PANCHAAMRITAM 266

PANCHAAMRITAM 266

(pancha is five in samskritam; amritam is nectar)

Poornima / Kali Yugabda 5116 / Jaya Thai 20 (February 3, 2015)

ONE

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have declined any Padma award for them reportedly being considered by the govrnment on the occasion of the 66th Republic Day. In a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Ramdev referred to media reports that the government was considering his name for Padma Vibushan, the second highest civilian award but felt that as an “ascetic” he should refrain from accepting “rewards or honours.” Ramdev requested the Home Minister instead to select some other deserving person for the award. “I should be allowed to serve selflessly and the award should be given to some other deserving person,” Ramdev was quoted as saying in his letter to the Home Minister. Ravi Shankar took to Twitter to inform about his decision. Sri Sri tweeted: “Rajnath Singhji called to inform me about Padma Awards.  I thank Govt. for considering me. Instead of me, I'd like them to honour someone else. People ask why I haven't refused other awards! Highest civilian awards from other countries were conferred without asking for my consent”. (Twitter / PTI / THE HINDU, January 25, 2015).

TWO

The incident happened on January 28, 2014, when Mhonbeni Ezung, 8, had gone to her maternal grandmother's home in Chudi village in Wokha district (Nagaland, Bharat). Her grandmother, Renthunglo Jungi, then 78, had taken her out for fishing to Anunga Hayi stream, 4 to 5 km from Chudi. While fishing, the grandmother suffered sudden cramps, followed by a stroke and fell unconscious. Sensing trouble, Mhonbeni ran back 4-5 km through the thick forests all alone to the village to call for help. Renthunglo was rushed to Sanis PHC, under Wokha district and was later referred to Dimapur. N Longtsubemo Lotha, the proud father of Mhonbeni, said they received the award from the Prime Minister in Delhi. Longtsubemo is a havaldar in Nagaland's Home Guards department. Mhonbeni is the youngest recipient of the bravery awards this year. She was among 24 children to receive the national bravery award on Republic Day, 2015. (THE TIMES OF INDIA, January 26, 2015).

THREE

Sreepriya S, a final-year BA Sanskrit (Vedanta) student at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit at Kalady (Kerala, Bharat) managed to collect a sum of Rs 25,000 that provided solace to an old woman, her mentally ill daughter and two children living in a rented house. Sreepriya has been able to convince a relative of hers to sponsor a school child. Food distribution to old age homes, and sponsoring 10 mentally-challenged are some of her service activities. Of late, Sreepriya and her team have been collecting money and offering financial aid to 10 poor families with Rs 5000 each per month. “I get proper education, good food and livelihood, I want it to reach others who are deprived of it too”, she says. She says her interest in social work began in her school days. Sreepriya celebrates her birthday and festivals with children in orphanages, sharing some happy moments with them. She is also part of a fundraising activity for treatment of a cancer patient. After completing her degree, she wishes to pursue Master of Social Work and continue her work at a professional level. (Based on  a report by Smt Meera Manu in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS January 30, 2015).

FOUR

Dr Anil K Sharma, after passing out from MGM College, Indore (Madhya Pradesh, Bharat) received fellowship training in pain management at Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA. He founded spine and pain centres in New Jersey and New York. He specializes in the use of minimally invasive techniques to treat spinal disorders and has performed over 40,000 spinal procedures in his 20 years of clinical practice. Dr Sharma has committed to donate US $ 1 million (Rs 6 crore) to his alma mater, for upgradation of the college, during a meeting with the Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan who was on a five-day visit to USA to address Indian diaspora at 'Friends of Madhya Pradesh Conclave.' Chauhan in one of his tweets also made the announcement. It said, "Happy to share: Dr Anil K Sharma of New York as friend of MP commits 1 million dollars donation for MGM Medical College and Hospital." (Based on a report by Shri Ashish Gaur in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Febuary 2, 2015).

FIVE

This happened in July, 2013. Chris Ihle, 38, a bank employee of Ames in the state of Iowa, USA, was returning from lunch; he had just parked his motorcycle. He noticed that a Pontiac Bonneville (car) was sitting frozen in the nearby rail crossing with a train approaching. Ihle ran over and screamed at the couple inside, 84-year-old Marion Papich and his 78-year-old wife, Jean, to move, but they didn't. Ihle tried pushing the car forward, but it wouldn't budge. So he moved to the car's front and told Marion Papich to make sure it was in neutral. He then dug in his cowboy boots and heaved as the train bore down on them with its horn blaring and brakes screeching. Ihle managed to push the car about 5 feet to safety, seconds before the train rumbled by, missing him by inches. The car wasn't scratched and the Papiches were unharmed. After the rescue, Ihle walked back to his office, where the tellers who witnessed his heroics swarmed him. He had a cup of coffee and called his father before returning to the crossing, where police had arrived. The train crew had stopped the train down the tracks and an engineer ran back to make sure everyone was all right. They were OK, and relieved. Notes February 2015 READER’S DIGEST about the incident: “It had a life changing effect on Chris. He gave up his job and travelled to India on what he calls a ‘soul searching trip’ ”. (Based on a post in http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/02/chris-ihle-iowa-saved-elderly-couple-oncoming-train_n_3697062.html?ir=India)

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