Warrier's Collage Sunday February 20, 2022

Welcome To Warrier's COLLAGE On Sunday, February 20, 2022 (Weekend Edition) 1) Yoga of Meditation https://youtu.be/GGYGxdcdE40 (Link Selection : Collage) 2) Narasimha...: Kathakali https://youtu.be/sREzFsl2gEc 3) Know more https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/narasingha-avatar 4) Sandal wood art https://youtu.be/Z02m54diAMI (Link Courtesy : A P Ramadurai) Good Morning Happy Birthday to all readers having Birthday during the week ending Saturday February 26, 2022. Ayurarogyasaukhyam to all readers. 🙏 Nice Day M G Warrier A Responses 1) C V Subbaraman Apropos Vathsala Jayaraman's write up on principles, the best principle is to either have no set principles or to have "adaptability" as a principle which is the dignified term to have no principles. We are all, in a way, adopting the trait of "adaptability". Perhaps this is a positive quality as mentioned in our Self Appraisal form? Subbaraman 2) Vishnu Kelkar Ref : B3-(a) Well said. Negative bias is leveraged by the media to increase profits. Bad news get more attention, more clicks and to more revenue for publication : https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor/article65055746.ece 3) M G Warrier shared a memory In response to S K Gupta's observation on delayed justice : Though Britishers said "Justice Delayed is Justice Denied!", timely dispensation of justice has been rare. Restricting the discussion to service related issues including pension revision, let me share some thoughts. When I joined AG's Office Thiruvananthapuram in September 1964, some senior colleagues were fighting a case in the Supreme Court of India. One Mr Pereira and another Mr George were Petitioners Nos 1 & 2 and the respondents included C & AG, Union of India and perhaps State of Kerala. The petitioners were working in Travancore Government's Accounts Department at the time of formation of State of Kerala. When their work got shifted to AG's Office the employees were allowed to opt for AG's Office (1957). They were seniors in the clerical cadre. When their turn came for promotion to Officer's level, AG's Office asked them to appear for the Subordinate Accounts Service Examination. They pleaded for exemption from the requirement, as they had spent long years in state government service where no such requirements for promotion to higher levels existed and their age didn't allow them to undertake the studies of the type needed for passing tough exams. As they didn't get favourable decision in lower courts the case reached Supreme Court. Finally they got a Supreme Court decision in their favour. By the time they received notional promotions and arrears of salary, some of the beneficiaries had retired two or more years earlier. M G Warrier B Current Affairs 1) Crypto Currency https://m.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_SpeechesView.aspx?Id=1196 Excerpts : Cryptocurrencies – An assessment (Keynote address delivered by Shri T Rabi Sankar, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India - February 14th, 2022 - at the Indian Banks Association 17th Annual Banking Technology Conference and Awards) Shri Goel, Chairman IBA, Shri Mehta, Chief Executive IBA, Prof Phatak, Chairman of Awards Jury, members of the Jury, MDs and CEOs and other senior functionaries of banks, ladies and gentlemen Let me begin by congratulating the winners of the IBA Banking Technology Awards. It is indeed a privilege to be among so august an audience and so learned a gathering and be able to talk about an issue of momentous significance – how to deal with cryptocurrencies. Crypto technology and Web 3.0 is dominating the mind-space not just among the technology community but the financial industry as well. Cryptocurrencies, as per their proponents, have the potential to pay a critical role in how finance pans out in the future; indeed, there is open speculation about whether finance as we know it and banking as we know it can survive the rise of cryptocurrencies. In this talk I will try and give you my assessment of cryptocurrencies and what they mean for our financial system. **** Conclusion 37. We have seen that crypto-technology is underpinned by a philosophy to evade Government controls. Cryptocurrencies have specifically been developed to bypass the regulated financial system. These should be reason enough to treat them with caution. We have also seen that cryptocurrencies are not amenable to definition as a currency, asset or commodity; they have no underlying cash flows, they have no intrinsic value; that they are akin to Ponzi Schemes, and may even be worse. These should be reason enough to keep them away from the formal financial system. Additionally, they undermine financial integrity, especially the KYC regime and AML/CFT regulations and at least potentially facilitate anti-social activities. More substantially, they can (and if allowed most likely will) wreck the currency system, the monetary authority, the banking system, and in general Government’s ability to control the economy. They threaten the financial sovereignty of a country and make it susceptible to strategic manipulation by private corporates creating these currencies or Governments that control them. All these factors lead to the conclusion that banning cryptocurrency is perhaps the most advisable choice open to India. We have examined the arguments proffered by those advocating that cryptocurrencies should be regulated and found that none of them stand up to basic scrutiny. 38. Writing in the New York Times12 Adrian Chen noted as far back as 2013 that Bitcoin is built on a weird mix of speculative greed bolstered by a utopian cyberlibertarian ideology and likened it to a digital gold rush. Indeed, hyperbole continues to characterise all aspects of the crypto world. Crypto messaging does not appear to be directed at the rational or sensible. Global advertisements with themes such as the ‘fortune favours the brave’13 is reflected somewhat in our very own ‘lag ja re…kuch to badlega’. It would serve us well if the understanding about cryptocurrencies goes beyond the hype and gets rooted in reason and pragmatism. 2) For the record RBI Governor and FM Media Interaction https://m.rbi.org.in/scripts/bs_viewcontent.aspx?Id=4086 3) Media Response (a) https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor/article65055746.ece February 16, 2022 Speed up administration of justice This refers to your editorial "Fall from grace" (The Hindu Business Line, February 16). Negative stories have a longer shelf life in our minds and in the media. Leaving the subject matter of your editorial, if we think dispassionately, we will find, in the recent past, a major portion of pages and time of mainstream media -leave alone Social Media- gets allocated for sensational negative news and discussions. This trend is visible in discourses and debates in legislatures across the country also. One reason could be, it is easy to criticize. But it's not that simple. We have evolved the politics of opposition for decades now. We wait for adverse things to happen and then criticize. Prevention is always better than cure. Across the world, people who manage institutions including courts and governments happen to be a cross-section of the society they belong to. There's nothing unnatural in the infiltration of undesirable and unscrupulous elements at various levels in organisations irrespective of their public or private ownership. The delay in law enforcement and bending and breaking of laws to delay detection of crime and administration of justice encourage criminals to flourish. The solution lies in making judiciary and supervisory and regulatory organizations more efficient and effective. M G Warrier Thiruvananthapuram Responses 1) V T Panchapagesan Nicely written. This is the present scenario prevailing. Even medias are bent upon spreading negativity for selfish gains. We need to change for betterment. Ignorance begets Fear. Let us remove ignorance spreading knowledge. V T Panchapagesan 2) D Subbarao Former Governor, RBI "Very apt Shri Warrier" 3) Vathsala Jayaraman I totally endorse what you say. Negatives have a deep impact and they don't leave us so easily. Rightly or wrongly people are captivated by sensational news leaving the essential ones. (b) Pay disparities February 18, 2022 Pay disparities This refers to the article "Time to end exorbitant executive pay" by N Madhavan (The Hindu Business Line, Matters of fact, February 18). The analysis is focused and relevant across the sectors irrespective of technicalities of "ownership". Let's be aware that whether through equity contribution, taxes, by investment in different savings instruments including insurance and retirement funds or bank deposits, public share in resources tapped by private and public sector companies and organisations is substantially high in India. Let's recall during the post-independence and pre-constitution days when President's salary was fixed at Rs10,000 per month, the ratio of minimum and maximum remuneration in India was roughly 1 : 10. Executive salaries in private sector too didn't go to much higher levels than the President's salary. The issue is more deep rooted than the glaring aberrations quoted. It's high time we looked at Costs, Prices, Wages and Income Policy more closely with international comparisons and cases of sectoral and geographical imbalances within the country. Incidentally wage disparities have led to concentration of industrial production units dependent on deployment of more workers in certain states. Yusuf Ali recently proposed to start his production units in UP and open more sales outlets in Kerala! M G Warrier Thiruvananthapuram C Spirituality/Faith 1) SUNDAY COLLAGE : V T Panchapagesan SUNDAY COLLAGE : Satsangam with Panchapagesan The purpose of our life is not to make a living but to make a Life... Living is not to Impress by : Money, Titles, Appearances, Social Media, Achievements, Degrees.. But to Impress by Kindness, Empathy, Generosity, Humility, Integrity, Honesty... Recent 3 incidents which have shaken us & made us rethink, where we are moving. 1 Man, who was owner of Rs 12000 crores empire Raymonds is now living in rented room on hand to mouth basis because his Son has shown him the Exit door. 2 A Billionaire Woman who died in her posh Flat in Mumbai , her body discovered a year later which had become shaken in one year and her millionaire son did not even bother to know about her, during the previous one year. 3 An IAS level officer committed suicide because he was unable to cope up with the stress of his family issues. Whatever we have in our life TODAY, please​ be happy with that. Then... Michael Schumacher*, one of the greatest drivers of Formula 1, is forgotten and fighting for his life after a ski accident in 2013 when he sustained severe head injuries! He weighs a mere 40lbs today and is fighting for his life daily. To think... he won 91 GP and was 7 (seven) times world champion. The speed was in his soul but on a day of relaxation in a ski resort, fate intervened and his life changed forever! To-date, his medical bill is around 14million Euros, his wife had to sell his properties to pay the medical expenses. His tragedy could be a lesson in life for all of us. There is nothing permanent in this short sojourn on earth. Why bicker about race and religion when we all end up as skulls and skeletons without a difference! We need money to survive but we need not be consumed by it. Do not be unkind to ourselves by saying we will enjoy tomorrow as tomorrow may never come. Do not give excuses to have a good time with family and friends. For, in the end, only they matter. All we have today is today's time. Let's do good & learn to live a contented life! Have no grudges with anybody. We just have today.. Stay Healthy Forever V T Panchapagesan 2) Dr Charan Singh singh (@CharanSingh60) Tweeted: Unity in Diversity - 164 भरमे भूली रे जै चंदा नही नही चीन्हिआ परमानंदा Bhagat Trilochan is telling a devotee - The world has gone astray, is in delusion (that garb is enough for spiritual attainment) Need is to understand/recognise Supreme bliss-God 525, SGGS https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1493694967134711809?s=20&t=mrpGgqknHMxjd2wyVJ4dSg charan singh (@CharanSingh60) Tweeted: Unity in Diversity - 165 मन आदि गुण आदि वखाणिआ तेरी दुबिधा द्रिसटि समानिआ Bhagat Jaidev says, when mind praises and emulates virtues of God, then that habit/thought/sight of duality changes. You will begin to see oneness, God, in all 1106, SGGS https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1494062305646383104?s=20&t=o7ocnugER1dilKAdxO2eZA charan singh (@CharanSingh60) Tweeted: Unity in Diversity - 166 अगनि मरै जलु लोड़ि लहु विणु गुर निधि जलु नाहि जनमि मरै भरमाईऐ जे लख करम कमाहि गुरु नानक, १५११ How to douse fire of desire which leads to birth-death, wandering? Except Guru, nobody has that water/recipe & nothing else helps Guru Nanak, 1411, SGGS https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1494426830283354113?s=20&t=GTYw76IBZxr4DPpEVS8PrQ charan singh (@CharanSingh60) Tweeted: Unity in Diversity - 167 इहु जगु सचै की है कोठड़ी सचे का विचि वासु इकन्हा हुकमि समाइ लए इकन्हा हुकमे करे विणास This world is house & abode of God Some are united some destroyed (So, always seek guidance of Guru) Guru Angad, Rag Assa, 463, SGGS https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1494758856958054400?s=20&t=rHILN7b4_DdxTw17dAHvjQ D Readers' Contribution V Babusenan's "Fond memories" continues : A friend whom I like greatly for his sometimes ruthless frankness told me once : "You say you are a writer and that you have written about a dozen books. I have gone through the list. I have read some of them too where you cared to give them free of cost. You wrote two-three books on Russell, one book on Kunchan Nambiar, one on atomic reactors, one on life science, one on human happiness, one on Sherlock Holmes, like that. Fortunately for us, the readers, the book you wrote on Indian-English poetry remains unpublished yet. If you won't get hurt, I wish to say that your wares look like those of a wayside hawker. God is merciful in the sense that He has not bestowed on you the gift to write poetry. You could have done well had you focussed on one or two topics." I merely smiled. What else could I do? In a sense, he was telling the truth. Esteemed readers, my literary effort was akin to an old plant blooming. My first book saw the light of day when I was past 67. Obviously, it was not a carefully cultivated one. It was, according to me, the outcome of a benign conspiracy of circumstances. I tried to explain what it was in my previous write-up. Kindly bear with me for a little more. To write a book on a multifaceted and great personality is not an easy matter for any one, especially the inexperienced. The most important thing is what not to write rather than what to write, keeping always in view the readability factor. The temptation will always be there to make use of the data collected with great effort. In this respect, I am eternally indebted to one person for the book on Russell. He was a retired professor of zoology : Shri P Appukkuttan(alas! he is no more) He patiently went through the draft and gave very valuable suggestions which I gratefully incorporated. His happiness was unalloyed when the book received three awards. One day, I went to see him for a casual talk. I found him sitting with a bulky volume on his lap. His eyes were so revetted on a diagram in the book that he did not see me for a short while. "Sorry Senan", he said, "I was absorbed in this diagram of a human cell division. Do you know, it is wonderful mathematics and engineering put together." "I know, Professor, that the human body consists of innumerable cells and not beyond that. You know that I didn't study the life science at any stage". (He was my senior alumni at SN College, Kollam) He was a very good talker, precise and clear-the 'mitham cha saram cha vachohi' type. He explained to me the various functions the cells do : how they produce the proteins needed for the body to function, how wonderfully they divide themselves to form new ones, how they transfer the stuff of heredity. He also explained the terms chromosomes, DNA, where the latter sits in a cell, how it transfers the formula for the making of a protein and goes back to its seat etc, etc. I sat spellbound. When, at last, he stopped, I said : "Professor, why don't you write a book for the benefit of the common readers?" "You mean popularisation of the fast developing life science?" he asked. "Exactly". " That needs a lot of energy which I don't have now. " " Don't worry, Professor. I shall do the writing part." " I don't need a mere amanuensis. I won't dictate." He smiled. "I understand." said I. The British Library appeared in my mind. Thus began a collaboration that resulted in the publication of a book titled 'Jeevassutta Jeevasaastram'(Life Science Full of Life) It was conceived as a discussion among some retired friends under the banyan tree in the temple premises and guided by a retired professor of Zoology who originally belonged to that place and came there for a short while with his grandchild to spend part of her vacation. (Needless to say that he was Prof Appukkuttan himself) The genetic part of the discussion was piloted by a Malayalee scientist, the Professor's favourite former student currently a researcher with the Roslin Institute under the University of Edinburgh that created Dolly, the sheep. The research team of The India Today weekly included the book among the top ten Malayalam books published in that year. One popular publication described it as a beautiful venture of co-operative farming in popular science. A prestigious literary club in Thiruvanathapuram honoured it as the best book discussed by it in that year. E Blogs & Links 1) My Story So Far Chapter 3 : M G Warrier https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/warriersviews/my-story-so-far-chapter-3-alone-in-the-crowd-41321/ 2) Steroids https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/legalprudence/performance-enhancing-drugs-41265/ Excerpts : The usage of steroids is a very subjective matter. It is totally a personal decision to hop on a cycle of go off-cycle. In the sport of bodybuilding, you have to get on the juice because there is no chance that any person can build the number of muscles pro-bodybuilders do. I can name a few steroids like Trenbolone, GH, Aquaviron, etc which bodybuilders generally use. They use it to give themselves a larger than life look on the stage and to get that stage physique steroids are necessary. And everyone standing on the competition stage are juiced to the gills. As a first year learner, I am not on the 100% knowledge of morals and ethics but I believe that the profession of bodybuilding requires the use of steroids and I think from a bodybuilding standpoint and how much the industry has grown, it puts morals into a grey area. Whereas in athletics it is completely unethical to use steroids as the organizations which regulate sports like boxing, MMA have put a ban on steroids as it obviously gives an edge over other athletes and sanctions bans on people who use them in competition. 3) Geeta Ravichandran about books https://www.deccanherald.com/content/496343/through-bookworms-eyes.html Excerpts : "Every time we have moved houses, a large quantity of books have moved with us. It has been a challenge to find a place for them in many of our new homes. But like the good companions they are known to be, they have adjusted admirably to the space available..." (Many of us who belonged to the transferable category of RBI Family would be able to copy-paste paragraphs from Geeta's article, if we're to write about books 🙏-Warrier) 4) Collage Profile : From Madras Courier Midas man with the noble touch https://madrascourier.com/biography/konosuke-matsushita-midas-man-with-the-noble-touch/ F Leisure 1) A forward received from P P Ramachandran via Group mail WHY GOD MADE MUMS Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions: Why did God make mothers? 1. She's the only one who knows where the sticky tape is. 2. Mostly to clean the house. 3. To help us out of there when we were getting born. How did God make mothers? 1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us. 2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring. 3. God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts. What ingredients are mothers made of ? 1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean. 2. They had to get their start from mens' bones. Then they mostly use string, I think. Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mum? 1. We're related. 2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's Mums like me. What kind of little girl was your Mum? 1. My Mum has always been my Mum and none of that other stuff. 2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy. 3. They say she used to be nice. What did Mum need to know about Dad before she married him? 1. His last name. 2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? 3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores? Why did your Mum marry your Dad? 1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot. 2. She got too old to do anything else with him. 3. My Grandma says that Mum didn't have her thinking cap on. Who's the boss at your house? 1. Mum doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such an idiot. 2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed. 3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad. What's the difference between Mums & Dads? 1. Mums work at work and work at home and Dads just go to work at work. 2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them. 3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Mums have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's. 4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine. What does your Mum do in her spare time? 1. Mothers don't have spare time. 2. To hear her talk, she pays bills all day long. What would it take to make your Mum perfect? 1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery. 2. You know, her hair. I'd die it, maybe blue. If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be? 1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that. 2. I'd make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me. 3. I would like her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head. 2) Smile* On a bus, a priest sat next to a drunk who was struggling to read the newspaper. Suddenly, with a slurred voice, the drunk asked the priest: "Do you know what arthritis is?" The parish priest soon thought of taking the opportunity to lecture the drunk and replied: "It's a disease caused by sinful and unruly life: excess, consumption of alcohol, drugs, marijuana, crack, and certainly lost women, prostitutes, promiscuity, sex, binges and other things I dare not say." The drunk widened his eyes, shut up and continued reading the newspaper. A little later the priest, thinking that he had been too hard on the drunk, tried to soften: "How long have you had arthritis?" "I don't have arthritis! It says here in the paper that the Pope has it." *Received from A P Ramadurai via email 3) Putin Jokes* Just as we have Rajnikant jokes, in Russia it seems they have Putin jokes.... When Putin was late for school, the teacher punished the whole class for being early When Putin's phone rings in the theater, they pause the movie. Doctor: "You have Cancer" Putin: "Tell it, it has two weeks to live" When Putin looks in the mirror, there's no reflection because there is only 1 Putin. When Putin was born, he named his parents. Russia didn't choose him, he chose Russia. Putin Arriving at Foreign Country's Airport Customs Officer : "Occupation?" Putin: "No, just visiting." Putin calls 911 to ask what is their emergency. Putin built the hospital in which he was born. This guy never flushes the toilet, he just scares the shit out of it. When Putin was born, he slapped the doctor for not crying. When Putin didn't go to school, the school declared it a Holiday. Stop calling him Russian James Bond. James Bond is British Vladimir Putin. When Putin creates an account, the terms and conditions agree with him. When Putin coughs, Covid wears a mask. *Forward received from Dr T V Surendran Mananthavady G Collage Choice : Book Review Mainstream Weekly : Focus on Tamil Nadu http://mainstreamweekly.net/article12077.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email Tamil Migrants: A Demographic, Social and Economic Analysis by S. Irudaya Rajan, Bernard D’Sami; Samuel Asir Raj, P. Sivakumar Orient BlackSwan 2021 Pages: 312; Price: Rs 1,095 ISBN: 9789354421266 Excerpts : "Tamil Nadu has certain characteristics. With an estimated population of 78 million as estimated based on the 2011 Census, Hindus form 79 percent. It is one state in India where the Christian population is more than the Muslim population. Religion and culture provide a favourable environment for Muslims to work in Gulf countries. It is the sixth largest state in India in terms of population. Of the 32 district in Tamil Nadu, half have a sex ratio favourable to females. Projections show that Tamil Nadu’s population will go up to 76.8 million in 2031 and thereafter start falling; in 2051, it would be more or less similar to the population in 2021."