Destination Infinity's Blog, page 63

Tsunamika Doll: Hope & Help for Victims of Tsunami

Tsunamika doll is a cute little doll made of discarded textile material, conceptualized by Upasana (Auroville). It is being made mostly by the victims of the 2004 Tsunami, near Pondicherry. The doll cannot be bought or sold by anyone, it can only be gifted to others.

I attended a presentation by Uma Prajapati of Upasana who conceptualized this idea, and has been executing it successfully. It seems Tsunamika doll has traveled to 120 countries and touched more than 5,00,000 lives.

Anyone can request Tsunamika dolls and the organization will send it to you, if they have as many. Donations have been sustaining this project for more than ten years, and if people continue to be large-hearted, perhaps it will continue for many more years!

Basically, the doll is made using rag/left-over cloth material and made by women in Tsunami affected regions. These women are paid for their effort, and the effort has been sustained by donations all this while.

So if you are going to an orphanage to celebrate your kid’s birthday, instead of buying plastic dolls for the kids there, you can request Tsunamika dolls and make a contribution to the project, if you wish. This will help people affected by the Tsunami, keep this project going, and reduce unwanted plastic waste.

While Tsunamika dolls themselves cannot be bought, one can buy other items like pencils, clothes, bands, etc. embedded with Tsunamika dolls. Hop over here to have a look at the Tsunamika merchandise.

Project Website: Tsunamika.org.

Destination Infinity

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#Song of the Week: Sooraj Dooba Hain Yaaron (Roy)

Sooraj Dooba Hain Yaaron is a Hindi song from the Bollywood movie Roy. This song has been sung by Arjit Singh and Aditi Singh Sharma. The music has been composed by Amaal Mallik. This is a relatively faster/peppy song that didn’t allow me to go to the next song when I listened to it for the first time – sure shot indicator that it’s good! I love the beats and the tempo set by this song.

Destination Infinity

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An Artist’s Love for her Creation (Short Story)

Word count: 7 1 5 words.

Kayal was six when she built a sand castle for the first time on the beach. She dug into the mug around a small circular area and accumulated the soft mud in the center with her hands. She stopped when the heap was one-and-a-half feet high and stepped back to admire her creation. Tarun, eight, her cousin brother, who was observing her activity suddenly jumped on the sand castle and destroyed it within a few seconds.

Once he was finished, he looked at her eagerly. She was in tears. He laughed. She turned and ran into their house which was opposite to the beach. She lied down on her bed, cried for sometime, and slept.

When she woke up, she got an idea.

The next day she went back to the beach in the evening and made the sand castle once again. This time she added roads in concentric circles starting from the bottom and ending on the top. Just as she finished, Tarun jumped on the heap and stamped on the mud repeatedly.

Tears flowed from her eyes. He broke into laughter once he saw her crying. She ran home, fell down on her bed, cried for some time, and slept.

When she woke up, she got another idea.

The next day, she made the castle and the road all over once again. She brought some water and wet soil from near the ocean and made small structures resembling cars and buses. She also gave a rocky finish to the mountain and smiled at her creation. This time too Tarun promptly destroyed it. She looked at him desperately with tears in her eyes. He laughed.

She ran home, cried, and slept. Next morning, she got another idea.

In the evening, she recreated everything once again, and created one more mud castle next to it. She created a narrow pathway on the top of both the hills that widened as it came down and joined the clearance below, representing a river, in between the hills. She was building a boat with a sail on the river when he came back and stamped all over the place.

Once his frantic activity came to an end, and the earth was almost flat, he looked at her with a small smile on his lips that was about to burst into laughter. This time, she did not cry. She smiled looking straight into his eyes. His eyes widened and his expression became serious.

“I will destroy each sand castle you create,” he said, raising his voice. She was still smiling. He looked at her disbelievingly, turned back, and walked home perplexed.

25 Years Later . . .

“And the award for this year’s design excellence goes to . . . Shivani,” the excited speaker announced to the standing ovation of hundreds of people assembled for the design awards ceremony. Kayal’s design was also in contention for the award, but as with the last three years, this year too she didn’t win.

Kayal’s colleague came up to her during the dinner party just after the ceremony. “Kayal, your design got the biggest applause when it was introduced. You know how the winners of these award ceremonies are decided. You know you’ll not win the award. Why do you still participate each year, with a variation of the same design?” he asked.

Kayal was about to say something when her eyes met Shivani’s, who was standing with the shining crystal award, just ten feet on her right. Kayal smiled. Shivani walked up to talk to her.

“Hi, I am Shivani,” She said as Kayal nodded in affirmation. Shivani suddenly lowered her voice and said, “You know what, I think your design was the best. But you are familiar with how these award ceremonies work, right?”

Kayal shook her head to imply ‘No’.

Shivani paused for a second but continued, “Well, the judges are under obligation to pick up a winner representing the company sponsoring the -”

“Oh, not that,” Kayal interrupted in mid-sentence. “I said ‘no‘ to your assertion that my design was the best.”

“Isn’t it?” Shivani asked.

“No,” Kayal said. She smiled while her eyes twinkled. “I think it can be even better. I’ve got an idea.”

Destination Infinity

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#Song of the Week: Danga Maari Oodhari (Anegan)

‘Danga Maari Oodhari’ is a Tamil “Kuthu” Song from the movie Anegan. The music has been composed by Harris Jeyaraj, and the song has been sung by Dhanush, Marana Gaana Viji and Naveen Madhav. Tamil Kuthu pattu is a famous genre both inside and outside TN. This one is slower but very catchy You need to try hard not to dance for these songs!

Destination Infinity

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Insightful #Quote of the Week – John Lennon

“When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, ‘Happy!’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand life.” – John Lennon.

Destination Infinity

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My Hyderabad Chronicles

I went to Hyderabad over the last weekend to attend the HYREX 2015 Renewable Energy expo and write about some interesting solar/renewable energy-based products/companies I found there in my renewable energy blog. I completed my work in one day, and had one and a half days left! So I thought why not meet some blog/author friends? That’s what I did

First, I met the popular author Rasana Atreya. She is perhaps the most popular Indie-published fiction writer in India. In spite of having a busy schedule, she spoke to me for 1.5 hours! We spoke a lot about fiction writing, publishing tools, book marketing, etc. Did you know her daughter is already an author of a children’s book and her son is the illustrator/cover designer for the same? Literary talent runs across the family, I guess!

Then I met the aspiring author and a fellow blogger, Manogna. While there, I ate the special Gajar Halwa prepared by her mom and loved it! For some reason, the interaction turned out to be very humorous and I am sure all of us had a lot of fun

Then I met the “Knowledge Powerhouse” Ushasri. This was the right opposite of the previous meet and we had serious discussion on diverse topics ranging from literature & life to solar energy. Usha can just talk about any topic under the sun and you know what – she can speak many languages.

Here are photos from two popular restaurants I visited while in Hyderabad:

Chutneys, Hyderabad: (Excellent food, Decent ambiance  Good value for money)

Basera, Secunderabad: (Good food, Excellent ambiance, Expensive)

 

I used Airbnb.co.in to book a home stay. It was a good experience as I was able to live with a family in Hyderabad who, for a little extra cost, even provided me with healthy home cooked meals. In fact, a neighbor brought in food cooked at his home one night and all of us ate food together in the dining table. I spoke for a long time with each member of the family, and we spoke about various things. Uncle even suggested how I could save money by using buses on some routes, instead of auto.

There were two small issues I faced – this particular house/accommodation was my third choice. Before that, one person did not respond, and another said he was unable to accommodate me on the days I was there. So one needs to book in advance anticipating these delays.

Another minor issue was, I had to wait for 30 minutes outside the house as the family had gone out when I had come back. But since there was a park and a tea shop nearby, I went there and chilled out  Not a big deal, really.

I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of home stays during travel. So based on my experience (only one though) I think you too can give it a try.

Destination Infinity

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My Name mentioned again @ The Hindu!!

The Hindu newspaper has recently published my quote (and my name) in their Health & Wellness supplement. It reads:

‘Rajesh K, a resident of Anna Nagar for the last two decades has early memories of the health amenities in the area. “From an early age, I remember visiting Vishnu Eye Clinic and Senthil Nursing Home in Anna Nagar,” he says. “Nowadays we go to Sundaram Medical Foundation, mostly.” Rajesh also recalls of the time when the Madras Medical Mission Hospital was found. “In our school days, I remember standing on our apartment and watching the car of the then Chief Minister Dr. J. Jayalalitha who had come for both the foundation stone laying ceremony and the opening ceremony of Madras Medical Mission Hospital.”

At a time when healthcare is of utmost significance to the populace, Anna Nagar has done well and put itself on the map. With many well-known and reputed hospitals, and specialty clinics setting up in the area, the locale is fast becoming the epicenter of health amenities in the city. “I would also like to see the development of alternative/natural medicine systems like Siddha, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Naturopathy in Anna Nagar,” Opines Rajesh. “Anna Nagar was one of the pioneers in alternative medicine with the establishment of the Siddha Central Research Institute in the Arignar Anna Government Hospital campus near Anna Arch. I hope people will have more credible options for alternative health care in the future in this area.”

Wooohooooo

Destination Infinity

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Insightful #Quote of the Week

“Haters are Confused Lovers.”

Destination Infinity

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#Song of the Week: Zehnaseeb (Hase to Phase)

Zehnaseeb is an incredibly melodious and incredibly romantic song from the Bollywood movie Hase To Phase. This song has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar and has been sung by Chinmayee Sripada and Shekar Ravjiani. Enjoy

Destination Infinity

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Big Pharma, Big Agri, Big Conspiracy (Book Review)

‘Big Pharma, Big Agri, Big Conspiracy: A New World Order Spin on Drugs and GMOs’ is a non-fiction book written by Dina Rae. This is an informative book on the demerits of present day health care system. It’s focused on US, but applicable everywhere. 

The author starts by describing a secret organization called ‘Codex Alimentarius’ that has many big shots as its members, and has been trying to control the world. This chapter reads more like fiction than factual! I think she should have started directly with the second chapter.

In the chapter on FDA and USDA, she gives out names of some important members of the regulatory agencies (in the US) and their brief history, mainly their association with large pharma/agri companies. The revelation is shocking!

She talks about GMO – Genetically Modified Organisms and how companies use GMO-based products to monopolize markets and maximize profits. She touches on why GMO may not be the best option. She even touches upon the BT-Cotton failed GMO experiment in India. This chapter is very informative.

Her argument that big agro companies are hand-in-hand with big pharma companies, as most ailments/diseases start with food consumption, is quite valid. She talks about all the chemicals that are used on food products and how they harm us. She touches briefly on the merits of organic food and natural remedies. A welcome breeze in a book filled with storms!

Anti-depressants, although not so common in India (yet), the author says – may not be required. The author even argues ADD/ADHD may not be a real disorder. To me it seems to be valid.

In the US, there is private medical insurance and Mediclaim, which she says is the reason why the medical bills have skyrocketed. Valid argument – when someone else is footing the bill, Doctors have even more incentive to increase the charges or do needless tests. And all that money is indirectly collected back from people only!

At last she touches on whether all vaccines are actually required. Especially the ones like flu-vaccine. Remember the swine flu? That was (no wonder) a major money churner for many vaccine companies.

Although I like this book as it was very informative and revealing, I am not sure how much information presented by the author is credible/trust-worthy, and how much is just a claim. But on a topic like this, where even science journals might publish contradictory conclusions every now and then, it’s difficult to believe anything – both what big pharma companies tell us, and what books like this tell us!

However, I appreciate this book for opening our eyes towards an important topic: the bane of modern medicine, and modern food with all those chemicals in them. These are two things that we generally consider ‘good’.

But, the author could have taken a balanced approach listing the merits of the system also, instead of claiming that everything is bad with modern food production and modern health care.

You can buy ‘Big Pharma, Big Agri, Big Conspiracy’ from Amazon.in (eBook) in India. Disclaimer: This is an affiliate link. I may get a small commission if you click the link and buy the product. Your price will not change.

Destination Infinity

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