Warrier's Collage on Sunday February 19, 2023

Welcome To Warrier's COLLAGE On Sunday February 19, 2023 1) S Jaishankar : Man to watch, 2023-24 https://youtu.be/4FYrtlU-ueU 2) And a woman to admire... Malavika Hegde https://youtu.be/S8CSoDoAfHE 3) Optional : Sadguru on Mahashivratri https://youtu.be/v3VMVQEVKB4 Good Morning Happy Birthday to all readers having Birthday during the week ending Saturday February 25, 2023. Ayurarogyasaukhyam ๐Ÿ™ and Best Wishes to all readers. We need not wait for miracles to happen. For someone falling, your hand extended at the right time, can be a miracle. Nice Day M G Warrier AA Mahashivratri : M G Warrier Listened to Sooryagayatri's recital* : https://youtu.be/5Rqa4IpR9CU Shivaratri is a day every year which brings back nostalgic memories about my school days : เดŽเดจിเด•്เด•് เดจเดฒ്เดฒ เด“เตผเดฎ്เดฎเด•เตพ เดฌാเด•്เด•ി เดตെเดš്เดš เดเดด് เดถിเดตเดฐാเดค്เดฐിเด•เดณുเดฃ്เดŸ്. 1953 เดฎുเดคเตฝ 1959 เดตเดฐെเดฏുเดณ്เดณ เดเดด് เดถിเดตเดฐാเดค്เดฐിเด•เตพ. เด† เด•ാเดฒเดค്เดค് เดคാเดฎเดธം เด…เดš്เด›เดจ്เดฑെ เด•ൂเดŸെ เดชുเดฑเดฎേเดฐി เด‰เดฆเดฏเดชുเดฐം เด•്เดทേเดค്เดฐเดค്เดคിเดจเด•เดค്เดคാเดฏിเดฐുเดจ്เดจു. เด†เดฆ്เดฏเดค്เดคെ เด•ുเดฑเดš്เดšു เด•ാเดฒം เดฐുเด—്เดฎിเดฃി เดเดš്เดšിเดฏും เด•ൂเดŸെ เด‰เดฃ്เดŸാเดฏിเดฐുเดจ്เดจു. Copied below some random memories about Shivaratri I shared in Collage sometime back : I have nostalgic childhood memories about Mahashivratri. Let me take you back in time to the 1950's when I was in school. My father, a Namboodiri, was temple-priest in a Shiva temple in a remote village (Udayapuram Shiva Temple, Purameri, present Kozhikode District) in Malabar from circa 1920's to 1959-60. My elder sister (Rugmniechi) and I stayed with him inside the temple during our school days. This Shiva temple was owned by a local Royal family. By 1950's that family's fortunes started sagging due to various developments. Still, the one festival which was associated with the temple, namely Mahashivratri, was celebrated by the whole population of the village elaborately. I was present there during seven Shivaratri celebrations. Few days prior to the Mahashivratri, offerings which mostly were ingredients to be used for worship, decoration of the Deity and the temple premises and feeding the devotees who will gather in the temple premises on the festival day (many would return home only the next day as keeping awake on the Shivaratri night is part of the Shivaratri Vratham). Items brought by devotees included rice, oil, hundreds of tender coconuts for "Abhishekam", flowers, Jaggery, dry ginger (Jaggery and dry ginger are used to make "PANAKAM", a drink served lavishly to devotees remaining awake during the night) and so on. The whole night there would be entertainment programmes in the temple premises. Such programmes included Kathakali, Chakyar Koothu, Ottam Thullal, Discourses by Swamys and even "Kathaprasamgam". For us children the day and night used to leave pleasant memories of a get together every year. Regards ๐Ÿ™ *Shared by P P Ramachandran Messages/Responses 1) V Babusenan Thiruvananthapuram To Editor The Collage Dear Sir, The other day, the Bank's young Medical Officer, in a friendly talk, told my son:"The medicines you carry from the dispensary in this bag for your parents for four months will cost thousands of rupees. Which institution will do like this to its pensioners? " He was telling the truth. He spoke about the dispensary facility only. What about the OPD plan? What about the Hospitalisation Scheme? These three together do help us, the super seniors among us, a lot, in our struggle to swim the last lap of our lives, no doubt. But are we living with dignity? A couple of days ago, one among us, wrote with glee in e-mail that there was going to be good increase in dearness relief for six months from this month onwards. In other words, he was feeling very happy with the high escalation in the cost of living affecting the poor a lot. Are we living with dignity? Yes, we hoped in1990, when the Pension Scheme was introduced, that we would certainly be living with dignity after retirement.The assurance of periodical updation of pension could not have meant anything else. But that hope was fated to have only a short life. I heard, like many, that 'the most unkindest cut of all' came from a Governor himself( whom one expected to protect the welfare scheme and even improve upon it) who insisted that, unless the automatic updation clause was nullified, he would not take charge. I do not know the truth of it. Last night I read a message from Shri Laxman Parab regarding our pension revision. Therein he said for the nth time that our benevolent Governor would resolve the issue quite satisfactorily. (May his hope come true!) but he says inter alia:'It is true it has taken a long time, but when structural changes are envisaged, it was bound to take some time.' Dear Shri Editor, however much I tried, I could not understand this pivotal statement.As many like me are bound to be there, I thought it would be preferable to approach you for a clarification, through The Collage, on the likely structural hurdles which have already caused the powers be, a delay of an year and a quarter. Or has the Association too lost its dignity like us, super senior pensioners? With warm regards V Babusenan Warrier's response : Thank you, Babusenan Sir for your faith in and unreserved support to Collage. First, a clarification : Collage has no editor. When my daughter Reshmy designed its Title Page (of which only the name remains now!) she designated me as "Curator". My weakness in the Queen's language didn't allow me to accept and retain that position. Now I think she had good intentions and the word Curator went well with "Collage". As regards the issues worrying you, personally I am reconciled to the present situation. My reasons may not be convincing to anyone else. There are many. Still, for my satisfaction, I will share some of them here : 1) I joined RBI in 1968, leaving a pensionable job in AG's Office, where I was enjoying the work culture, for a rise in monthly emoluments as low as Rs25/-. My father who knew nothing about banking industry or wage structure, knew very well that a pensionable job was always better in the long run. I had not obtained his permission to move to RBI and though he has not spoken a word about it, his unhappiness about my leaving the pensionable job continued till July 10, 1979. Pension in RBI was still more than a decade away. 2) Pension was introduced in RBI effective January 1, 1986 and was live for about 25 years from that date. RBI is 10 years older than me! 3) RBI introduced pension despite protests from employees' organisations and made it optional. Many opted for pension based on a note circulated by me giving calculations disproving the stand taken by All India Reserve Bank Employees Association. 4) All who opted for pension recovered the CPF contribution they surrendered within few years of their survival. 2) Sitendra Kumar Dear Shri Warrier, Beholden to you for the Collage. Many articles which open our eyes like future caste system by Subbaraman, a forward* by Shri Warrier on Twenty-first century caste system and his response on 'Closing the gaps' concerning restructuring Indian tax system cry for our undivided attention. On reading 'the poem 'I still matter', I felt as if it was about me. Congratulations to Vihaan on completing the arduous and adventurous Chader trek in Leh. A really path breaking exercise. We are all proud of him. I have saved the video in my permanent folder. Regards, Sitendra Kumar *My Blog @Times : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/warriersviews/twenty-first-century-caste-system-50451/ 3) C V Subbaraman Ref : Collage on Wednesday Company matters! Indeed, it does. A man is known by the company he keeps, is the adage. In sanskrit also there is a subhaashita shlokam : Gunavat vastu samsargaath, yaati swalpo api gauravam......." and the famous lyric : Satsange Nissangatvam....(Baja Govindam). Your addition* of the icing on the cake of the Company Matters write-up was really nice. I bow!! The story is the same in all households, I believe. But some times the society does not seem to think that we (couple) can live together. For, many of our wellwishers have often asked us : "Are you living alone in Mysuru?" and I have to tell them "No, we are living together....." giving "company" to each other!! Good company in the modern world is : Wear helmet and drive; wear seatbelt and drive; and bad company : Drink and drive, use mobile and drive....... Subbaraman *Ref : And... @Sit with Warrier for 10 minutes and you will fall on the feet of Sudha Warrier for having tolerated the fellow for 50 years! 4) A WhatsApp Group to pursue study of Indian shastras* Follow this link to join a WhatsApp Group where classes with Pลซjya Swamiji Haribrahmendrananda Tirtha are proposed : https://chat.whatsapp.com/ImZxTjbj4N75UyU7D6pGnb Every information regarding this [including Questions and answers] will be posted in this group. *Being shared based on a message received from a reader. Details not verified. 5) And... Travel safety https://www.sidgilreath.com/learn/railroad-accidents-causes.html Media Response February 18, 2023 Securing night train travel This is in the context of recent reports about deaths on rail tracks caused by fall from fast-running trains, during night travel. Falls from fast-running suburban locals in Metros do not even get reported in the mainstream media. It was disturbing to hear about the possibility of an elderly person falling through an open door in a reserved train compartment while returning from the washroom. Modern train bogies have sliding doors opening only as the train approaches a station for a halt. Maybe, Railways could consider more safety precautions in fast-running long distance trains, initially and consider door designs safety-friendly while designing bogies for future. M G Warrier Mumbai B Collage Books "The Buddha, I And Leopard" By Asokakumar* Edassery https://amzn.eu/d/5alXORr The life and works of Edasseri Govindan Nair have assumed greater socio-literary significance after his death. Readers of Malayalam poetry now go back to him with renewed interest; critics recognize him as one of the most important poets of Malayalam. The originality of his thought is awesome, many of them clearly non-conformist, but rooted astonishingly in the Indian tradition and mythology. Steeped at once in the local mythological tradition as well as the pressures of modernisation, his poems represent the ambivalent reaction of a Third World poet. He saw the futility of permanent loyalty to any isms as he thought any idea which ceases to spread light should be discarded. Such a stern but deeply human assessment is possible only by a person who considers humanism as the touchstone. *Younger brother of ExRBite E Madhavan, Thrissur C Current Affairs Soros' sorrows : M G Warrier Soros' call for regime change in India This refers to the report "BJP urges citizens to thwart Soros' call for 'regime change'" (The Hindu Business Line, February 18). There can be difference in views as to the manner in which the Indian Government or the major political party in the NDA, namely BJP, should have responded to the irresponsible blabbering of a nonagenarian foreigner. But the need for timely counter-moves to the initiative to meddle with the internal affairs of this country will not be questioned even by the political opponents of BJP. High time, someone updated the information about India available with these super-senior, super-rich individuals who are making it a pastime to play with money and words to create unrest in geographical areas where their forefathers have created enough chaos which is being addressed for redressal by the present generation. M G Warrier Mumbai *Soros, who? A Google/YouTube search will give startling revelations about this name. Air India acquires... This is an article from e-paper BS appeared on Feb 16,2023 in page 4. Click the following link to read : Click Here Media Responses : M G Warrier I February 15, 2023 HAL and Air India* This refers to the reports on HAL getting orders for export of LCAs to three countries and Tatas finalising Air India-Airbus deal to acquire 250 planes (The Hindu Business Line, February 15). These are positive developments in the India growth story which would have received more media attention, but for the distractions caused by some unpleasant developments in the corporate sector, which hopefully will fade out sooner than later. India has huge unexploited potential in defence industries and manufacture of aircrafts. The other two sectors which can help India prosper faster are tourism and gold management. We have to shed the hesitant approach thrust upon by traditional reasons and move faster in these areas. M G Warrier Mumbai *Published on February 16, 2023 : https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-editor/article66513766.ece II February 17, 2023 Strengthening the institutional system This refers to the report "Strengthen composition of boards, RBI tells banks" (The Hindu Business Line, February 17). In the recent past outsourcing of core responsibilities in financial sector by institutions at different levels had weakened the strong and vibrant institutional structure which we were proud of until 1990's. Needless to repeat, outsourcing cannot replace in-house skills development in the long term. This observation is applicable mutatis mutandis to selection panels responsible for selecting candidates for topmost positions in the hierarchy to recruitment boards responsible for selection of clerks. RBI's own depleting staff strength is affecting institutional efficiency, especially its regulatory and supervisory outreach to financial institutions engaged in banking and banking-related activities outside formal commercial banks (including cooperatives and NBFCs.) Perhaps the answer lies in building new specialised regulatory institutions and where expedient, in strengthening in-house skills without worrying about increase in headcount. M G Warrier Mumbai D Babusenan's Column On Woman's Suffrage Voting rights are like the pieces to play chess with-not a very apt comparison-but, as one does not need a piece if one does not play chess, so one does not need voting right( otherwise known as franchise or suffrage) in a democratic set-up, if one has no role to play in its governance. The concept about the woman's role in the British society in the 19th century was clearly defined in a Tennyson poem thus : 'Man for the field and Woman for the hearth : Man for the sword and For the needle she : Man with the head and Woman with the heart : Man to command and Woman to obey; All else is confusion.' That is why, when in1865, a confusion monger introduced a bill in the British Parliament to give voting right to women, it was shouted out. (It was John Stuart Mill, perhaps, the finest social thinker at that time, who introduced the bill) Dame Millicent Faucett, Mill's admirer and a faminist who helped to establish one of the two colleges for women under the Cambridge University, formed an association of women to fight for their suffrage. Its modes of functioning were persuasion and awareness building. It even contested a by-election in a constituency which was a stronghold of the Conservatives. The objective was only to impress upon the people the need for giving voting right to women. Its candidate must be an eccentric with a lot of persuasive power and willingness to be thoroughly defeated and it chose the right person : Bertrand Russell who had by then completed the gigantic task of compiling the stupendous 'Principia Mathematica' and had a lot of free time. He lost as expected but could accomplish considerable propaganda for the women's association. It is likely that one may presume that all men in England, the cradle of democracy, had voting right at that time. Not at all! Only 60 per cent of men had it and that too based on ownership of land. Such women as were impatient with the mild manner in which this association functioned, formed another one with a very dynamic woman as its leader. This fire-spitting social worker's name was Emmeline Pankhurst. In order to distinguish between these two associations, this one was nick-named Suffragettes and the earlier one Suffragists. The Suffragettes, from the very beginning, resorted to action, quite often violent, to make its presence felt. Its programmes included destroying public property and harrassing politicians. One of them, for propaganda's sake killed herself by jumping in front of a running horse in a Derby event. Many Suffragettes went to jail, obviously. There, they did hunger strike which compelled the authorities to set them free. Once they were out, they could not but do some 'mischief' which sent them back to jail again. This process was nick-named 'Cat and Mouse Act'. In1907, a private bill introduced in the Parliament by Keir Hardie, the founder of the Labour Party, was rejected. Those in government dilly-dallied or did lip service and, therefore, nothing happened. The Bard of Avon said in 'As You Like It' : "Sweet are the uses of adversity." How true! When the first world war started in1914, the Suffragists and Suffragettes buried their differences and cooperated with the government by doing the jobs left by men who went to fight. Outwardly in gratitude (the real reasons might be different). The government gave voting rights to all men who completed 21 years in age and women who completed 30 years of age(Please note the age discrimination) in early 1918 and, towards the end of that year, allowed women entry into the House of Commons. But it took six decades for a woman to occupy the Prime Minister's chair and, it is one of the quirks of history that she happened to belong to the Conservative Party! E Panchapagesan's Column SUCCESS HAS A PRICE, SWEET BY SWEAT BEING THE SECRET AS EMPATHY IN ACTION. WEEKLY MESSAGE TO COLLAGE. A LIAR WITH TORTUOUS LIVING WITHOUT EMPATHY ON OTHERS WILL NOT AIM AT SUCCESS IN LIFE! Sweet is Success. Sweat is Secret. Service, Sincerity, Senses Control, Finally Self-Realisation Is the quintessence of Living. Everything has its price. To achieve something really Great, We must be ready To pay The Price with Empathy in action. No worthwhile achievement comes easily… We will often find the going Dull and Dreary… A great part of our energy will be spent in lifting Apathetic people out of their Rut, in braving The misunderstanding of our associates , The ridicule of relations and the hostility Of our Rivals.. Even among our closest friends we will find Some to discourage us… With so many obstacles and hindrances, The average man and woman is tempted To withdraw….. We must therefore convince ourselves that We will be above average. Then act accordingly, In the face of adverse circumstances And Setbacks. When People criticize, We have to remember, That boys do not throw stones At trees that are barren, but only at trees which bear fruit. The more abundant the fruit, The more the stones cast. Do all the good you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can. John Wesley DETACHMENT AFTER COMPLETING ALL COMMITMENTS LIFTS ONE TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE REALITY OF EXISTENCE. ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ™๐ŸŒน V T Panchapagesan F Story time with Rammohan Mumbai God Rode The Brooklyn Subway Marcel Sternberger was a methodical man of nearly 50, with bushy white hair, guileless brown eyes, and the bouncing enthusiasm of a czardas dancer of his native Hungary. He always took the 9:09 Long Island Railroad train from his suburban home to Woodside, N.Y., where he caught a subway into the city. On the morning of January 10, 1948, Sternberger boarded the 9:09 as usual. En route, he suddenly decided to visit Laszlo Victor, a Hungarian friend who lived in Brooklyn and was ill. Accordingly, at Ozone Park, Sternberger changed to the subway for Brooklyn, went to his friend’s house, and stayed until midafternoon. He then boarded a Manhattan-bound subway for his Fifth Avenue office. Here is Marcel's incredible story: The car was crowded, and there seemed to be no chance of a seat. But just as I entered, a man sitting by the door suddenly jumped up to leave, and I slipped into the empty place. I've been living in New York long enough not to start conversations with strangers. But being a photographer, I have the peculiar habit of analyzing people's faces, and I was struck by the features of the passenger on my left. He was probably in his late 30s, and when he glanced up, his eyes seemed to have a hurt expression in them. He was reading a Hungarian-language newspaper, and something prompted me to say in Hungarian, “I hope you don't mind if I glance at your paper.” The man seemed surprised to be addressed in his native language. But he answered politely, “You may read it now. I'll have time later on.” During the half-hour ride to town, we had quite a conversation. He said his name was Bela Paskin. A law student when World War II started, he had been put into a German labor battalion and sent to the Ukraine. Later he was captured by the Russians and put to work burying the German dead. After the war, he covered hundreds of miles on foot until he reached his home in Debrecen, a large city in eastern Hungary. I myself knew Debrecen quite well, and we talked about it for a while. Then he told me the rest of his story. When he went to the apartment once occupied by his father, mother, brothers and sisters, he found strangers living there. Then he went upstairs to the apartment that he and his wife once had. It also was occupied by strangers. None of them had ever heard of his family. As he was leaving, full of sadness, a boy ran after him, calling “Paskin bacsi! Paskin bacsi!” That means “Uncle Paskin.” The child was the son of some old neighbors of his. He went to the boy’s home and talked to his parents. “Your whole family is dead,” they told him. “The Nazis took them and your wife to Auschwitz.” Auschwitz was one of the worst Nazi concentration camps. Paskin gave up all hope. A few days later, too heartsick to remain any longer in Hungary, he set out again on foot, stealing across border after border until he reached Paris. He managed to immigrate to the United States in October 1947, just three months before I met him. All the time he had been talking, I kept thinking that somehow his story seemed familiar. A young woman whom I had met recently at the home of friends had also been from Debrecen; she had been sent to Auschwitz; from there she had been transferred to work in a German munitions factory. Her relatives had been killed in the gas chambers. Later she was liberated by the Americans and was brought here in the first boatload of displaced persons in 1946. Her story had moved me so much that I had written down her address and phone number, intending to invite her to meet my family and thus help relieve the terrible emptiness in her life. It seemed impossible that there could be any connection between these two people, but as I neared my station, I fumbled anxiously in my address book. I asked in what I hoped was a casual voice, “Was your wife’s name Marya?” He turned pale. “Yes!” he answered. “How did you know?” He looked as if he were about to faint. I said, “Let’s get off the train.” I took him by the arm at the next station and led him to a phone booth. He stood there like a man in a trance while I dialed her phone number. It seemed hours before Marya Paskin answered. (Later I learned her room was alongside the telephone, but she was in the habit of never answering it because she had so few friends and the calls were always for someone else. This time, however, there was no one else at home and, after letting it ring for a while, she responded). When I heard her voice at last, I told her who I was and asked her to describe her husband. She seemed surprised at the question, but gave me a description. Then I asked her where she had lived in Debrecen, and she told me the address. Asking her to hold the line, I turned to Paskin and said, “Did you and your wife live on such-and-such a street?” Yes!” Bela exclaimed. He was white as a sheet and trembling. “Try to be calm,” I urged him. “Something miraculous is about to happen to you. Here, take this telephone and talk to your wife!” He nodded his head in mute bewilderment, his eyes bright with tears. He took the receiver, listened a moment to his wife’s voice, then suddenly cried, “This is Bela! This is Bela!” and he began to mumble hysterically. Seeing that the poor fellow was so excited he couldn’t talk coherently, I took the receiver from his shaking hands. “Stay where you are,” I told Marya, who also sounded hysterical. “I am sending your husband to you. We will be there in a few minutes.” Bela was crying like a baby and saying over and over again. “It is my wife. I go to my wife!” At first I thought I had better accompany Paskin, lest the man should faint from excitement, but I decided that this was a moment in which no strangers should intrude. Putting Paskin into a taxicab, I directed the driver to take him to Marya's address, paid the fare, and said goodbye. Bela Paskin's reunion with his wife was a moment so poignant, so electric with suddenly released emotion, that afterward neither he nor Marya could recall much about it. “I remember only that when I left the phone, I walked to the mirror like in a dream to see if maybe my hair had turned gray,” she said later. “The next thing I know, a taxi stops in front of the house, and it is my husband who comes toward me. Details I cannot remember; only this I know—that I was happy for the first time in many years..... “Even now it is difficult to believe that it happened. We have both suffered so much; I have almost lost the capability to not be afraid. Each time my husband goes from the house, I say to myself, “Will anything happen to take him from me again?” Her husband is confident that no horrible misfortune will ever again befall the. “Providence has brought us together,” he says simply. “It was meant to be.” Skeptical persons will no doubt attribute the events of that memorable afternoon to mere chance. But was it chance that made Marcel Sternberger suddenly decide to visit his sick friend and hence take a subway line that he had never ridden before? Was it chance that caused the man sitting by the door of the car to rush out just as Sternberger came in? Was it chance that caused Bela Paskin to be sitting beside Sternberger, reading a Hungarian newspaper' Was it chance - or did God ride the Brooklyn subway that afternoon? Paul Deutschman, Great Stories Remembered, edited and compiled by Joe L. Wheeler G Positive Thinking https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/blogs-of-preetish/ways-to-build-a-positive-attitude-50374/ Excerpts : Be optimistic : Adopting an optimistic outlook can help individuals see the good in every situation, even when things seem challenging. Focusing on positive aspects of a situation can help us remain motivated, even when faced with setbacks or difficulties. Avoid pessimistic people : It is important to distance ourselves from pessimistic people who constantly focus on the negatives. Surrounding ourselves with positive, uplifting individuals can help us stay positive and motivated. Posted online comments : ' i agree with your view that \"building a positive attitude requires conscious effort and practice.\" though the concluding portion\"by focusing on positive aspects of our lives, cultivating healthy relationships, living in the present, finding joy in our work, and valuing ourselves, we can develop a positive outlook that can help us thrive in our personal and professional lives.\" will be criticized as \"self talk \", you can always defend your monologues just responding that \"blogs are also about self-affirmation of own views\" keep writing.'

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