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தெய்வத்தின் குரல்: கீதா வாக்ய பரிபாலனம்- பிரச்சினையும் தீர்வும்…

NatarajanLeave a comment

கீதா வாக்கியத்தில் ஒரு சின்ன இடறல், இந்தப் புதுச் சூழ்நிலையில் ஏற்பட்டது. அவதாரம் பண்ணி தர்மத்தை நிலைநாட்ட வேண்டியதுதான். அதில் சந்தேகம் இல்லை, இடறல் இல்லை. பின்னே எதில் என்றால், “பரித்ராணாய ஸாதூநாம், விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்“ என்றாரே, அதிலேதான் இடறல்.

“சத்துக்களுடைய ரக்ஷணைக்காகவும், அசத்துக்களுடைய அழிவுக்காகவும், அவதாரம் எடுக்கிறேன்” என்று கீதையில் சொன்னார். சங்கராவதார சமயத்தில், முதலில் சொன்ன சாது ரக்ஷணையைப் பற்றி சிரமமிருக்கவில்லை. மற்ற பூர்வ அவதாரங்களின்போது இருந்த அளவு சிரமம் கூட அப்போது இருக்கவில்லை.

ஏனென்றால், முன்னெல்லாம் பொதுவாக ஜனங்கள் எல்லாருமே சத்துக்களாகத்தான் இருந்தார்கள். எனவே அத்தனை பேரை ‘பரித்ராணம்’ என்பதாகக் கட்டி காப்பது என்றால் சிரமமான காரியமாகத்தான் இருந்திருக்கும். எதையும் சாதிக்க வல்லவனான ஈச்வரனின் அவதாரமானதால் அவனால் இதைச் செய்ய முடிந்தது.

இப்போது கலியிலே அவதரிக்கும்படியான இந்த சந்தர்ப்பம் வந்தபோது சத்துக்கள் பூர்வயுகங்களைவிட ரொம்பக் குறைவாகவே இருந்தார்கள். அதனால் இப்போது ஏற்பட வேண்டிய அவதாரத்திற்கு சாது ரக்ஷணை – “பரித்ராணாய ஸாதூநாம்” என்ற பாதி, முன்னளவுகூட சிரமமில்லாமல் சுலப சாத்தியமான காரியமாகவே இருந்தது.

ஆனால் இன்னொரு பாதி, “விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்” என்று தப்புப் பண்ணுபவர்களை அழிப்பதைச் சொன்னாரே, அதிலேதான் பரமாத்மாவுக்கே கிருஷ்ணாவதாரத்தில் சொன்ன வாக்குப்படிப் பண்ணுவதென்பது ‘ப்ராப்ள’மாகிவிட்டது.

அந்த அவதாரத்திலேயும் அதற்கு முன்னேயும் தப்புப் பண்ணுபவர்கள் அசுரர்கள், ராக்ஷசர்கள், சில துஷ்ட ராஜாக்கள், அவர்களைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் என்று குறிப்பாகச் சில கோஷ்டிகளாக இருந்தனர். பொதுவான ஜன சமூகத்திலிருந்து பிரித்து அவர்களை ‘ஐஸொலேட்’ பண்ண முடிந்தது. அப்படிப் பண்ணி அந்தப் பூர்வ அவதாரங்கள் தப்புப் பண்ணிய வர்களை சம்காரம் செய்தன. “விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்” என்று சொன்னபடி செய்ய முடிந்தது.

ஆனால் இப்போது ஆசார்யாள் காலத்தில் எப்படியிருந்தது? அசுரர், ராக்ஷசர் என்று எவரும் வெளிப்படத் தெரியவில்லை. கம்சன், ஜராசந்தன், காலநேமி போல அசுரர் மாதிரியே நன்றாகத் தெரிந்தவர்களும் இப்போது இல்லை. துரியோதனன் பரிவாரம் போல மனுஷர் மாதிரியே நன்றாக இருந்துகொண்டு, ஆனால் அசுரத்தனமாக இருந்தவர்கள் கிருஷ்ணர் காலத்தைவிட, ரொம்ப நிறையப் பரவிவிட்டார்கள்.

அதோடுகூட, துரியோதனப் பட்டாளம் வெளிப்படவே கொடூரமாக நடந்து கொண்டதுபோல இல்லாமல், வெளியிலே பார்த்தால் நல்லது மாதிரி இருந்துகொண்டே, நல்லதைச் சொல்லிக்கொண்டும், செய்துகொண்டும் இருக்கிற மாதிரி தோன்றிக்கொண்டே, ஏராளமான பேர் அதர்மமாகப் பண்ணுவதென்பதும் இந்த யுகத்துக்கே ஸ்பெஷலாகச் சேர்ந்தது.

மொத்தத்தில் ‘துஷ்க்ருத்’கள் என்று கீதையில் சொல்லி யிருக்கும் ‘கெட்டது செய்கிறவர்’களை ஜன சமூகத்திலிருந்து பிரித்து நாசம் செய்துவிட்டு சாதுவான ஜன சமூகத்தை ரக்ஷிப்பது என்பதற்கு இந்த யுகத்தில் இடமில்லாமல் அபூர்வமான சில சத்துக்களைத் தவிர ஜனசமூகம் முழுவதுமே அதர்மப் பிரவாகத்தில் முழுகித் தப்புப் பண்ணிக் கொண்டிருந்தன.

இந்த நிலையில் “விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்” என்று செய்வதனால் அத்தனை பேரையும் ஹதம் பண்ணி விடுவது என்றுதான் ஆகும். இப்படியொரு “யுனிவர்ஸல் ஹாலோகாஸ்ட்” – சர்வ ஜீவ சர்வ நாசம் – செய்வதா தர்ம சம்ஸ்தாபனம்?

பின்னாடி எப்போதோ வர வேண்டிய பிரளயத்தை உண்டு பண்ணுவதா அவதார லட்சியம்? மனுஷர்களோடு ஈச்வரனும் அன்பிலே பழகுவது, அப்படியே தர்மத்துக்கு வழிகாட்டி அழைத்துப் போவது என்று எதுவுமில்லாமல் சர்வ நாசம் செய்வதென்றால் அப்போது தர்மமும் சம்ஸ்தாபனமாகாமல் நசித்துப் போக வேண்டியதுதான். இப்படி ஒரு அவதாரம் பண்ணவே முடியாது. அவதார ‘பர்ப’ சுக்கே அது விரோதம்.

இதைத்தான் பரமாத்மாவுக்கு ‘ப்ராப்ளம்’ என்று சொன்னது. அசுரன் என்று வெளியில் யாருமில்லாமல் சர்வ ஜனங்களுக்குள்ளேயும் புகுந்து கொண்டிருக்கும்போது எப்படி சம்கரிப்பது? ஒரு அவதாரத்தைக் கொண்டு துஷ்ட சிக்ஷணம், சிஷ்ட ரக்ஷணம், தர்மோத்தாரணம் ஆகியவற்றைச் செய்வதென்றால் எப்படி?

நம்மாலானால் இதற்கு சொல்யூஷன் கண்டுபிடிக்க முடியாமல் போயிருக்கும். பரமாத்மாவானதால் சுலபமாகக் கண்டுபிடித்துவிட்டார். கலிகால அவதாரங்களில் துஷ்ட ஜனங்களை சம்கரிப்பதில்லை. ஜனங்களுக்குள்ளே புகுந்துகொண்டிருக்கும் துஷ்டத்தனத்தையே சம்கரிக்க வேண்டும். இப்படிப் பண்ணி ஜனங்களை நல்லவர்களாக்கிவிடவேண்டும்.

விநாசாய சதுஷ்க்ருதாம்’ – ‘கெட்டகாரியம் செய்பவர்களுடைய அழிவின் பொருட்டு’ என்பதற்கு ஒரு அமென்ட்மெண்ட் போட்டுவிட்டால் போதும். ‘துஷ்க்ருதாம்’ கெட்ட காரியம் செய்பவர்களுடைய- என்பதை ‘துஷ்க்ருத்யானாம்’ கெட்ட காரியங்களுடைய- என்று ‘அமென்ட்’ செய்துவிட்டால் போதும் என்று பரமாத்மா சொல்யூஷன் கண்டுபிடித்துவிட்டார்.

லோகம் பூரா நடக்கும் கோடி கோடி தப்புக் காரியங்களை எப்படி அழிப்பது, அது மட்டும் முடியுமா என்றால், அந்தக் காரியங்களை அழிக்க வேண்டாம். அவை விளைவுதான். இந்த விளைவுக்குக் காரணமுண்டு. வித்து உண்டு. வித்தை ஊன்றினால்தானே விளைச்சல் வரும்?

காரியத்துக்கு வித்து எண்ணம். கெட்ட எண்ணம் முதலில் தோன்றி, அதன் நிறைவேற்றத்திற்காகவே அப்புறம் கெட்ட காரியம் தோன்றுகிறது. ஆனபடியால் ஜனங்களுடைய கெட்ட எண்ணம் போகும்படியாக, அதாவது அவர்களுடைய அறிவு திருந்தும்படியாகப் பண்ணிவிட்டால் போதும். அவதார நோக்கமான தர்ம சமஸ்தாபனம் நடந்துவிடும்.

‘அறிவு திருந்தும்படி எப்படிப் பண்ணுவது? வேறே எப்படி? எல்லாருக்கும் தெரிந்ததுதான். நல்லதை நல்லபடியாக எடுத்துச் சொல்வதால்தான். ஞானோபதேசத்தினால்தான். வாய் உபதேசம் மட்டும் போதாது. வாழ்க்கை உதாரணத்தோடு அது கலந்து வந்தால்தான் பலன் தரும், அதனால் ஞானியாக அவதாரம் செய்யணும். ஞானி என்றால் சந்நியாசியாக அவதாரம் செய்யணும் என்றிப்படி பகவான் தீர்மானம் பண்ணிவிட்டார்.

தெய்வத்தின் குரல் (ஐந்தாம் பகுதி)

ஸ்ரீ சங்கர சரிதம்.

Source…..www.tamil.thehindu.com

Natarajan

Message For the Day…” When We Become Free …”?

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In our country, there is a peculiar method of trapping monkeys. This process consists of bringing a big pot with a small mouth and putting some material which is attractive to the monkey inside that pot. A monkey, out of curiosity would put its hand inside the pot and get a handful of that material. It will be trapped, unable to pull its hand out! The monkey imagines that someone inside the pot is holding its hand. Then it will attempt to run away along with the pot! No one is holding the monkey. The monkey trapped itself, due to its own attachment. The moment it lets the material go, it will be free. Similarly in this big pot of the world with narrow mouth of temporal pleasures, people are tempted! When they are lost with involvement in those pleasures, they think that someone or something is binding them down. No one is responsible for this bondage. The moment you give up the pleasures and detach yourself, you will be free!

Sathya Sai Baba

Video of Japan workers cleaning bullet trains in seven minutes goes viral….

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When a Japanese bullet train makes its final stop, workers have precisely seven minutes to clean the carriages before the next round of passengers board.

Each 100-seat carriage is covered by one worker, who wipes down food trays, clears the seats and sweeps the floor.

The workers have 12 seconds to clean each row of seats.

According to Quartz magazine, the video was recorded by American journalist Charli James, and captures how efficient Japanese workers are and how much pride they take in their jobs.

“I wanted to capture how they work really hard to make sure that the train is nice for people to ride,” said James.

And in an unusual display of diligence unseen in western civilisation, when the cleaners finish their work, they take a bow. “It was really interesting to me that, even though is a cleaning job, they still take a lot of pride in their work,” said James.

The cleaning crew’s manager was quizzed on the bow and it was reported she experienced a Lost in Translation moment where the question was misunderstood. The manager seemed to think “why wouldn’t they?”

Source….Kylie McLaughlin in www. traveller.com.au

Natarajan

Image of the Day…”Flying Over An Aurora” …!!!

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Space station robotic arm with curve of Earth's horizon at night above and aurora visible

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) captured photographs and video of auroras from the International Space Station on June 22, 2015. Kelly wrote, “Yesterday’s aurora was an impressive show from 250 miles up. Good morning from the International Space Station! ‪#‎YearInSpace‬”

Image Credit: NASA

Source….www.nasa.gov

Natarajan

Incredible Works Of Art By The Bangalore Crocodile Artist…

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Recently, Baadal Nanjundaswamy, an artist from Bangalore, made headlines for planting a life-sized crocodile in the middle of a road after civic authorities failed to repair a pothole.

Nanjundaswamy’s efforts paid off and the Bangalore municipal corporation covered up the pothole in just a day after the pictures went viral.

Read this: How A Bengaluru Artist’s ‘Crocodile’ In The Middle Of A Busy Road Got A Pothole Fixed

But, this isn’t Nanjundaswamy first has used his art for civic activism. The artist who covers streets with his 3-D painting has been making a mark for a while now. Here’s a look at some of his other work.

Indian artist Badal Nanjundaswamy uses the opening of an unattended manhole in the middle of a road as a canvas to depict the Hindu God of death ‘Yama’ waiting to gobble up unwary pedestrains or motorists in Bangalore. (Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty Images)

The 3-D artist creates an impression of holding a box in this picture. (Baadal Nanjundaswamy/Facebook)

Sometimes, he sits on his painted car. (Baadal Nanjundaswamy/ Facebook)

This is one of Baadal’s new 3-D work. (Baadal Nanjundaswamy/Facebook)

Baadal’s artwork has also fixed uneven road dividers in Bangalore. (Baadal Nanjundaswamy/Facebook)

Is that a real elephant? No, it isn’t. It is one of Baadal’s life-like paintings. (Baadal Nanjundaswamy/Facebook)

Last year, he drew a cobweb around a manhole in Kanakanagar main road to get the civic authorities’ attention. That too was fixed. (Baadal Nanjundaswamy/Facebook)

Source….Adrija Bose in http://www.huffingtonpost.in

Natarajan

” A Monkey Could do My Job…” !!!

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The Fascinating Story of Jack the Signal”man”

For most people, saying  “a monkey could do my job” is a roundabout way of saying that their current position of employment isn’t exactly that mentally taxing. For James Wide though, it was more of a statement of fact because for 9 years in the late 19th century, his job of railroad signalman at Uitenhage station in South Africa was literally done by a chacma baboon called Jack.

Jack came to prominence thanks to a tragic event in 1877 when his eventual owner, James Wide, lost both of his legs in a horrific accident. Prior to the accident, Wide had worked for Cape Government Railways as a guard. During his tenure as a railway guard, Wide developed a knack for jumping between and onto moving trains, which earned him the wholly unimaginative nickname, “Jumper”.

If you’re thinking that Wide’s habit of jumping between moving trains had something to do with him eventually losing both of his legs, you’re absolutely correct. After mis-timing a jump between two trains, Wide landed on the tracks and was unable to move in time to stop the 80 ton car from crushing his shins and feet. The damage was so extensive that Wide’s legs had to be amputated at the knees, leaving him crippled and of little use to the company.

Not to be dissuaded, after recovering from his injuries, Wide carved himself a pair of peg legs and begged his superiors at the railway company to give him a job. Wide’s pleas didn’t fall on deaf ears and he was given the job of signalman, which basically put him in charge of conveying information to conductors via the various signals placed on the tracks, among other similar duties. Although the job required little physically strenuous activity, since all of the signals were controlled by a series of levers that Wide could reach from a chair, he still had troubled getting to and from work. To help with this, the ever industrious Wide made himself a trolley that he could sit on.

Even with the trolley, getting to work was still a hugely tiring endeavour for Wide and for a while, he struggled with this task until, according to a July of 1890 edition of the science journal, Nature, Wide spotted the fuzzy solution to all of his problems- a baboon leading an oxen cart at his local market in 1881. A curious Wide struck up a conversation with the animal’s owner and learned that along with being trained to obey a few simple commands, the baboon, who was called “Jack”, was sufficiently strong enough to push and pull relatively heavy loads.

jack-the-signalman3Upon learning this, Wide asked the owner if he’d be willing to part with the animal so that he could train it to push him to and from work. The owner, perhaps moved by Wide’s condition or maybe Wide just offered a price he couldn’t refuse, for whatever reason agreed to give up ownership of Jack. Again according to Nature, before the two men parted ways, the owner explained to Wide that he should give Jack a “tot of good Cape brandy” every night if he wanted him to work, as without it, the baboon would spend the next day sulking and would even become disobedient.This is similar to the famous circus elephant, Jumbo, who would reportedly get very annoyed if his trainer forgot to give him a bottle of beer before he went to sleep).

Initially Wide simply trained Jack to push his trolley (which had been designed by Wide to fit on train tracks) along the half mile section of track between his house and the signal box he worked in. It wasn’t long though before Wide realised that Jack was a lot smarter than he’d assumed and could be trained for other tasks. For example, one of Wide’s duties involved grabbing a key to the coal store from a locked box and delivering it to train drivers when they tooted their whistles four times. After only a few days of working together, Jack picked up on this and soon began grabbing the key before Wide could whenever he heard the appropriate number of whistles and delivered it himself.

jack-the-signalman4With a bit of training, Jack also learned to operate the levers in the signal box that controlled which section of track a train would travel on as it passed by, similarly picking up on the audio cues given by drivers. While the system itself wasn’t that complicated, consisting of  a few levers that controlled certain pieces of track that would be pulled in a certain order based on whether a driver tooted one, two or three times, and is something you could probably train a dog to do with the right setup, Jack had something dogs don’t have- opposable thumbs, which made him a bit more useful with the equipment at hand.

Jack soon became a familiar figure at the signal hut and drivers didn’t take long to become accustomed to the unusual sight of a disabled man and a baboon working in tandem whenever they passed through Uitenhage station. As you can imagine though, some passengers weren’t exactly enthused with the idea of their lives literally being in the hands of a baboon, and after one particular member of the public caught sight of Jack in the signal hut, a complaint was filed and the pair were unceremoniously fired.

Wide appealed to the company to reconsider their decision, arguing that Jack actually knew what he was doing. After several more workers stepped forward to argue that, in their experience, Jack was doing a pretty decent job prior to being fired , the company begrudgingly agreed to give the baboon a test.

Wanting to make sure Jack could handle even the most complicated of scenarios, the test was structured such that they played a series of rapidly changing whistles at Jack after placing him in front of a set of levers with the same layout as those in the signal hut. Jack passed this test without making a single mistake and he and Wide were given their jobs back.

Since Jack was now an official employee of the company, instead of just a pet Wide brought to work, Nature reported he was given a salary of 20 cents per day (about $5 today), daily rations and a beer on Saturdays.

Hiring Jack proved to be a smart move for the company since not only did they get a tourist attraction that brought people from all over to ride their trains to see the baboon, but they also got a fiercely loyal guard with imposing baboon arms to chase away vandals and trespassers. Besides signal operator and occasional guard, during his time with the company, Jack was also reportedly trained to clean, move railway sleepers, garden and was officially put in charge of the keys to the coal yard.

Unfortunately, Jack met and untimely end when he contracted and died from consumption in 1890 (see: Why Tuberculosis was Called Consumption), which interestingly enough “Old World” monkeys like Jack are highly susceptible to, unlike “New World” monkeys. In total, Jack worked for the railway company for about nine years before his death.

Source….www.todayifoundout.com

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Never do this…If You Miss Your Flight …!!!

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Running to Catch a Flight (Photo: iStock)

 

A tardy couple ran onto the tarmac in hopes of stopping their flight from taking off without them.

Matteo Clement& Enrica Apollonio

The pair of travelers, Matteo Clementi (left) & Enrica Apollonio (right) — Times of Malta

This Italian couple learned the hard way that you can’t hail down a moving aircraft similar to a departing bus or taxi. The Times of Malta reports the pair was forced to pay over $2,600 in fines after chasing after their departing aircraft down the tarmac before being apprehended by airport authorities.

The situation reportedly began when Enrica Apollonio, 23, and Matteo Clementi, 26, got delayed on their way to Malta International Airport (MLA), where they were scheduled to catch a Ryanair flight back to Italy. By the time they arrived at the airport, it was too late: the doors to their flight had closed and the two were not allowed to board.


MLA official say that although the incident was out of their control, they are glad it ended without major incident. “MLA staff and partners responded to this situation immediately and effectively, ensuring that the passengers were apprehended and passed on to the police,” an airport representative told the Times of Malta. “MLA regrets that a holiday to Malta had to end in this way but reminds passengers that safety and security are of the utmost importance at any airport and such issues cannot be dealt with lightly.”That’s when the couple took matters into their own hands. Airport officials say the two ran to another gate, opened an emergency fire exit and ran onto the tarmac. The couple hoped they would be able to prevent their Ryanair flight from taxiing and somehow board the aircraft. Instead, the two were apprehended by security staff, and charged with violations of Matla’s Airports and Civil Aviation Security Act.

Both persons were ultimately convicted and will be forced to pay over $2,600 in fines. An attorney for the pair said they were looking forward to celebrating Apollonio’s birthday on the island, “but instead spent it in a cell.” Ryanair did not offer a comment on the incident.

[Photos: iStock; Times of Malta]  

Source….www.flyertalk.com

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Message for the Day…” How to control Greed, Anger, and Similar Negative Qualities …” ?

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Look at the crane; it walks about pretty fast in water. But while walking, it cannot catch fish. When it wants to catch fish, the very same crane becomes quiet and stands motionless. So also, if you proceed with greed, anger, and similar negative qualities, you can never secure the fish of truth (sathya), righteousness (dharma), and peace (shanti). With any spiritual practice you observe, please add the practice of uninterrupted remembrance of the Lord’s precious name (namasmarana). Only then can you master the natural attributes of greed, anger, etc. All the scriptures (sastras) teach but this one key lesson! Since the Lord is the universal goal and this journey of life has Him as the destination for each and every one of you, keep Him constantly in your view and subdue the mind, which makes you wander from the path.

Sathya Sai Baba

” One Word …’ YOGA’… United the Entire World …” !!!

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Some practised their stretches on a boat as they floated across River Siene in Paris; the others did their asanas outside the world famous ruins of Angkor Vat in Cambodia.

Fitness enthusiasts embraced our ancient practice with great fervour across the world. The pictures tell the story of the grand success of the first International Yoga Day.

People perform yoga to mark International Day of Yoga in Seoul, South Korea. Milions of people worldwide took part in the first International Day of Yoga, which was declared by the United Nations last year. Photograph: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Yoga demonstration on boat as it makes way past the bridges of Paris on River Seine.Photograph@Indian_Embassy/Twitter

Participants perform yoga to mark the International Day of Yoga under the Eiffel tower in Paris, France. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Participants attend the Yoga Fest to mark the International Day of Yoga at the Medeo skating rink at the altitude of some 1600 metres above sea level in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Photograph: Reuters

Tashkent, Uzbekistan celebrates International Day of Yoga. Photograph:@MEA/India

On Sunday, London was completely engrossed in yoga. Photograph: @chris_vasiliou/Twitter

Yoga enthusiasts do the Suptvajrasan in Brussels. Photograph:@IndEmbassyBru/Twitter

International Yoga Day celebration is in full swing in Samara, Russia.Photograph: @IndEmbMoscow

Over 4,000 yogis gathered at the Grand Halle de la Villette, Paris.Photograph: @Indian_Embassy

Britain gets its mat out on Yoga Day. Photograph: @SGadiLondon/Twitter

Sri Sri Ravishanker shares this picture from the Art of Living Yogathon in Japan.Photograph: @SriSri/Twitter

Afghans practise their asanas on Yoga Day.

Yoga Day fever grips Mongolia. Photograph:@IndianDiplomacy/Twitter

Nepali Actress Mala Limbu participates in Yoga Day celebrations. Photograph: @IndiainNepal/Twitter

I do yoga. Do you?’ has become the catchphrase in Vietnam.

Hhundreds took part in the celebrations at Hanoi’s Quan Ngua Sports Palace, and in Ho Chi Minh city and seven other provinces. “The response was amazing, way beyond our expectations,” Preeti Saran, India’s ambassador to Vietnam said. Photograph: @cghcm/Twitter

From the iconic Angkor Vat and Ta Prohm Temples in Cambodia, the full beauty of Yoga Day was on display. Photograph: @MEAIndia/Twitter

In China, events were organised at the prestigious Peking University and Geely University. People from different walks of life took part in the exercise.

About a week ahead of the International Yoga Day, the India-China Yoga college was inaugurated at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, the first such college in the country.Photograph: @MEAIndia/Twitter

More than a thousand people took part in several events across Australia to mark the day, with Prime Minister Tony Abott appreciating Yoga’s universal appeal.

“For thousands of years, yoga has provided its followers with a guide to bringing their mind, body and spirit into balance,” Abott said.

“Yoga’s universal and growing popularity demonstrates its appeal to people from all the walks of life and its great potential to foster better health among individuals and populations around the world,” he said.

Melbourne saw over 500 people gathered at the Springers Leisure Centre to kick off the day with ‘Surya Namaskar’ and bending and twisting their bodies in complex postures.Photograph: @navdeepsuri/Twitter 

Revellers participate in yoga as they celebrate the summer solstice and International Yoga Day at Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in southern England, Britain. Photograph: Kieran Doherty/Reuters

Source….www.rediff.com

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Meet Anirudh Prasadh ….From Mumbai to Kolli Hills , Tamilnadu on a Mission …

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India is witnessing a radical transformation where highly qualified youngsters are giving up cushy jobs to make a difference in the lives of poor people in rural areas.

Manu A B/Rediff.com tracks the success stories of some of the remarkable people who are working in remote villages to change the profile of rural India.


A chemical engineer, Anirudh Prasadh gave up his high-paying job to work for welfare of farmers in the remote villages of Tamil Nadu.

Anirudh Prasadh with kids in the village .

For the Malayalar community of farmers in the remote Kolli Hills region of Tamil Nadu, 26-year-old Anirudh Prasadh has been a catalyst for change.

He has been able to push the humble millet crop they have been cultivating for years together without significant profits into a much sought-after value-added natural health product.

In the process, the farmers are not only earning more, but will also learn to use new age marketing tools like e-commerce and online marketing to distribute this product as an exclusive brand grown from this region to places outside the state.

Millet cultivation in the village

Anirudh with the support of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation has ushered in a small millet revolution in the Kolli Hills, promoting the cereal as a cure for a host of ailments arising out of calcium and iron deficiency.

For the past 4 years, farmers in this region have been selling products made with millet with lesser profits.

Earlier products that were not packed attractively

The bad packaging and unattractive stickers on the packets made it difficult for them to sell the products for maximum profit. They were spending Rs 6-8 per unit for just packaging, resulting in significant losses.

“We have now designed new logos, introduced attractive stickers and the products run on a common theme, making the organically grown products very appealing,” says Anirudh.

Products now packed attractively ready for sale

Anirudh has been able to get the collective support of all farmers to unite towards making the business of value added millet products a success.

The farmers’ cooperative society, Kolli Hills Agro Biodiversity Conservers Federation (KHABCoFED) has become very active. They will now market products with a new look.

The price of packaging has also been reduced by 40-50 per cent ensuring better profit for the farmers.

Presently, the products are available across 35 organic shops run by MSSRF in Namakkal, Trichy, Coimbatore etc. After the packaging was made attractive, there has been a rise in demand for these products.

Talks are planned with super markets and duty-free shops in Tamil Nadu and Kerala to stock these products from the Kolli Hills. A website with the list of products and facility to order the products online is also being worked out.

My work now is to teach them how to market their products, ensure quality control processes, teach them accounting and maintain manuals on products. We have also readied a booklet of millet recipes to promote millet eating in the right way. People here suffer from skin ailments, back problems and face issues of calcium and iron deficiency. With the help of doctors, we have conducted an awareness campaign among the locals to eat millets in different forms so as to keep such kind of illnesses at bay,” explains Anirudh.

For Anirudh who was brought up in Mumbai, life in Kolli Hills has been an enriching experience.

“After I did my Masters in Chemical Engineering from the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, I returned to Mumbai and worked with Hindustan Dorr-Oliver on a national project. But the inefficiencies in the system and the innumerable delays to get the project implemented were very frustrating. I realised that I was wasting my time when I could utilise it for productive purposes. I had friends who were working in the development sector and it was inspiring to see their work. So I quit my job much to the initial opposition of my parents and took up the SBI Youth for India fellowship,” says Anirudh, who is enjoying a satisfying stint helping farmers, children and women across 4 villages in Kolli Hills.

The first day’s journey up the hill in a crowded transport bus was memorable for Anirudh. People in the village were very curious to know about him and they thought it was crazy to leave a city and come to work in the remote village.

The initial hiccups were not as bad as he had expected. He is thankful for being a changed person now.

“It only took a couple of days to realize that lack of continuous water supply, and unwanted visitors – insects of all shapes and sizes – at all times would be a usual occurrence and something we just have to get used to,” says Anirudh.

Being cut off from the rest of the world has proved to be beneficial, feels Anirudh. He doesn’t miss city life anymore. “Life is so peaceful, satisfying and I have more time to read books and discover myself,” he says.

The main problem villagers face here is lack of awareness. “They have the right skills, products and marketing options but there is no one to guide them. Most of the farmers are shy, women too were very reserved and would not like to talk about their problems. Once, they started noticing how the product packaging changed, more people understood what we were trying to do. Now they are more pro-active and we hope to make the federation a very active venture.”

Besides conducting health and hygiene camps, Anirudh along with Gautam Jayasurya, organised computer literacy classes for farmers. They were given basic lessons on Word, Excel, and accounting. The farmers have also been given training to take up the role of mentors for others so that they can train others.

“The nearest town is 30 kilomteres away so it’s difficult for people to travel this distance for basic things. They will now make use to the Internet facilities to pay bill, for surfing and checking mails etc. The product packs too have an e-mail id now to register customers’ feedback. The villagers are also being taught to draft letters that they can use to avail benefits from the government.

Anirudh’s small initiatives have made a lasting impact here.

“I installed Tippy Taps in schools with small cans. Since water supply was erratic, kids would eat without washing their hands. Now they keep themselves clean. Seeing this initiative, other villages are also keen to implement it,” says Anirudh.

Village life has taught him to live with basic amenities. The simplicity and helping mentality of the villagers has been encouraging. “Villagers are willing to help us in every way possible. We were late risers in the initial days and missed out on the water supply. Our neighbours made it a point to store water in a couple of buckets for us, and till today continue to find ways to help us,” he says.

As a homogeneous community, the farmers live in harmony. They exchange food and grains among community members. They do farming together, it’s all a collective effort

Anirudh plans to continue working in the development sector. “I am happy with work now and am eager to do more. I would like to work in the public policy making. There are lot of schemes that are beneficial to villagers but they have no idea about how it works or how it can impact them. I would like to see villagers getting what they truly deserve from the government,” he says.

For rural India to come up, educated people in urban India should first stop calling them ‘rural’, believes Anirudh.

“They just need the right kind of opportunities and information to come up in life. Instead of taking up a job immediately after education, youngsters should devote at least 6 months of their time to work at the local level in villages. Government agencies don’t consider the aspirations of the people while making policies. We need to collect more data to form better policies for the upliftment of the people living in villages,” Anirudh explains.

To know more about Anirudh’s work, you can mail him atanirudhprasadh@gmail.com

If you wish to join the movement to bring about a change in rural India or would like to contribute in any way, you can send a mail to shuvajit@youthforindia.org

Manu A B

Source….www.rediff.com

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