India – Page 40 – Take off with Natarajan

10 Beautiful Quotes By Mother Teresa That Prove She Is A Global Symbol Of Love….

August 26, 2015Natarajan1 Comment

Clad in a white, blue-bordered sari, a woman who needs very less introduction, Mother Teresa, an Albanian-born Indian citizen, became a symbol of love, care and compassion for the entire world. One of the greatest humanitarians of the 20th century, she served the unwanted, unloved and uncared poorest of the poor. For her unwavering commitment, incredible organizational and managerial skills, she was honoured with Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

I believe Mother Teresa was one of the most quoted people of all time. Apart from her kindness and the desire to make the world a better place, what she was as a person inspires me the most.

So to honour the greatest humanitarian, the world has ever seen, on her 105th birth anniversary, …..August 26….I have come up with 10 of her messages.

1. Do good. Love people. Be happy.

2. This is the most heard and most preached line in the world

3. We are same-to-same-but-different

4. Start smiling more often

5. Her quote on peace

6. Love, a warm hug or at least a beautiful smile?

7. The poverty of loneliness

8. You can learn from every person you meet in life

9. Love begins with forgiveness

10. You can influence 10 people. Those 10 can influence 100 more. And so on…

Undoubtedly, she is one of the greatest personalities of our time.

I am sure you will agree that she must have thought long and hard before she said them.

Source….Shuvro Ghoshal….www.storypick.com

Natarajan

‘I get to see my wife only twice or thrice a year’….Meet TapeshwarRam of Kolkata….

August 25, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

In a special series, Rediff.com looks at India through the lives of her people.

Today: Tapeshwar Ram, who has hand-pulled a rickshaw on the streets of Kolkata for 30 years. He works 7 days a week and plans to call it a day soon — and that’s when he plans to take his wife for her first-ever holiday.

IMAGE: Tapeshwar Ram arrived in Kolkata 30 years ago with Rs 8,000. He bought his first rickshaw, a second hand one, for Rs 12,000. Photograph: Abhiroop Dey Sarkar

I landed in this city on a hot summer day with Rs 8,000 and a heart full of dreams.

My uncle’s friend took me to a local dealer of rickshaws and I chose a second hand rickshaw for Rs 12,000.

While I paid Rs 8,000 at once, the rest of the money I paid in installments from my earnings.

After a few years, I bought a new rickshaw for Rs 18,000.

I found it really tough to ply a rickshaw.

It hurt a lot.

After ferrying people on the streets of Kolkata throughout the day, my hands and ribs pained so much that I couldn’t sleep at night.

With time, I got used to the hardship. I could comfortably carry two adults and walk as much as 10 to 15 km a day non-stop.

Now that age is catching up with me, I have been forced to cut down on the speed and number of daily trips.

Earlier, my day started at 5 am and ended at 11 pm. Now, I park my rickshaw by 9 pm.

To cut down on my daily expenses, I take two meals a day.

I set out in the morning after having a jug of sattu sharbat (a drink made of gram powder). It’s easy to digest and keeps me full for long.

I carry with me a packet of muri (puffed rice) and water for occasional breaks in the afternoon.

In the evening, I make three rotis and vegetables for dinner.

I work seven days a week unless I am sick.

IMAGE: He works seven days a week unless he is sick and eats only two meals a day to cut his daily expenses. Photograph Abhiroop Dey Sarkar

On days when I don’t feel like working I take a bus to Howrah station and sit by the Hooghly for hours.

I stay in a garage with five other rickshaw-puller friends in a multi-storied building.

We share a rent of Rs 3,000 a month among ourselves.

Having worked as a rickshaw-puller for so many years, I have developed arthritis and hypertension.

I have seen a doctor who advised against working more than 12 hours a day.

I wish I could listen to him.

I still need to earn a substantial amount of money as I plan to return to my native village in Jharkhand.
I hear that babus in Kolkata and other cities retire at the age of 60. I am 58 now.

Till then, I would have to ply my rickshaw around the streets of Kolkata and build my savings.

With my hard-earned money, I have married two of my daughters and helped two of my elder sons finish their graduation.

I still send a large part of my income to my youngest son who is doing his graduation.

My elder sons have started working in local factories and contribute to the family’s expenses.

My wife takes care of my village home. We have stayed apart for years and get to see each other only twice or thrice a year.

I go home during Holi and in the winter.

For the last few years, I have been going home in the summer because business is lean at that time.

IMAGE: The government plans to replace hand-drawn rickshaws with battery operated ones. Photograph: Abhiroop Dey Sarkar

When I started my journey on the streets of Kolkata in the 1980s, I used to earn Rs 5,000, Rs 6,000 a month. It gradually went up to as much as Rs 12,000 a month especially during the monsoon and festivals.

I also started having some regular contracts with local factories and godowns who hired my rickshaw regularly for 10, 12 days a month.

At present, I earn Rs 8,000, Rs 9,000 a month on an average.

On a busy day, I get as many as 50 passengers whereas when luck is not on my side, the number can come down to 10.

In the summer months when business isn’t good, I take up part time jobs in factories, godowns and at cold storages to make up for the loss.

Earlier, it was easy to get these jobs, but now with factories and workshops closing down, such odd jobs are hard to come by.

But if summer threatens joblessness, monsoon clouds bring much joy.

Hand-pulled rickshaws are in great demand among the residents of central and north Kolkata where water-logging is a regular menace.

From July-August till Durga Puja, business gets brisk and I manage to earn Rs 2,000, Rs 3,000 extra per month this time of the year, thanks to the shopaholics.

There is no limit to the number of people that I ferry during these months.

My customers typically consist of two types — the kind and the unkind.

The former are generous enough to pay a tip of Rs 50 to Rs 100 while the latter prefer to haggle to the last breath.

On one occasion, I was so irritated with a woman (she was bargaining for more than 30 minutes) that I returned the entire fare with a rude parting note, “I don’t take money from beggars.”

But then there are good people as well.

There is a doctor, a regular customer whom I take to the fish market every Sunday — he not only gives me Rs 100 as tip per trip, but also gets free medicines for me and my family back home.

MAGE: Among their regular passengers are elderly women going for their weekly visits to the temple. Photograph: Abhiroop Dey Sarkar

With the West Bengal government keen on replacing hand-pulled rickshaws with battery operated ones (popularly known as e-rickshaws), I hear that factories have stopped manufacturing our kind of rickshaws.

I will never opt for these e-rickshwas.

I hear that each e-rickshaw costs about Rs 100,000. At this age, I don’t want to invest such a huge amount.

Moreover, I have spent more than three decades pulling a rickshaw. Now, it’s time for me to get some rest.

After retirement, I want to take my wife on a vacation to Delhi. She has never gone out of her home and deserves a grand holiday.

I like listening to FM radio.

Therefore, when my fellow rickshaw-pullers get anxious about the government’s plan to phase out hand-pulled rickshaws, I stay unperturbed.

The old has to step aside making room for the new.

Though I do feel hand-pulled rickshaws accentuate the true heritage of old Kolkata, it has been tough for us in recent years with so many cars in this city.

We find it dangerous ferrying people amid heavy traffic.

Though modern people think hand-pulled rickshaws have lost their utility, we are in great demand during emergencies at night.

Ambulances and other vehicles are hardly available at night, especially in my part of the city, and if anyone falls sick, people call us for trips to the nearby hospital.

IMAGE: There was a time Mr Ram could pull a rickshaw for 10, 15 kms non-stop, not any more. He wants to retire and return to his village in Jharkhand. Photograph: Abhiroop Dey Sarkar

Our rickshaws are still in great demand among elderly women in north Kolkata who refuse to choose any other mode of transport for their weekly trips to the mandir (temple).

These women trust us a lot and once the puja gets over, tip as well and share the prasad.

I was listening to the radio news the other day.

I was dismayed to know that India scores pretty low on the global happiness index.

I have not studied much and don’t have a proper understanding of the Constitution.

But I do know that it Is the onus of any government to keep its people happy.

And on that count, India has failed miserably.

The West Bengal government wants to replace hand pulled rickshaws with e-rickshaws that would be more humane for the drivers.

Indrani Roy/Rediff.com met Mr Tapeshwar Ram on a rainy afternoon in kolkata

Source….www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Ahmedabad no Rickshawalo – Personifying “Love All, Serve All”….Meet Uday Bhai…

August 24, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

On a hot Amdavadi afternoon, when the roads were as deserted as they could be, the Sabarmati Ashram was buzzing with visitors. There were school kids, a group of old ladies and some foreigners taking a stroll around the ashram, mainly in the museum – “Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalay”. While I was roaming around, my phone rang – “Hello” – “Hello, I am standing opposite to the Ashram” – “Will be there in 5 minutes”. Just as I reached the ashram exit, I had a look at the opposite end of the road. An atypical Amdavadi auto-driver, with a Gandhi Topi, waved his hand – I wondered how he recognized me, meeting for the first time. –

Ahmedabad No Richshawalo – Udaybhai

Udaybhai, as everyone calls him, came to me and took me and my mother (who was accompanying me, which made me a little nervous as she was witnessing my work for the first time) for a ride till Safaai Vidyalaya (a very low profile unexplored place right next to the Sabarmati Ashram). While we sat in the unique auto, Udaybhai took out two badges having a smiley and pinned one of them to my t-shirt. It was only a moment of time before he started describing his rickshaw. The energy, excitement and brightness in his eyes were very evident as he ran me through the unique features of his rickshaw.

It had facilities that are not even found in cabs. While there were newspapers, magazines and other literature to read, it also had two containers on the left and right hand side of the back saying “love” and “truth” holding snacks and water bottles for the passengers. There was also a dust bin so that the riders do not spill thrash on to the streets. However, the most unique part of the auto is that the meter always reads ZERO.

Udaybhai started “Ahmedabad no Rickshawalo” on 21st October 2010, the auspicious day of Dushhera, with the concept of gift-economy in mind. The idea behind gift-economy is that someone before you has paid for your travel; now you have to pay-it-forward for the subsequent passengers. Udaybhai, after every trip, provides the passenger with a self-written greeting card-cum-envelope in which the passenger will place the amount of his/her choice. The concept is pretty much similar to the Seva Café at CG Road. Inspired by the work of Manav Sadhna – an NGO based in the Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad, dedicated to the upliftment of the underprivileged, especially children, through love – and proximity to Padmashri Ishwarbhai Patel, the seed for the initiative was sown in the brain of Udaybhai.

The card in an envelope that asks the customer to “Pay From Ur Heart” –

Born and brought up in Ahmedabad, with a family of 10 – parents, 3 kids, wife, brother, sister and her son, Udaybhai comes from a very middle class family with a load of responsibilities. It takes a lot of guts to jump into something like this for a person with this kind of a family background. But his conviction on his beliefs, determination to add love to his work and some pleasant experiences when customers hear about his idea, drives him to continue with the concept.

Quoting one of the pleasant and memorable experiences, Udaybhai said: “Once, while I was coming back after dropping one of the passengers, I saw a blind man trying to cross the road. But he wasn’t able to do so due to heavy traffic. So I went to him and asked to hop onto the auto. He denied initially but agreed later. After taking him to the other side of the street, I asked him where he wants to go. He said, “No thanks, I would reach by my own”. He was probably hesitant to say since he thought that I would charge him. He would have never thought that he will meet somebody like this. After insisting a couple of times, he told that he wanted to reach Hirpur to his blind mens’ hostel. Once he sat, he told his entire life story to me and I shared mine to him. While talking about all this, we reached his hostel. His hostel’s warden came out running and worried since it was unusual for the hostel students to come down in a private auto till the hostel gates. However, he was pleasantly surprised once he came to know about the concept and invited me inside for a cup of tea.”

These are the kind of experiences that keep the spirits alive for such noble causes in spite of all the financial hiccups. Of course, there are bitter experiences as well but nothing compared to the pleasant ones. In future, Udaybhai intends to expand this drive and have many more such rickshaws. As what he believes, at the end of the day, it is the absolute peace of mind and not money that will bring him a good night sleep.

Besides running his auto, Udaybhai provides his services to Seva Café – a volunteer run restaurant where someone before you pays for your meal, your bill is zero, and you pay forward for those after you. He is also an active member of other activities of Manav Sadhna.

To know more about the work of Manav Sadhna and the concept of “Radical Generosity” visit http://www.manavsadhna.org and MovedByLove. –

source….Jay Mehta….www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

Watch How a Super Adorable Baby Elephant Was Rescued from a Dry Pit ….

August 24, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

A baby elephant fell in a deep dry well in Andhra Pradesh. It tried its best to come out, but all in vain. Finally, the rescue team came on the spot and helped the elephant escape. Watch the cute footage here.

Baby elephants are super cute. Period. Sadly, one such adorable elephant fell into a dry well in Ramakuppam in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district on Sunday, Aug 23.

The helpless animal struggled a lot to come out of the pit, but it was too deep. Hundreds of onlookers gathered around to have a look. After a point it seemed completely impossible for the little fella to make its way up. Thankfully, people from the forest department finally reached the site and helped it out.

With a huge tractor, they made a path for the animal to climb. After struggling for a bit, it finally started climbing as the relieved onlookers cheered. –

Have a look at the video here:

Source….www.thebetterindia.com and http://www.youtube.com

Natarajan

This is how Kerala celebrates Onam….A Festival Celebrated by All People Irrespective of Caste, Creed and Relegion….

August 24, 2015August 24, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Image: School girls wearing traditional costume share a laugh backstage as they wait to perform during festivities marking the start of the annual harvest festival of “Onam” in the southern Indian city of Chennai
Photographs: Babu/Reuters

You may be surprised to learn that worshipping the Mahabali, making apookalam and having the Onasadhya are just a miniscule part of the elaborate festival. Find out how people from different parts of Kerala celebrate the ten-day festival.

With elaborate feasting and a host of colourful activities and celebrations planned across the state, Onam is undoubtedly the biggest festival of Kerala.

While most Keralites celebrate it as a harvest festival, a famous and popular legend is also that of the erstwhile King Mahabali visiting the people of Kerala on Onam.

When King Mahabali was defeated and sent to paathaal (netherland) by Vamana, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, he’d appealed that he should be allowed to visit his subjects once every year.

It is believed that on Tiruvonam, the tenth day of Onam, Mahabali comes visiting the homes of his praja (people) to find out if they are happy and content.

What makes Onam so unique is the fact that it is the only festival celebrated by people irrespective of caste, creed or religion. That explains why it is considered the national festival of the state.

The ten-day long festival starts on Attam in the Chingam month of the Malayalam calendar.

It continues for the next eight days — Chithram, Chodhi, Vishakam, Anizham, Thriketa, Moolam, Pooradam, Uthradam — and culminates on Thiruvonam, the tenth day.

Some also celebrate Onam on Avittam, the eleventh day.

During Onam, across Kerala, a host of celebrations and activities are organised — some as part of the ritual, some for entertainment.

Since some of the customs and activities are dying a natural death due to ignorance or lack of time, we spoke to some people who were born and brought up in Kerala to tell us how Onam has been celebrated in different provinces over the years.

Image: Young girls pose next to a Pookalam designed by them
Photographs: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com

Pookalam

An important attraction of Onam is the Pookalam— a carpet of multi-coloured flowers arranged in a decorative pattern.

Throughout the ten days of the festival, young girls and boys would wake up early and get ready to make the Pookalam on the courtyard to welcome King Mahabali and other guests who’d visit them.

Each day features a new pattern.

Ramanunni Nair who belongs to Palakkad district of Kerala remembers his childhood days of making the Pookalam and tells us how fun it used to be:

“When we were young, throughout the ten days of Onam, we used to wake up as early as 3 and 4 am. The girls would get ready, broom the courtyard and spread a layer of wet cow dung on the ground. Meanwhile, the boys would collect flowers of different colours and varieties and bring it home to the girls. Some of us would steal from the neighbouring garden just to ensure that we were on top of the game. It was fun climbing fences and trees to get as many flowers as possible.”

Nair tells us that in the olden days, the flowers were arranged on a wet patch of cow dung which ensured that the arrangement remained intact when the dung dried.

Meanwhile, Keralites who live in the cities and cannot afford to make a Pookalam every day make a small arrangement of flowers outside their apartment or their building.

Today Pookalam competitions are organised across the nation and in some countries abroad as well. The participation is huge and the designs are elaborate and innovative.

Image: A symbolic statue of Mahabali is placed on a banana leaf
Photographs: Divya Nair/Rediff.com

Mahabali Varavelpu

As mentioned earlier, Onam also celebrates the welcoming of King Mahabali (Mahabali Varavelpu) who is said to ascend from paathal to Kerala during these ten days to visit his people and enquire about their well being.

Besides the pookalam, every household also erect a small symbolic idol of Mahabali or Maveli outside the house and offer rice and naivedyam to it.

The idol, also known as Maathevar is made of sand or clay and is painted in kaavi (brick colour).

Some of them also paint eyes and moustache on the statue to make it look attractive.

On the last day of Onam, the idol is immersed in the sea or nearby river and pray to Mahabali to visit their families the following year for Onam.

While worshipping the idol and offering prayers, most of them recite this particular poem:

Maveli nadu vaneedum kalam,
manusharellarum onnupole
amodhathode vasikkum kalam
apathangarkkumottillathanum

It says that: When Maveli ruled our land, everyone was treated equally; they were joyful, merry and free from trouble.

Image: Women from Kerala performing the Kaikottikali
Photographs: Syam Subramanian/Wikimedia Commons

Kaikottikali

Kaikottikali or Thiruvadhirakalli is a traditional dance form performed by women on Onam.

It is usually performed in the afternoon after lunch or in the evening after the traditional lamp is lit.

To perform the dance, women wear the traditional cream coloured cotton saree with zari borders and decorate their hair with mogra flowers.

A kutthu villaku (traditional lamp) is lit in the centre of the courtyard and women form a circle around it and perform the dance facing inwards.

They clap and move around the circle singing onam songs praising the harvest and welcome the good times.

Shashikala Pillai, a 42-year teacher from Shoranur, Kerala who now lives in Mumbai shares some fond memories of kaikottikali with us.

“Each Onam, we would eagerly await the Thiruvathirakalli which was performed in our ancestral home after sunset. Everyone in the family would gather and all the women, including my mother used to perform. Women in the neighbourhood would also join in the dance. Those who did not perform, contributed by singing onapaatu (onam songs) and encouraged the others. As children, we’d eat chips and banana while watching them perform,” she says.

Image: Artists perform Pulikali on the streets
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons

Pulikali

Pulikali meaning ‘tiger dance’ is where a group of dancers dressed as tigers would dance to the tune of the drums and entertain the audience.

Neetu Panicker, an MBA graduate who recently shifted to Bangalore after her marriage remembers watching the Pulikali for the first time in Trissur:

“Pulikali is very famous in Trissur. The dancers wear masks of tiger and leopard and paint themselves in animal prints. When I saw them for the first time, I was very scared. One of them almost pounced on me as if he was attacking a prey. I screamed and closed my eyes. But over time, I got used to it. I would stand by the road outside my house with my father and brother and watch them perform stunts on the streets.”

Image: Kummati artists participate in a procession in Thrissur, Kerala
Photographs: Aruna/Wikimedia Commons

Kummattikali

Very few people from Kerala remember the Kummati, complained a 55-year-old Sashidharan Nair when I asked him about Onam celebrations in Malappuram, a village in Kerala.

Delving the details, Nair tells me that during Onam, Kummattis are specially trained artists dressed in plaited grass that cover their bodies; they also wear fancy masks and garlands.

“Kummatis travel in groups and perform the Kummatikali — a form of dance where they hop and jump in a synchronised pattern to entertain children. Some times they are dressed like characters from Hindu mythology and they enact scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata or share lessons in peace and happiness. They visit our homes and perform the dance in the courtyard. In return we’d gift them clothes or fruits,” he explained.

Nair says the festival of Onam celebrates different ways of sharing happiness.

Image: Vallamkali in Ponnani, Malappuram district of Kerala
Photographs: Riyaz Ahmed/Wikimedia Commons

Vallam Kali

Vallam Kali (vallam means boat), or the sname boat races need no introductions.

In Alapuzha, Cochin and Kottayam districts, men old and young form teams to race against each other in canoes.

The leader of the team gives instructions while the rest of them sit inside the canoe and row it as fast as they can.

They also sing songs and shout slogans to cheer each other.

Kunjikrishnan Pillai who used to regularly visit the boat race in Ashtamudi, Kollam shares one of the famous and most popular vallamkali songs with us:

Kuttanadan punchayile
kochupenne kuyilali
kottu venam, Kuzhal vanam
Kurava venam

It means: When the crops are ripe in Kuttanadu village, a young girl’s voice resembles a songbird; let’s bring on the sound of drums and chorus and join the celebrations.

“Most of these songs become war cries and every year, you will see a new set of songs and slogans. The enthusiasm is very addictive; sometimes there are petty fights while cheering for their respective teams, but eventually they get sorted as people get back to the festive spirit.”

Onathallu

Also known as Kayyamkali in some parts of Kerala, Onathallu (thallu meaning fight/push in Malayalam) is a form of martial arts.

Men wearing cream and red bordered dhotis form teams of two and indulge in a form of wrestling using only the hands for attack and defense.

When the kings ruled Kerala, Onathallu was presented before an audience just to prove how mighty and skilled their war soldiers are.

Today, it is treated as a competition of strength for entertainment purposes only.

Image: Onapottan
Photographs: Nidish K Viswanathan/Wikimedia Commons

Onapottan

In certain parts of Kerala is considered auspicious to spot an Onapottan, Onattar or Oneshwaran onThiruvonam.

Some people believe that the Onapottan is a messenger of the Mahabali

The Onapottan (translated as ‘a crazy character’ in Malayalam) is dressed rather outrageously (as you can seen in the picture above) and roams about the streets of the village sharing folklore.

His face is painted in various colours and he wears a tiered colourful kireedam (crown) on his head.

“Onapottan carries a mani (bell) in one hand and an umbrella made of palm leaves just like Mahabali on the other. When we spot him, we bow to him and give him rice, fruits or something to eat, which he collects in a cloth bag he usually carries. If he throws some of the rice back at you, it is considered that you’re blessed with prosperity. If Onattar is happy, we feel that Mahabali has blessed us,” Nair adds.

Image: Kazhcha Kola
Photographs: Vinayaraj/Wikimedia Commons

Kazhcha Kola

Since the festival celebrates a good harvest, some people display a Kazhcha Kola (a bunch of ripe banana) in front of their house.

This, people say makes Mahabali happy and he blesses them in return.

And finally we have Onasadhya, or the traditional onam feast that includes rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables that is served on a banana leaf with its tapering end placed to the left.

You are supposed to sit on the floor with your legs crossed as the elderly women or men of the house serve the items of the sadhya in a particular order of significance starting with salt,papadam, banana, sharkara upperi (a sweet made from yam), banana chips and different types of pickles. The rice and curries are served at the end.

Sometimes a typical Onasadhya comprises as many as 20 different preparations — a sign of luxury, prosperity and happiness — so much so that it features significantly in Malayalam proverbs such as Onnam unnan bhagyam venam (You have to be lucky to enjoy an onam feast) and Kanam vittum onam unnanam (You have to have the onam feast even if it means having to sell your property/riches).

Source….www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Chess Prodigy Aryan Chopra Becomes an IM at 13…….

August 23, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Aryan Chopra, a 13-year-old chess prodigy from Delhi has become India’s second youngest International Master after the Latvian Open where he secured the sixth position. Here are 8 amazing things you should know about him.

Aryan Chopra, a 13-year-old chess prodigy is making headlines by becoming India’s second youngest International Master (IM).

The first youngest International Master from India was Parimarjan Negi who got this title at the age of 13 years and 4 months in July 2006. The IM title can be achieved once a player gets an Elo rating (a rating system to calculate the relative skill levels of players) between 2200 and 2500. Along with the rating, he/she should also fulfil some norms which are basically performance benchmarks observed during the competitions. Usually three norms need to be fulfilled to get the title of IM.

Apart from these rating and other benchmarks, a player can be awarded the title for a few specific performances as well. For example, the runner up at the World Junior Championship will be awarded the IM title.

Aryan Chopra, the 56 seed player stood at the sixth position with 6.5 points in nine games in the ‘A’ section of the Latvian Open. 191 players from 40 countries had participated in the contest. Aryan currently has an Elo rating of 2402 and he is all set to add 28 Elo points to this now.

Here’s more about this young chess player –

. Hailing from Delhi, Aryan is just 13 years and 10 months old and is a student of DPS R. K. Puram. –

Aryan (left) with his father

Photo: chessbase.com

2. Aryan has added about 250 Elo points to his tally through consistent performance in the last 24 months.

3. His spectacular performances include a draw against former Olympiad team gold winner Vladimir Akopian of Armenia in January 2014, and a win over Indian GM Sahaj Grover in June at Golden Sand, Bulgaria.

4. Aryan got his first International Master Norm at the Sants Open at the age of 11 where 650 players from 42 countries had participated.

Photo: Delhichess.com

5. Though very young, Aryan has been planning his career very smartly and has only played classical time control in Fide rating events, largely abroad.

The time control contests have a set time to finish the game. Current rules as per FIDE allow 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move starting from move one. This way, Aryan can play successive tournaments that suit his strength. This option is not easily available in India.

6. Aryan plays two tournaments and then takes a break of three to four months. Since he has mostly played abroad, not many people in India are aware of this young player.

7. His mother works with Doordarshan while his father is a CA and an astrologer.

8. The young genius holds 10th World Rank in the U-14 Active category.

Source….www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…” Shiva must be seen thro the two horns of Nandi…”

August 23, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Sathya Sai Baba

When visiting a temple of Lord Shiva, none should pass between the bull (Nandi) and the Lingam – the Jiva (individual soul) and Lord Shiva, it is said; for they are to merge into one. Shiva must be seen through the two horns of Nandi, they say. When asked the reason for this procedure people reply, “Well, it is holier than other methods of viewing the Lingam”. But the inner meaning is, ‘You must see the Shiva in Jiva’ – Pasu (animal) and Pasupathi (Lord of all beings) are one: Nandi and Iswara become Nandiswara. When in bondage, it is Nandi; when the bound becomes free, it is Iswara – Nandiswara! This Union is entitled to be honoured. When Pasu is offered to the Pasupathi, and its separate identity is cast away, it is true Yajna (sacrifice). Today, these symbolic acts have changed beyond recognition. The practices of today and the principles of yesterday are far apart – the smallest detail of secular life must be inspired by the higher ideal of spiritual fulfillment.

Room for Tea…

August 22, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Parsi mint tea with brun maska

Taj Mahal Tea House in Bandra is a bright and airy space serving 40 varieties of tea

Amid a mix of old residential buildings, small eateries and ice-cream parlours, a grand bungalow painted in royal blue and pristine white has been making heads turn in an arterial street in Bandra. So although it opened on Independence Day weekend, people around already recognise the Taj Mahal Tea House. It appears to have been plucked straight out of Pondicherry’s French colony but the intended theme, we are told, is all things Indian and all things tea.

This becomes more obvious on the inside, which looks like an ornate, life-sized version of the brand’s blue-gold-beige tea box. Floral turquoise tiles have been introduced into the original floor of the bungalow. The walls are painted in rough, textured beige and gold. Cushions, wall art and staff uniforms also follow roughly the same colour theme.Hindustan Unilever sees this as a natural extension of its 49-year-old brand in the experiential space.
It serves some 40 varieties of tea. The Indian part of the tea menu includes references to Goan, Parsi, Rajasthani and Kashmiri traditions. The beverages have a base of Taj Mahal tea and milk infused with different combinations of spices. The pick of the lot is the Parsi mint tea which is not unlike the tea still served at the cafeteria in Colaba’s Cusrow Baug. It teams well with a serving of butter-slathered brun maska and homemade jam. Like most things that are good for your health, the karipatta or curry leaf tea is an acquired taste. The too-milky base does not help it. On the other hand, the recommended food pairing for this – a breadupma made with crunchy croutons – is quite pleasant.

The menu also has white and green teas, oolongs and cold teas. We tried the warm jasmine pearl tea, which is soothing but perhaps best suited for the end of an evening. The pink jasmine lemonade tilts heavily on the sweeter side. The menu mentions the two coffees that are also available, like an afterthought. The all-day food offerings are served starting as early as 7.30 am. While the fluffy omelette with toastedbesan bread – the tea house’s own creation – is a winner, the sandwich with cucumber, rucola and aubergine filling makes no impact. A cup of tea is priced around Rs 150, while a pot could cost up to Rs 200. Prices for food including breakfast and main courses range from Rs 150-650 per serving.

India, and certainly Mumbai, loves its tea. Tea lounges have mushroomed as a posh alternative to the scores of tea stalls on any street side. They are a welcome addition to an arena crowded with identical, unappealing coffee shops. There is famously Tea Centre in Churchgate, Cha Bar or Wagh Bakri tea lounge. More recently, XVII Tea Room in Bandra and Burma Burma in Fort have entered the market in Mumbai.
The experience at the new tea house is planned to feel like a home, not a tough ask in what used to be someone’s home. The bungalow’s thick wooden ceiling, archways and patio have been restored. There is what is called the sun room, a bright-airy section just by the entrance with a couple of chairs and stacks of newspapers and magazines. The main area has conventional dining tables. The other segments provide copious nooks for those who need time and room to themselves. Anyone looking to join one’s friends here on a busy day might have a hard time finding them in this meandering tea house.

A variety of unique seating is spread throughout the 3,500 sq. ft. lounge – including arm chairs, rocking chairs and big one-seater sofas. Such a set-up could find takers in a city starved of living and breathing space. A patio with large tables is ideal for big groups. A standout feature is the music room, where the decor includes Niladri Kumar’s sitar, Zakir Hussain’s tabla, other memorabilia and an area for music performance or poetry readings. Bookshelves are sprinkled across the space. There is a chess board too. Hindustani and Carnatic classical are also the choice of background music in the lounge.
Other walls showcase Brooke Bond ads from the 1960s, one of which features a young Zeenat Aman, painstakingly sourced from eBay and Chor Bazaar. The final section of the lounge is for the retailing of tea leaves, breads, biscuits and muffins. Fans of the beverage may be tickled by the quotes hung in frames and printed on napkins. For instance, Jane Austen’s ‘Indeed I would rather have nothing but tea’ or Chaim Potok’s ‘Come let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things.’

Source….Ranjita Ganesan…www.business-standard.com

Natarajan

He could be working at a dhaba, but is now at IIT!…. Meet BrijeshKumar Saroj…

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015Natarajan1 Comment

In a special series, Rediff.com looks at India through the lives of its people.

Today: Brijesh Kumar Saroj, the son of a poor weaver, who overcame every hardship to make it to IIT-Bombay. When he cleared the IIT entrance exam, villagers threw stones at his home because he is Dalit. This has only hardened his resolve to ‘make it in life.’

IMAGE: Impressed with Brijesh’s achievement, Aamir Khan met him after he arrived in Mumbai. The actor has asked him to get in touch if he needs help. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Brijesh Saroj

I heard about IIT (the Indian Institute of Technology) in Class 8. The boys in Class 10 would talk about IIT all the time.

So I asked a senior, ‘Bhaiyya, yeh IIT kis bala ka naam hai? (What is this thing called IIT?)’

He said after you finish IIT you can earn a salary of Rs 25 lakh per annum.

I thought kya baat hai! Pachhees lakh ka package! Phir to hum zaroor karenge. (Wow! A salary of Rs 25 lakh! I will definitely do it).

And here I am and believe me it’s like a Hollywood film.

There are projectors in the classrooms, everyone speaks in English, people look different, they are so open-minded … And you can take second, third helpings of food and even order for eggs in the canteen. The toilet even has a flush.

When I told my father I had got into IIT, he said, ‘Theek hai. Acchha hai (OK, Good).’ He was happy that I would be able to earn money soon.

Mummy is angutha chhap (illiterate). She said you must be doing something worthwhile if you are going so far away to study. I think she was happy just to watch my brother and me being interviewed on TV. (Brijesh’s brother Raju, 18, secured the 167th rank in the IIT entrance exam and is at IIT-Kharagpur.)

My parents may not understand the significance of getting into an IIT, but they have always been supportive. We are five brothers and one sister, all good students.

In Class 5, our teacher in the village school told my father, ‘Eat just one meal a day, wear one pair of clothes, but educate your children.’ That’s the funda my father held out to.

In my entire extended family, only we children are educated. All my cousins, elders in the family… everyone is illiterate.

Going to a Navodaya Vidyalaya was the turning point of my life. I too would have been a Chhotu, Motu, Pinku, working in a dhaba, but for Navodaya and my maths teacher Sunil Mishra.

I was in Class 5, late for class that day. Mishra Sir was solving a Simple Interest problem on the blackboard. The answer was wrong and I told him so. He said I should go to a better school, a Navodaya Vidyalaya, but warned me there was very little time to prepare for the entrance exam.

Most people in the village demotivated me. They would tell my father, ‘Why are you educating them? Kaam pe lagao (Make them work).’

MAGE: Brijesh and his brother Raju (in a white shirt) with their family in Rehualalganj village in UP. Raju also cleared the IIT entrance exam and is in IIT-Kharagpur. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Brijesh Saroj.

My father works as a weaver in a Surat mill and earns between Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 a month which is not enough for us six children, my parents and my grandparents.

I took up a job in a garage in the village as a helper to a mechanic, ‘get the wrench, get the spanner. Yeh karo woh karo (Do this, do that).’ I learned nothing there, but earned Rs 3,000 in two months.

As Mishra Sir suggested, I filled out the Navodaya form and studied hard. I passed. I studied at the school from Class 6 to 10. It was a residential school and it was my foundation.

I got three meals a day. I learnt judo-karate and basketball and I’m a regional level player. I also ate paneer for the first time.

The Navodaya school had 40 students in a class, while the village school had 100 students in a class, different age groups all studying together. The teachers gave each student undivided attention.

People ask me what is the difference between life now and before IIT. Zameen aasman ka fark hai (the difference is as wide as heaven from earth). We had no electricity because we couldn’t afford it. We had no TV, no fan or running water, or a toilet or a gas cylinder.

In Class 10 during my final exams, the thatched roof of our house fell down. We had to spend a few days in the open. It was only because of the BPL card (Below Poverty Line ration card)]and the milk from our eight goats that we could survive.

When the media found our story, the life that we knew changed. As did the life of the village. Five hundred families in the village who had kachcha houses (made out of mud), got pucca ones (made of brick) with toilets, solar lights and hand pumps.

Tarred roads are being built, there are plans for a hospital and an ITI (Industrial Training Institute), as well as a coaching class for IIT entrance exams.

Yet, the villagers threw stones at our house when the results were announced because we are Dalits. They have threatened to throw acid on our family, they said we won’t allow your children to get jobs in this village. And it’s only because our father tried to push us towards the promise of a better life.

I get upset when people use the word ‘higher’ caste to describe these narrow-minded, uneducated, uncivilised people.

Whatever little I have achieved today is because of my opponents. What they said dil pe lagti thi aur jab dil pe lagti thi toh baat ban jati thi (It hurt me and it pushed me to realise my goals). They always told me you won’t be able to do it because you are Dalit.

If there is one thing I want ended in India, it is the caste system.

IMAGE: The family home. Brijesh had no TV, fan, running water, toilet or a gas cylinder. When the thatched roof collapsed, the family lived in the open for 5 days. Photograph: Kind courtesy Brijesh Saroj.

There is nothing like this in IIT or Mumbai. Two weeks ago, I met Aamir Khan. He called me after a newspaper report about us and told me to meet him when I came to Mumbai. I did, for one-and-a-half hours! Just him and me.

You know, 3 Idiots is my favourite film. He told me I should get in touch with him if I ever needed any help.

Sometimes, when I walk around the IIT campus, I can’t believe I’m here. Socho Bombay aaaya aur woh bhi flight se aaya! (Imagine, I came to Mumbai, and that too I flew in!). It was sponsored, of course.

Nobody knew I hadn’t flown before; I just copied what everyone else did. If there is one thing I don’t lack, it is self confidence.

Arre, we don’t even speak Hindi in my village, we speak Awadhi. Everything is padhbya(padhna, studies), jabya (Jana, to go), khabya (khana, to eat). Here everything is in English. People think in English. I understand the language, but never spoke it. I thought I would be embarrassed, but I am not. It’s not my mother tongue, I’ll learn it. It’s just a matter of time.

But I have to get used to life in a city like Mumbai. In the beginning I was shocked to see so many people. In the village, when we went to graze our goats, there is just vast emptiness everywhere. Marathi is a problem.

Once I went and sat next to a woman in a bus because it was the only vacant seat. Another woman came and told me to get up. It was reserved for women apparently and I did read something that said striyam sathim or something (striyan saathi, For Ladies), but I couldn’t figure it out. But these incidents should happen. How will I learn otherwise?

Another thing about this city is that people hardly walk. In the village we used to hop and skip 5 km to watch Shaktiman (the superhero television series of the nineties), here people take a bus or auto for even 1 km.

And it is expensive, a plate of patties costs Rs 60 to Rs 70; do time ka khaana ho jata hai gaon mein (we can eat two meals for the same amount in the village).

But money is not such a problem now. We used to have two bank accounts — my brother’s had Rs 504 and my mother’s account had Rs 2,000. I don’t know about my father’s account since he lives in Surat.

After we got into IIT, the HRD ministry waived off our tuition fees, mess fees, hostel fees. We got funding of Rs 8 lakh (Rs 800,000) from private donors as well as the state government and politicians.

The government has also given us a plot of land. But that land is now under litigation since my neighbours claim it belongs to them. So we are using some of the funds to fight the case.

IMAGE: From the monetary help received, the brothers have set up a trust fund for deserving children in their village. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Brijesh Saroj.

We have received so much love from strangers; we want to return the favour. From the Rs 8 lakh we received, we set up a trust fund of Rs 2 lakh for 10 deserving children between 12 to 13 years from our village.

We will be funding their education and will shore up the money once we begin earning. The rest of the Rs 6 lakh will be spent on the education of my two brothers and sister.

Before I got into IIT, I used to tell people in my village to educate their children and they would brush me off saying, ‘Bade aayen tips dene (who are you to give advice?).’ I want to be able to achieve such a stature that when you help people they don’t question your motives.

I want to help my village, my family, especially my elder brother Rajesh. My brother always pulled me back into the straight and narrow when I strayed. I had started doing drugs in school and my brother found out and beat me up. Thank god for that. He is doing his MSc in Maths and he started giving tuitions to support the family.

After I finish my IIT, I want to do IAS so that I can be part of the system and change it. I idolise Swami Vivekananda and I have tried to follow what he said, ‘Arise and awake and stop not till the goal is reached.’

IMAGE: Brijesh at the IIT-Bombay campus. ‘Everyone speaks English,’ he says, ‘And you can take second, third helpings of food and even order for eggs. The toilet even has a flush’. Photograph: Reuben NV/Rediff.com

People warned me that I will be swept away by the glamour of Mumbai. But I have always been my own guardian. I went to the Navodaya school when I was just 10. If my friends here tell me to go out socialising with them, I will refuse. I don’t have the money, I can’t go out.

I have budgeted a personal expenditure of Rs 500 per month, otherwise I will be depleting the funds. Who doesn’t like going out? I will, when I can.

It was my birthday on August 10. I turned 19. Nobody wished me because nobody here knows it was my birthday. I called my parents and they blessed me. We have never ever celebrated birthdays because we never had the money. Actually I don’t even know what you are supposed to do…

Sometimes, it is a little lonely here. I find it difficult to connect with my batch mates because of the language barrier, so to keep my spirits up, I wrote these lines…

Jab tootne lage hausla
Toh itna yaad rakhna
Bina mehnat ke haasil
Takhto taj nahin hote
Dhoond lete hain andhere me bhi manzil ko
Jugno kabhi roshni ke mohtaj nahin hote

When you lose hope
Remember this thought O my friend
No scepter or crown ever came to one who did not work hard
There are some who find their destination even in darkness
Just like fireflies that are never scarce of light.

I know I will make it.

Brijesh Kumar Saroj, 19, is the son of a daily wage labourer from Rehualalganj village in Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh. He scored the 410th rank and is now doing Engineering Physics at IIT-Bombay.

He spoke to Swarupa Dutt/Rediff.com after his classes at the IIT campus.

Source….www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Take a look inside India’s brand new Ghost Airport ….Jaisalmer Airport….

August 20, 2015August 21, 2015Natarajan1 Comment

Located in northwestern India, Jaisalmer Airport was completed more than two years ago at a cost of $17 million. At a time when the spanking new facility should be welcoming hundreds of thousands of passengers per year, it sits abandoned. In fact, the airport has yet to operate a single day.

According to Reuters, Jaisalmer is one of more than 200 no-frills airports planned by India’s previous government. They were meant to encourage travel and commerce in far-flung parts of the Indian sub-continent.

However, in many cases, local political greed won out over reason and airports were placed in locations where there simply isn’t enough demand for air travel to warrant a full-scale airport.

In fact, Jaisalmer is one of eight airports the Indian Government has constructed over the past decade at a cost of more than $50 million to have never entered service, Reuters reports.

Why aren’t airports such Jaisalmer in business? According to Reuters, one reason is because airlines can’t open routes to these small under-developed areas. The domestic Indian market is incredibly competitive and for a route to have any chance of profitability, it has to either fly to or from one of the country’s mega cities.

This means that in order for an airline to open a route to Jaisalmer, it has to originate in a major hub such as Delhi or Mumbai. However, airports in these cities are incredibly congested and the precious space there is at these facilities are prioritized for more profitable destinations. As a result, the less populated locales remain perpetually underserved.

Here’s closer look at India’s brand new ghost airport.
It’s a desert town known for its tourism and natural beauty. However, it’s also sparsely populated.