Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 245

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5114 / Nandana Purattasi 29 (October 15, 2012)

ONE

Dawat, a bi-weekly mouthpiece of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind mourned the death of former RSS Chief Sudarshan in an article dated September 22, 2012. Sudharshan Ji’s visit to Bhopal’s Tajul Masjid on August 20, to say Eid prayer or offer Eid greetings was recounted by Chief Editor Parwaaz Rahmani, but his staff and police prevented him on the pretext of traffic jam. Sudharsan Ji offered Eid greetings, enjoyed sewaiyan at a Muslim house along with former MP CM Babulal Gaur.

THE TIMES OF INDIA (HYDERABAD) September 27, 2012.

TWO

Latha Malini is the class V teacher in a Panchayat Middle School at Koliyanur in Villupuram District, Tamilnadu. Just five among the 32 students in her class knew how to read and write.  That was the condition which Latha decided to change.  She taught the kids after school hours throughout the year.  That meant more time at school, for which her family gave the nod. The school administration also co-operated at the end of the year all the kids who were promoted to Class VI could read and write.  That is the condition assured in by Latha’s resolve.  Citing this achievement a literary outfit by name Paavendar Peravai honoured Latha Malini at a public function and awarded her ‘Best Teacher Award’ to her.

Idea Ma.Ko.Si.Rajendran

THREE

None of the 132 houses, all thatched huts, have no doors. That is in meetankulam, Ramanathapuram District, Tamilnadu.  If anyone tries to construct a door he invites the wroth of Sivamuniappa Sami, the village deity. It is remarkable that no case of theft has ever been reported in the village. The deity itself is seated under a Palmyra tree in the open. Bunches of bells dangling all around are the only evidence of offerings by devotees.  Azhagar, the former Panchayat President, states that Sivamuniappa Sami protects the people from theft.

INDIAN EXPRESS, May 10, 2002.

FOUR

Meet Hariharan S Iyer (50) of Neyveli, Tamilnadu. Hailing from Kalpathi, Kerala, Hariharan studied at the Ramakrishna Mission School for Blind, Kolkatta.  He scored the University First Rank in B.A. while studying in Vivekananda College.  He knows 7 languages, namely, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, English, Hindi, Assamese and Oriya. At Shanthiniketan of Rabintranath Tagore he learnt to play Hindustani Music in sitar. His mother is a Carnatic Musician; so Carnatic Music also finds a place in the list of things that Hariharan excels. He works as a receptionist at Neyveli Lignite Corporation Office.  In his leisure, he takes spoken English classes for the neighborhood children for free. One more information about Hariharan; he is born blind.

‘DINAMANI’ November 27, 2003.

FIVE

Francis (65) a mechanic of Arisipaalayam, Salem was travelling by train from Chennai to Salem.  He had in his bag Rs.1,92,000/- in cash, his ration card and PAN card. It is the amount that he had taken from the person who had bought his land.  He got into an unreserved compartment, where he misplaced the bag.  A sad Francis reached the Salem.  Meanwhile, Manikandan (23) an Electronics’ Engineer of Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu travelled by the same train as Francis.  Manikandan spotted an unclaimed bag in the compartment. He promptly handed it over to Salem Railway Police. The residential address found in the bag helped the Police in locating him. Thus Francis got back his property intact. The police appreciated Manikandan’s honesty.

DAILY THANTHI, October 12, 2012.

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 244

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5114 / Nandana Purattasi 14 (September 30, 2012)

ONE

Unnikrishnan, a class 10 schoolboy of Marottichal village, Trissur District, (Kerala, Bharat) has taught Chess to all in the village.  His coaching in the game began 40 years ago and it goes on till today.  The typical courtyard of his house is the classroom.  He is a dexterous Chess ‘master’, i.e, he is a good teacher of Chess.  Many trained by him have won many a tournament. Over 600 persons from grandpa and grandma down to the kindergarten toddler have been initiated into Chess by Unnikrishnan so far.  K P Venu, a renowned filmmaker, is shooting a film ‘August Club’ about the village populated by the Chess crazy. Frontline actors including Thilakan (who passed away recently) have done roles in this film. Screenplay is by Anantapadmanabhan, son of well known Director Padmarajan.

Based on a report in ‘THE HINDU’, August 22, 2012.

TWO

Odapalayam village on the Mettupalayam-Kothagiri Road in Coimbatore District (Tamilnadu, Bharat) is proud of its Panchayat President Shri Shanmugam.  He was elected as its President 15 years back, when he learnt that 40% of tax collected went to meet the electricity bill to keep the street lights burning.  The village economy was being rendered a pauper by meeting the power bill alone. He saw to it that all the street lights are powered by solar energy.  He did not stop with that. The Panchayat took a loan and established a medium size windmill in Mayilladi, a few kilometers away, with a capacity of producing 6.75 lakh kilowatts per year.  The actual consumption of the village was just 4.5 lakh kilowatts.  This meant that the Panchayat began selling excess electricity to the Electricity Board.  By this sale, the Panchayat could repay the loan.The beautiful situation today is, the Electricity Board is paying the village Panchayat for Electricity received and not the other way round !  A full 360 degree change — for better!

From an article in ‘PUDHIYA THALAIMURAI’, Tamil weekly, September 20, 2012.

THREE

Aanaikutti Anandan who runs a roadside Dhaba in Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) receives SOS calls quite frequently.  Recently one such call was to the effect that a daughter and her father consumed acid kept in the house for cleaning the toilet following eruption of a domestic problem.  Anandan rushes to the spot, arranges shifting of the duo to the Government Hospital in Royapettah, gets them admitted, persuades the doctors into helping them and keeps enquiring about their health till they get discharged.  His Dhaba itself is part of his social service.  He was an auto-rickshaw Driver till 1977; auto-drivers are normally poor; they should be able to have food at low cost. This was the idea when Anandan began selling five idlis at Rs.5. To him, the satisfaction of the recipients is the fulfillment.

Based on a report in DINAMANI, September 16, 2012.

FOUR

An imposing statue of Hanuman measuring 85 feet in height.  It stands there majestically in the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad.  Shri Ashok Singhal, a senior leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the frontline organization for Hindus world over, did a parikrama of the statue during his recent visit to the country.  Later, he dwelt at length on the condition of Hindus in Pakistan, England, USA and Bharat in an interview to ‘Radio Jagruti’ (102.7 FM) known as ‘the Voice of Hindus’. Two Ministers of the country met Singhal.  To them he conveyed the victory of Hindus in protecting ‘Rama Setu’ that lies between India and Sri Lanka.  He also had a word of greeting to Trinidad that celebrates the 50^th year of Independence.

From ORGANISER, September 23, 2012.

FIVE

Last year, IT companies of India provided employment to 2,60,000 persons in the United States of America. These companies have invested there Rs.27,500 crore as part of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) scheme. This was the information provided by Smt. Nirupama Roy, Indian Ambassador to the United States of America, in a programme at Asia Society.

From RASHTRA DEV (Bareily), Hindi fortnightly, September 1-15, 2012.

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Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 243

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5114 / Nandana Aavani 30 (September 15, 2012)

HAPPY: We are happy to resume your favourite PANCHAAMRITAM.

 SORRY: All these 9 fortnights from PANCHAAMRITAM 234 onwards, we kept you waiting.

HAPPY AGAIN! The intervening issues of PANCHAAMRITAM will reach you one by one in the coming days.      

ONE

For this group of Hindu families that came to India from Pakistan a year ago, their dilapidated surroundings at their temporary shelter in an ashram at Majnu Ka Tila, (Delhi, Bharat) shortage of basic amenities including food and clean drinking water or even an uncertain future do not seem to dampen the joy and hope that little "Bharat", born on August 15, has brought along. Krishan Das, spokesperson for these Hindu families, says: "Little Bharat born to Gira and Panju Ram represents our hope for a better tomorrow. We have named the boy Bharat because he was born here and we want him to grow up knowing that India gave us a home and livelihood when we were virtually abandoned by our home country Pakistan. Shri. Das says: "This group of 30-odd people living here are from Sindh province in Pakistan where there is forcible conversion."

   Based on a report by Smt Bindu Shajan Perappadam in THE HINDU, August 22, 2012.

TWO

 

Sri M. Thimmarayappa (45) of S. Thimmachandara village near Hosur (Krishnagiri District, Tamilnadu, Bharat) is now the most popular man in the area for his carpentry skills. He was born with a deformity – he has no hands.  But due to his carpentry skills, he helps villagers in making agricultural instruments. He also does normal agricultural activities on his farm land like felling trees, digging pits for plants and climbing coconut trees like a normal man by using his legs as support. He is married to Dhimmakka who was attracted by Thimmarayappa's self-confidence. During the marriage ceremony, the priest told Thimmarayappa to hold one end of the "mangal sutra" in his mouth so that the priest could tie the knot but he refused and tied the nuptial knot with his legs.

Based on a report in DECCAN CHRONICLE, September 3, 2012.

THREE

Havildar K Natarajan is a resident of Maduranthakam (Kanchipuram district). He has fought in Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force and also during Kargil war. Urologist Dr. Vishveswaran lives in Besant Nagar (Chennai, Tamilnadu, Bharat). He owns a landed property of 2.03 acre (in his son's name) worth Rs.1.25 lakh.  The Doctor wanted to donate the land to a person who had served the armed forces.  He approached Ex-servicemen Welfare Society which suggested the name of Havildar K Natarajan. Vishveshwaran handed over the documents of the property to Natarajan in a simple function at Kanchipuram Collectorate in the presence of District Collector Rajaraman.

                                                                                        DINAMANI, March 4, 2003.

FOUR

Shri. Kumaraswamy, a resident of United Kingdom, visited Chennai (Chennai, Tamilnadu, Bharat) along with his friends; the group hired an autorickshaw and went to a commercial complex.  While alighting, one among the group, Mr. Colin, a White, inadvertently left his handbag in the auto itself. Shri. T Narasimhan, 52, the auto-driver, spotted the handbag.  He found a considerable amount in cash, a credit card, car key, house key, a camera, several documents, etc. He also found a shop bill. With the help of that shopkeeper, he located the owner of the bag. After handing over the bag in tact to its owner, Narasimhan walked away.  Now, the Britisher went looking for Narasimhan via the auto stand and offered him a honorarium which Narasimhan refused to accept. That elicited the encomium "Good Indian" from Colin.

Based on a report in DINAMANI, August 15, 2002.

FIVE

`Gitapress Ghorakpur' is a publishing house. It has sold over 53 crore books in the last 90 years. All books are on the glory of Indian (Read Hindu) culture.  The workers of the press observe the habit of washing their hands and feet and reciting Ram Dhum before they start their work every day all these 90 years. During the last one year alone, Gitapress has sold 2.5 crore books.  Something about this huge turnover: Gita Press employs none of the cheap marketing strategies.  In fact, the publishing house is unable to cope with the demand for the high quality titles it brings out.

RASHTRA DEV (Dehradun), Hindi fortnightly, August 15-30, 2012.

 

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PANCHAAMRITAM 234

 

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 234

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5114 / Nandana Chithirai 8 (April 20, 2012)

Posted on April 29, 2012. Regret the unavoidable delay. – Moderator.

ONE

Jadav Payeng, 47, has single-handedly grown a sprawling forest on a 550-hectare sandbar in the middle of the Brahmaputra. It now has many endangered animals, including at least five tigers, one of which bore two cubs recently. The place lies in Jorhat, some 350 km from Guwahati (Assam, Bharat). It all started way back in 1979 when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng, only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life. The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. Leaving his education and home, he started living on the sandbar. He watered the bamboo plants morning and evening and pruned them. After a few years, the sandbar was transformed into a bamboo thicket. He then decided to grow proper trees. Soon, there were a variety of flora and fauna which burst in the sandbar, including endangered animals like the one-horned rhino and Royal Bengal tiger. "After 12 years, we've seen vultures. Migratory birds, too, have started flocking here. Deer and cattle have attracted predators," claims Payeng. The Assam state forest department learnt about Payeng's forest only in 2008 when a herd of some 100 wild elephants strayed into it after a marauding spree in villages nearby.

From a report by Smt Manimugdha S Sharma in THE TIMES OF INDIA, April 1, 2012.

TWO

Dungar loves his brother so much that he didn't think twice about jumping into a fire to save his disabled brother when their father Haathi Singh wasn't at home. He is the youngest among the 2012 Republic Day awardees, but knows no fear. Dungar jumped into flames to save his disabled brother on March 27, 2011. A fire had broken out at their hut in Rajasthan. Their father was away. Dungar and his brother Mahendra tried to run outside. While Dungar managed to run to safety, Mahendra got caught in the fire. Hearing his cries, Dungar immediately jumped into the flames and brought him out safely. Villagers then informed the police and called an ambulance. 'I love my brother very much. I could not have let him die,' says Dungar, who wants to become a Hindi teacher. (This year (2012), 24 children - 8 girls and 16 boys – received the National Bravery Awards on the occasion of Republic Day. Dungar is one among them). www.dailymail.co.uk

THREE

A few months back, one Shri Gurumurthy was brought to the SG MET hospital in Erode. He had met with a road accident and was suffering from brain hemorrhage. His was a poor family and they had on hand only Rs 5,000. While no other corporate hospital would have admitted the case without paying an advance of Rs 50,000, the hospital performed a surgery on him which cost the hospital over Rs 88,000, excluding the fee for doctors. A month after he was discharged, Gurumurthy went to the hospital of his own and remitted a sum of Rs 30,000 with the words: "Sir, you saved my life. I do not know whether I would have been alive today had I gone to some other hospital." Says Dr. Marimuthu  Saravanan, chief medical officer of the SG MET hospital: "It is words such as these that give a doctor the fulfillment of his life. This is medical practice." The commercialization of medical profession was unbearable to him while he served a corporate hospital at the beginning of his career. He quit the job and started serving the poor and needy by founding Sri Ganapathy Medical and Educational Trust. 486 well wishers including 86 doctors joined the trust. (Based on a report in ANANDA VIKATAN, Tamil weekly, April 25, 2012).      

FOUR

Hindu Munnani workers and supporters in the pilgrim town of Thirukalukundram, Kanchipuram district (Tamilnadu, Bharat), celebrated a recent victory for Hindu pilgrims. Now they can view Nandi unhindered. A little flashback here: The Nandi in question is the first one among the 8 around the ancient Veda Gireeswar (Shiva) temple at the foothills of the holy mountain venerated as an embodiment of Vedas by the devout for millennia. Performing Giri Pradakshina of the hill is considered as worship of Vedas. Thousands throng the place for Giri Pradakshina. But the illegal structures put up by a ward councilor with political clout completely encircled the first Nandi and pilgrims were unable to have a mandatory Darshan of Nandi prior to worshipping Shiva. For 25 long years this intrusion continued, till Hindu Munnani workers led by district secretary Shri Mani, protested to the obstruction. A struggle for 7 years ensued. A recent petition to the state government by the Hindu Munnani had the desired result. The illegal structures were demolished and the Nandi came into view once again. (As told to Team PANCHAAMRITAM)

FIVE

Among those who never doubted Swami Vivekananda during his lifetime was Leo Tolstoy. The restless Russian was especially keen for writings on Ramakrishna, Vivekananda's own guru. Two years before his death, Tolstoy wrote, "Since 6 in the morning I have been thinking of Vivekananda," and later, "It is doubtful if in this age man has ever risen above this selfless, spiritual meditation." Harvard philosopher and psychologist William James was fascinated by the 31-year-old Indian and quoted at length from Vivekananda's writings in his seminal work, "The Varieties of Religious Experience." Novelist Gertrude Stein, then a student of James's at Radcliffe, reportedly attended Vivekananda's 1896 talk at Harvard — which so wowed the college's graybeards that they offered him the chairmanship of Eastern philosophy. He declined, noting his vows as a monk. A later convert to the mystic's writings was Aldous Huxley, who wrote the foreword to the 1942 English-language edition of "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna," which he described as "the most profound and subtle utterances about the nature of Ultimate Reality." Along with his friend Christopher Isherwood, Huxley was formally initiated at the Vedanta Center in the Hollywood Hills, where the two sometimes gave the Sunday lecture, often attended by their friends Igor Stravinsky, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Somerset Maugham and Greta Garbo. From an article in the NEW YORK TIMES,  October 2, 2011, with the headline: `How Yoga Won the West'.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 233

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 233

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Panguni 24 (April 6, 2012)

Posted on April 16, 2012. Regret the delay. – Moderator.

ONE

One of India's holiest cities, Varanasi (Kashi) has a shrine to Bharat Mata, or Mother India. Built in 1936, its centrepiece is a huge marble mapof undivided India, complete with Pakistan and Bangladesh. But it never caught on with pilgrims. That would have pleased John Strachey, a 19th-century British civil servant, who told arrivals on the subcontinent that essentially "there is not and never was an India". Yet this geographically unwieldy nation-state remains stubbornly united. What binds a country of such immense ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity? The answer is Hinduism, argues Diana Eck in her sprawling and convincing new book. (India: A Sacred Geography; Harmony; 576 pages; $27 and £18.99). 

http://www.economist.com/node/21550765     March 24,  2012 . Idea: Shri Venkat

TWO

Puja Mishra, who received her MBA degree from IIM-Calcutta last week,  has chucked IIM-C placements so that she can live and work in a remote village to educate children . But this is not the first time that Puja has cold-shouldered a plum job. She had earlier given up an Infosys job in Chicago to study at the management college. She met her husband, Shashank Shukla, who had to drop out of NDA after an injury. "I always dreamt of teaching village kids. My forefathers are from Rae Bareilly and thus I have seen village life from close quarters. Students travel at least 35 km to reach colleges. The girl child is the worst affected. My father would always tell me that I was lucky to be where I am and that my education would be useless if I did not do anything for village students," said Puja. The duo have started Gurukul Mahavidyala, a degree college, in a remote village called Purasi in the Rae Bareilly district. The land on which the college stands belongs to Puja's father RD Mishra, a prominent lawyer from the Lucknow high court. They have started Gurukul Public School as well. Looking at the zeal of these two indefatigable youngsters, the UP government has helped by extending free studentships for those unable to pay tuition fees. The teachers are paid from a corpus that the duo has intelligently created partly from their savings and partly from a huge loan. "People often say that we are mad for taking our careers so lightly. But this is our call in life and we don't mind the risk. As far as uncertainty is concerned, nothing in life is certain!" Puja said bravely. Based on a report by Smt Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey In THE TIMES OF INDIA, April 2, 2012. Idea: Shri Vasuvaj.

THREE

Ajit Singh , 41, a resident of Varanasi (Kashi) has caused over 100 women to be freed from the hell of flesh trade. He has provided them alternative livelihood as well. He has opened a school for the children of those unfortunate women. For this service he had to face threats and attacks from local dadas, the police and sundry leaders. Ajit Singh remains unfazed in the face of over 50 false cases slapped on him and his outfit the `Gudiya'.  Earlier, he had been running a school for the children of maajis (boatmen) on the Ganga. A boat at the Manasarovar Ghat in Kashi is the classroom where the vagrant kids of the boatmen receive education. In recognition of his service activities, THE WEEK English weekly, honoured Ajit Singh by choosing him as `The Man of the Year - 2011' and carried a cover story on him. Source: THE WEEK, December 18, 2011. Idea: PATHEYA KANN, Hindi fortnightly, January 1, 2012.   

FOUR

Twentyfive years ago, R. Rajaram, barely 20 then, learnt about cadaver donation when he read about  a doctor who donated his body. It triggered a spark in him, which has now resulted in seven members of his family including his 15-year old son A.R. Thamizhamudhan, a tenth standard student, agreeing to donate their body after death. The seven are: Rajaram; his wife Anuradha; son Thamizhamudhan; his father M. Rathinam; his mother R. Padmavathy; his brother R. Madhavan; and Madhavan's wife Geetha Madhavan. All of them submitted documents offering their bodies for medical purposes to students of K.A.P. Viswanatham  Medical College in Tiruchi (Tamilnadu, Bharat). The family members have also donated their eyes. Rajaram's gesture is not so common, as he has legalized his cadaver donation even while alive. From a report by Shri V. Mayilvaganan in THE TIMES OF INDIA, October 4, 2008. Idea: Shri Raghuram  

FIVE

In an act worth emulating, seven members of a family have decided to donate their bodies to a medical college. The family hails from Kappalaguddi village in Bagalkot district. Shivaputrappa Kadappa Badiger, his wife Mahadevi and children Kalamma, Kumar, Iranna, daughter-in-law Vaishali (wife of Kumar), grandson  Ravi Prakash Kumbar are the donors. This family of three generations registered their names at KLE Societys Jawaharlal Medical College, Belgaum (Karnataka, Bharat), through Dr P G Halakatti Trust of Mahalingapur. Of the seven members, three Kalamma, Kumar and Iranna are visually challenged. Kalamma serves as a teacher in a blind school at Hubli, while Kumar works as a music teacher in Hukkeri and Sankeshwar. Iranna is also a music teacher in Mahalingapur town. Dr B M, Trust chairman, said: "Whenever a body is donated to the Trust, it is handed over to a medical college for the use of medical students. This is completely legal, according to the Act of 1957. The Dr P G Halakatti Body Donation Information Centre promotes and encourages donors in this endeavour. Since its inception, nearly 76 persons have voluntarily come forward to donate their bodies to Patil the Trust, Patil  added. Based on a report by Shri Sushilendra T Naik in THE TIMES OF INDIA.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 232

 

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 232

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amaavasya / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Panguni 9 (March 22, 2012)

ONE

In the last two months, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) of Kerala, Bharat, filled up 50  out of the 100 posts for pujaris (priests) with non-brahmins, who will soon start performing rituals in shrines assigned to them among the 2,000 temples under TDB. TDB had conducted a recruitment drive six months ago and interviewed hundreds of applicants belonging to all castes and they selected 199 pujaris, out of which 40% were non- brahmins. Though caste is no bar for becoming a shanti (priest), TDB, in its latest notification has stated that the applicant must have an elementary knowledge of tantra-shastra, Sanskrit and a certificate from a Board-approved tantri (senior priest). "He also should be a Malayali Hindu who is aware of the braminical tradition.'' said Krishnan Nambudiri, general secretary of Tantra Vidya Peetam, Aluva, a member of the interview board who selected the pujaris. "Many non-brahmin candidates did equally well in terms of recitation of mantras and knowledge of tantras. They all attached tremendous aspirational value to these posts,'' he said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kerala-temples-caste-out-prejudice/articleshow/12254906.cm   March 14, 2012.

TWO

As many as 21,000 couples took part in the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a temple (Khodaldham temple shila poojan vidhi) on January 21, 2012 at Kagvad, near Virpur in Rajkot district (Gujarat, Bharat), creating a unique world record. The proposed temple is of Maa Khodiyar, the deity of the Leuva Patel community. A five-member team from the Guinness Book of World Records was present to witness the ceremony. Lakhs of community members from across the country were also present, said Naresh Patel, president of Khodal Dham Trust, which is building the temple. Naresh Patel, an industrialist from Rajkot and a patron of the project, said community unity was very important for development of society. "So far, Leuvas were not united. Thanks to Ma Khodal, we all are coming under a single umbrella," he said. By Sonali on January 21, 2012 | From worldbreakingrecord.com

THREE

The 21st of December 2011 has etched an unforgettable memory in my mind. I (Arvind Kumar, Chief Project Manager-PDRP) was at Tiruchirapalli (Tamilnadu, Bharat) on a mission to expedite supplies of Boilers at BHEL's works for Power plant of IOCL's ongoing Paradip Refinery Project. BHEL has outsourced non-pressure parts of these boilers to certain vendors nearby Trichy. `ORBIT' is among such outsourced vendors, who make Pins & Clamps of these boilers for our project. We decided to visit ORBIT also for review and expediting balance supplies. When we reached ORBIT works, we were greeted by their President Mr. P.R. Pandi,   who himself is a blind person. To my utter surprise, the whole ORBIT workshop is run by blind persons. Though I was aware of certain special schools and institutions for blind persons but never heard about any manufacturing industry run completely by such persons. What I saw next inside the workshop is quite difficult to believe. I had never witnessed such well coordinated and coherent working by blind persons. People were segregating the raw material, feeding the raw material on cutting, shearing and punching machines with the help of their fellow blind friends, collecting the final products and bagging them after quality checks. The whole manufacturing process was efficiently done and finished product was meeting the quality standards. What came next was even more surprising. A physically handicapped welder was doing welding on the job and was assisted by a blind helper. We saw his blind helper almost running and going to store room next door to fetch the electrodes quickly. Every worker working here is fully conversant with the layout of workshop and does the job with calculated steps. At the end, ORBIT president Mr. Pandi requested me `Sir, if you come across any blind person, please direct him to me, we will make him our team member here'. http://www.theprofessor.in/blog/guest-column/meeting-project-objectives-differently/

FOUR Alka Sarode, a 17-year-old ragpicker from Dombivli, Mumbai (Maharashtra, Bharat) handed over gold jewellery worth Rs 8.5 lakh to the police, which was mistakenly thrown in a bin. Alka  was felicitated for her honesty by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Home Minister R R Patil on March 22, 2012.. She was also rewarded Rs 10,000 by the family that owned the ornaments. Vandana Ulkande, 65, and her husband Vijay, 67, had decided to keep the gold ornaments in a tiffin box in the dustbin before they visited their village in Kolhapur. They wanted to keep the valuables hidden because of the alarming rise in break-ins in Dombivli recently. However, on returning from Kolhapur they forgot to remove the gold and the bin was given to the sweeper the next day. http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-pix-ragpicker-finds-rs-85l-gold-only-to-return-it/20120322.htm

FIVE

In a city where people seldom stop to help accident victims, Uma Shankar did. And he is only a boy, 12 years old. The day was July 12, 2010. The boy from Delhi was on way to school in a bus. Just ahead was an overcrowded minibus. Unable to negotiate a curve, the minibus suddenly overturned. Trapped under it were mostly schoolchildren like him, bleeding. Shankar jumped out of his bus to rescue the children. Asking the passengers who escaped unhurt to lift the bus, the boy crawled underneath and pulled out the kids. Now, they had to be rushed to hospital. Shankar flagged down motorists but nobody would stop. So he lunged in front of two moving cars. The cars stopped. Six of the injured were rushed to hospital, five of whom survived. He has won the Bapu Gaidhani Award. (This year (2012), 24 children - 8 girls and 16 boys – received the National Bravery Awards on the occasion of Republic Day. Uma Shankar  is one aming them). www.dailymail.co.uk

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PANCHAAMRITAM 231

 

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 231

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Maasi 25 (March 8, 2012)

ONE

It was 1 AM on February 29, 2012. Smt D Rajalakshmi (41), her two daughters D Jayapriya (20) and D Sivaranjini (18) were asleep in their house at B Udaiyur near Bhuvanagiri in Cuddalore district (Tamilnadu, Bharat). Two robbers managed to enter the house. One of them entered their grocery shop adjoining the house while the other tried to steal valuables from the house. Rajalakshmi woke up when the robber snatched out her seven-sovereign gold chain. As she raised an alarm the robber attempted to assault her. Her daughter also woke up on hearing their mother scream. As Sivaranjani turned on the lights the robber tried to attack her with a kitchen knife. Sivaranjani acting swiftly threw a blanket on his face blinding the robber. Rajalakshmi hit him on his head with a spade inflicting bleeding injuries. In the melee the other robber escaped with the gold chain leaving behind his accomplice. Alerted neighbours rushed to the house and secured the robber. They alerted Bhuvanagiri police who came to the village and arrested the robber M Murugan 41 from Manalmedu in Nagapattinam district. Inquiries revealed that Murugan was wanted in several robbery cases across the state. Police have launched a hunt for his accomplice. http://tnpolice.gov.in/News_Archives.php , March 1 2012.

TWO

While most engineering students are bogged down with the weight of heavy textbooks and are confined to a tight academic schedule, here is Niveditha V who chose to live a different life. The final-year engineering student at Yellamma Dasappa Institute of Technology, Bangalore, (Karnataka, Bharat) has been actively involved with the NGO, Youth For Seva (YFS) for the last six months, trying to make the society better. "In my sixth semester I saw a banner of YFS inviting volunteers. At the same time, I saw around me a society that was in need. I felt dutiful to approach the NGO and become a volunteer," says Niveditha. She takes computer classes at local government schools. According to her, the best part about her relationship with YFS is that it never compromises with her engineering studies. "The best part is that I can choose programmes that are near my house, so it is never a problem. Besides, I believe that if you want to do something, you will make time for it," believes Niveditha. Niveditha is also doing a stint with Saksham, an NGO that facilitates audio recording for the visually-impaired. "I help blind students record themselves, and also process the recorded material," she says. While social service is not a potential career option for her, she is firm that volunteering for various causes would continue. "Even after I start a professional career, I want to take time off to volunteer. I am confident of that," says Niveditha.  Based on a report by Shri Bharath Joshi in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, February 19, 2012. (http://expressbuzz.com/education/seva-for-a-better-society/364784.html)

 THREE

Smt G. Renganayaki is determined to give meaning to the lives of children with muscular dystrophy. It's two and a half years since her son Adhiban surrendered to death. He was only 17 years, 5 months and 13 days old when he passed away. For one last time – his eyes told his mother – he wanted to embrace and kiss her. But muscular dystrophy had rendered him so weak that he was unable to lift himself. This isn't a story about death. "All the good things that I was able to provide my son and those I wanted but could not, I am trying to give to as many children who are fighting a losing battle with MD," says Renganayaki. While preparing herself for the inevitable, she silently initiated a movement for MD patients and their parents. Within two years of Adhiban's diagnosis, she registered the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation India (MDFI) in 2000 and committed herself to it. A decade on, the MDFI has grown into the single largest organization of and for MD patients and parents across the country, offering reliable information, medical advice, appropriate guidance and support, and, most important, confidence and hope to over 3,500 families with one or more MD-affected child. "I have seen families with five MD children. It is difficult to imagine the trauma. I attend two-three funerals every month and identify with each of them," she says. As a mother who suffered the loss of a son, Renganayaki has spoken on how MD can be prevented. It is a sensitive matter in our society, she feels, but restricting the inheritance of the disorder is the only way to prevent it. She also brings out a quarterly newsletter on MD in India and distributes 3,500 copies free. But for her efforts, MD would not have been listed as one of the types of disabilities in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2011. Based on a report by Smt SOMA BASU, THE HINDU,  February 29, 2012. (Idea: Dr. M Jayaraman) 

FOUR

J Ajaykumar sells television sets for a living, but sold his own TV a few months ago when he realized that his three-year-old daughter refused to eat unless her favourite show was on. Ajaykumar is one of a small but growing tribe of parents in Coimbatore who have sold their TVs hoping to get their children to use their imagination and the ability to mingle with others. More than three dozen parents in the city are getting their children used to life without a TV. "My children now play together and enjoy painting and singing. I feel their communication skills and confidence levels have increased. They also started getting lot of physical activity," says Ajaykumar. M Sethumaran, a top executive with a pharma company, is planning to sell his television. "I found Athik getting terribly disturbed by the violence on screen. Even children's channels have a lot of violence or show advertisements and film trailers that are violent," he says. Bhanumathi, an agriculture scientist, sold her TV three months ago. "My four-year-old was asking why Chotta Bheem is never injured though he has serious accidents. I felt TV was creating a virtual world where kids get a wrong notion on life," she says. "Children are impressionable and can be easily influenced by what they see on TV," says Santhya Vikram, who runs Yellow Train, a kindergarten in Sivananda Colony that makes "no TV at home" a condition for admission, "It has wonderful results. Parents of our children first stopped watching TV. Now their friends and relatives have started doing the same," she says. "For the last six months, we haven't recharged the cable connection. My son's imagination has improved," says teacher Nisha Vijayan who is encouraging parents of her own school to live without TV. From an article by Shri K A Shaji in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Chennai, February 24, 2012.

FIVE

Wikipedia, as many are aware, is the name of an encyclopedia on the web. It has avatars in 283 languages world over - including 20 languages of Bharat. It is run democratically, when it comes to editing the content. A few volunteers in Wikipedia's editorial team who are Samskrit lovers, launched Sanskrit Wikipedia in 2004. Over 2,000 Sanskrit pages too were uploaded. Meanwhile, workers of Samskrit Bharati based in Bengaluru, began working as volunteers for Samskrit Wikipedia last year.  In Wikipedia, the content providers are volunteers. Malayalam, among Bharat's languages, has the highest number of volunteers who contribute to Wikipedia followed by Telugu. Lately, Samskrit has come to be seen as the fastest growing language on the Wikipedia, going by the fact that in just the past eight months, over 8,000 pages in Samskrit have been uploaded. Not only that; Samskrit scholars conducted workshops in places like Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kaladi, etc., in quick succession. All this made the editorial team of Wikipedia to sit up and take note. Among the several applications of Wikipedia, the Wikisource, Wikinews, Wikisayings, Wikimedia, Wikidictionary, etc., are remarkable in that they promise to be useful in spreading the Samskrit language. Samskrita Bharati is spreading the good word about Samskrit Wikipedia and has sent out appeals calling for volunteers for this task. For general instructions, log on to sa.wikipedia.org, or call 080 2642 1152 (Bengalurtu, Bharat) or mail to samskritwiki@gmail.com for help in this regard. Based on an article by Shri Chamu Krishna Sastri, Publications In-Charge, Samskrita Bharati, in SAMBHASHANA SANDESHAH (Samskrit Monthly), March 2012.     

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PANCHAAMRITAM 230

 

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 230

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Maasi 9,(February 21 2012)

 

Posted on Poornima, March 8, 2012. Team PANCHAAMRITAM is extremely sorry for this unprecedented delay. It was unavoidable.

 - Moderator

 

ONE

Shri Kanakasabhai is a Homoeopath of Keelakkattoor, Thanjavur district (Tamilnadu, Bharat). He was grief stricken when his 12 year old son Prahalad died in an accident. He sought solace at the feet of Swami Chidbhavananda of Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Thirupparaithurai, Tamilnadu. The Swamiji consoled him saying, "God has put you to this test so that you could be at the  service of many more children". Thus was born the Sri Ramakrishna Middle School in the village. Kanakasabhai left his own surviving children under the care of his sister and devoted himself heart and soul in the development of the school. The school came up in good order thanks to the sacrifice and hard work put in by Kanakasabhai for 25 long years. Having reached the age of 78, he wanted to hand over the school to worthy persons. Other religionists were ready to give crores of Rupees for the school. But an unrelenting Kanakasabhai offered the school at the feet of Swami Dayananda Saraswati of Arsha Vidyapeetam, Coimbatore. Contributed by Shri V.Manikandan in VIJAYABHARATHAM of  March 2, 2012.

TWO

A case of honesty and integrity has come to fore in Banglaore (Karnataka, Bharat). K Panduranga, an autorickshaw driver, returned to the police a bag containing Rs 5 lakh and important documents that was left in his auto by a passenger. Pavanacharya, a resident of Jaraganahalli, engaged Panduranga's autorickshaw on January 14 at 10 pm. He was carrying Rs 5 lakh for the medical treatment of his brother. But, he left the bag inside the auto while alighting from it. He then lodged a complaint with the J P Nagar Police stating that he had left the bag in the auto at about 11.30 pm that day. Police said that Panduranga promptly went to the police station the next day and handed over the bag. In turn, it was returned to Pavanacharya. The honest autorickshaw driver was honoured by the Police Department in recognition of his honesty in the city. Deputy Police Commissioner of Bangalore South, Sonia Narang appreciated Panduranga's honesty and honoured him with a letter of appreciation. THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, January 20, 2012.

THREE

NDA states have scored better than Congress governed states on various important parameters of development and good governance. This is one of the major findings of the THE SUNDAY INDIAN-ABACUS MARKET RESEARCH 'State of the States' survey conducted recently. The survey ranked 13 major states on quantifiable factors of good governance such as administrative reforms, communal harmony, e-governance, girl child education, industrialisation, investment in the state, law and order, public distribution system and public health services. Eight of these 13 states are led by non-Congress governments, while six of the non-Congress states are led by NDA. The remaining two are Orissa and Tamil Nadu which are governed by Biju Janta Dal and AIADMK respectively. According to the survey, Gujarat ranked first in terms of overall development whereas Himachal Pradesh topped the chart as the most investment friendly state. Chhattisgarh came first in terms of developing an effective public distribution system.The other winning states are: Bihar for law and order, Madhya Pradesh for girl child education, Karnataka for higher education, Orisa for administrative reforms, Tamil Nadu for industrialisation, - All these states are run by non – Congress governments. THE SUNDAY INDIAN February 4, 2012 .

FOUR

Kumri Anita, a vanavasi (tribal) girl hailing from a village in Betul district (Madhya Pradesh, Bharat), was married off to one Shivram. Once at her in-laws' house, Anita was shocked to find that there was no toilet. She asked her husband to build one. But her request was rejected by her in-laws. Anita was enraged. She walked out of her husband's house just a couple of days after her wedding, saying that it was impossible for her to live in a house without a toilet. She went back to her native village, where she campaigned for a toilet in each house. On learning about this event, Sulabh International provided toilets in Anita's village. Says Shri Bindeshwar Pathak, president of Sulabh, " in appreciation of Anita's daring move in the cause of public health, we have decided to present her with an award and Rs 5 lakhs". We have appointed her as the brand ambassador of our company as well, he added.

FIVE

Mittal Patadiya fought off assailants including one who stabbed her. Ask her to recount the incident that won her the prestigious Geeta Chopra Award, the girl from Ahmedabad (Gujarat, Bharat) doesn't talk about the 351 stitches on her wound but how she regrets the fact that one of the assailants managed to escape. On November 3, 2010, Tahiliani (Mittal's foster mother) answered the door after the bell rang. Standing outside was Ajit Singh, a driver she knew, and two other men. He asked for water. Mittal went to fetch it. The men then pushed Tahiliani inside and shut the door. They started beating her, demanding money. Mittal immediately caught one of the men by his hair. The miscreant stabbed her in the neck repeatedly. Blood oozing out of her neck, she held on to the man and managed to open the door. Neighbours caught Ajit Singh and one of the accomplices. Mittal is now called 'Jhansi ki Rani'. (This year (2012), 24 children - 8 girls and 16 boys – received the National Bravery Awards on the occasion of Republic Day. Mittal Patadiya is one aming them). www.dailymail.co.uk

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PANCHAAMRITAM 229

 

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 229

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Thai 24 (February 2012)

 

ONE

A research project of the IIT-Madras promises clean drinking water at an affordable price to the poor. Researchers - Ivo Romauld, and C Ramprasad, - say their solution is so simple that every household can build its own unit. There are layers of blue metal (jalli stones), charcoal and sand inside a simple plastic barrel. A cheap plastic mesh takes out anything from particulate matter to dissolved substances to pathogens from the water and deliver water that is up to 98 percent pure, says Romauld. Though it may look simple, the project has taken over two years to perfect. The researchers say the water filter costs about Rs 700 to Rs 800 to make. "We have been trying the filter with slum dwellers at the Mylai Balaji Nagar near Pallikarani near Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat), who have no water and end up drinking unprocessed water from the lake. We have given residents of that locality 60 of these units at a highly subsidised rate. They can also make these if they want to, says Ramprasad. The research team has also developed a Rapid Water Testing Kit, which is equipped to run tests across 14 parameters for more than 50 samples. This kit costs less than Rs 4,000 a unit and has been distributed widely across Krishnagiri District. Based on a report by Shri Shyam Balasubramanian in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, February 8, 2012.

TWO

Om Prakash Yadav (11) pulled children out of a burning van He received burn injuries on his face, back and arms; he is still recuperating, hasn't received proper medical treatment and lost one year of school. But ask him would he put his life in danger once again if caught in a similar situation? 'Everytime,' Om Prakash says. The boy, a Class VII student and son of a Uttar Pradesh (Bharat) farmer, pulled out several of his friends alive out of a burning van, caring little about his own safety. On September 4, 2010, Om Prakash was going to school along with other students in a Maruti van. All of a sudden, the van caught fire because of a short circuit in the gas kit. The driver immediately opened his door and fled. But not Om Prakash. He broke open the van door and pulled out the others, caring little about the flames that had spread to his face, back and arms. He saved eight children. For his bravery, he has won the Sanjay Chopra Award. (This year (2012), 24 children - 8 girls and 16 boys – received the National Bravery Awards on the occasion of Republic Day. Om Prakash Yadav is one aming them). www.dailymail.co.uk

 

THREE

Driver K Shankar (29) and conductor S Mohan Kumar of Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus number 557, that plies between Broadway and Gummidipoondi (Tamilnadu, Bharat), found an abandoned bag next to the driver's seat. The two MTC crew opened the bag to find more than Rs 1 lakh in cash and receipts for Rs 1.5 lakh. They immediately handed it over to police officials at the Gummidipoondi SIPCOT police station. Bhoopalan (54), an employee working with a lorry booking office at Madhavaram bypass road, later approached the police and claimed the bag. Police said the 54-year-old man, who had worked throughout the night to get company orders, had boarded the bus. He dozed off in the bus and got down in the bus stop, leaving behind his bag in the vehicle. After realising that he had left his bag behind, he had taken another bus to follow the vehicle in which he had left his bag. Based on a report in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, February 4, 2012

FOUR

Traffic head constable Shri K Ravi (38) - attached to Aminjikarai traffic police wing (Tamilnadu, Bharat), had just reported for duty at 6 am on January 31 when local residents rushed to him telling him that a man had slipped and fallen into the Cooum river near the `Skywalk' bridge and was shouting for help. On arriving at the spot, Ravi found a man sinking fast into the muddy water. Only his eyes and teeth were visible. Realising that he too would sink if he stepped into the water, Ravi picked up a Casuarina log lying nearby and extended it to the drowning man. But the fall had left the man with a fractured hand and hip. Ravi then attached a hook to one end of the log and tugged at the man's shirt. and slowly pulled him out of the water. But half way, the man's clothes were in tatters. Divesting him of his shirt and lungi, the rescue team then placed him on gunny cloth and carried him to the bank. Asking the local women for water, Ravi washed him, but not well enough it appears. The paramedics of `108' emergency services, summoned by him, refused to transport the victim to the hospital as he was dirty. So he fetched more water and washed him again and the locals gave him clothes to wear. The victim then identified himself as Prabhu, a mason of Vyasarpadi. He claimed that he had been walking near the bridge and slipped and fell into the river because of poor visibility due to foggy conditions. Mission accomplished, Ravi found his pristine white uniform and arms covered with mud, but the locals did not seem to mind, as they vied with each other to shake hands with him. Based on a report by Smt R Guhambika in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, February 1, 2012.

FIVE

Indian cricket team's opening batsman Shri Gautam Gambhir (Delhi, Bharat) has pledged to donate his body to a private hospital in Delhi through 'Gift a Life' initiative supported by Apollo Transplant Institutes. "I hereby pledge to donate my kidney, heart, liver, pancreas, small bowel, eyes, lungs and tissues after my death," Gambir said at the launch of an organ donation website - www.giftalife.org supported by Apollo Hospital on November 11, 2011. Gambhir also pointed out that having donated the organs, one feels very happy and the entire family will be happy for being a part of this noble cause. The talented opener, who recently entered wedlock, is on a mission to create awareness about donating organs, to his family members and fellow cricketers and how the deed is going to help people in future.  Compared to other nations, India has the lowest donation rate of 0.1 per million population pointing out the desperate need for creating awareness in India. www.thatscricket.com/news/2011/11/12/gambhir-first-cricketer-to-donate-his-organs.html

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