Motivational – Page 48 – Take off with Natarajan

Message for the Day…” Our Mental tendencies [samskaras] are like Flowing Water …”

December 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Have the Lord’s name within and the practice of your duty(swadharma) without. Even while engaging in selfless service, let your mind repeat the Lord’s Name. When rains pour on the mountain peaks and the water hurries down on all sides, no river emerges therefrom. However when the waters flow in a single direction, first a brook, then a stream, then a torrent, and finally a river is formed, and the rains reach the sea. Water that runs in one direction reaches the sea; water that flows in four directions soaks in and is lost. Mental tendencies (samskaras) are like this. Of what use are they if they merely come and go, this way today and that way tomorrow? The holy stream of good inborn desires must flow full and steady along the fields of holy thoughts and finally abide in the great ocean of bliss at the moment of death.

Sathya Sai Baba

” If you can keep it for a Day, then Why not Always ….” ?

December 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The merry season comes and goes, and once the decorations are packed up, presents are opened and the celebrations draw to a close, so does the Christmas spirit, and all the love, thoughtfulness, and unity that it brings. But what is it that discourages us from celebrating this joyous feast all year round? This year, with all my kind greetings and wishes, I would like to send you a reminder about something that is better than the observance of Christmas day, and that is – keeping Christmas.

Are you willing…

…to forget what you have done for other people,
and to remember what other people have done for you?

…to ignore what the world owes you,
and to think what you owe the world?

…to put your rights in the background,
and your duties in the middle distance,
and your chances to do a little more than your duty
in the foreground?

Keeping Christmas

Are you willing…

…to see that men and women are just as real as you are,
and try to look behind their faces to their hearts,
hungry for joy?

…to own up to the fact that probably the only good reason
for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life,
but what you are going to give to life?

…to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where
you can sow a few seeds of happiness?

Are you willing to do these things even for a day?
Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to stoop down and consider
the needs and desires of little children?

And to remember the weakness and loneliness of people growing old?

Keeping Christmas

Are you willing…

…to stop asking how much your friends love you,
and ask yourself whether you love them enough?

…to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts to try to understand what those who live in the same home with you really want, without waiting
for them to tell you?

Keeping Christmas

Are you willing…

…to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front
so that your shadow will fall behind you?

…to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden with an open gate for your kind feelings ?

Keeping Christmas

Are you willing…
…to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world? Stronger than hate, stronger than evil,
stronger than death?
And that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem
1,900 years ago is the image and brightness
of the Eternal Love?

Are you willing to do these things, even for a day?

Keeping Christmas

Then you can keep Christmas.

And if you can keep it for a day,

why not always?

Share this reflection with your loved ones to wish them a happy Christmas, this year, and every day…

Source…….www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

” உலகம் அழிந்துபோகாததற்கு இவர்கள்தான் காரணம்…”

December 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

சென்னை மழை வெள்ளத்தின் தாண்டவம் இன்னும் நம்மை விட்டு நீங்கவில்லை. என்ன நடந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறது என்பதை உணர்வதற்குள் அநேகமாக சென்னையில் இருந்த அனைவரும் இந்தப் பேரிடருக்குள் சிக்கிக்கொண்டு தள்ளாடினோம்; தள்ளாடிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறோம்; தள்ளாடிக்கொண்டுதான் இருக்கிறோம், முற்றிலும் வீழ்ந்துபோய்விடவில்லை. இதற்குக் காரணம் மழை, வெள்ளத் தாண்டவத்தின் உக்கிரத்துக்கு ஈடுகொடுக்கும் வகையில் மனிதநேயத்தைக் காட்டியவர்கள்தான்.

பெரிய பெரிய விஷயத்துக்கெல்லாம் போகத் தேவையில்லை. மழை ஓய்ந்த பிறகு, நீரின் முற்றுகையில் நான்கு நாட்கள் தவித்த பிறகு நண்பர் ஒருவர் மடிப்பாக்கத்தில் மூழ்கிய தனது வீட்டிலிருந்து அலுவலகத்துக்குக் கிளம்பி நடந்துவந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறார். அவர் நடந்து சென்றுகொண்டிருந்தபோது பின்னால் ஒரு கார் வந்து நிற்பதுபோல் தோன்றியிருக்கிறது. திரும்பிப் பார்த்தால் காரிலிருந்து யாரோ ஒருவர் இறங்கிச் செல்வது தெரிந்திருக்கிறது. நண்பர் மேற்கொண்டு தன் வழியைப் பார்த்து நடந்து சென்றிருக்கிறார். கார் ஹாரன் சத்தம் கேட்டிருக்கிறது. நண்பர் ஓரமாக நடக்க முயன்றிருக்கிறார். அவரைச் சற்றுக் கடந்து பக்கவாட்டில் வந்து நின்றிருக்கிறது கார்.

கார்காரர் காரின் ஜன்னலை இறக்கிவிட்டுப் பாதசாரி நண்பரை அழைத்து “எங்கே போகணும் சொல்லுங்க, இறக்கிவிடுகிறேன்” என்றிருக்கிறார். நண்பருக்கு பேச்சே வரவில்லை. காருக்குள் ஏறிப் பின்சீட்டில் அமர்ந்துகொள்கிறார். நம்மிடம் இந்தச் சம்பவத்தை நெகிழ்ச்சியுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொண்டபோது நண்பர் இப்படிச்சொன்னார், “இதுபோன்ற ஒரு உதவியை இதற்கு முன் செய்தது ஒரு மீன்பாடி வண்டிக்காரர்தான். நடு இரவில் குழந்தைகள் மனைவியுடன் பைக்கில் சென்றுகொண்டிருந்தபோது பெட்ரோல் இல்லாமல் வண்டி நின்றுவிட, என்ன செய்வதென்று நின்றுகொண்டிருந்தபோது அந்த வழியே வந்த மீன்பாடிக்காரர் தானாகவே வந்து, என்ன விஷயம் என்று கேட்டு உதவி செய்தார். அடித்தட்டு மக்கள் எப்போதும் அப்படித்தான். அதில் எந்த அதிசயமும் இல்லை.

ஆனால், மேல்தட்டு வர்க்கத்தைச் சேர்ந்த ஒருவர் தானாக லிஃப்ட் கொடுக்கும் அதிசயத்தை நிகழ்த்தியது இந்த மழை, வெள்ளம்தான். காரில் உட்கார்ந்த பிறகுதான் உணர்ந்தேன், எனக்கு முன்னாலும் அவர் ஒருவருக்கு லிஃப்ட் கொடுத்து இறக்கி விட்டிருக்கிறார்.”

காரில் லிஃப்ட் கொடுப்பது ஒரு சிறிய விஷயமாகத் தோன்றலாம். ஆனால், இந்த மழை, வெள்ளம் சமூகத்தின் மூலை முடுக்குகளிலெல்லாம் பாய்ந்து, அதன் உள்ளே புதைந்துபோயிருந்த பரிவுணர்வையெல்லாம் எந்த அளவுக்கு வெளிக்கொண்டு வந்திருக்கிறது என்பதற்கு ஒரு பருக்கை பதம் இது.

சிறிய அளவில் இப்படியென்றால் பெரிய அளவில் எத்தனையோ பேர் என்னவெல்லாமோ செய்து, ஏதும் செய்ய முடியாத நிலையில் இருப்பவர்களையெல்லாம் குற்றவுணர்வு கொள்ளவும் வைத்திருக்கிறார்கள். இவர்களில் பெரும்பாலானோரும் முகமற்றவர்கள். அதாவது, சமூகத்தால் அறியப்படாதவர்கள் என்பதுதான் மகத்தான செய்தி. உதவி செய்ய வந்தவர்களின் முகத்தில் மனிதம் என்ற ஸ்டிக்கரைத் தவிர வேறு ஏதும் ஒட்டப்பட்டிருக்கவில்லை என்பதை நாம் கவனித்தாக வேண்டும். முகம் தெரிந்த மனிதர்களுக்குச் சளைக்காமல் முகம்தெரியாத மனிதர்கள் எத்தனையோ பேர் எவ்வளவோ உதவிகளைச் செய்து தமிழக, இந்திய மக்களை மட்டுமல்ல உலகத்தினரையே வியப்பில் ஆழ்த்தியிருக்கிறார்கள்.

அடையாறுக்குப் பக்கத்தில் மழை, வெள்ளத்தால் மோசமாக பாதிக்கப் பட்டிருக்கும் பகுதியொன்றில் ஒருவர் தனது முகத்தில் துணியைக் கட்டிக்கொண்டு, பெரிய பாத்திரத்தில் சூடாகப் பால் காய்ச்சிக்கொண்டு, தண்ணீரில் கவனமாக நடந்துசென்று சிறுவர்களுக்கும் குழந்தைகளுக்கும் விநியோகித்திருக்கிறார். அவர் யார் என்ன என்று கேட்டதற்கு, “அதெல்லாம் முக்கியமில்லாத விஷயம், நான் போய் இன்னும் பால் எடுத்துவருகிறேன்” என்று சொல்லிவிட்டுப் போயிருக்கிறார். மனிதத்துக்கு சாதி, மதம், மொழி மட்டுமல்ல முகமும் கிடையாது என்பதை அவர் நிரூபித்துவிட்டிருக்கிறார்.

இதுவரை ஊடகங்களிலும் சமூக ஊடகங்களிலும் வெளிவராத தியாகம் அடுத்த நபருடையது. இன்னொரு நண்பர் சொன்ன தகவல். சாலையை மூழ்கடித்த வெள்ளத்தில் காரில் அவர் போய்க்கொண்டி ருந்தபோது ஒரு முஸ்லீம் பெரியவர் நடுச் சாலையில் கையில் ஒரு செடியைப் பிடித்துக்கொண்டு நின்றிருக்கிறார். இறங்கி என்னவென்று விசாரித்த அந்த நண்பருக்குக் கண்கலங்கிவிட்டது.

சாலையின் அந்த இடத்தில் ஒரு குழி ஏற்பட்டுவிட்டது என்றும், யாரும் அதற்குள் விழுந்துவிடக் கூடாது என்பதால் அடையாளத் துக்காகச் செடியைப் பிடித்துக்கொண்டு நிற்கிறேன் என்றும் அந்த முஸ்லீம் பெரியவர் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார். ஊன்றிவிட்டு நீங்கள் போயிருக்கலாமே என்று நண்பர் கேட்டதற்கு, ஓடும் நீரில் செடி நிற்க மாட்டேன் என்கிறது, அதனால்தான் அதைப் பிடித்துக்கொண்டு நிற்கிறேன் என்று அந்த முஸ்லீம் பெரியவர் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார். அதுமட்டுமல்ல நண்பர்களே, அடுத்து வரும் விஷயம் தான் நம்மை மிக மிக அற்பர்களாகவும், அந்த முஸ்லீம் பெரியவரை மகாத்மாவாகவும் ஆக்குகிறது.

நண்பரிடம் அந்தப் பெரியவர் இப்படிச் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார், ‘கடந்த நான்கு மணி நேரமா நான் இப்படி நின்னுக்கிட்டிருக்கேன். யாராச்சும் பார்த்துக்குவாங்கனு அப்படியே விட்டுட்டுப் போவ மனசே வரல.”

அந்தப் பெண்மணியின் வீட்டை வெள்ளம் முழுவதுமாக மூழ்கடித்துவிட்டது. கணவர், குழந்தைகளெல்லாம் எங்கெங்கோ தங்கவைக்கப்பட்டிருக்கின்றனர். அலுவலகம் ஒன்றில் துப்புரவுப் பணியைச் செய்துவருபவர் அவர். எல்லாவற்றையும் இழந்திருக்கும் நிலையில் அப்படியே சும்மா இருந்துவிட முடியுமா? பிழைப்பு நடத்தியாக வேண்டுமல்லவா! அலுவலகம் வந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறார்.

வேலை முடிந்த பின் எங்கே செல்வீர்கள் என்று அவரிடம் கேட்டதற்கு, “வீட்டுக்குத்தான்” என்று பதில் வந்தது. இந்த நிலையில் வீட்டுக்கு ஏன் செல்ல வேண்டும் என்று கேட்டால், “பாவங்க, ஏழு தெருநாய்களுக்கு நான்தான் சோறு போட்டு வளக்குறேன். நான் இல்லாட்டி அதுங்க அவ்வளவுதான். அதுங்களுக்காக நான் அங்க போய்த்தானே ஆவணும்.”

அதே போல் ஹிப்ஹாப் தமிழன் பகிர்ந்துகொண்ட செய்தி இது: “வெள்ளத்தால் அதிகம் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட கோட்டூர்புரம்-ஆர்.ஏ.புரம் பகுதிக்கு நடுவில்தான் இருக்கிறது எங்கள் அலுவலகம். 5 நாட்களாக இங்கு மின்சாரமோ தொலைத்தொடர்போ இல்லாததால் என்ன நடக்கிறது என்றுகூட தெரிந்துகொள்ள முடியாத சூழல். நாங்கள் வசிக்கும் தெருவில் மட்டும் நீர் தேக்கம் சற்று குறைவு.

சரி தப்பித்துவிட்டோமே, கிளம்பிவிடலாமா என நினைத்துத் தெருமுனைக்குச் சென்றால், எங்கள் அலுவலகத்தில் வேலை பார்க்கும் பணிப்பெண் விஜயா அக்கா ஒரு பெரிய பாத்திரத்தில் தன்னிடம் இருந்த அனைத்துப் பொருள்களையும் சமைத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கிறார். “தம்பி ஏரியா பூரா தண்ணிபா, நம்ம ஸ்டூடியோல இருக்குற தண்ணி கேனை எடுத்துக் குடுத்துறலாமா” எனக் கேட்கிறார். இதில் அவர் மகளுக்கு 1 வாரமாக டைஃபாய்டு வேறு. செருப்பால் அடித்ததுபோல் இருந்தது. யார் இவர்? எதற்காக இந்தச் சமூகத்திற்கு இவ்வளவு செய்ய வேண்டும்? இதில் நாம் வேறு கோவை கிளம்பிவிடலாமா என யோசித்திருக்கிறோமே. ச்சீ என்று தோன்றியது.’

இவர்கள் மட்டுமல்ல. ஒட்டுமொத்த சமூகத்தாலும் தினசரி சூறையாடப்பட்டுக்கொண்டிருக்கும் வாழ்வு பாலியல் தொழிலில் ஈடுபடுத்தப்பட்டிருக்கும் பெண்களுடையது. ஆனால், அந்த நிலையிலும் மகாராஷ்டிரத்தைச் சேர்ந்த பாலியல் தொழிலாளர்கள் ஒரு நாள் பட்டினி கிடந்து சென்னைக்கு நிவாரணமாக ஒரு லட்சம் அனுப்பியிருக்கிறார்கள். சமூகத்தால் கொஞ்சம் கூட பொருட்படுத்தப்படாதவர்கள் நரிக்குறவர் இன மக்கள். இந்நிலையில் அவினாசியைச் சேர்ந்த நரிக்குறவர்கள் வெள்ள நிவாரணத்துக்காக 100 பாய்களை வழங்கியிருக்கிறார்கள்.

இருப்பவர் கொடுப்பதைவிட இல்லாதவர்கள் கொடுப்பது அளவில் எவ்வளவு சிறிதானாலும் மதிப்பில் கோடி கோடி மடங்கு உயர்ந்தது என்பதைப் பாலியல் தொழிலாளிகளும் நரிக்குறவர்களும் நிரூபித்திருக்கிறார்கள். எல்லோருக்குள்ளும் ‘மகாத்மா’ குணம் உறைந்திருக்கிறது. ஆனால், அதை உசுப்பிவிட்டு உயிர் கொடுத்திருப்பது இவர்கள் மட்டும்தான். ஆகவே, இவர்களை ‘மகாத்மாக்கள்’ என்று அழைப்பதில் எந்தத் தவறுமில்லை.

சென்னை வீழ்ந்துபோகாததற்கு மட்டுமல்ல, உலகம் இன்னும் அழிந்துபோகாததற்கும் இந்த மகாத்மாக்கள்தான் காரணம். ஏனென்றால், இன்னொரு மகாத்மா இப்படிச் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார்: “இன்று உலகில் எண்ணற்ற மக்கள் உயிரோடிருக்கிறார்கள் என்றால் அதன் பொருள், உலகம் தொடர்வது ஆயுத பலத்தினால் அல்ல. மாறாக உண்மை அல்லது அன்பு ஆகியவற்றின் பலத்தினால்தான் என்று பொருள். இத்தனை யுத்தங்கள் நடந்த பின்னரும் உலகம் அழியவில்லை என்பதே இந்த சக்திகளின் மறுக்க முடியாத வெற்றி.”

Source…….www.tamil.thehindu.com

Natarajan

How two IAF pilots saved the day….

December 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

In a precarious mission, Wing Commander Charles Simon and Squadron Leader S Venkatramanan and crew rescued a woman in the final stage of pregnancy from atop a water tank in Chennai. She delivered twins the next day!

Archana Masih/Rediff.com spoke to the pilots about that dramatic day.

IMAGE: Wing Commander Charles Simon and Squadron Leader S Venkatramanan rescued the pregnant lady from atop a water tank in flood-ravaged Chennai.

When Wing Commander Charles Simon and Squadron Leader S Venkatramanan launched their Cheetah helicopter from the Tambaram Air Force base on December 3, they had no idea what lay ahead that day.

Chennai had received its worst rainfall in 100 years on December 1-2 and the two Indian Air Force pilots along with several other helicopter pilots had been flying rescue missions from sunrise to sunset since December 1.

In the five days of the Chennai deluge, WinCo Simon and Sqn Ldr Venkat flew 30 sorties and did 36 rescues — but what they did on day 3 was not only unusual and praiseworthy but humanly touching.

With all communication lines broken down, the pilots received instructions from their operational control centre to rescue a young woman in the final stage of pregnancy. She was marooned on the roof of her home.

Armed only with approximate GPS coordinates, the pilots flew out in search of the pregnant woman. But what they encountered was a sea of houses with 10 to 12 people atop each roof.

It was the proverbial needle in a haystack kind of situation.

IMAGE: The pilots with Corporal Arun Singh, left, and Corporal Rahul Kumar, right, who were part of the rescue team.

“We literally flew roof-to-roof in search of her. Since the sound of the chopper drowns all other sounds, we had to communicate in sign language with people on the roofs,” says Wing Commander Simon, a Category-A flying instructor at the IAF’s Flying Instructors School.

The very best of pilots make it to Category-A; they are entrusted with the task of training future instructors.

“There were around 1,000 people on different terraces and it was hard to spot her. We were circling for 10, 15 minutes and it seemed there was no hope of finding her,” adds co-pilot Squadron Leader Venkatramanan, a Chennai native who will complete ten years in the IAF next week.

“I was on the left side of the chopper and looking at every woman if she had a bump,” he says with good humour on the phone from Chennai.

Just then they spotted Deepthi Velchamy, the lady they had set out to rescue. Since her pregnancy would not permit her to be winched up, the pilots indicated that she be brought to the top of the water tank on the terrace.

Some personnel wearing orange overalls, indicative of the National Disaster Relief Force, were also on the terrace. They put Deepthi in a chair and positioned her on the tank.

The pilots, accompanied by Corporals Arun Singh and Rahul Kumar, meanwhile, circled around and made the approach. As WinCo Simon maouvered the chopper, Sqn Ldr Venkat seated on the side of the water tank, provided vital verbal navigation.

“Left… Left… Lower… Steady… Stop… Stop…” Sqn Ldr Venkat’s instructions must have sounded somewhat like this.

The chopper hovered low, its left skid (the Cheetah has sleigh-like landing gear) gently touched the water tank; its right skid was in the air. Deepthi was helped into the aircraft; tears were running down her face.

Sqn Ldr Venkat gestured to her that all would be okay and ten minutes later, they brought her to the Tambaram Air Base, where an Air Force lady gynaecologist awaited her. According to the rules, rescued civilians are flown to the air base and handed over to the civil administration.

It was here that Deepthi revealed that she was due for delivery that day itself and hers was a complicated case. Her medical papers were not with her and she needed to be urgently admitted to the Ramachandran Hospital that was aware of her medical history.

Since the roads were blocked and water-logged, the pilots were given clearance to airlift her to the hospital. At the medical college hospital, WinCo Simon was lucky to find a basketball court to land the chopper.

Deepthi delivered twin girls the following day. With all communication lines down, her request for rescue was conveyed to the authorities by her concerned sister in America.

Overwhelmed by the circumstances, her husband Karthik told the Press Trust of India, ‘I salute these brave men.’

But the two pilots say they are trained for situations like this.

IMAGE: Stranded people waiting to be transported to safer places from the Tambaram Air Base.

“Hovering with a skid on a rooftop and with limited reference is challenging,” says WinCo Simon who was part of the team that rebuilt the Car Nicobar Air Force base after the 2004 tsunami.

“It was team work of pilots and crew. We are trained for such ops and the IAF is always geared up for any mission as the situation demands.”

The IAF operated 13 helicopters in torrential rain and marginal weather, flying 195 sorties, airlifting 450 stranded people, including women, infants and senior citizens. They rescued some other pregnant women too. Transport aircraft airlifted 30 National Disaster Relief Force teams, five Indian Army columns and also evacuated 770 stranded civilians.

“Personally, it was a very satisfying task, while professionally every helicopter pilot is trained to accomplish these kind of tasks,” says Sqn Ldr Venkat, who has flown rescue ops in Kashmir in the winter snowfall of 2008-2009.

IMAGE: WinCo Simon, left, has been involved in rescue and relief ops after the 2004 tsunami in Car Nicobar. Sqn Ldr Venkat, right, flew rescue missions in the Kashmir snowfall of 2008-2009.

“Once you are in the cockpit and start flying, you need all your skills and follow the rules. That is what we keep in mind while flying without getting too emotional about what we achieve,” he adds.

Both the pilots have done stints with the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Congo and are the first ones in their families to join the armed forces. They are quite surprised with the interest their mission has elicited, and attribute it to a video that one onlooker shot and uploaded on YouTube.

“My parents were quite thrilled because I am the only one in the family to make to the TV news,” laughs Sqn Ldr Venkat.

After the IAF wound down its ops in Chennai, the two pilots visited the hospital to meet the new mother and twin girls. They carried two bouquets on behalf of Air Chief Marshal Arup Kumar Raha. Since the babies were in the ICU, they could not see them, but were inundated with thank yous from the family.

“Saving somebody’s life is unparalleled,” says Wing Commander Simon, “It is something that will last a lifetime.”

Archana Masih / Rediff.com

Source……www.rediff.com

Natarajan

” How One Pair of Chappals Changed the Lives of Two Brothers…”

December 10, 2015December 10, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Here’s a heartwarming story that will bring home the lesson that the simplest of things in life cannot be taken for granted.

As told by Poonam Tyagi to the better india .com

……………………………………

Ranjeet and Sanjeet are two brothers, enrolled with us for free tuition classes. Sons of a rickshaw puller, they would occasionally substitute for their father in the rickshaw queue at the metro station, waiting for new customers while their father would drink a quick cup of tea. Stopping this practice became our pre condition to teaching them, and they agreed.

Before I proceed further, you need to know, who “we” are and why do these children come to “us.”

I think most of us have an in-built desire to help others. It takes shape in many ways – trying to teach an underprivileged person is one of them.

Ranjeet and Sanjeet

In a place like India, where domestic servants are generally illiterate, in many households you will see the lady of the house trying to teach the basics of language and maths to the help in the house. I also grew up seeing my mother teaching our domestics. Our servants sitting next to her in the winter, peeling peas and reciting tables, was a common sight. Even the sabziwala would take out his notebook after giving her the vegetables and would show her his homework!

After quitting my job as a computer teacher to start my own NGO, I started helping out the children of my maidservant in their studies. My good friend Radha was also doing the same thing, but in a much better way. She had asked the children she taught to bring their friends as well and was taking daily classes for them.

In the winter, both of us decided to sit in the sun and continue with our classes together – where I would teach the children maths and science, while Radha took care of English, general knowledge and moral science.

It gave us a lot of visibility and some other maids, guards, our society plumber, etc., also started enquiring if they could bring their children to us to study. Soon, “free tuitions bymadam log” became popular.

We were also lucky to get some wonderful volunteers. Mrs. Bawa had retired as a principal and took to the job as a fish to water. Sheetala, Shashi and Sangeeta became regular teachers. That forced us to become more organised and we divided the children according to age groups and set up a timetable for the study of different subjects.

Now, Radha and I run these classes in two shifts in our respective homes, based on the government school timings in our building. Since the government school teaches girls in the morning and boys in the afternoon, we have the opposite schedule – we teach boys in the morning and girls in the evening.

Ranjeet and Sanjeet are two of our students. Though real brothers, they are poles apart in their nature and intelligence level. While one has a flair for maths and is blessed with a photographic memory, he is restless and lacks interest in the regular way of learning. The other one makes up for his low IQ with his sincerity and hard work.

The two boys are generally on no talking terms with each other. We soon realised they never come to the classes together. Rather, they would take turns to attend the classes. We thought the reason for this was sibling rivalry and didn’t give the matter a second thought. Until one fine day, when I had only two students, I managed to get the introvert brother in a talking mood.

Besides other things, the shocking truth emerged as to why they don’t attend the classes together. The bone of contention here was the one pair of chappals (slippers) that both the brothers were supposed to share.

I remember watching an award winning foreign film (Afghan I think) on TV once, where a brother and sister were sharing a pair of running shoes. It was a beautiful touching story, very well narrated – convincing to me because it was happening far away in some war affected country. But believe me, in my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have believed that such things happen right under our nose, in the capital of our country no less and not in any remote village!

I discussed the matter with the other volunteers and soon “Project Chappal” was launched. In order to help maintain the dignity of the boys we decided to buy slippers for all the children.

We were keen to get some good quality branded stuff but they vetoed it. All of them had seen and liked something or the other in the local shukkar bazaar (Friday market) and wanted to buy from there.

The kids, at shukkar bazaar (Friday market)

Without mobile phones, assembling at one place in the crowded market was a major task. But they coordinated beautifully and even bargained with the shopkeepers, making sure that all the little ones bought something slightly bigger than their current size that they could grow into.

For most of them it was the first time they were taken to any shop and allowed to choose something on their own. There were no parents around to force decisions on them and, as far as we were concerned, the entire bill was way below our budget. We started looking around to see what we could buy them next – T-shirts or caps for the boys and leggings for the girls!

Once the shopping was over and they were allowed to wear their new purchases back home, their happiness knew no bounds. We found so much joy in looking at their innocent faces beaming with pride.

What a contrast to children from affluent families! You come across so many of them in leading malls these days, purchasing footwear at exorbitant prices – but they hardly look happy because it’s no big deal for them.

The kids show off their brand new chappals

The shopping trip worked as a big incentive for our kids to be regular in attendance and to do so many other things properly too. We learnt a lot from making a small difference in their lives. We never knew that spending a small amount of money would bring so much happiness to them and us.

As far as Sanjeet and Ranjeet are concerned, they are almost regular now. At least they keep smiling at each other. With Sanjeet, talking is not easy in any case. The best part is that they will never know the other children owe them something and should be thankful to them – for all their new chappals!

– Poonam Tyagi

Source…..www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

‘People wished to pray and we wanted to help them, that’s all’….

December 10, 2015December 10, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

It was a simple gesture of cleaning a temple but this act by a group of Muslim youths went viral on the internet. Members of the Jamaat-E-Islami Hind, who are involved in flood relief work in Tamil Nadu, speak to S Saraswathi.

The sun is out in Chennai and relief and rehabilitation work is on in full swing. Along with the various government agencies, a large number of NGOs have pitched in to provide some comfort to the broken and battered people of Chennai.

Good Samaritans have been out on the streets, wading through the still stagnant and dirty water helping people get back on their feet. However, one beautiful gesture has moved the Chennai-ites.

A bunch of youngsters from the Jamaat-E-Islami Hind, a non-governmental organisation, helped clean two temples and a mosque in the flood ravaged areas of Kotturpuram and Saidapet.

Pictures of the youngsters cleaning the temple went viral on social media. With over 3000 members in Tamil Nadu, this NGO has been hard at work from the first week of November.

Jalaludeen, secretary of the group in Tamil Nadu, explains how it was all part of their work and promises they will not rest until they have done everything they can for the flood victims of Chennai.

“To be very frank, we did not go into the area with any intention of cleaning a particular mosque or temple. Since the rain subsided, our members have been on a cleanliness drive. The entire city is filthy with garbage strewn about in every direction. We noticed that the people were finding it extremely difficult to move about with all the sludge and debris that was left behind by the draining water.

“The stench from the rubbish was overwhelming at places. There is a high risk of infection in the coming weeks, which could be even more dangerous than the floods. These past few days, we have helped clean over 10 different areas like Ennore, Adambakkam, Pulianthope. Kotturpuram, Velachery, Perumbur, Saidapet, Dasamakkan, Kannigapuram and Chindadripet.

“We were in Kotturpuram when we found that two mosques and a temple in the area were in a pathetic condition. There was no pre-plan or motive, nor did we realise we would create such a buzz. People wished to pray and we wanted to help them do it. It was as simple as that.

“Actually, our work has been going on for over a month now. The rains in the first week of November were also bad and even then we helped with the relief work.

During this last week, when it was pouring steadily, we were providing food to the stranded victims. We had made arrangements at one of the mosques for food to be prepared. For four consecutive days, starting Wednesday, we distributed 12,000 packets of food every day.

“But when we realised that more help had arrived and lots of people were also doing the same, we decided to move on with the cleaning work.

“Our work has been organised in a phased manner.

“The second phase will involve distributing books and other stationery to students who have lost everything in the floods. In the third phase, we will provide some basic cooking utensils to the women. And finally, we also have plans to help them rebuild their homes.

“There is a lot more to be done, and we will not rest until we have done all we can. This is not the first time, nor will it be the last that we have come out in support of people in need. This is what we do — we help people in need, disaster or otherwise.”

S Saraswathi in Chennai

Source……..www.rediff.com

natarajan

Message for the Day…” There is no such thing as woman alone being bound and men being free; both are equally bound by the rules of dharma…”

December 9, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Just as the woman should consider one person and one person alone as her master and husband, the man too has to be faithful to one woman and one woman alone, as his mate, his wife. She has to consider the husband as Divine and worship him and minister to and follow his desires for the fulfilment of her duty of loyalty to the husband (pativrata);so too, man should honour his wife as the ‘mistress of the home’ and act in accordance with her wishes, for she is theGrihalakshmi (Goddess of prosperity of the home). Only then can he deserve the status of ‘man’. Name and fame, honour and dishonour, vice and wickedness, good and bad are all equal and uniform to both men and women. There is no such thing as woman alone being bound and men being free; both are equally bound by the rules of dharma. Both will fall into adharma if they conduct themselves without due consideration of the attributes mentioned above.

Top 31 Amazing Innovations from Young Indians….

December 9, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The National Innovation Foundation India (NIF), Ahmedabad shared the ideas that shined at the IGNITE 2015.

Every year, the National Innovation Foundation India (NIF), Ahmedabad invites students from across schools in the country to share their innovative ideas on how to build a better world.

The competition is organised by NIF in association with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Society for Research and Initiatives in Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI), various State Education Boards and other partners.

Students in (up to class 12) or out of the school (up to the age of 17 years) can participate in the IGNITE competition by sending their original technological ideas to solve any problem in day to day life or real life technological innovations demonstrating innovative ways of solving problems/ reducing drudgery/generating efficiency/ conserving resources etc.

More than 28,000 entries were received this year of which 31 best ideas made the cut.

This year the ‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards 2015’ were given by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in the presence of state chief minister Anandiben Patel.

President Pranab Mukherjee interacts with a young innovator at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards 2015

1. Innovation: Water filter/purifier at source

Names: Soring Lepcha, Class 4, and Subash Prodhan, Class 5, Lingzya Junior High School

Place: North Sikkim, Sikkim

Inspiration behind the idea: Most people today prefer to use a water filter/purifier at their home.

Both the children have given idea to have filter/purifier at the source of water so that everyone has access to clean water without having to make an investment in purchasing a filter/purifier.

Soring’s idea is to have a centralised purification system at the point of distribution like water tank while Subash’s idea is to have such purifiers attached to public taps.

2. Hand rest for fractured hand

Name: Adi Kumar, Class 5, Deens Academy

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Inspiration behind the idea: Generally shoulder arm slings are used to provide support to a fractured hand.

Using this for a long time sometimes give discomfort to the neck/ shoulder region.

Adi’s idea is to have a waist worn appendage, which can provide support to a fractured hand instead of the sling. The fractured arm would be rested comfortably on the appendage and kept in position by straps.

3. Umbrella for more than five persons

Name: Tarna Joy Tripura, class 6, Kabi Guro Rabindra Nath Smiti

Location: Dhalai, Tripura

Inspiration behind the idea: Many times, it becomes difficult for more than one person to share an umbrella during rains. Young Tunnab has given an idea of an umbrella, which could be held by two children from two sides under which other children can stand and thus go to school together without getting wet.

4. Alerting system for bus drivers

Names: Pradyumna Kumar Pal, class 7, Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir, Unit-3, Khordha, Orissa; and Rahul Kumar, class 9, Rajkiya Balak Uchh Vidyalaya, Patna, Bihar

Sometimes accidents occur when a passenger puts his body part outside the bus window. Pradyumna and Rahul have independently conceived an idea of an alerting system for the bus driver, which enables them to know which passenger has put his hand or head outside the bus window.

5. Reversible benches at public places

Name: Simran Chadha, Class 8, BCM Arya Public School

Location: Ludhiana, Punjab

Simran’s idea is to have reversible benches at public places so that if they become wet (due to rains) or dirty, they can be rotated using a handle so that the other side, which comes up can be used.

6. Solar seeder

Name: Subash Chandra Bose, Class 8, St Sebasthiyar Matriculation School

Location: Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu

Subash has developed a solar powered seed drill, which can undertake plantation for different size of seeds at variable depth and space between two seeds.

7. Looms for physically challenged

Name: R Elakkiya, Class 6 and R Pavithra, Class 9, SRC Memorial Matriculation

Location: Erode, Tamil Nadu

The two sisters have come up with loom for lower limbed physically challenged. In their loom they have replaced the pedal operated system with a motor and a gearbox attached to a pulley mechanism.

8. A device to collect Mahua flowers from ground

Name: Lipsa Pradhan, Class 9, Government High School, Kamagaon

Location: Bargarh, Orissa

Mahua flowers have many medicinal properties and are also used to make pickles, jams, and now ice creams as well. Lipsa has suggested a manual device like a lawn mover, which can collect Mahua flowers, which are otherwise picked up by hands, which is a time consuming and tiring process.

9. Pebble indicating system for cooking vessel

Name: Mohd. Tawseef Thoker, Class 9, Government Higher Secondary School, Nihama

Location: Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir

It happens many a times that while cleaning food grains for cooking, some impurities remain, which get cooked with the food. Tawseef suggests having a vessel with sensors, which can indicate the presence of pebbles or other similar impurities in rice or other food grains being cooked.

10. Gas lighter with gas leak alarm

Name: Nilesh Ras, Class 9, DAV Inter High School

Location: Patna, Bihar

A lot of mishaps occur when cooking gas regulator has been left on accidentally or due to a gas leak. Nilesh’s idea is to have a gas lighter, which can sense and indicate gas leakage before it is lighted thereby preventing accidents.

11. Innovative dustbin

Name: Prem Ranjan Singh, Shivani Singh, Ankush Pal, Class 9, Divya Jyoti English High School

Location: Daman, Daman & Diu

Concerned with the sight of overflowing garbage bins, the three friends have come with an idea of a dustbin with separate slots for bio-degradable and non bio-degradable waste with a message sending facility to the municipality once dustbin is filled up to a preset level.

12. Lac extraction machine

Name: Saurabh Dey, Class 10, Govt. High School, Barajamda

Location: West Singhbhum, Jharkhand

For lac extraction generally the lac coated branches of host trees are cut, crushed and sieved to remove impurities.

Saurabh has made a machine, which can remove lac from the branches without breaking them. As a result, the amount of impurities is lesser in lac and it takes lesser effort to clean it.

13. Pay as you weigh!

Name: Rishab Mallick, Class 10, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Fort William

Location: Howrah, West Bengal

An idea of an automatic ticketing system where fare is calculated as per the weight of the passenger and his luggage

14. Passcode based locking system in gas stove

Name: Nim Lepcha, Class 10, Gor Secondary School

Location: North Sikkim, Sikkim

An idea to have a manual or digital pass code system for gas stoves to avoid accidents involving children.

15. Spectacle microscope

Name: Hadasha Ruangmi, Class 10, Lorna’s School

Dimapur, Nagaland

An idea to have wearable microscope like a spectacle so that it becomes easy to store, carry and use.

16. Seed container that indicates growth of germs

Name: Deepti Manjari Dakua, Class 10, Bahadjhole Girls High School

Location: Nayagrah, Orissa

An idea to have a seed container, which can detect the growth of organism by detecting increase in temperature of the container and alert

17. Colour coded thermometer

Names: Jaspreet Kaur, Class 10, Police DAV Public School, Jalandhar, Punjab; and Janmejay Rathore, Class 12, CMR PU College, Bangalore, Karnataka

An idea to have a colour coding scheme in thermometers to indicate fever level.

It shows red for emergency, orange for intermediate temperature and green for normal.

It also gives out precautionary measures and even dials an ambulance in case of an emergency!

18. Machine to pluck Tendu leaves

Name: Bharat, Class 11, Shashkiya Uchhtar Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Bacheli

Location: Dakshin Bastar, Chhattisgarh

Collecting Tendu leaves is one of the important sources of income in the tribal regions.

The leaves are plucked manually, which is a tedious process. Bharat’s idea is to have a machine to pluck Tendu leaves from the tree.

It would have blades for cutting the leaves, a container to store leaves and a sensor based sorter to segregate leaves according to their size.

19. Watch with medicine delivery system

Names: Navjot Kaur, Class 11, Senior Secondary Model School, Chandigarh; and Vaishnavi Patra, Class 9, Odisha Demonstrated Multipurpose Public School, Khorda, Orissa

An idea of a watch, which can store and timely deliver appropriate dose of medicine to the person.

20. Printed paper reclaiming machine

Name: Arvind Gopalkrishnan, Class 11, Smt. Narbada Devi J. Agarwal Vivekananda Vidyalaya Jr College

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

An idea of printer like device, which can erase all data on a printed page fed to it making it plain and hence reusable.

21. Smart Walking Stick

Name: Siddhant Khanna, Class 11, Sanskriti School

Location: New Delhi

A walking stick for the elderly and the visually challenged with many features like counting of steps, medicine reminder, locator, emergency alarm, fall detector and automatic torch, etc.

22. Drawbridge door for trains

Names: Ram Akash, Class 11, Excel Central School, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu; and Nimisha Katyayan, Class 12, DAV Kapil Dev Public School, Ranchi, Jharkhand

An idea to have a drawbridge door for trains, which when opened at the railway platforms, acts like a ramp, making it easy for people to carry their luggage inside the train bogie.

23. Solar pulse thresher

Name: Dipankar Das, Class 12, Govt. Senior Secondary School, Diglipur

Location: North Andaman, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

A device for efficient threshing of matured pulses (grains, green gram, black gram, arhar, horse gram) without using electricity or fossil fuels, thereby reducing the harvesting cost.

24. Differentiating artificially and naturally ripened fruits

Name: Neha, Class 12, Govt. Model Sr. Secondary School, PAP campus

Location: Jalandhar, Punjab

Neha suggests having paper like litmus paper, which can change its colour depending upon the level of naturally occurring sugar in a fruit thereby helping distinguish between artificially and naturally ripened fruits.

25. Stress monitoring mechanism in animals

Name: Diva Sharma, Class 12, GD Goenka Public School

Location: New Delhi

An app, which records the respiratory rate, temperature, pulse rate, heart beat rate of animals, through sensors attached to their bodies.

The program also performs an analysis of the co-dependency of these parameters to each other and prompts for a stressful condition, if parameters vary beyond a range.

26. Foot operated door opening mechanism

Name: Jayprakash B Rathwa, Class 12, Shree Gram Shala Grambharti, Gandhinagar, Gujarat; and Tanmay Takale, Class 12, Shri Mhalsakant Vidyalya

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

An idea to have a system using which a door can be opened by activating a sensor using a leg.

This may be useful for the physically disabled or someone carrying load in both hands. It can also be used in public toilets.

27. Punching machine with hole reinforcement feature

Name: Tanmay Takale, Class 12, Shri Mhalsakant Vidyalya

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

An idea to have a punching machine with a hole reinforcement mechanism so that the punched holes last longer and do not tear off from inside.

28. Body suit

Name: Ayush Gupta and Arnov Sharma, Class 12, Delhi Public School

Location: Haridwar, Uttrakhand

An mechanical exoskeleton or suit, which can support a physically disabled person, and aid orthopedic patients.

29. Low cost grass and leaf cutting machine

Name: Sapir Debbarma and Klishan Debbarma, Class 12, Bharat Sardar H. S. School

Location: Khowai, Tripura

A hand held cutting machine for cutting grass and leaves.

30. Portable latch for restrooms

Name: PS Senthur Balaji, Class 12, Maharishi International Residential School, Kanchipuram

Location: Erode, Tamil Nadu

An idea of a latch useful for people travelling frequently or in rural areas, which can be used for locking a door temporarily. This can be used in public restrooms or other places that lack latches.

31. Soundproof hammer

Name: Prithwish Dutta, Class 12, Don Bosco High & Technical School

Location: Howrah, West Bengal

An idea of a soundproof hammer, which would not make any sound when struck against any object. The impact energy would be absorbed in the hammer itself, which will be covered with a foam like substance.

So, which of these innovations did you like the most? Tell us! Share your views in the messageboard below!

All Photographs: Courtesy National Innovation Foundation India

Source…..www.rediff.com

Natarajan

” Chennai floods: Saved by Muslim man, Hindu couple names Newborn after Rescuer…”

December 9, 2015Natarajan1 Comment

Among tales of humanity emerging from rain-battered Chennai is a story of a Hindu couple who have named their newborn after a Muslim who came to their rescue when the crisis blew them over.

Chitra and Mohan, hailing from Urapakkam which suffered one of the worst flooding in the city’s southern neighbourhood, named their daughter Yunus after the MBA graduate, who rescued the pregnant woman from neck-deep waters and moved her to a hospital.

The couple thanked Yunus by naming their daughter after him, with the businessman now promising to take care of his namesake’s educational expenses.

Narrating the experience, Yunus said, “I hail from Nungambakkam and I realised on the night of December 2 something is not right and I thought of helping my friends in Urapakkam area, which was one of the worst-hit areas due to the heavy rainfall.”

The screams of a woman in the area initially sounded like a frightened reaction to Yunus and his friends, but “later I realised she was undergoing labour pain”, Yunus told PTI.

At first, my objective was to take her and the family to a safer place and we moved her to nearby Perungalathur by boat. That 15-minute journey is unforgettable,” he said.

However, he got the surprise of his life when Mohan informed him that he has named his daughter Yunus.

In a text message to Yunus, Mohan informed him of the birth of his daughter and his decision to name her after the Muslim postgraduate.

“We take pride in this,” Mohan had told him.

Having himself been a victim of a disaster, Mohan has vowed to contribute 50 per cent of his salary for the needy.

Asked whether he had time to pay a visit to the child, Yunus said he was still helping those affected with his 15-member team.

“The full credit goes to the team, my friends and the fishermen from Besant Nagar beach. They were there with me always and still helping to take part in the relief efforts”, he said.

“As far as the child is concerned, I will definitely pay a visit soon. Through you, I wish to inform them that the child’s education fees would be fully borne by me,” he said.

Source…..www.rediff.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…”Keep your eyes pure. Fill your ears with stories of Divine; don’t allow them to listen to calumny. Use your tongue for uttering good, kind, and true words”

December 8, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

People have taught the eye, ear, and tongue the luxury of constant novelty. Now do the opposite. Turn your mind towards the good and examine every minute’s activities. Each deed is a chisel stroke shaping the rock of human personality. A wrong stroke may disfigure the rock. Therefore even the tiniest of acts must be done with great care and devotion. For a drowning person, even a reed is some support. So too to a person struggling in the sea of inborn desires (samskara), a few kind words might be of great help. No good deed is a waste; every bad deed has its consequence. So strive to avoid the slightest trace of evil activity. Keep your eyes pure. Fill your ears with stories of Divine; don’t allow them to listen to calumny. Use your tongue for uttering good, kind, and true words. Let it always remind you of God. Such constant effort will grant you victory.