Art – Page 46 – Take off with Natarajan

Message for the Day….”When the service to humanity truly becomes service to God….”

March 12, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Many state that service to humanity (manava-seva) is service to God (Madhava-seva). It is true. Although the service of humanity is holy, unless it is merged in the bigger ideal of divinity in everyone, people won’t benefit, however huge the service. Quoting the slogan is useless if service is done with an eye on name and fame and the fruits of one’s action. Only when you constantly contemplate on the Lord, follow true and righteous means in execution, and work with faith in the essential divinity of people, then the service to humanity truly becomes service to God. Without thoughts of God how can service to God originate? All such talk is mere show. In fact those who are immersed in the uninterrupted contemplation of the Lord need not do any other task at all. The fruit of their prayer itself can make the world holy. However all can’t be thus engaged, so others must prepare for that stage by purifying their mind and diminishing their desires.

Sathya Sai Baba

Message for the Day…” Who Can hope for enduring success in Life …” ?

March 11, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

The game of life you play is akin to the Mahabharatha war. On one side were the forces of evil, the Kauravas, and on the other the powers of good, the Pandavas. They played the game of life with the empire as the football. Until achieving complete victory, Lord Krishna was the sole chief for the righteous Pandavas, who completely surrendered to Him. The wicked Kauravas lost their commanders one after the other in the battle. The real contest today within you is the one between the evil qualities of desire, hatred, envy, pride, etc. and good qualities like truth, virtue, peace, nonviolence and love. Your body is the battlefield. One team’s captain is the embodiment of good qualities. The captain of the other is the embodiment of mundane desires. Those who adhere to ever changing and worldly desires will attain defeat. Only those who attach themselves to the unchanging and eternal Divine can hope for enduring success in life.

Sathya Sai Baba

How to see a solar eclipse at 35,000 ft in the air?…. Here’s the answer!

March 11, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

It’s very rare that a company fulfill its customer’s wish. And that too at about 35,000 feet in the air.

But Alaska Airlines has done that by changing its flight path on Tuesday, so that passengers could enjoy the view of solar eclipse.

IMAGE: Treat your eyes with this breathtaking view. Solar eclipse from Alaska Airlines flight. Photograph: Alaska Airlines/Twitter

The airliner made this plan a year ago when one of the passengers, Joseph Rao, who is the associate astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium, informed it that Alaska Airlines flight 870 from Anchorage to Honolulu would intersect the eclipse’s path.

But there was a catch. The flight’s scheduled departure time was 25 minutes too early to see the eclipse.

After several deliberations the airline decided to adjust the timing to give passengers a chance to witness the grand spectacle.

HERE (external link) is the full video.

IMAGE: Solar eclipse from Alaska Airlines flight. Photograph: Alaska Airlines/Twitter

Source…..www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Meeting Latha: A woman mechanic fighting stereotypes in Theni …!!!

March 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

“I really don’t think there is any job that men alone can do,” says Latha.

Untouched by the pomp and fanfare of the women’s day celebrations elsewhere, Latha is busy looking at the punctured tyre of a bike that has left its owner stranded.

Latha is such an inconspicuous figure under a tamarind tree on the Theni-Periyakulam road that she can be easily missed. She runs her vulcanising shop from under the shade of a tamarind tree.

“More often than not, many people see our equipment first from a distance and come closer. But when they see me handling it all, they pause and sometimes prepare to leave. I tell them I can fix their tyres and do it in no time. After all, I have been doing it for two decades now” she says with an unmistakable pride in her voice.

At 43, Latha is a good mechanic. “I have four brothers and a sister. My father was a mechanic and as a child, I would keenly watch the way he would fix a punctured tyre. But he would never allow me to touch any of it.”

At 20, she got married to a man who ran a small textile shop. Her father had to sell his vulcanising shop to settle the debts of her sister’s wedding. “My brothers refused to take care of my father and I accommodated him in my place. After discussing with my husband, I took his help and with an investment of Rs 13,000 started this shop.”

Until recently, she would take care of the punctured tyres of all vehicles including lorries and cars. “But now due to ill-health, I do only two-wheeler tyres,” Latha says. Students from an Industrial Training Institute nearby often visit her shop to get hands-on experience. “I really don’t think there is any job that men alone can do.”

Though her father never allowed her to touch any of the two wheelers he was working on, he was a role model for Latha. “He treated all of us equally. I never felt I was a daughter and hence inferior. That was not the case with many of my friends. Even when I was young, I had learnt to drive almost all vehicles. With that kind of encouragement, I think any woman can do what a man can – sometimes even what a man can’t. I only wish the government encouraged women more.”

Perhaps the only woman mechanic of Theni district, Latha has a dream: To have a properly constructed shop. “I only have this thatched roof for a shop all these years. I have never been to a government office or approached any politician for help. But I do wish they will help me get a shop. I can even train students if need be”, she says.

For someone who speaks so passionately about the need for women to be independent, Latha had both her daughters married off before they turned 18. “I had little choice. We are living in such a system which does not support independent women. Also I come from a village and you know how it is. My poor health is another reason. I wish it was different though.”

All photographs by Satheesh Lakshmanan

Source…..Satheesh Lakshmanan in http://www.the newsminute.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…”Worrying is fruitless..there is no occasion for despair…you must try prayer, service to others, and mutual love and respect…”

March 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Sathya Sai Baba

When there is no possibility of achieving and acquiring devotion, charity, peace, and truth, the great and good people who desire to achieve them pray to the Lord within themselves. When the Lord’s will, the needs of spiritual seekers, and the teachings of great persons unite, the happiness of the world will be assured and undiminished. If all humanity prays at one time for unrest, injustice, disorder, and falsehood to be transformed into peace, truth, love, and mutual service, things will certainly become better. There is no other way out. Worrying is fruitless. This is no occasion for despair. It is against the essential nature of people to plead weakness and want of strength. Therefore giving up the search for other means, people must try prayer, service to others, and mutual love and respect. They should delay no longer; they will soon acquire contentment and joy.

The Feng Shui Skyscrapers of Hong Kong….!!!

March 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

In Hong Kong, a city with one of the most beautiful skyline, the plan and design of a building is determined as much as by architects and engineers as by feng shui masters. This ancient Chinese philosophy of positioning objects and buildings in harmony with nature to bring about good fortune, is deeply rooted in Hong Kong’s culture. Everything from the orientation of a building, the shape of the building, the position of the entrance and position of furniture within are believed to influence the prosperity of a business or the homeowner. Because of this belief, feng shui practitioners are consulted in almost every new home purchase and office floor plans, and even enormous architectural and engineering projects around this island nation are dictated to a large degree by feng shui. It’s not apparent but examples of feng shui practice are almost everywhere in Hong Kong.

Why do these buildings have holes in the middle? Keep reading for the answer. Photo credit: shottapaul/Flickr

Feng shui was suppressed in mainland China during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s but has made a dramatic revival in recent years, especially in the superstitious South. Even in modern Central, where feng shui is regarded as superstition, most developers still consult feng shui experts because they figure it’s better to be safe than sorry. Indeed, many corporations set aside a portion of their annual budget for feng shui consultation. Some of the suggestions that feng shui experts offer can be as simple as repositioning the desk of the CEO or placing coins under the carpet. Others can be as expensive as demolishing and reconstructing parts of the building.

When the famous HSBC headquarters with two bronze lions sitting in front were built in the mid-1980s, the escalators were reoriented from their original straight position to an angle with the entrance to prevent evil spirits from flowing straight off the Victoria Harbor and into the office.

The HSBC building in Hong Kong. Photo credit: Ishak J/Flickr

The Bank of China Tower, on the other hand, neglected good feng shui practices and is now considered so unlucky that it sits empty most of the year. The tower with its many sharp edges is also said to be leaking its negative energy to its surrounding businesses. The owner of the Lippo Centre, which faces one of the building’s edges, went bankrupt and had to sell the building. Similarly, the Government House, which also faces one of the angles of the Bank of China Tower, had its share of troubles.

To prevent such misfortunes from befalling HSBC, the bank had two cannon-like structures installed at the top of their building. These cannons, which are pointed towards the Bank of China building, supposedly protects HSBC from the dreaded Bank of China Tower’s negative energy by deflecting the energy back to its source.

Hong Kong’s growth in recent years has been attributed to good feng shui. Its geographical location with the mountains behind and waters in front is said to be excellent in accordance to feng shui principles. Legend holds that these mountains are home to the dragons that are said to be the bearer of positive and powerful energy. This energy blows through Hong Kong as the dragons make their way from the mountains to the sea to drink and bathe.

This explains why many buildings along the waterline have gaping holes in the middle. These holes provide the dragons an unobstructed path to the water, so that the winds of positive energy continue to flow through the city.

The “dragon hole” of The Repulse Bay building in Hong Kong. Photo credit: Paul Griffin/Flickr

Photo credit: See-ming Lee/Flickr

Sources: NY Times / Discover Hong Kong / A Passport Affair / Wall Street Journal Blog

Source…….www.amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

Woman I admire: ‘My daughter is a super hero’….

March 10, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Here, Jaya Alex writes about her daughter, who, despite the odds, chose to teach in a backward and underprivileged district in India.

Justey P Alex

My elder daughter Justey P Alex is presently working among the tribes in Kalahandi district of Odisha, the second most backward and underprivileged district in India.

There she is teaching in a mission school which provides education to poor children. It is the only English medium school in that area.

After her graduation from the Delhi University (BA English Hon), she told us of her desire to serve the needy and downtrodden children through education. She had taken the decision during a visit to this place when a tour programme was conducted by the Youths of Church Mission.

Being parents of a grown-up girl child we were very worried about her decision.

Jaya Alex with her daughter Justey

All other family members, friends and our well-wishers were also against it because of her well-being.

The place where she was planning to work is prone with diseases like malaria, jaundice, typhoid, etc.

Death due to these diseases is very common there. The nearest hospital is at least 20 km away from this remote village. If you want to buy a pen, book or even recharge your mobile phone you have to travel at least 20 km.

Everybody asked her to rethink the decision, but she stood firm on her ground as she felt that it was right.

At last we agreed and allowed her to go and work there. We thought that she will be back within a month because it is not so easy for a child, born and brought up in metropolitan city. to work in such a remote area.

But she got the willpower to overcome all hurdles and hardships by seeing the happiness of the poor kids studying there and has now completed 10 months. She is one among the three graduate teachers in her school. She is also pursuing her post graduation from IGNOU.

I think an ordinary girl cannot think in this way and I feel that my daughter is a ‘super hero’. I am proud of her.

Source…..Jaya Alex in http://www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Photos of today’s Solar Eclipse….

March 9, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Justin Ng at Amazing City Beach Resort in Palu, Indonesia captured this photo of the March 9, 2016 total eclipse of the sun. He captured what is one of the most famous of all eclipse phenomena: the legendary diamond ring effect. It happens twice in a total eclipse … in the final moments before totality, and just as totality ends. You can also see a flare from the sun, on its lefthand limb.

A Kannan in Singapore caught the partial phases, too. He wrote: “The partial solar eclipse was observed in Singapore skies this morning covering about 85% of the sun from Earth.”

Source…..www.earthsky.org

Natarajan

” தமிழ் பழம் அருஞ்சொற்பொருள்/TAMIL FRUITS GLOSSARY….”

March 9, 2016March 9, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

பழங்களின் பெயா்கள் / தமிழ் மற்றும் ஆங்கிலத்தில்:-

தமிழ் பழம் அருஞ்சொற்பொருள்/TAMIL FRUITS GLOSSARY

A – வரிசை
APPLE – அரத்திப்பழம், குமளிப்பழம்
APRICOT – சர்க்கரை பாதாமி
AVOCADO – வெண்ணைப் பழம்

B – வரிசை
BANANA – வாழைப்பழம்
BELL FRUIT – பஞ்சலிப்பழம்
BILBERRY – அவுரிநெல்லி
BLACK CURRANT – கருந்திராட்சை, கருங்கொடிமுந்திரி
BLACKBERRY – நாகப்பழம்
BLUEBERRY – அவுரிநெல்லி
BITTER WATERMELON – கெச்சி
BREADFRUIT – சீமைப்பலா, ஈரப்பலா

C – வரிசை
CANTALOUPE – மஞ்சள் முலாம்பழம்
CARAMBOLA – விளிம்பிப்பழம்
CASHEWFRUIT – முந்திரிப்பழம்
CHERRY – சேலா(ப்பழம்)
CHICKOO – சீமையிலுப்பை
CITRON – கடாரநாரத்தை
CITRUS AURANTIFOLIA – நாரத்தை
CITRUS AURANTIUM – கிச்சிலிப்பழம்
CITRUS MEDICA – கடரநாரத்தை
CITRUS RETICULATA – கமலாப்பழம்
CITRUS SINENSIS – சாத்துக்கொடி
CRANBERRY – குருதிநெல்லி
CUCUMUS TRIGONUS – கெச்சி
CUSTARD APPLE – சீத்தாப்பழம்

D – வரிசை
DEVIL FIG – பேயத்தி
DURIAN – முள்நாரிப்பழம்

E – வரிசை
EUGENIA RUBICUNDA – சிறுநாவல்

F – வரிசை

G – வரிசை
GOOSEBERRY – நெல்லிக்காய்
GRAPE – கொடிமுந்திரி, திராட்சைப்பழம்
GRAPEFRUIT – பம்பரமாசு
GUAVA – கொய்யாப்பழம்

H – வரிசை
HANEPOOT – அரபுக் கொடிமுந்திரி
HARFAROWRIE – அரைநெல்லி

I – வரிசை

J – வரிசை
JACKFRUIT – பலாப்பழம்
JAMBU FRUIT – நாவல்பழம்
JAMUN FRUIT – நாகப்பழம்

K – வரிசை
KIWI – பசலிப்பழம்

L – வரிசை
LYCHEE – விளச்சிப்பழம்

M – வரிசை
MANGO FRUIT – மாம்பழம்
MANGOSTEEN – கடார முருகல்
MELON – வெள்ளரிப்பழம்
MULBERRY – முசுக்கட்டைப்பழம்
MUSCAT GRAPE – அரபுக் கொடிமுந்திரி

N – வரிசை

O – வரிசை
ORANGE – தோடைப்பழம், நரந்தம்பழம்
ORANGE (SWEET) – சாத்துக்கொடி
ORANGE (LOOSE JACKET) – கமலாப்பழம்

P – வரிசை
PAIR – பேரிக்காய்
PAPAYA – பப்பாளி
PASSIONFRUIT – கொடித்தோடைப்பழம்
PEACH – குழிப்பேரி
PERSIMMON – சீமைப் பனிச்சை
PHYLLANTHUS DISTICHUS – அரைநெல்லி
PLUM – ஆல்பக்கோடா
POMELO – பம்பரமாசு
PRUNE – உலர்த்தியப் பழம்

Q – வரிசை
QUINCE – சீமைமாதுளை, சீமைமாதுளம்பழம்

R – வரிசை
RAISIN – உலர் கொடிமுந்திரி, உலர் திராட்சை
RASPBERRY – புற்றுப்பழம்
RED BANANA – செவ்வாழைப்பழம்
RED CURRANT – செந்திராட்சை, செங்கொடிமுந்திரி

S – வரிசை
SAPODILLA – சீமையிலுப்பை
STAR-FRUIT – விளிம்பிப்பழம்
STRAWBERRY – செம்புற்றுப்பழம்
SWEET SOP – சீத்தாப்பழம்

T – வரிசை
TAMARILLO – குறுந்தக்காளி
TANGERINE – தேனரந்தம்பழம்

U – வரிசை
UGLI FRUIT – முரட்டுத் தோடை

V – வரிசை

W – வரிசை
WATERMELON – குமட்டிப்பழம், தர்பூசணி
WOOD APPLE – விளாம்பழம்

Source…..www.facebook.com/Tamil-Traditional-Foods… information credit…Harini Parthasarathy in facebook

Natarajan