July August 2012 E Zine

The
Vol. 3 Issue 7, July / August 2012

An e-Zine Publication from Malayali Friends Group
An Introductory Note on
Reverse Mortgage &
Elderly Persons with
Own Property
COVER STORY
INSIGHT
100
Benefts of
Meditation
INSIGHT
Signifcance of
Onam &
Ashtami Rohini
Vallasadya
Editorial Board
Gopal Nair
Sreedharan Nair
V N Gopalakrishnan
Devi Mohan
Shobhaa Iyer
Design & Publishing
SabariMarketing.com
Advisory Board
G Madhavan Nair
President, IAA, Former Chairman ISRO
Kaithapram Damodaran Namboodiri
Poet & lyricist
K S Money IAS
Former Secretary General, NHRC
Mrinalini Sarabhai
Indian Classical Dancer
M S Viswanathan
Music Director
Nanda Kumar IAS
Director, Dept of Information & PR, Kerala
P N C Menon
Chairman, Sobha Developers Ltd
P T Usha
Indian Athlete and Founder, Usha School of Athletics
Dr Philip Augustine
Managing Director, Lakeshore Hospital
Prof Rajasekharan Pillai
Former Vice Chancellor, IGNOU
Dr Rathan Kelkar IAS
Former Director, Kerala State IT Mission
R K Panicker
Expert - Food and Nutrition
Shobhana
Bharatanatyam Dancer and Cine Actor
Dr T P Sasikumar
Chairman, Shiksha, I IAA & I ISSLL
Siddeek Ahmad
Chairman & MD, ERAM Group, Saudi Arabia
TP Sreenivasan
Former Ambassador
V Suresh
Principal Executive Offcer of HIRCO
The
Vol. 3 Issue 7, July / August 2012
An e-Zine Publication from Malayali Friends Group
Mailing Address
B-8 Ridham, Bhaikaka Nagar, Thaltej Cross Road,
Ahmedabad 380 059
Contents
EDITORIAL ..............................................................................................................1
Classical Status for Malayalam is a Must!
Editorial Board
COVER STORY ..................................................................................................... 2
An Introductory Note on
Reverse Mortgage & Elderly Persons
with Own Property
Adv. Kappillil Anilkumar, Coordinator, Legal Cell
POEM ........................................................................................................................ 5
Dear Mother
Shobhaa Iyer
INSIGHT .................................................................................................................. 6
100 Benefts of Meditation
Dr. Bijumon
COLUMN ................................................................................................................. 9
Do Love and Suffering go Hand-in-hand?
Jessy Mathew, USA
HOUSEHOLD TIPS ................................................................. 11
Smart Uses for Salt
Shobhaa Iyer
COLUMN .............................................................................. 14
Following Orders: Libor
Sidan Vadakut
SHORT STORY.......................................................................17
Innu Njan, Naale Nee!
Vijayan Kannikunnu
HEALTH .................................................................................19
Exercise for Health & Ergonomics for Work
Dr Sudha Nair
HISTORY & CULTURE ............................................................21
Heritage Site in Thiruvananthapuram
turns Encroachers Paradise
Sudhir Kumar
COLUMN .............................................................................. 22
How Damaging is a Bad Boss, Exactly?
Gopal Nair
INSIGHT ............................................................................................................... 23
Signifcance of Onam & Ashtami Rohini Vallasadya
V N Gopalakrishnan
COLUMN .............................................................................. 26
NG in Acceleration Mode
Er Audy Zandri
ARTICLE ............................................................................... 28
Tanishq Abraham
Vinson Palathingal
INSIGHT ................................................................................................................29
Words Derived from Names of Diseases
V.R. Narayanaswami
PHOTO GALLERY .................................................................. 30
Munnar, Thekkady, & Alleppey Backwaters
Sijo Thomas
Donation to Millennium Charitable Trust is tax exempt vide Certifcate No. DIT(E)/
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of Income Tax (Exemption), Government of India, Ahmedabad 380 009
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July / August 2012 The Malayali Wings 1
EDITORIAL

Editorial Board
Classical Status for
Malayalam is a Must!
C
hief Minister Oommen Chandy is right
while stating that Malayalam has all the
qualifcations to receive the classical language
status and there is no justifcation for denying this.
He stated this while inaugurating the festival offce of
the Vishwamalayala Mahotsavam on July 12, 2012.
Kerala government has approached the Centre to
extend the classical status to Malayalam and the
Chief Minister has personally apprised the Prime
Minister and the Central Minister for Culture in this
regard. However, the Centre has denied this status
to Malayalam without even considering the State
governments opinion.
In a report to the Ministry of Culture, Linguistic
Committee of the Sahitya Kala Academy has passed
a unanimous verdict saying that Malayalam does not
meet the main criterion of high antiquity. According
to the rules laid down by the Central Government, a
language can be accorded classical status only if it is
1,500-2,000 years old.
A new report was submitted to the Centre with
comprehensive evidences that Kerala has the right
to have classical status for Malayalam. The state
government urged the Linguistic Committee to
reconsider its decision. Countering the Linguistic
Committees argument, Dr. Puthusseri Ramachandran,
a member of the Expert Committee of Scholars
headed by Shri. O.N.V. Kurup stated that even the
Malayalam alphabet is 1,500 years old and obviously
the language had existed before the evolution of
the script. He argued that even Tolkapiyam, the
fourth-century AD Tamil work has references about
Malayalam.
How to receive classical status for Malayalam?
is the pertinent question lingering in the minds of
Malayalis the world over now. It is interesting to
note that the Tamil Scholars fought for 150 years for
getting the classical status for Tamil. In 1887 Shri.
V.G. Suryanarayana Sastriar gave a clarion call at the
University of Madras for giving classical status to
Tamil along with Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Sanskrit.
Tamil language received classical status on October
12, 2004. Similarly, Kannada and Telegu languages
were accorded classical status by the Centre.
What is needed now is persistent political pressure
and continuous efforts on the part of literary and
linguistic institutions and personalities. Lets all
hope that the Viswamalayala Mahotsavam, being
organized by the Kerala Sahitya Academy from
November 1-3 this year and its celebrations, becomes
a representation of the Malayalis all over the world.
Malayali Friends Group (MFG) is ever ready to join
hands with the Kerala Sahitya Academy and other
institutions in their efforts to get the classical status
and fght till we achieve our objective!!!
COVER STORY

Adv. Kappillil Anilkumar,
Coordinator, Legal Cell An Introductory Note on
Reverse Mortgage & Elderly
Persons with Own Property
R
everse Mortgage is an innovative fnancial concept
meant for elderly citizens in India who owns a
permanent house property but lacks ready cash fow
to sustain lifes other requirements that could be bought
only with ready cash. This fnancial product is not for the
elderly shelter-less persons. Through reverse mortgage,
an elderly house-owner can convert house property into
income generation while maintaining the ownership and
right to residence in his house. The National Housing
Board was entrusted by the Government of India during
2007-08 to undertake the responsibility of evolving
suitable regulatory mechanism for reverse mortgage in the
country. (See the appendix). All major nationalized banks
now offer this service to the elderly citizens. The principal
difference between the forward mortgage and reverse
mortgage is that in the former case, the borrower can
mortgage his property as collateral and receive a one-time
loan for buying a house, can pay the loan amount steadily
and then after redeeming the loan over a period of time,
own the house whereas in the case of reverse mortgage
the owner of the house sells his house to the lender and
receives a steady cash income while he continues to
occupy his house until his demise or sells the house to
other party, or moves out to another house permanently.
It may be noted that in case, the borrower in reverse
mortgage opts for selling his house to another person or
moving out to new residence permanently, he will have to
repay the entire amount of loan availed from the lender.
The reverse mortgage loan could be availed in lump sum or
The Malayali Wings July / August 2012
2
by monthly payments for a fxed term and the maximum
period is 15 years. It should, however, be verifed whether
the repayment liability of the borrower remains increased
to the market value of the house at the time of recovery
if the accumulated loan and interest exceed the realizable
value of the assets at the time of disposal.
The owner of the property and his/her spouse can be the
joint borrowers and be the benefciaries of the monthly
payments. In case of the death of one of the borrowers,
the spouse will automatically become the benefciary
of the monthly payment during the 15 year loan period.
Later she/he is still entitled to stay in the house till his/
her death. In case of death of both the partners, the entire
amount of the loan liability will be settled from the sale
proceeds of the property mortgaged and the remaining
balance will be given to the heirs.
To summarize, a reverse mortgage loan can be availed by
senior citizens above the age of 60 years, independently
owning with clear title deed and living in a house/
apartment in India, having inadequate income to meet
their day to day needs. This loan is taken against the
property owned and the borrowing may be by way of
a fxed monthly payment or one single payment. The
borrower must reside in the property and must declare
it as his/her principal residence. The property should
be free from any encumbrances. The amount of loan
could be up to 45% of the market value of the property
(house/ apartment/ estate) if the borrowers age group
is between 60- 70 years; up to 50% if he/she is between
71- 75 years; 55% if he/she is between 76- 80 years. If his/
her age is above 80 years, then the loan could be up to
60% of the market value. Please note that the said loan
cannot be used for trading/business purposes. The amount
can be used for daily personal and family needs, medical
needs, house improvement, insurance, and property tax.
Before opting for reverse mortgage, please make sure the
competitive offers/schemes by banks as some nationalized
banks insist the borrower comply with more stringent
conditions like additional security, compulsory insurance,
and administration charges. Even though the object
sought to be achieved through this innovative concept
is laudable as a social security measure, it is advisable
to evaluate the options clearly because for all banks and
fnancial institutions, it is yet another business aimed at
proft-making.
P.S. Government of Indias notifcation on reverse
mortgage, passed in the year 2008, is appended below:
NOTIFICATION NO: 93/2008, DATED 30-9-2008
In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (xvi) of
section 47 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), the
Centre! Government hereby makes the following scheme,
namely: -
1. Short title, commencement and application

(I) This scheme may be called the Reverse Mortgage
Scheme, 2008.
(2) It shall be deemed to have come into force from the 1st
day of April, 2008.
(3) Save as otherwise provide C in the Scheme, it shall be
applicable to all eligible persons.
2. Defnitions - In this Scheme, unless the context
otherwise requires, -
(a) Act means the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961);
(b) Approved lending institution means -
(i) National Housing Bank established under section 3 of
the National Housing Bank Act, 1987 (53 of 1987);
(ii) a scheduled bank included in the second schedule to
the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934; or
(iii) a housing fnance company registered with the
National Housing Bank:
(c) Board means the Central Board of Direct Taxes
constituted under the Central Boards of Revenue Act, 1963
(54 of 1963V
(d) Capital asset means a residential house property
which is located in India;
4
(e) Eligible person means
(i) Any person, being an bidigiupi, who is of, a above, the
age or sixty years; or
(ii) Any married couple, if either of the husband or wife is
of, or above, the age of sixty years;
(f) Reverse Mortgage means mortgage of a capital asset
by an eligible person against a loan obtained by him from
an approved lending institution;
(g) Reverse mortgagor means the eligible person who has
mortgaged the capital asset for the purpose of obtaining
loan;
(h) Reverse mortgage transaction means a transaction in
which the loan may be disbursed to the reverse mortgagor
but does not include transaction of sale, or disposal, of the
property for settlement of the loan;
(i) All other words and expressions used herein, but not
defned and defned in the Act, shall have the meanings
respectively assigned to them in the Act.
3. Application and processing for reverse mortgage
transaction.-(I) Any eligible person may enter into a
reverse mortgage transaction by applying in writing to the
approved lending institution, if the capital asset, being
mortgaged, is
(i) Owned by him; and
(ii) Free from any encumbrances.
(2) The application under sub-rule (I) shall be processed by
the approved lending institution and for this purpose the
institution may charge nominal amount as processing fees.
4. Sanction of reverse mortgage loan - (l) the approved
lending institution, before taking mortgage of capital asset
and before disbursing any loan under reverse mortgage,
shall-
(a) Enter into a loan agreement in writing with the reverse
mortgagor; and
(b) Obtain and maintain the following particulars from the
reverse mortgagor, namely:-
(i) Name and address of the owner of the capital asset;
(ii) Permanent Account Number of the owner of the capital
asset;
(iii) Total area, including built up or covered area, of the
capital asset;
(iv) Cost of acquisition and the year of acquisition of the
capital asset;
(v) Cost of improvement and the year of improvement of
the capital asset;
(vi) Name, address and Permanent Account Number of all
the legal heirs and estate of the owner of the capital asset;
(vii) A copy of the registered will of the owner of the
capital asset including any changes made therein during
the currency of the term of the loan.
5. Disbursement of loan - (1) the approved lending
institution may disburse the loan to the reverse mortgagor
by any one or more of the following modes, namely:-
(I) periodic payments to be decided mutually between the
approved lending institution and the reverse mortgagor; (ii)
lump-sum payment in one or more trenches, to the extent
that the aggregate of the amount disbursed as lump sum
payments does not exceed ffty per cent of the total loan
amount sanctioned.
6. Period of reverse mortgage loan - The loan under reverse
mortgage shall not he granted for a period exceeding
twenty years from the date of signing the agreement
by the reverse mortgagor and the approved lending
institution.
7. Repayment of loan - The reverse mortgagor, or his
legal heirs or estate, shall be liable for repayment of the
principal amount of loan along with the interest to the
approved lending institution at the time of foreclosure of
the loan agreement.
God could not be present everywhere
And so, he created mother!!!
An angel, like her, there can be none other
She takes away all our troubles and pain
And still manages to remain sane
Even under stress she always wears a smile
Just so to guide us through that extra mile
She always makes us feel so wanted
though we tend to take her for granted
She has given us everything, she is the greatest teacher
Patience and tolerance, thats her double feature,
She makes us feel she left fulfilled
We know its not so, till our life we fully build
She continues to look upon us from up above
Showering her blessings and unconditional love!
Dear, dear mother
An angel, like her, there can be none other!
An ode to my mother, Jayalakshmi Iyer, who embarked on her fnal
journey on June 12, 1999 and dedicated to all mothers in this Universe!
POEM
Dear Mother

Shobhaa Iyer
<ishobhaa@gmail.com<
INSIGHT
100 Benefts of
Meditation

Dr. Bijumon
Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains his or her mind or induces
a mode of consciousness to realize some beneft.
Meditation is generally an inwardly oriented, personal practice, which individuals
do by themselves. Prayer beads or other ritual objects are commonly used
during meditation. Meditation may involve invoking or cultivating a feeling or
internal state, such as compassion, or attending to a specifc focal point.
The term can refer to the state itself, as well as to practices or techniques
employed to cultivate the state
There are dozens of specifc styles of meditation practice; the word meditation
may carry diferent meanings in diferent contexts. Meditation has been
practiced since antiquity as a component of numerous religious traditions and
beliefs.
6
Physiological benefts:

1. It lowers oxygen consumption.
2. It decreases respiratory rate.
3. It increases blood fow and slows the heart rate.
4. Increases exercise tolerance.
5. Leads to a deeper level of physical relaxation.
6. Good for people with high blood pressure.
7. Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels
of blood lactate.
8. Decreases muscle tension
9. Helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis
etc.
10. Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms.
11. Helps in post-operative healing.
12. Enhances the immune system.
13. Reduces activity of viruses and emotional
distress
14. Enhances energy, strength and vigor.
15. Helps with weight loss
16. Reduction of free radicals, less tissue damage
17. Higher skin resistance
18. Drop in cholesterol levels, lowers risk of
cardiovascular disease.
19. Improved fow of air to the lungs resulting in
easier breathing.
20. Decreases the aging process.
21. Higher levels of DHEAS
(Dehydroepiandrosterone)
22. Prevented, slowed or controlled pain of chronic
diseases
23. Makes you sweat less
24. Cure headaches & migraines
25. Greater Orderliness of Brain Functioning
26. Reduced Need for Medical Care
27. Less energy wasted
28. More inclined to sports, activities
29. Signifcant relief from asthma
30. Improved performance in athletic events
31. Normalizes to your ideal weight
32. Harmonizes our endocrine system
33. Relaxes our nervous system
34. Produce lasting benefcial changes in brain
electrical activity
35. Helps cure infertility (the stresses of infertility
can interfere with the release of hormones that
regulate ovulation).
8
Psychological benefts:

1. Builds self-confdence.
2. Increases serotonin level, infuences mood and
behaviour.
3. Resolve phobias & fears
4. Helps control own thoughts
5. Helps with focus & concentration
6. Increase creativity
7. Increased brain wave coherence.
8. Improved learning ability and memory.
9. Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.
10. Increased emotional stability.
11. Improved relationships
12. Mind ages at slower rate
13. Easier to remove bad habits
14. Develops intuition
15. Increased Productivity
16. Improved relations at home & at work
17. Able to see the larger picture in a given situation
18. Helps ignore petty issues
19. Increased ability to solve complex problems
20. Purifes your character
21. Develop will power
22. Greater communication between the two brain
hemispheres
23. Respond more quickly and more effectively to a
stressful event.
24. Increases ones perceptual ability and motor
performance
25. Higher intelligence growth rate
26. Increased job satisfaction
27. Increase in the capacity for intimate contact with
loved ones
28. Decrease in potential mental illness
29. Better, more sociable behaviour
30. Less aggressiveness
31. Helps in quitting smoking, alcohol addiction
32. Reduces need and dependency on drugs, pills &
pharmaceuticals
33. Need less sleep to recover from sleep deprivation
34. Require less time to fall asleep, helps cure insomnia
35. Increases sense of responsibility
36. Reduces road rage
37. Decrease in restless thinking
38. Decreased tendency to worry
39. Increases listening skills and empathy
40. Helps make more accurate judgments
41. Greater tolerance
42. Gives composure to act in considered & constructive
ways
43. Grows a stable, more balanced personality
44. Develops emotional maturity
Spiritual benefts:
1. Helps keep things in perspective
2. Provides peace of mind, happiness
3. Helps you discover your purpose in life
4. Increased self-actualization.
5. Increased compassion
6. Growing wisdom
7. Deeper understanding of yourself and others
8. Brings body, mind, and spirit in harmony
9. Deeper Level of spiritual relaxation
10. Increased acceptance of one self
11. Helps learn forgiveness
12. Changes attitude toward life
13. Creates a deeper relationship with your God
14. Increases the synchronicity in your life
15. Greater inner-directedness
16. Helps living in the present moment
17. Creates a widening, deepening capacity for love
18. Discovery of the power and consciousness
beyond the ego
19. Experience an inner sense of Assurance or
Knowingness.
20. Experience a sense of Oneness
21. Leads to enlightenment
COLUMN
Do Love and Sufering go
Hand-in-hand?

Jessy Mathew, USA
T
here are two things that touch or move us in life:
pain and pleasure. Both create addiction. We
feel pain in the body, and sometimes it is even
emotional. But suffering arises in the mind. The suffering in
the mind arises from thinking negatively towards the self,
towards others, looking at them with a vision or attitude
that causes grief, sorrow and suffering. Both extremes, pain
and pleasure, can create addiction. On creating addiction
it can start to form part of someones identity. Later if
one tries to stop the addiction of pain or suffering, it can
almost feel like a threat towards the self, and towards
ones own identity as one perceives it, because suffering
is identifed with. It is too hard to see oneself as no longer
suffering.
An example in this regard is that of a mother, whose
daughter had learned to meditate and became very happy
and joyful. Seeing her happiness the mother came to learn
to meditate. With a few sessions she felt much more at
peace and had very good experiences, but all of a sudden
she decide to stop the meditation practice and leave the
course because she was starting experiencing a positive
detachment, which she perceived as negative. Now, she
was no longer feeling afraid of what might happen to
her children. The meditation was awakening in her a love
free from fears, but it brought on in her an inner clash
of beliefs between the old and new beliefs. Her old belief
was that to love someone is to suffer about them or
create pain related to them.
We have the inner belief that love, worry, fear and
suffering go together. It is diffcult to transform (change)
fear until we eliminate that belief. You are love and you
need to share that love. Life is a sharing of love, it is loving
the body, loving oneself, loving others, loving God, loving
nature, loving work. That energy of love in the end purifes
us and helps us to go forward. But while the belief exists
that love has to be linked to fear and suffering, we
will be blocked and will put a brake to the fow of
pure love. In the name of love, we worry, we suffer and
we are afraid. Instead of helping from a place of freedom
in love, we help out of worry and fear, and in doing so we
stife, control, depend, and the other person feels their
inner freedom restricted. We do not let them be.
10
If we review our personal life and see the moments when
we have experienced most pain in our lives, we realize
that it is with the people we have most loved, and
that have most loved us that we have suffered most.
We experience pain in a relationship of love, where there
is possession, control, submission and dependence.
Other times the pain is caused by a loss that generates
an inner emptiness. That person flled me, they gave me
wholeness, they were the reason for my existence and now
they have either left me or they have gone. In the second
case, we wouldnt say that they have died, but rather
that they have gone to another level of existence i.e. the
soul has taken a new physical costume.
When there is too much pain we cannot lean back
into our true power and experience our energy of
love. Only the power of pure love, unconditional
love or love of God, can help us to get rid of the
suppressed pain inside the subconscious. When you
live through a situation that causes pain in you, you have
to love yourself, stabilize yourself and enter into silence.
Observe that pain without being afraid of it. Observe it to
let go of it and understand what it is that it brings about in
you.
The answer, generally, is connected with others: He/
she doesnt love me anymore and thats why I feel pain,
Things are not like they were before, The company of
this loved one doesnt give me the benefts it was giving
me before.
If a person loved you and now has stopped loving
you, does that make you feel pain? Or is it your own
expectation and your desire for that person to keep on
valuing you or loving you like before that trap you in pain?
Is it that you dont accept change? The truth is that we
bring on suffering ourselves. If you dont want to make
yourself suffer, starting from now you do not have to bear
any more suffering.
Nobody can wound or, cause pain to you, except if
you allow it.
So how do you allow it? By being a vacuum that sucks in
everything of the other, the good and the bad, and you
suffer. It is expectations from our loved one that make us
vulnerable to the experience of suffering.
And how do you avoid it? Never look at a single wall but
step back to see the whole building. Look at those peoples
background, history and values before you assume that
they intended to hurt you. Emotionally sensitive people
usually get hurt because they dont see the real intention
of others in many of the situations they face. You cant
get rid of your sensitivity but you can make yourself less
vulnerable to being hurt by seeing the full picture.
The thing is, getting hurt can be good for you. Of course
it sounds absurd when you are in pain, but when you look
back after all the pain is gone youll truly appreciate the
experience and the things you learned from it.
Just thank your lucky stars that you got through it and
came out as a whole, new person, bearing the scars that
would remind you of past mistakes. Face the world with
a smile on your face and move on with these words I can
and I will!
HOUSEHOLD TIPS
Smart Uses for Salt

Shobhaa Iyer
(Courtesy: Tips passed on by mom
& Internet browsing)
In the Kitchen
Aside from all of the alchemy that salt performs in
terms of baking chemistry and food favor, salt has a
number of other great applications in the kitchen.
Add to boiling water. Many people think that adding
salt to water on the stove will make it boil quicker. It
isnt true! But, salt does make water boil at a higher
temperature, thus reducing cooking time.
Set poached eggs. Because salt increases the
temperature of boiling water, it helps to set the
whites more quickly when eggs are dropped into the
water for poaching.
Test egg freshness. Put two teaspoons of salt in a cup
of water and place an egg in ita fresh egg will sink,
an older egg will foat. Because the air cell in an egg
increases as it ages, an older egg is more buoyant.
This doesnt mean a foating egg is rotten, just more
mature. Crack the egg into a bowl and examine it for
any funky odor or appearanceif its rotten, your nose
will tell you. (Bonus fact: if you have hard boiled eggs
that are diffcult to peel, that means they are fresh!)
Prevent fruits from browning. Most of us use lemon
or vinegar to stop peeled apples and pears from
browning, but you can also drop them in lightly salted
water to help them keep their color.
Shell nuts. Soak pecans and walnuts in salt water
for several hours before shelling to make it easier to
remove the meat.
Prevent cake icing crystals. A little salt added to cake
icings prevents them from sugaring.
Remove odors from hands. Oniony-garlicy fngers? I
like soap and water, then rubbing them on anything
made of stainless steel (it really works), but you can
also rub your fngers with a salt and vinegar combo.
Reach high peaks. Add a tiny pinch of salt when
beating egg whites or whipping cream for quicker,
higher peaks.
Extend cheese life. Prevent mold on cheese by
wrapping it in a cloth moistened with saltwater before
refrigerating.
Save the bottom of your oven. If a pie or casserole
bubbles over in the oven, put a handful of salt on top
of the spill. It wont smoke and smell, and it will bake
into a crust that makes the baked-on mess much
easier to clean when it has cooled.
Cleaning
Salt works as an effective yet gentle scouring agent.
Salt also serves as a catalyst for other ingredients,
such as vinegar, to boost cleaning and deodorizing
action. For a basic soft scrub, make a paste with
lots of salt, baking soda and dish soap and use on
appliances, enamel, porcelain, etc.
Clean sink drains. Pour salt mixed with hot water
down the kitchen sink regularly to deodorize and keep
grease from building up.
12
Remove water rings. Gently rub a thin paste of salt
and vegetable oil on the white marks caused by
beverage glasses and hot dishes, on wooden tables.
Clean greasy pans. Cast-iron skillets can be cleaned
with a good sprinkling of salt and paper towels.
Clean stained cups. Mix salt with a dab of dish soap to
make a soft scrub for stubborn coffee and tea stains.
Clean refrigerators. A mix of salt and soda water can
be used to wipe out and deodorize the inside of your
refrigerator, a nice way to keep chemical-y cleaners
away from your food.
Clean brass or copper. Mix equal parts of salt, four
and vinegar to make a paste, and rub the paste on the
metal. After letting it sit for an hour, clean with a soft
cloth or brush and buff with a dry cloth.
Clean rust. Mix salt and cream of tartar with just
enough water to make a paste. Rub on rust, let dry,
brush off and buff with a dry, soft cloth. You can also
use the same method with a mix of salt and lemon.
Clean a glass coffee pot. Every diner waitress favorite
tip: add salt and ice cubes to a coffee pot, swirl around
vigorously, and rinse. The salt scours the bottom, and
the ice helps to agitate it more for a better scrub.
Laundry
Attack wine spills. If your tipsy aunt tips her wine on
the cotton or linen tablecloth, blot up as much as
possible and immediately cover the wine with a pile
of salt, which will help pull the remaining wine away
from the fber. After dinner, soak the tablecloth in
cold water for thirty minutes before laundering. (Also
works on clothing.)
Quell oversudsing. Since of course we are all very
careful in how much detergent we use in our laundry,
we never have too many suds. But ifyou can
eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.
Dry clothes in the winter. Use salt in the fnal laundry
rinse to prevent clothes from freezing if you use an
outdoor clothes line in the winter.
Brighten colors. Wash colored curtains or washable
fber rugs in a saltwater solution to brighten the
colors. Brighten faded rugs and carpets by rubbing
them briskly with a cloth that has been dipped in a
strong saltwater solution and wrung out.
Remove perspiration stains. Add four tablespoons of
salt to one quart of hot water and sponge the fabric
with the solution until stains fade.
Remove blood stains. Soak the stained cloth in cold
saltwater, then launder in warm, soapy water and boil
after the wash. (Use only on cotton, linen or other
natural fbers that can take high heat.)
Tackle mildew or rust stains. Moisten stained spots
with a mixture of lemon juice and salt, then spread
the item in the sun for bleachingthen rinse and dry.
Clean a gunky iron bottom. Sprinkle a little salt on a
piece of paper and run the hot iron over it to remove
rough, sticky spots.
Set color. Salt is used commonly in the textile
industry, but works at home too. If a dye isnt
colorfast, soak the garment for an hour in 1/2 gallon
of water to which youve added 1/2 cup vinegar and
1/2 cup salt, then rinse. If rinse water has any color in
it, repeat. Use only on single-colored fabric or madras.
If the item is multicolored, dry-clean it to avoid
running all of the colors together.
Around the House
Deter ants. Sprinkle salt at doorways, window sills and
anywhere else ants sneak into your house. Ants dont
like to walk on salt.
Extinguish grease fres. Keep a box of salt near your
stove and oven, and if a grease fre fares up, douse
the fames with salt. (Never use water on grease
fres; it will splatter the burning grease.) When salt is
applied to fre, it acts like a heat sink and dissipates
the heat from the freit also forms an oxygen-
excluding crust to smother the fre.
Drip-proof candles. If you soak new candles in a
strong salt solution for a few hours, then dry them
well, they will not drip as much when you burn them.
Keep cut fowers fresh. A dash of salt added to the
water in a fower vase will keep cut fowers fresh
longer. (You can also try an aspirin or a dash of sugar
for the same effect.)
Arrange artifcial fowers. Artifcial fowers can be
held in place by pouring salt into the vase, adding a
little cold water and then arranging the fowers. The
salt becomes solid as it dries and holds the fowers in
place.
Make play dough. Use 1 cup four, 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup
water, 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons cream of
tartar. Stir together four, cream of tartar, salt and oil,
and slowly add water. Cook over medium heat stirring
frequently until dough becomes stiff. Spread onto
wax paper and let cool. Knead the dough with your
hands until it reaches a good play dough consistency.
Repair walls. To fll nail holes, fx chips or other small
dings in white sheetrock or plaster walls, mix 2
tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, then
add enough water (about 5 teaspoons) to make a
thick paste. Use the paste to fll the holes.
Deter patio weeds. If weeds or grass grow between
bricks or blocks in your patio, sidewalk or driveway,
carefully spread salt between the cracks, then sprinkle
with water or wait for rain to wet it down.
Kill poison ivy. Mix three pounds of salt with a gallon
of soapy water (use a gentle dish soap) and apply to
leaves and stems with a sprayer, avoiding any plant
life that you want to keep.
De-ice sidewalks and driveways. One of the oldest
tricks in the book! Lightly sprinkle rock salt on walks
and driveways to keep snow and ice from bonding to
the pavement and allow for easier shoveling/scraping.
But dont overdo it; use the salt sensibly to avoid
damage to plants and paws.
Tame a wild barbeque. Toss a bit of salt on fames
from food dripping in barbecue grills to reduce the
fames and calm the smoke without cooling the coals
(like water does).
Personal Care
Extend toothbrush life. Soak toothbrushes in salt
water before your frst use; theyll last longer
Clean teeth. Use one part fne salt to two parts baking
sodadip your toothbrush in the mix and brush as
usual. You can also use the same mix dissolved in
water for orthodontic appliances.
Rinse your mouth. Mix equal parts salt and baking
soda in water for a fresh and deodorizing mouth rinse.
Ease mouth problems. For cankers, abscesses and
other mouth sores, rinse your mouth with a weak
solution of warm salt water several times a day.
Relieve bee sting pain. Ouch? Immediately dampen
area and pack on a small pile of salt to reduce pain
and swelling.
Treat mosquito bites. A saltwater soak can do
wonders for that special mosquito-bite itcha poultice
of salt mixed with olive oil can help too.
Treat poison ivy. Same method as for treating
mosquito bites. (Salt doesnt seem to distinguish
between itches.)
Have an exfoliating massage. After bathing and while
still wet give yourself a massage with dry salt. It
freshens skin and boosts circulation.
Ease throat pain. Mix salt and warm water, gargle to
relieve a sore throat.
14
COLUMN
Following Orders: Libor

Sidan Vadakut
U
nless youve been living under a rock or have no
interest at all in the world of high fnance, youve
probably heard of the Libor (London interbank
offered rate) fxing scandal. I wont go into all the murky
details. Suffce to say that a bunch of bankers decided to
game the benchmark rate, which is used to determine
thousands upon thousand of fnancial transactions all over
the world.
In the book of dirty banking tricks, fxing Libor has to be
right up there in the Top 10. (Along with voice operated
telebanking rubbish.) It is an appalling breach of trust. But
there is more. There are victims. Fixing Libor impacts the
amounts that homeowners paid on their mortgages, and
people received as interest on deposits.
Earlier this week, as I sat reading through a copy of the
Financial Times, which was drenched in outrage and
indignation at the audacity of the scandal, I was reminded
of one of the frst projects I was given on my frst job.
One day, in my very frst week at work, the general
manager for engineering took me to one corner of the
plant. He then picked up a round piece of steel from a
stack of supplies. It was the size of a small dinner plate
with a hole going through the centre. Eventually, this plate
would form one end of the muffer box for a Ford Ikon car.
He handed me the piece and then asked me to trace its
life as thoroughly as possible from beginning to end. Start
from the supplier, he said. So I went to the supplier, who
sent me to his importer, who gave me the address of his
Japanese steel maker, visiting whom was beyond my pay
grade.
And then I worked my way backwards. I spent a week
tracing the part from supplier to supplier to our factory and
then all the way up to a Ford dealership where a customer
picked up a car, with the muffer tucked away under the
chassis.
To this day I dont think I have ever handled a more
meaningful project at the workplace. Not just because it
taught me manufacturing and supply chain management
and kanban and kaizen. It did all that.
But hey! A pierced steel plate isnt the Higgs boson. What
it really taught me was about people. No really. I learnt
about the guy who imported the steel and worried about
exchange rates and 40 ft containers and minimum order
quantities. About small nearly-bankrupt suppliers who
lived on peanuts, and large suppliers who dreamed of
buying second-hand CNC machines and hiring proper
engineers. I was astonished to see how much this chain of
obligations and relationships worried about getting this
small part right. And then to realize how a screwed up
exhaust system could kill passengers. And fnally, to realize
how much trust customers place in brands when they buy
something like a car.
I went back to my factory in a state of considerable
enlightenment. Now I knew that cutting corners, delaying
payments and fddling with quality control screwed with
people far away from my immediate universe.
A few months ago, I asked someone who works for a major
investment bank if he felt any remorse at all for what his
industry had done to people all over Europe and America.
He was not one of those bankers living in denial. He knew
that his bank was instrumental in churning out billions of
subprime mortgages, diverting tax-payer funded bailouts
to bonuses, and later bankrupting at least one major
European economy.
Look, all the banks did those things, he said. And
besides I am just doing my job, dude. I cant feel guilty for
everything my bank does. He has basically outlined, in
my opinion, one of the great distinguishing features of the
modern workplace: disengagement.
Through a combination of organizational design, goal
setting and clever rewards mechanisms, employers
have managed to distance most of us completely from
the broader social impact of our jobs. Consultants
identify business locations for clients oblivious to how
land acquisition will impact locals. Traders buy and sell
commodities impervious to how speculation impacts
cultivators. Financiers create loans and insurance policies
that are proftable only because the terms are ambiguous.
Journalists fle stories that are more provocative than they
are accurate.
And in our cubicles we pounce on these projects with
alacrity. Not because we are evil or we wish to cause harm;
but because the fall-out of our actions are so remote, our
victims so unapparent.
I am sure nobody at Barclays thought to themselves: Let
us screw around with Libor so that a lot of poor mortgage
owners will go broke repaying them. Yippee! Instead, they
will all tell you that they were merely following orders.
Unfortunately, history teaches us that there is nothing
more detrimental to our well-being as a society than a
person just following orders.
De-Jargoned Libor
"Confdentiality Warning: This message and any
attachments are intended only for the use of the intended
recipient(s), are confdential and may be privileged. If you
are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notifed
that any review, re-transmission, conversion to hard copy,
copying, circulation or other use of this message and
any attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not the
intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately
by return email and delete this message and any
attachments from your system.
Virus Warning: Although the company has taken
reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in
this email. The company cannot accept responsibility for
any loss or damage arising from the use of this email or
attachment."
It currently serves as a benchmark rate for millions of
contracts worth billions of dollars written everyday all over
the world
Bob Diamond, the chief executive of UK-based bank
Barclays Plc, resigned on Tuesday under serious public
and political pressure in the interbank lending rate rigging
scandal in the UK. The bank was fned 59.5 million by the
Financial Services Authority (FSA) of UK for manipulating
Libor (London Inter Bank Offered Rate) last week. The US
Commodity Futures Trading Commission also slapped
a fne of $200 million on the bank. At present, the
authorities are also investigating the role of several other
banks in this interest rate scandal. Probes at various levels
have been ordered and a committee formed of members
of Parliament from both houses in the UK to look into the
matter.
What is Libor?
This serves as a benchmark that gives an indication of the
rate at which banks can borrow from London interbank
market for a given period of time. The rates are released
for 15 different time periods and for 10 currencies every
day. Banks contributing to the discovery of Libor submit
their quotes for a simple question: At what rate could you
borrow funds, were you to do so by asking for and then
accepting inter-bank offers in a reasonable market size just
prior to 11 am? The rates are released shortly after 11am
every day for all time periods and currencies on behalf of
the British Bankers Association (BBA).
What is its purpose?
In 1984, banks in the UK asked BBA to develop a
benchmark that could be used by the banks for calculating
interest rates on loans. This led to BBA Interest Rate
Settlement in 1985. In 1986, it became BBALiborBritish
Bankers Association London InterBank Offered Rate or
more commonly known as Libor.
16
It currently serves as a benchmark rate for millions of
contracts worth billions of dollars written everyday all
over the world. For example, if an Indian company wants
to approach the international market for loan, the lender,
depending on the risk profle of the company and the
country, will charge Libor plus X%, where X is the risk
premium. Libor also serves some macro purposes. If Libor
is rising continuously, it may be an indication of tight
liquidity or rising stress in the fnancial markets. The
movement of Libor also refects market expectation on
how the central bank will shape its monetary policy.
The current controversy
The allegation on Barclays is that it infuenced Libor with
a submission intended to beneft its own trading positions
and this was happening for a long period of time. In other
words, the bank was not giving an honest quote for the
calculation of Libor. For example, it may have bumped up
the rate if it expected to beneft from higher interest rates.
The FSA noted that such behaviour can harm other market
participants and also the integrity of rates.
Courtesy: http://www.livemint.com/2012/07/06214738/
Following-orders.html
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SHORT STORY

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19
Its also helpful to learn to stretch spontaneously,
throughout the day, stretching any particular area of the
body that feels tense for a minute of two. This will help
greatly in reducing and controlling unwanted tension and
pain.
Periodic stretches can improve the blood circulation in
body, reduces tension in muscles and help relieve the stress
that gets build up while working in a static position for a
long time.
HEALTH
Exercise for Health &
Ergonomics for Work

Dr Sudha Nair
Desk Stretches for Computer Users:
As you know prolonged sitting at a desk or computer
terminal can cause muscular tension and pain. But, by
taking a fve or ten minute break to do a series of stretches,
your whole body can feel better.
It works for anybody and everybody; from the cook, to a
desk offcer, to a security guard, to a chowkidar to a person
watching TV for hours together. It is also a boon for
students who pour over their books for the longest hours!
Stretches are good for everybodyMovement is life
and it keeps you healthy always
The body depends on movement to remain healthy.
Without movement, the body would shrivel up and die.
Movement is what keeps your blood fowing (the heart),
and your food digested and evacuated (stomach and
intestines) and your eyes moisturized (tears and blinking).
Think about any one of these movement functions
stopping, and imagine the consequences.
Muscles must also move in order to remain healthy and
fully functional. When muscles are not used, they loose
their ability to contract and perform as they were intended
to. They may become weak or they may become tight, and
when eventually used, be painful.
When muscles are held in an unnatural position (sleeping
with your head in an awkward position, viewing a
computer screen located to the side, long trips in a plane
or car when you turn your head to talk to someone or
look out the window) for long periods of time, the muscles
become sore and tight due to over stretching on one side
and a maintained contraction on the other.
When muscles repeat movement over and over (running,
lifting weights, assembly line work and computer mouse
clicking) the muscles become programmed to continue
HEALTH
these contractions that have been repeated and continue
to contract after the activity has ended. The result is tight
(contracted), sore muscles that do not get a break, rest or
recovery time.
When muscles are overused (too much movement, new
movement) they become tight and sore and we have a
tendency to not use them or to use the joint involved for
fear of feeling the return of pain. Its also called this pain
phobia. Controlled, Active Stretching is exactly what is
needed to erase the tightness and pain and restore the
muscle to normal.
Stretch Away Those Stif Muscles & Aches!!!
21
HISTORY & CULTURE
Heritage Site in
Thiruvananthapuram turns
Encroachers Paradise

Sudhir Kumar
ar_sudhirkumar@yahoo.com
I
t was once the symbol of pride, of protection and of
grandeur. But now, the Fort that is known as the heart
of Thiruvananthapuram lies open to the whims and
fancies of everyone and anyone, of interest to only tourists
and yes, under attack from all sides by encroachers.
That the fort, including the East Fort, the West Fort
area or wherever the remnants of that bygone era exist,
surrounds the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple with its
now highly publicized treasures has been of little concern
to authorities who possess powers to protect it. That
too, after the fort and its precincts is already notifed as a
heritage site.
A slow drive around the area is more than enough to
show what has happened over the years. Umpteen shops
with their backs to the fort walls, huts, makeshift tents,
workshops, constructions that hide the walls and then, the
worst public comfort stations and garbage dumps are
what meet the eye. While the public comfort station that
is being renovated near the Arasumoodu temple is a live
example of such instances, there are several instances of
garbage being burnt close to the walls without batting an
eyelid. Right from Pazhavangadi to Attakulangara, along
Sreevaraham or wherever the fort walls are, the situation
remains the same.
Little power
The State Archaeology Department, which is the legal
protector of such historic monuments, however, fnds itself
in a quandary when it comes to such blatant, unabated
encroachments and threats to the fort because it has few
executive powers to take action.
According to sources, what the department can do is to
alert the Revenue, police, Town Planning or Corporation
authorities, who can then initiate action. However, it is
anyones guess whether any such alerts have elicited any
response.
The Archaeology Department, which is short of staff too
with barely any new post being created after 1980, has
intervened in some instances, some with success and more
with no result at all. Offcials point out that there has been
no demarcation of restricted areas or regulated areas in
and around the fort though rules provide for this. Such an
exercise would require much more than mere rules since
the encroachments, and the possible consequences of such
a move, are no minor issues.
And if one thought it was only shopkeepers and illegal
inhabitants who did the damage, an offcial is quick to
point out how various government agencies too use JCBs
near the fort walls, that too in areas where only manual
labor under the supervision of an Archaeology offcial is
allowed. Lying of cables, digging of drains, widening of
roads the list works is long.
The fort has walls extending over four kilometers. While
the gates and the fort were declared monuments as early
as 1966, the walls were declared so after 1985, by which
time the mud portions had been demolished.
Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com/
Unauthorised construction at
Fort in Thiruvananthapuram.
Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar
W
hat's the one factor that most affects how
satisfed, engaged, and committed you are at
work? All of our research over the years points
to one answer and that's the answer to the question:
"Who is your immediate supervisor?"
Quite simply, the better the leader, the more engaged the
staff. Take, for example, results from a recent study we did
on the effectiveness of 2,865 leaders in a large fnancial
services company. You can see a straight-line correlation
here between levels of employee engagement and our
measure of the overall effectiveness of their supervisors
(as judged not just by the employees themselves but
by their bosses, colleagues, and other associates on 360
assessments). So, as you can see at the low end, the
satisfaction, engagement, and commitment levels of
employees toiling under the worst leaders (those at or
below the 10th percentile) reached only the 4th percentile.
(That means 96% of the company's employees were more
committed than those mumbling, grumbling, unhappy
souls.) At the other end, the best leaders (those in the
90th percentile) were supervising the happiest, most
engaged, most committed employees those happier
than more than 92% of their colleagues.
This study is by no means unusual. We've seen the
same pattern in the U.S., the U.K., the Netherlands,
Spain, United Arab Emirates, and India. We've seen it in
fnancial services, manufacturing, high-tech, government,
universities, hospitals, food service, oil, and every other
industry we've studied. We've seen it in organizations
employing 225,000 people and 250.
And we're not the only ones who've seen it: In a recent
article, Jim Clifton, the CEO of the Gallup organization,
found that 60% of employees working for the U.S. federal
government are miserable not because of low pay, poor
workplace benefts, or insuffcient vacation days but
because they have bad bosses. He goes so far as to report
a silver-bullet fx to this situation: "Just name the right
manager. No amount of pay and benefts will solve the
problems created by a manager who has no talent for the
task at hand."
This matters so much for two very basic reasons.
Bad Bosses Negate Other Investments: As Clifton
points out, none of the other expensive programs a
company institutes to increase employee engagement
excellent rewards,
well-thought-out career
paths, stimulating work
environments, EAP
programs, health insurance,
and other perks will
make much difference to
the people stuck with bad
bosses.
Good Bosses Lead Employees to Increase Revenue:
And, as many other studies have shown, there's a strong
correlation between employee engagement, customer
satisfaction, and revenue.
To take just one example,
in the frst of many such
studies, published more
than 15 years ago in HBR,
Anthony Rucci, Steven Kirn,
and Richard Quinn identifed
"the employee-customer-
proft chain" at Sears. This was
a straightforward dynamic
in which employee behavior affected customer behavior,
which in turn affected company fnancial performance.
Specifcally, in Sears' case, when employee satisfaction
improved by 5%, customer satisfaction improved by 1.3%,
which led to a .05% improvement in revenue. That might
not sound signifcant, but for $50 billion Sears, that that
came to an extra $250 million in sales revenue.
This study has since been replicated by J.C. Penny, Best
Buy, and Marriott. And for all of them the results held true
effective leaders led to satisfed employees, which led to
satisfed customers, which led to a direct and measurable
increase in sales revenue.
Put all of these studies together, and to us the implications
are clear. Investing in leadership development not only
pays off, it's a prerequisite to getting the most out of your
other investments in workplace effectiveness and the most
from your top line.
COLUMN
How Damaging is a
Bad Boss, Exactly?

Gopal Nair
(Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman)
23
O
nam, the harvest festival, is the biggest festival of
Kerala and is celebrated by the Malayalis the world
over with joy and enthusiasm irrespective of caste,
community or religion. It is the colourful and picturesque
festival and represents the spirit of Kerala transcending the
Malayalis to an idyllic state of leisure, games, dance, music
and sumptuous feasts. Onam transports each Malayali to
his/her native place.
The word Onam or Thiruvonam is said to have derived
from the Sanskrit word Shravanam and Thiruvonam is one
among the 27 nakshatras or constellations. The word Thiru
is used to address places and activities associated with Lord
Vishnu and Thiruvonam is also believed to be the nakshtra
of Lord Vishnu. It is also believed that Onam festivities
started during the Sangam era.
Onam is normally celebrated at the beginning of Chingam,
the frst month of the Malayalam era (Kollavarsham) and
corresponds with August-September, according to the
Gregorian calendar. This year, Thir vonam falls on August
29.
During the harvest season, in Kerala, the paddy felds
look brilliant and glow with golden grains. It is also the
blooming time for fowers and fruits. After Karkkidakam,
the month of deprivation, farmers are happy with a
bountiful harvest and celebrate the festival to the hilt.
Commencing from Atham, Onam festival continues for ten
days and culminate on Thiruvonam. Atham is regarded as
auspicious and is determined by the position of stars.
Onam festival marks the homecoming of legendary
King Mahabali popularly known as called Maveli or
Onathappan. King Mahabali is the son of Virochana and
grandson of Prahlad, who was the devout son of demon
King Hiranyakasipu. King Mahabali also belonged to the
Asura dynasty but was an ardent worshipper of Lord
Vishnu. He was highly respected and was considered to be
exceptionally munifcent, kind-hearted and judicious. His
people were happy and prosperous and the rich and poor
were equally treated. It is believed that there was neither
crime, nor corruption prevalent in his kingdom during his
reign. Even poverty, sorrow and disease were non-existent
in his kingdom. It is said that in the absence of thieves,
even the people did not even lock their doors.
Onam celebrations will be started at Trikkakara in Kerala
which was believed to the capital of King Mahabali. A
temple with a deity of Trikkakara Appan is also located
at this place. Trikkakara Appan or Vamanamurthy is Lord
Vishnus ffth avataar. It is believed that on the Thiruonam
day, Lord Vishnu of a Brahmin boy (vamana avatar) and
visited King Mahabali in order to test him. Vamana sought
INSIGHT
Signifcance of Onam &
Ashtami Rohini Vallasadya

V N Gopalakrishnan
a boon of a piece of land. The king said that he could have
as much as land as he wanted but vamana stressed that
he only wanted land which he could cover in three steps.
Shukracharya, the kings advisor, had sensed that vamana
was no ordinary Brahmin boy and tried to warn the king
from promising anything. Known for his munifcence,
King Mahabali ignored Shukracharyas advice and granted
the boon to Vamana. Vamana suddenly started growing
bigger and bigger and eventually raised to cosmic
proportions. In his frst step he measured the earth and in
his second step the heaven. As he took his third step, not
fnding space to set his foot he looked towards the king.
Unable to grant the third boon, King Mahabali folded
his hands and bowed down in front of the vamana and
offered his head to place the third step in order to fulfll
his promise. The Brahmin placed his foot on the kings
head and puched him down to the nether world (pathala).
The king then requested the Brahmin to reveal his true
identity. When Lord Vishnu came back in his form the
king sought permission to visit his kingdom once in a year..
Moved by the kings nobility the lord promptly granted his
wish.
People believe that on the Thiruvonam day King Mahabali
visits his subjects and hence the day is marked by feast
and festivities. To welcome their revered King, people lay
Pookalam (fower rangoli/mats) and prepare Onasadya
(grand feast). Traditionally, Onasadya t is a nine course
meal consisting of 11 to 13 essential dishes and served on
banana leaves. In traditional Tharawads
(large families), the Karanavar
(eldest member)
presents Onapudava
(new clothes) as gifts
to all family members
including servants.
Other members of the
family exchange gifts among
each other.
Athachamayam is a grand procession that marks the
beginning of Onam and is celebrated at Tripunithura. The
event recalls a royal tradition when Maharajas of erstwhile
Kochi state travelled to the Tripunithura Fort with their
entire entourage.
A procession of decorated elephants is also carried out in
Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala. It is a magnifcent
sight the bejeweled elephants in their full majesty and
grandeur during the procession.
Another feature of Onam is Vallamkali (snake boat race).
A large number of Chundan Vallams (decorated boats)
participate with hundreds of oarsmen for the race. Kerala
has developed a boating tradition thanks to the abundance
of navigable rivers. The long boats embellished with
festoons and silk umbrellas present a charming spectacle
in the backwaters of Punnamada near Alappuzha district.
It is dazzling and stunning spectacle with the rhythmic
rise and fall of the oars as oarsmen row in unison. It is
complimented by songs and music accompanied by the
beating of drums. The annual boat race on Uthrittathi at
Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district and the Vallasadhya
or the feast for the oarsmen who participate in race is a
signifcant event. Devotees consider Vallasadya as an offer
to Parthasarathy, the deity of Aranmula temple.
Pulikkali is another entertaining performance where the
performers take the guise of tigers, painting their bodies
yellow with patterns of black and red. Scenes of tiger
hunting goats and tigers being hunted by humans are
beautifully depicted through this folk art. Kummattikali
is another recreational folk dance performed during
the festival. Dressed in plaited grass and colourful
wooden masks, performers entertain people by enacting
mythological and folk themes.
Kaikottikali is an elegant clap dance performed during
Onam. In this, women sing songs praising the legendary
25
King Mahabali and dance around the Pookalam. Thumbi
Thullal is another folk dance performed by women who
sit in a circle. The lead performer sits inside the circle and
initiates the song which is taken up by other singers.
Onam not only keeps alive memories of a bygone era
of peace and prosperity but brings families scattered in
distant places to an annual get-together reinforcing the
strong family bonds.
A
shtami Rohini Vallasadhya (mass feast) is
famous for its grandeur and religious signifcance.
It is a ritualistic feast annually organized at the
Sri Parthasarathy Temple situated on the banks of River
Pampa at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta dist., Kerala. The
feast is jointly organised by the Palliyoda Seva Sangam and
the Travancore Devaswom Board. This year, the feast will
be organized on the birthday of Lord Krishna on September
2, 2012.
The Vallasadhya is usually served to the oarsmen of the
palliyodams (snakeboats) in a ceremonious ritual. Over
45 delicious dishes such as parippu, sambhar, pulisseri,
rasam, avial, thoran, kalan, olan, koottukari, pachadi,
kichadi, injipuli, pickles etc. are served on plantain leaves
including 4-5 varieties of payasam (pudding). The dishes
are served in the background of songs sung to the tune of
Kuchelavritham Vanchipattu (songs in praise of the Lord)
and as the songs are sung, the
participants will demand for
a particular dish which will be
instantly served. The legend is
that in a Vallasadhya, all dishes asked for must be served in
order to please the Lord. Over 40,000 people participate
and an estimated 3,500 kg of rice is cooked for the feast.
Elaborate arrangements are made for the smooth conduct
of the feast. The devotees who offer Vallasadya to the
presiding deity have to serve the feast to the oarsmen of
the Palliyodams (snakeboats) as well. Over 30 snakeboats
(Chundan Vallams) representing different Palliyodakkara
(villages having their own snakeboats) reach the temple
ghats to take part in the feast. The devotees consider
Palliyodams as divine vessel of the presiding deity. They
belong to different Karas (regions) on the banks of River
Pampa. Each Palliyodam will have four helmsmen, 100
oarsmen and 25 singers! The oarsmen wear white mundu
(dhoti) and thalappavu (turban).
The oarsmen are accorded a customary reception and they
offer Nirapara to the presiding deity at the Nadappanthal
in front of the golden temple mast and go round the
temple chanting Vanchippattu. The Vallasadhya begins
immediately after the Utchapuja (forenoon puja) at the
temple.
The Thiruvonathoni carrying provisions and vegetables for
the Vallasadhya sets off for the Parthasarathy temple at
Aranmula from the Mahavishnu temple at Kattoor in the
evening on the Uthradom day accompanied by a row of
Palliyodams from the nearby villages. It reaches the temple
in the morning on the Thiruvonam day. Eighteen families
in Kattur offer provisions for the Vallasadhya at the temple.
Aranmula temple is one of the fve ancient shrines
connected with the Mahabharata. Legend has it that
Arjuna built this temple, to expiate for the sin of killing
Karna on the Kurukshetra battlefeld, against the dharma
of killing an unarmed enemy. According to another legend,
the Pandava princes, after crowning Parikshit left on a
pilgrimage and in Kerala, each of these brothers installed
Vishnu idols on the banks of the River Pampa and nearby
places and offered worship. It is said that the idol was
brought in a raft made of six pieces of bamboo and hence
the name Aranmula came to be known.
V.N. Gopalakrishnan is a Mumbai-based Freelance Journalist and Social activist. He started
his journalistic career as Sub-editor with Free Press Journal and has over 40 years of
experience in journalism, PR and management. He worked with SASMIRA, Indian Merchants
Chamber and Telegulf Directory Publications, Bahrain. He retired from Priyadarshni Academy
as Chief Executive Offcer. Currently, he is engaged in writing articles in selected journals
in India and abroad. He also contributes articles in e-journals and web portals. He can be
contacted on telegulf@gmail.com.
I
ndonesia based NG Group of Companies is set to
become a major coal player in the nation, targeting to
produce up to four million tons of coal in 2013 from four
soon acquired concessions, accumulating to a combined
output of six million tons from another coal mine it plans
to acquire in Central Kalimantan.
Our output today might still stand
at the rate of 50,000 tons per month,
but were aiming high for 2013,
Group Director Biju N. G. said to
Coal Asia at his offce in Jakarta.
Established in 1999, the group was
initially focusing its business on
timber export, further diversifying its
ventures to cover other key business
prospects that include shipping and
information technology, from the production of lubricant
oil, mineral water to rice.
And in 2008 we started to get involved in mining
business, working on a mine in Samarinda under subsidiary
PT Euro Asia Exports and Industries (EAEI). EAEI now
responsible for the operation of two mines each in East
and South Kalimantan, Biju said.
The groups mine in Samarinda East Kalimantan covers
an exploitation area of 200 hectares from up to 5,000
hectares concession area at some 12 kilometers from the
nearest jetty. Its current output stands at 20,000 tons of
coal with calorifc value between 6,100 and 6,300 kcal/kg
per month. Its stripping ratio stands at 1:12, with proven
reserve of 25 million tons.
In South Kalimantan, production is initiated on 2,500
hectares of concession area in Kota Baru, with a monthly
output of 30,000 tons of coal with calorifc value of above
6,300 kcal/kg. Its stripping ratio stands at 1:10. Biju stated
that the mine is acquired through a joint venture project
with US-India- based Sycamore-Surana Corporation, a
move that will ensure the mines long term buyer. But the
drop of coal prices inevitably affects NGs business.
Until the frst semester of this year, we produced up to
200,000 tons of coal from both mines, as demand slows
down from our main market in India. But were certain to
meet our total output target of 500,000 tons for both
mines this year, he said, adding that more than 70 percent
of the output are sold to India through long term contract
partnerships.
New concessions
However, Biju is optimistic that 2013 will be the pinnacle
period for the group as its currently reaching the fnal
acquisition stage, eyeing four new coal concessions in
South Kalimantan.
The acquisition should be completed within the next
two months. Its a bit technical, but the shareholders
have agreed to release 70 percent of their shares. We are
currently pushing for a complete take over to smooth
future decision making process, he said, adding that
the group expects all the concessions, which are located
adjacent to each other with Production Operation IUP
license, to start delivering output at the end of this year or
the start of 2013. At the targeted output rate of 100,000
tons per month for each mine, NG expects to produce a
total of 4.8 million tons per year.
Biju explained that one concession roughly covers 9,700
hectares of area while another concession covers 1,000
hectares area. As two of the remaining concessions cover
roughly 7,000 hectares each, the accumulated total area
could roughly cover 26,000 hectares.
He stated that the group allocated up to US20 million
worth of fund for the acquisition, cooperating with
local and overseas partners, namely US based Sycamore
Ventures, Powertech PLC from Isle of Man and Earth
Minerals from Singapore.
He said that each concession will require between 20 to 25
units of heavy equipment to sustain operation, though the
Group might consider hiring contractors to do the work.
We havent made the decision yet, he said.
NG is also in the process of acquiring 10,000 hectares
concession in Tamiang Layang, East Barito Central
Kalimantan, located some 30 kilometers away from the
nearest anchorage. Despite the low calorifc value of
the coal, ranging between 4,700 and 5,100 kcal/ kg, the
concession is reported to have a staggering estimated coal
resource of 500 million tons.
COLUMN
NG in Acceleration Mode

Er Audy Zandri
N G Biju
27
The thing about the Central Kalimantan concession is
that were acquiring it under a joint venture scheme with
Sycamore Ventures and Narmada Thermal Power Limited,
Gujarat, India. NG will be the mines operator with 30
percent stake in the project, whereas Sycamore will be
the majority stockholder. The planned output will be sold
to Narmadas power plants in India, he said, adding that
NG plans to allocate up to US$10 million worth of fund to
fnance the acquisition plan.
As the concession still holds Exploration IUP license, Biju
stated that the company will need to work on acquiring
the Operation Production IUP before fnally commencing
operation. We believe that the acquisition for the Central
Kalimantan concession should have been completed at
the end of this year, with initial operation to commence
in March 2013, he said, adding that the initial output of
the Central Kalimantan mine should reach 10,000 tons per
month.
Logistic planning
NG said to allocate up to US$60 million worth of
capital expenditure this year, covering the fnancing of
its acquisition plans. The remaining US$2 million will be
allocated for its mine in Samarinda, with US$10 million for
the development of its mine in Kota Baru.
We also plan to allocate another US$10 million for the
development of a port at the edge of Durian River in
Kota Baru, located some eight hours from Banjarmasin,
to support the operation of all the concessions in South
Kalimantan. All the acquired licenses have been obtained
and when the construction is completed, it should have
the storage capacity of 150,000 tons, he said, adding that
the port, completed with an underpass and 3kilometer
hauling road, is also expected to fnish its construction
stage this December.
A native South Indian with profound fuency in Bahasa,
Biju stated that the groups long term target is to be able
to set up dedicated trading units in China and India, two
of the biggest coal importers so far. Demands from India
might have declined over the months, especially with the
infation rate and Rupee weakening, but Rupee has been
getting stronger these several days, and expert believed
that things will go back to normal as of March next year.
Coal will remain the cheapest power source available, and
India will resume its import volume from Indonesia, as
logistic cost and coal specifcations make it the cheapest
imported coal for India. Im still highly optimistic about
the business, he said.
July 2012 The Malayali Wings 28
T
anishq Abraham (June 2003) is an American child
genius and a child prodigy. He joined Mensa at 4
years old.
In 2010, when his younger sister, Tiara Thankam Abraham
(December 2005), became a member of Mensa at 4 years
old, they became the youngest siblings to join the high
IQ society Mensa. Tanishq (2003) & Tiara (2005) are the
youngest East Indians (by ethnicity) to join Mensa and
among the youngest Americans in Mensa. To be members
of Mensa, one has to score 98 percentile in a standardized
IQ test. Tanishq scored 99.9 percentile and Tiara scored 99
percentile in the standardized IQ test.
Born in California,
USA, to parents
Bijou Abraham & Dr.
Taji Abraham, both
children showed
signs of high IQ at
an early age. Tanishq
showed this during
his early baby days,
when at 4 months old he fipped pages of children story
books, answered questions on the stories and events in the
books. At 5 years old, he completed Stanford University's
EPGY Math courses in 5 grades (KG to 4th grade) in less
than 6 months. At 6 years old, he did on-line high school
and college level classes ranging in subjects like chemistry,
palaeontology, biology,
geology. His prodigious
talent was seen at 7
years old, when he joined
American River College
and completed courses in
Geology & Astronomy.
In both the courses, he
scored an A grade and was the top student among his
adult classmates. During Summer 2011, at 8 years old, he
completed an intensive Biotechnology course and scored
an A grade.
His other passions include music where he has been
involved with formal training in piano since 3 years old,
a chorister with the San Francisco Boys Chorus, chess,
swimming, dancing and soccer. Due to problems by the
school and the school district in meeting the educational
needs of a child genius, left with no choice, Tanishq's
parents have taken up the responsibility of educating
a child prodigy. He is being home schooled where his
curriculum involves college courses.
Tiara Abraham is the younger sister of Tanishq Abraham.
She is a child genius too, who at 4 years old joined the
American Mensa. Her reading skills are close to a 5th
grader. Like her older brother Tanishq, she enjoys learning
geology, palaeontology and other sciences. So far Tiara is
also home schooled by her parents. Tiara is a gifted child
artist. Her art work done at 3 and 4 years old, titled, 'My
Brother, My Friend' and 'Rainbow Over Lake' has been
judged and awarded "Honorable Mention" at the California
State Exposition. Her artwork done at 5 years old, titled
'My Unicorn' was judged and awarded "Third Place" for the
acrylic painting category at the California State Exposition.
Like her older brother, Tanishq, Tiara is involved in extra-
curricular activities such as gymnastics, dancing, soccer
and art classes.
Both children at a young age have taken up volunteering
and raising funds for charity. They have actively
participated for UNICEF's Trick-or-Treat. Tanishq has
taken part in Science, Spelling and Vocabulary Bees that
help raise scholarship money for the need-based gifted
students in India.
Please do visit the link
http://www.cnn.com/
video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/
us/2012/07/08/nr-college-
prodigy.cnn to see an
amazing video on Tanishq
and see what he has to
say!!!
ARTICLE
Tanishq Abraham

Vinson Palathingal
29
O
ne of the reasons why English enjoys its pre-
eminent place among the languages of the world
is the wealth of its vocabulary. It is not merely
by borrowing from other languages that the vocabulary
grows. Existing words assume new meanings, and are put
to metaphorical use. In this column, we look at the way
names of diseases have turned into metaphors to enhance
the resources of English vocabulary.
Most Indians know what virus means, and tend to use
the phrase viral fever for every instance of fever. In Latin,
virus means poison; my etymological dictionary links this
to the Sanskrit word visham, meaning poison. In 1972,
it was used as a computer term. Today, its meaning has
extended further in the phrase go viral, as in within
a week the news went viral. This refers to the way
information spreads rapidly on the Internet from person
to person. From this emerged viral marketing; using the
Internet to promote sales or spreading a product through
Internet and social networking sites.
Allergy has been at the centre of debate since the days
of prescriptive grammarians. It means an abnormal
reaction of the body to certain substances such as pollen,
hypersensitivity to substances. In common use today, it
has the opposite meaning: a dislike or aversion to a person
or activity, insensitivity, as in I am allergic to flm music.
Rajiv Gandhi, according to media reports, remarked that
Uttar Pradesh lagged behind because of myopic political
vision. Myopia is a disease of the eye, which makes distant
objects appear blurred. Its meaning has been extended to
refer to people who are short-sighted, who do not have a
long-range view of things. The word is formed from Greek
myein, to close and ops eye.
A similar change took place in the meaning of jaundice.
The word is related to French jaune, yellow, and refers
to a disease that causes things to appear yellow. The eyes
and skin turn yellow. The extended meaning of jaundiced is
resentful, strongly prejudiced. He has a jaundiced view of
social harmony.
Atrophy is a word that is fairly common in use. It is made
up of the roots a refers to without and troph, food.
It means without nourishment. When a system atrophies,
it becomes weaker and ineffective. It can refer to a body
part, as in an atrophied arm. Here is an example of its
extended meaning: Music begins to atrophy when it gets
too far from the dance (Ezra Pound).
Vertigo is a disease that causes giddiness when one looks
down from a great height. From it, is formed the adjective
vertiginous, which means changing quickly, unstable.
Here is an example from an article by Kate Hodal which
appeared in The Guardian: (Anwar Ibrahims) political
career has suffered vertiginous highs and lows.
Cancer is now a topical word. Cancer of corruption
has been a phrase bandied about by politicians, media
persons and bureaucrats. In medicine, cancer is defned as
a malignant tumor that can spread to other parts of the
body. Metaphorically, it is applied to any evil infuence that
spreads dangerously. Cancer is represented by the prefx
carcino, which is related to Greek karkinos (crab) and in
Sanskrit, karkata(crab), the fourth sign of the zodiac.
Measles is a disease that leaves a rash on the body. It is
also known as German measles, since the disease was frst
described by German physicians. The adjective formed
from it, measly, does not refer to any disease. Measly is a
harsh fault-fnding word, which means contemptibly small,
paltry. The company gave me a measly raise of Rs 100.
To end this column, we have an example from an article
written by San Luis for the Manila Bulletin: He exhorted
his countrymen not to neglect English, saying: We suffer
from a diarrhea of words and a constipation of ideas. You
can use that as a put-down when some garrulous intruder
wastes your time.
INSIGHT
Words Derived from
Names of Diseases

V.R. Narayanaswami
PHOTO GALLERY
Munnar, Thekkady, &
Alleppey Backwaters

Sijo Thomas
Allepey Backwaters
31
Allepey Backwaters
Allepey Backwaters
33
Allepey Backwaters Karalipaytu
Karalipaytu
KathaKalli
35
KathaKalli
Munnar Flower Garden
37
Munnar Flower Garden
Munnar Mountains and Valley
39
41
Wurm greetlngx from Sunkuru Fye Hoxpltul, Bungulore!
Please Contact:
R Balasubramanian <r_bala_iyeryaboo.co.in>
Sankaia Eye Caie Institutions
Bangaloie, Inuia
As we appioach the celebiation of 0NAN, I am ieminueu of uopalji's
quote "Wbile enjoyinq tbe 60B qifteJ beoutiful life, let us work toqetber
os o TFAH to belp tbe unfortunote."

It is with this spiiit we have appioacheu you!
Small funus fiom thousanus of uonois have enableu Sankaia to caiiy
out, till uate, ovei 9, uu,uuu fiee vision iestoiation suigeiies
benefitting the economically uisauvantageu anu socially maiginalizeu
sections of oui society.

Foi as little as Rs.1,uuu, an aitisan's livelihoou can be iestoieu, enable
a faimei to take up faiming again, a teachei to go back to teaching,
enable a gianupaient to aumiie & cheiish the smile of his gianu-
chiluien - help those uepenuent to become self-uepenuent anu iegain
theii piiue anu iestoie the quality of life.

July August 2012 E Zine

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Vol. 3 Issue 7, July / August 2012

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