Warrier's Collage Weekend Supplement Sunday September 18, 2022

Welcome To Warrier's COLLAGE Weekend Supplement Sunday September 18, 2022 Dr N Gopalakrishnan : Learning from Mahabharata https://youtu.be/XRKmJNVNvMc Weekend Musings : M G Warrier Do we have freedom of thought and expression? Or, are we using our freedom to our advantage? The question has been haunting me for sometime now. Till pandemic brought with it several constraints, I was reading 4 or 5 newspapers and interacting with 10 or 20 people every day. I was not having a WhatsApp account. When pandemic imposed several restrictions, many people became frustrated for valid reasons. From hunger to loss of avenues for entertainment. Social Media activists and a section of the mainstream media saw an opportunity in this. As WhatsApp and YouTube gave individuals a platform, negativism, fiction, gossips and dirty language polluted the already dirty communication/interaction environment. Unacceptable language was smuggled through movie celebrities and cute kids. When recipients/audience protested, the cool response was "It was just a forward, if you don't like, please delete" Thus all sorts of nonsense became part of middle class drawing room intercourse. Like "Dharmapuranam"* of Emergency days, a new branch of literature has intruded our thought process, as a byproduct of pandemic. Our primitive mind silently enjoys the situation. Collage was an effort to divert attention of my contacts in the age group of 16 to 96 from this Social Media Cancer. *Know More : https://www.complete-review.com/reviews/india/vijayan2.htm M G Warrier A Cover Story The best I've read on the Queen* by Shashi Tharoor The death of Queen Elizabeth has been the top news story around the world this week, including, of course, in our country. At one level, after 70 years on the throne, her presence has seemed so permanent that one greets the news of her demise with a sense of disbelief. At another, the passing of a monarch whose reign spanned the governments of fifteen British Prime Ministers (the last of whom she appointed the day before her death), fifteen Indian prime Ministers, fourteen US Presidents and seven Popes, truly marks the end of an era. Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952 when Britain was still a globe-straddling Empire, even though India, Pakistan and Ceylon had won their independence already. By the end of her reign the Empire had crumbled, leaving Britain with a handful of remote islands as the sole remaining remnants of the Empire that she had vowed, in a 21st birthday speech, to serve faithfully all her life. Despite serving as its figurehead – first of the Empire and subsequently of the Commonwealth that replaced it in a partly successful attempt at preserving the shreds of post-colonial British influence -- Queen Elizabeth had very little to do with this transformation, other than adjust to it. Her reign was always largely ceremonial : she was expected to exist, not to rule. This she did with uncommon grace, her conduct on the throne marked by a selfless serenity, a total self-abnegation and devotion to the public trappings of her position. But she took no decisions, made no policies, and in the end took no responsibility either for any of the actions and developments during her reign. “The Sovereign”, in Walter Bagehot's classic 19th century formulation, “has, under a constitutional monarchy such as [Britain's], three rights—the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn.” These were the rights Queen Elizabeth no doubt exercised, though she would probably have found it unseemly to warn Prime Ministers against conducting the policies they believed they had been elected to implement. She had no other rights, other than to preside, to cut ribbons, to go on royal tours, to greet dignitaries and to embody the grandeur of Britain. Even there she was tightly scripted, and it is to her credit that she stuck to her script for seven decades, her life untainted by the slightest whiff of scandal or inappropriate behaviour. Not everyone has joined in the universal exhalation of mourning that greeted the news of her passage. A South African group that calls itself the Economic Freedom Fighters issued a statement that described her as the “head of an institution built up, sustained, and living off a brutal legacy of dehumanization of millions of people around the world.” Recounting the exploitation, loot and slavery that accompanied colonisation, they condemned the misappropriation of national wealth to ensure “the enrichment of the British royal family and those who look like them”. Indians could well say the same, but largely chose not to. It is not just our respect for the dead; even when Elizabeth was alive she was treated in our country with respect bordering on reverence. Indians have by and large learned to forgive and forget the exactions and cruelties of colonialism, while some still value the British connection and have internalised much of the world's admiration for the longest-reigning monarch, who was universally seen as a largely benign figure. The interest in news of her passage was genuine, and the sense of loss, among many global-minded Indians, palpable. If there is one reproach that can still be addressed against Queen Elizabeth, it is that she never once acknowledged, let alone apologised for, those centuries of colonial plunder and cruelty that made her position and her wealth possible. Some of most brutal acts of British colonialism occurred after she had already ascended the throne – the concentration camps in Kenya where the Mau Mau freedom fighters were tortured, and the indiscriminate killing of Malaysians during the Communist insurgency in that country, both occurred when she was Queen. It is not clear whether, in Bagehot's formulation, she was “consulted” and chose to “encourage” such atrocities, or whether she would ever have thought of “warning” against them. We do know that much of colonialism's horrors over the centuries were perpetrated in the name of the Royal Family – but when she and her consort visited Jallianwallah Bagh, she could only bring herself to leave her name in the visitors’ book, without even an expression of regret, let alone of contrition or apology, for that vile British act of deliberate mass murder. In some ways, the Queen could have it both ways : she was able to live off the proceeds of conquest and plunder, but because monarchs did not actually order any of these things, she did not have to apologize for them. As Queen was, and remained throughout, only a symbol. “A symbol of what?” was a question whose answers varied according to who was giving them : a symbol of the glories of the British Empire; of the grandeur of the monarchy; of the finest hopes and loyalties of her subjects; and also of the iniquities and injustices perpetrated by her country, its soldiers and administrators, in far-off lands they had no business to be in. When you symbolise everything, you are either responsible for everything or for nothing. Queen Elizabeth, as a monarch, floated above the fray. Benefiting from it, she was complicit in it; but as a non-participant, she could not be blamed for its worst horrors. Still, a gracious old lady has left the world, aged 96, after years when her every gesture or utterance made the news. She deserves our respect as a human being, one who was personally reputed to be kind, gentle, thoughtful and blessed with a sense of humour. While debates about history swirled around her, she remains beyond them, in death as in life. Om Shanti. *Shared by Dr T V Surendran Mananthavady B Current Affairs Media Response : M G Warrier September 16, 2022 Reinforcing RRBs* This refers to the report "FinMin to allow RRBs raise funds via IPOs, rights issue" (The Hindu Business Line, September 16). Actually and literally, RRBs were an overnight creation to fill a gap in banking outreach to a large geographical area where formal banking system hesitated to move in for several, mostly cost-related, reasons. Quickly they multiplied into almost a couple of hundred individual entities and effectively served the purpose of their coming into being. Their growth, subsequent consolidation and the evolution to the present status are part of India's banking history starting with establishment of SBI. Kudos to GOI and RBI for the present initiative to strengthen the rural banking infrastructure by improving the capital base of RRBs. HR management (from board level appointments to recruitment of staff and career progression including training/skills development to remuneration packages and post-retirement welfare) is another neglected area in the entire banking system, which, if not prioritised and attended immediately for overhaul, will do irreparable damage to the Indian Financial Sector. M G Warrier Mumbai *Published on September 16, 2022 : https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article65900457.ece C Nostalgia Remembering Sanjayan on his 79th Memory Day : Mannikoth Ramunni Nair, better known by his pseudonym, Sanjayan, was a Malayalam writer, journalist and one of the pioneers of satirical writing in Malayalam literature. Along with E. V. Born: 13 June 1903, Thalassery Died: 13 September 1943 Notable works: Hasyanjali; Sakhavinte Bleach; Shunakageetham; Aalillatha Pothuyogam; Vande Bharya Matharam Know More : https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2022/jun/20/sanjayan-a-humourist-and-humanist-from-kerala-2467465.html C Babusenan's Column : An interesting meeting At the beginning of August 1914, Germany declared war against France and Russia. Under a secret treaty with France, Britain was obliged to help the former in the event of a war. In the absence of an ostensible reason to enter the fray, accusing Germany of violation of Belgium's neutrality, Britain declared war against it. Bertrand Russell was, at that time, teaching Mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was of the firm view that Britain should maintain neutrality. He prepared a statement in this regard, obtained the signatures of many of his colleagues and got the statement published in 'The Guardian'. All of them changed their stand on the very day Britain joined the war. Russell stood firm and lost his job first and his friends, one by one, later. Russell's powerful pen worked ceaselessly on all fronts against Britain's participation in the war, especially against conscription. The government effectively prevented his going to the States for lecture tours and, at the first opportunity, put him behind the bars for six months. Russell was set free in September 1918 and the war came to an end two months later. This imprisonment was uppermost in the mind of King George Sixth(the father of Queen Elizabeth, the Second) when Russell was ushered into his august presence to receive Order of Merit, the highest civilian honour given by the British government. He did not actually like the idea of honouring a fellow who was put behind the bars by his government. The appearance of the philosopher also slightly irritated him(Russell was only 78 then and was yet to acquire the Einstein-like flowing hair respectability). It was also not unlikely that the King remembered the incident that invited the wrath of many Englishmen : Russell's writing of a personal letter to the American President to intervene and stop the war. On seeing Russell entering the hall, the King said in hushed tone to his personal secretary : "A queer fellow indeed!" After the preliminary courtesies, the King said : "You, sometimes, behave in a manner which, if generally adopted, will not be desirable." Russell smiled. He remembered King Edward, the Eighth, who ruled hardly an year and abdicated the throne to marry an American divorcee who was in the act of getting rid of her second husband. Russell was tempted to respond : "Like your brother's behaviour." But he controlled himself. He said instead : "How one behaves depends upon one's job. A postman knocks on the door of each house on the street to deliver letters; but, if another person does that, he will be treated as a nuisance." The King changed the subject. D Faith Dr Charan Singh https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1568680839617323009?s=20&t=6wVnYLOJxehQCZlJgKPWfw Unity in Diversity - 371 सुख कै हेति बहुतु दुखु पावत सेव करत जन जन की ॥ दुआरहि दुआरि सुआन जिउ डोलत नह सुध राम भजन की For pleasure, bearing lots of pain, servitude to many Door to door, wandering like dog in doubt, not aware of meditation of omnipresent God Guru Tegh Bahadur, 411 https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1569058644750368768?s=20&t=erMxHp0CcKfij8A_Oew3kg Unity in Diversity - 372 गुरु जिन्ह कउ सुप्रसंनु मानु अभिमानु निवारै ॥ जिन्ह कउ गुरु सुप्रसंनु सबदि लगि भवजलु तारै If Guru is pleased, then - a) pride/ego is eradicated from within b) connecting to Shabad to get carried across terrifying world ocean Bard Kal Sahar, 1398, SGGS https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1569791834234441728?s=20&t=osz28_BtzEsSAfAByVyPcQ Unity in Diversity - 374 तीनि छंदे खेलु आछै (This creation of God, this world) is a play of 3 gunas (Rajas, Tamas and Satva) Namdev, Todi, 718, SGGS Unity in Diversity - 376 जाति जुलाहा मति का धीरु सहजि सहजि गुण रमै कबीरु Though Caste is weaver (low) but mind is steadfast in faith Slowly, steadily, instinctively Kabir is meditating on divine virtues (of God) Kabir, Gauri, 328, SGGS https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1570510671447724032?s=20&t=OOjDaN3iPZ4H1-HQRdK0gw https://twitter.com/CharanSingh60/status/1570855175363104770?s=20&t=rvT-amkV3br5O-De0mbJbQ Unity in Diversity - 377 फरीदा कूकेदिआ चांगेदिआ मती देदिआ नित जो सैतानि वंञाइआ से कित फेरहि चित Calling, yelling, advising regularly But how can those who are misled by the devil turn away from vices (towards divinity/God)? Baba Farid, 1378, SGGS E Collage Weekend Bonus : Opinion/Controversy South Indian Newspapers RIP - "THE Hindu", Newspaper By Prakash M Swamy who was an ace reporter in The Hindu (Source : FB Post : Shared by S R Badrinarayanan, Chennai) "THE HINDU", sliding slowly but surely into oblivion & heading towards its demise. The epitaph on its tombstone will read "N Ram, the leftist egotist singlehandedly brought down the great edifice called "THE HINDU"". If Dr Malini Parthasarathy's stars & Gods are on her side, still miracles may happen & the paper can revive. The Hindu National Newspaper had a tradition, history and credibility. It was always pro government or neutral to an extent during G Kasturi's editorship until N Ram took over. Patronized by Brahmins and senior officials, it was a part of many a persons' life, including mine. The Hindu National Newspaper's legacy ended in 1991 when G Kasturi stepped down as Editor after a nasty street fight with N Ram, who even refused to perform the last rites as eldest son when his father G Narasimhan died. From 1991, it became The Anti Hindu Anti-National daily. N Ram was a Leftist and pushed the paper to a leftist agenda which was obviously Anti Hindu and anti India. The rise of BJP gave Ram a political target and in Tamil Nadu it was appealing to the major advertisers. However the paper lost its hardcore loyal readers and replacement was inadequate to cover the loss. Readers began calling it as Christian Science Monitor and Pakistani Post. The Hindu which was once an encyclopedia for civil service aspirants lost its relevance. Social media destroyed whatever was left as it's credibility and nationally Modi and BJP grew bigger and stronger. Age didn't give wisdom to Ram. It was understandable when he was young to believe China being a benevolent proletariat experiment to all human beings of world and loitering in West Bengal rubbing shoulders with comrades. Forget about political preferences, just being a leftist newsletter in the guise of a newspaper was enough to be a put off. It was the voice of freedom fighters before 1947 and Gandhi and Nehru visited Kasturi Buildings as freedom fighters to meet Editor Kasturi Srinivasan. This newspaper took a definite left turn after Sidharth Varadarajan gained prominence in this organisation, later becoming chief editor but the same trend continued even after he left no thanks to Suresh Nambath, Vijay Shankar, Radhakrishnan et al Varadharajan has become a bigger anti Modi campaigner after he joined The Wire. They spread more venomous anti India and anti Modi news which are fake anyways. Nice grounding at The Hindu, I suppose. A lot many including me dumped The Hindu around that time for their bias and moved to The Times. Recently, Dr. Malini Parthasarathy the Chairperson of the The Hindu Group met the PM and shared the photo on Twitter. Is it a crime? Did he (Ram) not meet Jothi Basu, Pinarayi and Prakash/Brinda Karat while working as editor? She tweeted about restoring the honesty and credibility of the newspaper when N Ram, now downgraded as Director of the group, retorted immediately saying he had nothing to do with it. The Hindu under the stewardship of Malini has become neutral again with a balanced coverage. She is not yet another roadside editor at The Hindu but did her Master's degree in Journalism at the prestigious Columbia University in New York and subsequently got her doctorate and worked as US Correspondent as well. Esteemed directors : It's unfair to tie an iron chain and iron ball to her legs and make her run. Please allow her to function; she has talents and guts If you want the paper to survive. Otherwise nothing will change for the Mount Road pamphlet and will not see the light of its 150th year. And the souls of S/Sri Subramanian Iyer, Kasturi Ranga Iyengar, Kasturi Srinivasan, Kasturi Gopalan, Gopalan Kasturi, Gopalan Narasimhan, Srinivasan Parthasarathy, S Rangarajan and others won't forgive you from the heaven. Prakash M Swamy V R Chittanandam's response : Reading regularly a Newspaper is a matter of habit. I have been reading Indian Express from 1965 and I am still continuing with that. I was introduced to IE when I came to Chennai to appear for the Bank's Recruitment examination. (At that time, there was a conference of Islamic Countries. India though having the second largest Muslim population did not get invitation. As usual India moved heaven and earth to get the invite to prove its 'secular' credentials. It managed to get an Observer status. When the Indian delegation went there they got almost ignored and the Pakistanis received a warm welcome. Indian Express titled the story 'Pak favoured, India slighted'. I was very much fascinated by the use of the word 'slight' as a verb. From that day I became a regular subscriber to IE.) I did not have any animosity towards The Hindu. I did not like its language and presentation of news. The worst affected was the Press in the Emergency period. When the Emergency was lifted and elections were announced, The Hindu shamelessly canvassed editorially for the re-election of Congress. It said the party might have committed some 'errors of judgement'. I think L.K.Advani had The Hindu in mind when he as the Minister for Broadcasting in Janatha Govt. said famously, "When the Government wanted the press to kneel, some of them chose to crawl." Such was the editorial standard of The Hindu. Chittanandam F Leisure Engineers Day September 15! Engineers versus Doctors . Wow !! Evenings Tea Joke An engineer was removing the engine parts from a motorcycle. Suddenly he saw a famous heart surgeon in his shop. He went to him & said. "Look at this engine... I opened its heart, took the valves out, repaired and put them back". So why do I get such a small salary? and you get huge sums....! The doctor smiled at the engineer and came close to his ear and said.... "Try the same when the engine is running." *Shared by S Venugopal Chennai G Diamonds : Vathsala Jayaraman The word KOHINOOR means "Mountain of ight". The Kohinoor Diamond had its origin in Guntur of Andhra Pradesh. It was used to adorn the eye of the Goddess by Kakaliya Kings. Delhi Sultanate plundered the diamond from Kakaliyas. The diamond passed thro Moghul rulers upto Aurangazeb. Then Nader Shah took it to Persia. Travelled through Afghanistan and at last came to the possession of Ranjith Singh who wrote a 'Will' that the diamond should go to Poori Jagannath. However the'will' was not executed and as per Treaty of Lahore' the Kohinoor Diamond was handed over to Queen Victoria on 3rd July 1850 and continues to remain in London. Originally the diamond weighed 186.0625 carets weighing 37.21 gms. Later to enhance the brilliance, the diamond was reduced in size to the present wt of 105.602 carets. It is said that cutting operation was done at a cost of 8000 pounds. As per legend Kohinoor is the same Syamantaka which Lord Krishna was accused of stealing. The Kohinoor Diamond is supposed to carry a curse. All men who were in possession of the Diamond either lost the throne or met with failures. Humayun had very bad luck. Shershah was burnt to death. Shah Jahan was allowed to see Taj only thro the reflection thro Kohinoor Diamond placed near a window. Akbar never used the diamond. Queen Victoria was lucky to have it in her crown. The Kohinoor has passed through several hands ever since it was first discovered in a mine in Kollur, Andhra Pradesh; the timeline being somewhere between 12th and 14th centuries. The origins behind such a legendary gem would also obviously be the stuff of legends. According to the first Mughal monarch Babur's personal writings, he received a renowned diamond in 1526 following his conquest over Delhi and Agra after the First Battle of Panipat. This diamond, he wrote, was looted from the Kakatiyas by Allaudin Khilji during the Delhi Sultan's raids over South Indian kingdoms. The diamond goes to Persia (now Iran) and Afghanistan Now again, this is just one of the several theories around the diamond's origin and it can't be established as historical fact. According to Persian historical sources and hagiographies, the ruler Nadir Shah in his Indian invasion of 1738 carried along with him Shah Jahan's Peacock Throne, a grandiose seat with several jewels embedded on it including the famed Kohinoor. In fact, it is even said that it was Nadir Shah's exclamation "Kohinoor!" (Mountain of Light) on seeing the diamond that led to its name. Shah went on to found the Afsharid dynasty that began for the diamond to be returned to India during Indian PM Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in 2015. Unsurprisingly, his demand went unheard. A year later, in 2016, the Supreme Court of India offered its judgment on a suit filed by the All India Human Rights & Social Justice Front, a collective that demanded the diamond's return. The judgment could be best summed up by the then-Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar as“It [Kohinoor] was neither stolen nor forcibly taken away.” So, when it comes to the question of the diamond's ownership, according to the British, it is legal. Chances of colonial reparations seem bleak, given how the royal treasuries are filled with similarly "legally procured” valuables from former colonies which included pretty much all of Africa and most of Asia and Middle East. Vathsala Jayaraman H Collage Healthcare Seniors, please talk more* SENIOR CITIZENS, PLEASE BE MORE TALKATIVE : GENERALLY, MORE TALKATIVE SENIOR CITIZENS ARE TAUNTED AS "SATHIA GAYE", MEAN CROSSED 60. BUT DOCTORS SAY, IT'S BOON. SEE A REPORT AS UNDER : DOCTORS SAY SO. SENIOR CITIZENS SHOULD TALK MORE BECAUSE THERE IS CURRENTLY NO WAY TO PREVENT MEMORY LOSS. THE ONLY WAY IS TO TALK MORE. THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE BENEFITS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS IF THEY TALK MORE . FIRST, SPEAKING ACTIVATES THE BRAIN AND KEEPS THE BRAIN ACTIVE, BECAUSE LANGUAGE & THOUGHT COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER, ESPECIALLY WHEN SPEAKING QUICKLY, WHICH NATURALLY RESULTS IN FASTER THINKING REFLECTION AND ALSO ENHANCES MEMORY. SENIOR CITIZENS WHO DO NOT SPEAK, ARE MORE LIKELY TO LOSE MEMORY. SECOND, SPEAKING RELIEVES A lot OF STRESS, AVOIDS MENTAL ILLNESS AND REDUCES STRESS. WE OFTEN SAY NOTHING, BUT WE BURY IT IN OUR HEARTS AND SUFFOCATE OURSELVES. IT'S TRUE ,SO IT WOULD BE NICE TO GIVE SENIORS A CHANCE TO TALK. THIRD, SPEAKING ACTIVATES THE FACIAL MUSCLES & AT THE SAME TIME, EXERCISE THE THROAT & ALSO INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF THE LUNGS, AT THE SAME TIME, IT REDUCES THE RISK OF EYES & EARS DETERIORATION AND REDUCES LATENT RISKS SUCH AS DIZZINESS & DEAFNESS. IN SHORT, FOR SENIOR CITIZENS, THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT ALZHEIMER'S IS TO TALK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND COMMUNICATE ACTIVELY WITH PEOPLE. THERE IS NO OTHER TREATMENT FOR IT. 🙏 *Shared by Sudha Warrier Mumbai Bonus : Collage Alert : Addictive Disorder https://madrascourier.com/policy/gaming-is-an-addictive-disorder-heres-how-to-protect-your-child/ I Quotes on Modern Slavery https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/modern-slavery.html More about Modern Slavery https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_855019/lang--en/index.htm