CURIOUS CORNER

 The balancing rock of Mahabalipuram

At Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, a 20-feet- high and 2-metre wide granite stone on the slope of a hill is a major tourist attraction.

It is estimated to weigh over 250 tons.

The rock is balanced upon a 4-feet area of highly slippery slope of the hill, resting at an angle of 45 degrees.

It stands in a way that challenges all natural laws.

When we look at it, we get a frightening feel that the stone will fall down at any moment.

But it has been there sitting in that position for more than 1200 years!

The rock is called ‘Krishna’s Butterball.’

The name is said to be given by a tourist guide.

But it has been locally known in Tamil as ‘Vaan Irai Kal.’

In Tamil language the name means ‘Stone of Sky God.’

In 1908, the Governor of Madras State, Arthur Lawley, thought the rock was a threat to the houses nearby.

He ordered to move it from there.

Seven big elephants were used to push the stone away from the slope.

But they failed to move it even an inch from its place.

It was not the first attempt ever made.

The Pallava KingNarasimhavarman I (630-668 AD) had also made an effort to move the stone, but failed.

It is not a naturally formed stone as the rest of the hill is smooth and without rocks. The stone proved to be impossible to push down the hill.

Then a few questions arise in our mind.

How was the stone pushed up the hill?

 Is there something under it? Why has it been known as ‘the Stone of Sky God’ ?

Tamil Nadu is a place of many geological wonders.

In Rameswaram, there are heavy stones which float in water.

Many say they are pumice stones which contain many air bubbles enabling them to float.

 

 

OUR BEST FRIENDS

 Books

Life is not easy to live on without friends. When it comes to books, they can be our best friends forever. A good book enriches our mind with good thoughts and knowledge just like a good friend. We do not feel lonely in the company of books. Books written by good and experienced authors help us to become good persons and also teach us how to serve the society in the best possible way. When we are alone, we can always pick up a book and start reading it, to feel relaxed.

Books can be good or bad, but it is our responsibility to choose them wisely. Friendship with good books makes good persons, whereas friendship with bad books makes bad persons.

Books give us enormous amount of knowledge. We go to school and learn a lot of new things. But to understand the concepts completely in various subjects, we need to refer books.

We can refer books at any time and clear our doubts or remind ourselves of some points that we have forgotten or learn a point which we have not looked into so far.

Some books may be costly. But good books are worth more than the money.

When we are travelling and the duration of the journey is long, it is good to read books. Similarly, when we are at home and have nothing to attend to, it is better to read books.

Often people with disturbed mind, try to read sacred epics and holy texts, to keep their mind completely occupied and to regain peace of mind.

Books written by well-known authors generate noble thoughts in us. They give us analytical skills. They help in conceptualization of ideas and in solving problems.

It is important to be practical in applying the knowledge gained from books and not just remain as readers. Good use of books means meaning the appropriate knowledge, let it be technical or language skills or general knowledge or fun-related matters.

It is also very important to note down important points, thoughts or doubts when we read a book.

We should use books carefully without damaging them. We should keep them safe from wet environment and away from dust and insects.

One good advantage of books is that we can select what we want, read whatever we require, and whenever we wish.

In the modern world, books are also changing their appearances from hard copy in paperbacks to e-books on the internet. Whether we are comfortable reading a hard copy or a soft copy on the computer, depends on personal choice.

THE ONE-EYED HERO OF MEWAR

 Rana Sanga

The kingdom of Mewar boasted of a long line of heroic kings. One such king was Maharana Sangram Singh (1482-1528), who ascended the throne in 1509. He was better known as Rana Sanga.

Rana Sanga was an ambitious and shrewd man. Though he had lost an arm and an eye in battle, he fearlessly waged wars against Mewar’s traditional enemies in Gujarat and Malwa, and formed strategic alliances with them.

Distressed by Rana’s exploits, Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, sent a huge army against Mewar. The Rana was undaunted and he attacked and defeated the Sultan’s forces. Lodi’s commander barely escaped, with the Rajput soldiers giving him chase right up to the border of Rajputana. The Rana’s victory against Ibrahim Lodi was his crowning achievement.

Buoyed by his success, the Rana began eyeing the throne of Delhi. He invited Timurid military adventurer, Babur, to launch an attack on Ibrahim Lodi from Kabul. 

He hoped that Babur would retreat from India after trouncing Lodi at Panipat (1526) so that he could establish his rule in Delhi. But that was not to be.

Babur did oust the Lodis from Delhi, but he showed no inclination to return to Kabul. Undeterred by this setback, the Rana formed a confederency of local chieftains and marched against Babur at the head of a formidable army of 80,000 cavalrymen and 500 elephants.

The two armies met at Khanwa on 16 March, 1527. Babur only had a army of 50,000 men, but when he unleashed his artillery power, the Rana’s army was capitulated.

With the Rajput’s defeat, the Battle of Khanwa paved the way for Babur’s conquest of Northern India. Rana Sanga died shortly after bringing a glorious chapter in Mewar’s history to an end.

THE WAY TO CONFIDENCE AND SUCCESS

 A little girl and her father were crossing a wobbly wooden bridge across a stream.

The father felt quite scared, and told his daughter, “Sweetie, please hold on to my hand that you may not fall into the stream.”

The girl said, “No, dad. Better you would hold my hand.”

“What’s the difference?” asked the puzzled father.

“There’s a big difference,” replied the little one.

“If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may accidentally let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that, no matter what happens, you will never let go of my hand!”

 

Trust is the foundation of everything we do.

It can be a fragile thing, but it is the basis of all relationships.

When we trust someone, we have confidence in them as well as their honesty and integrity.

We truly believe that they will do the things that they say they will.

We recognize their abilities and strengths. We place our faith in them.

Trust in ourselves; trust in others.

Above all, trust in God.

Then we can grow confidently and responsibly.

Be prepared to meet the challenges that  come your way. Have trust, confidence, and determination.

This will certainly enable you to succeed in life.

The German poet Goethe once said, “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”

FATHER OF BLOOD BANKING

 Dr. Charles Drew

Surgeon Dr. Charles Drew is perhaps responsible for more lives saved across the world than anyone else. He showed how blood could be stored for medical emergencies; establishing the world’s first blood bank and organising the world’s first blood drive. He was also the first director of the American Red Cross.

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1904, African-American Drew was a brilliant student and athlete. After graduating from USA’s Amherst College, he taught biology and also served as the school’s Athletic Director. A few years later he was back in college studying for his medical degree and later his CM(Master of Surgery).

Dr. Drew was keenly interested in how blood could be transferred from one person to another. At that point, blood transfusion technology was basic and blood could only be stored for two days after which it became useless. Dr. Drew discovered that by separating the liquid part of blood (plasma) from the rest of the blood (the red blood cells), blood could be stored for up to a week. Dr. Drew’s insistence that the colour of one’s skin played no role in blood donation saved the lives of many soldiers during World War II. For instance, non-white soldiers no longer had to wait for blood donations from same race donors. Dr. Drew’s unstinting work led to many awards but sadly, when he was injured in an accident in 1950, his condition was too grave for a blood transfusion and he passed away.

AGE

 The age of a person is calculated in three ways according to medical science.

They are Chronological Age, Mental Age and Physiological Age.

Chronological Age: It is the actual age of a person in years. This method of age determination is commonly used by all people for various purposes. In the case of chronological age, it is calculated from the date of birth of a person till date.

Mental Age: It is the age calculated as per the level of intelligence or the mental development of a person in relation to his chronological age. It is determined by a series of tests, such as Intelligence Quotient test (IQ) and other tests by a psychiatrist/psychologist. For example, if a person of 30 years of age can pass the tests meant for a child of 12years only, he/she is said to have a mental age of 12 years.

Physiological Age: It is determined according to one’s physique, appearance of the body, and behaviour of the person. For example, at a particular age some people seem to be younger and others seem to be older. Some seem to be older at the age of 40 while some others seem to be younger at the age of 60.

INDIAN WOMAN EDUCATIONIST

 Savitribai Phule

The Life Of India's First Woman Teacher And A Fierce Feminist Icon:

Known as modern India’s first female teacher, Savitribai Phule was an exponent of female education, equality and justice who took on the caste system with her revolutionary ideals and strived to dismantle the elite-controlled education system.

January 3, 2023, marks the 192nd birth anniversary of the trailblazing leader, whose individual contribution and identity in the field of education and liberation needs to be echoed by and by.

Who is Savitribai Phule?

Born in Naigaon village of Maharashtra’s Satara district on January 3, 1831, to Khandoji Nevse and Lakshmi, Savitribai went on to become an educator, a challenger to caste hierarchies and barriers, and a writer.

She was a Dalit woman belonging to the Mali community. At the tender age of 10, she was married to 12-year-old Jyotirao Phule, a man of social reform himself, who believed that women must be educated. He began to home-school Savitribai. 

Later, Jyotirao admitted Savitribai to a teacher’s training institution in Pune and in 1848 the couple went to establish the first-ever school for girls in Bhidewada of which Savitribai was the headmistress. 

At a time when female education was an alien concept in society, Savitribai and Jyotirao’s contribution to breaking social barriers in society laid the path to women’s emancipation. 

 

Savitribai’s work received many backlashes: 

In an essay titled “The Stuff Legends are Made of” published in the book “A Forgotten Liberator”, author Cynthia Stephen writes, “The young couple faced severe opposition from almost all sections. Savitribai was subject to intense harassment every day as she walked to the school. Stones, mud and dirt were flung at her as she passed.”

Savitribai began teaching girls alongside Sagunabai Kshirsagar, who was a revolutionary feminist as well as a mentor to Jyotirao. In no time, the Phules were running three different schools by the end of 1851.

Her journey was not an easy one. It is said she was pelted stoned and cow dung was thrown at her on her way to school by upper-caste men. But that never jilted her spirit. Savitribai carried two saris to school and she simply changed her soiled attire once she reached her school premise.

One report from 1852 in The Poona Observer states, “The number of girl students in Jotirao’s school is ten times more than the number of boys studying in the government schools. This is because the system for teaching girls is far superior to what is available for boys in government schools… If the Government Education Board does not do something about this soon, seeing these women outshine the men will make us hang our heads in shame.”

However, in 1839, Jyotirao's father asked the couple to leave his home because their work was considered a sin as per the Manusmriti and its derived Brahmanical texts. Striving through continuous resistance from the society, Savitri and Joytirao, in the 1850s, established two educational trusts that encompassed the many schools set up by them to fund the education of girls.

 

Beyond education, a social reformer: 

Savitribai started the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (‘Home for the Prevention of Infanticide’), a childcare centre for sexually exploited, pregnant widows and rape victims facing discrimination. She also adopted a child of a widow, Yashwantrao, who was educated to become a health expert. 

In 1852, she started the Mahila Seva Mandal to fight for the rights of women. She organised a strike against barbers in Pune and Mumbai, putting pressure on them to stop shaving the heads of Brahmin widows.

In 1873, the Phules set up the Satyashodhak Samaj (‘Truth-seekers’ society’), a platform open to all, irrespective of their caste, religion or class hierarchies, with the sole aim of bringing social equity. Further, in 1873, they started ‘Satyashodhak Marriage’, a rejection of Brahmanical rituals where the marrying couple takes a pledge to promote education and equality.

In 1868, she along with her husband set up a well in their backyard to allow people from the oppressed classes to drink water. The oppressed classes were otherwise barred from having water from the common well in the village.

Eventually, in 1852, she was declared the best teacher in the state by the British government.

When Jyotirao passed away on November 28, 1890, she defied all social reforms and carried the titve (earthen pot) and led the funeral procession. Savitribai was the one who consigned his body to the flames, a ritual which is still predominantly carried out by men.

In 1897, following the Bubonic plague, Savitribai set up a clinic in Hadapsar to attend to the victims of the plague. 

She died on March 10, 1897, in Pune, 

after she fell sick while serving those who

contracted plague during the epidemic.

Literary work:

Her first collection of poems ‘Kavya’ (Poetry’s Blossoms) was published in 1854.

 She published Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (‘The Ocean of Pure Gems’), in 1892.