Warrier's Collage May 15, 2021

Welcome to Warrier's COLLAGE On Saturday MAY 15, 2021 1) Music: Choli ke peeche... https://youtu.be/8nd5NLbUu44 2) And...Check out what is really... https://musings.oscilloscope.net/post/158969772386/choli-ke-peeche-kya-hai-bollywoods-scandalous (Links selected by: M G Warrier Mumbai) Good Morning All views expressed in Collage, including those of M G Warrier are personal. Nice Day M G Warrier M Mathrupanchakam : Suryagayatri https://youtu.be/63W4l1cUdC8 A Interaction 1) Duvvuri Subbarao Former Governor, Reserve Bank of India Amazing amazon ratings for your 2020 book on Trust. Keep writing. Maybe you can write on how trust plays an important role in managing pandemics. In any case, keep writing. All the best. Subbarao (Thank you for being so liberal, Sir. TRUST is being exploited, of late 🙏-Warrier) 2) Vathsala Jayaraman Chennai Shri Subbaraman has elaborated on Naaree Shakthi. It is true that the incidents in scriptures and Manu dharma sastra might have been responsible for the patriarchal system. Those days are gone. Times are changing. There is call for empowerment of women. The saddest part is women are responsible for encouraging patriarchy. They prefer male progeny and don't hesitate to put an end to female foetus or killing female babies by giving concealed poison. There is no use of blaming scriptures or Manu Sastra. It is in the hands of present day men and women to bring a balance. 3) P K K Nair Bengaluru I am in full agreement with the observation of Uzhuthra Warrier on the analogy between Mark Twain and Vaikam Mohammad Basheer as these two literary giants are even today recognised as great contributors to their respective mother tongues! I also am having the same feeling as U Warrier as to the giving of the highest National Award of “ Bharat Ratna”. I am of the conviction that Cricket should be banned in India as the money involved in this sport is so huge and the man-hours lost is mammoth that we can only ill afford! I am at a loss to fathom the idea of Tendulkar getting this award! B Satsangam with Panchapagesan Gita XIII Slokas 7 to 11... GNANI having 20 qualities.. The word Atman, forming part of the compound word Atmavinigrahah here stands for the body including the mind and senses.... It is therefore to control the mind , senses and the body..all together. The mind , intellect and senses having acquired complete mastery over self acts as his obedient servants, they can no longer entangle him into cobweb of sensuous pleasures, and remain constantly engaged in spiritual practice according to his will..... Self-control is not denial or restriction of contact with sense objects.. Neither does it mean avoidance or lessening of pleasures arising from Sense object..The quality or quantum of action or enjoyment does not determine self-control..It is the ability to refrain from activities which are detrimental to achievement of our chosen ideal... It is the capacity to withstand any force that interferes with the progress to our goal..If any actions or pleasures threaten to lead us away from the path of our ideal do not allow them to overcome us.. Struggle and overcome the temptation... Take the grand stand of Christ.... Get thee behind me Satan, I shall have none from thy hands..... But when any action or enjoyment does not interfere with the pursuit of our ideal we need not refrain from it...An ideal may be absolute or relative.. The absolute ideal is Self Realization..A relative ideal is a goal beyond one’s selfish interest in life.. Sense objects are overpowering us today...Do not become a slave to them.. Regain our mastery over them. Shift the control from the sense objects using our own intellect to decide the degree or quantum of each sense contact...To discipline and regulate our sense activities and direct our energies to a higher ideal is Self-control...... V. T. Panchapagesan C Current Affairs: Heavy rains in Kerala https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/india/kerala/story/heavy-rain-thiruvananthapuram-waterloggng-railway-station-bus-terminal-1801569-2021-05-12 Normal life affected in Thiruvananthapuram after an overnight spell of heavy rain. Heavy rainfall led to waterlogging in several areas, including the railway station and bus terminal. The Hindu link: Kerala rain: Five districts have been put on red alert: https://thg.page.link/iZX4kjZzRQ3RJUAVA Back in Mumbai: We need to avoid similar situation in Mumbai: Mumbai deserves cleaner gutters* M G WARRIER The Pocket Oxford Dictionary before me defines a gutter as ‘a shallow trough beneath the edge of a roof, or a channel at the side of a street, for carrying off rain water’. In Mumbai, gutter has assumed different meanings for different people. For most of us, a gutter is a trench provided by municipal corporation where dirty water get collected and people dump waste. Now, let me ‘come to the point’! A 12 feet wide gutter flows adjacent to the housing complex in Bhandup (West) where we stay. It comes from somewhere beyond Pawai and silently flows beyond our area, perhaps terminating somewhere near Vashi creek. The stretch of the gutter from Powar Public School to some distance beyond Bhandup Railway station has huge accumulations of waste and water has no free flow. The sides of the gutter ‘house’ snakes, rats and other ‘wild life’ creatures. The gutter provides a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes and a variety of fleas. The one kilometre stretch visible from Bhandup Railway Station supports the following: i) Sale of about 20,000 units of mosquito repellents per month to 10,000 households. ii) Fumigation contracts in several housing societies in the area. iii) Extra income for the medical profession providing healthcare support to residents in this area. iv) Savings for some families which throw their waste into the gutter. The list is illustrative and not exhaustive. Just wondering, whether any vested interests are preventing the authorities from periodical cleaning of gutters. When normal and routine thing do not happen normally and routinely, citizens use their imagination to formulate ‘allegations’. In Kerala, at one stage, people alleged commercial interests of ‘anti-rabies medicines lobby’ to be behind supporters of ‘save street dogs campaign’! Speaking from the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had exhorted people of India to cleanse their premises. ‘Swacch Bhaarat Abhiyaan’ is a follow up of this. In Mumbai, gutters are cleaned once in a year, sometime in May/June to ensure free flow of water to prevent flooding of streets. What is preventing Municipal Corporation from ensuring that the gutters remain clean during other periods also? If someone has an answer, express it! **************** (The writer is a freelancer based in Mumbai. Email mgwarrier@gmail.com) *Article published in Satya Kiran Times, November 1-15, 2016 No: 243420112016 D Angels on Earth 1) Poem* by Frank Misquith Our Inveterate 'Covid Warriors' Like one man, they've all, doctors, nurses, other ward staff and those at crematoria and burials grounds rallied so quickly to the fore, They've never in their lives been besieged in such a gruelling manner before. Donning their PPE outwear they've had to work relentlessly 24/7, It has brought them to the very door of Heaven. Many medical staff have all fallen a prey to the scourge, And only a few folk are present for their funeral dirge Due to this insidious viral attack, Folk have all been taken aback. But by not fully gauging the exact intensity of the scourge, Despite tireless efforts we're clueless as to how the virus to purge. We are finding ourselves bereft of adequate vaccines, and oxygen and many a dire need, We've landed ourselves in a state of preventable deaths if only we could've in time paid heed. Unless at least now, we do, what needs to be done, By the viral rampage all our efforts will get undone. F R Misquith R Jayakumar Mumbai responds: Dear Frank Misquith Liked your poem dedicated to the service given by the nurses to the society. Because of the pandemic we have started recognising the importance of these frontline workers. Otherwise, go to any private hospital, the treatment they receive and the condition of their work are not better than the ward boys. Nurses who are experienced and who have done special nursing courses command some respect from the doctors. Others face shouting and insult from the doctors. Because Sometimes they behave unintelligent and some work carelessly. But they are special because they touch and treat the sick patients, dress their wounds, unmindful of the smell and dirtiness involved in it. Even the close relatives are reluctant to go near the patient if sickness is severe. Now because of the pandemic which is so contagious and harmful the nurses are looked upon with new respect and reverence. They are the real Frontline Warriors. "A nurse in a hospital is mostly clad in white, And she puts up a face that is bold and bright. We trust her so well and leave our sick in her care; So that we get some free time with others to share. Our health we place in her hands to heal But when a nurse falls sick do we care to feel! R Jayakumar *Poem and response received via Group mail. Thanks 🙏-Warrier 2) Angels on Earth Magazine https://www.guideposts.org/our-magazines/angels-on-earth-magazine 3) Are you an Earth Angel? https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/signs-you-are-an-earth-angel-and-do-not-know-it-yet/m-lite E Readers' Contribution 1) Manu stands "accused" : Vathsala Jayaraman There has been much talk about atrocities on women .Hundreds of articles have been written by doctors, lawyers, and sociologists, specially after the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi that shook the entire nation. While analysing the patriarchal set up of the society ,the sociologists have squarely blamed Manu Smrithi as the main culprit behind all these events. Traditionally accepted as one of the supplementary arms of the vedas Laws of Manu or Manava Dharma Shastra is one of the standard books in the Hindu canon, and a basic text for all gurus to base their teachings on. This 'revealed scripture' comprises 2684 verses, divided into twelve chapters presenting the norms of domestic, social, and religious life in India and is fundamental to the understanding of ancient Indian society. . Yatra naryasto poojyantay, ramantay tatra devta [3/56] (where women are provided place of honor, gods are pleased and reside there in that household),is a famous Manu quote. Anti- Manuvadhis quote a few verses from the Manu smrithi to justify their stand. : 1) 2/213. It is the nature of women to seduce men in this world; for that reason the wise are never unguarded in the company of females. 2.) 2/214. Women, true to their class character, are capable of leading astray men in this world, not only a fool but even a learned and wise man. Both become slaves of desire. 3) 2/215. Wise people should avoid sitting alone with one’s mother, daughter or sister. Since carnal desire is always strong, it can lead to temptation. 4) 5/150. A female child, young woman or old woman is not supposed to work independently even at her place of residence 5) 5/151. Girls are supposed to be in the custody of their father when they are children, women must be under the custody of their husband when married and under the custody of her son as widows. In no circumstances is she allowed to assert herself independently. 6) Men may be lacking virtue, be sexual perverts, immoral and devoid of any good qualities, and yet women must constantly worship and serve their husbands. 7) 5/158. Women have no divine right to perform any religious ritual, nor make vows or observe a fast. Her only duty is to obey and please her husband and she will for that reason alone be exalted in heaven. 8) 9/3. Since women are not capable of living independently, she is to be kept under the custody of her father as child, under her husband as a woman and under her son as widow. 9) 9/6. It is the duty of all husbands to exert total control over their wives. Even physically weak husbands must strive to control their wives. 10)9/80. A barren wife may be superseded in the 8th year; she whose children die may be superseded in the 10th year and she who bears only daughters may be superseded in the 11th year; but she who is quarrelsome may be superseded without delay. It is argued that the Manu Smrithi 'hang over' of horrific codes in the average Indian mind set that is -woman is a 'thing' and is to be dealt with harsh -these and other Manu prescribed ideas that still form the background of an average Indian home,notwithstanding the developmental programmes of the Govt,not withstanding 'women empowerment'movements and education of women. Added to this are TV shows replete with men,MIL,Aunts in Law, SIL slapping women,and men molesting women at every twist and turn-highly disgusting. If we review this original Manu Smriti, one can proudly assert that there is perhaps no other text in world (except Vedas of course!) that accords so much of respect and rights to women. Even the modern feminist books would have to seek further amendments to match up to Manu Smriti. Here are a few quotes for example 1)3.55 A father,brother,husband or BIL should keep their daughter, sister wife happy and pleased thro gentle words, respectful behaviour etc. 2)3.57 A family where women are happy, is bound to prosper for ever. 3)9.26 Women give birth to next generation and enlighten home .The bring fortune and prosperity( Gruha lakshmi) . 4.)9.4 A father who does not marry his daughter to a deserving groom deserves condemnation. A husband who does not fulfill just demands of his wife deserves condemnation. A son who does not take care of her widow mother deserves condemnation. 5)9.11. Women should be provided autonomy and leadership in managing the finances, maintaining hygiene, spiritual and religious activities, nutrition and overall management of home. 6)9.89. It is better to keep the daughter unmarried than force her to marry an undeserving person. 7).90-91. A woman can choose her own husband after attaining maturity. If her parents are unable to choose a deserving groom, she can herself choose her husband 8)9.130. A daughter is equivalent to a son. In her presence, how can any one snatch away her right over the property? 9)9.131. A daughter alone has the right over personal property of her mother. Thus, as per Manu, while daughter has equal share as her brothers over property of her father, she has exclusive rights over property of her mother. The reason for this special treatment of women is to ensure that women are never at mercy of anyone. After all happy dignified women form the foundation of a happy society! 10)8.323. Those who abduct women should be given death sentence. 11)8.352. Those who rape or molest women or incite them into adultery should be given harshest punishment that creates fear among others to even think of such a crime. Manusmriti was written thousands of years back.Naturally, as literature is the mirror of the society,the smrithi deals with the situations and practices obtained during the period.With all that Manu has taken into account many probable situations that might arise in due course. It is strange that people who have neither belief nor regard for scriptures want to shift the blame on the mythical Manu/manus when they are unable to solve problems with their constitution,their current Lawsand penal codes which they never bother to implement.They choose verses that most suit their stand and leave the rest. In many Western countries too such situations prevail.Do they also follow Indian Manu Smrithi? Poor Manu!! He stands accused.! Vathsala Jayaraman-M 170 ( This is a copy of the mail I sent to the group on 14th June 2015.On seeing Shri Subbaraman's reaction in the Collage today,I thought of sharing it again- Vathsala Jayaraman ) 2) Mathrupanchakam: Shankaracharya https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/a-salutation-to-mother-mathru-panchakam/m-lite "Adi Sankaracharya was born at Kalady in Kerala in a Namboodiri Family. His mother was Aryamba. His father died at a very early. When he wanted to take up sanyasa, his mother was very much against it. She finally agreed with a condition, that He should be present near her death bed and also he should perform her Karmas. Sankara agreed for this and took up Sanyasa. When he was at Sringeri, he realized that his mother was nearing death and by the power given to him by God reached there immediately. He was near his mother at the time of her death and also performed the funeral ceremonies. It was at this time he wrote this five slokas which came out deep from his mind. This was possibly the only poem he wrote, which is not extolling any God and also not explaining his philosophy." F Leisure 1) Hell of a heaven* 🙋🏻‍♂️🧑🏻‍🔧 An Engineer dies but lands in Hell. He is talking with Yama & says, “What a terrible place !!! It’s very hot, dark, smoky” Yama replies, “Well, what did you expect ??? this is the Hell !!!” The engineer says “Do you have a compressor, some tubing, and wire ??? Yama says, “Yeah, we might have some of that stuff around, I’ll check and see what I can find for you.” Yama finds the stuff & the engineer starts designing improvements. After a while, Hell has air conditioning, iced water, good lighting, flush toilets & escalators. The engineer is pretty popular! One day God calls and tells Yama, “Say, we had a mix-up. I was checking records & discovered that by error an Engineer got sent down to you. He should have come to Heaven. All engineers go to Heaven. You need to transfer him up here.” Yama says, "Why, things are going great. We've now got air conditioning, iced water, flush toilets, great lighting, and escalators, and there's no telling what this Engineer is going to come up with next. We like him! We’re going to keep him.” God is horrified. "That's clearly a mistake! He should never have gone down there in the first place! Send him up here immediately !!!" Yama says, "No way! I really like having an Engineer on the staff. I'm keeping him.” God says, “Send him back up here or I'll sue you !!!” Yama laughs, “Yeah, OK, good luck on that. Where are you going to find a🧑🏼‍⚖️ lawyer ???" *Received from A P Ramadurai Cheñnai 2) Cacophony Joke A man walks into a bar and orders a drink. The bartender gives the man his drink and the man asks "If I show you something crazy, would let me have free drinks for the rest of the night?" The bartender thinks for a minute and then says "It would to be something spectacular to take that offer." The man leans down and picks up a box and sets it on the bar. He opens the box and inside is a small piano man, whom is only 1 foot tall, and beside him a little piano. The piano man starts playing classical music like Beethoven and Chopin. Once he finishes, the bartender is in utter disbelief. He tells the man "You can have free drinks for the rest of the night, but only if you tell where you got this." The man says "In the alley way behind your bar, there is a Genie who is granting free wishes to everyone who wants them." Elated, the bartender heads behind his bar to see if it was true. A few minutes passed and out of the alleyway erupts a cacophony of quacking. The bartender rushes back into the bar and shuts his door against a wave of thousands of ducks. He manages to secure the door and says to the man "I think that the Genie is hard of hearing, because after I asked for a million bucks, these ducks appeared by the thousands." The man chuckles and says "Did you really think I wished for a 12 inch pianist?" ( Definition of cacophony* 1: harsh or jarring sound : DISSONANCE sense 2 specifically : harshness in the sound of words or phrases 2: an incongruous or chaotic mixture : a striking combination a cacophony of color a cacophony of smells Opposite of cacophony: Euphony, Harmony (*Collage had no occasion to use the word till today🙏-Warrier) 3) LOCK DOWN STRANGE STORY* 🙏 (Wonderfully drafted. Don't miss to read till the end.) THE STRANGER, I GREW UP WITH !!! A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our city. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mum taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger.. he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first premiership game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mum would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.) Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home - not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked.. And NEVER asked to leave. More than forty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name? We just call him "TV" (Note: This should be required reading for every household!) He has a wife now.. We call her "Computer" Their first child is "Cell Phone". Second child "video games" By the way, they now have a wonderful grand child she is a genius! she is fondly called "Whatsup" She is nearly more popular than her mom. Her older cousin is "Facebook" and new baby cousins are "Snapchat", "Instagram" This Stranger and members of its family appear to have taken up permanent residence in our homes "and we seem powerless to check their excesses." *Received from S Venugopal Chennai via Group mail Thanks 🙏 G Quotes about Angels https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/angels-on-earth.html Like: "A person is disposed to an act of choice by an angel ... in two ways. Sometimes, a man's understanding is enlightened by an angel to know what is good, but it is not instructed as to the reason why ... But sometimes he is instructed by angelic illumination, both that this act is good and as to the reason why it is good." -Thomas Aquinas (Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church. An immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, he is also known within the latter as the Doctor Angelicus, the Doctor Communis, and the Doctor Universalis.)