Warrier's Collage October 18, 2021

Welcome to Warrier's COLLAGE On Monday October 18, 2021 Eagle Mentality https://youtu.be/XLPqy2oO-Eg (Link Courtesy : P R R Nayar Thiruvanantapuram) Good Morning Yes. I'm aware. Collage is again growing unwieldy. Nice Day M G Warrier A Select Responses 1) Dr Charan Singh charan singh (@CharanSingh60) Tweeted: Unity in Diversity - 42 ऐसा नाम रतनु निरमोलकु पुंनि पदारथु पाइआ अनिक जतन करि हिरदै राखिआ रतनु न छपै छपाइआ भीखन, 659, गुरु ग्रंथ साहिब Such is priceless jewel, Naam, obtained through good deeds Failed to keep it hidden in heart (Shows up in conduct) Bhikhan https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1449448391314837505?s=20 2) C V Subbaraman Mysuru I Who am I? Shri Babusenan's write up was very impressive, though it is a repeat story. Some stories even if repeated many times do not tire us : Does any one listener of Raamaayana or Mahaa Bhaaratha feel tired? Coming to the verdict of Devi Saraswati, it is touching. Does it reflect Saraswati's humility? By the way, each poet has his own place in the world of literature. One sweet is not superior to another : Each has its own unique place. Subbaraman II Was Krishna never named? Naaraayaneeyam: Dasakam: 044 -- Shlokam: 05 कृषिधातुणकाराभ्यां सत्तानन्दात्मतां किलाभिलपत् । जगदघकर्षित्वं वा कथयदृषि: कृष्णनाम ते व्यतनोत् ॥५॥ kR^iShidhaatuNakaaraabhyaaM sattaanandaatmataaM kilaabhilapat | jagadaghakarShitvaM vaa kathayadR^iShiH kR^iShNa naama te vyatanOt || The putting together of the root of the verb Krish and the suffix N, denoting the combining of Existence and absolute Bliss, which is Thy real nature, declaring, the sage gave Thee the name Krishna. Also signifying the drawing away of the sins of the people of the world, the name Krishna was given to Thee. Garga Muni is said to have named Krishna as Krishna. (Continued at H2) III Mahabharatha War : Source Wikipedia : Popular tradition holds that the war marks the transition to Kali Yuga and thus dates it to 3102 BCE. A number of other proposals have been put forward: Nilesh Nilakanth Oak claims that the war happened in 5561 BCE. Vedveer Arya gives the date of 3162 BCE, by distinguishing between Śaka & Śakanta Eras and applying correction of 60 years to the date given in popular tradition and based on Aihole inscription. P. V. Holey states a date of 13 November 3143 BCE using planetary positions and calendar systems. K. Sadananda, based on translation work, states that the Kurukshetra War started on 22 November 3067 BCE. B. N. Achar used planetarium software to argue that the Mahabharata War took place in 3067 BCE. S. Balakrishna concluded a date of 2559 BCE using consecutive lunar eclipses. R. N. Iyengar concluded a date of 1478 BCE using double eclipses and Saturn+Jupiter conjunctions. P. R. Sarkar estimates a date of 1298 BCE for the war of Kurukshetra. Dieter Koch dates the war to 1198 BCE based on super-conjunctions. Kesheo Lakshman Daftari, one of the members of the Calendar Reform Committee which prepared the Indian national calendar, holds that the war took place in 1197 BCE.[23] V. S. Dubey claims that the war happened near 950 BCE (If we factor in the averments in this link : "B.C. and A.D. - How Time Works | HowStuffWorks" https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/time7.htm even after conceding any one of the options, we'll return to square one 🙏-Warrier) 3) K Ramasubramanian Mumbai Yes, 25 years more. Belated happy birthday greetings to you as well as it was missed on 9th August Regards RAMASUBRMANIAN (Make the 25 years transferable in units of weeks. I've immediate use 🙏-Warrier) 4) J Santhanakrishnan While acknowledging Birthday greetings, Mr Warrier has not only missed Moderator Madan Gauria's name but missed my name also though I sent my greetings "Starting with GOOD MORNING" well in advance late in the previous night so that obviously he can see the same in early morning of his birthday. Since Gauria has pointed out the omission I also wanted to remind him about this. I hope Mr Warrier will not mistake me. J Santhanakrishnan (Yes, JS sent a specially designed eCard. Thanks & Apologies. Last few days my personal priorities were different. I'm yet to respond to many who have greeted me on and after October 15, 2021. They include some of my close friends. Tomorrow we'll discuss "Expectations"🙏-Warrier) 5) P R Srinivasan Chennai Please kindly accept my hearty birthday greetings, though belated. In yesterday's Collage, you have mentioned about the birthday greeting received from Shri E X Joseph, US. I was very much delighted to see this name and my memories went back to remember the events of 1963, when I was in AG Office, Madras. There was no trade union at that time, even for namesake. One day, during lunch time a trade union leader addressed the large gathering under the shade of trees, by the same name E X Joseph. The entire gathering listened to his wonderful and excellent speech, which instigated the feelings of trade unionism. Is it the same gentleman, Sir? My hearty Greetings and Salute to him. (In 1965, I resigned AG's office job and joined RBI) (Many Thanks. Conveyed your Greetings to Joseph. Yes. The same Erathara Xavier Joseph who was the Secretary General of All India Audit and Accounts Employees Association. Some years later he resigned from Bombay AG's Office and later became an Advocate. Now with daughters settled in US. I was in Thiruvananthapuram AG's Office during 1964-68 Joined RBI in 1968 and retired from Mumbai in 2003 🙏-Warrier) Joseph responded : Thank you very much for forwarding the message of Mr P R Srinivasan. Thank you very much Mr Srinivasan for remembering and recalling those days. Oh! those days were wonderful filled with friendship, pure love and respect. Many hurdles and challenges could be overcome with unity, courage and love. I was welcome in every home irrespective of caste, religion and race more so by the older parents and children of my friends. Golden days. Thank you once again. Joseph 6) V Babusenan Thiruvananthapuram Smt Vathsala Jayaraman's description of a father who brings up three motherless children, silently enduring many a hardship, will bring tears to anyone's eyes. Such dedication is very rare in life. One sees the other side of the coin rather more. Here is an example of a paterfamilias who had avidly believed in the dictum : 'Spare the rod and spoil the child.' He had not only believed in it, but, with a leechlike insistence, believed that his neighbors should also know that. He was the father of the well-established humorist in Malayalam literature, who, in turn was the father of Adoor Bhasi, the top comedian of the black and white Malayalam cinema. E V Krishna pillai was his name(affectionately called EV) EV's father was a lawyer's clerk who used to return home late, late in the sense that, any boy of the age of EV, would have already gone to sleep. The man had given strict instruction to the boy that, when he reached home, he should see him reading aloud his lessons. The boy's mother took pity on him, as most mothers do, and entered into a small arrangement with him : In those days, there were no street lights, no electric torches. Just to see the path, people carried torches made of dried coconut palm leaves called chootu. EV's mother would permit him to sleep at the spot where he was reading. She would watch for the chootu. On sighting it at a distance, she would wake him up and, when the patriarch entered the gate, he would see his son reading and everything was fine. Occasionally the plan would misfire, like any human plan, leading to disastrous consequences. This happened when the man suddenly became an economist and , in order to save fuel, quenched the flame on approaching home. It would then be too late for the mother to wake up the son. What surely followed was this : The boy himself had to bring his scourge from the nearby tamarind tree. He would then be tied to the pillar on the veranda. The thrashing would go on until a kindly neighbor, hearing the shouts of the poor boy, interfered. The father would be doubly happy. He did not spare the rod besides convincing the neighbor of his adherence to this great principle. What a loving father! Here we have seen a sample of the total absence of paternal love. Not only the absence of love, but the manifestation of paternal cruelty. At the other end of the pendulum stands Rahula, the famous son of Lord Buddha. Siddhartha left him when he was a mere child. His boyhood passed off without his father's loving hand stroking his body to wake him up in the mornings. Some may object saying that, had Siddhartha, the prince, not abandoned home at the time as he did, the world would have lost a great seeker of truth. That also is true. 7) S R Badrinarayanan Cheñnai Always the teachings of great men are simple and straight, especially Buddha. Gauthama, the Buddha is also known for his superb teaching viz " Desire is the root cause for all evils"! We, therefore, know the solution. The world has accepted it as a guideline and left it to be followed by the rest. Hence no need to change. ... Badri 8) N Kasthurirangan Songs played today are outstanding. The song on Godess Saraswathi in Arabhi Raga is very inspiring. Congratulations to the singer B Current Affairs Kerala Floods https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kerala-flood-latest-updates-18-dead-rain-partially-subsides-details-here-101634436481666-amp.html Rainfall in Kerala continued to disrupt normal life in the southern state on Sunday, with as many as 18 people losing their lives to rain-related incidents so far and dozens of others missing after flash floods and landslides in multiple regions. Officials said rescue efforts are in full swing, with the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Navy joining in with the local administrations to assist them with the operations. The rainfall situation has also partially subsided in central Kerala bur the threat of landslides and severe waterlogging across multiple districts still persists, according to officials. 2) Time to forget Paisa To The Editor The Hindu Letters October 17, 2021 Time to forget Paisa Everyday we come across variations in price of petroleum products by a few paise. In addition to health hazards to consumers as every announcement results in variations in their blood pressure, the adjustment in price structure adds to wastage of man-hours at various levels. The following short term and long term policy measures are suggested : Short term : Any price variation should be in rupee/s only except where base price or Maximum Retail Price (MRP) per unit of a product is less than one rupee. Long Term : Discontinue Paisa and make Rupee the primary Indian Currency Unit. Incidentally this will release computer space and bring down calculation time at various levels. Not just calculation time. I remember a customer taking a public sector bank to court for not crediting a few paise to his account due to rounding off. M G Warrier Mumbai C Book Review : In Defence of the Human Being : Paul Mason https://global.oup.com/academic/product/in-defence-of-the-human-being-9780192898197?cc=in&lang=en& Cover In Defence of the Human Being Foundational Questions of an Embodied Anthropology Thomas Fuchs Against this self-reification of the human being, this book by Paul Mason defends a humanism of embodiment: our corporeality, vitality,... embodied freedom are the foundations of a self-determined existence, which uses these new technologies only as a means, instead of letting them rule us. In Defence of the Human Being offers an array of interventions directed against a reductionist naturalism or transhumanism in various areas of science and society. As alternative it offers an embodied and enactive account of the human person: we are neither pure minds nor brains, but primarily embodied, living beings in relation with others. Fuchs applied this concept to issues such as artificial intelligence, transhumanism and enhancement, virtual reality, neuroscience, embodied freedom, psychiatry, and finally to the accelerating dynamics of current society which lead to an increasing disembodiment of our everyday conduct of life. Cutting across neuroscience, philosophy, and psychiatry, this important new book applies cutting-edge concepts of embodiment and enactivism to the current scientific, technological and cultural tendencies that will crucially influence our society's development in the 21st Century. D Readers' Contributions Higginbothams : Vathsala Jayaraman Chennai Over 180 years ago a young Englishman Abel Joshua Higginbotham boarded a ship. When discovered by the captain, he was thrown out at the port of then Madras presidency. Luckily for him, being a librarian, he found employment as a store manager of Wesleyan Book Shop. The store catered to local theologians and largely sold religious works. (Continued at H1) (Higginbotham at one point of time owned some of the Railway Bookstores also. I purchased Valmeeki Ramayanam text in Sanskrit from Higginbotham, Opposite Ayurveda College, Thiruvanantapuram during the 20th Century. That was the last copy of any Sanskrit book they could retrieve from their attic that day. I had gone there in search of some other Sanskrit book 🙏-Warrier) E Blogs & Links 1) Traditional common kitchens in Kerala "Those old traditional kitchens of Kerala and its accessories have already vanished! – My Words & Thoughts" https://mywordsnthoughts.com/myworld/all-about-kerala/those-old-traditional-kitchens-of-kerala-and-its-accessories-have-already-vanished/ Author says : "Through this column let me try to bring some nostalgic moments back, which are never to return to past. Hope new generation kids will also like it. I am sure younger kids are definitely going to wonder with some of the unfamiliar things used yesterday. Such symbols used to be an integral part of Kerala's culture and tradition once, used in every home and they deeply influenced contemporary writings and literature too. When we see old black & white Malayalam movies, mostly which deals with rural themes, we often get glimpses of such traditional kitchens, and how previous generation cooked food in earthen pots using wooden hearths." 2) Mother Nature is so graceful https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/political-reforms/mother-nature-is-so-graceful-38344/ Diamond dew drops drip through the tiny grass Living under the roof of the vast skies Lovely cattle freely graze on the green field Bees and butterflies throng fragrant flowers Sweet honey drops await their eager fold Majestic mountains and steep valleys need no dividend To be absorbed in deep penance, have nothing to hide Water springs cascade from great heights, touch the land Flow in full freedom know not any altitude or attitude Wild winds give instant release to numerous tiny insects Relieved of their burden to search for many tracks Indeed Mother Nature has gifted us treasures in abundance Everything seen anywhere is nothing but Her Grace When the lust and greed subside by clearing the veils Nothing can shake the innate spirit that is forever Noble Posted online comments : "feeling more than nostalgic. feeling like going back to 1950\'s, when i was a child wandering in beautiful village where dew-drop-like fluids hung on roots of grass, where we could taste the milk from the yet to mature paddy grains straight from the field, mother while milking the cow in the compound, called and gave warm fresh milk almost direct from the cow\'s udder to taste... every aspect of nature had a mother\'s affection...' F Leisure 1) Humour* Looking at the crowd, who was about to burn him, Ravana angrily asked, "Did I kidnap any of your wives..??? u idiots..!!! A voice from the crowd said.. "No, You didn't..!! That is why we are doing this to u"....!!! *Forward received from R Jayakumar via Group mail. Humour, seriously, continues : (I swear by all 10 heads of Ravana that I was not in that crowd as I am not allowed to move out of the house. Please report, if something happens to any of the remaining heads of Ravana in any area this week 🙏-Warrier) 2) Social Rules* "20 Social Rules You Need To Know" 1. Don't call someone more than twice continuously. If they don’t pick up your call, presume they have something important to attend to. 2. Return money that you have borrowed even before the person you borrowed remembers or ask for it. It shows your integrity and character. Same goes with umbrellas, pens and lunch boxes..etc. 3. Always open the door for the person coming behind you. It doesn’t matter if it is a guy or a girl, senior or junior. You don’t grow small by treating someone well in public. 4. Don't ask awkward questions like ‘Oh so you aren’t married yet?’ Or ‘Don't you have kids’ or ‘Why didn’t you buy a house?’ Or why don't you buy a car? For God's sake it isn't your problem. (Continued at H3) *Received from T R S Iyer. Don't go back to Iyer if you can improve any of these 🙏-Warrier G Quotes about folktales "TOP 12 FOLKTALES QUOTES | A-Z Quotes" https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/folktales.html After all, is it not the way we humans shape the universe, shape time itself? Do we not take the raw stuff of chaos and impose a beginning, middle, and end on it, like the simplest and most profound of folktales, to reflect the shapes of our own tiny lives? And if the physicists are right, that the physical world changes as it is observed, and we are its only known observers, then might we not be bending the entire chaotic universe, the eternal, ever-active Now, to fit that familiar form? Tad Williams (Robert Paul "Tad" Williams is an American fantasy and science fiction writer. He is the author of the multi-volume Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, Otherland series, and Shadowmarch series as well as the standalone novels Tailchaser's Song and The War of the Flowers.) H 1) Continued from D1 Abel was a sincere and dedicated worker, but the mission was Iosing its profits and in 1844, when they decided to shut the store, they offered Higginbotham the option of buying out the stock. Higginbotham's mother died when he was 12 and he was in the care of missionaries of the Church of Scotland. His obit, written soon after his death in 1891, states that he had two careers before he went on to become the owner of the bookstore. One was that of a seaman, an occupation he took up after he completed school. The vagaries of the sea, and the rough life, evidently didn't appeal to him. When he tried to abandon his ship and return to India, he was caught and compelled to serve out his apprenticeship. A myth or two soon grew that he had been a stowaway, trying to steal his way into a seaman's career. A J Higginbotham took the opportunity; he bought the shop and renamed it ‘Higginbotham’ The store gained popularity for its quality of books and diversity of subjects, Abel was adept at tracking down and procuring rare and in-demand books. A guide book published in 1859 by John Murray titled Presidencies of Madras and Bombay listed Higginbotham as a _‘premier book shop’_ If you are a book-lover and live in Chennai the name “Higginbotham” is bound to stir up a lot of memories. For all old-timers residing in Chennai, whether it was where they bought their first book or the classic chequered flooring, its high arches or the wooden railings, Higginbotham brings fond remembrances. The beloved bookstore once served royals, Prime Ministers, and institutions for more than a century. India's oldest bookstore, still in business after 175 years, began with a stowaway and his sheer luck Higginbotham opened its first bookstore in Bangalore at M G Road in 1905 in a two-storey Graeco-Roman-style building constructed in 1897. This is the oldest bookstore in existence in the city The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 provided Europe with direct access to Asia in record time. The three-month journey from England to India was reduced to three weeks. Trade and tourism increased and ships carrying foreign goods arrived quickly. Large crates for Higginbotham were being offloaded at the Madras port. They contained precious cargo—books and publications that were topping the bestseller lists in Europe Higginbotham became India’s largest bookstore chain in the 19th century. As it grew, so did its reputation. History has it that Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, was a voracious reader. Higginbotham was also appointed as his official bookseller when he visited India in 1876. They were called upon to provide the prince with appropriate reading material following his arrival at the Royapuram Station in Madras. This led the bookshop to attract a large number of elite clientele. By the beginning of the 20th century, Higginbotham had already become the official book supplier for the government and expanded to publishing with cookbooks Their customers ranged from the British Prime Minister Clement Atlee to the Maharaja of Mysore, Jayachamaraja Wodeyar. Hardly surprising then that Mulligatawny Soup and Madras Curry Powder became legacies of the British Raj only after Higginbotham first printed their recipes A J Higginbotham passed away in 1891, leaving his son C H Higginbotham, in charge. After he took over, he went on to spread this legacy across south India. The bookshop shifted to its present location at Mount road (now Anna Salai); the white building is one of the landmark and heritage structures in the city. By the 1940s, it had stalls at the Central Railway Station in Chennai, and the Ernakulam Junction Railway Station in Kochi, making books accessible to travellers After Independence, in 1949, *S Anantharamakrishnan* of the _Amalgamations Group_ took over the bookstore—the year the company became an Indian company. Despite its long history, Higginbotham remains young by constantly meeting the ever-changing needs of its esteemed customers. Even in this digital age physical books retain their charm. Regional language publications have always been dear to Higginbotham. The Chennai showroom has an exclusive section for Tamil books. At present, the Higginbotham group has more than 20 stores spread across South India. The Chennai store holds a special place in history as the first and the oldest bookstore, with an ambience that takes you back to a time long gone. Vathsala Jayaraman 2) Continued from A(1) II 2. Did Krishna never do any miracles? Please read the following passage: After wandering in the forests & suffering multiple hardships; the Pandavas have come back home with new vigour; Good luck doesn’t always continue, let us see what happens next. To show the path of friendship to bring everyone on the path of righteousness; in order to convince Duryodhan and to prevent massive destruction; The Lord came to Hastinapur with a message from the Pandavas. If you are just, give us half the Kingdom if not then at least give us five villages and keep the rest of it to yourself; We will live there happily and will never raise weapons against our relatives. Duryodhan refused his offer and instead ordered that the Lord be arrested; When the end draws near, the first thing a man loses is good sense; The Lord roared & revealed his true divine form; The court trembled as the Lord in a great rage spoke; Bring out your chains come & try to arrest me. See the skies which are a part of me; See the wind which is a part of me; See the entire universe which is a part of me; See all the living beings within me; See them being born from me and dying and returning to me; The dawn resides my forehead; The solar system in my chest; See my arms enveloping the Universe; See the Mainak & Meru are at my feet; See my mouth that holds all the luminous planets & constellations. If you are capable, see the whole universe which resides in me; Millions of suns & millions of moons, millions of seas & rivers; Millions of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh; Millions of victorious & wealthy beings; Millions of Rudra & time; Millions of Kings; See the Earth & hell, see the past & the future; see the cycles of birth & the war of the Mahabharata. The land is covered with the dead; Now try and find where are you among them; See the heavens & the hell; See me control the past, present & future; Look at my terrifying appearance; Everyone is born from me; and everyone eventually returns to me; My mouth spits fire, my breath gives birth to the wind; where my eyes see, nature blooms there; but when I close my eyes, death reigns. You have come to arrest me, but have you got a chain big enough? If you truly wish to chain me, then first you will have to bind the heavens; He who cannot measure infinity, how will he ever bind me? You did not listen to my requests, you did not value your friends; So I leave here, pledging before you; No more requests, now there will be war; And we will either win or die; There will be no more requests, there will be war; Life will be about victory or death. Constellations will clash; Fire will rain down on earth as the mighty fight; and death will open its jawsand death will open its jaws; Duryodhan, the war which will happen now; will be such as will never happen again; Brothers will fight brothers as arrows rain down; The good men will suffer even as the jackals & hyenas (wicked) cackle in glee; You will be destroyed; You will be the cause of all the violence. A deadly silence had fallen over the courtroom, the courtiers were petrified; No one knew if they were quite or unconscious; only two men were unaffected, one the blind King Dhritarashtra & the other his Prime Minister Vidur. They stood up with their hands joined in devotion, calling out praises of the Lord (Source: translation of Ramdhari Singh Dinkar poem ) Was this miracle or nots 3) Continued from F2 5. Praise publicly. Criticize privately. 6. When someone shows you a photo on their phone, don’t swipe left or right. You never know what’s next. 7. Never talk about your riches in the midst of the poor. Similarly, don't talk about your children in the midst of the barren. 8. If you take a taxi with a friend and he/she pays now, try paying next time. 9. Respect different shades of opinions. Remember what's 6 to you will appear 9 to someone facing you. Besides, second opinion is good for an alternative. 10. Never interrupt people talking. Allow them to pour it out. As they say, hear them all and filter them all. 11. Treat the cleaner with the same respect as the CEO. Nobody is impressed at how rude you can treat someone below you but people will notice if you treat them with respect. 12. There’s almost never a reason to comment on someone’s weight. Just say, “You look fantastic.” If they want to talk about losing weight, they will. 13. If you tease someone, and they don’t seem to enjoy it, stop it and never do it again. 14. Say “thank you” when someone is helping you. 15. If a colleague tells you they have a doctors' appointment, don’t ask what it’s for, just say "I hope you’re okay". Don’t put them in the uncomfortable position of having to tell you their personal illness. If they want you to know, they'll do so without your inquisitiveness. 16. If a person is speaking directly to you, staring at your phone is RUDE !. 17. Never give advice until you’re asked ! 18. Mind your business unless anything involves you directly.- JUST STAY OUT OF IT. 19. Remove your sunglasses if you are talking to anyone in the street. It is a sign of respect. More so, eye contact is as important as your speech. 20. Never order the expensive dish on the menu when someone is giving you a lunch/dinner. 4) Secrets of a beautiful life* : Khushwant Singh 98 [10/17, 10:46] Bhaskar RBI: Tip for a Long & Healthy life- a Must Sunday read "Rookhi Sookhy Khai kay ..” By Khushwant Singh @ 98