Warrier's Collage on Monday June 20, 2022

Welcome To Warrier's COLLAGE On Monday June 20, 2022 1) Theyyam from Malabar https://youtu.be/FNSQmHrmUhw 2) Know more about Theyyam : https://www.keralatourism.org/malabar/theyyam/18#:~:text 3) Malabar Raman Nair : Ottan Thullal https://youtu.be/mic09-1ir3Y Good Morning Nice Day M G Warrier Guru Vandanam https://youtu.be/TayudM2VmVs Meaning : http://aumamen.com/mantra/brahmanandam-parama-sukhadam-lyrics-meaning A Messages/Responses 1) P P Ramachandran Mumbai Of academic interest only : 1 Have you heard this story of Nair offering his Sepoy as a substitute? 2 During your training in Staff College in Madras did you have a chance to visit GIGGLES Bookstall of Nalini Chettur-a member of the great family? Second greatest bookseller of India, next only to Shanbag of Strand. The shop was an Appendage of Connemara Hotel in Anna Salai. PPR ( 1 & 2 : No Sir. Inspired by S Thyagarajan's mail on Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair and your valuable additions, today Collage focus is on Malabar. I couldn't so far read even 10 percent of the books I collected (including Gita Press edition of Mahabharata*) since 1963. I'm a slow reader. I get good sleep once I think of reading good books. As regards bookstores, this week, Collage will try to focus on major bookstalls one day. Thanks 🙏 and Regards-M G Warrier) *Amazon link : Mahabharat (Part 1 - 6), In Hindi, By Gita Press Gorakhpur, (New Edition) https://amzn.eu/d/2xxcvOw I purchased these 6 volumes during last Century for a total cost of < Rs 600/- from a Bookstall in Thiruvananthapuram. Even today, publications of Gita Press Gorakhpur are heavily subsidized. Recently I subscribed for Prabuddha Bharata a monthly published since end of 19th Century-Warrier 2) C V Subbaraman Namakaranam is one of the sixteen sacred samskaaraas according to Hindu customs and way of life. Sages have laid down that Naamakaranam has to be done on the 11th or the 12th day of the childbirth. They have also said how name is to be chosen. A large number of people in the North India even today follow the practice of choosing a name that begins with a specified alphabet depending upon the Janma Raasi of the Child. Books are published giving lists of names - The Nakshatra Syllable Charts. According to this Lord Krishna who was born in Rohini Star should have been given a name beginning with O, Va, Vaa, Vi, Vee, Vu, Voo, Wa, Wu! However Maharshi Garg in his superior wisdom named the child Krishna as the child was dark in complexion. But numerous other names got added to the child in due course depending on the child's achievements. In those days, names had some significance. They were connotative, not mere labels to identify unlike the present times when names given are without any purpose or significance. However, one would wonder why the Maharshi named Balaram as such even though Ram was dark and Balaram was fair in complexion! In the Hindu belief and practice, there are 1008 names for almost all deities! John Stuart Mill, the distinguished thinker and writer, said emphatically that proper names are nowadays mere labels and they have no purpose. Even if there is a purpose behind it, it may last for ever. For this he says that the town Portsmouth got the name as it stands at the mouth of River Ports but if the river were to change its course the town would still be known as Portsmouth. There is however no hard and fast rule among Indians as to how a child should be named. Ultimately, it is left to the family tradition and local practices and culture. Among most of the South Indian brahmins, a child used to be named after its grandfather or grandmother. This practice is still practised by many families, though in the urban and metro areas it is vanishing. Many children are given two names: one for "official" records and another within the family circles. And these names have their own variations for brevity sake or as nicknames. For instance, Subramanian has its variations like Subrahmanyan, Subramonian, Subromoni, S. Mani, Manian, ...There are thus enough to cause confusions already and these confusions are compounded by the official practices which also vary. Some offices ask for first name, middle name and last name. Which is the first name which is the last name? Who will decide? In other official parlance, it is said surname, father's name, and name. All this seems ridiculous, because who will decide what should be my name? Will some offices decide or me or my family? When I went to USA in 2002, my name in the ticket was correctly given as C V Subbaraman. But another airliner had unilaterally changed the name to V. Subbaraman Chittur and accordingly mentioned it in the return ticket. When on my return I presented myself at the airport and said my name was C V Subbaraman, they said there is no such passenger booked! I was shocked. After some explanations and arguments, the airlines staff had to rebook my ticket mentioning the correct name therein!! I used to often wonder why I should lose the freedom to call myself as I wish to and allow myself to be known by some other name dictated by someone else. It is the common practice to add to the maiden name of a girl her spouse's name once she get married. Why should it be so? Does she not have the freedom to continue her name as she wishes to? Even though there is no hard and fast rule in this, offices insist upon this illegally. But there are some cases where such insistence has not been done, but these seem to be selective. For instance, Miss Jennie Lee continued to be styled as Jennie Lee even after her marriage to Aneurin Bevan. Names are given differently by different communities. One does not really know how these names and surnames stuck to absurd extent. For instance, the surname Mistry is given to a person engaged as a carpenter. In the early times, a carpenter's profession was a family profession. So the surname stuck. But if a person born in Mistry family is now engaged as a computer engineer or a teacher in an educational institution, is there any point in his still having Mistry as a surname? I believe that John Stuart Mill's observation works here. Besides, many names are nowadays given just at the drop of the hat. Monty, Bunty, et al. Where will all this end? Govinda! Govindaa!! subbaraman 3) V N Kelkar An interesting piece of brief write up by Reshmy Warrier. She has summarised her thoughts on a female taxi driver so well. Her observation that Mumbai is by and large a safe haven for women is right. The other day my daughter Vaishali (50) left our home at 11 30 p m to go back to her residence at Dadar. Soon thereafter we called her up twice and she told us stop worrying so much. VNKelkar (My daughter Reshmy is working with Zee5 Global. That night she had returned from Hyderabad where she had gone for work- Warrier) 4) Vathsala Jayaraman Comparing notes 🎶 Happiness has become a competition. Suffering has become a competition. If you say you are having a tough life, the other person claims he or she has it tougher. Indirectly they mean that they are “working harder" in life. If you share your happiness, the other person tries to ruin your thunder by overshadowing it. Life has become a competition and constant comparison. (Continued at H1) 5) V T Panchapagesan Do not compare but think……well. Yes, Happiness keeps one SWEET Because wants are limited unlike others. Trials keep one STRONG Because they are accustomed to hard work. Sorrows make others HUMAN Because they get detached from the scene.. Failure keeps HUMBLE Because they shed EGO. Success keeps one GLOWING Because they SWEAT. ABOVE ALL FAITH GOES KEEPING AS IT IS THE POSITIVE FORCE ENRICHING HUMAN LIVES.. V T Panchapagesan 6) Media Response June 19, 2022 Mixing welfare with election This refers to the story "PM launches welfare schemes totalling Rs21,000 crore in Gujarat; State polls in Dec" (The Hindu Business Line, June 19). For political parties on either side (ruling or opposition), winning elections will always remain the uppermost priority. Announcement of welfare and development schemes is an ongoing process. The caption of this story implies that PM's announcements on June 19 is timed closer to ensuing elections six months away. The allegation makes sense only if the announcement of schemes were delayed to bring it closer to the elections. Otherwise, it's part of the job of governments in power. Governments on their side should ensure that formulation and implementation of popular welfare schemes are not delayed to synchronise with election schedule. M G Warrier Mumbai B V Babusenan's Column : Alberuni Whenever I see and resee Mohanlal's action-thriller film 'The Ustad,' the great name of the original owner comes to my mind. It is that of Alberuni, the Iranian scholar of the early 11 Century CE. The appellation 'scholar' is too inadequate to describe him. He knew every subject, known in those days, from A to Z and wrote in Arabic. He came to India in the year 1017 along with his marauding Sultan Mahmud of Ghasni, a couple of years his senior. While the latter plundered the rich Somnath and Mathura temples 17 times(he had no other intention), the former stayed here and learned Sanskrit. Being primarily a mathematician-cum-astronomer, he translated the 6th Century astronomer Brahmagupta's treatises into Arabic. He delved deep into all subjects, dispassionately observed people and, after the consistent effort of years, produced a 'History of India'*, held in high esteem as the mirror of 11th Century India. He went back to Ghasni and died at the middle of the Century. Somebody asked Alberuni why he underwent so much trouble to write this book. He replied that the lack of knowledge about a country's worth and culture is the main factor that encourages another to attack and plunder its wealth. Alberuni's reply, given one millennium ago, is quite valid even today. *Know more : https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/alberunis-description-of-india-1497421908-1 Alberuni's Description of India Alberuni was a renowned philosopher, a mathematician and a historian. He came in contact with Mahmud when he had invaded Khiva and he was presented before him as prisoner. In his book Tahqiq-i-Hind in which he portrays the social, political, religious and economic condition of the then India. Here, we are giving the Alberuni's description of India to understand the socio-political-economical situation of that era. C Collage Books Malabar Manual : William Logan MALABAR by William Logan [along with a Commentary by VED from VICTORIA INSTITUTIONS]: MALABAR MANUAL https://www.amazon.in/dp/B078YBVMPB/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_CX8X59NV23T36BEHSHN4 William Logan's 'Malabar' is popularly known as‘Malabar Manual’. It is a huge book of more than 500,000 words. This book, Malabar, will give very detailed information on how a small group of native-Englishmen built up a great nation, by joining up extremely minute bits of barbarian and semi-barbarian geopolitical areas in the South Asian Subcontinent. Some of the mentionable historical items that can be found in this book are Hyder Ali and his son Sultan Tippu's invasion of Malabar, and the attempts to over-run Travancore; Pazhassiraja insurgency; Mappilla outrages commencing from 1832 onwards which ultimately culminated in the so-called Mappilla Lahala; Murder of Henry Valentine Conolly; and the historical events that led to the English East India Company setting-up a sensible administration in a geopolitical area, which had experienced continual internecine violence right from times immemorial. Beyond that a lot of other information is also there, with regard to castes, taluks, minor kingdoms, ports and harbours, waterways, mountains, temples, mosques, various Christian denominations, Hindus (Brahmins), Nayars, other populations like Thiyyas etc. Since at least some of this information is of a contrived nature, it might be good to have a look at the Commentary on this book written by VED from VICTORIA INSTITUTIONS. This book 'Malabar' was presumably made as part of the Madras Presidency government’s endeavour to create a district manual for each of the districts of Madras Presidency. William Logan was a District Collector of the Malabar district of Madras Presidency. A number of extra images have been added in this new edition of the book. Since the text and images have been taken from the currently (December 2017) available online, low-quality scanned files of the original book, there can be some inadvertent errors in the book, such as typos, missing text etc. However, a lot of care has been taken to make the book error-free. However, no guarantee in this regard can be given. Some images can be grainy, blurred and faint. As to the COMMENTARY by VED from VICTORIA INSTITUTIONS: A lot of such bits and pieces of information has been inserted, by directly quoting the lines from ‘Malabar'. On these quoted lines, I have built up a lot of arguments, and also added a lot of explanations and interpretations. I do think that it is much easy to go through William Logan has claimed the authorship of this book. There are locations where other persons are attributed as the authors of those specific locations. The tidy fact is that the whole book has been tampered with or doctored by many others who were the natives of this subcontinent. Their mood and mental inclinations are found in various locations of the book. The only exception might be the location where Logan himself has dealt with the history writing. More or less connected to the part where the written records from the English Factory at Tellicherry are dealt with. His claim, asserted or hinted at, of being the author of the text wherein he is mentioned as the author is in many parts possibly a lie. The book Malabar ostensibly written by William Logan does not seem to have been written by him. It is true that there is a very specific location where it is evident that it is Logan who has written the text. However, in the vast locations of the textual matter, there are locations where it can be felt that he is not the author at all. There are many other issues with this book. Apart from all that, in the Commentary part, there is a hidden information on why basically decent persons are going berserk in native-English nations. For instance, Adam Purinton D Collage Profiles 1) Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair While every Indian knows about Jallianwala Bagh massacre, few of us think about the reactions of the British public to the event. The massacre itself was blacked out by the government in India and martial law was in place. When news got out, the British tabloids referred to Jallianwala Bagh massacre as the “Amritsar affair” — in an obvious use of minimising language. How could the "affair" change the attitudes of British public if they were denied truth? The answer lies , as often, in the efforts one man. A man whose origins are as far away from Punjab as one can imagine. Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair was born in an aristocratic family in 1857 in Palakkad district of Kerala. His strong sense of fairness and justice, drove him to pursue law. Nair was an iconoclast and defied the dictates of Vakil association, which said no Indian would work under a British barrister. His reason : his clients had the freedom to choose their lawyer. To him justice mattered more than the color of the lawyer's skin. He was a vociferous advocate of social reforms. As Madras High court judge, he ruled that those who converted to Hinduism cannot be treated as outcastes. He also supported inter-religious marriages and was clearly ahead of his time. He became the youngest leader of Indian National congress. When the Montagu Chelmsford reforms were introduced in 1908, he called out the act as being partial. Even though Sir Edwin Montagu called him an “impossible man", the British respected his moral rectitude and knighted him in 1912. In 1915 Nair became a member of the powerful Viceroy council and was given the education portfolio. Then Jallianwala Bagh happened. Nair resigned from the Viceroy council in protest - something unheard of, at that time. He wrote“Gandhi and Anarchy” in which he openly accused Punjab Governor Michael O'Dwyer (the man who would be later shot by Shaheed Udham Singh). In response, O'Dwyer filed a defamation suit against Nair. Nair faced a suit against a British man in a British court , presided over by a British judge and a British jury. All cards were stacked against him - yet he fought valiantly. The trial was the longest civil case London had seen until that time and lasted five and a half weeks. It laid threadbare the British atrocities in India and got extensive press coverage, something neither Nair nor O'Dwyer could have imagined. The British public, for the first time, understood that the call for Indian Swarajya wasn't rebellious or seditious. Sadly Nair lost the case 11 to 1 and had to pay a fine of 500 pounds. O'Dwyer said he would forgo that amount if Nair apologises. To which Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair said, "I would rather pay 500 pounds than say something I don't believe in. Besides what's the guarantee that the next 12 shopkeepers in a British court wouldn't side with their own? “His fearless nature ensured that people all over the world heard about Jallianwala Bagh massacre. From New York to Paris, from Berlin to Moscow, Nair shook the image of the mighty British Empire, if only for five weeks. Some battles aren't fought to be won, but to show the world that a man stood his ground on the battlefield. The greatest tragedy such a warrior can face is being forgotten, erased from the history books of the very nation he fought for. The least we can do to correct such historic wrongs, is to tell our children about courage and conviction of our heroes. *Shared by S THYAGARAJAN via Group mail (Like Iyers and Iyengars from South, many Menons and Nair's from Malabar with humble beginnings have reached higher levels later in life-Warrier) 2) Communist Rama Warrier https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/warriersviews/remembering-a-freedom-fighter-from-wayanad-t-rama-warrier-42478/ Excerpts : "T Rama Warrier from Wayanad was a recipient of Tamra Patra an honour given to freedom fighters who survived even after 25 years post-independence. April 3, 2022 was TR’s 27th Memorial Day. TR is my wife Sudha’s father. I met him first a day after Vishu in 1973. With a senior relative I reached Mananthavady late in the afternoon that day to see Sudha. We knew from locals that at that time TR will be in town. Before we reached the shop where we were told TR used to manage his small business, he had closed the day’s work and started walking home. He was walking westwards, protecting his face from the sunrays by holding up copy of the day’s Indian Express in his hand." E Blogs & Links 1) Malabar Festivals https://malabarfest.in/ 2) News you can use : Personal Finance Public Provident Fund https://www.businessleague.in/post-office-superhit-scheme-big-news-deposit-rs-12000-every-month-get-a-rs-1-crore-profit-check-here-complete-scheme/ You can open Public Provident Fund (PPF) account at the post office or bank branch. This account can be opened with just Rs 500. In this, up to Rs 1.50 lakh can be deposited annually. The maturity of this account is 15 years. But, after maturity, there is a facility to extend it further in the bracket of 5-5 years. Present rate of interest is 7.1 % p a. 3) Fact check : Railway concession https://www.indiatoday.in/fact-check/story/fact-check-senior-citizen-concessions-indian-railways-viral-post-hoax-1963329-2022-06-16 The viral claim that Indian railways will resume concessions in ticket pricing for senior citizens from July 1 is a hoax. No such decision has been announced by the Ministry of Railway. F Faith https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1538274138715848704?s=20&t=EGZTG0mpJGTtwS2n8l69Rw Unity in Diversity - 287 मसतकि पदमु दुआलै मणी माहि निरंजनु त्रिभवण धणी पंच सबद निरमाइल बाजे ढुलके चवर संख घन गाजे दलि मलि दैतहु गुरमुखि गिआनु बेणी जाचै तेरा नामु God within lotus & jewels in forehead Celestial music & Conch Shells Spiritual wisdom trampling demons Beni, 974, SGGS G Quotes from Malabar Manual https://quotepark.com/works/malabar-manual-14194/ Like : "The younger cadets of Nambutiri families live with Nayar women merely reproduces in English the Malayali mode of describing the married life of these people and of the Nayars. It is part of the theory that the women they live with are not wives, that they may part at will, and that they may form now connections. This part of tho Malabar law has, in the hands of unenquiring commentators, brought much undeserved obloquy on the morality of tho people." H Continued from A2 What is the need? Do we check ourself when time to time we also do the above? Why does the EGO get triggered so much? Are we addressing our insecurities and turning inward to eradicate it? Are we really happy? True success is not having the best of things and status but having a mind which is at peace. Diverting is only a temporary solution but being blissed out even when doing nothing is the best feeling. Lack of comparisons, doing only what we really want, finding contentment, being flexible to changes of life and adapting accordingly, finding happiness with our reality, channeling your desires the right way goes a long way in being happy. Even then the world will try to rip you apart coz honestly many people do not like seeing others truly happy. One need not share one's happiness with others to“look" successful but be your own judge. Self awareness is the best way. The positive quotes in Google might motivate but always take it with a pinch of salt. It is all man made and sometimes it is toxic positivity.”Never give up, your best is not "best enough”all these sounds great but do not blindly get influenced coz if one does not achieve their goals in time, it might even lead to depression. There is nothing called failure or success. Everything is a perception and life is just a game. Learn the game, enjoy and play it without tracking the end goal. Society is just an illusion. Me, him, her, this neighbour all together make a society. What is the need to prove to others that we are awesome. If someone has achieved something great. It is what they want. The tears and pain behind that is the“sacrifice” they made to get what they wanted. One needs to walk through the fire if that is what they need. They are just working for their dreams. That's all. It never indicates they are better or one is lesser. We all have our personal dreams and we need to understand what we are ready to sacrifice and what not and just stick to it. Even a small cooking which is appreciated by our family is still an achievement. Never underestimate yourself. More importantly, no matter what others say or do. It is only you who knows the real you! you live with yourself and not them. So every time ask yourself“Why should we get bothered by the comments of someone who just met me one hour? Why am I not believing myself coz am the only one who knows me completely and is with me all the time” Marketing and consumerism. Social media influences society. They sell products indirectly hinting that buying them would make your more prettier or happier. Does it? Many end up overspending, getting into debt and losing their health. Be smart and don't fall prey to the marketing gimmicks. Some People feel just coz they earn more or they are very pretty or they have worked very hard, they deserve the best of relationships, best happiness. All that hardwork will buy a million dollar mansion, a Tesla or a merc but not happiness. Happiness is a state of mind. Money buys comfort but not happiness. Yeah true it is comfortable to cry in a Ferrari but that person is still crying and stressed. Working hard for what we really want is happiness and passion. Working hard without the love for it is stress. Every problem has a solution. Take calculated risks and how we perceive the problem and handle it takes care of most of the problem. Relationships are one thing but stay detached. People come and go. Friendships come and go. People will help if they will and people won't if they don't want to. Never be a people pleaser. We come alone and will die alone. Be detached and have less expectations from anyone. More than identity, one needs to have humanity. Life is unfair and certainly some people have advantages over others but so do you in many other ways. People would love to have your life when you are trying to live the life of the other. Grass is greener on the other side. True independence is being content,debt free and not blindly being a slave to desires and others' opinions. We control the mind. Not the other way around. Have a goal in life.It could be anything but have a goal. Everyday work towards it. It gives a state of contentment and fulfillment. If your goal is to be happy, even better! Do things that make you happy everyday. Celebrate your life! Most importantly, Celebrate yourself! You are deserving and just beautiful the way you are. Love and self care is very important. You are unique and there is nobody in this world who is like you. Philosophical me, Vathsala Jayaraman :)