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July 2015Volume 1 Issue 5www.vedaanta.com

SENIORZ

T O D A YN E W S L E T T E R

Cover Story

Music – The Magic Beyond...Music – The Magic Beyond...

Cover Story

Reti rement Communi�es

S E N I O R Z T O D A YJuly 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5

Ret irement Community

DearReader,

GreetingsfromVedaantaSeniorLiving!

“Musicisahigherrevelationthanallwisdomandphilosophy”-

LudwigVonBeethoven

Fromthecavemanperiod,musichasbeenapartofman'snature

to express his thoughts, thoughts that cannot be expressed

throughwords, gestures or bymeans ofwriting, painting or

sculpturing.Itallbeganwithgruntsfromthecavemenfollowed

bycreatingsoundsbyhittingrocksandlogs,thentoadditionof

voice,synchingtherhythmtothesoundproducedandsoon.

Evolution from sounds and synching voiceswith the sounds

gavebirth toavarietyofgenres- folk, jazz, classical, country

side,western,rock,disco,hip-hop,tomentionafew.

Thecoverstoryofthis issue“Music-TheMagicBeyond”talks

aboutthedifferentwaysthatmusicin�luencesallwalksofour

lives. We also bring to you other columns on Money (on

Retirement Savings), Well-Being (on blood donation), Law

(PreventionofCorruptionAct1988),Beauty(FeetCare)anda

GuestColumnonDatingSriBhagavathaPurana,tonameafew.

Webelieveingivingtoyouasenior-lifestylenewsletterthrough

ourcolumns.Weinviteyoutobeapartofthistrend

WithGreetings&Care,

P.B.AnandapadmanabhanChairman

AshwinKumarIyerCEO

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Email: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PhoneNo: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sendintheabovedetailstoinfo@vedaanta.comoryoumaydropinthesedetailsatanyofourbrancheslistedbelow:

Chennai:No.11,Kanakasrinagar,CathedralRoad,Chennai-600086.

Bangalore:SuiteNo.502,No.7,PrestigeCentrePoint,CunninghamRoad,Bangalore-560052.

Coimbatore:No.58A,GroundFloor,OmSakthiNagar,Ramanathapuram,Coimbatore-641045.

Subscribe Now For SENIORZ TODAY

Music

the Magic

Beyond

Cover Story

10

C C for Change for Cinema

and for Character and C

C for Casting too

colon rectal cancer

do not ignore your symptoms!

Blood donation is service to humankind

Retirement SavingsSurvey Findings

An Overview on Prevention of Corruption Act -1988

18 05

07

08

Taking Care of your Feet 13

World Environment Day16

Indulge- Ginger Pakodas 23

Dating Sri Bhagavata Puranam

24

Tarot Predictions 26

Fun Corner27

Editorial BoardEditor : Ashwin Kumar IyerSub-Editor : Sona RamaniCrea�ve Designs : V. Dharmendran

Ar�cles in Columns:

Sujatha Sathia Murthy Dr. L. Ravindran

A.R. SujathaMythili Balakrishnan

Ashwin Kumar Iyer Sona Ramani

Circula�on & Distribu�on:

Chennai : Z. Akbar Bangalore : R.S. Prabhu Mumbai : Dharam Joshi Coimbatore : A. Venkatesh

Kumbakonam : V. Mithun

Guest Contribu�on:

R. SelvakumarVenkatDr. R. NagaswamyDr. Venkatesh Munikrishnan

In- House Contribu�on :

© Vedaanta Senior Living LLP 2015

All Rights Reserved. No part of this newsle�er or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior wri�en consent of the editor, unless otherwise indicated for stand-alone materials. All the content contributed by guest experts remain the p roperty of the respec�ve people. All the content guest experts provide is the opinion of the respec�ve expert and has not been researched or validated by the Editorial Board of Vedaanta Senior Living. Commercial use and distribu�on of the contents of the magazine is not allowed without express and prior wri�en consent of the author.

J U l y - 2 0 1 5

ContentsReti rement Communi�es

www.vedaanta.com

S E N I O R Z T O D A YJuly 2015 Volume 1 Issue 5

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www.vedaanta.com Seniorz Today July 2015 5 Vol.1 Issue 5

Retirement Savings -Survey Findings

ndianshaveahighpenchantfo r sav ings and th i s i spartially depicted in thereadiness as analysed in theAegonRetirementReadiness

Survey. The extent of readiness isheart-warmingtobeginwithasourcountryisplacedaheadofitsBRIC(Braz i l , Russ ia , Ind ia , Ch ina)counterparts.

With Indians being 'optimistic' astheyareof'futureprosperity', timeis ripe for the current employedpopulation to de-phase itself fromtheir employers and becomeindependent,bothinthinkingandinaccepting retirement. There existspossibilitythatretirementagecouldbeenhancedfrom58/60byabout5moreyearsatleastwhichpanswellfor one and all and improves the'productive'population.Withpeopleatadvancedagesmaintainingbetterhealth suiting the needs of theiremployers,itisonlysometimeawaybefore 'experienced' people aregiven a 'golden welcome-back' asagainst the 'golden handshake'envisagedinthepast.

The Government of India throughthe Prime Minister's scheme isbringing about a higher socialsecuritynetwithapersonalaccidentcover, pension cover and l i feinsurance cover whose viabilityneedstobeveri�ied in theyears tocome. The pension plan does notallowanycommutationandtothatextentthereisadeprival.However,thesepolicies andplans aremeantfor the 'uncovered' and not to the�inanciallyawarecitizens.

( S ou r c e Ae gon Re t i r emen tReadinessSurvey).“Respondents in Indiaareamongstofmostpositiveofallthecountriessurveyed, both with regard toexpectations for the economy andtheirown �inancial situation in thenext12months.Forexample,48%expect the economy to get betterduringthistime,and34%expectittostaythesame.Furthermore,57%expecttheirown�inancialsituation

to get better and 33% expect it toremain the same. Nearly twice asmany Indians are positive on bothmeasuresthantheglobalaveragesof28% and 31% respectively. Thisrelatively posit ive mood alsoextends to how Indians see future

Aspirations&Expectations

generations of retirees- nearly half( 4 5% ) b e l i e v e t h a t f u t u r egenerationsofretireeswillbebetteroffthanthosecurrentlyretired,withonly 18% expecting them to beworse off. The relatively positivemood is re�lected in the attitudest h a t I n d i a n s h a v e t owa rd sretirement. When asked whichwords they most associate withretirement(fromalist),73%choseat least one of the positive wordsoffered, although 48% do havenegative associations. The mostcommon word associations are:

Freedom(39%),Enjoyment(36%),and Leisure (34%). However, for20% retirement is associated withbeing'dependentonothers'andfor16% each with insecuri ty orloneliness.Nearlytwo-thirds(62%)aspire to spendingmore timewith


friends and family in retirement,whilst53%expectittobeatimeoftravelling.Morethaninanycountrysurveyed, nearly half (46%) lookforward to volunteer work and afurther 22% expect to continueworking in the same �ield. Overall,37%ofworkers are con�ident thattheywillbeabletofullyretirewithalifestyle they consider comfortable(doubletheglobalaverageof19%),although one-in-�ive (20%) areeithernotverycon�identornotatallcon�ident. These �igures are fullysupported by fully retired Indians,43%ofwhomarecon�identthattheywill always be able to l ive inretirementcomfortably.”

“Most Indian workers (65%) saythata lackofmoneytoinvest isanobstacletosavingforretirement. Apay rise would encourage 41% tosaveforretirement.Furthermore,inIndia,easy-to-useaccesstotrackingand managing retirement savingswouldencouragea similarnumber(39%)tosave,whilst37%woulddoso i f t hey re ce ived a be t te rretirement plan match from theiremployer.”

“Incentivising workers to save forretirement will involve the help ofbothgovernmentandemployersaswellasthewillingnessofemployeesto look towards their retirement,something which may be decadesaway. Auto-enrolmentissomethingthat has been discussed in manycountries, and thisyearwegaugedthe views of workers towards itspossible introduction.Respondentswere asked to imagine that theywere automatically enrolled in aworkplacepensionandaskedwhatproportionoftheirsalaryorwageswould be a reasonable amount for,�irstly, them to contribute and,s e cond ly, t he i r emp loyer tocontribute. The mean percentager e ga rded a s r e a s onab l e f o r

employees to contribute is 8.45%,exactly 2% higher than the globalaverage. The mean percentager e ga rded a s r e a s onab l e f o remployerstocontributewas9.07%(globally,7.86%).SotheevidenceinIndia is that auto-enrolment isregarded as a reasonable way ofsaving for retirement. This wasfurthersupportedwhenemployeeswere asked about the appeal ofauto-enrolment if employees wereexpected to contribute 6%of theirannualsalaryorwagestoit.Overall,78%�indthepropositioneitherveryor somewhat appealing, with only8% regarding such a scheme asunappealing. Given that Indiansregard higher than global average

contributionsasreasonable,itisnots u r p r i s i n g t h a t t h e 7 8% i ssigni�icantly higher than the 63%global �igure. With an appetite forr e t i r e m e n t s a v i n g c l e a r l yestablished,itisencouragingtonotethat when retired most workerswoulduse their retirement savingsresponsibly. Only one-in-six (17%)wouldprefertoreceivealumpsumthat(presumably)wouldnotbere-invested.Whilstasimilarproportion(16%)wouldwanttoreceivealumpsum and re-invest it all in a tax-deferredvehicle,themajority(61%)would either prefer to receive aregularincome(suchasanannuitypayment(33%)orreceiveamixofa

“Thetraditionalideaofa'cliffedge'retirement,wherebypeoplereachacertain age and stop paid workaltogether, is something that mostworkers in nearly all the countriessurveyednolongerexpect. Indiaisnoexception.OnlyasmallminorityofIndianemployees(18%),believetha t t hey w i l l s top work ingaltogetherandenterfullretirement,muchlowerthantheglobal�igureof32%. In India the majority (58%)expectsomesortoftransition,eitherbychangingthewaytheywork(e.g.workingpart-timeorontemporary

contracts) beforeeventually givingu p p a i d w o r k( 3 5 % ) , o r b ychangingworkandcontinuinginsomec a p a c i t yt h r o u g h o u tretirement (23%).A f u r t h e r 19%believe they willkeep working asthey currently do,nearly double the

10%reportedglobally.”Overall,theIndianemployee/workerishavinga�ield day in so far as employersbecomingmoreconscious tophaseo u t wo r ke r s smoo t h l y i n t oretirementwithwell-conceivedandmeaningfulplans.

AFlexibleTransitionToRetirement

lump sum and a regular payment(29%).”

Theauthor,Dr. L. Ravindran,Ph.D; is a certi�ied�inancial plannerandisFounderMD&CEO of WealthmaxE n t e r p r i s e sM a n a g e m e n tPrivate Limited, an

awardwinning companywith over 12yearshistoryofmanagingandadvisingcitizensacrosstheworldwithbranchesinvariouscitiesofIndia

Well-Being


ByDonatingBloodyouhelp theneedyand savea

precious life. Transfusion of blood every year saves

millionsoflivesallovertheworld.Every3seconds,

someone needs a blood transfusion. Almost one in

every hospitalized patient needs blood transfusion.

Whenyourbloodisdividedintocomponents, itcan

savethelivesofuptofourpeople.

There are a lot of misconceptions associated with

blooddonation,thecommononebeingthattheycould

feelweak and fatigued. It sure is amyth! Donating

bloodwillmakeyoufeelrejuvenated,notweak.

A battery of tests including measurement of your

weight,bloodpressure,clinicalhistorytoassessthe

physical condition and to screen for any chronic

diseases and Haemoglobin would be done before

declaring you �it for blood donation. Disposable

needlesandbagsarebeingused incollectingblood

andareperformedunderstrictasepticprecautions,

eliminatinganychancesof contracting infectionsor

developinganycomplications.Thebodycompensates

theamountofblood lostduring thehours, andyou

couldcarryonwithyourroutineimmediatelyafter!

The immediate after effect couldbemildnauseaor

dizziness,whichwouldpassinamatterof10minutes.

It is hardly anything, when compared to the joy of

savingsomebody'slife!

Stopforamomenttothinkaboutwhowouldbene�it

fromyourblood!

·Accidentvictims

·Motherswithseverebleedingafterchildbirth

·Prematurebabies

·Newbornwithrhesusincompatibility

·Patientsundergoingmajorsurgeries

·Peoplewithblooddiseases/disorders

·Cancerpatients

·Patientsondialysis

Thebloodyoudonategivessomeoneanotherchance

atlife.Onedaythatsomeonemaybeacloserelative,a

friend,alovedone—orevenyou.

th14 June 2015 is 'World BloodDonorDay' and the

themeofthisyear'scampaignis"Thankyouforsaving

mylife".Itfocusesonthankingblooddonorswhosave

lives every day through their blood donations and

stronglyencouragesmorepeopleallovertheworldto

donatebloodvoluntarilyandregularlywiththeslogan

“Givefreely,giveoften.Blooddonationmatters.”

Blood Donation Is Service To Humankind.

It Is An Act Of Saving A Life!!

All It Costs Is A Little Love!!! 2

SAVE A LIFE

GIVE

BLOODSAVE A LIFE

GIVE

BLOOD

Blood cannot be generated! So, go ahead and Donate! Liberally!!

It will cost you nothing! But, it will save a Life!

"

"

EVERY SECONDSSOMEONE NEEDS BLOOD

-Mythili Balakrishnan

Law


An Overview On ''Prevention Of

"IfwecannotmakeIndiacorruption-free,thenthevisionofmakingthenation

developby2020wouldremainasadream."-Dr.A.P.J.AbdulKalam.

Act 1988''COR RUPTION Corruption is considered to beone of the greatest impedimentsonthewaytowardsprogressforadevelopingcountrylikeIndia.Theeconomic, social and culturalstructure of our country is verystrong, however, due to themenacecalled“Corruption”, ithasbeen adversely affected and hasbecome defenseless against theforcesofanti-socialelements.

AccordingtoShriN.Vittal,FormerChiefVigilanceCommissioner,the�irststage in thedynamicsof therule of law is the framing ofeffectiverulesandlaws,whichareequippedtohindertheever-risingescalationofthecorruptiongraph.It is in this context that thePrevention of Corruption Act,1988becomeshighlysigni�icant.

ThePreventionofCorruptionAct,1988 (hereafter referred to asPCA) came into force on 9thSeptember,1988.

Under the PCA“Public duty”meansaduty in thedischargeofwhichtheState,thepublicorthecommunity at large has anin te res t .“ S ta te ” i nc ludes acorporation established by orunderaCentral,ProvincialorStateAct, or an authority or a bodyowned,controlledoraidedbytheGovernment company as de�inedin Section 617 of the CompaniesAct,1956(Iof1956),

“Public Servant” means anypersoninthe“service”or“payof”

the Government or remunerated

by the Government by fees or

commission for the performance

ofanypublicduty. Inaddition to

the categories included in the

IndianPenal Code, the de�inition

of“publicservant”includesof�ice

bearers of co-operative societies

receiving �inancial aid from the

government , emp loyees o f

universit ies , Publ ic Service

CommissionandBanks.

The Cen t ra l and t he S t a te

Government is empowered to

appoint Special Judges “who

shouldbe or shouldhavebeen a

“Session Judge or an Additional

SessionJudgeorAssistantSession

JudgeundertheCodeofCriminal

Procedure, 1973” by placing a

Noti�icationintheOf�icialGazette,

totrythefollowingoffences:

· Any offence punishable under

thisAct.

·Anyconspiracytocommitorany

a t t empt to c ommi t o r any

abetment of any of the offences

speci�iedunderthisAct.

TheSpecialJudgehastoholdthe

trial of an offence on day-to-day

basis.

He may take cognizance of the

offences without the accused

being commissioned to him for

tr ia l . In trying the accused

persons, he shall follow the

procedureprescribedbythe

Criminal Procedure Code for the

t r i a l o f wa r r a n t c a s e s b y

Magistrate.

ASpecial Judge,while tryingany

offencepunishableundertheAct,

shall exercise all powers and

functions exercised by a District

Judge under the Criminal Law

AmendmentOrdinance,1944.

Thespecialjudgehasalsopowers

to trytheoffence inasummarily

manner,providedconvictioninthe

s u m m a r y t r i a l s h a l l b e

imprisonment for a term not

exceedingoneyear.

H o w e v e r , w h e n a t t h e

commencementoforinthecourse

ofasummarytrialitappearstothe

SpecialJudgethatthenatureofthe

case is such that a sentence of

imp r i s o nmen t f o r a t e rm

exceedingoneyearmayhavetobe

passedor it isundesirable to try

the case summarily, the Special

Judgeshallrecordallordertothat

effect and thereafter recall any

witnesses who may have been

examinedandproceedtohearand

re-hear the case in accordance

withtheprocedureprescribedby

the said code for the trial of

warrantcasesbyMagistrates.

There is no appeal against a

sentence of imprisonment not

exceedingonemonth andof �ine

not exceeding Rs.2000/- passed

by the Special Judge under

SummaryTrial.


Theoffencesandpenaltiesunderthe''PreventionofCorruptionAct1988''areasdetailedbelow:

OFFENCES PENALTIES

Whereasentenceof�ineisimposed,thecourtwhile�ixingtheamountforthesameshallconsidertheamountor the value of the propertywhichthe accused has obta ined bycommittingtheoffenceorwheretheconvictionisforanoffencereferredtoinsec.13(1)(e)underthisAct,the

pecuniary resource or property forwhich the accused is unable toaccountsatisfactorily.

Corruptionisatermitethatiseatingupthepithofoursociety.Itnotonlyhamperstheindividual'sgrowthbutalso the collective growth of our

Country. Hence this Act has beendrafted,withahugepowervestedinthe hands of the Central and StateGovernment.The Prevention ofCorruptionActisaverypowerfulActwhichneedsproperimplementationin order to curb corruption fromgrassroot-level.

-A.R. Sujatha

Punishablewithimprisonmentwhichshallbenot

less than 6months but whichmay extend to 5

yearsandshallalsobeliableto�ine.

Takinggrati�icationotherthanlegal

remunerationinrespectofanof�icialact,andif

thepublicservantisfoundguilty.

Punishablewithimprisonmentforatermwhich

shallbenotlessthansixmonthsbutwhichmay

extendto�iveyearsandshallalsobeliableto

�ine.

Takinggrati�icationinordertoin�luencepublic

servant,bycorruptorillegalmeans.




�ine.

Takinggrati�ication,forexerciseofpersonal

in�luencewithpublicservant.




Abetmentbypublicservantofoffencesde�ined

inSection8or9underthisAct.



extendto�iveyearsandshallalsobeliableto�ine.

Publicservantobtainingvaluablethingwithout

consideration from person concerned in

proceeding or business transacted by such

publicservant.



extendto�iveyearsandshallalsobeliableto�ine.

Punishmentforabetmentofoffencesde�inedin

Section7or11underthisAct.


shall be not less than one year but which may

extendto7yearsandshallalsobeliableto�ine.

Any public servant, who commits criminal

misconduct.


shall benot less than twoyears butwhichmay

extendto7yearsandshallalsobeliableto�ine.

HabitualcommittingofoffenceunderSection8,

9and12underthisAct.


The Magic Beyond …MusicMusic

-The Magic Beyond …A Cup Of Coffee, A Couple Of Friends, With A Lilt Of Music, Weaves Magical Moments!

Iamsurethemagicalhandofmusicat some point of time would havetouchedeveryone'slife.Musicplaysavitalpartinourlives.Theimpactthatmusichasonone'slifeisevidentfrom the way people express itssigni�icance to them. To some it istheir identity, their world & life itself;tosomeothersit isarefuge,adrug,atherapist;toyetothers,itisaf r iend , an enterta inment , aninspiration,aconnecting force,andtheverycelebrationoflife.

Music i s that medium whichexpresses the inexpressible – alanguage for feelings.Music bringspeople together, rings in the sameemotions, irrespective of language,creed,colour,professionorfaith.June21 has been designated as WorldMusicDayandtheworldcelebratesthemagicalgiftofmusic,topromotepeaceandspreadgoodwill throughmusic. We are culturally bound to musicrightfrombirthuntiltheend.Rightfrom “Thallaattu” (lullaby) to“Oppaari”(lament),musicin�luencesour lives. Music has been closelyintertwined with the culture andcivilizationofthelandanditspeople.Everyknownculturehasitsmusicallinks. If we take the Tamil culture,folk music or Nattupurapaatture�lects thesocio-religiouscustoms

and practices of rural Tamilnadu.Thesearemostlyhandedoverfromgeneration to generation, throughoral transmission and memory.There are various forms of folkmusic–

ThaalaattuThemmangu,Chindu, Villuppaattu,

WeddingSongs,OccupationalSongs....Oppaari

Thaalaattu - the traditional lullabysongssungtointroducethechildtothe importance of relations in life,whenthemotherexpressesherlovefor the child as a member of anextendedfamily.

g«V¼«V�gö«V¼«V�BVò�¶½ßÄV¼«V!¶D\V�¶½ßÄV¼áV�¶x#â|D�çïBV¼éÃVâ½�¶½ßÄV¼áV�ÃVÙâ|D�çïBV¼é\V\[�¶½ßÄV¼ªV�\_o©�¯�ØÄõ¦V¼é¶Ýç>�¶½ßÄV¼áV�¶_o©�¯�ØÄõ¦V¼éïõðV�gª�ïõ¼ð�ÀïõbÅºz�ïõbÅºz

The beauty of the song lies in therichness of the culture. AmongChindu form, thekummichindu andkaa vad i ch i n du a r e p opu l a r.Villuppaattu is used to narratefolklore combining music andrhythm set from a bow. Weddingsongsaddcolourandfuntothe

festivities in a marriage. Thesecomprise oonjal songs, nalangusongs and sampradaaya songs.These further includesongsof twotypes - �irst one - entertaining,teasingandrejoicing;andthesecondpraisingandblessing.

Occupational songs are also animportantaspectofrurallife.Therearesongsthataresungforeachstageof cultivation – right from clearingthe shrubs, ploughing, seeding,

transplantation, weeding, wateringandharvesting,uptothestagewhenthe grains are transported, storedandusedforcooking.Thespecialityofthisgenreofmusicisthatiteasesthe burden of toil and buildscamaraderie.Oppariisalamentsongthatexpressesbereavementoverthe

Cover Story


lossofalovedone.Thusmusicplaysan integral part in allwalks of ourlives.

The Power Of Music–SomeProvenFacts

Research has shownthat imparting qualitymusic education yieldsgreat bene�its. Musicengages both the leftand the rightbrain. Itnour i shes sensoryintegration and motorc apac i t i e s . I t ha spositive associationwith verbal memory,selective attention,reading ability, spatiala b i l i t y a n dmathematical skills. Itfostersself-esteemandteam play. With theexperience that musicforges, self-expressionbecomesmore�luent.

Onanaverage,studentsw i t h m u s i cparticipation score 57pointshigher inverbaland41pointshigheronthemathsectionoftheSAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)compared to their non-musicalpeers.StanfordUniversityResearchshows tha t mus ica l t ra in ingimproves brain processes, and thiscould especially bene�it childrenwith dyslexia and other learningdisabilities. AlbertEinstein's story

isonesuchcaseinpoint.Einsteinisrecognizedasonewiththesmartestbrainthateverlived.Butwhatislessknown about him is that he wasconsideredasextremelydull inhiss c h o o l d a y s b a s e d o n h i sperformance. Undeterred by theschoo l appra isa l o f her son ,

Einstein's motherboughthimaviolin.Music was the keythathelpedEinsteingrowtobeoneofthem o s t a w e dscientists. Einsteinh i m s e l f c l a i m splaying theviolin tobethereasonbehindh i s s m a r t n e s s .According to h isf r i end W i th row,E inste in used to� i g u r e o u t h i sp r o b l e m s a n de q u a t i o n s b yimprovising on theviolin.

Another example ofhow rhythm directsmovement is thecase of an autisticboy who could nottiehisshoelace. Hel e a r n e d o n t h e

secondtrywhenthetaskoftyinghisshoeswasputtoasong.Therhythmhelped him organize the physicalmovementssettotime.

Musichastheabilitytostrengthenorweakenemotions. OliverSachshaswritten about the miraculous

powers of music to bring patientsoutoflong-termcatatonicstates.Alllifeformsrespondtomusic.Testsonthe effects of music on livingorganisms besides humans haveshown that playing certain type ofmusic aided hens in laying moreeggs,andhelpedcowstoyieldmoremilk. Research studies in Canadaand Russia found that wheat grewfaster when exposed to specialultrasonic andmusical sounds. Somuchforthepowerofmusic!

MusicAndMathematics–AnAstonishingAlliance

Generally music and mathematicsa re c l a s s i � i ed i n to d ifferen tcategories without any overlap.While music is clubbed with arts,mathematics goes along with thesciences.

Theymayseemverydifferentonthesurface,yetmusicandmathematicshaveafascinatingconnection.Bothinvolve patterns, structures, andrelationships.

Musicians and mathematiciansshare many qualities, includingabstract thinking, creativity, andintense focus. Gottfried WilhelmLeibniz, co-inventor of calculusalong with Sir Issac Newton,describing the connection betweenmusic and mathematics wrote, ”Music is a secret exercise inarithmeticofthesoul,unawareofitsactofcounting."


Musicisafertiletestinggroundformathematical principles, whilemathematics explains the soundsi n s t r umen t s make a nd howcomposers put those soundstogether. Some composers haveincorporated the golden ratio andFibonacci sequence in theirworks.An c i en t r e s e a rche s s t ud i edexpressionofmusicalscalesintermsof numerical ratios around thedoctrine “all nature consists ofharmony arising out of numbers".Study has shown that certainmusicalcompositionshavebecomemorepopular andmainstreamduetotheirmathematicalstructure.

Thesigni�icantworksofBeethoven,the celebrated German composer,best illustrates the astonishingalliancebetweenmaths andmusic.Some of his most a dmired andimmortal works were composedduring the period marked by hiss t r u g g l e a g a i n s t d e a f n e s s .Researches have tried to illustratet h r o u g h h i s f a m o u s w o r k"MoonlightSonata”howBeethovenwas able to convey emotion andcreativity usingmathematics. ThegeniusofBeethovenlayinseeingthemathematicalpatternsofmusicandfeeltheireffectwithouttheabilitytohear!

As the renowned mathematicianJames Sylvester said “ Music ismathematics of the sense; andmathematics as music of ther e a s o n ; t h e m u s i c i a n f e e l smathematics; the mathematicianthinks music; Music the dream –mathematicstheworkinglife.”

“Music gives a soul to the universe,wings to the mind, �light to theimagination and life to everything.”

MishtiDoiorSweetCurdisaverypopulardishinWestBengal.Itisadeliciousandnutritiousdessertandis

amazinglysimpletoprepare.

Ingredients:

Fullcreammilk–1L

Palmjaggery(Panaivellam)–250g

Homemadecurd–2tbsp

Method:

1.Heatthemilkinaheavybasedpanandthreduceitto1/4 ofitsquantity.

2.Heatthepalmjaggeryinapanwith10ml

ofwaterand�ilteritforremovingthe

impurities.

3.Addthejaggerymixturetotheboiling

milkandstirwell.Cookforanother5

minutesandcooldownuntillukewarm.

4.Stirinthecurdandpourthemixtureinto

smallterracotta/claypotsandkeepina

warmplacetoset.(Terracottaabsorbstheexcessmoistureinthecurdandhenceitsetswell)

5.Oncethecurdsets,refrigerateandservechilled.

ThisisanidealdesserttobeattheSummerheat.YoghurtisnaturallyrichinProtein,Calcium,Ribo�lavin,Vitamin

B6andVitaminB12andisalsoprobiotic.Itservesasacoolantandalsohelpsstrengthentheimmunesystem.

Mishti DoiMishti Doi

Theauthoris

Smt.Sujatha Sathia Murthy

anaccountingprofessional

withapassionforwriting

Quick Dessert

-Plato

www.vedaanta.com

Beauty

Seniorz Today July 2015 13 Vol.1 Issue 5

Followingafootcareregimededicatedlywillenableustohavesoftandsmoothfeet.Thoughpedicurewillhelptoanextent,thebestfootcareisfromthecomfortofyourkitchenfornaturallybeautifulfeet.Similartofacepacks, we have foot packs for you to have prettier,smoother and brighter feet. Get moisturized feet byapplyingcoconutoilonyourfeetjustafteryoushower!Alternatively,applymoisturizinggelonyourfeetbeforebedtimeandcoveryourfeetwithapairofwhitesocks.Inaweek'stime,youwillseefairer,smootherandbrighterfeet.

RemoveDeadSkinCells:

Deadskincellsatthebottomofyourfeetgiveoutanastysmell when you sweat. Footwear and socks smellequallybadwhenyouhavedeadskincellsonyourfeet.Regularpedicureistheeasiestwaytoremovedeadskincells. You can try to remove dead cells at homewithhoneyandlemonjuice.Mixhoney,milkandlemonjuiceanddipyourfeetinitbeforeyourshower.Scrubyourfeetafterremovingyourfeetfromthetubandrinseoffinrunningwater.Forbetterresults,followthisregimefor10daysinarow.

De-tanYourFeet:Tannedfeetisthemostcommontroublesallofushavepostourholidaysorevenafterour9-to-5workroutine!Applyingsunscreenlotionistheeasiestwaytopreventtan.Alternatively,addcucumberorpotatojuiceonyour

Cheerful Feet Taking Care Of Your Feet

feetbeforeyourshowerfor10minutesandrinseofftokeeptanaway.Alternatively,maxapackoforangeandpomegranatepeelsandaddsomemilk,makingapaste.Applyitonyourfeetandallowtodryfor20 minutesbefore rinsing off. The dried powder of pomegranateandorangepeelcanbestoredfor3monthsinanairtightcontainer.

CrackedHeels:

Crackedheelsisoneofthemostcommonproblemsformostofus,irrespectiveofourage.Crackedheelscanbe

treated by soaking your feet in a warm water tubcontainingacoupleofdropsofhydrogenperoxideandateaspoonof tablesalt.After20minutes,scruboffthedeadcellsusingafootscrubandapplymoisturizer.Dothis exercise twice aweek to kiss your crackedheelsgoodbye!

Feettakeourcompletebodyweight,supportusinallouractivities andneedmore relaxation thanwe give ourbodies. Relaxation doesn't mean you need to sleepthrough for a relaxed feet. Walk barefoot along lushgreengrasstorefreshyourfeetandenergiseyourbody.Atworkorhome,keepyourlegsslightlyraisedandnotletithangdownforbetterbloodcirculation.Getupandwalk every 30 minutes to give your legs the mostdeservedstretch.

- Sona Ramani

May God take away any arrogance in me and help me control my mind!

May God take away desires coming from my senses that

we no longer seek worldly pleasures! May God create compassion in me

for all creations that we cross the ocean of life!

(Adi Sankara's 'Shatpadee Stotram' 1.1)

Ret irement Community

-Ashwin Kumar Iyer

May God take away any arrogance in me and help me control my mind!

May God take away desires coming from my senses that

we no longer seek worldly pleasures! May God create compassion in me

for all creations that we cross the ocean of life!

www.vedaanta.com

Special Feature


W rld Environment A s we c e l e b ra t e Wo r l d

thEnvironmentDayon5 Junewe

must �irst ask ourselveswhat is

meant by environment. In what

wayandhowarewerelatedtoit

orittous?Arewepartofitorisit

part of us?Why does it require

specialattention?Isitanissueor

aproblemoraveryintrinsicpart

ofourlife?

Spec ia l days are normal ly

ob se rved to c e l eb ra te , t o

commemorate,tocommercialize,

to carry out rituals, to call

attention to express concern for

victims and victors, to cater to

express our relationship to

speci�ic feelings,persons, issues,

problemandsoon.

Unfortunately, of late whenever

the word 'environment ' i s

m en t i o n e d t h e f o l l ow i n g

collocationsarecarriedlikejoeys

ofa�lyerfemalekangaroo:-issues,

problem, concern, degradation,

bio-diversity,sustainablegrowth

etc.Why?

Arethesetrends,theresultofour

perceptionsgoingthroughprism

ofpreconceptionswithwhichwe

seenature?Orarethesetheresult

of real damage to human and

environmentrelationship?Orare

t h e s e a m an i f e s t a t i o n o f

concerned caution or candid

confessionsorhyperreactions?

DayItmaybe the resultofallof the

aboveoranyoftheabove.

Thoughforallofus,atleast,the

word 'environment' denotes

either thewholeorsomeaspect

ofnature.

Ronald Harvey in his book 'Our

FragmentedWorld' writes, “The

in�luenceof environmentbegins

longbeforebirth.Itbeginsatthe

beginning,withourgenes.Genes

do not exist in vacuo. They are

part of their environment aswe

are to ourworld. They are as it

w e r e ' s e w n i n t o ' t h e i r

environmentaswearetoours.No

organism ever developswithout

an env i ronment . I t i s no t

inheritance per se but the

interaction between inheritance

and environment where the

responsibility must be placed”.

“Soourworldandourselvesare

one,weandourworldformpart

ofanorganicwhole”

Soenvironmentisnotanissueit

ispartofourtissue.Itisnotaproblembutamagni�ied

emblemofelementsofwhichthe

whole biochemical organism of

humanbodylives.

If we etymologically trace the

word to its remotest origin it is

f r o m t h e O l d F r e n c h

'en'[in]+'Viron [circle] i.e. things

that“environ”us,thatencircleor

surround us. So originally the

whole of nature before human

s p e c i e s m a d e d i ff e r e n t

enclosures.

So,itishumannaturetolookupto

nature but humane culture to

lookafternature.Slogansappeal

to everyone than sermons or

scienti�icfacts.

In the course of evolution,

e ve r y t h i n g a nd e ve r yon e

interacted either consciously or

otherwiseeitherwithorwithout

the awareness that everything

andeveryoneareinterconnected.

V a g a r i e s o f n a t u r e a n d

vicissitudes of human life have

both contributed to changes to

theenvironment.

Ancient traditions wonder at

n a t u r e ; s o m e r e l i g i o n s

worshipped nature; civilization

mademanworkanduseitforhis

comforts; modern technological

and economic advancement

excessivelyuseit.

Intheprocessofevolutionhuman

beings rea l ized that whi le

mentally mighty they were

phys ica l ly weak so to l ive

acclimatizinginnakednaturewas

becomingdif�icult.Therefore,he

s t a r ted u s i ng t he na tu ra l

resourcesforhisshelter,security,

comfortetc.


treatmentwemustadoptthebest

possiblemeansofimprovingour

relationshipwithnature.

Hysteric reactions can never set

rightanyhistoricblunders.

We all must realize that our

relationship with the whole of

environment matter more than

anythingelseespeciallyinanera

when there are ready made

justi�icationsavailableonthenet

foralltypesofactions,reactions

andinactions.

[ReneJulesDubosaFrench-born

Americanmicrobiologist, in one

of his interviews said long back

howasinglemaninthearidlands

of Midi of France used to plant

sometreeseverydayandthathas

becomeabigforest. Incidentally

hisbook 'AGodwithin”portrays

manyprobablepositivevaluesin

man's relation to nature and

offers many simple solutions to

enhancesucharelationship.]

RecentlyinIndia,Jadav"Molai"

Humanpopulationexplosionand

theconcomitantneedandgreed

made him over use nature and

thishasledtoanimbalanceinthe

relationship between humans

and environment. This must be

and can be recti�ied by various

means or when everything else

failsnaturetakescare.

At the same time resorting to

extremismlikeobjectingtoevery

human, or economic growth

related activity in the name of

environment protect ion i s

hypocritical because those who

protest must stop using paper,

stop living inside houses, stop

cooking, stop using any gadget,

stop plucking vegetables and

fruitsasallthesealsoareusesof

natural resources; stop talking

because that harms many tiny

microbes.

We must realize human species

h a s t o b e i n a p e r e n n i a l

r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e

environment. So, instead of

advocating a late divorce or ill

Payeng(Assamesebornin1963),

a Mishing tribe environmental

activistandforestryworkerfrom

Jorhat,India,plantedandtended

trees on a sandbar of the river

Brahmaputra over severa l

decades and literally created a

forestreserve,calledMolaiforest

after him and is located near

Kokilamukh of Jorhat, Assam,

Indiaandencompassesanareaof

about1,360acres/550hectares

and this year [in 2015] he was

honoured with Padma Shri, the

fourth highest civilian award in

India.

Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Foundation

makes huge and signi�icant

contributions to preserving

forestsandenvironment.

The author Venkat is an avid

writer,readerandaphilosophical

enthusiast. His interest across

travel,spirituality,arts,literature,

philosophy, and sportsmakes his

worka360delightforhisreaders.

www.vedaanta.com

Cinema


"Why you didn't mention aboutM a n j u ( S r i p r i y a ) o f A v a lAppadithan?".- This was the �irstreaction frommy FacebookFriendVisali Sriram when I posted mypreviousarticleinFacebook.

Thattriggeredmetowritethisarticle. Inmyopiniont h e c a s t i n g f o r Ava lAppadithanisthe�inestofT a m i l C i n e m a s .Historically 70s hold aspecial place becauseduring that period only,t a m i l � i l m s s t a r t e dre�lecting the issues, funand stigma of our ownf am i l y , f r i e n d s a n dre lat ionships . Amongmany wonderful �ilms oft h a t p e r i o d A v a lAppadithan released witharguably one of the bestcast.

A run a young , c a lm ,a n a l y t i c a l , g e n u i n eh e a r t e d , s t r a i g h t f o r w a r ddocumentary � i lm maker whorespectswoman'sliberty,Tyagua"Aprejudiced male * * *" as he callshimself,whorunsanadagencyisasuburbanbachelor,womaniserbutvery straight forward and sarcasticabout women and their liberty,Manju a bold andmaturedmodernwomanworksinTyagu'sadagency,hates the dominance of men overwomen in every aspect. Casting isone of the most important andtoughest factor in �ilm making.

C for Change C for Cinema and C for Character and C for Casting too

C C for Change for Cinema and for Character and C C for Casting too

Director Rudhraiya who created anew wave with this debut moviepresented the movie with perfectcasting. Kamal as Arun, Rajini asTyaguandSripriyaasManjugavelifeto thecharactershehadvisualised.Especially Sripriya almost scoreda b o v e a l l w i t h h e r n a t u r a lperfomanceandlooks.Tilldatethis

isherbestever.AndthereisnootherManjucameintoTamilcinemaafterthis.NotjustManju,ArunandTyaguare also very uniquely createdcharacters. And who can forgetSar i tha who d id a sma l l bu timportant character in the climax,which isvery interestingwhogivesentryasArun'swife.

Arunafteralongdisappointingwaitfor Anju's love and trust, is nowmarriedtoanotherwoman.Nowall

lead characters Kamal, Saritha,SripriyaandRajinihappentotraveli n t h e s ame c a r. Du r i ng t heuncomfortable travel Manju asksArun's wife, ''What do you thinkabout women's liberation?'' A veryquiet and innocent reply from hiswifeis"Idon'tknowanythingaboutit".NowManjureponds"That'swhy

youarehappy".Oh!!whataconversation. Throughoutthe movie the directormixes English and Tamildialoguesverycasuallybutsharply. Whengoodactorsdeliver a good dialogue, itreaches the mind andbeyond. Watch the movieagain, enjoy and sink intothemeaningwhenSripriyadelivers that dialogue-Fantastic.Themoviesendswith a voice over Manjudead again, she dies, takesbirth, dies again.. That'sw h a t s h e i s . . A v a lAppadithan...But she takesbirthagainwiththisarticle,becausethecastingwassopowerful and perfect. SriP r i y a i s c o m p l e t e l y

unassuming. She just deliverswhathercharacterdemands.Notevenanextra frame of expression. BothRajini and Kamal blend well withtheirroleandthechemistrybetweenthesethreeisawesome.

Evenafter30years,themovie"AvalAppadithan"iswellaheadofit'stime,even today the casting directorswould go clueless to �ind actors tomatchSripriya,KamalandRajini.


AnotherClassicRecently watched "36 Vayathiniley"the remake of Malayalam original"How old are you?". It's a femalecentricmovie,thereisnoherotopullthecrowd,yetthemovieopenedwithfullhousesandmadetheboxof�icebuzzingwithgoodcollections.That'smainlybecauseoftheperfectcasting.Replacing Manju Warrior withJyotika for the Tamil versionwas abrilliantcastingscoop,whichgaveacakewalkre-entryforJyotika.Ifit'snotJyotikathemoviewouldn'thave

opened with full houses. Jyotika-darlingofmasses fewyearsback isde�initelyhasgoodoffscreenimage.Sheissuccessfulinherlovelife,sheisa goodwife to his sweet heart andmass hero Surya. She is a perfectdaughter in law of a reputed starstuddedfamilyandayoungmotherof cute angles. All these factorscreatedarespectfulimageforJyotikawhich is a blend of onscreen andoffscreen. Her actor producerhusbandused this imageofher forherperfectreentry launchwith"36Vayathiniley".

CanyouguessanybodyelseforthischaracterotherthanJo?Thecastingdirector would runaway even ifoffered with huge sum to �indalternate.

WhenItalkaboutrentryofJoin36Vayathiniley,IjustcantskiptheentryofBharathirajain16Vayathiniley.HecameintoTamilcinemawithabang.His1977classicischarmingineveryaspect.Thescript,thecast,themusicandtheruralvillageisevergreenorforever 16. The �ilm was originallytitledasMayilu,thename oftheleadcharacterplayedbySridevi.

The charm lies in unexpectedbrilliantcasting(Sridevi,Rajnikanth,and Kamal OrMayilu, Parattai andChappani) They were stars alreadyand had their own image. But

sidelining all, the new directorfocused on characters than on theactors. The style, the making, theperformancewasrawandverynewtoTamilcinemaduring70s.WhenIwasdiscussingaboutthismoviewithmy friend, who is a movie buff, hecompared 16 Vayathiniley withanother great Girish Karnad'sCheluvi. I'm yet to see it. After thisarticle I'm sure you and me willsearch Youtube for Cheluvi. In 16Vayathiniley the movie was carriedby Mayilu , Sridevi. Mayilu is ainnocent village teen age girl, whofallsforawrongman,acunningvetdoctor.Sheisvulnarablebuthasherown strength to stand up andstraight to give life to a lost manChappaniwithherpureloveandhas

the courage to spit on the face ofroughsenselessParattai. ItwasthelaunchmovieforGoundamanialso.ButthepopularityofMayilu,Parattaiand Chappan i i s age less andremembered with same feel event o d ay. T h e r e a s o n s a r e t h echaracterisation and the casting.Rajini is the natural choice forParattai forhiswindyhairstyleanddon't care dialogue delivery. His"IdhuEppadiIrukku"punchdialogueisaspopularashehimself.But thechoice of chocolate boy Kamal forhalf naked Chappani is highly

imaginative. Offering the role toKamal was a very bold step forBharathiraja, accepting it withchallengeisevenmoreaboldchoiceforKamal.Ifwelookbackthatsetthetrendforvillageoriented�ilmswithcomplete transformation of artists,the impact from 16 Vayathiniley isthereevenintoday'sBala'sParadesiandAmeer'sParuthiveeran.


R Selvakumar Executive Producer-Puthiya Thalaimurai

There are very few �ilms whichinspiresother�ilmmakersevenafterdecades.Pasamalarissuchaclassicwh i ch por t rayed the l ove o finseperable brother sister, AnnanThangai Paasam. Bhimsingh gave

"Paaseries"superhitswithNadigarThilagam Sivajiganesan, i.e �ilmstitled with �irst letter ”Paa”. Adigitallyrestoredandeditedversionwas released in 2013 and I readpostingsinFB,chockedwithtears.

This all time classic movie is afavouritenotjustforfansbutfor�ilmmakersalso.It'sthefavouritemoviefor Late K.Balachandar, Late BaluMahendra, Mani Rathnam and K.S.Ravikumar.KSR isadiehard fanofNad i g a r T h i l a g am , o n c e h ementioned that "As a kid I saw'Pasamalar' and cried. As an adult,eachtimeIhaveseenitIwasmovedtotears.RecentlywhenIsawit,the�ilmleftalumpinmythroat.

That is thepowerof the script andthe performance of lead playersSivaji andSavithiri".Pasamalar is astrong dose of human values andrelationships.ThescriptbyArurdosstold about this splendidly, and thesameisnarratedbyBhimsinghwith

Savithiri and Gemini rocks eventoday. "Nee Enna Periya PasamalarSivajiya?", in family gatherings, youheard it yesterday, today and willh e a r i t t omo r row a l s o . T h eperformance and impact is so

p owe r f u l wh i c h c r o s s e s a l lboundariesoftime.

Pasamalarwasreleasedin1961anditwasablockbusterhit.AtthispointI'd like toproudlymentionthat theProducerMr.M.R. Santhanam's sonMr. S ivaj i younger brother ofSanthanaBharathiismyfriend.

I d id a show ca l l ed "ManamThirumbuthey" for Puthuyugam TV,whichisachatshowwithMr.SivajiasChiefguest.IntheshowafterseeinghisparentsphotoMr.Sivajisuddenlybroke down and hewas into tears.Theentirecrewwasstunnedandadeep silencewas there.HisdearestfriendDirectorMr.GM.Kumarcalmlysaid,lethimcry,let'snottrystophim.

He is the great son of the greatproducer Mr. Santhanam, whoproducedPasamalar.Themoviehasalegacy,ithasallthehumanvalues.

Watching that movie itself is ablessing,sonowondermyfriendis

cryingwhilerecallingthememoriesof his parents. Tohave that feeling,loveandcareitselfisablessing.

Lethimcry.TRUE,he said it in thestudio, but viewers felt the samewhentheshowwasonairalso.Oh..

God...Pasamalartakesmetoanotherblessedworldlove.Letmecomebacktothispara.

Next year "Ellam Unakkaga" wasreleased with the same lead pairSivajiandSavithri.Butthe�ilmwasahuge �lop as the audience couldn'tdigest Sivaji and Savithiri as loversafter seeing them as siblings. Theaudience thought they were realAnnanThangai.

That's why Pasamalar impactedmany other sibling movie likeMullumMalarum.

Authored By

www.vedaanta.com

Health


Colon & Rectal Cancer: Do Not Ignore Your Symptoms!Colorectalorbowelcanceriscancerofthecolonorrectum. Worldwide an estimated 1.23 million newcases of colorectal cancerwere diagnosed in 2008,colorectalcanceristhethirdmostcommoncancerinmen (663,000 cases, 10.0% of the total) and thesecondinwomen(570,000cases,9.4%ofthetotal).AlthoughtheincidenceofcolorectalcancerislowinIndiacurrently,themortalityordeathrateisoneofthehighest in theworld.This is due to thediseasebeing diagnosed at late stages due to lack ofawareness.

The increase in colorectal cancer in economicallyt r a n s i t i o n i n gc o u n t r i e s m a yre�lecttheadoptionof western lifestyleand behavior.Manyof the establisheda n d s u s p e c t e dmod i � i a b l e r i s kf a c t o r s f o rcolorectal cancerincluding obesity,physical inactivity,smok ing , h e avya l c o h o lconsumption,adietr i c h i n r e d o rprocessedmeatandinadequateconsumptionoffruitsand vegetables are also factors associated witheconomicdevelopmentorwesternization.

Whatarethesymptomsandsignsofcolorectalorbowelcancer?

Earlystagesofbowelcancermaynotcausesymptoms.Anaemia(lowhaemoglobin)maybe found inbloodtests.Asthediseaseprogresses,patientscomplainofrectalbleedingorbloodmixedinthestooloronthestool, mucous or slime discharge, change in bowelhabits(constipationordiarrhea),stomachdiscomfort(bloating,fullnessorcramps),feelingthatthebowel

doesnotemptycompletely,analpainordiscomfortandweightlossfornoapparentreason.

What should you do if you have any of thesesymptoms?Ifyouhaveanyoftheabovesymptomsformorethansixweeks,youmaybeatriskofcolorectalcancer.Youshould see a doctor who specializes in treatingcolorectal diseases. He or she will examine you,performarectalexaminationonyour�irstclinicvisitandrecommendfurtherinvestigations

Whatarethetestsusedfordiagnosingcolorectalcancer?

The gold standard testfor examining the colonand rectum is a testcalled colonoscopy. Thistest is performed byi n s e r t i n g a s p e c i a l�lexibletelescopeviatheanus and examining theentire large bowel andrectum. Other tests willinclude blood tests, CTscans and sometimesMRIscans.

What is the treatmentforcolorectalcancer?

Thebest treatment for colorectal cancer is surgery.Surgerywillremovethediseasedsegmentofcolonorrectumandrejointhehealthyendsofthegut(kudal).This surgery is usually performed laparoscopicallyandmorerecentlyroboticcolorectalsurgerysothatthepatientsbene�itfromlesspain,earlyrecoveryandreturntonormallife.Sometimesitmaybenecessaryto add chemotherapy or radiotherapy to standardtreatmenttoimproveoutcomes.

Canwescreenforcolorectalcancer?

Screeningforadiseasemeanstestingforacondition


inpeoplewhodoanddonothavesymptoms.Thegoodnewsasfarascolorectalcancerisconcernedisthatthere is a pre-cancerous stage.It is establishedthatifwecanpickup and removet h e s ep r e c a n c e r o u slumps or polypsas theyarecalledby colonoscopyscreeningthenwewill reduce thei n c i d e n c e o fcolorectal cancer.Also picking upd e v e l o p e dc a n c e r s a t a ne a r l y s t a g ei m p r o v e s t h eou t c omes a ndmakes surgerye a s i e r a n ds u i t a b l e f o rm i n i m a l l yi n v a s i v elaparoscopic androboticsurgery.

Who should bescreenedforcolorectalcancer?

Patients who present with 4 weeks of unresolvedcolorectalsymptomssuchasrectalbleedingwithoutanalsymptoms,changeinbowelhabits(constipationordiarrhea),rectalmass,rightsidedabdominalmassandironde�iciencyanaemia.Menandwomenaboveageof50whoareasymptomaticshouldbescreenedwith colonoscopy. People who will de�initely needscreeningarethosewithafamilyhistoryofcolorectalcancerorpolyps, longstandinghistoryofUlcerativeColitis, thosewho have been previously treated for

colorectalcanceror polyps andt h o s e w h od e v e l o p n ewbowelsymptomsa s ment ionedearlier.

How does onereducetherisk?

Increaseyourphysicalactivityandexerciseregularly.Maintainyourweightintheidealrange.Ensureyou

eatahigh�iberd i e t r i c h i nf r u i t s ,v e g e t a b l e s ,n u t s , b e an sa n d w h o l egrains.

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Guest Column


Dating Sri Bhagavata PuranamDating Sri Bhagavata PuranamAmongthewellknownpuranas,SriBhagavatamisthemostbeautifulandpopularpurana,especiallyits10th Skandha in which the life of Krishna (KrishnaCharitam) isdealtwithunder thenameSriKrishnaCharitam.Thetenthskandhaisdividedintotwopartsasthe�irstpartandthesecondlaterpart.Itprobablyformed the core of the main purana which gotgraduallyenlarged.Asitisitconsistsof12skandhas,with its end saying that it was told by Vishnu toBrahmawhilehewasseatedonthelotusarisingfromthenabhiofVishnuasBrahmawasworriedabouttheworld.Itwasalsocalled"Harililakatha".Itisclaimedas the essence of all the Vedantas, (Sarva VedantaSara)dealingmainlywiththeunityofindividualsoulandSupremeBrahmanthusisanAdviatatext(Vastuadviatam)andculminates inBrahmatmaaikyam,asperthetextitself.

It has short notes (Tika) on the whole text by oneSreedhara,whichgoesbythenameBhavarthadipika-i.e "Light on the meaning of Consciousness". Thecommentatorexplainsthis"Harililakathavratam"i.eassamuhah,ananthologyofsportsofHari.Itisfurtherclaimedithas18,000slokas,Ashtadasasahasram.

Atthebeginningofthetextthereisaportioncalled"Bhagavata purana mahātmyam" the gives acaptivatingallegoricalstory inwhich theconceptofBhakti(devotion)isportrayedasayoungladybornintheDravidacountrywhowenttoKarnatakaandthento Maharashtra and Gujarat where she becameemaciated and weak and �inally she reachedBrindavan, where she got rejuvenated and becameagainanattractiveyoungwomanandsoon.Whilethisimaginary story is certainly attractive and possiblyshowssomehistoricalmovementsofTamilBhakti,itdoesnotseemtobeanoriginalpartofthepuranaandclearlyalateraddition.Thereasonisnotfartoseek.Whilethecommentarythatexistsinfull,fromthe�irstskandha to the very end it is not there for themahatmya part. Secondly the �irst skandha beginsaltogetherasanewtextandhenceitisclearthatthemahatmyapartisposttikaaddition(commentary).ItalsosuggeststhatthispartdealingwiththebhaktiofTamilnaduactuallywasaddedinTamilnaduandisthesourceoftheSouthernrecessionoftheBhagavatam.

As the text is very popular there had been manyscholarlystudiesonthistextanditsdating.TheWebsiteofBhaktiVedantaPrabhuPadahasanimportantdiscussiononthissubjectandreadersareinvitedtovisitthissitefordetailsofimportantstudy.Itmaybeseen that till recent times itwas considered a 13thcenturytextandnowbetween9thand13thcentury.

An important inscription coming from the VishnutempleofVaradarajaatKanchipuramthrowsvaluablelight on this subject and its role in the history ofSrivaishnava theology.The inscription is foundonarocknorthofthemaintempleofVaradarajaandisinTamildated in the reignof theChola rulerVikramacholainhis13thyearcorrespondingto1131CE.Thustherecord is �irmlydated. Itwascopied in theyear1919bytheGovernmentEpigraphistwhopublishedasmallsummaryintheirannualreportinEnglish.Therecentpublicationgivesthefulltextforthe�irsttimenearly one hundred years of its copying . Both thepublicationsmissedtheimportanceoftheinscription.TheinscriptionbeginswithprasastiofVikramacholaand records that a high of�icial of the king namedVikrama chola Brahmadhiraja also known as


EkambaranAludaiyanofKanchikkuri,purchasedlandfromseveralpersons,amountingto2000kulisfor100kalanju of gold he deposited in the treasury ofVaradaraja(AlvarPandaramanddepositedfurther16kalanjuofgoldformeetingtheexpenseoftaxesonthelandandonthecultivatorsofhe landandcreatedaserviceKani,andappointedoneMevendavelanandhisdescendentstolookafterthecultivationofthelandinperpetuity as a service tenure. From the upperproceedsofthelandtheBrahmadhirajararrangedaservice to himself of reciting Sri Bhagavatam in thepresenseoflordVaradarajainthemonthofPurattasion Ekadas i day and arrange for a spec ia lthirumanjanam oblation to Varadaraja and offer aspecial food with rice, sugar, vegetables ghee, andpepperetc.

Thisendowmentwas forrecitingSriBhagavataminthepresenceofVaradaraja,from1131CEinthetimeofthe Cholas. As it was not mentioned as a newcomposition this record gives terminal date forBhagavatamwhichshouldnowbeplacedbefore1100CE.Andsothedatesofarannouncedas13thcentisnomorevalid.ItalsoestablishesaconnectionbetweenBhagvatamandTamilnaduandthatmayexplainthemahatmyapartatthebeginning,referringtobhaktiasborn indramila desa has now some basis. Also therecitationoftheBhagavataintheVishnutemplesinCholatimesisestablished.Anothersigni�icantpointisthat if the date of Sri Vaishnava saint Ramanuja isacceptedthathewasbornin1017anduntilhis120th

yearin1137CE,thenitwouldmeanthatBhagavatamrecitation in his temple Varadaraja of Kanchi wasprevalent in his own life time. This raises somequestions of Vaishnava theology in his time for asmentionedearlierthisworkBhagavatamisconsideredan Advaitic doctrine and Ramanuja school do notcontribute to the recognition of this text though it ismainlyaworkonVasudevaKrishna.ThereisatraditionamongtheVaishnavasofTaminaduthattherecitationofBhagavataminVishnutemplesarenotacceptable.

The Bhagavatam itself says that any who recites orlistens to its recitationwillpuri�ieshis self.And ifhemakesaspecialgiftinthemonthofpurattasiheaquiresspiritualmerit.ItalsoendsupsayingthattheitsmainmessageistotalidentityofIndividualsoulwith

Parabrahmam,BrahmatmaikyaisatextonAdvaita.ThepresentdayVaishnavitesdonotaccepttherecitationofthisBhagavatainVishnutemplesthoughtheycelebratevery insigni�icant puranas like Kaisiki purana as aregularpuranatoberecitedannualy.Wewillfollowthiswith further study on the impact of this tradition onVishnutemples.

Dr.R.Nagaswamy

(born10August1930)

isanIndianhistorian,

archaeologistandepigraphist.

www.vedaanta.com

Horoscope


July

July 2015 is a month of good for most of the sun signs. The month of be�er prospects in career, family

and finance will pave way to be�er days and life. Be�er health will be the order of the month. Look

ahead for a fabulous summer vaca�on with your family.

Aries: May 21- Apr 20 Taurus: Apr 21- May 20 Gemini: May 21- Jun 20

M a j o r transforma�ons are

expected in this period in your career. Finances will be robust and

i n c r e a s e y o u r o v e r a l l s t a t u s . Rela�onships with siblings, parents and children will be filled with joy and

happiness. Stress will be a major contributor to health problems

this month.

Cancer: Jun 21- Jul 22 Leo: Jul 23- Aug 22 Virgo: Aug 23- Sept 22

C a re e r will be dominant with

a focus on personal ambi�ons this month. People seeking new

jobs need to be pa�ent and accept new offers a�er proper scru�ny. Foreign investments will be beneficial for Virgo

this month. Compa�bility between partners will be highly unstable

during this period.

Libra: Sept 23- Oct 22

Accomp-lishments in your

career will be solid and sustainable over a long period.

Finances will be mixed during this month. Take steps to reduce tension

and stay healthy. Be diploma�c in your dealings and go with the flow in the

situa�on.

Scorpio: Oct 23- Nov 22

C a re e r and profession will be

important during the month for the Scorpions. Home and

rela�onships will be in the background during the month. You might travel overseas for business or professional

purposes this month. Your monetary situa�on is encouraging this

month.

Sagi�arius: Nov 23- Dec 22

Emo�o-nal disturbances will

a ff e c t y o u r f a m i l y environment �ll the third week.

Your earnings will be generous and you will have enough money to pay off old debts. It is predicted that health will be

delicate during this month and requires major precau�ons to

stay fit.

Capricorn: Dec 23- Jan 19

Socially t h i s w i l l b e a

significant period and will help in a�aining your targets. This is a

month for progress in career and making money. Family and personal life will take a back seat. Earnings will be

through realty or specula�ve ventures. Be sure to exercise

regularly.

Aquarius: Jan 20- Feb 19

H o m e a n d e m o � o n a l

feelings will be the focus this month, while career issues will take

a back seat. This is not a favourable month for Aquarians to be aggressive. You will invest more �me and energy to

a c h i e v e y o u r m o n e t a r y objec�ves.Large investments

r e q u i r e p r o p e r examina�on

Flexibility and social

assistance are necessary to a�a i n yo u r go a l s . Yo u r j o b

environment will be highly stressful because of heavy work load. There may be misunderstanding between couples

on money ma�ers.

Pisces: Feb 20- Mar 20

H o m e and spiritual issues

will be in focus during the month. Career problems will start

t o d i s s o l v e a n d t h e re w i l l b e be�erment in the work you do. This month, your money inflow efforts will

require more efforts than normal. Sound health is the order of the

month for Gemini

T h i s m o n t h i s

auspicious for purchasing a new property, or moving into a

be�er dwelling. Career will take a back seat this month. A fabulous health can be maintained with a good fitness

regime and ea�ng healthy food.

Y o u r focus will shi� from

career to family this month. Your career will undergo major

transforma�ons during the course of this month. Money flow will be splendid and your investments will be profitable.

Your health will be fabulous during this month.

Y o u n e e d t o g i v e

i m p o r t a n c e t o y o u r professional and financial issues.

Family issues and personal desires will take a back seat. If you are looking for a change of job in a new place, it is likely

to happen. Your health can be enhanced by daily exercises and

keeping a check on your calories.

www.vedaanta.com

Fun Corner


5 6 13 8

1 94 37

1 3 2

7 5 38

5

8 2 1 7

9

Su-dokuLoop The Loop

RulesforLooptheLoop:

1.Connectadjacentdotswithverticalorhorizontallines,creatingasingleloop.(RefFig1)

2.Crossoversorbranchesarenotallowed

3.Numbersinthepuzzleindicatethenumberoflinesthatshouldsurroundit,whileemptycellsmay

besurroundedbyanynumberoflines.

4.Youcan'tdrawlinesaroundzeroes.

5.Eachpuzzlehasauniquesolution.

Howtobegin:RefexampleFig1:

Beginwiththezeronextto3.Sincenolinescanbedrawnaroundzero,markcrossesaroundit,asshown.

Nowthereisacrossinonespacearound3.So,weknowthethreelinesof3canonlybedrawnintheremainingthree

spaces.Next,theselinescanonlybeextendedinonedirectioneach.Continue,usingthesamelogic.

Hints:Keepeliminatingpossibilitiesbymarkingcrossesinspacesbetweendotswherealineisn'tpossible,i.e.,ifyouhave

alreadycompletedrequiredlinesorwherealineextensionmaycreateabranchorcauseadeadend.

2 2

1

1

3

2

3

2 2

2 0 3 2

1

1 2 2 2

3 1 2

Fig1

3 2 2

2 2 2

3

2 1 2

3 3

0 0 3

2 3

2 3 2

Solutions

Loop The LoopSu-doku

Did you know?The name of the popular search engine ‘Google’ came from a misspelling of the word ‘googol’, which is a very large number (the number one followed by one hundred zeros to be exact).

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