Warrier's COLLAGE July 9 2021
Welcome to
Warrier's COLLAGE
On
Friday
July 9, 2021
Remembering Rabbi Hillel :
Hillel was a Jewish religious leader, sage and scholar associated with the development of the Mishnah and the Talmud and
the founder of the House of Hillel school of tannaim. He is popularly known as the author of two sayings:
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And being only for myself, what am 'I'?"
For more :
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129706379
Good Morning
One reader was curious about
selection of subjects for Collage. This weekend we'll
discuss.
Nice Day
M G Warrier
A
Select Responses
1) K N Ganapathy Atlanta US
I have completed reading the book written by you, "Restoring Trust in Governance."
Oh! It is simply great! I do not dare to comment on it as my knowledge is too little.
Regarding monetary policy of RBI etc. I have lost whatever little touch I had as
it is more than two decades since I retired from service.
Anyway I am not happy that GOI took away the power of fixing bank rate from
Governor RBI to a Monetary Policy Committee. In a way it is good as all may not be of the calibre of
Dr Raghuram Rajan and that decision taken jointly by a few specialists will be better.
Another cause of failure of policies is due to politics in channelling of funds to
various sectors and favoured individuals/ corporations as in the case of Mallya and Nirav Modi.
Even intellectual giants are not necessarily producing expected results, and have their
own biases.
All said and done, the steep fall in human values and character is the reason for
failure in policies. Whatever is the policy, leftist or rightist, if all are working with involvement definitely there will be progress. We are seeing in life that in our childhood days society and schools were keen on development of character of students which is absent now.
We who grew up learning the story of Harischandra etc cannot tell a lie and if due to unavoidable reasons tell a lie, will undergo too much of mental tension.
As a layman I am making some observations. It is about the stock of gold with religious institutions, households etc :
The stock of gold ornaments, given to brides as dowry by their parents, was mainly as a reserve for unforeseen situations for the ladies, who are financially dependent on men, also as a last resort in financial exigencies. We can see many poor and lower middle class people pledging jewellery for getting loans. In fact
the agricultural loans given by rural bank branches are gold loans classified as crop loans just to comply with targets set for agricultural finance.
The stock of huge quantities of gold with Hindu temples, I feel, should not be given much publicity. It is an eyesore for unscrupulous people with mentality of Malik Gaffour and Tipu Sultan, waiting like vultures for a right opportunity to lay hands on it. Some of the politicians are having their eyes on it. Some of the kings and those in control had taken care of it for
centuries. Special mention must be made of the Travancore Maharajas who have preserved the gold stocks in the Padmanabhaswamy temple for centuries without frittering it away. They lived a simple life unlike the Nawabs of Hyderabad.
I do not know how this gold reserves can be put to productive use of the economy
unless it is pledged or sold* for deploying such funds for economic activities.
(Many Thanks for the thoughtful observations. I retired in 2003. The book which I described as a companion volume of my 2018 book "India's Decade of Reforms" is a collection of articles some of which were published in the monthly Business and Finance Magazine "The Global ANALYST" published by Iupindia, a division of ICFAI Hyderabad. *Suggestion is, a portion of idle surplus gold with individuals/institutions can be deposited with banks under schemes which offer interest on gold deposits. Tirupati, Siddhivinayak and Guruvayoor Temples already have accessed this available avenue to earn recurring income by way of interest-Warrier)
2) V Rangarajan
"People remember our good work only till our next mistake. Do never feel proud on appreciation and never feel depressed on criticism. Just keep doing your best."
(Early morning I finish almost 90 percent quota of my day's allowed mistakes before sending out my daily message. Rest of the day I spend correcting earlier mistakes while finishing the balance 10 percent quota and go to bed with net Nil balance of mistakes. Sleep well and wake up next day with a clean slate. Please don't mistake me-Warrier)
3) V R Chittanandam
Physics is a subject requiring a lot of intelligence. Astrophysics is still more complicated.
To secure top position in this subject in an examination conducted by a UK University
is admirable. Congratulations to Payal Wagh.
4) Vathsala Jayaraman Chennai
You are a Masterpiece!
Shri Jayakumar's simple write up I simply superb.It made me introspect a lot.
In this world 75% of people are mediocre.In big business houses HRD is of
opinion that they dont want University toppers. They want simple minded
hard working people that are willing to learn .
There is no necessity for you to strip yourself of your originality.
You need to think good of yourself, for the world takes you at
your own estimate.
Never stoop down in order to gain recognition.
Never let go of your true self to win a relationship.
In the long run, you will regret that you traded your
greatest Glory – your uniqueness, for momentary validation.
Even Gandhi was not accepted by many people. The group that
does not accept you as YOU is not Your world.
There is a world for each one of you, where you shall reign
as king /queen by just being yourself.
Find that world… In fact, that world will find You.
What water can do, gasoline cannot and what copper can,
gold cannot. The fragility of the ant enables it to move and the
rigidity of the tree enables it to stay rooted.
Everything and everybody has been designed with a Proportion
of uniqueness to serve a purpose that we can fulfil only by
being our unique self. You as you alone can serve your
purpose and I as I alone can serve my purpose.
You are here to be you… Just YOU.
There was a time in this world when a Krishna was required and he was sent;
A time when a Christ was required and he was sent;
a time when a Mahatma was required and he was sent;
There came a time when you were required on this planet
and hence you were sent. Let us be the best we can be.
In the history of the universe, there has been nobody like you
and to the infinity of time to come, there will be no one like you.
Existence should have loved you so much that it broke the
mould after making you, so that another of your kind will never
get repeated.
You are original.You are rare.You are unique.You are a wonder.
You are a masterpiece. ..You are Master’s piece. Celebrate your Uniqueness!''
Vathsala Jayaraman
5) V Babusenan
According to Bernard Shaw ,more interesting people are in Hell and, therefore, it is a better place to visit than Heaven.
The present monorail connection is enough.Let us not trouble our Metroman further.
Why bother about a train journey?Our Earth itself is alternating between Hell and Heaven before our very eyes!
When innocent school children are bombed to death en masse,Earth becomes Hell and,when a huge sum of
Rs.18crores is collected in the twinkling of an eye to save a poor child from a terrible atrophying ailment,the very same Earth becomes Heaven.
6) R Jayakumar Mumbai
Enjoyed reading about Astrophysics in today's Collage. Knowing more and more about the space is always very fascinating.
My understanding so far was that there is one big universe without boundaries and all things are within it. But today I read for
the first time the word universes in plural.
As I had said earlier yesterday, at the age of sixteen I was unable to distinguish between science and religion.
My belief was that we live in a place created by God for us above which is the heaven (the sky and the stars) and below is the hell (the eternal fire).
But because of a friend cum mentor I could see religion and science differently and understand the theory of ever expanding universe.
As a layman the other science that fascinated me was the study of fossils (paleontology) to know about the dinosaurs.
I had the habit of, as a hobby, cutting whatever articles appeared in the ToI about archeological discoveries around the world and pasting them in a notebook.
Now my grandson, six is showing good interest in the study of space and stars.
He explains me nebulae, black holes and colliding stars and I pretend to understand everything.
I too join Collage readers in wishing Payal Wagh great success in the field of Astrophysics.
R Jayakumar
B
Collage Follow up :
Costs and Pricing
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/warriersviews/cost-and-pricing-34862/
"Government, Media and Social workers through joint efforts mobilized support for the cause and in four days collected necessary funds to provide the treatment for the child.
My thoughts are wandering in other directions :
a) The pricing of the medicines by the Pharmaceutical industry will depend on costs of inputs, research, future market for the product and various other factors.
b) Probably, this ailment is a rare hereditary condition. But as the pandemic has proved, no ailment differentiates between the rich and the poor and Rs 18 crore is much more than a fortune for a poor family, by any standard.
c) If we concede the above, can we not think of formally making a plea for subsidizing the cost of such life-saving medicines from government and corporate funds?"
(Please see full article)
C
Collage in Classroom
The Power of Now*
https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-the-power-of-now/
"One key idea in the book is this – at the core, we are pure consciousness, beings of love, joy and peace. Yet, most of us are struggling and in pain because we have unknowingly identified with our mind and a false sense of self. Enlightenment simply means regaining awareness of our true Being and being deeply connected with Being."
"The beginning of freedom is the realisation that you are not "the thinker"
The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated. You then begin to realise that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that thought is only a tiny aspect of that intelligence.
You also realise that all the things that truly matter-beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace- arise from beyond the mind.
You begin to awaken."
(*Last week my daughter Reshmy gave me this book by Eckhart Tolle. Felt I should share my thoughts with readers)
D
A Poem and its interpretation*
https://www.gradesaver.com/faithful-and-virtuous-night/study-guide/summary-a-summer-garden
Summary
"A Summer Garden" is the twenty-third and penultimate poem in Louise Glück's Faithful and Virtuous Night. It follows a speaker who finds an old photograph of their mother and finds their self awash in a flood of memories and nostalgia surrounding the image. The speaker engages deeply with the photo, as well as with the copy of 'Death in Venice' inside which they found the picture. The nostalgia of viewing the photo and the experience of noting how much things have changed then spurs the speaker to meditate on the world around them: the earth is peaceful, quiet, and full of stability. At the same time, however, there is an eeriness to the stability "like an afternoon in Pompeii". The speaker then looks back in time again to when they were a young child and recalls both their mother and their servant named Maria. Finally, the point of view shifts, with the mother figure in the poem suddenly being called Beatrice, and we are given insight into the instant that the photo was taken, now revealed as a timeless moment of post-war calm and bliss."
Bonus : Poetry Foundation
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/play/76213
*Received from Reshmy Warrier Mumbai
E
Blogs & Links
1) www.warriersblog.com
Currently dedicated to Warrier's COLLAGE
2) WarriersViews @ Times of India
Recent Blog Posts
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/warriersviews/optimization-of-use-of-resources-32064/
F
Leisure
Last Cup of Coffee ?*
"One day, Death encountered a Man and told him:
- Today's your Last Day.
The Man replied:
- But I am not ready!
Death said:
- Your name is at the top of my to-do list for today.
The Man said:
- Alright then…
Before you take me along, let's sit together and
have one Last Cup of Coffee.
Death said:
- Of course.
The Man offered a Cup of Coffee to Death; the Coffee was laced with some sleeping pills...
Death drank the Coffee and soon it was fast asleep...
The Man took Death's to-do list, wiped his name from the top and placed it at the bottom of the page.
When Death woke up, it said:
-" You've treated me so kindly and with full of Love today. I would like to reciprocate you by starting
my today's work from the names at the bottom of my List."
Sometimes some things are written in your Fate. No matter how hard you may try to Change them, they never Change...
The Crow and the Parrot were both created ugly. The Parrot protested and was made Beautiful.
However, the Crow remained content with the will of its Creator.
Today the Parrot is in a Cage and the Crow flies free.
Behind each Incident is so exquisite a wisdom that we may never understand it.
Therefore :
Never ask "Why?" to the Creator❗
*Received from S Venugopal Chennai via Group mail.
G
Quotes about Now
https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/now-quotes
Like :
"That though the radiance which was once so bright be now forever taken from my sight. Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower. We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind."
William Wordsworth
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