The Demotivating Motivational Speaker

I'm going to these AIPMT [All India Pre-Medical Entrance Exams] classes and today, they announced that we were going to have motivational classes starting at 2 o' clock in the afternoon. Many were rather disconcerted about this, because being the real hard-working students, they saw this as a waste of time. But I was rather overjoyed [partly because I love philosophy and partly because I dislike classes]. At first someone gave us an intro and then, the motivational speaker arrived. He was a pretty tall man and had a long tilak on his forehead. He was some sort of engineer and had got distinction from ILO and UN or something [I forget].

Dr. Vasudevan, The One who Brought Plastic to the Roads

It was an exciting morning for us, fellows of 12th standard in Jeevana. The Prefects Swearing-in ceremony has always been like that: nervous about the oath-taking, sitting still like a statue for an hour and even harder, managing to stay awake while some guy drones on about hard work and determination. But this time, it was truly inspiring... because we had the most inspiring chief guest ever - Dr. Vasudevan, a Dean of Thiagaraja College in Madurai, who had invented a process of using shredded plastic to lay roads which last for about 10 years. He wasn't just some absent-minded scientist working on formulas and stuff for application of chemistry. He was a... visionary, yup... that's the word for it. He is someone who dreams of India as more prosperous than it is now, someone who encourages innovation and environmental protection and someone who values humility and spirituality.

Optimisim - The Way of Life

Optimism is simply anticipating the best possible outcome in any event.

Well here are a few tips to make us feel more optimistic...lets give it a try...

Mother's Lamentation - A Poem About a Sad Mother

Oh baby! Oh My Child!!
I was the happiest being on earth,
When they said, you were born!
'Cause I paid the heaviest price
To have you around!!!

I gave you a body, and
I bought you a soul!
I fed you my blood, when
I lent you my womb!!

I fed you, whenever
You were hungry!
I tended you, whenever
You were dirty!!

Diversity is So Beautiful!

I have been going to these AIPMT coaching classes for about a week and guess what? Every single professor teaching us is from Andhra Pradesh. No big difference, some would say, but... oh, there is. Have you ever been around people who are completely different from you, and yet not feel isolated or alone? It's awe-some!

On Killing A Tree ...

It takes much time to kill a tree ,
Not a simple jab of the knife

will do it.It has grown

Slowly consuming the Earth,

Rising out of it , feeding

Upon its crust , absorbing

Years its sunlight , air , water ,

And out of its leprous hide

Sprouting leaves .

So hack and chop

But this alone won't do it .

Not so much pain will do it ,

The bleeding bark will heal

And from close to the ground

Will rise curled green twigs .

Miniature boughs

Which if unchecked will expand again

To former size .

The Essence of Dance - The Hidden Language of the Soul

Most old people of India who were born in the 1930s or something like that, considered the arts like dance and music to be something cheap and unethical for decent folk. That taboo for the arts arose because dance and music was used in the medieval periods for lewd reasons and not for any divine purposes, as King Raja Raja Cholan had dreamt it to be... 1000 years ago.

Anyways, this one video that I came across in YouTube a long time ago, breaks that age-old taboo or the modern conception of dance/music as something just for entertainment. It shows the true essence of the art of blending music, movements and expressions.

 

"So much elegance, dignity and purity"... As a comment in YouTube puts it.

The End of the World

Revelation Chapter 6

____________________________________

Rev 6:1 And I saw when the

Lamb opened one of 

the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Just Calm Down - Dealing With Stress

We people are mostly stressed and our moods have good fluctuations

I saw this article while browsing the net.thought i could share it here and i found it very helpful.

A chemistry professor decided to teach his students a different lesson one day. Holding a glass of water in his hand, he asked the students, “How much do you think this glass of water weighs?” “500 grams!” came a voice from the back. “600,” said another student. “I don’t really know!” said the professor, holding the glass up to make sure everyone could see it. “And unless we weigh it, we won’t know.” With the glass still in his outstretched hand, the professor continued, “What will happen if I hold it like this for a few minutes?”

“Nothing!” came the reply. “Right, and if I hold it for an hour like this, what might happen?” “Your hand will begin to hurt,” said a student. “Indeed. And what would happen if I held the glass in my hand like this for 24 hours?”

“You would be in tremendous pain,” said one student. “Your hand will probably go numb,” said another. “Your arm will be paralysed and we’ll need to rush you to the hospital!” said a student on the last bench.

“True,” said the professor. “But notice that through all this, the weight of the glass did not change. What then causes the pain?”

What Comes First - Country or State?

I've been thinking a lot about this... What comes first: India or Tamil Nadu? Think of a scenario where you'll have to choose between the two. Which one would you choose? It's rather difficult if we see it from the subjective point of view... But seeing it objectively, we can get the right answers. Let's take a situation for example:

India is at war with the rest of the countries of the world. What the Indian Government decides to do is against the welfare of the world, but helps the country itself. Which one would you choose to stand up for? India, or the World?

Ooty - Simple Beauty of the Queen of Hills

These are a couple of pictures I took during my stay in Ooty... Most of the places were too crowded, so not much to talk about. Still, despite all the garbage and hoards, Ooty is really a beautiful place... Check out the images of Ooty some professional photographers had captured [a link to Google Images Result]:
http://www.google.co.in/search?q=ooty&hl=en&client=firefox&hs=M0&rlz=1R1GGHP_enIN430IN430&prmd=ivnsm&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=k0PlTbDUGY26vwPnremMBw&ved=0CE0QsAQ&biw=1021&bih=607

Fun Fact: Did you know Ooty [Ootacamund] is actually the place of origin of the game Snooker? [History of Snooker] I wonder why the tourism department doesn't take it up and promote the place with snooker and the rest of the incredible things that make up our Queen of the Hills.

[I took these photos though B) ]

The Botanical Garden with its Summer Flower Show [Click to view larger image]