Warrier's Collage on Friday July 8, 2022

Welcome To Warrier's COLLAGE On Friday July 8, 2022 🙏 Painting By Reshmy Warrier https://www.instagram.com/p/CfmRo9Bh6Nt/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Good Morning Nice Day M G Warrier A Messages/Responses 1) V Babusenan Thiruvananthapuram Russell told two jokes in connection with the Nobel award he got in 1950. The first one was that the prize was given for his controversial book 'Marriage and Morals', knowing very well that, many of those who decided the award, would not touch it with a barge pole. There is no Nobel Prize for mathematics nor for philosophy and Russell was given the prize for his overall contribution to literature. In his address, the Secretary of the Nobel Foundation said that they were especially happy to give the prize to such a wise man who stood for free speech, in the year when the Foundation entered the 50th year of its existence. Russell said that he happened to hear that Winston Churchill was a contestant for the prize and that he was specially happy that he could steal a march over him. That was the second joke. Sir Winston got the Nobel Prize for literature three years later. But two years before Russell got the prize, his student T S Eliot, the great poet, was awarded it. 2) Dr Prabha Ramadurai I had two most memorable incidents, one on the first day of entering the prestigious RBI and the other one after 15 years of retirement. Let me first apologise for not being a regular contributor of our Collage and even if I do, it is always delayed. I think this may be due to my age and priorities. !9th October 1960. Our Deepavali day (other than South India other states mostly celebrate on Lakshmi Pooja, so no bank holiday on that day.). I got up early not because of festival but as I had to enter Reserve Bank of India to be a part of that institution. Took part in the Deepavali rituals, had breakfast and got ready to leave home. Before leaving I wanted to take my parents’ blessings so I bent on their feet. Can anyone imagine what blessing I got from my father? ”You had applied, got through all the formalities and got the appointment letter also."( All these happened without my father’s permission but with my mother’s support). My dad, a retired army man, was dead against sending his daughters for jobs. He said “This type of job (Cash Dept.) is not at all suitable for your nature and temperament. You are going to come back within a week”. Alas! His bhavishyavani failed and I worked for 36 year successfully in Nagpur, Hyderabad and Chennai, that too in Cash Dept. only, with good name and reputation. With a heavy heart but with full of excitement I entered Nagpur RBI. After due formalities I was sent to Cash Dept. and asked to sit near a lady to watch her work. The work was going in full swing. Counting, sorting, making packets with signed slips and so on and I felt like an odd man out in that atmosphere. I was feeling hungry having not taken enough breakfast due to excitement and thinking that I would be back in an hour or two and have festival lunch. When I came out of that section, to my surprise, I saw cash counters, and the banking hall beautifully decorated with thorans and rangolies. Inner sides of hall behind public counters were more beautifully decorated. Photos of Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati were smiling with beautiful garlands. With lots of curiosity “Are these daily affairs of RBI Cash Dept?” I asked a lady standing near me. With a smile she said “Oh! You are the newly appointed lady? How lucky you are to have entered the Bank on a Lakshmi Pooja day!”. Then she explained to me that it’s a custom of Cash Dept. to invite staff from other Depts. on Lakshmi Pooja day. Next day being Bank holiday, Deepavali is celebrated a day earlier. I was watching everything with mixed up feelings of joy and surprise. After the day’s work got finished, our then manager Shri Narula arrived and the pooja was performed in a grand manner. I was taken aback when Shri Narula started his speech pointing out at me that a Lakshmi had entered the bank on such an auspicious day. “Let us welcome her”. I was really in the 7th heaven. After the function was over and he called me and said that Post Office and RBI always have very good rapport. He knew my father ( in the post office) very well and hoped that I would never be a cause of concern for either of them. Till my retirement, I honoured his words. Nobody had any reason to point out a finger at me. The best part of this episode is that my father expired in the year 2006, just short of a century. He witnessed my retirement and must have been happy that his prediction about my nature and temperament went wrong. (Ego won’t have allowed to accept and tell the fact openly). Second episode follows ….. 3) F R Misquith Shared a poem To perform a miracle, One does not need a sickle, If one is filled with Faith, rather than being fickle, Funds will flow in trickle by trickle. For it has been stated by one poet of yore that 'in small measures life may perfect be', Just see how nectar is sucked in by the honey bee, It is not troublesome like a pesky flea, Only from a hornet's bite (the evil one) does it far away flee. Thus Climate Change can be brought about overnight, If each and every member of humanity readily parts with his/her mite, And does so with all their might. A 'mite box' should be kept at every street corner, In every place of worship in which folk flock to pray in Faith for succour and also honour, The box, Can be kept in every kirana store of big shop, And also at every traffic light stop, The fines collected should in a box drop, At every possible place one and all should hop, And in a box kept there put in some crop. The funds thus collected, Must on the poor, needy, downtrodden, and marginalized be distributed, Then from our lives poverty will be forever be executed, And so there will be no chance of funds every being looted. 4) Uzhuthra Warrier For happiness Russell prescribed three things. Physical health, financial security, sexual satisfaction and a hobby to engage for relaxation and diversion from cares and worries. The hobby differs from person to person. At times it occurs as serendipity. Maharaja of Baroda had Banking, cricket and interest in music and host of other activities. But at the end of the day he still did not get total relaxation. One day he thought of cooking when he found how Chef makes dishes. Suddenly he felt like trying his hands in that. When he tried that, miraculously he got totally absorbed in that and felt exhilaration. So one has to find what is suitable for oneself. If these are achieved one gets real happiness. B Indian Constitution* : M G Warrier https://www.moneylife.in/article/how-much-of-indian-constitution-is-for-we-the-people/29687.html Power and money are consciously centralised in India, right from the central government to the smallest political party fighting elections. If only our political leadership resolve to follow the Constitution in letter and spirit, everything else will fall in line “There are some fundamental issues which we are committed to and are non-negotiable—secularism, equality and non-violence. All that has been written in the preamble of the Constitution, that is our basic agenda”—Arvind Kejriwal *This article was published in 2012 C Current Affairs 1) P T Usha nominated to Rajya Sabha https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/pt-usha-nominated-rajya-sabha-165613 Former track and field athlete Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha, popularly known as PT Usha, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, July 6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement that PT Usha is a presidential nominee through a tweet, congratulating the retired athlete from Kerala. “The remarkable PT Usha Ji is an inspiration for every Indian. Her accomplishments in sports are widely known but equally commendable is her work to mentor budding athletes over the last several years. Congratulations to her on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. 2) Reserve Bank of India https://m.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_ViewBulletin.aspx?Id=21065 Article in RBI Bulletin June 2022 Excerpts: Global economic conditions continued to deteriorate as ratcheting up of commodity prices and financial market volatility have led to heightened uncertainty. Forecasts of global growth and inflation by various agencies paint a grim picture and it is increasingly becoming clear that in advanced economies, the war against inflation would entail significant monetary tightening, complicating the growth-inflation outlook. Emerging market economies grapple with the global trade slowdown, capital outflows and imported inflation. Some abatement of supply chain pressures and relaxation in lockdown measures by key industrial hubs have emerged as silver linings amidst the dark clouds looming over the global economy. In the midst of this increasingly hostile external environment, India is better placed than many other countries in terms of avoiding the risks of a potential stagflation. With most constituents of GDP surpassing pre-pandemic levels, domestic economic activity is gaining strength. The inflation print for May has brought some relief as it recorded a decline after seven months of continuous rise. The recovery remained broadly on track. This demonstrates the resilience of the economy in the face of multiple shocks and the innate strength of macro fundamentals as India strives to regain a sustainable high growth trajectory. The recent actions by the Reserve Bank which demonstrated its commitment to price stability while supporting growth augurs well in this milieu. D Collage Weekend Debate : Russell & God Opening remarks by C V Subbaraman : After persuading myself that I have been believing in God for many decades of life, I am not sure whether my "belief" is appropriate or, just a show. Is not the entity of God the outcome of my own helplessness to meet situations in life as and when they emerge? I pray to Him so that He, if He exists, may answer my prayer positively! If we go by the theory of Karma, which is becoming more and more convincing as a logical theory, what is the use of God? What is the logic of an entity like God? I have to necessarily reap the consequences of my past actions and God cannot undo those consequences. The idea of God then creates in us a feeling of dependence on an imaginary superior being and people run to a temple or a Gurudwara or Derasar for even simple day to day things in life. Is Man who is endowed with enormous power of his brain, his intellect, and his capacity to think so powerless as to become dependent? All our prayers across all religions are nothing but expressions of our own weaknesses. We want someone else to remove our difficulties! No religionist is ever clear about God. Different religions fight against each other in their quest for God. Tempers run high only because they are unsure about God even as they swear by God. Let us have an experiment : Select a region or a town or city. Deprive it of all places of worship. People there will not pray, even without places of worship. Let them carry on like this for one year. Study the result. I am sure that if all places of worship are scrapped and the moneys spent on them are diverted for human welfare, there will be tremendous progress in the world, poverty could be eliminated altogether and human beings can lead a much satisfied life all over the world. There will be no conflict of religions and no claims of superiority, no conversions, et al. There will be ONE religion and that will be the religion of MAN. If everything has a cause, God must have a cause too. Is not God then the product of that cause and therefore subordinate to it? Perhaps to avoid this tricky situation, Adi Shankaracharya propounded the theory that God did not create the myriad things of the Universe but manifested himself as the myriad things. But even this theory is not blemishless. For, what is the provocation for God to manifest Himself in different forms? Thus the Big Bang theory does not anwer as to what existed before the explosion took place? An explosion could not have taken place with nothing in the field. Subbaraman (Interesting thoughts. To take the debate further, copying at H a write up on belief written by me and shared with Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala in 2021 in the context of Sabarimala controversy. Remember, I had different "Avatars" during this life 🙏 and for different people, from my parents to the stranger who contacted me yesterday, perceptions about my belief system could be different -Warrier) E Faith : Dr Charan Singh https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1544756878676176896?s=20&t=kuNjufWF-GVFg2LVLROzbw Unity in Diversity - 305 मनमुख अंध न चेतही डूबि मुए बिनु पाणी Person following mind (and not Guru) is blind, does not meditate on God, drowns dead (spiritually) without water (but in temptations) (Thus, availed no benefit of precious human life) Guru Amardass, Srirag, 31, SGGS F 1) Weight-Loss Jokes: Reader's Digest https://www.rd.com/jokes/weight-loss-jokes/ Work your abdominals with our funny weight loss jokes. Losing weight is hard, but we're here to help. These weight loss jokes will have you laughing so hard that you might even burn a few calories. 2) Man Proposes, God Disposes🙏 Last Cup of Coffee ?* "One day, Death encountered a Man and told him : - Today's your Last Day. The Man replied: - But I am not ready! Death said: - Your name is at the top of my to-do list for today. The Man said: - Alright then… Before you take me along, let's sit together and have one Last Cup of Coffee. Death said: - Of course. The Man offered a Cup of Coffee to Death; the Coffee was laced with some sleeping pills... Death drank the Coffee and soon it was fast asleep... The Man took Death's to-do list, wiped his name from the top and placed it at the bottom of the page. When Death woke up, it said: - You've treated me so kindly and with full of Love today. I would like to reciprocate you by starting my today's work from the names at the Bottom of my List. Sometimes some things are written in your Fate. No matter how hard you may try to Change them, they never Change... The Crow and the Parrot were both created ugly. The Parrot protested and was made Beautiful. However, the Crow remained content with the will of its Creator. Today the Parrot is in a Cage and the Crow flies free... Behind each Incident is so Exquisite a Wisdom that we may never understand it. Therefore .. Never ask Why? to the Creator.❗ *Shared by S Venugopal via Group mail G Quotes on Religion and God from Karl Marx https://factaria.com/home/f/30-best-karl-marx-quotes-about-religion-and-religious-criticism One of the Most Famous Karl Marx Quotes on Religious Suffering "Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering.” ― Karl Marx H 1) Emerging Kerala Model M G Warrier The controversy over the entry of women in a certain age group in Sabarimala Temple which still remains unresolved, can be a case study to understand the multiplicity of bondages among communities in Kerala and to research how superficial and selfish motives guide mob behavior. The present temple in Sabarimala was built by a Christian landlord. Devotees of Lord Ayyappa (irrespective of their religion, caste or community) are “Ayyappaas”(The Tathwamasi concept is factored in, once a person decides to visit Sabarimala Ayyappa) during the 41 days ending with climbing Sabarimala Hills and worshipping Ayyappa. Before Ayyappaas proceed to the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, devotees worship a Muslim God “Vaavar”. All these points to the harmonious relationship fostered by Ayyappa worship. Even before going into the rights and wrongs of the present controversy, let us have a look at one aspect of the issue which is being discussed in media widely. That is the responsibility of the state government (i) to protect the interests of the devotees and (ii) to implement the verdict of the Apex Court. As the present government in Kerala is dominated by Communist Party (Marxist) with CP(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan as Chief Minister, let us find out what is the Marxist view on government and religion. Lenin on Religion The Marxist-Leninist teachings concerning religion and the attitude of the workers’ party towards religion as enunciated by Lenin in his articles Socialism and Religion, the Attitude of the Workers’ Party towards Religion and The Attitude of Classes and Parties toward Religion are: 1. That all religion is a form of “spiritual oppression”—the “opium of the people.” 2. That the programme of the Marxist Party is based on materialist philosophy. 3. That the party resolutely demands the separation of church from state and fights against both militant clerical reaction and “liberal” attempts to fog the minds of the people with religious illusions. 4. That the party does not include the propagation of atheism in its programme, nor does it demand atheism from all its members, but regards the abstract preaching of atheism and the artificial fostering of religious divisions amongst the workers as harmful and as playing into the hands of reaction. (Source : Reader's Guide to Marxist Classics) The Leninist approach at 4 is consistent with the secular spirit of the Indian Constitution. Simply put, government and religion should remain separate and non-interfering in each other’s affairs. The government should definitely play a proactive role in persuading religious and social groups to change with the times. Inside the state, Kerala has places of worship with multiple rituals and practices. From a temple in Kannur District where toddy is not taboo (Parassinikkadavu Temple) to a Goddess who accepts abusive words being included in songs sung by devotees in her praise (Kodungalloor Bhagavathy). As society progresses, changes are inevitable. The problem starts when religious or social groups get a feeling that some outside force imposes changes in isolation (to a particular region or group of people) and political interests encash the emotions of devotees of any denomination. Kerala Model Viewing from a different angle, I can visualize another "Kerala Model" emerging. Let's believe, there is no dead end in diplomacy. If one door closes, eight others will open. Politicizing issues suits while in opposition. The present CM of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan knows that more than anyone else. He has lived through dismissal of EMS ministry of 1957 in 1959, was active during emergency days and has literally survived several attacks, personal and political. The maturity in approach now evident in his thoughts, talks and actions have evolved over a long period of political Tapasya. Sabarimala episode is going to be another tough test for him, perhaps tougher than the August 2018 floods or even the current pandemic. He knows, for him and Kerala, it is significant to prove that every problem comes packaged with multiple solutions. The right one will emerge at the right time. Hurry doesn't pay. Nor does procrastination. Hopefully, a new Kerala Model will emerge during the current decade. Lord Ayyappa becoming "Nimithamathram"* should satisfy people from both the poles! (Believers and those whom they consider "Atheists") 🙏🙏🙏🙏-Warrier *Bhagavad-Gita : https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/11/verse/33 "BG 11.33: Therefore, arise and attain honor! Conquer your foes and enjoy prosperous rulership. These warriors stand already slain by me, and you will only be an instrument of my work, O expert archer." ************* 2) Continued from D I do not know whether God created everything. No one knows for certain. All those believers believe that God created the universe, Man, all beings, etc. All the stories that God appeared before a person who mentally concentrated on Him are man-made stories. We cannot assert that they are true events. I strongly believe that Man created the concept of God and the concept became dangerously infectious. Those who claim to have "seen" God may have seen an apparition of a figure which in their imagination strongly represented God. Islam and Hinduism believe that God is formless. God is a supernatural power. It ultimately represents One ness - Yet, all the teachings of prophets and saints advocate duality in effect: when Krishna says, Sarva Dharmaan parithyajya, Maam Ekam Sharanam Vraja, whom is He addressing? Himself the One ness? If there is no duality, whom is He asking to surrender? or a second person the duality, which is contrary to His concept of Oneness? If this "surrender" applies to millions of lives on Earth, there is an implied recognition that there are as many lives, not just One Oneness. This is what King Janaka felt. One day while doing puja, he asked himself, "if I am part of God, why should I do puja to that God? Whom am I worshipping?" Adi Shankara got the message from Shiva who appeared in the form of a Chandaala. But Adi Shankara did compose many verses which are against his own concept of Advaita. I am not suggesting for a moment a "ban" on worship.Let there be a voluntary society in which there is no concept of God. H ow does that society thrive, let us see. Can a society without God exist? In which the people recognize that they are themselves responsible for all the consequences of their lives. Because, centuries of belief in God through different religious practices have not ended human misery of one kind or the other. If there were to be a God , Is God so cruel and unkind? He is on the contrary described as "Karunaa Saagara"! And if God also says that one has to suffer Karma Phala, and God cannot do anything, the concept of God falls to the ground instantaneously. All our prayers are useless meaningless rituals. The irony is that it is mostly believers who suffer a lot in this world and not non-believers. Why should Man then spend millions of dollars on places of worship for such a God throughout the world, across continents, even when believers often say that God is not going to be poorer if you do not worship Him? subbaraman