PANCHAAMRITAM 199

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Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 199

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Kaarthigai 2 (November 21, 2010)

 ONE

An elderly woman was found ill and left deserted at the Gandhipuram bus stand in Coimbatore (Tamilnadu, Bharat) a few days ago. P Mahendiran, an entrepreneur-cum-social worker visited the spot after some of his friends informed him about the woman. He got her admitted at Sree Anbalayam Rehabilitation Home at Vadavalli run by K Srikala on the outskirts of the city.  Later when, Mahendiran asked M Rukmani about her family she said she was under the care of an oldage home in Coonoor where she was one among the 15 inmates. Mahendiran visited the oldage home run by Christian missionary in Coonoor to enquire the reason behind leaving Rukmani at the bus stand. The priest said that she left the home on her own. Meanwhile, he got information about her sister's son working in Aravankadu. He detailed him about Rukmani, who is now at an oldage home in Coimbatore. The youth wasn't interested in taking care of his aunt. Mahendiran returned to Sri Anbalayam Rehabilitation Home with a determination to help the deserted woman. He spent his spare time looking after her. Within  five days, he said, he made her walk with the help of a walker. Mahendiran said that a sensitisation programme is the need of the hour to help the youth care for elderly people.        THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, November 15, 2010.

TWO

Speaking on November 17 at a press conference at Chennai, organised by cosmologists to announce a global conference on cosmology to be held at Bangalore from December 2 to 4, Prof N Sivagnanam, former head of the department of Geography, Anna University, said that references to global warming could be found in the works of Varahamihira, an ancient Indian astronomer, who lived between 505 and 587 AD. He had compiled the results of research done before his lifetime, and in that, had given references to global warming, the professor said. Seminars during the global conference would throw more light on the ancient knowledge related to global warming, he added. Reference to global warming could also be found in Surya Sidhantha, a treatise of Indian astronomy, said Dr Sivagnanam. The conference would bring together scientists, cosmologists, and experts of different ancient civilizations, including the Mayan, Aztec, Hindu, Roman, Buddhist and Incas, explained DN Acharya, founder president, Srinivas Jyothish Vigyan Research Foundation, which is organising the global conference. More than 250 delegates were expected in this conference, which would serve as an interface between scientists and cosmologists, he added.       THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, November 18, 2010.

THREE

The first World Sanskrit Book Fair will be held in bangaluru (Karnataka, Bharat) in January 2011. At the four-day fair, scholars in the ancient Indian language from around 20 countries will interact with their Indian counterparts on the 'treasure house of Indian knowledge tradition', said M.N. Venkatachalaiah, former chief justice of India and president of the National Advisory Board, World Sanskrit Book Fair. Though titled World Sanskrit Book Fair, it will have books in all Indian languages on Sanskrit literature. 'People are longing to go back to the roots and access primary sources (of knowledge). Hence the fair is being held to make Sanskrit literature available in all Indian languages to the public,' Venkatachalaiah said. The popularity of Yoga, Ayurveda, Vedanta (ancient Hindu religious texts) and Bhagawad Gita has brought about renewed interest the world over to learn Sanskrit, he said. The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Sanskrit universities, oriental research institutes and Sanskrit academies will be among the participants, he said. About 100 publishers from India will display their books in and on Sanskrit. Around 10,000 delegates from India and abroad will participate. Sifynews, September 20, 2010

FOUR

US First Lady Michelle Obama purchased wooden Lord Ganesh, a Hanuman, and Patachitra and Madhubani paintings (which usually depict Hindu religious themes), etc., during her visit to New Delhi's Crafts Museum on November 8. Eminent Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) on November 9, commended Michelle Obama's, 46, reported interest in Hindu artifacts and added that if she wanted to explore Hinduism further, he or other Hindu scholars would be glad to assist. Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.Lord Ganesh is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. Lord Hanuman is known for his incredible strength. Both Ganesh and Hanuman are highly revered in Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents, whose ultimate goal is moksh (liberation). in.news.yahoo.com, November 9, 2010.

FIVE

It all began with a group of BSNL officials in Chennai who used to buy meals tickets and distribute them among beggars every day at noon. That was 10 years back. Now Shri Lakshminrasimhan, one among those officials, takes his friends along to villages in the neighbouring districts on holidays and involves them in free note books distribution benefitting poor children of government elementary schools out there. He claims to have distributed over one lakh notebooks in the past few years.  Team PANCHAAMRITAM.

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