Warrier's Collage 01032021: National Science Day Special

Welcome to Warrier's Daily COLLAGE Monday March 1, 2021 (Lessons from Bhagavad-Gita : Mukundananda) https://youtu.be/0waMXkAb_LQ (Link Selection: M G Warrier) Good Morning Theory of Evolution is to understand Self within.... We analyze Hinduism threadbare for and against . Freedom of expression, sharing and accepting views is Union ...which is Yoga. Union of one with another, seeking union with something.. That something is apart from you. Yourself is intimate to you. You are aware of The Self. Seek it and be with it.That will expand as Infinity. Then there will be no question of Yoga, etc. Whose is VIYOGA? Find it. Stoppage of mental activities...is applicable to all systems of yoga.. The methods differ. So long as there is effort made towards that goal, It is called Yoga. The effort is Yoga.The cessation can be brought about so many ways, 1 By questioning the mind itself.When the mind is sought, its activities ease automatically. This is the method of Jnana . The pure Mind is The Self 2 Looking for the source of the mind is another method. The source may be said to be God or Self Consciousness. 3 Concentrating upon one thought, makes all other thoughts to disappear. Finally that thought also disappears....... Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi Be Well, V. T. Panchapagesan Nice Day M G Warrier M 134 FLASH ISRO successfully places earth observation, 18 other satellites into orbit : https://thg.page.link/Wx1pjTFxv6mMUxsM6 This coincided with the National Science Day 2021. See write up received from Dr T V Surendran Mananthavady at C1. For a report on NSD from IUCAA: https://youtu.be/2HC7hyKjdrI (Link Courtesy: Collage 🙏) A 1) Shake Hand OR 🙏 EAST and the WEST V Babusenan Thiruvananthapuram The area where I live owes its name to the great poet Dr M P Appan who passed away in 2003. Here I have to confess that, if at all there is a grain of literary flourish in whatever I write, it is because of proximity to this great man's residence and the wind always blowing in my direction. If I say he was, as a poet, an admixture of the English poets Keats, Shelly and Wordsworth, it will not be wide off the mark. Mahakavi Dr M P Appan was a prolific writer. 'The East and the West' is the caption of one of his poems wherein the poet has conceived the East and the West as sisters and the poem is in the form of a dialogue. I shall attempt to paraphrase it: The West sister addresses the East one thus: "Why do you sit brooding, my dear sister, without combing your hair and adorning it with flowers?Don't you wish to enjoy this festival-like life, discarding your ochre clothes and rosary?" The younger sister in the full bloom of her youth asked this question with a sweet smile. The elder one slowly opened her inner eye and with a happy and gentle smile replied: "I am not enamored of the beauty of the flower that blooms in the morning and falls in the evening. I live each day of my life searching for that eternal beauty that does not fall and fade away. Dear sister, do remember that this shining gold of youth will change into silver soon." The spiritual leader, Sathya Sai Baba saw it in a different manner. He saw the East and the West as a medical store and a tea shop respectively. When the proprietor of the former felt headache, he would walk into the tea shop and take a strong cup of tea. When the tea shop owner got headache, he would go to the former for some tablet and gulp it there with a glass of water. What Baba meant was that we, from the East, would go to the West for material comforts, while they from the West, would come to the East to quench their spiritual thirst. A very interesting analogy. In all such comparisons, there is a basic assumption: India stands for the East and America stands for the West. With globalisation, unprecedented achievements in communication technology and the invasion of the entire world by Corona virus, all these distinctions have become irrelevant. The West has now nothing to learn from us except, perhaps, one thing. That is our manner of showing affection and respect to others, our joining the palms, our NAMASTHE. In this Covid -infested world where touching bodies is a taboo, can anyone think of a more suitable gesture of friendship and regard than this? During election campaigns in the West, what a relief it gives to the contestants! Let us remember in this context what one US President wrote in his autobiography. He said that, at the end of his right hand ached unendurably. 2) V N Kelkar Politicians and promises Here is a quote : 'Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.' RONALD REAGAN B Story Time with Vathsala Jayaraman Dashavatar Demystified For a genetic scientist like Vasu, as Srinivasan was called by his friends, the only kind of order was disorder. So consumed he was by his research that the world and it's affairs mattered little to him. Now Vasu's Mother had taken over the administration of the planet. It irritated him, this milk at night and chywanprash every morning. "Have you been wearing the same pair of Jeans for the past three days?" Mother was beginning her morning interrogation. Vasu stared at the hot idlis in front of him, the chywanprash to follow and the wardrobe interrogation that had begun. Something snapped in his mind. "Mom I love you and I love that you come all the way from India to take care of me but please don't fuss over me! It irritates me! And then I cannot work!" His Mother did not really care if Vasu was upset, "The idlis are getting cold," was her matter of fact response. "You don't really care, do you Mom?" "I care about you Vasu. The work you do is alright. If you don't do it, someone else will do it." "Mom, I am genetic scientist. I am working on the evolution of man. Theory of evolution, Charles Darwin, have you heard of him? " Vasu was exasperated with her unwillingness to understand. His Mother sat down next to him and smiled, "I know Darwin, Vasu. I also know that what you think he discovered was old news in India." " Yeah sure Mom!" Vasu said with sarcasm. "Well if you are too smart then listen to this, " his Mother countered." Have you heard of Dashavatar? The ten avatars of Vishnu?" Vasu nodded. "Then let me tell you what you and Mr. Darwin don't know. The first avatar was the Matsya avatar, it means the fish. That is because life began in the water. Is that not right?" Vasu began to listen with a little more attention. "Then came the Kurma Avatar, which means the tortoise, cause life moved from the water to the land. The amphibian. So the Tortoise denoted the evolution from sea to land. Third was the Varaha, the wild boar, which meant the wild animals with not much intellect, you call them the Dinosaurs, correct?" Vasu nodded wide eyed. "The fourth avatar was the Narasimha avatar, half man and half animal, the evolution from wild animals to intelligent beings. Fifth the Vaman avatar, the midget or dwarf, who could grow really tall. Do you know why that is? Cause there were two kinds of humans, Homo Erectus and the Homo Sapiens and Homo Sapiens won that battle." Vasu could see that his Mother was in full flow and he was stupefied. "The Sixth avatar was Parshuram, the man who wielded the axe, the man who was a cave and forest dweller. Angry, and not social but the seventh avatar was Ram, the first thinking social being, who laid out the laws of society and the basis of all relationships. The eighth avatar was Krishna, the statesman, the politician, the lover who played the game of society and taught how to live and thrive in the social structure. The Ninth avatar, the Buddha, the man who rose from Narasimha and found man's true nature. The nature of Buddha, he identified man's final quest of enlightenment. And finally, my boy, will come Kalki, the man you are working on. The man who will be genetically supreme." Vasu looked at his Mother speechless. "This is amazing Mom, how did you.. This makes sense!" "Yes it does Vasu! Now have your chywanprash!" (Bonus from Collage: https://youtu.be/ExUAE57zyvc) C Readers Contribution 1) Dr T V Surendran Mananthavady National Science Day* National Science Day (NSD) is being observed on February 28 to commemorate the discovery of Raman Effect by Sir C V Raman. He went on to receive a Nobel Prize for this discovery in the year 1930. His nephew, Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, an Astrophycisist shared the Nobel prize in Physics with William.A.Fowler in 1983. Celebrating Science and the innumerable benefits it has heaped on mankind assume a great significance, especially now, when the World is still battling the Covid pandemic. It is almost a year since this deadly virus came down like a curse on us, killing thousands of people across the globe and bringing life almost to a standstill in almost all the countries. It was science and only science that came to our rescue. Even though the virus had the upper hand initially, we were able to keep it under control by taking decisions based on scientific evidence. Death rates that were alarming initially were brought down. Medicines, which were initially suggested as beneficial, were subsequently given up, as they did not have enough evidence to prove their efficacy. Scientists wasted no time in decoding the genome of the virus and began the great task of developing a vaccine.For the first time in the history of mankind, we had, within a year, more than one type of vaccine for use after the stringent clinical trials and approval. A true victory of Science, that is being celebrated around the world now. These scientists, the medical professionals and the paramedics were the only ones, who came to our rescue in this epic battle against the deadly virus. Pseudo spirituals or peddlers of faith and miracles were conspicuous by their absence. They were busy protecting themselves. There is a special reason for this post, on the eve of the National science day. One gentleman, who had a serious and often fatal medical emergency was admitted to the hospital and was given the most appropriate medication at the right time. (Gold standard, to quote him ). Naturally, he would have received the best medical care also from the doctors and others involved in the treatment. He has completely recovered and reached home, which is good news. I happened to see his FB post, in which he narrates the incident and thanks God Almighty and his relatives and friends for their prayers and blessings. While I can fully understand this sentiment, it baffles me that there is not even a sentence appreciating the good work of the doctors or the staff in the hospital. I would very much like to believe that the omission was an oversight on his part, mostly out of the excitement on coming home alive and healthy. Another victory of science. Today, an Hon'ble minister has gone on record, "Doctors prescribing non-ayurvedic medicines are anti-nationals." One should read it against the background, where as per the IMA, over 700 doctors have lost their lives in the fight against the Corona virus. They lost their lives trying to save the lives of others and the least this minister could have done was to shut his trap, at least on the eve of National science Day. Forget everything, let us celebrate science that is going to enrich the lives of the coming generations. *Written by Dr Surendran's classmate Dr Premachandran, Orthopaedic surgeon, Calicut 2) Vathsala Jayaraman Chennai Forgetfulness Very often we senior citizens worry about our 'forgetfulness' associating the same with some major ailment. But our entire life is full of unforgetful events of forgetfulness. Some admit their weakness. Some are overcareful. They concentrate on pulling the locks without verifying whether the padlock is held in position.. Many forget the scooter keys or search for their mobiles which will be hiding behind the book shelf or sofa cushion or even inside the washing machine raising feeble sounds.Some note down things or put a knot in the kerchief but eventually forget where they have noted down or for what purpose they have placed the knot. Even people who occupy very high positions suffer from this malady and their secretaries act as their second brain as 'intel inside'. But actually forgetting is a blessing. It is not easy to forget the wrongs done by others or humiliation or insults heaped on us or forget 'I' to relate ourselves to God as preached by Sage Ramana. We have to remember that it is very crucial to release the old stock of inf that has outlived its relevance .Forgetting is an important process of learning. Sometimes what we forget assumes greater significance than what we remember. Our brain has a built in programme of forgetting' .It acts a winnower constantly evaluating,editing and sorting various informations and deletes many things in a far more greater speed than our computers. This sieving process is what we call 'forgetting'. If this does not happen we will be brooding over past failures and weeping over deaths for ever. Be happy with what little you remember and this free mind will help us retain more. After all there is a thin line of demarcation between 'remembering' and 'forgetting'. REMEMBERING IS FORGETTING TO FORGET. FORGETTING IS REMEMBERING TO FORGET. Though this may look like a Tamil cine dialogue, it is really an expression of forgetfulness in terms of remembering and vice versa.Don't you agree? Simply forget and remain cool. Vathsala Jayaraman D Malayalam Literature in English https://www.thebetterindia.com/119116/chemmeen-to-aarachar-ten-legendary-malayalam-novels-you-must-read/ https://www.purplepencilproject.com/sahitya-akademi-winning-malayalam-novels-translated-to-english/ Indian books in English https://scroll.in/article/974428/international-translation-day-translated-books-that-translators-from-indian-languages-recommend https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/watch/odes-to-the-poet/article33948154.ece Excerpts: The area where I live owes its name to the great poet Dr.M.P Appan who passed away in 2003.Here I have to confess that,if at all there is a grain of literary flourish in whatever I write ,it is because of proximity to this great man's residence and the wind always blowing in my direction.If I say he was ,as a poet, an admixture of the English poets Keats,Shelly and Wordsworth,it will not be wide of the mark. Mahakavi Dr.M.P.Appan was a prolific writer.'The East and the West' is the caption of one of his poems wherein the poet has conceived the East and the West as sisters and the poem is in the form of a dialogue.I shall attempt to paraphrase it: The West sister addresses the East one thus:"Why do you sit brooding,my dear sister, without combing your hair and adorning it with flowers?Don't you wish to enjoy this festival-like life , discarding your ochre clothes and rosary?" The younger sister in the full bloom of her youth asked this question with a sweet smile. The elder one slowly opened her inner eye and with a happy and gentle smile replied :"I am not enamored of the beauty of the flower that blooms in the morning and falls in the evening.I live each day of my life searching for that eternal beauty that does not fall and fade away.Dear sister,do remember that this shining gold of youth will change into silver soon." The spiritual leader,Sathya Sai Baba saw it in a different manner.He saw the East and the West as a medical store and a tea shop respectively.When the proprietor of the former felt headache,he would walk into the tea shop and take a strong cup of tea.When the tea shop owner got headache,he would go to the former for some tablet and gulp it there with a glass of water.What Baba meant was that we, from the East ,would go to the West for material comforts, while they from the West ,would come to the East to quench their spiritual thirst.A very interesting analogy. In all such comparisons, there is a basic assumption:India stands for the East and America stands for the West.With globalisation,unprecedented achievements in communication technology and the invasion of the entire world by Corona virus,all these distinctions have become irrelevant.The West has now nothing to learn from us except ,perhaps ,one thing.That is our manner of showing affection and respect to others,our joining the palms,our NAMASTHE.In this Covid -infested world where touching bodies is a taboo,can anyone think of a more suitable gesture of friendship and regard than this?During election campaigns in the West,what a relief it gives to the contestants!Let us remember in this context what one US President wrote in his autobiography. He said that, at the end of each day's campaign,his right hand ached unendurably. E Blogs & Links 1) Nostalgia https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/badoniblog/tungnath-shivas-arms-30009/ (Loved reading this-Warrier🙏) 2) Happy habits: Old Ink Pen https://thg.page.link/LHwLmNW8GpZoXgVc8 Excerpts: "Old habits die hard” is a popular adage. Some practices become habits, whether good or bad, and are never given up. Though a septuagenarian conversant with computers and typing, I still prefer to write my short stories in Tamil using a pen. I do it because somehow, I feel my thoughts flow better when I write than type. A couple of years ago, I was translating some popular authors from English to Tamil, all with pen and paper. I still keep the manuscript of a work which runs to 600-plus pages as memorabilia." (Before ink pen, steel-pens and ink bottles were status symbol on the table) 3) World Marathi Day, February 27, 2021 Marathi Bhasha Diwas is a day of pride for all the speakers of the language of the western coast of India - the part that was called Deccan - or Dakshin - in Mughal times. Here's more about the language. https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/article/5-facts-about-marath-i-bhasha-din/725872 (Link Courtesy: V N Kelkar) https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/covid-19-effect-on-student-life/covid-19-effect-on-student-life-23470/ F Smile please After a Morning walk, a Group of Doctors were standing at a road-side Restaurant enjoying a Cup of Tea.. They saw a Man limping towards them.. One Doctor said, "he has Arthritis in his Left Knee.." The second said, "he has Plantar Faciitis.." The third said, "just an Ankle Sprain.." The fourth said, "see that Man cannot lift his Knee, he looks to have Lower Motor Neurons.." "But to me he seems a Hemiplegia Scissors Gait," said the fifth.. Before the sixth could proclaim his Diagnosis, the Man reached the Group and asked, "Is there a Cobbler nearby who can repair my Slipper.?" This is exactly how the Experts talk in Social Media & Television on "covid-19" issue these days..!! (Why isolate poor C-thing?) 2) Some intersting taglines* TATA Steels: We also make Steel; 2.The Ramond People: The Complete Man; 3.M & Ms Chocolates: Melts in your mouth; Not in your hands; 4.Verizon, the Communication people: Can you hear me Now? 5. COCO COLA: Open Happiness 6.Dee Beers: A diamond is for ever 7.Jenson na Nicholsons: When ever you think of colours, you think of us 8.Master Card: There are something money can not buy; for every thing else it is Master Card 9.The Levis: Quality never goes out of style 10: PIZZA HUT: 7 DAYS WITHOUT PIZZA MAKES ONE WEAK! 11.American Express: DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT 12.Makers of Fevicol: We guarantee to fix every thing but broken hearts. *Forward received from S Nallasivan G Quotes about languages https://www.british-study.com/en/blog/inspirational-quotes-for-language-learners/