இந்தியாவின் முதல் பெண் ஐபிஎஸ் அதிகாரி கிரண் பேடி என்று தெரியும். இந்தியக் குடிமைப் பணிகள் தேர்வு என்று அழைக்கப்படும் ஐசிஎஸ் தேர்வில் முதன்முதலாக வெற்றிபெற்ற பெண் யார் தெரியுமா? அவர்தான் சி.பி. முத்தம்மா.
கர்நாடகாவின் குடகு மாவட்டத்தின் விராஜ்பேட் நகரில் 1924-ல் பிறந்தவர் முத்தம்மா. தனது 9-வது வயதில், தனது தந்தையைப் பறிகொடுத்தார். எனினும், வைராக்கியம் கொண்ட அவரது தாய், தனது நான்கு குழந்தைகளையும் நன்கு படிக்க வைத்தார். மடிகேரி புனித ஜோசப் பெண்கள் பள்ளியில் பள்ளிப்படிப்பை முடித்த முத்தம்மா, சென்னை பெண்கள் கிறிஸ்தவக் கல்லூரியில் பட்டப்படிப்பை மேற்கொண்டார். மூன்று தங்கப் பதக்கங்களுடன் படிப்பை முடித்த அவர், சென்னை பிரெசிடென்சி கல்லூரியில் ஆங்கில இலக்கியத்தில் முதுகலைப் பட்டப் படிப்பை முடித்தார்.
1949-ல் ஐசிஎஸ் தேர்வில் வென்ற பின்னர், வெளியுறவுத் துறையில் சேர்ந்தார். ஆண் அதிகாரிகளின் ஆதிக்க மனப்பான்மைக்கு எதிராகப் போராடினார். சவால்களை வெல்வதைப் பழக்கமாகக்கொண்டிருந்த முத்தம்மா, பெண்களுக்கு எதிராக இருந்த அரசு விதிகளை எதிர்த்து நீதிமன்றத்தை அணுகினார். அந்த வழக்கை விசாரித்த வி.ஆர். கிருஷ்ணய்யர் தலைமையிலான மூன்று நீதிபதிகளைக் கொண்ட அமர்வு, அவருக்குச் சாதகமாகத் தீர்ப்பு வழங்கியது. இந்தியப் பெண்கள் வரலாற்றில் மிக முக்கியமான தீர்ப்பு அது. பின்னர், ஐரோப்பா, ஆசியா, ஆப்பிரிக்கா ஆகிய மூன்று கண்டங்களின் பல்வேறு நாடுகளில் இந்திய வெளியுறவுத் துறையில் பணியாற்றினார். 1970-ல் ஹங்கேரிக்கான இந்தியத் தூதர் பதவி அவருக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டது. 1982-ல் ஓய்வுபெற்ற முத்தம்மா, பல்வேறு விஷயங்களைப் பற்றிய கட்டுரைகளை எழுதினார். 2009 அக்டோபர் 14-ல் காலமானார்.
The Taxi Fabric project gives local designers a new vehicle to show off their work.
The bright pink interior of this taxi, by artist Pranita Kocharekar, reflects the diversity of Mumbai.(Taxi Fabric)
When you hop into a taxi, there isn’t usually much to look at except out the window. But one graphic designer wants to change that by turning cabs in Mumbai into canvasses for emerging artists.
Sanket Avlani is the founder of Taxi Fabric, a project that has already turned seven of the city’s 50,000-plus taxicabs into works of arts. The interior of each taxi, from the ceiling and doors to the seats, has been specially designed by local Mumbai designers, and the designs themselves are inspired by India’s most populous city.
Take the latest taxi to get Taxi Fabric’s special treatment—the design, by 25-year-old typographer and designer Pavithra Dikshit, features jasmine flowers, peppers, and lemons against an eye-popping green background. Called “Urban Garden,” it’s Dikshit’s way of paying homage to Mumbai’s disappearing green space.
“As a fast-growing metropolis, it has building and buildings coming up in every space,” says Dikshit. “The green color is shrinking, so I wanted my taxi to show to all the green things around you.”
Other designs were inspired the daily life of a Mumbaikar—the different people you meet on the streets, from businessmen to children to vegetable vendors; and the personal stories of the cab drivers themselves.
Mumbai has a relatively small design community and an even smaller appreciation for the profession, says Avlani, who grew up in Mumbai and now works in London. “The design world is very small there, and most of the designers know each other,” he says. “If you wish to study design in India, not many people would understand or encourage it as much as they would in Europe or the United States.”
His hope is that the project will help spark conversation about the designs between taxi drivers and passengers. For Avlani, the iconic black-and-yellow taxis are the perfect medium because they’re everywhere.
”It’s so easy for people taking those taxis to react to those designs if the stories they tell are those that they recognize,” Avlani says. “If even the driver gets excited about it, it’s a win-win for everybody.”
As funding continues to trickle in from Taxi Fabric’s Kickstarter campaign, which runs until August 10, Avlani and his team hope to give at least 20 more cabs a special makeover by the end of the year.
Young designers and students who want to participate can submit a portfolioto the Taxi Fabric team, who will then select artists to work with. “We gauge if the designer can handle a project like this and if they can bring something new, and if the have their own style,” he says. Once accepted, artists will work with the team and, in some cases, cab drivers who want to be part of the program, to come up with a unique design.
The concept itself isn’t entirely new. It’s common for taxi drivers in Mumbai to customized their cars with colorful seat covers, eye-popping window decorations, lights, and little trinkets on the dashboard. “The taxi is like a desk at work. They spend their whole day in it so for them, it has to look interesting,”says Dikshit. “They don’t think that it attracts extra customers or anything, but it makes themselves feel good about spending [time] in it daily.”
But the bright pink, vibrant blue, and lively green colors that Taxi Fabric designers bring to cabs are a big step up from what drivers typically choose for their interior. Many drivers, Dikshit says, just go with fabric that’s already available at textile markets. “They’re very dull in color, like brown and maroon,” she says. “That’s how it’s always been, and nobody has the time to think about, ‘What if [the seat] is yellow?’”
Boring fabric doesn’t generate conversation, which Dikshit sees as a missed opportunity. “The drivers have their own stories, and they’re happy to discuss everything from politics to religion to traffic, to who they are as people,” she says. “You can almost consider them an extended part of the city landscape.”
Designed by Tasneem Amiruddin, this taxi art design reflects the daily life of a Mumbaikar. (Taxi Fabric)
A design by Taxi Fabric creator Sanket Avlani pays homage to “dawaballas,” who deliver hundreds of thousands of hot lunches across the city every day. (Taxi Fabric)
Artist Lokesh Karekar went for a minimalist design inspired by the 1980s. (Taxi Fabric)
Guarav Ogale wanted his design to reflect the life of the taxi’s driver. (Taxi Fabric)
Strange, puffy, dense clouds are descending on the streets of Bangalore, India’s technology capital. While whimsical-looking, they are actually puffs of a toxic foam inundating the city.
Documentary photographer Debasish Ghosh has captured images of the clouds floating around the city and overrunning the roads. The foam comes from Bellandur, a 1.4-square-mile lake that for years has been polluted by chemical and sewage waste. Every time it rains, the lake rises and wind lifts the froth up and carries it into the city.
A pedestrian walks among clouds of toxic foam in Bangalore, India.
The toxic foam gets in the way of pedestrians and cars, creating awful traffic jams. It carries a stench so strong that it burns the nose. And if it comes into contact with your skin, you’ll get an itchy rash.
“It causes a nuisance,” Ghosh says.
Making matters worse, the froth is flammable. In May and June, the entire lake caught fire, leaving a 56-year-old man who was standing on a bridge above the lake with a ruptured cornea.
The froth has come every summer for more more than a decade now, but Ghosh says that this year is particularly bad. He’s been documenting the pollution since May, making sure to immediately clean his arms, hands, and face any time he gets too close.
Debasish Ghosh When it rains, the froth rises up and gets carried into the city by winds.
Officials try to “hose” down the lake, using water to keep the foam from rising.
Residents in the area have filed numerous complaints to the city, according to Ghosh, but the government has done little to remedy the situation. Ghosh says since his photos were firstpublished by the BBC, the government has paid a bit more attention, but still not enough. For now, city officials try to keep the foam down whenever it rains by pumping water into the lake. “What happens is the water [mixes with] the foam at a high speed, and it disintegrates and doesn’t rise up,” says Ghosh. “That’s how they are controlling it at this point in time, so it doesn’t fall on people.”
Actually cleaning up Bellandur and other polluted lakes won’t be easy. Once known for being the home of nearly a thousand lakes, Bangalore has become known as the “land of a thousand sewage tanks,” instead. Today, after years of urbanization, only about 150 lakes still exist, according to the Deccan Herald.The rest are either used as garbage dumps or, when they dry up, filled in and put up for grabs.
“There’s so much pollution that it will take lots of time and lots of investment to bring this lake back to normal,” he says. “To what it was maybe two decades ago, when people say there would still be migratory birds in there.”
Abasaheb Gaikwad won three gold medals at the Australian Master Games in discus throw, hammer throw and shot put events. Here’s how he reached this stage of success.
35-year-old Abasaheb Gaikwad, a bus conductor from Shetjale village in Sangli, Maharashtra, has made India proud by winning three gold medals at the Australian Master Games, which were held in Adelaide.
Abasaheb broke his own records from the past, and bagged three gold medals in different games – discus throw, hammer throw and shot put.
He had participated in the 30-35 age group category, and won by beating players from at least seven countries.
But success for Abasaheb did not come in one day. He prepared for the the games while working full time, and training himself without any coach. He has been able to reach this stage because of a lot of hard work, dedication, and the help of many people associated with him.
As the cost of the tour is very high, his employers at Maharashtra State Regional Transport Corporation (MSRTC), friends, family members and well-wishers, pitched in and helped him in gathering funds. Back home, when he was preparing for the games, his senior officials from MSRTC shifted him to internal duty and used to send him to trips only when they were close to the depot, so he could make time for practice. Because of the lack of sports facilities in Sangli, his friends also helped him during practice sessions.
“Before embarking on the trip Down Under, I had to go through a qualifying round in Mumbai, where I performed outstandingly and got chosen for the tour…My friends and colleagues helped me a lot, both in terms of gathering funds and preparing for the tournament. The cost of the tour is huge. Everyone collected a sum of Rs 2.5 lakh” he told The Pune Mirror.
Australian Masters Games is a biennial, multi-sport event. It covers more than 50 sports, and sportsmen aged over 30 years are allowed to participate from across the world. The 15th Australian Masters Games took place from October 3-10, 2015.
After participating in many district, state and national level championships, this self-taught athlete had also won two gold medals in javelin and discus throw at the Torino International Masters Games, held in Turin, Italy, in 2013.
Siddharth GJ is a motivational speaker, a father, a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist, and a friend of the late President APJ Abdul Kalam. He also has cerebral palsy. Siddharth’s journey has been, expectedly, full of challenges, but is nothing short of inspirational given all that he has achieved because of his determination and strong will.
How often does it happen that the President of India calls you his friend? That he can spot you in a crowd of thousands of people and talks about you in his many motivational speeches. This may be a dream for most of us but for Siddharth GJ it was a proud moment when the late President referred to him as a friend.
Siddharth has cerebral palsy. But he never let this come in the way of his succeeding at whatever he set his mind to. He excelled academically, found an intellectually challenging job, and also became a motivational speaker delivering over a hundred talks.
Kalam and Siddharth shared a great bond after their first meeting at Chennai airport. –
President Kalam read an article on Siddharth on an online portal that talked about Siddharth’s medical condition and how he overcame all the challenges to succeed in his life. Impressed by Siddharth’s resolve and perseverance, the President wrote to him and expressed a desire to meet him. They finally met at Chennai airport in December 2005.
“I still remember the day. It was December 2, 2005. My life changed after that. I made him a small presentation on issues faced by people with disabilities. He even talked about that at a conference, which gave me huge recognition. I will never forget my meeting with him. I was mesmerized by his presence,” Siddharth recalls.
President Kalam was so bowled over by Siddharth’s work that he talked about him at the inaugural speech of the First International and the Ninth Annual Conference of the Indian Academy of Cerebral Palsy.
Their bond grew stronger and they kept in touch and met a few more times. Siddharth recalls another incident when he had gone to attend a talk by President Kalam in Chennai. The President recognised his ‘friend’ from the stage and broke protocol to come and meet Siddharth in the crowd.
“I loved meeting him because he did not make me feel that I was different. He treated me like a regular person. Often, people confuse cerebral palsy with mental illness. Which is so untrue because it is just a condition where the body and mind do not coordinate with each other. This affects the body posture and the way I behave. It has nothing to do with my intelligence,” says Siddharth.
Siddharth had jaundice when he was just three months old. His parents, who were simple villagers, did not realize the seriousness of the disease. The delay in treatment left Siddharth with the condition which makes him ‘different’ from others.
Siddharth (R) has always found a happier way to fight challenges
“The news shattered everyone in the family but they were so supportive. They never let me feel that I was any less. They would treat me exactly the way they would treat my sister. If she got a scolding, so would I,” he recalls.
The couple knew that Siddharth might not be as well co-ordinated as other kids of his age but he was as intelligent as any ‘normal’ child.
“It was not until I turned eight that I stepped into a school. Then, gradually, teachers saw my capabilities and gave me double promotions. I excelled in my studies and cleared my 12th exam with 90 percent marks in spite of having a scribe who barely knew English. I had to work very hard to explain to him what I wanted to convey. I could not score more because my scribe was not allowed to do the practical exam and draw diagrams,” says Siddharth.
He then finished his Master’s in Economics and excelled in that as well. He was now eager to enter a new world where he could work and become financially independent.
But this was just the start of the struggle Siddharth had to face because he encountered challenges and rejections at every step.
Many companies dismissed his job applications in spite of his incredible academic background. “They thought I would not be able to perform well under pressure. They just judged my abilities without even testing me. I was hurt and disappointed,” says Siddharth.
The rejections continued for several years and then a positive change came into his life when he got his first job in 2005 with ABN AMRO Central Enterprises Services Pvt. Ltd., as an officer trainee in the bank’s document checking section.
“That moment I felt that all my tears and hard work have paid off. All the pain and struggle were a thing of the past and I was full of new energy, hope and passion. I was proud because I got a job due to my capabilities and on my terms,” he recalls.
But this wasn’t the end of his journey. It was, rather, a new beginning. His life took a complete turn when he became a Tedx speaker in Chennai and, since then, he has never looked back.
“I spoke in front of an audience of over 250 people and they gave me a standing ovation. It felt so great to share my experiences and, since then, I have been giving many motivational talks at various platforms and inspiring people to live a more positive life,” he says.
He currently works with IndusInd Bank Ltd., as manager. In fact, he is the first person in the country with cerebral palsy to be a Certified Documentary Credit Specialist. –
A Certified Documentary Credit Specialist is a professional who demonstrates a high level of practical knowledge and understanding of the complex issues associated with documentary credit practice, which is a set of rules on the issuance and use of letters of credit (a document from a bank guaranteeing that a seller will receive payment in full as long as certain delivery conditions have been met).
He met a beautiful girl and says he experienced “love at first sight.” He is happily married to her and has a toddler boy. “I see myself in my son. He runs around the house and I live my childhood through him as I could not do so,” he says.
“I can’t thank my mother and my sister enough for their support. Sometimes, after continuous rejection, I would be very rude to them but they always supported me and showed me the right path. They would go out of their way to make me feel loved and accepted. The day when I came out of denial, I became a calmer person and pursued my life in a better way,” he says.
Siddharth’s story is one of struggle but also of love and support from the family helping him defeat hardships. He has not just overcome hurdles in his own life but is also, with his inspirational talks, helping others with disabilities live a more positive life today.
Education was the last thing on the minds of Mallahipurva villagers. Especially for girls, who were considered as just extra hands to support the family. But one girl, Gudiya, fought all odds and became the first one in her village to pass Secondary School. She did not stop at just this. She started a school for other kids in her own house and made sure they embraced the gift of education too. This is how she brought about the transformation.
Mallahipurva village, located 150 kilometres from Uttar Pradesh’s state capital, Lucknow, is a perfect example of neglect and deprivation. Dominated by the mallahas, an impoverished lower caste fishing community, education was the last thing that children here had access to and women were only seen as extra working hands to make fishing nets and munj (wild grass) ropes. An added curse was the rampant production and consumption of country liquor made from the abundant Mahua flowers of the region.
It’s here that Gudiya, who is now in her mid-twenties, ushered in change by establishing a small school a few years back. She says, “I grew up in an environment where girls had no hope of ever leading a respectful life; even their mothers were alcoholics. The village boys, too, saw no scope in building a future and took to drinking early and aimlessly whiling away their time. Life was really tough. Just to get a square meal a day my parents had to make all of us work.”
Then when the mid-day meal scheme started in a nearby school Gudiya was sent there just so she would get something to eat – at least her parents had one mouth less to feed.
A girl spins the Moonj (jute) rope in her home at Mallahipurva in Rai Barielly district. (Credit: Anjali Singh\WFS) –
That turned out to be a life changing decision. When I went to school, I realised what a wonderful thing education is and I decided to continue going to school,” she recalls.
Once her mind was made up, there was no turning back for this youngster, who hails from the only Brahmin family in her village and is one of 10 children – five girls and five boys. However, before going to school could be a regular thing she had to get her father, Babu Lal Sharma, to agree to her plan.
“It was not easy to convince my father. He had put me on the job of spinning the ‘munj’ ropes, which when sold got us some money to feed our family. But I didn’t back down and eventually he gave in,” she shares.
Gudiya paid for her schooling by making munj rope in her free time and her single-minded dedication was rewarded when she became the first girl in Mallahipurva to pass the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam in 2008.
Her father, Babu Lal, says, “I was tongue-tied when she told me the news and then gave the SSC certificate in my hand. It was a source of both happiness and apprehension for me. People in the village kept telling me that I was wrong in allowing her to do all this, but my heart said that this was her destiny, that she was meant to do this.”
But passing an examination was not Gudiya’s sole ambition. She had bigger plans – she wanted to start a small school for all those children who could not afford formal education right in her village.
When she gathered the courage to speak to the elders about it and requested that some dedicated space be given to her to run the school, they flatly refused. So she once again went to her father to seek permission to allow Mallaha children to come into their home.
Being Brahmins this was considered not only sacrilegious by her parents but was also expressly prohibited by local religious heads. Nevertheless, Gudiya managed to coax consent out of her parents and to take classes IN the family verandah.
Gudiya interacts with the children at her school. (Credit: Anjali Singh\WFS) –
The next big hurdle she had to overcome was getting the children to actually come. With around 100-odd families living in Mallahipurva and almost all the parents being addicted to country liquor, motivating them to send their children to study was far from easy.
“I went from house to house collecting children and getting them to class. Their parents were not happy and resisted my entreaties, but I never gave up. Then when a scheme called Child to Child Education was introduced by the New Delhi-based social organisation, Girija Devi Foundation, I signed up for it and attached my school to it. They helped me get books, food and even medical aid, all free of cost, for all those who came to study. Owing to this, support from parents too began to grow,” elaborates the inspiring young educator.
Of course, Gudiya did not abandon her school even after she got married and moved to Kanpur. In fact, she continues to keep a tab on what’s happening at her school from a distance, having handed over the reins to her younger sister, Soni. “My sister has studied up to Class Eight and is handling the school very well,” she says with a smile.
This school has proved to be a great hit with the students, who quickly finish up their household chores and rush to Gudiya didi’s classes – they are still called that.
What makes this classroom doubly beneficial for the little ones is the fact that those suffering from medical problems can avail of immediate and free treatment, thanks to the added benefits of the Foundation’s education initiative.
Gudiya, along with her father, Babu Lal Sharma, and sister, Soni, outside the school that is run from the verandah of their home. (Credit: Anjali Singh\WFS)
For instance, Nita, who is in her teens, has been able to get rid of her squint just because she joined Gudiya’s classes. She was 10 years old when she underwent an eye surgery through the medical aid provided for the children at the school. Indeed, according to Nita, Gudiya’s school has been a godsend. “Before the operation I had a squint and could not see very clearly. I used to overhear my mother tell my father that I would never get married because of the way I look and would have to work all my life spinning ropes and chopping fodder for the cattle. Then I joined school and during a medical check-up the doctor suggested an operation to correct the squint. These days, I can see and read properly and don’t feel shy about meeting people,” she says.
There are noticeable changes in the attitude of the local community as well. Says Gudiya, “In the beginning I had faced a lot of ridicule and hostility. Some even threatened me and my family, saying that I was ruining the established way of life in the village. The same people, however, are extending full support today. Earlier, the children were completely neglected – they would not eat food on time, wash or dress properly. There was a lack of sanitation that contributed to illnesses. Since both parents used to get drunk from the morning onwards, there was no one to take care of the kids. It’s a very different story presently. The children have learnt a lot and come to school neat and clean. They know how to take care of themselves and their siblings as well.”
Adds Nanhu, a former Pradhan of Mallahipurva, “The school has definitely made a difference. People still consume Mahua liquor but they have understood that their children should not do the same. Some have even started giving up their drunken ways and make sure to bring their children to the school at Gudiya’s home. I hope this change continues.”
Meanwhile, Gudiya has great hopes not just for herself but for her students, “I hope that one day each child from this school takes on the responsibility to teach others.” This young woman, who became a teacher almost by accident, has understood clearly the difference a dedicated teacher can make.
A family went to have the darshan of Maha Periyavaal. Along with them, they took one of their family friends who lived in the USA for some decades. The friend did not have any great faith in our religion, system and especially the monks wearing the saffron; he went along with him with utterly non-interested to meet Him. He was under the impression that Maha Periyavaal was a fundamentalist, an uneducated monk. This NRI had no great respect at all for Him. Not only that, he uttered such inauspicious things about Him, ‘what does He know? Does He know English?’.
There was a big throng of devotees at the Mutt and the family was standing in a decent distance from Him. As usual, Maha Periyavaal saw this family with His graceful eyes, and called all of them near to Him.
They all went near Him, the friend too.
After all the usual courteous enquiry towards the family, the Master looked at the NRI friend and asked about his details, including his name, whereabouts, his predecessors, where he is working etc etc.
Then He asked, ‘you are born in India, and you know Tamil; your wife was also born in India and should know the mother tongue. When you two converse will it be in Tamil or English?’
The friend replied ‘We never use Tamil at home, we use only English. The same goes for the kids also.’
Then Maha Periyavaal asked, ‘before speaking, you may have to think and conceive the sentence. Is the thought process in Tamil or English?’
The friend replied, ‘That too in English only’.
Some minutes later, an old lady came to have Maha Periyavaal Darshan.
Maha Periyavaal looked at the NRI person and said, ‘This old lady is now very poor, but once upon a time she was very rich. But even after she lost all the materialistic wealth her devotion towards the Mutt, Acharya and me has never changed even a bit. Could you please tell me what is the English word which will describe this unflinching devotion, which can’t be changed by external situations? I would like to know.’
The man was flummoxed. He thought and thought for a while but did not know that word.
Maha Periyaval smiled and told him, ‘please take your time and let me know’.
Even after some time, he could not come up with the required word.
Then Swamiji said, ‘Can I suggest one word? Could you please confirm whether the same can convey this meaning? EQUIPOISED’.
The man was spellbound and fell on Maha Periyavaal’s Feet to Pardon him for his ego..
From being a daily wage earner, to winning a distinguished grant for his research project – this is Sanjay Latthe, the man who never let financial constraints come in the way of his education.
30-year-old Sanjay Latthe was once a daily wage earner in his hometown Sangola, located in Solapur district of Maharashtra. Today, has been selected for the prestigious INSPIRE award by the Centre’s Department of Science and Technology.
As part of the award, Sanjay will receive a Rs. 35 lakh research grant and a monthly stipend of Rs. 80,000, to take his research project forward.
According to the department’s website, “Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) is an innovative programme sponsored and managed by the Department of Science & Technology for attraction of talent to science. The basic objective of INSPIRE is to communicate to the youth of the country the excitements of creative pursuit of science, attract talent to the study of science at an early age and thus build the required critical human resource pool for strengthening and expanding the Science & Technology system and R&D base.” The program includes students in the age group 10-32 years.
An alumnus of Shivaji University in Kolhapur, Sanjay has been granted the award for his research on optically-transparent and durable nanoparticles. He has been working on this research project for the past 8 years.
“It can achieve a breakthrough in the way we interact with basic things. For example, we have automobiles with wipers on their windshields. However, if we are able to use nano-particle coating on the glass, it will become water repellent and we will not need wipers. If iron objects receive super-hydrophobic coatings, they will not rust at all,” said Sanjay while explaining his project to The Times of India.
As of now, he is working on increasing the durability of the nanoparticle coating. While he has achieved durability of 30-50 days, he is aiming for permanent durability, for which more research is required. Sanjay has published 44 international research papers on this topic, and has also presented it at 15 research seminars across the world.
After losing his father at a very young age, Sanjay and his family – his mother, two elder sisters and one elder brother, had to work hard to make ends meet. Having very few sources of income, everyone in the family had to earn. His mother used to do some embroidery work. But Sanjay never let monetary constraints come in the way of his education.
He joined SUK in 2005 for his MSc, and in 2007 he also enrolled for a Ph.D. After this he got a chance to work as a post-doctoral research fellow in Istanbul, Turkey, and a research professor at Korea University in South Korea. He is currently working as an assistant professor at the department of technology in Savitribai Phule Pune University. –
Touching the feet of elders as a mark of respect is an age old practice in Indian tradition. Often this practice is looked upon with derision by some people as feet are generally considered unclean and such people argue that there could be other better ways of conveying the respect. However, there are a number of reasons behind the practice of touching the elders’ feet that indicate how wonderfully beneficial and meaningful this practice is.
2. Foundations for Buildings
Feet are for the body as the foundations are for buildings. The entire weight of a person is borne by the feet when he stands and moves about. Except birds and some rare cases of mammals, humans are endowed with the gift of being able to walk erect in two feet. When we bend down and touch the feet of our elders, our ego is also automatically subdued and we indicate that we respect their age, wisdom, achievements and experience. Being pleased of our humility, they in turn bless us.
3. Padasparshan
Usually, those that command padasparshan (touching the feet) include spiritual masters, teachers, grand parents, parents, elder brothers and senior citizens. Usually, these people have accumulated a lot of virtues, knowledge and experience. Their maturity shall have enabled them with a good insight into the truths and realities of life. The thoughts, vibrations and the words emanating from them shall be so powerful in immensely benefiting those who seek their blessings.
4. Way of Touching the feet of Elders
There is a particular way of touching the feet of elders. The person touching their feet must bend down in front of them with the back hunched and hands stretching forward. Usually, when the hands are stretched to touch their feet, it is advised that the hands are crossed in a way the right hand touches their right foot and the left hand touches their left foot. Yet another prescription states that the left hand should touch their right foot and the right hand should touch their left foot.
5. Positive Energy
In either case, when the hands touch the feet, there is a closed circuit establish between those seeking the blessings and those blessing them. The result is a highly positive energy flowing from their feet to the other person transferring a lot of good will and healing energy. Also, the person whose feet are touched usually stretches his or her hands to touch the upper head of the person with a gesture of blessing. This connection forms yet another circuit again transferring energy and blessings.
6. Benefits
It is matter of fact that only elders who seek your well being and those who are noble in their attitude and conduct are to be touched thus. Generally one’s grand parents, teachers, parents, elder brothers and noble people would naturally bless from their heart genuinely seeking the welfare of those who touch their feet. Therefore, this act shall confer incomparable benefits. Psychologically this act confers humility and cultivates a sense of respect enjoining people in the right path.
7. Hindu Tradition
The Hindu tradition states that by touching the feet of elders, people are blessed with strength, intellect, Knowledge and fame. The underlying symbolism of this act is that the elders have walked on this earth longer than you and have accumulated a great amount of wisdom. You can in fact immensely benefit even from the dust that their feet have gathered all along the way.
Take off with Natarajan 