My Search 4 Knowledge

The Story of Possibility

2011-06-13T06:14:00.000-07:00

There is this story (as told by Goenkaji of Vipassana Meditation) where a mother asks her son to buy a bottle full of oil from the village shop for cooking. She gives the boy the bottle with Rs.10. Given the task, the boy sincerely goes and purchases the bottle full of oil for Rs.10. While returning home, by turn of fate, the boy suddenly trips and the bottle full of oil from his hand slips. He manages to catch hold of the bottle from breaking, but spills half of the oil. He runs crying to mother apologizing for the fact that he carelessly spilt the half of the oil. That is being a pessimist.

And then, the mother sends her second son to buy a bottle full of oil for Rs.1o. By turn of fate, this boy too while returning spills the half of the oil. As the first boy, he manages to catch hold of the bottle from breaking, but loses half the oil. But this boy doesn’t cry and was in fact happy that though by carelessness he spilt half of the oil, he had saved half of the oil and also the bottle didn’t break and thus went back to the house. That is being optimistic.

But the story doesn’t ends here. The mother sends her third son also to buy a bottle full of oil for Rs.10. By turn of fate, this boy trips and spills half of the oil and manages to save the bottle. But this boy neither cried for the loss nor was content with the fact that he managed to save half the oil. He being a realist, accepted that he lost half the oil. He realised that he had to fully fill the bottle and that means he needed another Rs.5. So went out to get himself a job, earned Rs.5, with which he purchased half the oil and filled the bottle. And now what category this boy should be in?

I would call him a 'Possibilist'. And currently my experience at TFI is expanding my horizon in realising the gamut of possibilities available. Hope could learn more:)

At TFI: Sense of Possibility (Day 2)

2011-06-13T05:06:00.000-07:00

"I am not a pessimist or an optimist. I am a possibilist." - Max Lerner
The day being on 'Yellow Hat' or the 'Possibility thinking, here are few of the lessons I personally learnt on the ‘Sense of Possibility:
1. Flexibility in Planning: Where you can either stay the plan failed or the plan got evolved. But one learnt that Planning and Preparation are important.

2. Persistence and Perseverance: Technically it could be called Pestering. Just don’t give up and keep on trying. May be for 10 minutes, the people will not be convinced, but at the 11th minute you can crack the nut. Thanks to Harsh for teaching me by the way he was convincing people.

3. Sense of Possibility: Big task at hand; Setting High Expectations - okay this is good. But one does get doubts of achieving the set goal. The game of earning Rs.25 each (which one thought was a ‘practical joke’ played by TFI on the new fellows) taught me that it is in fact possible to achieve that goal which one thought impossible, not simply difficult; one just needs to TRY. One realised that ‘Earning Rs.25 each’ is an analogy of the TFI’s vision of ‘excellent education for all children’. At this juncture, the apprehensive part of the self asks for proof. The visit of the Akanksha kids and their presentation and interaction with Ms.Anjali during the second part of the day gave the necessary evidence. Though the doubtful self has not been completely banished, it is slowly getting chipped away thanks to the day’s experience. Still, one holds few doubts – which are in fact helping to keep a heightened sense of attentiveness and a readiness to learn more. But a step forward was taken today and progress is being made.

4. Team Work: Companionship & Fellow-traveller; More than one head thinking; Complement each other's Strengths and Weaknesses; Sense of Identity (Odd Job Wallas)

Two more mantras that I had been using in my pre-TFI time were:

Start small: Even a 1000 miles journey starts with a single step (Learning at TFI: But remember to set a 1000 miles vision – Set Big Goals; Have High Expectations; Raise the Bar)

Copy success: So that you don’t reinvent the wheel (Learning at TFI: Ask for help; Value team work)

Education Fund

2011-06-06T04:02:00.000-07:00

Recently I had this opportunity to attend the 10-day Vipassana Meditation course at Bangalore.
Besides the course itself, I found an interesting concept of delivering course, which I found worthwhile to share with you.
1. The 10-day course offered is completely free. Yes! Food, accomodation & stay and all the things were free. It is only expected that after the 10 day course, those who feel liking towards the source, can further the cause by making a volunteer donation (this only at the end of the course and whatever the amount it might be). This very fundamental concept of paying after service and donating volunteering has a stronger benefit in propogating the concept.
2. I find a similarity of this concept in 'Habitat for Humanity' as well. This is an international NGO working to provide housing for all those who deserve. Recently they even started in India. They have a unique concept of funding the housing projects. The house constructed is usually funded an already available source of money, previously donated. Here the particular beneficiary contributes by way of labour and volunteers - architects, masons, engineers are invited to participate, making H4H one of the largest volunteer sourcing organisation. Once the house is constructed, the investment is considered as sort of interest-free loan to be paid by the beneficiary on 15-20 years tenure (Here interest-free is mandated to follow Christian
concept of lending being offensive). But the beauty is that this doesn't stop there. The beneficiaries so overwhelmed by the
help lended usually come out of way and pay back more than they owe - sort of donating, thus again furthering the cause. This is similar to making donation in Vipassana course.
3. There is another NGo named ' '. One of my colleague Ms.D is beneficiary of this. The Trust funds higher education of poor students, by which she completed here Engineering degree. Later, if interested, the graduated students can payback to the trust from their salary - donating to the 'Education Fund' thus again furthering the cause. A similarity again.
4. A friend of mine is currently helping a boy studying nursing from an orphanage home. The friend shall be funding his tuition and hostel fees every year for his studies. He has only one condition to the boy - he told the boy that if he were to help, the boy, after graduation should come back to his Orphanage and its hospital to work at this place - sort of paying back to his orphanage. Another similarity
5. Vidya Poshak: The organisation where Naren is working similarly funds deserving students for higher education. Some do after graduation donate to the organisation for furthering the cause
6. Manitha Neeyam Trust by Saidhai Duraisamy: is the one who contested against M.K.Stalin (DMK) under AIADMK during the recent TN Assembly election. Of the 234 constitutiencies, this was one of the most fiercely conducted election, with Stalin winning only by a marginal difference of 2000 votes. Not to mention this was the only place where there was a riot during the poll counting was held - reason being that Stalin was actually defeated and the result came otherwise. Now you might ask who is this Saidhai Duraisamy and how come he is so powerful with the fact being that this is his first contest at an election? An ardent MGR fan, Duraisamy runs an institution training students for Civil Services exam. Recently 39 of his students got selected. And did I mention the students are trained for free. The beauty is that the passed out IAS students, despite Duraisamy not encouraging came to extend their support in campaigning for him during the election. Their campaign slogan was that 'Look at us. We are from poor background and we became IAS. This is all due to Duraisamy sir. If you vote for him, he will make your son or daughter like us.' Now these passed out IAS students are funding Duraisamy's Trust to fund the training and again furthering the cause.
6. It is said that one of the main reasons why DHAN and Vasi insists that the PDM course at Tata-Dhan Academy be fully-funded is that - by this way of studying for free, the graduate is sort of morally obliged to give back to the society and work at a place with not a big expectation of high salary. Given this, also ponder upon the mainstream education system like a BE or MBBS or MBA degree - where the education (with really high fees) is considered as an investment with expected returns and profits on investment (i.e., a placement with a fat salary)
7. Similarly, we know of stories of IIT and IIM Alumini funding their mother institution - paying back and furthering the cause.
All said, I just got inspired to come up with a concept of 'Education Fund' where it could be used to fund students for higher education. It is hoped that it will be a self-enriching and sustaining project, where the passed out students will come back and support the project, thus furthering the cause.

மக்களுக்கு கிடைத்த வெற்றி

2011-06-06T03:56:00.001-07:00

இது மக்களுக்கு கிடைத்த வெற்றி! தமிழக அரசியலில் பல விதிகளை ஓடைதுள்ளது!
1.பணம் கொடுத்து ஒட்டு வாங்கிவிடலாம்; பணம் வாங்கினாலும் யாருக்கு ஒட்டு போடுவது என்று நாங்கள் தான் முடிவு பண்ணுவோம். இது வரும் தேர்தலிலும் பணம் கொடுத்து ஒட்டு வாங்கிவிடலாம் என்ற விதி ஒழிந்தது.
2.சட்டசபை தேர்தல் சாதி அடிப்படையில் தான் நடக்கும் என்ற மற்ற்றொரு விதியும் ஒழிக்கப்பட்டது.
3.நாடகம் காட்டியோ, பேசியோ, சினிமாகாரர்களை வைத்து மக்களை கவர்ந்திடலாம் என்ற நம்பிக்கையும் ஒழிந்தது. எ.கா. வடிவேலுவின் பிரசாரத்திற்கு கூடிய மக்கள் ரசிக்கவே வந்தனர்; மயங்கிவிடவில்லை.
4.ஊடகம் நம் கையில் உள்ளது என்று 'Opinion makers' ஆக மாற முயன்றவர்களுக்கு நல்ல சவுக்கடி! இது 'நக்கீரன்' போன்ற விலைபோன பத்திரிகைகளும், 'சன் டி.வி.' போன்ற சுய லாபத்திற்காக செயல்பட்ட ஊடகங்களுக்கு நல்ல பாடம்!
5 . அரசு நினைத்தால் ஒரு நியாமான தேர்தலை நடத்த முடியும் என்று நிரூபித்தது தேர்தல் ஆணையம். ஒரு 'போஸ்டர்' கிடையாது, ஒரு 'கட் அவுட்' கிடையாத தேர்தலை தமிழகம் இந்த முறைதான் பார்த்தது. இது மற்றுமொரு விதிவிலக்கு.
ஆகாமொத்தம், தமிழகம் மாற்றத்திற்கு தன்னை ஆயத்த படித்திகொள்ள வேண்டிய தருணத்தில் உள்ளது என்று மட்டும் புரிகிறது. நடப்பது எல்லாம் நன்மைக்கே என்றுணர்வோம். தர்மம் என்றும் வெல்லும் என்ற நம்பிக்கை ஓடு நமது பயணம் தொடரட்டும்.

யோசித்து பார்கையில்

2011-06-06T03:55:00.001-07:00

ஒரு குழந்தையின் சிரிப்பு, ஒரு குழந்தையின் அழுகை, இளஞ்சிவப்பு வண்ணம் தீட்டிய மாலை வானம், மரகிளையில் தனியே அமர்ந்துள்ள சிட்டுக்குருவி, வானுயர பறக்கும் கழுகு, நீண்டநாள் கழித்து பார்த்த நண்பன், முதல் காதலின் நினைப்பு, தெருவோரம் உள்ள டீ-கடையில் ஒலிக்கும் ஒரு பழைய பாடல், அதிகாலையில் சாமிக்காக சமைத்த கூட்டு பொரியல் சாதம், ஹோட்டல் உணவு சாப்பிட்டு அழுத்தபின் கிடைக்கும் வீட்டு சாப்பாடு, குடும்பத்தோடு ஹோட்டலுக்கு சென்று சாப்பிட்டது, பலநாள் சுற்றுபயணத்தின் பின் வீடு திரும்பும்போது பொழியும் அன்பும், பாசமும், கல்லூரியில் எழுதிய கவிதையின் நினைப்பு, முதன்முதலாக வாங்கிய பாராட்டு, எதிர்பார்க்காத போது கிடைத்த கைதட்டல், - இதையெல்லாம் நினைத்து பார்கையில் ஒரு 'Positive energy' மனதிற்குள் பாயத்தான் செய்கிறது!

Physicists vs. Physicians: Unsafe at Any Dose at NY times

2011-05-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

SIX weeks ago, when I first heard about the reactor damage at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan, I knew the prognosis: If any of the containment vessels or fuel pools exploded, it would mean millions of new cases of cancer in the Northern Hemisphere.
Many advocates of nuclear power would deny this.
Read more about this at: NYTimes

Breaking Down A Goal Into Micro-Goals

2011-04-30T05:44:00.000-07:00

I’m a big fan of creating personal finance goals. I like to create a goal and then break that goal down into manageable micro-goals. As an example, let’s say that I wanted to save $12,000 (a rather large sum of money) next year. My initial goal would look like this:
In 2008 I will save $12,000.
I don’t know about you, but saving $12,000 sounds like a pretty big deal to me. Emotionally, we cannot help but “react” to a big number like $12,000. You might even say to me, “NCN, I’m BARELY making it, how in the world do you expect me to save $12,000 in a single year? That’s crazy!” And, until about 2 years ago, I would have heartily agreed with you. I would have joined the chorus of people who were “barely making it,” living paycheck-to-paycheck. But, I found a “secret” way of tricking my “emotions” so that I am PSYCHOLOGICALLY motivated to save money. In fact, I have found that saving money is simple once you get the hang of it. Instead of trying to save $12,000 in one year, I try to save $250 per week for 48 weeks. Now, mathematically, these goals are “equal” but emotionally (psychologically) these goals are worlds apart. Why? I have no idea, other than the fact that I can “wrap my mind around” the idea of saving $250 dollars.
Now, let’s take this one step further. I divide $250 by 5 and create my micro-goal. My new goal would look like this:
I want to save $50 per day, 5 days a week, for 48 weeks.
See how that works? I’ve broken down my original goal ($12,000) into a manageable goal ($250 a week) and then into a micro-goal ($50 a day). As I go through my day, I’m always thinking “How can I save money TODAY, how can I cut costs TODAY, how can I save $50 TODAY?” My goal has gone from the “abstract” to the “practical”. The total amount is the same but the thought process is COMPLETELY different.
(This technique works with almost any goal. Personally, I’m trying to save $48,000 this year. You may be in the position to save $6000 or $600, depending on your income, family obligations, etc. The amounts might vary, but the technique is the same.)
Now that I have my micro-goal ($50 per day) I have to figure out ways to actually save $50 per day. I’ve written several posts about how to save money including:
Saving Money On Groceries and 10 Things That I Do To Save Money.
As for actually depositing the money into my savings account, I schedule weekly withdrawals from my primary checking to my ING Direct savings account. In stead of spacing my withdrawals out a month at a time, I schedule them weekly. This helps to keep me accountable and focused on my daily and weekly goals.
Source: No Credit Needed blog

Eight ways to tap into the power of intention and feel great every day:

2011-04-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

Make meditation a regular practice in your life. You need to take time to get quiet, to go within, and from this silence make conscious contact with the source of intention. You’re already connected to everything that you perceive as missing from your life; go with a realign.
Become conscious of the foods you eat. Foods high in alkalinity such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, soy, nonyeast breads and virgin olive oil are high-energy foods and will strengthen you, while highly acidic foods such as flour-based cereals, meats, dairy and sugars lower energy and will weaken you.
Retreat from low-energy substance. Alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, sugar and virtually all artificial drugs, legal or otherwise, lower your body’s energy level and weaken you.
Become aware of the energy level of the music you listen to. Some rap music—filled with profanity and messages about killing, for example—is an energy drain, while music that has a more soothing impact on the soul has been proven to be beneficial.
Become aware of the energy levels of your home environment. Make your home a nurturing, cheerful and peaceful environment.
Reduce your exposure to low-energy commercial television. Children see 12,000 simulated murders on TV before their 14th birthday! Television news puts a heavy emphasis on the bad and the ugly, leaving out the good.
Enhance your energy field with photographs. Every photograph contains energy. Carry and display photos taken in moments of happiness, love and receptivity.
Become conscious of the energy levels of your acquaintances, friends and extended family. Choose to be in close proximity to those who are empowering, who see the greatness in you, who feel connected to spirit.

Source: http://www.drwaynedyer.com/articles/seven-secrets-of-a-joyful-life

The Theory of Non-Possession

2011-04-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, returning to my room, I was all wet and drowned. My soul was grasping for some fresh air to fill its lungs with - my soul was drowning. Already tired I couldn't pin point on intending what to do next - I slumped back on my bed. I could only think and think harder on the very subject of life. Will I ever be able to live a much better, joyful life? Will I ever be able to get those I always wanted for?
For the moment, I never thought I had been asking the wrong questions to get the right answer.
Then it happened - I had to come across this thickly bounded book called 'The Mind of the Mahatma'. Never to mention - you might have guessed what the book is about. I scrambled through pages and hit upon the most diametrically opposite theme on which I had been so long pondering upon - the subject was Non-possession.
Here I was thinking of how to get those things that I wanted, while trying to read the words of Mahatma Gandhi on his experience of 'non-possession'. I should have been kidding myself. Not really.
"Though I embrace poverty, nevertheless I should say that I am the richest man on this earth!"
That struck me - struck me really hard!
This wisdom that I was lacking was the very answer to the question I was searching for.
What if I could embrace poverty, non-possession? What if I could want nothing? What if I could be freed of expectations and subsequent drudgery to claim it over?

பசுமை விகடன்-க்கு நான் எழுதிய கடிதம்

2011-03-26T02:41:00.000-07:00

அன்புள்ள பசுமை விகடன்-க்கு,

தூரன் நம்பி அவர்களின் பி.டி. பருத்தி பற்றிய 'சாட்டை' பதிவை படிக்க நேர்ந்தது. இந்தியாவில் பி.டி. பருத்தியின் நிலைமையை அறிந்து கொள்ள 'google' இல் 'Bt Cotton' என்று தேடினேன். நான் தேடிய 90 % சதவிகிதம் பி.டி. பருத்தி பற்றி மிகவும் நன்றாகவே எழுதியுள்ளன.
குறிப்பாக கீழே உள்ள இரண்டு இணைய தளத்தில் உள்ள 'reports' குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

www.ccsindia.org/policy/glob/studies/wp0008.pdf

www.apaari.org (Status of Bt Cotton in India Report-2009)

தூ.ந. கூறுவது போல பி.டி. பருத்தியில் குறை இருப்பின் அது எவ்வாறு இந்திய விவசாயிகளிடம் இவ்வளவு மதிப்பை பெற்றது? இந்திய முழுதும் பி.டி. பருத்தி பயிர் செய்யும் நிலபரப்பளவு ஆண்டு தோறும் அதிகரித்து வருவது இதை உறுதி படுத்துகிறது. ஏதோ ஒரு விதை வியாபாரி கூறுவதி நம்பி தூ.ந. பி.டி. பருத்தி பற்றி கூறுவது சற்று வருத்தத்தை தருகிறது. அதே சமயத்தில், நான் பி.டி. பருத்தியை ஆதரிப்பவன் என்று நீங்கள் எண்ணகூடாது. சற்று 'scientific evidence' உடன் இருப்பின் நன்றாக இருக்கும் என்பதே எனது தாழ்மையான வேண்டுகோள்.

முன்பு பசுமை விகடன், ஜெட்ரோபா எனும் பயோ-டீசல் தரும் பயிர் பற்றி எழுதியிருந்தீர். அதில் ஜெட்ரோபா பலர் கூறுவது போல விவசாயிக்கு லாபம் தரும் பயிர் அல்ல என்பதையும், அதற்கு பாசன வசதி வேண்டும் என்பதையும் எழுதி பல சந்தேகங்களை தீர்த்தீர். அது போல பி.டி. பருத்தி விவசாயிகளிடம் 'interview' செய்து ஒரு ஆழமான 'investigative report' செய்தால் நன்றாக இருக்கும். அதற்கு மாற்று வழியாக 'Pesticide-free cotton' என்ற முறையில், பி.டி. பருத்தி பயன்படுத்தாது, இயற்கை முறையில் புழு-பூச்சி மேலாண்மை செய்வதை பற்றி கேள்விப்பட்டதுண்டு. அதைப்பற்றி எழுதினால் மேலும் நன்றாக இருக்கும் என்று நம்புகிறேன்.

இப்படிக்கு
ப.வி. - இன் தீவர ரசிகன்

இந்திய பட்ஜெட் 2011-12

2011-03-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

இந்திய பட்ஜெட்டில் விவசாயத்துறை:
இந்த ஆண்டின் இந்திய பட்ஜெட்டில் விவசாயத்துறையில் பல ஆழ்ந்த சிந்திப்பு உள்ளது என்பது தெரிய வருகிறது. இந்திய பட்ஜெட்டில் (2011 - 12) விவசாயத்துறை மூன்று முக்கிய கருத்துக்கள் வரவேற்க்க பட வேண்டும். 1 . மத்திய அரசாங்கம் 'நீடித்த-நிலைத்த விவசாயத்தை' கொண்டுவரும் திட்டத்தின் படி (National Mission for Sustainable agriculture) அங்கக விவசாயத்தையும் (Organic Farming), நவீன தொழில்நுட்பத்தோடு பாரம்பரிய விவசாய முறையை ஊக்குவிக்க உள்ளது பாராட்டக்குரியது. இது அரசின் சிந்தனையில் ஏற்பட்ட மாபெரும் 'Paradigm shift' என்றே நினைக்க தோன்றுகிறது. ஆரம்பம் தொட்டே இயற்கை விவசாயத்தின் முக்கியத்துவத்தை விவசாயிகள் இடையே கொண்டு செல்ல அயராது உழைத்து வரும் தொண்டு நிறுவனங்களுக்கும், முன்னோடி விவசாயிகளுக்கும், பத்திரிகைகளுக்கும், வெற்றி என்றே நினைக்கிறேன்.
2 . சிறு-குறு தானியங்களான கம்பு, கேழ்வரகு, சோளம் உற்பத்தி பெருக்கத்திற்கு ரூ.300 கோடி ஒதுக்கீடு. இது நாட்டின் உணவு தேவையை தீர்க்க மட்டுமல்லாது இந்த தனியங்களுகே உரிய தனிப்பட்ட சத்துக்கள் மற்றும் மருத்துவ குணங்களுக்காக பெருக்க படவுள்ளது என்ற செய்தியே சிறப்புக்குரியது.
3. பயிறு வகை பயிர்கள் உற்பத்தி பெருக்கத்திற்கு 60,000 பயிறு கிராமங்கள் உருவாக்க ரூ.300 கோடி ஒதுக்கீடு (இது சென்ற பட்ஜெட்டிலும் குறிப்பிட பட்டது). மற்றும் தீவன பயிர் உற்பத்தி பெருக்கத்திற்கு 25,000 கிராமங்களில் ரூ. 300 கோடி செலவில் திட்டம்.
இதில் ஒரு சிக்கல். சிக்கல் என்று சொல்வதை விட எச்சரிக்கை என்னவென்றால் 'பசுமை புரட்சி' கிழக்கு மாநிலங்களில் முழு வீச்சில் செய்ய பட ரூ.400 கோடி ஒதுக்கீடு. 'ப.பு.'-னால் ஏற்பட்ட பாதிப்புக்களை மனதில் கொண்டு செயல்பட்டால் சரி.
எவ்வளவு திட்டம் போட்டும் எதுவும் பயன் இல்லையே என்ற வருத்தம் நம்மில் பலரிடையே இருப்பினும் அரசின் சிந்தனையில் தெளிவு பாராட்டப்பட வேண்டும்.

Also see this

இந்திய பட்ஜெட்டில் சுற்றுச்சூழல்: நடந்து முடிந்த இந்திய பட்ஜெட் 2011 -12 தாக்கலில், 1 . 2008 - ஆம் ஆண்டு பருவநிலை மாற்றத்தை எதிர் கொள்ள தேசிய செயல் திட்டம் (National Action Plan on Climate Change) போடப்பட்டது. அதில் எட்டு mission-கள் உள்ளன. அதில் ஒன்று 'பச்சை இந்தியா' திட்டத்தின்படி வனத்தின் பரப்பளவை அதிகபடுத்துதல். இந்திய பட்ஜெட் 2011 -12 - இல் ரூ. 200 கோடி இதற்கு ஒதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
2 . மேலும், சுற்றுச்சூழல் சீரமைக்க ரூ.200 கோடியும், நாட்டில் உள்ள முக்கிய ஆறுகள்-குளங்கள் சீர்திருத்த ரூ.200 கோடியும் ஒதுக்கீடு செய்ய பட்டுள்ளது வரவேற்க்கதக்கது.
மேலும்,
1 . சூரிய சக்தியால் இயங்கும் ஒளி கருவிக்கு (solar lantern) மீதான சுங்கத்தீர்வை (customs duty) 10 - ல் இருந்து 5 சதவிகிதமாக குறைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
2 . மேலும், LED மீதான சுங்கவரி 5 % -ஆக குறைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இவை அனைத்தும், சூரிய சக்தி (Solar Energy) பயன்பாட்டை அதிகரிக்கும் என்று நம்பலாம்.
இது தவிர, இயற்கை ஆர்வலர்களுக்கு மற்றும் ஒரு நற்செய்தி.
3 . மின்சார மற்றும் ஹைப்ரிட் வாகனத்தை ஊக்குவிக்க 'National Mission on Hybrid and Electrical Vehicle' விரைவில் அரசு அறிவிக்கவுள்ளது. இதன் முன்னோட்டமாக மின்சார வாகனத்தில் பயன்படுத்தபடும் பாட்டரி மீதான சுங்கவரி குறைப்பு (அ) விலக்கு அளிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
4 இதில் ஹைப்ரிட் வாகனங்களுக்கான மாற்று கிட் (conversion kit) மீதான சுங்கவரி குறைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. மேலும் Fuel Cell Technology பயன்படுத்தும் வாகனங்கள் மீதான சுங்கவரியும் குறைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
Also see this
இயற்கையில் தான் தீர்வு உள்ளது என்பதை அரசு உணர்ந்துள்ளது. அரசின் சிந்தனையில் இந்த முதிர்ச்சி பாராட்டக்குரியது.

நன்றி.

Improving my English

2010-09-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

Funny but weird is often a suggestion given is to read Editorial section of a newspaper to improve one's English. But I have my own opinions on the idea.I request you all, please, for god sake please, don't read the Editorial section in an attempt to improve your English.
Apart from really few, most of the Editorials are written by Academics - who really want to show off their prowess in English vocabulary. Better read other parts of the newspaper with has a Journalistic touch. Usually Journalists follow an 'inverted pyramid' framework that captures the reader in first instance. I suggest one to read more of Feature stories and other journalistic writings.

One other best place to find good writing is in blogs. One of the best article I keep referring to, to get advice on writing well was written by Leo Baubauta. And his advice works - Proof: Check out his personal blog ZenHabits - there are 170,000 readers and listed as top ten blogs by Times.

One other place to find good writing is Readers Digest...

Read my case stories

2010-08-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

I had the opportunity to write and edit through the 'success stories' of the non-profit organisation that I am currently working in.

I am pleased to say that I was instrumental in creating the success stories pages in the organisation's website. I hope this will attract traffic to the website and help the world learn more clearly of the kind of work - the plethora of impact that the organisation is making!
Read the stories! Drop in your comments, my friends! I would love to hear from you!

What I learnt from 'Excuses-Begone' by Dr.Wayne Dyer

2010-07-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the opportunity to read one of the recent books by Dr.Wayne Dyer - 'Excuses Begone'.
I like here to narrate to you what I personally learnt from the book...

What are Excuses?
Excuses are self-limiting beliefs that we have within ourselves. These excuses give us a reason not to accomplish and get what we truly want in our lives.
But Wayne Dyer's suggestion is that 'these excuses (even if it is genetic) are changeable. You can change your thoughts - you can change your self-limiting beliefs and habits - You can change your life'.
We are after all, manifestation of God himself- we in fact have a birth right to success and happiness - to get what we want in our lives - only thing that is holding us from getting it is our - excuses - our self-limiting beliefs.
Wayne Dyer gives us following steps to overcome those Excuses and strive towards success and happiness.
1. First Dyer shares a list of top 18 excuses commonly used.
2. Then, he examines why we give those excuses because we dont want to sweat it..
3. He then gives us a simple exercise - that is really good.
Think of this 'What would my life be, look like... if I could not use those excuses?' This simple thought liberates us from the self-limiting beliefs and makes us wanna act. This is what Dyer calls it as 'Excuses Begone' paradigm...
4. Finally the time to change - working on our 'Excuses begone' paradigm to work out a better life for ourselves..
So let us let go of our excuses and do more of what we are truly capable of..

Do less.. accomplish more

2010-07-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

One of the recent books which I had the opportunity to read is Leo Baubata's 'The Power of Less' - the blogger of the highly famed - zenhabits.net weblog.

Leo talks a lot about how to set limits - how to process and edit our long list of to-dos and our possessions.
What really matters is only the few - I am here reminded of the 80/20 principle-as wonderfully explained by 'Richard Koch' in his book of the same name.
Its a great read - not only that it contains practical wisdom.
One of the greatest learning to I personally got from the book -
is that 'The Power of Less' - i.e. - I dont have to mindlessly do a lot of activities - all I have to do is to the 'ESSENTIAL' thing - the Quadrant II activity as said by Dr.Stephen Covey in his book 'Seven habits of highly effective people'.
Read it and more importantly apply it in your life and work..

Inspirational

2010-06-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

Pleasure and pain. They’re not opposites. They’re neighbors … separated by a thin line, by a split second.

One minute you’re feeling like everything is going your way … like you’re ready to climb the highest mountain … headed for the top of the world.

But in the game of life you never know.

You train for years to get a piece of personal glory or a chance to stand toe to toe with your peers and say, “Here I am. Take your best shot.” Then the contest begins and BANG! — you’re down for the count.

It’s not your day. You tried your best. But was it really your best?

So do you go home with a broken heart? Or do you get up smarter, wiser and better prepared then ever before?

It’s a new day … a new season … a new you!

You hope it won’t be the same story, or will pleasure turn into pain again? Are you ready to take life’s best punch — and stay on your feet?

I can’t answer that. Only you can.

Are you hoping for the best? Are you prepared for the challenge? Are you — A Contender?

*** Sylvester Stallone ***

Here is the link to the video: http://www.instonenutrition.com/videos/stallone.htm

Environment: The Missing Link

2010-06-13T03:10:00.000-07:00

In the monumental book, 'The Secret Life of Plants', the authors Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, made the claim that the study of plants is the missing link between subject of physics and metaphysics.In parallel to it, I am more of beginning to realise that 'Environment' connectivity will be the all the essential missing link between the Subject of Economics and Spirituality.

The story from the sacred land of Gamos and the indigenous people comes a revelation to the modern society.
When asked to one of the indigenous leader of 94 years old, 'What do see as change during the past century?' The interviewer can get only the puzzlement from his subject, 'Change? What change?'
The film is worth watching.. and drop in your comments..
http://www.globalonenessproject.org/videos/athousandsuns

Taking care of 'YOU": Eating well and sleeping good

2010-06-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

I learnt it hard and it had to be fast. In May, 2010, I had to be admitted at a local hospital - the reason a bacterial infection and anemia. At the age of 25, getting admitted at hospital for anemia, which I hold responsible for my reduced immunity level that made a casual bacterial infection into a terrible disease.

It only reflected my not-so-healthy personal hygiene habits.
It is not usual for me to skip breakfast for a day or two. Neither is it unusual for me to stay awake as late as 1 or 2 am and wake up as late as 8 or 9 am. (Now you know the reason why I skip my breakfast).
These habits seem to have its toll on my body. The irregular eating and sleeping habits finally gave way to a weakling body an a disheartened soul. Of all things, it effected one of the things I enjoy doing - my work. I really missed my office and my work during the week-long stint at the hospital.
And that did the magic for me! The magic to change my habits and behaviour for good.
Now, I never seem to skip my breakfast of anyother meal of the day. Except for the days of late night power cuts, I never found myself staying awake after 11 pm. Though I couldn't bring myself get up early, I don't seem to sleep till 8 am in the morning.
And thats the two main habits - eating and sleeping, which if you keep as routine as possible, can save you a lot of time and trouble, most importantly your health.

From the pages of a Writer - 2

2010-06-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

I never imagined that writing could be such a liberating experience. I feel connected directly to my heart. I seem to have touched the fabric of my soul. I could feel an implosion of emotion, of my entire spirit straight to the very centre of its gravity.

What if I had no audience, but I write this entirely for me, as an outward expression, a documented expression of my soul - there I feel in union with God Himself!
God! How lovely and mysterious a word! Isn't this the very reason of human existence, the very purpose of natural selection and Darwinian evolution?
Hope the mystery unravels itself!

From the pages of a Writer - 1

2010-06-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered a new house, 'my write house', located at the outskirt of a busy township. The surrounding strip of semi-forest still preserved the serenity of my 'write house'.
The discovery was indeed an accident, but I could guess it was an accident of good fortune. How long I yearned to find a place where I could feel myself at home. 'The write house' gave me that shelter, the comfort, the freedom and the space.
My journey into the write house took me to the deepest part of the house - were I took an year to reach an old, but new closet. The freshness of it appealed to me, so is the familiarity I had with the closet. I opened it only to find a secret compartment under the closet. I had to take a little pain to open the secret compartment, but it yielded - where I discovered one of the most cherished treasure that I will or might value for life - A diary, an old, well-used purple coloured diary - not just an ordinary diary - but the diary of a writer, the Writer. This column will follow in sharing the writings from the pages of this Writer. I certainly enjoyed it - hope you will too..

Writing: Making or breaking a career

2010-06-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Writing is an all essential skill in effectively communicating your thoughts. It could either win or break one’s career advancement. But if you find writing a bit elusive, don’t worry. Writing, in essence, is basically a skill and like any other skills, it could be learnt and improved. This article will help you learn the essentials of writing and how to sharpen your writing skills.
Believe it or not, writing can provide you a competitive edge at work. It may even prove to be a deciding factor for your next promotion that you have been eagerly waiting for.
Getting a call or an assignment to edit or proofread an article or a report is part of my job profile. Especially working in a non-English speaking country, where most of the written communication is in a non-native and foreign a language like English, things can get pretty messy. But getting people to write and to write well is not as tough as it sounds.
Let’s face it! One’s ability to communicate one’s thoughts and understanding in words, either to your superior or a peer can make or break the game. The skill of writing in a work setting can never be underestimated.
It is estimated that an executive will spent nearly 70 per cent of her time, in either reading or writing reports of some sort of the other. Out this nearly half of it is spent just in writing. This could mean writing your weekly report, or presenting a budget plan to your manager, or issuing a memo, or writing a letter to your supplier or customer. And none of these written reports can loose content or precision in its presentation.
So, if I have done my job right, by now, I must have convinced you that writing is everywhere and for everyone!
Now, it’s time that I suggested you some of the ways that you could hone your all essential writing skills. But I need to warn you from those who glamorize the world of writing – giving you a comfortable excuse to wile away you task of writing.
Writing is essentially a skill (more so than an art), and like any other skill it can be learnt and developed. The best place to start is by reading, not just reading-reading, but reading a material from a writer’s point of view, appreciating the content as well as the architecture of presentation and the form. This is what I call, ‘conscious reading’. So start now by becoming a ‘conscious reader’.
The next best thing you could do is take up voluntary writing assignments, both at work and off. You could volunteer at your kid’s school in preparing a brochure for the upcoming school’s annual fest, or in editing the school’s newsletter, or getting involved in preparation of your company’s annual report.
Further, you could take up a short term writing courses or story writing courses at your local university or community college. They always offer one.
And get in touch with your friends and peers to personally review what you write or report. It definitely helps. Who knows? Some of your friends can offer you valuable insights to writing.
And that is how I improved my writing skills, and that is what I am suggesting you to improve yours. And next time, if you are wondering how your friend got that promotion, may be you should look into his reports and write-ups.

Catching the Cold: Art of Parenting in taking care of your Child’s Health

2010-06-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

It’s the monsoon season, and keeping your home clean of infection is one heck of a job! If you have 7 year old kid at your home, you could very well imagine what I mean. This is the time when kids of all ages get their noses running and visiting your doctor becomes a part-time job. Well you couldn’t avoid it, but you can do something to keep the cold at bay, literally!
One of the hotspots where your kid could get an infection is at her school! It will be no wonder when your little girl healthy in the morning, returns back with a red nose in the evening. She is infected, and its time for some action.
Visiting the doctor is the first thing we do as a responsible parent, but then this is not the only option! I don’t suggest you not to take your daughter to your doctor, but what I mean is that don’t make the visit too often. There are ways in which you can better take care of your child, apart from making a visit to your doctor.
I am not giving you the traditional advice to boil water. Rather I suggest you not to boil water. It is true that boiling water can kill germs, but your child shall miss the opportunity to develop her immunity if she is not exposed to less harmful germs in the monsoon water. Except for extreme cases, I suggest you not to boil the water. It could go long way in helping your kid develop a stronger immune system.
Second, it’s not necessary for you or your kid to complete the entire course of medication. Usually the medication course for such infection will be for 3 to 4 days. But if you think your kid’s health is improving, you may stop the medication course in between. I could hear you murmur about the development of multi-drug resistant germs, but hey stopping the medication a day before will do no harm. And as a matter of fact, I hate taking medicines (and who doesn’t?), and why trouble my kid to take one.
And finally the last thing you could do about your child getting an infection is to wait. It’s no joke when they say that visiting the doctor will cure you of a disease within a week, while not visiting, will take seven days to cure. So, wait – wait for your child’s immune system to fight against the disease.
At the same time, I like to demystify certain facts about cold and fever. Getting a high temperature is a good thing – it’s the nature’s way of increasing the temperature to kill the disease-causing germs. And if you find your kid with running noses – be happy about it! It means her immune system is working perfectly to remove the germs by causing a running nose. And another great myth – ice creams, I repeat, ice creams do not cause cold or fever.
And so, there you have it – the experience of a parent in taking care of his daughter suffering from a running nose. And did I say you that my daughter looks really cute when she gets a red nose?
Take care and take care of your cute daughter!

Time to change: It’s Climate Change

2010-06-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

Can you guess when was the very first time that made the world leaders of various nations to come together, sit under one roof, forgetting all the differences between them, sort of united the world? Can you guess it? It was ‘terrorism’! That it was our dire threat of terrorism that made all the nations unite. Yet there was another issue that also had the concern to pull all the world leaders together- ‘World Hunger and Poverty’. Nobody can forget the UN Millennium Declaration ‘to combat global hunger and poverty’ in 2000, signed by 191 nations around the world.
Finally, there was another issue that similarly unified the nation - ‘Global Warming and Climate Change’. It is important to realize that climate change does have a prominent impact on lives of everyone on this earth. It is not something that is happening in some other country or in some remote village. This, ‘Climate Change’, is happening right above our heads and shoulders and all around us. That is worth worrying.It is no wonder Mr.Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, is christened the scariest movie of the decade. The work of International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says it all - scientific discoveries linking human activities and climate change. For their work, Nobel Peace prize was awarded to Mr.Al Gore and the IPCC in 2007.
One of the more interesting stories that I heard is that the polar bears are drowning! Global warming has caused the melting of polar ice caps and the ice land mass are fast melting away, the polar bears who are usually good swimmers are finding no land to get back. So getting tired of it, they drown. That’s terrible!Of all things said and done, I believe that each and everyone of us should realize that climate change is having its effect on earth’s ecosystem. It seems that our mindless pursuit of ‘growth’, ignorant of its impact on the environment have created a monster out of Mother Earth. We have gone so far compromising environmental sustainability for economic growth. Our craze for materialistic pleasures and our unlimited desires armed with deadly weapon of technology, is slowly consuming the very home that harbors life.During this moment, I am reminded of the words of Mahatma Gandhi, ‘Nature can satisfy our needs, not our greed’ which couldn’t be more true. After all Gandhi could be right, you know!But an eternal optimist, I find hope! I like the words of this environmentalists who said, ‘Either we can brood over our past misdoings or we can find this as an opportunity to re-do, re-new ourselves, in finding better ways of doing what we have been doing so far.’For there has been plethora of ideas for addressing the climate change issue - from adopting natural way of agriculture to the birth of concepts like ‘slow food’ (remember its rival sibling – fast food). Now we are talking about capitalizing renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, bioenergy. There is a grassroots movement among the world community to move towards more eco-friendly ways of living. Every hotel in the Belgium is equipped with double gear flush system in the bathrooms to control the wastage of water, I read of Thomas Friedman write in an article. We are talking about re-designing our homes with the concept of ‘green building’. There is a growing world consciousness and environmental sensitivity, uniting the people around the world. We are becoming brothers and sisters again!
That is the change that we need – the change that could beat the climate change!

Combating Anemia: Killing two birds with one shot

2010-06-04T23:45:00.000-07:00

September 6, 2000 – the United Nations Headquarters, New York! Nobody can forget the UN Millennium Declaration ‘to combat global hunger and poverty’ in 2000, signed by 191 nations around the world. The world leaders from 191 nations charted a set of eight goals to be achieved by world nations, christened as ‘Millennium Development Goals’.
Among the eight goals, Goal 4 states to ‘reduce child mortality’, with the target to reduce by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five. Similarly, Goal 5 states to ‘improve maternal health’, with the target to reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality rate.
What if, there is a way to achieve Goal 4 and 5 with one weapon, sort of killing two birds with one shot. Fighting anemia can help world nations to achieve both Goal 4 and 5. How? Before that let us know about anemia.
Anemia is a global public health problem, as compelling and harmful as the epidemics of infectious diseases. With a global population of 6,700 million, at least 3,600 million people have iron deficiency and 2000 million out of these suffer from anemia, particularly iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Children and women in reproductive age group are more vulnerable.
World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over one third of the world's population suffer from anemia. India continues to be one of the countries with the highest prevalence of anemia. National Family Health Survey (NFHS) estimates reveal the prevalence of anemia to be 70-80% in children, and 70% in pregnant women, while 56 per cent of adolescent girls are anemic. This is more pronounced in rural areas. A 1997 survey of 12-18 year old girls in rural India (by Survival for Women and Children (SWACH) Foundation) found an anemia prevalence rate of 82.9% among girls in school and 92.7% among girls not in school. These are our potential mothers.
As a consequence, anemia has well known adverse effects on physical and cognitive performance of individuals. But the true toll of anemia lies in the ill-effects on maternal and fetal health. Poor nutritional status and anemia in pregnancy have consequences that extend over generations. Anemia is also related to perinatal and maternal mortality. The rates of low birth weight, prematurity, neonatal and infant mortality among children born to undernourished adolescent girls is high. In India, one in five i.e. 20% of all the maternal deaths are attributed to anemia during pregnancy and in another 40% anemia is a contributory factor. And this where the beauty lies. If one were to address anemia, we can achieve the twin goal of reducing child mortality as well ensuring maternal health.
The major cause for prevalence of such high-level of anemia in India is because of low dietary intake, poor availability of iron and chronic blood loss due to hook worm infestation and malaria. Besides, an increase in demand for iron during adolescence, the low iron status is further complicated by low dietary intake and poor bioavailability of iron in the Indian diet.
In order to prevent high maternal mortality and high incidence of low birth weight babies in India, there is a need to combat anemia during adolescence, and pregnancy. There is complete lack of awareness about the importance of having an optimal hemoglobin level.
The solution lies in ‘Nutrition awareness’ programs that inform the people on ways that can improve hemoglobin like taking iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets, eating iron-rich food, etc.

The Hurt Locker (2009)

2010-04-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

Winner of six Academy Awards in 2009 including the Best Director, Original screenplay and Editing...

This was the hype that actually made me watch the movie...

It is high thrill drama, action packed with enough suspense, I agree. But the praises for this movies is simply overrated.
the rest were just crap... I did like the last part of the movie - that had some meaning.. 'Son, now you like everything.. everything you see around you..'
'But when you grow... you seem to love only one thing...'
Thats a punch.. a real punch..

Did you got 30 seconds

2010-04-10T00:41:00.000-07:00

Missing artists... missing colours...

2010-04-09T23:58:00.000-07:00

His strokes were great, his colour mix was unmatched, his art conveyed a message. This was one of my friend from the school days - M.P (name hidden). He was a brilliant artist and he was known throughout the school for his artistic abilities. Silhoulitees were his favourites. And, to the envy of other competitors, he was often the one who bags the first prize in our school's art competition. This was in late 1990s and 2000, nearly a decade before.
Fast forward to the present. 2010. M.P. is an engineer, a mechanical engineer to be more precise. He recently got married in 2009(I came to know this from our school Chemistry teacher). He works at a '-----' company.
I just wonder whether he draws now or not. I need to explore a bit more of his story the engineer M.P now and compare it with the artist M.P. once.
What if he were still the old artistic friend, whom we envied off? What if he took up art as his career? Will the society be ready enough to appreciate the young man? Will the society be able to accept him if he choose the artistic career?
May be not..
May be that was the reason why he took the other path, as an engineer.
So, how many artists we have lost to the IT boom? How many singers and actors, writers and poets, atheletes and sportstars, we have lost, to make a professional - an engineer or a doctor, out of them?
More importantly, how far was extent of the damage done? First, are we ready to accept there ever was a damage done?
I am reminded of the story of my childhood friend S.M., an IT professional in US - he spoke to me for an hour from US on that fine Sunday afternoon. That Sunday, henceafter, was no more fine to me. I remember of TVN, a wonderful singer, and V.R., another artist-friend, and VC, the scientist-who-was-never-made. As I last heard of them, TVN recently got an appointment from a noted bank as a Customer Relationship Manager. I do not know what happed to V.R.. And VC, he was working in Chennai as content writer for an education website.
How colourful this world would have been with all these people? What great works of art, music and drama would have been produced? What glories and honours, would the world have been soaked with? What wonderful creations would this world have witnessed? If only, their talents were unleashed!!
I miss those artists, and I miss their colours.

The Common chord of Happening: Review of two movies 'I am Legend' and 'Signs'

2010-04-09T23:37:00.000-07:00

There is an invisible hand that seems to create situations and make things happen. There is this intricate thread of unknown divinity that reveals a reason for why things have happened or not happened. It takes a while for human intelligence to recognize the pattern, the deeper algorithm of things thus happening. Wasn't there a moment in life when one, in a very subtle manner, comes to realise, 'Oh! That was the reason why it happened.' The very consciousness of such happening seems to come out of blue.
When Dr.Rober Neville (Will Smith) in the movie 'I am Legend' says, 'This is the reason why you came here!' in the climax, one seems to recognize something so familiar, but very distant as well.
When the Reverend (Mel Gibson) in the movie 'Signs' as in the climax, finds the meaning in the last words of his dead wife, it rejuvenates his very belief in God - an expression of agreement that the Director makes in the movie for the rationality for 'a happening'.
I do realise it stuck my very chord of nerves as it did with you.
As the wise tortoise (in the movie 'Kung fu Panda') says, 'There are no accidents.'
May be there is a reason why you are reading this blog. May be there is reason why I wrote this in the first place.
I hope our puny human intelligence will be able to comprehend at least a portion of the vastness held secret in the universe's conscious makings.

Seven Pounds (2008)

2010-04-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

moI just couldnt write about this film. You have to see it to believe it!
I just wanna make this point. Today's system - either economic or social system, considers a human being as starkingly selfish, driven by animal instincts...
This film tells me otherwise, 'We are something more than animals.' 'We are something more than reminants of the Darwinian evolution'. 'We are something beyond the definition of this world'. Something overarching, something deeper, something Godly! There is something more than that meets the eye!
The potrayal of Mr.Tim Thomas in this film shows one man's journey to cleanse himself of his guilt within. He doesn't goes for a dip in the waters of Ganga or takes a trip to Mecca nor does he tries to find solution in the superficial systems created by society. He repents for his guilt - that is for sure. But he does something extraordinary.
'I am going to give you a gift' says Tim Thomas at the ending of the movie to Ezra, the blind meat salesman.
And Tim makes sure that the gift is delivered.
Must watch movie. Reinforces one's belief on Humanity.

‘We are natives’ – a show on National Geographic Channel

2010-04-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

A set of tribals from the heartland of Africa from a place called Tanna comes to visit the city of London, UK. These are the set of men who lived naked in their homes, who are now taken on a journey to the one of the biggest cities of the world. Imagine their excitement.
One fine day, in visiting the great streets of Manchester, with their host, the host purchases a magazine. She says, ‘It is a very special magazine, for the money will go to help the homeless.’
At the mentioning of the word ‘homeless’, the face of the tribes showed puzzlement. How can there be homeless, where there are such great big buildings? Why are they homeless? Asks the native. The host lady tries to answer them and says that ‘there is no one for them’. ‘No one’, again a puzzle. ‘Don’t these people have their father and mother to take care’, they ask very innocently. The host seems not able to answer them.
‘In our village, there is no homeless,’ they say. ‘If someone wants a house, everyone in the village help that family to build a new house of their own.’ Here they question in amazement, like how and why people are homeless.
Then they were taken to salon for dogs. They were again amazed at two ladies dedicating their entire day time to cut the hair of the dogs. They ask, ‘Why cut the hair of the animal?’ ‘It keeps them warm.’ ‘We cut the dog’s hair, so to keep them clean,’ comes the answer.
Then one man say, ‘Here we have to learn a lesson to love animals like you do. But you also remember to help the humans who are homeless.’
A lesson worth learning – won’t you agree with the natives?

Destiny... Mr.Destiny

2010-04-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

‘If only it happened like this!’ – For those who repent of the way that their life seems to flow, the film ‘Mr. Destiny’ will indeed be an eye-opener.
‘Everything happens for a reason,’ rightly says the Mr.Destiny in the film. And how well it is to explain this point by gifting you that very life you seemed to have missed. This is what exactly, ‘Mr. Destiny’, is about. And in that momentous night in the bar, the hero realises much he misses his old real life. A lesson was taught to him by the Destiny-maker. Hope we will learn from it too.

The Secret of 'Kung-fu Panda'

2010-04-09T04:51:00.000-07:00

‘Do you know the secret, son, the secret ingredient in my secret ingredient soup?’, asks the father to his son, Po.
‘What is it, father?’
‘The secret is that there is no secret ingredient,’ tells the father
‘But it tastes so good!’
‘Ah! It is the belief that it tastes good, makes it to tastes good!’
And the revelation is made.
The belief on oneself is the secret to success.
This is the moral that is told so humorously in the film through the character of Po.
As the wise tortoise says, ‘There are no accidents!’
Maybe it is not an accident that you read this blog! I believe so.
So, do you believe?

My First Assignment, My First Story: Kamatchi Amma

2010-04-09T04:25:00.000-07:00

It was my first day in Madurai. The atmosphere was octane pumped, given the fact that I am to be transfered to a centre in Madurai. But noone exactly knew where I am to be transfered. That's when this assignment was... well assigned.
I jumped at the opportunity, and made my trip to my familiar pals at Thirumangalam.
Have you seen a farmer? (I hope most specimens in the cities say no..) If so, have you seen a women farmer. Yeah! A women shouldering the responsiblity of farming.
I present to you Ms.Kamatchi of Sengapadai village of Thirumangalam.
Read more about here at http://www.dhan.org/stories/kamatchi_story.php

Love in the Mortar Joints: Building the foundation for 'Habitat for Humanity'

2010-04-09T04:09:00.000-07:00

I read the book ‘Love in the Mortar Joints’ by Mr.Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity. I was really inspired on reading this, and though should share it with you.
Hope most of us have heard of this organisation. I was in the assumption that they involve volunteers to build houses for poor and then give it to them. It seems that there is a lack of important details in my assumption.
These people organise funds and build houses for poor – this of course is true. But they simply don’t give it to the poor, but they sell it to them. The house thus purchased by the poor has to be paid as loan for 20 years in small monthly instalments. The important think is that they are interest free loans (the Economics of Jesus at work – just as in the teachings of Bible or in any great religions like Hinduism or Islam). The money that comes back is again pooled in to build more houses for poor. Of course, there is inflation. But Fuller seems to be confident of getting enough funds to do this work.
My first enlightenment: I never thought micro-finance has got anything to do with this organisation, but I found mF forms the crux of their organisation. But in a more pure form.
The next enlightenment about the organisation that I got was that they are completely faith-based organisation. The founder Mr.Millard Fuller had literally taken the concepts in Bible as told by Jesus, and has been involved in serving the poor in ‘tangible’ ways. These are bunch of people trying to live a Christain living as in the teachings of Bible in more practical way; and they are not religious fanatics. Great isn’t it!
It was really inspiring for me!

Reading Masanobu Fukuoka's 'One Straw Revolution'... again...

2010-04-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

It was after a long time that I got my hands on this revolutionary book. I first read this book in my college days – never realized then that it had transformed the lives of so many.The funny part is that I never got to know the ‘weight’ of the subject, when I first took that book from my college library. The habit I had then was to read those books that had really interesting names – that’s how I came to read ‘Good Work’ by E.F.Schumacher and the like. And that is how I got my hands on ‘One straw revolution.’One of the good things that I did in my life is to read this book, not only that I started noting down some interesting points from that book on to my diary. I still preserve those notes taken in my college. And this habit of taking notes started from Fukuoka’s book. Now, if there is anything at all that I did need appreciation, this is the one – taking notes in my diary.Now here on 2009, I once again got my hands on the book from a friend’s office library. I read through the book again. And it was refreshing.Here, I once again tried to take some quotes from Fukuoka that gave me some views that requires me of re-thinking and re-examination.So, here I present to you those quotes.‘I don’t particularly like the word ‘work’. Of all animals, human beings are the only animals who have to work to live…. And I think this is the most ridiculous thing in the world….’‘It would be good to give up that way of thinking and live an easy, comfortable life with plenty of free time.’‘For human beings, a life of such simplicity would be possible if one worked to produce directly his daily necessities. In such a life, work is not work as people generally think of it, but simply doing what needs to be done.’‘To move things in this direction is my goal.’
The last two sentences, for me, hit a sixer. What do you think of it…!