environment – Page 68 – Take off with Natarajan

Message for the Day……” How to feel the Happiness and Bliss ….” ?

January 25, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Overcoming senses that stray outward is difficult – they are attracted by taste, looks, and feels. The internal tendencies are like pure water which has no form, taste, or heaviness and is good for you! Impure water hurts you and harms you. You must purify your mental behavior, which is presently spoiled by the delusions of the world. If you desire happiness, you must first control and conquer the external delusion. Then your internal tendencies will easily move in the direction of securing bliss (Atma-ananda). Spiritual practices and penance (Yoga and Tapas) are only other names for the path to control and conquer these external tendencies and shield you from delusions. Choose any path through which you feel grace is flowing to you. Liberation is achieved by strict adherence to the rules and observances of following your chosen path. The path will give you the strength to overcome delusion and grant you one-pointedness.

Sofa from an Ambassador, Table from a Tractor – This Jodhpur Couple Is Creating Magic from Waste

January 24, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

A sofa made from the discarded portion of an Ambassador car, a table made from a tractor, rugs made of old gunny bags, and so many other handmade products – welcome to the super creative workshop of PRiti International. Started by a Jodhpur-based couple in 2005, it is a company that takes waste material and turns it into something very useful and unique.

“We don’t just want to make things for decorative purposes. We want them to be useful as well,” says Hritesh Lohiya, who founded PRiti International with his wife Priti Lohiya.

The couple came across this idea after several failed ventures, and have been expanding their range of amazing products since then.

Hritesh and Priti Lohiya

“We started many different businesses, but all of them failed. We started a chemical factory, then a stone cutting factory, and a washing powder business. This was the final one,” says 42-year-old Hritesh.

Today, they have spread their work to three factories with over 400 people designing these products. They manufacture many things like handbags from old gunny bags, military tents and denim pants; furniture from waste tins, drums, as well as waste machine parts; and lamps from bike headlights etc.

“We started a handicrafts business in 2003. We were not getting any orders, and it had become very difficult for us to sustain. That was the time when we found some waste tin boxes in the factory. They were chemical boxes and drums. We turned them into chairs and tables. Fortunately, one customer visited our factory that time and liked those items a lot. This was how we entered into the recycling business,” says Hritesh.

They are now exporting to more than 40 countries including China, US and Australia every month, and the company has a current turnover of $8 million. They usually get their raw material from scrap dealers, but as the business is growing, they have also started attending auctions organized by Indian Railways and Army to purchase waste material. The item is first brought to the factory where the couple brainstorms on how to use it in the best possible manner. Once the design is ready, the final product is manufactured by the factory workers. Currently, they are only exporting their products, and they also participate in several exhibitions worldwide where they get several orders.

Take a look at their brilliant work:

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

Natarajan

Message for the Day….” How to overcome the external world distractions …” ?

January 24, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Sometimes, when the steering of a car is turned one way, you may experience the wheels dragging the car in another way – this indicates there is a problem you must fix! When the tyres are flat with no air, they behave as if there is no relationship with the steering. But they can never go beyond the bounds of steering. The steering in the hand must be connected to the wheels below for the journey to happen, that connection is mandatory and inevitable. For the one who has struggled with and conquered their out-going senses, their internal instruments become easily controllable. The external world distracts your senses and attracts you and you succumb by becoming objects of experience. To overcome them is indeed a difficult task. But your internal instruments have no form even though they may be endowed with name; they have experienced spiritual bliss (ananda)before, so they can be tamed with greater ease.

10 Facts about the Indian Army That Will Fill You With Pride……

January 23, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

T he Indian Army evokes a sense of pride in all Indians and rightly so. They guard our borders day and night and protect us from external attacks. Here are some little-known facts about the Indian Army that will fill your hearts with pride:

1. The birth of the Indian Army

The army in the Presidencies of Bengal, Bombay, and Madras were unified into a single Indian Army in 1895. However, for administrative needs, it was divided into Punjab, Bengal, Madras, and Bombay commands. The Indian Army fought many wars for the British Empire.

2. Various foreign troops are trained in India

The Indian Army conducts exercises with troops from many other countries. Some of the major drills that have been held are Yuddh Abhyas (with the US), Exercise Shakti (with France), and Exercise Nomadic Elephant (Mongolia).

3. Not a single attempt to overthrow the government

The Indian Army has never attempted a military coup since 1947. It has also never attacked first. There has not been an intention of gaining power or governing a nation.

4. All are welcome to join the services

There is no discrimination in terms of recruitment. The Services Selection Board chooses the candidates. The selection process is apparently a very tough one and the quality standards are never compromised.

5. The largest surrender has been before the Indian Army

Over 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to India, at the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Lt. Gen. A.A.K. Niazi of the Pakistani army signed the Instrument of Surrender.

6. Guardians of the President of India

The President’s Bodyguard is an elite cavalry regiment. Its main aim is to protect and escort the President of India. The regiment is based in the Rashtrapati Bhawan. It is the senior most regiment of the Indian Army.

7. Building bridges, literally!

The Baily Bridge in Ladhak is built at an altitude of 5,602 meters above sea level. It is 30 meters long.

8. Earned praise from Adolf Hitler

Legend has it that Hitler’s very words were, “If I had Gurkhas, no army in the world could defeat me.”

9. Courage in the face of adversity

The Battle of Longewala was fought in Thar desert in Rajasthan. Major Chandpuri with his battalion of 120 soldiers and a handful of BSF jawans managed to defend the post of Longewala, till help arrived in the morning.

10. A rich legacy

The Assam Rifles has served in a number of conflicts, including World Wars I and II. Since 2002, it has been guarding the India-Myanmar border.

Take a bow, Indian Army. You make us proud.

Source…….Meryl Garcia in http://www.the better india .com

Natarajan

Proud Granddaughter Writes Tribute to Real Life ‘Airlift’ Hero Sunny Mathews….

January 23, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

When Saddam Hussain invaded Kuwait during the gulf war in 1990, more than one lakh Indians were stranded there. The entire country was in a state of terror and the residents suffered great tragedies and loss. This was when the Indian government came forward to rescue the Indian community and airlifted over 1,70,000 people with the help of 488 flights in just 59 days. After everyone was rescued, Air India’s name was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the civil airline that had evacuated the most people till date.

And that’s what the latest Bollywood movie, Airlift, is about – the unsung heroes who masterminded the evacuation plan.

But Ranjit Katyal, the character played by Akshay Kumar in the movie, does not actually exist. According to the director Raja Krishna Menon, the character is an amalgamation of two gentlemen, Sunny Mathews and Vedi, who formed an unofficial committee to oversee the evacuation because they knew that Indians were not safe.

A day before the Airlift released, Sunny Mathews’ granddaughter wrote a post about her grandfather on Facebook, with old paper clippings about his bravery.

Rhea Mathews with Adithya Mathews and Annie Mathews.

Delhi, India

· Yesterday at 00:20 · Bangalore ·

Today ‘Airlift’ releases, a movie based on the largest civil evacuation (Indians based in Kuwait) during the Iraqi invasion in 1990. Akshay Kumar’s leading role is based on a few people such as my grandfather, who facilitated the evacuation of nearly 170,000 Indians and brought them safely home. My grandfather stayed through the turmoil of it all and put his life at risk to secure safety for all those he could help. He is a great man and through all his success has always stressed on the importance of humility, gratitude and love, especially to those not so fortunate. An inspirational icon who has touched the hearts of many and lived a life of service. I wish I could even be half the man he is. He may not have many years left but through this movie, his legacy will live on and for that I will be forever proud

Talk to any returnee from Kuwait, who has undergone the ordeal of having escaped from Kuwait and he’ll tell you about Toyota Mathews. Mathews is the person who has helped many Indians by either organising their transport, or giving them some money which would come handy on the way, or more importantly, providing them with food and water for the arduous journey. For thousands of Indians stranded in Kuwait, Mathews has been some sort of messiah,” says one of the old reports in the picture.

The evacuation was very difficult because many people did not want to leave their well settled lives behind, and many did not have their passports and other travel documents as they had handed them over to their employers.

“The first challenge was to prepare over 100,000 travel documents. Delhi had sent two planes for evacuation. Ships began arriving a lot later. With nearly a lakh people stranded, I had to look at the alternative of bulk evacuation by road. Sunny Mathews, an extremely resourceful Indian working in Toyota, did a great job negotiating with private bus operators for evacuation via Iraq to Jordan by road,” Ashoke Kumar Sengupta, the then officer-in-charge of the Indian embassy in Kuwait, had told The Times of India in 2014.

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

Natarajan

Meet Rupa Devi – the Woman Selected by FIFA to Officiate International Matches…..

January 23, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Rupa Devi, a 26-year-old woman from Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, has been selected by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to officiate international matches.

According to reports, she is the first woman referee from Tamil Nadu to be selected by FIFA.

Photo Credit: (L) YouTube, (R) Flickr

Rupa started playing football when she was a student of Class 6 at St. Joseph’s Girl’s School in Dindigul. Her love for the game continued to grow and she started playing at the sub-junior level in her school very soon. She also started participating in district level football tournaments and became a part of the Dindigul Football Federation in 2006. The federation helped her participate in many national matches and also sponsored her education. She continued to play when she went to GTN college in Dindigul for her BSc degree, and then to Annamalai University in Chidambaram for a BEd in Physical Education. She currently works as a physical training school teacher in Dindigul.

“As a child, I used to stand on the sides of the ground where the game was played and kick the ball, whenever it came to me,” she told The Times of India.

According to a report in The News Minute, Rupa lost her parents in 2010 and 2011. She supported herself through the matches she went to play. But during the same period, there were no matches for women at the national level for two years. This was when senior referees advised that she should become a referee. She joined the referee development school in 2012.

She has been a referee for many matches since then. She was chosen as a referee for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2013, for the under-14 football festival held in Doha. She was the only Indian selected as part of the Asian body’s ‘Future referees’ project at that time.

Three years after beginning to officiate matches and giving the FIFA examination, she qualified as an international referee.

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

Natarajan

10 Rare Pictures of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose That Everyone Must See…

January 23, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Remembering Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 119th birth anniversary. Generations of Indians admire his patriotism and courage. Here are some rare pictures of him:

Photo credit: Twitter

Source…….Meryl Garcia in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

The President Shares Pictures as His Residence Is Decorated for Republic Day…

January 23, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

Rashtrapati Bhavan is being prepared for the celebration of India’s 67th Republic Day, and it is looking as marvellous as always. This Tuesday, the much awaited grand parade on Rajpath will commence from the gates of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. And on the evening of January 29, the Beating Retreat ceremony will be held at Vijay Chowk, with the North and South blocks of the Rashtrapati Bhavan visible on both sides.

President Pranab Mukherjee has tweeted some pictures, as his residence is getting decorated:

The Jaipur Column

All pictures: Twitter

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

Natarajan

How This Organisation Became the Backbone of Thousands of Farmers in India…

January 23, 2016NatarajanLeave a comment

This article is part of a series that covers the finalists of the HCL Grant & made possible by HCL.

The Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals has been working for the empowerment of farmers in India since 2001. It is bridging the gap between rural communities and other stakeholders through innovative use of ICT across the country.

T here’s a farmer in a small village in Bidar, Karnataka, who needs help with setting up a green house. He doesn’t know how to go about it. That’s when his neighbour tells him about a helpline – Kisan Call Centre. The farmer connects with experts. And within no time, he is equipped with all the information he needs.

Kisan Call Centre is one of the many initiatives of ISAP – Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals – an organisation that is engaging more than 150,000 farmers across India.

ISAP, which has been active in the field of agriculture for the last 15 years, is a non-profit organisation working for the empowerment of rural communities by providing them sustainable agriculture solutions.

ISAP was the brainchild of Sunil Khairnar. After extensively working in the agribusiness industry in India, he realised there was so much potential in the field of Indian agriculture that hadn’t been tapped as yet. He wanted to bridge the gap between farmers and experts. Mr. Khairnar also realised the way to fill this gap was by using the power of information. In fact, ISAP’s mantra has been ICT – information and communications technology.

Using ICT, the organisation has been able to reach out to thousands of farmers.

An awareness workshop being conducted in Aurad.

“The organisation, which started out with just a few employees, now has as many as 330 employees,” says Senior Project Manager Gaurav Vats.

What ISAP does

ISAP is currently implementing various projects across India. From an integrated farming system project in Rajasthan to an agriculture extension system project in Karnataka, ISAP is proving to be a backbone to farmers across the country.

The organisation’s targeted interventions ensure economic development in rural India.

“Our processes are very meticulous,” says Karnataka project head, Chandrashekar Maradi.

ISAP organises farmers into groups at various levels. At the grassroots level, the farmers are divided into Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs). At the taluk level, FIGs come together to form Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).

“We believe that there is strength in numbers. When the farmers are organised into groups, they have more bargaining power. For instance, because they purchase seeds as a group, they get them at wholesale prices,” says Mr. Chandrashekar.

The organised groups are also guided on selling their produce. ISAP helps them by providing training on the best harvesting methods, gives them access to warehouses, and so on.

The Agriculture Extension Project was started in 2010 in north Karnataka.

Farmers being taught the dibbling method.

It was launched to improve the production of pulses. In order to achieve this goal, the project stressed on soil and nutrient management. ISAP also helps farmers in marketing their produce.

“We have started Kisan Fresh, a grocery mart, in north Karnataka. Farmers sell fresh vegetables, organic jaggery, pulses, masala powders, and much more,” says Mr. Chandrashekar.

How it’s impacting lives

Gundappa, a farmer in Pattan village, is one of the beneficiaries of the project in north Karnataka. This farmer, who used to only cultivate red gram, was introduced to ISAP’s integrated farming system. Now, he cultivates pulses, grows vegetables, and also raises cattle on his farm.

By expanding his produce, Gundappa has shielded himself from the vagaries of the weather, thereby cushioning himself against disaster in case one crop fails. Gundappa’s success story is an inspiration to many — he is often invited to lecture farmers in his region.

The organisation is also involved in a host of other projects.

For instance, it provides training to rural youth to help them create small and micro enterprises. Together with the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management in Hyderabad, ISAP is running an entrepreneurship development programme for unemployed youth in 12 states. After the training, it helps students set up their own ventures. Under this scheme, ISAP has trained over 4,000 people so far.

ISAP also uses community radio stations to reach out to farmers. It gives out information on agricultural practices, government schemes, etc. Kisan Vani (90.4 FM), at Sironj in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh, was the first agriculture-based community radio station in the state. ISAP now plans to set up more such stations in Rajasthan.

The organisation has provided training to women’s self-help groups (SHGs) in poultry farming, washing power production, vermi-compost, and other relevant businesses. It has also helped SHGs in opening bank accounts through the NABARD-SHG bank linkage programme in Rajasthan. ISAP is funded by various organisations and grants.

It has applied for the HCL Grant and through this grant it wants to set up three skill development community colleges in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Through these colleges, it aims to provide certified skill training and a recognised Bachelor of Vocational Training (B.Voc.) degree to unemployed rural youth. The project aims to directly impact 3,600 beneficiaries from poor households.

To know more about ISAP’s initiatives, contact the team on their website.

About HCL Grant

There are about 3.3 million NGOs in India doing commendable work in various areas aimed at inclusion and development. The HCL Grant has been launched to support the institutionalization of the Fifth Estate comprising individuals and institutions formed and led by the citizens of the country through the creation of strong governance frameworks and management capabilities. An endeavor of the HCL Foundation, HCL Grant envisions to build sustainable communities by supporting NGOs and individuals who are doing path-breaking work towards high impact transformation in rural India. In the first year, HCL Grant has identified the best NGOs in the area of rural education. To know more about the HCL Grant: http://www.hcl.com/hcl-grant

Source……..Meryl Garcia in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan