Sopanam E Magazine Issue 11

8/3/2019 Sopanam E Magazine Issue 11

1/24Sopanam - February 2012 1

For more information contact : Seva Darshan, Kuwait - INDEMB/KWT/ASSN/[email protected]

Sopanam E-Magazine - (For members circulation only)

Volume 1 Issue 11 15th February, 20125113 amLw

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2/24Sopanam - February 20122

Amritha Vachanam

Subashitam

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Editorial

mal : [email protected]

eoal BoaKrishna Kumar Paliath

Manoj Nair

Vibheesh Tikkodi

Redhish Chandran

Gayatri Raveendran

daa MaagmAjaykumar AnjaneyamRajarajan Ganesan

Anandharaj KonniRani B. BaskerSindhu SanjithReshmy Krishna KumarAneesh Kumar. UAjith Kumar. SSuresh VarickolilRoopesh R. SouparnikaReshmi Sudheer

Ca & dsgSreenivasan C.P.

Sunil Pookode

Vinaya Babu. C.K.

Viswajith .M.K.

Prejith

Cover Design - Sasi Krishnan

For Comments, Submissions &

Subscriptions please write to

It is heartening to know that Sopanam is now

read in many countries around the world. We have

received lots of positive responses and suggestions

that will surely help us better our work in the coming

days.

The positive feedbacks we have received open

us to the fact that the society in general is fed up of

the extreme bias in our media. They are beginning

to take dislike to the kind of entertainment and

baseless discussions and documentaries theyhave to put up with the national media. They are

looking for a change in the quality of the medium of

communication. It is essential that media, in all its

forms, have to adhere to the standard and ethics of

journalism thereby providing creative, entertaining

and educative material.

Giving and spreading knowledge is a part of a

greater sacrice every individual has to take for

the betterment of our nation. Like lord Shiva who

consumed the poison that came out of the samudra

madahnam to protect the world from its evil effects,

we need to sacrice and be vigilant. As we celebrate

Shivaratri we must take a moment to remember all

the great souls, who sacriced their time, life and

well being for the goodwill of the nation. We also

must remember and thank the social workers and

spiritual gurus who guide us even today.

We must have a vision and our action must be

concentrated on one thought, to achieve our vision.

The message of Shivarathi is to spread the ideal and

sanctity of this most auspicious day to all as the

spirit of unity is declining among the communities

of the world. The wars and strife all over the world

and among even siblings. On Shivarathri we must

remember the perfect harmony in the life of Lord

Shiva and Parvathi and their two children. A family

is the most important aspect of any society. Once

peace is found there, the community and the nation

will prosper.

Our Nation is running through some troublesome

times at the moment. We have overcome many

turbulent periods in our history. It has always been

the character of our people to develop themselves,

evolve and unify for achieving the highest peak of

glory for our Nation, the Param Vaibhavam. To

achieve this supreme goal every individual must take

a solemn oath to develop himself with knowledge,

health and morality. And in doing so he must spread

his positive energy to his fellow beings. Lets all

make a beginning with this auspicious festival.



Spiritualism

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Spiritualism

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Views

Ksa Kma Pala

A Nationalist Media PlatformIndian Media can be classied into many mod-

ules, viz., television, radio, newspapers, magazines

and the internet based portals. Ever since the 18th

century, the Media has played an important role in

the development of our Nation. Our Media is one

of the oldest and the largest in the world. Except

during the period of Emergency, our Media has re-

mained free and fair. It has prided itself in being

morally right at every instance.

The major tele-serials like Ramayana and Mahab-

harata in the 1980s brought about a major change

in the then scenario and raised the viewership of

television in India. The success of the serials pro-

moted more quality programmes and this opened

up the launch of more channels. The telecommu-

nication revolution of 1991 brought many foreign

channels into the country along with the simultane-

ous springing up of domestic channels. Presently,

nearly 134 million Indian households have televi-sion sets and access to cable TV or satellite.

Modern mass Media has evolved into a large gi-

ant, a force to be reckoned with in our country.

Most of these Media arms are directly or indirectly

controlled by business or political interests. The in-

dependent ones are mostly run down in erce com-

petition. The modern Media is poles apart from the

independence era journalism that focused on Na-

tion-building and development. The new genera-tion Media is not averse to vulgarity or violence.

The need of a disgruntled society is being fueled

by the extreme visuals aired daily on our TV sets.

The argument goes they watch, so we produce.

Even the Indian production houses create their pro-

grammes copying western shows that had actually

destroyed their social fabric!

The inuence of foreign Media moguls in our

country is becoming more and more evident. TheMedia holds its own trials of people accused even

before the Courts pronounce their verdicts. This

creates a negative image of the targeted individ-

ual or organization. Further, it does not reverse its

opinions even if the Courts settle the case in the ac-

cuseds favour. The national Media, especially the

visual Media, has taken up the role of a Judge and

airs its views (not news) according to its whims

and fancies. A section of the society is averse to all

this and goes by its logic in deciding what is right

and wrong. But the majority of the society blindly

follows the TV and newspapers just like the soap

operas religiously followed.

The Media houses are beginning to get closer to

the political hierarchy. They use double standards

when it comes to reporting issues of national im-

portance. But the reporting is cleverly camouaged

to make it look authentic and natural. Even the re-

cent exposure of the Media celebrities who were

actually coaching their political bosses into giving

xed interviews and making deals on their behalf

was easily brushed under the carpet with arguments

of Media ethics of gathering news. The same ethics

shut down a newspaper in the United Kingdom!

But then, fortunately for the Media, the Indian so-

ciety has a very short term memory of happenings

around it. This is what has allowed the vernacularpress to play a major role of raking up issues as and

when it is suitable to it and its political masters.



Views

Though the Media claims to be impartial and un-

biased, in the Indian scenario, it tends to take sides.

Very few Media establishments have been able tomaintain their neutrality. The Government on its

part has always tried to curtail the freedom of the

press. Of course, they cannot afford to do this pub-

licly. So they use other ways & means to train their

guns on Media outlets that write against them.

Restrictions on the Media and back door support

to selective Media houses have spoilt the positive

outlook and candidness of the Indian Media.

The role of the Indian Media in the early 90's inour country opened the eyes of the Nation to the

helpless role of their heads in having to swim with

the tide and support every stand taken by the ruling

Governments, even if it meant going against the

values they stood for, all these years. The debates

taking place since then are focused on creating a

deep polarization of the masses based on vote-bank

politics. The individuals thought process has been

heavily corrupted by half-baked news and false ac-

cusations left unproven and unreported. It wouldnot be unfair to point a nger at the deep inu-

ence of the Marxists in shaping up of the present

day debates in the intellectual arena. The Marxists

have succeeded in bringing out these debates from

the corridors of the western universities into the

Indian public sphere thus creating an imbalance in

the social harmony that has always been present

in our Nation. The non-partisan view got buried

in this. Key concepts like Nationalism, secular-

ism and communalism have often been ignoredand projected in a nonsensical way. There is now a

clash between the system that supports a pseudo-

secular (community based secularism) agenda and

the one that supports a middle agenda (that recog-

nizes what is right but can't decide between moral-

ity and marketability).

It is very important for the Media to remain neu-

tral. However, being neutral does not mean being

insensitive to traditions, tolerance and harmony.The Media can be an important contributor in eras-

ing inequality and injustice and in developing the

attitude of accepting criticism in the right spirit.

Leftist and secular concepts are borrowed concepts

that need not be the only option for our Nation. Me-

dia in India has become a commodity that can besold and purchased in the market by those willing

to accept and pay the price. The brand names that

reach the vast majority of people are concentrated

in a few hands and in fact, the entire world Media,

like armament industry is joining big conglomer-

ates, which is a dangerous trend. These trends need

to be exposed. The facts are not reported as they

happen but how the masters and owners of the Me-

dia want these to be reported.

Newspapers / Media play a critical role in ex-

pressing the pluralism of the country its various

identities, perspectives and values. The Media is a

powerful tool that can change the public perception

about themselves and the world. We had journal-

ists in the past who questioned the emperors who

thought curbing freedom of the people was the best

way to stay in power. The kind of journalists we

saw during emergency period is missing today. We

now see only dalals and negotiators who run theshow. The Media is not supposed to create news

and impose its views on everyone as the nal truth.

To quote President APJ Abdul Kalam, Why is the

Media here so negative? Why are we in India so

embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our

achievements? We have so many amazing success

stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?

Is there an agenda to reduce the achievements of

India?

The need of the hour is for a Nationalist Media

Forum that is more focused on national interests

and less bothered about its Balance Sheet. Media

should behave like a non-prot organization, lled

with ethical journalists who dont see the colour of

the issue when it comes to reporting news that af-

fects the country.

Finally to quote a famous saying - We are the

ones, weve been waiting for. Its time to stopwaiting and start doing. We will surely see the rise

of such people in the Indian Media too.



Views

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sP.\Ipam



SevaVrithandam

Ekal VidyalayaThe Challenge:

The neglect of tribal people, also called vanvasis, has preventedIndias advancement in post-independence pe-riod. Illiteracy makes them an easy target for political ex-ploitation, social unrest and religious conversations. De-cades of neglect have resulted in a shamefully poor levelof illiteracy as reected in the following statistics:

National literacy average:

Male 65% Female 40%

Tribal literacy average:

Male 12% Female 5%

Total Number of tribal village: 133,913

Total tribal population: 100 Million (approx.)

Tribal villages having schools: 10%In one of his quote Swami Vivekananda Said,

If the poor boy cannot come to education, educationmust go to him.

It is with this reason Ekal Vidyala is working to banishilliteracy from the face of tribal India by providing freeand non-formal education for ve years per pupil throughthe peoples movement.Indias middle class is 250 millionstrong with most of them having access to health care,schools, housing and private transport. However 40 per-cent of the countries 1 billion people are illiterate, unem-

ployment is high and million lack even the basic health-care facilities. An estimated 130,000 of Indias 600,000villages do not have access to schools.

India is worlds largest democracy, yet one-third of itspopulation is unable to read and write. A disproportionateshare of Indias illiterate population is conned to over130,000 tribal (Vanavasi) villages. Over ninety percent ofIndias tribal citizens are unable to read. The future of for-ty million children living in abject poverty is being stiedby lack of educational opportunities. India must includethe children of its most interior communities to progress.Literacy is the key to the true sustainable empowerment ofIndias ignored tribal population.

Did you know?Only 10% of tribal villages in India have schools. Only

5-7% of tribal women and girls are literate The Ekal Vidy-alaya Movement is aiming to bring education and primaryhealth care to 100,000 tribal villages. This movement fo-cuses on education that is relevant to local needs, cultureand traditions. The movement emphasizes unity, harmony,community and character building. Currently, there aremore than 20,000 such schools in operation all over In-dia and this movement has already become worlds larg-est non governmental effort in the eld of education withhighest number of pupils to whom it provides the educa-tion.

Ekal Vidyala is unique movement that is brining non-formal education to the doorsteps of villages, wherechildren are offered ve years of schooling and primaryhealth-care. These children constitute Indias upcomingproductive population. Helping them thus, will be condu-cive to the Indias all-round development.

The Ekal Vidyala Model

Ekal Vidyalaya aims at bringing free education to thosewho have no access to formal schools. Ekal Vidyalayas are

modest institutions that focus on literacy classrooms oftenconsists of a chalkboard attached to a large tree. Teach-ers are educated (or semi-educated) youths recruited fromthe community where they will teach. Ekal Vidyalayaprovides training, school materials and a consistent sup-port structure to assist teachers in their mission to educatetheir own villagers. The school is started in the village af-ter forming committee of villagers and getting consensusfrom the village. The curriculum adapts to local customsand culture with a framework developed by reputed edu-cators, which is aligned with local culture and governmentprescribed texts. Along with basic alphabetic and numericknowledge, great emphasis is placed on health and hy-giene, character building, ethical values and Samskars.Other skills for the development of entire community arealso taught. Children develop the ability to pursue higherstudies if they so desire

The introduction of educational opportunity in the mostrural of villages contributes to the reduction of socialproblems, outside exploitation and it raises the standardof living for many villagers.

Many schools have become centers for unifying com-munity activities, health camps and environmental aware-ness programs.

The teachers are locally educated youths. They are spe-cially trained for purposes of becoming catalyst of changeand building hope for the entire village. The motivation

and enthusiasm is high in them as they are trying to edu-cate their own community. A teacher normally takes anEkal Vidyala class consisting of 30 to 40 children in theage group of 5-16 years. It is often conducted under theshade of big tree or in a hut or wherever suitable afterchildren return back home in the evening. Each Vidyalayausually becomes self-sufcient within 5 years of its setup.The entire school operates on a very small budget. Only10 percent of the $3.5 million annual budget is spent inadministrative costs. Isnt it surprising!

In a mission to eradicate illiteracy from the face of ourMother India Ekal Vidyalaya is planning to setup 100,000Ekal Vidyalays in the tribal and remote regions of Indiaby 2013. For this, cost of adapting an Ekal Vidyalaya in

Indian Rupees is Rs. 15,000/- per year. Cost for adopting avillage is 21,000/-. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India

To provide highly focused and undiluted attention to themovement, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India (EVFI)has been established and registered as charitable trust.Donations to EVFI are 50% Tax-Exempt u/s 80(G) of theIncome Tax Act. EVFI has been registered under FCRAto receive foreign donations. To enable participation ofNRIs in the movement, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation USAhas been registered in the Silicon Valley. Contributions toEVFUSA is tax-exempt under section 501[c]3. Currently,there are more than 20,000 Ekal Vidyalayas running inNorth East India, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand,Uttar Pradesh, North Zone, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharash-

tra, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Kar-nataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala.

We can come together and build our Mother Nation ethi-cally, culturally, educationally and defense-wise strongerthan ever before.



BharathDharshan

- Gaya raa

Ramakrishna Parmahamsa was born in a poor

Brahmin family in 1836, in a small town nearCalcutta, West Bengal. As a young man, he wasartistic and a popular storyteller and actor. His

parents were religious, and prone to visions andspiritual dreams. Ramakrishna's father had a vi-sion of the god Gadadhara (Vishnu) while on areligious pilgrimage. In the vision, the god toldhim that he would be born into the family as ason.

Young Ramakrishna was also prone to experi-ences of spiritual reverie and temporary loss ofconsciousness. His early spiritual experiencesincluded going into a state of rapture whilewatching the flight of a cranes, and losing con-sciousness of the outer world while playing therole of Lord Shiva in a school play. Ramakrish-na had little interest in school or practicalthings of the world. In 1866, he became a priestat a recently dedicated temple to the GoddessKali located near Calcutta on the Ganges Riv-

er. It was built by a pious widow, Rani Ras-mani. Ramakrishna became a full-time devoteeto the goddess spending increasing amounts oftime giving offerings and meditating on her. Hemeditated in a sacred grove of five trees on the

Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsaedge of the temple grounds seeking a vision ofthe goddess Kali.

At one point he became frustrated, feeling hecould not live any longer without seeing Kali.He demanded that the goddess appear to him.He threatened to take his own life with a ritualdagger (normally held in the hand of the Kalistatue). At this point, he explained how the god-dess appeared to him as an ocean of light:

When I jumped up like a madman and seized[a sword], suddenly the blessed Mother revealedherself. The buildings with their different parts,the temple, and everything vanished from mysight, leaving no trace whatsoever, and in theirstead I saw a limitless, infinite, effulgent Oceanof Consciousness. As far as the eye could see,the shining billows were madly rushing at mefrom all sides with a terrific noise, to swallowme up. I was caught in the rush and collapsed,unconscious within me there was a steadyflow of undiluted bliss, altogether new, and I

felt the presence of the Divine Mother. - Ma-hendranath Gupta, Ramakrsna Kathamrta.

Ramakrishna's behavior began to worry hisfamily and employer. He would take on ritu-al and mythical roles identifying with figuresfrom the Puranas (medieval Indian holy booksdescribing the adventures of gods). His parentsfound him a wife hoping his mental instabilitywas a result of his celibacy, young Sarada.

About this time, an elderly holy woman named

Bhairavi Brahmani appeared and determinedthat Ramakrishna's madness was "spiritual mad-ness" rather than ordinary madness. He was lit-erally mad for the vision of God. A yogin namedTotapuri then became Ramakrishna's mentor.Ramakrishna adopted the role of renunciant andlearned a nondualist form of Vedanta philosophyfrom him. In this system, God is understood to

be the formless unmanifest energy that supportsthe cosmos. Ramakrishna experienced a deepform of trance (nirvilkalpa samadhi) under the

guidance of this teacher. This state can be de-scribed as complete absorption of the soul intothe divine ocean of consciousness. Disciples

began to appear at this point in Ramakrishna'slife. He embarked on a long period of teaching



BharathDharshan

where he gathered a group of disciples aroundhim. This period of his life is well documented

by two sets of books written by his disciples.These references are listed below.

Ramakrishna explained on different occasionsthat god is both formed and formless and canappear to the devotee either way. He often askedvisitors whether they conceived of god as hav-ing qualities or as being beyond qualities. Hethen proceeded to teach the devotee accordingto the way he or she viewed the divine. His ac-ceptance of different approaches to the worshipof God and the validity of different religious

paths, such as Christianity and Islam, is in thebest tradition of the universalist approach to re-ligion common throughout India today.

One extraordinary quality of Ramakrishna'smessage was its universal appeal to a broadcross section of Indian society. However, theIndian mind tends to more readily accept some-one like Ramakrishna who preaches universal-ity of religion and accepts and even promotesindividuality in the seeker's approach to God.This is illustrated by Ramakrishna describing

God as a mother who cooks fish differently forher children according to their tastes, tempera-ments, and their ability to d igest different typesof dishes. For Ramakrishna, God is both themother of the universe and of individual soulswho are her children. In India, a mother is of-ten idealized as one who sacrifices herself forher children and goes to great lengths to sat-isfy them, and bring them happiness. God, as aMother, therefore makes different religions and

belief systems according to each person's needs

and tastes.

His description of Kali as an ocean of lighthad much in common with the ocean of Brah-man that the Brahmins (the traditional priestcaste) seek to encounter when they are initiatedinto the Gayatri mantra, or the mantra of thesun. One divine ocean of consciousness may bedifficult to distinguish from another.

The most popular religious practice by farin India is bhakti, or devotion to a deity. Ra-

makrishna's message was welcomed by boththe rural and urban religious people who did puja to different deities. As an example, Ra-makrishna worshipped the divine mother Kalias a protective and benevolent deity (Kali also

has a fierce and destructive side which she gen-erally does not show to those who worship her).

These devotees saw him as a great teacher andbhakta who sang the names of God and talkedincessantly about God. Ramakrishna believedthe sincere devotee could even hope for a vi-sion or dream of the divine mother or other de-ity. Though Ramakrishna was devoted to Kali,he showed respect and gave guidance to manyvisitors who worshiped other gods and spokehighly of the past Indian saints who were de-voted to other deities.

Those who followed the Vedic prescription of

religious universalism summed up in the phrase"There is but one Truth, but sages call it by dif-ferent names" noted that Ramakrishna practicedthe rituals of many religions, and found thatthey all brought him to the same divine realityin the end. For those who worshiped many dif-ferent saints and deities throughout India, thisuniversal approach echoed their own multi-fac-eted religious practices.

On a November evening of 1881, a young manasked him a question, Do you believe in God,Sir? "Yes", Ramakrishna replied. The youngman was at once curious. "Can you proveit, Sir?" Paramahansa was confident,"Yes"."How?" "Because I see Him just as I see youhere, only in a much intenser sense.

Narendranath, Ramakrishna's chief disciple,Swami Vivekananda, entered onto the worldstage by doing a keynote address at the WorldParliament of Religions meeting in Chicagoin 1893, and he electrified his audience. Hin-

dus for generations could point to their indig-enous traditions with pride after his exemplaryspeech. Vivekananda also promoted a more ac-tivist form of Hinduism, which focused on edu-cation, feeding the poor, and developing librar-ies and other institutions. His works were a wayof showing Hindus that our religion advocatedimproving society and combating social ills.

Ramakrishna died of cancer of the throat in1886, leaving his wife Sarada Devi who wasconsidered a saint in her own right to take

charge of his disciples and carry on his messageof universality of mankind.


12/24

News

Vichar Bharati Kuwait - Vivekananda Jayanthi Celebrations

Sopanam - February 201212


13/24

News

Vichar Bharati Kuwait - Vivekananda Jayanthi Celebrations

Sopanam - February 2012 13



News

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Vichar Bharati, Kuwait, an afliate to Seva Darshan, Kuwait conducted seminar on the occasion of Swami Viveka-

nanda Jayanthi. The seminar held on 20th January, 2012 at Indian Central School, Abbassiya dealt with the subject

Swami Vivekananda, His Philosophy and Vision. Mrs. Sindhu Sanjith, member of Vichar Bharati and Sopan-

am Magazine Data Management Team, delivered the welcome speech. Mr.Sanjay Yadav, principal, Indian Model

School, Salmiya lighted the traditional lamp and inaugurated the function. Dr.M.S.Rajamoorthy, Aeronautical En-

gineer, Kuwait Airways presided the function. The seminar was blessed with eminent speakers from various walksof life. Mr.Suresh.V.Balakrishnan, HOD, English Department, Bharatheeya Vidya Bhavan; Mr.Sajeev.K.Peter, Busi-

ness Editor, Kuwait Times; Dr.T.S.Sreekumar, Scientifc Consultant, KFAS; Mr..Krishno Sarkar, Planning Engineer,

KNPC; and Mr. Satyanarayana, a social worker and poet, discoursed on related subjects.

The seminar was presented by Vichar Bharati Farwaniya unit coordinator Mr.Vinodkumar who made the event in-

teresting with surprise questions for the audience. Mr.Krishnakumar Paliath, President, Seva Darsan gave away the

prize for the winners. Mr.Vibheesh Thikkodi, Organising Secretary, Vichar Bharati, delivered a summarizing talk on

the various aspects of Swamijis vision presented at the seminar. The common ideology turned out at the function was

that, the ultimate solution for all the issues faced by the world is to understand the Indian Philosophy which is built

upon the concept of universal brotherhood and world peace Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu. Mr.Redhish, Joint

Coordinator, Vichar Bharati, updated the audience on VIKAS Project the new venture of Seva Darsan.

Mr.Roopesh Ravi and Mrs.Anitha Jayakumar presented the resolution passed by Vichar Bharati General Body whichcalls upon Indian citizens to follow the path of Swamiji for a better world and to be the torch bearers of Indian cul-

ture and heritage spreading its value and strength all over the world. Mrs. Reshmy Krishnakumar, member of Vichar

Bharati and Sopanam Magazine Data Management Team, delivered the word of gratitude to the gathering.

Vichar Bharati Kuwait conducted seminar on the occasionof Swami Vivekananda Jayanthi

News



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The power which helped Mother India to withstandand overcome the obstacles and colonization was her

rich culture and heritage which is strongly based on spir-

ituality. Today, westernization has made the whole world

a commercial platform. People have become selsh and

material gain attained priority even at the cost of others

life. This has become the root cause for all the chaos.

As we celebrate the 150th year of Swami Vivekanan-

das birth, who believed in the power of youth and the

enthusiasm he showed in propagating the cultural mod-

ernism of Indian Philosophy, the relevance of his teach-ings attains more importance in the current world scenar-

io. The western culture which is easily creeping into the

Indian physic can cause destructions that we cant even

imagine. The ultimate solution for all the issues faced by

the world is to understand the Indian Philosophy which

is built upon the concept of universal brotherhood and

world peace LokaSamasthaSukhinoBhavanthu. The

intellects of western world who has recognized this, are

closely watching India through its development. They

try to understand that magic in Indian culture and tradi-

tion that they withstand any cyclones passing over her. Adevelopment based on spirituality can only survive this

scenario. It is our duty to lead India beyond this materi-

alistic world.

Swami Vivekananda aimed at the renaissance of whole

mankind through the overall development of an individ-

ual. He asked us to quit laziness. He was the one who

unveiled the value and strength of Indian culture and

heritage to the western world. The spark of intellectual

revolution that Swamiji gave to the world paved way for

the overall renaissance. Let us hope for a world, whereone believes that helping the fellow beings in need is the

real worship of God, where individual, society and na-

tions exist as complementary to each other, where man

and nature exist in pure harmony.

Let us not mislead our youth. Let us make ourselves re-

sponsible to guide them through the path of Swami Vive-

kananda who believed in the power of Indian culture. Let

us concentrate more on practice than on preaching. Let

us develop a service oriented society among us.

At this moment, VicharBharathi calls upon all of youand the entire citizens of India all over the world to be the

torch bearers of our splendid culture and heritage and be

part and parcel of the activities for the common cause.

Resolution

News



News

Seva Darshan members a gave a warmfarewell to Sri. Vijaykumar ( Rameshji ) whohas been one of the founding members of theorganisation and was holding the position of VicePresident of the organisation.

Sri Ramesh during his tenure in Kuwaitwas instrumental in setting up the organisationand its various divisions. His role in setting up

the'seva' wing of Seva Darshan is to be special-ly mentioned here. His close contacts with allthe members and their families will always beremembered.

Sri. Ramesh has moved back to Kerala to joinhis family. The Seva Darshan family wishes himall the best in his future endeavors and successin all the philanthropic activities he undertakes

back home.

Farewell to Sri. Vijaykumar (Rameshji)

ABBASSIYA UNIT - KUDUMBA SANGAMAM

All the members of Seva Darshan - Abbassiya Unit are cordially invited to attend aKudumba Sangamam on on 24th February 2012.

Time : 9.00 am to 4.00 pmVenue: AL- MULLA GARDEN - SHARQ KUWAIT CITY.

The members are requested to mark their presence with family for this fun lled get-together.

Contact details:RADHAKRISHNAN- 66501641,

RAJESH-66214164, MADHU- 66623642



News

Fahaheel Unit - Mandala poojaCelebrations

SakudumbamSeva Darshan Fahaheel Unit proudly presents the periodical family get-together

SAKUDUMBAM, at Bharathanjali basement auditorium, Mangaf on Saturday 25th February 2012.

The programme schedule will be from 010.00 AM to 04.00PM comprising of Bala kala mela (for Baladarshan students), cultural programmes, variety entertainments and indoor games. We invite all ourmembers along with their families and friends to this holiday extravaganza. For more details contact:

Mr. Aneesh Kumar # 67094750 / Abhilash # 66453028



-Todays World is fast food world. The dietary

preferences among the peers have led to majorchanges in the composition of diet. With the ad-vent of fast foods, ever-increasing pace of ourlifestyle, trying to juggle a full time job, hardlyhave time to prepare food during the day. Themajor part of their time is spent in the work-

place. As a reason they depend on the instant

foods available in the restaurant and hotels. Thishas become the ne dining scenarios, which

because of man's ever-changing lifestyle hasalready been considered as obsolete. Kuwaiteven topped the United States, the country thatcultured the fast food burger and oil drenchedFrench fries.The impact to health from fast food is quite

staggering when it is consumed on a regular ba-sis. They treat themselves to meal out by visit-ing a burger or pizza restaurant or if there are

feeling in need of a healthy meal, a steak or afrys restaurant. By replacing fresh wholesomefood with processed a additive laden food weare increasing

Bad cholesterol

Retarding the metabolic rate

Weakening the immune system

Destabilize the blood sugar level

Blood pressure

Reduce the ability of colon to function

properly.Global diet is going through a remarkable tran-

sition. With the afuent society and sedentary

lifestyle, Obesity is one of the major healthproblems. Staple foods are becoming more re-ned and processed, fat and meat intake is in-creasing, processed dairy products and other

processed foods are consumed more than be-fore, larger numbers of meals are eaten outsidehome, making households more reliant on the

food industry, food vendors and markets. This

increases the chances of fat storage especiallyfor a sedentary lifestyle and places the risk ofstrokes from high blood pressure, diabetes fromirregular blood sugar levels, heart attacks from

FOOD GLOBALIZATIONA BOON OR A BANE!!!!

Ms.Moa na

the raised LDL cholesterol levels, Cancer of the colon

because it cannot processes the waste products prop-erly, compromise the immune system, a greater chanceof other cancers as the level of antioxidant is low. Thefoods served in fast foods are already pre-cooked &

preserved. This is the reason for very short span of preparation time and is vulnerable to contamination.We eat food for fun instead of necessity and pay theconsequences like obesity ,cardiovascular diseases,High blood Pressure , Joint Pains etc .As rightly said

Live to eat not Eat to live .

Fast food may contains harmful food additives likeMSG, non permitted coloring compounds etc .MSGis used generally as a avor enhancer. In reality one

do not need MSG to enjoy food unless you want toeat stale food and wish to taste it as fresh and excit-ing .MSG stimulates the brain cells & cause headache,allergies, even carcinogenic too. The processed food

triggers migraines that are caused by the mono sodi-um glutamate. Also this type of foods contain nitratesand nitrites, these are preservatives to keep the food

fresh for a longer period of time. In the human bodythese preservatives increase blood ow causing head-aches and migraines. According to the recommenda-tions of the National Research Council of the NationalAcademy of Sciences 1,200 - 1,500 mg of sodium isthe daily sodium requirement for adults. The regulartable salt that we consume contains 40% sodium and asingle teaspoon of table salt contains 2,300 mg of so-

dium. Although the body requires minimum quantitiesof sodium, too much sodium contributes to high blood

pressure. Sodium can also lead to building-up of uids

in case of people suffering from congestive heart fail-

Health



civan IrjvWam

ure, cirrhosis, or kidney disease.Cholesterol in meat-containing fast food is very

dangerous for the health. Meat contains choles-

terol and hence leads to the accumulation of badcholesterol in the body. Cholesterol molecules can

accumulate in the arteries and lead to clogging orthickening of the arteries resulting in heart attackor even heart failure. Maintaining normal weightand adequate physical activity throughout the lifespan are the most effective ways of preventing dia-

betes and many other chronic diseases. Trans fat,which is infamous as the worst type of fat, is foundabundantly in various fast foods. Trans fat is con-

sidered as the most harmful type of fat because itnot only increases the 'bad cholesterol' (low den-

sity lipoprotein) levels but also reduces the 'goodcholesterol' levels.Eating fast food and leading a sedentary lifestyle

leads to obesity. Obesity leads to other complica-tions like increase in the cholesterol level, block-ing of the arteries, the increased risk of coronarydiseases, in addition to the general physical dis-comfort posed by the extra weight. Fast food isalso addictive and hence it is very difcult to give

up on their greasy and fatty foods and carbon-ated drinks and switch to healthier options. Theyummy French fries in most of the fast foods aredipped in sugar to give delicious golden brown hue& crispiness after frying which many of us donteven realize. The bottled water contains syntheticorganic chemicals, bacteria & arsenic .The mobili-zation of water in plastic bottles of dubious qualitymay contain hazardous chemicals. The transporta-tion of bottled drinking water in Kuwait in opentrucks, Pickups etc during the peak summer days

instead of using refrigerated trucks causing chemi-cal leaching effect.The shift from traditional staples to processed

foods in urban areas is also strongly enhanced by the mass media, commercial marketing, andthrough other channels related to globalization.Ready-made bread is an example of food that iseasily accessible from stores and street vendorsand that is replacing traditional staples in manyeconomically developing societies, especially in

urban environments. It is more convenient thantraditional cereal and root staples, which requiretime and effort for preparation before eating.The food prepared out of rened our (Maida) a

carbohydrate (starch) is broken down into sugarmolecule. During rening process, almost all the

macro nutrients & micro nutrients are lost. Evenenriching the rened our with vitamins can-not make up the nutrients lost during the rening

process. Vitamin E is very important in food withcarbohydrate and sugar because it is needed whencells convert sugar into energy. Vitamin E is oftennaturally included in food with starch and sugar.

However, this Vitamin E is lost when germ and bran are removed. When people eat rened food

which lack all the minerals, vitamins and enzymes,the body takes away these from organs, tissues,

and bones. This leads to symptoms of vitamin andmineral deciency, which are similar to symptomsof chronic fatigue syndrome.

Fortication with Vitamins in supplemen-tal form also cannot be absorbed as effectively asin natural form. For example, beta carotene is ef-

fectively absorbed only when taken in conjunctionwith one or all of the 500 other carotenoids natu-rally present in vegetables. This is not only the casewith vitamins added in rened our, but similar as

the vitamin A added in pasteurized milk. Supple-

ment pills and added vitamins can never replacewhole foods due to molecular bonding structure ofminerals and vitamins within the food that makesthe absorption rate dramatically different.I would like to add not all fast foods are bad. To-

day, more and more fast foods are offering health-ier options. There are ways one can customize theorder to be healthy.1 . rc qay of fa aly .

2. Coos moosaa fas cookg sc as ol

ol, caola ol, & ssam ol

3. Cosm o mo a ggs p k &

coos la po fo lgms a of.

4. rc o o asfa by aog bak pocs,

bscs, caks & p f foos

5. icas omga-3 fas by cosmg o o

portions sh every week

6. us skmm mlk pocs

7. Mak s o a ma cs a o mo sk fom

poly

8. Eat more of ber foods (fruit , vegetables ,Whole

a o wol gas )9. excs glaly a mmm of 30 mutes.

''To eat is a necessity and to eat intelligently is anart''.

Health



A PhD holder in Mind Healing, Multiple Guin-ness World Records holder which includes Mem-ory and Push-ups, Author of 25 books on Mindand Memory, Founder and CEO of DynamicMemory Pvt. Ltd established in 1999; the adjec-tives for Dr. Biswaroop Roy Choudhury seems to

be a never ending story.In Memory, he made world record by

beating Germany's Michaela Buchvaldova byrecalling 14 randomly selected birth dates withnames in the same order in 2 minutes on 20 July,2006 at Hotel Le Meridian, Delhi. In Push-ups,he broke the record of Mr. Roy Bergor of Canada(138 push-ups in 1 minute) by attempting 198Push-ups in 1 minute on 3 April 2007 at Hotel LeMeridian, New Delhi in front of prominent print

and electronic media. Lately on April 20, 2010he made Guinness World Records by making theLargest Screwdriver, at Oxford Book Store, Con-naught Place.

Moreover he invented the memory pennamed as Mnemonic Pen' to enhance memory ina very easy way. He conducts seminars and work-shops across the globe. Apart from this, Biswa-roop Roy Chowdhury holds World Wide Patentfor his inventions Memory Lab, Mnemonic Pen,Happiness Machine & Animated Cosmic EnergyCard (ACEC) and his name is also mentioned inOxford Universitys ofcial website for his con-tribution in the eld of memory training. He is a

prodigy in memory enhancement techniques.

Cherished moments with the mind-blowinggenius..

Is there anything called good memory / badmemory - are they hereditary?

Its all about how we use memory. Its only a ques-tion of trained or untrained memory. However he-reditary do play a minor role.

The capacity to use left or right brain varies from individual to individual. Is this taking placeby birth or by the circumstances or situations thathe comes across during his/her growth?

Mostly it is about how a child is exposed to duringthe rst few years of his life. A positive surroundingmay help a child to use the best of both the brain.Genetics also plays a role in the making of both the

brains. Does left and right brain support each other

while memorizing?

Yes, the coordination between both the brainsmakes the memory a permanent one. What is called working memory capacity of an

individual?At a time an individual may not be able to hold

more than 4-to-5 digits, that is why every timesomeone is giving his mobile no. you start lookingfor a piece of paper to write it immediately as themobile number consists of 10 digits.. That is work-ing memory capacity.

Is it possible to increase memory of a human be-ing or rather is it a better usage of memory?

It is always the better usage. Virtually speakingthe capacity of human memory is limitless, so noquestion of increasing the storage capacity.

We are able to memorize many things. Is it possible to erase out something irrelevant occupyingour precious memory space?

It is not possible to erase a memory however wecan take away the attention from it.

You have travelled a lot and met many. Howmajority of people take about improving memory?

Just for success in competitive exams or for a better

life?It is for both and sometime managing the unwant-ed and unfortunate memories.

What impact does modern entertainment gad-gets like TV, Video games have on the memory ca-

Incredible Mastermind-

Dr. Biswaroop Roy Choudhury

Education

Interview

Vibheesh Tikkodi



Education

pacity and concentration of children?The gadgets impair the functioning of the brain

specially the growing brain in case of children.

Does meditation and yoga help improve con-centration?

Yes it helps.Does food affect memory and concentration?Food plays a major role. Fast food specially

chips, burger, chocolate damage the neurons. Rawand green food is good for memory especially sea-sonal fruits.

Can we use technology to reinforce memoryand concentration?

The best technology is your brain. At the most

you may rely on diary and note pad. As you writeyou use your motor sense but certainly no electronicgadget.

How far does repetition help in memory devel-opment? Our education system is built up on this. Isthis correct?

Repetition is one method of memorizing; howeverits not a reliable since it is dependent of ear memo-ry and in human ear memory is majorly an inferiormemory. We must incorporate the eye memory i.e.imagination in memorizing which can enhance thequality of education.

What made u develop your interest to do mem-ory workshops?

As a student I was known as absentminded, as aresult I was desperate to improve my memory so Iread more than 200 books on memory and mind. Atthe end I concluded that had I known these methodsas a child, I would have done better in school edu-cation. So why not to train todays kids with thesemethods.

Can you share some memory tips for studentsin particular?

You might see the examination sheet on the noticeboard or your teacher might refer to the examinationpaper they are preparing. No matter what the stimu-lus, you are likely to respond by quickly countingthe number of week or days before the beginning ofthe exams.

When you consider the pre-examination revisionperiod, you are really confronted with the issue ofhow to use your remaining time most effectively,that time will go ying by, so it is imperative to getyour revision in to the top gear as soon as possible.Consider the following steps:

Organize YourselfOrganize your revision on several different time

plans. That is, work out a weekly study plan foreach of the nal weeks, a daily plan for each of the

days and nally, a study session plan for the nextfew hours, with the three time plan, you can see howeach days progress related to your overall task.

Time Effectiveness:-Most student know that when they function at

peak effectiveness. Some people are morning work-ers, while others nd they are most effective in theevening or the night. Given that you are probablygoing to study at any available hour of the day be-fore your examination, you might want to considerwhat subjects you will be studying in your high andlow periods of the day to gain and maintain momen-tum.

Stop Worrying:-

In spite of your positive stars, you may nd wor-ries sneaking into your learning effort. If this is thecase, stand up and turn away momentarily from yourdesk, take a few deep slow breaths and then returnto your study. While standing and breathing deeply

be sure to breathe slowly.Think positively:-Assert your positive attack upon your revision by

working on a card with the words: Yes I can do it/Place the card in the front of your book and notesso that you can see the words every time you glanceup.

Study Breaks:-Take frequent but short breaks from your study-

ing, as mental and physical fatigue will being towear you down. While you are trying to absorb a lotof work, you mind will need these short rests so thatyou can maintain the pace. Just getting up from thedesk, walking around the room several times andthen sitting down again can be sufcient break.

Focused Reading:-Focus upon the major points in your revision.

Time is very limited and you will have to be very

selective about how you are spending it. There isno time to learning minute and trivial details. At theeleventh hour, you can expect to master or reviseonly the major points.

Avoid Excessive Stimulants:-Beware of stimulants such as coffee, tea and stay-

awake tablets. You will nd that your nervous sys-tem is already in the top gear and last thing you needis additional stimulation. Too much caffeine in your

body under tense cramming condition can producenegative effects.

A piece of advice to children in Kuwait who areaccustomed to lifestyle within the 4 walls of Homewatching TV and using the Internet.

Always be happy.



MathruDharshan



MathruDharshan

PAINTINGS SINDHU SANJITH


24/24

Dhanur Maasa or Margashirsha Maasa, which

falls in Dec-Jan during the coldest months of thecalendar, is considered the most ideal for spiri-tual endeavours. It is acclaimed by BhagawanShri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita when hesays Maasaanaam Marghashirshoham meaning,among the months, I am Maargazhi (Dhanurmaasaa). During this month, the Tiruvempaavai

- hymns on Lord Siva and the Tiruppaavai -hymns on Lord Vishnu, are religiously sung atdawn, even to this day at various Temples in the

South.

Tiruvempaavai was composed by ManikkaVaasagar, one of the 63 Nayanmaars (Siva Bhak-thas) in the Temple town of Thiruvannamalaiduring the month of Maargazhi when the townwas celebrating the Paavai Nombu. This was a

penance observed by unmarried girls of those

times, early at dawn. It was also sung for 10 days preceding the Thiruvaadhirai Nombu. Thesesongs, it is said, are to this day, sung during thecoronation of the Kings of Thailand!

The Tiruppaavai are hymns on Lord Vishnu

sung by Godaa Devi or Aandaal, a Vaishnava poet-saint of Tamil Nadu and are sung withgreat fervour during the 30 days of the Dhanurmaasaa. Godai, as she was known, was broughtup by Vishnuchitta, a devotee living in Srivilli-

puttur (near Sivakasi) in the first half of the 8thcentury. Vishnuchitta was also known as Periaal-war, one of the 12 Alwaar saints.

A devout bhaktha, Periaalwar had a small nan-davana or flower garden, where he grew manykinds of flowers used in making garlands for

Lord Ranganaatha in the Temple adjoining hishome. One day, he found a baby girl under a Tu-lasi plant in his garden and he named her Godaior gift of mother earth. He brought her up lov-ingly, infusing devotion and a love for poetry inher. Even as a child, Godai made up her mind tomarry none but the Lord of Brindaavana.

It was Vishnuchittas daily practice to string a

Dhanur Maasaa - Tiruvempaavai

and Tiruppaavai big flower garland and take it to the Temple to

adorn the Lord. Unknown to him, Godai wouldtry on the garland on herself (before her fathertook it to the Temple) and admire her reflectionin a mirror, imagining how it would look on theLord. This went on for some time till her fathernoticed it one day. He was very upset and shaken,as according to tradition one should offer only

unused items to the Lord.

Periaalwar admonished her and prepared afresh garland for the Lord that day. However,Lord Ranganaatha appeared to him in his dream

the same night and said that he had missed wear-ing the garland worn by Godai and that he wishedto wear only those already tried on by her. Peri-aalwar understood the devotion in Godais heartand was overjoyed. She then came to be called asAandaal, the girl who ruled over the Lord.

When she was of marriageable age, she refusedto marry anyone other than the Lord at Srirangamtemple. Her father was perplexed, but the Lordappeared in his dream and asked that Aandaal

be brought to Srirangam. At the same time, the

Temple priests at Srirangam were also told bythe Lord in their dreams, to prepare for this wed-ding. When she reached Srirangam, Aandaal raninto the sanctum sanctorum and merged with theLord. She was then just 15 years old.

Aandaal was the only female Alwaar saint andher works, Tiruppaavai and Naachiyar Thirumo-zhi are gems of devotion to the Lord. Tiruppaavaiis a garland of thirty poems, one for each day ofthe Maargazhi month. In this, Aandaal imaginesherself to be a cowherd girl, living in Gokula dur-

ing the period of Krishnaavatara. She beseechesher friends, Goddess Lakshmi and Nature to helpher in becoming one with the Lord. Tiruppaavaioccupies an exalted state in devotional poetry andis considered to contain verses of Vedic import.These paavais or prayers are sung in all the majorVishnu Temples in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Naduand Karnataka during the Dhanur maasaa.

Story

- Aaa Saa rama

Sopanam E Magazine Issue 11

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