Warrier's COLLAGE June 12, 2021

Welcome to Warrier's COLLAGE Saturday JUNE 12, 2021 1) Leather Puppetry* or Thoipavakoothu https://youtu.be/fhhurGrKLA4 2) *Understanding more : https://vidyasury.com/2014/06/leather-puppetry-ancient-indian-art-form.html#:~:text=Leather%20puppetry%20is%20a%20traditional,leather%20treated%20to%20a%20translucency.&text=The%20traditional%20shadow%20puppet%20theater,Tamil%20Nadu%2C%20Maharashtra%20and%20Orissa. (Links Selection : M G Warrier) Good Morning Nice Day M G Warrier M Spirituality/Faith TAT TWAM ASI : Vishnu Kelkar Mumbai There is a tenor common to all the great scriptures of the world. Directly or indirectly they are all exponents of the Maha-vakyam, the Sentence Sublime. Now what is Maha-vakyam ? It proclaims the relationship between God and man. The Vedas contain four such proclamations: Prajnanam Brahma, Ayam Atma Brahma, Aham Brahmasmi and Tat Twam Asi. They are regarded the most sacred among inspired utterances. The most popular one among them is 'Tat Twam Asi'. The sentence contains three words. When literally translated it means 'That thou art'. In prose order it is 'Thou art That'.That you are not alien to God is the purport of this sublime sentence. In some form or other this idea is contained in all the scriptures. That book which does not deal with this Supreme idea is no scripture. The Bhagwat Gita is from beginning to end a grand commentary on sublime statement- Thou art That. There are eighteen chapters in the Gita. They are conventionally called the Three Sixes, the 'trisatkam'. The first six chapters elucidate the word thou in the Maha vakyam. The word stands for the Jivatman or the individual soul with its potentialities and possibilities. Chapters seven to twelve form the second satkam. This portion deals with the word 'That' indicating God or the Ultimate Reality. What is called Nature is none other than that Reality contacted through the senses and intellect. The third satkam contains the last six chapters. The predicate 'art' gets explained in this portion. The inviolable relationship between the Cosmic Reality and the individual soul is well established in this part . (From a commentary on Bhagavad-Gita) Harivarasanam : K J Yesudas https://youtu.be/nyBZL1TxnPs A Select Responses 1) V N Kelkar Mumbai I agree. The interview is an eye opener for those at the helm of HR departments of various institutions. Mumbai is lucky to have such a dynamic Commissioner to deal with war against Covid. VNKelkar 2) Vathsala Jayaraman Chennai "Wonderful mouth watering write up on vathal kuzhambu. Aroma travels miles. It instigated me to prepare vathal kuzhambu and sutta appalam. But appalam suduthal in a kumatti aduppu is the best. Our gas oven with wire gauze is no equal to traditional preparation" (Let's thank S Venugopal Chennai for instigating to do things which we always wanted to do, but felt lazy 🙏-Warrier) 3) V R Chittanandam Cheñnai The two pieces appearing on the Collage on June 10, 2021 contributed by Shri Thyagarajan are interesting. The one on a Gurdwara offering food to a destitute Muslim family is a moving narration. I have read this long ago. It has not lost its poignancy. The other one Paddy and Donkey is very hilarious. Chittanandam B Recharge, Refill and Proceed : Vathsala Jayaraman Chennai There was once a man who got lost in the desert. The water in his canteen( vessel) ran out two days ago. He knew that if he didn't get some water soon, he would surely perish. The man saw a shack ahead of him. He thought it might be a mirage or hallucination, but having no other option, he moved toward it. As he got closer he realized it was quite real, so he dragged his weary body to the door with the last of his strength. The shack was not occupied and seemed like it had been abandoned for quite some time. The man gained entrance, hoping against hope that he might find water inside. His heart skipped a beat when he saw what was in the shack: a water pump..It had a pipe going down through the floor, perhaps tapping a source of water deep under-ground. He began working the pump, but no water came out. He kept at it and still nothing happened. Finally he gave up from exhaustion and frustration. He threw up his hands in despair. It looked as if he was going to die after all. Then the man noticed a bottle in one corner of the shack. It was filled with water and corked up to prevent evaporation. He uncorked the bottle and was about to gulp down the sweet life-giving water when he noticed a piece of paper attached to it. Handwriting on the paper read: "Use this water to start the pump. Don't forget to fill the bottle when you're done." He had a dilemma. He could follow the instruction and pour the water into the pump, or he could ignore it and just drink the water. What to do? If he let the water go into the pump, what assurance did he have that it would work? What if the pump malfunctioned? What if the pipe had a leak? What if the underground reservoir had long dried up? But then... maybe the instruction was correct. Should he risk it? If it turned out to be false, he would be throwing away the last water he would ever see. Hands trembling, he poured the water into the pump. Then he closed his eyes, said a prayer, and started working the pump. He heard a gurgling sound, and then water came gushing out, more than he could possibly use. He luxuriated in the cool and refreshing stream. He was going to live! After drinking his fill and feeling much better, he looked around the shack. He found a pencil and a map of the region. The map showed that he was still far away from civilization, but at least now he knew where he was and which direction to go. He filled his canteen for the journey ahead. He also filled the bottle and put the cork back in. Before leaving the shack, he added his own writing below the instruction: "Believe me, it works!" This story is all about life. It teaches us that we must give before we can receive abundantly. More importantly, it also teaches that faith plays an important role in giving. The man did not know if his action would be rewarded, but he proceeded regardless. Without knowing what to expect, he made a leap of faith. Water in this story represents the good things in life. Think of it as positive energy, or something that brings a smile to your face. It can be material objects or intangible qualities. It can represent money, love, friendship, happiness, respect, or any number of other things you value. Whatever it is that you would like to get out of life, that's water. The water pump represents the workings of the karmic mechanism. Give it some water to work with, and it will return far more than you put in. This mechanism traces a great circle, an unbroken path that eventually comes back to its point of origin. The energy of this circulation gathers power as it moves along, so that when it finally returns, it is greatly amplified. Perhaps you have done a good deed that no one knows about, so you assume there will not be an effect associated with this particular cause. In reality, you have but initiated the karmic mechanism in the spiritual realm. You cannot see it, but it is there all the same, and it begins gathering energy and seeking its way back to you immediately. As we have already noted from the story, the man filled the pump without knowing if his effort would be rewarded. In the same way, when we emulate and nurture others, we also act without expecting rewards of any sort. This principle applies to everything, not just money. For instance, in order to win the respect of others, one must start by giving others the appropriate respect without quibbles or qualms. Would you like more recognition for the work that you do? If so, then start by recognizing the achievements of everyone around you. When you truly accept that others are deserving of recognition, their esteem for you will increase as if by magic. Would you like to have more friendship in your life? If so, then start by being friendly. Do not expect anything in return, and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the flood of goodwill and friendliness that comes your way. Would you like people to see beauty in you? If so, then start noticing beauty in others. It's easy to see when you pay attention. Everyone around you has an intrinsic beauty that goes well beyond the physical. When you can see this and start to appreciate it and marvel at it, a transformation takes place: You become truly beautiful yourself. In general, whatever goodness you want from life, give it to others first. Give it cheerfully and willingly, without calculating your gain versus loss as if you are working a balance sheet. Initiate the circular exchange and relax in the certain knowledge that no one ever gets shortchanged. Think of planting flower seeds in a garden as a metaphor for the karmic mechanism. Each seed you plant is a process you have set into motion. You understand the principles that govern the growth of plants and you know the soil is fertile, so you know that you will see results in the fullness of time. You do not know exactly when or how the flowers will bloom, and that's perfectly fine. The only thing we need is the courage to take charge and jump start the water pump. Believe me, it works! Vathsala Jayaraman (V T Panchapagesan's response : After going through, my mind wandered a bit And started thinking about it in depth with Analytical mind what Our mythology was telling. A flash! Kuchelar with his 27 children were before me. Kuchelar with all his problems, as instructed went to His friend, Lord Krishna seeking his help . He never asked but got immense wealth without asking.. Be sincere, service oriented with utmost devotion with Self confidence, The Lord will some form or the other definitely show us The way......as shown to Kuchelar..... Be Well, V. T. Panchapagesan Chennai Thanks 🙏-Warrier) C Book Review : QED By Richard Feynman https://www.nevis.columbia.edu/~conrad/classes/QED4.html I stumbled across a curious black book entitled QED The Strange Theory of Light and Matter, by Richard Feynman. I opened to find it was a series of lectures given in honor of Feynman’s late wife, Alix, a literary person with physics cravings. As stated, the lectures were constructed to be “understandable to [Alix] and other non-physicists” (forward). QED, a.k.a. quantum electrodynamics, seldom considered a topic for non-physicists, speaks of electrons and photons, space-time and probability, among other things. Feynman placates any fears early on stating, “What one fool can understand, another can” (x). Perhaps this is all the confidence one needs to tackle QED. A physicist dedicated to tying loose ends (I soon learned), Feynman qualifies QED understanding with, “No, you’re not going to be able to understand it…it is my task to convince you not to turn away because you don’t understand it…that is because I don’t understand it. Nobody does” (9). At this point the only thing I understand is that we are all equally misunderstanding fools! Mixing humor with humility, Feynman quickly engages physics from the ground up, breaking the cycles of Venus down to the counting beans, in a historical reference to the Mayan people. Further, he states that all physics breaks down to the counting of beans; we learn tricky rules simply because it’s faster. The reader is to realize that no person of science understands why nature behaves as it does; one can only know how nature behaves. Introducing light as particles, the photomultiplier tube (PMT), and common light effects (bending as it enters water, reflects off a mirror, separates into colors in an oily puddle), one gets the feeling that Feynman is hand-holding. Somehow he manages to cover large topics efficiently (condensing seven years into 4 lectures). The author employs intuitive theories, likely similar to the thoughts of his audience (holes and spots in a mirror to explain transmitted and reflected waves), and picks apart the problems through simple and effective examples. The examples have a bit of an animated feel as the ‘characters’ are brought to life—“how a photon makes up its mind” (19). He carries our thoughts beyond intuition, and suddenly one finds that light traveling a non-straight path is not such an appalling idea after all! Feynman quietly slips in concepts, such as probability and amplitude, being particularly careful not to overwhelm the reader. Feynman’s blatant honesty creates a level of comfort: “We haven’t got a good model to explain partial reflection by two surfaces; we just calculate the probability that a particular PMT will be hit by a photon reflected from a sheet of glass” (24). D Readers' Contribution 1) C V Subbaraman Mysuru The language of God. This brought to my mind a very old experience. Here is it. From the Archives: On Poetry and God While returning from a tour of Punjab (Jullundur), on a salubrious Saturday evening on the 1st September 1973, our train was passing through an enchanting landscape. The River Markanda was flowing along, the sun above was producing a glittering effect on the clear shining river waters. The scenery was bewitching. When the mind is overwhelmed by such sublime presentation of Nature, it gives out, in an outburst, the inner feelings. Thus was born the poem titled Twilight which found a deserving space in WR in 1973-74. I sent this to my esteemed colleague “Sugutha” who had by then migrated from the DBOD to IDBI in New Delhi. He was not only a lover of Nature but quite a transformer of his thoughts into beautiful poems. Quite soon I received a Note from him, saying among other things, “Twilight’ is “Gep”(genuine poetry) …My colleague Dr. V. who is not much given to poetry, enjoyed it and then quipped: ‘Can’t you people leave God out of your poetry?’ Any comments?” Obviously, he was prompting me for a reply. I knew Dr.V too. He was a very genial person of very comfortable disposition. On knowing his reaction as above, my mind set to work on it. What had I said in the “Twilight”? The final two lines of the poem reads: “To mingle into the great oneness Of universal consciousness” I felt that instead of writing a ‘prosaic’ reply, I wrote a poetical note to be given Dr.V through my friend Sugutha. On 16th of September, I wrote under the title, Poetry and God: The skies, clouds, and rains Snow on the hills, rivers thru plains, The planets above, All by Grace of Jove, Ocean, lake and pond, Molecule to Moon and beyond – Indeed all earthly things, All universal beings, The myriad physical objects, Abstract feelings, Of bonds and links, Beauty and its charms, Ugliness in its forms, Each in its turn projects The Single ultimate, The summum bonum, God, the Great Elysium. And what is poetry indeed But the outburst in musical expression Of a bard’s subtle, sublime vision Of the all-pervading potent force That commands the Universal Course; The summum bonum, God, the musical emblem? Poetry without God Like a formless matter Or shape without matter, Rainbow without colours, And love without lovers, Is an unreal vision, And a positive delusion. C V Subbaraman 2) Dr T V Surendran Mananthavady S E N I O R C I T I Z E N S - 2021 ▪When you get old, never teach anyone anything, unless requested, even if you are sure you are right. ▪Do not try to help unless asked for. Just be ready & available for it if possible. ▪️Do not give unsolicited opinion all the time. ▪️Do not expect everyone to follow your opinion, even though you feel your opinion was the best... ▪Don't impose yourself on anyone on any subject. ▪Don't try to protect your loved ones from all the misfortunes of the World. Just love them & pray for them. ▪Don't complain about your health, your neighbours, your retirement, your woes all the time. ▪Don't expect gratitude from children. ▪There are no ungrateful children, there are only stupid parents, who expect gratitude from their children. ▪Don't waste your last money on anti - age treatments. It's useless. ▪Better spend it on a trip. It's always worth it. ▪Take care of your spouse, even if he/she becomes a wrinkled, helpless and moody old person. Don't forget he/she was once young, good looking and cheerful, may be he/she is the only one who really needs you right now. ▪Understand new technologies, obsessively follow the News, constantly study something new, a new skill, a new dish, a new indoor game, do not fall behind in time. ▪Don't blame yourself for whatever happened to your life or to your children's lives, you did everything you could. ▪Preserve your dignity & integrity in any situation, till the end. ▪Do your best, my senior Peers. This is very important. Remember, you're still alive, someone needs you. Do your best & leave the rest to The Almighty. ▪I guess some friends are already following these tips. (A related link from The Hindu : https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/Making-peace-with-old-age/article12546194.ece/amp/ (Aruna V Iyer in The Hindu, October 5, 2012) A study by HelpAge India, which champions the cause of India’s elderly, projects that, by the year 2050, there will be a 15 per cent increase in the number of people above 80 years of age. A sample of that future population, who are at the moment students at the University College of Engineering (BIT Campus, Tiruchi) discuss plans for their old age. Open the link for more information. E Collage Special : Kautilya on Corruption https://idsa.in/issuebrief/CorruptioninAdministrationEvaluatingtheKautilyanAntecedents_TarunKumar_121012 "There are several references to the prevalence of official corruption in ancient India. 3 But the text that provides an elaborate description of the menace is the Arthashastra of Kautilya. This sophisticated and detailed treatise on statecraft is essentially prescriptive or normative in nature, belonging to a genre of literature that suggests what the state ought to be and not what it really was. Nevertheless, one should realise that norms are prescribed only when digressions or abnormalities exist. This confirms the fact that corruption was rampant enough in ancient India to necessitate expert advice on how to tame it. Kautilya4 was a sagacious minister in the Kingdom of Chandragupta Maurya (324/321‒297 Before the Common Era). He expressed his views on a range of issues including state, war, social structures, diplomacy, ethics, and politics. He believed that “men are naturally fickle minded” and are comparable to “horses at work [who] exhibit constant change in their temper”. 5 This means that honesty is not a virtue that would remain consistent lifelong and the temptation to make easy gains through corrupt means can override the trait of honesty any time. Similarly, he compared the process of generation and collection of revenue (by officials) with honey or poison on the tip of the tongue, which becomes impossible not to taste. 6 Based on such sweeping, albeit questionable, generalisations about the nature of human beings, he prescribed a strict vigil even over the superintendents of government departments in relation to the place, time, nature, output and modus operandi of work. 7 All this is perhaps indicative of widespread corruption in the Kingdom’s administration at various levels." F Leisure 1) Amazing English* 1. When you say "a, e, i, o, u" your mouth gets smaller with each vowel you say ! 2. You don't really wash your hands;... they *wash each other while you stand there and watch..... 3. Things are not on fire,... fire is on things ! 5. When you say 'Forward' or 'Backward',... your lips move in those directions ! (yes,...just like that !!) 6. The word 'Australia' has three A's,... all of which look the same, but are... pronounced differently ! (surprised ??) 7. If You rip a hole in a net, there are actually fewer holes in it than before ! 8. The sentence "All the faith he had had had had no effect on the outcome of his life."... is actually correct !! (getting too much??) 9. Sometimes you have to sing the whole alphabet in your head... just to find the next letter !! 13. “Dammit I'm Mad " backwards is still "Dammit I'm Mad". (and that's the condition you have almost reached !!) 14. Nothing is behind your Back. it is always in front of your back !! (Now that's stretching it a little bit too far !!) 15. Most of the time the people who tell you to calm down are the same people that made you angry in the first place !! (Yeah... You got that RIGHT !!) 16. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is not fun to say, but ironically, this is the medical term for the fear of long words !! (Nailed it ??... Right *Received from A P Ramadurai Cheñnai 2) Socialism weds M Banerjee* Socialism to wed Mamata Banerjee in the presence of Communism, Leninism: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/socialism-to-wed-mamata-banerjee-in-the-presence-of-communism-leninism-in-tamil-nadus-salem/article34784829.ece *Link received from S Thyagarajan Chennai Bonus : Tiger Moments : BBC https://youtu.be/lYn39NnSbGU G Spelling Quotes https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/spelling-quotes Like : "I was terrible in English. I couldn't stand the subject. It seemed to me ridiculous to worry about whether you spelled something wrong or not, because English spelling is just a human convention - it has nothing to do with anything real, anything from nature." Richard P. Feynman (Richard P. Feynman was born in New York City on the 11th May 1918. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he obtained his B.Sc. in 1939 and at Princeton University where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1942. He was Research Assistant at Princeton (1940-1941), Professor of Theoretical Physics at Cornell University (1945-1950), Visiting Professor and thereafter appointed Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology (1950-1959). At present he is Richard Chace Tolman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology. Professor Feynman is a member of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the National Academy of Science; in 1965 he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Society, London (Great Britain). He holds the following awards: Albert Einstein Award (1954, Princeton); Einstein Award (Albert Einstein Award College of Medicine); Lawrence Award (1962). Richard Feynman is married to Gweneth Howarth, they have a son, Carl Richard (born 22nd April 1961), and a daughter Michelle Catherine (born 13th August 1968). From Nobel Lectures, Physics 1963-1970, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1972 Richard P. Feynman died on February 15, 1988.)