Climate and vegetarians...

 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/earth-is-warming-faster-than-ever-in-its-history-mitigations-include-indias-vegetarian-diet/articleshow/106800898.cms?from=mdr

Sita, Dhuba grass and Vishnu

 Durbha or Dhuba grass has an important place in Hindu worship. The grass finds the highest position on a deity’s body i.e. the head. This grass belongs to the Poaceae family and botanically known as cynodon dactylon. It is the most sacred plant after Tulsi in India.

Since it has most of the body part like a creeper grass on the ground, it symbolizes humility; all living beings tend to walk on the same. This is one of the first reasons why it is placed on a deity’s head during worship. Humility as a virtue is an integral part of Hinduism.

A story also does the round that while Sita was asked to go through agni-pareeksha for the second time, she asked Mother Earth to engulf her. She being her daughter, an earthquake took place where she was standing. She stood with hands folded till the earth engulfed her. Lord Ram in grief hurried to the spot in vain. All he could muster to get hold was some of her hair. The Lord in deep anguish threw them on the side earth and was in despair. The hair fell on the earth and became Dhuba grass and spread its roots to a larger place. The grass thus stands as a memoir of the many talked about characteristic aspects of Sita i.e. humility, virtue, dedication, patience and love.

In another story we have the great king Ambarish waiting to complete his fast by taking a meal. At that instant, Durvasa saint came in mentioning that he would have food with the king after performing his bath. To this the king obliged and waited. However since the auspicious time of breaking the fast was passing over, he symbolically broke it by taking few drops of water. The sage got angry with him for the same. He was about to give a curse when the king, a devout Vaishnavite prayed to Vishnu to save him from the curse that was going to come. The lord sent his Sudarshan Chakra to slit the sage. The sage pleaded with Lord Vishnu but the lord said that it was not under his control as once the chakra was left free, it would complete its job of slitting the destined person. Durvasa pleaded mercy owing to the grounds not being that serious. Upon this, the Lord said that considering the meagerness of the crime, the slit body of the saint would become grass; however it would find place in the hair / head of the lord.

At some places it is mentioned that this grass represents the entire Universe. The universe as per Hindus is governed by the trio of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva. Brahma is told to reside in the root, Vishnu in the middle and Shiva at the top. Thus worshipping the grass symbolizes worshipping the eternity. Besides worship on festive occasion, this grass also finds it unique position in the funeral rites of Hindus too.

Today this grass has found its way into the medicinal world as a cure to dispigmented skin, burning (being haemostatic), and wounds externally and as a cure for bleeding control in cases of piles, menorrhagia etc. and being an anti-toxin internally. Not surprisingly this grass finds mention in the writings of Sushruta and Charaka.

Next time we come across this grass, let’s pause and dwell about its importance.

Wah Taj!

 It's awesome experience to be there. One must be there whether one is a connoisseur of tea or not. It is a tastefully curated tea shop managed by Hindustan Unilever itself. They have atleast 200 types of teas and the best part is that they  provide suggestion to the un-initiated. 

There is music which changes regularly; it's pure Hindustani classical yet pleasing to the ear; aptly distinct, but not at all noisy. Each wall and corner is decorated with either framed quotes on tea, pictures of visited-celebrities or with tea items (cups, saucers, kettles and the like). They also have serious books and coffee-table books for the leisure of the walkins.

Few snacks, all-items and coffee options are thrown in just to fill the list but the core remains: tea at heart.

 

Happy Diwali 2023

 Its that time of the year when we are in our spirited best. We are happy, we have sweets to add to the zing, we plan family time, beautify our own lives with rangoli & lights, pray together and practice giving.

While I sincerely wish all a Happy Diwali, I sincerely urge all to plan something or atleast be alert to the most important challenge facing humankind i.e. climate change. Its lurking upon us and we ought to consciously do whatever little bit we can!

Would love to hear and practice some good ideas...

Ramayana through the Jain lens

 

Like me, most of our generation has grown knowing Ramayana through the directorial efforts of Ramanand Sagar.  With further learning, we came to know that it was based out of Valmiki’s Ramayana. India has been a mystical country particularly in the domain of scriptures. With further learning we come to know that we do have many Ramayanas. Noted author, A K Ramanujam in his celebrated book, “Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translations” goes on to claim that we do have atleast three hundred Ramayanas written in various Indian languages and written over different periods of time. Among many, we do have “Paumacariya Ramayana” written by Jain monk Vimalasuri. This is one of the seventeen different Jain Ramayanas available for perusal. Though it is written in Prakrit language, the Sanskrit name for this text is Padmacharita referring to the “Life of Rama”. Lord Rama is mostly described as Padma in Jain literature alluding to the fact that his eyes were beautiful as lotus petals and hence his face was similar to a full-bloomed lotus flower.

Before we delve further into Paumacariya Ramayana, it is essential to show the right place of Rama in Jain thoughts. According to Jainism, there are sixty-three eminent people and they are twenty-four Tirthankaras, twelve Chakravartis, nine Balabhadras, nine Vasudevas and nine Prativasudevas. Rama is one Balabhadra, Lakshmaan is one Vasudeva and Ravana is one Prativasudeva. It is to be noted out here that each of the Balabhadra will have a step-brother in Vasudeva; both of them would be inseparable and there would be an anti-hero in the form of Pratisudeva. Each of the pair of Balabhadra and Vasudeva would rule half of the area of a Chakravarti. One such triad is Rama, Lakshmaan and Ravana.

Some of the stark differences that are observed in Paumacariya Ramayana in comparison to Valmiki Ramayana are as follows:

1 Ravana is described as a pious, handsome and just ruler who was busy in austerities. His only weakness was that of Sita. The clan of Rakshasas are mentioned to be highly civilised with super-natural qualities and Ravana was their king belonging to the lineage of Meghavahanas. This finds proof in the inscriptions of King Kharavela in modern day’s Odisha.

2 Sita is born naturally to Janaka and Videha unlike the Earth and farming linkage. She also has a twin brother namely Bhamandala.

3 Kaikeyi is shown as a sympathetic mother who asks for Bharat’s coronation as she was afraid that Bharat would become Jain monk renouncing the princely world. Rama voluntarily chose to go to exile as he knew very well that Bharat would not accept the throne when Rama was around.

4 It was Lakshmaan who killed Ravana and not Rama.

5 There is no reference of golden deer to trap Sita. Instead, we do have Lakshmaan’s voice being used by Ravana to distract Sita.

These are some of the minor differences. But this Jain Ramayana is rooted with Jain values and morality. The tale is too divergent from the Valmiki’s version. The last statement stems from the very fact that Paumacariya showcases all its characters as human beings rather than divine characters.

WhatsApp and AC

 Being in the service line gives me enough insights into people's minds through conversations. Two things have been intriguing me. I am no psychologist and hence my inference may be wrong but I do have a strong hunch that my logic and fear are not out of place.

1 Lack of patience

I observe the growing lack of impatience among common people. They are impatient while standing in a queue, executing a banking transaction, expecting delivery of an online good ordered, waiting in any & every service point and in many more circumstances where a wait is expected. To a large extent, I believe that WhatsApp is the villian. My logic emanates from the simple fact that people have grown used to videos / data points / messages being delivered in a matter of few milli-seconds even across thousands of miles. Besides, it is widely used as a communication mode across all strata of population and no WhatsApp user uses it in a limited manner. One must realise that every service cannot be executed at the pace of WhatsApp delivery. I am worried that incremental impatience might affect the health, inhibit thinking, curtail research and Improve chances of a fracas in the environment.

2 My world

We are used to AC environments in offices, houses, travel modes and other points of engagements. The prevalence of AC usage is also increasing. A simple thing which accompanies the usage of AC is the closing of the doors, windows and other outlets. Excessive usage of AC may have an effect on developing a closed mind and limiting of thoughts. We may be developing a penchant for a feeling that me and my family / surroundings are well placed and this is my world. Nature however has well placed mechanisms around inter-connectedness. My well-being is a function of the wellness of all around me; this thought, I am afraid is reducing in its strength. Not thinking about others may bring in aligned problems in the society over a period of time.

Stay humble

 If God has given you more than you deserve, please be grateful for that and not indulge in showing off the wealth or insulting / humiliating others!

F1 beckons: Drive to Survive

 Drive to Survive is a series on Formula 1 racing; the people behind it, the behind-scene takes, the actions around it, the trophies, the money and tonnes of learnings for ordinary mortals. 

 

Season 1, Episode 1 starts with Daniel Riccardio, the Australian F1 champion. It shows the killer instinct, the desire to win, the actual man and the victories. It takes a peek into his childhood, the earliest strains of being a world champion, his struggles of leaving home young for the race circuitry.   

 

Inspirational Dialogue (ID) 1: “I do believe I can be world champion”; this statement says it all that I can, you can and everybody can for which you ought own the thought of “I can”. 

Infact, he starts with a handicap even in his home country (Australian Grand Prix 2018) as the top 3 contenders for the same are all non-Australian, still! The names against whom he was competing were Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel with Ferrari. 

 

It mentions the budgets involved in each race; whereas the big ones like Mercedes and Ferrari have budgets in billions, the other ones are not at all that lucky. It differentiates the smaller Hess F1 team from the biggies. 

 

ID 2: “You just gotta keep trying and trying and a lot of success in racing comes down to just being stubborn”. Its not the budgetary support that matters, it’s the individual strife. 

 

ID 3: “In a small team, we have less parts, less stuff. We need to do more with less”. It is easy to have a blame and sit tight holding on to it.  

 

ID4: “We are the underdogs. We are new in here. But, for sure, we’re not here just to make the numbers up. We are here to compete”. What visible strength and grit! 

 

We see peeks of the practice sessions before the final day of race; the accidents and some briefs of the racing history of this Prix.  

 

Another key point is the pedigree of the racing teams. While Mercedes and Ferrari are from the car world, Red Bull Team is a subsidiary of a company into energy drink, nowhere close to the business of cars and racing. 

 

ID5:”I wanna win, because its what I believe I can do and I have worked all these years to do it. So, no one’s gonna put more pressure on me than myself”. What a statement coming directly from the going-to-be world champion. 

 

We are told about the immense pressure that the drivers are under for qualifying. The aspirants must be string and not afraid of death. Drivers narrate their feelings of driving. 

 

ID6:”Everybody told us we will fail. But Gene (owner) supported me all the way and has put a lot of faith in me and failing in doing this is not an option.” This statement speaks volumes of the important of the leader and the way he handles his Team.  

 

Finally, we have the D Day where 21 cars arrive to test themselves. The tension builds up and we see management of tension and distractions. We also sneak into the thoughts of death raising in the minds of Daniel’s parents. That’s probably the importance of families. We might fight for money, position, toys and wealth but for our families, we are just a family member. 

 

We also see both the driver of Hess F1 Team come out of racing because of faults in their respective cars.  

ID7:”Its easy in my position to blame somebody, but then in the end, the buck stops with me.” What a powerful thought coming from the manager of the Team. It speaks volumes on leadership and the trait which is difficult to find.  

 

Being the fast things that they are, things change very fast’ one knows the starting point but no one knows where one will finish. 

 

If one episode was this much, then there are lots in store in the forthcoming episodes. 

Satyajit Ray through the mind of Professor Shonku!

The world celebrates the Indian genius and the mind of Satyajit Ray on his centenary birthday. We know him as a film maker who was meticulous and who toyed with every aspect of film making. He was a great story teller too; a trait which was in his genes.

What intrigues me of such legends is the vision and the depth to which they can go in seeing the future. A very strong character of Ray namely Professor Shonku was a scientist who toyed with many aspects of science. Infact the versatility of Ray was echoed in this character. This person encompassed AI, genealogy, pharmacology, metallurgy, electronics, virology and alchemy among other fields of science. He also uses collaboration with fellow scientists which was hitherto unknown in India atleast to a scientist based out of a remote town called Giridih in Bihar and that too in mid 1960s.

Some of the creations and objects identified with Professor Shonku are enumerated below. Serious readers of Ray can add many more. Am sure, you would realize how far was Ray from his times.

• Air-conditioning pill – A capsule to be kept in shirt pocket that keeps the body temperature normal in extremes of climate.

• Annihillin – A pistol capable of annihilating (vanishing or vapourizing) anything that is living, invented because he does not like bloodshed.

• Artificial Diamond - Created along with Krol and Siddique following the process of Nefrudet.

• Bidhusekhar – A mechanical man (robot) with AI built with very cheap materials, programmed to answer any question asked to it.

• Botica Indica – A pill made from sap of Banyan tree to ward off need of food and water for 24 hours.

• Carbothin Fabric – A fabric which is non-conductor of electricity and saves from electrical shocks.

• Camerapid – Instant color photographs after snap.

• Ceribrilliant – Medicine to make brain function better way.

• Compu – A computer brain with 10 crore delicate circuit in it. Designed by Shonku along with Matsue, Dr. John Kenseli, Dr. Stephen Merivel, Dr.Stavs, Dr. Ugatti, Prof. Sttraton, Prof. Kutna, Prof. Markus Wingfield (as a replacement of S.Merivel) and the workers of Namura Institute of Japan, which later develops AI via an accident.

• Compudium – Short for Computerized Medium, a device to contact departed souls.

• EA (A small specimen of all evolution forms of human)

• Electric pistol – A pistol to fire 400 volts electricity.

• Evolutin – A drug that makes people evolve 10 thousand years in 5 minutes.

• Fishpill – Space food for cats.

• Intellectron – A device to measure intelligence.

• Linguagraph – A device that translates any earth language to any other. The translation capability is supposed to include animal languages, and works on cats, plants, ants and even viruses too.

• Luminimax – A small ball to give light of 200 watt power when ignited.

• Marjarin – Medicine for increasing life span of cats.

• Mangorange fruit – A delicious and nutritious variety of hybrid of Mango and Orange, it earned him a doctorate from Swedish academy of sciences.

• Miracurall – A drug that cures any ailment, the name is a short form of “Miracle Cure for All Ailments”.

• Neo-Spectroscope – A device to contact departed souls. Almost similar to Compudium.

• Nervigour – A tonic to steady nervous system.

• Omniscope – A combination of telescope, microscope and X-ray-scope which looks like and can be worn as spectacles.

• Ornithon – A device to educate birds. Professor Shonku was able to "educate" a crow named Corvus using this device.

• Oximore powder – Powder to help intake of Oxygen at higher altitudes.

• Pill for Nightmare – Causes sleep and makes the taker have terrible nightmares.

• Rocket – A rocket for space adventures.

• Tiraniam Phosphate – A very strong and dangerous acid.

• RememBrain – A device that makes people remember the things they forgot.

• Trishnasok – A thirst quencher pill.

• Turbolin – A sandal-scented fuel for Shonkoplane.

• Microsonograph - Machine to hear subsonic sounds and speeches.

• Shankoplane – A small hovercraft created using anti-gravity technology, capable of vertical take-off and landing and magnificent mileage.

• Shankovite – The anti-gravity alloy by which Shankoplane was made.

• Shonku – Frankenstein Formula – Along with other scientists, Shonku invented to bring back the dead to life without changing their brains.

• X and anti X – Drug to change nature of both human and animals.

One can only bow in reverence!