I am not ashamed to speak
About the faults of our race
One by one
I don’t seen a word about my race
But I find the stories of many
------------------------------------------: Poykayil Johanan Appachan
Tuesday 23 October 2012
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Thiruvalluvar(THIRUVU + ULLAVAR)
Thiruvalluvar (Tamil: திருவள்ளுவர், Tiruvaḷḷuvar ?), was a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher [1] whose contribution to Tamil literature is the Thirukkural, a work on ethics. Thiruvalluvar is thought to have lived sometime between the 2nd century BC and the 8th century AD.[citation needed] This estimate is based on linguistic analysis of his writings, as there is no archaeological evidence for when he lived.[2] He is sometimes also called Theiva Pulavar ("Divine Poet"), Valluvar, Poyyamozhi Pulavar, Senna Pothar,Gnana Vettiyan or Ayyan.
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[edit]Personal life
Literary accounts indicate that he was a weaver by profession and lived at Mylapore, Chennai with his wife Vasuki.[citation needed]
[edit]Traditional accounts
Tirukkuṛal itself does not name its author or authors. The name Thiruvalluvar is first mentioned in the 10th century in a text calledThiruvalluvarmaalai ("Thiruvalluve traditions of Thiruvalluvar appeared after this text had been written.[3] It is generally believed that the name Thiruvalluvar consists of Thiru (a Tamil word meaning honorable, similar to Mr rather to the Sankrit word Shree)[4] and Valluvar (a polite name forValluvan, according to Tamil tradition). The name Valluvan is a common name representing his caste or occupation rather than his proper name. However, it is not known whether the author of Tirukkuṛaḷ (Valluvan) was named after his community, Valluvar or vice versa.
There are several claims regarding where he lived, but none of them have been verified. One legend associates him with Madurai, the ancient capital of the Pandya rulers who vigorously promoted Tamil literature. According to another he was born and not lived in Mylapore, a part of present day Madras, and traveled to Madurai to submit the Thirukural, for approval of the king (Pandian) and his college of poets.[5]
Thiruvalluvar may have spent part of his life in Madurai because it was under the Pandiya rulers that many Tamil poets flourished. There is also the recent claim by Kanyakumari Historical and Cultural Research Centre (KHCRC) that Valluvar was a king who ruled Valluvanadu in the hilly tracts of the Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu.[6]
[edit]Thirukkural
Main article: Thirukkural
Thirukkural is one of the most revered ancient works in the Tamil language. It is considered a 'common creed',[7] providing a guide for human morals and betterment in life. Thirukkural has been translated into several languages,[8] including a translation into Latin by Constanzo Beschi in 1730, which helped make the work known to European intellectuals.
Thirukkuṛaḷ is a combined word formed by joining the two words Thiru (meaning revered) and Kural (is a form of poem writing style, like Ballad in English Poems. Other forms of poem writing styles in Tamil are Venpa, Yaappu etc.).
Thirukkuṛaḷ is divided into three sections: section one deals with Aram, good ethical behavior with conscience and honor ("right conduct"); section two discusses Porul, the right manner of conducting worldly affairs; and section three dwells on Inbam, love between men and women. The first section has 38 chapters, the second 70 chapters and the third 25 chapters. Each chapter consists of 10 couplets or kurals, for a total of 1330 couplets. Although two sections, Aram and Inbam, are devoted to the private life of an individual more than half the couplets in Thirukural are grouped under Porul which discusses ethics in public life. Thus Thiruvalluvar gives more importance to righteous living in public life.[9]
[edit]Other works
Other than the Thirukkuṛaḷ, Thiruvalluvar is alleged to be the author of two Tamil texts on medicine, Gnana Vettiyan and Pancharathnam; although many scholars claim that they were by a later author with the same name,[10] since they appear to have been written in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.[11] booka mani
[edit]Memorials
Main articles: Thiruvalluvar Statue and Valluvar Kottam
A temple-like memorial to Thiruvalluvar, Valluvar Kottam, was built in Chennai in 1976.[12] This monument complex consists of structures usually found in Dravidian temples,[13] including a temple car[14] carved from three blocks of granite, and a shallow, rectangular pond.[12] The auditorium adjoining the memorial is one of the largest in Asia and can seat up to 4000 people.[15]
There is a 133-foot tall statue of Thiruvalluvar erected at Kanyakumari at the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, where the Arabian Sea, theBay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean converge. The 133 feet denote Tirukkuṛaḷ's 133 Chapters or athikarams and the show of three fingers denote the three themes Aram, Porul, and Inbam, i.e. the sections on Morals, Wealth and Love. The statue was designed by V. Ganapati Sthapati, a temple architect from Tamil Nadu.[16]
There is also a statue of Thiruvalluvar outside the School of Oriental and African Studies in Russell Square, London.[citation needed]
Shahaji II(also known as Rajarshi Shahu)
Shahaji II(also known as Rajarshi Shahu) (26 June 1874 – 6 May 1922) of the Bhonsle dynasty, was the first Maharaja of the Indian princely stateof Kolhapur, ruling from 1894 to 1922.
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[edit]Accession: The Great King of Kolhapur
Shahu was born on 26 July 1874 as Yeshwantrao Ghatge, eldest son of jaishinghrao Ghatge, chief of Kagal (senior) by his wife Radhabai, a daughter of the Raja of Mudhol. He was adopted by Anandibai, widow of Raja Shivaji IV, in March 1884. Several generations of inter-marriage had ensured that Shahu's family was connected intimately with the ruling dynasty of Kolhapur, which is apparently what rendered him a suitable candidate for adoption, despite his not being a male-line member of the Bhonsle dynasty. A council of regency was appointed by the British government of India to oversee affairs of state during Shahu's minority and during that time he was tutored in administrative affairs by Sir Stuart Fraser. Shahu was invested with ruling powers upon coming of age in 1894. There is one college named Rajaram college built by Shahu Maharaja.[citation needed]
[edit]Social reform
Shahu Maharaj is credited with doing much to further the lot of the lower castes, and indeed this assessment is warranted. He did much to make education and employment available to all: he not only subsidized education in his state, eventually providing free education to all, but also opened several hostels in Kolhapur thereby facilitating the education of the rural and low-caste indigent. His educational institutions include Victoria Maratha Boarding School, Miss Clarke Boarding School and Deccan Rayat Aanstha. He also ensured suitable employment for students thus educated, thereby creating one of the earliest Affirmative action programs in history.He started Shahu Chhatrapati Weaving and Spinning Mill in 1906 to provide employment. Many of these measures were effected in the year 1902.[citation needed]
[edit]Personal life
In 1891, Shahu married Lakshmibai née Khanvilkar (1880–1945), daughter of a Maratha nobleman from Baroda. They were the parents of four children:
- Rajaram II, who succeeded his father as Maharaja of Kolhapur.
- Radhabai 'Akkasaheb' Puar, Maharani of Dewas (senior) (1894–1973) who married Raja Tukojirao III of Dewas (Senior) and had issue:
- Vikramsinhrao Puar, who became Maharaja of Dewas (Senior) in 1937 and who later succeeded to the throne of Kolhapur as Shahoji II.
- Sriman Maharajkumar Shivaji (1899–1918)
- Srimati Rajkumari Aubai (1895); died young
Chhatrapati Shahu of Kolhapur died on May 6, 1922. He was survived by his wife, his elder son Rajaram and his daughter Radhabai.[citation needed]
[edit]Full name and titles
His full official name was: Colonel His Highness Kshatriya-Kulawatasana Sinhasanadhishwar, Shrimant Rajarshi Sir Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj SahibBahadur, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO.[citation needed]
During his life he acquired the following titles and honorific names:
- 1874–1884: Meherban Shrimant Yeshwantrao Sarjerao Ghatge
- 1884–1895: His Highness Kshatriya-Kulawatasana Sinhasanadhishwar, Shrimant Rajarshi Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj Sahib Bahadur, Raja ofKolhapur
- 1895–1900: His Highness Kshatriya-Kulawatasana Sinhasanadhishwar, Shrimant Rajarshi Sir Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj Sahib Bahadur, Raja of Kolhapur, GCSI
- 1900–1903: His Highness Kshatriya-Kulawatasana Sinhasanadhishwar, Shrimant Rajarshi Sir Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj Sahib Bahadur, Maharajaof Kolhapur, GCSI
- 1903–1911: His Highness Kshatriya-Kulawatasana Sinhasanadhishwar, Shrimant Rajarshi Sir Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj Sahib Bahadur, Maharaja of Kolhapur, GCSI, GCVO
- 1911–1915: His Highness Kshatriya-Kulawatasana Sinhasanadhishwar, Shrimant Rajarshi Sir Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj Sahib Bahadur, Maharaja of Kolhapur, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO
- 1915–1922: Colonel His Highness Kshatriya-Kulawatasana Sinhasanadhishwar, Shrimant Rajarshi Sir Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj Sahib Bahadur, Maharaja of Kolhapur, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO
[edit]Honours
- Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI), 1895
- King Edward VII Coronation Medal, 1902
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO), 1903
- Hon. LLD (Cantabrigian), 1903
- Delhi Durbar Gold Medal, 1903
- King George V Coronation Medal, 1911
- Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE), 1911
- Delhi Durbar Gold Medal, 1911
[edit]Legacy
Once the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, "Dams are not just constructions of cement and concrete, but in fact are places of pilgrimage in the modern India." This was not the first vision towards this development as Kolhapur’s King Shahu Maharaj realized it almost 100 years before and decided to construct Radhanagari Dam, which is considered the second dam in India (next to Kallanaiby Karikala Chola), on 18 February 1907. The place of the dam was decided and construction of houses for labourers and officials was started which took almost two years, so the foundation stone for the dam was laid down in 1909. In those days, there were neither engineering experts nor the availability of a skilled labor force; hence work progressed at a very slow rate. There is a story about the shortage of funds also in air but King Shahu Maharaj was determined to complete the project so that the water for irrigation would be available in abundance so it would add to the per capita income of Kolhapurkars.
Radhanagari Dam was completed in 1935 and since 1938 has been working at full capacity. Normally it is said that Indian kings and rulers overlooked the problems of common citizens but Radhanagari Dam is the living illustration of Shahu Maharaj's vision towards the development and welfare of common citizens.
Over the years Radhanagari Dam has provided water for irrigation; after Indian independence, the nearby forest area was converted into the “Dajipur Reserve Forest” and some tourist facilities started to attract the tourists from all over India.
Next year being the century year of the foundation stone of this, the oldest dam of the country, the Maharashtra government has come forward with a developmental plan to increase the tourist facilities in order to attract tourists from all over the globe. The plan's budgeted expanses are estimated at Rs. 47 crores and recently the first installment of Rs. 7.5 crores was handed over to district administration. The plan includes the construction of a memorial to Shahu Maharaj; a sum of Rs. 2 crores are allotted for the construction of new buildings for the Taluka administration, Panchayat Samiti, police stations, etc.
According to sources, the Dajipur forest is being developed for tourism on the pattern of eco- tourism. The Tourism Ministry of India has already handed over a sum of Rs. 8 crores for this purpose. In the near future, the funds received from the central government will be transferred to district administration which will boost efforts to put Kolhapur on the world tourism map; the Deccan Odyssey, the Maharashtra tourism train which is presently halting for few hours at Kolhapur will surely have a stay of at least for one day from the next year.
The centurion dam Radhanagari, the visionary project of Shahu Maharaj, which worked as means of increase in per capita income by providing water for irrigation is once again proving a reason for growth in per capita income, this time by boosting tourism to the area.[citation needed]
Saturday 6 October 2012
Jesus a student of Buddhism in Kasmir India?
Praveen Alapra MScIT
Not only do I have my Deist side but I also have a Buddhist side to spirituality. So to hear that Jesus may have been trained by Buddhist monks makes me all giddy inside.
Have any of you ever heard of this idea… that the missing years of Jesus are attributed to him having gone to India and while there, becoming a student of Buddhism. It’s an interesting notion.
As this clip from a BBC documentary on the subject says, Jesus espoused ideas that were unheard of in Judaism of his time, yet those ideas had been taught by the Buddha 500 years earlier.
I’ve seen Christian websites saying reincarnation is not biblical. Not being a scholar on 1st century Jewish thought I don’t know if reincarnation was something even conceived during that time but there are passages that hint that the idea was valid.
Along with that there are apparently other ideas from Buddhism that Jesus was trying to incorporate into his reform of Judaism that hadn’t been a part of it that managed to stick in Christianity. Take a peek at the video below and see what you think.
Thursday 4 October 2012
Swargeeya Mukiya Sthaban , Rajiya Sabha Nager Mukada.po.,Manimala,Kottayam,Kerala,India
Mr.Praveen P K
Alapra,Adidravida Nager
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