as planned, a recent move will turn 400 railway stations in the country into high speed WiFi zones.

Tech giant Google will partner with the Railways to make this initiative possible. All in all, this is happy news for the millions of passengers who travel on Indian trains every day.

Photo Credit: Robert Scoble/Flickr

Google is collaborating with the state-run RailTel Corporation of India, a PSU which has a pan-India fiber-optic network that runs along railway tracks in both urban and rural regions. RailTel will work with Google on the platform and infrastructure development.

According to a report by Telecomtalk, this project will be given shape with the help of Google Fiber, a technology which is well known among tech enthusiasts for providing fast broadband services in USA.

This initiative is being called ‘Project Nilgiri,’ and the first phase will involve setting up WiFi hotspots across selected railways stations.

Once everything is in place, users will be able to access high speed internet, free of cost, for the first 30 minutes at the stations.

For this, their mobile number will be verified with the help of a one time password sent via text message. After 30 minutes the speed of connection will reduce but connectivity will remain.

The project will be carried out in phases and it is expected that the first phase will be completed in about four months from now.

Photo Credit: Himanshu Sarpotdar/Flickr

The second phase will involve working on providing WiFi access inside moving trains. As of now, Indian Railways provides WiFi inside some moving trains like Rajdhani Express, with the help of satellite communication technology.

Earlier this year, it was also reported that Google will set up its biggest facility outside of the US in Hyderabad. According to an agreement signed with Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao, Google will invest Rs. 1,000 crore in the approximately 7-acre campus in the state.

Source….Tanaya Singh …www.the betterindia .com

Natarajan

No More Dirty Tracks. Vacuum Toilets in an Indian Train for the First Time …

September 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Think about your last train journey. Did the whiff of stench from the toilets make you cringe every time the door to your AC coach opened? Did you hate having to use the stinking washrooms?

With Indian Railways working around the clock to improve sanitation facilities for commuters, that stench might soon be a thing of the past. Spanking new vacuum toilets have been installed in the First AC coach of the Dibrugarh Rajdhani train at an estimated cost of Rs. 3 lakhs. The trial run began today.

Photo Credit: Fabio Campo/Flickr

Vacuum toilets are currently used in aircrafts. In the train toilets, the excreta is sucked out with the use of minimum water (0.5 to 1.5 litres), and the waste hence collected is discharged in closed drains at railway stations. These eco-friendly toilets consume much less water as compared to the normal toilets used in our trains currently. The toilets will also prevent erosion of rail tracks, as no discharge takes place.

Indian Railways has also been working with bio toilets. So far, 17,388 conventional toilets have been replaced with bio toilets and the plan is to replace 17,000 more by the end of this year. The bio toilet system utilizes anaerobic bacteria which consume the waste material and convert it into water and gas. The water is passed through a chlorine tank and is discharged as clean water on the tracks, while the gas evaporates.

Some Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains also have Controlled Discharge Toilet Systems (CDTS). With the help of this system, disposal of waste at railways stations can be prevented as the waste is discharged automatically when the train gains a minimum speed of 30km/hour.

Railways has floated global tenders for installing vacuum toilets at a cost of Rs. 25 crores. According to a senior Railway Ministry official, multinational companies from Germany, USA, Denmark and Spain have shown interest in manufacturing and installing these toilets. The plan is that 80 such toilets will be installed initially on a Shatabdi Express train. One toilet will also be installed at New Delhi railway station.

Source…Tanaya Singh ….www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

” Things that Make Me a Proud Indian….”

September 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Author and management guru Virender Kapoor tells us why we need to look for inspiration within our country.

We celebrated Independence Day on August 15.

Republic Day is more than four months away.

Most of you must be wondering why we are suddenly being so patriotic and talking about India.

Do we really need to wait for a special day to be reminded of our country’s rich heritage and culture, asks author and management guru Virender Kapoor.

Better still, do we need to wait for an international organisation like the UN or an expert to certify our merits, he wonders.

Be it medicine, arts or culture, India is a miraculous country that is constantly inspiring people from across the globe and touching their lives every other day.

Here, Kapoor, founder of Management Institute for Leadership and Excellence and the author of Winning Instinct: Decoding the Power Within and Innovation, the Einstein Way, tells us why we must take pride in our home country and its legacy, every single day.

1. Indian music

India has a rich tradition of both classical and folk music that date back to centuries.

Our songs, including some of the film albums of the 60s and 70s are high on content and our lyrics are phenomenal.

We have a wide variety of instruments and compositions too.

In the percussion, we have the tabla, sarod, tambura, mridangam; in wind instruments we have the flute, bansuri, shehnai, nadaswaram, each rendering a unique feel to the music.

When I was young, I used to be inspired by Bob Dylan and Cliff Richards.

Today, it is heartening to see international composers collaborate with Indian musicians and artists for a song. International musicians are using sitar and guitar in a song.

Composers like AR Rahman are working for international productions.

It speaks a lot about the importance of Indian music and regard for our artists.

2. Indian food

India is a land of diversities and we have countless flavours and delicacies which are unique to the state and area it belongs.

If the western countries take pride in their types of breads, we can boast about producing 100 different varieties of parathas, kulchhas, rotis, naans and appams from our kitchens.

If you were to look at continental or any western food for that matter, it is mostly bland because they use limited ingredients. You can have it for one day or one week and then you’ll want to try something else.

Back home in India, we use multiple masalas and ingredients in a single recipe. The addition of every masala gives a unique flavour to the recipe and most of our spices have high nutritional value.

The spices we use — turmeric, cardamom, black pepper — each have health benefits too.

Today, thanks to people like master chef Vikas Khanna, people in the western countries are taking special interest in Indian food and appreciating it too.

If you happen to travel the world, you’ll realise how popular our Bengali sweets are.

3. Indian films

Every year, we make about 1,000 plus films in more than 20 different languages. So what if our films have not won an Oscar?

Our artistes have won it for designing the costumes and music.

Our purpose, audience and reach is different from theirs.

We have come a long way since we made our first film Raja Harishchandra in 1913.

If we look at the entire package — our content, story telling and execution has improved by leaps and bounds.

The performances of Indian actors have been appreciated world over.

We have actors like Irfan Khan, Rajkumar Rao whose performances are at par with international actors.

Our films make crores of rupees too, which is why foreign investors and film makers want to collaborate with us.

We have made films on low budget with bold subjects and social messages as well — which is why our films are appreciated at international film festivals.

4. Yoga, pranayam and meditation

Like it or not, the credit goes to Ramdev Baba for bringing yoga into your drawing room and making it so popular.

In fact, the science of physiotherapy finds its roots in yoga. The postures, the techniques are all inspired from yogic mudras.

People world over are slowly realising the fact that if you spend 15 minutes of your day doing yoga, pranayam and meditation, you will cut your medical bills tremendously.

5. Ayurveda

India is the birthplace of Ayurveda, one of the five elements of alternative medicine AYUSH — Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.

Today, Ayurvedic medicines and home remedies are fast becoming the most sought after route in alternate medicine.

If you go to Germany, you’ll realise that Germans swear by Vicco products because there are no side effects.

The use of herbs and oils in Ayurveda rejuvenate the body and transform you into a healthy human being.

6. Unity in diversity

The next time you say how good and better the United States of America is, you must not forget that we are United States of India.

In America, they speak a single language across the country.

Can you think of any other country in the world that has so many different states and languages?

In India, the co-existence of the diversity in food, tradition and culture is a lesson for the world to see and learn from.

7. Managing more with less

Ever since we are young, we are taught to manage more with less.

Most of our students start their education with limited resources, yet we go on to become successful doctors, engineers and researchers.

We may not have a library as big as the Oxford which is believed to be the size of seven football fields, but we make the most of what we have in our home country.

We have produced people like Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft) and Verghese Kurien, founder of White Revolution who are ideal icons of excellence and success for the world.

8. High resilience

During our growing up years, we are taught certain values by our parents.

We know the importance of humanity, kindness, hospitality, tolerance and spirituality.

Despite the negatives surrounding us, and the deprivation of resources that most of us have grown up with, the strength of our values make us highly resilient.

This resilience is perhaps one of the primary reasons how we gifted Buddhism to the world.

9. Jugaad

It may be debatable that jugaad is a temporary and quick fix solution to problems.

According to me, jugaad is a skill to improvise and innovate already existent solutions.

Necessity is the mother of jugaad.

The word jugaad originated in Punjab when a group of people created a multi-function tractor in less than Rs 25,000.

The point is, jugaad is an Indian skill — of being street-smart and having the attitude to survive any difficult situation.

As told to Divya Nair/Rediff.com

> More career advice from Virender Kapoor here

Lead image used for representational purposes only. Credit: PTI Photo

Virender Kapoor is the former director of Pune’s Symbiosis Institute of Management and the founder of Management Institute for Leadership and Excellence.

He is also the author of Winning Instinct: Decoding the Power Within, Leadership: The Gandhi Way,A Wonderful Boss: Great People to Work With,Passion Quotient and Innovation, the Einstein Way.

Source….www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Now Buy an Eco Friendly Ganesha, Send it off Responsibly & Support an Elephant at the same time…

September 13, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

During Ganesha Chaturthi, lakhs of Ganesha idols made of plastic and plaster of Paris (PoP) are disposed of in lakes and rivers. Here is one organization that not only helps you get eco friendly idols but makes sure the visarjan is done responsibly too. What’s more, the clay of the dissolved idols can be recycled as well!

During Ganesha Chaturthi last year, Shashi Shah, an IT consultant from Bengaluru, saw many people driving in their cars with beautiful Ganesha idols, headed for visarjan (ritual disposal of the idols in water bodies).

But what really caught Shashi’s eye amidst all the festivities were the idols made from PoP and covered in artificial paint.

Shashi started to think about this issue, which arises year after year, as hundreds of water bodies around the country get clogged with non-biodegradable idols that are a hazard for the environment.

He teamed up with his friend Subru, also a consultant, to start a company that not only provides eco friendly Ganesha idols but also helps people do visarjan in a responsible way

Though the idea came to their mind in 2014, the plan was finally executed only this year on August 17 when the team officially launched Mudpiez. The company not only delivers eco friendly Ganesha idols made from natural clay to your doorstep but also picks them up for visarjan in an eco friendly and responsible way.

“Everyone dumps these idols in lakes. Most of them are made from PoP, plastic and other such materials that do not get dissolved in water; this is very harmful for our environment, as we all know. However, there are already many people and organisations that sell Ganesha idols made of natural clay. So we thought of taking this initiative to the next level. We focused on two aspects — the delivery of eco friendly Ganesha idols and also their visarjan in a better way,” says Subru.

The duo went to a few villages near Bengaluru and identified three families of artisans from Narayanpura who make eco friendly idols. They partnered with these artisans and placed orders for about 500 idols. “We will place more orders as the demand increases,” says Subru.

Currently, there are 9 different varieties of idols available on the Mudpiez website. The tallest is 17 inches and costs Rs. 750, while the smallest is 10 inches tall and costs Rs. 401.

The USP of the organization, however, lies not in providing eco friendly Ganesha idols but helping people dispose of them properly.

Instead of dumping the idols in a lake, the team plans to create an artificial tank in Narayanpur and Bannerghatta where people can do the visarjan of the clay idols.

The idols will be kept in the tank for three days till they completely dissolve and the clay will be recycled by the artisans to make other products.

To make the process of disposal simpler for people, Mudpiez also provides a service where they collect idols from individual houses and take them together to the artificial tank.

“In this way, we not only save time, energy and money, but also reduce the traffic to a large extent since people don’t have to go out of their homes to dispose of the idols,” says Subru.

This team is now planning to expand to other locations and also include other festivals like Dusshera and Bommala Koluvu.

“We are talking with artisans from Kolkata and are trying to bring them on board as well. It is a very fresh initiative and there is a long way to go,” says Subru.

Shashi and Subru are also very keen to replace the bubble wrap packing material of these Ganesha idols with paper wraps.

In addition, they plan to give about 10-15 percent of their revenues for the welfare of a rescued elephant that is currently under the care of the Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC), Bengaluru.

“The elephant met with an unfortunate accident and since it was a logging elephant, it was of ‘no use’ after that incident. It was abandoned in Tamil Nadu. Somehow, it reached a temple there and found shelter. One of the volunteers from WRRC saw it and informed the authorities in Bengaluru who then rescued it,” says Subru, who is associated with WRRC.

The elephant is currently in Bengaluru and needs continuous medical support. Therefore, some portion of the revenues earned by Mudpiez will be donated for the health care of this elephant.

You can place your order for an eco friendly Ganesha idol from the Mudpiez’ website here. To know more about their work, contact the team at- subru@mudpiez.in, shashi@mudpiez.in

Source…..Shreya Pareek… http://www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day… ” We Need Extreme Patience and Enormous Capacity to Forget and Forgive …”

September 13, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Sathya Sai Baba

For acquiring selfless love, the quality of kshama or forbearance is a vital necessity. (kshama is a word rich in meaning. Besides forbearance, it also implies extreme patience and an enormous capacity to forget as also forgive). Every individual must cultivate this noble quality. Kshama is not achieved by reading books or learnt from an instructor. Nor can it be received as a gift from someone else. This prime virtue of kshama can be acquired solely by self-effort, by facing squarely diverse problems and difficulties of various sorts, by going through anxieties and suffering as well as sorrow. In the absence ofkshama, man becomes susceptible to all kinds of evil tendencies. Hatred and jealousy easily take root in a person lacking this virtue. Divinity is merely the combined manifestation of prema (love) andkshama.