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The Vol. 3 Issue 7, July / August 2012 An e-Zine Publication from Malayali Friend’s Group An Introductory Note on Reverse Mortgage & Elderly Persons with Own Property COVER STORY INSIGHT 100 Benefits of Meditation INSIGHT Significance of Onam & Ashtami Rohini Vallasadya

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Page 1: July August 2012 E Zine

The

Vol. 3 Issue 7, July / August 2012

An e-Zine Publication from Malayali Friend’s Group

An Introductory Note on Reverse Mortgage & Elderly Persons with Own Property

COVER STORY

INSIGHT

100 Benefits of Meditation

INSIGHT

Significance of Onam & Ashtami Rohini Vallasadya

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Editorial BoardGopal NairSreedharan NairV N GopalakrishnanDevi MohanShobhaa Iyer

Design & PublishingSabariMarketing.com

Advisory BoardG Madhavan NairPresident, IAA, Former Chairman ISRO

Kaithapram Damodaran NamboodiriPoet & lyricist

K S Money IASFormer Secretary General, NHRC

Mrinalini SarabhaiIndian Classical Dancer

M S ViswanathanMusic Director

Nanda Kumar IASDirector, Dept of Information & PR, Kerala

P N C MenonChairman, Sobha Developers Ltd

P T UshaIndian Athlete and Founder, Usha School of Athletics

Dr Philip AugustineManaging Director, Lakeshore Hospital

Prof Rajasekharan PillaiFormer Vice Chancellor, IGNOU

Dr Rathan Kelkar IASFormer Director, Kerala State IT Mission

R K PanickerExpert - Food and Nutrition

ShobhanaBharatanatyam Dancer and Cine Actor

Dr T P SasikumarChairman, Shiksha, I IAA & I ISSLL

Siddeek AhmadChairman & MD, ERAM Group, Saudi Arabia

TP SreenivasanFormer Ambassador

V SureshPrincipal Executive Officer of HIRCO

The

Vol. 3 Issue 7, July / August 2012

An e-Zine Publication from Malayali Friend’s Group

Mailing AddressB-8 Ridham, Bhaikaka Nagar, Thaltej Cross Road, Ahmedabad 380 059

ContentsEDITORIAL ..............................................................................................................1Classical Status for Malayalam is a ‘Must’!Editorial Board

COVER STORY ..................................................................................................... 2An Introductory Note on Reverse Mortgage & Elderly Persons with Own PropertyAdv. Kappillil Anilkumar, Coordinator, Legal Cell

POEM ........................................................................................................................ 5Dear MotherShobhaa Iyer

INSIGHT .................................................................................................................. 6100 Benefits of MeditationDr. Bijumon

COLUMN ................................................................................................................. 9Do Love and Suffering go Hand-in-hand?Jessy Mathew, USA

HOUSEHOLD TIPS ................................................................. 11Smart Uses for SaltShobhaa Iyer

COLUMN .............................................................................. 14Following Orders: LiborSidan Vadakut

SHORT STORY.......................................................................17Innu Njan, Naale Nee!Vijayan Kannikunnu

HEALTH .................................................................................19Exercise for Health & Ergonomics for WorkDr Sudha Nair

HISTORY & CULTURE ............................................................21Heritage Site in Thiruvananthapuram turns Encroachers’ ParadiseSudhir Kumar

COLUMN .............................................................................. 22How Damaging is a Bad Boss, Exactly?Gopal Nair

INSIGHT ............................................................................................................... 23Significance of Onam & Ashtami Rohini VallasadyaV N Gopalakrishnan

COLUMN .............................................................................. 26NG in Acceleration ModeEr Audy Zandri

ARTICLE ............................................................................... 28Tanishq AbrahamVinson Palathingal

INSIGHT ................................................................................................................29Words Derived from Names of DiseasesV.R. Narayanaswami

PHOTO GALLERY .................................................................. 30 Munnar, Thekkady, & Alleppey BackwatersSijo Thomas

Donation to Millennium Charitable Trust is tax exempt vide Certificate No. DIT(E)/Ahd/80G(5)/791 /09-1 0 valid from 01-04-2009 onwards - issued by the Director of Income Tax (Exemption), Government of India, Ahmedabad – 380 009

Millennium Charitable Trust Account No.30829969549

(IFS Code No. sbin001 1 748 for NEFT online fund transfer from any bank / any branch) State Bank of India, Thaltej Branch, Ahmedabad – 380059, Gujarat, India

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EDITORIAL

���� Editorial BoardClassical Status for Malayalam is a ‘Must’!

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is right while stating that Malayalam has all the qualifications to receive the classical language

status and there is no justification for denying this. He stated this while inaugurating the festival office of the Vishwamalayala Mahotsavam on July 12, 2012.

Kerala government has approached the Centre to extend the classical status to Malayalam and the Chief Minister has personally apprised the Prime Minister and the Central Minister for Culture in this regard. However, the Centre has denied this status to Malayalam without even considering the State government’s opinion.

In a report to the Ministry of Culture, Linguistic Committee of the Sahitya Kala Academy has passed a unanimous verdict saying that Malayalam does not meet the main criterion of high antiquity. According to the rules laid down by the Central Government, a language can be accorded classical status only if it is 1,500-2,000 years old.

A new report was submitted to the Centre with comprehensive evidences that Kerala has the right to have classical status for Malayalam. The state government urged the Linguistic Committee to

reconsider its decision. Countering the Linguistic Committee’s argument, Dr. Puthusseri Ramachandran, a member of the Expert Committee of Scholars headed by Shri. O.N.V. Kurup stated that even the Malayalam alphabet is 1,500 years old and obviously the language had existed before the evolution of the script. He argued that even ‘Tolkapiyam, the fourth-century AD Tamil work has references about Malayalam.

‘How to receive classical status for Malayalam?’ is the pertinent question lingering in the minds of Malayalis the world over now. It is interesting to note that the Tamil Scholars fought for 150 years for getting the classical status for Tamil. In 1887 Shri. V.G. Suryanarayana Sastriar gave a clarion call at the University of Madras for giving classical status to Tamil along with Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Sanskrit. Tamil language received classical status on October 12, 2004. Similarly, Kannada and Telegu languages were accorded classical status by the Centre.

What is needed now is persistent political pressure and continuous efforts on the part of literary and linguistic institutions and personalities. Let’s all hope that the Viswamalayala Mahotsavam, being organized by the Kerala Sahitya Academy from November 1-3 this year and its celebrations, becomes a representation of the Malayalis all over the world. Malayali Friends Group (MFG) is ever ready to join hands with the Kerala Sahitya Academy and other institutions in their efforts to get the classical status and fight till we achieve our objective!!!

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COVER STORY

���� Adv. Kappillil Anilkumar, Coordinator, Legal CellAn Introductory Note on

Reverse Mortgage & Elderly Persons with Own Property

Reverse Mortgage is an innovative financial concept meant for elderly citizens in India who owns a permanent house property but lacks ready cash flow

to sustain life’s other requirements that could be bought only with ready cash. This financial product is not for the elderly shelter-less persons. Through reverse mortgage, an elderly house-owner can convert house property into income generation while maintaining the ownership and right to residence in his house. The National Housing Board was entrusted by the Government of India during 2007-08 to undertake the responsibility of evolving suitable regulatory mechanism for reverse mortgage in the country. (See the appendix). All major nationalized banks now offer this service to the elderly citizens. The principal difference between the forward mortgage and reverse mortgage is that in the former case, the borrower can mortgage his property as collateral and receive a one-time

loan for buying a house, can pay the loan amount steadily and then after redeeming the loan over a period of time, own the house whereas in the case of reverse mortgage the owner of the house sells his house to the lender and receives a steady cash income while he continues to occupy his house until his demise or sells the house to other party, or moves out to another house permanently. It may be noted that in case, the borrower in reverse mortgage opts for selling his house to another person or moving out to new residence permanently, he will have to repay the entire amount of loan availed from the lender. The reverse mortgage loan could be availed in lump sum or

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by monthly payments for a fixed term and the maximum period is 15 years. It should, however, be verified whether the repayment liability of the borrower remains increased to the market value of the house at the time of recovery if the accumulated loan and interest exceed the realizable value of the assets at the time of disposal.

The owner of the property and his/her spouse can be the joint borrowers and be the beneficiaries of the monthly payments. In case of the death of one of the borrowers, the spouse will automatically become the beneficiary of the monthly payment during the 15 year loan period. Later she/he is still entitled to stay in the house till his/her death. In case of death of both the partners, the entire amount of the loan liability will be settled from the sale proceeds of the property mortgaged and the remaining balance will be given to the heirs.

To summarize, a reverse mortgage loan can be availed by senior citizens above the age of 60 years, independently owning with clear title deed and living in a house/ apartment in India, having inadequate income to meet their day to day needs. This loan is taken against the property owned and the borrowing may be by way of a fixed monthly payment or one single payment. The borrower must reside in the property and must declare it as his/her principal residence. The property should be free from any encumbrances. The amount of loan could be up to 45% of the market value of the property (house/ apartment/ estate) if the borrower’s age group is between 60- 70 years; up to 50% if he/she is between 71- 75 years; 55% if he/she is between 76- 80 years. If his/her age is above 80 years, then the loan could be up to 60% of the market value. Please note that the said loan cannot be used for trading/business purposes. The amount

can be used for daily personal and family needs, medical needs, house improvement, insurance, and property tax. Before opting for reverse mortgage, please make sure the competitive offers/schemes by banks as some nationalized banks insist the borrower comply with more stringent conditions like additional security, compulsory insurance, and administration charges. Even though the object sought to be achieved through this innovative concept is laudable as a social security measure, it is advisable to evaluate the options clearly because for all banks and financial institutions, it is yet another business aimed at profit-making.

P.S. Government of India’s notification on reverse mortgage, passed in the year 2008, is appended below:

NOTIFICATION NO: 93/2008, DATED 30-9-2008

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (xvi) of section 47 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), the Centre! Government hereby makes the following scheme, namely: -

1. Short title, commencement and application (I) This scheme may be called the Reverse Mortgage Scheme, 2008.

(2) It shall be deemed to have come into force from the 1st day of April, 2008.

(3) Save as otherwise provide C in the Scheme, it shall be applicable to all eligible persons.

2. Definitions - In this Scheme, unless the context otherwise requires, -

(a) “Act” means the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961);

(b) “Approved lending institution” means -

(i) National Housing Bank established under section 3 of the National Housing Bank Act, 1987 (53 of 1987);

(ii) a scheduled bank included in the second schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934; or

(iii) a housing finance company registered with the National Housing Bank:

(c) “Board” means the Central Board of Direct Taxes constituted under the Central Boards of Revenue Act, 1963 (54 of 1963V

(d) “Capital asset” means a residential house property which is located in India;

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(e) “Eligible person” means

(i) Any person, being an bidigiupi, who is of, a above, the age or sixty years; or

(ii) Any married couple, if either of the husband or wife is of, or above, the age of sixty years;

(f) “Reverse Mortgage” means mortgage of a capital asset by an eligible person against a loan obtained by him from an approved lending institution;

(g) “Reverse mortgagor” means the eligible person who has mortgaged the capital asset for the purpose of obtaining loan;

(h) “Reverse mortgage transaction” means a transaction in which the loan may be disbursed to the reverse mortgagor but does not include transaction of sale, or disposal, of the property for settlement of the loan;

(i) All other words and expressions used herein, but not defined and defined in the Act, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Act.

3. Application and processing for reverse mortgage transaction.-(I) Any eligible person may enter into a reverse mortgage transaction by applying in writing to the approved lending institution, if the capital asset, being mortgaged, is

(i) Owned by him; and

(ii) Free from any encumbrances.

(2) The application under sub-rule (I) shall be processed by the approved lending institution and for this purpose the institution may charge nominal amount as processing fees.

4. Sanction of reverse mortgage loan - (l) the approved lending institution, before taking mortgage of capital asset and before disbursing any loan under reverse mortgage, shall-

(a) Enter into a loan agreement in writing with the reverse mortgagor; and

(b) Obtain and maintain the following particulars from the reverse mortgagor, namely:-

(i) Name and address of the owner of the capital asset;

(ii) Permanent Account Number of the owner of the capital asset;

(iii) Total area, including built up or covered area, of the capital asset;

(iv) Cost of acquisition and the year of acquisition of the capital asset;

(v) Cost of improvement and the year of improvement of the capital asset;

(vi) Name, address and Permanent Account Number of all the legal heirs and estate of the owner of the capital asset;

(vii) A copy of the registered will of the owner of the capital asset including any changes made therein during the currency of the term of the loan.

5. Disbursement of loan - (1) the approved lending institution may disburse the loan to the reverse mortgagor by any one or more of the following modes, namely:-

(I) periodic payments to be decided mutually between the approved lending institution and the reverse mortgagor; (ii) lump-sum payment in one or more trenches, to the extent that the aggregate of the amount disbursed as lump sum payments does not exceed fifty per cent of the total loan amount sanctioned.

6. Period of reverse mortgage loan - The loan under reverse mortgage shall not he granted for a period exceeding twenty years from the date of signing the agreement by the reverse mortgagor and the approved lending institution.

7. Repayment of loan - The reverse mortgagor, or his legal heirs or estate, shall be liable for repayment of the principal amount of loan along with the interest to the approved lending institution at the time of foreclosure of the loan agreement.

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God could not be present everywhereAnd so, he created mother!!!

An angel, like her, there can be none otherShe takes away all our troubles and pain

And still manages to remain saneEven under stress she always wears a smileJust so to guide us through that extra mile

She always makes us feel so wantedthough we tend to take her for granted

She has given us everything, she is the greatest teacherPatience and tolerance, that’s her double feature,

She makes us feel she left fulfilledWe know its not so, till our life we fully buildShe continues to look upon us from up above

Showering her blessings and unconditional love!Dear, dear mother

An angel, like her, there can be none other!

An ode to my mother, Jayalakshmi Iyer, who embarked on her final journey on June 12, 1999 and dedicated to all mothers in this Universe!

POEM

Dear Mother ���� Shobhaa Iyer <[email protected]<

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INSIGHT

100 Benefits of Meditation

���� Dr. Bijumon

Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains his or her mind or induces a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit.

Meditation is generally an inwardly oriented, personal practice, which individuals do by themselves. Prayer beads or other ritual objects are commonly used during meditation. Meditation may involve invoking or cultivating a feeling or internal state, such as compassion, or attending to a specific focal point. The term can refer to the state itself, as well as to practices or techniques employed to cultivate the state

There are dozens of specific styles of meditation practice; the word meditation may carry different meanings in different contexts. Meditation has been practiced since antiquity as a component of numerous religious traditions and beliefs.

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Physiological benefits: 1. It lowers oxygen consumption.2. It decreases respiratory rate.3. It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.4. Increases exercise tolerance.5. Leads to a deeper level of physical relaxation.6. Good for people with high blood pressure.7. Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.8. Decreases muscle tension9. Helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc.10. Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms.11. Helps in post-operative healing.12. Enhances the immune system.13. Reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress14. Enhances energy, strength and vigor.15. Helps with weight loss16. Reduction of free radicals, less tissue damage17. Higher skin resistance18. Drop in cholesterol levels, lowers risk of cardiovascular disease.19. Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing.

20. Decreases the aging process.21. Higher levels of DHEAS (Dehydroepiandrosterone)22. Prevented, slowed or controlled pain of chronic diseases23. Makes you sweat less24. Cure headaches & migraines25. Greater Orderliness of Brain Functioning26. Reduced Need for Medical Care27. Less energy wasted28. More inclined to sports, activities29. Significant relief from asthma30. Improved performance in athletic events31. Normalizes to your ideal weight32. Harmonizes our endocrine system33. Relaxes our nervous system34. Produce lasting beneficial changes in brain electrical activity35. Helps cure infertility (the stresses of infertility can interfere with the release of hormones that regulate ovulation).

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Psychological benefits: 1. Builds self-confidence.2. Increases serotonin level, influences mood and behaviour.3. Resolve phobias & fears4. Helps control own thoughts5. Helps with focus & concentration6. Increase creativity7. Increased brain wave coherence.8. Improved learning ability and memory.9. Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.10. Increased emotional stability.11. Improved relationships12. Mind ages at slower rate13. Easier to remove bad habits14. Develops intuition15. Increased Productivity16. Improved relations at home & at work17. Able to see the larger picture in a given situation18. Helps ignore petty issues19. Increased ability to solve complex problems20. Purifies your character21. Develop will power22. Greater communication between the two brain hemispheres23. Respond more quickly and more effectively to a stressful event.

24. Increases ones perceptual ability and motor performance25. Higher intelligence growth rate26. Increased job satisfaction27. Increase in the capacity for intimate contact with loved ones28. Decrease in potential mental illness29. Better, more sociable behaviour30. Less aggressiveness31. Helps in quitting smoking, alcohol addiction32. Reduces need and dependency on drugs, pills & pharmaceuticals33. Need less sleep to recover from sleep deprivation34. Require less time to fall asleep, helps cure insomnia35. Increases sense of responsibility36. Reduces road rage37. Decrease in restless thinking38. Decreased tendency to worry39. Increases listening skills and empathy40. Helps make more accurate judgments41. Greater tolerance42. Gives composure to act in considered & constructive ways43. Grows a stable, more balanced personality44. Develops emotional maturity

Spiritual benefits:1. Helps keep things in perspective2. Provides peace of mind, happiness3. Helps you discover your purpose in life4. Increased self-actualization.5. Increased compassion6. Growing wisdom7. Deeper understanding of yourself and others8. Brings body, mind, and spirit in harmony9. Deeper Level of spiritual relaxation10. Increased acceptance of one self11. Helps learn forgiveness12. Changes attitude toward life

13. Creates a deeper relationship with your God14. Increases the synchronicity in your life15. Greater inner-directedness16. Helps living in the present moment17. Creates a widening, deepening capacity for love18. Discovery of the power and consciousness beyond the ego19. Experience an inner sense of Assurance or Knowingness.20. Experience a sense of Oneness21. Leads to enlightenment

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COLUMN

Do Love and Suffering go Hand-in-hand?

���� Jessy Mathew, USA

There are two things that touch or move us in life: pain and pleasure. Both create addiction. We feel pain in the body, and sometimes it is even

emotional. But suffering arises in the mind. The suffering in the mind arises from thinking negatively towards the self, towards others, looking at them with a vision or attitude that causes grief, sorrow and suffering. Both extremes, pain and pleasure, can create addiction. On creating addiction it can start to form part of someone’s identity. Later if one tries to stop the addiction of pain or suffering, it can almost feel like a threat towards the self, and towards one’s own identity as one perceives it, because suffering is identified with. It is too hard to see oneself as no longer suffering.

An example in this regard is that of a mother, whose daughter had learned to meditate and became very happy and joyful. Seeing her happiness the mother came to learn to meditate. With a few sessions she felt much more at peace and had very good experiences, but all of a sudden she decide to stop the meditation practice and leave the course because she was starting experiencing a positive

detachment, which she perceived as negative. Now, she was no longer feeling afraid of what might happen to her children. The meditation was awakening in her a love free from fears, but it brought on in her an inner clash of beliefs between the old and new beliefs. Her old belief was that to love someone is to suffer about them or create pain related to them.

We have the inner belief that love, worry, fear and suffering go together. It is difficult to transform (change) fear until we eliminate that belief. You are love and you need to share that love. Life is a sharing of love, it is loving the body, loving oneself, loving others, loving God, loving nature, loving work. That energy of love in the end purifies us and helps us to go forward. But while the belief exists that love has to be linked to fear and suffering, we will be blocked and will put a brake to the flow of pure love. In the name of love, we worry, we suffer and we are afraid. Instead of helping from a place of freedom in love, we help out of worry and fear, and in doing so we stifle, control, depend, and the other person feels their inner freedom restricted. We do not let them be.

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If we review our personal life and see the moments when we have experienced most pain in our lives, we realize that it is with the people we have most loved, and that have most loved us that we have suffered most. We experience pain in a relationship of love, where there is possession, control, submission and dependence. Other times the pain is caused by a loss that generates an inner emptiness. That person filled me, they gave me wholeness, they were the reason for my existence and now they have either left me or they have gone. In the second case, we wouldn’t say that they “have died”, but rather that they have gone to another level of existence i.e. the soul has taken a new physical costume.

When there is too much pain we cannot lean back into our true power and experience our energy of love. Only the power of pure love, unconditional love or love of God, can help us to get rid of the suppressed pain inside the subconscious. When you live through a situation that causes pain in you, you have to love yourself, stabilize yourself and enter into silence. Observe that pain without being afraid of it. Observe it to let go of it and understand what it is that it brings about in you.

The answer, generally, is connected with others: “He/she doesn’t love me anymore and that’s why I feel pain”, “Things are not like they were before”, “The company of this loved one doesn’t give me the benefits it was giving me before”.

If a person loved you and now has stopped loving you, does that make you feel pain? Or is it your own expectation and your desire for that person to keep on valuing you or loving you like before that trap you in pain? Is it that you don’t accept change? The truth is that we bring on suffering ourselves. If you don’t want to make yourself suffer, starting from now you do not have to bear any more suffering.

Nobody can wound or, cause pain to you, except if you allow it.

So how do you allow it? By being a vacuum that sucks in everything of the other, the good and the bad, and you suffer. It is expectations from our loved one that make us vulnerable to the experience of suffering.

And how do you avoid it? Never look at a single wall but step back to see the whole building. Look at those people’s background, history and values before you assume that they intended to hurt you. Emotionally sensitive people usually get hurt because they don’t see the real intention of others in many of the situations they face. You can’t get rid of your sensitivity but you can make yourself less vulnerable to being hurt by seeing the full picture.

The thing is, getting hurt can be good for you. Of course it sounds absurd when you are in pain, but when you look back after all the pain is gone you’ll truly appreciate the experience and the things you learned from it.

Just thank your lucky stars that you got through it and came out as a whole, new person, bearing the scars that would remind you of past mistakes. Face the world with a smile on your face and move on with these words “I can and I will!”

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HOUSEHOLD TIPS

Smart Uses for Salt ���� Shobhaa Iyer (Courtesy: Tips passed on by mom

& Internet browsing)

In the Kitchen � Aside from all of the alchemy that salt performs in

terms of baking chemistry and food flavor, salt has a number of other great applications in the kitchen.

� Add to boiling water. Many people think that adding salt to water on the stove will make it boil quicker. It isn’t true! But, salt does make water boil at a higher temperature, thus reducing cooking time.

� Set poached eggs. Because salt increases the temperature of boiling water, it helps to set the whites more quickly when eggs are dropped into the water for poaching.

� Test egg freshness. Put two teaspoons of salt in a cup of water and place an egg in it–a fresh egg will sink, an older egg will float. Because the air cell in an egg increases as it ages, an older egg is more buoyant. This doesn’t mean a floating egg is rotten, just more mature. Crack the egg into a bowl and examine it for any funky odor or appearance–if it’s rotten, your nose will tell you. (Bonus fact: if you have hard boiled eggs that are difficult to peel, that means they are fresh!)

� Prevent fruits from browning. Most of us use lemon or vinegar to stop peeled apples and pears from browning, but you can also drop them in lightly salted water to help them keep their color.

� Shell nuts. Soak pecans and walnuts in salt water for several hours before shelling to make it easier to remove the meat.

� Prevent cake icing crystals. A little salt added to cake icings prevents them from sugaring.

� Remove odors from hands. Oniony-garlicy fingers? I like soap and water, then rubbing them on anything made of stainless steel (it really works), but you can also rub your fingers with a salt and vinegar combo.

� Reach high peaks. Add a tiny pinch of salt when beating egg whites or whipping cream for quicker, higher peaks.

� Extend cheese life. Prevent mold on cheese by wrapping it in a cloth moistened with saltwater before refrigerating.

� Save the bottom of your oven. If a pie or casserole bubbles over in the oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spill. It won’t smoke and smell, and it will bake into a crust that makes the baked-on mess much easier to clean when it has cooled.

Cleaning � Salt works as an effective yet gentle scouring agent.

Salt also serves as a catalyst for other ingredients, such as vinegar, to boost cleaning and deodorizing action. For a basic soft scrub, make a paste with lots of salt, baking soda and dish soap and use on appliances, enamel, porcelain, etc.

� Clean sink drains. Pour salt mixed with hot water down the kitchen sink regularly to deodorize and keep grease from building up.

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� Remove water rings. Gently rub a thin paste of salt and vegetable oil on the white marks caused by beverage glasses and hot dishes, on wooden tables.

� Clean greasy pans. Cast-iron skillets can be cleaned with a good sprinkling of salt and paper towels.

� Clean stained cups. Mix salt with a dab of dish soap to make a soft scrub for stubborn coffee and tea stains.

� Clean refrigerators. A mix of salt and soda water can be used to wipe out and deodorize the inside of your refrigerator, a nice way to keep chemical-y cleaners away from your food.

� Clean brass or copper. Mix equal parts of salt, flour and vinegar to make a paste, and rub the paste on the metal. After letting it sit for an hour, clean with a soft cloth or brush and buff with a dry cloth.

� Clean rust. Mix salt and cream of tartar with just enough water to make a paste. Rub on rust, let dry, brush off and buff with a dry, soft cloth. You can also use the same method with a mix of salt and lemon.

� Clean a glass coffee pot. Every diner waitress’ favorite tip: add salt and ice cubes to a coffee pot, swirl around vigorously, and rinse. The salt scours the bottom, and the ice helps to agitate it more for a better scrub.

Laundry � Attack wine spills. If your tipsy aunt tips her wine on

the cotton or linen tablecloth, blot up as much as possible and immediately cover the wine with a pile of salt, which will help pull the remaining wine away from the fiber. After dinner, soak the tablecloth in cold water for thirty minutes before laundering. (Also works on clothing.)

� Quell oversudsing. Since of course we are all very careful in how much detergent we use in our laundry, we never have too many suds. But if…you can eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.

� Dry clothes in the winter. Use salt in the final laundry rinse to prevent clothes from freezing if you use an outdoor clothes line in the winter.

� Brighten colors. Wash colored curtains or washable fiber rugs in a saltwater solution to brighten the colors. Brighten faded rugs and carpets by rubbing them briskly with a cloth that has been dipped in a strong saltwater solution and wrung out.

� Remove perspiration stains. Add four tablespoons of salt to one quart of hot water and sponge the fabric with the solution until stains fade.

� Remove blood stains. Soak the stained cloth in cold saltwater, then launder in warm, soapy water and boil after the wash. (Use only on cotton, linen or other natural fibers that can take high heat.)

� Tackle mildew or rust stains. Moisten stained spots with a mixture of lemon juice and salt, then spread the item in the sun for bleaching–then rinse and dry.

� Clean a gunky iron bottom. Sprinkle a little salt on a piece of paper and run the hot iron over it to remove rough, sticky spots.

� Set color. Salt is used commonly in the textile industry, but works at home too. If a dye isn’t colorfast, soak the garment for an hour in 1/2 gallon of water to which you’ve added 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup salt, then rinse. If rinse water has any color in it, repeat. Use only on single-colored fabric or madras. If the item is multicolored, dry-clean it to avoid running all of the colors together.

Around the House � Deter ants. Sprinkle salt at doorways, window sills and

anywhere else ants sneak into your house. Ants don’t like to walk on salt.

� Extinguish grease fires. Keep a box of salt near your stove and oven, and if a grease fire flares up, douse the flames with salt. (Never use water on grease fires; it will splatter the burning grease.) When salt is applied to fire, it acts like a heat sink and dissipates the heat from the fire–it also forms an oxygen-excluding crust to smother the fire.

� Drip-proof candles. If you soak new candles in a strong salt solution for a few hours, then dry them well, they will not drip as much when you burn them.

� Keep cut flowers fresh. A dash of salt added to the water in a flower vase will keep cut flowers fresh longer. (You can also try an aspirin or a dash of sugar for the same effect.)

� Arrange artificial flowers. Artificial flowers can be held in place by pouring salt into the vase, adding a little cold water and then arranging the flowers. The salt becomes solid as it dries and holds the flowers in place.

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w w w. m fg g l o b a l . o r g July / August 2012 The Malayali Wings 13

� Make play dough. Use 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons cream of tartar. Stir together flour, cream of tartar, salt and oil, and slowly add water. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until dough becomes stiff. Spread onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the dough with your hands until it reaches a good play dough consistency.

� Repair walls. To fill nail holes, fix chips or other small dings in white sheetrock or plaster walls, mix 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, then add enough water (about 5 teaspoons) to make a thick paste. Use the paste to fill the holes.

� Deter patio weeds. If weeds or grass grow between bricks or blocks in your patio, sidewalk or driveway, carefully spread salt between the cracks, then sprinkle with water or wait for rain to wet it down.

� Kill poison ivy. Mix three pounds of salt with a gallon of soapy water (use a gentle dish soap) and apply to leaves and stems with a sprayer, avoiding any plant life that you want to keep.

� De-ice sidewalks and driveways. One of the oldest tricks in the book! Lightly sprinkle rock salt on walks and driveways to keep snow and ice from bonding to the pavement and allow for easier shoveling/scraping. But don’t overdo it; use the salt sensibly to avoid damage to plants and paws.

� Tame a wild barbeque. Toss a bit of salt on flames from food dripping in barbecue grills to reduce the flames and calm the smoke without cooling the coals (like water does).

Personal Care � Extend toothbrush life. Soak toothbrushes in salt

water before your first use; they’ll last longer

� Clean teeth. Use one part fine salt to two parts baking soda–dip your toothbrush in the mix and brush as usual. You can also use the same mix dissolved in water for orthodontic appliances.

� Rinse your mouth. Mix equal parts salt and baking soda in water for a fresh and deodorizing mouth rinse.

� Ease mouth problems. For cankers, abscesses and other mouth sores, rinse your mouth with a weak solution of warm salt water several times a day.

� Relieve bee sting pain. Ouch? Immediately dampen area and pack on a small pile of salt to reduce pain and swelling.

� Treat mosquito bites. A saltwater soak can do wonders for that special mosquito-bite itch–a poultice of salt mixed with olive oil can help too.

� Treat poison ivy. Same method as for treating mosquito bites. (Salt doesn’t seem to distinguish between itches.)

� Have an exfoliating massage. After bathing and while still wet give yourself a massage with dry salt. It freshens skin and boosts circulation.

� Ease throat pain. Mix salt and warm water, gargle to relieve a sore throat.

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The Malayali Wings July / August 2012 w w w. m fg g l o b a l . o r g14

COLUMN

Following Orders: Libor ���� Sidan Vadakut

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or have no interest at all in the world of high finance, you’ve probably heard of the Libor (London interbank

offered rate) fixing scandal. I won’t go into all the murky details. Suffice to say that a bunch of bankers decided to game the benchmark rate, which is used to determine thousands upon thousand of financial transactions all over the world.

In the book of dirty banking tricks, fixing Libor has to be right up there in the Top 10. (Along with voice operated telebanking rubbish.) It is an appalling breach of trust. But there is more. There are victims. Fixing Libor impacts the amounts that homeowners paid on their mortgages, and people received as interest on deposits.

Earlier this week, as I sat reading through a copy of the Financial Times, which was drenched in outrage and indignation at the audacity of the scandal, I was reminded of one of the first projects I was given on my first job.

One day, in my very first week at work, the general manager for engineering took me to one corner of the plant. He then picked up a round piece of steel from a stack of supplies. It was the size of a small dinner plate with a hole going through the centre. Eventually, this plate would form one end of the muffler box for a Ford Ikon car. He handed me the piece and then asked me to trace its life as thoroughly as possible from beginning to end. “Start from the supplier,” he said. So I went to the supplier, who sent me to his importer, who gave me the address of his Japanese steel maker, visiting whom was beyond my pay grade.

And then I worked my way backwards. I spent a week tracing the part from supplier to supplier to our factory and then all the way up to a Ford dealership where a customer picked up a car, with the muffler tucked away under the chassis.

To this day I don’t think I have ever handled a more meaningful project at the workplace. Not just because it taught me manufacturing and supply chain management and kanban and kaizen. It did all that.

But hey! A pierced steel plate isn’t the Higgs boson. What it really taught me was about people. No really. I learnt about the guy who imported the steel and worried about exchange rates and 40 ft containers and minimum order quantities. About small nearly-bankrupt suppliers who lived on peanuts, and large suppliers who dreamed of buying second-hand CNC machines and hiring proper engineers. I was astonished to see how much this chain of obligations and relationships worried about getting this small part right. And then to realize how a screwed up exhaust system could kill passengers. And finally, to realize how much trust customers place in brands when they buy something like a car.

I went back to my factory in a state of considerable enlightenment. Now I knew that cutting corners, delaying payments and fiddling with quality control screwed with people far away from my immediate universe.

A few months ago, I asked someone who works for a major investment bank if he felt any remorse at all for what his industry had done to people all over Europe and America. He was not one of those bankers living in denial. He knew that his bank was instrumental in churning out billions of

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w w w. m fg g l o b a l . o r g July / August 2012 The Malayali Wings 15

subprime mortgages, diverting tax-payer funded bailouts to bonuses, and later bankrupting at least one major European economy.

“Look, all the banks did those things,” he said. “And besides I am just doing my job, dude. I can’t feel guilty for everything my bank does.” He has basically outlined, in my opinion, one of the great distinguishing features of the modern workplace: disengagement.

Through a combination of organizational design, goal setting and clever rewards mechanisms, employers have managed to distance most of us completely from the broader social impact of our jobs. Consultants identify business locations for clients oblivious to how land acquisition will impact locals. Traders buy and sell commodities impervious to how speculation impacts cultivators. Financiers create loans and insurance policies that are profitable only because the terms are ambiguous. Journalists file stories that are more provocative than they are accurate.

And in our cubicles we pounce on these projects with alacrity. Not because we are evil or we wish to cause harm; but because the fall-out of our actions are so remote, our victims so unapparent.

I am sure nobody at Barclays thought to themselves: “Let us screw around with Libor so that a lot of poor mortgage owners will go broke repaying them. Yippee!” Instead, they will all tell you that they were merely following orders.

Unfortunately, history teaches us that there is nothing more detrimental to our well-being as a society than a person just following orders.

De-Jargoned Libor"Confidentiality Warning: This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the intended recipient(s), are confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, re-transmission, conversion to hard copy, copying, circulation or other use of this message and any attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return email and delete this message and any attachments from your system.

Virus Warning: Although the company has taken reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in this email. The company cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of this email or attachment."

It currently serves as a benchmark rate for millions of contracts worth billions of dollars written everyday all over the world

Bob Diamond, the chief executive of UK-based bank Barclays Plc, resigned on Tuesday under serious public and political pressure in the interbank lending rate rigging scandal in the UK. The bank was fined £59.5 million by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of UK for manipulating Libor (London Inter Bank Offered Rate) last week. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission also slapped a fine of $200 million on the bank. At present, the authorities are also investigating the role of several other banks in this interest rate scandal. Probes at various levels have been ordered and a committee formed of members of Parliament from both houses in the UK to look into the matter.

What is Libor?

This serves as a benchmark that gives an indication of the rate at which banks can borrow from London interbank market for a given period of time. The rates are released for 15 different time periods and for 10 currencies every day. Banks contributing to the discovery of Libor submit their quotes for a simple question: “At what rate could you borrow funds, were you to do so by asking for and then accepting inter-bank offers in a reasonable market size just prior to 11 am?” The rates are released shortly after 11am every day for all time periods and currencies on behalf of the British Bankers’ Association (BBA).

What is its purpose?In 1984, banks in the UK asked BBA to develop a benchmark that could be used by the banks for calculating interest rates on loans. This led to BBA Interest Rate Settlement in 1985. In 1986, it became BBALibor—British Bankers’ Association London InterBank Offered Rate or more commonly known as Libor.

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The Malayali Wings July / August 2012 w w w. m fg g l o b a l . o r g16

It currently serves as a benchmark rate for millions of contracts worth billions of dollars written everyday all over the world. For example, if an Indian company wants to approach the international market for loan, the lender, depending on the risk profile of the company and the country, will charge Libor plus X%, where X is the risk premium. Libor also serves some macro purposes. If Libor is rising continuously, it may be an indication of tight liquidity or rising stress in the financial markets. The movement of Libor also reflects market expectation on how the central bank will shape its monetary policy.

The current controversyThe allegation on Barclays is that it influenced Libor with a submission intended to benefit its own trading positions and this was happening for a long period of time. In other words, the bank was not giving an honest quote for the calculation of Libor. For example, it may have bumped up the rate if it expected to benefit from higher interest rates.

The FSA noted that such behaviour can harm other market participants and also the integrity of rates.

Courtesy: http://www.livemint.com/2012/07/06214738/Following-orders.html

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w w w. m fg g l o b a l . o r g July / August 2012 The Malayali Wings 17

SHORT STORY

���� Vijayan Kannikunnu

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w w w. m fg g l o b a l . o r g July / August 2012 The Malayali Wings 18

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Selujgj)k#k!!.

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The Malayali Wings July / August 2012 w w w. m fg g l o b a l . o r g19

It’s also helpful to learn to stretch spontaneously, throughout the day, stretching any particular area of the body that feels tense for a minute of two. This will help greatly in reducing and controlling unwanted tension and pain.

Periodic stretches can improve the blood circulation in body, reduces tension in muscles and help relieve the stress that gets build up while working in a static position for a long time.

HEALTH

Exercise for Health & Ergonomics for Work

���� Dr Sudha Nair

Desk Stretches for Computer Users:As you know prolonged sitting at a desk or computer terminal can cause muscular tension and pain. But, by taking a five or ten minute break to do a series of stretches, your whole body can feel better.

It works for anybody and everybody; from the cook, to a desk officer, to a security guard, to a chowkidar to a person watching TV for hours together. It is also a boon for students who pour over their books for the longest hours!

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w w w. m fg g l o b a l . o r g July / August 2012 The Malayali Wings 20

Stretches are good for everybody…Movement is life and it keeps you healthy always

The body depends on movement to remain healthy. Without movement, the body would shrivel up and die. Movement is what keeps your blood flowing (the heart), and your food digested and evacuated (stomach and intestines) and your eyes moisturized (tears and blinking). Think about any one of these movement functions stopping, and imagine the consequences.

Muscles must also move in order to remain healthy and fully functional. When muscles are not used, they loose their ability to contract and perform as they were intended to. They may become weak or they may become tight, and when eventually used, be painful.

When muscles are held in an unnatural position (sleeping with your head in an awkward position, viewing a computer screen located to the side, long trips in a plane or car when you turn your head to talk to someone or look out the window) for long periods of time, the muscles become sore and tight due to over stretching on one side and a maintained contraction on the other.

When muscles repeat movement over and over (running, lifting weights, assembly line work and computer mouse clicking) the muscles become programmed to continue

HEALTH

these contractions that have been repeated and continue to contract after the activity has ended. The result is tight (contracted), sore muscles that do not get a break, rest or recovery time.

When muscles are overused (too much movement, new movement) they become tight and sore and we have a tendency to not use them or to use the joint involved for fear of feeling the return of pain. It’s also called this pain phobia. Controlled, Active Stretching is exactly what is needed to erase the tightness and pain and restore the muscle to normal.

Stretch Away Those Stiff Muscles & Aches!!!

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HISTORY & CULTURE

Heritage Site in Thiruvananthapuram turns Encroachers’ Paradise

���� Sudhir Kumar [email protected]

It was once the symbol of pride, of protection and of grandeur. But now, the Fort that is known as the heart of Thiruvananthapuram lies open to the whims and

fancies of everyone and anyone, of interest to only tourists and yes, under attack from all sides by encroachers.

That the fort, including the East Fort, the West Fort area or wherever the remnants of that bygone era exist, surrounds the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple with its now highly publicized treasures has been of little concern to authorities who possess powers to protect it. That too, after the fort and its precincts is already notified as a heritage site.

A slow drive around the area is more than enough to show what has happened over the years. Umpteen shops with their backs to the fort walls, huts, makeshift tents, workshops, constructions that hide the walls and then, the worst – public comfort stations and garbage dumps – are what meet the eye. While the public comfort station that is being renovated near the Arasumoodu temple is a live example of such instances, there are several instances of garbage being burnt close to the walls without batting an eyelid. Right from Pazhavangadi to Attakulangara, along Sreevaraham or wherever the fort walls are, the situation remains the same.

Little powerThe State Archaeology Department, which is the legal protector of such historic monuments, however, finds itself in a quandary when it comes to such blatant, unabated encroachments and threats to the fort because it has few executive powers to take action.

According to sources, what the department can do is to alert the Revenue, police, Town Planning or Corporation authorities, who can then initiate action. However, it is anyone’s guess whether any such alerts have elicited any response.

The Archaeology Department, which is short of staff too with barely any new post being created after 1980, has intervened in some instances, some with success and more with no result at all. Officials point out that there has been no demarcation of restricted areas or regulated areas in and around the fort though rules provide for this. Such an exercise would require much more than mere rules since the encroachments, and the possible consequences of such a move, are no minor issues.

And if one thought it was only shopkeepers and illegal inhabitants who did the damage, an official is quick to point out how various government agencies too use JCBs near the fort walls, that too in areas where only manual labor under the supervision of an Archaeology official is allowed. Lying of cables, digging of drains, widening of roads – the list works is long.

The fort has walls extending over four kilometers. While the gates and the fort were declared monuments as early as 1966, the walls were declared so after 1985, by which time the mud portions had been demolished.

Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com/

Unauthorised construction at Fort in Thiruvananthapuram.Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

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What's the one factor that most affects how satisfied, engaged, and committed you are at work? All of our research over the years points

to one answer — and that's the answer to the question: "Who is your immediate supervisor?"

Quite simply, the better the leader, the more engaged the staff. Take, for example, results from a recent study we did on the effectiveness of 2,865 leaders in a large financial services company. You can see a straight-line correlation here between levels of employee engagement and our measure of the overall effectiveness of their supervisors (as judged not just by the employees themselves but by their bosses, colleagues, and other associates on 360 assessments). So, as you can see at the low end, the satisfaction, engagement, and commitment levels of employees toiling under the worst leaders (those at or below the 10th percentile) reached only the 4th percentile. (That means 96% of the company's employees were more committed than those mumbling, grumbling, unhappy souls.) At the other end, the best leaders (those in the 90th percentile) were supervising the happiest, most engaged, most committed employees — those happier than more than 92% of their colleagues.

This study is by no means unusual. We've seen the same pattern in the U.S., the U.K., the Netherlands, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and India. We've seen it in financial services, manufacturing, high-tech, government, universities, hospitals, food service, oil, and every other industry we've studied. We've seen it in organizations employing 225,000 people and 250.

And we're not the only ones who've seen it: In a recent article, Jim Clifton, the CEO of the Gallup organization, found that 60% of employees working for the U.S. federal government are miserable — not because of low pay, poor workplace benefits, or insufficient vacation days — but because they have bad bosses. He goes so far as to report a silver-bullet fix to this situation: "Just name the right manager. No amount of pay and benefits will solve the problems created by a manager who has no talent for the task at hand."

This matters so much for two very basic reasons.

Bad Bosses Negate Other Investments: As Clifton points out, none of the other expensive programs a company institutes to increase employee engagement — excellent rewards, well-thought-out career paths, stimulating work environments, EAP programs, health insurance, and other perks — will make much difference to the people stuck with bad bosses.

Good Bosses Lead Employees to Increase Revenue: And, as many other studies have shown, there's a strong correlation between employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and revenue.

To take just one example, in the first of many such studies, published more than 15 years ago in HBR, Anthony Rucci, Steven Kirn, and Richard Quinn identified "the employee-customer-profit chain" at Sears. This was a straightforward dynamic

in which employee behavior affected customer behavior, which in turn affected company financial performance. Specifically, in Sears' case, when employee satisfaction improved by 5%, customer satisfaction improved by 1.3%, which led to a .05% improvement in revenue. That might not sound significant, but for $50 billion Sears, that that came to an extra $250 million in sales revenue.

This study has since been replicated by J.C. Penny, Best Buy, and Marriott. And for all of them the results held true — effective leaders led to satisfied employees, which led to satisfied customers, which led to a direct and measurable increase in sales revenue.

Put all of these studies together, and to us the implications are clear. Investing in leadership development not only pays off, it's a prerequisite to getting the most out of your other investments in workplace effectiveness and the most from your top line.

COLUMN

How Damaging is a Bad Boss, Exactly?

���� Gopal Nair

(Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman)

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Onam, the harvest festival, is the biggest festival of Kerala and is celebrated by the Malayalis the world over with joy and enthusiasm irrespective of caste,

community or religion. It is the colourful and picturesque festival and represents the spirit of Kerala transcending the Malayalis to an idyllic state of leisure, games, dance, music and sumptuous feasts. Onam transports each Malayali to his/her native place.

The word Onam or Thiruvonam is said to have derived from the Sanskrit word Shravanam and Thiruvonam is one among the 27 nakshatras or constellations. The word Thiru is used to address places and activities associated with Lord Vishnu and Thiruvonam is also believed to be the nakshtra of Lord Vishnu. It is also believed that Onam festivities started during the Sangam era.

Onam is normally celebrated at the beginning of Chingam, the first month of the Malayalam era (Kollavarsham) and corresponds with August-September, according to the Gregorian calendar. This year, Thir vonam falls on August 29.

During the harvest season, in Kerala, the paddy fields look brilliant and glow with golden grains. It is also the blooming time for flowers and fruits. After Karkkidakam, the month of deprivation, farmers are happy with a

bountiful harvest and celebrate the festival to the hilt. Commencing from Atham, Onam festival continues for ten days and culminate on Thiruvonam. Atham is regarded as auspicious and is determined by the position of stars.

Onam festival marks the homecoming of legendary King Mahabali popularly known as called Maveli or Onathappan. King Mahabali is the son of Virochana and grandson of Prahlad, who was the devout son of demon King Hiranyakasipu. King Mahabali also belonged to the Asura dynasty but was an ardent worshipper of Lord Vishnu. He was highly respected and was considered to be exceptionally munificent, kind-hearted and judicious. His people were happy and prosperous and the rich and poor were equally treated. It is believed that there was neither crime, nor corruption prevalent in his kingdom during his reign. Even poverty, sorrow and disease were non-existent in his kingdom. It is said that in the absence of thieves, even the people did not even lock their doors.

Onam celebrations will be started at Trikkakara in Kerala which was believed to the capital of King Mahabali. A temple with a deity of Trikkakara Appan is also located at this place. Trikkakara Appan or Vamanamurthy is Lord Vishnu’s fifth avataar. It is believed that on the Thiruonam day, Lord Vishnu of a Brahmin boy (vamana avatar) and visited King Mahabali in order to test him. Vamana sought

INSIGHT

Significance of Onam & Ashtami Rohini Vallasadya

���� V N Gopalakrishnan

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a boon of a piece of land. The king said that he could have as much as land as he wanted but vamana stressed that he only wanted land which he could cover in three steps. Shukracharya, the kings advisor, had sensed that vamana was no ordinary Brahmin boy and tried to warn the king from promising anything. Known for his munificence, King Mahabali ignored Shukracharya’s advice and granted the boon to Vamana. Vamana suddenly started growing bigger and bigger and eventually raised to cosmic proportions. In his first step he measured the earth and in his second step the heaven. As he took his third step, not finding space to set his foot he looked towards the king. Unable to grant the third boon, King Mahabali folded his hands and bowed down in front of the vamana and offered his head to place the third step in order to fulfill his promise. The Brahmin placed his foot on the king’s head and puched him down to the nether world (pathala). The king then requested the Brahmin to reveal his true identity. When Lord Vishnu came back in his form the king sought permission to visit his kingdom once in a year.. Moved by the king’s nobility the lord promptly granted his wish.

People believe that on the Thiruvonam day King Mahabali visits his subjects and hence the day is marked by feast and festivities. To welcome their revered King, people lay Pookalam (flower rangoli/mats) and prepare Onasadya (grand feast). Traditionally, Onasadya t is a nine course meal consisting of 11 to 13 essential dishes and served on banana leaves. In traditional Tharawads (large families), the Karanavar (eldest member) presents Onapudava (new clothes) as gifts to all family members including servants. Other members of the family exchange gifts among each other.

Athachamayam is a grand procession that marks the beginning of Onam and is celebrated at Tripunithura. The event recalls a royal tradition when Maharajas of erstwhile Kochi state travelled to the Tripunithura Fort with their entire entourage.

A procession of decorated elephants is also carried out in Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala. It is a magnificent sight the bejeweled elephants in their full majesty and grandeur during the procession.

Another feature of Onam is Vallamkali (snake boat race). A large number of Chundan Vallams (decorated boats)

participate with hundreds of oarsmen for the race. Kerala has developed a boating tradition thanks to the abundance of navigable rivers. The long boats embellished with festoons and silk umbrellas present a charming spectacle in the backwaters of Punnamada near Alappuzha district. It is dazzling and stunning spectacle with the rhythmic rise and fall of the oars as oarsmen row in unison. It is complimented by songs and music accompanied by the beating of drums. The annual boat race on Uthrittathi at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district and the Vallasadhya or the feast for the oarsmen who participate in race is a significant event. Devotees consider Vallasadya as an offer to Parthasarathy, the deity of Aranmula temple.

Pulikkali is another entertaining performance where the performers take the guise of tigers, painting their bodies yellow with patterns of black and red. Scenes of tiger hunting goats and tigers being hunted by humans are beautifully depicted through this folk art. Kummattikali is another recreational folk dance performed during the festival. Dressed in plaited grass and colourful wooden masks, performers entertain people by enacting mythological and folk themes.

Kaikottikali is an elegant clap dance performed during Onam. In this, women sing songs praising the legendary

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King Mahabali and dance around the Pookalam. Thumbi Thullal is another folk dance performed by women who sit in a circle. The lead performer sits inside the circle and initiates the song which is taken up by other singers.

Onam not only keeps alive memories of a bygone era of peace and prosperity but brings families scattered in distant places to an annual get-together reinforcing the strong family bonds.

Ashtami Rohini Vallasadhya (mass feast) is famous for its grandeur and religious significance. It is a ritualistic feast annually organized at the

Sri Parthasarathy Temple situated on the banks of River Pampa at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta dist., Kerala. The feast is jointly organised by the Palliyoda Seva Sangam and the Travancore Devaswom Board. This year, the feast will be organized on the birthday of Lord Krishna on September 2, 2012.

The Vallasadhya is usually served to the oarsmen of the palliyodams (snakeboats) in a ceremonious ritual. Over 45 delicious dishes such as parippu, sambhar, pulisseri, rasam, avial, thoran, kalan, olan, koottukari, pachadi, kichadi, injipuli, pickles etc. are served on plantain leaves including 4-5 varieties of payasam (pudding). The dishes are served in the background of songs sung to the tune of Kuchelavritham Vanchipattu (songs in praise of the Lord)

and as the songs are sung, the participants will demand for a particular dish which will be instantly served. The legend is that in a Vallasadhya, all dishes asked for must be served in order to please the Lord. Over 40,000 people participate and an estimated 3,500 kg of rice is cooked for the feast.

Elaborate arrangements are made for the smooth conduct of the feast. The devotees who offer Vallasadya to the presiding deity have to serve the feast to the oarsmen of the Palliyodams (snakeboats) as well. Over 30 snakeboats (Chundan Vallams) representing different Palliyodakkara (villages having their own snakeboats) reach the temple ghats to take part in the feast. The devotees consider Palliyodams as divine vessel of the presiding deity. They belong to different Karas (regions) on the banks of River Pampa. Each Palliyodam will have four helmsmen, 100 oarsmen and 25 singers! The oarsmen wear white mundu (dhoti) and thalappavu (turban).

The oarsmen are accorded a customary reception and they offer Nirapara to the presiding deity at the Nadappanthal in front of the golden temple mast and go round the temple chanting Vanchippattu. The Vallasadhya begins immediately after the Utchapuja (forenoon puja) at the temple.

The Thiruvonathoni carrying provisions and vegetables for the Vallasadhya sets off for the Parthasarathy temple at Aranmula from the Mahavishnu temple at Kattoor in the evening on the Uthradom day accompanied by a row of Palliyodams from the nearby villages. It reaches the temple in the morning on the Thiruvonam day. Eighteen families in Kattur offer provisions for the Vallasadhya at the temple.

Aranmula temple is one of the five ancient shrines connected with the Mahabharata. Legend has it that Arjuna built this temple, to expiate for the sin of killing Karna on the Kurukshetra battlefield, against the dharma of killing an unarmed enemy. According to another legend, the Pandava princes, after crowning Parikshit left on a pilgrimage and in Kerala, each of these brothers installed Vishnu idols on the banks of the River Pampa and nearby places and offered worship. It is said that the idol was brought in a raft made of six pieces of bamboo and hence the name Aranmula came to be known.

V.N. Gopalakrishnan is a Mumbai-based Freelance Journalist and Social activist. He started his journalistic career as Sub-editor with Free Press Journal and has over 40 years of experience in journalism, PR and management. He worked with SASMIRA, Indian Merchants’ Chamber and Telegulf Directory Publications, Bahrain. He retired from Priyadarshni Academy as Chief Executive Officer. Currently, he is engaged in writing articles in selected journals in India and abroad. He also contributes articles in e-journals and web portals. He can be contacted on [email protected].

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Indonesia based NG Group of Companies is set to become a major coal player in the nation, targeting to produce up to four million tons of coal in 2013 from four

soon acquired concessions, accumulating to a combined output of six million tons from another coal mine it plans to acquire in Central Kalimantan.

“Our output today might still stand at the rate of 50,000 tons per month, but we’re aiming high for 2013,” Group Director Biju N. G. said to Coal Asia at his office in Jakarta. Established in 1999, the group was initially focusing its business on timber export, further diversifying its ventures to cover other key business prospects that include shipping and

information technology, from the production of lubricant oil, mineral water to rice.

“And in 2008 we started to get involved in mining business, working on a mine in Samarinda under subsidiary PT Euro Asia Exports and Industries (EAEI). EAEI now responsible for the operation of two mines each in East and South Kalimantan,” Biju said.

The group’s mine in Samarinda East Kalimantan covers an exploitation area of 200 hectares from up to 5,000 hectares concession area at some 12 kilometers from the nearest jetty. Its current output stands at 20,000 tons of coal with calorific value between 6,100 and 6,300 kcal/kg per month. Its stripping ratio stands at 1:12, with proven reserve of 25 million tons.

In South Kalimantan, production is initiated on 2,500 hectares of concession area in Kota Baru, with a monthly output of 30,000 tons of coal with calorific value of above 6,300 kcal/kg. Its stripping ratio stands at 1:10. Biju stated that the mine is acquired through a joint venture project with US-India- based Sycamore-Surana Corporation, a move that will ensure the mine’s long term buyer. But the drop of coal prices inevitably affects NG’s business.

“Until the first semester of this year, we produced up to 200,000 tons of coal from both mines, as demand slows down from our main market in India. But we’re certain to meet our total output target of 500,000 tons for both

mines this year,” he said, adding that more than 70 percent of the output are sold to India through long term contract partnerships.

New concessionsHowever, Biju is optimistic that 2013 will be the pinnacle period for the group as it’s currently reaching the final acquisition stage, eyeing four new coal concessions in South Kalimantan.

“The acquisition should be completed within the next two months. It’s a bit technical, but the shareholders have agreed to release 70 percent of their shares. We are currently pushing for a complete take over to smooth future decision making process,” he said, adding that the group expects all the concessions, which are located adjacent to each other with Production Operation IUP license, to start delivering output at the end of this year or the start of 2013. At the targeted output rate of 100,000 tons per month for each mine, NG expects to produce a total of 4.8 million tons per year.

Biju explained that one concession roughly covers 9,700 hectares of area while another concession covers 1,000 hectares area. As two of the remaining concessions cover roughly 7,000 hectares each, the accumulated total area could roughly cover 26,000 hectares.

He stated that the group allocated up to US20 million worth of fund for the acquisition, cooperating with local and overseas partners, namely US based Sycamore Ventures, Powertech PLC from Isle of Man and Earth Minerals from Singapore.

He said that each concession will require between 20 to 25 units of heavy equipment to sustain operation, though the

Group might consider hiring contractors to do the work. “We haven’t made the decision yet,” he said.

NG is also in the process of acquiring 10,000 hectares concession in Tamiang Layang, East Barito Central Kalimantan, located some 30 kilometers away from the nearest anchorage. Despite the low calorific value of the coal, ranging between 4,700 and 5,100 kcal/ kg, the concession is reported to have a staggering estimated coal resource of 500 million tons.

COLUMN

NG in Acceleration Mode ���� Er Audy Zandri

N G Biju

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“The thing about the Central Kalimantan concession is that we’re acquiring it under a joint venture scheme with Sycamore Ventures and Narmada Thermal Power Limited, Gujarat, India. NG will be the mine’s operator with 30 percent stake in the project, whereas Sycamore will be the majority stockholder. The planned output will be sold to Narmada’s power plants in India,” he said, adding that NG plans to allocate up to US$10 million worth of fund to finance the acquisition plan.

As the concession still holds Exploration IUP license, Biju stated that the company will need to work on acquiring the Operation Production IUP before finally commencing operation. “We believe that the acquisition for the Central Kalimantan concession should have been completed at the end of this year, with initial operation to commence in March 2013,” he said, adding that the initial output of the Central Kalimantan mine should reach 10,000 tons per month.

Logistic planningNG said to allocate up to US$60 million worth of capital expenditure this year, covering the financing of its acquisition plans. The remaining US$2 million will be allocated for its mine in Samarinda, with US$10 million for the development of its mine in Kota Baru.

“We also plan to allocate another US$10 million for the development of a port at the edge of Durian River in Kota Baru, located some eight hours from Banjarmasin, to support the operation of all the concessions in South Kalimantan. All the acquired licenses have been obtained and when the construction is completed, it should have the storage capacity of 150,000 tons,” he said, adding that the port, completed with an underpass and 3kilometer hauling road, is also expected to finish its construction stage this December.

A native South Indian with profound fluency in Bahasa, Biju stated that the group’s long term target is to be able to set up dedicated trading units in China and India, two of the biggest coal importers so far. “Demands from India might have declined over the months, especially with the inflation rate and Rupee weakening, but Rupee has been getting stronger these several days, and expert believed that things will go back to normal as of March next year. Coal will remain the cheapest power source available, and India will resume its import volume from Indonesia, as logistic cost and coal specifications make it the cheapest imported coal for India. I’m still highly optimistic about the business,” he said.

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Tanishq Abraham (June 2003) is an American child genius and a child prodigy. He joined Mensa at 4 years old.

In 2010, when his younger sister, Tiara Thankam Abraham (December 2005), became a member of Mensa at 4 years old, they became the youngest siblings to join the high IQ society Mensa. Tanishq (2003) & Tiara (2005) are the youngest East Indians (by ethnicity) to join Mensa and among the youngest Americans in Mensa. To be members of Mensa, one has to score 98 percentile in a standardized IQ test. Tanishq scored 99.9 percentile and Tiara scored 99 percentile in the standardized IQ test.

Born in California, USA, to parents Bijou Abraham & Dr. Taji Abraham, both children showed signs of high IQ at an early age. Tanishq showed this during his early baby days,

when at 4 months old he flipped pages of children story books, answered questions on the stories and events in the books. At 5 years old, he completed Stanford University's EPGY Math courses in 5 grades (KG to 4th grade) in less than 6 months. At 6 years old, he did on-line high school and college level classes ranging in subjects like chemistry, palaeontology, biology, geology. His prodigious talent was seen at 7 years old, when he joined American River College and completed courses in Geology & Astronomy. In both the courses, he scored an A grade and was the top student among his adult classmates. During Summer 2011, at 8 years old, he completed an intensive Biotechnology course and scored an A grade.

His other passions include music where he has been involved with formal training in piano since 3 years old, a chorister with the San Francisco Boys Chorus, chess, swimming, dancing and soccer. Due to problems by the school and the school district in meeting the educational needs of a child genius, left with no choice, Tanishq's parents have taken up the responsibility of educating a child prodigy. He is being home schooled where his curriculum involves college courses.

Tiara Abraham is the younger sister of Tanishq Abraham. She is a child genius too, who at 4 years old joined the American Mensa. Her reading skills are close to a 5th grader. Like her older brother Tanishq, she enjoys learning geology, palaeontology and other sciences. So far Tiara is also home schooled by her parents. Tiara is a gifted child artist. Her art work done at 3 and 4 years old, titled, 'My Brother, My Friend' and 'Rainbow Over Lake' has been judged and awarded "Honorable Mention" at the California State Exposition. Her artwork done at 5 years old, titled 'My Unicorn' was judged and awarded "Third Place" for the acrylic painting category at the California State Exposition. Like her older brother, Tanishq, Tiara is involved in extra-curricular activities such as gymnastics, dancing, soccer and art classes.

Both children at a young age have taken up volunteering and raising funds for charity. They have actively participated for UNICEF's Trick-or-Treat. Tanishq has taken part in Science, Spelling and Vocabulary Bees that help raise scholarship money for the need-based gifted students in India.

Please do visit the link http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/us/2012/07/08/nr-college-prodigy.cnn to see an amazing video on Tanishq and see what he has to say!!!

ARTICLE

Tanishq Abraham ���� Vinson Palathingal

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One of the reasons why English enjoys its pre-eminent place among the languages of the world is the wealth of its vocabulary. It is not merely

by borrowing from other languages that the vocabulary grows. Existing words assume new meanings, and are put to metaphorical use. In this column, we look at the way names of diseases have turned into metaphors to enhance the resources of English vocabulary.

Most Indians know what “virus” means, and tend to use the phrase viral fever for every instance of fever. In Latin, virus means poison; my etymological dictionary links this to the Sanskrit word visham, meaning poison. In 1972, it was used as a computer term. Today, its meaning has extended further in the phrase “go viral”, as in “within a week the news went viral”. This refers to the way information spreads rapidly on the Internet from person to person. From this emerged “viral marketing”; using the Internet to promote sales or spreading a product through Internet and social networking sites.

“Allergy” has been at the centre of debate since the days of prescriptive grammarians. It means “an abnormal reaction of the body to certain substances such as pollen, hypersensitivity to substances”. In common use today, it has the opposite meaning: a dislike or aversion to a person or activity, insensitivity, as in “I am allergic to film music”.

Rajiv Gandhi, according to media reports, remarked that Uttar Pradesh lagged behind because of myopic political vision. Myopia is a disease of the eye, which makes distant objects appear blurred. Its meaning has been extended to refer to people who are short-sighted, who do not have a

long-range view of things. The word is formed from Greek myein, “to close” and ops “eye”.

A similar change took place in the meaning of jaundice. The word is related to French jaune, “yellow”, and refers to a disease that causes things to appear yellow. The eyes and skin turn yellow. The extended meaning of jaundiced is resentful, strongly prejudiced. “He has a jaundiced view of social harmony.”

Atrophy is a word that is fairly common in use. It is made up of the roots— ‘a’ refers to “without” and troph, “food”. It means without nourishment. When a system atrophies, it becomes weaker and ineffective. It can refer to a body part, as in “an atrophied arm”. Here is an example of its extended meaning: “Music begins to atrophy when it gets too far from the dance” (Ezra Pound).

Vertigo is a disease that causes giddiness when one looks down from a great height. From it, is formed the adjective vertiginous, which means changing quickly, unstable. Here is an example from an article by Kate Hodal which appeared in The Guardian: “(Anwar Ibrahim’s) political career has suffered vertiginous highs and lows.”

Cancer is now a topical word. “Cancer of corruption” has been a phrase bandied about by politicians, media persons and bureaucrats. In medicine, cancer is defined as a malignant tumor that can spread to other parts of the body. Metaphorically, it is applied to any evil influence that spreads dangerously. Cancer is represented by the prefix carcino, which is related to Greek karkinos (crab) and in Sanskrit, karkata(crab), the fourth sign of the zodiac.

Measles is a disease that leaves a rash on the body. It is also known as German measles, since the disease was first described by German physicians. The adjective formed from it, measly, does not refer to any disease. Measly is a harsh fault-finding word, which means contemptibly small, paltry. “The company gave me a measly raise of Rs 100.”

To end this column, we have an example from an article written by San Luis for the Manila Bulletin: He exhorted his countrymen not to neglect English, saying: “We suffer from a diarrhea of words and a constipation of ideas.” You can use that as a put-down when some garrulous intruder wastes your time.

INSIGHT

Words Derived from Names of Diseases

���� V.R. Narayanaswami

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PHOTO GALLERY

Munnar, Thekkady, & Alleppey Backwaters

���� Sijo Thomas

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Allepey Backwaters

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Allepey Backwaters

Allepey Backwaters

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Allepey Backwaters Karalipaytu

Karalipaytu

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KathaKalli

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KathaKalli

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Munnar Flower Garden

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Munnar Flower Garden

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Munnar Mountains and Valley

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Munnar Mountains and Valley

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Munnar Mountains and Valley

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Munnar Mountains and Valley

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