Nostalgia
Topic suggested by Bharat on Thu Aug 13 16:08:36 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
That's right folks. Fond memories of our homeland and our past.
This is an offshoot of the chinna chinna aasai thread in the TFM-DF.
Responses:
- From: GP/CP (@ 43.orlando-04.fl.dial-access.att.net)
on: Fri Aug 14 12:02:49
15th August? India? But Who Cares?
A black and white sketch of an otherwise colorful, vibrant country:
INDIA:
<>more than 300 million poor people...
<>Only two in five women can read and write...
<>41% Indian girls below 14 do not attend school...
<>Female infanticide - a convention in rural India...
<>Child labor - yet another convention...
<>Unlike in most countries, more
women than men die before the age of 35 in India...
<>High maternal mortality rates, particularly in rural areas,accounting for almost 25 percent of the world’s childbirth-related deaths....
<>Malnutrition poses a continuing constraint to India’s development. Half of India’s children are undernourished...
<>High instances of DDPD (Death Due to Preventable Diseases,like Cataract blindness, malaria, leprosy, tuberculosis, etc.,)470 per 100,000...
<>HIV/AIDS is a newly emerging threat to India’s public health; about 3 million people in India may be affected...
<>More than half the population over 15 years old and two thirds of all women over 15 years old are illiterate...
<>World Bank’s largest single borrower, with cumulative lending of around $49 billion at the end of Fiscal '97.
<>Largest overall recipient of development credits from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank affiliate that provides interest free loans at 30 to 40 year maturities
to the world's poorest countries.
<>Largest hodgepodge of legalized charlatans working as politicians...
<>Corruption, an accepted norm to run the daily chores...
Well, these and many more...
This collection of statistical info is not new to you either. And believe, this mail has not been designed to throw you into any nostalgic, mood swing,to say.
Occasions like I day, R Day, only come back and forth in a calendar to remind us that
our country looks up to us for a return. Not in cash or kind, but for compassion! For understanding! Despite all the unhealthiness that exists in the air, back home, the going has been bearable for all of the folks out there. And albeit, we have moved out of our country for one reason or the other, we are languishing in solitude to get back to our place (hey! who told you that?!) to be with our beloved people! Will you not agree?!
Don't you think there is no better day in a calendar for us to perform an action
that shall remain etched in the hearts of the benefited ones, forever?!
You must have been helping an unfortunate soul or two back home, directly or indirectly, by way of contributions, cash or kind. There is
no gainsaying the benefactor in you. But its much more commendable, if you can spend a few dollars, on this occasion for the welfare of poor,
orphans, kids, shelter less, etc., back in India, that have been forced to think that food, shelter, and education are acts of providence...
Many people all over the world have symbolically work for an hour on 14th August 1998 between 9 AM and 10 AM and donate the hours pay towards
financing educational projects in India. For more details you can go to http://www.ashanet.org/ It takes only US $15 per year to provide
education for one Indian child - imagine how many lives a single hour's pay can transform. Why shouldn't we work together and help educate
India's millions?
Here are a few more URLs for your reference. Kindly visit them and feel free to mail a check to those charities that are working for our
countrymen in need...
http://www.indiacharitynet.com/ (for a list of charity groups.)
http://www.us.cry.org/(our tfm nanbar MSK may be contacted)
http://tamil.cs.duke.edu:8080/~safe/
http://dworkin.wustl.edu/~hari/uk/ (udhavum karangaL)
Better light a candle than curse the darkness. Right?
Yes! We Care! We All Care!!
Chandravadhana Prasad
Gopal Prasad
- From: Kanchana (@ spider-we061.proxy.aol.com)
on: Fri Aug 14 18:13:00
CP/GP:
One of the above was not known to us. Thanks for the reference, and keep up the good work of raising awareness!
- From: Prakash (@ node1.allegiance.net)
on: Wed Aug 26 10:00:26
Well,
Continuing in the same lines with GP/CP,
here are some more interesting things that I have
noted with regards to the great motherland, INDIA.
Yes, we should be proud, we are INDIANS.
Albert Einstein said:
"We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how
to count, without which no worthwhile scientific
discovery could have been made."
Mark Twain said:
"India is, the cradle of the human race, the
birthplace of human speech, the mother of
history, the grandmother of legend, and the
great grandmother of tradition. Our most
valuable and most instructive materials in
the history of man are treasured up in India
only."
French scholar Romain Rolland said:
"If there is one place on the face of earth where
all the dreams of living men have found a
home from the very earliest days when man began
the dream of existence, it is India."
Hu Shih, former Ambassador of China to USA said:
"India conquered and dominated China culturally
for 20 centuries without ever having to send a
single soldier across her border." ( he was
referring to Buddhism)
India has never invaded any country in her approximately 10000 years of recorded history.
When Europeans were only nomadic forest dwellers
5000 years ago,Indians had long established the
Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley
Civilization)with 'modern' facilities such as
brick houses, money, pottery , sewage, irrigation
and grain silos.
The art of Navigation was born in the river
Sindh 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is
derived from the Sanskrit word NAV Gatih. The
word navy is also derived from Sanskrit `Nou'.
India invented the Number System and the so
called Arabic numerals 1,2,3 etc are Sanskrit and
were in fact learnt by early Arab traders to
India.
Zero was conceptualised by Aryabhatta.
The place value system, the decimal system was
developed in India in 100 BC.
Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the
earth to orbit the sun in 5 AD, hundreds of years
before the astronomer Smart. Time taken
by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.
The value of pi was first calculated by
Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what
is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He
discovered this in the 6th century long before
the European mathematicians. Algebra,
trigonometry and calculus came from India.
Quadratic equations were propounded by
Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest
numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106
whereas Indians used numbers as big as 1053 with
specific names as early as 5000 BC during the
Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number
is Tera:1012.
The World's first university was established in
Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students
from all over the world studied more than 60
subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the
4th century CE was one of the greatest
achievements of ancient India in the field of
education.
Sanskrit is the mother of all the European
languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language
for the computer software because it is
the most phonetic - a report in Forbes magazine,
July 1987.
The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was
built in Saurashtra. According to Saka King
Rudradaman-I of 150 BC a beautiful lake aptly
called 'Sudarshana' was constructed on the hills
of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time.
Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in
India.
Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known
to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine
consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today
Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in
our civilization.
Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago
he and health scientists of his time conducted
complicated surgeries like cesareans, contracts,
artificial legs, fractures, urinary stones and
even plastic surgery and brain surgery.Usage of
anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over
125 surgical equipments were used. Deep knowledge
of anatomy physiology, etiology, embryology,
digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is
also found in many texts.
Although modern images of India often show
poverty and lack of development, India was the
richest country on earth until the time of
British in the early 17th Century. Cristopher
Columbus was attracted by her wealth. In fact
according to the Gemological Institute of
America, up until 1896, India was the only known
source for diamonds to the world.
Todays Pentium processer were invented by an
Indian working in silicon valley.
--------------------------------------
Some of these facts, I am sure are known to a lot
of people, but I thought posting these here
might be a good way for others to also know more
about INDIA.
- From: CM (@ cbvisa.att.com)
on: Fri Aug 28 15:39:20
Chinna Aasai's continued
1. Marupadiyum P.S. high school ground'la madhyanam 3:00 maniyillurundhu cricket vilayadittu groundukku ethire irrukkira potti kadayille Paneer Soda kudikka aasai
2. Andha vervaiyilla thoppala ninanju veettukku poi Sunday DD thamizh cinema paaka aasai
3. Chidambaram railway stationlla raathiri 2:00 mani varaikkum pasangaloda pesivittu NVLR'lla kuthu baroota saapida aasai.
4. College tea kadyilla utkarndu class'ai cut adichittu makkaloda pesikonde irrukka aasai.
5. Mukkiyamma Namma ooru style'lla US'lla engayavadhu oru tea kadailla oru single tea adithukkonde dhum addikka aasai.
Infact Madras pOna naan mudhall panna pora vishayamme idhu thaan. Enna thaan thanniya irundhaallum adhai rasichu kudichirukken, Mambalathulla vazhandhavan eppadi kosu kadikku pazhagittaano adhe maadhiri.
Ninaicha nerathukku Officelerndhu Marina Beachukku poaga aasai.
Hmm pala chinna chinna aasaigal undu...
- From: Ravi (@ envy)
on: Sat Aug 29 13:47:43
CM: Thanks for putting the thread on track. :-).