Festival of lights

Today is a very auspicious day in the Hindu Calender. It is celeberated as Deepaavali (meaning Festival of lights). This is the day on which Lord Shree Krishna killed Narakaasuraa, a demon. Lord Shree Krishna, Lord Shree Raam, Shree Mahaa Vishnu and His wife Shree Mahaa Lakshmi are offered special worship today. Wick lamps are humbly submitted to Shree Mahaa Vishnu as a token of gratitude for all that He has given to us with humble request to Him to dispel the darkness in us and enlighten us, that just like a lamp dispels darkness.  A ritual of respect to Yama Dharma Raajaa, one of the numerous deities in Shree Mahaa Vishnu's Empire, is also performed on this day.

Yama Dharma Raajaa 

Shree Mahaa Vishnu and Shree Mahaa Lakshmi surrounded by Garuda, Seshaa, Brahmaa, Rudraa, Deva Rishi Naaradaa and other deities in Vaikuntaa

Jai Shree Krishnaa🙏

Divine Discourse

It is good that Aastha TV Channel keeps introducing spiritual speakers. This evening it was joy viewing Shreemad Bhagavath Kathaa by Shree Sanjeev Mishra. He explained the popular Ajaamil Charithram. He also mentioned about the Shree Mahaa Vishnu devotion of Kabirdas.

Jai Shree Krishnaa🙏

South Pacific

It is a well known fact that regions such as West Indies and Pacific Islands are sidelined by Media including TV Channels. Thankfully there are a few TV Channels that do cover these regions as well. One such is ABC Australia TV Channel. This channel telecast an interesting programme this evening. Let me share the programme. Samoa may not be as strong as American Samoa, but this island country is culturally more authentic than it's American counterpart.

CHOGM at Samoa reminds me of the late 1980s when it was once held in Nassau, The Bahamas. My maternal uncle (my mother's brother) was Branch Manager of the Offshore Branch of State Bank of India at that time. The then Prime Minister Shree Rajiv Gandhi and his wife visited the Branch and met with the Indian community , on a good will visit.

 

Ramon Magsaysay Awards

This evening there was an interesting news documentary on this year's Ramon Magsaysay Awards . One of the awardees is a Bhutanese medical doctor. As a school teacher who worked in Bhutan for a few years in the late 1980s, I found thedocumentary very interesting.

Electric cars

Although I stopped my car driving 20 years ago, I continue my interest in what is happening in the world of cars. 

All of us are witnessing an interest in electric vehicles among consumers as well as manufacturers. The latest news that the famous car manufacturer BMW is introducing two versions of it's mini EVs is interesting. I do hope that such cars will help enormously in these times of vehicular pollution.

Although EVs seem to be a very environmentally friendly, I think that their safety aspects due to over charging etc. cannot be ignored. According to news reports, there were a few incidents of  accidental burning of EVs during charging. 

Safety aspects should be thoroughly experimented and analysed with careful follow up before rolling EVs into mass production and distribution. 

Divine Discourse

According to Shaasthraas, Lord Shree Mahaa Vishnu can accept our worship or communication to him in any language.

Although I am not familiar in Gujaraathi language, I do derive immense joy by viewing divine discourses by respected Shree Nitya Swaroopa Daas Jee Maharaj, as telecast daily by Aashthaa Bhajan TV Channel. 

Jai Shree Swaami Naaraayan Jee🙏.

NASA

A few decades ago, climatic conditions in India were as defined in our Hindu Almanac. This included two months of rainy season followed by two months of winter, and so on.

Ever Indian knows that this pattern is changed and the culprit is the greed of human mind. We have meddled with God given Nature too much by destroying our forsets, vehicular and industrial carbon  dioxide emissions etc.

NASA's latest news report that it is sending a mission to Jupiter's moon's to explore possibility of human living conditions there indicates human desire to pollute Jupiter's moon as if human attempted pollution on Earth and meddling with God given Nature is not enough. What NASA does is ethically wrong.

Psychology

There was an interesting phone-in programme involving an expert in psychology on DD Karnatakka Karnataka TV Channel this morning. As I don't know how to read Kannada, I didn't know the expert's name. She was defining the term gratitude. Unfortunately many times we across people whom we have helped a lot but later these rascals behave with no gratitude at all.

Vijaya Dashami

Today is a very auspicious day in the Hindu Calendar. It is celeberated as Vijaya Dashami. This day is also known as Dusseraa. This day is also known as Buddha Jayanthi; Shree Mahaa Vishnu manifested as Buddhaa on this day. This day is also celebrated as Madhwa Jayanthi.

I am well learned neither in Sanskrit nor in Sanaathana Dharmaa Scriptures. From whatever little I know, Dusseraa is known as Dash Haraa in Hindi. I think that it means the victory of good over evil marked by Lord Shree Raam's killing of ten headed Demon King Raavan. 

2024 Nobel Prize for Literature

This year's Nobel Prize for English Literature has been announced according to a News Report. The winner may be a popular writer but her book 'The Vegetarian' is just trash. 

When I read the contents of the award winning book, I find that vegetarianism is shown in very bad light, thereby insulting all vegetarians.  

It is as bad as when Arundathi Roy was given Booker Prize for her book 'God of Small Things' a few years ago.

Nobel Foundation has committed a large blunder backed by undue bias. 

Lumumba's Africa

As a professional who worked in Africa for a few years, I continue my interest in African development issues. In this respect, people of my age know the enormous contributions of Russia in economic development of several African nations. (I have literally witnessed a few when working as Physics Teacher in Government High Schools in Ethiopia). 

Russian Government founded Patrice Lumumba University in 1960 to offer tertiary level education to students from Africa and Asia. Many African leaders graduated from this university. The university offers a wide variety of courses in different areas, comparable to any first class university in the West.

This evening, it was pleasure to view a lecture by an African economist as telecast by Russia Today TV Channel. Prof Lumumba analyses the current socio economic situation of African countries quoting very Africa centred examples and solutions. He speaks with great passion for African culture and traditions. When looked at African perspective, it should be very inspiring to African youth today. Most importantly, he seems to motivate African youth into contributing to one Africa that includes all countries in the continent, with no visa restrictions and with one currency, like in the European Union.

I think that our Ministers and MPs should listen to his lectures so that they can learn how to motivate our youth in building our country as super power with great Hindu culture and traditions.

Ratan Tata's demise

Mr Ratan Tata's death has created a small hole, which is quite natural, in the Industrial Development scenario of our country. He was popularly known as an effective industrialist who contributed a lot to the economic development of our country but also made the lives of even common folk easier via his Tata Play, Big Basket, etc.

May his soul rest in peace.

Festivals in Addis Ababa

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, having worked in African countries, I have always been interested in documentary shows featuring Africans. This evening's episode of WION TV Channel's World of Africa included an interesting report on festivals in Addis Ababa. I nostlgically remember my stay in Addis in 1982 and 1983 as Phyics Teacher in their Government Schools.  Thanks, Eric Nyoka and WION.

World Teachers Day

Today is International Teachers Day Temple priests, farmers, teachers, and medical doctors are backbones of any developing country.

Best wishes to all teachers.

Marvelous Mysuru

It was pleasure viewing a documentary about Mysuru Palace on DD Karnataka TV Channel this evening. 

Being the second largest city in Karnataka, Mysuru is home of many auspicious and historic sites. One of these is Avadootha Daththa Peetam. 

The city was a great centre of learning Sanskrit. I fondly remember that my mother's maternal uncle known as 'Vaasu maamaa' was Principal of a Sanskrit College in Mysuru many decades ago.

It is said that Mysuru was the place of origin of Mysuru Pak, an internationally popular sweet snack.

Divine Nine Nights Fest

Today marks the beginning of Navaraathri Uthsava, the divine nine nights festival.

School Teacher's Role in Today's India

Any sensible Education Administration Professional in our country would know that teachers in our schools are under enormous undue pressure from school management, students and parents. A few days back, CNA TV telecast a detailed documentary outlining the undue pressure on school teachers in Korea. From my experience of more than 30 years in School Education at different levels in different countries, I think that many of the problems faced by Korean teachers are experienced by teachers in our country as well. As far as I have experienced, main culprits are School Administration Boards and parental community. These two have unrealistic expectations and put teachers under enormous, some times unbearable pressure. In our country we still don't have any support system to help teachers in difficulty. Of course there is a lot of lip service and occassional recognition of teachers' role on Teacher's Day etc. But this is certainly not adequate to protect our teachers' interests. 

Gandhi Jayanthi

Today is the birth anniversary of Gandhiji and Lal Bahadur Shastriji, two great political leaders of our country.

Awesome Addis Ababa

As a professional who worked in Africa for many years, I have always been interested in Africa based documentaries. This morning I had the pleasure of viewing one such documentary on Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. 

I taught Physics in Ethiopian Government Senior Secondary Schools in Endaselassie and later in Sheno, a small town near Addis Ababa, in 1982 and 1983. I remember my frequent visits to Addis Ababa during weekends.

I and my good friend Sebastian (Sebastian Perumcheril John) got our initial posting in Endaselassie a remote village in Tigrai region. It was a small village but land locked. There was a lot of separatist violence and gunshots were common. It was not safe to walk on streets even during day time. Although the local Police prevented crimes in the village, missile and gun shot attacks by Tigrai Liberation Front from outside the village  into any area in the village were very common. Hence I and Sebastian went to Addis Ababa and stayed in the city to try for transfer to the city or any neighbouring town. During that period, I stayed in Awraris Hotel, which was a 5 star hotel. It was a bit expensive, but very comfortable. I nostalgically remember my favourite vegetarian pizza and the varieties of coffee seved in the restaurant. I remember the UNESCO Library very near the Education Ministry, German Cultural Centre and The British Council Library, to which I was a regular visitor. I remember the first two books that I bought in one of the numerous well stocked book shops in the city. One of the two books contained all songs sung by The Beatles. The other book was a secondary school Physics textbook written by one Mr Murray. I could also buy audio cassette tapes in book shops. It was great fun to see films such as Amithab Bachan's 'Kaalaa Paththar', Arthur C Clarke's '2001: A Space Odyssey', etc.

I love Addis Ababa a lot. Let me take you on a virtual visit to this interesting city.