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.
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