Photography

As white as a feather.

Dogs and nature

The beauty of animals and nature captured from a lens.

Dogs and nature

Nature captured in the moment.

Dogs and nature

Running with joy.

Dogs and nature

Ready for winter.

Dogs and nature

As white as snow.

Dogs and nature

Source…..www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

After facing the heaviest rainfall in over a century, Chennai is now struggling because of immense shortage of drinking water. The roads are flooded with sewage water, and many buildings are submerged up to the first and second floors. Residents in several parts of the city have been stranded without food and drinking water since the past few days.

In such a situation, a Bangalore based entrepreneur, Dinesh Jain, has reached Chennai with a gift that has the potential to solve the scarcity of drinking water there.

dinesh_f

Inset Picture Source: The Hindu

He has put together a mobile unit, the Amritdhara plant, which can convert 20,000 litres of any kind of water into drinking water. Thus, flood water from the street can be converted into drinking water using this unit that has been mounted on a truck, and can be moved around.

Dinesh is currently in Chennai and is doing his best to fight the situation there. He informed that the unit utilises Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology to purify water. It is basically a process in which a majority of pollutants from impure water are removed by passing it under pressure through a semi permeable membrane. For this, the water is first pumped from the source into the purification unit. It then undergoes a primary treatment to separate the heavy particles. This is followed by treatment of water with Aluminium Sulphate, also known as Alum, to initiate coagulation. Turbidity of water is removed by passing it through a filter and it is pumped through a cartridge filter to eliminate all particles larger than five micrometres. This water is then passed through a high pressure piston pump into a series of vessels where it undergoes reverse osmosis. The final water is 99.1% free from impurities.

Dinesh is currently working in Koyambedu area of Chennai. He has started treating water. Distribution has not begun yet because he wants to wait for the lab results stating the purity of the water. Dinesh informed that he has not received any help or support from the government until now. He was in Chennai for the whole day on Friday, but was not given permission to begin work. Finally, some supportive people in the administration told him to proceed.

“Money does not mean everything,” says Dinesh. In Chennai, he met a young professional who narrated how he had been fighting for appraisal at his work place before all this devastation.

“He was earning lakhs every month but today, will all his money, he was not able to meet his basic needs like clean drinking water. This made me realise the value of money.”

In times of need it is only what one man can do for another that’s important. All the money in the world cannot buy you survival.

You can contact Dinesh at 9036057712.

Source….Tanaya Singh….www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

I have seen people perform badly in their jobs and later blamed it on their personal life and issues. Things like,

“I wasn’t in the right state of mind.”
“I was pissed off.”
“I had a bad mood.”

…and many other such excuses are commonly heard.

Yet, you know what, people who have to perform, will perform. They won’t let any excuse interfere in their duty.

The apt example of it is the cricketer R. Ashwin who is currently playing in the India v South Africa series.

Image source

With #ChennaiRains have disrupted complete life in Tamil Nadu, people are distressed and life is yet to return to normal. Amidst the chaos, many people are missing and no contact can be established with them.

Among them were R. Ashwin’s parents who were missing and out of contact for the past 24 hours.

R. Ashwin’s wife expressed in her tweet how worried they were about them and called for help. Any child would be stressed fearing for his/her parents. However, R. Ashwin not just kept his personal life aside but also showed any exemplary performance by scoring a half century.

He went ahead to prove that a strong man can face any obstacle in life to reach where he must.

Further tweets from Ashwin’s wife informed that his parents had been found and they were both safe and sound.

Image source

Thank God for that and a deep bow down to R. Ashwin who showed us what professionalism means.

Cover Image Source

Source….Shubhi Dixit ….www.storypick.com

Natarajan

This wonderful video reminds me of an old saying: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

Arman Foisy was driving his 101-year-old mother into town when she asked him to pull over to the side of the road. When she hopped out of the car, she started playing in the snow, making a snowball and giggling all the while.

This is proof that if you find pure joy in the simple things, you can live for more than 100 happy years!

Source….. DECEMBER 2, 2015 — By Binny Gudjonsson in http://www.viralnova.com

Natarajan

For many artists, the process of creating a piece is even more important than the finished product. While that may seem strange to the average observer, anyone with a background in art can tell you that watching a piece come to life is often more fulfilling than seeing the culmination of their efforts.

That’s why it’s a privilege to see art in action. One illustrator named Jake Lockett recently created an incredibly intricate woodland scene, and he was kind enough to let us watch it evolve into something extraordinary.

It all starts with a sketch.

YouTube / Jake Lockett

And the addition of color brings a whole new dimension to the piece.

YouTube / Jake Lockett

The end result is something out of this world.

To see the process in full, check out the video below:

Source…. Madeline Distasio in http://www.viralnova.com

Natarajan

America’s national parks are all beautiful in their own right. We’ve got The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier Park…our list of incredible natural wonders is endless. But take a trip across the Pacific Ocean and you’ll come to China, where one national park in particular might steal your heart.

Deep in the Sichuan region of the country, Jiuzhai Valley National Park is home to some of the most spectacular sights…let’s take a quick tour.

Welcome to Jiuzhai Valley National Park.

Yes, this is a real place.

While one of the best times to visit is during the spring, you can’t beat that fall foliage.

And winter isn’t bad, either.

The park is known for its colorful lakes and striking, multilevel waterfalls.

This one is called Arrow Bamboo Lake Waterfall.

Even the most subtle streams are beautiful.

This is Nuorilang Falls. The massive beauty is the widest highland waterfall in China.

They are 65 feet high and over 1,000 feet wide.

Five Flower Lake is one of the park’s main attractions.

The multicolored waters are home to countless ancient tree trunks.

Long Lake is a crescent-shaped body of water high up in the mountains

At nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, the lake is also the deepest in the park.

Ice and snow melt contributes to the lakes, but also creates rapids like this one.

So…who’s coming with me?! This seems like something straight out of the movies, but it’s entirely real. Isn’t nature incredible?

Source….Amanda Black in http://www.viralnova.com

Amanda hails from the great state of Maine. In the past, she’s written for sites like TheKnot.com, ShermansTravel.com, and Thrillist.com. On ViralNova, you can catch her covering animal cuteness, travel, DIY tricks, and everything in between!

Natarajan

Sandeep Kumar was just seven when doctors gave him an expired penicillin injection. It left him in a coma for a year followed by paralysis in the lower half of his body. Today, this 24-year-old man, who is the first paraplegic to be employed in the aviation industry, glides around on a wheelchair at Delhi airport – helping other people with disabilities.

Sandeep Kumar woke up from a year-long coma at the age of seven and found that he could not move the limbs in the lower half of his body. The incident changed his entire life. Confined to a wheelchair, he began to struggle to do everyday things. There were no access ramps in his school, children and teachers there would treat him differently, and his condition restricted him from doing many activities that he wanted to do.

“In small towns, people tend to believe that once you are disabled your life is over. They told my father to discontinue my studies and open a small shop for me. When I joined the school again, many people told him not to waste his money on me. It was disheartening but I did not let this affect me. I had my family’s support and a positive mind. I continued my life with the same enthusiasm,” says Sandeep.

Most people would be demotivated with this sudden setback in life, but Sandeep dealt with the situation with a great attitude and determination.

Sandeep became paraplegic at a young age of seven.

“I had no other choice but to accept it and deal with it. Nothing would have changed my situation. So I thought I should channelize my energy into something else and not think about what I was missing,” he says.

He did not blame the doctor, nor did he question his fate. Sandeep continued his life with the same passion and will that he had always exhibited. He completed his engineering degree in computer science and was selected for a job by an MNC during campus placements.

But this was not his goal. Not willing to restrict himself to a cubicle, Sandeep wanted to explore the world, meet new people, and do much more.

He gave up the opportunity of working at the MNC and decided instead to work in customer service to help people in need. He joined one of India’s leading aviation groups, IndiGo Airlines. And today, this 24-year-old enthusiastic man is India’s first paraplegic to be employed with the aviation industry.

“Working in an MNC would have restricted me to one location. Here, I am a wheelchair-bound person helping others. I find this empowering at so many levels,” he says.

Powered by a wheelchair, Sandeep glides across the Delhi airport terminal to assist people in need. His job requires him to be always active.

He completed his engineering and then joined the aviation industry.

He helps people with special needs with their boarding passes and gets them through security check. He also addresses other queries by passengers and helps them get resolved.

“Up until now, the aviation industry did not hire people with disabilities. When I applied for the job I did not expect to get selected. I just thought I’d give it a try anyway. After three-four months I got a call from the airline that I had been selected and I joined them in October 2014,” says Sandeep.

Originally from Jhansi, Sandeep has been living alone for several years now and is completely independent.

He recalls an incident when a friend in school told him that he would not be able to become an engineer. “I got bad grades in my 10th class. That was the first time I heard of IIT and felt that I would like to get admission in this prestigious institute. My friend told me that I would not be able to do so because of my disability. That incident triggered in me a desire to pursue engineering. Though I could not get into any of the IITs, I managed to get admission in a government college in Kanpur. What is amusing though is that the friend who told me I could not do it failed to become an engineer while I went on to become one,” chuckles Sandeep.

Having faced various challenges in his life, Sandeep now understands the plight of people with disabilities. He trains the loaders at the airport to treat the disabled and the elderly with care and respect.

“The transfer from a chair to the aircraft seat is a painful process for someone who is old and/or disabled but it can be minimised with proper training,” he says.

In just a year’s time, Sandeep has become an inspiration to many at his workplace. “They always praise me for the way I dress up and behave in the office. It feels good when my efforts are recognised,” says Sandeep.

Having faced discrimination for most of his life, Sandeep feels a sense of normalcy now.

“I go to office like a regular person. I don’t feel that I am missing my legs. There are so many things that I can do. People have started treating me normally too. They don’t stare at me or give me special attention. This is what I want – a regular life,” he says.

Sandeep is also a good singer – he was part of a band during his college days and still performs occasionally. “My job keeps me occupied these days and music has taken a back seat but I still enjoy singing whenever I am free,” says Sandeep.

Sandeep now wants to set an example for people with special needs so that other companies in the aviation industry hire people with disabilities too. He runs an NGO called Ally Foundation, which focuses on empowering the disabled.

In addition to this, he has also set his eye on participating in the national Paralympics in powerlifting. “I want to write a book too,” he quickly adds, before signing off.

Source…..Shreya Pareek …www.the betterindia .com

Natarajan

Rescue operations to take people stranded in different parts of the city to safer zones, are going strong in Chennai. Over a hundred people have been rescued by teams of Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Due to the floods caused by heavy rains in the city, some areas have been completely submerged, with water rising up to the second storey of many buildings.

Photo Credits: Twitter, Twitter

Those who have been transferred to safe places by IAF include 50 students who were stranded at SRM University, and a pregnant woman who was airlifted on December 3 from one of the worst affected areas in the city.

“We sent about 120 rescued people to Delhi carried by a C-130J (Super Hercules) this morning and another 20 have been sent to Arakonnam, from where they will fly out in different aircraft,” a senior IAF official informed The Hindu.

Air Force officials are working on evacuating those who are stranded and they are also delivering food supplied to those who are unable to move out of their homes and do not have access to food. A senior IAF official said they expect to rescue about 1,200 people in next few days.

This video shows pregnant woman being airlifted along with her child.

Source…..Tanaya Singh …www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

The Amphitheatre of El Jem is located in the town of El Jem or Thysdrus, as it was known in Roman time, in central Tunisia. Modeled after the famous Colosseum of Rome, this impressive monument is one of the most accomplished examples of Roman architecture of an amphitheatre, almost equal to that of the Colosseum itself. It has a seating capacity of 30,000 people, stands 36 meters high, and has a diameter of nearly 150 meters. Only the great Colosseum in Rome and the ruined theatre of Capua are larger.

The Amphitheatre of El Jem was built in the early 3rd century under proconsul Gordian, and was mainly used for gladiator shows and small chariot races. In those times, Thysdrus was an important center of olive oil manufacturing which was exported in huge quantities.

Photo credit: Agnieszka Wolska/Wikimedia

The amphitheatre is free standing, built entirely of sandstone blocks, with no foundations. Its facade comprises three levels of arcades of Corinthian or composite style. The amphitheater is the only one in the world, with the Colosseum of Rome, still have an intact facade with three levels of galleries. Inside, the monument has conserved most of the supporting infrastructure for the tiered seating. The wall of the podium, the arena and the underground passages are practically intact.

Until the 17th century, the amphitheatre remained more or less whole. From then on its stones were used for building the nearby village of El Djem and transported to the Great Mosque in Kairouan. During the struggles between the Ottomans and the Turks in Byzantine period, the amphitheater became a fortress and a place of refuge for the rebels.

The ruins of the amphitheatre were declared a World Heritage Site in 1979. Because of its good acoustics, it hosts the annual Festival international de musique symphonique d’El Jem.

Photo credit: Cimoi/Wikimedia

\Photo credit: Trsqr/Wikimedia

Photo credit: Tony Hisgett/Flickr

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Photo credit: Christopher Rose/Flickr

]Photo credit: Amine GHRABI/Flickr

Source….www.amusingplanet.com

Natarajan

காஞ்சிபுரம் மாவட்டம் நீஞ்சல் மடுவில் ஏற்பட்ட வெள்ளப் பெருக்கினால் செங்கல்பட்டு மகாலட்சுமி நகர் பகுதியில் முற்றிலும் மூழ்கிப்போன குடியிருப்புகள். | படங்கள்: காஞ்சி கோ.கார்த்திக்

செங்கல்பட்டு நீஞ்சல் மடுவில் ஏற்பட்ட வெள்ளப் பெருக்கினால் மகாலட்சுமி நகர் பகுதியில் முதல்மாடியை நெருங்கி வரும் வெள்ளநீர்.

காஞ்சிபுரம் மாவட்டம் மதுராந்தகம் அடுத்த தச்சூர்-தேவாதூர் கிராமத்தில் விவசாய நிலங்களை மூழ்கடித்த வெள்ளம்.

கொளவாய் ஏரியின் வெள்ளப் பெருக்கால் செங்கல்பட்டு ஜேசிகே நகர் குடியிருப்புப் பகுதிகளை தண்ணீர் சூழ்ந்துள்ளது.

மதுராந்தகம் அடுத்த அருங்குனம் கிராமத்தில் தண்ணீரில் முழ்கியுள்ள நாற்றங்கால்.

பேசின் பாலம் அருகே தண்டவாளத்தில் மழைநீர் தேங்கியுள்ள நிலையில், மெதுவாக இயக்கப்பட்ட எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் ரயில். | படம்: ச.கார்த்திகேயன்

சென்னையின் நுழைவு வாயிலாக கருதப்படும் சைதாபேட்டை பாலத்தின் தடுப்பைத் தாண்டி குடியிருப்புகளை மூழ்கடித்து பாய்கிறது அடையாறு வெள்ளம்

மோசமான பாதிப்பை சந்தித்துள்ள கோட்டூர்புரத்தின் பிரதான சாலையை ஆக்கிரமித்து காட்டாற்று வெள்ளம் போல செல்லும் மழைநீர்

அசோக் பில்லரின் நான்கு திசைகளிலும் நீர் சூழ்ந்ததால் அசோக்நகர், கே.கே நகர் உள்ளிட்ட பகுதிகள் முற்றிலும் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.

தி.நகர் தெற்கு போக் சாலையில் வெள்ளத்தில் சிக்கியவர் தெர்மாகூல் மீது டிஷ் ஆண்டானா பலகையை வைத்து அதன்மீது அமர்ந்தபடி பாதுகாப்பாக வெள்ளத்தை கடந்து வருகிறார் | படங்கள்: க. ஸ்ரீபரத்

சென்னை அருகே சிங்கபெருமாள் கோயில் விஞ்சூர் ஏரியில் உடைப்பு ஏற்பட்டதால் தேசிய நெடுஞ்சாலையில் ஏற்பட்டுள்ள வெள்ளப்பெருக்கில் நீந்தி செல்லும் பேருந்து | படம்: காஞ்சி கோ.கார்த்திக்

ஆவடி ரயில் நிலையத்தில் தண்டவாளத்தில் தேங்கியுள்ள மழை நீர். இதனால் ரயில் சேவை முற்றிலும் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

கூவம் ஆற்றில் கரை புரண்டு ஓடும் வெள்ளம்

அண்ணாசாலை மின்வாரிய அலுவலகத்துக்குள் வெள்ள நீர் புகுந்ததால் அண்ணாசாலையின் முக்கிய பகுதிகள் இருளில் மூழ்கின. மின்வாரிய அலுவலகத்துக்குள் புகுந்த நீரை வெளியேற்ற முடியாமல் தவிக்கும் மின்துறை ஊழியர்கள்.

பூந்தமல்லி நெடுஞ்சாலையையும் எழும்பூரையும் இணைக்கும் கெங்குசாமி நாயுடு சுரங்கப்பாதையில் நீச்சல் குளம்போல நீர் தேங்கியிருக்கிறது.

சென்னை அருகே செங்குன்றம் பகுதியில் ரெட்டேரி முழுக் கொள்ளளவை எட்டியுள்ளது. ஏரியை ஒட்டிய பகுதிகளில் உள்ள குடியிருப்புகளில் தண்ணீர் புகுந்துள்ளது.

செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரியின் உபரிநீர் அதிகளவில் திறக்கப்பட்டதால் அடையாற்றை ஒட்டியுள்ள தாழ்வான பகுதிகள் நீரில் மூழ்கின. வீட்டுக்குள் தண்ணீர் புகுந்ததால் கட்டிடத்தின் மேற்கூரையில் ஏறி உதவியை எதிர்பார்த்து காத்திருக்கும் மக்கள்.