India

Gen Next … or Gen Lost … ?

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One of the biggest treats when we were children was being taken to India Gate on a cool summer evening or a not-too-severe winter one and let loose to play in the lawns.

We invariably got a bright coloured balloon, a Kwality ice cream of our choice and, if we had been particularly good, one of the incredibly innovative local toys priced at Rs 5 at most being sold by hawkers (incidentally, these are great even today) — stuff that was never available in the big shops.

On Diwali, as a special treat, we were often driven around and down from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate to admire, with “oohs” and “aahs”, the illuminated buildings all the way, including the circular Parliament House.

I still remember how these lights were missing the year Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

The Shankarlal Music Festival, Kamani and Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra’s Ramlila were also a part and parcel of growing up for us.

We were regularly “subjected” (back then, it felt like that) to Bhimsen Joshi, Alarmel Valli, Pandit Jasraj and Hariprasad Chaurasia — whether it bored us or not.

Then, whenever we had some aunts, uncles or relatives visiting (which was alarmingly often back then), we’d be bundled off to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort.

I remember feeling quite involved in the lives of the various Mughal kings as guides in Agra held forth in their broken English on tales from their past — some imagined and some real, I suspect.

I even recall wanting to meet Akbar after having gone repeatedly to his stunning Fatehpur Sikri and Salim Chishti’s dargah – something in the way he had built these monuments made me feel he was worth meeting.

Needless to add that Red fort, Old Fort (and boating there), Qutub Minar and so on were all old hat for us — I had seen the sound and light show so many times that I could tell you what was coming next.

The Ramlila’s main high drama bits (when Ram breaks the bow and Parshuram is furious or the fight Jatayu puts up to save Sita from Ravan), dialogues and songs are still firmly etched in my memory.

Well, I happened to be at a lunch recently where I found seven children (in the age group of 9 to 15) and on impulse I asked them something about Barack Obama, the Republic Day and then India Gate.

I was a bit surprised to learn that only two of them could clearly tell me where India Gate is (only one knew why it exists).

A few seemed to recall having driven past it sometime.

Two looked almost totally blank and muttered that they had heard of it, they knew it was in Delhi, yes, but they couldn’t quite be sure who had built it — or why.

They vaguely remembered reading about it in their textbooks.

None had been there for an ice cream at all.

Lodi Garden and Nehru Park sounded “familiar” to a couple of them; one said he was sure his father went jogging to one of these regularly.

Intrigued, I asked about Agra.

All of them perked up and mentioned the Taj Mahal, although only three had seen it.

Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Salim Chishti’s dargah drew a total blank.

None of them had seen the Red Fort or the Old Fort (of course the sound and light show was unheard of), although school day trips had taken five of them to Qutub Minar.

Needless to add that none was exasperatingly familiar — as we used to be — with any of the well-known classical singers and dancers I mentioned and I mentioned quite a few.

I refer to Delhi and Gurgaon but speak to parents in any city and you will realise how little time and effort is going into making children aware of their own country, culture and heritage.

Even the festivals we (I speak of people like us, which, of course, represents a miniscule part of Indian society) celebrate today — Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Halloween — are largely borrowed.

I don’t know what we as parents are thinking of but how are we allowing an entire generation to grow up with no clear sense of identity and no knowledge of their incredibly rich cultural heritage – something we have to be proud in a country where there is a lot not to be proud of?

Can India be reduced only to malls, Bollywood and cricket?

Are we content to allow our children to relate to Eminem, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga but have absolutely no knowledge of any Indian artist barring, say, the Shah Rukh Khans of the world?

Can American sitcoms be the answer?

And have we collectively ever stopped to think: if these children grow up not knowing where they are coming from, how will they ever know where they are going?

SOURCE:::::  Anjuli Bharghava in http://www.rediff.com

Natarajan

This Boy’s Space Idea Takes him to NASA…

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City boy’s space idea takes him to NASA
Sanjay Lakshminarayana
Sanjay will present a paper with a set of plans to explore the outer solar system and beyond

A 20-year-old Bengaluru boy is on his way to Texas to present a paper at the prestigious National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Sanjay Lakshminarayana, a mechanical engineering student, has been selected to present his ideas and attend conventions. These will study important observations made by recent planetary missions and emerging nuclear technologies for space exploration and travel.

The youngster, who has been interested in space since childhood, will present a set of plans to explore the outer solar system and beyond. The ideas will have a significant focus on nuclear systems as enabling technologies.

Sanjay said he would use this opportunity to discuss the knowledge gaps in exploration of extra-terrestrial environments and the most recent discoveries in this area.

The youngster, who also has an interest in car designing, told BM that his background in mechanical engineering provided a base for his interest in space exploration and his consistent research in the area.

Unexpected invite

The meetings on Sanjay’s agenda have been sponsored by NASA and the American Nuclear Society. Speaking on the unexpected invite, Sanjay said, “It was at a meeting in Russia, that a professor from NASA noticed my interest and sent me an invite for this year”.

Commenting on what this opportunity meant for him, he said, “I want to learn a lot about the latest developments and share my ideas with scientists from across the world. I am looking to gain immense knowledge, a sense of direction and meet people who will be able to help me in my research. ”

The meetings are scheduled between February 3 and March 16. These will be held at various locations including the Lunar Planetary Institute in Houston. Sanjay has also been invited to present his paper titled “The Magneto-Confined Fusion Ion Thruster” at the 2015 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2015) conference to be held in Albuquerque.

Sanjay’s schedule

1. 2015 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2015) conference, March 23rd-26th, Albuquerque

2.Workshop on Early Solar System Impact Bombardment III, February 4th-6th, Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston.

SOURCE:::: Apurva Venkat, Bangalore Mirror Bureau  in http://www.bangaloremirror.com
Natarajan

Image of the Day… View From Space…India by Night and By Day …

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Acquired January 12, 2015. Image credit: NASA

Acquired September 14, 1966. Image credit: NASA

The night image of the Indian peninsula was taken from the International Space Station (ISS) on January 15, 2015. It shows with clarity and surprising detail the human geography of cities of different sizes, such as Kochi and Coimbatore, and the highways that connect cities. The almost unpopulated hilly escarpment, known as the southern Ghats, is a dark zone parallel to the coast. A patch of clouds are illuminated by a nearly-full moon.

The daylight photo was taken by the crew of the Gemini 11 spacecraft back in September 1966. You can see coastlines and land surface color, but no details of human geography. This classic view was taken on an early space flight at a similar altitude to that of the ISS. Patterns of bright white cloud cover much of the land surfaces of India and Sri Lanka.

Bottom line: Two astronaut photos, one from 2015 and one from 1966, show the southern peninsula of India by night and by day.

Via NASA Earth Observatory

SOURCE::::: http://www.earthskynews.org

Natarajan

 

” These Women Made us Proud on Republic Day…”

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These Women made us proud on Republic Day

Lt Haobam Bella DeviWomen officers came from different parts of this vast country to give us some of the proudest moments at this Republic Day.

Archana Masih/Rediff.com speaks to Lieutenant Haobam Bella Devi and Captain Divya Ajith, young Army officers who stole the show on Rajpath.

Under a rainy sky, just as the grand celebration of Republic Day began on Rajpath, Lieutenant Haobam Bella Devi, a 24-year-old Indian Army officer from Manipur stood near the saluting dais.

Like most Indians, she had never unfurled the Indian flag before — and here she was entrusted with that responsibility in front of the whole nation on the nation’s grandest day.

Image: Lieutenant Haobam Bella Devi unfurls the flag on Republic Day.

In the run-up to Republic Day, she and another officer had practiced the procedure. When the big moment arrived, the only thing she had ears for was the command from the commanding officer of the President’s Bodyguard.

Just as he finished giving the crisp command, Lieutenant Bella, tugged at the rope to unfurl the flag and gave it a smart salute. The rose petals wrapped within the flag lay around, while in the distance she could hear the roar of the 21-gun salute.

“There is a whole procedure and ceremony as far as the flag is concerned. How it is put up, how it is tied, how it goes up, how it is folded. I learnt everything about it,” says the officer, who was commissioned a year-and-a-half ago and is currently posted in Amritsar.

The only child of retired army officer Colonel H G Singh, the lieutenant grew up in cantonments around the country, staying in Manipur when her father was away on field postings.

“There are not many lady officers from the North-East and girls get motivated when they see me. I tell them the Army is not a profession, but a way of life,” says the lieutenant who arrived in Delhi on January 4 for Republic Day preparations.

“I hope more and more girls join the armed forces. It gives you the opportunity to grow professionally and personally.”

The Army’s marching contingent was invited for tea by the Army Chief, General Dalbir Singh, on Republic Day, while there is a ‘Bada Khana’ — a meal shared by the officers and men — on January 31.

Lt. Bella

Image: Lieutenant Bella, an officer from Manipur, seen here second from left, is a second generation Army officer.

At the tea he hosted, the Army Chief, General Dalbir Singh, not only congratulated his officers, but also gave out commendations.

One of them to receive the honour was Captain Divya Ajith, 25, the officer who led the Indian Army’s contingent of women officers. An instructor at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, she was awarded the sword of honour as the best cadet when she graduated from the academy in 2010.

The others who received the Chief’s commendation were the contingent’s drill instructors.

“The drill instructors were a major part of how well we did,” says Captain Divya. “One important thing is that our motivation comes from them. They are the people who train us, even when we were tired, they ensured that we practiced till the time we were perfect.”

Not new to the Republic Day parade, the captain had previously represented the National Cadet Corps as a school girl at the event. Her mother, a housewife, had watched her at that parade and had hoped that one day her daughter would march down Rajpath as an officer.

When the captain commanded the contingent to a rousing reception from the audience, her mother was there once again. Her dream had finally come true.

Image: Captain Divya Ajith from Chennai received the Army Chief’s commendation for commanding the parade. Photograph: PTI.

The marching contingent comprised officers from Jammu and Kashmir to Tamil Nadu. Training began in Chennai in early December where they would march 7 to 8 kilometers every day.

Early in the mornings, practice was held at the city’s main highway where 12 files could be accommodated and which provided a longer stretch. Later in the day, marching practice took place at the drill square at the OTA.

“Selection as contingent commander was purely on how you fared at drill. The drill instructor, adjutant selected around 10 people, which was later reduced to 3 with reserves,” says Captain Divya, the first person in her family to join the Army.

Since the Republic Day parade, she has been inundated with congratulatory messages. Some of the best messages have come from her teachers at Chennai’s Good Shepherd School. Now that she has a home posting, she hopes to pay them a visit soon.

In the four years that she has been in the Army, the captain has served in Anantnag, J&K, and MHOW before being posted to Chennai six months ago. “Anantnag was a very good exposure for me. It was a field posting. I had counter intelligence duties there,” says the officer whose father is a painting contractor.

“I feel if young girls want to pursue a career in the Army,” she says, “they already have a desire to do something different. They should stick to it and be determined to achieve what they want.”

SOURCE:::: http://www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Feb 1 2015

Jan 30…. ” காலங்கள் தோறும் காந்தி…”

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“கடவுள் என் முன்னே தோன்றி உனக்கொரு வரம் தரப்போகிறேன்! என்ன வேண்டும் கேள் என்றுகேட்டால்! என் வாழ்நாளில் மறைந்த இந்தியாவின் தேசத்தந்தை மகாத்மா காந்தியுடன் ஒருநாள் இரவு உணவருந்த வேண்டும் என்று கேட்பேன்” என்று அமெரிக்க ஜனாதிபதியாக தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட நாளில் பதிலளித்தார் பராக் ஒபாமா.

ஆயுத உற்பத்தியில் முன்னிலை வகிக்கும் வல்லரசு நாட்டின் தலைவர் ஒருவர் மூன்றாவது காலாக கைத்தடியை மட்டுமே வைத்துக் கொண்டு, அங்குமிங்கும் இந்திய மண்ணின் விடுதலைக்காக ஓடிக்கொண்டிருந்த அந்த மனிதரைப் பற்றி இப்படி குறிப்பிடுகிறார் எனில் அந்த அரையாடைத் துறவி நம்மைவிட்டு மறையவில்லை. கடல் கடந்து காலம் கடந்து இனம், மொழி, மதம் என எல்லாவற்றையும் கடந்து இன்றும் உலகின் வழிகாட்டியாக வாழ்ந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறார் என்பதையே இது காட்டுகிறது.

காந்தி வணங்கிய கடவுள்:

உலகில் வேறு எந்த தலைவருக்கும் இல்லாத சிறப்பு காந்திக்கு மட்டும் எப்படி என எண்ணும் போது அவரின் வாழ்க்கை நிகழ்வுகளே அதற்கான பதில்களாக விரிகின்றன. போர்பந்தரில் பிறந்த காந்தி ஆயுத போர்களை நம்பாதவர். 2500 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முந்தைய பழமையான அகிம்சை சத்தியாகிரகம் என்ற தத்துவங்களை நவீன காலத்தில் வெற்றிகரமாக மறு நிர்மாணம் செய்து உலக மக்களைக் கவர்ந்தவர். “சத்தியமே அவரின் மதம். அன்பு அறவழி ஒழுக்கம்; மனசாட்சி இவையே அவர் வணங்கிய கடவுள்கள்”. வழக்கறிஞராக தான் சம்பாதித்த செல்வங்கள் அனைத்தையும் தாய் நாட்டின் விடுதலை வேள்விக்கு காணிக்கையாக வழங்கிய வள்ளல் நம் காந்தி! ஒத்துழையாமை இயக்கப்போராட்டம் வெற்றிகரமாக நடை பெறவேண்டுமென்றும; அதேவேளையில் சாமானிய ஏழைமக்கள் பாதிக்கப்பட கூடாது என்றும் திலகர் நினைவு நிதி வசூலிக்க உண்டியல் குலுக்கிய தன்னலமற்ற மனிதர்! இதன் மூலம் எங்களை எவரும் அசைக்க இயலாது என்று ஆணவத்துடன் எக்காள முழக்கமிட்ட ஆங்கிலேய ஏகாதிபத்தியத்தின் அரியாசனத்தை அசைத்த முதல் மனிதர். இதில் சிலருக்கு மாற்றுக் கருத்தும் உண்டு. ஆனால் முதல் சந்திப்பிலேயே முரண்பட்டு காந்தியக் கொள்கையை நிராகரித்த தேசியநாயகன் நேதாஜி, காந்தியின் போராட்ட வலிமையையும் தாய் நாட்டின் விடுதலைக்காக காந்தியின் பின்னே அணிவகுத்து நின்றமக்கள் சக்தியையும் பார்த்து, ‘தேசத்தந்தை’ என அழைத்தார். இதுவே காந்தியின் போராட்டங்களுக்கான அங்கீகாரம். பாரதியின் வரிகளைத் தொட்டுச் சொல்வதானால் “நரைகூடிக்கிழப்பருவமெய்திய”பின்னரும் “குன்றென நிமிர்ந்து நின்று” உள்ளத்தில் போராட்ட உணர்வோடு 30 கோடி இந்தியர்களை தன்னுள் அடக்கி வைத்திருந்தவர் காந்தி.

காந்தி விரும்பிய பொது வாழ்வு:

உடல் உழைப்பு சிறுமை; மூளை உழைப்பே உயர்வு என்ற மேல்த்தட்டு சிந்தனையை முற்றிலுமாக நிராகரித்த காந்தி தனது சர்வோதயா சமூகத்தில் மூளை உழைப்பாளர்களும் கண்டிப்பாக உடல் உழைப்பை செய்யவேண்டும் என்று வலியுறுத்தினார். உடல் உழைப்பும் மூளை உழைப்பும் சேரும் போதுதான் தனிமனித வளர்ச்சி மற்றும் சமூகவளர்ச்சி சாத்தியம் என்று விளக்கினார். “எல்லோரும் சரிநிகர் சமம்” என்ற உணர்வு அனைவரிடமும் ஏற்படவேண்டும் என்று விரும்பிய காந்தி எளிமையான வாழ்க்கை வாழ வேண்டும் என்று விரும்பினார். ஆனால் ஏழ்மையான வாழ்க்கையை வெறுத்தார். நாமே விரும்பி தேவைகளைக் குறைத்துக் கொள்வதன் மூலம் எளிமையான வாழ்க்கை வாழ்ந்து ஏழ்மையை விரட்டமுடியும் என்று நம்பினார். இன்றுள்ளதுபோல் நகரங்கள் கிராமங்களைச் சுரண்டும் நிலை ஏற்பட கூடாதென்று, தான் கனவுகண்ட பொதுவாழ்வு சமூகத்தை கிராமிய நாகரிகத்தால் கட்டமைக்க விரும்பியவரே நமது காந்தி.

காந்தி விரும்பிய கல்வி:

ஆங்கில அரசு 1835-ல் புகுத்திய கிளார்க்குகளை உருவாக்கும் கல்வி முறைதான் 2015-ம் ஆண்டிலும் சில மாற்றங்களுடன் தொடர்ந்து பின் பற்றப்படுகிறது. ஆங்கில அரசின் மெக்காலே கல்வித் திட்டத்தின் சீர்கேடுகளை காந்தி தெளிவாகவேஅறிந்திருந்தார். அது நமது கலாச்சார பண்பாட்டு வேர்களிலும் ஆழமாக வேரூன்றி நம் முன்னோர்களின் அடையாளங்களை மறைத்து விடும் என்று உணர்ந்தார். ஆங்கிலக் கல்வி முறை நேரடியான சமுதாய சூழ்நிலைகளிலிருந்தும் உடல் உழைப்பிலிருந்தும் நமது குழந்தைகளைப் பிரித்துவிடுகின்றது என்றும் இதனால் மாணவர்கள் உள்ளத்தில் சமுதாய உணர்வு வளராமல் போகும் என்று தீர்க்கதரிசனமாகக் கூறினார். “உண்மையான கல்வி என்பது தனிமனிதனின் மனதில் பண்பு, ஞானம், பொறுமை, உண்மை ஆகியவற்றை விதைப்பதில் அடங்கியிருக்கிறதே தவிர இலக்கிய பயிற்சியில் இல்லை” என்று சிறந்தகல்விக்கு இலக்கணம் கூறியவர் காந்தி.

“அகிம்சையை நேசித்து ஆணவத்தை எதிர்த்து சத்தியம் என்ற உண்மையைக் கடைப்பிடித்து சரித்திரமாய் ஒருவர் இந்த மண்ணில் வாழ்ந்து மடிந்துள்ளார்” என்பதையே இன்றைய பெரும்பாலான இளைய தலை முறை நம்ப மறுக்கிறது. “காந்தியவாதம்”அவர்களுக்கு இன்று கசப்பு மருந்தாகிப் போனது. இனிப்பை மட்டுமே சுவைக்க விரும்பி பழகிவிட்ட இன்றைய இளைய தலைமுறைக்கு”காந்திய சித்தாந்தம்”என்ற மருந்து கசந்தாலும் அதை நிச்சயம் அருந்த வேண்டியகாலம் வரும். அப்பொழுது இந்தப் புனித மண்ணில் எண்ணற்ற காந்திகள் தோன்றுவர்.

SOURCE:::: முனைவர் .சி.செல்லப்பாண்டியன், in http://www.dinamalar.com

Natarajan

Jan 30 2015

 

” How One Man Turned A Village into an Alchohol and Tobacco Free Zone … ” ?

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Meet the man who has literally transformed the fate of a village by making it alcohol and tobacco free, by providing better employment and education and even increasing the marriage age of girls. What’s more, you’ll be truly surprised to know how Nagabhushana managed to do it all.

Tucked in the folds of Krishnagiri forests in Tamil Nadu and forgotten at the state’s borders with Karnataka, lies this tribal village – Noorundumalai. Even in its relative anonymity, Noorundumalai has some claim to distinction.

This village is alcohol and tobacco free since 2002. There are literally no shops here that sell cigarettes or liquor. In fact, the local cigarette shop owner, Sivanna, quit smoking and shut shop fourteen years ago!

Nagabhushna's intervention has enabled villagers to opt for better livelihood options.

He says there were no takers for cigarettes in his village and he couldn’t quite resist good from happening.

Two decades ago, 23 year old Nagabushana, born into a tribal family in Noorundumalai, came back to the village after completing his masters in social work. He came back with a mind that was churned hard by his traveling experiences across the length and breadth of India.

He got to witness the human struggles in some of the most backward of villages of India. Once when he was travelling through Odisha, he saw how the men of a village went out to collect dungs of animals that their women could wash and strain, and look for rice particles in them that the families could eat. He didn’t need a bigger thrust than this distressing scene to commit himself to a life of service. And he came back, to begin it all at his own village.

There were a million things that Nagabushana wanted to change in Noorundumalai. One big problem that grappled the village was alcoholism. Men of all ages were under its spell. It was not just spoiling their health but also ridding the families of a chance to rise above poverty.

Nagabushana wanted to bell this big unruly cat as the first step towards bringing change in his village. When he told his friends about his idea, they dismissed him and told him he was insane to have even thought of this. It was sensitive and even dangerous to attempt a fight against alcoholism in Tamil Nadu.

And Nagabushana was all of 23, barely employed with a salary of just Rs. 1600. It would be perilous for Nagabushana, thought his friends. But when he told his mother about his intent, she stood by his decision; the only person who encouraged him and showed courage to begin this work for change.

Nagabushana started addressing the problem with subtlety. He took up the topic of quitting alcohol in informal talks with the villagers and advised them on alcohol restraint as a solution to their health problems.

He started teaching children for free in the local school, for whom be soon became a hero. His involvement in various social and development issues of the villages brought him admiration and acceptance in the village.

He started by teaching in schools and later on expanded his activities to a larger group.

Slowly and steadily, he strengthened his campaign towards ending the menace of inebriation. In a few years, he had the youth of the village stand alongside him by starting an association of Tobacco and Alcohol Free Rural Youth. This group took along teetotallers and encouraged others to look beyond alcohol and tobacco. Fascinatingly, these youngsters worked like a peer pressure group among the villagers who made it ‘cool’ to be free of alcohol.

While Nagabushana was preparing Noorundumalai for total alcohol prohibition, there were factions who were losing out on their business of locally brewed liquor. They spewed death threats on Nagabushana and tried to hinder his efforts in many ways. But he stood unbridled by these deterrents and steered the village to being declared alcohol and tobacco free in 2002.

For this extraordinary feat, Nagabushana gained support not just from the villages, but from the local authorities and the government as well. The district collector of Krishnagiri, Santhosh Babu, generously supported the anti-liquor campaign and the development of the village by offering funds towards its school, roads and other infrastructure.

Soon the village was abuzz with a different spirit – of employment and development.

Namanam provides rehabilitation to alcohol addicts.

Now there was a bigger challenge – how do you sustain the change? You could get carried away by achieving a milestone, but it wouldn’t take long for the vices to make a comeback. The energy had to be kept alive. Nagabushana then decided to start a de-addiction and rehabilitation center, at Urigam, 6 kms away from Noorundumalai. The center was named Namanam, and it supported villagers in and around Noorundumalai. Namanam gradually became the epicentre of transformation for these villages.

To sustain itself, Namanam made a foray into business and produced commercial products using locally available resources like tamarind, aloe-vera and many other herbal products. The individuals who sought rehab were given jobs at the factory. They soon had an engaging time that would make their rehab route fast and fulfilling.

In the last ten years, over 1,000 youngsters have found a new direction for their lives through Namanam.

Self-development, employment, healthcare – all these found a place in this beautiful campus that stands alongside the gurgling Kaveri. Several college students from Bangalore visit and camp at Namanam for a transformational experience. Nagabushan makes sure that the children who visit Namanam take an oath that they will never fall prey to alcohol or smoking.

From fighting alcoholism to employment to health to women empowerment, one by one, Nagabushan is moving the mountains of Noorundumalai. Noorundumalai now has a respectable school, a changed face from its dilapidated condition. The girls of the village, who used to be married off at the age of 12, are now standing up for themselves and their education. Over the years the marriage age has come up to 17 but there is still a long way to go. Nagabushana is working hard for a change in this scene. He has now set up a factory at Noorundumalai to produce sanitary napkins for the women of the village, who are the ones employed at the factory, making the 100% cotton napkins and leading a feminine hygiene revolution among themselves.

Now, for a little surprise element – Nagabushan managed to bring about all these changes in the villages through twenty years of hard work while he held a full time job in Bangalore!

Now Noorundumalai village has seen a lot of positive changes.

He always held a job so that he could invest in Namanam’s initiatives. Many times he found himself unable to pay the school fees of his children, but neither Nagabushana nor his family ever wanted to give up the cause they stood for. He currently works as the Deputy General Manager of HR at Robert Bosch, Bangalore – definitely not an easy corporate job.

After a fully engrossing work week, he cranks his car on Saturday mornings to travel the 100 kilometer distance to Namanam. The village awaits his arrival with his family. Updates, new initiatives, new plans – all get discussed and worked upon during the weekend. While he drives back to Bangalore, the show goes on at Namanam with his mother, brother and several youngsters managing it all.

– See more at: http://www.thebetterindia.com/18554/one-man-turned-village-alcohol-tobacco-free-zone/#sthash.P19Dvrig.dpuf

SOURCE:::: http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

Jan 28 2015

The Village That got its First Fridge …

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A fridge pulled by a bicycle

Three-quarters of the world’s homes have a fridge – an appliance that can revolutionise a family’s life. A tailor in one Indian village has just become the first person in his community to own one – something he has dreamed of for 10 years.

Santosh Chowdhury is pacing up and down speaking into his mobile phone.

“How much longer? It’s left past the auto-rickshaw stand, yes that’s right,” he shouts, and then continues his nervous pacing.

It’s a big day for him and indeed for the village of Rameshwarpur, just outside Calcutta in north-east India.

Santosh has bought a new fridge – not just his first but also the first in the entire community of 200 people. “Owning a fridge is quite rare in a village like ours,” he says.

The world is getting wealthier – but with the gap between rich and poor feeling bigger than ever, the BBC is investigating the winners and losers of this richer world in 2015.

The lack of fridges in Rameshwarpur reflects the situation across the whole of India. Only one in four of the country’s homes has one. That compares to an average of 99% of households in developed countries.

But change can be rapid when linked to an emerging middle class. In 2004, 24% of households in China owned a fridge. Ten years later this had shot up to 88%.

“Ours is the first generation to own a fridge in my family,” says Santosh. “No one in my father’s and grandfather’s time had ever seen one.”

Rameshwarpur has a distinctly rural feel. People bathe in a pond in the middle of the village, children fly kites in the dusty lanes. The homes are little more than simple huts, made of mud and brick. But the village has electricity and many houses have televisions.

Santosh at his sewing machine

Santosh works as a tailor. He lives in a modest, two-room hut which doubles as his home and workplace. “I don’t have a regular job as such,” he says. “Sometimes I also work part-time in a factory. I make about three to four dollars a day.”

Life is quite hard, especially for his wife Sushoma.

She cooks lunch, stirring a pot of rice on a wood fire outside their hut. It’s something she does every day because they have no way of storing leftovers. So Santosh has to go the market early each morning to shop for groceries.

He’s always wanted to make life easier for his wife and has been dreaming of buying a fridge for 10 years. “Owning one will be so convenient,” he says. “You don’t have to buy vegetables every day, you can store food – especially in the summer.”

So he’s been saving hard, putting away a bit of money every month for a purchase that costs more than a month’s salary. “I don’t make that much money, that’s why it’s taken me so long. But now I have enough,” he says, smiling.

At one of Calcutta’s high street stores, about 15km from his home, Santosh had several models to choose from. Peering inside, he ran his fingers along the side of a bright red model.

“It was quite confusing. It was my first time you know. I couldn’t figure out which one to get,” he says shyly. “My wife wanted a red one. I wanted one that will consume the least power. We need to keep our bills down.”

Finally, the deal was struck. Santosh got a discount because it was the final week of the winter sales. The price was 11,000 rupees (£120) – but more importantly, he was able to pay in instalments, having paid just under half the money up front.

“No one pays cash any more like they used to,” says store manager Pintoo Mazumdar. “Everyone can get a loan from the bank or the store – all you need is a bank statement and ID. That’s why so many lower income people can afford to buy a fridge these days.”

Santosh’s fridge finally arrives on the back of a cycle rickshaw. He walks along next to it with a broad smile. Many of the villagers come out on to the lane as well, craning their necks to get a better look.

“Careful, careful,” he cries out as a couple of them help carry the fridge into his house.

Then it’s time for a religious ceremony.

His wife applies a dab of vermillion to the fridge, to keep away evil spirits, and then blows on a conch shell to seek divine blessings and welcome the fridge into their home. The fridge has pride of place – next to Santosh’s sewing machine and their tiny television set.

 

Sushoma blowing into a conch

They simply cannot stop smiling.

“We’ve dreamt of this moment for so long,” says his wife Sushoma. “Some of our neighbours have already asked us if they, too, can store some food in our fridge. “And I can’t wait to drink cold water in the summer.”

As Santosh shows off his fridge everyone crowds around, excited. “Imagine, they won’t have to shop for fresh vegetables everyday,” says one woman. “I’m thinking of getting one too,” another man says.

It’s a special moment for the Chowdhurys. This acquisition could potentially transform their lives. “I can focus on finding more work and not worry about buying food for the family,” Santosh says. “My wife will get more free time and perhaps she can give me a hand as well.”

With those words, he opens his fridge and places the first contents inside – tomatoes, an aubergine, eggs and some milk.

SOURCE::::  By Sanjoy MajumderBBC News, Orissa  in http://www.bbc.com

Natarajan

Jan 28 2015

 

Facts about R.K.Laxman …. Probably You May or May Not Know ….

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He was the brother of the late, R. K. Narayan, the creator of Malgudi days

1

 

He was rejected by J J College of Arts in Mumbai and was later invited there as a chief guest

2

 

 

 The boy in the Asian Paints logo – Gattu – was created by him

Gattu

 

 

Illustrations that appear in the TV adaptation of RK Narayan’s Malgudi Days were drawn by R. K. Laxman

Malgudi-days

 

 

 R. K. Laxman became the first cartoonist to exhibit in London

8

 

 

 He had a special attachment towards crow and drawing crow

crow

 

“But I have been watching the crows since childhood. I loved the colour on its face. It can count up to seven – number seven it can count. They have made an observation. They are very clever birds.” – R. K. Laxman

 

A bronze statue of the “common man” has been put up at Symbiosis Institute, Pune

Common-Man

A chair at Symbiosis International University has been named after R. K Laxman

 

 The common man lives on

View image on Twitter
The common man lives on through him, and he made millions of us believe that even the simplest of things, most common men can make all the difference in the world.

source::::: Surbhii Sinha   in  www.storypick.com

Natarajan

Jan 28 2015

” Not Just For Laughs … “

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  • A statue of 'The Common Man' at Worli Sea Face, Mumbai
    The Hindu

    A statue of ‘The Common Man’ at Worli Sea Face, Mumbai

  • R. K. Laxman

    R. K. Laxman

Remembering R. K. Laxman, the compulsive doodler, who built a rapport with the common man through his works

R. K. Laxman, whose uncannily pertinent picture-statements brought a bit of cheer to our troubled lives, has left behind volumes of compressed complaints that will continue to speak for the common man.

For decades, R. K. Laxman kicked off a daily morning conversation with and among his readers through his delectable cartoons on the news of the day. Each was no more than a simple drawing telling a familiar story, but came infused with RKL’s wonderfully sad irony.

He gave the ever-suffering poor and the middle-classes — whose angst he understood very well — a representative, a witness, in the form of a caricatured “common-man”, whose presence made the accusations genuine and incontestable. “We know what is happening,” he said on our collective behalf. An exhibition, last year, of his 97 unpublished doodles at the Forum Art Gallery, Adyar, gave a glimpse of RKL’s genius at work.

Finding a compulsive doodler in him, his brother R. K. Srinivasan had handed him a large scrapbook when RKL visited him in Delhi in 1975. RKL doodled — on whatever they happened to be talking about. This went on till 1991. Restored with great care by techie G. S. Krishnan, they showed how these “spontaneous outpourings” — pictures and accompanying words — sparkled with Laxman’s calming wit. I saw in them his spot-on punch, his play on words (one had a large foot on an egg for ‘stand on one’s own egg’, another the phrase ‘female dear’), his sharp reading of news, his tongue-in-cheek scuttlebutt on politicos.

These were critiques without malice, carrying a child-like quality. “Not to be taken seriously” he said in one of them. A wacky set of inventions (a cyanide-infested banana and a knife) offered us help to get rid of “unwanted-but-important” people, a mechanical umbrella lifted a hapless office-goer above traffic jams. And there was the “nice, good, non-violent, pleasant-to-look-at crow” he loved to draw.

RKL was prolific and fortunately for us, had a long innings.

Among his gems, however, the ones on political figures carried the most telling lines and remain ageless in their relevance and topicality. You could fit them easily in the day’s context. Cartoons or doodles, RKL’s quizzical look invited you to laugh with him and share the funny angle he discovered in the human situation. His works form an enchanting potpourri, one that makes you look up and wonder: “OMG, how did he know what I was thinking?”

Keywords: R. K. Laxman, cartoonist death, Common Man, R. K. Laxman tribute

SOURCE::::: Geeta Padmanabhan in http://www.thehindu.com

Natarajan

Jan 28 2015

This Photo was Liked by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg… !!!

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi created quite a buzz on Sunday when he greeted US President Barack Obama at the airport.

PM Modi’s warm welcome was captured in photo and then put up on his official Facebook page. Within minutes of its upload, the image got a lot of love from other users and one of the likes was from none other than the founder of Facebook – Mark Zuckerberg.

Around 11 am, the photograph had received 11.38 lakh and 29,497 comments.

SOURCE:::: http://www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Jan 26 2015