PANCHAAMRITAM
268
(pancha is five in samskritam; amritam is nectar)
Poornima / Kali Yugabda 5116 / Jaya Maasi 21 (March 5, 2015)
ONE
On March 2, 2015, Shri Santhanam (55), a farmer from
Sriperumbudur, had it all, from hopes to misery to euphoria, in a span of 10
hours. He misplaced a cloth bag with Rs 1.8 lakh cash meant for his
daughter’s marriage. The bag had the cash and invitation cards in it; it had
slipped from his hand and had fallen on the road. Minutes later, Shri
Rambabu (60), living nearby, came to see off his grandchildren to school. He
noticed the brown cloth bag on the road, in which he found bundles of currency.
The man took it to the Tambaram police station and handed it over to the
police. Santhanam, who was not sure of where he had misplaced the bag, had
approached the police station near his house. On receiving information from
Tambaram police, Santhanam went to the Police Station; it was confirmed that he
was the owner of the bag and the cash was handed over to him. Rambabu
runs a fertiliser store at Padappai, near
Tambaram. Based
on a report in DECCAN CHRONICLE, March 3, 2015.
TWO
Smt Kanthimathi serves food to destitutes battling
hunger, poverty and diseases - veg biryani and butter milk -
on the dusty pavement opposite an oil store on East Masi Street Madurai
(Tamilnadu, Bharat). Kanthimathi, the 64-year-old wife of an ailing
tailor, who ran out of business a few years ago, goes on giving. It has become
a daily routine for her for the last 12 years. Kanthimathi does not have the
means to feed the poor. It was 12 winters ago when she spotted social worker
Siva Anbanandan serving food to beggars, street urchins, mentally and
physically challenged individuals, the poor and the abandoned. Siva Anbanandan
was looking for a cook. Kanthimathi volunteered instantly. Since then, she
hasn’t taken a day’s break. Even during illness she prepares the meal and
ensures that it reaches the people on time. (She recalls with sadness how on
the day Siva Anbanandan died a year ago – in 2013 - , he arranged for rice,
sambar and curd. “I served the meal here before going to the cremation ground,”
she says). Among the nearby shopkeepers, somebody buys the vegetables, somebody
donates rice and oil. And it keeps flowing to meet each day’s requirement.
Kanthimathi believes there is God’s hand in arranging the items uninterrupted
for so many years. Says Kanthimathi, even passers-by stop to see what is
happening and spontaneously donate sweets and fruits; even plates, tumblers and
sitting mats. Based on a report by Smt Soma Basu in THE HINDU, January
3, 2014.
THREE
In the premises of Kerala High Court, an auspicious day
dawned recently. Two brilliant students among the inmates of the free shelters
run by RSS workers became lawyers. Prajith and Savitha took the oath and wore
the black coat of Advocates. Prajith, who lost his parents, was nurtured in
Matruchdaya of Aluva (Kerala, Bharat). He studied Law at Ernakulam Law College
where he did his PG as well. Through Balagokulam he was directed to
Mathruchaya. Another achiever is Savitha E. K, who was an inmate of Oorakom
Balikasadanam (shelter for Girls and women) in Thrissur district, Kerala. She
is from the village called Kallar, Kasargod district, where many fell victims
to Endosulfan (pesticide). Her brother too was a victim. She is now survived by
mother, three sisters and three brothers. She serves the cause of children as
the district Bhagini Pramukh of Balagokulam. From NEWS BHARATI (news
portal), April 23, 2014.
FOUR
“I have followed the example set by Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan , Power Minister Piyush Goel,
etc., in supporting the drive to get well to do consumers to stop using
subsidized LPG. I will not use subsidized cylinders for my home use.
Subsidy should go to the poor. I am of the belief that the rich and affluent
people who can afford to pay market price for LPG, should voluntarily give up
subsidized connection. This culture is now being followed in India by many. Let
us do it in Jammu - Kashmir also”. That is Shri Nirmal Singh, who is now the
Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu-Kashmir state. From a post in his Facebook
page dated January 14, 2015. (His father was in the close security cordon
of the then Maharaja of the state. He is among the first BJP MLAs to be
sworn-in as a minister in the country's only Muslim-majority state. A long time
RSS supporter, Nirmal Singh was arrested during the Emergency period in 1975 --
From IBN Live).
FIVE
You cannot find a single cigarette butt, plastic bag
lying around in Mawlynnong (Meghalaya, Bharat), a small village 90 kms from Shillong. It was
awarded the tag of ‘Cleanest Village in Asia’ in 2003 by Discover India
Magazine. Pallavi Pasricha, a journalist, describes the village thus: “I reach
here and I am stumped. Not only is this village spotless clean but it’s one of
the prettiest ones I have seen in the country. I am greeted warmly and taken to
the guest house, my home for the night. I walk on cobbled streets bordered with
thatched Khasi huts and go past gardens that are full of colourful flowers. To
keep the village clean there is a bamboo basket outside every house. After a
15-minute walk I’m face-to-face with one of the most spectacular natural
bridges that’s made by twisting the roots of the gigantic trees. The roots make
a pathway across a stream, making it easy for villagers to commute. Another
interesting thing the villagers have constructed here is the Sky View, an 85
feet high viewing tower that’s made of bamboo. When I reach on top I get
stunning views of not just the village but Bangladesh on the other side. It’s
simply gorgeous. I realise that it’s the simplicity and warmth of the people that
makes Mawlynnong so special getting there.” (Based on a report by Smt
Pallavi Pasricha in LONELY PLANET, June 16, 2014).
OOOOOOOOOOO
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