Mixed bag book - Edition 2

MIXED BAG-2

Chapter 1 : From the Young Chapter 2 : From the Young at Heart

C T PUBLICATIONS Chennai

MIXED BAG - 2 April 2015 Compilers: M.L. Narasimham T.A. Prashanth Kumar T. Vinod Ramprasad Cover Illustration: Art Director Pani Published by: C T Publications S-5, Sterling Seethal 22/14 Palat Sankaran Street Mahalingapuram Chennai - 600 034.

Online Edition : www.issu.com Designer: G. Srinivas Supriya Graphics Chennai - 600 024.

Printer: Ramesh Sai Prints Chennai - 600 026.

Celebrating With You We are very happy to present the ostentatious second volume of our book to you. Our previous edition has received lot of your appreciation and we are very much obliged for your warm reception. We feel we have grown much closer through our ideas, memories and conversations which you have felt or shared with us.

We are swollen with pride and happiness and true to its name ‘Mixed bag,’ this edition has views and writings of both young and the senior generation. We think this synergy concept of bridging two generations’ ideas and views is nowhere else and inimitable. We wish you have the utmost pleasure in reading this edition.

Feel and read with the world.

Happy Reading… Again!!!

- Publishers

Inside....

From The Young 1.

The New Airforce wife & the Bhatinda Bandits

5

2.

The Unfolding of Consciousness

10

3.

Timely Awareness

13

4.

‘Lord’ as the Mechanic

16

5.

Planning a Vacation…

18

6.

Just for Laughs

21

7.

Stay Healthy

25

8.

Must Watch 5

27

9.

The Bridge

30

From the Young @ Heart 1.

The Mind is a Funny Little Thing

32

2.

Musings of a Senior Citizen

33

3.

Triumph of Good over Evil

39

4.

A Good Book is the Real Friend

42

5.

Spirituality Rooted in Sacrifice & Service

44

6.

Spouses Jokes Retold

48

7.

Telugu Film Journalism Today

51

8.

What a Wonderful World

55

From the young

THE NEW AIR FORCE WIFE AND THE BHATINDA BANDITS A cold winter foggy night in the

month of November. The days when mobiles were not in vogue and train journey was. Punjab Mail screeched to a halt into the sleepy and lazy rural town of Bhatinda. My first overnight journey without parents, first ever so far from hometown and that too to a place never heard of before my wedding. In fact, my maiden journey created quite a furore back home in my circles as I was supposed to be going very close to the border where bombs are dropped every other day! It was well past midnight and awfully cold. So far I had never seen anything less than 20 degrees. As a matter of fact, as a young bride all of 22, from the uptown Hyderabad central to my existence, this was my first exposure to the extreme climates, North India, small towns, separation from parents and married life. My so called happening life was so far restricted to Sainikpuri and a radius of 10 kms around that. With my husband next to me (not for long), I took my first step into a new life which was waiting to unfold interesting times ahead.

I stepped down to meet a large and bubbly group of humanity of various cultures (important as hitherto my only exposure was to locals from Hyderabad) who had come to receive us. And I thought ‘vow, what a joshila lot - in spite of past 2 am in the night - where in civil do we see such spirits’. I particularly remember a warm affectionate Anglo Indian lady by the name of 5

Eva (who was married to somebody called a commanding officer). After the initial exchange of pleasantries we moved out of the station. Me, Eva and two other ladies settled comfortably in a gypsy and Nachi and the remaining people were following us in other vehicles behind. Aha, the much heard of service etiquettes and formalities.

It was a long journey to the Air Force Station, with hardly any habitation and activity enroute. I was enjoying the company of such fine eloquent ladies (different from the young girls so far). The warm tĂŞte-Ă -tĂŞte included talks about my journey, background, Nachi etc. I was told that it was long drive with a lonely desolate stretch in between. They asked me why we had planned to come at such an awkward time as it was unsafe to travel and venture out. I told them, innocently, that on being asked, Nachi had told me that this was the only train available to reach Bhatinda. The night was getting darker (as we moved away from the town into the interiors) and so were the issues in the car. The topics shifted to Bhatinda Bandits and their escapades in these infamous regions. The frequent looting and holdups at gun point were a common feature here and the ladies as a precaution were not wearing any jewellery. As time progressed, I shivered both the cold and fear playing along.

Eva, Jeeta and Shweta started directing the conversation towards the terrorist attack outside Awantipur Air Force Station, a place I had never heard so far. This was well interspersed with the animated talk about the gangsters operating in Bhatinda area.

In retrospect, the build up was of a larger than life image, as if they were Robin Hoods of Punjab. The naive and simple damsel that I was (fresh from a girls college), I was convinced, quite easily, that we were going to be mobbed anytime. I fervently prayed to all my gods, whole lot of them actually, to take us safely to the IAF base. As we slowed down at a turn, a speeding white Esteem overtook us and forced us to stop. A group of rugged men in turbans with arms got down and started banging our windshield.

They forced open the door, shouted some Punjabi sounding expletives and dragged us out forcefully (Later, I was told that it 6

was just Punjabi but being spoken a bit aggressively though, good enough for my disturbed mind). On knife point, the so called Bhatinda Bandits forced me to give away all my jewellery, tied my hands and blind folded me. I tried to resist and scream but it was in vain as all forces were acting against me, including the sweet ladies, cordial driver, my only husband and his spirited colleagues. I can never forget the dreadful faces of Banjo, Khedu, Chax and Arjunan, nor the panic of losing all my priced belongings so early in life. I think I managed to palm off some of the necklaces to Eva to hide it somewhere (who was still on my side I thought).

This drama was effortlessly followed by the threat of selling me away as a new bride, which apparently fetches a lot of money with rich landlords. Eva, the Anglo Indian firang looking lady was also being considered for ‘SALE’ along with me. As one of the hooligans commented “Gori Chamdi ke liye bahut rokada milega”. Of course, the fact that she was considered worth for only Rs 3000/- demoralised her for many a days. Various ‘it’s all over’ and ‘why me’ thoughts crossed my mind and my entire life flashed in a few seconds (as it happens in the end). I wanted Nachi to help us out and fight the hooligans, inform my parents, hope for some IAF people to rescue us, cross some police patrol.

But meanwhile, as a helpless soul, I just did what I was told. And I cried. A lot.

After another small drive, I was pushed into a dark cold room.

The torture continued for a few hours. I was weeping inconsolably and shouting for help but I was gagged and blind folded (apparently for all others to see me in this state, laugh silently and give directions in sign language). Eva (who was not blind folded and gagged) told me that we were doomed as such cases were very common in this part of the state. All this pushing was quite natural and in fact I got hurt and started bleeding. The bleeding made things worse for me but one of the goons called Neeraj blasted me for making such a big issue out of losing a few drops of blood. Chivalry is dead. I was told that we were destined to be here till their Sardar comes. After an agonising wait, the 7

chorus of ‘Sardar has come, Sardar kee jai ho’ was heard and I could sense some more visitors with more filthy language flowing freely. He was welcomed with “Sardar chamiya to bahut sundar hai, bahut daam milega” “Gori chamdi aur lambi hai aur saath mein ek angrez bhee hai”.

Their Sardar stroked my face and I shuddered in repulsion and tried to bite his hand. It is then that my blind fold was opened and the vow of silence broken around me. I was in the middle of a large decorated room with lots of well dressed, cultured and good looking people. The sardar was none other than Nachi and all the bandits and cordial ladies were hysterically laughing. I froze and in fact went numb like it happens when there is a loss of orientation. I just could not connect to the happenings around.

And then, the fog lifted, in stages initially. As the essence of the entire fiasco dawned on me, I was relieved to see Nachi momentarily and then very very angry with the whole lot including my dear husband (who was NOT on my side). And then they told me that all was over and that a prank was played on me just to welcome me into the service family. The gangsters were officers, the ladies were our unit ladies and the Rs 3000/worth firang was the Commanding officer’s wife.

And so I was welcomed into the fraternity of an IAF squadron.

Needless to say, very soon all gangsters became my good friends.

The tradition of welcoming new brides into the forces unfolded with my own husband as an accomplice. But even to this day I get jitters when reminded of that incident. Though it scared me to death then, today, so many years later, whenever there is a discussion on welcomes, I smile quietly, relish the nostalgia and feel privileged for such a memorable entry into this adventure filled life.

Unlike a civil setup where it’s an indifferent regular affair, this military tradition really makes this a special moment. Besides ardently looking out for the new husband to help you out from a difficult situation, the lady has a memorable time indeed (when all evil is over and the devils are your friends) as she enters this phase of her life, maybe to get ready for all the ups and downs of 8

the fauji life. The fauji traditions like welcome, bouncing and social camaraderie indeed make us different from the other strata of society by giving us a special platform for belongingness. Then followed Operation Parakram (after the parliament attack) that led to a marriage in correspondence for me. But the strong fabric of the sqn life, ably guided by Eva indeed gave me the strength, support and courage to face the difficult situations (which included a dreaded jaundice).

Today after more than a decade of being a service officer’s wife, I can say with conviction that it has been a life rich in friends, fun and relationships. With lots of freedom, travel, adventure all the way and the fact that we are directly supporting the air warriors as they do their duty for the cause of the nation, it definitely gives me a reason to feel proud and pleased.

- Prasanthi W/o g/c K. Nachiketa knachiketa@rediffmail.com (Prasanthi is married to Gp Capt K Nachiketa and has been a member of the Martian family for the last 5 Yrs. She is a double Post Graduate and a B.Ed. and is currently teaching in the Air Force School. She is a busy mother with two high energy kids Oxygen and Ozone, who between their ruckus, keep her breathless.)

9

THE UNFOLDING OF CONSCIOUSNESS Yoga originated in India more

than 5,000 years ago, and has become a popular mind-body therapy in the West. Yoga’s breath control and body postures are believed to help nourish selfawareness, control stress and develop physical strength and balance.

The true essence of Yoga revolves around elevating the life force or ‘Kundalini’ at the base of the spine. It aims to achieve this through a series of physical and mental exercises. At the physical level, the methods comprise various yoga postures or ‘asanas’ that aim to keep the body healthy. The mental techniques include breathing exercises or ‘pranayama’ and meditation or ‘dhyana’ to discipline the mind. The ultimate goal of yoga is, however, to help the individual to transcend the self and attain enlightenment. As the Bhagavad-Gita says, “A person is said to have achieved yoga, the union with the Self, when the perfectly disciplined mind gets freedom from all desires, and becomes absorbed in the Self alone.”

The ancient practice of yoga offers a multitude of benefits to modern-day students at almost every grade level. Yoga's combination of breath and movement can help alleviate social and academic stress, clear the mind and soothe cramped bodies jammed into desks and hunched over computers.

The art of practicing yoga helps in controlling an individual mind, body and soul. It brings together physical and mental disciplines to achieve a peaceful body and mind, it helps to manage stress and anxiety and keep you relaxing. It also helps in increasing flexibility, muscle strength and body tone. It improves respiration, energy and vitality. Practicing yoga might seem like 10

just stretching, but it can do much more for your body from the way you feel, look and move.

One of the benefits of yoga is that you can choose a yoga style that is tailored to your lifestyle, such as hot yoga, power yoga, relaxation yoga, prenatal yoga, etc. Whether you prefer you're at home, in a private session, watching a DVD or at a studio or gym, there are a huge variety of options available to suit your goals and needs.

If you are a yoga beginner, Hatha yoga, which focuses on basic postures at a comfortable pace, would be great for you. If you want to increase strength through using more of your own body’s resistance, power yoga may be right for you. There is a great online yoga program at Gaiam Yoga Studio that focuses on Hatha yoga.

If you are ready for a deeper practice, Advanced Yoga, or Bikram, also called “hot yoga,” may be just what you are looking for. In Bikram yoga, the room temperature is set to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in greater elimination of toxins from the body through the increased production of sweat. No matter your fitness level, fat percentage, or health history, yoga has a place for you.

Yoga postures and exercises focus on all of the joints of the body, including joints you probably don't use regularly. Yoga exercises can strength problem joints such as the knees, hips and ankles. Yoga training also leads to increased spinal flexibility and core strength, both of which can reduce chronic problems such as lower back pain and increase your overall physical strength.

Because yoga also exercises ligaments and tendons, your joints will lubricate more effectively, reducing joint pain.

Yoga training may be the only form of exercise that stimulates your internal organs. This helps prevent disease by maintaining organ health. It can also help make you more aware of potential health problems.

Yoga stretches and stimulates the muscles and organs of the body in a uniform manner. This allows increased blood flow to all parts of your body, which helps to flush out the toxins that can accumulate in your body's tissues. Increased detoxification 11

can increase your energy levels, making you more likely to follow an exercise program designed for weight loss.

You Are What You Yoga So slow down, don’t cheat yourself, take it easy, and stand in your truth.

Don’t be fast. You have the rest of your day to ride in the fast lane. Why not let the time you spend practicing yoga be all about decelerating? Slow down; take your time on your mat. The slower your breath the deeper your practice. Don’t be in a rush to get into the poses. Instead, take the time to set up proper alignment first. Try stopping after each sun salutation to take a few breaths and savor it rather than rushing off to the next one.

Don’t be cheap. Be generous. Be generous with your breath and your energy, sharing it with the other people you practice with if you go to a yoga class. If you are practicing at home, don’t skip the time for savasana. Don’t cheat yourself out of a minute on your yoga mat by letting your thoughts drift to your to-do list. Stay present and grounded. Don’t be cheap in rewarding yourself; give yourself the gift of the time to reconnect with your spirit, fully present.

Don’t be easy. B.K.S. Iyengar would say that once you think you know everything there is to know about a yoga pose that is when you stop practicing yoga. I think what he was trying to teach is- do not take the easy road.

– Prashanth Kumar Thopalli nofearpras@gmail.com “Always find new ways to challenge yourself on the yoga mat, new ways to explore the pose, to notice your body and your breath, to quiet your mind. I have done thousands of downward dogs, to the point where this pose should be easy, or even boring, but I’ll never get tired of the thrill of getting my heels a little closer to the floor, marveling at how far I’ve come on my yoga journey. Don’t aim low. You will miss the mark. Aim high, and you will be on a threshold of bliss.”

- B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life 12

Doctor’s Note

TIMELY AWARENESS O ff

late cardiac problems among youngsters and middle aged persons are increasingly seen. A couple of decades ago, heart attacks were experienced only by people above 65 years. But nowadays it has become common for even in people below 40 years of age.

Common risk factors for Heart Attack are…

1) Family history of cardiac problems.

2) Emotions, Hypertension.

3) Diabetes mellitus.

4) Increased cholesterol.

5) Aging.

6) Smoking.

7) Alcohol consumption etc…

Apart from the above factors recently added dual factors for heart attacks are STRESS and OBESITY, Stress and Obesity are common in younger generation – due to their modified life style, irregular work time, altered sleep cycle, reduced exercise and high caloried food intake. Heart is supplied blood by small vessels called coronaries. High calorie food, fatty meal, reduced exercise increases body cholesterol resulting in fat deposition in the coronaries there by reducing the blood flow to the heart. When the flow is critical or ceases the part supplied is damaged, it results in heart attack.

Incidences increase with number of risk factors.

Symptoms could be classical to atypical. And they are…

Chest tightness, sweating, palpitation, sudden fatigue, left shoulder pain, lower jaw pain, back pain, nausea and giddiness.

13

More commonly seen following a stressful episode… full meal.

Precautions Adequate awareness of family history, stress avoidance , 8 hour sleep per day, plenty of water intake, maintaining healthy habits, low fat foods, high fiber intake of more vegetables and fruits, adequate physical exercise, regular health checkups with physician.

Walking is the most preferred physical activity.

You carry your own body weight when you walk. This weight bearing exercise is having host of benefits. Some of them are…

It increases cardio vascular and pulmonary fitness. In laymen language, fitness of heart and lungs.

It reduces the risk of strokes and heart diseases.

It improves the maintenance of blood pressure, It reduces cholesterol, muscular pains and joint pains and diabetes.

Also it improves stronger bones. By and large walking increases muscles strength and endurance.

Make it a ritual walking thirty minutes a day. Like the oft quoted saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away, "thirty minutes of walk a day brings lots of health benefits to the human lives.” Brisk walk or moderate jogging is recommended after consulting their family doctor.

Dr. Pradeep Chirravur, MD., D.N.B (Anes) chirravur@gmail.com

14

Doctor’s Note

A case study “It's not just vigorous exercise and sports that are important," said author Mark Hamer, associate professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London, in a news release from the American Heart Association. "These leisure-time activities represent moderate-intensity exercise that is important to health. It is especially important for older people to be physically active because it contributes to successful aging," he added.

In conducting the study, the investigators asked more than 4,200 participants, average age 49, how long and how often they engaged in their leisure-time physical activities. The researchers also analyzed two key markers of inflammation among the participants when the study began. These markers -- called Creactive protein and interleukin 6 -- were re-assessed in the patients about 11 years later. The findings revealed that the participants who were more active had lower markers of inflammation than the people who rarely got the recommended minimum of 2.5 hours per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity. This was also the case at the patients' follow-up assessment. "Inflammatory markers are important because we have shown they are a key mechanism explaining the link between physical activity and the risk of heart disease," explained Hamer. "The people who benefited the most from this study were the ones that remained physically active." Overall, the researchers found that about 49 percent of the participants met the standard physical activity recommendations to boost heart health. In the later phases of the study, however, the rate reached 83 percent.

The authors suggested that physical activity may increase when people retire.

Dr. Pradeep Chirravur 15

'LORD' AS THE MECHANIC Whether you are a devotee or an

atheist, some incidents in life leave an impact on you. If you are smart enough, you read between the lines and try to turn for the better.

Otherwise you brush it aside as a mere coincidence. One such incident recently took place in my life. Before going into the details, I feel some background about myself and my family need to be told.

We belong to an orthodox Hindu family, wherein some daily rituals are performed and my parents are strong believers of the Almighty, particularly Lord Krishna. My father meditates regularly and says that his genuine prayers were answered many a time. And he quotes some incidents that occurred in his life as a result of his prayers. Though I am not a strong follower of their path, still I am a believer to some extent. This incident that had happened a few days ago had indeed strengthened my belief.

On that particular day, I was returning home by bike from my office. It was around 11.00 p.m. All of a sudden my bike stopped due to some technical problem. My house is about three kilometers from that spot. I tried to start it, but in vain. I didn't know what to do at that odd hour when all the shops were closed.

I thought of calling my father and ask him to bring another vehicle, so that I can reach home.

Now, I shift the scene to my residence, same day same time.

My father, who expects me back home generally around 10.30 p.m. was feeling a little annoyed as I have not reached home nor informed him about my late coming, though it was nearing 11.00.

He tried to call me on my mobile. But since I was on the move, I didn't answer. He became more worried, but didn't lose heart.

He immediately offered his prayers to Lord Krishna and requested him to find out what has happened to me. Though it is not easy 16

to believe this, each will have their own beliefs and sentiments.

Now, again I shift the scene back to my plight on the road at that odd hour. The time my father had requested 'Him' I found a 'bike rider' stopping near me and enquired about the problem.

He tried his best and in a few minutes the bike started.

The time the 'bike rider' had helped me coincided with the time when my father offered prayers to the Lord and asked him to take care of me. That was exactly 11.00 p.m. When the person helped me in starting the bike, I enquired about him and gave some amount which he resused. Before leaving that place, he said that his name is Narayana and he is a bike mechanic in an automobile workshop, situated some five km away. Moreover he said that he would have taken the money had he repaired the bike at his workshop. I thanked the Almighty for sending a bike mechanic at that odd time to help me.

But my happiness was short-lived, as my bike stopped after going for about half-a-kilometer. Who will help me now? May be my father's prayers were strong enough, as help came from another bike rider (of course not a bike mechanic), who stays near my home and he offered to tow the bike. While I was sitting on my bike, he pushed it by starting his bike from behind for the rest of two-and-half-a-kilometers. Ultimately I reached home, without much struggle. This incident had made me take a vow to help people who are in crisis.

When I narrated my experience, my father was not surprised.

He told me about his prayers and the request he had made to the Lord. "See the timing. The time I prayed to Him and the arrival of the bike mechanic coincided. And not only the time, but even the name tallied. What is wrong in thinking that the Lord himself might have come in the form of a bike mechanic?

Your strong belief will always save you from any crisis" he said.

- K. Siddhartha konduru.siddartha@gmail.com

17

PLANNING A VACATION? CHECK THIS OUT! I

have been living in Karnataka for the past couple of years on a job as a technocrat. I found these places here the best for a chill out. Why don’t you also try these exotic locations for a vacation?

1. Malpe Beach, Karnataka :

One of the most under rated beaches in India. It is beautiful, crowded and yet clean. The shore stretches pretty long and the possibility of having a secluded place in the shore is high. The crowd are concentrated mostly on one particular area, “The ParaSailing Point”. A short sail from over a 100 ft from the ground above sea is something you do not want to miss. Sunset at this Beach is amazing. Another attraction at this beach is St. Mary’s Island. A small island which is just a 15minute cruise away, serves you the pleasure of visiting a proper Island. The beautiful island is visible from the beach and is worth a visit.

2. Gokarna /OM beach, Karnataka:

Gokarna is a place famous for its beaches and one such beach is the OM beach(The shape of the beach from Aerial View 18

resembles the symbol). This is again one of the beaches where you can have total fun if you are with your friends/cousins.

The beach is huge and the crowd are less and fun is unlimited.

The beach is clean and beautiful but not many fun activities are available except for boating. But the best part is you can hire a boat to the main beach Gokarna. The first thing caught my eye was the Jet skiing and banana rider. You would be lucky if you are allowed to ride the jet ski without a trainer on your back.

Another attraction at this point is the Banana rider. They would ride and topple you at a place far from the shore. You can float for sometime in the middle of the sea!You can find people playing kabbadi close to the shore.Sunset at beaches are always adorable.

3. Murudeshwar Temple, Gokarna:

First thing that I am urging to say is that you will find 123ft tall Shiva Statue!!!!!! World’s second largest. The temple is so beautiful with a view of the entire Arabian sea at the tail end of the statue.Phew, a perfect location to place the deity. And to add cherry on top, you can witness the magnificent view of the entire place from the top of a 20 storied Gopura. The architect of this place did some additional thinking from the devotee’s point of view I believe. Two eyes would not be sufficient to view the majestic statue and the sea together and thus the Gopura was built.The beach is accessible too.

4. Jog Falls, Karnataka: Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi River dropping 830ft, making it the second-highest plunge waterfall in India. A tourist attraction that one has to visit in their lifetime atleast once just to witness it from close proximity. People are not allowed to go near the falls because of causalities occurred due to its stream and fall force. However it is important to know the right season to visit 19

the place is during monsoon.Since it is a small detour that you would require from the above mentioned places, it is a must visit spot in Karnataka.

Caution: As I said earlier, do not venture there without the help of local guides. One wrong step could prove fatal.

5. Coorg, Karnataka:

Ranked as Hill station in India,Coorg, is more than that. Places to watch are Irupu falls, Thalakaveri(birth place of river cauvery, astounding beauty), Bhramagiri, Nagarhole Wildlife sanctuary, Tibetian Monastery, beautiful coffee estates. There are lots of homestays amidst the coffee estates where we can rent shelters.

It is not a place just for families to spend their leisure time during summer; it has the capability to bring your adrenaline a rush through its wide range of fun activities. Activities like River/Still water rafting, Waterfall rappelling, kayaking, Trekking, wildlife safari, para motoring, dirt bikes, and many more rope activities etc. You will require atleast 4 days to enjoy Coorg and its beauty.

- Vinod Thopalli Vinod_23@yahoo.com

20

Just for Laughs..!!

About me Juan Alberto Lopez Uribe is a/an ...

English Teacher ; Storyteller ; Methodology Cook; Puppeteacher Dreamer with young learners; Teacher Educator ELT Management Strategist; ELT Magician Frog Collector; Kindergarten Pop Star

"The shortest distance between two people is a smile."

Victor Borge Sharing laughter after telling a joke to young learners shows we care. Jokes are not only fun, but they are also relaxing and energizing. Moreover, jokes provide great material for teaching vocabulary, grammar, idioms, and phrasal verbs. Last, jokes are delightful at bringing intonation and culture.

Jokes only deliver their multiple benefits if students understand them. So it's essential for us as teachers to make sure our young learners understand the jokes and can have a laugh. This can be done by choosing the joke with learners in mind, pre-teaching words, using pictures and gestures, and sometimes even explaining the joke after we tell it. And then telling them again and again.

I have separated two groups of jokes for young learners: the easy and quite easy.

The easy: 1.

Why won’t the elephant use the computer?….He’s afraid of the mouse!

2.

Which are the stronger days of the week?…Saturday and Sunday. The rest are weekdays.

3.

Which runs faster, hot or cold?…Hot. Everyone can catch a cold.

21

4. What did the math book tell the pencil?….I have a lot of problems.

5.

Where can you find an ocean without water?….on a map!

6. Why do fish swim in salt water?….Pepper makes them sneeze.

7.

What is a robot’s favorite snack?….Computer chips!

8.

How did the soldier fit his tank in his house?…It was a fish tank!

9.

Why did the computer go to the doctors?…It had a virus.

10. Why did the man throw a clock out the window?…He wanted time to fly.

11. Where do cows go on dates?…MOOOOvies 12. What kind of snack do you have during a scary movie?…. I scream (ice cream) 13. How can you tell the ocean is friendly?…It waves!

14. How do small children travel?…In mini-vans 15. What has wheels and flies?…a garbage truck!

16. Why didn’t the skeleton go to the party?…He had NO BODY to go with.

17. What kind of witch likes the beach? … a SAND witch (sandwich)!

18. What kind of key does not open a lock? … a mon – KEY! 19. What always falls and never gets hurt?……..rain!

20. What letters are not in the alphabet?…The ones in the mail.

21. Why did the boy throw the butter out the window?… to see a butterfly!

22. What room is a dead man most afraid of?…The living room!

23. What did one wall say to the other?… Hey, let’s meet in the corner.

24. Why do birds fly south in the winter?…Because it’s too far to walk!

25. Why is six afraid of seven?… Because 7 ATE 9 And here we have the quite easy!

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26. Did you hear about the dog at the flea circus? …He stole the show!

27. What did the stamp say to the envelope?…Stick with me we’ll go places!

28. How do hens stay fit?….The “egg-ercise” 29. Why did the tomato turn red?….It saw the salad dressing!

30. What is the best thing to put into a pie?….A fork!

31. What is a cat’s favorite color?….PUUUUURple 32. What travels around the world and stays in a corner? ... A stamp.

33. What do prisoners use to call each other?…Cell phones.

34. What dog keeps the best time?…A watchdog.

35. Why is a traffic light red?...You would be red too if you changed in front of people all day.

36. What did the ocean say to the other ocean?…Nothing. He waved.

37. Why was the strawberry sad?…His mother got into a JAM! 38. What did a cannibal say to another after eating a clown?…

Does this taste FUNNY to you?

39. What is orange and sounds like parrot? ...Carrot.

40. What section of the paper does a ghost always read?…the HORRORscopes 41. What did one eye say to the other eye?….Something between us smells!

42. What did one math book say to the other?…You think you’ve got problems.

43. What is a knight’s favorite fish?… Swordfish 44. What did the picture say to the wall?… I was framed!

45. Why do fish swim in salt water?… Pepper makes them sneeze.

46. What is a robot’s favorite snack? … Computer chips!

47. When does “B” come after “U”? … When you disturb its hive.

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48. What did one candle say to the other candle? … Are you going out tonight?

49. What did the blanket say to the bed? … Don’t worry. I got you covered.

50. Why did the turkey cross the road? … To prove it wasn’t chicken.

I'm sure you have had a laugh and have even imagined yourself telling some of them to your students. Am I right?

I share here some ideas of activities you can do with jokes: • Tell them during circle time, when changing activities, or by the end of classes • Have a booklet in which they draw and copy the jokes • Have them in cards with question and answer and play different games • • • • • • • • •

Surprise students with a different one per week on the bulletin board Students draw and record the jokes and we make small movies Make posters and display them around the school Tell the joke with different intonations Change part of the joke with the students Rank the jokes in a championship involving parents Go to other classrooms and tell the jokes to more advanced classes One student tells a joke and other mime it (After they all know it) Students create stories about what happened before or after the joke Juan Did you like it? Share it!

(Shared by): - Prathiba Sai Vivek, U.S.A prathiba1984@gmail.com 24

STAY HEALTHY FOREVER 10 Benefits of Honey Water You Never Knew 1. Watch Your Weight Melt Away 2. Helps to improve your digestive system 3. Gives Your Immune System A Helping Hand 4. Reduce Your Allergies 5. Improves Energy 6. Soothe That Sore Throat And Cut That Cough 7. Helps to flush out the toxins from your body 8. Honey helps to neutralize gas 9. Helps to increase the levels of “good” cholesterol in your body 10. Reduce cardiovascular strain

10 Proven Benefits of Green Tea 1. Contains various bioactive compounds that can improve health 2. Compounds in green tea can improve brain function and make you smarter 3. Increases fat burning and improves physical performance 4. Antioxidants in green tea may lower your risk of various types of cancer 5. May protect your brain in old age, lowering your risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s 6. Can kill bacteria, which improves dental health and lowers your risk of infection 7. May lower your risk of type II diabetes 8. May reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease 9. Can help you lose weight and lower your risk of becoming obese 10. May decrease your risk of dying and help you live longer 25

10 Eats To Lose Belly Fat! 1. Oatmeal 2. Almonds and Other Nuts 3. Olive Oil 4. Berries 5. Eggs 6. Beans and Legumes 7. Whole Grains 8. Green Vegetables 9. low-fat or fat-free dairy 10. Iced tea/warm green tea

-

T.M.Varun Kumar

varun.mani26@gmail.com

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

Steve Jobs I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. It is because of them I’m doing it myself."

Albert Einstein “Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.”

Farrah Gray Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.”

Bill Gates 26

MUST WATCH

5

1 . PushpakaVimanamu (1987) Director : Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, Cast : Kamal Hassan, Amala.

The movie is noted as the last of its kind. This is a movie about a youngster who is depressed battling his unemployment, gets a chance to become a king for a day. The youngster takes the identity of a rich man and lives his luxurious life. He encounters with a girl and impresses her with his fake identity. Everything goes good until he realises that the rich man was targeted to be murdered by his brother through a killer.The story does end in a positive note with the youngster realising his mistakes and testifying against himself with the rich man and his love interest. A movie worth watchingfor the efforts the team has put into the subject to express the story only through facial emotions and SANS DIALOGUES. There has been a lot of creativity involved in expressing an inspiring story to leave a permanent mark in our memories. The reason to watch this movie is to understand that words are not important to express thoughts.

2. 3 Idiots (2009) Director : Rajkumar Hirani, Cast :Amir Khan, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, BomanIrani.

Yes, the theme was inspired from a famous novel yet a lot of RajkumarHirani in it. It’s a story revolving around three friends in college who stayed together, lived good and bad times together throughout their college days till one day one of them leaves the group uninformed. The narrator helps the audience to walk through what happened in their college days 27

through his journey in pursuing his long lost friend. The plot is about the student who tries to explain that Engineering is just a degree but happiness is more important in life. The movie is a laugh riot which eventually carries the audience along with it.

The director and the actors made sure that if they laugh we laugh and if they cry we cry. I never thought this was possible for any director however, RajkumarHirani proved me wrong. The reason to watch this movie is for the director’s role in elaborating a classic!

3. Pizza (2012) Director : Karthik Subbaraj, Cast : Vijay Sethupathi This movie did not involve a big star cast nor did it require a promotion. Almost every member in this team is a debutant. The story is about an innocent pizza delivery boy who on his normal day,unfortunately encounters an haunted house as his delivery point. The time spent in that house and the trauma he had to overcome after that is what grips the story till the end with a totally unexpected ending. This is definitely an edge-of-the-seat thriller for the audience from Karthik Subbaraj. The one sentence that every audience will say after watching this movie is “I never expected that climax�. The boon for this movie would be Vijay Sethupathi and his exceptional acting and its cinematography.

4. Shawshank Redemption (1994) Director : Frank Darabont, Cast : Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman The story revolves over an innocent accused and his friend at Shawshank State Penitentiary and their life travelled in the prison for two decades. The unexpected turnaround from the way in which the prison inmate portrayed and carried himself throughout his life at prison to planning his escape depicts the glory of this classic.

A movie well acted, well plotted, well filmed. No love interest, 28

no car chase, no big battle, no great views of the country, but the best tale you will ever find on film, a wonderful story with things that will chill and warm you. This has only one problem, you can see it the first time only once. The reason to watch this movie is to see how he made his escape plan and the arrangements made for himself and his friend for a life post prison and this will definitely leave the audience spell bound.

5. Taare Zameen Par (2007) Director : Aamir Khan, Cast : DarsheelSafary,Aamir Khan The plot is simple.

Difficulties faced a Dyslexic child. Not many of us are aware of Dyslexia(Reading disorder) orthe problems faced by the people possessing them.

This movie concentrates on one such case and explains how to encourage a child suffering from this disorder. The dyslexic child, Ishaan(DarsheelSafary) hates school and studies but loves to paint and play. What happens to the boy when his father sends him off to boarding school far from his mother and home is the main plot of the story.Just when the boy thought nobody loves him and his life is going to be tough upfront comes a guargian angel in the form of a teacher (Aamir Khan), who understands the problem and encourages him to overcome it. The emotions captured by the Director are priceless and there is a reason why this is in my favourite’s list, you will be moved as the movie reaches its climax. Hence must watch. – Vinod Thopalli

29

THE BRIDGE There was once a bridge which

spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river paralleled with the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing a train to cross it.

A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train lights.

He stepped to the control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but, to his horror, he found the locking control did not work. If the bridge was not securely in position it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard. He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever switch he could hold to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train crossed.

He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man’s strength.

Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold.

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“Daddy where are you?” His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, “Run! Run!” But the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left his lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to the lever.

Either the people on the train or his little son must die. He took a moment to make his decision.

The train sped safely and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was even aware of the tiny broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. They did not see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked: to tell his wife how their son had brutally died.

Now if you comprehend the emotions which went this man’s heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of our father in heaven when he sacrificed his son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that he caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when his son died?

How does he feel when we speed along through life without giving a thought to what was done for us through god?

- T .A. Prashanth Kumar

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From The Young @ Heart

THE MIND IS A FUNNY LITTLE THING T his mind is a unique thing. An

excellent resource that human being is blessed with. It is like your best friend, there for you 24 hrs. Constantly working does not really know when to stop. It takes it’s job very very seriously. It is there when you wake up, it is there when you are at work, it there when your driving and missing a turn, it is there when you are at the doctor’s office, waiting for results of exams or interview or even when you are sitting on a toilet.

It is always there as a bunch of emotions and thoughts. Just like The God created this universe, mind can create it’s own version too. It can imagine, visualize anything and paint a picture without any paints or brushes.

It can travel to part of the world or out of this world for that matter without a ticket. It can store every single thing it sees or experiences safely and can bring it back any time it feels like. It can be from yesterday, last week, a month, a year even from many births ago. It has the capability bring the same emotions back as if it happened just now.

The dreams we dream about also because of the mind. When we are sleeping, the body may be is resting but mind keeps wondering and through these dreams it brings back the information, pictures and videos it sees all day from it’s own storage. The mind does not have a body of it’s own, it is alive only as long as this body is alive. So that is why in our dreams we cannot see our own body, we can only feel it’s presence. But the feeling is so real, that the emotions can be very strong in dreams.

In reality the mind gets more tired than our body. Only in our deep sleep the mind and body get proper rest they deserve.

Durga Avari durgaavari@hotmail.com 32

MUSINGS OF A SENIOR CITIZEN As one reaches sixty, many find

affected with some health related issues or other. Some feel obese due to which physical activity is reduced confining one to mostly indoors.

Obesity might lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and might create heart problems as well in course of time. In obese people physical activity is reduced confining one to mostly indoors. These are purely life style disorders. Other ailments such as prostate enlargement, arthritis, joint pains, gout, eye problems such as glaucoma, cataract, hearing problem, back pain, etc. also hamper normal movements and physical activity. In addition impaired hearing or reduced vision not only confine them to house but family members in the house may feel difficult to interact which makes the person lonely, isolated and ignored.

Any of the above ailments would make a person feel depressed apart from feeling aged. If a person after sixty years does not own a house and children unsettled, it will add up to make them more miserable. Frequent medical check-ups forcing them to depend on regular/prolonged medication causes tension and they will be gripped with fear for life.

One more physical change with ageing in both men and women after 50- such as PMS (Post Menopause Syndrome) in women and rigid ego pattern in men also cause psychological disturbances in behaviour. Women experience hot flushes, frequent irritation, depression and men too exhibit short tempered behaviour, adamant attitude due to ego hassles. Some men indulge in tobacco or alcohol beyond a level of control. Indian men and women in general, do not believe in getting counseled 33

by qualified psychiatrists. Periodic medical check-up is necessary but the fear of diagnosis prevents them from tests. In other words majority of the aged parents in India would generally have physiological and psychological issues dormant to be understood. This is a major problem for the aged.

In case some disorders like high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis or even some kind of cancers are found, it is believed to be inherited although many of them are life style disorders. Part of the blame need to be attributed to some of the doctors in this regard since relating disorders to family history may give psychological relief to patients but they should be told in no uncertain terms that they acquired the disorder mainly due to their lifestyle which needs to be changed.

Isolation He is the head of the family till yesterday but finds himself today as an unwanted entity leading to more frustration as well as more health complications. Although family members express great concern towards the elders, such unpleasant environment becomes too much to bear. Today we have mostly nuclear families as children prefer to stay separate, leaving their parents to live alone. Of course, parents who live in their own place enjoy the space and freedom. Their daily chores would be as per their habits.

Be it food, watching TV, reading their choice books, listening to spiritual talks or listening to their choice music etc. I have many aged relatives who often share that they feel choked after sometime staying with their children due to many constraints experienced although their children love them very much.

Sometimes elders feel that they are encroaching into the lives of their children.

If we take the living pattern of Western world, the aged parents live separately and away from their children. In fact separate housing colonies provide shelter for aged where they can interact with similar age groups freely and the local State authorities provide affordable transport facilities. I have seen in Los Angeles old people who need an oxygen cylinder for breathing, move freely with the equipment unmindful of their physical constraints.

34

In fact they do not like any one sympathising with their handicaps.

When they go to Malls they are transported in battery operated cars to do the shopping within the Mall. Every Mall will have good restaurants that provide hygienic snacks or food and on select days they would offer free or at subsidised prices. Children meet their parents occasionally for lunch or dinner and it is acceptable to all. Although everyone has to take care of their dish washing, housekeeping including toilets, laundry, garbage, etc. by themselves and it does not pinch any one. Hospitalisation is taken care through insurance and getting admitted is very simple where excellent nursing facilities are available. Since such facilities are rare in India elders have to face a tough living.

How to enable the elders lead a happy life in spite of all these issues would be a big challenge in the Indian context. There are no old age counseling centers in our society unlike in the West to make aged parents counter the old age problems to lead a happy life. Children who are settled abroad leaving parents in India is on the rise. There may not be any financial constraints but parents are left to lead a lonely life in big houses which also pose serious safety concerns. Senior citizen community homes with many add on facilities are opening up in big cities, of course at a cost. As long as elders maintain reasonable health old age homes may be beneficial. Once they are bed ridden it is a difficult proposition to manage them. It might look that there is no absolute solution for old age issues on all aspects concerning them. But I feel no one who is above sixty years of age need to feel complacent. Since I am also above sixty, let us take a look at the senior citizens with a realistic perspective.

Let us face some questions: • Can any person escape old age unless some calamity ends their life prematurely? • Is it possible to make old people young by any means or miracle? • Is it possible to bring in a culture of accommodating old parents with no compromises?

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• Can the aged parents be without any health problem? • Should the aged parents be left to face isolation from family?

Realities of life All of us should realise that old age is inevitable. As one loses physical vigour in old age there will be some minor or major health concerns. We see animals too getting old, though they have much less life span as compared to humans, but stay healthy in general. Animals do not visit diagnostic centers or kept under constant medication or feel they are aged. Every bird or animal or water bodies work and struggle for daily living. The food cycle of birds is morning and evening and animals too have specific food needs and nature provides them opportunities to get daily food. It is humans who developed complex eating habits cooking for a taste. This is the major factor for health disorders.

Before we look for positive aspects to be cultivated, every senior citizen should whole heartedly get ready to appraise themselves understanding their strengths and weaknesses and be ready to lead a happy life in their last phase as role models. It should be felt that old age is a privilege that some may not have it. One should be ready to embrace old age gracefully.

How to enjoy old age Reduce family responsibilities for ensuring peace and harmony. Develop the habit of focusing on being an advisor (when required) in the family than indulging to control in every issue.

Develop a time table for daily activities setting time for each activity like meditation, morning walk, bath, prayer, breakfast, reading, lunch, short rest, reading/watching TV, listening to music or other hobbies, light refreshments, evening walk or games, hot water bath, early dinner and going for sleep early by 9:30 pm or so. Taking plenty of fluids in between meals is essential.

Practice a specific time table so that members in the family respect and render timely support.

As regard medication it is better not to get addicted to allopathic medication which is more palliative than curative. It 36

is well known that Ayurveda has been in vogue since time immemorial as a time tested curative system. There is a misconception propagated that Ayurveda employs unhealthy steroids causing untold harm. In this context it is suggested that the power of Ayurveda is better explained by eminent personalities like late Sri Rajiv Dixit, Baba Ram Dev etc. which are available in Swabhiman Trust and Pantanjali Yogapeeth etc. in greater detail.

Develop the habit of listening to music of choice frequently either classical or light film music of yester years where lyrics and tunes are enjoyable as well as melodious. Listening to old songs takes you back to those happy younger times. It is important to recollect past pleasant memories frequently than remember all bad incidents that enhance mental tension. Also intense newspaper reading or watching for long news in TV channels is not recommended since it contains only news that triggers unconscious mind to get agitated. It is always good to be active with conscious mind that focuses on present at the same time enjoying the pleasant memories of the past.

Improve hobbies like singing, painting, playing musical instruments, gardening, assisting in kitchen exhibiting culinary skills, writing, dancing, etc. which would give healthy diversion of mind taking away any depression or mental tension. Many feel shy to sing in public or dance. Real enjoyment comes when one exhibits all skills possessed to release stress.

Reduce mobile/ telephone conversation unless it is warranted.

In fact one should develop the art of required conversation to the point on mobile or telephone. The general tendency of extending conversations beyond requirement should be curbed. Mobile usage should be reduced as much as possible for health reasons.

One of the biggest problem we have is we do not know when to talk what, how much to talk and when not to talk. The choice of simple words with short communication enhances ones personality.

It would help in many ways to have a smiling face than a wrinkled serious/sick face even when unwell. Because a smiling 37

face enhances recovery as well as good support from family members.

Developing computer skills to stay active on social networking with friends and relatives is good pastime in old age. It is most sensible to have a smart TV with internet broadband instead of subscribing to cable TV that would enable occupy all our interests from You Tube, twitter, face book, emails etc. You Tube can provide information on video in any area of interest. In this world of networking we should be a part of the wheel for soothe interaction and movement to make lives filled with happiness.

Practicing simple yoga, meditation, exercises or playing games drives out all negative energy and charge the body and mind with lot of vigour and freshness every day.

Lastly, it is very essential to cultivate the habit of loving oneself instead of constantly indulging in self-criticism or fault finding others. Express love and appreciation with open heart so that the habit of criticism goes off and paves the way for pleasant human relations.

- N.S.S. Prasad nssicrisatin@gmail.com

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Triumph of Good over Evil I quite often wondered what

purpose it would serve the telecasting of crime serials in various television channels culling out real life crime stories from the ‘police files’ and from court cases detailing elaborately on the modus operandi of the crime committed and the pixel finish of the horrendous torture and agony of the victim. Is it necessary to recreate the ghastly incident in such gory detail in the name of cautioning the general public? Or is it just a ploy to increase their TRP rating in a highly competitive sector? Generally the crime stories narrate that however be the perfect nature of the crime the criminal somewhere leaves a clue that exposes the criminal and gets him caught. Probably I think the criminal cases bring to light the intelligences and technical innuendos that the crime detectives/ investigators deploy to solve the mysteries. In this aspect only the crime stories get so much attention and interest of the viewers.

However one should not forget the adverse effect that these episodes as they help the criminal minds at work to sharpen their minds in fabricating fool proof methodology to perfect their crime.

But on a sociological aspect these telecast episodes do leave a person to ponder over the psychosis of criminals as to think whether it is hereditary traits or the environmental conditions that drive the criminal to commit such heinous crimes.

Curiously a review of the episodes telecast on the channels reveal that in most cases the criminals happen to be from the elite and from high society, for example a highly educated and talented professor of a college involved in running a brothel instigating her own college students. In another case a principal of a military school attempted molesting a woman teacher and tried to escape from the charge using his influence with the 39

higher ups. In a peculiar case two engineering college students exhibited high caliber intelligence in a few burglaries that they executed leaving the investigating agencies perplexed.

So much as to say that we would be proved wrong if we hold the view that the criminal mind and criminal tactics are the sole domain of the downtrodden and the poverty stricken, bad upbringing and social inequality are the root cause for people taking to crimes.

To add to the above intent I may narrate an episode telecast about an assistant medical superintendent of a government hospital involved in a medical purchase scam running to crores of rupees. When he smelt that his crime is going to be exposed, he pretended a heart attack and even enacted a scene of his death.

With the help of a fellow doctor he created a death certificate and the case is closed as no charges could be framed due to the ‘death’ of the prime accused. His widow got all the family pensioner’s benefits! After nine years the ‘dead doctor’ resurfaced and applied for enhanced pensioner’s benefits in an affidavit duly signed by him and submitted to the authorities!! However the honest subordinate medical officer now in charge of the hospital, who was tracking the medical scam till the death of the accused medical officer, stumbled upon the case and promptly informed the vigilance and exposed the crime. Affluence, high educational qualification, high status in society has not in any way influenced in preventing his criminal mind and manipulations.

Thus the age old debate whether it is hereditary traits (genetic qualities) or the environmental factors that helped develop the humans has nothing to do with the criminal aberrations and tactics of the human mind as we have seen from the above episodes. It is the basic human traits of jealousy, cunningness, stupidity, unfaithfulness, untruthfulness, hatred, craving for easy money and luxuries are some of the qualities that drive human beings to crimes and criminal activities.

No one could have studied the behavioral aspects of the human mind than Vyasa maharishi and Valmiki in epics - Mahabharata and Ramayana respectively. They have narrated the human 40

behaviour under various possible circumstances to clinical perfection. But in their writings they never tried to glorify and exemplify such dubious acts. The great sages established the fact that whatever be the crime it would not escape punishment.

In fact all the seers and religions preach a virtuous path. The satanic influences on the human mind never succeeded in achieving its goal from time immemorial.

The glorification of triumph of good over evil from the tender age through moral instruction classes could to some extent yield better results and that should be the endeavor of the establishment and people involved in keeping the healthy moral turpitude of the society.

- G.S. Avadhani gsavadhani@gmail.com

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES “Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.”

Les Brown “If the mind is weak, the situation becomes a problem; and if the mind is balanced, the situation becomes a challenge; and if the mind is strong the situation becomes an opportunity.”

Bishan Singh Bedi “A psychologist said to me, there are only two important questions you have to ask yourself. What do you really feel? And, what do you really want? If you can answer those two, you probably can leave your neuroses behind you.”

Harold Ramis 41

A GOOD BOOK IS A REAL FRIEND When a man was asked which book he likes most, he replied, ‘my bank passbook!’

The dwindling reading habit among the people may one day make this joke a truth. There is a fall in the newspaper readership. “We are watching news in TV channels, where is the need to read it? Moreover what is there to read except news about gory crimes, suicide and accident deaths – all this published in graphic detail with horrifying pictures. Why should I spoil my mood seeing such stuff early in the morning? If it so important a news my neighbor or somebody will inform me,” is the answer we get.

In today’s fast paced life there is no time to read and discuss about the salient issues of social and political happenings among the educated elite. And one can count on one’s fingers the number of people visiting a library to read books and newspapers.

Today’s academic studies are mostly centered round qualifications to get a job rather than to acquire knowledge. This is also a kind of illiteracy. Education is not meant merely to get employment it is also meant for enlightenment. General knowledge, moral instructions (once a subject in all schools but today it is done away with) and fine arts must be included as subjects in all schools. Such a measure will improve the mental growth of the students and also guide them towards better behaviour.

Parents and teachers should also inculcate in them the reading habit and suggest good books to read. One has to be careful in selecting the books avoiding pulp fiction that glorifies crime and titillates baser instincts. It is unfortunate that most publishers 42

today gave up publishing good literature and even the magazines are doing the same. For them the onus is more on making easy money. They are not bothered about the ill effects of such works – romantic, crime stories and superstitious articles - on youth and society. Some magazines to boost their sales, in the name of educating the public, publish question and answer features on sex related problems, which is mostly meant to titillate the reader.

It is another way of cashing in on the weakness of the gullible reader. Added to that we have the most popular and influential medium the cinema to contribute to the rot.

It is avaricious to think that the Government and laws of the land will put an end to this. The rot can only stemmed by social activists and peoples movements who aim society’s well being and bring in a healthy atmosphere.

Till then one has to read good books on the lives of great men and derive enlightenment.

Abraham Lincoln came from a poor family and grew to become the President of U.S.A. Once he worked as a salesman in a shop owned by a businessman Douglas. The very same Douglas while competing for the President’s post with Lincoln heckled him by saying, “Do not forget that this Lincoln once worked in my shop.”

Lincoln answered him, “Douglas is still with the shop and did not grow in stature.” After that Douglas stopped raising the topic.

Such interesting episodes can be found in the life of every famous people. Make such books as real friends. Read and inspire by them. Take a step forward in life.

- B.K. Easwar 09885447306

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SPIRITUALITY ROOTED IN SACRIFICE & SERVICE Most people know Sri Ramakrishna

as an ascetic or a holy personality of a specific order, but he was catholic in his outlook and a symbol of religious tolerance through his life. The fact that he embraced all faiths and shunned none should be of some relevance in today’s world, which is torn with insensitivity and bigotry of all levels.

When, for example, Brahmani, a saintly woman came to Dakshineswar temple, where he served as a priest, she saw him and knew him to be an extraordinary personality. She was a master with Vaishnavite and tantric expertise and she patiently listened to Sri Ramakrishna’s woes while leading the mundane life, away from the spiritual life of his choice. She taught him all the sixty-four kinds of spiritual disciplines that were difficult but Sri Ramakrishna learnt them while still at ease. Sri Ramakrishna entered into the Vaishnava path first by worshipping Rama as his own child.

A few months later Tota Puri, a vedantic monk came to Dakshineswar. Identifying Sri Ramakrishna’s special traits, he took him as his student and taught him the essence of Upanishads.

But he could not concentrate on the formless Brahman and whenever he closed his eyes, the familiar figure of the holy mother stood in front of him, Tota Puri ran a piece of broken glass between his eyebrows and asked him to invest his mind on this point.

Soon he was able to achieve unitary consciousness. Tota Puri then left him in solitude and when he returned after three days, he was surprised to find Sri Ramakrishna in a deep meditative pose, a feat Tota Puri himself was able to achieve only after 40 years of strenuous practice. Thereafter it was a cake-walk for him to leave his body and go into a trance, but the Mother ordained him to 44

stay in bhavamukha, a state between normal and super consciousness, in order to guide and console the humanity lost in vain search for peace and happiness in the external world.

Sri Ramakrishna explored Christianity too, learning the contents of Bible from a devotee. When he was in the house of a devotee, he went into ecstasy, seeing a picture of baby Jesus and Madonna. That sent him instantly into a meditative mood for three days and on waking up, he could feel a bright mass of light walking into him in loving silence.

Similarly a friendly Sufi mystic in Dakshineswar taught him the basics from the Koran. Sri Ramakrishna repeated the holy name of Allah as many times as he could and observed the Namaz regularly and soon was convinced of its efficacy. He regarded Buddha as a divine incarnation and maintained that he was a Vedantist misunderstood and not an atheist.

And, within Hinduism, he reconciled the three main schools of thought in Vedanta—dualism, qualified monism and nondualism with a story from our own scriptures. When Sri Rama wanted to know as to how Hanuman looked upon Him, His ardent devotee replied, `When I identify myself with my body, we bear a master-slave relationship. When I am an individual, I am part of the whole, which is you. As an Atman, I am one with you’. Even the four basic paths in the Hindu belief cater to the tastes of the people according to their nature. The jnana yoga suites the people who can discriminate between truth and untruth, bhakthi yoga can appeal to the emotionally strong, karma yoga to those who can work for others and raja yoga for the meditative and contemplative. Lord Krishna Himself was an advocate of these paths on various occasions. To the majority, the path of devotion augurs well and to the dispassionate and discriminative minority, the path of knowledge is the best.

Thus while he maintained that people can stay rooted in their faiths, they should avoid bigotry and be devoid of intolerance.

Two commands he set before mankind were renunciation and service. We should not aim for our liberation alone. Swami Vivekananda in his youth was asked once by the master as to what his ideal was. Swamiji wished that he ever wanted to stay 45

in samadhi and his body should be there just to sustain him in that state. Sri Ramakrishna gently reprimanded him for that selfish stance and explained that a spiritual aspirant should stay happy and make others happy by serving them in whatever rightful ways he can.

He cautioned his disciples “Do not depend on doctrines, do not depend on dogmas, or sects, or churches, or temples; they count for little compared with the essence of existence in man, which is divine; and the more this divinity is developed in a man, the more powerful is he for good. Earn that spirituality first, acquire that, and criticize no one, for all doctrines and creeds have some good in them. Show by your lives that religion does not mean words, or names, or sects, but that it means spiritual realization. Only those can understand who have perceived the Reality. Only those who have attained to spirituality can communicate it to others, can be great teachers of mankind. They alone are the powers of light.”

Sri Ramakrishna was born in 1836 in Kamarpukur, a small village in West Bengal, to a Brahmin couple, humble and pious.

When Sri Ramakrishna was five years old, he was sent to a village school where he did some learning but showed more interest in singing, dancing and acting like mythological figures in a mangogrove outside the village. His father died when he was seven and the incident left a scar on his psyche. Realizing the life cycle’s fleeting run, he would move to solitary quarters and spend hours contemplating on the mission of his life. He turned a dutiful son to his mother and a deep student of philosophy and mythology.

The wandering monks caught his imagination and he longed to serve them. The idea of a monastic life attracted him but soon he came over it, preferring to serve for the benefit of mankind, instead of selfishly seeking one’s own liberation.

When he was nine, sacred thread ceremony was performed and he was offered the honor to publicly worship the family deity, Rama in an austere way. He however shocked the traditionalists by accepting a meal from a low caste woman, as per her wishes, but then he was in a too high state to follow conventions. His brother, who ran a Sanskrit school in Kolkatta for a livelihood 46

learnt about his strange ways asked him to mend his ways and concentrate on studies but he rebuffed him by remarking that he was not interested in a mere breadwinning education. At about the same time, a wealthy woman, Rani Rasamani built a mother temple at Dakshineswar, a few miles from Kolkatta and his brother was made the priest. He took the young Sri Ramakrishna along with him. Sri Ramakrishna liked the job, which offered him time for contemplation and peace of mind. After the death of his brother, just a year hence, he was made the main priest but his mind longed for more. He longed to have a vision of the Goddess and spent hours pleading with Her for a darshan. He did get it after some time but his divine intoxication only grew more and more. He talked, prayed and cried like a mad man. His mother searched for a bride to pull him out of this miserable state and when she did not find anyone in the circle known to her, Sri Ramakrishna himself, out of pity for her, identified her and asked her to look for Sarada Devi, the daughter of one Ramachandra Mukhopadhyaya in neighbouring Jayrambati. The girl was just five and so soon after the marriage was solemnized, she went back with her parents and Sri Ramakrishna continued to live a bachelor’s life.

Later on however Sarada Devi longed to live with him, though to assist him in his spiritual pursuits. And when she made this clear to Sri Ramakrishna, he, in sheer joy, initiated her and took her as his first disciple. He found her as no one else but the Divine Mother herself and performed poojas to her with all reverence when he wanted to see the Devi in flesh and blood.

Sarada Devi continued to stay with him for 14 years.

Till he attained maha samadhi in 1886, Sri Ramakrishna used to instruct his disciples to develop detachment and love for the divinity in others. Spiritual aspirants are those who serve all as manifestations of God. This attitude can be achieved with some determination, solitude and patience.

Sridhar – Chaama Sridharkrishnamoorthy541@gmail.com

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SPOUSES JOKES RETOLD The couple are celebrating

their silver jubilee wedding anniversary. In that joyous moment the husband said to his wife, “I love you.” But she wanted him to prove that. He wondered aloud ‘how?’

“Shout the ‘I Love You’ so that the world can hear,’ she said. He quietly whispered in her ear, ‘I Love You.’ She is not impressed. “Why is it so quiet and why in my ear?” she said annoyed.

“Because darling, it is enough if I say in your ear as it travels the entire world sooner.” 

The husband and wife are arguing over a matter. He said, ‘you will never find a husband like me ever again.’

The wife coolly replied, ‘I will never search for one like you ever again!’

The same husband picked up a row with his wife over the purchase of a car. Peeved the wife said, “You can’t choose what car to buy almost five months. And when we start dating, you proposed to me after just one week!”

The husband replied, “dear, you can’t compare this kind of things. Choosing the car – it is a very important matter!” 

The spouses were at the eye clinic. The wife told the doctor about her husband’s bad vision, which needs to be corrected immediately even if it requires surgery. The doctor asked her to wait in the lobby till he checked her husband. Once the tests were over, the doctor smiled and asked the husband, ‘why do you 48

pretend that you have a bad vision while your vision is 100 per cent okay.”

The husband smiled back and replied, “doctor you just can’t imagine how tired I am for close to a quarter century of marriage to answer the questions like: “ Is this dress better than the other? Is this hairstyle better? Do you think I looked good at the party? etc. and this continues to bed time.”

The wife returned and the doctor said all that her husband needs is complete rest for some time and gave her a prescription for sleeping pills. The wife was surprised that the eye doctor has prescribed sleeping pills but enquired, ‘how often does he have to take them, doctor?’

He replied, “No the sleeping pills are for you so he can have rest.” 

The husband was curious to know with whom his wife is talking for such a long time, leaning out of the window. The wife replied, “This is Bhuvana, dear. She is in a hurry and she does not have time to visit us.”

The husband had a wry smile on his face. He remembered the other day his wife telling him that she is going to her neighbor and will be back in a minute and asked him to stir the dish she left cooking for every ten minutes until it is finely cooked.

The husband one day told his wife that life is so boring, he wanted to do something unusual, something that he never did before. ‘OK,’ the wife reacted, “you can iron my sari.” The husband never complained again that life is boring. 

No wonder why the word WOMEN starts with the letter ‘W’ That is because all questions start with ‘W’ 49

Why? Who? When? What?

Which? Whom?

Where? And finally Wife! 

After marriage, First year: he is talking – she is listening Second year: She is talking – he is listening Third year: they both are talking – neighbours are listening. 

Modern day spouses They lived happily, until by mistake they took each other phones. 

If men behave after marriage the way they do before it, half the divorces won’t take place. On the other hand, if women behave before marriage the way they do after it, half the marriages won’t take place. 

Father: Love + Fear Mother: Love + Care Brother: Love + Share Sister: Love + Help Husband & Wife: Love + Life Praying = Love + Fear + Care + Share + Help + Life Pray every day and you will be thankful to God for such wonderful life.

(Compiled by a Chronic Bachelor)

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TELUGU FILM JOURNALISM TODAY While receiving the Akkineni Nageswara Rao International

Award recently in Hyderabad, the iconic actor Amitabh Bachchan had said that it is not Hindi cinema but it is Telugu cinema that produces largest number of movies per year in India. Happy with the quantity, but what about the quality of films made? What about the quality of film journalism that can help shape up good audience and thereby good films? As the saying goes, “we can expect good movies only when we have good audiences.” And it is good film journals that can mould good audience. Because no one can dispute the fact that film journals play a major role in promoting films and creating interest among the fans and filmgoers in general.

Way back in the late 1930’s, long before Telugu film journals made their appearance – the periodicals better known as social magazines, used to carry articles on film related news, views and reviews. In those early years and three decades thereafter, noted writers and well known literary figures of the time wrote on these subjects. Gudavalli Ramabrahmam, Tapi Dharmarao, Gopichand, Kodavatiganti Kutumbarao, Sri Sri, Arudra, Samudrala Raghavacharya, Buchibabu, K. Pratyagathma, Kamalakara Kameswara Rao, Nanduri Ramamohana Rao and Mullapudi Venkataramana were among them. They enriched Telugu

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cinema with their critical writings and showed the path for good film journalism.

As time passed, there was a steady decline in the quality of Telugu films. Added to this was the fact that film journals which began making their appearance by now, but most of them did not make any effort to improve the tastes of filmgoers but only contributed to the rot by turning into publicist pamphlets for stars and star directors. The producers and stars too pampered such journalism as for them it is not anymore an art form but a commerce, a business venture and their sole aim is make money at any cost. It was a rat race no holds barred. Quality was the casualty in the process. In such a situation, the film magazines, as watchdogs of the industry should have acted to stem the rot. But they failed to do so, the reason they were also in the rat race to be one up on the other and derive maximum advantage. So they fell in line!

The bane of today’s film journalism in general and in Telugu in particular is that there is no order in it, not to speak of quality or direction. Take any film magazine and you will find articles more only on which food a star relishes, the dress he or she prefer, the god they worship etc. or about their romantic escapades, tantrums, their secret desires and such gossip. Pin up photos of popular and upcoming stars adds to this glamourisation process of today’s film journalism. Somewhere in between all this is squeezed a report on some good cinema called art cinema in our country. There is no exception to this as every film magazine follows this trend. What a pity!

As a matter of fact, an average reader of a Telugu film magazine is yet to know how a particular great film was made, its specialties, why it is so acclaimed etc. Because these magazines never even bothered to educate its readers on how much effort and dedication by the director and the technicians went into the making of this good film, what type of problems they faced, how did they overcame them etc. They do not seem to consider all this that important to take to their readers. They may say who wants to know all this, their readers, mostly fans of popular ac52

tors, want to know about their favourite stars and that’s what they are giving them. The fans do want to read about their favorite actor but they also want to read about lot other things concerning cinema. One is really wonderstruck why instead of publishing this thrash, they cannot make use of the space to publish some information about great films that were made in the past or being made now, not only in Telugu but in other languages and in other countries too which will benefit the local film industry as well as the readers too.

Film appreciation is an art and film journals can do the job of educating its readers about it. Unfortunately, the Telugu film magazines do not go anywhere near it. Of course, it is too much to expect the glossy magazines to tell its readers how to go about it appreciating a film, when the magazine itself never provides space to promote a good film or write a critical review on films released.

There is a legal procedure to start any industry. A lecense is needed for example, to open a hotel or even a medical shop. That is because any lapse or irregularity in their maintenance can play havoc with people’s lives. But so far as the film industry is concerned, anyone can make a film or run a film magazine. They both can educate with good cinema but mostly they are poisoning the gullible young minds with the stuff they are offering in the name of entertainment and are getting away with it. A really tragic state of affair and the argument for some kind of a check does not mean a curb on their freedom of expression. Take for instance, freedom of movement does not permit a pedestrian to walk on the middle of the road. He has to obey the traffic rules.

There are limitations to every human activity, then why not for cinema and film journals too?

One may ask, how then we account for the occasional good films in Telugu cinema and some of the critical reviews we come across. They are very rare in an industry that produces over 350 films a year and releases nearly 200 films per year. You can not take pride in the fact that such a huge industry has only one or two such good films in its list. It is not a healthy sign.

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Then what is the remedy? First, the authorities should realise the real strength or power of the media. Film Appreciation Courses should be introduced at the school level. Film Society Movement should be popularised by Governments taking it to the cities and small towns. This will help raise the tastes of audience towards good cinema by creating awareness among them.

The Governments should encourage good film journals by instituting awards for film magazines too like it is giving for film journalists and books on cinema.

As awareness levels increase, change is inevitable and the change is for the good. The signs are visible as audience tastes are changing for the better. So do the readers tastes. Let’s hope the day is not too far that we will be besieged by good cinema and good film journals.

- B.K. Easwar 09885447306 (The writer is a senior film journalist, script & dialogue writer/ lyricist for the nandi award winning film – ‘Hrudayanjali’)

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WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm

and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.

Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.

We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we've established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile. Do something wonderful, people may imitate it.

I see trees of green, red roses too I see them bloom for me and you And I think to myself, what a wonderful world I see skies of blue and clouds of white The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night And I think to myself, what a wonderful world The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces of people going by I see friends shaking hands, saying "How do you do?"

They're really saying "I love you" I hear babies crying, I watch them grow They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know And I think to myself, what a wonderful world Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world Oh yeah!

Forwarded by T. Anand Kumar kumar_ak90@yahoo.com 55

Thank you As we have mentioned in the first volume of Mixed Bag, this book is not distributed through conventional methods, but through sponsors. This really worked as all the thousand copies of the first volume reached different destinations across the country to discerning book readers in a matter of two weeks! Though Mixed Bag was aimed at senior citizens, enthused by the support extended by the young ones, we have included their writings in this volume to make it a truly – mixed bag!

We take this opportunity to thank our sponsors – Sri C. Tilak, Chartered Accountant, Indore (M.P) Sri N.S. Murthy & Smt. N.S. Lakshmi, Rajahmundry.

Sri P.V.S. Prabhu and Smt. Madhavi, Hyderabad P. Sivaramkumar, Bangalore Prof. T.V. Murthy, Chennai & our special thanks to Sri K.L.V. Ramarao, Sterling Estates & Properties Ltd. Chennai for his encouragement and support.

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