Discipline – Page 177 – Take off with Natarajan

” Photos That Breaks Our Heart …”

March 13, 2015Natarajan1 Comment

Kon Mai is just 15 years old. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

THESE are the photos that will break your heart.

Hidden in the shadows of a bustling city lies a land of filth and utter despair. This is Along Pi, a wasteland just 30 kilometres away from the Cambodian tourist hub of Siem Reap, which is famous for the incredible temples of Angkor Wat.

Near Angkor Wat is an unimaginable wasteland. Source: Supplied

Every day tonnes of waste are dumped here, forming mountains of toxic compounds and an accompanying stench that is as overpoweringly putrid as it is unimaginable.

Hundreds of poverty-stricken locals are forced to wade through the filth in a bid to find previous recyclable materials such as glass, paper and metal, which they can sell. If they’re lucky, they will make $2 per day.

The garbage generated in Siem Reap has doubled recently. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

Tragically, many of the workers are children.

They have no money so are forced to work here. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

Spanish-born David Rengel visited the dump site to document child labour issues in late 2014, and ended up helping to expose one of the darkest sides of tourism we’ve ever seen.

It’s a wake up call to the world that we must hear before it’s too late.

A truckload of waste arrives at Anlong Pi. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

Mr Rengel said the wasteland has morphed into a voyeuristic tourist stop with guides — a place where dozens snap photos of the unfortunate workers.

Piles of rubbish strewn across the site. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

“When I got to the landfill my initial work was focused on child labour but while I was doing my report I saw that tourists began arriving, sometimes in buses and other times in tuc-tucs (Cambodian taxis),” Mr Rengel told news.com.au.

Buses carrying visitors to the site. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

“It was awful … I asked the people who live and work in the dump if it was an isolated case or if it was frequent and they told me that every day tourists arrive to the landfill.”

He said the first to arrive was a bus carrying 20 tourists, who wore masks to prevent breathing in toxic gas from the garbage.

A group of Japanese tourists arrive with their guide. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

“They were perfectly aligned and followed their tour guide. They were taking photos of families who work in the landfill but mostly they were looking for children, they wanted to take pictures with them. They gave some candy to the children.”

A tourist poses with children that work in the dump. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

Rengel said one tour guide he approached claimed the group were medical students, but he was concerned why they didn’t have any medical instruments with them.

A woman who is working in the landfill demonstrates the use of the hook to tourists. Picture: David Rengel / AnHuaSource: Supplied

His shock is echoed by the charity Friends-International, which assists marginalised urban children around the world.

It has been working with families at Anlong Pi since 2010, which is describes as “a stinking, dirty and dangerous dumpsite, where the daily detritus of Siem Reap provides a working and living environment for hundreds of people — women, men … and children”.

Viku Tupse, 9, poses with a Mickey face, knowing it will please tourists. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

It has also issued a call for an end to the practice on its website.

“Recently, the staff have noticed many more tourists coming to take photos of the site and hand out food support and money to those who work there. They often come in mini-vans/buses, and as organised tour groups,” they write.

The stench is overpowering. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

“This poses a great risk to our work as families are tempted to bring their children (who would normally be at our preschool/non-formal education or actually in public school) onto the dumpsite to beg.

A group of tourists take photos of local children while they’re resting. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

“The behaviour of these dumpsite tourists may be well-meaning, but not only does it jeopardise our work it actually harms the children we are trying to help find alternatives for.”

The inhabitants are forced to burn some of the waste. Picture: David Rengel / AnHua Source: Supplied

Ultimately, there are just some places that shouldn’t be on the guidebook.

A child searches through a rubbish bag at the site. Picture: Friends-International Source: Supplied

A man takes photos. Picture: Friends-International Source: Supplied

SOURCE:::: http://www.news.com.au

Natarajan

Message For the Day….” How to Understand the Value of Spiritual Endeavor…” ?

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

In this material world, one cannot appreciate the value of spiritual endeavor without experience in spiritual life and its purity. It may be said that one can undertake spiritual endeavor only after appreciating its value, but this is like saying that one should get into water only after learning to swim. Swimming can be learned only by getting into water with a float attached to the body. In the same way, with some float attached to the mind, plunge without fear into spiritual discipline. Then, you will yourself understand the value of spiritual endeavor. The nature and conditions of the spiritual path are known only to those who have journeyed along the road. They know that the path of truth and discrimination (Sathya and Viveka) leads to God (Paramatma). Those who have not trodden that path and those who are not aware of its existence cannot explain it to themselves or to others.

Unanswered Questions and Equally Startling Historical Wonders…

March 12, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

India has always been a land of great achievements, people, fables, anecdotes and what not. It goes without saying that it is indeed very difficult to understand and define India in one go. Other than the beauty, culture, rich history, diversity in nature so on and so forth, we have some mindboggling things that made scientist from the west and around the globe question their understanding.

Numerous things in India, including the ones that are mentioned below stand unanswered and beyond doubt startling for the world. Here they are;

1. Karna’s Kavach

Karna the child of Surya ( Sun god) was born with a shield that protected him from weapons and atrocities of the war. It might be similar to the organic shield like exoskeleton found in tortoise, still extremely solid. Not at all like fake exoskeleton used by people, Karna’s Kavach was mixed with his body. He later gave it to Indra, the father of Arjuna, who was threatened by Karna’s skill, perseverance and strength.

Fact Source

2. Hand Carved Sundials (clock ) at Konark Temple

This temple is dedicated to the Sun god Surya, and no wonder that it embodies an accurate clock, which dates back to 1250 A.D. The whole sanctuary is a flawlessly adorned chariot mounted on 24 wheels (for day clocks and night clocks), each around 10 feet in measurement and drawn by 7 strong stallions. The 7 steeds speak to the times of the week and the 12 sets of wheels speak to the 12 months of the year.

Fact Source

3. Shiva Lingam at Amarnath Cave

Arranged in a thin canyon at the elevation of 3,888 meters, the sacred Amarnath cave bears the world renown stalagmite of ice. The well known Amarnath Ice Linga is framed by dropping water through the mountain hole, which grows up vertically to form that Linga. People say that on the Shravan day, Lord Shiva described Amar Katha — the mysteries of the universe — to Goddess Parvati.

Fact Source

4. Fine architecture of Kailasa Temple Ellora Caves

As a world heritage site, Ellora caves invite plethora of visitors every year, in search of historical anecdotes, however, what lies ahead of that idea is the magnificent design, architecture, structure and individuality of the caves. The entire temple has been carved out of a huge mountain, a technique so unique and hard to accept from that period. It remains one of its kinds in the entire world. Looks like a well contemplated result of a very advanced civilization.

Fact Source

5. Ancient Indian Rope Trick

Even though, the world claims that nobody has seen the classic version, but what people are talking about is a much simpler version of the trick, which many believe as the amalgamation of numerous tricks at once. This rope trick showcases an erect rope that is sturdy enough to bear the weight of a human.

Fact Source

6. Gyanganj- The Land of Immortals

In numerous mythologies, mountains are common homes to celestial and godlike creatures. Accordingly, its no shock that the world’s mightiest mountain extend, the Himalayas, is liable to obscure whisperings of secretive creatures hidden away in the remote and inaccessible valleys of the Himalayan mountains. It is said to be an antiquated Indian and Tibetan story of a city-kingdom of complex and everlasting creatures. It is said that Gyanganj is shrewdly covered or actually existing in a totally distinctive plane of reality.

Fact Source

7. Ancient acoustic devices of Golconda Fort

Clap your fingers and you might be heard a division away. The basic thing anybody entering the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad does is a clap. As soon as you enter through the main entryway into the great patio, you’d clap because the fine architecture allows it to be heard at the other corner of the fort. Furthermore, this clap can be heard high up the slope outside the King’s chamber. When you finish your trek up there, you’d be able to hear other’s clapping on the other end.

Fact Source

8. Vacillating relationship or Ayurveda and Modern Science

When everything is said and done, we shall see the dwindling bond between the two. Even years of accuracy, perfection, validity and results kept the alliance weakly. Why hasn’t the amazing show of research into Ayurveda brought any explanation for modern medications? Why are these medications unique to cutting edge drug? It is safe to say that it is that Ayurveda takes a shot at confidence alone? Provided that this is true, what is one to make of the a great many “exploratory” studies contending for Ayurvedic medications?

Fact Source

9. Existence of Adam’s Bridge (Rama Setu)

With a considerable amount of heated debate, people in agreement and the one’s against it; the bridge is 30 kilometers (19 miles) in length and differentiates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (upper east). The scaffold was initially specified in the old Indian Sanskrit epic Ramayana of Valmiki. It shaped piece of an area connects that joined Sri Lanka to the landmass of Asia amid the last ice age. Hindu devotees hold it as the bridge that Lord Rama and his armed force of gorillas and monkeys assembled to achieve evil spirit ruler Ravana’s Lanka.

Fact Source

Amazed, aren’t you?

SOURCE:::: http://www.storypick.com

Natarajan

Message For the Day…” From Which You are Born, By Which You Live, Into which You Dissolve…”

March 12, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Today people are too immersed in the all-pervasive delusion to take advantage of the natural characteristics in the Universe and elevate themselves. They are unable to hold on to the good and avoid the bad, and establish themselves on the righteous(dharmic) path. They are ignorant of the path of peace and harmony in the world. The scriptures clearly teach: From which you are born, by which you live, into which you dissolve —‘That’ isBrahman. God is ‘That’ from which the manifested cosmos emanated with its moving and unmoving entities; ‘That’ prompts, promotes and fosters your progress. The cosmos is not one continuous flux. It progresses persistently toward achieving totality in its evolution. Everyone can transform themselves from their present status only through their own self-effort and discrimination. The moral forces permeating the cosmos will certainly promote your achievement.

Sathya Sai Baba

Thought For the Day… ” Ethics and Morality ” …

March 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The Doubts We Have About Ethics And Morality- clarifications by Pujya Gurudev Chinmayanandaji.

Anjili: How would you interpret the words ethics and morality?

Swami Chinmayananda: The right and healthy values of life that you preserve in yourself comprise ethics, while morality manifests in your behaviour vis-à-vis the outer world. Immoral thoughts are not possible. There are either unethical thoughts, or ethical thoughts. There is no ethical action, but moral and immoral activity. The two words are used in this sense that one is for the discipline of one’s behaviour in the outer world and in one’s relationship: the other is subjective – ethical values and moral behaviour… So unless you have got healthy ethical values you cannot live a healthy moral life.

Anjili:Would you say that ethics is the theoretical aspect?

A: No, the subjective. Ethics is more subjective, something you have to cultivate in yourself. Then its expression in the world outside becomes morality. A man ethically cannot be morally good. A moral man springs from the ethical values he preserves in himself.

Meera: Are we naturally moral beings or is morality something that emerged because of the needs of the social situation?

A: It all depends on your definition of man. The human being or ‘man’ (the general term that refers to human beings) is really an animal, a two-legged animal. A newborn baby has no sense of morality. Then we slowly train him, which in society we call giving him culture, education, and so on. It is then that morality comes. Suppose you are living on a solitary island, morality would have no meaning. Morality and Self-discipline are necessary when you live in society.

Meera: Since man has always been a social animal, does it follow that morality has always existed?

A: Yes, but morality will depend upon the social complexion of the society. There was no income tax in the cave man’s life. But there was sharing with the other man what he had, helping him in need lest he may also need him. It’s mutual. I think morality slowly built up that way.

Meera: Do you mean to say it’s only because, let’s say, you may fall sick and need help from another later so you do it for him when he needs it, a kind of social contract?

A: Naturally. But that is the lowest level of human evolution. From the highest standpoint all individuals are nothing but the Supreme Reality, Brahmn. So, you are only Me in that form. Me, meaning the Self, in that form. So, between you and Me, the relationship is like that between my hand and my leg.

Meera: Then at a higher standpoint morality comes naturally?

A: Yes, it comes naturally! It is not more morality thrust upon from outside. In the beginning it is a discipline thrust upon from outside, later on it becomes natural for you to live those higher values.

Meera: Does the place of morality in the general scheme of things come after birth?

A: Yes, it comes much afterwards, because in the early childhood period there is no morality. The child wants the other boy’s toys without sharing his own. Then the mother and others will tell him, “No, no baby, you give it to that boy also. Play together.” Very slowly, we try to make him understand.

Don’t Blame People For Disappointing You

Blame Yourself For Expecting Too Much From Them..!!

Condemn none: If you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers and let them go their own way.

SOURCE::::: input from a friend of mine

Natarajan

Why 21 Gun Salute …?

March 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The 21-gun salute that we know today has its roots in the ancient tradition of warriors demonstrating their peaceful intentions by resting the point of their weapons on the ground.

The notion of making a soldier’s weapons useless to show that he came in peace continued even as warfare changed over the centuries. Gunpowder and cannons became commonplace among militaries and private forces, both on land and at sea around the 14^th century. In order for a ship entering a foreign port to show those on shore that they came in peace, the captain would have his crew fire the guns. This rendered the weapons inoperable for a period of time, with early guns only being capable of firing a single shot before crews needed to reload them.

Traditionally when a British ship entered into a foreign port, it would fire its guns seven times. The reason for the seven shots is widely debated to this day. One theory states that the majority of the British ships at this point only carried seven guns and so firing seven shots became the standard to signal those on shore that the ship was now unarmed. Ships carried enough gunpowder and ammunition to reload multiple times, but beyond symbolism, the idea here was that the lengthy process of reloading would allow the soldiers onshore more than enough time to disable the ship with their own weapons if needs be.

Another proposed theory for the number seven relates to the Bible. After creating the world, the Bible states that God rested on the seventh day (or for the seventh “event”- there is some debate over the “day” vs. “event” translation). So it has been theorized that the number could have been chosen in reference to its Biblical significance, perhaps of resting with the ship coming to port after a long journey. Yet another theory stems from the pervasive superstitious nature of sailors combined with the historic notion in certain regions that the number 7 is sacred, and that odd numbers are lucky and even unlucky. In fact, for a time it was common to use an even number of shots to signify the death of a ship captain when returning from the voyage the death occurred on.

Whatever the underlying reason, the guns onshore would return fire as a form of welcome once the incoming ship finished firing the seven rounds. However, the shore bound guns fired three rounds for every one fired by the incoming ships, putting the total number of shots fired at twenty-one in these cases. As with the “7” number, it’s not known precisely why in the regions that used this number scheme that they chose a 3 to 1 ratio. What is known is that as time went on where this was practiced, it became traditional for the ships themselves to start firing off 21 shots as well, perhaps due to the ships becoming larger and being equipped with more guns, with the captains ostensibly preferring a 1 to 1 salute.

This then brings us to when firing the 21 shots became considered a type of official salute, rather than a symbolic way to indicate peaceful intentions. This seems to have started around 1730 when it became a recognized salute to British government officials. Specifically, the British Navy allowed its ships and captains the option to perform the 21-gun salute as a way to honor members of the British Royal Family during select anniversaries. About eighty years later, in 1808, the 21-gun salute officially became the standard salute to honor British Royalty.

While the British Navy adopted the 21-gun salute in 1808 as the standard, other nations, such as the United States, didn’t adopt it until much later. In fact, the United States War Department decided in 1810 to define the “national salute” as having the same number of shots as there were states in the nation. That number grew every year that a new state joined the Union. Needless to say, this quickly became a cumbersome way to salute the United States and its dignitaries.

That said, the United States did make the “Presidential Salute” a 21-gun salute in 1842, and in 1890 officially accepted the 21-gun salute as the “national salute.” This followed the 1875 British proposal to the United States of a “Gun for Gun Salute” of 21-guns to honor visiting dignitaries. Essentially, the British and French, among other nations, at this point were all using 21 guns for their salutes, but the U.S. system required many more shots for their dignitaries. Besides needing to fire off more cannons, this also potentially signified greater honor to the U.S. dignitaries than to those of other nations. Thus, the British proposed a 1 for 1 shot, with 21 being the number, which was accepted by the U.S. on August 18, 1875.

The 21-gun salute still represents a significant honor today. In the United States, the 21-gun salute occurs to honor a President, former president, or the head of foreign state. It can also be fired in order to honor the United States Flag. The salute also occurs at noon on the day of the funeral of a President, former President, or President-elect along with on Memorial Day.

You may have noticed that there’s no mention of the 21-gun salute occurring during military funerals and that’s a common misconception. Known as the “3 Volleys,” the salute that occurs during soldiers’ funerals follows a battlefield tradition where both sides stopped fighting so that they could remove their dead from the field. The series of three shots, or volleys, let the other side know that the dead had been taken care of and that that battle could resume. Therefore the number of volleys is more important than the actual number of shots. Even the United States Army Manuel’s section on the Ceremonial Firing Party at a funeral named the number of riflemen as between five and eight, rather than an exact number.

SOURCE:::: http://www.today i foundout.com

Natarajan

How a Team of 70 is Helping People to Find Jobs …An Inspiring Story of “Mera Job “

March 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

A team of 70 based out of Delhi is helping nearly 4 lakh job seekers find their careers across sectors. This is their story.

Every year, thousands of people move from India’s villages and towns to its cities looking for employment opportunities.

They pack their bags and bid their families goodbye with no idea how their life will shape up in a city which is already crowded with people competing for every job opportunity.

On the other hand, there are companies that fall short of manpower because they struggle to find the right match.

When the supply is huge, why do companies still struggle to fill lower end white collar and skilled blue collar vacancies?

This is exactly the question Pallav Sinha, Founder and CEO of Mera Job, asked himself.

“I moved to India in 2008 and soon realised the challenge of hiring good resources. I knew from my past experience in building teams that there was plenty of talent available in the country but it missed the employer’s attention due to lack of right exposure,” shares Sinha.

He saw that no one was focusing on the mass recruitment segment and decided to tap this enormous potential and Mera Job was founded in 2012.

Mera Job is a hybrid talent acquisition startup that strikes a balance between offline and online hiring.

It offers a marketplace for lower end white collar jobs like telemarketing and sales executives, receptionist etc. and even skilled blue collar workers like drivers and delivery boys.

How is it different from similar players in the market?

Mera Job has a unique pre-screening process for jobseekers where they verify and match the skill set of the candidate with the employer’s requirement.

Jobseekers have an option to either get pre-screened online or call the tele-recruitment centre to go through the quick test.

The company plans to rely on its technology platform to gather unique data about registered candidates to analyse future behaviour.

“Once we know (through our data analysis) that a candidate is not looking for say a banking job and would prefer a company located in Ghaziabad we make a note of these preferences.

We don’t send a job recommendation to the candidate that doesn’t match his liking. This not only saves the jobseeker’s time but also helps employers screen candidate without arranging a telephonic or personal interview,” explains Girish.

Pallav, 51, co-founded Fullerton securities (now Dunia Finance) before Mera Job.

He met his co-founders Girish Phansalkar and Raman Thiagarajan at McKinsey, where the two were consulting Pallav on a project at Fullerton.

“I never thought that I would become an entrepreneur. I still feel that I might be the oldest in the startup lot in the country,” giggles Sinha with the enthusiasm of a 23 year old. Girish, in his self-assured and pragmatic style, shares the story of the bonding the founding team shares.

“Pallav, is the ‘ideas man’ in the team. He has vast understanding of consumer markets and Raman brings in high problem solving ability with global experience. I am a techie with years of technology and operational experience,” says Phansalkar, the IIM-A and IIT-B alumnus.

The initial idea of Mera Job was to make a repository of around two million profiles which can be accessed by employers through a subscription. But the team soon realised that with this model they would only burn resources in achieving scale without connecting with the employers.

They quickly pivoted and designed a systematic pre-screening process. They will soon be launching their mobile app.

During the discussion Pallav shared a very interesting trivia which changed my assumption about this market.

As many as 80 per cent of job seekers in the mass market own a smart phone.

When they come to the city they do not have a social circle hence they buy a smart phone which is their only source of entertainment.

With a team of 70 people, 400,000 job seekers, and operations in 12 cities, Mera Job raised its initial investment of $ 3 million from private investors and is looking for a series A funding by end of this year.

Their current revenues come from B2B transactions and all services for job seekers are free.

“We feel that skill development of the job seekers will become our focus in the coming months. We have sealed a partnership with NSDC and plan to add counselling and language training to our services portfolio,” adds Pallav. However, sourcing right candidates at the right time stays their biggest challenge.

Like any other businesses, managing efficiency throughout the value chain is critical to their operation.

Pallav feels that the work pressure you feel as an entrepreneur is a positive one as it helps you and your company evolve.

Girish however fears failure for a reason.

“I had an unsuccessful business before Mera Job. At that time failure did not matter much because I was bootstrapping. It was my own money at stake. Now I dread failure because my investors’ money and employees’ careers are at stake.”

The recruitment market in India is worth about $800 million and is growing at 20 per cent annually, according to data by Matrix partners.

We are seeing a second wave of online hiring firms post the Naukri, Monster era.

The new entrants in the market are targeting specific problems that exist in acquiring talent at different levels.

The Indian start-up ecosystem itself is predicted to create 300,000 new jobs in the next few years.

The recruiters however still struggle with piles of unsuitable resumes, long recruitment cycles and fleeting employee loyalties.

Ensuring retention of selected candidates in the lower end job segment is even more challenging as a hike of even a few thousand rupees leads to attrition.

Companies like Mera Job have to fight against the legends of the online hiring industry and find inventive ways of partnering with offline consultants who serve as industry insiders. But with clear focus and 40 years of collective core team experience, Mera Job has already bagged clients like HDFC Bank, Yatra, Britannia and JLL.

source::::: Reema Sathe in http://www.rediff.com

Natarajan

” When We are Old , Who Do We Depend on … ” ?

March 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The Way We Were – Young vs. Old

The ageing process is not something we usually pick up on our daily lives. Loved ones that we see every day seem to never age, while those we haven’t seen in a long time seem to have done so over night. However, when you see early photos of your parents, the difference is very clear.

WHEN WE ARE OLD, WHO DO WE DEPEND ON ?

Have your own abode.
No matter what, do not lose it.
If you have an old companion, keep each other good company.
Watch your health while it is still good Maintain a positive outlook and you will be happy.
Now, when our health is still good, Our mind still clear.
But on who can we depend on in our old age ?
We will have to analyse
Accept
this in various stages.

1st Stage :

Just after retirement, between 60 to 70 yrs old,
Our health will still be comparatively good
So too our financial means.
Eat moderately while we have the means
At times, wear what we fancy
Those who like it, have some fun.
Do not be hard on ourself
Our days are numbered, so grasp every opportunity

Have enough savings ! Keep the house !
Make arrangements for the days ahead or retreat to a peaceful and quiet place.
If the kids are well off, it is their business ….
If the kids are loving, they have good traits ….
We need not decline financial help from our kids
Nor decline their respect.
But we should remain independent Live our own life well.

2nd Stage :

If no mishap and illness strikes after we are 70,
We will still be able to take care of ourselves.
Not a major problem.
However, we must realise we are really getting old
Gradually, our mind and body will give away
Our reflexes will slow down with time …
We will have to eat slowly, to avoid choking.
We will have to walk slowly, to avoid falls.
We can no longer rely on someone, we have to look after ourselves!

Do not meddle any more or try to control the kids!
Some even interfere and try to control the kids lives!
Some even interfere with the third generation !!!
We have devoted our entire life, It is time for us to be a little selfish …..
And take hold of ourselves. Life comes in a full circle.

Keep ourselves busy in whatever we love to do ….
Try to maintain good health for as long as possible.
Give ourselves more opportunities to take control of our own life …..
We lead an easier life when we do not have to solicit help from others …..

3rd Stage:

Our health begins to fail ….
We have to request help from others ….
We have to be mentally prepared for it.
The majority of us cannot escape this hurdle.
We have to prepare ourselves, emotionally, to accept that :-
In life, living and ageing, sickness and death are milestones
we have to encounter.

This is the final stage in life ….. Nothing to fear !
Be prepared for it in advance and you will not be too depressed.
Either check into a private nursing home … Or an old folks home ….
Depending on affordability, of course.
There must be a way out ….
The idea is not to add to the kids’ burden, emotionally,
Increase their chores their financial commitments.
Try your best to overcome –
What hardship our generation have not endured ?
What disasters we have not experienced ?
Trust ourselves to take life’s last lap in our stride.

4th Stage:

Our mind is still clear,
But when our quality of life has deteriorated drastically ..
We must be courageous enough to face death!

WHEN WE ARE OLD, WHO DO WE DEPEND ON ?

Ourselves, Ourselves, Only Ourselves !

SOURCE….. input from a friend of mine

Natarajan

Solar-Powered Plane on Its First ” Round-The-World ” Flight !!!!

March 11, 2015Natarajan1 Comment

Solar-powered plane begins first round-the-world flight

Swiss plane Solar Impulse 2 landed Monday in Muscat, Oman, the first stopover in the attempt to fly around the world powered by the sun alone. Follow the flight.

Image credit: solarimpulse.com

A Swiss plane called Solar Impulse 2 took off from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Monday morning (March 9, 2015) and later landed at its first stopover in Muscat, Oman. Solar Impulse 2 is the first plane to attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fuel, powered by the sun alone.

Solar Impulse founder Andre Borschberg was the pilot Monday morning at take-off. Borschberg will trade piloting with Solar Impulse co-founder Bertrand Piccard during stop-overs on the months-long journey, expected to end in late July or early August.

You can track the plane’s progress on the Solar Impulse website.

You can also follow Solar Impulse on Twitter or FlightRadar 24.

The solar-powered plane Solar Impluse 2 lands at the Al-Bateen airport in Emirati capital Abu Dhabi on March 2, 2015.

The Solar Impulse 2 is made of carbon fiber and has 17,248 solar cells built into the plane’s 236-foot (72-meter) wingspan. The solar cells recharge four lithium polymer batteries. Solar Impulse’s wingspan is larger than that of the Boeing 747, but the plane weighs only around 5,070 pounds (2300 kg) – about as much as a minivan.

On Tuesday, the plane will head for Ahmedabad, India, and after India, to China and Myanmar. The next leg is across the Pacific to land in Hawaii. Then it will head to Phoenix, Arizona, and New York City. The path across the Atlantic will depend on the weather and could include a stop in southern Europe or Morocco before ending in Abu Dhabi.

SOURCE::::: http://www.earthskynews.org

Natarajan

Message For the Day… ” He Who Realises Divine Verily Becomes Divine …”

March 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The Divine is the base, and also the superstructure. The beads are many, but the interconnecting, integrating string of the rosary is one. So also for the entire world of living beings; God, the permanent, omnipresent Parabrahman, is the base. The scriptures proclaim, “He who realises Divine verily becomes Divine (Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavathi)”. The bubble born of water floats in it and bursts to become one with it. All the visible objective worlds are like bubbles emanating from the vast ocean of Divinity, Brahman. They are on the water and are sustained by water. How else can they arise and exist? Finally, they merge and disappear in water itself. For their origination, subsistence, and mergence, they depend only on water. Water is the basis; bubbles are delusive forms of the same imposed on it.

Sathya Sai Baba