My SCRAPBOOK (సేకరణలు): A COLLECTION of articles in English and Telugu(తెలుగు), from various sources, on varied subjects. I do not claim credit for any of the contents of these postings as my own.A student's declaration made at the end of his answer paper, holds good to the articles here too:"I hereby declare that the answers written above are true to the best of my friend's knowledge and I claim no responsibility whatsoever of the correctness of the answers."

Saturday, June 02, 2007

మూడు పదుల్లో మూడు ముళ్లు

పుట్టంగ పురుడు పెరగంగ పెళ్ళి- అని సామెత. ఒకప్పుడు ఉయ్యాల తొట్లోని పసివారికి సైతం పెళ్ళిళ్ళు నిశ్చయ పరచుకునేవారు. ముక్కుపచ్చలారని పిల్లలకు పెళ్ళి చేయటం మనదేశంలోనేకాక ఈజిప్టు వంటి ఇతర దేశాల్లోనూ ఉండేది. అష్టవర్షా భవేత్కన్యా అన్న నమ్మకంతో ఆడపిల్లలకు ఎనిమిది సంవత్సరాలు నిండకుండానే పెళ్ళి చేయాలని గతంలో మనవాళ్లు తొందరపడిపోయేవారు. అలా చేస్తేనే కన్యాదాన ఫలం దక్కుతుందని అప్పటివారి నమ్మకం. బాల్య వివాహాలను నిరోధించాలని కొన్ని చట్టాలను చేసినా వాటిని ఉల్లంఘించటమే ఎక్కువగా జరిగేది. రజస్వలానంతర వివాహాలు మహా దోషంగా పరిగణించేవారు. ఈ బాధలు భరించలేక ముక్కుపచ్చలారని పిల్లలను ముసలివారికి కట్టబెట్టేసేవారు. ముసలివరుడు చనిపోతే అన్నెంపున్నెం ఎరగని ఆ అమ్మాయికి వైధవ్యం అంటగట్టి వేధించేవారు. కన్యాశుల్కం నాటకంలోని బుచ్చమ్మ వంటివారు అటువంటి బాల వితంతువులే. ''పూటకూళ్ళమ్మ ముచ్చటగా తప్పటడుగులు వేసేరోజుల్లో ఒక కునుష్టి ముసలాడికి కట్టనిశ్చయించారు. పుస్తె కట్టబోతుంటేనో, కట్టిన వుత్తర క్షణంలోనో ఆ ముసలాడు పెళ్లిపీటలమీదే గుటుక్కుమన్నాడు-'' అని పూటకూళ్ళమ్మ వృత్తాంతం చెబుతాడు గిరీశం.
''అస్సె చూస్సివషే, విస్సావఝలవారి బుర్రినష యీ విస్సాయికిస్సారుషే విస్సడెంతటివాడే, యేళ్ళు పదిషే-'' అని పూర్వం ఆంధ్రదేశంలోని శ్రోత్రియ స్త్రీలు ముచ్చట్లాడుకొనేవారని దాసు శ్రీరాములు రాశారు. ఎనిమిది సంవత్సరాలు నిండకుండానే ఆడపిల్లలకు, పది సంవత్సరాలు నిండకుండా మగపిల్లలకు పెళ్ళిళ్ళు చేసే ఆచారాన్ని మాన్పించటానికి వీరేశలింగం పంతులు వంటి సంఘ సంస్కర్తలు ఎంతగానో కృషి చేశారు. ఆ ప్రయత్నాల్లో ఎన్నో కష్టనష్టాలనూ ఎదుర్కొన్నారు. పసితనంలో జరిగిన వివాహం కారణంగా పెద్దయ్యాక భార్యాభర్తలు ఒకరినొకరు గుర్తించలేకపోవటమూ అప్పట్లో కొన్ని సందర్భాల్లో జరిగేది. పానుగంటివారి 'కంఠాభరణం' నాటకంలోని సుబ్బలక్ష్మి ఉదంతం అటువంటిదే. ''సుబ్బలక్ష్మికి పదవ ఏట వివాహమైనది. వెంటనే దీని భర్త చదువుకొనుటకై నవద్వీపమునకు బోయినాడు. కొన్ని సంవత్సరములుత్తరములు వ్రాసినాడు. తరవాత క్షేమసమాచారములేదు-'' అని సుబ్బలక్ష్మి బావగారు పరమ ఛాందస చక్రవర్తి సోమావధానులు చెబుతాడు. ఆ తరవాత తిరిగొచ్చినా సుబ్బలక్ష్మి తన భర్తనే గుర్తించలేదు. అలా గుర్తించలేకపోవటంవల్లే కంఠాభరణం నాటకం ఎన్నో వింత మలుపులు తిరుగుతుంది. ఇప్పుడా ఇబ్బందులు లేవు. బాల్య వివాహాలు గతించిన ముచ్చటలైపోయాయి.

తొందరెందుకు పెళ్ళికి ముప్ఫైఏళ్ళు రానీ ముందర- అంటున్నారు ఇప్పటి భారతీయ యువత. స్థిరపడకుండా పెళ్ళిచేసుకొని సంసారభారం నెత్తిమీద వేసుకొని బాధలు పడేకంటే ముందుగా ఏ వృత్తిలోనో ఉద్యోగంలోనో కుదురుకున్నాకే పెళ్ళి ప్రసక్తి తలపెట్టటం మంచిదన్నది అధునాతన యువతీ యువకుల అభిప్రాయం. ఏసీనీల్సన్ తాజాగా నిర్వహించిన ఓ సర్వేలో ఈ విషయం వెల్లడైంది. తొందరపడి సంసార లంపటంలో చిక్కుకునేకంటే నిదానంగా మూడుముళ్ళు వేయటం మంచిదని 79 శాతం భారతీయ యువత విశ్వసిస్తోంది. ఆధునిక భారతీయ మహిళలు కూడా ఆర్థిక స్వాతంత్య్రానికి, ఆర్థిక భద్రతకు ఎక్కువ విలువను ఇస్తూ మనువుకన్నా వృత్తి ఉద్యోగాలకే ప్రథమ ప్రాధాన్యం అంటున్నారు. ప్రపంచవ్యాప్తంగా 61 శాతం యువత వివాహమే తమకు ముఖ్యమని పేర్కొనగా భారతీయ యువతీ యువకుల్లో 47 శాతం పెళ్ళే తమ జీవిత లక్ష్యం కాదని పేర్కొనటం గమనించదగ్గ విషయం. మిగతా దేశాలవారికంటె భారతీయులే వివాహానికి విశేష ప్రాధాన్యం ఇస్తూ అదొక పవిత్ర బంధంగా భావిస్తారు. ఈనాటికీ ఆ అభిప్రాయం చెక్కుచెదరనప్పటికీ జీవితంలో స్థిరత్వం ఏర్పడ్డాకే మూడుముళ్ళ మాట తలపెట్టటం మంచిదని భావిస్తున్నారు. ఇదొక నూతన పరిణామం. వివాహమనేది జీవితంలో ఒకేసారి జరిగే శుభకార్యం. తమ జీవిత భాగస్వామితో జీవితాంతం కలిసుండాలనే అధిక సంఖ్యాకులైన భారతీయులు కోరుకుంటున్నారు. వివాహబంధం పవిత్రబంధం అన్న తరతరాల భారతీయుల అభిప్రాయం నేటికీ చెక్కుచెదరలేదు. ప్రపంచవ్యాప్తంగా 70 శాతం యువత వివాహం అవసరమని పేర్కొనగా భారతీయుల్లో 87 శాతం అటువంటి అభిప్రాయాన్ని వెలిబుచ్చారు. దీన్నిబట్టి వివాహంపట్ల భారతీయులకున్న నమ్మకం సడలలేదనే భావించవచ్చు. మహిళలు ఉద్యోగాలు చేసే విషయంలో ఒకప్పటికి, ఇప్పటికి భారతీయుల దృక్పథంలో మార్పు కనిపిస్తోంది. పిల్లల తల్లులు సైతం ఉద్యోగాలు చేయవచ్చని సర్వేలో పాల్గొన్న 73 శాతం భారతీయులు అభిప్రాయపడ్డారు. చిన్నవయస్సులోనే కుటుంబ బాధ్యతలు చేపట్టడానికి ఎక్కువమంది భారతీయ యువతీ యువకులు ఇష్టపడటంలేదని ఏసీ నీల్సన్ సర్వేలో వెల్లడైంది. 30 ఏళ్ళ వయసులో మానసిక పరిపక్వతతోపాటు వృత్తి జీవితంలో నిలకడ ఏర్పడుతుందనీ అదే పెళ్ళికి సరైన తరుణమన్నది ఎక్కువమంది అభిమతం. ఆ మాటా నిజమే కదా!
(Eenadu:15-04-2007)
_________________________________________

Labels:

The latest in the world of books, movies and music

Susan Muthalaly

Publishers do brisk business, A.R. Rahman's `Sivaji' tops the charts
________________________________________

CHENNAI: Chennaiites can't resist relationship advice, going by the number of copies of Leil Lowndes `How to Talk to Anyone; 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships', sold in the last month.

Leading bookstores in Chennai quote Michael Crichton's racy new thriller, `Next', as top of the fiction charts. It is a rather cerebral plot involving the USA's attitude towards gene patents from the author of Jurassic Park.

Another popular title is Paulo Coelho's `The Witch of Portobello' about an intriguing girl Athena with the power of prophecy.

Sale of Jhumpa Lahiri's `The Namesake' was given a boost after the film of the same name by Mira Nair hit the screens. The publishers have introduced a new book incorporating the film format.

However, `Circle of Light' by Kiranjit Ahluwalia had no such luck, perhaps a reflection of Jag Mundhra's `Provoked' starring Aishwarya Rai.

William Dalrymple's `The Last Mughal' is now available in paperback, and this has increased the sales. Cormac McCarthy's `The Road' (recommended by the highly influential Oprah's Book Club) too is now available at Rs.195 from the hardback Rs.546.

Pre-bookings for Harry Potter have dipped after the initial excitement. At Landmark, Spencer Plaza, they have received 230 orders, and expect another rush closer to July.

In music, no surprises. A.R. Rahman's music for the film `Sivaji' has the highest sales.

CDs in demand

Interestingly, there is more demand for CDs than cassettes even though cassettes come at a fraction of the price of the CDs.

Harris Jeyaraj's music in `Unnale Unnale' too is doing brisk business. In Hindi, Adnan Sami's new album `Kisi Din' tops the charts.

As for films, Tamil classics `Baasha' and `Gauravam' continue to do good sales thanks to Moser Baer's irresistibly priced home videos.

In English, `Happy Feet' is doing happy business at the billing counter.

(The Hindu: 28:05:2007)
__________________________________________

Labels:

Just joking

Money Talks!

During the wedding rehearsal, the groom approached the pastor with an unusual offer: ”Look, I’ll give you $100 if you’ll change the wedding vows. When you get to the part where I’m supposed to promise to ‘love, honour and obey’ and ‘be faithful to her forever,’ I’d appreciate it if you’d just leave that out.”

On the day of the wedding, when it came time for the groom’s vows, the pastor looked the young man in the eye and said: “Will you promise to prostrate yourself before her, obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life, and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not ever even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?” The groom gulped and looked around, and said in a tiny voice, “Yes,” then leaned toward the pastor and hissed: “I thought we had a deal.”

The pastor put a $100 bill into the groom’s hand and whispered: “She made me a better offer.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So Much Fun

A suspicious husband hired a private eye to check on the movements of his wife. In addition to a written report, the husband wanted a video of his wife’s activities.

A week later, the detective returned with a film. They sat down together and proceeded to watch it. Although the quality was less than professional, the man saw his wife meeting another man! He saw the two of them strolling arm in arm and laughing in the park. He saw them enjoying themselves at an outdoor cafe. He saw them dancing in a dimly lit nightclub. He saw them take part in a dozen activities with utter glee.

”I just can’t believe this,” said the distraught husband.

”What’s not to believe?” the detective said. “It’s right up there on the screen!”

”I simply can’t believe my wife could be so much fun!” the husband replied.

(Source: Internet)

(The Hindu: Metro Plus Chennai: 02:06:2007)

_________________________________________

Labels:

Women's Favorite Email of the Year.


A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife
stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed:
"Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home.I want her to know what I go through, so please
allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen.

God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman.He arose, cooked
breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids,Set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches,Drove them to school, came home and picked up
the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners And stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping,Then drove home to put away the groceries,
Paid the bills and balanced the checkbook.He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog.Then it was already 1 P.M. and he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor.
Ran to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with
them on the way home.
Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework, Then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing.

At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad,
breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper.After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9 P.M. he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said,
Lord,I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh please, let us trade back."

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied, "My son, I feel you have learned
your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were.
You'll just have to wait nine months, though. You got pregnant last night."

Voted Women's Favorite Email of the Year.
(an e-mail forward)
__________________________________________________

Labels:

Interesting!!

A guy was seated next to a little girl on the airplane when the stranger turned to her and said, "Let's talk. I've heard that Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."

The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to the guy, "What would you like to talk about?"

Hmmmm... "How about nuclear power?" said the guy.

"OK". she said. "That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first.

A Horse, a Cow, and a Deer all eat grass, the same stuff. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flatpatty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?"

The guy thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea."

The girl replied... "Do you feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don't know SHIT?"
_______________________________________________________

Labels:

This story is really very encouraging…


A 10-year-old boy decided to study Judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began his lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.

"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?" "This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.
"No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue." Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament.

He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm." The boy's biggest weakness had become his greatest strength.

All of us do have weaknesses... Some physical and many psychological and emotional weaknesses…. It is entirely in our hands to turn them into strengths…
____________________________________________________________

Labels:

తెనుగు, తెలుగు లేక తెలుంగు

______________________________________________________________
1)"తెలుగునకు........'తేనె అగు ' 'త్రికళింగ ' 'తెల్ల అగు ' 'తెన్ '(దక్షిణము) మున్నగు నర్థవివరణము లున్నవి."
-(పుట6) ఆంధ్ర వాఙ్మయ చరిత్ర సంగ్రహము, గ్రంథకర్త: కే.వేంకటనారాయణరావు ('కవిత్వవేది '), బీ.ఏ., యల్.టి., చెన్నపురి: వావిళ్ళ రామస్వామిశాస్త్రులు అండ్ సన్స్ వారిచే ప్రకటితము.1967.


2)"...'తెలుగు లేక తెలుంగు ' శబ్దం 'త్రికలింగ ' లేక 'త్రిలింగ ' శబ్దములనుండి వచ్చిందని కొందరి ఊహ. త్రిలింగములనగా శ్రీశైలం, సింహాచలం, కాలేశ్వరం (వేములవాడ) ఈ మూడు క్షేత్రముల మధ్యనున్న ప్రదేశములో నివసించేవారు 'త్రిలింగులు ' లేక 'తెలుంగు 'లని వీరి ఉద్దేశం కావచ్చు. తర్వాత 'తెనుగు ' అనే పదానికి 'తేనె + అగు ' అనగా తేనె వలె మధురంగా ఉండేటటువంటిది. కనుక 'తెనుగు ' అయిందని మరికొందరి ఊహ. ఏమైనా ఇవన్నీ ప్రాచీనకాలం నుంచి ప్రచారంలో ఉన్న పేర్లే."
-(పుటలు20 & 21) డా.కె.ఆర్.కె.మోహన్: తెలుగు సాహిత్య చరిత్ర (పిల్లల కోసం ), శ్రీముఖ పబ్లికేషన్స్-హైదెరాబాద్,2004.


3)"శ్రీ పర్వత, కాళేశ్వర, ద్రాక్షారామముల మధ్య ప్రదేశము త్రిలింగ దేశమ్నియు, క్రమక్రమముగ తెలుగు దేశ మయ్యెనని అందురు. 'తెల్ ' అను నది యొడ్డున నివాసముండి ఈ దేశమునకు వచ్చుటచేత తెలుగు వారైనారని యొక వాదము. తెనుగు, తేనె+అగు అను శబ్దముల కలయిక. తేనెవంటి భాషయని దీని యర్థము.'తెళి +అగు=తెలుగు. తెళి అనగా తెలివి,తేట అను నర్థముతో వాడబడిన ద్రావిడ ధాతువు."
-(పుటలు 4 & 5), సమగ్ర తెలుగు భాషా సాహిత్య సంగ్రహము, రచన: మార్ల, తిరుమల పబ్లికేషన్స్,హైదరాబాద్.

________________________________________________________
For details please see- http://wowmusings.blogspot.com/2006/02/telugu-language-introduction-for-non.html
and
http://wowmusings.blogspot.com/2006/11/blog-post.html

__________________________________________________________

Labels:

Rupia


Sher Shah Suri, who defeated the Mughal ruler Humayun, introduced (between 1540 & 1545AD)a new coin called rupia which remained a standard Indian coin for many years to come.
_____________________________

Labels:

Friday, June 01, 2007

The sweetest songs

Nostalgia An old melody can bring romance right back into your life



GOLDEN OLDIES Singer Mukesh with actor Raj Kapoor

I held my husband’s hand all the way back home. It was that kind of an evening. “Thandi havaa, yeh chandi suhaani…” sang Ganesh and everyone was spellbound and transported to a world of romantic songs. Kisho re Kumar’s song from the film Jhumroo turned even the most prosaic amongst us into a quivering heap of mush! An impromptu gathering with mad-about old-Hindi-numbers friends and the presence of a golden-voiced singer triggered off a cache of delightful memories and lots of goosebumps!

Radio magic

Wednesday evenings and Binaca Geetmala are irrevocably tied up with memories of my childhood”, says Srini.

“We had a big radio, the kind that took some time to warm up before playing. And, it took a lot of twiddling around to hit Radio Ceylon. And then one sat unmoving with fingers frozen on the knob for the entire hour, as the programme would suddenly go off air with the slightest movement.” On her part, Sudha remembers how her dad frowned upon Hindi film songs (the illicit pleasure therefore was even greater). Appa came home only at nine, so she would hear what the sartaaj geet (top of the chart) was, and then switch off the set, not before she tuned the radio to some other station as dad often checked to see what she had b een listening to!

“Do you remember a radio programme called Sangeet Sarita”, asks Sutapa. “I was made to listen to it by my folks, ostensibly to improve my mind with classical music, but invariably it was the filmi song based on the particular raga being discussed that stuck with me. So, all I recall is that Man tadpat hari darshan… from the film Baiju Bawra was based on Raga Malkaus. There is little else I can tell you about the raga.”

“A get together of friends would often turn into scintillating mehfils,” recalls Neelam.

Babuji dheere chalna (Geeta Dutt in Aar Paar) was usually the catalyst, sung by a friend in her sultriest voice. And suddenly, the atmosphere would be charged. A flute would be whipped out from somewhere, a bucket would be borrowed, and the evening would fill up with old melodies, sung enthusiastically and surprisingly, tunefully.”

This was followed with Kishore Kumar songs like Mere mehboob qayaamat hogi…( Mr. X in Bombay) , Kehna hai, kehna hai (Padosan), Kuch to log kahenge (Amar Prem), Mohammed Rafi’s Chaudhvin ka chaand, Main zin dagi ka saath nibhaata chala gaya (Hum Dono)…Mukesh’s Aaja re ab mera dil pukara (Aah) , Hemant Kumar (the wondrous Yeh nayan dare dare from Kohra), Pankaj Mullick and his Piya milan ko jaana (Kapalakundala), Kundan Lal Saigal’s Ik bangle bane nyaara (Meri Bahen) and Soja rajkumari (Zindagi)each song better than the other. There seems to be a n inexhaustible supply of Hindi songs and it is amazing how many of them one remembers.

Incomparable

Madhukar Hegde takes his fondness for old Hindi songs seriously. He says, “To me music is melody, not the cacophony that passes for music these days. I would rather listen to Saigal’s Babul mora than to Crazy kiya re, Rafi’s Man tadpat than Beedi jalaile or even Mera joota hai japani than Kajra re.”

His wife Mukta is willing to concede that there are a few beautiful songs even today like those from Parineeta, but they are rare.

“Songs like Beedi... may be chartbusters, but will anyone remember them five years from now? Can you compare that to say Kabhi khud pe kabhi halat pe rona aaya from Hum Dono or Kisike muskoorahaton pe ho nissar from Anari.. It is like comparing the sublime to the ridiculous”.

PANKAJA SRINIVASAN

(The Hindu: 28-05-2007)

______________________________________________________-

Labels:

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Just what is this thing "success"?

Is it good? Is it bad? Does it actually matter?

Julian Baggini

IF THERE is one thing the world's great philosophers and thinkers have agreed on, it's this: that the wise never seek fame and worldly success, for these are but shallow things that crumble to dust in time. Or at least that's what the famous philosophers who have achieved worldly success say. What the others might have thought, we do not know.

You might suspect some self-serving bias in the philosophers' diagnosis, After all, if you're in a line of work that is unlikely to make you rich or famous in your own lifetime, it's very handy if you believe that fame and riches don't matter. Though there may be some truth to that, the ambitious would be wise not to dismiss philosophical scepticism of success entirely.

What the philosophers have been most opposed to is what might be called Ozymandias Syndrome: the belief that power and wealth grants you a sort of immortality that elevates you above the herd of mankind. Shelley ripped this idea to shreds in his poem about a statue, now reduced to a couple of stumped legs and rubble, with the plinth inscribed with the words, "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"

Ozymandias is an extreme case, but lesser delusions of grandeur can be seen in many people who seek success. One reason why we find such people tragically comical is that we live in a world where everyone is an armchair psychologist, and one of the maxims we have internalised is that you should try to do your best, not necessarily be the best. On paper this is a sensible strategy, because while everyone can do the former, by definition, in any given field, only one person can be the best.

Too much reality a bad thing?

But isn't there a case that this pragmatic realism is the parent to mediocrity? Perhaps too much reality is a bad thing. We may laugh at people who look themselves in the mirror every day and shout "You're the best!" but is it really possible to excel if you merely think you're OK? The person who walks away from defeat thinking "I did my best" is less likely to bounce back better than someone who thinks, "I must do better next time."

That kind of drive and relentless ambition can make you a trying person to be around, but it can get results.

This leads to another complication: what is success anyway? Another truism we've come to learn is that true success is not the same as reaching the top of your profession. What does it gain a man to win the world of high finance but lose his friends and family? Hence the current rage for downsizing, whereby people give up on the rat race, not because they feel they can't win it, but because they don't think the price of victory is worth paying. A life is not well lived if the costs of hard work outweigh the benefits.

All this is true. And yet it doesn't quite add up, for would the world really be a better place if we all took sensible, moderate decisions? There are some good reasons why the pursuit of worldly success might sometimes be a noble quest.

First, as Aristotle recognised, the best lives are those that see us using our natural capacities to their full potential. For Aristotle, this meant a life of thought and contemplation. It is more credible, however, to suggest that we each of us have different "excellences" as the Greeks called them. If that is true, and there is something intrinsically rewarding about finding something you're good at and doing it as well as possible, then isn't dedicating yourself to developing your skills a worthwhile goal? Indeed, in the absence of an afterlife, this is arguably one of the few ways of finding meaning in life.

If this is what drives you, then it's quite natural that success in your field is going to be desirable, for this provides some sort of objective validation of the quality of your work. In different fields the reliability of this endorsement varies. In many individual sports, for example, the objective acts are indisputable. Tiger Woods is the best golf player in the world because he wins more tournaments than anyone else. If you're ranked 329, you can't pretend it's just because your talents are being overlooked.

In the arts, however, objective judgment is much less reliable. Fashion and luck play a large part in an artist being recognised, which is why it is always possible for a genius to die unrecognised. Hence the most successful artists and writers in terms of sales and fame may not be the most creatively successful. Fulfilling your potential needs a more subjective measure.

Yet even here, external success cannot be dismissed entirely. I write books, for example, and I want to get better as a writer. I know that I can do this even if my sales are poor and I win no awards. But do I want high sales and awards? Absolutely. Some of the reasons for this are instrumental: success earns you time and freedom to pursue the projects that really matter to you.

But again, even though imperfect, the external validation such worldly success provides does not count for nothing. Only a fool believes that they have written the best book of the year because a jury says they have. But to have won, or been short-listed, at least proves that other people who should know something about these things believe you're doing something right. And sales also show that readers, the people for whom books are for, agree.

The delusions of Ozymandias are to be avoided, but so are the delusions of people who believe they are good yet aren't. Like the hapless auditioners for The X Factor, it's no good telling ourselves we have the ability to be big: at some stage we have to confront the possibility that we're not, by testing our abilities against the real world. Even Epicurus, a world-renouncer if ever there was one, admitted that "The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it."

There is one final thing, however, that raises more profound questions. In the age of psychotherapy, we value being well adjusted and sane. The ideal we seek is to be "well balanced" with its suggestion that human perfection is a kind of Goldilocks phenomenon: being neither too cold nor too hot, but just right.

I would not want to glamorise mental instability for one moment. The romance of the tortured genius, teetering between sanity and madness, is obscene when we consider how real-life mental illness destroys lives.

Yet nor is it right to make the person of perfect balance the model for everyone. Some of the greatest things in this world have been created by people who refuse to "keep things in perspective" people with a passion for excellence in one field that is totally unjustifiable by calm, sensible, objective measures people who will carry on striving for some goal even when they have been knocked down time and again, and who are told repeatedly it can't be done.

The most successful people are often like this. It is just stupid to sit them down and recommend they have a better work-life balance because it's not balance they are after. It is criminal when people sacrifice their personal lives for careers that have little ultimate meaning for them, but it is not at all daft for people to prioritise work over other aspects of life if that is what really gets their motor running. One woman's perfect work-life balance is another woman's suburban nightmare.

The most successful people are those who have a passion for something they do well, a passion that is not rationally proportionate to the objective importance of their job. They get their success not just because they seek success in the abstract, but because their relentless desire to do better inevitably makes them rise in the regard of their professional peers. A few business people may be the shallow wealth-seekers of myth, but even most entrepreneurs care more than just about money.

Are these people the happiest, most well-adjusted members of our society? The question is facile, because it presupposes that nothing is ever more important than the comfort of being content and well balanced.

Success comes in many forms, and leading a good, decent life on your own terms can be the most rewarding kind of life of all. The hard-won and often fraught success of those who rise to the top is different, no more worthy, but certainly no less. —© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2007

(The Hindu:26:05:2007)

__________________________________________________

Labels:

`Tolkappiyam' for Telugus

W. Chandrakanth

Translation to help Telugus learning Tamil

PHOTO: P.V. Sivakumar

Tolkappiyam in Telugu.

HYDERABAD: For Telugus in general, Tamil remains one of the more difficult Indian languages to master, despite the fact that Telugu phonology has only 30 primary and three secondary sounds. In fact, if two secondary allophones — i and u — are taken away, only 31 sounds remain.

That Sanskrit had less influence on Tamil than Telugu, and the purity of the ancient language, could be the reasons.

However, there is now some news for Tamil loving Telugus: the Potti Sriramulu Telugu University is undertaking a translation of Tolkappiyam, the first work on the grammar of Tamil that spells out rules of poetry-writing in Tamil, apart from dealing with habitats, animals, plants and so on.

The purity of the Dravidian language as preserved in Tolkappiyam had often come as a deterrent to those interested in learning the richness of Tamil.

Moreover, it deals with both sentamizh (the ancient and classical dialect as preserved in literary works and kochaitamizh (the colloquial version of the language).

The university entrusted the translation with Savithri, a research scholar of Thanjavur University, which has a Telugu Chair. A scholar in both Tamil and Telugu, she completed the task and presented the Telugu manuscript to the university recently.

The work was adjudicated by P.S. Subramanyam, a Professor at Annamalai University. It is now in print, and the university plans to get the first copy released at its three-day All India Telugu meet beginning in Chennai on June 1.

Vice-Chancellor Avula Manjulatha said dealing with such a great Tamil work was a challenging task. "It is a gift not only to Telugus but also to our Tamil brethren."

(The Hindu: 26-05-2007)

___________________________________________________

Labels:

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

SMS laughs

*When u feel lonely and alone & cannot see any one around you, the world seems to be fading away,come along with me i'll take u to an eye specialist!!

*If marriages are made in heaven , then what are made in Hell?
Ans : the days after marriage

*During Marriage ceremony why is the bridegroom made to sit on the horse ?
He is given his last chance to run away.

*Just close ur eyes and think of urself for 10 seconds...... Open ur eyes !
Now you will realize that u have wasted 10 sec in thinking of a fool....

*I wrote ur name on the sands............. it got washed away,
I wrote ur name in air..........................it got blown away,
So i wrote ur name in my heart.............i got a HEART ATTACK

*The husband leaned over, made a wish and threw in a penny.The wife decided
to make a wish,too. But she leaned over too much, fell into the well, and
drowned.
The husband was stunned for a while but then smiled "It really works!"

*LOVE is like a CIGAR
It starts with a fire..... continues with smoke.....and ends in ashes...
But dont worry - we are chain smokers

*ur smile can be compared to a flower
ur voice can be compared to a cuckoo
ur innocence to a child
but in stupidity u have no comparison
u r the best

*True love is like a pillow
u can hug when u r in trouble
u can cry on when u r in pain & u can embrace when u r happy
so when u need true love
spend Rs.50/-Buy a pillow

*Dear Friend,
when i ask u flower,
u give me bouquet
when i ask u a stone
u give me a statue
when i ask u a feather
u give me peacock
ARE U REALLY DEAF ?

*I had VODKA with WATer
I felt DRUNK
I had WHISKY with WATER
I felt DRUNK
I had RUM with WATER
I felt DRUNK
I SWEAR I'LL NEVER DRINK water....!!!

*when i call u;
1 ring means i'm thinking of u;
2 ring means i like u;
3 means i miss u;
4 means ........pick d phone idiot

*Teacher : four beautiful ladies r walking on the road. change it to exclamatory sentence
Student : WOW !

*The human brain is most outstanding thing.......
it functions 24hrs 365 days.....
it functions right from the time u r Born....until you fall in love

*SMILE - is a language of love
SMILE - is a source to win hearts...
SMILE - creates greatness in ur personality SO....
Brush ur Teeth today onwards

*A cigarette shortens your life by 2 min..
A beer shortens your life by 4 min..
A working day shortens your life by 8 hours!!!!..

*Teacher : U failure ! @ ur age Bill gates stood first in the class
Student : Mind u, Sir, but @ ur age hitler commited suicide
_____________________________________________

Labels:

A small love story...........


(An e-mail forward)
______________________________________________________

Labels:

Korean Paintings












(An e-mail forward)
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Labels:

The case of an intuitive writer

R. Gopalakrishnan’s “The Case of The Bonsai Manager” uses Nature to teach lessons on management

Photo: S. S. Kumar

The art of management J.J. Irani (right) director, TATA Sons, releasing the book “The Case of the Bonsai Manager”. Jaya Krishnan receives the first copy, while author R. Gopalakrishnan looks on

At a time when you can’t throw a Blackberry without knocking out an MBA, perhaps it’s inevitable that books on management are being released with all the regularity of board meetings.

But who can resist one that uses the ‘march of the penguins’ to show how groups are wiser. Or the ‘birth of the butterfly’ to describe the inevitable pain of change within an organisation. And the ‘eye of the fly’ to demonstrate why effectiveness is more important than efficiency.

‘The Case of The Bonsai Manager’ by R. Gopalakrishnan, which was released recently at the Taj Coromandel, uses Nature to teach lessons that aren’t on the syllabus at Management School. Written by a successful manager — Gopalakrishnan worked at Unilever, and is now executive director of Tata Sons, Mumbai — it discusses how qualities such as intuition, instinct and inventiveness are as essential as theoretical knowledge.

At the book release function, JJ Irani, director, Tata Sons, spoke about how there is a danger of all managers thinking along the same lines, because of pressure and competitiveness. “I asked five graduates from one of the top management schools the same questions. All five gave the same answer. And it wasn’t arithmetic,” he said, asking, “Is the management profession so stereotyped?” He then added with a laugh, “I have never been to a management course so maybe it’s a case of sour grapes.”

Calling the book “Unputdownable, if there is such a word,” Irani said, “The last unputdownable book I read was ‘The Da Vinci Code’,” adding unlike that, this book can be opened at any point and read. Talking about what makes a successful manager, he said, “The Tatas bought an unused repair shop of the Railways 50 or 60 years ago. They have turned it into one of the largest truck manufacturing units in the world. It’s about seeing an opportunity when others pass it by.”

Logic and analysis

Although Gopalakrishnan deadpanned, “If I give you all the examples, then you won’t buy the book. I must be careful how much I reveal. This is like a strip tease act,” he did give the audience a fairly comprehensive idea of what differentiates a remarkable manager from one who is merely good. Saying he wrote ‘The Case of The Bonsai Manager’ after a “10 year journey of enquiry and contemplation,” he said he eventually realised that logic and analysis are important, but they aren’t everything. “Jamsetji Tata would not have set up a steel plant if he had followed logic and analysis,” he stated, adding, “And if he had hired a couple of MBAs, he never would have.”

Following the ripple of laugher from the crowd, he grinned, “Sorry for the MBA bashing. I’m not one.”

Going back to the importance of intuition, he said, “Analysis and logic can be taught. But how do you learn intuition?” Well, apparently, “knowledge is what you know you know. Intuition is what you don’t know you know. Wisdom is a combination of the two.”

To underline the point, he showed a video clip of Sourav Ganguly being interviewed on a particularly spectacular catch. When asked how he did it, Ganguly blithely said, “I really did not realise it was so good till I saw it on TV.”

Using a dramatic clip of the baby Olive Ridley turtles shuffling towards the sea, Gopalakrishnan talked of how their mothers simply laid eggs and swam away, leaving them to fend for themselves. Saying that it could be because turtles have been known to live for a hundred years, he said senior managers too can be like the mother Ridleys. “If you do not expect to retire, you do not nurture talent.”

Going on to discuss the importance of mentors, he quoted the example of Arabs and their falcons, the emotional connect between them, and the importance of trust, commitment and faith in the relationship.

Concluding with a warning against becoming too mechanical, he underlined the fact that “there is a place for emotion. Allow yourself the luxury of not falling prey to your Blackberry, PDA, mobile phone and telephone... That’s aimed at the younger managers. The older ones don’t use so many gadgets!”

-SHONALI MUTHALALY

(The Hindu, Metroplus,Chennai-29:05:2007)

_______________________________________________________

Labels: ,

మతచిహ్నాల వైశిష్ట్యం

తెలియని దాన్ని తెలిసేవిధంగా బోధించడానికీ; అమూర్త వస్తువులను కళ్లకు కట్టినట్టు ప్రదర్శించడానికీ ప్రతీకలు ఉపయోగపడతాయి. మనం మాట్లాడే భాష కూడా చాలావరకు ప్రతీకలు, గుర్తులతో కూడుకున్నదే. గణిత శాస్త్రంలో వీటి ప్రాముఖ్యం చాలా హెచ్చు. విజ్ఞాన శాస్త్రంలోనేగాక మతంలో కూడా ఈ చిహ్నాల అవసరం ఎంతయినా ఉంది. మతం కొన్ని భావాలను విస్పష్టంగా నిరూపించాలంటే ప్రతీకలు వాడక తప్పదు.

ఓం కారం హిందూ మతంలో ఎంతో ముఖ్యమైనది. ఈ జగత్తును శాసించే అద్భుత శక్తికిది ఓ సంకేతం. పరబ్రహ్మకు సర్వోత్కృష్టమైన ప్రతీకే ''ఓం''. దీనినే ప్రణవం అని కూడా అంటారు. ఓంలో అ-ఉ-మ అనే మూడు వర్ణాలు మిళితమై ఉన్నాయి. ''అ'' అంటే సృష్టి. ''ఉ'' అంటే స్థితి; ''మ'' అంటే అమ్మ అని అర్థం. ఈ మూడు పనులను నిర్వర్తించే పరమాత్మే ''ఓం'' అక్షర సంకేతం. వేదాలు, ఉపనిషత్తులు కూడా దీని మహత్తును చాటుతున్నాయి. ఓంకారంతోనే హిందూ మత కర్మకాండలు ఆరంభమవుతాయి.

బౌద్ధుల ప్రతీక ధర్మచక్రం. తొట్టతొలుత బుద్ధుడు సారనాథ్‌లో ఓ ఐదుగురు శిష్యులను కూచుండబెట్టుకుని తన ఉపదేశాన్నందించాడు. ఆ రోజు ప్రారంభించిన ధర్మబోధనా వ్యాసంగమే ధర్మచక్ర ప్రవర్తన అయింది. శిష్యగణానికి బుద్ధుడు అష్టాంగ మార్గాన్ని బోధించాడు. ఈ ఎనిమిది అంశాలకు ఆ చక్రంలోని ఎనిమిది ఆకులూ ప్రతీకలు. ధర్మచక్రం మధ్య కుండ మీద మూడు చుక్కలుంటాయి. దుఃఖహేతువులైన దుష్టచింతన, అజ్ఞానం, కామం అనే మూడింటికీ మూడు చుక్కలూ సంకేతాలు. పరిణామశీల జగత్తునూ, దాని క్షణికత్వాన్నీ ఈ చక్రం సూచిస్తుంది.

జైన మతస్తులు నెలవంక, స్వస్తికం మధ్య ఒక చక్రంతో కూడిన అరచేతిని తమ మత ప్రతీకగా వ్యవహరిస్తున్నారు. రత్నత్రయంగా పిలిచే సద్విశ్వాసం, సత్‌జ్ఞానం, సత్ప్రవర్తన అనే మూడింటి ద్వారా మానవ జాతికి విమోచన సాధ్యమని మత ప్రతీకలోని ఆ అరచేయి సూచిస్తుంది. స్వస్తికం (స్వస్తిక్) మంగళప్రద చిహ్నం. దానిపై ఉండే మూడు చుక్కలూ ఊర్ధ్వ, మధ్య, అధోలోకాలకు గుర్తులు. చంద్రవంక మోక్షం పొందినవారు నివసించే పరలోకానికి చిహ్నం.

ఇస్లామిక్ సంస్కృతికి ప్రధాన చిహ్నాలు నెలవంక, నక్షత్రం. ఆటోమన్ తుర్కలు బైజాంటైన్ సామ్రాజ్యాన్ని జయించినప్పుడు ఆ సామ్రాజ్యపు సైనిక లాంఛనమయిన నెలవంక, నక్షత్రం గుర్తును సంగ్రహించారు. లోకయాత్రలో అలసిన బాటసారులకు చల్లని వెలుగునిచ్చేవాడు చంద్రుడనీ, అల్లాను చేరే మార్గాన్ని నక్షత్రం నిర్దేశిస్తుందనీ వారి విశ్వాసం.

ఏసుక్రీస్తు సిలువ మీద ప్రాణాలర్పించాక క్రైస్త్రవులకు సిలువ మతచిహ్నమైంది.

పార్శీల మతాన్ని జొరాస్ట్రియనిజమ్ అంటారు. ఈ మత ప్రవక్త జొరాస్టీర్, జరమిష్ట్ర అని చెబుతారు. ఈ మతస్తులకు అగ్ని దివ్యపురుషుడు. అగ్ని సర్వకల్మషాలను దహించివేస్తుంది కనుక అది పరిశుద్ధమైందనీ, సర్వజీవుల్లోను ప్రకాశించే వెలుగు అగ్నేనని భావిస్తారు. వారి ఆలయాల్లో అగ్ని ఆరిపోకుండా నిరంతరం ఉండేవిధంగా ఎంతో జాగ్రత్త వహిస్తారు.

ప్రపంచంలో ప్రతి మతానికీ ఓ ప్రతీక ఉంటుంది. మతాలు, మత చిహ్నాలూ వేరైనా మనుషులంతా ఒకటేనని మతచిహ్నాలన్నీ పరమాత్మను చేరుకునే మార్గాన్నే సూచిస్తున్నాయన్నది మాత్రం మరవకూడదు.


- యం.సి.శివశంకరశాస్త్రి
(Eenaadu-26:05:2007)
----------------------------------------------------------------

Labels: ,

మర,గింజలు, పిండి --జీవితం


మరలో గింజలు... గిరగిరా శబ్దం... బుట్టలో మెత్తని పిండి!
ఆ దృశ్యం తులసికెప్పుడూ అపురూపమే!
ఆమె తండ్రిది పిండిమర వ్యాపారం.
చిన్నప్పుడు, గింజ పిండిగా మారే పద్ధతి విచిత్రంగా అనిపించేది.
పెద్దపెద్ద కళ్లతో అబ్బురంగా చూసేది.
వయసు పెరిగేకొద్దీ ఆలోచనలు విస్తరించేకొద్దీ సత్యం బోధపడింది.
....... దాన్ని జీవితానికి అన్వయించుకుంది.
మర... జీవితం! గింజ... మన కల!
పిండి... కృషి ఫలితం!
గింజను బట్టే పిండి. యద్భావo తద్భవతి!

..............................
(Eenadu-
Sunday , May 27 , 2007)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Labels: