Attitude
Message for the Day…”Every act performed with thought, word, and deed in harmony is a Dharmic act…”
Righteousness (Dharma) is the basis for the entire Universe. A true human being is one who practices the principle of dharma. Burning is the dharma of fire. Many often use the word dharma without knowing its true nature and majesty. Coolness is the dharma of ice. Fire is no fire without burning. Ice is no ice without coolness. Similarly, thedharma of a human lies in performing actions with the body and following the commands of the heart. Every act performed with thought, word, and deed in harmony is a dharmic act! A dharmic life is a divine life! This dharma of the heart is supreme and verily thedharma of life. You must achieve unity in thought, word, and deed at all costs.
Academic, Teacher, Inventor – This Man Suffering from Cerebral Palsy Plays Many Roles to Perfection
A fulfilling life is within everyone’s reach – regardless of the abilities and challenges they face. Riitesh Sinha, who suffers from spastic cerebral palsy, is living proof of this.
Consummate student. Creative innovator. Attentive teacher. Model employee. Recipient of Cavinkare Ability Award. Limca Book Record holder. Honorary Doctorate holder. Many achievements, one name – Riitesh Sinha.
Dr Riitesh Sinha hails from Karnal. The 43 year old’s list of achievements is awe-inspiring, particularly
in light of the fact that he suffers from spastic cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. They result in poor motor skills, stiff or weak muscles and tremors, making simple movement painful and simple tasks time-consuming.
Yet, Riitesh was never one to be cowed down by circumstances. He had just passed with flying colours from his CBSE school (securing 75% in his board exams) when his quest for independence led to him invent his own ‘trike.’
Read also: Watching This Man’s Achievements Will Make You Rethink The Word ‘Disability’
“Throughout my school life, my parents had to take me to school and other places. I was entirely dependent on them,” recounts Riitesh. It was when he was watching a video on science that the idea of making a trike struck him:
“After two years of research and with very little expertise available in a small place like Karnal, I got modifications done on a normal cycle. I added a foot pedal that helped me steer the cycle and balance myself. The trike is affordable and very convenient to use.”
Soon Riitesh was using the trike to get around town, often going as far as 10 km all on his own – a noteworthy achievement and freeing experience for someone who was forced to depend on others to get around earlier. Teaching in nearby villages as a part of literacy campaigns became easier with the trike, as did attending his B.Sc classes in Kurukshetra University. Says Riitesh, “The trike gave me wings! And I was glad that this was my own innovation.”
“It even helped me bunk classes,” he jokes. “After all, bunking classes is a part of leading a fulfilling college life!”
With the help of supportive teachers and friends – “All my classes were arranged on the ground floor. I never once had problems of accessibility” – Riitesh completed his B.Sc. That, however, was only the beginning of his academic journey. He went on to do a Post-Graduate Diploma in Computer Application, a Certificate in Computing from IGNOU, a Masters in Technology from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, and a Diploma in Naturopathy from Nature Care Institute, Nashik.
Next, Riitesh opened a computer centre that was affiliated with the National Institute of Open Schooling. Here, he taught children – and some interested adults – the basics of computers.
Over a period of ten years, he introduced more than a 1000 students to the world of computers.
In 2011, Riitesh landed a job at the Districts & Sessions Court in Karnal. “But after a few months, I was ousted from the job on the grounds of my disability,” he recounts. “I then approached the High Court with my case. The Court asked me to submit to an ability test. I did and I won the case. The Court quashed my termination order.”
“Since it was the first time in the history of the High Court that a physically challenged person was asked to undergo an ability test, my name is in the Limca Book of Records,” says Riitesh.
His win went on to positively influence several other cases as well.
Today, he works with the Karnal District & Sessions court and is responsible for maintaining digitised records.
Riitesh also runs a blog called ‘Riitesh’s Mudraa.’
“I was reading a story about a yogi and how he benefitted from the practice of yoga. I started practicing it myself and found great relief…my body stiffness went away. I decided to help others discover this too,” Riitesh says. The blog lists mudraas and practices that can provide relief to people suffering from cerebral palsy and Parkinsons.
Ask him about the greatest struggle physically challenged people in India face and pat comes the reply: “Social stigma.”
“In India, our society thinks that physically challenged people are useless. We are not even treated as proper human beings. There are easily 25 lakh Indians who suffer from cerebral palsy, and yet, very few of them get jobs. I believe that if we remove this social stigma, more than 80% of physically challenged people can lead more fulfilling lives,” Riitesh explains.
“People refer to cerebral palsy as ‘CP’. I believe that CP stands for ‘Capable Person’ – we can do anything that others can,” says Riitesh.
As his sister Anila says, “For a man who finds it difficult to hold a pen, who finds it difficult to wear clothes, who sometimes takes as long as two hours to brush his teeth… the fact that such a man has achieved so much is truly inspirational.”
source…Anandita Jumde in http://www.the betterindia.com
Natarajan
Message for the Day…”Need for harmony between thoughts, words, and deeds…”
A person’s life depends upon three essential things – thoughts, words and deeds. When desires arise, one immediately takes it to their mind. For any thought, mind is the basis. The thought that comes to your mind will be exposed to the world as a word from your mouth, and once you utter those words, then, to put it into practice, you take action. When you are able to apply these three—thought, word, and action along the right path, you earn merit (punya); but if you apply them along the wrong path, you earn sin. Thus for good and bad, you need thoughts, words, and deeds. Only when there is harmony between thoughts, words, and actions; you will be able to recognise your own true nature. To keep them pure and in harmony, you must undertake some kind of sadhana(spiritual practice). This is of utmost need today.
The Rock Garden of Chandigarh….
It took years of planning and millions of Rupees to design one of India’s first planned cities, but Chandigarh’s biggest tourist attraction was not on the master plan of Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. It was the product of creative imagination and fifty years of labor by a humble government official Nek Chand.
Nek Chand was a road inspector in the Engineering Department of Chandigarh Capital Project, in 1957, the year he started working on his secret sculptural project. Nek Chand would cycle to a gorge near Sukhna Lake, at the foothills of Shivalik hills, that was used as dumping ground for urban and industrial waste, and spend hours collecting discarded pieces of broken pottery, bottles, auto parts, plumbing materials, street lights, electrical fittings, broken sanitary ware and so on. He would carry the pieces to a nearby PWD (Public Works Department) warehouse and fashion them into artistic forms resembling humans and animals.
Photo credit: Kirk Kittell/Flickr
Nek Chand worked at night because he was afraid of being discovered. For eighteen years, he kept it this site a secret. By the time it was discovered, it had grown into a 12-acre complex of interlinked courtyards, each filled with hundreds of pottery-covered concrete sculptures of dancers, musicians, and animals. The Rock Garden, as it is called now, mesmerizes everyone who sees it. Today it is spread over an area of 40 acres, and is completely built out of trash.
At one point, soon after its discovery, the authorities wanted to demolish the park because Nek Chand didn’t have permission to build it, but the public intervened. In 1976 the park was officially inaugurated as a public space. Nek Chand was given a salary, a title (“Sub-Divisional Engineer, Rock Garden”), and 50 laborers so that he could concentrate full-time on his work.
In recognition of his work, Nek Chand was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India. The Rock Garden also appeared on an Indian stamp in 1983.
Photo credit: Ian Brown/Flickr
Photo credit: Carlos Zambrano/Flickr
Photo credit: Ramnath Bhat/Flickr
Sources: Wikipedia / citcochandigarh.com / The Wire
வாரம் ஒரு கவிதை …. ” பேசும் மௌனம் ” !!!
பேசும் மௌனம்
……………
வாய் திறந்து பேச தேவை ஒரு மொழி! ..ஆனால் பேசுமே மௌனம்
மௌனமே மொழியாக !
வாய் அடைத்து பேச்சு துறக்கும் நிலையிலும் மறக்காமல் ஒருவர்
பேசும் மொழி …மௌனம்!
அகத்தின் அலைகள் முகத்தில் தெரிய இதயம் திறந்து
காட்டுமே மௌனம் ! இதயம் பேசும் மொழியும் அதுவே !
வாய் திறந்து பேசாமல் பேசும் மௌனம்! …பேசாமல் பேசும்
மௌனம் நம்மில் பலரை மௌனமாக்கி வியக்க வைக்கும் !
இதயம் இறுக்கமான சமயம் வலியைக் காட்டுவது மௌனம்
துயரத்தின் உச்சத்தில் நம் மன வலிமையை சொல்லுவதும் மௌனமே !
சினம் தவிர்த்து பொறுமை காத்திட வித்திடுவது மௌனம்
மனம் திறந்து இரு இதயங்கள் உரையாட, உறவாட , துணைபோவதும்
மௌனமே !
Natarajan
படித்து ரசித்த கவிதை ….” வருகிறது தேர்தல் ” !!!
வருகிறது தேர்தல்!
வருகிறது தேர்தல்
தயாராகுங்கள் ஏந்தல்களே!
வாக்குறுதிகளை
வக்கணையாய் கூறி
வாக்கு கேட்டு வரப் போகின்றனர்!
பாரீன் மாதிரி
ஆக்குவேன் என்பார் ஒருவர்…
‘சரக்கே’ கிடையாதென்பார் மற்றொருவர்…
வெற்றி பெற்றதும்
சரக்கை ஏற்றி
பாரீனுக்கே
பறந்து விடுவர்!
ஓட்டுப் போட
மெட்ரோ ரயிலில் கூட
மெனக்கெட்டு கூட்டி வருவர்…
ஓட்டு போட்டு முடிந்ததும்
பாசஞ்சர் ரயிலில் கூட
ஏற்றி விட மாட்டார்கள்!
பட்டொளி வீசி
பறந்த மூவர்ணக்கொடி
பிளக்ஸ் பேனர்களால்
மறைக்கப்படும்!
நேற்று வரை
நாயே பேயே என வசை பாடியவர்கள்
நாகரிகமாக
நடந்து கொள்வர்!
அழைக்காமலேயே
அலைபேசியில் பேசும் தலைவர்
வெற்றி பெற்றதும்
தொடர்பு எல்லைக்கு
வெளியே இருப்பார்!
பொதுத் தேர்வுக்கு
விழுந்து விழுந்து
படிக்கும் மாணவனுக்கும்
பொதுத் தேர்தலில்
விழுந்து விழுந்து
வாக்கு கேட்கும்
வேட்பாளருக்கும்
பெரிய வித்தியாசமில்லை!
மாணவன் வெற்றி பெற்றால், ‘காலேஜ்’
‘மாண்புமிகு’ வெற்றி பெற்றால், ‘எங்கேஜ்!’
நாம்
ராமாவரத்தை பார்த்திருக்கோம்…
கோபாலபுரத்தை பார்த்திருக்கோம்…
தைலாபுரத்தை பார்த்திருக்கோம்…
போயஸ் தோட்டத்தை பார்த்திருக்கோம்…நெல்லுக்கு ஆசைப்பட்டு
சொல்லுக்கு சீட்டெடுக்கும்
பரிதாபத்திற்குரிய
பொது ஜன கிளியை எவராவது
பார்த்திருக்கிறீர்களா?
மாற்றமே மானிட
தத்துவம் என்பதை அரசியல்வாதிகள்
கடன் வாங்குவது இருக்கட்டும்…
வாக்களித்த மக்களுக்கு
நன்றியோடு பணியாற்றுவோருக்கு
வாக்களிப்போம்!
உங்கள் ஓட்டுகள்
சட்டமன்றத்திற்கு
மாண்புமிகுகளை அல்ல
மனிதர்களை அனுப்பட்டும்!
பாலா சரவணன்,
சென்னை. in http://www.dinamalar.com
Natarajan
Message for the Day…” Offer your heart to God…and gladly undergo transformation under HIS hands…”
Offer your entire self, your life Unto Him; then your adoration will transform and transmute you so fast and so completely that you and He can be merged into One. He thinks, feels and acts as you do; you think, feel and act as He does. You will be transformed as a rock is transformed by the sculptor, into an idol, deserving the worship of generations of sincere men. In the process you will have to bear many a hammer stroke, many a chisel-wound, for He is the sculptor. He is but releasing you from petrification! Offer your heart to the Lord, and gladly suffer transformation at His hands. Do not defile time, or the physical sheath, or this life’s chance, using them for paltry ends. Your life is but one long pilgrimage which you entered when you were born, and may not end even when you die. Never forget that. Be pure, alert and humble as pilgrims ought to be.
Image of the Day… Morning Sunglint Over the Pacific…!!!
This Earth observation composite image from the International Space Station captures morning sunglint and low clouds over the central Pacific Ocean. The image was put together at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, from a series of photographs taken by Expedition 47 Commander Jeff Williams on March 25, 2016.
Image Credit: NASA
source….www.nasa.gov
Natarajan
Bartered, Gifted, Stolen, But Never Sold, the Elusive Kohinoor Diamond is Still Making History…!!!
Entrenched in history, having been passed down by some of the greatest rulers of massive empires in the Indian subcontinent, the Kohinoor diamond is the most desirable, priceless stone.
It’s a clear stone the size of a ping pong ball and it fits in the palm of the hand. But the Kohinoor Diamond is priceless, with a deep history engraved in its essence. The stone has seen bloodshed, violence, greed, wonder, deception and wars. It has seen men go mad with power, it has seen men fall from grace. It has seen the thirst, the hunger and the dreams that make humans essentially human. The stone has been brought down through the ages, changing hands and making history on its way.
The assertion of ownership over the stone is still an elusive decision. India, Pakistan and Afghanistan all want the stone back, claiming ownership, while Britain vehemently refuses to part with their most prized possession. As theIndian government claims to bring back to stone ‘amicably’, here’s a look at why this legendary, brilliant cut 106-carat stone is so remarkable and desirable.
From India to Present-day Uzbekistan to England
The Kohinoor Diamond on the royal crown
Source: Wikimedia Commons
According to legends, in the 13th century, the diamond was found in Guntur, in Andhra Pradesh. The first known record of the possession of the diamond was with the Kakatiya Dynasty in South India, and then with the Rajas of Malwa. When the Delhi Sultanate took over the South of India in 1300s, Alauddin Khilji held the stone in his palace.
In 1339, it was taken to Samarkand (present day Uzbekistan), which was its home for the next 500 years. Sultan Ibrahim Lodi gifted it to Babur. After three generations, it was passed on to Shah Jahan. Then his son Aurangzeb took over and imprisoned him, and guarded the stone with his life. It was passed on to Bahadur Shah I and later to his great grandson, Muhammad Shah. Being a weak ruler, the stone was taken from Muhammad by Nader Shah. In 1747, he was assassinated, and his general, Ahmad Shah Durrani, passed on the stone to his grandson, Shah Shuja Durrani.
Durrani took the stone to India, and gifted it to the founder of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh in 1813, in return for help to take down the Afghani throne. Emporer Ranjit Singh had instructed the stone to be part of Jagannath Temple in Puri after his death in his will. But when the East India Company and the British Empire took over the Sikh Empire in 1849, the stone was confiscated, and stored at a treasury in Lahore. Finally, it was taken to the Queen in 1850. Today, it is part of the Crown Jewels, placed in the Tower of London in the UK
The Curse of the Mountain of Light
In Persian, Koh-i-Noor means the mountain of light. However, the name didn’t come about till the stone reached Nader Shah in the mid-1700s. Legend has it that in 1306, someone wrote that the stone was cursed. According to the curse, any man who owns the stone is likely to own all the riches and power of the world, but also suffer great misfortunes. Only a god or a woman can carry or wear the stone with no ill consequences.
A New, Lighter Cut
The size of the stone before 1852
Source: Kohinoordiamond.org
When the stone was discovered, it was allegedly 793 carats, uncut. By the time it reached the British Empire in 1849, the stone weighed 186 carats. The Queen ordered the stone to be cut in 1852, as it wasn’t as brilliant and beautifully shaped when compared to other cut diamonds in their possession at the Crystal Palace. The stone was cut into an oval shape, and weighed 42% lighter at 105.602 carats.
The Priceless Gem
In the 1500s, Babur had declared that the Kohinoor was worth half the world’s total production costs in a day. However, there’s no certain way of determining the price of the stone. It has changed hands through history mainly because it was bartered, gifted or stolen. Compared to other stones in the world that weigh somewhere close, like the 100-carat flawless diamond sold by Sotheby’s at an auction in 2015, it should cost around $22-30 million (Rs 146 crores). But considering that the stone has been possessed by many of the greatest legends in Indian and world history, the premium for it could be priceless.
The Tug of War
Source: Wikimedia Commons, Kohinoordiamond.org
When India got its independence in 1947, it asked for the stone back, believing it was supposed to be in India. Even after consequent requests in 1953 and 2000, the British government refused, citing that it was nearly impossible to decide who the stone belonged to, given its various owners throughout history. In 1976, Pakistan laid claim to the stone, but was refused by then-Prime Minister of the UK, James Callaghan, claiming that in a treaty with the Maharaja of Lahore in 1849, the stone was ordered to be transferred to the British Crown. Afghanistan too claimed that the stone should be returned to them.
In 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron said, in a quote that’s now popular, “If you say yes to one you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty. I am afraid to say, it is going to have to stay put.”
It might be a while before a concrete decision has been made about the ownership of the diamond. Until then, it’ll take you a ticket to London to appreciate this beauty, steeped in historical legends!
Source…..Neeti VijiayKumar in http://www.the better india .com
Natarajan
Take off with Natarajan 