Warrier's Collage on Sunday November 19, 2023

Welcome To Warrier's COLLAGE On Sunday, November 19, 2023 Ooty Flower Show May 2023 https://youtu.be/gafKoIhITeU?feature=shared Friends Last Sunday (Deepavali 2023) our family members gathered at Reshmy's residence. Seven of us enjoyed the day. These days we look forward to such mini get-togethers also with the same enthusiasm with which we welcomed family functions and temple festivals in olden days. Happy Birthday to all readers having Birthday during the week ending Saturday November 25, 2023. Ayurarogyasoukhyam 🙏 to all and Best Wishes. M G Warrier A A message for all of us The grace of the elephant : Speaking Tree https://m.economictimes.com/opinion/speaking-tree/grace-of-the-elephant/amp_articleshow/105298762.cms Synopsis As the elephant was crossing the bridge, he heard a voice say, 'Son, Son!' The elephant looked around him, but he was all alone. 'Son, son!' the voice continued. When the elephant reached the other side of the river, he saw a small ant perched on his trunk. 'Son!' the ant cried. 'Our weight was so great, so immense, that the bridge almost collapsed beneath us, didn't it?' (Open the link, if the message is not clear) B Current Affairs : Speeches https://m.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_SpeechesView.aspx?Id=1395 Emerging India: A Land of Stability and Opportunities (Keynote Speech by Shri Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India - November 9, 2023 - Delivered at the Symposium on Indian Economy 2023 organised by Institute of Indian Economic Studies at the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tokyo, Japan) Excerpts: It is a matter of satisfaction that the Indian economy has sailed through the turbulent waters smoothly during the recent years. Driven by its inherent dynamism and supported by a prudent policy mix, growth is getting stronger foothold while inflation is also coming under control. Our economic performance also owes a lot to the very calibrated, focused and targeted monetary and fiscal responses since the pandemic. I must add that in the current uncertain environment, it is best to avoid any sense of complacency. We remain agile and continue to fortify our macroeconomic fundamentals and buffers. Today, the confidence and trust in India’s prospects are at an all-time high. To seize the moment, India looks at Japan as a close partner to usher in a new era of growth and prosperity, for both our countries. We will be celebrating the festival of lights, Deepavali, in a few days in India. With Japan as our close partner, I am sure the land of the rising sun will further light up our spirits to take our economies and well-being of our people to greater heights. Books by M G Warrier https://notionpress.com/author/m_g_warrier C Collage Cover Story : M G Warrier Birthday and Date of Birth M G Warrier This October 15, I completed 79 years, officially. Born on August 9, 1944, there's a time lag of 60 plus days between my Birthday and 'official' Date of Birth. I'm fortunate to have three birthdays in a year since 1958, when I came to know my official date of birth is October 15, 1944. This is how I came to know about my Date of Birth as per my school records : When I was in Class XI (SSLC), I was called to school office. I was given a form in which a certificate was to be obtained from a doctor without which I will not be allowed to appear for SSLC Examination in March 1959, as I would not be fourteen and a half years old by that time. Those days that was the age requirement for appearing for SSLC Examination. Now I know, if my correct DOB was on records there would not have been any need for medical fitness certificate! Next day, my father took me to the town 5 miles away and we waited in the portico of a doctor's clinic with other patients for our turn. Once we could meet the doctor, as he was fortunately aware of the requirement, he immediately made the certificate, affixed a rubber stamp and gave it in my hands with his blessings to come up in life. We still owe his fees which he didn't accept that day. The doctor asked my father to consider the one rupee coin offered as his "Dakshina" for prayers (my father was in his Namboodiri attire with bare upper body!) I'm fortunate, as I get reminded about my birthday thrice a year. My parents and sisters knew my birthday by the Star and Malayalam month. The real date, August 9 is known to my family. My friends know only my "official" DOB. And I am blessed with several friends including you reading this just now. Today, my friend V Rangarajan shared this beautiful reminder : "When God forgets to tie some people in Blood relations, He corrects this mistake by making them Friends." Sometimes such statements give deeper meaning to things which we may already know. People much younger to you will tell you, "age is just a number". I'm aware, it's not true. Every birthday takes you nearer to the next transition. But that reality need not bother one, so long as reasonable good physical and mental health remain friendly. This is not an expression of craze for longevity. Last week, Asha Sharat gave a beautiful message to the youngsters who ignorantly think that these oldies are clinging to life occupying crowded space on this planet, because of their greed to enjoy more. In her tribute to her loving father who left the stage recently, she said : "Dad has surrendered his mortal existence to the "Panchabhootaas". Many thought, Dad loved long life. Some of us were aware that his attachment was not to the celebration that is life. Now, it dawns clearly from the silent voice of Panchabhootaas around me, of which Dad is an integral part, that, the purpose of his fight with the stronger ailments that pulled him down, was not guided by greed to enjoy longer life. He wanted to remain a strong pillar of support for mother and me who were groping in the dark after suffering different kinds of shocks. Yes, our mind was going blank again and again, succumbing to hell-like situations. Remaining an example himself, living a righteous life of a Karma Yogi, he held our hands tightly..." Children who have understood them during their lifetime are an asset to any parents. Lucky, me too! I've diverted from my Birthday which is supposed to be the subject of this piece. The 60 plus days I gained "officially" by a wrongly recorded DOB, lingered as a pain for me till I opted for retirement 13 months prior to the actual date of superannuation. But, even that was after receiving remuneration from employers for more than 40 years from August 1, 1963! Sometime back I read somewhere, in the context of the book "Preparing for Death", Arun Shourie was publishing, Shourie's friend mentioned to him : "Perhaps, by now we have more friends on the other side of the fence!" Fence was a reference to the border between life and death. Having said that my own view is, "Don't trouble the trouble, till the trouble troubles you!" ***. ***. *** D Life They say "Life is stranger than fiction ". May be, may not be. But last week I read a Malayalam poem by which was a tribute to poet Akkitham. But the note accompanying the poem by Rajagopalan Karappatta which was shared by the recipient shocked me. There was a reference to a real life tragedy. The poet's daughter who was 4 months pregnant slipped and fell down in the bathroom and breathed her last. We are aware of the heaviness of heart some of the creative artists and writers carry while "entertaining" us with their contribution to society. Still... 🙏 Obituary Shri V Babusenan has shared the following note on hearing about the passing away of former RBI Governor S Venkitaramanan on November 18, 2023 : With the passing of Shri Venkitaramanan, India has lost a very able and benevolent administrator whose bold initiative, as Governor of the Central Bank, saved the honour of the country at a particular juncture. He had not been active for some time. We will have to remember him along with Pundit Nehru as he was the latter's creation. But for his timely intervention, the country would have lost the sterling services of this extraordinary person. It happened like this : Shri Venkitaramanan stood first in the competitive examination for entry to the IAS, but, on the basis of the police report that he was a Communist fellow traveller, his name was dropped from the list of selected candidates. In those days, Nehru, as PM, used to peruse the files relating to those who were discarded and Shri. Ramanan's file caught his special attention. He was very much impressed by the academic brilliance of the young man and he wrote on the file that the country could not afford to lose the services of such youngsters. 'Take him, even if he is an anarchist' were the words he wrote. And, at the end of the training programme, when the trainees were introduced to the PM, shaking Shri Ramanan's hands, he said with a smile : "Young man, don't be in a hurry to hoist the red flag on Fort St. George" (then the seat of the Madras government) He was one of the Governors whom pensioners like us gratefully remember. Let us all share the grief of the bereaved family. May his noble soul rest in peace! E Collage in Classroom Saving Habits : Vathsala Jayaraman In earlier days, we had no extra money. The pocket money concept didn't arise. My father used to give me daily 12 paise( six pieces of 2 paise)for bus fare. For the nearest bus stop to the college we had to pay 10 paise. So we got down at the previous bus stop,walk the distance and save 4 paise.My father won't give bus fare for a week. If I lose any of the 2 paise coins, I had to walk 3.5 km. Continued at H (This essay gives me an opportunity to recall my "Prize Bond" story again : When I was in college, GOI's Prize Bond Scheme was in operation. Minimum investment was Five Rupees and the Nodal Agency for the scheme was Postal Department. Prize Bond was available across the counter in Post Offices. There was a system of periodic lottery and the Prize Bonds were eligible for being included in the draw in every draw during the 5 years. First Prize was Rs One Lakh and there were many smaller prizes upto Five Rupees. Those who don't get any prize will get back Rs6.25 for every 5 rupees invested on maturity after 5 years. As I was not carrying lunch packet to Collage which was at a walking distance of 3.5 km from home, I was given a daily Tiffin Allowance of One Anna (Present 6 Paise). From that allowance, over a period of nearly two years, I saved Five Rupees and purchased a Prize Bond expecting to get some prizes. The thrill and expectation I experienced every time I managed to locate the prize lists advertised in the newspaper are beyond description. The Bond was encashed on maturity for Rs 6.25 while I was working in AG's Office, Thiruvananthapuram during 1960's.) F Joy of giving : Shared by T R Suresh in another group Katharine Hepburn's childhood, in her own words : “Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armour." He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy. The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price. The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price. The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus? Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket." The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family." My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with. Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide. That day I learnt the value to Give. The Giver is bigger than the Receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything. The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasised because there's always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving.” ~ Katharine Hepburn G Quotes on family https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/family-quotes https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/a_p_j_abdul_kalam_178502?src=t_family If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam H Continued from E When I came to Madras after my marriage, I had no job. I had to manage with Rs 180/ my husband brought home.We had a small portion of a house for rent for Rs 55/.My mother had given me a list of groceries( along with prices) to be purchased every month along with a rough estimate for milk and vegetables.I was able to keep Rs 25 for emergency expenses and open R. D. for Rs 10/ In a big family the circumstances will make you understand the value of money. But now with the nuclear family ,with a handsome income, the responsibility devolves on the parents.Children should be made to feel that they may not get whatever they ask for.Sometimes they should be made to wait, and sometimes the parents'strict'no' should be the answer. It is true that in Western societies children are made to meet their educational expenses. But the credit system encourages them to spend more and more and many students discontinue at the school level and seek employment suited to their level. Many ladies work in restaurants and bakeries and drive home very late.The rate of insolvency also is very high in U. S. Comparatively India is better in as much as parents look after the educational needs of children.But children should be made to realise the financial position at each level and understand the difficulties in mobilising funds. Some times dearth of funds seems to be a blessing.With a strict' no borrowing' principle .thrift and consequent saving will become a practice,Now the parents' responsibility is multifold.They don't have a mind to say'no' to children. With most of the parents having a mentality of 'go go 'type,children have peer pressure and unnecessarily fight with their parents calling them as 'kanjoose' Sometimes they go the extent of abusing them" my friend's father who is just earning half of what you earn, spends so much for his son,but you don't have that much of generosity. Are you going to take away the money with you when you are dead?'With so much of pressure parents need to budge. In the present situation with credit cards around, with marketing and advertisement techniques growing by leaps and bounds, it is easier said, than done, to bring about saving habit in children. The society itself is moving towards a 'spending wave.' An awakening should be created in the minds of parents first and passed on to the younger generation. A few extravagant parents can spoil hundreds of children. Further I do not know whether imparting of knowledge of stocks and shares in the 5th to 8th standard level may work out alright.With a pocket money and lured by so called financiers ,they may not understand the ups and downs of share market.Even educational psychologists advise that youngsters should start investing first in insurance, health insurance and bank deposits in the first instance and venture only 25% of their savings in the share market. There is no second opinion about the necessity of inculcating 'saving habit'. My father very often used to say "Money or wealth is called 'SELVAM' in Tamil because it is saying "SELVOM SELVOM'( I am leaving I am leaving) and leaves us very quickly unless we catch hold of it strongly and do not allow it to leave us. Vathsala Jayaraman