Attitude – Page 68 – Take off with Natarajan

Message For the Day… ” Good and Noble action is Authentic Worship{Pooja} …”

December 16, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The inborn desires and mental impressions (samskaras) make or mar the individual (jivi); they are the steps that take all individual souls to the goal. Samskaras make the individual wade through loss and grief. Only through good mental tendencies you can attain the Lord. So every individual has to be wholly engaged in good actions (sath-karmas).Good and noble action is authentic worship (puja). It is the best form of remembering the Lord. It is the highest devotional song. It spreads love, without distinction and difference. It is service done as the duty of the individual. Be engaged in such noble actions (karmas). Revel uninterruptedly in the thought of the Lord. This is the royal road to the goal you have to reach.

Sathya Sai Baba

” The Chennai Flood Happened Due to a Complete Lack of Urban Planning…”

December 16, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Views of an Urban Planner and Architect …” My View ” Column in http://www.the better india .com

Natarajan

After Chennai’s recent catastrophic floods, the one question that looms large is – ‘could proper urban planning have prevented such a disaster?’ My answer to that question is certainly ‘yes’.

The way our cities are planned has got a lot to do with inviting or avoiding such disasters. Chennai floods underline the importance of adhering to the fundamental urban planning principles, when we design our cities. Being an architect and an urban planner, I can’t over-emphasise this point enough.

Anil Bhaskaran , Urban Planner and Architect

But before discussing about the kind of planning that should have been done in a city like Chennai, we must understand what the architecture of any ideal city should be like.

Photo Credit: ReflectedSerendipity/Flickr

Let us first look at the birth and growth pattern of a city, which is almost like a living human body. It is born, lives for a certain period of time, and then dies. Like a group of cells come together to form a human body, a group of people come together to form a city. Thus, any city must grow to its limit, attain maturity, cease to grow and eventually perish. It can function to the peak of its efficiency only for a limited period of time, after which it should be allowed to die its natural death. Adding newer parts to an old city is almost like transplanting new organs in the body of an old living organism. It distorts the fundamental body mechanism.

This leads us to the question – ‘what can we do to prevent the distortion of our cities like Chennai, and to prevent disasters like the recent floods?’ Here are three basic points that must be kept in mind:

1. A city must be designed for a specific number of people.

Photo Credit: Jared Smith/Flickr

As and when the limit is attained, newer cities should be designed and built. And this should be a continuous process. This is quite similar to the situation of a living being, who on achieving maturity, allows the next generation to come into existence through the method of reproduction.

2. We need to limit the migration from villages to cities.

Photo Credit: snotch/Flickr

Chennai is a classic example of this problem. However, the solution cannot be achieved by promulgating any law. Instead, we need to enhance the quality of life in our villages. This will require a change in the existing mindsets and policies.

3. A city should be walkable.

Photo Credit: Andrea/Flickr

On further analysis, one comes across another important element of city planning – Every city should be walkable, horizontally and vertically. This leads to the reduction in the amount of energy spent while commuting. Ideally, one should be able to walk from the outermost ring, to the centre of a city within twenty minutes.

Traditionally, cities were planned and built based on the principles mentioned above. Cities like Rome, Paris, Florence, Jaipur and Jaisalmer are all good examples of how well the city planners of the past understood these fundamentals and applied them prudently in the creation of their cities. But on comparing those with present-day cities like New York, Tokyo, Mumbai or Chennai — there is clearly a striking contrast.

But then, what is wrong with Indian cities like Chennai, which is a mix of the old and contemporary? Fundamentally, it is the unlimited growth that destroys the order in such cities beyond repair. In a human body, unlimited growth is considered cancerous. A city is no exception to this rule.

Chennai must accommodate the natural contours, slopes and drains, in its plan. One of the best ways of planning a water front city is to ensure that all the main streets are running perpendicular to the coast line. This will allow easy passage of excess rain water into the sea. A good example of such planning is the city of Minneapolis that sits on the banks of the Mississippi river.

Looking at the enormity of the problem in Chennai, the solutions have to be implemented at a large scale too! We need to take some hard steps here, such as:

1. Gravity drains should be created, taking into account the natural slopes of the terrain and quantum of water to be handled.
2. Existing natural drains and rivers should be de-silted and widened.
3. Low-lying areas should be spared of construction (have some mercy!). In some cases, dikes have to be built around them to protect such areas from flooding.

But in the end, we must remember that prevention is better than cure. We must plan, form and take care of our cities like we do our homes.

Netherlands, a country that has more than sixty percent of its land below sea level, has been taking some pioneering steps in the direction of water management and hydrology. The country has taught itself how to live with water, rather than fight it. In the recent years, it has been consistently voted as one of the top ten happiest countries in the world to live in. If they can top in happiness quotient, in spite of their problems with water management, so can we. What is needed is the will to face the challenges and solve the problems objectively and scientifically.

– Anil Bhaskaran

Anil Bhaskaran is an Urban Planner and Architect, and the MD of IDEA Centre Architects, Bangalore.

Source….www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

Inside the world’s most dangerous airport….

December 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Flying into Nepal’s Lukla airport demands courage and precision.

FLYING into Nepal’s Lukla airport — the gateway to Mount Everest — demands courage and precision, thanks to its tiny, treacherous runway perched on a steep cliff.

For half a century pilots have needed to navigate snow-capped peaks and endure erratic weather to land on a runway just 500 metres long that has been carved into a mountain ridge and sits by a perilous three-kilometre drop.

A litany of deadly crashes, including one in October 2008 that killed all 18 on board except the pilot, has earned Lukla the nickname of the “world’s most dangerous airport”.

But when a massive earthquake hit Nepal eight months ago, triggering Everest’s deadliest avalanche and leaving hundreds of climbers and trekkers stranded, the tiny airfield faced its toughest test yet.

Helicopter pilot Nischal KC says that even on an average day constant “weather changes and the steep terrain sometimes make landing impossible”.

“It’s high-stakes work and there’s very little room for error,” he added.

Also known as Tenzing-Hillary Airport after the first men to summit Everest, it has no radar system because of the high cost of installation, forcing officials to rely on an outdated voice communications system to track movements in the air.

“The pilots tell us when they are approaching, we give them updates on wind and traffic, then as the aircraft enters Lukla valley, we warn choppers to steer clear for the landing,” said air traffic controller Dinesh Koirala.

People stand around the wreckage of a Yeti Airlines plane in 2008.Source:News Limited

Things became even tougher in the aftermath of the April 25 earthquake, which killed nearly 8900 people across the impoverished Himalayan nation.

Rescue pilots seeking to reach Everest base camp, where an avalanche set off by the 7.8-magnitude quake killed 18 people, were held back for a day because of hostile weather.

When they were finally able to fly, rippling aftershocks raised the threat of further damage.

“Aftershocks kept coming that day but I was more stressed out by the weather. I knew that unless it cleared up, we could not send any choppers to rescue people injured by the avalanche,” air traffic controller Koirala said.

Pilot KC, who has been flying in the Everest region for 14 years, recalls starting the day with a prayer.

“My first priority was to get the injured out of base camp but people higher up the mountain were panicking because of all the aftershocks,” the Manang Air pilot said.

He made dozens of trips that day to rescue terrified climbers desperate to get off the mountain, and to base camp to rescue the injured.

Things became tougher after the earthquake earlier this year.Source:Supplied

The frequency of aftershocks and the precarious terrain made landing even more difficult than usual, prompting the pilots to hover overhead and haul climbers up with ropes instead.

As rescuers carried dozens of quake victims into Lukla on sleeping bags doubling as stretchers, the tiny airport began to swell with hundreds of tourists haggling with airline officials for a ticket out.

Back in the control tower, Koirala and his colleagues embarked on the busiest week of their lives, closely monitoring the movement of planes and helicopters to ensure no accidents occurred midair.

“The whole week was a blur of flights — the fact that there were so many more aircraft than usual in the air made the job very stressful,” Koirala said.

Before the airport’s construction in 1964, porters would spend days walking from Kathmandu to Lukla, carrying hundreds of kilos of expedition gear on their backs.

The wreckage of a plane.Source:AFP

Mountaineering legend Sir Edmund Hillary originally planned to build the airfield on flat ground — but local farmers refused to part with their fertile land.

Undeterred, he bought a steep slope for $US635 ($871) and recruited scores of Sherpa villagers to cut down scrub with knives. The climber then plied villagers with local liquor and asked them to perform a foot-stomping traditional dance to flatten the land.

“A very festive mood prevailed and the earth received a most resounding thumping. Two days of this rather reduced the Sherpas’ enthusiasm for the dance but produced a firm and smooth surface for our airfield,” Hillary wrote in his 1998 memoir, View from the Summit.

As the number of climbers taking on the world’s highest mountain has boomed in recent decades, so has traffic at Lukla airport, which can be accessed by helicopter or small aircraft.

Spring and autumn tourist seasons are the busiest, but closures are common since clear skies are essential for safe landing on the clifftop runway.

Despite the challenges, some say its reputation for danger is undeserved.

“It’s unfair to call Lukla the most dangerous airport when there’s not much we can do about the terrain or the weather,” said Koirala.

“I have no doubt many lives were saved because this airport remained open after the quake.”

It’s busier here these days.Source:News Limited

Source………Ammu KannampillyAFP in http://www.news.com.au

Natarajan

Message for the Day….” God is your Protector…”

December 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

While struggling in the spiritual field, take on the Lord Himself as your protector. To instill courage in the child, the mother persuades it to walk a few steps and turns about, but she will never allow it to fall. If the child falters and is about to lose balance, she hurries from behind and catches it before it falls. The Lord too has His eyes fixed on the individual (jivi). He has in His hand the string of the kite, which is humanity. Sometimes He may give it a pull or push to loosen the hold; but whatever He does, be confident and carefree, for He is holding that string. This faith will harden into an innate desire (samskara) and will fill you with the essence of love (prema-rasa). The string is the bond of love and grace. You are the kite, bound to the Lord. Earn auspicious merit so the bond of love and grace is firm and grows.

Sathya Sai Baba

These Flower Lamps Bloom When People Stand Under Them…!!!

December 15, 2015December 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Pedestrians in Jerusalem’s Vallero Square can stop for some respite under these self-inflating, giant flowers. Installed by HQ Architects in 2014 and titled “Warde,” these nine by nine meter flowers “bloom” when someone approaches, or when a tram is about to arrive, brightening an otherwise depressed part of the city.

“This project is part of the municipality’s effort to improve the urban space of the city center and in this specific case, of the [square’s] poor condition,” reads the Designboom submission. “Warde’s attempt was not to fight the chaos but instead to try and lighten up the urban space, by spreading around these four elements that have a hint of fantasy, and with their help, overcome the reality of the square.”

More info: hqa.co.il | Facebook (h/t: designboom, contemporist)

Image credits: Dor Kedmi

Source….www.boredpanda.com

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” நிமிடக் கட்டுரை – சென்னையைப் பாதுகாத்த பக்கிங்காம்…”

December 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

சென்னையின் கால்வாய்களையும் ஆறுகளையும் இணைத்துச் சமன்படுத்திவந்த பக்கிங்காம் கால்வாய் மட்டும் உயிர்ப் போடு இருந்திருந்தால் சென்னை இன்று நீரில் தத்தளித்திருக்காது.

1801-ல் வெளிவந்த மெட்ராஸ் கெஜட் அறிவிப்பின்படி சென்னையைச் சுற்றியுள்ள ஓடைகளை இணைக்க எண்ணூரிலிருந்து சென்னை வரை ஒரு கால்வாய் கட்டத் திட்டமிடப்பட்டது. பிறகு ஆந்திராவின் காக்கிநாடா பகுதியிலிருந்து தமிழகத்தின் விழுப்புரம் வரை பறந்து விரிந்த மிக நீண்ட கால்வாயாக அது கட்டப்பட்டது. இன்று சென்னையை முட்டித்தள்ளும் ஆறுகளும் ஏரிகளும் அன்று பக்கிங்காம் கால்வாய்க்குக் கட்டுப்பட்டிருந்தன. உதாரணத்துக்கு, கூவத்தையும் அடையாறையும் இணைக்கும் ஆற்று வழிப்பாதை இருந்தது.

கோதாவரி ஆற்றோடும் கிருஷ்ணா நதியோடும் கைகோத்த இந்த பக்கிங்காம் கால்வாயில் 1890-களில் வணிகப்பொருட்களை உற்சாகமாகப் பல படகுகள் சுமந்து சென்றன என்று ‘இந்தியன் பால்ம்’ என்னும் புத்தகத்தில் பால் ஹைலாந்த் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார். ஆனால் பின்னாளில் எதிர்பாராத வெள்ளத்தினாலும் வறட்சியினாலும் பக்கிங்காம் கால்வாய் வழி வணிகம் தடைபட்டுப்போனது என்பது தெரியவருகிறது.

இதேபோன்று, சென்னையின் மழை நிலவரம் குறித்து 64 ஆண்டுகள் தொடர்ந்து நடத்தப்பட்ட ஆய்வின் விவரங்களை 1832-ல் வெளியிட்டார் ஆர்தர் காட்டன். இதன்படி சென்னையில் மழை வரத்து சீராக இல்லாமல் ஏற்றம் இறக்கத்தோடு மாறி மாறிப் பொழிவதாகக் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார். 1827-ல் 88.41 அங்குலம் வரை சென்னையில் மழை பொழிந்திருக்கிறது. ஆனால் 1831-ல் 44.35 அங்குலமாக அது குறைந்திருக்கிறது. 1832-ல் வெறும் 18.45 அங்குலம் மட்டுமே பொழிந்திருக்கிறது. அடுத்த ஆண்டில் 37.11 அங்குலமாகத் திடீரெனப் பெருகியிருக்கிறது.

இவ்வாறாகச் சென்னையின் மழை நிலவரம் ஏற்ற இறக்கத்தோடு இருப்பதால் இப்பகுதிக்கான நீர் மேலாண்மை கண்ணும் கருத்துமாகத் திட்டமிடப்பட வேண்டும் என தன் அறிக்கையில் சுட்டிக்காட்டியுள்ளார். சென்னையின் நீர் மேலாண்மையில் பக்கிங்காம் கால்வாய் முக்கியப் பங்குவகித்தது என்பதற்கான பதிவுகளும் காணப்படுகின்றன. பழுதடையாமல் இருந்தவரை கொள்திறன் ஒரு நொடிக்கு 5,600 கன அடி நீரைக் கொள்திறனாகக் கொண்டிருந்தது.

ஆனால் சென்னையின் ஏரிகளுக்கும் பிற நீர்நிலைகளுக்கும் இடையிலான தொடர்பு துண்டிக்கப்பட்டவுடன் பக்கிங்காம் கால்வாய்க் கான முக்கியத்துவமும் மறைந்துபோனது. 1900 மே 10-ல் வெளியான

`தி இந்து’ ஆங்கில நாளிதழின் கட்டுரை ஒன்றில் இது துல்லியமாகப் பதிவுசெய்யப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. நீண்ட காலத்துக்குப் பிறகு பக்கிங்காமின் அருமை அறிந்து மீண்டும் காக்கிநாடா முதல் புதுச்சேரி வரை அதன் நீர் படுகையைச் செப்பனிட்டு தேசிய நீர்வழிப் பாதையை அமைக்க 2008-ல் திட்டமிடப்பட்டது. ஆனால் இன்றுவரை இந்தக் கனவுத் திட்டம் மெய்ப்படவில்லை. சென்னையின் இன்றைய அவல நிலையைப் பார்த்த பிறகாவது விடிவு காலம் பிறக்குமா?

– ‘தி பிஸினஸ் லைன்’
தமிழில் சுருக்கமாக: ம. சுசித்ரா

Source….ஜி. நாகா ஸ்ரீதர்….www.tamil.thehindu.com

Natarajan

Images of the Day…

December 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

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The keys to taking a good photo are timing and location. By being at the right place at the right time, photographers managed to capture these incredible pictures, thanks to nature’s mirror – water. The results are both unreal and majestic, leaving the spectator with a sense of awe.

Source…..www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

5 Things You Must Know About the New ‘Shinkansen’ Bullet Trains That Japan Will Help India Build…

December 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

According to a recent deal between the two countries, Japan will help build India’s first bullet train that will run between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Japan will provide India with a $12 billion low-cost, long-term loan, along with assistance to build the train.

The two sides have signed a MoU for introduction of Japan’s High Speed Railways (HSR) technologies — the Shinkansen system, on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.

“This enterprise will launch a revolution in Indian railways and speed up India’s journey into the future,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech.

Here are some interesting facts about the Shinkansen bullet trains from Japan:

1. Shinkansen bullet trains began operating on Oct. 1, 1964:

Since then, they have carried more than 5.6 billion passengers between the cities of Tokyo and Osaka. The original Tōkaidō Shinkansen that runs between the two cities is the world’s busiest high-speed rail line. Earlier, it could travel from Tokyo to Osaka in approximately 4 hours. The time has now been reduced to 2 hours and 25 minutes.

2. These trains are very punctual:

According to 2014 report by Central Japan Railway Company, Shinkansen’s average delay from schedule per train has been 54 seconds, including the delay caused due to conditions like natural disasters.

3. Have high safety standards:

These bullet trains have been very safe right from the beginning. After over 50 years of operation, no passenger fatalities due to derailments or collisions have been reported in Japan.

4. Will shorten the journey between Ahmedabad and Mumbai:

According to estimates, the bullet train will shorten the time of journey between Ahmedabad and Mumbai to a mere two hours instead of the normal eight hours.

5. Are environment friendly too:

A journey from Tokyo to Osaka produces about 16% of the Carbon dioxide that a car journey in the same distance will emit. It thus saves 15,000 tons of CO2 per year.

All pictures: Wikipedia

Source……..Tanaya Singh in http://www.the betterindia .com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…..” To eat and sleep is the fate of idlers and drones. “

December 15, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

As your day progresses, as one enters the field of daily work and toil, you are infused with the passionate quality (rajoguna). Before you take your lunch, meditate on the Lord again and dedicate the work, and the fruit derived from it to the Lord Himself. Start eating only after this act of devotion and grateful remembrance. This is the meaning of the noon (maadhyannika) worship. By observing this ritual, passion is kept in check and is overpowered by the satwic nature. During the day, people are possessed by a third nature, tamas or dullness. When evening descends, one hurries home, eats one’s fill, and is overpowered by sleep. But a duty still remains. To eat and sleep is the fate of idlers and drones. When the worst of the qualities, tamas threatens to rule, one must make a special effort to escape its coils by resorting to prayer in the company of those who extol the Lord, reading about the glory of God, the cultivation of good virtues, and the purposeful nursing of good rules of conduct. This is the prescribed evening worship (sandhyavandana).

Sathya Sai Baba

These Innovative Tents Are Keeping 125 Homeless Families in Delhi Safe and Warm This Winter…

December 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Chilly winter nights in Delhi should be a little bearable for about 125 homeless families in the city this year, as they will have some shelter to call their own. All thanks to one organization that has been distributing tents among the homeless.

“Many people tell us that we are promoting homelessness. But we are not. We don’t say that the homeless should be living on the streets. First of all, they shouldn’t even be there. But while they are on the streets and are losing their lives because of different reasons, including the weather, can we not do something to protect them?” says Swati Janu, Senior Designer at Micro Home Solutions (MHS), a social enterprise working for the homeless in India.

And so, keeping the larger problem in mind, the team at MHS went out in October last year to find a way of providing shelter to the homeless in Delhi.

Women feel safe because of these tents.

“We have been working with the homeless since six years now. We had also designed shelters for them with the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board in 2010. But since then, the government hasn’t really been building more shelters…and the requirement has increased. So, instead of waiting for the government to take action, we thought of doing something on our own — something with a bottom up approach where we can work with people and enable communities to build shelters on their own,” adds Swati.

Thus began the 100 Shelter Project, with the aim of providing shelters to 100 families in Delhi. The team designed an easy-to-make tent that can be used as a temporary shelter at night. They began by distributing the tents in different parts of the city in August this year, and have distributed over 125 of them till now.

It is a crowd funded project, for which they raised money through donations in June this year.

The tents can easily be set up on pavements

MHS has created some very simple drawings, explaining how the tents are made, with a view to ensuring that the idea can be replicated by others who wish to help.

The tent-making process utilises three easily available materials – bamboo that is locally available, joints made of welded rebars (reinforcing bars) that can be fabricated by any local welder, and thick canvas that is used as the surface of the tents. The drawings are such that a welder will quickly understand the angles at which the attachments should be made, and the person responsible for bamboos can see how much length will be required.

The stitching has also been explained, and the team is trying to simplify the process for the next batch.

This way, we can identify some local actors, and assign areas – like in X area, this welder and this tailor will be making the tents. We never planned on being the sole fabricators of these tents. The initiative needs to be taken up by the entire community, as well as some NGOs, who can then be responsible for distributing the tents,” says Swati.

MHS is an interdisciplinary group of designers, economists, policy makers, sociologists, etc., working towards the creation of socially inclusive cities. They design projects and services for construction in informal settlements across the country, and want to facilitate the process of self-construction in these communities. The organization is working towards improving the quality of informal housing. Being a very small team, they also partner with different NGOs to help with the ground work.

“Initially, we wanted to protect people from the cold, but then we thought, why not make something that can be used all year round? These tents can be useful in all kinds of weather, and they are waterproof too,” says Swati. But more than that, the tents provide a sense of psychological protection to the families.

The most positive feedback the team has received till now has been from women who say that they are happy about finally getting some privacy. They also feel safe once their children are safely tucked inside.

The tents have mosquito nets too.

Do you know why homeless people mostly sleep close to the roads? It’s because every time a car passes by, the wind helps keep the mosquitoes away. But that is very dangerous. So the mosquito net is a very valuable addition to the tent,” adds Swati.

Another important feature of these tents is that they are self-supporting. So people face no problem when it comes to anchoring them on the pavements.

A tent can also be folded in just a few minutes — useful for people who live under flyovers or sleep besides roads, etc.

The idea of replicability is already picking up. Some organizations are getting in touch with MHS — like an NGO in Kolkata that distributes food to homeless people. They now want to make these tents in large numbers. For the 100 Shelters project, MHS is working with an NGO named Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS).

“We face many challenges within the communities. There are people who may or may not need the tents and if you give one to someone who does not need any, he/she might just go and sell it. So we ask the community itself to nominate who needs the tent most. They usually nominate families with women and kids.”

In some areas, like in Jhandewala where there are 30 such tents, police officials have been interrogating the people about the tents. The organization hopes that once awareness spreads, the police will also understand that the tents are meant to be used only at night and will not harass the homeless.

The areas where MHS has distributed these tents include Jhandewalan, Minto Road, the Kalibari Mandir area, Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, and Lodhi area. Members of IGSSS check with the people every week to see how the tents are being used.

For follow-up and feedback, MHS has created family cards with the details of all beneficiaries, their ages and pictures, etc.

Follow-up sessions

The material for construction of the tents costs Rs. 1,200, but the entire cost, including production and transport, comes to about Rs. 2,000. The team is trying to bring down costs. Presently, the organization operates mostly on donations and grants.

According to a recent government report, 33,000 homeless people in Delhi died due to various reasons between January 2004 and October 2015. This winter, tents by MHS can save many lives, and hopefully the idea will be taken up and replicated all across the country.

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

Natarajan