India – Page 34 – Take off with Natarajan

” நான் இருக்கேன் ……..”

September 25, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

திருவாரூரை அடுத்த சாத்தனூர் கிராமத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவர் வேங்கட சுப்பிரமணியம். வேத விற்பன்னர். மகாபெரியவர் சன்னிதானத்தில் முதல் பக்தர். ஒரு முறை மகாபெரியவர் மயிலை கபாலீஸ்வரர் கோயிலுக்கு விஜயம் செய்தார். கற்பகாம்பாள் சன்னிதியில் கொடுக்கப்பட்ட குங்குமப் பிரசாதத்தைப் பார்த்ததும், அந்தக் குங்குமம் சுத்தமான தயாரிப்பாக இருக்க முடியாது என்று அவருக்குத் தோன்றியது. தூரத்தே கோஷ்டியில் நின்றுகொண்டிருந்த வேங்கட சுப்பிரமணியத்தை அருகில் வரும்படி கட்டளையிட்டார். ஓடோடி வந்து பவ்யமாக குனிந்தபடி நின்றார் அவர். உனக்கொரு வேலை கொடுக்கப் போறேன். செய்வியா?” என்றார். உத்தரவு” என்றார் வேங்கட சுப்பிரமணியம். தமிழ்நாட்டில் பல கோயில்களில் அம்பாள் சன்னிதியில் கொடுக்கப்படும் குங்குமம் அசலான தயாரிப்பாக இல்லை. எனவே, பக்தர்களுக்காக நீ சாஸ்திரோக்தமாக குங்குமம் தயாரிக்க வேண்டும்” என்று ஆக்ஞையிட்டார் மகாபெரியவர்.

மகாபெரியவர் கட்டளையிட்டவுடன் சும்மா இருக்க முடியுமா? வேதங்கள், உபநிஷத்துக்கள், அம்பாளின் மகத்துவத்தை விளக்கும் ஸ்தோத்திரங்கள் ஆகியவற்றில் குங்குமத்தின் பெருமைகளைக் குறித்த தகவல்களைச் சேகரித்தார். குங்குமம் தயாரிப்பு தொடர்பான புத்தகங்களைத் தேடிக் கண்டுபிடித்தார். பின் தயாரிப்பைத் துவக்கினார். நல்ல தரமான குண்டு மஞ்சள், எலுமிச்சை, படிகாரம், வெண்காரம், நல்லெண்ணெய் ஆகியவைதான் குங்குமத் தயாரிப்புக்கான மூலப் பொருட்கள். பழந்தயாரிப்புப்படி கைகளாலேயே தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட குங்குமத்தைச் செய்து முடித்ததும் வேங்கட சுப்பிரமணியத்துக்கு மகிழ்ச்சி பிடிபடவில்லை. தயாரித்த குங்குமத்தை ஒரு துணிப்பையில் போட்டு எடுத்துக்கொண்டு மகாபெரியவரைப் பார்க்க கும்பகோணம் விரைந்தார். குங்குமத்தை உள்ளங்கையில் இட்டுப் பார்த்தவுடன் மகாபெரியவரின் முகத்தில் மலர்ச்சி தெரிந்தது. இந்தப் பணியை நீ தொடர வேண்டும்” என்று சைகையிலேயே ஆணையிட்டார். வேங்கட சுப்பிர மணியம் ஸ்ரீவித்யா உபாசகர். அம்பாள் குங்குமப் பிரியை ஆயிற்றே! ஒரு அர்ப்பணிப்போடு குங்குமத் தயாரிப்பில் இறங்கிவிட்டார் வேங்கட சுப்பிரமணியம்.

ஸ குங்கும விலேபனாம் அளிக சும்பி கஸ்தூரிகாம்
ஸமந்த ஹஸிதேக்ஷணாம் ஸ ஸரஸாப பாசாங்குசாம்
அசேஷஜ நமோஹினீம் அருணமால்ய பூஷாம்பராம்
ஜபாகுஸூம பாசுராம் ஜப விதௌ ஸ்மரேத் அம்பிகாம்என்று லலிதா சகஸ்ரநாமத்தில் சொல்லப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.

அதாவது குங்குமப் பூவின் விழுதைப் பூசிக் கொண்டிருப்பவளும், நெற்றியை அலங்கரிக்கும் கஸ்தூரி திலகம் இட்டவளும், புன்னகைக்கும் கண்கள் உள்ளவளும், வில், அம்பு, பாசம், அங்குசம் ஏந்தியவளும், எல்லா மக்களையும் தன்பால் ஈர்ப்பவளும், செந்நிற மாலை, ஆடைகள் அணிந்து, செம்பருத்திப் பூ போல ஒளிமயமாக இருப்பவளுமான அம்பிகையை ஜபகாலத்தில் நினைவு கொள்கிறேன் என்பதுதான் இதன் பொருள். அம்பாள் உமைக்கு பல அம்சங்கள். திரிபுரசுந்தரி, காமாட்சி, அபிராமி, பார்வதி, லலிதா என்று பல திருநாமங்கள். ஒவ்வொரு அம்சத்திலும், பல பாக்கியங்களை பக்தர்களுக்கு அள்ளித் தருகிறாள் அம்பாள். எப்போதும் சுமங்கலியாகவே இருப்பவள் லலிதா” என்று லலிதா சகஸ்ரநாமத்தில் சொல்லப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. சுமங்கலியான பெண்ணை பளிச்சென்று வெளிப்படுத்துவது, அவளது நெற்றியில் அலங்கரிக்கும் குங்குமம்தான். ஒரு பெண் தன் திருமணத்தின் போதுதான் குங்குமம் வைத்துக் கொள்ளும் தகுதியைப் பெறுகிறாள். நெற்றியிலுள்ள குங்குமம், ஒரு பெண்ணின் சுமங்கலித் தன்மையை மட்டும் சொல்வதல்ல. அவளுக்குள் பொதிந்திருக்கும் ஞானத்தையும், ஆற்றலையும் குறியீடாக உணர்த்தும் தன்மையும் கொண்டது. சௌந்தர்ய லஹரியும் லலிதா சகஸ்ரநாமமும் குங்குமத்தின் பெருமைகளை எடுத்து வைக்கின்றன.

சுமார் 5,000 வருடங்களாக, குங்குமம் வைத்துக் கொள்வது என்பது நமது சம்பிரதாயமாக இருந்து வருகிறது என்கிறது ஒரு புராணத் தகவல். இரண்டு இமைகளுக்கு நடுவில் நெற்றிப் பொட்டில் குங்குமம் வைத்துக் கொள்வதற்குப் பல காரணங்கள் உண்டு. நமது உடலில் ஆற்றலை வெளிப்படுத்தும் வகையில் ஏழு சக்கரங்கள் உள்ளன. நமது செயல்கள், சாதனைகள், சாகசங்கள் என்று அனைத்துக்குமே காரணமாக அமைந்தவை இந்தச் சக்கரங்கள். இந்தச் சக்கரங்களின் செயல்பாட்டைத் தூண்டி விடுவதில், முதுகுத் தண்டுக்கு அடிப்பகுதியில் பொக்கிஷமாக இருக்கும் குண்டலினி சக்திக்கு பெரும்பங்கு உண்டு. யோகம், தியானம் போன்றவற்றின் மூலம் குண்டலினி சக்தியை எழுப்பி, இந்த ஏழு சக்கரங்களைத் தூண்டி விடலாம். இந்த ஏழு சக்கரங்களில் ஒன்றான ஆக்ஞை, நெற்றிப்பொட்டில், புருவங்களின் மத்தியில்தான் உள்ளது. ஒருவரின் ஞானம், பேரறிவு ஆகியவை வெளிப்பட காரணமாக அமைவது இந்த ஆக்ஞா சக்கரம் தான். அதைக் குறித்துத்தான் நெற்றிப்பொட்டில் குங்குமம் வைக்கிறோம்.

Source…www.periva.proboards.com

natarajan

Watch Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s Message For PM Modi, Before His Visit To Silicon Valley…

September 24, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Sundar Pichai is a name known to most Indians these days. Ever since he took a prestigious position in Google, Indians have been proud of him for inspiring so many ambitious children to dream big.

As per a report by Reuters, on September 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the Silicon Valley. He will also pay a visit to the Google campus and Facebook headquarters and discuss the pressing issues that can lead to further technological development in India.

As a result, Sundar Pichai in his present capabilities as CEO of Google has extended a warm welcome to Mr. Modi. In this video shared by Google India, we see him inviting the prime minister. He also expressed that the team is very excited to meet him.

He strongly feels that PM’s visit will energize people in the Silicon Valley as well as people in India. He highlights Google’s upcoming plans and illustrates how they will help India.

Even we are looking forward to Mr. Modi’s visit to Google and we hope that it leads to many productive results!

Source….Shubhi Dixit in http://www.storypick.com and http://www.youtube.com

Natarajan

” ஓ ….சுவாமிநாதா …நீயா ….எனக்கு என்ன உத்தரவு சொல்லு …”

September 24, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

ஒரு முறை மகா சுவாமிகள் தென் தமிழ் நாட்டில்

யாத்திரை செய்யும்போது இரவு நேரத்தில் அடுத்த

கிராமத்துக்குக் கால்நடைப் பயணமாகப் போக நேர்ந்தது.

அங்கே இரு பிரிவினரிடையே ஜாதிச்சண்டை நடந்து

கொண்டிருந்தது. அதனால் பக்தர்கள் போவதற்குப்

பயப்பட்டார்கள்.

“ஒன்றும் நடக்காது.போகலாம் வாருங்கள்” என்று

கிளம்பி விட்டார் சுவாமிகள். சீடர்கள் பயத்தினால்

நடுங்கியபடி தொடர்ந்து போனார்கள்.

அடுத்த கிராமத்துக்குள் நுழையும் இடத்தில் ஒரு

கூட்டம் அரிவாள்,குண்டாந்தடியுடன் அவர்களைத்

தாக்குவதற்காகக் காத்துக்கொண்டிருந்தது.

அந்தக் கூட்டத்தின் தலைவன் அவர்களை

அமர்த்திவிட்டு மகா சுவாமிகளை நோக்கி வந்தான்.

இரண்டு நிமிடங்கள் ஒரே அமைதி. யாருக்கும்

பயத்தால் வாய் திறந்து பேசக்கூடத் தைரியம்

வரவில்லை. மகா சுவாமிகள் ஒரு புன்னகையுடன்

அவனைப் பார்த்தார்.

“ஓ! சுவாமிநாதா! நீயா? உன் உத்தரவு எதுவானாலும்

நாங்கள் நிறைவேற்றி வைக்கிறோம்” என்று

அங்கேயே கீழே விழுந்து நமஸ்காரம் செய்தான் அவன்.

மற்ற எல்லோருக்கும் ஆச்சரியம்! கூட வந்த கலகக்

கூட்டம் குண்டாந்தடி,அரிவாள் எல்லாவற்றையும்

கீழே போட்டுவிட்டு அந்தந்த இடத்திலேயே

நமஸ்காரம் செய்து வணங்கி நின்றது.

மற்றவர்களிடம் மகா சுவாமிகள் அமைதியாக

“நானும் அவனும் பள்ளிக் கூடத்தில் ஒன்றாகப்

படித்தோம்” என்று மகிழ்ச்சியுடன் கூறினார்.

எல்லோருக்கும் ஒரே ஆச்சரியம். காரணம் அந்தத்

தலைவன் இஸ்லாமிய வகுப்பைச் சேர்ந்தவன்.

அவர்களுடைய இமாமை சந்திக்க விரும்பினார்

மகா பெரியவர்கள்.அவர் வந்ததும் குர் ஆனிலிருந்து

சில வரிகளை எடுத்துச் சொல்லி அன்பையும்

சகோதரத்துவத்தையும் இஸ்லாமிய மதம் எவ்வளவு

முக்கியமாகக் கருதுகிறது என்று விளக்கினார்.

அனைவரும் மகிழ்ந்து போனார்கள்.

அன்று கிராமத்தில் சுவாமிகளை ஊர்வலமாக

அழைத்துக் கொண்டு போனார்கள் கிராம மக்கள்.

அவர்களை அடுத்த கிராமத்துக்கு அழைத்துச் சென்று

விட்டு விட்டு, விடை பெற்றுத் திரும்பினார்கள்.

Source…….www.periva.proboards.com

Natarajan

MY STORY: “The Day I Saw Children Paint & the Blind Play Cricket on Bengaluru Streets” …….

September 23, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Bengaluru has more than 50 lakh vehicles on the street daily. Like any other metropolis, the city needs to cut back on personal modes of transport and educate its citizens to encourage public transport, cycling, and walking. For this reason, the recent open streets initiative held in all seven sectors of HSR layout was a fantastic attempt to reduce pollution caused by motorized personal vehicles.
On September 20^th, the movement of all personal vehicles was banned in the HSR layout neighborhood in Bengaluru. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) provided additional local bus services to support the travel needs of the residents. I live in the second sector, and I think the event was a great initiative. I’d love to see more such events organised in different parts of the country.

Here are five reasons why I think the event was a great success:

Open Streets Brochure

It was a great public awareness initiative. There were public buses that were plying to and from common destinations. They were also taking people back and forth towards the main roads – where they could get other public transport, or a cab/auto, or have their friends pick them up. Ambulances, fire engines and other emergency vehicles were allowed to ply without interruption. –

Various events and activities being held on the streets

I’m sure there will be government or non-government organizations that will calculate the pollution levels and enumerate them, but according to me all the levels of pollution were noticeably lower wherever I went. The air felt and smelled cleaner. The noise pollution was lower too – we are so used to cars honking and loud noises as motorbikes and autos accelerate that the quiet was quite unnerving at times.

We saw a street art competition. Children were sitting on the road, doing their art and colouring their books and they looked so happy. It felt really good – giving them a safe road – one day a year. We saw some children playing carrom and chess on the road. Others stood by watching and cheering.

On 19^th Main, we witnessed a match of Awareness Blind Cricket. It was the first time I saw the blind play cricket with a ball that was filled with ball-bearings that jingled when it was thrown – so they could hear it and play the game with their enhanced sense of hearing. It was definitely heartwarming and a learning experience for many of us watching the match.

Art Competition

Yes, there were few cars and motorized two wheelers on the road. But, we mainly saw empty roads. We heard virtually no honking. And, we saw little kids walking with parents and grandparents – without holding hands. Can you imagine that? How liberating must it be for a two-year-old to not have his hand tightly clutched in an adult’s hand when he is out on the street. How stress free must that adult be feeling too?

We saw little children and their older siblings cycling (training wheels and all), skateboarding, and walking.

For the first time since we’ve lived here – we walked to a restaurant for lunch. Together. As a family. And, I loved that experience too. We were chatting all the way to the restaurant. And chatting all the way back. It felt so good to reconnect with my family and we were also happy that we burned a few of the calories we had collected at lunch.

I think most of HSR layout was just a little bit healthier and happier on the night of 20th September. But, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the downsides that we noticed, both personally and from some of the HSR groups on Facebook.

Doctors and other emergency medical personnel were being continuously stopped and questioned. This made them late to get to their patients and clinics and that should not happen. Many of them were very upset and quite vocal about this on Facebook.

Solution: These cars could get special stickers or stick a paper on their windshield with ‘Emergency Vehicle’ written in bold. Yes, I do realise some people might misuse this – but I believe most educated people would shy away from being shamelessly dishonest.

Some people who were coming back from out of town were stopped. They had to park their cars and walk in the rain with their luggage and their cranky children. That must have been quite tedious and irritating and they would certainly not appreciate the reason behind the initiative.

Solution: An initiative like ‘Open Streets’ cannot be blindly imposed on the people without reason.

The authorities/volunteers need to be empowered to make decisions based on the situation at hand. They need to have the freedom to decide whether a situation calls for bending the rules a little.

Friends and relatives of patients who were coming into HSR to donate blood were not allowed to enter the layout in their vehicles, causing flared tempers and delays.

Solution: As stated above, the authorities need to be sensitive in different situations. Some roads could allow vehicles, so as to prevent a complete shutdown of traffic.

There were also complaints of vehicles being stopped multiple times after they had already explained their situation and secured entry of their vehicle into the layout.

Solution: Once a vehicle is allowed to pass it could be given an identifying marker (like a sticker or placard that hangs from the rear-view mirror) to prevent being stopped multiple times. People who need their vehicles to get to and from work could get a special pass in advance.

Business establishments that rely on outsiders coming in to avail of their services — for example, grocery stores, petrol pumps, beauty salons, restaurants, etc. — may have seen lower revenue compared to other Sundays.

Solution: These businesses could get involved by sponsoring an activity or event. This would increase their visibility and serve as a marketing tool. The stores may also consider offering home delivery of necessities on cycles – thus bolstering their revenues a bit.

The event was an amazing initiative and should be explored in different cities all over the country.

Looks like it was the start of something beautiful

I am extremely proud that HSR was chosen as the neighborhood to pilot this event because of its “vibrant and open-minded residents,” and look forward to more days like this one. The event was definitely a success, and by fixing the issues and problems mentioned, it can move forward to becoming a successful, regular and city-wide event.

– Niharika Jadeja

About the author: Niharika Jadeja is a sixteen year old who recently graduated from Ebenezer international School. She is an avid reader and enjoys writing as well as playing the piano –

Source….www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

Magsaysay Winner Sanjiv Chaturvedi Donates Award Money to AIIMS for the Treatment of Poor….

September 23, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Ramon Magsaysay award winner, bureaucrat Sanjiv Chaturvedi, has donated the entire award money of around Rs. 14 lakh, to AIIMS for the treatment of poor patients, especially those suffering from cancer. Kudos to this selfless officer.

Humanity shows itself through many different faces, many applaudable actions and many heart-warming stories. Today it has appeared in front of us in the form of a benevolent, selfless, courageous and very honest government official. Its IFS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who was recently honoured with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award.

On Tuesday, this amazing officer donated the entire award money to AIIMS, dedicating it for the treatment of poor patients.

Source: Facebook

The 2002 batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of Haryana cadre received Rs. 19.85 lakh as the award, out of which Rs. 5.63 lakh had to be deposited as advance tax. The remaining he has donated, with a letter to the AIIMS director that this money can be used for providing financial assistance to the needy, especially those suffering from cancer.

The officer, who has been transferred 12 times in the last five years, is known for this honest stand against wrong doers in cases of corruption, and also for being an active whistle blower in case of several scams. He was selected for the award under “Emergent Leadership” category for the integrity and courage with which he worked to investigate and expose corruption in public offices. He recently got posted to Uttarakhand from Haryana.

Chaturvedi, who is currently posted as deputy secretary of AIIMS, has also requested that a separate register should be maintained to record the details of patients who receive financial assistance so that the transactions can be kept transparent and the donated amount can be put to the best use.

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

Natarajan

Vegetable Seller to Reputed Oncologist: How Dr. Vijayalakshmi Beat All Odds to Emerge a Winner …

September 23, 2015Natarajan1 Comment

Dr. Vijayalakshmi Deshmane has seen many aspects of life. From being born in what is considered a backward caste in the nation, to living in a slum; from selling vegetable to becoming a doctor – she has experienced it all, and has been giving to the society with her incredible selflessness. This is Dr. Deshmane’s story in her own words.

We often hear complaints about the mounting consultation fee that is charged by doctors. In fact, most of us question the medical world as we see it transforming into an “industry”, where annual profits have taken centre stage, and patient wellness has been pushed to the periphery. But then there are always some exceptions in every field, and here is one such person who is an exception in the field of health care.

This is the story of a woman who has seen many things in life – right from staying in a slum and selling vegetables to becoming a surgeon and cancer expert.

Meet one of India’s most reputed Oncologists, Vice President of Karnataka Cancer Society, and a recipient of many awards, Dr. Vijayalakshmi Deshmane. –

Deshmane: A Unique Surname

I come from one of most backward castes in India, whose people are supposed to be stitching used footwear. My father, Baburao, was influenced by the freedom movement and believed in the empowerment of all. Though he was not formally educated, he broke the barriers of caste which were restricting his career, and learnt letters and then languages, on his own – Kannada, Marathi, Hindi and English.

I was born in 1955, followed by a brother and 6 sisters. We were 10 people living a small house which belonged to my father’s sister and was located in a slum.

Getting a single meal each day was a challenge for us, and affording basic amenities was a dream.

My parents did odd jobs like cutting, fetching, and selling wood, and being a coolie. Later, my father joined a mill and rose in ranks, thanks to his ability to connect with people. They fondly started calling him Deshmanya. This was when my father replaced his caste surname with Deshmanya.

I was named after Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, sister of Pandit Nehru and the first woman to become President of the UN General Assembly. And my surname, “Deshmane”, signifies Deshmanya’s daughter.

A Moonless Night that Paved the Way for Medicine

Picture for representation only. Source: Flickr

My father had a dream that I will become a doctor and will serve the poorest of the poor. Having such dreams while living in a slum is surprising. It shows the kind of vision my father had for us. Meanwhile, my mother set up a small vegetable shop. My brother and I used to carry those vegetable on our heads to help out our mother.

I excelled in my studies, but I had sensed the end of my education after clearing the class 12 exams. I was convinced that my parents would not be able to fund my studies any further. The education of my siblings also had to be taken care of.

However, I remember that one moonless night, when my mother gave away her only ornament, her mangal sutra, to my father so that he could get a loan for my MBBS entrance exam at KMC, Hubli. I am what I am today because of the sacrifices made by my parents and siblings. Can I ever pay them back? I don’t think so!

Failing in the First Year of MBBS

Before beginning with my MBBS course, the medium for which was English, I had studied in Kannada.

Although I understood the lectures, I failed my first year because of my difficulties in facing the English exam papers. Thanks to my professors, I picked it up in the 2nd year and then there was no looking back. I went on to become the first rank holder of my university. There was a big celebration at my home when this news came.

I went on to pursue MS in surgery and started earning when I joined Kidwai Institute of Oncology as a senior resident of Surgical Oncology. I specialised in the treatment of breast cancer. Throughout my career, I have been very lucky to have the guidance, support, and love of my peers and patients. Meanwhile, my brother, Ajay Ghosh (named after famous Bengali freedom fighter), finished his LLB and started working.

On Being Just the Reason

I love my profession and believe in constant learning. I bought a photocopying machine to constantly update and maintain my own database of knowledge. I kept interacting with my patients and built a strong bond with them. While operating, I shift all the weight to God and seek His intervention for my success. I feel I am just the “nimitta” (reason) here. I’ve been shaped by my Gurus, raised by my peers, loved by my patients, and it is His willing that I am in this profession that saves and serves the society.

I have had a long career and I finally retired in 2015. But I think my work is only half done. I have been a part of numerous social drives, reach outs, awareness camps, research works, and education programs in villages. I will continue to do so, dedicating 15 days in a month to these activities. During the other 15 days, I will be providing free service and will be available at the Karnataka Cancer Society.

*****

Our ancient scriptures portray doctors as God, stating “Vaidhyo Narayano Hari”. For the first time, we witnessed why this saying is so right. A flower that blossomed in the dirt of a slum, has given so much to our society and still has so much to offer.

In order to keep the story as short as possible, we have skipped an interesting narration of how Dr. Vijayalakshmi’s sisters succeeded – 4 of them have earned their PhDs and are excelling in their fields. We wish Dr. Vijayalakshmi Deshmane and her siblings the best of health and happiness, and hope that their lives will inspire and guide many more of us.

Know Your Star

September 23, 2015

Health Care, Inspirational, Women

Source….www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

” Why are People Poor …” ?

September 23, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

But what happens when the interviewer asks some weird questions? The questions that make a student go WTF! Maybe they just check our presence of mind, but whatever be the reason, at the end of the day, those are IIM interview questions and the student is expected to answer them with a presence of mind.

So, without much further ado, let’s have a look at these quirky Q&A sessions.

Interviewer 1: Why are people poor?

Student: Not very sure, sir. Please! Any options?

Interviewer 2: Oh! But you should know. It’s because they don’t have money. It’s simple.

Student:… Apologies Sirs, but isn’t this the ‘meaning’ of being ‘poor’, and not the reason?

Interviewer 2: (zapped)

Interviewer 1 (in his excitement to go one-up): “… He’s poor because he’s not earning. Hence, no money.”

Student: “… apologies Sirs again. But is he poor because he is not earning out of laziness, or he is working and not being paid, or, is he ready to work and earn, but is not getting a job.”

Interviewer 1: Have you studied Economics in your B.Tech?

Student: “No, sir our canteen supervisor in the hostel is really poor, and he has a Master’s in Mathematics”

Result: Selected!

Credit: Sanjeeva Shukla

……………………….

Panelist: You seem to know a lot of math. What do you like in it?

Student: I like numbers, Sir.

Panelist: Ok. So tell us, what is the absolute truth?

Student: (Wow, what? Where did that come from and how is that related to numbers.) How would I know, Sir? I’m just a human being. They say God knows the absolute truth.

Panelist: Ok then, define God mathematically.

Student: Sir, God is the One. (They smile).

Result: Selected.

Credit: Nishant Agarwal

…………………..

Panelist: Spell the word COW in thirteen letters?

Candidate: Well! Caaaaouuuuuuu.

Panelist: (laughs) It’s “SEE O DOUBLE YOU”

Credit: Ulhas Sakhare

……………………….

Panelist 1 (male): What do you know about IIM Calcutta?

Student: *Gave a standard well-versed answer mostly from the content on their website*

Panelist 2 (female): Okay, tell me what do you know about IIM Bangalore?

Student (taken by surprise): Annn.. Ma’am, it is one of the best B-schools in the country. (Clueless about what more should I add)

Panelist 2: So you know more about Calcutta than Bangalore? Didn’t you get a call from IIM Bangalore?

Student: Ma’am, I do have the call from IIM Bangalore, but its interview is two weeks later. (With a poker face)

Result: Selected.

Credit: Quora

……………………

Panelist 1: So tell me Abhishek why do you have ‘1993’ in your email-id?

Student: Sir, I needed a bit more professional id as compared to my previous one.

Panelist2: So what was your previous id?

Student: Sir, it was abhishek.perfect@yahoo.com <smiling like an idiot>

<Both laughing at me>
Panelist 2: So you think you are not perfect anymore?

*Suddenly the pseudo-intellectual philosopher in me wakes up*

Student: Sir, even the air around me is not ideal, how can I be perfect.

Result: Selected.

Credit: Abhishek Rao

……………………

Source…..www.storypick.com

natarajan

Is Shital Mahajan India’s most unknown sportsperson even with five world records…?

September 23, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

There comes a moment in every person’s life that changes the way people look at them. Skydiver Shital Mahajan is also an idol of such heroism. Holder of five world records, 14 national records and bestowed upon with Padam Shri in 2011, but Shital is still an unknown figure in India.

She is well known internationally for her skills but what hurts Shital the most is the lack of recognition in her own country. Having performed more than 655 jumps, adventure sports enthusiast Shital is a skydiving coach too. United States Parachuting Association has certified her with A, B, C and D licenses and coach ratings, which makes her eligible for skydiving all over the globe. But she still excessively depends on sponsors to stay in the sport and continues to plead the government for support.

She is known internationally for her skydiving achievements and even bestowed upon with a Padma Shri, but still Shital has no prominence among the Indian sports fraternity.

In an exclusive chat with IBNLive, the adventure-loving Shital shared her sentiments and aspirations to do her country more proud.

When and how you thought of starting skydiving? And how you turned professional in this adventure sport?

I started skydiving in the year 2002. I deliberately wanted to do something different. In our society, there is a taboo that a girl can’t do this and that. I wanted to erase that stereotypical image of a woman from people’s mind. They think a woman is supposed to serve her family, raise kids and only do household work. When I started to face similar challenges, I decided to break barriers.

Then I happened to meet one of my friends’ brother, Air Force officer Kamal Singh. I came to know about skydiving from him only. Then I took coaching from him. I wanted to do skydiving so I asked him how can I start. His answer was “since you are a civilian, you need to go abroad for skydiving as it cannot be done in India.”

Then I decided if I have no choice than to go abroad to learn, then why not at a special place like the North Pole.

Does your family support you since it involves a lot of money and one has to risk his/her life?

My parents didn’t support me initially but later on I convinced them. When I asked them I want to do skydiving, their answer was “have you gone mad! In our family no one has even travelled in an aircraft and you want to jump from it!” They said girls can’t do such dares. But I had a strong determination, so I convinced them. I clearly said, it’s my life and if I were to die, it will solely be my responsibility. They said “we can’t allow you to risk your life”. Then I started blackmailing tactics (laughs) by threatening to leave home. Girls leave their home for marriage, but I wanted to leave to sky-dive.

Tell us something about your awards and records.

Presently I have 14 national and 5 world records in my name. On 18th April 2004, I became the first woman in the world to execute a sky-dive from North Pole, and that too without any prior training. There wasn’t any land for my landing, so I had to land on an ice slope in a freezing temperature of minus 37 degrees, from a height of 2400 feet. Following my first world record, in the year 2006, I became first woman to perform sky fall from both South Pole and North Pole. Chasing achievements and records, the biggest accolade in my career came my way in the year 2011 when I was awarded the fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, from the then President Pratibha Patil.

We heard that your meeting with former President Late Late APJ Abdul Kalam had a touch of both sorrow and happiness attached to it.

After my North Pole achievement, the Russian government approved me with a certificate recognising my feat, but the Indian government didn’t accept my accomplishment.

Then Sports Minister, Late Sunil Dutt, said: “There is no value of such certificates in India”. They weren’t ready to recognise my achievement. The government asked me to contact the Air Force and they sent me back to the Sports Ministry that said skydiving is not considered a sport in India.

I was heartbroken, so I decided to meet the then President, APJ Abdul Kalam. I showed him all my certificates and told him how the Sports Ministry is refusing to recognise my achievement. He said “I, the President of India, recognise your world record. Now whose recognition do you need?”

APJ said: “My secretary Ashish is here. If you get stuck in any situation, give him a call. We are always here to support you.” He was an amazing personality.

Where do you mostly practice skydiving?

I usually practice skydiving in Spain, Finland, California and Arizona (USA). There are still no proper rules and regulations for skydiving in India. I want to make all this possible in India one day.

What safety measures you take for skydiving?

FAI (Federation of Aeronautics International) is the world regulatory body for skydiving. It has set up some rules and safety measures that every skydiver has to follow. Special suits are used for skydiving that are wind proof, even protect the body in negative temperature, where body contact with open air can lead to blood clots.

When you perform a jump from 11,000 feet, only 40 seconds are there to open the parachute as you fall with a speed of 230 kmph. At this speed in a temperature like -38 degrees, hypothermia may take over the body. Our suits protect us from all this. Beneath that we wear four T-shirts and four pants, besides a helmet, two face covers and medical tapes all over the body. Only the nostrils are left open to breathe.

What runs through your mind when you are in mid-air?

In skydiving, you have just a 40-second timeframe mid-air. Either you can think or you can land safely. I give all the credit of safe landings to my subconscious mind.

While in the air, even 4-5 seconds are precious and it can affect badly. Therefore, only subconscious mind works at that point of time.

Tell us about your institute – the Phoenix Skydiving Academy.

The Maharashtra Government suggested me to open a skydiving institute in Pune. It had my roots, where I could teach and perform skydiving. So I started the Phoenix Skydiving Academy. We are active in four states – Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

What is the average expense one needs to bear for skydiving?

The expense of one jump is 20 dollar in US but in India it costs 20-22 thousand rupees. We, at our institute, are trying hard to bring it to a nominal price of 9-10 thousand rupees.

What are your aspirations regarding skydiving?

I am planning for a sky fall from Australia along with hundred plus Indians. I want to associate more and more people with skydiving in India so that we can come up as a big powerhouse. I want to popularise skydiving as a sport in India.

Who do you consider as your inspiration? And how do you see future generation’s interest towards skydiving?

Current generation is very active and they are ready for adventure sports. A lot of enthusiasts want to get trained for skydiving. My inspiration is Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld (world skydiving champion, coach, author, speaker), and I feel good when my students seek inspiration from my achievements.

Source…Akash Khanna …www.ibnlive.com

Natarajan

Odisha girl wins top award at Google Science Fair……..

September 23, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Lalita Prasida, 13 used corn cobs to clean waste water, for which she won ‘The Community Impact’ Award at 2015 Google Science Fair.

A 13-year-old girl from Odisha won the 2015 Google Science Fair, ‘The Community Impact’ Award on Monday, September 21 hosted by Google in Mountain View, California in partnership with the Scientific American that sponsored the Community Impact award, LEGO Education, National Geographic and Virgin Galactic.

Lalita Prasida Sripada Srisai , a 9th grader at the Delhi Public School in Damanjodi, Odisha received $10,000 and will get a year of mentoring from Scientific American for her project that makes a practical difference in the community by addressing an environmental, health or resources challenge.

Her project, ‘Low Cost Bio- Adsorbent’ aims to clean waste water by flowing through different layers of Corn cobs which is a cost-effective and simple technique of cleaning water.

She uses corn cobs in her project.

Corn cobs, she says, are useful for immobilising the contaminants in domestic and industrial effluents, and in ponds,reservoirs and water tanks as well.

Her experiment (diagram below) shows that Corn cobs could clean water up to 70 to 80 per cent because they are suitable adsorbents and have high mechanical strength, rigidity and porosity.

Started five years ago the Google Science Fair is a an annual global online competition for students ages 13 to 18, and honours a project that makes a practical difference in a community by addressing anenvironmental, health or resources challenge.

The grand Google Science Fair prize of $50,000 was won by an Americanstudent Olivia Hallisey, 16 to detect Ebola.

Also partners of annual Google Science Fair Awards are LEGO Education, National Geographic and Virgin Galactic and offer mentoring to the winners year round.

Anurudh Ganesan15, of United States, won the Lego Education Builder award.

The award is given to a student who uses an innovative, hands-on approach to solve some of the greatest engineering challenges.

His project titled ‘Vaxxwagon: An Innovative eco-friendly No Ice, No electric, active refrigeration system for last-leg vaccine transportation’ is about vaccine transportation to remote locationsthat requires both ice-packs and electricity which is a major problem in developing countries.

His existing prototype costs less than $100.

He has also applied for its patent and was placed 3rd at National Geography Bee in Maryland.

Ganesan will travel the LEGO Group headquarters in Billund, Denmark and will have access to work with a LEGO Education executive for six months as a mentor to learn how to launch a business and the art of entrepreneurship.

Deepika Kurup 17, of United States won the National Geographic Explorer Award given to a a project in the natural sciences.

Her project was focused on to find solution for the world’s clean water problem.

According to the World Health Organization, one-ninth of the global population lacks access to clean water, and 500,000 children die every year because of water related diseases.

Kurup, a senior at Nashua High School South in Nashua, New Hampshire, will travel on a 10-day National Geographic Expedition to the Galapagos Archipelago, ‘Darwin’s living laboratory’ and home to an abundance of wildlife.

Kurup project titled, “Novel photocatalytic previous composites for removing multiple classes of toxins from water,” shows that the photocatalytic water purification technology developed in her research is safe and environmentally-friendly, as it does not produce any toxic byproducts.

The purification process uses only solar energy, so it’s cost effective.

Pranav Sivakumar 15, United States, received the Virgin Galactic Pioneer Award given for innovation in the area of space and physics.

Sivakumar’s project focuses on an automated search for gravitationally lensed quasars in theSloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS).

In his report he said, “I report an automated method for finding and characterising gravitationally lensed quasars in the SDSS.”

The survey data was utilised to examine the properties of target quasars and their neighbours to determine whether these two SDSS objects were images of the same quasar.

The algorithm not only identified 56 lensed quasars reported in the literature but alsoidentified 109 new high-probability candidates.

Krtin Nithiyanandam , 14, United Kingdom, won the Scientific American Innovator Award, honoured for a project in the pure sciences.

He received $25,000 and a year of mentoring.

Nithiyanandam through the project shows the developing and earlier diagnosis of minimally-invasive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

He has developed a quantum dot probe that can potentially cross the blood-brain barrier and be used as a more sensitive, non-invasive diagnostic tool for the earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.

Girish Kumar 17 of Singapore, won the Google Technologist Award for helping improve learning through auto-generated study questions.

For the project, Kumar developed an algorithm that would pick sentences from an assigned text and convert them to questions.

This, he evaluated with a group of students for its effectiveness before submitting to Google.

All images courtesy: Google Science Fair

Source……www.rediff.com

Natarajan

This Collector Has 1 Lakh Followers on Facebook. And He Interacts with Them Everyday…

September 22, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Prasanth Nair, the Kozhikode District Collector, is well known for his active presence on social media. With more than one lakh followers on Facebook, this government official makes sure that residents get a chance to interact with him whenever they want. He also conducts many campaigns to solve various local issues.

“Thank you 1,00,000 compassionate hearts,” says the cover image of a Facebook page called ‘Collector, Kozhikode‘. It is page which is personally handled by Prashanth Nair, the collector who heads the Kozhikode district administration in Kerala.

He has more than one lakh followers, and the page is full of recent updates, and numerous interactions.

Source: Facebook

It is one of the very few social media pages of government officials where all the comments are answered. Issues are discussed here, campaigns are conducted and a lot of activity keeps taking place almost every day.

In spite of being criticized several times by politicians for his highly visible presence on social media, this government official has no plans to stop. He represents those administrators who want to reach out and remain connected with as many people as possible in this digitised world.

The page helps him solve many problems for the people of Kozhikode as well. It is full of photographs of campaigns asking people to take action in many different ways. One will also find people writing about their complaints and the issues they face in their residential areas. And the best part is that all queries, suggestions and comments are answered without fail, by Prashanth.

One of the very famous campaigns on his page is called ‘Operation Sulaimani’, which was started with the aim of addressing the issue of hunger in urban areas.

Through this project, he offers Sulaimani Coupons to people in the city who cannot afford a meal for various reasons. This could be anyone, people who are poor, or a traveller who suddenly finds that he/she does not have the required money to buy food instantly. These coupons are taken into consideration by a large number of restaurants in the city and are distributed at outlets run by student volunteers, at shops and government offices, and taluk and village offices. The restaurants which offer food in return for a coupon, get the equivalent money reimbursed from an account maintained by the campaign implementing agency.

He also conducted an online campaign to improve the facilities of Kuthiravattom mental hospital. Other than that, ‘Project 4N’ was an initiative started by him to fix potholes on roads. Then there was a campaign against urinating in public places – the ‘Trimoothri Photo Contest’, where he asked people to send in photographs of people seen urinating. All these campaigns got wide traction on the page.

But all of this has not been easy for the officer. Recently, Kozhikode District Congress Committee (DCC) president K.C. Abu, complained that the collector is spending a lot of time on social media and does not have time to receive phone calls. But Prashant simply says that he on Facebook to talk to the citizens and solve their. He believes that social media platforms are additional places to interact with citizens as much as possible.

“The people are out there in social media, so we need to be there. It’s as simple as that. Pasting notices on the notice boards of the village office is no longer the way to reach out to the public. Social media as a platform makes administration more transparent, seamless, fast, publicly accountable, and ‘informal’,” he told The Indian Express.

Source……..Tanaya Singh…www.the better india.com

Natarajan