Wednesday, June 17, 2015

PANCHAAMRITAM 275

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PANCHAAMRITAM 275
(pancha is five in samskritam; amritam is nectar)
Amavaasya / Kali Yugabda 5117 / Manmatha Aani 1 (June 16, 2015)

ONE
 

Forty three years back, when I assumed office as the Headmaster of the government primary school, a cattle-shed behind the Lord Murugan temple in Andarkuppam in Solavaram Panchayat Union (Tamilnadu, Bharat) served as the school. The premises doubled as a school during the day and cattle shed in the night. School started work at nine in the morning. The 40 students and the two teachers followed the routine of removing cow dung and sweeping the floor in the mornings. Children were made to sit on wooden planks and listen to their class. The school needed a building. Government funds were not available. Saminatha Iyer, the owner of the cattle shed, donated Rs 100. We went door to door through the village. Every family pitched in with paddy, tamarind, chillie, groundnut, etc., by way of donation. We encashed every such item at the Nadar provision store. We added our own contribution to it and gave it to G.K. Naidu, the richest agriculturist in the village who constructed the school building with it.  He said at this juncture, “I could have borne the entire cost, but it would not have had the desired effect. Now, every student would proudly own up the school saying ‘at least a few bricks donated by my grandfather have gone into the building’ and would thus be keen to keep it safe and clean”. The students did. Today it is a High School offering quality education to 600 students. (From a Tamil book ‘TEN PLUS SEVEN EQUALS EIGHTEEN’ authored by Lion M. Muralidharan).

TWO


Thirty boys at SOS Youth House, SOS Children’s Village, Kochi (Kerala, Bharat), volunteered to donate a good part of their monthly personal allowances towards assistance for the people of Uttarakhand, who are currently suffering because of the floods caused by the recent heavy rainfall. The boys took this opportunity to be able to do something in return for the society which has always helped them in one way or the other. Together, they collected a sum of Rs 3,000. Thirteen of these boys representing the youth house together with Head Boy Anand C S, went to the Collectorate and handed over the money to district collector Sheikh Pareeth. He congratulated the kids for their generous act. This contribution to the Uttarakhand relief fund made the kids realise the need of social work and generosity towards whoever is in need of help. (A report by Smt Nandini Krishnan in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS (Kochi),  July 14, 2013).
THREE


Shri Chandramouli, a cop-turned-real estate dealer, came from Nagapattinam to Chennai on to hand over a petition to the Chief Minister. He ended up helping a fellow petitioner in dire need. While waiting for his turn in the waiting area near the Chief Minister's special cell, he noticed an agitated old woman. She was telling the Secretariat Security something and was not very coherent. When he enquired, a police officer told him that the woman had come from Periyakulam and did not have money to go home. "I was thinking: God! one more problem," the Sub-Inspector told The Hindu . "I should go to the Transport Minister's office and request his staff for a pass for the woman. They may or may not oblige." That was when Mr. Chandramouli stepped in. Without a second thought, he gave Rs. 220 to the woman. When asked what made him do that, he said that the woman's need seemed genuine. "Tears welled up in her eyes. Her lips were quivering and she could not speak coherently. I have been a cop. You cannot act up such emotions," he said. The Secretariat Security officials said that they routinely had to deal with women in a similar situation. "They come here with a lot of faith and hope and very little money," said another policeman. More often than not, the women cops collect money from their colleagues to send them home. "There is no mechanism to deal with such cases. We collect Rs. 10 or Rs. 20 from our colleagues and send them home," says a woman constable.  (A report by Shri R.K. Radhakrishnan in THE HINDU, June 9, 2005).
FOUR


At a time when one feels ashamed or even embarrassed because of the crimes and misdoings shown by most news channels, Doordarshan’s News has launched a programme that will bring out the brighter side of life. The first episode of Good News India,which is aired every Sunday at 9.30 pm, went on air on 31 May. The special bulletin differs from other news bulletins, as it will carry stories, which may inspire and motivate people. The stories to be screened will be about individuals or organizations that are doing something of value to society and thereby setting an example for others to follow. It may be recalled that earlier this year, Dainik Bhaskar too launched a similar initiative wherein the newspaper said that it would refrain from printing negative news on Mondays. (http://www.indiantelevision.com/ -- June 3, 2015).


FIVE



A probationary officer with State Bank of India, Selvi NL Beno Zephine of Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) has a big list of well-wishers she wants to thank. Besides Prime Minister  Narendra Modi, this included Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Central Ministers Jitendra Singh (PMO) and Pon Radhakrishnan, among others. She is a visually impaired woman from Tamil Nadu, who is all set to become the first IFS officer. With 100 per cent visual impairment, says she is raring to go around the globe representing India. The 25 -year-old Zephine received orders from the Central government last week asking her to report within 60 days. Zephine is first visually impaired IFS officer. Zephine said she was told that the encouraging policy of the Narendra Modi's government had helped in overcoming any possible procedural delays in her appointment. Zephine credits her parents for what she has achieved, saying her father took her wherever she wanted to go in pursuit of her dreams and managing to buy every other book for this purpose. Her mother would assist her in studying the books, sometimes reading them aloud. Zephine is now pursuing a Ph.D degree. (PTI June 15, 2015).
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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

PANCHAAMRITAM 274

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PANCHAAMRITAM 274
(pancha is five in samskritam; amritam is nectar)
Poornima / Kali Yugabda 5117 / Manmatha Vaikasi 18 (June 2, 2015)

ONE
 

Shri Dhananjay Chakraborty (40), a taxi driver in Kolkata (West Bengal, Bharat), has created a rooftop garden on his cab and has a mini green cavern in the trunk of his car with potted plants. He calls it the ‘subuj rath’ or the green chariot. The car has metal containers on the rooftop whose bottom is laid with soil, white sand and stone chips and the original green grass grows up there. It weighs about 65 kgs and it cost Dhananjay about Rs. 22,000 to build. It continues to cost him with the increased fuel consumption because of the added weight. However, Dhananjay said he does not mind it. In fact, he has planted flowers at the taxi stand too. His Taxi, an Ambassador, apart from having a green grass-bed on the roof, has eight potted plants in the trunk and has a green interior completely to promote the message that trees and plants should be planted and taken care of. Dhananjay’s project began three years ago when he spotted a money plant in a beautiful glass bottle that a passenger had left behind in the back seat. He took care of it and nurtured it, while keeping it in the taxi. The bigger idea of a green garden taxi, came from one of his friends who found something similar on Internet (www.thebetterindia.com).
TWO



A Sikh student from New Zealand who broke strict religious protocol by taking off his turban to help save the life of a child hit by a car has been heralded as a hero. Harman Singh, 22, studying to get a business degree, removed his turban to cradle the bleeding head of a five-year-old boy who had been struck on his way to school in Takanini, South Auckland. Harman Singh heard the accident take place outside his home, before running outside to investigate, according to the NZ Herald.  'I saw a child down on the ground and a lady was holding him. His head was bleeding, so I unveiled my turban and put it under his head,' he said. The five-year-old was reportedly walking to school with his older sister when he was hit. He was thought to have suffered life-threatening head injuries, but last night was in a stable condition in hospital. Sikhism is the only religion in the world which requires its followers to tie a turban. Sikh men and women do not cut their hair and cover their heads at all times as an expression of respect to their Gurus. The Sikh turban symbolizes discipline, integrity, humility and spirituality. Since the incident occurred, Harnam, who hails from Punjab (Bharat), has received thousands of messages and comments on his Facebook page. (Based on a report by Shri Liam Quinn in DAILY MAIL, Australia,  May 17, 2015).
THREE
 

About 2.8 lakh consumers in the country have given up the subsidy for cooking gas and about Rs.100 crore has been saved, according to the Central government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged more people to come forward and buy gas at the market price to ensure such benefits reach only the poor. Coimbatore district (Tamilnadu, Bharat) has about 9.87 lakh cooking gas consumers. About 15 customers have registered to give up the subsidy under each of the 77 distributors in the district. “We expect the number to increase,” said an official. (Based on a report in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, April 3, 2015) (In Chennai, 21,300 consumers have given up gas cylinder subsidy as on May 28, 2015, reports DINAMALAR).
FOUR



 
In our country many brothers and sisters of our society are living below the poverty line. Lakhs of people are working in tea gardens in Assam, Tripura and Bengal. Many youths have dream to get married but due to poverty they could not afford such ceremonial rituals. So, many of them prefer to use short cut of Gandharva Vivah. But society does not give social status to such couples. Kalyan Ashram came forward to help such couples through Samuhik Vivah (Group Marriage). From last one decade Kalyan Ashram has been conducting such marriages in Bengal and Assam, which give social status to the newly wed couples. Urban units of organization afford all the expenses and offer gifts to the couples. On 25th of May, 2014, Samuhik Vivah (Group Marriage) was conducted at Salibari near Siliguri of North Bengal where 101 couples got married. All the couples came along with their relatives and villagers with great enthusiasm. They wore traditional dresses. All the rituals were conducted with complete sanctity. After rituals couples visited temple and had blessings. All these couples got social status and honour. Everybody was happy and enjoyed delicious dinner. Such a programme was also organised at Guwahati, (Assam, Bharat) where 19 couples got married (NEWS BHARATI).
FIVE



A resident of Mantola area in Agra (UP, Bharat), Tyeba, daughter of Mohd Khalid and a student at the Anwari Nilofar School, had a defective valve in her heart and was living a difficult life, often having to be hospitalised or treated for the ailment.  When Tyeba's condition became critical, Khalid took Tyeba to Agra-based Dr SK Kalra, who had just returned from Nepal where he was volunteering as a part of the government's relief crew. Considering the financial condition of Khalid, Dr Kalra suggested that Tyeba should write to PM Modi, also the father of government's 'Beti bachao, Beti padhao' campaign. Inspired by Dr Kalra's words, Tyeba wrote a touching letter to Modi. Touched by the 8-year-old's appeal, the Prime Minister's Office immediately responded to the letter and arranged for her treatment at New Delhi's GB Pant Hospital, where all the expenses incurred in her treatment will be borne by the government. Khalid also received another letter from the Health Ministry, asking him to report to the hospital as soon as possible so that Tyeba's treatment could begin. Talking to India Today, Khalid said it was all a dream for him. Writing a letter to Modi was the last-ditch attempt for him. To find that Modi actually took cognizance of the letter and arranged for his daughter's treatment was beyond his belief. He said that he wants his daughter to grow healthy and strong soon, so that she can continue her studies and serve other sick people by becoming a doctor herself. (Based on a report by Shri Siraj Qureshi in INDIA TODAY, May 20, 2015).

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