Warrier's Collage December, 2021

Warrier's COLLAGE On Wednesday December 22, 2021 1) Bhagavad-Gita in 3 Minutes https://youtu.be/2iCE1Oqhn9c (Link Courtesy : Soorya, Thiruvananthapuram) 2) Upanishads in daily life https://youtu.be/gphgMqA3ddo (A talk by Subramanian, Ex-RBI) Good Morning Nice Day M G Warrier A Responses R Jayakumar Spirituality/Faith "On the seat that we are sitting, many have sat earlier and departed.." When I was new in Mumbai (1965) I used to travel mostly by local trains, boarding from Chembur station. There used to be many chembur locals which when arrived at Chembur station the passengers waiting at the platform jumped inside to catch a seat even before the previous occupant got up to alight. There were arguments calling out loudly, this is my seat, I touched it first, I kept my bag on it first and so on. Though the travel is for a temporary time and many sat on the seat there was fierce fight to claim 'This is my seat'. Same is the case even now in all public transports. Even in air travel and AC and reserved travels we have to fight for 'my seat' because we find someone else sitting there already for no reason. When we are in the open no seat comes to us fresh and new and whatever seat we find is the one earlier vacated by another person. Philosophically this may mean, life is give and take or nothing is exclusive for you or nothing is permanent in this world. Personally I had different thoughts in those days. The seats in Chembur locals (Harbour Line) used to be smelly of fish and other odour and there was not much happiness in catching a seat. Standing on the door and traveling with fresh air hitting on the face was a delightful experience. Thinking of the previous person who vacated the seat I had the fear that I was going to sit on a place where a person with a highly contagious skin disease or itching was occupying. Later as travel by local trains became regular I got away from such feelings because the suburban railway network is the Lifeline of Mumbai!! Nothing is permanent for you in this world, not even your seat!! R Jayakumar 2) Vishnu Kelkar F Samantha Ramadas : His name was Narayana Suryajipant Thosar. His mother's name was Ranoobai. He was born on 'Ram Navami' day (9th day of Hindu month CHAITRA) in 1608 at Jamb, Jalana District of Maharashtra. His works include DASBODH, MANACHE SHLOK, ATMARAM, KARUNASHTAKA, SUNDERKAND and many others. Samartha Ramadas Swami's writings include strong expressions encouraging militant means to counter invaders. According to legend , Narayana fled his wedding ceremony upon hearing a priest chant the word 'SAVADHAAN' (BEWARE) during the customary ritual of 'MANGALASHTAKA'. He was exponent of 'Bhakti Yoga'. He had eleven Hanumana temples constructed in Maharashtra. Like Ashtavinayaka 'yatra', people take a tour of 11-MARUTI temples. His compilations include numerous 'Aartis', the most popular being Lord Ganesha AARTI 'Sukhakarta Dukhharta'. He also emphasised importance of physical strength. He breathed his last at SAJJANGAD (near Satara) in 1681. For five days prior, he had ceased consuming food and water. This practice of fasting unto death is known as 'PRAYOPRAVESHANA'. He continuously recalled His 'Taraka Mantra', "SHRI RAM JAYA RAM JAYA JAYA RAM" while resting beside the idol of Lord Rama brought from Tanjavur. B Spirituality/Faith 1) 'Kuchela Dinam' in Guruvayoor https://www.hindudevotionalblog.com/2012/12/kuchela-dinam-guruvayur-temple.html?m=1 Kuchela Dinam at Guruvayur Temple in Kerala is observed on the first Wednesday in the Malayalam month of Dhanu (December – January). Also known as Kuchela Avil Dinam, this day is dedicated to Kuchela, an ardent devotee of Sree Krishna. In 2021, Kuchela Dinam at Guruvayoor Temple is on 22 December. According to Bhagavata Purana, it is on this day Kuchela (also known as Sudama) brought Avil or Aval (beaten rice) to offer to his childhood friend. Pleased with the devotion of Kuchela, Lord Sree Krishna blessed him with eternal bliss and material property. 2) charan singh (@CharanSingh60) Tweeted: Unity in Diversity - 107 ते दिन समलु कसट महा दुख अब चितु अधिक पसारिआ गरभ छोडि म्रित मंडल आइआ तउ नरहरि मनहु बिसारिआ Remember those dificult days, upside down, in womb Since out, spreading your mind elsewhere, forgotten God Beni, Srirag, 93, SGGS https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1472998813530873856?s=20 C Book Review : Capitalism and Imperialism https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/book-review-capitalism-and-imperialism-by-utsa-patnaik-prabhat-patnaik-presents-a-scholarly-perspective-on-capitalism/article37932885.ece Book Review: 'Capitalism and Imperialism' by Utsa Patnaik & Prabhat Patnaik presents a scholarly perspective on Capitalism A steam locomotive on display at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, England, on September 24, 20 The productive stage of capitalism was an accidental consequence of science and technology. Photo: Getty Images The book provides valuable insights into the present state of capitalism as well as socialism as a possible alternative to it. The authors are among the leading economists globally known for their critical assessments of capitalism. And the blurb of the book says: “Mainstream economics sees capitalism as an isolated and closed system. In this pathbreaking book, the authors Utsa Patnaik and Prabhat Patnaik argue that this is both historically false and logically untenable. An essentially money-using economy like capitalism is inconceivable unless set in a pre-capitalist setting which it dominates and modifies for its own purposes.” D Temples of Kerala Pavakkulam* Shiva Temple, Kaloor Kochi https://pavakkulamtemple.in/ Pavakkulam Sree Mahadeva Temple is one of the ancient temples in south India. It is situated at kaloor in Ernakulam District,Kerala,India. Lord Mahadeva is the presiding deity of this temple. The main festival is conducted (10 days) during the month of “Dhanu”. This is an occasion when the entire city becomes focused on the temple. *Shaji Kurup, Ex-NABARD shared a photo from the temple festival celebration yesterday. E Etymology of Bombay : Madras Courier https://madrascourier.com/insight/mumba-or-bom-baim-the-etymology-of-bombay/ Excerpts : "'Bombay’ and ‘Mumbai’ have often been used interchangeably by Indians, the international populace, and even the residents, but why do the plethora of names given to the city spark political controversy? In 1995, when Shiv Sena, the political party led by the chauvinist extraordinaire Bal Thackrey, came to power after winning the Maharashtra state elections, ‘Bombay’ was officially renamed as ‘Mumbai.’ Some, particularly votaries of Marathi chauvinism, argued that the change was necessary. Bombay, they said, was a colonial name that did not represent the ‘cultural values’ of people who resided there. The name change, ostensibly, represented a transition from a colonial to a ‘nativist’ mentality. Some felt that alteration of the name was a chauvinist act by the Shiv Sena administration, aimed at erasing historical expressions, experiences, and processes that were part of the colonial past, but were not necessarily imprinted by colonialism. Bombay, the capital city of Maharashtra, had always harboured a multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic cosmopolitanism. The transformation was a carefully calculated political move, meant to replace liberal modernity with a populist, religious and ethnic identity. But what is Bombay? How do we understand the city which, in many ways, stands as a metaphor for a cosmopolitain and global world? How did Bombay come to be Bombay?" F Readers Write Literary mischief : V Babusenan In Wren&Martin, the Grammarian's Bible of yesteryears, there is a famous example of how a wrong punctuation in a judgement saved a criminal from the gallows. In the18th century, Kunchan Nambiar, the thullal artist-cum-poet who was the human manifestation of the humour aspect of goddess Saraswathi, composed a poem praising the quality of food served by the king of Chempakasseri whose patronage he enjoyed. Later, he submitted the same poem to the king of Travancore, deftly shifting the punctuation, which derided the poor quality of the same food. The king was supposedly pleased with his dexterity. He would not have believed a word of what the clever poet said. In the late 19th century, a reputed poet, having high royal connection, always gave good certificates (these were in verse form) to any poetic work submitted to him for his opinion. Once someone boldly asked him : "Sir, why do you always give such glowing certificates? What good do these serve to the budding poets?" While asking this, he was holding in his hand the great man's opinion on a collection of poems of an obviously third rate quality. The great man said with a smile : "Shift the punctuation and read. You will get what I really mean". At this stage of thinking, suddenly the Sardarji's smiling face came to my mind. I mean the late Khushwant Singh who was unbeatable in the handling of such literary mischief. It entails no punctuation trick. It is always direct but generously mixed with words of praise. No ill-will meant, only mischief. Here is a sample taken from what he wrote about R K Narayan : "He would not have gone very far but for the patronage of Graham Greene who also became a kind of literary agent for him. He also got the enthusiastic patronage of The Hindu..Greene made Narayan Known to the English world of letters; The Hindu made him a household name in India. Narayan was a very lovable man, but his humility was deceptive. Once when AIR invited a group of Indian writers to give talks and offered them fees far in excess of their usual rates, while all others accepted the offer, Narayan made it a condition that he should be paid at least one rupee more than the others." When such things and more appeared in print, Narayan ceased talking to the Sardarji. Perhaps, here the mischief was not that innocuous. G Quotes on Bombay https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/bombay-quotes Like : In writing 'The Satanic Verses,' I think I was writing for the first time from the whole of myself. The English part, the Indian part. The part of me that loves London, and the part that longs for Bombay. And at my typewriter, alone, I could indulge this. Salman Rushdie I've been to Delhi, Madras, Bangalore and a lot of other cities, but I have never seen a crime set-up like that in Bombay. Gregory David Roberts I'm a pucca Indian. Bombay is my home. Zubin Mehta