Warrier's Collage April 28, 2022

Welcome To Warrier's COLLAGE On THURSDAY April 28, 2022 Pablo Picasso : About his paintings https://youtu.be/H0dJFvffYh8 (Uploaded 3 years ago) Poothappattu : A dramatic presentation of Edassery Govindan Nayar's Malayalam poem. https://youtu.be/lO59-m7ABAc (Link Courtesy : Edassery Madhavan Thrissur) Good Morning Today Kiran Warrier and Smitha have Wedding Anniversary. Best Wishes to them. Nice Day M G Warrier Tomorrow in Collage : India's Heritage A Responses/Messages 1) Dr T V Gopalakrishnan Ref : Chinmayananda's discourse (Collage April 27, 2022) The speech is excellent worth hearing repeatedly so that some values can be imbibed and the mind can be made to introspect to have noble thoughts followed by noble actions benefiting the society. Wonderful message worth spreading. 2) Vathsala Jayaraman Ref : Priya Gopal's article on school reopening in Collage on April 27, 2022 Interesting experience with five year old kids. In Madras it is a month since the schools have reopened. While children around nine years welcomed the school, younger kids are adamant not to enter the school clinging to their mothers. Teachers and parents who were much worried, now have got relaxed as the younger kids too started loving school environment. The regular jolly atmosphere has returned. It is only a question of few days. Kids get adjusted easily. Vathsala Jayaraman (Reminded of my wife Sudha's KG Teacher days-Before going to Yoga Vidya Niketan for Yoga Teachers' Training, she had twenty years experience as KG Teacher behind-when she used to share her experience in the school. One day when I took my daughter Reshmy to leave her in LKG Class, in Sudha's school, a cute pre-KG girl child was clinging to a teacher and crying. I tried to pacify the child holding her hand and promising, I would solve her problem, if she stopped crying and revealed the reason for crying. Mentioning "Ammakkumma koduthilla..."(Forgot to kiss Mom before she left) she continued crying. The teacher and a couple of others around who were watching, laughed loudly and the child also smiled😊-Warrier) 3) P P Ramachandran Thank you for including Priya's article in Collage today(April 27, 2022). I convey Priya's Special Thanks. 4) Vishnu Kelkar 'Children are scoring high as parents are attempting the exams.' The writer Priya Gopal has made factual observations on online classes. Our maid was quite happy to see that her only daughter got very good marks in school tests during corona era. As her daughter will start going to school from June 2022, that too in higher class, i.e. in Class VI she is under great stress as she clearly knows that her daughter has lost valuable two years of learning in classroom. The article is well written and focuses on challenges faced by the teachers, school children and their parents during pandemic and what's in store as schools resume offline. Congratulations to Priya Gopal for her thoughts. VNKelkar 5) Media Response April 27, 2022 Time for another Swadeshi movement This refers to your editorial "Another oil, similar woes" (April 27). Boosting local production and supporting marketing of local products by policy intervention like including more indigenous products in Public Distribution System are excellent suggestions which, if implemented successfully, will give faster results in the medium term. The hurdle is conflicts of interest between states and Centre in arriving at consensus in policy formulation. Having said that, there is no escape from accepting a "Swadeshi" approach in resources management in production, procurement and consumption. At least in short term, it would be advisable to keep imports to the minimum and postpone external borrowings where feasible, till clarity emerges in global economic environment. M G Warrier Mumbai B Babusenan's Column Unnayi Variyar Kerala has no dearth of temples, and, there is one in Irinjalakuda town in the Thrissur district which has some peculiarities including the deity worshipped, the deity being Bharatha, Rama's younger brother. It is perhaps the only one of it's kind. But, not very far away are situated, in three different places, one temple each dedicated to Rama, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Thriprayaar is the name of the place where the Rama temple is located. It is believed to be a great spiritual achievement if one could visit all these four temples at one stretch. The temple at Irinjalakuda, where Bharatha is installed as deity, is called Koodalmaanikyam temple and is an ancient one with many peculiarities : Though the presiding deity is Bharatha,the installed idol resembles Lord Vishnu. The deity moves out of the sanctum sanctorum only once in a year, that is, during the festival and he does so in full panoply. A grand procession of seventeen caparisoned elephants- seven wearing forehead plates of shining gold and the other ten wearing forehead plates of shining silver ,with a small elephant each walking on either side of the elephant carrying the idol- 'a sight so touching in its majesty!' There is a story behind the name of the temple. One day, the idol suddenly started glowing like the precious stone 'maanikyam'(ruby). Someone brought a manikyam stone from elsewhere to compare the glows. While doing the comparison, the maanikyam ,that was brought from elsewhere, slipped from the holder's fingers and merged with the idol. This merging together, this 'koodal'(in Malayalam)gave the name 'Koodalmaanikyam'. Whatever that may be, the majestic 'kootthambalam'(the special hall where temple arts like Chaakyaar koothu, koodiyaattam, and kathakali are performed) the architectural beauty of the temple and the grandeur of the elephant-oriented processions attract tourists also from far and wide. 'Warriers' are those traditionally employed in Hindu temples to make flower garlands to adorn the idol of worship. 'Warriem 'is where the warrier lives and, in the warriem south of the Koodalmaanikyam temple, there lived in the latter part of the 17th century,an young warrier well-versed in Sanskrit and endowed with extraordinary poetic gift. His name was 'Rama' but he was better known as' Unnayi.' He created a string of 500 verses in praise of the deity in Sanskrit and thus became well known. This helped him to get the patronage of the then ruler of Travancore which brought him to Thiruvananthapuram where he met the legendary Kunchan Nambiar. They became thick friends. There are many interesting anecdotes connected with their friendship revealing Warrier's preference for the Sanskrit word and Nambiar's leaning towards the mischievous. Here is one:Both of them saw two beautiful girls on their way to the bathing pond. Warrier said:"Kathilola" Nambiar said : "Nallathaali". Ola being a kind of ear ring worn by Malayalee girls and thaali being a herbal preparation meant for cleaning the body while taking bath, to anyone the remarks would be only innocent observations, namely that the girls were wearing ola in their ears and carrying with them some good thaali. But, actually, the former was an enquiry in Sanskrit : "Ka athi lola?"(Who is the more beautiful? ) Nambiar answered in Malayalam: "Nallathu aali"(The better is the assistant) ! The king was fond of both Warrier and Nambiar and the outcome of the patronage can be said to be a great contribution to the artform, special to Kerala, known as Kadhakali. The story that is performed on the stage is called aattakkadha while the actual performance is called kadhakali. Unnayi Warrier wrote an aattakkadha for kaddhakali, which is adjudged the greatest ever written aattakkadha. In the epic Mahabharata there are many stories which, although not forming part of it, do have some purpose to serve. 'Saakunthalam' is one such story which Kalidasa made into an eternal play. Another is 'Nalopaakhyaanam.'(The story of Nala) The story is told by a sage to cheer up Yudhishthira who was in a despondent mood on having been driven out into the deep forest with the other Pandavas. It was the story of Nala, the Nishadha king and Damayanthi, the Vidarbha princess, who had successfully faced worse trials in life. The12th Century poet-cum-philosopher Shri Harsha wrote a mahaakaavya in Sanskrit known as 'Naishadham'. Warrier used the Nalopaakhyaanam and the Naishadham to compose his 'Nalacharitham'(Nala's story) aattakkadha. It is structured in such a manner that it needs four nights to complete its performance. In an attakkadha, there are only slokaas and songs. Slokaas are explanatory notes and the dialoges and soliloquies are in songs.Popular Carnatic ragas like kalyani, bhairavi, thodi, kambhoji, mukhari and pantuvarali, in slow tempo, are used. The writer of an aattakkadha should have a good knowledge of the puranas and classical Carnatic music. The actors are mostly mute and they express themselves through body language, especially with the deft movements of fingers called 'mudras'. Unless one is familiar with the mudras, one's appreciation of kadhakali will not be complete. The genius of Unnayi Warrier found great scope for action, bhava and rasa in Nala's story and is stated to have done justice to all such factors. The language used is poetic and of a range between simple Malayalam and pucca Sanskrit. Here are two examples: Raga: aahiri "Thotteneh njaan kaikal kondu Thozhimaareh-kayyil Kittukil nannaayirunnu Keli cheyyuvaan" (Damayanthi, the heroine ,tells her friends on seeing at close quarters the swan that brings love message from Nala, the king of Nishadha : "I would be happy if I could touch him with my hands. I would be happier still if I could catch hold of him to play with him.") Going to the other end, we see the Brahmin who brings the news of the missing Nala to Damayanthi (Bhaimi) telling her in Sanskrit: Raga : Madhyamavathi "Yami, yami, Bhaimee, kaamitham Seeghram saadhayishyaami Saami saadhitham mayaa. " ("Bhaimee, I am going. Half of your wish I have completed. The remaining half I will complete now".) What he meant was that he had already located where Nala was and that he was going to bring him to her presence. Between these extremes, we get a lovely mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam words soaked in music. Sanskrit was not a hindrance in those days to enjoy kathakali. Those who had access to koothambalams knew sufficient Sanskrit to enjoy Kathakali. (Koothu and Koodiyaattam were full of it) That is how Ottanthullal was born and, according to its protagonist, Kunchan Nambiar, for thullal : "Vadiviyannoru charu Kerala Bhasha thanne chitham varoo." (Only the trim and lovely Malayalam will suit) Know more : https://www.thetimesoftruth.com/revisiting-kathakali-classics-the-hindu/ C Art Talk : Raja Ravi Varma https://youtu.be/DTTpwJGVsqU Encouraging Collage readers' talent Many of our readers and their children and grandchildren have talents in various fields which we do not discuss much. C Gopalakrishnan, who shares his paintings in RBI Retirees Group, PPR's daughter Priya Gopal whose article was included in Collage yesterday, Charukesi Ramadurai who is a columnist in reputed magazines, Vathsala Jayaraman's grandson Aditya Anandan (now in US) who is learning music, my daughter Reshmy Warrier and my grandson Govind Kiran are some of the names coming to mind. Some of them are popular in mainstream and social media. These are names we have seen in Collage. There are many others about whom we are yet to know. Let's encourage them also. D Paintings by Reshmy Warrier https://www.instagram.com/p/CTriRpdK-GY/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://instagram.com/reshw?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= E Healthcare Causes of confusion* By Arnaldo Liechtenstein, physician: "Whenever, I teach clinical medicine to students in the fourth year of medicine, I ask the following question : "What are the causes of mental confusion in the elderly?" Some answer : "Tumors in the head". I answer : No! Others suggest : "Early symptoms of Alzheimer's". I answer again : No! With each rejection of their answers, their responses dry up. And they are even more open-mouthed, when I list the three most common causes: - uncontrolled diabetes - urinary infection - dehydration It may sound like a joke; but it isn't. People over 60 generally stop feeling thirsty and consequently, stop drinking fluids. When no one is around to remind them to drink fluids, they quickly dehydrate. Dehydration is severe and affects the entire body. It may cause abrupt mental confusion, a drop in blood pressure, increased heart palpitations, angina (chest pain), coma and even death. This habit of forgetting to drink fluids, begins at age 60, when we have just over 50% of the water we should have in our bodies. People over 60 have a lower water reserve. This is part of the natural aging process. But there are more complications. Although they are dehydrated, they don't feel like drinking water, because their internal balance mechanisms don't work very well. Conclusion: People over 60 years old dehydrate easily, not only because they have a smaller water supply; but also because they do not feel the lack of water in the body. Although people over 60 may look healthy, the performance of reactions and chemical functions can damage their entire body. So here are two alerts: 1) Get into the habit of drinking liquids. Liquids include water, juices, teas, coconut water, milk, soups, and water-rich fruits, such as watermelon, melon, peaches and pineapple; Orange and tangerine also work. The important thing is that, every two hours, you must drink some liquid. Remember this! 2) Alert for family members: constantly offer fluids to people over 60. At the same time, observe them. If you realize that they are rejecting liquids and, from one day to the next, they are irritable, breathless or display a lack of attention, these are almost certainly recurrent symptoms of dehydration. Inspired to drink more water now?? Send this information out to others! DO IT NOW! Your friends and family need to know for themselves and help you to be healthier and happier. *Message shared by my well wisher Sudha Warrier via WhatsApp-Warrier Bonus : Dream as a medium of story telling https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/the-mobile-story/a-dream-42707/?comments=show Posted online comments : "excellent way to give expression to your thoughts. i think human mind sometimes uses dreams to remind you of certain realities around which you sectively ignore. loved the conclusion :"do the deed to the best of your abilities; donâ t get attached to the deed itself or its outcome. be a doer and an observer at the same time. just live the life in the moment, observe and savor it." good advice. keep writing. you have a style which will make your presentations interesting." M G Warrier F Leisure 1) English is Amazing* : Body parts as verbs Many parts of the body can be used as verbs in either a physical or a metaphorical sense. You can head a company, but if things go wrong you'll have to shoulder the blame, or face your investors. A good leader will back his employees, but if you don't toe the line the management can skin you. Did you muscle your way into that job? You might eye someone suspiciously, or wait for the police to finger a suspect. But if you need to get out of town, you can thumb a ride or you can ride with me if you can stomach the thought. Use strong arm tactic if you want to elbow out someone. I don't always sing along with the radio, but I sometimes do mouth the words. (To all English-Language Lovers) *Received in RBI Retirees Group Thiruvanantapuram 2) Free airborne jokes* In good humour Free For ALL JOKES TIME An airoplane made an emergency landing on water. Air hostess asked the passengers to slide down to the lifeboats, but the passengers refused. Air hostess then asked the Captain Pilot to help. The Captain being very knowledgeable and experienced, guided her : "You tell the Americans this is an ADVENTURE. Tell the British this is an HONOUR. Tell the French this is a ROMANTIC activity, and Tell the Germans this is the LAW. Tell the Japanese this is an ORDER, and everyone will be sorted out.” Air hostess asked : "Can I convince the Pakistanis?" Captain : "Yes dear, just whisper, "This is a suicide mission." Air hostess again asked : “And what about the Singaporeans?” The captain, taking a deep breath, patiently explained : “You need not tell the SIngaporeans anything, my dear. Once they see a QUEUE, they will join it without questions.” Air hostess remembered the flight had some passengers from India. Air hostess then asked : “What about Indians?” The captain laughed : “Easy. Just tell the Indians this activity is FREE.” *Shared by S Venugopal 3) Received from Thiruvananthapuram RBI Retirees Group An Old man has 8 hair on his head. He went to Barber shop. Barber in anger asked: shall i cut or count ? Old man smiled and said: "Colour it!" LIFE is to enjoy with whatever you have with you, keep smiling. If you feel STRESSED, Give yourself a Break, Enjoy Some.. Ice cream Chocolates Cake Why? B'Coz STRESSED in reverse Spelling - DESSERTS !!! Alphabetic advice for you: A B C Avoid Boring Company.. D E F Don't Entertain Fools.. G H I Go for High Ideas . J K L M Just Keep a friend like ME.. N O P Never Overlook the Poor n suffering.. Q R S Quit Reacting to Silly tales.. T U V Tune Urself for ur Victory.. W X Y Z We Xpect You to Zoom ahead in life If you see the moon ..... You see the beauty of God ..... If you see the Sun ..... You see the power of God ..... And .... If you see the Mirror..... You see the best Creation of GOD . So Believe in YOURSELF. Our aim in life should be 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 9 - glass drinking water. 8 - hrs sound sleep. 7 - wonders tour with family. 6 - six digit income. 5 - days work a week 4 - wheeler. 3 - bedroom flat 2 - cute children. 1 - sweetheart. 0 - tension ! If it's a repeat, don't keep it. Forward to others. G Quotes about Art by Artists https://www.timeout.com/newyork/art/best-quotes-about-art-by-famous-artists Michelangelo “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”