Flowers from our Garden

Independence Day - 15 August 2014

My wife and I celebrated Independence Day by participating in the Flag Hoisting ceremony at Corporation School, Masakalipalayam,Coimbatore.This is a Government School and education is free - no fee, free books & stationary and free mid-day meals. The children who attend this school come from poor families - children of daily wage labor or construction site workers.
We witnessed flag hoisting by the Chief Guest followed by various programs by the children like speeches and poems on National Integration, singing and dancing, fancy dress competitions etc.Winners of the various competitions like chess, drawing & games ( conducted during the run up to Independence Day) were given prizes. The teachers and staff were also honored with gifts. Some of the prizes were sponsored by us. It was wonderful to participate and witness the joy and happiness on the children's faces. The function concluded by the singing of the National Anthem - Jana Gana Mana !
The Headmistress was delighted by our voluntary participation and our gesture to support the school activity. We have now decided to periodically visit the school and provide support in various forms - scholarships to bright students, free tuition & coaching for weak students, encourage more sports activity like badminton & carroms, provide financial help to students who wish to pursue college education etc.

Guruvayoor Temple Visit

Here are some pictures clicked during my visit to Guruvayoor last week. The devotee turnout was low so we had wonderful and peaceful evening darshan of Sri Guruvayoor Appan. We also witnessed the magnificent Seeveli (parading of three caparisoned elephants with one massive tusker and two she elephants flanking him with the idol of Guruvayoorappan atop the tusker) at night which was mind blowing: The devotees could stand very close to the to these magnificent beasts. There was a cordon of mahouts all around forming a protective ring.We followed this up with another serene early morning darshan during Nirmalayam.

Kerala: Gods Own Country

Recently I traveled by car into Kerala- visiting Pallasenai Bhagavathy, Guruvayoor, Trichur, Palakkad and back to Coimbatore. The countryside was lush with greenery,climate was cloudy and cool with intermittent rain. Kerala has truly been described as God's own country. The drive was  feast for the eyes and manna for the soul. I felt rejuvenated and my cells regenerated.

Airline Disaster Averted

                                    Jet Airways pilot dozes while flying from Brussels to Ankara. Aircraft loses 5000 ft.altitude and pilot woke up after receiving alert from Ankara ATC ! What was the co-pilot doing when pilot was dozing. She reiterated that while the plane was losing altitude she was looking for her tablet – not the conventional pill but the electronic variety. Both pilot and co=pilot have been grounded and suspended and an inquiry will be conducted by DGCA. Once the episode is erased from public memory DGCA(Director General of Civil Aviation)will hush up the inquiry and the daring duo will be up and flying imperiling lives of passengers once again.

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