ENDRENDRUM RAJA

Jaya TV organized a musical extravaganza on 28th December 2011 at Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. I was told that the show is fully sold out and there are no tickets available when I checked on 24th December 2011. I still decided to go to the venue and try my luck as I had confidence in getting a ticket through the black market which is very famous in Chennai. As expected there were some people selling the tickets and I managed to get a Rs.500 ticket at Rs.1000 though I was mentally to prepared to pay even Rs.3000 to get a chance to hear the concert live.

The Concert started at sharp 7 p.m. and ended at Midnight. It was five hours of non-stop music with the Maestro Ilayaraja at centre stage throughout. The arrangement of the orchestra was very good with two rows of violin. There were no interventions or intermissions as Ilayaraja decided to provide wholesome musical treat to the audience. It was a five hours non-stop Ilayaraja show and at the end of it I was wondering why it came to an end. Ilayaraja has tuned the music for so many songs and there are so many hit songs that even 50 hours may not be sufficient.

The Indoor stadium was full of people and all the seats were fully occupied. The excessive people who managed entry were forced to occupy the aisle. I also sat on the aisle on the floor for four hours and then last one hour managed to get a proper seat. Almost the entire audience was there till 12 ‘o Clock and every song was appreciated by the audience. There were “once more” calls for some of the songs and there was also roaring applause for the “solo violin” in couple of songs. The highlight was the appreciation of the crowd with non-stop clapping and standing ovation for the joint performance of Yesudas and SPB for the Thalapathi song “Kaattu Kuyilu manasukkulle kaatrukendrum panjam illai”. The entire audience was clearly die-hard fans of the great Maestro Ilayaraja.

Ilayaraja brought some musicians from Hungary to perform. He also had more than 50 musicians on the stage. The musicians did a fantastic job and enhanced the quality of songs with the feel for the original score. Ilayaraja himself sang a few songs and was backed by an army of singers which included Balamuralikrishna, Yesudas, S.P.Balasubramaniam, Hariharan, Chitra, Uma Ramanan, Deepan Chakravarthy and Yuvan Shankar Raja.

Shri.Balamuralikrishna rendered the popular number “Chinna Kannan Azhaikiraan”. The ease with which he sang made one wonder whether he is really 81 years old. His golden voice is still intact and it was a real treat to listen to him. Yesudas is 71 years old and SPB is 65 years old and it was a real treat to listen to both of them. They sang very well though in three songs Yesudas forgot the original tune and managed some parts on his own. Chitra sang very well all the duets that were givne to her and showed her true quality and excellence in “Putham puthu kaalai”. Deepan Chakravarthy and Uma Ramanan sang “Poonkadave thaazh thiravai”.

The following is the list of songs performed at the Concert of 5 hours of non-stop:
1. Janani Janani by Ilayaraja
2. Amma endrazhaikkaatha uyir illaye by Yesudas
3. Naanaga naan illai thaaye by SPB
4. Symphony demonstration by Ilayaraja leading upto “Idayam Pogudhe”
5. Paruvame pudhiya paadal paadu by SPB and Chitra
6. Idayam Oru Kovil adhil udayam oru paadal by Ilayaraja
7. Nee paartha paadal from Hey Hariharan
8. En Iniya pon nilave by Yesudas
9. Kanmaniye kaadhal enbathu karpanayo by SPB
10. Aayiram malargale malarungal – Ilayaraja explained the style in which Kannadasan writes songs for tunes
11. Putham puthu kaalai by Chitra
12. Chinna kannan azhaikiraan by Balamuralikrishna
13. Vizhiyile malarnthathu uyirile kalandhadhu by SPB
14. Poove senpoove un vaasam varum by Yesudas (the audience appreciated the violin bit before unai pola naanum oru pillai thane malar vanthu konjum siru pillai thane)
15. Oru jeevan azhaithathu by Ilayaraja
16. Yetho mogam yetho dhaagam by Karthik
17. Madai thiranthu paayum nadhi alai naan by SPB
18. Oru raagam padalodu kaadhil kettatho manathodu oonjal aadutho by Yesudas
19. Sundari neeyum sundaran nyaanum
20. Naan thedum sevanthi poo ethu oru naal paarthu andiyil poothathu by Yesduas & Chitra
21. Gum Sum Gum from Hindi film Pa
22. Aayiram thamarai mottughale
23. Symphony by Hungary musicians
24. Poonkathave thaazh thiravaai by Deepan and Uma Ramanan
25. Sundari Kannal oru seithi
26. Ilam kaatru veesudhe
27. En mana vaanil siragai virikkum vanna paravaigale by Hariharan
28. Raja kaiya vecha athu wronga ponathille by Yuvan Shankar Raja
29. Ninaivo oru paravai by Yuvan Shankar Raja
30. Vacha paarva theerathadi machan kuri maarathadi by Yesudas
31. Kaattu kuyilu manasukkulle by Yesudas and SPB
32. Idhu oru nila kaalam
33. Medley round – Keladi kanmani by SPB; Poonkatru pudhithaanadhu by Yesudas; Manadhinile yaar thoorigai thanda oviyam by Ilayaraja
34. Kannan Oru Kai kuzhandai by Yesudas and Chitra
35. Ilamai itho itho inimai itho itho by SPB (wishin Happy New Year and concluding song of the Concert)

T.P.Anand
Chennai, India
29th December 2011

LORD SHRI VENKATESWARA

I went to Tirupathi (my native place) on 27th December 2011 with my wife, my sister-in-law and co-brother. The four of us had “Break Darshan” at around 8 p.m. that night. There was a huge crowd in Tirumala and the Rs.300 queue was more than a kilometer away from the temple. They had closed the issue of tickets due to the heavy rush. We were able to go into the temple and have the darshan in less than one hour due to the influence and recommendation of some high level officials. It was an excellent darshan and a very satisfying experience.

Visit to the Balaji Temple is always possible only if the Lord wishes. It cannot be planned and executed by us unless we have the blessings of the lord. I strongly believe in this and seen it happen in my life several times. The huge turnout of crowd at the temple also means having the right connections and influence to see the Lord quickly. I was fortunate to travel with my co-brother who was able to get some influence through his contacts.

I saw the first pillar that was erected during the construction of this world renowned temple. I have passed through that side after darshan of Yoganarasimhar but never knew that this pillar is the first one to be erected. I was glad that I came to know about this through by co-brother.

The contact and influence worked for the second time the next day morning as we were fortunate to have a good Darshan of my family deity Lord Venkateshwara again. This time we were able to stay in front of the lord for a few seconds extra and after the darshan we were taken to the Rangaranga Mandapam. They gave special blessings to us and put an angavastram around my shoulders. Whenever I go to Tirupathi I have been telling my wife that we are not getting the Vada which is so special and tastes so good. It has been a long cherished wish to get vada but has remained an unfulfilled wish for the last couple of decades. This time after the special blessings the priest gave me a very big laddu and vada. This is the first time that I have stepped into the Rangaranga Mandapam and it is also the first time that I have received the special blessings with the big laddu and big vada. I felt overwhelmed and very blessed to have received this special blessings and also the excellent darshan, that too twice in a space of 12 hours.

The volunteers inside the Lord Balaji Sannadhi normally push people so that the crowd can get the Darshan without too much of waiting. On both the occasions we had a very good Darshan and were not pushed and pulled. We were given enough time to stand in front of the Lord and offer prayers. We were also allowed to go around the dwajasthambam and it is for the first time in my life I had this rare opportunity.

We then went to Thiruchanur to have the Darshan of Alamelumangai Thaayar. We were made to sit in the sannadhi in front of the goddess and the priest did the archana and gave the special prasadham. This is the first time that I had the opportunity to sit in front of the Goddess and have a Darshan for a long time without being pushed or pulled by the volunteers.

The Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam is doing a fantastic job in maintaining the place so well. The queue system and facilities around the temple are a standing example of proper organising and maintaining of a facility. They also have free shuttle service in Tirumala for people to move around. There are hundreds of cottage buildings for the pilgrims to stay and there are also guest houses built by large Corporates and various mutts. The entire hill is very neat and nicely maintained with least destruction to the nature.

This was a very unique and very special trip to Tirupathi and Tiruchanur as I had such a good Darshan with my wife and received special blessings of the God and Goddess. This trip shall remain very special in my memory for ever and I will remain grateful to my co-brother and sister-in-law for arranging this wonderful trip.

T.P.Anand
Chennai, India
29th December 2011

DECEMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL

I am in Chennai on a short holiday. Sunday, 25th December 2011 turned out to be a “Triple Treat” for me. I went for three different concerts in Chennai by three great singers – Smt.Vishaka Hari, Smt.Aruna Sairam and Sri.T.M.Krishna.

Morning at 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. I heard Smt.Vishaka Hari on “Andal Kalyanam”. She started the discourse at exactly 10 a.m. and ended it at exactly 12.30. It was 150 minutes of extraordinary discourse on the birth, growing up and marriage of Andal. The ease with which she narrates with a slight tinge of humour is a real treat to the ears. She sings very well and I find traces of the great legend Smt.M.S.Subbulakshmi’s voice in Smt.Vishaka Hari.

After lunch and a two hour break I went to Kamaraj Arangam on Mount Road for Smt.Aruna Sairam’s kutcheri. There was a huge crowd outside the auditorium. I was telling my wife it looks like we have come for Ilayaraj’s concert. I was stunned by the huge crowd that had gathered. The auditorium was full and people started occupying the aisle and since the aisle was full people started filling up the stage itself. There was continuous clapping when Smt.Aruna Sairam was singing “Maadu meikum kanne”. She also rendered my other favourite song “Enna kavi paadinaalum”. There were so many requests from the audience and she was quite responsive to the audience.

From Kamaraj Arangam we dashed to Vidya Bharati to listen to Sri.T.M.Krishna. Though we were late and arrived only at 8 p.m. we were lucky to be there as the concert was till 9.45 p.m. He is a fantastic singer and has tremendous amount of energy. The Violin, Mirudangam and Gatam support was very good and he gave them enough opportunity to demonstrate their individual skills. He would develop into a legend and will be one of the greatest singers of Carnatic Music. At the age of 35 he has already touched great heights as a musician and has a long career ahead of him.

The Music Season is Chennai is really an exciting opportunity for music lovers. The katcheri at various locations starts at 8 a.m. in the morning and goes on till 9.30 p.m. You can hop on from one sabha to the other as there are plenty of Autorickshaws operating at every sabha. Each location has a tie up with some catering company and there is excellent vegetarian food that is available throughout the day.

Most surprisingly the audience is a mix of all age groups which is a very good sign as a decade ago there were doubts on the popularity of Carnatic Music. It is a good sign to see so many youngsters at the Katcheri and it is also a great treat to watch the youngsters perform. Though the television was blamed a decade ago for pulling the audience I feel it is the same Television which is now helping to strengthen the popularity of Carnatic Music. Television programmes like Ragamalika, Thakadhimithaam, Airtel Super Singer, etc., have really done the trick to kindle the interest in people for classical music.
In summary for music lovers Chennai is THE DESTINATION to be in during December.

T.P.Anand, Dubai, U.A.E.
27th December 2011

SELF RENEWAL

Swami Dayananda Saraswati delivered a special lecture on 19th December 2011 in Dubai for Professionals on Self Renewal. I was fortunate enough to attend the lecture which was very useful. I am sharing here below some of the highlights of the speech:

When an individual crosses 40 years of age there is a certain numbness that develops within and life becomes very mechanical. In the western countries this is called as Middle Age Crisis. We need to challenge ourselves to stay positive and achieve more.

Everyone has certain vulnerable zone and it is important to know the areas of vulnerability. We have to be conscious of our own vulnerability. One of the emotions that we express is Anger. Anger is not an action, it happens when our vulnerable area is touched. Thus it is a reaction which is triggered by another person or an incident.

During the first 4 ½ years of our existence we face certain situations which gives us pain and discomfort. These get etched in our mind and is carried throughout the life. Thus pain undergone by a child in the first 4 ½ years of age gets triggered and is the cause for anger. An individual gets angry when that vulnerable area is touched and hence bursts out. After the bursting of anger the individual feels sad. There is absolutely nothing wrong is getting angry or feeling sad. But it is very wrong to victimize some one because of our anger. In order to ensure that we do not victimize some one it is better to say “I am angry, I will talk to you later”. We cannot victimize a person just because the other person is either our spouse or child thinking that we can take such liberties. You have no right whatsoever to victimize the other person whoever he or she may be.

It is good to have a Home Rule “Nobody victimizes anybody when angry”. This can be followed by everyone at home be it elders or parents or children. If any family member gets angry the other person can tell “you seem to be angry now let us talk it out later”. If we implement this Home Rule and if everyone at home follows this rule consciously then it will bring about a major change.

We need to then have a process of letting this anger go out of our system. This is a two step process, viz., Damah and Shamah. Damah means control of senses – You don’t express anger by victimizing another person. Shamah means control of mind – express your anger by writing out on a paper whatever you want to say and then destroy the paper. Thus you can control your anger through Damah and Shamah. If you control your anger you will be a master of every other emotion.

We need to learn from our actions as we can never learn from reactions. When we talk we should give primary importance to the “Topic” by asking ourselves is it worth talking about this “topic” and will be of use. We can avoid gossip if we are conscious and cautious about the “topic”. Second in importance is the person we are talking to. Is that person ready to listen to us? We need to value the time and privacy of the other person.

Watch your words. Do not say what you think. Say what is true. Do not use words that can hurt the other person. Live a conscious life as everyday can make you wiser.

T.P.Anand, Dubai, 20th December 2011.

An Objective View & Way of Life

An Objective View & Way of Life - this is the topic on which Swami Dayanand Saraswati gave a series of lecture from 12th to 16th December 2011 in Dubai. I attended the lecture on three days and give below some of the points highlighted by Poojya Swami during the lecture:

We have a confused self identity and lead life with lot of subjectivity. Reducing subjectivity marks growth. We have to live life with an Objective View on everything that we do. Be objective to be sane.

Cow will remain vegetarian even when it is sent to America. It is programmed to live as a Vegetarian biologically. There is no immoral cow. A human being because of the choice made available decides to become a non-vegetarian.

We are all born related – we have grand parents, parents, brothers, sisters, etc. – and all of them were already in this world before we came in. We are connected at birth to various people and to Eshwara.

Purushaartha comprises of four elements Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha.
Dharma – Duty, Profession or Vocation performed in a proper way without hurting others. Artha – Security – economic freedom. Kaama – Pleasure including ego satisfaction. Listening to classical music is one way of deriving pleasure. People also listen to other forms of music and today the whole world is listening to “why this kolaveri di”.

Dharmaarthakaama – Achieving economic freedom with ego satisfaction by adopting religion without hurting others.

In a TV Interview one of the callers asked Swamiji “Why are you growing a beard”. Swamiji said “I am not growing. It grows”. If you ask me “Why are you not shaving your beard” I might have a reason to explain.

You grow by giving to others. By grabbing from others you become small. Swakarma means my contribution. Duty is a thing to be done by you while Responsibility is enforced on you.

Bhagavad-Gita Chapter 18, Verse 46 –Yathah pravrithir boothaanaam yena sarvam idham tatham sva-karmanaa tham abyarcya siddhim vindati maanava – the literal translation of this verse is – From whom is the existence of all living entities, by whom all this is pervaded; through worshipping Him, by ones own actions prescribed according to qualification, a man achieves perfection.

At the beginning of every action you invoke with a prayer to the God and at the end of every action you dedicate the result to the God.

Duty is the word used frequently by Indians to denote what they do for a living. When a person is going for office work he says “I am going for my duty”. When you travel out of India and go abroad you see on landing in the foreign country at the Airport – Duty Free and when you come out of the Airport you see signage of “Heavy Duty Vehicles” and “Light Duty Vehicles”.

Symphony is made up of several people each playing different musical instrument and each one of them plays a significant and important role in the Symphony. The entire society in which we live is like a symphony. We have to play different roles. We assume the role of an employee when we are at work and when we get home we have to assume the role of a son, father, brother, husband, etc., with respect to various individuals in the family. In role play the person never undergoes a change it is only the role that keeps changing.

Drama Artist acts as a Beggar and enjoys begging on the stage. He enjoys crying while begging and gets the satisfaction when the audience appreciates his acting. Though he is not a true beggar in life he does the role of a beggar very well on stage because he knows that he is playing that role which is not his true self. There is a distance between the person and the role and the knowledge of such distance in the mind of the person does the trick. You need to know how to distance the person from the role. Enjoy the role. There is no role without problems and hence face the problems and find solutions. A drama without a plot is not a drama. An objective way of enjoying role play is the way of life.

Dharma and Karma are like a coin. One side of the coin is Dharma and the other side is karma. There cannot be objectivity in confusion or error. What cannot be given up is Duty. Swakarma is Swadharma. You can never rub against Dharma without Dharma rubbing against you.

Punya – result of Karma. Paapa – is not sin. Punya and Paapa are both results of an action. It represents the Pleasant and Unpleasant situation respectively. Being at the right place at the right time is Punya. If we are not at the right place or if we are at the right place but at a wrong time it is because of the Paapa. In the western countries they attribute it luck. Conductor of a Bus says “right” and you are “left” and hence you end up missing the bus.

Swami said he prefers to be called as Swami and not Swamiji as there is a scam in India involving the 2G. It was hilarious when he said 2 G, 3 G and hence SwamiG.

Free Will is your choice. You can use or abuse or disuse your Free Will. Use Free Will without causing any hurt to others – that is Dharma. Not abusing free will is Wisdom. Free Will accounts for Punya and Paapa. When we use the Free Will without causing any hurt to others we get Punya and if the Free Will is abused we earn Paapa. When you go against Dharma you face Karma.

Swami made a reference to the recent issue in Australian Cricket and said “Ricky Ponting is doubtful of being selected. Our Harbajan Singh is recommending for his selection – we don’t know if Harbajan is recommending Ricky’s selection in Australian Team or is indirectly hinting at his own selection to the Indian Team”. He also said it is Punya or Paapa which determines the score of a batsman and that is how the batsman will either score a Duck or a Century.

You have to create Punya in your day to day life. Prayer is one of the actions to create Punya. Seeking help is intelligent living. Kaayena, Vaacha, Manasa – Threefold Karma to produce Adhrishta.

To be objective is to acknowledge the hidden variables in life. Nithya karma – daily routines. Poortha Karma – fulfilling the needs of the community. Poortha Karma can earn Punya. Use Free Will to reach out and grow in the form of giving to others.

It takes knowledge to acknowledge. Way of life is not going to be different from the view of life.

I must have done some good deeds in the past and earned Punya to attend the lecture of Swami Dayanada Saraswati. It was highly educative and informative. His lecture was delivered with ease with a sense of humour and he also touched upon current affairs.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
18th December 2011

Why this Kolaveri di

This video is on Sonu Nigam's son Neevan and it is really a treat to watch. I have watched it several times and still feel like watching. Enjoy the video of this kid

DESIRABLE BEHAVIOUR

I have often come across people and places where the desirable behaviour is not being followed. Whatever be the reasons it is important for us to have respect and regard for others particularly when we are in a public place. I thought of listing some of the instances that I have faced over the last few years for the benefit of my blog readers:

Restaurant: I have seen in many restaurants people have a tendency of talk loudly. I have seen this very often in India and recently when I was in New York I had the worst experience of my life. I went with my wife and her niece for breakfast to a popular restaurant “Penelope” in Lexington Avenue in New York. All the tables were occupied and the moment we were seated in a table I felt like running out of the restaurant. The noise level was too much to bear. The people who were having breakfast were talking at very high tone. It was worse than a fish market. People should talk to their friends or relatives who are on the same table at low voice so that they are not heard in the next table.

People look at the food that is being served to others and ask the Waiter about that dish by pointing a finger on that table.

Elevator: Some of us get very restless when waiting for the Elevator. I have seen people pressing both the “down” as well as the “up” button. When the elevator stops they would ask “are you going down or up?”. This is a very annoying experience as people do not even know which button to press to call for the elevator. They think better to press both the buttons so that we can jump into the elevator quickly. If you are going down you should press the “down” button and if you are going “up” button. What is the point in pressing both the buttons and making the elevator to stop unnecessarily?

I have also come across people who carry a lighted cigarette in the elevator. If they are confronted they would say “I am not smoking in the lift”. Little do they realise that the lighted cigarette leaves a stench in the elevator. It is also difficult for non-smokers to stand next to the guy who is holding a lighted cigarette.

Cinema: Watching films in a Cinema is great source of entertainment for many. Some people behave badly in the Cinema and make it inconvenient for the others. I have seen people putting their legs on the seat in front. Many people throw the popcorn container, soft drink cans, coffee cups, etc. below the seat. Some of them talk very loudly and make comments as if they are watching the film alone.

TATA Group

TATA Group has announced that 73 year old Mr.Ratan Tata will handover the Chairmanship of the Group to 43 year old Mr.Cyrus Mistry. It is a very good and revolutionary move. The Group is a USD 83 billion Conglomerate.

I have done an audit assignment in Tata Oil Mills Factory in Tiruvottiyur, Chennai in 1986. I have first come to know about the TATA Group in 1980. I had desired to join the TATA Group as a young Chartered Accountant in 1987 and applied for a job in TCS. I tried again after a gap of one year but in vain. As has always been the case in my life it was “apply, apply no reply”.

I have always admired the TATA Group and in those days there were two very popular Groups in India the TATA Group and the Birla Group. Shri.J.R.D. Tata was managing the Group in those days and followed a de-centralised approach. After JRD the Group’s reins were taken over by Mr.Ratan Tata and he followed a Centralised approach and showed tremendous growth in all the business segments of the TATA Group.

Mr.Ratan Tata has now chosen Mr.Cyrus Mistry to succeed him as the Chairman of the Group. This move has come as a big surprise as it was least expected. As a futuristic approach I would say this is the best decision made by Mr.Ratan Tata.

Mr.Cyrus Mistry has spent the prime time of his life over the last twenty years in various capacities and is now Managing Director of Shapoorji Pallonji. The last twenty years has seen some of the greatest inventions including the Internet. The last twenty years has also seen Corporate Boom in India after India opened up in 1991 and allowed Foreign Direct Investments.

Mr.Ratan Tata has set a new example and showed the way for the Corporate World that the person at the helm of affairs in a Corporate Group should ideally be a person in his early forties so that the person can drive the business into the next level. The younger generation has the requisite skills, maturity and exposure to handle complex business models. In the global environment it is extremely important for having a young mind at the helm of affairs.

Ideally the older generation (those who are more than 60 years old) should step aside and take on the role of an advisor to the Board of Directors. This would help the younger generation to take on the reigns and run the Corporate World in a dynamic way. It is ideal that someone takes over the reigns of the business at 40 -45 and stays at the top for about 10 years. The Succession Planning should be done in a structured manner so that the baton can be passed on in a planned manner over a period of two to three years under the guidance of the existing leader.

I appreciate and Congratulate Mr.Ratan Tata for taking this revolutionary and trend setting route and sincerely hope that people at the helm of affairs at various Corporate Groups take a cue and follow this path.

T.P.Anand
26th November 2011, Dubai, U.A.E.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Change is inevitable in life and “Change is the only thing that is Constant”. Managing Change is not an easy task whether the change happens in our personal life or at work. Human beings are very much used to repetitive tasks and comforts in life and hence whenever we are encountered with a Change our mind immediately thinks of resistance and not acceptance.

As human beings we have to constantly keep exploring new ideas and when the new idea leads to a change in the way a particular aspect is viewed or done in life we should then move on to the next stage of encouraging such new thinking. Once the change is viewed as beneficial then we should go ahead and enable the implementation of the change. This process is easily said than done.

It is the fear of failure that makes us think of resistance whenever we are encountered with a change. In NASA, I am told, “failure is never an option”. If we look at the change with a positive frame of mind then we can definitely adopt the change without any resistance. I have encountered change at various stages in life both in my personal life as well as at work. In my experience change has brought about furtherance and development.

If the need for the change is felt then one should go ahead with the change process. More than implementing the change process it is also important for us to review the results of such change to convince ourselves that the change has brought in the desired results.

While change is inevitable under certain circumstances one should also be very careful in not making frequent changes as that could be unsettling and disturbing. Striking a proper balance and adopting changes as and when needed is the key to success in business and in life in general.

T.P.Anand, Dubai, U.A.E.
21st November 2011

7,000,000,000

On 31st October 2011 when I saw the newspaper in the morning the headline on page 1 had a huge number 7,000,000,000. The world population has reached that magical number of 7 billion and is expected to reach the next billion by 2025.

While the number is a staggering number and does pose a lot of questions in our mind I thought it is time for all of us to ponder over the Opportunities and Threats that this huge number will pose over the coming years.

There was a followup article in Gulf News on 1st November 2011 which gave more data and interesting information on the population growth over the years and how the trend will be over the next several decades. The most interesting information was the annual growth in population which has been the highest in 1963 at 2.2% (the year in which I was born in this world).

It took 122 years from 1805 to 1927 for the world population to grow from 1 Billion to 2 Billion. The last One Billion was added in only 12 years. Now to grow from 7 Billion to 8 Billion it is estimated to take only 14 years.

The opportunities that are coming our way is huge as we need to provide for Water, Food, Clothing and Shelter for additional 1 Billion people worldwide within the next 14 years. The infrastructure needs of the world particularly in under developed and developing nations poses a huge opportunity.

China and India contribute 37% of the world’s population and 60% of the global population is in Asia. Over the last 10 years the focus has been on Asia and it will continue to be the major attraction as it poses huge opportunities.

There is an existing gap in the developing and under developed countries as regards infrastructure. This gap will widen with the rapid growth in population if the infrastructure development is not taken up at rapid pace.

Apart from providing infrastructure (Housing, Healthcare, Education, Airports, Roads, etc.) there is also huge opportunities for the companies that are manufacturing commodities. We should all be happy that there are plenty of opportunities that are available for us over the next several years.

While the opportunities are very exciting and interesting we need to also look at the threats. The increase in population poses threats that are seemingly insurmountable. We are having depleting water table and trees are being felled whereby forests are becoming deserts. The environmental changes over the last 10 years have posed severe threat to the living beings in the world. We need to create better awareness globally and at the same time use the technological advancements to maintain the ecological balance. It is entirely in our hands to make this a livable and lovable globe.

T.P.Anand
5th November 2011, Dubai, U.A.E.

JUGGLING LIFE

Speech by Bryan Dyson - Former CEO of Coco Cola:

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. They are work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it it will bounce back. But the other four balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these: they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.

Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time. Give the required time to your family, friends & have proper rest.

Value has a value only if its value is valued.

Anands in America – Part 2

DAVID COPPERFIELD SHOW

When we were in Las Vegas we saw the poster of David Copperfield in MGM Grand Hotel which was diagonally opposite to Hotel Luxor where we were staying.

The four of us (myself, Hema, Raghavan & Sarasija) decided to watch the David Copperfield show and it turned out to be the highlight of our trip to Las Vegas.
It was a non-stop show by David Copperfield for 100 minutes. One of the best live performances I have ever seen in my life. He is a very handsome, energetic illusionist who performs every trick with so much ease and comfort. The tricks are so well performed that it seems very simple and easy.

He disappeared from the stage a few times and made a huge motorcycle and car appear on the stage in a jiffy right in front of the eyes of 1500 strong audience. He made 13 people selected from the audience to sit on a platform and they all disappeared from the stage and appeared from the back rows of the auditorium.

He made a small paper dance on his hand and converted that into a beautiful butterfly. Similarly he made a small piece of paper dance on his hand as well as one of the spectator’s hand. He folded that paper into a white rose and by lighting fire at the bottom converted that white paper rose into real red rose.

It was 100 minutes of non-stop magic and illusion which kept the audience totally glued on to the great showman David Copperfield.

This show will remain fresh in my memory for ever and it is no wonder that David Copperfield is the greatest magician of the world.

HOOVER DAM

We visited the Hoover Dam on the way back to Phoenix. The dam is just 28 miles out of Las Vegas and it is an engineering marvel. The bridge that is newly built to bypass the Hoover Dam road to connect Las Vegas to Kingsman is a stunning structure. The bridge connects two mountains and the pillars supporting the bridge runs deep into the valley making it a magnificent sight to look at.

Anands in America

I came into the United States of America on 7th October 2011 with my wife for a holiday. This is my second trip to the USA, the first was way back in 1999. It has been a wonderful trip so far filled with lot of travel, thrill, excitement and happiness. It has been a very special trip as I have taken a holiday with my wife after more than 20 years.

On 7th we celebrated the birthday of Sarasija (my wife's niece) by visiting the Iskcon Temple in Chandler, Arizona. It is a very quiet and nice temple. It was a perfect start to a long awaited holiday. We also felt the jet lag as the flight from Dubai to Atlanta was quite a long haul with 15 hours of flying time followed by a 5 hours flight from Atlanta to Phoenix.

The last two weeks were very hectic as we spent the first two days in Phoenix and then headed to New York. We were in New York for three days and visited the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Wall Street, Central Park and New York Opera House.

We spent the next two days in Niagara Falls. The "Cave of the Winds" and the "Maid of the Mist" was just fantastic and out of the world. The Maid of the Mist is basically a boat ride which takes you close to the Niagara Falls (the horse shoe shaped falls).

We went to Chicago and spent the next two days. We visited Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Chicago Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium, John Hancock Center, Macy's Shopping Center, Sky Deck on Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Towers), John Hancock Observatory, Devon Street (the little India and little Pakistan) and Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago is a very big and beautiful city. The view from the Sky Deck and the John Hancock Observatory are both different and stunning. Devon Street is filled with Indian and Pakistani restaurants and shops and makes one feel as though it is the sub-continent and not the USA.

We returned to Phoenix from Chicago and the next day afternoon drove to Flagstaff. We visited the Lowell Observatory. The sky was very clear and we could see so many stars. It is the first time in my life that I have seen stars all around in the sky. We were also fortunate to see a space ship pass by in the sky. The "Milky Way" was very clearly visible. Despite the chillness it was a wonderful experience gazing at the sky and looking at the several thousands of stars.

The next day morning we drove to the "Grand Canyon". For the first time in my life I travelled in Helicopter and the view of the Grand Canyon on the helicopter ride was simply superb. We saw the view of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim and the East Rim after the helicopter ride. We also ventured and did some hiking. True to its name the Grand Canyon is grandeur at its best.

From Grand Canyon we drove to Las Vegas. When we were about 20 miles away from the Hotel we suddenly saw the city emerging in front of us on the Highway. It is a big city and fully lit up in the night. It is amazing to know that only 30 people lived in this city 100 years ago. Each building is unique and is modelled on different country and different architecture. We stayed in Hotel Luxor which is modelled on Egypt.

We visited the Stratosphere the next day. On the 102nd Floor you can get a wonderful view of the entire city of Las Vegas. They also have couple of dangerous looking rides which needs lot of mental strength and energy. They also have bungee jumping from the 102nd floor. The Hotels in Las Vegas are really huge and the lobby of each hotel is filled with gaming. I tried my luck on gambling and lost all the money that I bet. I guess that would be the fate of almost all the people who sit in front of those gaming machines.

The last two days went in a jiffy filled with visits to various shopping malls in Chandler, Phoenix.

It was an exciting and very fulfilling visit. The entire trip was enjoyable and comfortable as the tour arrangements were nicely made by Raghavan and Sarasija. We also enjoyed their hospitality, attention and care.

T.P.Anand,
Phoenix Airport, 9.30 a.m., 21st October 2011.

KANAKAABHISHEKAM

The video above is a rare video of the Abhishekam to Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala which was shot in 1966. It is a very rare video.

Kanakaabhishekam is also a very rare function in the family. “Kanaka” means gold and “Abishekam” means sacred bath. “Kanakaabhishekam” means the sacred golden bath. It is a very unique and divine occurrence which happens in the lifetime of one in a million.

“Kanakaabhishekam” is performed for a person (who is alive with his wife) when his son’s grandson is completing one year. The fourth generation child’s first birthday – ayush homam will be performed by honouring the child’s great grand parents.

Husband and Wife will be made to sit and a brass tray (with lot of pores) will be held above their heads. Gold Coins will be placed on the brass tray and ladies would also keep their Jewellery on the tray. The sacred water will be poured with the chanting of mantras on the tray and through the pores the water will fall on the heads of the couple who have seen the next three generations in their life time. The couple would bless the fourth generation child – great grand child.

All relatives and friends of the family should attend the function and take the blessings of the great old couple. It is very rare and unique as there are several conditions to be satisfied to qualify for this:
(a) the great grand parents should both be alive
(b) they should have a son
(c) the first son of their son (grand son) should have a son
(d) the child should be a male child born to the grand son of the old couple
(e) All the three couples should be present for the function with the child, viz., great grand parents; grand parents and the parents.

My father’s uncle Shri.Gopala Iyengar had the rare distinction of celebrating the Kanakaabhishekam in Tirupathi in 2007. According to my father this was the first time in our family that there was a celebration with the three couples and great grand son. I was fortunate enough to attend the function with my wife and took the blessings of that great couple Shri. Gopala Iyengar and his wife. In my lifetime so far that was the only Kanakaabhishekam that I attended.

-T.P.Anand, Dubai, U.A.E.
29th September 2011

NAVARATRI

Navaratri is a very important Hindu festival. “Navaratri” literally means nine nights. It is a festival which is for worship of “Durga” or “Shakthi” over nine nights and on the tenth day we celebrate “Vijayadasami”. It is also known as “Dasshera” and is celebrated in a very grand scale in places like Mysore and Kolkatta.

In the olden days children used to be sent to school for the first time in their life on the “Vijayadasami” day. It is the most auspicious day to start the academic pursuit in ones lifetime.

Navaratri is celebrated all over India and in Chennai we call it as “Navaratri Kolu”. Depending on the space available and no of dolls available people arrange the dolls and other attractive decorative items in the house. There should be 3 or 5 or 7 or 9 levels in which the dolls are arranged. The number of steps or levels should be only in odd numbers. On the side of the steps people do garden, water fall and other decorative things. In some houses in those days one room will be dedicated for arrangement of the “Kolu”.

Each night they would make different “sundal” and we all used to go to each and every house in Triplicane in those days and ask for “sundal”. “Sundal” is a special dish made out of White chickpeas, black chickpeas ( generally termed as Kadalai Sundal ), butter beans (termed as "Mochakottai sundal" ), dried peas (termed as Pattani sundal ) and many more. The entire evening used to be spent in going around visiting various houses to see the “Kolu” and to take the “sundal”. We used to stand at the door and shout “maami ungaathula Kolu vundo”. It was great fun.

At home in those days my father used to take special care and attention in arranging the Kolu and decorating the steps. We used to store all the dolls (neatly packed) with the decorative pillars and steps in the loft. Me, my sister and two brothers used to assist our father for arrangement of the Kolu. It used to take two full days for us to complete the arrangement.

It is a very grand festival for ladies and girls. They get to visit various houses during the nine nights. They would glitter in the best of saris and Jewellery. They also sing devotional songs when they visit the “Kolu”. It is a great tradition of community living and togetherness. It is the longest festival in the Hindu tradition and is hence the most enjoyable period of the year.

With the advent of apartments and the space inroads made by various gadgets like Television, Washing Machine, etc. people started facing acute space constraints and slowly the tradition of having “Kolu” at every house diminished during the last couple of decades of the previous century.

Over the last few years there has been an increasing number of houses which have gone back to the arrangement of Kolu at home. Since there are more number of femal workers in Banks and other organisations there is also a new trend of having Navaratri Celebration at business establishments including banks. I remember in 2008 the Mylapore Branch of Indian Overseas Bank had Navaratri Kolu and they invited the legendary singer Smt.P.Suseela to light the “Kuthuvilakku”.

These festivals remind us of the importance of community living which highlights togetherness and sharing the joy and enjoyment. I am glad and delighted that more and more houses have started again the tradition of celebrating Navaratri with “Kolu”. The arrangement of “Kolu” is catching up well and is spreading across the entire globe as we now have Indians (particularly) Hindus living in almost all the parts of the world.

-T.P.Anand, Dubai, U.A.E.
28th September 2011

GOOGLE THE GREAT

Google has turned 13 today and is celebrating birthday worldwide. Google is now a teenager. The most attractive, popular and most sought after teenager in the world. This teenager is liked by all the people in the world irrespective of sex, age, religion, region, country, education, profession, personal likes and dislikes. In the olden days (about 25 years ago) when we wanted to know about anything we used to refer to “encyclopedia” which was an information bank. Over the last 13 years people across the globe irrespective of age, education and background have resorted to “Google search” to find any information that they want.

I bought a pumpkin from the Vegetable store couple of years ago and when I cut it to make sambar I realized that there was too much available and what I needed for the sambar was only 1/6th of the entire Pumpkin. I kept the balance in the Refrigerator. Everyday when I set out for cooking dinner this remaining portion of pumpkin used to stare at me. On the third day which happened to be a Thursday, I decided to make use of the Pumpkin in my cooking. I told the visitor to my home that night Sundar to look through “Google” for pumpkin halwa recipe. Within the next one hour we were on the dining table having the delicious “Pumpkin Halwa”.

I was surfing the net today morning and by chance landed up on the blog of a company which had done some contracting work in Karaikal Port when I was working for Marg Limited. There were some pictures in the blog and I was shocked to see one picture which featured me on board the Dredger in Karaikal Port. I got excited and sent the picture to a friend of mine who used to be a Captain of a Ship. He wrote back “nice picture.. seems to have been taken on the bridge of the vessel”. I immediately went to Google and typed the words “bridge of the vessel” and in 0.14 seconds it gave 25.9 million results. I could clearly understand the meaning of the phrase in less than one minute.

In the olden days (about 30 years ago) we were made to by heart the lessons. We used to get up early in the morning around 4 a.m. to read the lessons so that it will remain in the memory for a long time. The present day children need not have to go through this difficulty. There is no need to remember anything hard and strain your brain. Any time any information needed can be accessed through “Google search”. In today’s world neither intelligence nor memory power is required. You can handle any situation and get clarification on any question by doing “Google search”.

The speed and variety of information that you can get on a “Google search” is truly amazing, excellent and fulfilling. Long live “Google”. I wish you a very very happy birthday and wish you many more happy returns of the day.

-T.P.Anand, Dubai, U.A.E.
27th September 2011

பாட்டு பாட வா - 2 கமல் பாடல்கள்

கமல் ஒரு மிக சிறந்த நடிகர். எந்த கதா பாத்திரத்திலும் சிறந்து நடிப்பார்.

எனக்கு பிடித்த கமல் பாடல்களை இந்த பாட்டு பாட வா தொடரின் இரண்டாம் பாகமாக வழங்குகிறேன்:

1. பூ போட்ட தாவணி போதையில் ஆடுதே
2. ராஜா கைய வெச்சா அது ராங்கா போனதில்லே
3. இதழில் கதை எழுதும் நேரமிது இன்பங்கள் அழைக்குது வா
4. சிப்பி இருக்குது முத்தும் இருக்குது திறந்து பார்க்க நேரமில்லடி ராசாத்தி
5. காலம் காலமாக வாழும் காதலுக்கு நாங்கள் அற்பணம்
6. வளையோசை கல கல கலவென கவிதைகள் படிக்குது குளு குளூ தென்றல்
7. வச்சாலும் வக்காம போகாது மல்லி வாசம்
8. புதுச்சேரி கச்சேரி எக்கச்செக்க பார்ட்டி ஒன்னு புடிச்சேன்
9. இஞ்ஜி இடுப்பழகி மஞ்ஜ செவப்பழகி
10. மேகம் கொட்டட்டும் ஆட்டம் உண்டு
11. சுந்தரி நீயும் சுந்தரன் நானும் சேர்ந்திருந்தால்
12. ஜெர்மனியின் செந்தேன் மலரே
13. தென்பாண்டி சீமையிலே தேரோடும் வீதியிலே
14. வாழ வைக்கும் காதலுக்கு ஜே
15. ரம் பம் பம் ஆரம்பம் பம் பம் பம் பேரின்பம்
16. என்னோடு காதல் என்று பேச வந்தது நீயா இல்லை நானா
17. காசு மேல காசு வந்து கொட்டுகிற நேரமிது
18. கந்தசாமியா மாடசாமியா குப்புசாமியா ராமசாமியா கல்யாணம் கட்டிகினாங்கோ
19. உனக்கென்ன மேலே நின்றாய் ஓ நந்தலாலா
20. பட்டு கன்னம் தொட்டுக்கொள்ள ஒட்டிக்கொள்ளும்

Super Singer 3 Grand Finale

The Airtel Super Singer 3 Grand Finale on 23rd September 2011 was a very long program. It lasted almost 5 1/2 hours and finally it was "Sai Charan" who emerged as a Winner.

The Airtel Super Singer 2 had Ajeesh being declared as a Winner despite the consistent performances by Ravi. Sameway we saw "Sai Charan" winning the title despite very consistent and brilliant performances by "Satya Prakash". The worst thing that happened this year is Satya Prakash was adjudged as the Second Runner up which was really shocking.

Santosh winning the Runner up position was a big surprise for everyone including Santosh himself.

I was very sad for "Pooja" for getting relegated to the 3rd Runner up Position. She deserved a much better positioning. Her song selection for the finale was not good. She sang the first song "Mannavan Vandaanadi thozhi" very well but the second song she chose was very ordinary song "gala galavena pozhiyum megham enna sollutho".

Satya Prakash sang "Oru naal poduma" and "Omana penne". He is a very versatile and elegant singer. He is very comfortable while singing and does not strain too much. He has a very bright future and will do well in life given his versatility and calm composure.

Santosh did well with "Auromale" and the second song is not a familiar song and I heard it for the first time. He was full of energy and put in lot of emotion while singing.

"Sai Charan" has been the shining star over the last few weeks. He rendered "Paattum naane bhavamum naane" and "Mazhai thuli mazhai thuli mannil sangamam". He strained himself and put in his best effort to render both the songs very well. He sounded from the start like a winner. The standing ovation that he got from the entire audience was the accredition and acknowledgement for his winning the title as "Airtel Super Singer 3". He was really outstanding in the finale and the song selection helped him a great deal.

Both Sai Charan and Satya Prakash did well with their song selection while the same cannot be said about Pooja and Santosh.

The Program could have been shorter and conducted with lot more seriousness. The compere "Siva Karthikeyan" in his enthusiasm exhibited his lack of maturity. You can take a dig at others once in a while but should not do it all the time and in every sentence spoken. That is very cheap and height of immaturity. He needs to be counseled and advised by someone as he is an intelligent and bright youngster who has a long future ahead of him.

பாட்டு பாட வா - ரஜினி பாடல்கள்

சினிமா பாடல்கள் எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடிக்கும். நான் மிகவும் விரும்பி கேட்பது தமிழ் திரைப்பட பாடல்கள்.

எனக்கு பிடித்த தமிழ் திரைப்பட பாடல்களை இங்கே தொகுத்து வழங்கப்போகிறேன்:

பாகம் 1 - ரஜினி பாடல்கள்

1. பேசக்கூடாது வெறும் பேச்சில் சுகம் ஏதும் இல்லை வேகம் இல்லை லீலைகள் காண்போமே
2. மலயாள கரையோரம் கவி பாடும் குருவி
3. காவிரியே கவிக்குயிலே கண் மணியே வா வா மனம் தாவுதடி தவிக்குதடி தளிர்கொடியே வா வா
4. வெள்ளை புறா ஒன்று ஏங்குது கையில் வராமலே
5. மாமா உன் பொண்ணை குடு ஆமா சொல்லிப்புடு இது சாமி போட்ட முடிச்சு
6. வா வா வசந்தமே சுகம் தரும் சுகந்தமே
7. முத்து மணிச்சுடரே வா முல்லை மலர் சறமே வா கண் உற்ங்கு நேரம் ஆனதே
8. சூப்பர் ஸ்டாரு யாருன்னு கேட்டால் சின்ன கொழந்தயும் சொல்லும்
9. அம்மா என்றழைக்காத உயிரில்லையே அம்மாவை வணங்காது உயர்வில்லையே
10. என்னம்மா கண்ணு சௌக்கியமா
11. ரா ரா ரா ராமைய்யா எட்டுக்குள்ள உலகம் இருக்கு ராமைய்யா
12. மாசி மாசம் ஆளான பொண்ணு மாமன் எனக்கு தானே
13. நீலக்குயில்கள் ரெண்டு
14. கண்டுபுடிச்சேன் கண்டுபுடிச்சேன் காதல் நோய கண்டுபுடிச்சேன்
15. ஒரு மைனா மைனா குருவி மனசார பாடுது மாயங்கள் காட்டுது ஓஹோ

தி.பா. ஆனந்த்
துபாய்

RETIREMENT

The life expectancy of a human being has been increasing steadily over the last few decades. When I was young and studying at school the Retirement age was increased from 55 to 58. Over the last decade there has been enough said and written about increasing the retirement age to 65. By the year 2020 I feel the retirement age will be increased to 70. The life expectancy has increased over the last twenty years from 70 to 85. People are able to live longer thanks to the advancement in the Medical Sciences over the last couple of decades.

The last two decades have seen much more inventions and the technical advancement that we have seen is really mind boggling. The inventions of the last two decades which will much more than what we have seen as sum total in the last two centuries.

With the advent of Internet the source of information and intelligent is at finger tips. During my school days we used to get up early morning and read the lessons to know them by heart (mug up). The memory power and intelligence was constantly under test during those days. Nowadays the children do not need to have such enormity of memory or intelligence as everything is available at the press of a button through “Google search”.

I feel by the year 2020 children would start doing most part of their studies through internet and “eLearning” will catch up in the next ten years and become the norm of the day. The children are ready to start living their own life from an early age, say 18 or 20. Their working life would start around 18 or 20 and they would have to work till they reach about 70 or 75. The working life which used to be 35 years before will now increase to 55 years in the decades to come.

In the ever changing dynamic world there is also a burning need for all of us to update our learning and have the open mindedness to learn new things. When I was a student there were no calculators. When my children were at school they were using Computers. The present generation of school kids are using Laptops and iPADs. We have moved rapidly from Desktop to Laptop to Palmtop and with the convergence of technology we have one device on our palm which has Watch, Phone, Calculator, Compass, Organiser, Computer, Video, Audio, Camera, Radio and many more.

The demands from a human being are far higher and complex now compared to what it was couple of decades ago. Life will get more complex and in order to endure the adversities and complexities one would have to adapt very quickly and continuously learn.

Retirement is thus getting further away and eluding those who are right now in their 50s. The folks who are nearing 50 and have crossed 50 recently are the ones who have to watch out. There is a need for a real stretch and broadening of thinking as we go through this transitional phase.

With the shift in the Retirement age by further 10 years or more we need to prepare ourselves for a tough phase of working life. Having said that I must say the work-life balance is also equally important for us to stay motivated and fit.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
15th September 2011.

BHAVNA BOTTA – A GREAT ACHIEVER

Is Bhavna Botta, who has Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, the world's first student to have completed a Bachelor's degree with the use of only her eyes?

The first thing that strikes you when you meet Bhavna Botta is how full of smiles she is. Not surprisingly, she was voted Miss Smiley — and Miss Final Year — at her B.A. Corporate Secretaryship department farewell party in Ethiraj College this year.

It has been a remarkable journey. Bhavna was born with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, which means she is unable to walk, write by hand, or communicate verbally. Yet, she has defied all odds to complete her Class XII exams from a mainstream institution, Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao Matriculation Higher Secondary School, and now her Bachelor's degree from Ethiraj, all using a unique system of communication by ‘eye-pointing'.

“She is definitely the first person in India — and possibly in the world — to have finished a college degree using the eye-pointing system,” says Kalpana, her mother. With this system, Bhavna communicates — and writes her exams — using a chart of alphabets in numbered columns, spelling out what she wants to say by pointing at the columns with her eyes. The chart was developed specially for her at Vidyasagar (a voluntary organisation that works with children and young adults with cerebral palsy and other neurological disabilities), where she studied until Class X. That's what she uses during this interview as well, spelling out her answers so rapidly at times that Kalpana can't keep up.

Foremost on her mind is her emotional parting with M. Thavamani, her principal at Ethiraj College who retired recently, and whom she went to college to say goodbye to. “It was a very unique feeling,” says Bhavna, “something I've never experienced before.”

Thavamani describes the meeting in touchingly similar terms: “It was a very emotional moment for both of us; I can't begin to express the kind of affection Bhavna's shown me, the department and her classmates.”

She adds: “When I first met the child, I did wonder if she would be able to manage. But today I can say that having been Bhavna's teacher — I taught her accountancy in her first year — is something I'm truly proud of in my career of 35 years.”

Like any youngster, Bhavna's fondest memories of her three years in college are of the friendships she formed and of all the fun she's had. The word she spells out most often is ‘fun', amidst plenty of laughter, as her mother talks about her adventures in learning to wear a sari and her insistence on going to the beach even though the salt water plays havoc with her wheelchair.

Is she signing up for a postgraduate degree? Her family is trying to convince her to do so. But her mind's made up and it has been since she was in Class VIII — Bhavna plans to start her own business. “She's geared all her decisions towards this, whether it was taking accountancy in Class XI or choosing Entrepreneurial Development as her elective in college,” says Meenakshi Subramanian, member of Vidyasagar's Disability Legislation Unit (DLU), and Bhavna's close friend and scribe.

She's already decided on the sort of business she's like to do — a socially responsible venture selling organic cotton and ahimsa silk saris and dress materials — and she has friends and family collecting information for her on different aspects.

But when Kalpana talks about family funding the venture, Bhavna protests vehemently — she's determined to start her business with a loan from the National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) instead. Her answer to my question “Why business?” was simply to spell out “independence”.

“What's the next step?” earns a similarly simple response: “Launching the business.” With this plucky young woman's track record, you've got to believe it will happen, sooner rather than later.

(Source: The Hindu, 5th June 2011)

Please visit the website http://www.saahaagika.co.cc/

LOGOS HOPE

I visited this vessel "Logos Hope" when she called on Dubai in January 2011. It was a really wonderful experience to go into the Vessel and see the "largest floating book fair". The collection of books they have onboard the vessel is very wide and truly interesting.

I also attended a cultural evening on Logos Hope and was very entertaining as the volunteers who work on the vessel gave a variety performance. The compere said that there are volunteers from forty different countries who work on the Vessel for 2 years. Each of them has a different way of doing things and hence onboard the Vessel there is nothing called "right" or "wrong". For example some volunteers get up early and start working early in the morning whilst there are some volunteers who get up late and start working only around 11 a.m. He said starting at 8 a.m. or 11 a.m. is "different".

All the people working on the Vessel right from the Captain of the Ship are Volunteers and they work for 2 years on board the vessel. They are assigned to work in different departments and work for a minimum of 8 hours a day. While they do not receive any salary to work on the Vessel they do get food and a decent room to stay onboard the vessel. Above all they get to visit different countries during the 2 years which is the greatest bonus for the volunteers. I am very much inclined to work on this Vessel as a Volunteer for two years. Right now she is docked in Penang, Malaysia and will be departing on 27th to call on Port Klang.

No.24 Car Street, Triplicane

I grew up in No.24 Car Street between 1970 and 1975. Those five years were glorious years as I played lot of cricket. I had lot of friends and had a wonderful time. That is a corner building owned by Shri.S.D.Krishnamurthy Rao. He used to be Head Master of Hindu High School (the famous school which is in existence for more than 150 years).

This house was at the junction of Singarachari Street and Car Street. Next to our house there is "Gudirai Vahana Mandapam". There is a huge place at the corner which was convenient for erecting temporary stage for Political Meetings. Though I did not understand much of what was spoken I used to stand and listen to all speakers in those days. We had seen some eminent political personalities like Periyar, Sivaji, Karunanidhi, etc. in Car Street during the elections.

Car Street is one of the four Maada Veethis of Sri Parthasarathy Swami Temple and hence there was always good amount of activity.

It was a long house with one entrance in Car Street and another entrance from the back street. Shri.T.R.Rajagopal, Science Teacher of Hindu High School used to stay at the back using the entrance from the back street.

There were another six families which stayed in the front portion of the building having entrance from Car Street.

The first portion was on first floor with stair case right at the entrance to the building. That portion was occupied by Mr.Ramachandran & Family. They used to own couple of Lorries in those days. There was enough space to park their lorries outside our house.

The second portion was on ground floor occupied by Mr.Parthasarathy and family. He was working in AG's Office (Accountant General's Office in Teynampet). He was a genius and the only man that I have seen in my entire life who could total two digits with ease. Today we are all using Calculators and Computers and in early 70s when there were no calculators totalling was done manually but only one digit at a time. Shri.Parthasarathy had the unique ability to total two digits at a time that too with ease and at a fast pace. His wife Janaki Maami was a very kind hearted nice lady. They had four sons - Suresh, Kumar, Sekhar and Ravi. The most notable member of their family whom I think of very often is Baagi, the sister of Mr.Parthasarathy. She used to sing very well and had a fantastic voice. I still remember the sweet voice and the way she used to sing all P.Suseela songs. Over the last three decades whenever I hear a P.Suseela song I think of Baagi.

The next portion on the ground floor was occupied by Ganga & Family. After the death of Ganga's father they moved out and Srinivasan & Family came to that portion.

The next portion on the ground floor was occupied by our family. My father, Mother, Grandmother, sister and two brothers lived in that house. It was quite a spacious portion with a large kitchen.

Next to our portion was another staircase which lead to another portion occupied by Narasimhan, Ragothaman and family. These two brothers though much older than us used to play cricket with me and my brothers. They had two sisters and one of them was working in Reserve Bank of India and the other sister was studying.

The last portion on the ground floor which was at a slightly lower level was occupied by Shri.Chellappa and family. They had two sons Ashok and Sai who were also my cricket mates. Shri.Chellappa was working as a Sales Representative for Borosil and used to give us lot of free gifts during cricket matches.

Shri.S.D.Krishnamurthy Rao used to comes once in a month to collect the rent. If I remember right we were paying initially Rs.140/- per month which was later increased by Rs.10/- every year and finally when we left the house in 1975 we were paying Rs.180/- per month. It was a very lucky house as most of the tenants left the house to occupy their own house. Shri.S.D.K was very proud of this and I remember he once told my father "Whenever you are shifting from here, Mr.Parthasarathy, I want you to shift to your own house".

It was like one large happy family in that house though there were six different families. There was lot of affection, concern, help and joy which was shared by all. We have also had our share of fights every now and then. But the beauty is we used to forget the fights and become pally with each other the very next day. There were no Television Sets, No Mobile Phones, No Calculators, No Cameras and No Computers. We all had a Radio and the only entertainment was listening to Radio which we hardly did as there was so much of fun and entertainment within the family and friends.

If there was a fight between Mr.Chellappa and his wife Suseela then all the other families knew about it. If there was a shortage of Sugar in our house then all the other families knew that we have taken on loan basis "one karandi" sugar from Janaka Maami to be returned when we buy the ration on the 1st of the following month.

It was true community living and very happy living experience. I am glad I enjoyed it for atleast about 5 years in my entire life so far. I am very sad that I am not able to enjoy the community living for ever.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
7th September 2011

TEACHERS AND THEIR TEACHINGS

Teachers play a very vital role in the life of every one of us. After our parents the most important persons in our lives are Teachers. They have a tremendous influence in a boy or girl's mind. A Teacher can make a child grow into a well rounded wonderful person through his/her teachings.

A child grows in the first 2 to 3 years under the personal attention and care of a mother. The child is pampered and always surrounded by immediate family during the first few years. When the Child starts going to school Teacher becomes the first outside contact for the Child. The influence that a Teacher can have on the Child’s mind is enormous.

It is very important for us to remember the teachers who have taught us so many things over the years in School and College. In addition to imparting the knowledge on the subject the Teachers also inculcate a sense of discipline in our minds. We learn discipline, right attitude, passion, culture, behaviour and many more important traits from the Teachers. Teachers at school adopt a “Carrot and Stick” approach and that teaches us to know the difference between good and bad. Both appreciation and punishments comes in public in front of the entire class or sometimes in the presence of the entire school.

We like some teachers and we do not like some of them. Mostly the ones that are showering the students with appreciation and accolades are liked by students. The strict disciplinarian teacher is not liked by most of the students. I have come across teachers who mix both and have a tactful way of impressing on the students the need for discipline.

I have been attending Arabic Classes in Alliance Française and my interest in the language has increased tremendously because of the Teacher. Mr.Ghassan is the teacher who is taking the classes and the enormity of patience and perseverance exhibited by him in the classes is a great inspiration for me.

Rolling back into the years I recall Charumathi Teacher who taught me Tamil when I joined for 3rd Standard in Bharathi Bala Bhavan. A small school in South Mada Street in Triplicane. I went for private tuition to her house in the evenings as I was new to the language. She was a very kind hearted teacher with a smile on her face all the time. I have never seen her getting angry or upset with any student. She remains the best teacher in my life for her dedication, passion, kindness and that everlasting smile.

The second best teacher in my life is Shri.Sampath Iyengar, my father’s uncle. He was a genius in Mathematics. He taught me Mathematics for more than 2 years on weekends. I had never scored more than 80% in any subject in my life until I started going for tuition in mathematics to Shri.Sampath Iyengar. After learing the subject from him I was consistently scoring over 80% but centum kept eluding me throughout. He used sit in an easy chair with eyes closed and teach the subject without using a black board. I have developed my analytical skills only through his teachings and I am indebted to him.

Shri.P.Anand taught me Commerce in School. Being a Chartered Accountant himself he was the first teacher to appreciate me in front of the Class. He also identified the true potential in me and advised me to take up Chartered Accountancy. I will remain grateful to him for ever for unleashing the potential in me at the right time. When I went to meet him after clearing my CA Entrance Exams he was thrilled with my marks and he introduced me to everyone in his office and proudly said “my first student from Hindu High School”. That was a great moment for me in life.

During my CA days I have had some wonderful teachers who have taught me the subjects and I distinctly remember Prof.Sheshadri from A.M.Jain College. He taught me Accountancy in Davar’s College of Commerce where I went for coaching for the CA Entrance exams. He taught Accountancy without using the black board. Very rarely he used to go upto the black board. He taught the subject very nicely with conceptual foundation and made it very simple to understand and learn.

There were a lot of teachers during my school days and college days. Some of them were very good and some were not so good when it came to imparting knowledge. Some of the good teachers whom I recall are Shri.R.Srinivasan (RS); Shri.D.Mani; Shri.L.S.Sivakumar; Prof.K.L.Nagarajan; Shri.R.Bhupathy; Shri.Govindarajan (he taught me Operations Research for my CA Final).

When I analyse now and look back I feel the teaching profession is a very good profession but unfortunately it does not attract the best of the talents. A bright student never ends up with teaching profession. Most of them go into the Industry or start their own business. If the Teaching Profession can attract the best talent it will help the students a great deal in their life.

I am very fond of Teaching Profession and have been engaging myself in delivering lectures and conducting workshops. I have had my moments of satisfaction during the days when I was teaching in the CA Institute in Chennai. After a long gap I have again started engaging myself in teaching since the beginning of 2011 and it has been a very wonderful experience.

Long Live the Teachers. Their Teachings have made all of us proud individuals. I salute them all. Happy Teachers Day.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
5th September 2011

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

I did schooling in Chennai and studied in the State Board wherein we had English and Tamil as languages to study. There were several protests against Hindi in those days (70s) by the regional political parties. Despite the political outcry against Hindi every household particularly the middle class families encouraged their children to study Hindi.

I joined for Hindi Classes (Prathmik) along with my brother T.P.Ashok about 35 years ago. We used to go to Akbar Sahib Street in Triplicane for the Hindi Classes. Every day while we were waiting for the Teacher we used to hear the Prayer from the Mosque which was right opposite the Hindi Class. Over a period of time I started remembering that Prayer as I have heard it repeatedly. I was actually checking if any of those words that used in the Prayer is from Hindi. Later I came to know that the prayer is in Urdu/Arabic. I used to think it will be nice to learn that language also.

My stint with Hindi ended with Prathmik and I got through the exams with Second Class. My brother continued his Hindi Classes and went on to complete the entire set of exams upto Praveen.

In 2001 when I came to Dubai I felt the need for learning Arabic as I thought it would be easier with discharge of duties. In my day to work I had to go through documents which were in Arabic and always needed help from someone. Though the need was felt I did not make a serious attempt to learn Arabic until 2010. It was only towards the end of 2010 that I took this up seriously and went to Alliance Française to enquire about the Arabic Classes.

I finally joined for Arabic Classes in January 2011 and it proved to be a wonderful experience. Learning a foreign language is very difficult but it is also very interesting. The words and the context in which different words are being used is really very interesting to learn. The Grammar is the toughest part of any language and Arabic it is not an exception. In English we say he came, she came, I came, you came, they came, we came – but in Arabic there is a different word for each Jeet, Jeetee, Jetoo, Aaja, Ajat, Ajoo, Jeena.

The script is also very difficult to follow and reading and writing is quite difficult in Arabic. There are similar letters but they vary with dots. There are two dots, three dots, dot above the letter and dot below the letter. For instance if the dot is below it is “Ba” and if the dot is above it is “na”. If we are not careful while writing then the word itself will change and thus the meaning as well. There are also strokes for vowels “aa” “ee” “oo”. Even if these punctuation strokes are not used in the real text one has to read the word with the vowel. For example when they write Dubai the vowel stroke for “oo” is not written in reality. But when we read we have to read with the vowel sound and read as Dubai and not Dbai. The pronunciation of certain letters is also very difficult.

After eight months of learning I have still not got the confidence to speak in Arabic. My recollection of words is very poor and hence the lack of confidence. I intend to continue with the Arabic Classes until I get the confidence to comfortably speak, read and write. I do not know how long it is going to take.

It is now my desire to learn at least five foreign languages over the next five years (2011 included). I have chosen “French” as my next Foreign Language. Learning a Foreign Language helps us not only to learn the language but in the process it helps us to learn the culture, values and customs.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
3rd September 2011