Thursday, December 31, 2015

Bharathiyar's Vijaya - பாரதியாரின் விஜயா

Due to Chennai rains, and school holidays I was able to spend time in Anna Centenary Library to read பாரதியாரின் விஜயா. Was too sad even after Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Mahakavi Bharathiyar's words on education's evil through English Medium, that country has not corrected its path. So it becomes obvious the country has to face its consequences on more social evils to follow as whatever happens in those English countries are bound to happen here whether its broken marriages or senior citizens orphaned or Psychologists getting more patients or the other evils one sees in English societies.Kanchi Mahaswamigals words also were of the same to stop this English education and start Gurukula system...When do we have people who can establish such Gurukula as Mahaswamigal wanted?
Though I read these in Anna Library, it was sad in their Children Section, the library had almost ONLY OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS BOOKS and only a handful of Tamil books for Tamil Children.Seems that Englisation begins right from BABIES in Anna Centenary library. And who knows how much was given to OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS or how much was given by OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS to produce white brains in brown skins, by taking over the children section.Does anyone got answers?

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

நல்ல மாதர் அறிவைக் கெடுத்தார்

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Smoking-dips-10-in-2-years-in-India-but-women-smokers-up-sharply/articleshow/50347209.cms Cigarette consumption in India is falling steadily even as the number of women smokers is rising, making it home to the second largest number of female smokers after the United States. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tamil-Nadu-teachers-told-to-mind-their-blouses/articleshow/5345859.cms Teachers in government schools are unhappy over a recent circular sent by the school education department asking chief and district education officers to instruct teachers to ''dress decently". However, officials say that a dress code for teachers only makes them more dignified and respected. Wonder why only Govt. School teachers? Why not all? Is it that difficult to know what is decent and not? Then it only shows how we have failed in NOT LISTENING TO THE WORDS OF DEIVATHIN KURAL. பெண்ணுக்கு ஞானத்தை வைத்தான் - புவி பேணி வளர்த்திடும் ஈசன் மண்ணுக்குள்ளே சில மூடர் - நல்ல மாதர் அறிவைக் கெடுத்தார் http://www.tamilvu.org/courses/hg200/hg205/html/hg205sso.htm ஒரு பால்ய விதவை உண்டானால்கூட களங்கம் என்று சீர்திருத்தக்காரர் சொன்னால், ஒரே ஒரு பெண் கெட்டுப் போனால்கூட அதைவிட ஆயிரம் மடங்கு களங்கம் என்று நான் பயப்படுகிறேன். வேதம் ஓதிய வேதியர்க்கோர் மழை நீதி மன்னர் நெறியினர்க்கோர் மழை மாதர் கற்புடை மங்கைக்கோர் மழை மாதம் மூன்று மழையெனப் பெய்யுமே. 'இவர்கள் சீர்திருத்தம் என்கிற பெயரில் நம் பெண்களின் மகத்தான குலதனமான கற்புக்கு ஹானி உண்டாகும்படியான ஹேதுக்களை ஏற்படுத்துகிறார்களே' என்று அதைவிடக் கோபம் வருகிறது; அழுகை வருகிறது. 'ஸ்திரீகள் கெட்டுப் போனால் குலக்ஷயம்தான்; லோகமே போய் விடும்; எல்லாரும் நரகத்துக்குப் போகவேண்டியதுதான்: 'ஸ்த்ரீஷு துஷ்டாஸு வார்ஷ்ணேய ஜாயதே வர்ண ஸங்கர:| ஸங்கரோ நரகாயைவ*' என்று அர்ஜுன‌னுக்கு அழுகை வ‌ந்த‌ மாதிரி வருகிற‌து. இக்காலப் பெண்களும் இதற்கு ஸம்மதித்திருக்கிறார்களே, பெற்றவர்களும் அங்கீகரித்துப் பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறார்களே என்பதுதான் மனஸைச் சுடுகிறது. பால்ய விவாஹம் பௌதிகமாகக் கெடுதல் என்பது வெறும் பேச்சு. குழந்தையாகக் கல்யாணம் பண்ணிக் கொண்டாலும் அப்புறம் அவள் சரீர ரீதியில் பக்குவமான பிறகுதான் தாம்பத்தியம் பண்ண அழைத்துக் கொள்ளப்படுவாள். அதுவும் தவிர தர்ச பூர்ணம் (அமாவாஸ்யை, பௌர்ணமி) போன்ற அநேக தினங்களில் பிரம்மசரிய நியமம் சொல்லியிருப்பதால் சரீரம், சித்தம் இரண்டுமே புஷ்டியோடு இருக்கும். இப்போதுதான் இந்தக் கட்டுப்பாடுகள் போய், சித்தவிகாரம், தேக பலஹீனம் இரண்டும் அதிகமாகி நரம்பு ஸம்பந்தமான டாக்டர்கள் நன்றாக விருத்தியாகும்படி ஆகியிருக்கிறது! http://www.kamakoti.org/tamil/2dk40.htm ஒன்றொன்றும் இயற்கைப்படி, ஸமூஹத்தின் மொத்த வாழ்வுக்கு அநுகூலமாக எப்படியிருக்க வேண்டுமோ அப்படியிருப்பது தான் அதற்கு நிறைவு. அதிலேதான் அதற்கு நிஜமான ஸெளக்கியம் உண்டு. இந்த நிறைவை விட்டு விட்டு, செயற்கையாக ஸமத்வம் என்று ஒன்றை ஏற்படுத்திக் கொண்டு அதற்காக ஓடுவதில் individual ஆகவும் [தனி நபரளவிலும்] நிஜமான நிறைவு அவரவர்க்கு உண்டாவதில்லை; குடும்பம், ஸமூஹம் இவற்றின் வாழ்க்கையும் இதனால் கெட்டே போகிறது. ஆபீஸுக்குப் போவதால் எத்தனை தப்புக்களுக்கு இடம் கொடுத்துப் போகிறது? 'பெண் விடுதலை' என்று பெரியதாகச் சொன்னாலும் ஆபீஸில் எத்தனை பேருக்கு அடங்கிப் பதில் சொல்லும்படி இருக்கிறது? இப்படி- யிருப்பதில் வாழ்க்கையில்தான் நிம்மதி உண்டா? நிம்மதியாகச் சமைத்துப் போட்டுச் சாப்பிடுவது; குழந்தை குட்டிகளின் வாத்ஸல்யத்தை பூர்ணமாக அநுபவிப்பது என்பதெல்லாம் இந்த 'விடுதலை' யில் உண்டா?

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Ramalinga Vilasam - Ramnad

During my visit to Ramanathapuram, I was thrilled to see this Ramnad Palace called Ramalinga Vilasam. It was also very special to know it was here Veerapandya Kattabomman's famous dialogue from the film actually took place some 300 yrs before.
Inside the palace building was able to see the ancient Tamil's sword and other fighting equipments...Amazing how physically one should be strong to carry those and fight...
Also was able to see a school board where they have a club to maintain heritage monuments or places..Wish all SCHOOLS WILL HAVE THIS HERITAGE CLUBS TO MAINTAIN ALL HERITAGE PLACES IN THEIR LOCALITY.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Mahakavai Bharathi's opinions on English Education

Its been a long felt thought that English medium is destroying the creativity of people whose mother tongue is not English. No other country will want to discuss this other than here in India. Answer why we even want to debate is seen in Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts on it... We, the English educated people alone are unable to assess the great loss that this factor has caused. Among the many evils of foreign rule, this blighting imposition of a foreign medium upon the youth of the country will be counted by history as one of the greatest. It has sapped the energy of the nation, it has estranged them for the masses, it has made education unnecessarily expensive. If this process is still persisted in, it bids fair to rob the nation of its soul. The sooner, therefore educated India shakes itself free from the hypnotic spell of the foreign medium, the better it would be for them and the people. Having mentioned Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts...I came across what Mahakavi Bharathiyar wrote on the same topic...here I attach below.
Its more than 100 years and our Tamil Nadu Govt seems to celebrate ENGLISH medium of instruction with the help of British Council now and also the earlier Govt. allows in Anna Centenary Library books from OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS to EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN. The children section in first floor is almost entirely of OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, only a handful of Tamil books in Children section. Read more of What Mahakavi wrote 100 yrs...When are we going to listen to his thoughts? and Take action to better the country?
Seriously hope someone will bring a change, who talks much about Mahakavi Bharathiyar should understand what he thought of this Foreign Medium of Instruction and English Education in schools...Thanks to Kalasuvadu publishing on Mahakavi Bharathiyar's Vijaya writings.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Chidambaram Kovil visit

During the Navarathiri holidays made a visit in 2015 and thought of sharing it..
The temple's spiritual vibrations can be felt anywhere in this vast and glorious temple. It was very refreshing to see it after its Kumbabhishekam in May 2015.
The four gopurams tell us that different Nayanmars came through different Gopurams...to have Thillai Dharshanam. Perhaps its vastness demands it that it requires many people to clean and maintain it...this we can see in below photos...If we can hire people then it gives both job and cleanliness to temple premises.Hope and pray corporates or institutions or individuals can come forward.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Journalists real tribute to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

Take his club foot, for instance, a condition of misaligned legs that he was born with in November 1971. Despite a surgery in his infancy in the middle of the Indo-Pak war, Khanna, the son of a video cassette library owner, had to wear wooden shoes till his teens. ...his mother and he would go from school to school selling chhole-bhature...Admission to the course hinged upon his performance in a group discussion and a personal interview. He flunked both...His language skills, or the lack of it, meant that in college, Khanna had to seek refuge in the familiarity of Indian cuisine. The first company to visit the campus was ITC. And he was rejected in one of the preliminary rounds of their multi-tier selection procedure. “They asked me to name a variety of cheeses. I told them I could write them, but couldn’t pronounce. Obviously, I wasn’t selected.He recalls one Christmas Eve when, with just about $3 in his pocket, he had to choose between paying for food and travel. Only fleetingly, though, till he joined a flock of men queuing up in front of what later turned out to be New York Rescue Mission, a shelter for the homeless. American press was knocking on his doors having discovered one of the most camera-friendly Indian chefs in the world. Within 10 months of its launch, in October 2011, Junoon earned a Michelin star, the first of the five consecutive ones that it has earned to date. Khanna attributes this achievement not to his “delicate tandoor dishes” or the “silky three-lentil shorba” that received generous praise from Sifton, but to the generation of Indian parents obsessed with giving their children a good education. “I was not working alone to get this Michelin star; with me were my parents, an entire generation of parents who sacrificed their pleasures to groom kids to bring international awards to the country. This is the essence of my India,” he says. http://forbesindia.com/magazine/forbeslifeindia/ Lessons from forbesIndia for identifying these positive stories and highly inspirational ones...Wonder why the rest of our magazines misses out such stories...in fact every issue of every journal/newspapers should carry out such inspirational stories, the way it was told in forbesindia. Guess this is what is needed to be learnt from ENGLISH. The art of SAYING POSITIVE INSPIRING NEWS. http://www.rediff.com/news/1998/oct/13kalam.htm front page of the newspaper had this picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchard and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. Journalists real tribute to Dr Abdul Kalam is to write ONLY POSITIVE INSPIRING NEWS AS HE WANTED. And never fall into the proof of his question to Pritish Nandy.. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so negative? Tell me, why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the second largest producer of wheat in the world. We are the second largest producer of rice. We are the first in milk production. We are number one in remote sensing satellites. Look at Dr Sudarshan. He has transformed the tribal village into a self sustaining, self driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed with bad news and failures and disasters.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Aryan invasion 'fiction' or 'politics'- Kanchi Mahaswamigal said it

Yesterday I read this, Simply put, there was probably no race called the Aryans. The Indus and Vedic cultures were likely one and the same. And most of us in India today, north or south, are descendants of that culture. Our history books need to teach that there are serious and credible doubts among many historians (not just Indian, but global) about the Aryan Invasion Theory. These alternative theories, based on archaeology and genetics, which largely do not support AIT, must also be taught. Then let students make up their own minds. I, for one, tend to agree with what a European friend remarked. That the Aryan Invasion Theory is the greatest piece of fiction cooked up by Europeans since the ethereal plays of Shakespeare. Perhaps it’s time to close the book. http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-edit-page/are-you-an-aryan-invader-colonial-views-on-fair-skinned-aryans-vs-dark-skinned-dravidians-have-wide-political-currency-today/ Even above the write says 'probably no race called the Aryans', leaving a bit of doubt..whereas Kanchi Mahaswamigal confirmed it was nothing by European's master idea plan of 'Divide and Rule' and unable to accept that Indians have great wisdom long before them, so they created a new fiction or political idea or whatever one may call it as Aryan Invasion Theory...now they have another called the Aliens Invasion Theory in many TV Channels... Sad writers and others have to wait so long to understand because Kanchi Mahaswamigal's words have not been listened to...Mahaswamigal said it long back in 1950s or earlier...yet our writers are now talking about it loud...Shall we call it better late than never? Will the school text books at least now change for the real knowledge and wisdom? Or are we still going to be loyal to English as English is the medium of our(their version) of history. வெள்ளைக்காரர்களின் பிரித்தாளும் சூழ்ச்சி வெள்ளைக்கார அரசாட்சி வந்தபின்தான் divide and rule – ’பிரித்து ஆள்வது’ என்கிறார்களே – அந்தக் கொள்கைப்படி சாமர்த்தியம் செய்து, வேதத்தில் கெட்ட சக்திகளாகச் சொல்லியுள்ள தஸ்யுவிலிருந்து ஆரம்பித்து, ராமர் சண்டை போட்ட ராவணன், ஸுப்ரமண்யர் சண்டை போட்ட சூரபத்மாஸுரன் என்றிப்படி எவரை எடுத்துக்கொண்டாலும் அவர்கள் ஆரிய ரேஸுக்கு விரோதமான திராவிட ரேஸ் என்று நன்றாகக் கட்டிவிட்டார்கள், இந்த அபிப்ராயத்தை குழந்தைகள் ஸ்கூலில் படிக்கிறபோதே பாடமாக இன்ஜெக்ட் பண்ணிவிட்டார்கள். ஒரு premise-ஐ (அடிப்படைக் கருத்தை) ஒப்புக் கொண்டுவிட்டால் அப்புறம் எல்லாம் அதற்கு ஸாதகமாகவும் அநுகூலமாகவுமே தெரியும். அப்படித்தான் இப்போது நம்மவர்களே ‘இரண்டு ரேஸ் தியரி’யைக் கேள்வி கேட்காமல் basic-ஆக ஒப்புக்கொண்டுவிட்டதால் நம்மவர்களுக்கே எதை எடுத்தாலும் இதற்கு அத்தாட்சி கிடைப்பதாகத் தோன்றுகிறது! இதுதான் ஸநாதனிகளை ‘ஸுபர்ஸ்டீஷியஸ்’ (குருட்டு நம்பிக்கைக்காரர்கள்) என்று பரிஹஸிக்கிற இன்றைய அறிஞர்கள், பகுத்தறிவுவாதிகள் ஆகியவர்களுடைய பெரிய ‘ஸுபர்ஸ்டிஷ’னாக இருக்கிறது. http://www.kamakoti.org/tamil/7dk199bg.htm

Friday, December 11, 2015

Uttarakosamangai Temple

It was another dream come true as I visited this great temple of Uttharakosamangai 30 minutes in bus from Ramanathapuram. I wanted to visit since I read about this temple in the history of Manikkavasagar. The two grand gopurams were very pleasing as I entered...but a question was there 'why one of the gopuram was locked?'. As I went in and saw the temple tank on the left side, I was pleased to see it full of water...I visited during the first week of November 2015, before the rain burst in Tamil Nadu really started. The greatness of the temple can be seen below...
Such a historically and spiritually great temple is NOW REALLY IN NEED OF ATTENTION.Wish the devotees across the world start doing something to restore it..See other photos...below
This is the status of it now as we go round the praharam...very very sad and painful..
Look at the condition of Dakshinaamurthy shrine... To me after seeing all the floods in Chennai and Tamil Nadu, I am only reminded of Lord Shiva's divine play with Manikkavasagar, converting horses into foxes, bringing flood in Vaigai to teach lesson on the King. To remind, King should have restored the temple at Thirupperunthurai, but he did not instead it was Manikkavasagar who renovated it with the money meant to purchase horses. Lord Shiva's divine play of flood and trouble to the people to teach an important lesson 'Keep temples in great condition and offer prayers in temples'. Do we listen? Look at the great paintings in the wall of the Goddess shrine, below...
It tells us that once it was so beautifully maintained...Now we are neglecting and are facing its consequences...shall we join and spend our money to restore and renovate this great temple?

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Sri Thayumanavar Samadhi in Lakshmipuram, Ramanathapuram

It was a long time dream(more than 10yrs) come true when I was able to visit Sri Thayumanavar Samadhi, Lakshmipuram, Ramanathapuram. The place was vibrating with spiritual power of the saint who lived in flesh and body 300 yrs before. From a Prime Minister to the saint or as 'Silent' saint, his words are always a spiritual treasure house for those who seek it. There was Swami Paranandaji of Sri Ramakrishna Thapovanam,Thirupperaithurai in his 80s looking after this Samadhi. There was Brother Ramprasad and Sri Radhakrishnan who supports the activities of the math.
It was here I was able to spend the time visiting few other temples including Maanikkavasagar's Uttherakosamangai and Thiruppulani. Saint Thayumaanavar is mentioned by all spiritual gurus of Tamil Nadu, including Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri Kanchi Mahaswamigal.
I wish many people who visit Rameshwaram will also visit this Samadhi and get blessings. Am adding few lines of his poems below... To whom are the students (and the children) of today and tomorrow...this is how the introduction begins for Thayumanavar songs in www.mountainman.com.au Of what significance are the Hymns of Thayumanavar, to the current frames of reference incorporated in the mind-set of the progressive observers of the western "civilisation"? Of what relevance are the observations of a silent sage, written on palm leaves which grew under the early eighteenth century skies of India? Of what import is the eloquent advice and perceptions of this remarkable man, to the inner character and outward questions of today's students of life, and those of the 21st century? http://www.mountainman.com.au/thayumanavar/intro.htm Thayumanavar rejected all royal honours and preferred to spend his life in a garden hut in Lakshmipuram . Thayumanavar entered into deep trance. From that highest state of divinity, he poured out his spiritual intuitions in sublime verses. He wrote them on palm leaves. His disciples Arulayaya and Kodikkarai Jnani copied and sang them to the public. See as a witness, without the burden of seeing. "Dear friends, withdraw the mind from the senses and fix it in meditation. Control the thought-current. Find out the thought-centre and fix yourself there. Then you will be conscious of the Divine Self; you will see it dancing in ecstasy. Live in that delight. That Delight-Consciousness, is the God in you. He is in every heart. You need not go anywhere to find Him. Find your own core and feel Him there. Peace, bliss, felicity, health - everything is in you. Trust in the Divine in you. Entrust yourself to His Grace. Be as you are.http://www.mountainman.com.au/thayumanavar/bkground.htm
Lets pray for surrender and get the bliss of 'silence'.