Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Panchaamritam 257

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PANCHAAMRITAM 257
Amaavasya / Kali yugabda 5116 / Jaya Purattasi 7 (September 27, 2014)

ONE
It took 17 years and sheer hard work by a college lecturer of Burnigad (Uttarakhand, Bharat),  assisted by his students, to convert about 3 acres (12 bighas) of barren land in the premises of the Inter College where he works, into a lush green orchard. Shri Sovendra Singh, the lecturer, proud creator of the orchard, presents the unique forest of biodiversity, shaped like a staircase perched on the hill side. It is home to 118 varieties of plants and trees. The trees include ones bearing fruits of the plains and mountain varieties. This achievement by Sovendra Singh turned out to be an object lesson, not only for the government but also for those campaigning for the protection and development of environment. Soon his college was admitted to the eco club of the state. Also, his college representing the state at the 2011 prakriti mela in Ajmer, Rajasthan, won the first prize.   Sovendra Singh now plans to create similar forests of biodiversity in all the 25 villages connected to the college. In that, he intends to involve locals as well as his students. 
Based on a report by Shri Surat Singh Rawat in AMAR UJALA Hindi Daily, September 16, 2014. 
TWO
The ravaging floods that started on September 4, 2014 due to incessant rains have shaken the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Jhelum, Tapi and several other rivers were in spate. Thousands of villages in the districts of Rajouri, Pooch, Phulwama, Baramullah and others were inundated. More than 300 people have died in this calamity. Roads, schools, Hospitals, shops and temples had been submerged. Agricultural lands and cattle have been washed away. Thousands have been rendered homeless. There has been a huge loss to public and private property. Swayamsevaks of RSS are already lending a helping hand in the relief measures. ‘Seva Bharati’ has started relief camps at several places and is cooperating with the government and army to provide succour to the flood hit population. Our brethren of Jammu & Kashmir who were already reeling under the onslaught of the separatists and the terrorists, are now facing insurmountable odds due to this natural calamity. They require humanitarian relief and aid. Everyone in the society should cooperate and contribute to rebuild their lives. PANCHAAMRITAM readers can donate generously to mitigate this unforeseen disaster that has struck the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Donations in the form of Cheque/DD for this purpose can be drawn in favour of ‘Samoogha Seva Nidhi-Tamilnadu’. Cheques can be sent along with full address to: Samoogha Seva Nidhi Tamilnadu, 1, M V Naidu Street, Chetput, Chennai 600 031. Ph: 044-2836 0243/044-28361049 / 9043468373 e-mail: rsschennai@rediffmail.com Donations are exempted under section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. 
THREE
At village Selva Ganesapuram in the Mettupalayam taluk of Coimbatore district (Tamilnadu, Bharat), a group of retired inspectors of  Animal Husbandry department, state government of Tamilnadu, formed an association to provide life long care for old cows and bulls discarded by peasant families, because such families refuse to sell the ‘useless’ cows to the butcher. This association, with one Shri R. Ratnagiri as its president, has organized congenial shelter for old and sick cows; it treats several illnesses of the cows, thanks to the experience of its members in the department. By and by, the group found it necessary to provide grazing ground for the cows; thus on a 30 acre farm, fodder is cultivated by the association. As a by- product, the farm is spotted with over 100 coconut trees and over 500 neem trees. Slowly, the farm emerged as a lush green patch amid the barren neighbourhood. The retired, but not tired, gentlemen have plans to manufacture, out of the cow dung and cow urine, the ‘panchagavya’, a highly valued energiser of agricultural land.
Based on an article by Shri Alagesan in Tamil weekly DINAMANI KADHIR , May 2, 2010. (Idea: Shri Alayam S. Raja).     
FOUR
Manjul Bhargava, the 40-year-old Princeton (USA) University professor, is the first Indian-origin mathematician to win the coveted Fields Medal. He says the inspiration behind his discoveries in number theory has been the classic works of ancient Indian mathematicians such as Pingala, Hemachandra, and Brahmagupta. He also goes on the explain how the ancients derived elegant mathematical patterns from rhythms of Sanskrit poetry and how he managed to simplify and expand the work of 18th century German maths legend Carl Friedrich Gauss with the help of Hemchandra's Identity. His grandfather, Purushottam Lal Bhargava, was the head of the Sanskrit department of the University of     Rajasthan, and Manjul Bhargava grew up reading ancient mathematics and Sanskrit poetry texts. In his classes, Prof. Manjul cites the similarity of Sanskrit verses and mathematical equations.
Based on areport in the QUANTA Magazine
(http://www.simonsfoundation.org/quanta/20140812)
FIVE
It was 4.50 am. The Yeshwantpur-Mangalore-Kannur Express train was moving at 25 kmh speed. Suddenly, the engines jerked to a halt so smoothly that none of the 1,200 passengers was stirred in sleep. The driver of the train, 53-year-old G. Shivaram, saw a crack in the track, which could have caused a major tragedy, derailing the entire train and injuring/killing the passengers on board if it had not been stopped on time. He then informed his superiors about the incident through walkie-talkie, as cell phones get no signal in the thick of the forest. He did not awaken the sleeping passengers and inform them about the narrow escape they had as that could have created a panic and led to mayhem. The passengers were later taken to their destinations by the Railway officials who arranged special KSRTC buses to ferry them. The presence of mind and alertness displayed by the loco pilot prevented a disaster on that fateful night of January 5, 2013.
Based on a post by Smt Swetha Halambi in blog Pen Folio, 2013.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Panchaamritam 256

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PANCHAAMRITAM 256
Poornima / Kali yugabda 5116 / Jaya Aavani 23 (September 8, 2014)

ONE

Charaka - This is the place where khadi clothes especially kurtas, kurtis, pyajamas, some formal shirts etc., are produced in Heggodu, near Sagara (Karnataka, Bharat). It is a cooperative that was set up 15 years ago with a purpose of providing employment to rural women. (The Society employs nearly 350 women and has a turnover of around Rs. 2 crore per annum. Each woman working at Charaka takes home more than Rs. 3,000 a month, said a blog ‘Pen Folio’ in 2011). It nearly employs 500 women across 20 villages. The colours used for dyeing are mostly natural - brown base from areca nut, blue from Indigo, reddish pink from a plant produce 'manjishta' etc. Also, only handlooms are used instead of power looms to employ more women. Barring one or two men it is entirely managed by women. It is an amazing story how a brand has been built upholding ecological, cultural and social values. The handloom garments are marketted under the brand name “Desi”. It is a self-sufficient cooperative in the sense that once raw yarn is purchased, everything else happens in-house. The workers are their own paymasters here and earn handsomely.  “We have 11 Desi retail outlets across Karnataka. The demand for the products is so high that we cannot start any new outlets” says Prasanna, a former theatre personality and a Marxist who founded Charaka. He adds, “Initially there was a lot of resistance. Groups tried to stop me from doing this because I had this Marxist tag. But it was a learning experience. I learned that, in a village, you cannot be a “red rag.” You cannot be branded. A whole lot of changes happened in me ideologically”.
(Based on a write up by Dr. Vinaychandra in the Facebook, June 2014 as well as on a report by Shri K. Pradeep in THE HINDU, April 13, 2013.)

TWO


Devi Parvati, 67, a Jew by birth who converted to Hinduism in her 20s, began the .Hindu Heritage Summer camp in 1976. In New York it uses the facilities of the India Community Center, Growing up Indian-American in Shreveport, La., was already a conflicted proposition for 11 year old Neha Dhawan. As the daughter of two immigrant doctors, she dutifully went with her parents to a Hindu temple. Classmates routinely asked where she went to church. Worst of all, a pupil at Neha’s middle school produced a “hit list” of students who were supposed to be killed, among them several of Indian descent. So the last thing that Neha wanted was to be even more identified as an Indian and a Hindu.  But her parents sent her to the camp. Now, at age 21, she says with retrospection, the camp changed her life. She loved doing morning yoga, her hair still cool and damp from the shower. She discovered a favorite bhajan, a Hindu devotional song. She spoke with her peers and their college-age counselors about dealing with stereotypes and racism. “I realized,” she said, “it’s O.K. to be proud of who you are.” Neha is now the director of the Hindu Heritage Summer Camp. Between their wake-up call and the meal, the campers assemble in a parking lot that included both a basketball court and a portrait of Lord Rama. The camp day toggles between yoga, worship, drama, cricket, arts and crafts, classes on Hindu philosophy. Such programming attracted campers to fill all 200 slots over two two-week sessions this summer. Children come from as far as Texas and Florida in the United States, and from Belgium abroad. Several were the offspring of intermarried, interfaith families with African, Irish and Italian roots. For 14-year-old Millena Sivakuma this summer was her fifth in a row. “We all become family,” said Millena, the daughter of a banker from Charlotte, N.C. “On the last day, everybody’s flowing rivers from their eyes.”

Based on a report by Shri Samuel G. Freedman in THE NEW YORK TIMES, August 22, 2014.

THREE
Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt Vasundhara Raje helped three accident victims while her motorcade was driving from Sriganganagar to Sangariya in Bikaner Division. Seeing three motorcyclists lying on the road, after they had reportedly been hit by a private TV van, the Chief Minister got down from her vehicle and issued instructions for the three to be taken to the hospital. She called up State Health Minister Rajendra Rathore from the spot and asked him to issue instructions to the authorities at the Ganganagar Hospital so that they were prepared to receive the three victims. At the same time, the Chief Minister sent the Central Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Nihal Chand and the local MLA, Gurjant Singh, with the accident victims to the hospital before proceeding for her scheduled programme under ‘Sarkar Aapke Dwar’. The motorcyclists had been lying on the Lalgarh Jatan Road in the Military Area for some time after being hit by a TV van. Despite her efforts, Abdul Hameed (52) and Lala (20), died while Papu is being treated for critical injuries. “Stopped by to help accident victims’ precious life — unfortunate we have forgotten to respect human lives!” she later tweeted.
From reports in THE HINDU and INDIAN EXPRESS, June 27, 2014.

FOUR
Shobana, wife of Vijayan, a resident of Housing Board colony, Thirupathur, Vellore district, travelled by the Thiruvananthapuram Express train from Coimbatore and  alighted at Jolarpet Junction on May 23. While collecting her luggage she forgot to take her handbag which was lying on a bench in the Railway platform. Shri Prahlad, who sells edibles at the Railway station, found the bag and handed it over to the Railway Protection Force personnel. The police searched the bag and found that it contained gold jewellery weighing two and a half sovereigns and two mobile phones. Shobana was informed of the bag and she, accompanied by her husband, went to the station. She got back her valuables intact. RPF Inspector Chelladurai gave away cash award to Shri Prahlad  in appreciation of his honesty.
Based on a report in DINAMANI, May 24, 2 014
FIVE
Former US President Bill Clinton, with a 25 member delegation, arrived at Government Praveshika Sanskrit Vidyalaya, Sanganer, Rajasthan. For 20 minutes, Clinton and his team served food to students. Clinton and the delegates were astonished to see two students of Class 10 solving a mathematical riddle using the Nikhilam method of Vedic Maths even before some delegates could solve those with calculators. Clinton asked the students Ashish Dubey and Amrita Kumar to get in touch with the Clinton Foundation through Akshaya Patra for any assistance in the future.
Based on a report in THE TIMES OF INDIA, July 17, 2014. (Idea: Shri Raghuramji)

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