THE LIFELINE OF INDIA

 Indian Railways

     Indian Railways is rightly called 'The Lifeline of the Nation'. You will be surprised to learn that India has 68,280 kms of railway lines, which is equivalent to going around the Earth three times. And you will be wonder-struck to know that we have the world's fourth-largest railway network that operates 22,593 trains every day, which include 13,452 passenger services and 9,141 freight trains. The trains crisscrossing the length and breadth of our country connect people of diverse cultural, educational, economic and social backgrounds. Also Indian Railways employs 1.54 million people, making it the seventh-largest employer in the world according to Forbes.

     On an average, 34 million passengers use the Indian Railways network every day. The fares are affordable for the common man. First-mile and end-mile connectivity is better than airways. Many remote places have been identified on the railway map and are equipped with rail connectivity. Indian Railways has also introduced many semi-high-speed trains like Vande Bharat, Tejas, Garib Rath, Duronto, Rajdhani and Shatabdi, which have considerably reduced travelling time. The ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor is a dream project.

     Trains and rail journeys always fascinate children. The very sight of a train is enough to kindle the curiosity in children. But families need to plan more vacation trips to scenic locations and use trains like the Nilgiri Mountain Railway during summer vacations. Educational institutions should also come forward to organise field trips to encourage students to travel by train. Children must be taken to rail museums, exhibitions and iconic railway stations to elicit an interest in railways.

     The Nilgiri Mountain Railway trains, popularly called as Ooty Toy Trains, continue to enthrall tourists. Trains like the Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Tejas, Duronto and double-decker redefine rail journeys. Mountain Railways include the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Kalka-Shimla Railway line.

     Hill trains run under Mountain Railways, such as the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR). They are equipped to negotiate steep gradients and navigate through tunnels and curves in hilly areas. The unique rack and pinion system in NMR is a technological marvel that has transcended times.

     The Ghum Railway Station on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway track is situated at an altitude of 8,407ft. Recently, Indian Railways constructed the Chenab Bridge, which is the world's highest railway bridge. This bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project. The height of the bridge is 1,172ft above the riverbed-it is the highest railway bridge in the world.

     Railways in coordination with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and state tourism development boards are running trains such as the Maharaja Express, Deccan Odyssey and Deccan Queen with special tourism packages. Bharat Darshan tourist specials are being run to important tourist and religious destinations. 

     Private service providers have also been roped in to run Bharat Gaurav tourism circuit trains! The Bharat Darshan trains run by IRCTC offer an affordable fare structure, which makes them easy on the pocket. Besides, tourist enthusiasts can always plan their own itinerary and avail of circular journey tickets to cover many tourist hotspots.

     The Indian Railways is taking every possible effort to maintain cleanliness in trains. On-board housekeeping services are available on all long-distance trains. Cleanliness on stations and in trains has improved remarkably in the last few years. Also it is the duty of every passenger to contribute towards this cause. 

    So if you are planning to travel by train, have a pleasant and memorable journey!

MEET ITALIAN POLYMATH

 Leonardo da Vinci

     I am Leonardo da Vinci, an artist, scientist, and inventor during the Italian Renaissance.

    I am considered to be one of the most talented and intelligent people of all time. The term Renaissance Man or someone who does many things very well was coined from my many talents. This term is used today to describe people who are multi talented.

     I was born in the town of Vinci, Italy on April 15, 1452. Not much is known about my childhood. But my father was wealthy. Around 14 years I became an apprentice to a famous artist named Verrocchio. This is where I learned about art, drawing, painting and more.

     I am regarded as one of the greatest artists in history because I excelled in many areas including drawing, painting, and sculpture. Although a lot of my paintings are gone, I am known for two of my most famous paintings, the Mona Lisa 

and The Last Supper.

     Many of my drawings and journals were made in my pursuit of scientific knowledge and inventions. My journals are filled with over 13,000 pages of my observations of the world. I drew pictures and designs of hang gliders, helicopters, war machines, musical instruments, various pumps, and more. I was also interested in civil engineering projects and designed a single span bridge to divert the Arno River. I also designed movable barricades which would help protect my city in the case of attack by enemies.

     Finally, I died on May 2, 1519 in Amboise, Kingdom of France.

INSPIRING ANECDOTE

 Unity is strength 

     Once at a village in Bardoli, Gujarat, in pre-independent India, a group of men was engaged in a panicky conversation at the village centre. A young man of Nadiad village, Gujarat, stopped and inquired about the cause of panic. They said, "The police force and dacoits oppress the people of Bardoli district. By sunset, every door is closed and the village becomes as quiet as a graveyard. Just a few dacoits ruthlessly loot thousands of people living in the radius of 150km."

     On hearing this, the youth, giving an example of his intelligence, self-confidence and courage said, "Even evil needs a foundation of virtue to grow and nurture. Where do the dacoits get the power from? The source of their is unity, courage, cautiousness and will power. If we too cultivate these virtues then the dacoits can be easily defeated. God too helps those who fight for truth and justice. If we perform our duties diligently, persevere in our efforts, act sagaciously and fight with all our might, we shall prevail!"

     The youth of indomitable courage infused a new life, spirit of courage and strength in the villagers. All people got united under his leadership. Approximately 150 well-built young men of the village were trained and equipped with weapons. They planned an arrangement of the youth in battle-array sensibly and patiently. As soon as the dacoits came, the villagers encircled them and fought with great courage. Looking at the unity, courage and power of the villagers, the dacoits ran away from the place and never ever dared to attack them.

     That fearless youngster who breathed life into the villagers was none other than Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who played a pivotal role in the freedom struggle of our nation. This kind of courage, perseverance and presence of mind is exhibited in his entire life history. That is why he was called the "Iron-man" of India!

     The evil-doers dominate with their wickedness until the righteous men don't trust their force and intellect and get united. Just the way the entire village was saved from dacoits by the power of unity, similarly if the righteous people get united with firm resolve to protect our country and do selfless service according to their abilities, then there would be well being all around.

     Hence we should live in unity. Also, it is a sin to oppress others; but to tolerate oppression is a double sin.

DO YOU KNOW

 Why do doctors put the R_x symbol in their prescriptions?

The R_x symbol was originally used as an abbreviation of the Latin word recipe, which means 'receive'. It dates back to the medieval age when there were no standard doctors and drugs as we have today. Apothecaries (chemists), who often doubled up as doctors, would write out the  formula for the medication and then mix the required ingredients to prepare the medicines. Doctors continue the tradition today as they instruct the pharmacist to 'receive' the list of the prescribed medicines and supply them to the patient. There is an interesting theory about the 'x' in the symbol. It is said to be the 'Eye of Horus', the falcon-headed Egyptian god of pharmacy. The eye was considered a powerful symbol of good health.

THE TRADITIONAL THEATRE FORM OF KARNATAKA

 Yakshagana

    Yakshagana is the traditional theatre art form of Karnataka, particularly prevalent and developed in south and north Karnataka, Udupi, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur district in Karnataka. A group of performing artists is known as a Mela or a Mandali.

     Through the medium of music, songs with lyrics, drama, dance and dialogue in Kannada, varied stories from Hindu mythology, sacred texts like the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagwatham, stories are enacted and recreated by performers to entertain and enlighten the audience, pertaining to the significance of the presentation, maintaining the cultural and social relevance of the play. It is amazing to note that with 12,000 performances around the year, Karnataka generates a turnover of 6 crores!

Evolution and significance: The earliest prasanga (play) dates back to the 15th century. Ever since, Yakshagana, also known as music of the Gandharvas, has gone through varied stages of development and change in order to suit the changing trends of society. Nevertheless the basic structure of the story-telling has not changed. Originally the performance used to last the whole night but due to time constraints, it has been reduced to two to three hours. There are about 30 professional troupes in Karnataka and about 200 amateur groups that perform around the year, particularly from November to May. During festive occasions, a Yakshagana performance is a must. The performers are essentially males and female roles are also enacted by men.

Training and technique: Young boys are trained to sing, act, dance and emote according to the scene required. Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, Keremane, was founded by veteran artiste Shivarama Hegde in 1934 and followed by his son Shambu Hegde, who established the Srimaya Yakshagana Kala Kendra. The legacy moves forward with his talented son Shivananda Hegde who has made some innovative changes in the style of presentation and is acclaimed as one of the leading Yakshagana artistes of Karnataka. Other prominent artistes include Chittami Ramach, Kalinga Navada and Manyappa Uppoor. The technique is quite simple but the performers are expected to be versatile, as they are supposed to sing, dance, act and deliver the dialogues properly and in a dramatic manner.

Music and make-up: The music is Carnatic with elements of folk and light music, which varies according to the character representation. Besides vocal music, the percussion instruments used are Maddale, Chande and Taala to maintain the rhythm of the music and dance.

The make-up is quite elaborate and it takes hours for the performer to be ready. The colourful makeup changes according to the character represented.

In Badagutittu Yakshagana, ornaments are made out of light wood, pieces of mirror and coloured stones for a shining effect. Lighter material like thermocol and wood are used, covered with golden foil. The headgear or Kirata or Pagadi varies according to the character; Kavacha is used to cover the chest, Buja Keerthi are the armlets and shoulder ornaments, and the upper part of the body is more decorated. The kachhe is in red, yellow or orange and bulky pads are used to give the stout effect. While Bannada Vesh is for monsters, the Stree Vesh is of sari and other decorative ornaments.

Yakshagana overseas: Yakshagana is quite popular overseas as Kannadigas are an enterprising and hardworking lot, and they take their art forms along wherever they go. Yakshamitra was the first full group to be established overseas in Toronto (Canada) in 2008. Yaksharanga and Yaksha Loka groups were formed in different parts of the U.S. Some troupes use live himmela music unlike the recorded himmela background score.

DO YOU KNOW

 What is maida?

     The wheat kernel or grain is made up of three parts --- the hard outer covering or bran, the endosperm which makes up the greater part of the grain and the germ, the germinating part of the grain.

     When you grind all three components together, you get whole wheat flour; if in the milling process the bran and the germ are removed and only the endosperm is ground, you get endosperm flour which is known as white flour or all purpose flour or refined flour or maida. The bran and germ have high nutritive value as they are rich in minerals, vitamins and fibre. White flour therefore is far less nutritious than whole wheat flour.

     Bran and germ are removed before grinding because they contain fats which can get rancid and spoil the whole flour. Also they can be sold separately as there is a demand for them as healthy foods.

     Freshly ground endosperm flour or maida as well call it is not too white and has a strong smell so it is treated with chemicals to whiten it and remove the smell and make it smooth. In the process the maida can get contaminated with chemicals that are dangerous to health.

     So, if you're concerned about your health, it might be a good idea to go easy on baked products, butter nan, pizza and pasta and all foods that are high in maida content.

HEART TOUCHING STORY

 Don't rush to judgements

     A doctor entered the hospital in a hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. As he reached the surgery block, he found the boy's father pacing in the hall waiting for the doctor. On seeing him, the dad yelled, "Why did you take all this time to come? Don't you know that my son's life is in danger? Don't you have any sense of responsibility?" 

     The doctor smiled and said, "I am sorry,  I wasn't in the hospital and I came as fast as I could after receiving the call.  And now, I wish you'd calm so that I can do my work."

     "Calm down? What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do?" said the father angrily.

     The doctor smiled again and replied, "Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go and intercede for your son, we will do our best by God's grace."

     "Giving advice when we're not concerned is so easy," murmured the father.

     The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy, saying, "Thank God, your son is saved! If you have any question, ask the nurse." And without waiting for father's reply he carried on his way running. 

     "Why is he arrogant? He couldn't wait some minutes so that I could ask about my son's state?" commented the father to the nurse who turned up minutes after the doctor left. 

     The nurse answered, tears coming down her face, "His son died yesterday in a road accident; he was in the burial when we called him for your son's surgery. And now that he saved your son's life, he left running to finish his son's burial."