learnings

” சென்னை சாலைகள் ….பெயர் காரணம் ….ஒரு அலசல் …”

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சென்னையில் இருக்கும், முக்கிய சாலைகள் பலவற்றின், பெயர் காரணம் குறித்து, திண்ணைப் பெரிசு ஒருவர், சொன்ன விவரம்:


சார்லஸ் பின்னி என்பவர், 1769ல், இந்தியாவில், வாணிபம் செய்ய வந்தார். இவர் பெயரில், பின்னி தெரு உள்ளது. இது, அண்ணா சாலையையும், கமாண்டர்- இன் -சீப் பாலத்தையும், இணைக்கும் சிறிய தெரு. இங்கு, பின்னி வாழ்ந்த மாளிகைதான், இப்போது கன்னிமாரா ஓட்டலாக உள்ளது.
கிழக்கிந்திய கம்பெனி காலத்தில், ஐரோப்பிய குடியேறிகளின், பொழுதுபோக்கு மன்றமாக இருந்த இடம் பாந்தியன் எனப்பட்டது. (அதுவே இன்றைய மியூசியம் தியேட்டர்) இதை நினைவுபடுத்தும் வகையில், இங்குள்ள சாலைக்கு, ‘பாந்தியன் சாலை’ எனப் பெயரிடப்பட்டது.
ரிச்சர்ட் எல்டாம்ஸ் என்பவர், பிரபல ஆங்கிலேய வர்த்தகர். இவர், சென்னை மேயராக இருந்து, 1820ல், இறந்தார். இவர் பெயரில் தான், எல்டாம்ஸ் சாலை உள்ளது.
ஜேம்ஸ் டெய்லர் என்பவர், 1795ல், சென்னையில், நிர்வாக அதிகாரியாக இருந்ததால், கீழ்பாக்கத்தில், இவர் பெயரில், டெய்லர்ஸ் சாலை உள்ளது.
சிங்கண்ணை செட்டி என்பவர், செயின்ட் ஜார்ஜ் கோட்டைக்குள், அடகுக்கடை வைத்திருந்தார். இவர் பெயரில், சென்னையில் மூன்று தெருக்களும், சிந்தாதிரிப் பேட்டையில் இரண்டு சந்துகளும் உள்ளன.
ஆளுநரின் பாதுகாவலர் இருந்த வீதிக்கு, பாடிகார்ட்ஸ் சாலை என்று பெயர். அக்காலத்தில், கப்பல்படை வீரர்களுக்குப் பயன்பட்ட இடத்திற்கு, ஓல்டுநேவல் மருத்துவமனை சாலை என்று பெயரிட்டு, பெரியமேட்டில், ஒரு வீதி உள்ளது.
‘தி மெட்ராஸ் ஆர்மி’ என்ற பெயரில், சென்னைக்கு பிரத்யேகமாக, ஒரு தனிப்படை ராணுவம் இருந்தது. இதன் தளபதி இருந்த இடம்தான், ‘கமாண்டர் – இன்- சீப் சாலை’ என, அழைக்கப்படுகிறது.
வெள்ளையர் அரசால், நடத்தப்பட்ட கல்லூரி இருந்த இடம், கல்லூரி சாலை என்ற பெயரில் உள்ளது.
வேப்பேரியில், டவுட்டன் பிராட்டஸ்டண்டு கல்லூரி இருந்த இடம், சுருக்கமாக, டவுட்டன் என்று அழைக்கப்பட்டது. இன்றும், அதுவே பெயர்.
இந்தியர்கள் வாழும் பகுதி கறுப்பர் தெரு, (பிளாக்கர்ஸ் ஸ்ட்ரீட் ) என அழைக்கப்பட்டு, இன்றும் அதே பெயரில் உள்ளது. கெயிட்டி தியேட்டர் இருக்கும் சாலை இது.
பஞ்சாமிர்தம் (1925) இதழ் ஆசிரியர், அ.மாதையா எழுதிய கட்டுரையிலிருந்து…
சென்னையில், குஜிலியின் முக்கில், ஒரு வீதிக்கு, ‘ஈவினிங் பஜார்’ என்றும், அடுத்த வீதிக்கு, ‘தீவிங் பஜார்’ என்றும் பெயர் இருந்தது. இதை, நான் முதலில் கவனித்த போது, உண்மை எவ்வாறிருப்பினும், ராஜதானி நகரத்தில், ஒரு வீதிக்கு, ‘தீவிங் பஜார் சாலை’ அதாவது, ‘திருட்டுக் கடை தெரு’ என்றிருப்பது நகரவாசிகளுக்கும் போலீசாருக்கும் கவுரவம் தருவதன்று என்று நினைத்து, அப்போது முனிசிபல் கமிஷனராயிருந்த என் நண்பர், மலோனி துரைக்கு அதைப்பற்றி எழுத, அவர், ‘தீவிங் பஜார்’ என்ற பெயரை, ‘குஜிலி பஜார்’ என்று மாற்றினார்.

‘அமரர் கல்கியின் ஹாஸ்யம்’ நூலிலிருந்து: வைணவ மதம், ரொம்ப ருசியான மதம் என்பது பிரசித்தம். கண்ணனை வெண்ணெய் திருடும் கடவுளாகச் செய்தவர்கள், ரொம்பவும் சுவை அறிந்த மனிதர்களாகத் தானே இருக்க வேண்டும். இன்னும், வைணவ மதத்தின் ருசியை, ஸ்ரீரங்கம் மற்றும் காஞ்சிபுரம் கோவில் பிரசாதங்கள் எவ்வளவு தெளிவாக நிரூபிக்கின்றன!
தன்னை விட, 153 மடங்கு உயரமான ஈபிள் டவரை கட்டி, சாதனை படைத்திருக்கிறான் மனிதன். ஆனால், கரையான் புற்றை, கரையான், தன்னை விட, 1,000 மடங்கு உயரமாக கட்டுகிறது. ஆனால், அதை சாதனையாக அவை வெளியே சொல்வதில்லை.
— குப்பண்ணா சொன்னது.

Source….www.dinamalar.com

Natarajan

Will the Mist Lift in Kodaikanal….?

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“If the company accepts its mistake and compensates us, it would serve as justice.” Helen Margaret with her mentally-disabled son Nitesh Kumar. Photo: Sruthisagar Yamunan

The focus on mercury poisoning following a popular rap song raises hopes for victims in Kodaikanal

The serene view of the Kodaikanal hills from the ‘Coaker’s Walk’ hides a tale of melancholy and everyday struggle. As she flitted from one pushcart to another attending to a rare tourist in this off-season, Helen Margaret, now 39, recalled in a tremulous voice her days as a worker at the defunct thermometer factory of Hindustan Unilever on St. Mary’s road. “In the three years from 1996 when I worked there, I did not know the hazards of mercury. We used to play with the silvery liquid, often throwing it at each other,” she recollects, making the “bhoni” (first sale of the day) of her small fruit cart.

Playing with mercury, recognised as one among top ten chemicals of major public health concern, came with a price, she says. Her second son Nitesh Kumar was born with mental disability in 2000.

Subsequently, her husband, a chronic diabetic, died. Today, Ms. Margaret takes care of three school-going sons from a meagre income of Rs 150 a day. “I cannot leave Nitesh alone for a minute. He studies at the Church-run school for the disabled nearby. I make multiple visits to check on him. My life is a struggle that I cannot explain,” she rues, outraged by a recent comment by Unilever CEO Paul Polman that he wants only facts and not “false emotions” on Kodaikanal.

The ‘Kodaikanal Won’t’ rap video released this month has brought focus to the plight of these former workers, and the pristine environment of this Western Ghat hill station.

According to the World Health Organisation, foetuses are most susceptible to developmental effects due to mercury. “It can adversely affect a baby’s growing brain and nervous system. The primary health effect of methylmercury is impaired neurological development.” Industrial processing is listed as one of the two important ways of exposure to mercury. And former workers say they were exposed to a lot of mercury.

“I never wore a glove when I handled the thermometer. I had severe skin rashes, which were treated as allergies. It was only after the factory was shut in 2001 that we came to know of the dangers of mercury. We were never told about it when we worked,” says P. Sangeetha, who claims to have worked at the site in 1996 when she was just 14 years old.

The company maintained women were never allowed to work in mercury area.

Her father, Govindhan, was contractually employed as a security staffer which involved several inspection rounds around the site. In 2000, Govindhan died following an alarming drop in haemoglobin levels.

An HUL-driven study published in 2006 in the Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, based on the examination of 255 employees and contract workers in 2001, found many showing symptoms of various possible disorders that activists state were the result of exposure to mercury vapour. However, supported by clean chits from three institutions of repute–the All India Institute of Medical Sciences , National Institute of Occupational Health and Industrial Toxicology Research Centre–the company has maintained that mercury in its factory had nothing to do with the health issues of the workers. Nor has it had any effect on the environment.

S.A. Mahindran of the 550–strong Ex-Mercury Employees Welfare Association, which has approached the Madras High Court for compensation to workers, states that the three reports cited by HUL were given by experts without meeting any of the workers. “On the contrary, a Ministry of Labour constituted committee concluded that there was prima facie evidence that not only ex-workers, but also their children have suffered on account of mercury exposure. This committee met the workers in October 2011 and was a first-hand study.”

In many cases, the company has replied that it does not possess records of annual medical check-ups of workers.

Many though claim to have continuing symptoms while over 40 former workers have allegedly died due to mercury-related issues, the association says. K.M. Gias Mohammed Gori was one of the first to join the thermometer plant when it opened in 1984. “At that time, Kodaikanal had no industries. People were begging for employment. When the plant opened, we all rushed to join and saw it as a blessing,” he recalls. But within a year or two, Mr. Gori began experiencing loss of teeth, which the committee in 2011 noted as one ill-effect of mercury exposure. “Soon, I experienced severe fatigue and backache and left the job. I live in poverty in this 10 ft x10 ft thatched hut. Let Mr. Polman come and see if my emotion is fake,” he says.

The long-drawn legal battle has also tired out the workers. The Madras High Court has not heard the matter since 2013 even as workers complain of great financial burden from medical expenses.

On the environment front, the battle has been raging on the standards to which the mercury contaminated soil needs to be cleaned up. Citing media reports, Member of Parliament and Pattali Makkal Katchi leader, Anbumani Ramadoss, one of the first to react, stated that the company was proposing a remediation norm that was 25 times laxer than those prevalent in the United Kingdom, where Unilever has its headquarters.

“They are providing techno-commercial reasons as justification of the lax standard. In the UK, the permissible mercury level is 1mg/kg whereas the company wants a standard of 20-25mg/kg of soil here. By its own estimation, it let out 1.2 tonnes of mercury into the Pambar Shola forests. This is environmental colonialism,” says environment activist Nityanand Jayaraman, who has worked on the issue since 2001 when the company was shut by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) after evidence emerged that mercury-contaminated glass was sold to scrap dealers a few kilometers away from the factory site.

With the rap song, viewed over two million times on YouTube, building up pressure, HUL has now submitted the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for remediation in Kodaikanal to the TNPCB. However, questions from The Hindu on what the cleaning standard the DPR proposed went unanswered. An HUL spokesperson said via email that preparatory work for the process will begin immediately. In 2003, an expert decontamination team from the U.S. removed tonnes of partially treated mercury sludge from the site. The workers have accused TNPCB of collusion.

With upcoming Assembly elections, the Kodaikanal Municipality, blamed for being silent all along, has got into the act, with its chairman M. Sridhar committing to pass a resolution against the company with a demand for compensation for environmental degradation during a public consultation meeting on August 12.

Activists note that water flowing through contaminated soil finally reaches the Vaigai dam, which irrigates thousands of hectares in South Tamil Nadu. “We have also decided to campaign for the boycott of Unilever products and to boycott elections if no solution is found,” says Mr. Mahindran.

But these technicalities have very little relevance for Ms. Margaret. “If the company accepts its mistake and compensates us, it would serve as justice and would reduce the burden on our lives,” she says, as she helps her son Nitesh back into the classroom.

Timeline:

2001 TNPCB shuts down the HUL thermometer factory after sale of mercury contaminated glass to scrap dealers is detected. Health study of workers done
2003 Large amount of mercury scrap sent back to the U.S.
2006 Ex-employees move Madras High Court against Unilever. Health effects such as miscarriages, kidney and nervous system damages, mental disability in children etc. stated
2011 Committee constituted by Ministry of Labour concludes there was prima facie evidence of mercury-related ailments in workers
2015 Unilever CEO Paul Polman says he is determined to solve the issue after international focus following rap song

Source…..

Natarajan

The Secrecy of the Film ” Psycho”….

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hitchcock

When it was released in 1960, Psycho was one of the most controversial films of the day, thanks in part to the surprising (for the time) depictions of violence and sexuality it contained. In an effort to keep spoilers to a minimum and thus ensure audiences were as surprised as possible by the film’s more shocking twists and scenes, Hitchcock went to some rather extreme lengths to keep the film’s basic plot a secret.

For starters, one of the first things Hitchcock did after reading the original 1959 novel the film was based on-Psycho, by Robert Bloch- and deciding that he just had to adapt it to film, was charge his assistant with purchasing as many copies of the book as possible to keep it out of public hands. Exactly how many copies Hitchcock managed to get his hands on isn’t known, but it is generally thought that he came reasonably close to purchasing every copy on the shelves at the time. This must have been nice for Bloch, at least financially, who not only got a little over $9,000  (about $71,000 today) for the movie rights to the novel, but a nice payout for all the extra copies Hitchcock purchased.

Although Hitchcock was positively enamoured by the novel’s twists and shocking content (which was partly inspired by the killings of Ed Gein, who also inspired the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies) Paramount Pictures weren’t. They particularly didn’t like the fact that Hitchcock’s contract with them only guaranteed he’d do one other film for them.  They did not want it to be Pyscho.

To try and dissuade Hitchcock from pursuing the film any further, executives more or less attempted to halt production at every turn, which only strengthened the director’s resolve. For example, the studio refused to give Hitchcock his usual budget, offering him just shy of a million dollars instead of the $3 million and change they’d given him for his previous film, North by Northwest.

Rather than scrap the project, as they hoped, a defiant Hitchcock decided instead to simply film the movie using a television crew mostly borrowed from his show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and shoot the entire thing in black and white. Hitchcock also managed to secure the film’s main two actors, Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, for a fraction of their usual fees saving tens of thousands of dollars. He also, as a demonstration of his faith in the project, turned down his normal pay and instead very wisely opted for a percentage of the film’s ultimate returns, reportedly at a whopping 60%.

In a further attempt to get him to scrap the project in favour of something they deemed better to complete his contract with them, Paramount Pictures told Hitchcock their sound stages and other such needed equipment were completely booked, even though they weren’t. Again, Hitchcock was undeterred and moved production over to Universal Studios. Ultimately Paramount gave in and green-lighted the project, though at this stage not nearly as involved in it as they’d normally have been.

This proved to be a boon to Hitchcock as he was free from executive meddling. It also allowed him to film on what was essentially a closed set, helping to insure that no details of the plot leaked.

To further make sure of this, Hitchcock made every member of the cast and crew promise that they wouldn’t talk about the film, its plot, or twists- rumor has it by making each and every one of them say in front of him “I promise I shall not divulge the plot of Psycho”.

Even after the film was finished, Hitchcock barred both Leigh and Perkins from giving any interviews concerning it, instead choosing to promote the film almost entirely by himself.

To avoid giving away any potential details about the plot, Hitchcock promotional efforts focused wholly on alluding to the film’s shocking twists and content, without giving away any details.  For instance, he sent a guide to theatres instructing them what to do in the event someone had a heart attack while watching the film. This is something Hitchcock would later double down on at initial screenings by hiring “nurses” to stand around theatre lobbies.

Hitchcock also took out a number ads in the lead up to the film’s release that merely featured an image of himself pointing sternly at his watch with a statement that said nobody who turned up to the film late would be permitted to see that showing of it.

Other ads, and even a clip at the end of the film, featured an image of Hitchcock encouraging those who watched it not to spoil the film for others saying things like,”After you see Psycho, don’t give away the ending, it’s the only one we have.” and “If you can’t keep a secret, please stay away from people after you see Psycho.”

The final means with which the plot could potentially be spoiled early was with movie critics. As such, Hitchcock didn’t allow critics to see an advanced copy, suggesting instead that they watch it on release day like everybody else. Annoyed critics generally responded by savaging the film and, as Hitchcock had suspected they would, giving away plot points he’d tried so hard to protect in their rushed, release day reviews. For example, in their 1960 review of the film, Variety mentioned that the film contained several “graphically-depicted knife murders”.  After the film was a smashing success with the public, many of the critics who’d initially called the film a schlock,  bravely changed their opinion and began referring to it as a masterpiece of cinema.

Paramount similarly forgot all about how they’d initially tried to can the film before production began and heroically tried to ride Hitchcock’s coattails after the film proved to be one of the most profitable they’d ever produced up to that point, grossing about $32 million (about $252 million today) in its initial run off the ultra-tight budget they’d given Hitchcock.

Source…..www.todayifoundout.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day… ” Acquire such Education and knowledge Which will Make You to walk on the Right Path…”

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Sathya Sai Baba

In spite of education and intelligence, a foolish person will not know one’s true Self, and an evil minded person will not give up wicked qualities. Modern education leads only to argumentation, not to true wisdom. What is the use of acquiring worldly education if it cannot lead you to immortality? Acquire that knowledge which will make you immortal. Modern education can help you only to eke out a livelihood. It is meant for a living and not for life. In fact, it is responsible for the present decline of morality in society. In olden days, people gave topmost priority to truth and righteousness. They considered divine love as their very life. The women of Bharat sacrificed their lives for the sake of truth. Women should develop the wealth of virtues and also safeguard the honor of their husbands and families. Both men and women should have good character. Without good character, all your learning will prove futile.

“வேப்பம்பூ பச்சடி எப்படிச் செய்கிறீர்கள்?”….

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ஜகத்குரு தரிசனம்
வேப்பம்பூ பச்சடி
(எழுசீர் விருத்தம்: காய் விளம் விளம் தேமா . காய் காய் காய் )


வேப்பம்பூ புளியுடன் வெல்லமும் நாங்கள்
. வேதமுனி அவைதன்னில் சமர்ப்பித்தோம்
வேப்பம்பூ பச்சடி செய்விதம் என்ன
. மேதையவர் எங்களிடம் கேட்டாரே
யாப்பென்றே அவரிடம் ஓர்முறை சொன்னோம்
. யாதுமறி யாதவர்போல் செவிமடுத்தார்
சாப்பாட்டுக் கித்துடன் தேனுடன் நெய்யும்
. சற்றேசேர் பச்சடியில் சுவைகூடும்! … 1

பக்குவமாய்ச் செய்தபின் பச்சடி அம்பாள்
. பாதத்தில் நைவேத்யம் செய்வீரே
முக்கண்ணி நம்மிடம் வசப்படு வாளே
. முன்வந்தே அருள்செய்து காத்திடுவாள்
அக்கணத்தில் கேட்டது சரியெனச் சொல்வார்
. அகமுடையான் பச்சடியை உண்டாலே!
சிக்கலின்றி பணிகளைச் செய்வரே செய்வோர்
. சீர்மிக்க பச்சடியின் மகிமையன்றோ! … 2

பக்குவமாய்ப் பச்சடி செய்திடச் சொல்லிப்
. பணித்தாரே திருமடத்தின் பிரசாதம்!
சிக்கனமாய்ப் பச்சடி தந்தவர் கேட்டார்
. தெரிகிறதா நான்தந்த காரணமே?
தக்கபடிப் பெரியவர் சொல்வது உள்ளம்
. தங்கிடவே என்றுரைத்தாள் ஓர்மங்கை
முக்கண்ணி பக்தியில் எந்நாளும் நீங்கள்
. முழுகிடவே தந்தேன்நான் என்றாரே. … 3

புதுக்கோட்டை பத்தராய்த் தரிசனம் செய்தே
. புண்ணியங்கள் பெற்றோமே நாங்களெலாம்!
எதுசொன்னா லுமதிலோர் தத்துவம் காட்டி
. எங்களுக்கு வழிசொல்லும் காஞ்சிமுனி
பொதுவான அறமென உள்ளதைச் செய்தால்
. பொலிவுடனே வாழ்ந்திடலாம் என்றாரே
எதுநல்ல காரியம் என்றுநாம் தேர்ந்தே
. இறைபக்தி உடன்சேரச் செய்வோமே! … 4

–ரமணி, 13/08/2015
Source…www.periva.proboards.com

Natarajan
Read more: http://periva.proboards.com/thread/9877?page=1&scrollTo=16638#ixzz3ihamzKId

Message for the Day…” Right Conduct is the only way to win the Grace of God…”

NatarajanLeave a comment

Sathya Sai Baba

You must dedicate yourself to right conduct (Dharma) and always be engaged in righteousness (Dharma). Then you will live in peace and the world will enjoy peace. No one can acquire real peace, nor can they win the grace of the Lord through any means other than right conduct. Dharma is the foundation for the welfare of humanity; it is the only unchanging truth across all times. When Dharma fails to transform human life, the world will be afflicted by agony and fear, tormented by stormy revolutions. When the effulgence of Dharma fails to illumine human relationships, people will be shrouded in sorrow. All religions and scriptures expound Dharma and proclaim aloud the Glory of Dharma. The stream of Dharmic activity should never run dry; when its cool waters cease to flow, disaster is certain. God is the embodiment of Dharma; His Grace is won by Dharma

கம்பனும் மதுவிலக்கும்…..

NatarajanLeave a comment

மது அருந்துவது தீய பழக்கம் என்று கம்பராமாயணத்தில் பல இடங்களில் பதிவுசெய்கிறான் கம்பன்

ஆங்கிலேயரது ஆட்சிக் காலத்திலேயே தமிழ்நாட்டில் மது விலக்குக்காக 1886-ல் மதராஸ் அப்காரி சட்டம் என்ற ஒரு சட்டம் இயற்றப்பட்டது. அப்காரி என்ற சொல்லுக்குப் போதை ஊட்டும் பானங்களையோ மருந்துகளையோ தயாரிப்பது அல்லது விற்பது என்பது பொருளாகும். இச்சொல், பெர்ஷிய மொழிச் சொல்லாகும். இந்தச் சொல்லுக்கு இன்னொரு பொருள் மதுபானம் மற்றும் மருந்துகள் தயாரிப்பது அல்லது விற்பதற்கு விதிக்கப்படும் வரி என்பதாகும்.

மதராஸ் அப்காரி சட்டம், 1905, 1913, 1929 ஆகிய ஆண்டுகளில் திருத்தம் செய்யப்பட்டு, அதன் பின்னால் ஒரு புதுச் சட்டமாக 1937-ம் ஆண்டு தமிழ்நாடு மதுவிலக்குச் சட்டம் இயற்றப்பட்டது. இந்தச் சட்டத்தின் முதல் நோக்கம் என்னவென்றால், போதையூட்டும் பானங்களையும், மருந்துகளையும் தயாரிப்பது, விற்பது மற்றும் அருந்துவது ஆகிய அனைத்தையும் தடை செய்வதாகும். ஆனால் பின்னாளில், மதுபானங்களின் தயாரிப்பு, விற்பனை மற்றும் அருந்துதலை ஒழுங்குபடுத்தும் சட்டமாக இது மாற்றப்பட்டுவிட்டது.

1947-ல், இந்திய நாடு சுதந்திரம் அடைந்த பிறகு, 26.1.1950-ல் நமது அரசியல் நிர்ணயச் சட்டம் அமலுக்கு வந்தபிறகு, அதில் மருத்துவத் தேவையைத் தவிர மற்ற எந்தக் காரணத்துக்காகவும் மது அருந்துவதைத் தடை செய்வதற்கு எல்லா மாநிலங்களும் தீவிர முயற்சி எடுக்க வேண்டும் என்னும் உறுதிப்பாடு, பிரிவு 47-ல் கொண்டுவரப்பட்டது. இது ஏட்டளவில் நின்றுபோய், பெருவாரியான மாநிலங்கள் மது விலக்கைத் தளர்த்தி, குறைந்தபட்சம் இரண்டு தலைமுறைகளை உடல் மற்றும் மனவளம் குன்றியவர்களாக ஆக்கிவிட்டது. கடந்த 67 ஆண்டுகளாகச் சுதந்திர இந்தியாவில் பல மாநிலங்கள் மது விற்பனையால் வரும் வருமானத்தைக்கொண்டே மக்கள் நலத் திட்டங்களை அமல்படுத்துவதாகக் கூறுகின்றன. கண்ணிரண்டும் விற்றுச் சித்திரம் வாங்குவது போலவும், கோயிற்பசை செய்வோர் சிலையைக் கொண்டு விற்றல் போலும், வாயிற் காத்து நிற்போர் வீட்டை வைத்து இழத்தல் போலும், நம் நாட்டின் மதுவிலக்குக் கொள்கை அமைந்துவிட்டது.

 

கம்பன் கண்ட கோசல நாடு, கிஷ்கிந்தை மற்றும் இலங்கை கூட, இந்தக் குழப்பத்துக்கு விதிவிலக்குகளாக அமையவில்லை போலும். எனவே, கம்பன் பல இடங்களில் கோசல நாட்டு மக்கள், கிஷ்கிந்தை மற்றும் இலங்கை மக்கள் கொண்டிருந்த குடிப் பழக்கத்தை ஆங்காங்கே காட்டிவிட்டு, அதேசமயம், பல இடங்களில் இப்பழக்கத்தைக் கண்டிக்கவும் செய்கிறான்.

யுத்த காண்டம், பிரம்மாத்திரப் படலத்தில், இந்திரஜித்தனின் பிரம்மாஸ்திரத்தால் அனைவரும் கீழே விழுந்து கிடக்கும் செய்தியைக் கேள்விப்பட்ட ராவணன், ஒரு வெற்றிவிழாக் கொண்டாட்டத்துக்கு ஏற்பாடு செய்கிறான். இந்தக் கொண்டாட்டங்களைக் களியாட்டுப் படலத்தில், கம்பன் கற்பனை வளத்தோடு விவரிக்கிறான். அந்தக் கொண்டாட்டத்தில், அரம்பையர்கள், அரக்கியர்கள், அசுரப் பெண்கள், நாக கன்னியர்கள் ஆகியோரை ராவணன் ஆடவைக்கிறான். அப்போது, கள்ளுண்டு ஆடியவர்களுடைய நிலை எப்படி இருந்தது என்பதைக் கம்பன் சொல்கிறான் :

நல் பெருங் கல்விச் செல்வம் நவை அறு நெறியை நண்ணி,

முன் பயன் உணர்ந்த தூயோர் மொழியொடும் பழகி, முற்றி,

பின் பயன் உணர்தல் தேற்றாப் பேதைபால், வஞ்சன் செய்த

கற்பனை என்ன ஓடிக் கலந்தது, கள்ளின் வேகம்.

அதாவது, நல்ல கல்விச் செல்வத்தால் பெரியோர் களது உபதேச மொழிகளை அறிந்து அவற்றால் வரும் பயனைத் துய்க்க வேண்டிய தருணத்தில், ஒரு மூடன் மனதில் ஒரு வஞ்சகன் வைத்த கற்பனை எப்படிப் பரவி நிற்குமோ அப்படிக் கள்ளின் வேகம், மகளிர் கூட்டத்தில் பரவியது என்பது இப்பாடலின் பொருள். கல்வியால் பெறும் தெளிவைக் கள்ளினால் வரும் மயக்கம் அழித்துவிடும் என்னும் உறுதியை இப்பாடலில் கம்பன் காட்டுகிறான். இதில் பின்னால் வரும் இன்னொரு பாடலில் கள்ளுண்டு ஆடிய காரணத்தால் தாளமும், காலமும் தவறி ஆடிய பெண்களைக் கம்பன்,

‘பாணியின் தள்ளி, கால மாத்திரைப் படாது பட்ட நாணியின் முறையின் கூடாது, ஒரு வழி நடையின் செல்லும் ஆணியின் அழிந்த பாடல் நவின்றனர்’

என்று விவரித்தான். கள்ளுண்ணுதல் பெரும் பாவம் என்னும் கருத்தையும் பல்வேறு இடங்களில் குறிப்பிடுகிறான்.

யுத்த காண்டம், நிகும்பலை யாகப் படலத்தில், தன்னை இகழ்ந்து பேசும் இந்திரஜித்தனுக்கு மறுமொழி உரைக்கும் வீடணன், தான் குற்றமற்றவன் என்பதற்கு அத்தாட்சியாக

‘உண்டிலென் நறவம் பொய்ம்மை உரைத்திலென் வலியால் ஒன்றும் கொண்டிலென் மாய வஞ்சம் குறித்திலென், யாரும் குற்றம் கண்டிலர் என்பால்;

என்று உரைக்கிறான். எனவே, மது அருந்துவது என்பது, பொய் சொல்வதற்கும், பிறர் பொருளைக் கவர்வதற்கும், வஞ்சம் செய்வதற்கும் இணையான குற்றம் என்பதையும் கம்பன் பதிவு செய்கிறான்.

‘ஏயின இது அலால், மற்று, ஏழைமைப் பாலது என்னோ?

“தாய் இவள், மனைவி” என்னும் தெளிவின்றேல், தருமம் என் ஆம்?

தீவினை ஐந்தின் ஒன்று ஆம் அன்றியும், திருக்கு நீங்கா

மாயையின் மயங்குகின்றாம் மயக்கின்மேல் மயக்கும் வைத்தாம்!

‘கள்ளுண்ணல் ஐம்பெரும் பாதகங்களில் ஒன்று. தாயையும் மனைவியையும் வேறுபடுத்தி அறியும் அறிவைக் கள் அழிக்கும். மற்ற எல்லா அறங்களைப் பின்பற்றி வாழ்ந்தாலும், கள் அருந்துபவனுக்குப் பிற அறங்களால் என்ன பயன்? மனிதப் பிறவி எடுத்தவன் ஏற்கெனவே மாயையின் மயக்கத்தில் ஆழ்ந்து கிடக்கும் போது, அந்த மயக்கத்தின் மேல் இன்னொரு மயக்கத்தை ஊட்டுவது எஎவ்வளவு விந்தை’ என்று ஒரு மாயையின் தத்துவத்தை இப்பாடலில் சுக்ரீவன் பேசுகிறான்.

‘வஞ்சமும், களவும், பொய்யும், மயக்கமும், மரபு இல் கொட்பும்,

தஞ்சம் என்றாரை நீக்கும் தன்மையும், களிப்பும், தாக்கும்

கஞ்ச மெல் அணங்கும் தீரும், கள்ளினால் அருந்தினாரை

நஞ்சமும் கொல்வது அல்லால் நரகினை நல்காது அன்றே?

விஷம்கூட அருந்தியவரைக் கொல்லுமே தவிர, நரகத்தில் தள்ளி விடாது. ஆனால், மது அருந்துவதால் வஞ்சனை, திருட்டு, பொய், அறியாமை, தொன்று தொட்டு வந்த மரபுக்கு மாறான கொள்கை, அடைக் கலமாக வந்தவரைக் காப்பாற்றாத தன்மை, ஆணவம் ஆகியவை வந்து சேர்ந்து நரகத்தில் கொண்டு விட்டுவிடும் என்கிறான் சுக்ரீவன்.

இப்படி சுக்ரீவன் மூலமாக மது ஒழிப்புக்கு ஒரு மிகப் பெரிய அடித்தளத்தை அமைத்துக் கொடுத்த கம்பன், இந்திய அரசியல் நிர்ணயச் சட்டம் பிரிவு 47-ல் கொள்கையளவில் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட்ட மது விலக்கு, நடைமுறையில் காற்றில் பறக்க விடப்பட்டதை நமக்கு நினைவுபடுத்திக் காட்டுகிறான்.

– உயர் நீதிமன்ற நீதிபதி வெ.இராமசுப்பிரமணியன் எழுதிய ‘கம்பனில் சட்டமும் நீதியும்’ நூலிலிருந்து தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட பகுதிகள் (வெளியீடு: வானதி பதிப்பகம்).

source….வெ.இராமசுப்பிரமணியன் in http://www.tamil.thehindu.com

Natarajan

” With Rs 20 lakh, he built a Rs 350-cr business”….Meet Md. Gyasuddin….

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Md Gyasuddin

‘I found my motivation in the fast emerging mobile market.’

‘Nokia’s biggest mistake lay in its stubbornness to change.’

‘It’s important to understand the pulse of the people.’

“To succeed in life, you need to be a dreamer and need to follow that dream with passion, hard work and dedication,” said Md Gyasuddin,  managing director of Hitech Mobiles.

He observed this simple rule of life and today he is the owner of Rs 350-crore (Rs 3.5-billion) business.

Starting with a capital of Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million), it has been a long journey for him.

“At times, it seemed I was being unreasonable and foolish but never gave up,” he said.

After graduation, Gyasuddin started a small mobile import unit in Kolkata in 2002.

But he had a wider vision — that of creating a mobile brand of his own.

After tutoring himself on the intricate details of the trade, Gyasuddin set up his own company — Hitech Mobiles in 2008.

Over the years, the company grew steadily and is now selling almost 2 million mobile handsets a year.

It is ranked 8th among the Indian handset makers.

Recently, the company set up its assembling unit in at Merrill Logistics Park in Sankrail, Howrah.

In a candid conversation with Indrani Roy/Rediff.com, Gyasuddin talked about how he built his company, what plans he has for it, the new assembling unit among other things.

Hitech Mobiles

What led to the idea of launching a new brand?

From an early age, I was fascinated by mobile phones and always wanted to deal in them.

After graduation, there was tremendous pressure on me to start earning. I came from a lower-middle-class family and my father was a government employee.

There was a crunch of cash all the time. But I was unwilling to take up any ordinary job that came my way and wanted to start a business.

I wanted to import mobile handsets. As a student, I had saved some money and with that took a short trip to Hong Kong to understand the nuances of mobile handsets’ business.

On my return, I started an import unit in Kolkata in 2002. I used to import handsets made by Nokia, Samsung etc and would sell them in the local market.

What was your motivation?

I found my motivation in the fast-emerging mobile market.

Though I was only out of college I knew that the mobile market had huge opportunities and it would soon undergo a thorough transformation.

I thought if I ventured into this market now, I could build a secure future.

The road must have been tough for you. What difficulties did you face in setting up this business?

Most difficult part of my journey was accumulating funds for the business. I took loan from the bank and also from friends and relatives for starting the import unit.

With an initial capital of Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million), I started building the mobile import unit.

The next hurdle was manpower. It was extremely difficult to get skilled workers to run the import unit. Unable to gather enough expert hands to run the business, I hired some freshers and took the responsibility of training them myself. My import unit started giving me good returns from 2004.

This is when I started dreaming of launching a mobile brand. My dreams bore fruit in 2008. Starting with a single unit in Kolkata, Hitech now has 20 branch offices all over India — it’s a wonderful feeling!

Hitech accessories

There are so many mobile brands, foreign and Indian, in the market. Why do you think people buy Hitech? What is its unique selling proposition?

We have consciously tried to keep prices of our mobile handsets within affordable limits. The price ranges between Rs 2,000 and Rs 8,000. Recently, we launched a mobile handset that costs Rs 599 only. We are sure it will be a major hit among the first-time buyers.

Also, we take pride in our highly professional after-sales service units, numbering 350, spread across India. We believe in our customers’ brand loyalty and ensure that they never get a chance to complain.

Which countries do you export your products to at present?

We mainly export our products to Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan at the moment. But we do plan to reach out to other countries soon.

Who is your target group?

Mobiles that we make are meant for younger generation between 18 and 30 years of age. Our mobiles are meant for those who want maximum features at minimum prices. We cater mainly to those who have been initiated on to the world of smart phones.

Hitech is ranked 8th among Indian mobile handset makers. How do you plan to beat your competitors?

As I said before, no other mobile handset maker but us can offer so many features at such affordable prices. Besides, our research and development team is constantly experimenting with new ideas to make our products unique.

At present, 30-40 per cent of our revenue is accrued from the sales of smartphones and the rest from the sales of conventional handsets. I hope it will take us a few more years to reverse the trend.

During a media interaction you had said that you learnt a lot from what happened to Nokia. Could you please elaborate?

I think Nokia’s biggest mistake lay in its stubbornness to change. Nokia never took its competitors seriously and it stuck to its Symbian operating system. But as India moved on to smart phones with the advent of 3G, people opted for Android, which was the cheaper option.

Samsung and Google grabbed this opportunity and soon Nokia found itself getting irrelevant. We saw in Nokia’s case a great business lesson.

Hence, we have vowed to ourselves to keep surveying the market and keep adapting ourselves to the changing needs of time.

Why did you venture into accessories’ production?

Soon after launching Hitech, we discovered that the modern market was crazy about mobile accessories. A new product was hitting the stores almost on a daily basis. We also noticed that the prices of these accessories were too high.

Hence, we thought of manufacturing accessories that will be user-friendly as well as affordable. Over the last few years, Hitech’s accessories have been a major hit. In fact, our accessories’ sales alone have added as much as Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.5 billion) to the revenues.

Tell us about your new assembling unit in Howrah.

The main motto of Hitech is to produce multi-featured mobiles at reasonable prices. The assembling unit will work towards this end. This 24,000-square foot unit set up at a cost of Rs 15-20 crore (Rs 150-200 million) will employ more than 200 people. The unit will house 11 machines, 4 assembly lines, one quality testing line and one packaging line.

We are collaborating with our Chinese partners, Shenzhen Yiheyuan Technology Company Limited, for mobiles and Shenzhen Hi-Tech Electronic Industrial Co. Ltd for accessories.

In tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ theme, we intend to make high quality handsets that will be smart enough to compete with any of the global brands.

It’s often said that West Bengal has a very poor industrial prospects. Even then, why did you choose this state to set up your assembling unit?

I think it’s unfair to be negative about anything without trying out all the possibilities. Since I am born and brought up in this city, I have always felt I should give something back to Kolkata. Besides, starting a business in Kolkata or in any part of Bengal has its advantages. Here labour comes cheap and as there are not many factories, there is less competition.

Hitech does brisk business in mostly non-metro cities. Have you intentionally avoided expanding your business in the metros? If so why?

Business response from non-metros so far has been enormous. In fact, these are the places where we get maximum number of buyers.

However, we do have plans for expanding in the metros. We are waiting for the goods and services tax to be implemented.

For, it will be a lot easier for us to chalk out an expansion plan when we have a unified tax regime.

What are your plans for expansion?

Talks are on to start business in Sri Lanka and some African countries. Our sales and marketing teams are very dynamic and they are constantly exploring opportunities so that our business can grow.

Having tasted such amazing success, what would be your message to budding entrepreneurs?

There are three pillars of success — hard work, honesty and perseverance.

Moreover, it’s important to understand the pulse of the people. One should always be aware of the market demand. If one sees a spark somewhere, one must stoke it.

An opportunity does not always come knocking. One often needs to convert a feeble chance into a huge opportunity.

 

Indrani Roy / Rediff.com in Kolkata  Photographs courtesy: Hitech Mobiles

source….www.rediff.com

NatarajanWith Rs 20 lakh, he built a Rs 350-cr business

Lessons from Sundar Pichai’s rise: Meritocracy, not mediocrity, is way forward….

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The elevation of Sundar Pichai to CEO of tech giant Google marks a triumph for four ideas we in India are uncomfortable with: giving meritocracy its due, allowing people to rise regardless of age, valuing diversity, and inviting talented immigrants to work for the country.

Stuck as we are to politically-driven social justice systems where quotas and reservations dominate the agendas of political parties and have become an end in themselves, we have paid inadequate attention to meritocracy. Any society that places such a low value on getting the right talent into the right job and giving him or her opportunities for growth will pay a huge price on several fronts – innovation being one of them.

Mediocrity, whether in government or in corporations or in academics, can provide only incremental gains for society. Multi-bagger gains come from promoting meritocracy.

It should thus come as no surprise that India has invented almost nothing since the humble “lota” of centuries ago, even while Indian techies dominate Silicon Valley’s startup culture, accounting for 15 percent of the total. Our belief in “jugaad” may be useful when resources are scarce, but “make-do” is a poor substitute for “make something new.”

Support for meritocracy, effective mentoring, and an ability to discriminate in favour of talent (as opposed to just seniority and age) is vital for innovation.

Consider Sundar Pichai (the name is actually a shortened version of his original name Sundararajan Pichai). He joined Google in 2004, and in 11 years he is holding the top job at age 43. It is difficult to visualise any Indian company giving this kind of opportunity to a talented foreigner. To be sure, we do have the occasional foreign talent heading Indian companies (the Tata group has some examples in this area), but the cases are few and far between as most Indian companies tend to be family-dominated or narrowly based in terms of their talent pool. And the talent we get from abroad is usually past its prime.

Sundar Pichai Reuters

Even Infosys, our home-grown tech pioneer in offshoring, fell into the trap of giving the founders first right of refusal to the CEO’s job till bad performance and a changing operating environment finally forced them to get new blood in the form of a Vishal Sikka last year.

A Satya Nadella would have been languishing at some middle-level position in an Indian tech company if he had sought to make his career here, but at 46 he made it to the top at Microsoft as CEO in early 2014, a successor to Steve Ballmer.

Sundar Pichai was also not made by accident. Before he became CEO, he worked closely with CEO Larry Page, and played major roles in creating the Google Toolbar, the browser Chrome, and in managing the growth of Android, the world’s largest mobile phone operating system. Page did not hand over his job to Pichai because he liked the guy. He watched Pichai’s progress from close quarters, and after handing him one assignment after another, decided that he was the man to take over his own job. Page wrote in his Google blog yesterday (10 August): “I have been spending quite a bit of time with Sundar, helping him and the company in any way I can, and I will of course continue to do that. Google itself is also making all sorts of new products, and I know Sundar will always be focused on innovation – continuing to stretch boundaries. I know he deeply cares that we can continue to make big strides on our core mission to organise the world’s information.”

Note the degree of supervision and support Page gave Pichai. He also wrote this about Pichai: “Sundar has been saying the things I would have said (and sometimes better!) for quite some time now, and I’ve been tremendously enjoying our work together. He has really stepped up since October of last year, when he took on product and engineering responsibility for our Internet businesses. Sergey (Brin) and I have been super excited about his progress and dedication to the company. And it is clear to us and our board that it is time for Sundar to be CEO of Google. I feel very fortunate to have someone as talented as he is to run the slightly slimmed down Google and this frees up time for me to continue to scale our aspirations.”

Now, why wouldn’t a Pichai kill for such a strong vote of confidence, support and faith from the bosses of Google?

Unfortunately, the Indian DNA is about losing talent. India produces tech talent by the thousand, but still loses them by the hundred (if not the thousand) to Ivy League schools or tech companies in Silicon Valley. This is because we are unwilling or unable to give our talent the kind of support and mentoring, not to speak of challenge and opportunity, they need.

The recent incident, where IIT Roorkee had to expel 72 students for failing to make the grade, is instructive. Most students who get into IITs are, by definition, hard and talented workers. They would have spent years in coaching classes and worked hard to crack the IIT-JEE exams. The question is: why then would 72 of them fail to make the grade?

Answer: we fail to give them the support they actually need – or not enough of it – after they get into the institution. As this Indian Express story points out, “90 percent of the IIT-Roorkee students who were expelled were from reserved categories (SC, ST and OBC) and scored average to high ranks in their respective categories in the 2014 IIT-JEE (Advanced). Once on campus, however, several factors pull them back, prominent among them a lack of fluency in English.”

Consider the sheer loss of talent we face if students have to be turfed out not for lack of engineering talent, but lack of proficiency in English.

The problem is not the quotas themselves, but the assumption that quotas by themselves are enough. In fact, excessive dependence on quotas to deliver social justice does damage by, first, marking such students out as somehow untalented, and then ensuring their failure by not giving them the support they need to cope with the rigours of an IIT academic session. We have conveniently forgotten that quotas have to be supplemented by effective mentoring and help by mentors. Without this, quotas will become self-defeating and divisive. (Some IITs do this effectively, but not all).

One can be sure that the same thing is happening in other areas of reservations and quotas, where the successes are vastly outnumbered by failures due to the lack of mentoring, including in our government.

Quotas are useful only if they succeed in reducing the need for quotas, not if they end up perpetuating and extending it by promoting mediocrity and a sense of victimhood among the beneficiaries.

We need to learn how to do things right from the elevation of Pichai, a first-generation immigrant to the US who rose to the top because their system favours meritocracy even while encouraging affirmative action and social diversity in institutions and corporations.

For now, though, we should see Pichai’s and Nadella’s rise as slaps in the face of our mediocrity-driven culture.

Source……R.Jagannathan ….www.firstpost.com

Natarajan

Here are 8 Things You should know about Sundar Pichai….New CEO of Google…

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Sundar Pichai: Here are 8 things you should know about the new Google CEO

Sundar Pichai talking about Android at the conference. Reuters

We saw this coming, didn’t we? A major shake-up at Google last year had put Sundar Pichai at the fore-front and in-charge of all products, except YouTube that was headed by CEO Susan Wojcicki.

Over the years, India-born Sundar Pichai has slowly yet steadily become a fore-runner at Google. After a leap from heading Chrome to in-charge of the core Google products including  Google Research, Google+, Google Maps, search, ads and more, he is now set to become the Google CEO. Over the last one year, he has been on stage demonstrating most Google products including the Android Pay lately.

In a surprise move, Google announced on Monday the launch of Alphabet Inc as its parent company with co-founders Larry Page as its CEO and Sergey Brin as president. This has paved way for Pichai to become the next CEO of Google, which will be the new entity’s largest fully owned subsidiary, a trimmed version of what it is known now. The new structure, which will take shape over the next few months, was announced by Page in a blogpost and in a filing to the Security and Exchange Commission.

Google’s main business will include search, ads, maps, apps, YouTube and Android and all related technical infrastructure.

“Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies,” Page said in the post, adding: “Our model is to have a strong CEO who runs each business, with Sergey and me in service to them as needed.”

43-year old Pichai Sundararajan, popular as Sundar Pichai joined Google in 2004. We’ve encompassed this decade of his journey and rise to fame in our timeline below:

Education and background
Pichai was born in Chennai, India and completed his schooling from Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan. He later earned the Bachelors of Technology (BTech) degree from IIT- Kharagpur, and further went in for an MS from Stanford University. He also holds an MBA degree from University of Pennsylvania.

Before joining Google
Sundar Pichai has earlier worked for McKinsey & Company in management consulting. He has also worked in engineering and product management at Applied Materials.

Google and pre-Chrome era
Pichai joined Google in 2004  and is known to have worked on popular products like Toolbar, and also others like Google Gears and Google Pack, before Chrome was launched. However, it was the success of the Toolbar that helped Pichai pace through his career as Google noticed that it was significantly increasing the number of  user searches. This eventually made Google believe that it should have its own browser.

Rise of Chrome and Pichai
At Google, Pichai is popular for having led product management and innovation of Google’s client software products such as Google Chrome and Chrome OS. Pichai is believed to be the man responsible for driving Google’s Chrome OS and browser forward. In 2008, he was appointed as VP of product development and introduced Chrome browser. It was soon followed by Chrome OS in 2009. It was from 2008 that people started seeing more of Pichai at Google presentations and he soon became a known Google face. By 2012, he was the Senior VP of Chrome and apps.

Appointed as Android chief
Though Pichai had spent almost a decade at Google, it was only in 2013 that he became a well known figure worldwide after stepping into the shoes of Andy Rubin. Interestingly, Pichai joined Google in the same year that Rubin brought Android to Google via acquisition. Though Rubin helped develop Android to a great extent for almost a decade, Larry Page soon felt that Pichai would help give it a further push.

Ties with Samsung and Android One
Sundar Pichai is believed to be the man responsible for keeping smooth ties with partners like Samsung. He recently also launched the Android One initiative in India by teaming up with local manufacturers like Micromax, Spice and Karbonn.

CEO candidate at Microsoft
He was also rumoured to be one of the key candidates being considered for top position at Microsoft, which later went to India-born Satya Nadella.

 

Products head
Last year, Larry Page promoted Pichai to oversee core products including search, maps, Google+, commerce, advertising and infrastructure and more. This means, the heads of these departments will now report to Pichai. This puts Pichai at a very key position at Google, as the company’s main services such as search and advertising units help generate major chunk of the revenue.

 

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Source…..www.rech.firstpost.com

Natarajan