My India – ideas for the future

In this lock down period of 21 days in India.. After spending my time playing chaupat, quarantine games on social media.. I thought of exploring the books given by my students on my birthday.. This is the only activity which gives me immense happiness.. So, I started reading “My India – ideas for the future ” ..this book is a forward by srijan pal singh.. Who was an advisor, student,a close aid to our former president Dr. A. P. J Abdul kalam.

This books contains excerpts from people’s presidents speeches at various locations.

They give us some insight of Abdul kalam’s experiences.. It is written under different headings..

Few of them.. Which inspired me are

A foundation of Tolerance : in this he describes his meeting with Nelson Mandela

A world without borders : in this he describes how people from different regions, different nations, different cultures, languages are coming together developing technologies to make our life at ease.

The thoughts of a boy : in this he describes about an initiative of children below the age of fifteen.. Bachchon Ki pahal.. These children mostly tribal and all from government schools in villages had this special initiative.. Which is entirely managed by a group of about 250 child reporters.

A Tiny island : in this he gives us a glimpse of how wheeler island was found.. And became a place of important activities of India’s space programs.

Mahabharata Character Who Is Still Alive ?

Yes, you all heard it right.A character from mahabharata era still alive .
Even i was shocked when came across such story. I wondered how can someone from kurukshetra war i.e Mahabharata era be still alive?

He was "ASHWATHAMA"

Who was he ?

Ashwathama was the son of DRONACHARYA,who was the guru of both kauravas and the pandavas in the dwapar yuga( the third age of the four ages sat yuga,treta yuga,dwapar yuga and kali yuga).

Guru Dronacharya did many years dhyan and penance of lord shiva in order to obtain a son who possesses the same valiance in human form as lord shiva .

His mother's name was krupi. It is said that at the time of his birth he produced horse like sound from his throat that's the reason he was named as ASHWATHAMA(ashwa means horse in sanskrit ).

Ashwathama had a valuable gem or "mani" on his forehead,the wearer of which ceases to have any fear from weapons or diseases or hunger ,have no fear from gods,danavas( a race of the demons ) and nagas  ( a deity or class of entity or form of a very large snake ,found in hinduism and buddhism).

Ashwathama is the avatar of one of the eight Rudra's .It is said the he is the lone survivor still living ,who actually fought in the kurukshetra war.

He was very heroic and an expert archer. Droncharya thought him all vidyas and turned him into a great warrior. In the war of mahabharata , he was the commander of the army of the kauravas.

Dronacharya's Death:

In the war to defeat Dronacharya sri krishna planned a clever tactic .On the side of the pandavas there was an elephant by the name Ashwathama.sri krishna told Yudhishthira to spread the rumour that Ashwathama was dead.The elephant was killed and everyone shouted "Ashwathama is dead", Dronacharya heard these words and suspected his lone son Ashwatham was killed in th battle.Gloomy at the loss of his son he approached Yudhishthira and asked about his son .
Yudhisthira said "yes aswathama is dead" but added in whisper ."i do not know whether he is a man or an elephant ".Dronacharya didn't hear the second half of the sentence and thinking that his loving son has died gave up the fight and was susequently killed by Dhristayumna ,son of Drupad.

Here Ashwathama ,son of Dronacharya ,learnt about the trick played by sri krishna and Yudhishthira in the killing his father .To take his revenge , at the end of the mahabharata ,one night Ashwathama went to the pandavas camp.pandavas were not present in the camp at that time . Thinking that the pandavas were sleeping ,Ashwathama killed  all the five sons of the pandavas in their sleep and went to rishi Vyas's Ashram. 

Pandavas , upon return , got enraged seeing the deed done by Ashwathama and went to Sage Vyas’s Ashram.

Battle ensued and Ashwathama evoked Brahmashirsa Astra and fired, Arjun did the same. But, Sage Vyas interrupted and asked both the warriors to withdraw their weapons. Arjuna was able to withdraw his Astra but Ashwathama had not learnt to withdraw. Hence, Ashwathama directed his Astra towards the womb of pregnant Uttara (Abhimanyu’s wife). Seeing this Lord Krishna got enraged and cursed Ashwathama to  roam about the earth till eternity with blood and puss oozing out of his body, and also made ashwathama to surrender his Gem on his forehead.

 Ashwathama is still alive due to his curse and is also considered as one of the 7 Chiranjeevis in Hindu Mythology. There are various stories that suggest that he is still alive and is roaming around the Narmada river.

• Incident 1 :Ashwathama seen by Railway Employee

A more than a decade old newspaper article ran about a railway employee on leave. During his wanderings in the jungles of Navsari (Gujarat) he had reported a very tall man of about 12 feet with a wound on his head. He claimed to have conversation with him and learnt that Bheem was much taller and stronger than him.

• Incident 2: Prithviraj Chouhan Hindu King Meeting Ashwathama 

When in 1192, Prithveeraaj Chauhaan lost the battle from Mohammad Gauree, he left for jungle. There he met one old person with a scar on his head. Being a very good doctor Prithveeraaj Chauhaan confidently asked him that he can cure his scar. The old man agreed. But even after week’s medication it remained as it is. Prithveeraaj was surprised and understood the details. He asked old man if he is Ashwatthaamaa. Because only the scars that is created through taking up the “MANI” the gem from forehead cannot be cured. The old man told that he was Ashwatthaamaa and then he went away. This description is given in “Prithviraj Raso” the book written in 12th century on him.

• Incident 3: Ashwathama Encounter with saint Naranappa

In late 14th, early 15th century there lived in Gadag, Karnaatak, a poor Braahman called Naranappa. Later, because of the Mahabharata epic “Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari” that he wrote in Kannada, he came to be called as Kumara Vyasa. His greatest desire was to write Mahaabhaarat based on original sources, and to this end he prayed day-in and day-out in the Temple of Veera Naaraayan, temple of Trikooteshwar. One day the Almighty decided to answer his prayers and appeared in his dream and said: “Attend the forthcoming Dwaadashee Paaran (Dwaadashee feast) in the Veera Naaraayan Temple. Watch out for one lone Braahman who would leave the feast earliest. He is none other than Ashwathaamaa of MBH. Fall at his feet and ask him to narrate the MahaBharat as it happened. You can record it in writing and claim your share of fame”.

Promptly Naranappa attended the following Dwaadashee Paaran at the Veera Narayan Temple, and then followed the Brahmin who finished his feast the earliest and started walking out of the Temple. He approached him and fell at his feet saying, “I know who you are, you are the very same Ashwatthaamaa of MahaBharat, please help me”. At this Ashwathaamaa was taken aback and asked him how do you know this? Naranappa responded saying “The Veera Naaraayan Swamy” appeared in his dream and told me so. Ashwatthaamaa was mightily pleased hearing this and asked Naranappa, OK, tell me what can I do for you. Naranappa responded saying he would like to write the Mahaabhaarat in Kannada as it happened.

To this Ashwathama agreed under two conditions .he said that naranappa should start writing the mahabharata everyday after he finished his bath,wearing a wet veshti(Dhotee).Ashwathama said " you can keep writing till such time your veshti is wet and the mahabharata would flow from your pen as it happened .The moment your clothes gets dried up ,the flow would stop. He also put a condition that he should not disclose this secret to anyone failing which the flow would stop forever.But,Naranappa was excited about this and he kept secret till the time he reached the gadaa parv ("the time when Duryodhan and Bheem fought ).Naranappa overcome with excitement disclosed this secret to his wife and his flow stopped immediately.That is why his mahabharata ends with Gadaa parv only.

• Incident 4: Ashwathama meeting parents of Swaminarayan

Dharmdev and Bhaktimataa(parents of swaminarayan) were cursed over two hundred years ago by Ashwathama .This is described in Satsangi Jivan written by Shatanand Muni .
Hw was tall and well built robed in orange clothes as  a brahmin.His head was strapped just above his eyebrows and he was covered with ash.He had big red eyes full of angerness .Mother Bhaktimaa and father Dharmdev were on their back from Vrindavan where sri krishna proclaimed to them that their troubles would soon end afterhe himseld would be born to them.
they said everything to Ashwathama on their way in jungle .
with this Brhamin spoke with anger in his voice "krishna my arch enemy?will be born to you ?i curse him for the pain i have borne as of him ,that he as your son will never be able to bear weapons and neither shall be able to fight in any way "saying this he left pushing dharmdev aside. 


Incident 5: Aswathama Seen in Ludhiana, Punjab
        During 1968-69: A doctor narrated an incident of meeting a person with an injured forehead. He had never seen such a dent before as if the brain was taken away from the forefront, yet the skin was tight as if nothing had happened. By the time the doctor tried to bring his stuff from the Almira, that man had left, never to be found again. But he said that his eyes always haunted him.

Incident 6:Aswathama seen nearby Narmada river (Gujarat)

           Numerous people that others have spotted someone with a dent in the forehead roaming around the Narmada river (Gujarat). He was described as a tall person, and that there were tons of flies, bugs surrounding him all the time.

Incident 7:Vasudevanand Saraswati Met Ashwathama in Shoolpaneeshawar
                  
  Vasudevanand Saraswati, a saint who is considered as an incarnation of Dattatreya by his followers, saw Ashwatthama in the dense forest of Shulpaneeshawar near Katarkheda, in the year 1912.

Mountains Inside Us!

In the modern world,as more and more people face stress, loneliness, depression and mental breakdowns.
So,mental health becomes the important topic to be discussed and spread the awareness regarding mental health.
A person may look fit from outside but inside he/she may be fighting some inner battle.

What is Depression? 

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.
It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.
Depression is generally associated with desolation, perpetual sadness and restlessness.
Doctor’s say depression is the denouement of a combination of factors like over-expectation from parents, friends and self,  an unusual dependence on technology and friendship and an inability to handle setbacks.
Does every mood swing is a sign of depression? 
No .
Not every mood swing is a  sign of depression.
Generally, Depressed people exhibit reduced interest in things that cause happiness.
Genetic Basis :
Research has revealed that the genetic basis of depression overlaps significantly with that of other psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia .
Few Symptoms of Depression :

• feelings of sadness, tearfulness,emptiness or hopeless ness .

-Angry outbursts, frustration even in small matters.

• frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts of suicide.
• feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures of self blame.
• Anxiety, agitation or restlessness.

-Tiredness and lack of energy, even small tasks take efforts.
-Developing insomniac.
For many people with depression symptoms are severe enough to be noticeable.
Some may feel miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.
They may have mood swings through out day, they may be happy at one moment ,sad at the next.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO),
globally ,more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression.
More women are affected by depression than men.
How to deal with it? 
As not all mood swing is a depression,But continuous fall in mental health may lead to it.
After my failed attempts at UPSC,i felt such mood swings.so my parents suggested me take a break from preparation and work on things I like.
I was not under depression.. But continuous feeling of guilt, unworthiness might throw you into depressed state.
I kept myself busy by reading books which can help me to overcome such mood swings.
I felt I was not under depression but may be on  the verge of falling into it.
Two things helped me to deal with such swings :
They are
First is Books :

1. Man’s search for meaning in life by Vector.E.Frankl
2. Life is what you make it by preeti shenoy.

3.The power of your subconscious mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy.
4.Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss.
Second is
Talking to my mother, this helped me a lot. She listened to me patiently .
Lending an ear to your loved ones may help them to overcome their inner battle.
For different people different things may work.so,instead of judging one can help them to fight their inner battles.
As every human carries “Mountains inside them ”

The Untold Story of the first lady Doctor: Dr.Rukhmabai

  

Dr.Rukhmabai (1865-1955) was the first practicing female doctor in colonial india .

Although Anandibai joshi was the first Indian female doctor,but she couldn’t practice it due to her untimely death.

Rukhmabai was not only well known in history  for being the first lady doctor but she is known for the famous case called Rukhmabai vs dadaji case( 1884-1888) which led to the Enactment of Age of Consent Act of 1891.

This case of rukhmabai vs dadaji case of 1884 led to public debate  across the  various platforms in colonial india :

Law vs tradition

Social reform vs conservatism

Feminism in both british ruled india and England.

 Early life of Dr.Rukhmabai:

Rukhmabai was born to janardhan pandurang and jayantibai pandurang in a Marathi family (suthar/carpenter community)

When she was just two she lost her father .At that time her mother was just seventeen years old .

Her mother jayantibai remarried a widower named Dr.sakharam Arjun, an eminent physician and social activist in Bombay.

This was the time when very few communities permitted remarriage of widows and suthar community was the one which permitted remarriage of widows .

Rukhmabai’s Marriage:

At the age of 11,she was married to the 19 years old Dadaji Bhikhaji, a cousin of her step father.

At the time of marriage ,it was agreed that deviating from the contemporary social norms  dadaji would stay with rukhmabai’s family as a “Gharjawai” .

The expectation from him was to acquire education in due course and become a “good man”.

But, after 6 months of marriage rukhmabai reached puberty so the traditional function called “Garbhadhan” was held signaling the time for ritual consummation of marriage.

But, Dr. sakharam (her step father ),being an eminent physician of reformist tendencies ,did not permit early consummation.

This displeased bhikhaji, who was 20 now, dissented the attempts of rukhmabai’s family to make him a good man.

During this resentment time he lost his mother and after that he went to live with his maternal uncle narayan dhuramji against the advise of sakharam arjun.

The environment of narayan dhuramji’s home pushed him further into a life of indolence and waywardness. As a result he accumulated debts which he hoped to clear using the property that accomapanied rukhmabai into the house.

In contrast, in the same years rukhmabai studied at home using books from a Free Church Mission Library.

Because of her father’s association with religious and social reformers she came in contact with prominent personalities like Vishnu shastri pandit, a strong proponent of women’s  cause in western india at the time,along with European men and women exposing her to liberal reformism.

She also regularly attended the weekly meetings of the Prathana Samaj and Arya Mahila Samaj.

Aged 12,rukhmabai refused to move into the house of narayan dhuramji to live with bhikhaji, a decision supported by her step father.

As a result, in march 1884, bhikhaji sent a legal notice to Dr. sakharam arjun via his lawyers chalk and walker, asking him to desist preventing rukhmabai from joining him.

To answer Bhikhaji, Dr.sakharam arjun also sought legal help and via lawyers payne-gilbert and  sayani provided grounds for rukhmabai’s refusal to join bhikhaji.

In 1885, “Bhikhaji vs Rukhmabai” case of 1885 came up for hearing and the judgement was passed by justice Robert Hill Pinhey.

Pinhey stated that English precedents on restitution did not apply to the case as the English law applied to consenting adults. He also found fault with the English law cases and found no precedent in Hindu law.

He declared the Rukhmabai had been wed in her “helpless infancy” and that he could not compel a young lady to join her husband without her consent.

In 1886, the case was brought up for retrial . Rukhmabai’s counsels were J.D inverarity jr. and Kashinath Trimbak Telang .

The case  drew criticism from various sections of the society. Criticism of justice pinhey’s decision came from the “Native Opinion”, an anglo-marathi weekly run by Vishwanath Narayan Mandalik who supported bhikhaji. 

Balgangadhar tilak also wrote that justice pinhey did not understand the spirit of hindu laws and he sought reforms by “violent means”.

In the meantime ,a series of articles appearing before before and during the trial, in the Times of India penned under the pseudonym “a Hindu Lady” also caused public reaction.

Later on it was revealed that the author was none other than Rukhmabai.

public debate revolved around multiple points of contention - Hindu versus English Law, reform from the inside versus outside and whether ancient customs deserved respect or not. The first appeal against the case was made on 18 March 1886 and was upheld by Chief Justice Sir Charles Sargent and Justice L.H. Bayley.

On 4 March 1887, Justice Farran, using interpretations of Hindu laws, ordered Rukhmabai to "go live with her husband or face six months of imprisonment".

 Rukhmabai responded that she would rather face imprisonment than obey the verdict. This resulted in further upheaval and social debate.

 Balgangadhar Tilak  wrote in the “Kesari” that Rukhmabai's defiance was the result of an English education and declared that Hinduism was in danger.

On the other hand, Max Muller responded writing that the legal route was not the solution to the problem of Rukhmabai's case and that it was Rukhmabai's education that had made her the best judge of her own choices.

Dissolution of Marriage:

After the series of court cases which resulted in the affirmation of the marriage, she appealed to queen Victoria who overruled the court and dissolved the marriage. 

In July 1888, a settlement was reached with Bhikaji and he relinquished his claim on Rukhmabai for a payment of two thousand rupees. Bhikaji remarried in 1889.

Impact of the case: Age of Consent Act ,1891:

 The publicity and debate generated by this case helped influence the enactment of the "Age of Consent Act" in 1891, which changed the age of consent from 10 to 12 years across British India.

 

Rukhmabai’s life After Case:

Rukhmabai received support from the people like  Dr. Edith Pechey who not only encouraged her but helped raise funds for her further education.

 Shivajirao Holkar who donated 500 Rupees for “demonstrating courage to intervene the tradition” suffrage  activists like Eva Mclaren and Walter McLaren, the Countess of Dufferin's Fund for Supplying Medical Aid to the Women of India, Adelaide Manning and others who helped establish "The Rukhmabai Defence Committee" to help gather fund towards supporting her cause of continuing education. In 1889, Rukhmabai set sail to study medicine in England. 

 In 1894, she received her Doctor of Medicine from the London School of Medicine for Women  having also studied at the Royal Free Hospital.

In 1895, she returned to India and worked as the Chief Medical Officer at the Women's Hospital in Surat. Rukhmabai chose to settle in Bombay after her retirement.

Later life :

In 1904 after the death of Bhikaji , Rukhmabai chose to start dressing in a white sari as per Hindu traditions of widowhood.

In 1929 after her retirement, she publishing a pamphlet titled “Purdah” - the need for its abolition" arguing that young widows were being denied the chance to actively contribute to Indian society.

Rukhmabai passed away on 25th September 1955.

 This post is in association with blogchatter's a2z challenge hosted by blogchatter.

#blogchattera2zchallenge

Deenabandhu -friend of a poor man

Recently I saw a movie of 1982..called "Gandhi "
In that movie I was attracted to a character called as Charlie.. He was a close associate of Gandhi..

In reality.. It was Charles freer Andrews.. Who was given a title as.. "Christ faithful apostle " by Gandhi.

Who was C. F Andrews??

He was a Britisher.

  Yes ..you all read it right.  He was a Britisher..
He was a priest in church of England.. He came to India as a Christian missionary.  Educator (he thought at Stephens college, Delhi) and a social reformer... Who was inspired by Gandhi's principles of ahimsa.. Satyagraha..

It is said that he visited Gandhi in South Africa.. On the insistence of gopal Krishna gokhale. Who is known as political guru of Gandhi( He was immensely inspired by Gandhi's principles.. ).

He was instrumental in convincing Gandhi to return back to India from South Africa.

When gopal Krishna gokhale.. Asked Gandhi to take a tour of India... So that he can understand the situation of Indians.. Charles accompanied.. Kasturba Gandhi and mohandas karamchand Gandhi..
He called kasturba Gandhi as Ba. ..which means mother in Gujarati.

But soon Gandhi asked him to go back to England and write from there about the situation of Indians.

He was one such hero who was lost in history.. I never knew anything about him.. Like him there were many people who dedicated there lives.. And adopted Gandhi's principles.. One such was Mira behn and Charles f. Andrew.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia - In Greek language the term Dyslexia =dys +lexia where "dys" means difficult and "lexia " means reading.
In simple words, it's a disability that hinders a person's ability to read.
Dyslexia affected child may have difficulty with developing spellings and writing skills.

For a normal person, alphabets are used as a sort of code for communication, But,  a person with dyslexia cannot decipher the code because of some neurological complications.. He /she may not be able to read the same word with ease in the next paragraph.. After he/she read it in the first paragraph at one go.

This doesn't mean he /she can't read, but they face difficulty in recognizing the same word again and again.

Types

Dysgraphia : difficulty in writing
Dyscalculia :difficulty with numbers and calculations
Dyslexia : difficulty in reading

Implications

This doesn't affect the intellectual and emotional growth of the person.

Children with this condition possess normal intelligence, curiousity .

Q. What parents and teachers can do?

A child with dyslexia shouldn't be considered stupid or lazy .
( how in Taare zameen par movie kid who was suffering from dyslexia treated by his father )
His/her problem should be identified and should be supported accordingly.
According to psychologists, dyslexia is present at birth but come to light only when a child starts reading.
Teachers and parents should work together to identify this issue and provide person with moral support..can help them to deal with this condition.
As every person is born with some or the other talent.. Parents and teachers can identify the Child's area of interest ( like sports,  art and other  creative skills) and should encourage them to pursue their interest.

Q.what If this condition not identified?
In this competitive world, Every parent want their ward to excel in studies.. Being  in the teaching, I come across many parents who wants their child to pursue medicine, IIT, AIEEE.. management..etc..
Every person have different grasping power. .

A person with dyslexia may be left behind in this competitive world ( competition starting from primary).. And parents not able identify this condition in their ward.. May start treating him/her stupid ,lazy and reluctant to study.. But this may not be the case.. He/she may try to study.. But this condition.. May not allow to do so.

Undetected and unsupported disabilities can push child into becoming reclusive, dropping out of school or college, resorting to petty crimes, theft, and other anti social activities.

So, it's our duty as a parent and teachers to support them to identify their area of interest and encourage them to excel in that.
As every person is born with some or the other hidden talent.. May not in studies.. But can excel in sports, arts,..etc.

Sophia- A Celebrity in AI

This was the  picture of Sophia , I saw for the very first time  while going through the news feeds.
For a moment i thought her to be a human ,as she was beautifully draped in a saree (when she visited India for Tech-fest of IIT  Bombay in Dec 2017,this was her first visit to India).

I thought her to be some celebrity invited for the fest..But,she is no less than a celebrity in the field of Artificial Intelligence(AI).

Q. Who is She ?? And what is this AI??

Sophia ,is the first social humanoid robot,resembling the British actress "Audrey Hepburn".
she was created by the "Hanson Robotics"which is based in Hong Kong.

Sophia was activated on April 19,2015 and made her first public appearance at south-west festival (SXSW) in Texas,USA.

Recently,she was awarded  with the citizenship of Saudi Arabia..the first robot to be given legal personhood anywhere in the world.

The Aim to create her was to help elderly people and assist at large gatherings in the park or at major events.

Sophia ,the robot is fitted with  cameras and micro-phones which work with AI software that allows her to make an eye contact , recognize people  and even speak to them.

she can imitate human gestures and facial expressions and can answer on predefined topics(topics which are defined in her system).

sophia has seven robot humanoid "siblings" who are also created by her parent company..i.e Hanson Robotics.
  
link below is sophia's speech at IIT Bombay :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v2buAeLfC0


Q. what is Artificial Intelligence?

AI is "The science and Engineering of making machines,especially intelligent computer programs"

AI enables machines to act,behave like humans. It analyzes human Behaviour in order to solve a problem and make a decision.

AI embeds the ability to work,learn and decide in machines,software and systems so that they can respond smartly in various situations.   
There is now much progress ,scope in AI field ...time is not so far when we will be seeing that much of the human work is done by robots..i.e more automation.

Below is the link of Robot Restaurant in coimbatore,Tamil Nadu
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/robot-themed-restaurant-launched-in-coimbatore-tamil-nadu/videoshow/65087959.cms