” Would You Dare Cross This Highway In France ?…” !!!

When driving to and from work, most people wonder “will there be bad traffic?” If you happen to be one of the lucky commuters who has to drive on the Passage du Grois that runs between the Gulf of Burn and the island of Noirmoutier in France, you’d wonder “will there be a road?” This roadway is infamous for being the victim of the changing tides. At low tide, which only happens for a short period every day, the water is just low enough for people to safely pass on the road.

I don’t know about you, but if my road back home is under water for the majority of the day, I’d invest in a boat (or perhaps submersible vehicle).

A few cyclists cross the Passage du Grois. The sun is shining and the road (for now) is above water.

Imagine driving along and running into this. Time to put the car in reverse.

At least there are some handy signs to warn you in case you miss the road disappearing right in front of you.

Some people never learn: Exhibit A.

Some people never learn: Exhibit B.

If there’s one place in the world where you definitely don’t want to be in a traffic jam….

“Excuse me, sir, you can’t park here.”

If all else fails, you can always cross the Passage du Grois the old-fashioned way.

(via: acidcow.com)

One thing’s for sure, life as a commuter on the Passage du Grois is never boring. !!!!

SOURCE:::: Viral nova trending site

Natarajan

 

“நாள் என்ன செய்யும் , கோள் என்ன செய்யும் ? … கோளறு திருப்பதிகம் படியுங்க…”

Kolaru thirupathigam
English and Tamil Lyrics
(The ten verses that remove all ills)
By Thirujnana Sambandar

 

 

Here is a remarkable prayer addressed to Shiva composed by Sambandar , one of great saivite saints who were called as Nayanmar. Once the Pandya country of Tamil Nadu was under the influence of Jains , with the king himself converting himself to jain religion. At that time the queen who was a saivite requested Sambandar and Thirunavukkarasar to visit their country and bring it back to saivism. At that time it seems both saints were in the holy place of Thirumaraikkadu(Vedaranyam). . Thirunavukkarasar was little worried to go because , it was at that time thought that the Jains were experts in evil magic. Then Sambandar sang this prayer, which essentially tells that neither the planets, nor the evil mantras nor the wild animals nor any other thing that can cause harm, can cause harm to the devotee of Lord Shiva. If this prayer is sung with devotion, it would definitely save us from anything that causes evil.
Kolaru Pathigam Benefits
Kolaru Pathigam (10 Tamil verses on Lord Siva to disarm the planets) composed by saint Thirugnaana Sambandar, can be recited mentally before proceeding to the exam hall. The above verses were composed when he was told that the time was inauspicious to proceed to challenge his adversaries in an intellectual-spiritual debate.
The blessed young saint said the planets would never affect the devotees of the Lord and sang the ten verses, for the benefit of his followers.
Here is the lyrics of Kolaru pathigam,

1.Veyurur tholi pangan, Vidam unda kandan, Miga nalla veenai thadavi,
Masaru thingal, gangai mudi mel aninthen, ulame pugundhu adhanal,
Jnayiru , thingal, chevvai , budhan , vyazhan Velli, sani , pambu irandum udane,
Aasaru nalla, nalla avai nalla , nalla adiyar avarkku migave.

Friend of the lady with Bamboo like shoulders , God having a neck affected by swallowing poison,
One who plays Veena faultlessly , One who wears the spotless moon and Ganga on his head,
Entered inside my mind and immediately made Sun, moon, mars , mercury , Jupiter , Venus Saturn and the two snakes,
Cut away desires and are good , they are good , and are very good to devotees of Shiva.

2.Enbodu kombaodamai ivai marbilanga, erutheri ezhai udane,
Pon pothi matha maalai punal choodi vanthen ulame pugundhu adanal,
Onbathodu ondrodu ezhu pathinettodu aarum udaya natkal avai tham,
Anbodu nalla nalla Avai nalla nalla adiyaar avarkku migave.

With his chest adorned with garland of bones, boar’s tusk and tortoise shell,
And also wearing garland of datura flowers with their golden pollen,
And decorating his head with the ganges river, he along with Parvathi comes riding on a bull
And he has entered my mind and stays there and so the inauspicious stars that are
Ninth, seventeenth, eighteenth and twenty fourth among the twenty seven,
Do only good and good with love , for they are good , good for the devotees of Shiva.

3.Uru valar pavala meni oli neeru aninthu, umayodum vellai vidai mel,
Murugalar kondrai thingal mudi mel aninthu yen, ulame pugundhu ,athanaal,
THirumagal kalaya thoorthi cheyya mathu bhoomi disai deivamana palavum,
Aruneri nalla nalla Avai nalla nalla adiyaar avarkku migave.

With his growing radiant coral like body wearing the shining holy ash.
Along with Goddess Parvathi on the white bull, wearing the golden kondrai * flowers
As well as the crescent on his head , he came and entered in to my mind and so ,
The Goddess Lakshmi , Kali , mother earth and the various Gods that god the directions,
Does only good and good with love , for they are good , good for the devotees of Shiva.
* Indian Laburnum

4.Mathi nuthal mangayodu vada aali runthu marai othum engal paraman,
Nathiyodu kondrai malai mudi mel anithu yen ulame pugundhu athanal,
Kothiyuru kalan angi namanodu doothar kodu noygal aana palavum,
Athiguna nalla nalla Avai nalla nalla adiyaar avarkku migave

With the lady with the crescent like forehead sitting below a banyan tree and teaching Vedas,
Our God wears on his head kondrai flowers along with the river and has entered in to my mind and so,
The very angry god of death along with his messengers and various great diseases,
Does only good and good with love , for they are good , good for the devotees of Shiva.

5.Nanju ani kandan yendhai madavaal thanodum , vidayeru thangal paraman,
THunji yarul vanni kondrai mudi mel aninthu , yen ulame pugandha adhanal,
Venchina avunarodum , urumudiyum minnum migayana bhootham avayum
Anjidum nalla nalla Avai nalla nalla adiyaar avarkku migave

With my father who decorates his neck with poison along with Parvathi riding on a bull,
Showing his grace and Wearing vanni* leaves and kondrai **flowers has entered in to my mind and so,
The angry asuras , roaring thunder, lightning and those ghosts that we are afraid,
Do only good and good with love , for they are good , good for the devotees of Shiva.
*Indian Mesquite **Indian Laburnum

6.Valari thala thadai vari kovanathar madavaal thanodum udanay,
Naanmalar vanni kondrai nadhi choodi vandhu en ulame pugundhu athanal,
Kolari uzhuvayodu kolai yanai kezhal kodu nagamodu karadi,
Alari nalla nalla Avai nalla nalla adiyaar avarkku migave

With Siva wearing a striped tigers skin and loin cloth, and along with Parvathi,
And wearing vanni leaves and kondari flowers has entered in to my mind and so,
Powerful deadly tigers , murderous elephants , boars, cobras , bears and lions,
Do only good and good with love , for they are good , good for the devotees of Shiva.

7.Cheppila mulai nan mangai oru bhagamaga vidai yeru chelvan adaivaar,
Oppilamathiyum appum mudi mel aninthen ulame pugantha athanaal,
Veppodu kulirum vadam migayana pithum , vinayana vandhu naliyaa,
Appadi nalla nalla Avai nalla nalla adiyaar avarkku migave

With the famous good young damsel occupying one side , he is the source of all wealth,
And keeping on his head , the incomparable moon as well as the river , he entered in to my mind,
And so fevers with chills , rheumatism, excess of bile which come and trouble ,
Do only good and good with love , for they are good , good for the devotees of Shiva.

8.Vel pada vizhi cheythanru vidai melirunthu madaval thanodum udanay,
Van mathi vanni konrai malar choodi vandhen ulame pugundhu adhanaal,
Ezhkadal choozh ilangai arayan thanodum idarana vandhu naliyaa,
Aazhkadal nalla nalla Avai nalla nalla adiyaar avarkku migave

With his angry eye he burnt Manmatha when he shot an arrow and along with Parvathi he rides the bull,
And wearing the crescent of the sky , Vanni leaves and Kondrai flowers , he entered in to my heart,
And so the king of Lanka which is surrounded by ebbing sea and other afflictions surrounding the sea,
Do only good and good with love , for they are good , good for the devotees of Shiva.

9.Pala pala vedamagum paranaari bhagan, vasuverum yengal paraman,
Chala magalodu erukku mudi mel aninthu yen ulame pugundhu adhannal,
Malar misayonum malum maraiyodu devar varukalamana palavum,
Alaikadal meru nalla nalla Avai nalla nalla adiyaar avarkku migave

With his ability to assume many forms, the consort of Parvathi who is our lord rides on a bull,
And wearing the erukku *flower on his head , he entered my heart,
And Lord Brahma, Vishnu , Vedas, devas and several things that are yet to come,
Do only good and good with love , for they are good , good for the devotees of Shiva.
*Calotropis gigantean

10.Kothaalar kuzhaviyodu visayar nalgu gunamaai veda vigithan,
Mathamum madhiya nagam mudi mel aninthen ulame pugundhu adhanal,
Putharodu amanavathil azhivirkkum annan thiruneeru chemmai thidame ,
Athagu nalla nalla Avai nalla nalla adiyaar avarkku migave

Along with the pretty lady wearing flowers , that varied God of Vedas went to give a boon to Arjuna,
And wearing datura flowers , moon and the serpent , he entered my heart,
And the sacred of ash of his will defeat the budhists and jains without any doubt and,
Do only good and good with love , for they are good , good for the devotees of Shiva.

11.Thenavar pozhi kola alai vilai chen nel , thunni valar chembon engum thigaza,
Naan mugan aadhiyaya biramapurathu marai Jnana Jnana munivan,
Thanuru kolu naalum adiyarai vandhu naliyatha vannam urai chei,
Aana chol maalai oodhum adiyargal vaanil arasalvr aanai namathe.

The saint Thirujnana Sambandar of Brahma puram , where Brahma is worshipped,
And which has honey bees, sugar cane , paddy in an abundant measure,
Is ordering that those devotes who read this garland of words ,
Would not suffer the ill effects caused by planets , stars and others and would rule the heavens

கோளறு திருப்பதிகம்

திருஞானசம்பந்தர், தமிழ்நாட்டில், சைவ சமயத்தவர்களால் நாயன்மார்கள் என அழைக்கப்படும் அறுபத்து மூவருள் முதலாக வைத்து எண்ணப்படும் நால்வருள் ஒருவராவார். இவர் கி.பி. ஏழாம் நூற்றாண்டில், சீர்காழி என்னும் ஊரில், பிராமணக் குடும்பத்திற் பிறந்தார். இவரது தந்தையார் சிவபாதவிருதயர், தாயார் இசைஞானியார்.
திருஞான சம்பந்தரும், திருநாவுக்கரசரும் பல சிவத்தலங்களுக்கும் ஒன்றாகவே சென்று பாடல்களால் இறைவனை அர்ச்சித்துள்ளனர். திருஞான சம்பந்தரும், திருநாவுக்கரசரும் திருமறைக்காடு (வேதாரண்யம்) என்கிற திருத்தலத்தில் இருந்தபோது மதுரையில் அரசாண்ட பாண்டிய மன்னன் சமணமதத்தில் பற்றுக் கொண்டிருந்தான். அவனுடைய மனைவி மங்கையர்க்கரசியோ சைவ மதத்தில் பற்றுக் கொண்டிருந்தார். பாண்டிய நாட்டில் சமண மதம் ஓங்குவதைத் தடுக்கும் பொருட்டு திருஞான சம்பந்தர் மதுரைக்கு எழுந்தருளி அங்கே சைவம் தழைக்க உதவ வேண்டும் என்கிற வேண்டுகோளுடன் அவருக்கு அழைப்பு விடுத்தார். அரசியாரின் அழைப்பினை மதுரை ஏவலர்கள் திருமறைக்காடு வந்து திருஞான சம்பந்தரிடம் தெரிவித்தனர். திருஞான சம்பந்தர் மதுரை செல்ல உடன்பட்டு திருநாவுக்கரசரிடம் விடைபெறச் சென்றார். திருநாவுக்கரசர், அந்தக் கணத்தில் கோள்களின் அமைப்பும் அன்றைய நாளும் தீமை பயக்கும் அறிகுறிகள் காட்டுவதாகக் கூறி சம்பந்தரின் பயணத்தை ஒத்திப்போடச் சொன்னார்.

“சிவனடியையே சிந்திக்கும் சிவனடியார்களை நாளும் கோளும் என்ன செய்து விடும்? அவை நன்மையே பயக்கும்” என்று கூறி பத்து பாடல்கள் பாடினார் திருஞான சம்பந்தர். அந்தப் பாடல்களின் தொகுப்பான பதிகமே (பத்து பாடல்களின் தொகுப்புக்குப் பதிகம் என்று பெயர்) கோளறு பதிகம் எனப் பெயர் பெற்றது. (பதிகப்பயனுடன் சேர்த்து மொத்தம் பதினொரு பாடல்கள்)

கிரகங்கள் அவற்றின் பெயர்ச்சிகள் என்கிற பெயரால் பல்வேறு நம்பிக்கைகளில் தம்மை இழக்கும் மக்கள், இந்தப் பதிகத்தைப் படித்தால் கோள்கள் எந்த நேரத்திலும் நன்மையே பயக்கும் என்பது சைவ சமயத்தாருக்கு ஞான சம்பந்தரால் சொல்லப்பட்டிருக்கும் செய்தி. இன்றும் ஏதாவது முக்கிய காரியமாகக் கிளம்பும் போதும், சகுனம் சரியில்லாத போதும், நல்லபடியாக முடிய வேண்டும் என்கிற வேண்டுகோளுடன் இந்தப் பதிகத்தை முழுதாகவோ முதல் பாடலை மட்டுமோ அவசரமாக முணுமுணுத்து விட்டுச் செல்லும் வழக்கம் பலரிடம் உண்டு. ஒவ்வொரு செவ்வாய் மற்றும் வெள்ளி கிழமைகளில் கோளறு பதிகத்தினை பாராயணம் செய்து வரவும்। (விக்கிப்பீடியாவில் இருந்து)
A 10-stanza poem from Thevaram by Thirugnanasambar to ward of
all planetary afflictions. Recite on all Tuesdays and Fridays.

“வேய் உறு தோளிபங்கன் விடமுண்ட கண்டன்
மிக நல்ல வீணை தடவி
மாசறு திங்கள் கங்கை முடிமேல் அணிந்து என்
உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
ஞாயிறு திங்கள் செவ்வாய் புதன் வியாழம் வெள்ளி
சனி பாம்பிரண்டு முடனே
ஆசறு நல்லநல்ல அவை நல்ல நல்ல
அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே.”

“என்பொடு கொம்பொடாமை இவை மார்பிலங்க
எருதேறி யேழை யுடனே
பொன்பொதி மத்தமாலை புனல்சூடி வந்தென்
உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
ஒன்பதொ டொன்றொடேழு பதினெட்டொ டாறும்
உடனாய நாள்க ளவைதாம்
அன்பொடு நல்லநல்ல அவைநல்ல நல்ல
அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே. ”

“உருவளர் பவளமேனி ஒளிநீ ற*ணிந்து
உமையோடும் வெள்ளை விடைமேல்
முருக*லர் கொன்றைதிங்கள் முடிமேல*ணிந்தென்
உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
திருமகள் கலையதூர்தி செயமாது பூமி
திசை தெய்வமான பலவும்
அருநெதி நல்லநல்ல அவை நல்லநல்ல
அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே. ”

“மதிநுதன் மங்கையோடு வடவா லிருந்து
மறையோது மெங்கள் பரமன்
நதியொடு கொன்றைமாலை முடிமேல் அணிந்தென்
உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
கொதியுறு காலன் அங்கி நமனோடு தூதர்
கொடுநோய்களான பலவும்
அதிகுணம் நல்லநல்ல அவை நல்லநல்ல
அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே.”

“நஞ்ச*ணி கண்டனெந்தை மடவாள் தனோடும்
விடையேறு நங்கள் பரமன்
துஞ்சிருள் வன்னி கொன்றை முடிமேல் அணிந்தென்
உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
வெஞ்சின அவுணரோடும் உருமிடியும் மின்னும்
மிகையான பூதமவையும்
அஞ்சிடும் நல்லநல்ல அவை நல்லநல்ல
அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே.”

“வாள்வரி அதளதாடை வரி கோவணத்தர்
மடவாள் தனோடும் உடனாய்
நாள்மலர் வன்னி கொன்றை நதிசூடி வந்தென்
உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
கோளரி உழுவையோடு கொலையானை கேழல்
கொடு நாகமோடு கரடி
ஆளரி நல்லநல்ல அவை நல்லநல்ல
அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே.”

“செப்பிள முலைநன்மங்கை ஒருபாகமாக
விடையேறு செல்வ னடைவார்
ஒப்பிள மதியும் அப்பும் முடிமேல் அணிந்தென்
உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
வெப்பொடு குளிரும் வாத மிகையான* பித்தும்
வினையான வந்து நலியா
அப்படி நல்லநல்ல அவை நல்லநல்ல
அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே.”

“வேள்பட விழிசெய்தென்று விடைமேலிருந்து
மடவாள் தனோடும் உடனாய்
வாள்மதி வன்னி கொன்றை மலர்சூடி வந்தென்
உளமே புகுந்த வதனால்
ஏழ்கடல் சூழிலங்கை அரையன் ற*னோடும்
இடரான வந்து நலியா
ஆழ்கடல் நல்லநல்ல அவை நல்லநல்ல
அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே.”

“பலபல வேடமாகும் பரனாரி பாகன்
பசுவேறும் எங்கள் பரமன்
சலமக ளோடெருக்கு முடிமேல் அணிந்தென்
உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
மலர்மிசை யோனுமாலும் மறையோடு தேவர்
வருகால மான பலவும்
அலைகடல் மேருநல்ல அவை நல்லநல்ல
அடியாரவர்க்கு மிகவே.”

“கொத்தலர் குழலியோடு விசையற்கு நல்கு
குணமாய வேட விகிர்தன்
மத்தமும் மதியும்நாக முடிமேல் அணிந்தென்
உளமே புகுந்த அதனால்
புத்தரொ டமணைவாதில் அழிவிக்கும் அண்ணல்
திருநீறு செம்மை திடமே
அத்தகு நல்லநல்ல அவை நல்லநல்ல
அடியார*வர்க்கு மிகவே.”

“தேனமர் பொழில்கொள் ஆலை விளைசெந்நெல் துன்னி
வளர் செம்பொன் எங்கும் திகழ
நான்முகன் ஆதியாய பிரமா புரத்து
மறைஞான ஞான முனிவன்
தானுறு கோளும் நாளும் அடியாரை வந்து
நலியாத வண்ணம் உரைசெய்
ஆன சொல்மாலை யோதும் அடியார்கள் வானில்
அரசாள்வர் ஆணை நமதே.”

 

SOURCE:::: http://www.periva.proboards.com

Natarajan

Sundar Pichai Takes Control of Key Google Products….

In a major move by Google CEO Larry Page, Sundar Pichai, the Google executive responsible for Android, Chrome, and Google Apps will now also be seen looking after other key Google products, according to recode.net.

 

Page had sent out a memo to the staff on Friday on the change in the leadership of certain areas of Google’s business.

Pichai will be in charge of research, search, maps, Google+, commerce and ad products, and infrastructure, apart from his existing responsibilities. Six executives for Google’s newly added products who were directly reporting to Page will now be reporting to Pichai.

According to recode.net, this move was taken due to Page’s concern that Google may become less innovative as time progressed. Page believes that it would reduce bottleneck and he will be free to be able to expand existing business. It would help him focus on the ‘bigger picture’, reported recode.net.

For Pichai who’s initial role was to manage Chrome and later the OS and a line of netbooks, this new responsibility is a big accomplishment.

His previous promotion was in March 2012 when he took control of Google Apps and later in March 2013, when Android too came his way.

According to recode.net, Pichai is known to be ‘well-liked exec is seen as an ambassador and partnership maker’. However it adds that this move does not mean he is being considered as Google’s heir apparent.

Pichai is an Indian citizen born in Chennai in 1972. He joined Google 2004. Before that he worked at Applied Materials and at McKinsey & Co.

He is an alumnus of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University and the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

SOURCE::::  http://www.dnaindia.com/

Natarajan

 

October 24 1946…. This Date in Science…First Ever Photo of Earth From Space !!!

This date in science: First-ever photo of Earth from space

White Sands Missile Range/Applied Physics Laboratory
White Sands Missile Range/Applied Physics Laboratory
On October 24, 1946, a movie camera on board the V-2 rocket captured the first photo of Earth from outer space.

October 24, 1946. Were you alive at a time when we’d never seen Earth from space? Not many of us were, and it’s hard to imagine. But if you can imagine it, think how you’d have felt seeing this first-ever photograph of Earth from outer space, taken on today’s date in 1946. On this date, a group of soldiers and scientists in the New Mexico desert launched a V-2 rocket – fitted with a 35-millimeter motion picture camera – to a suborbital altitude of 105 kilometers (65 mi). The camera was destroyed after being dropped back to Earth, but the film survived.

Photo credit: White Sands Missile Range/Applied Physics Laboratory

First photo of Earth from space, October 24, 1946  via White Sands Missile Range/Applied Physics Laboratory
Air & Space magazine tells the story of this major event in space history:

Snapping a new frame every second and a half, the rocket-borne camera climbed straight up, then fell back to Earth minutes later, slamming into the ground at 500 feet per second. The camera itself was smashed, but the film, protected in a steel cassette, was unharmed.

Fred Rulli was a 19-year-old enlisted man assigned to the recovery team that drove into the desert to retrieve film from those early V-2 shots. When the scientists found the cassette in good shape, he recalls, “They were ecstatic, they were jumping up and down like kids.” Later, back at the launch site, “when they first projected [the photos] onto the screen, the scientists just went nuts.”

Before 1946, the highest pictures ever taken of the Earth’s surface were from the Explorer II balloon, which had ascended 13.7 miles in 1935, high enough to discern the curvature of the Earth. The V-2 cameras reached more than five times that altitude, where they clearly showed the planet set against the blackness of space. When the movie frames were stitched together, Clyde Holliday, the engineer who developed the camera, wrote in National Geographic in 1950, the V-2 photos showed for the first time “how our Earth would look to visitors from another planet coming in on a space ship.”

.

V-2 #21, launched on March 7, 1947, took this picture from 101 miles up. The dark area at the upper left is the Gulf of California. White Sands Missile Range/Naval Research Laboratory.

V-2 #21, launched on March 7, 1947, took this picture from 101 miles up. The dark area at the upper left is the Gulf of California. White Sands Missile Range/Naval Research Laboratory.
Scientists quickly got better at taking Earth’s picture. Here’s one from about six months later, taken from V-2 #21, launched on March 7, 1947. This picture is also from 101 miles up. The dark area at the upper left is the Gulf of California. Image via White Sands Missile Range/Naval Research Laboratory.
Bottom line: On October 24, 1946, a movie camera on board the V-2 rocket captured the first photo of Earth from outer space.

 

SOURCE::::::EARTH SKY NEWS SITE

Natarajan

” Satellite Image of India During Diwali” …Real and Fake !!!

The Hindu festival of Diwali celebrates the victory of Good over the Evil and Light over Darkness. It also marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year. This year, Diwali falls on October 23. Lighting lamps, candles, and fireworks are a big part of Diwali. It’s a celebration of light! But can you see those celebratory lights from space? The answer is no. NASA saysthe extra light produced during Diwali is so subtle that space images don’t show it. This post is about a real satellite image of India during Diwali, versus a false one that’s been circulating on the Internet for a few years, especially around the time of the Diwali festival.

First, a real image:

The image above – which has been artificially brightened – shows what India looked like from space on the night during Diwali in November, 2012. It’s what India looks like from space onany night, according to NASA.

This image is from a NASA satellite known as Suomi NPP, for National Polar-orbiting Partnership. An instrument carried on this satellite – which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared – acquired this image in a single night. The image has been brightened to make the city lights easier to distinguish.

Most of the bright areas are cities and towns in India, which is home to more than 1.2 billion people and has at least 30 cities with populations over 1 million. Cities in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan are also visible near the edges of the image.

Now, the fake one:

In contrast, here is the false Diwali image, which has been circulating via the Internet for some years. It doesn’t show what it claims to show; that is, it doesn’t show India on a single night during the Diwali festival.

This image comes from satellite data, too, but not a single satellite on a single night. It’s based on data from U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites, and it’s a color-composite created in 2003 by NOAA scientist Chris Elvidge to highlight population growth over time. In this image, white areas show city lights that were visible prior to 1992, while blue, green, and red shades indicate city lights that became visible in 1992, 1998, and 2003 respectively.

Bottom line: This post contains a real space image of India, taken during the 2012 Diwali festival. The image is shown in contrast to another space image – a composite, put together with data taken over many years – which has circulated in recent years. The composite image does not show India during Diwali. NASA says the extra light so many enjoy during Diwali would not be visible from space.

SOURCE::::earthskynews

Natarajan

” For Many Years , It Upset Me That I was a Businessman…” Says Dilip Kapur

I wondered what mistakes I made in my life to be a businessman. Deep down, I still have doubts about it.’

Shobha Warrier meets the amazing Dilip Kapur who built a Rs 160 crore business with just Rs 25,000.

Image: Dilip Kapur whose Hidesign has grown from its artisan roots to an international brand. Photograph: Sreeram Selvaraj

Business was not Dilip Kapur’s first love. He actually wanted to “change the world.” But as fate would have it, what started as a hobby, is today a business worth over Rs 160 crore (Rs 1.6 billion) with 76 exclusive showrooms and a distribution network in 23 countries.

Founded in 1978 as a two man workshop, Dilip Kapur’s Hidesign has grown into a global brand recognised for quality, ecological values and personalised service.

“For many years, it upset me that I was a businessman. I wondered what mistakes I made in my life to be one. Deep down, I still have doubts about it. Business is not something I wanted to do,” says Kapur, the founder-president of Hidesign, the leather goods manufacturer based in Pondicherry/Puducherry, adding that even today he has many questions about doing business.

Kapur’s father, a rich businessman in Delhi, relinquished all his wealth and moved to Pondicherry in 1954 when Kapur was just five, and joined the Aurobindo Ashram.

After studying in the Ashram school as a free spirited boy, Kapoor studied at the Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, and later at Princeton University, graduating in liberal arts. He did his PhD in international affairs at Princeton.

When he was at university, the Vietnam War broke and along with that, the hippie and ant-Vietnam movements. “I was a hippie with long hair!’ he remembers. “We all thought we would be able to change the world.”

Image: Hidesign’s leather collection includes handbags, clutches, briefcases, laptop cases, wallets, belts and garments. Photograph: Sreeram Selvaraj

As the war ended, he got a job and that was the first time he was introduced to leather. “I loved the look of it. Unlike cloth, it was very tactile; you can touch it and feel it. There is a three dimension feel to leather; you can see through leather. It is more living unlike cloth.”

As part of his training, he made bills once a week and that was when he noticed that all the rare leather imported from England was called E I Leather. He found out that E I Leather, described as the finest vegetable tanned leather in the world, actually stood for East India Leather.

Considered to be the best for hand colouring, highly expensive shoes and bags in Italy, and the UK were made from this brand of leather. A huge surprise awaited him when he was told that E I Leather was imported from Madras (now Chennai)!

“They were importing from my homeland and I didn’t know. It was one of our heritages which we have lost. India used to be a big centre for vegetable tanned leather, the other two were Italy and Brazil. But when chemical tanning came to India, vegetable tanning slowly vanished.”

With every passing day Kapur realised he disliked the US more. “I really believed Vietnam was American imperialism. Maybe because I was an Indian, I felt connected to Vietnam. The arrogance of America upset me a lot; they thought they could do anything to any country. I admired Vietnam for the way they fought America. The Vietnam War was only one of the reasons why I decided to come back; I always knew one day I was going to come back,” he says.

“I had this pride that I was an Indian and wanted to live in India. No Indian who went to America at that time came back.”

Image: Hidesign has three design teams based in Milan, London and Pondicherry. Photograph: Sreeram Selvaraj

Back in Pondicherry in 1978, there was nothing much for him to do except plant trees and plan the affairs of Auroville. As he helped build Auroville, he indulged in his hobby of designing leather bags, and went searching for the source of E I Leather.

To his disappointment, tanner after tanner that he visited told him that they had stopped using the E I process and shifted to the more modern chrome tanning process.

“The disastrous results were apparent all around the tanneries. Where tannery waste water had once nurtured surrounding fields, now these areas were poisoned deserts with high incidence of cancer and skin diseases. Farmers, tanners, tanneries and environment, once bound together in a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship, were now enemies.”

Thus began his search to find the last remaining skilled tanners of E I Leather to dedicate himself “to research more innovative methods of tanning, based firmly on a heritage that had once created the greatest leather in the world!”

What he did next was visit the cobbler’s colony looking for the best cobbler there. All fingers pointed towards Murugan, a cobbler who could make his own patterns.

Murugan became Kapur’s first employee and continues to be part of Hidesign’s 35-year long journey.

Image: Hidesign sees great value in natural beauty. Photograph: Sreeram Selvaraj

Kapur was pleasantly surprised when a friend of his bought the very first handmade bag he designed for Rs 300.

“I just couldn’t believe that somebody would actually buy a bag I made. This friend knew I was making a bag and when I finished it, she found it so beautiful that she bought it. It was very unexpected.”

Kapur was now making one bag a day and gifting them to family members. It caught the attention of a German friend in Auroville. He modelled with the bags for the catalogue of the World Hunger Organisation and placed an order for 1,400 bags.

“Imagine, I had just started my business and had only one cobbler working for me. The realisation that people would place an order for what you did as a hobby, was amazing. After six months, I supplied 200 bags to him. That was all I could make.”

When such a big order landed his way, Kapur knew it was time to expand. With Rs 25,000 as capital, he expanded his hobby into a business. Most of the money was spent on buying leather, other accessories and a sewing machine.

“If I knew it would grow into a business, I would have closed it down at that time itself. I am not a Socialist or a Communist. I am not even a capitalist; I am a liberalist!” exclaims Kapur.

Image: Hidesign’s leathers are full grain and have not been corrected with paint and pigment to hide natural defects. Photograph: Sreeram Selvaraj

The bags were packed off with the name Hide (leather) and Design with ‘de’ in shadows, but a London company made it one word, Hidesign saying two ‘de’s would not read good. That was how Hidesign was born.

Soon, another order was placed by a friend who used to stay in Auroville but had gone back to Australia.

The next big step in Kapur’s journey was the British store chain John Lewis stocked Hidesign bags.

“We only had rebels as our customers in the first few years. It took us ten years to conquer the mainstream market. By then, the whole culture of the world had changed and people became less conservative and more casual. The biggest break was John Lewis buying our products.”

Image: Hidesign’s products are individually handcrafted using the finest leather. Photograph: Sreeram Selvaraj

Having left India at the age of 15, Kapur felt like a foreigner having no knowledge of the country. So, when he started designing bags, he was doing that for himself and people like him who liked anything that looked natural and rustic. He felt awkward when they moved from the ‘rebel camp’ to the ‘mainstream camp.’

“It was like a progression even though they (John Lewis) forced us to go mainstream. Our leather used to be handmade, but they wanted us to make it a little more even. Till then, we were catering only to the ‘alternate culture’. At John Lewis, our customers were the normal Europeans who were till then buying Italian bags. Yes, it was exciting to replace high-end Italian bags.”

Kapur felt this was the “end of innocence.”

In 1992 Hidesign’s Boxy Bag won the Accessory of the Year award from Accessory Magazine. Kapur had designed a little suitcase like a box with a long strap. The distributor collected the award from Princess Diana. She gave the award and took the bag home.

Stephen Spielberg picked a Hidesign bag and used it in a movie. Bob Hawke, Australia’s former prime minister, carried a Hidesign bag all the time.

The biggest surprise for Kapur was when India became a big market. By now, the number of people working for him had increased and the small unit became a big factory. Today, 3,000 people work for Hidesign, which has 2,000 stores.

“When we started selling in India in 2000, we sold only 6 per cent of our products here. We couldn’t even find a distributor in India who understood our products. So we opened our own stores, first in Delhi and then in Bangalore. Now, India is our biggest market, 65 per cent of our sales are in India. Our customers are from the 25 to 35 age group.”

“After liberalisation the world came to India and Indians went to the world. Suddenly you see many Indians having the same lifestyle as a person in San Fransisco and London.”

Image: The natural and ecological tanning process enhances the intrinsic characteristics and individuality of Hidesign’s leather. Photograph: Sreeram Selvaraj

Until 2005, most of Hidesign’s Indian customers were men, but post-2005, women became big fans of Hidesign. Internationally, 70 per cent of its customers are still men.

A businessman who was never ambitious, Kapur now wants Hidesign to grow and become a leader in India.

“I want to see it as an important brand internationally, but I don’t think in terms of numbers and rupees. We want to stay natural and ecological. That is very important to us. Hidesign is part of a movement that makes people conscious of the environment and never exploit any human being. We should have a reason to be there and a story to tell.”

Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com in Pondicherry

SOURCE:::::Rediff.com
Natarajan

” A Blessing is Something Money can Never Buy …”

 

Diwali is round the corner. While most people, staying away from their parents, have already planned a trip back home, there are a few who can’t. Maybe it’s work, maybe it’s studies or maybe it’s the distance.

This video beautifully captures the emotional journey of an abrupt decision to spend the festive days with your close ones. Because having a place to go is home, having someone to love is family & having both is a blessing.

And that blessing is something money can never buy.

SOURCE::::  Storypick and youtube

Natarajan

Highest Observation Deck in the World @ 1821 Feet !!!

At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY Level 148 HRCourtesy of ‘At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY’ The 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa.

Dubai’s Burj Khalifa is the tallest tower in the world at 2,722 feet tall with 160 floors.

And now it also has the highest observation deck on level 148 — a stunning 1,821 feet above the ground. It beat out the previous world record holder Canton Tower with its 1,601 foot high observation deck in Guangzhou, China.

This makes the fourth Guinness World Records title for the Burj Khalifa, including the tallest building, tallest man-made structure, and highest restaurant.

1. Burj Khalifa © Michael MerolaMichael Merola/Emporis The Burj Khalifa now has four Guinness World Records titles.

And because it’s not enough just to see the view, the Burj Khalifa put together an entire experience called At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY.

First, it takes visitors from the ground level of The Dubai Mall to level 125. Not even the elevator ride is boring — the elevators travel at 33 feet per second with special projections that make it appear as though you’re soaring above other global landmarks.

Once you reach Level 125, you have 360-degree views of the city plus more interactive features. You can then get back on another high-speed elevator and shoot up to the 148th floor — the SKY level — for the highest outdoor terrace in the world. The entire experience lasts over an hour.

At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY Level 125 HRCourtesy of ‘At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY’ The 125th floor of the Burj Khalifa.

SOURCE:::: Business insider india.com

Natarajan

 

“Lost in Mumbai…Found In Srinagar …”

Lost in Mumbai, found in Srinagar.

Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com and A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com report the amazing story of six-and-a-half-year-old Megha Thakur.

The floods which were the bane of much of the Kashmir valley in September proved a boon for six-and-a-half-year-old Mumbai girl.

Megha Thakur, who was found begging in tatters in Srinagar, was abandoned in the uptown Dalgate area of the city as flood waters submerged the state capital.

Through a stroke of luck the child found herself in the care of Abdul Rashid Sheikh and his family.

“We had been hit by the floods and we came back to our home a few days before Bakri Id. We came to know of a girl who had been abandoned by someone in the locality. I brought her to our home,” Sheikh said.

“My daughters took her to the market a day before the Eid festival and we bought her new clothes. We enjoyed her company and she had become part of our family. We had a great time on Eid despite the floods,” Sheikh added.

While talking to the child Sheikh was shocked to know that Megha hailed from the Bandra area in Mumbai and had been brought to Srinagar by a man named Nazir Ahmad a year ago and forced into the thriving beggar market in the city.

“My wife Dilshada and I decided to restore her to her family in Bandra,” Sheikh said.

As the flood waters receded, the family began making efforts to locate Megha’s family in Mumbai. “My nephew Parvez runs a cyber cafe in Dalgate. He took photographs and videos of Megha and posted them on social media. We also informed the local police station about her.”

The police got in touch with their counterparts in Mumbai and began searching for Megha’s family. Her family was located as they had lodged a missing person’s report with the local police.

Abdul Rashid Sheikh (seated extreme left) along with this family.

“I thank Allah that I succeeded in restoring Megha to her family. I feel these floods were a blessing in disguise,” Sheikh said.

Ramesh Thakur, Megha’s paternal grandfather, along with a police team from Mumbai, traveled to Srinagar and took her back this week.

Thakur, who drives an autorickshaw in Mumbai, narrated how Megha had been abducted last year. “Megha’s mother Seema is employed as a house maid. On June 5 last year, Seema had gone to work at around 9 am. That morning, Seema, who was exhausted, fell asleep by a building where she had finished work. Megha, who Seema always brought to work, was asleep next to her when someone abducted her,” Thakur said.

“God brought her back because I prayed to him every single day to look after her and bring her back safely.”

Megha, who seems fed up of narrating her story to journalists, simply says: “I will never go with a stranger again. I will not play outside. I will play only at home. I will stay near my dadi ma (grandmother). Can I go and play now?”

Megha smiles for the camera. Her smile hides the trauma this child faced, of being abducted, begging on the streets of Kashmir, escaping a flood, and coming back home.

Image: Megha Thakur in her home in Mumbai on Friday. Photograph: A Ganesh Nadar 

SOURCE::::: Mukthar Ahamad and Ganesh Nadar in Rediff.com

Natarajan