April 2013
Issue No. 136 February 2013
Pulse
Cover photograph: Ardhanareeswara at the 4th century temple, Mahakoota, Karnataka. Credit: Chandrasekar
The Unofficial Publication of The 1979 Batch Engineer Trainees of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Tiruchirapalli, India
Page 2
Page 4
A V Krishnan on Pulse
Sagalakala Parthiban
April 2013
Page 8 An evening with
Jeffrey Archer
Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 1 Page 13 wot doin GenX?: Ilamurugu Kailasam
April 2013
Mr A. V. Krishnan on Pulse and ET 79
Issue No February
Dear Sh Radhakrishnan It was nice to read your monthly magazine – Pulse. I am really happy to note that ET 79 group is still networking and sharing the official and personal news to all their mates globally. The get up of the magazine, captions are really superb. I did not know that 79ies were so professional in presenting. Of course, I am aware of Easwaran’s skills but the rest are also equally good. My good wishes and appreciations to all and let this magazine grow with contributions from all. Best wishes and good luck A. V. Krishnan 12 March 2013 Trichy Contents
Life in Gulf A Reflection by V Balraj
Page
A V Krishnan on Pulse
2
Life in Gulf - A Reflection by V Balraj
2
In The News By Easwaran
3
ET79inDeed: About Sagalakala Parthiban
4
Close Encounters By Easwaran
6
Lady ET79: About Mrs Shailaja Gurumurthy
7
With Jeffrey Archer: By Konda Radha
8
Culture: Tamil New Year: By Chandra
10
Health: From Mohan
11
Guest Column: By Andrew Hudson
12
Wot Doin GenX? : About Ilamurugu Kailasam
13
Feedback & ‘Guess Who’ Winner
16, 17
Dear ET 79 This issue comes with many contributions. I thank AV Krishnan for taking the time to review Pulse and offer his encouraging words. Parthiban, Guru and Ilamurugu were truly sportive in meeting & exceeding the requirements I placed before them. Regular contributors, Andrew, Chandra, Easwaran and Mohan have always been a source of strength to me. Balraj has penned a Tamil poem for the Tamil New Year. Above all, readers’ feedback, which now runs to a second page, has been a key motivator to all the contributors. Thank you all. Happy reading! Radha Dubai, 31 March 13 April 2013
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In The News
R Easwaran
Keerthana’s Marriage The Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Road in T Nagar suddenly became the favoured destination of ET79 and their families. That thirteen ET79, many with their family, got together there is ample proof of the popularity of Dr. G. Ravichandran. Jambu, the co-brother, was close at heels, taking care of the critical aspect – taking care of ET79! The marriage rituals were quite rigorously followed and Dr GR sat on the dias and waved as and when a new ET79 got added to the crowd. There were many from WRI and Laboratory also. The ET79 contingent included Sridhar and his parents; Mrs Viswanathan; Mr and Mrs Balraj; Mr & Mrs Asok Kumar and Vaishnavi; Mr and Mrs Rajasekaran; Mr and Mrs Chandrasekar; Mr Nizam; Mr Ananthan; Mr and Mrs Murugaiah; Mr and Mrs Nataraj, Mr and Mrs Thirumalai and me (26 including GR’s family!). One corner of the Mandapam slowly got converted into an ET79 get together spot, often attracting attention of the crowd, especially when Raju spoke or Asok laughed. Sridhar’s parents, who have completed Sathabhishekam last year, were very happy to see ET79. It was nice to see Appa’s appa recalling BHEL Township days and the interesting role of Pulse. Asoks
shouldn’t fix up an important official meeting on that date!!” Nizam, the loner, arrived for the Reception and stayed on for the marriage. He stays at Kasaragod, Kerala, currently. Balarajs were there for the marriage, Balraj sporting a fully white hair. When asked why, he was proud to say that he recently crossed sixty. Nutty was in half uniform, impressing the fact that he was absconding from office. Ananthan was happy with the location of the Mandapam as this was only a few minutes of walk from his BGR office. Murugaiahs made their presence felt, with Murugiah providing the white smoke, marking the Pope elections elsewhere in the globe! Thirumalais came with a jet lag, having landed from the US early in the morning, but braved dozing off listening to Raju’s sagely talks. Rajus were present with Raju talking in the time-tested script! But these days Raju has ripened that even the toughest censors would not give Raju’s dialogues more than UA rating! Jambu was in his veshti and Jambus took care of the hospitality segment, quite efficiently. DR. GR, who is not used to short cuts, made amends and provided a short cut path for ET79 to bless Keerthana and Aditya. In fact, the photos had to be taken in two installments to cover the entire ET79
were there through the Reception and Marriage; they also used the occasion to go to Kancheevaram, in search of the best silk for Vaishy’s marriage. Mrs. Viswanathan pleasantly surprised all with her smiling presence, and also made sure she phoned up to Vichu (at Delhi) and shared the call with the ET79. How is the work going ahead with Vichu’s son’s marriage? “Well, I am running around here, Vichu is busy with his office. I keep reminding him the marriage date, he
gathering. Vinayaga Caterers did a good job and the lunch was excellent. Besides the serving persons, there were quite a few ladies (from Catering Service), who walked around and checked if everything was fine. In all, it was a grand event to remember. History is repeating itself. The early 80s saw many of ET79 marriages. Now into 2012-13, it is the marriages of wards. Time does fly!
April 2013
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ET79inDeed
Sagalakala Parthiban
Many of us are aware that Parthiban has overcome many challenges in his life and career. We caught up with this ‘super charged’ boiler expert to understand how he braved all these challenges to make an indelible mark in the boiler technology domain. Early signs of creativity and engineering talents: “My childhood play included making car, bus, flight out of Ponds powder tin box, notebook hard covers. I used to dismantle and reassemble of my father’s cycle on holidays, clock, radio and whatever I saw. I used to show film from sunlight and lens. I used to make painting from natural colour ingredients like turmeric, chilli powder, etc. I used my hair as brush. I participated in inter “I went to IIT with a school competitions at second hand pant Trichy and got prizes bought from the every year”.
wanted to put me in ITI. Somehow, his fellow teachers convinced him to put us in polytechnic college at SIT, Ariyamangalam. I scored state 5th Rank in Pre technical course. This was purely God’s gift to me. During this time, I wrote Om namashivaya every day. I used to close my eyes most of the time and chant Om namashivaya. I dreamt the IIT campus even before I went there. My principal arranged for educational loan and a cash prize for sending me to IIT”.
footpath around Trichy Teppakulam”.
How was your family’s financial position? How did these talents further blossom in “My family was in a bad finance condition during this period. These days were little tough for the family. I your college and BHEL days? used to fetch water, used to cook, grind rice for idly, The very first year at IIT, I was adjudged as the best clean the house. I used to take care of a cow. I went to artist. I picked up skating and got medals in fancy IIT with a second hand trouser (pant) bought from the skating. I gave a TV program as well. I spent footpath around Trichy Teppakulam”. considerable time in other games & sports such as ball badminton, shuttle badminton, carrom and table tennis. Life at BHEL I got many prizes at intercollegiate art competitions. I “It was again God’s grace that I joined BHEL Trichy. was the fine arts secretary for IIT in the final year. I There is no doubt that BHEL had given me a painted on the walls of my hostel cellar. I had done two memorable professional career. Dr.Vasudevan helped paintings for the common room. When I visited IIT for me to complete ME in Thermal Engg and he had put the silver reunion, I was pleasantly surprised to see one me in the right place in BHEL. FBC technology was of my paintings still decorating the walls of IIT. under development at that time. I had opted to go to During my time at first site and I learnt a lot there”. BHEL, I could “I spent 2 years time at a 10 MW washery rejects fired spend some time to power plant at Bihar. This assignment was handling learn a little of flute the site from green field to handing over. This was and billiards. I prestigious work that I even now, I proudly tell this to participated in my clients. This site experience was of great use”. rangoli competition at Officers club and got first price for a black and Life after BHEL white rangoli”. You were about to be put in ITI for studies but you ended up in IIT. How did this huge move take place? “I did my high school studies at Bishop Heber high school, Trichy and scored sixth rank. My father was a crafts and history teacher in the same school. My father April 2013
“I joined Cethar in 1988 and contributed to the development of Cethar. At Cethar I had designed, commissioned, done trouble shooting of FBC and non FBC boilers. I read many books on self development, management and applied them on the job. I wrote design manuals, construction and operation manuals. I developed and standardised design, operation and troubleshooting procedures. I had contributed to the
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FBC technology development for various fuels and various purposes”. “I had joined as Executive director for Veesons and spent 1 .5 years. I had not seen the organisation readiness to develop the company like Cethar. I Some boiler accidents were analysed by me. Nowadays wound up my career as an employee with this.” I carryout boiler trouble shooting and operational “My wife took over a boiler spares company which improvement studies of all kinds of boilers and captive was run by my younger brother with my investment at power plants”. this time. She started developing spares business under “My client lists include Ultratech cement companies, my guidance”. Shree cements, Madras cements, TVS group, BalcoLife as technical advisor at various companies: sterlite group, paper plants, and Sugar plants. I present “Thermax, Pune took me as part time technical advisor papers in boiler conferences like at power-gen Asia in 1997 for an year. As I left Thermax, Nestler limited, 2012, Malaysia, I presented a paper on CFBC boiler”. Bombay hired me for developing them into water tube “I am now in the BOE Examiner panel at Karnataka” boilers. As many as 25 boilers were engineered, erected and commissioned for them. I was then taken Development of our own works: as advisor by Thermal System, Hyderabad. I had “As I was writing and circulating technical bulletins commissioned the first MSW boiler in India and some every quarter, the image as an expert has grown among process gas boilers for lead smelters and copper boiler offices as well. The spare part business was smelters. New series of waste heat recovery boilers for developed well by my wife independently. She learnt sponge iron industries were developed for them. I had English and started managing the business developed their engineering and commissioning independently. She started offloading some pressure services”. parts to factory at Karnataka. By this time, I was “I had my first heart attack in 2005. This was possibly due to extra strain I had put for thermal system, Hyderabad. I took rest for six months. Later I was invited by IJT, New Delhi to be a part time advisor. I had spent one year with them. Later I left due to incompatible food at New Delhi. I was advisor for Enmass Andritz , Trichy for 2 years. I used to attend many boilers of various makes and developed as an expert in solving boiler problems as well.”
invited to open to a factory at Karnataka. In 2008, I opened a IBR approved factory for manufacture of pressure part spares such as economiser, Superheater, bed coils for various boilers. In 2008, I left Enmas and formed Venus energy audit system at Pollachi to carryout design audit, construction audit, shut down audit, operational audit of various boilers”.
“I started writing articles in my own magazine. This magazine is circulated to many boiler users across the country; currently this is being sent to more than 10,000 boiler users in the country. My papers are presented with practical case studies supported by theory as well. I included IBR offices in our circulation list. This has helped in development of the profile.
boiler operator’s book with my experiences. I feel that whatever is happening is as per program only. I assume that it is the destiny that what I do today was planned to happen”.
“My factory delivers the products with sense of quality and time. My wife handles all the functions of the factory. This year we must be closing at Rs10 crore Development as a well-known boiler expert mark My contribution for spares business is not much. “Once I dropped out of Cethar, it was a challenge in I wanted to retain my profile as a specialist and not as a my life to become an expert in the boiler field and vendor. Hence I do not market for my factory”. leave my stamp. In the last 15 years, I made at least 3 consultation visits per month to various boiler users. I What is going to be at the end? had time, since I was spending only 15 days every “The astrologers say that I would be doing month with the manufacturing companies”. consultations till the day of my death. I hope to write a
April 2013
Parthiban, we are proud of your achievements. ET 79 wishes you a long life and continued success in all your endeavours.
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Close Encounters of the Religious Kind
By R Easwaran
I am not of the thoroughbred religious kind, even though I believe in God and believe He is there with me even in the worst situations in my life. I do go to temples and look for that all pervading (and all evading) peace. Here are some thoughts that occurred to me in some such visits. Visit to Ayyappa Temple near Junction North Indian Arasa Pradikshanam The Ayyappa temple near Trichy Court is different. If This happened during a morning health walk. I had you have not spent sufficient time at the temple, you must do so and feel the peace. Here I found a board completed a full circle of the Bala Ganapathy temple which said, “Switch off Cellphones”. Nothing and was sitting for few moments, when I saw this uncommon! young North Indian lady, coming with a bag, near one Wait till you hear what else the board said, “Mobile of the Arasa marams. There was nothing uncommon, phones will be confiscated for a day, if found being what with the North Indian population having used in the temple”. I rushed to switch off mine, saw proliferated during the last couple of years of fresh several others doing the same. Perhaps, we would not inductions at BHEL. do several things if we are aware of the clear After settling down with the bag on the cemented consequences! The puja was done and the chooda platform around the tree, she went on right earnest to thattu was brought and kept at a pedestal designed for do a puja. One of the learned around in the temple that. Everyone formed a queue and religiously moved went to her and told, “This is not the tree to do Arasa to take the blessings of the choodam. Pradikshanam. The blessed tree should also have a There was calmness and no sense of urgency. If you veppa maram and a thali should have been tied to develop a practice at the start, then that discipline make it worship-worthy.” She smiled at the learned would persist. Never let it drift! You can bring in man and went about her work. The learned man discipline in India! assumed she didn’t understand the significance and repeated in the little Hindi mixed lingo. She again smiled and said this is how they do in their place. The learned man walked away. She sat near the tree applied a variety of chandan, kumkum, turmeric and flowers on the tree. She also hung a thali like thread on the tree. Then she started doing the pradikshana in the anti-clockwise direction. The learned man, who had nearly walked out of the temple premises, came rushing back and told her that this is not the direction to do pradikshanam. She smiled and told him this is how they do in their place. The man had nothing more to tell and so he walked out, telling in kali yuga, such things happen! She went about her anti clockwise pradikshanam for quite some time. Many onlookers came and told her that she would need to change her direction. She just smiled and continued. Then after some more time, she started clockwise pradikshanam, which went on for several rounds. The entire episode left me with the feeling there are always many ways of doing things, and perhaps everything is right in its own way!
April 2013
Visit to Ayyappa Temple in Township These days with power cuts between 8 and 9 at night, I had chosen to take my evening walk during that time. The advantage is that when there is a power cut in B Sector, there would be power in A and D sectors; so it would be perfectly fine to walk in those sectors. I reached the Ayyappa Temple quite late almost 8.20 pm and the night Deeparadhana had been completed and the melodious voice of Jesudoss was playing Harivarasanam, the song that puts the God to sleep. The priest was busy closing the other sannidhis and as Harivarasanam entered the last few stanzas, he slowly switched off all oil lamps except one inside the sanctum sanctorum and gently walked out and closed the temple door, as the last line of Harivarasanam played. I felt this was such a perfect job. The God had been put to sleep and he had slowly walked out, just like a mother would do putting her child to sleep. This was such a gentle and caring act. How is it that I had never seen a temple closing after the puja at night, earlier?!
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LadyET79
Mrs Shailaja Gurumurthy
Guru narrates how he was surprised with his wife Mrs Shailaja, who is known for her quietness, faced up to difficult situations in life and showed her managerial qualities.
On instances when Mrs Shailaja extraordinary responsibilities:
shouldered
“In 2001, was transferred to Delhi on promotion. I could not move the family as my son was in 12th standard and hence, the family stayed back at Ranipet. I was sceptical whether she will be able to manage, as she had not shown any such signs earlier of managing alone, but she did a commendable job in that one year taking care of the children and house, without my support.” “Apart from this, earlier she took care of the ‘Ladies Welfare Centre’ as Vice President and acting President during a difficult period of LWC, a lead role which I never expected her to handle due to her nature”.
At this stage of life, what is the message that you would like to give her (which you have not given so far): Guru did not want to dilute the intensity of his gratefulness with many words.
On her qualities, that amazes you and others:
He says, in bold, with highlight,
“Her remarkable patience in carrying out delicate activities like decorating certain miniature things, her artistic nature, her unhurried way of doing things in spite of my opposite nature and also, her patience in writing “Sriram-Jayram” even at odd hours and continuously for hours together”.
“Thank you Shailaja for whatever you have given.”
On her hobbies: “Right from the beginning, she is more interested in things like Rangoli, Pooja, etc. For a certain period, she was obsessed with Yoga so much so that people started asking about her health as she lost her weight considerably, but thankfully now she has given up Yoga!” Guru adds, “The way she took care of my sick mother during the ‘last two days’, when I was away on tour. She also never interferes with my major decisions on any subject; in fact she keeps quiet even when I need her opinion on certain occasions”. April 2013
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An Evening With
By Konda Radha
Jeffrey Archer, the Master Storyteller
The annual Dubai Festival of Literature was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in the Dubai Festival City from 4 - 9 March 2013. There were many authors from different parts of the world, including India, who participated in the event. I had the privilege of attending a session with the master storyteller, Jeffrey Archer, on the last day. Jeffrey Archer, at the age of 72, was full of energy, down-to-earth and hilarious.
Can he not take any legal action? “I can approach the international bodies, but the legal case will take at least 12 years”, he continued, “by that time, who knows, India will own the world! So what is the point in fighting?” Does he use computers to type? “No, I still handwrite my books; I am not comfortable with computers.” On the key ingredients of a short story: “You have to be sure about the entire story line at the outset, in particular, the end. The key points are:
On how he became an author (a wellknown anecdote): “When I was 34, I lost all my savings to a scandalous investment scheme. I was back to the wall and started to write my first novel Not a Penny Less and Not a Penny More”.
The title is vital; should draw the readers’ attention, urge them to read. The beginning to carry an intrigue. Some mis-direction in the middle would support a twist in the end.
Was it an instant success? “Not at all! 16 publishers rejected the manuscript before it finally got published.”
The ending has to be sharp, unexpected and would be great if the last word conveys the final punch; that would be a master class”. The 100 Words Story
Jeffrey Archer signing an autograph for Radha
Why all of his books are first published in Australia? “My publisher is registered in Australia and he will be taxed in Australia if the book is first published elsewhere”, he went on, “But the second country where it is published is always India!’ He continued, ‘because, Indians are so enterprising’. He gave a pause with suspense”. “The day my book is published in Australia. An Indian buys it first and takes the next flight to Mumbai. Printers in Mumbai, ready with all the publishing material, print the books overnight”, with a sigh he continued, “the next morning my book is released in the street corner book shops in India, for a quarter of the original price”.
April 2013
Unique by Jeffrey Archer Paris, March 14th, 1921 The collector relit his cigar, picked up the magnifying glass and studied the triangular 1874 Cape of Good Hope. ‘I did warn you there were two’, said the dealer, ‘so yours is not unique’. ‘How much?’ ‘Ten thousand francs’. The collector wrote out a cheque, before taking a puff on his cigar, but it was no longer alight. He picked up a match, struck it, and set light to the stamp. The dealer stared in disbelief as the stamp went up in smoke. The collector smiled, ’You were wrong, my friend’, he said, ‘mine is unique’. How short a story can be? “Once a publisher challenged me write a story in 100 words. I wrote one and here it is.” (See the box above). Where does he get killer ideas and the writing skills? “I can only say that it is a gift given by God.” PS: Inspired by the master, I wrote a 100 words story, which is in the last page.
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Celebrations Celebrating Wedding Days
Happy Birthday to You
April
Name Ms Keerthana Ravichandran
1
Mr Kandasamy V
2
Mr Parthiban K K
2
Mr Kailasam S
2
Mr Udayavanaselvan R
4
Ms Bhargavi Chandrasekar
9
Mr Murugiah M
12
Mrs Kanchana Elangovan
18
Ms Vandana Viswanathan
25
Mr Sriman Mohanty
27
Muthukumaran and Vasanthi Muthukumaran complete 23 years of marriage on April 23, 2013. They got married in 1990. Nagesh Babus’ Silver Day Nagesh Babu and Sayee Prasanna Devi Nagesh Babu celebrate 25 years of union on April 24, 2013, having got married on this date in 1988. Happy wedding anniversary to you!
ET79 Marriage Season: Planning Calendar Marriage Date/ Venue
Marriage Reception Date/ Venue
Soundy’s Daughter Anusuya
May 12, 2013; Tuticorin
May 14, 2013; Trichy
Asok Kumar’s Daughter Vaishnavi
June 19, 2013; Sivakasi
June 22, 2013; Trichy
Sridhar’s Son Vivek
June 21, 2013; Chennai
June 20, 2013; Chennai
Vichu’s Son Raghavan
July 12, 2013; Chennai
July 11, 2013; Chennai
M Nataraj’s Daughter Srilakshmi
September 16, 2013; Chennai
September 15, 2013; Chennai
Harley Biker A Harley biker is riding by the zoo in Washington, DC when he sees a little girl leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the collar of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents. The biker jumps off his Harley, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumps back, letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly. A reporter has watched the whole event. The reporter, addressing the Harley rider, says, "Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I've seen a man do in my whole life." The Harley rider replies, "Why, it was nothing, April 2013
really. The lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger and acted as I felt right." The reporter says, "Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a journalist, you know, and tomorrow's paper will have this story on the front page. So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do youhave?" The biker replies, "I'm a U.S. Marine and a Republican.." The journalist leaves. The following morning the biker buys the paper to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page: "U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH!"...and THAT pretty much sums up the media's approach to the news these days.
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CULTURE
Tamil New Year – 14 Apr or 14 Jan?
The Tamil New Year that begins on 14th April 2013 is
March, and adding 23 degrees of trepidation or oscillation to it, we get the Hindu sidereal or Nirayana Mesha Sankranti (Sun's transition into Nirayana Aries). There are several references in early Tamil literature to the April new year starting with Chitirai that occurs when Sun enters Mesha Rasi. Therefore the controversial change of New Year to first day of Tamil month Thai by the DMK government in 2008 was an illogical move that has well been annulled subsequently in 2011.
named Vijaya. It is 27th in the 60 Year cycle. This cycle is related to 5 revolutions of Jupiter, or to 60year orbit of Nakshatras (stars) as described in the Surya Siddhanta, an ancient Indian work. Various traditions have developed calendars that are based on the movement of Sun, Moon and the Stars in relation to Earth. Western Astrology relies on what is known as the Tropical Zodiac (Sayana cakra), which uses the Vernal Equinox (when sun is at zenith over the Equator) as the point of reference. The Indian system uses the Sidereal Zodiac (Nirayana cakra), which adopts a fixed star as the point of reference. The reason for the discrepancy between these two systems is that there is a "wobble" in the rotation of the earth on its axis. As a result, the Sun does not return exactly to the same point of 0 degrees Aries each spring at the vernal equinox as observed from a fixed star. It misses by a tiny amount (around 50 seconds of arc according to the most widely used reference point). This may not seem to matter much, but when it accumulates over the years, the vernal equinox is seen to slip back and back into the sign of Pisces then eventually Aquarius and so on. This phenomenon is known as precession of the Vernal Equinox. At the present time, the discrepancy between these two systems is about 23 degrees, 57 minutes. This ever-increasing difference is known as the ayanamsha (moving part).
It is interesting to observe that the names of Tamil Months are based on the Sanskrit name of the Star on the Full Moon of that particular month proving the existence of a composite culture. It is clear that when Sun is transiting a Zodiac, the Full Moon occurs when it is near the prominent Star in the diagonally opposite sign. Such days are of religious significance and some of them are important festivals. As month and moon are cognates, the month is a period related to the motion of the moon. The Tamil calendar begins on the same date observed by most traditional calendars in India as in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Tripura etc. and as well in Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The day is marked with a feast in Tamil homes and entrances to the houses are decorated elaborately with kolams. Many businesses start their first financial transaction on that day. The event is also observed with the first ploughing of the ground to prepare for the new agricultural cycle.
The Tamil New Year follows the Nirayana vernal equinox and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year. Tropical vernal equinox fall around 22
Month
Star on Full Moon
By Chandra
Sanskrit name
Sun’s Rasi
Chithirai
Chithirai
Chaitra
Mesha (Aries)
Vaigasi
Visagam
Vaiśākha
Rishaba (Taurus)
Aani
Kettai
Jyaiṣṭha
Mithuna (Gemini)
Aadi
Uthradam
Āṣāḍha
Kadaga (Cancer)
Aavani
Thiruvonam / Avittam
Śrāvaṇa
Simha (Leo)
Purattaasi
Purattadhi / Uthratadhi
Bhādrapada or Proṣṭhapada
Kanni (Virgo)
Iyappasi
Aswini
Āśvina or Aśvayuja
Thula (Libra)
Kaarthigai
Karthigai
Kārtika
Vrichiga (Scorpio)
Maargazhi
Mirgashirsam/ Thiruvadirai Agrahāyaṇa or Mārgaśīrṣa)
Dhanus (Sagittarius)
Thai Maasi
Poosam Magam
Pauṣa Māgha
Makara (Capricorn) Kumba (Aquarius)
Panguni
Uhtiram
Phālguna
Meena (Pisces)
April 2013
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Health
The Claim: Never Go to Bed Angry; Really?
The Facts Most people have heard the old saw about going to bed upset: Never do it, the saying goes, or the hard feelings will fester and resentment will build. Some say it goes back to the Bible, in Ephesians 4:26. “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Regardless of its origins, the adage has been scarcely researched. But in a recent study in The Journal of Neuroscience, scientists found there might be a nugget of truth to it: Going to sleep after experiencing negative emotions appears to reinforce or “preserve” them. In the study, scientists recruited 106 men and women and exposed them to images that elicited various emotions. In some cases the emotions were negative — for instance, after seeing an unsettling image of an accident or traumatic scene. In other cases, the images produced positive or neutral emotions. The researchers then looked at what happened when the subjects were shown both new images and the previous ones 12 hours later — either in the morning after a night of sleep, or at the end of
Sourced By Mohan
a full day of wakefulness. They also measured brain activity during the rapid eye movement, or REM, phase of sleep, when dreams occur. The scientists found that staying awake blunted the emotional response to seeing the upsetting images again. But when the subjects were shown the disturbing images after a night of sleep, their response was just as strong as when they had first seen them — suggesting that sleep “protected” the emotional response. Other studies have found that sleep, perhaps as an evolutionary mechanism, enhances emotional memories. The authors pointed out that after an unsettling experience, many people have trouble sleeping — perhaps the brain’s way of trying to keep the memory or emotions from being stored. The Bottom Line Going to sleep upset or disturbed preserves the emotion, research suggests. Source: New York Times Stay well, Enjoy Life, & Be Nice to your spouse!
Easwaran Gets a Health Scare
Easwaran says, “It was one of those regular medical checkups that was called for to fill the annual report to be given by me. There were plenty of checks that were done and the last of the series was the Tread Mill Test. I felt I walked in quick pace to the stage 3, and the event would be declared as over. But the doctor felt otherwise. Without mincing words, he told me that I am TMT positive. What that immediately meant to me was that I should be rushing to do an angiogram! But, he seemed to think for long. He gave credit for the fact that my parents and sister had no reported heart issues. He gave credit to the fact that I had no reported case of chest pain either in the past or during the TMT. He added Ecospirin to my daily medicine kit and left me relieved. After a couple of weeks, the doctor called me up again and felt, maybe it is better that I get another opinion at Apollo Hospital, Chennai.”
seen holistically, reflecting the original views of BHEL doctor. He put me on an ECHO, X-Ray and Glucose Tolerance Test, which kept me in the sea of suffering humanity at Apollo Chennai for two days. At the end, he told me all is fine. He added a couple of tablets to control triglyceride and uric acid in blood. The doctor smiled and said that now I could retire in peace!!” Soundy had gathered about my Apollo visit and had called me up before, to calm me up. While I felt I was calm enough, some of the confidence giving words that Soundy told me were the choicest.” Easwaran gratefully recollects Soundy’s words, “Think of the worse situation you have faced in life, that would make you feel this is jujubi. Look at the people around you in the hospital and you will feel you are blessed. There is a limit to the worst that can happen, the road ends there. Be Happy Enjoy Life.”
“I arrived at Apollo, Chennai and the doctor saw the papers. He felt TMT test is not a decider, it should be April 2013
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Guest Column
Fast Mobile Outlet for Senior Citizens
By Andrew Hudson
How would senior citizens the world over like to step
telephone to maintain regular contact with the family.
up to an outlet and order their next mobile phone as
No more feeling of having been forced to buy an
follows:
unnecessary and expensive device when all that was
‘One cream-coloured Senior Citizen Mobile Phone, with a pay-as-you-go SIM card, Asian roaming, a twoweek battery and space for 30 apps only please.’
required was a robust, simple, affordable instrument with which to maintain voice contact with our loved ones far away. We did not want something that takes pictures, records sound, sends e-mails, plays music,
‘Sure sir, your order will take ten minutes to fulfil.
uses insipid ring tones, gives one blue teeth, allows
Your reference number is…....’
internet access and whatever else. We wanted the
Would our lives not be that more convenient and meaningful if we could walk into a mobile phone
peace of mind that comes with hearing our children’s voices and knowing that they are well. That’s all.
outlet and obtain a phone as if we were ordering a
Think how efficient the world would, and could be, if
hamburger? We could order what WE wanted and we
all senior citizens put their collective foot down and
could set OUR requirements for the provider to fulfil.
demanded that they deserve the freedom to order a
And, we could stand and watch as the attendant
take-out mobile phone that suits their requirements.
assembled the mobile phone right there in front of us in accordance with what WE want. Just think of it! No more superfluous functionality for the senior citizen who merely wants to buy a
Innovative and original? No, just plain common sense. Why buy something the majority of which we do not want nor wish to use?
‘Mannin Mainthan’ Thanakodi
Periamma - Lost and Found
Thanakodi is well known for his interest in acquiring land, flats etc. His attachment to Mother earth doesn’t stop with that. The couple spends nearly three to four hours in the garden in the new quarters B5/210, which is the closest you can get to the Training Centre bus terminus! Mrs. Thanakodi complains that the soil is not good, but we are slowly putting fresh soil and manure to make it fertile. She adds, “We have planted several new flowering species. It has become a craze for us to drop in at nurseries and neighbourhood gardens, and add variety to our collection.”
Periamma has been tracked down. It required a special mission by Sridhar, who raided Periamma’s brother’s place in Chennai. The biggest haul was the e-mail ID of Periamma. My correspondence with Periamma has fetched a good response. The loss of contact has been due to his changing his e-mail ID. Now that he is in the loop, the only evader in ET79 is Jairaj. Someone in US has to volunteer the raid! Sriman Mohanty in the News
She proudly points to the latest additions and asks me if I knew sembarithi came in so many different shades! What about vegetable garden? “It needs a soil change and natural fertilisers. We are at it.”
Sriman Mohanty at the Customer Meet at BAP, BHEL, Ranipet.
April 2013
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wot doin Ilamurugu Kailasam?
April 2013
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Wot doin GenX?
Ilamurugu Kailasam, a Leader in the Making
Ilamurugu, son of Kailasam, is a Systems Engineer with Infosys. Shortly, he will be quitting Infosys to join Institute of Management and Technology, Greater Noida for PGDM in Retail Management. On his stint with Infosys, he gratefully recollects, “Nearly 3 years of my life in Infosys has given me the courage to take up challenging roles and responsibilities and have moulded me with multitasking capabilities. In addition to grooming me as a Software Engineer, Infosys has shown me the path to be a Socially Responsible Leader”. Ilamurugu’s range of interests and passion are truly exciting to know. Please read on: and rehabilitation activities, mainly for abandoned or On being an automobile-prodigy: stray dogs and pups. Our volunteers go for weekend “Right from my childhood I was always curious about volunteering to Blue Cross, Velachery. There we do knowing how things work, which kick started my help in cleaning the animal shelters and feeding passion towards automobiles. I am a great lover of the animals. We conduct adoption drives and promote Yamaha RX series. My love for automobiles started adopting dogs rather than buying from pet shops, from very young age, which motivated me to learn because pups coming to pet shops are from puppy driving. First started with mopeds, then bikes and at mills, which are just like any other manufacturing the age of 13 I started driving a car. Words aren't industry, where the dogs are caged in a very small enough to explain the feelings that I had when I drove space and undergo stress and mental madness. The my dad's Maruthi 800 for the first time and I was on adult dogs are continuously used for breeding and cloud nine”. their life span becomes too short. So, if you really have a love for animals, please adopt a stray pup About driving-adventures: which is homeless and don’t promote such kind of pet “Once I got a driving license, I became a travelling shops”. enthusiast and travelled to tourist destinations in Working for underprivileged: South India, both by bike and car. With like-minded friends, my first long trip was to Goa by car, in spite of “Since I do travel a lot, I come across people belonging opposition from our parents. Driving to Goa by car to different facets of the society and I realized there is something that I must do for them. I am a very active along the coastal stretch was a great experience”. member of Sneham, the CSR wing of Infosys Chennai. Any ambitious trips on the cards? We conduct different activities all round the year, “Our next project is to go for an all India trip, covering covering health, education, employment. Very the entire golden quadrilateral stretch and we are recently Infosys Chennai DC did 50 community service gearing up for it. Don't know how many of our parents activities in 24 hours starting from March 8th 3.00 PM are going to oppose us”. to March 9th 3.00 PM. I was part of the fund raising team and I had the responsibility for 3 among the 50 On his love for animals: activities. It was a great experience for me, working “I am very fond of animals, be it pet, domestic or wild. with the HR team and other fellow employees. This I participate in animal welfare activities. We have our has given me lot of contacts, which would aid me in own Animal Welfare group at Infosys, called KAWS attaining my goals”. (Karunya Animal Welfare Society) and I am part of the core member group consisting of 6 people. We raise What are you working on currently? funds through calendar and merchandise sales and “Currently I am working with an NGO, TREE (Trust for donation from a few good hearts. We take up rescue Environment Education, conservation and community April 2013
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development) which mainly focuses on conservation of Olive Ridley Sea turtles. The nesting season had started from January and had almost ended now. The hatchlings have started emerging out. The turtles come to the shore to lay eggs and get back to the sea. Since, the coastal stretch of the beach has been polluted a lot by dumping garbage, because of which the turtles do not come for nesting and lay the eggs inside the sea itself, thereby leading to a drop in the turtle population. Students from schools and colleges, people from corporate world, general public come over to TREE foundation every weekend. We conduct sessions and screen a documentary to show them how important are the sea turtles to our ecosystem, and then they are taken for a beach walk to see the live nesting of turtles or the hatchlings emerging out”. Do you have time for any other things? Ilamurugu went unabated, “Apart from these activities, I am a gadget freak, listen to music a lot, reading books related to entrepreneurship and selfdevelopment. Being a workaholic, it is hard to find me sitting idle. I will always engage myself with some activity. What was your ambition, as child?
Wot doin GenX?
“During my childhood days, I aspired to join the armed forces, but due to few constraints, I was not able to make it and was always worried about that. But today, Infosys has opened the door of opportunities to enter Social Entrepreneurship, I have realized that whatever happens in our life, happens for a good reason and never should God be blamed for it. The almighty will always have something better in store for us”. Who is your inspiration? “Mr. N R Narayana Murthy, from day 1 of joining Infosys. I don’t know how to show my gratitude to him, for giving me the best in class facilities and training at Infosys. Now I am following his path to make a better India, a better world”. “My main theme is to fight for eradicating illiteracy, unemployment and poverty”, Ila Murugu concludes with a vigour, which is his hallmark. Ilamurugu’s interests, sky-high ambitions and his undying urge to contribute to the society have left me awestruck. Ilamurugu, your parents Kailasam and Kausalya Kailasam, and the ET79 extended family are proud of you and look forward to your lasting achievements.
Divya Kannan to Do Internship at BHEL, Bangalore
As you may be aware, Kannan's daughter Divya is in her 3rd year of Electrical and Electronics Engineering studies at NIT, Trichy. She was on the lookout for doing internship (in Bangalore or Chennai) in the related fields during 2013 summer vacation. Guru's help came in handy and her training is finalised. In her thanking e-mail to Guru, Divya writes, "Thank you very much for your help in obtaining this in plant training for me. I gladly appreciate it. Iam happy to be part of the BHEL’79 family!”
April 2013
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You Said It Oh, we will be missing Muthu's (in)accurate election forecasts. It is a good idea that thru various features in PULSE, we are coming to know about the family members of ET79 friends. Keep it up Radha H.V.GURU MURTHY
Hi Radha, Wow!!! what a title conferred on me!!!'Lawrence.....' Though I had just scribbled a few lines, nicely drafted and presented. The entire Pulse got a good uplift with the combined efforts of you & Chikku. Thank you....PTS
Dear Radha, The way Pulse is growing, we may have to convert it into a fortnightly or even weekly. Nice to see GenX
Dear Radha & Easwara,
pitching in. Guest Column is like Readers Digest stuff
Pulse -march13 has come out very nice and
making Pulse grow in stature. Muthu's going back to
colorful, with meaningful contents. The way things
school is amazing. I like his spirit and wish him all
have been presented is also very good.
the best. PTS story is truly inspiring. All in all a great
We are able to see lot of improvements month after
issue. However the cover could have been more
month. Great job & Keep it up !!!.
sober.
Murux
Best regards, Chandra Radha, I see the innovations month after month in each edition and continual improvement. We could comprehend the underlying efforts you put in throughout each month to bring an
This month’s Pulse has come out extremely well. Thanks to Radha and Easwaran - request to keep the spirit please. Because, it is not easy. A group of my friends and myself started a monthly magazine
upcoming edtion.
during 80s but only two issues came out and
Very Good work and keep it up!
stopped. It is not easy task . Let us help these GREAT
Ganapathi
EDITORS at least in providing the info on time .
You are doing an exceptional job with pulse. Dominic
V Balraj
I read all the issues without fail.... you and eash are doing an awesome job.
Hello uncle, As usual Pulse was rocking this time. Very colourfull
Pandian
and innovative write-ups. Way to go.
Dear Radha, I know answer to only one of the three questions. Personality No. 2 is KK Parthiban. Anyhow, answer will be known once the Pulse for April 13 gets published. I know you are following a novel way of increasing the readers' anticipation for "Pulse". All the best ! Regards, K.Viswanathan
April 2013
Dear All,
Ramesh
You are creating more fun and sensation. Keep up the tempo. Asok
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A 100 Words Story
You Said It
Urgency Matters Dear Radha, Here is a review of the March issue. Who said we have got bored with flowers? The Pulse cover in full bloom would make you look at it for long. The picture of Somaiah family can never be out of focus! It is time Somaiah rushed to Radha their latest high resolution family pic. Thirumalai's saga has been nicely brought out. This person (who has shed quite a bit of fat these days) and his remarkable 4 months citibank project is indeed cherished history. We are proud of this acclaimed IT professional. Somaiah has captured the key aspects of his better half. The way she maintains their home and garden is to be seen to be believed. I have! She is a good teacher at home and in school. The family has produced an excellent doctor and an engineer. We cheer Mrs Uma as a Women's Day celebrity. Holi and its origin has been highlighted by Jambu. Many times, Jambu speaks from a parent ego state! (Am I right, Radha - the TA Guru). What gets measured gets done. Is it so for health? Marker's indices .... anyone working on these numbers? Hudson's Somali pirate true story is indeed captivating. The Gen Next talk a different lingo. I am sure other ET79 may have such experiences to share, after reading Ramesh's write up. Pooja, the Obama fan, was loud and clear. In all, an issue that has catapulted Pulse into a different plane. Go on, Radha.
On Wednesday, handing the card to her, he prided, ‘we always exceed customers’ expectations’. ‘Thanks’, then in a puzzled tone she asked, ‘but where is my PIN?’ GUESS WHO CONTEST RESULTS The answers: 1. A V Krishnan (was a roommate of C Kannan when they did the SQC & OR programme with Indian Statistical Institute, Chennai) 2. K K Parthiban 3. Jeffery Archer CHANDRA WINS Chandra edged Sridhar by 35 minutes to win the prize. Congrats to Chandra! Most of the participants got the second answer and only 3 submitted all correct answers. We thank all the participants for their enthusiastic participation. In fact, 2 entries were received within minutes of the announcement. We are grateful to Balraj who has agreed to sponsor the next contest.
Pulse Desk R Easwaran K S Radhakrishnan
R. Easwaran
April 2013
By Konda Radha The lady, in-a-hurry, approached the manager of the aggressive bank. She requested, ‘I am travelling on Wednesday and need an ATM card’. ‘Madam, you’ve to open an account first’. She agreed, and as she signed the forms, pleaded, ‘When will I get the card?’ ‘On Wednesday’ ‘Will I surely get it on Wednesday?’ ‘Definitely madam, your urgency matters to us’, he said with certainty and pressed all the buttons to produce the card.
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