Avatar - Old Hinduism concepts??

Some of the things i would like to put forth about the latest blockbuster movie AVATAR. I have done some comprehensive study on various websites for this details. Here it goes.

"Avatar" is not just the term `Avatar' that is associated with Hinduism. The core concept of Hinduism is that all animate and inanimate are the result of a single energy source, which is Brahman or God. All the plants, animals, human beings rise and fall in this single energy source. This formless and indefinable is given form by humans and worshipped as God. One of the important themes of Avatar is

based on this core concept of Hinduism which was taught first time more than 5000 years ago. In the movie, the Na'vis are able to physically connect to animals and plants. And they believe that they are just a part of the whole which includes all animate and inanimate present on their planet Pandora. This concept is explained beautifully and there is a magical scene in which the Tree is connected to the human body and this body is connected to all the Na'vis through holding their hands each other.

Another striking aspect is the use of the color blue. Hindu Gods are depicted blue in color. Blue is the color of the infinite. All Hindu gods are an attempt by the human mind to give form to the formless Brahman (God). The color blues symbolizes immeasurable and all pervading reality – formless Brahman.

Another concept found in Hindu Puranas is Parakaya Pravesham – leaving one's body temporarily and entering the body of another person. Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have done this to enter a king's body so that he can learn about material world. Something quite similar happens in the movies as Humans are able to temporarily enter the body of a Na'vi. A more visible symbol in the movie is that of the characters in Avatar riding on a flying dragon like being. This is more like Lord Vishnu riding on Garuda.

It is said that great minds think alike in all ages. The great saints of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) thought about this 5000 years ago and they tried to explain it to us through symbols and stories. Today we have technology explain the universal truths. But are we listening? We are slowly wiping out the green cover and destroying the Mother Earth thinking that we humans are superior and above all.

But what Avatar missed is foreseen by Hindu seers the total annihilation of human race when there is rise of Adharma (today it is unimaginable greed and lack of concern for mother earth). We are fast heading towards such a situation and this divine action will be carried out by Kalki. Then there is a fresh beginning. The cycle continues and this present age is not the first cycle and it is not the last.

A true sportsman

This day 20 years back a small kid drove his first ball, a ball from waqar younis(a terrific bowler) on the front foot. Little did the pakistani cricketers know that they have just seen a person whose wicket will be the most prized wicket in the decades to come. Yes it was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar who went on to rule the world of cricket for 20 long years and continues to do so. Nick named 'The Little Master' and populary known as the 'God of Cricket' this man is a true sportsman. Be it the elegance if the drives he plays or the humbleness with which he carrieshimself off the field he is perfect in it.

There can be no words to describe my love for this man with almost all batting records to him. I wish to him only in one place where he hasnt been yet - Lifting the World Cup. Some knocks of his can never be forgotten and also some shots stay etched in memory.

- The back to back centuries in Sharjah against the australians - considered to be his best.

- It was a disappointment for me when he got out for 4 in his second ball in the chennai test against the Australasians But he was a treat in his second innings. Wat else can i ask for sittin in a stadium watching him

-241 n.o. against australia down under without a single cover drive.... tat was wat u can dedication.

- His first century at manchester saving india from defeat. arrival of a legend.

- 82 in 49 balls.. a win in the 24th over. sachin opens for the first time and tat has been his place for 15 years till date.

- the 1996 world cup was tendulkar's very own. his brutality was clearly evident.

- 1999 world cup. a century against kenya.. made my eyes moist after he dedicated it to his father who died just days before.

- The match against pakistan in the world cup. 3 sixes of akthar and history had repeated itself. sachin was back.

- A unbeaten 100 on the final day, thus winning the match chasing a total of 387. A knock dedicated to the heroes of mumbai (26/11/2008). yet another touching knock.

- The latest onslaught. 175 in a losing cause. reminded me of the sachin of the old. the sachin of sharjah.

There are many more knocks. but only these come to my mind. Some shots of his i love..

- The late cut against warne.

- The perfect straight drive

- the hook against short balls

- The Six above mid-off after coming down on the leg side. (the ultimate one)

There is no more records that this man can have. A small note of his statistics today.

159 Tests - 12773 runs - 42 centuries - 53 half centuries.

436 ODI's - 17178 runs - 45 centuries - 91 half centuries.

I bow to you for ur dedication and love to the sport, to the county and to ur genius.

Three cheers Sachin Tendulkar.

JAI HIND

I only want to enjoy my childhood...

An amazing piece of poem from Inumella Sesikala. Appeared in the Hindu Newspaper. (I put it here unedited)

Amma, I don’t want to go to school.

I am just a child, Ma. I want someone to tell me stories and teach me.

I want to watch tadpoles and butterflies and know what they eat, where they sleep.

I want to climb a hill and catch a cloud to see what it is made of.

I want to wait with my hands in the stream and feel the fish swimming.

I want to run with the puppies, sing with the birds, and play with paper-boats in the rain.

I want to lie down on the soft green grass and hear the wind whisper.

Only then I want to learn more about them from the printed word.

Only after my imagination is fired, my thirst to know more has begun, a seed of ‘Why?’ is planted in my brain.

Amma, I feel trapped in the prison-like classroom.

I feel my spirit slowly weakening with the monotonous teaching.

Often, when I ask a basic question our teachers say,

“No time for all that. Let us finish the syllabus.”

I get tired of studying just for marks without pausing to truly understand.

I want to go to the museum with my classmates and hear my teacher explain the stories of the artefacts.

I want plenty of nature trips where real Biology classes would be held.

I want to see colourful videos of volcanic eruptions and deep-sea dwellings.

I want our whole school to visit together the historic and cultural places in my city.

I want to learn astronomy after looking through a telescope once.

I don’t want to just read them in my textbooks;

I want to see, hear, touch, smell and taste whatever I can.

I want to experience.

Why can’t the school make at least one such trip every year?

And, I cannot stoop down anymore to carry my school sack.

My back is ready to break.

Why should I carry all the books everyday?

Why can’t we have only two subjects per day?

Or, why don’t we have lockers like in the Western schools?

And, why should I squeeze in that over-crowded auto?

But, Amma, growing up no longer seems to be fun.

I see only more of homework, winter projects, summer classes, weekly tests, monthly tests, quarterly, half-yearly and annual exams, external competitive exams, more tests, more competitions, more pressure, more stress…

When can I sing, paint, dance, swim, or cycle?

When I can just play cricket or even hide-and-seek?

What happened to that minimum sleep that you always say a child needs?

Why should I always study, study?

Amma, I am scared of increasing atrocities by untrustworthy teachers, ragging-raving seniors, acid-loving nuts, perverted adults…

Ma, right now, I don’t want to be a doctor, engineer or anything else.

I just want to feel safe and secure, play and learn without any stress before I become an adult like you.

I only want to enjoy my childhood, Ma.

Preparing a quick meal

A different blog this time. Was bored out at home and thought of eating something different for lunch other than the normal rice i eat everyday. When i was in Rajasthan, India i had developed a love for aloo paratas and decided to prepare some stuffed paratas for my lunch. Here goes the making of the paratas.

Ingredients

250 g wheat flour (I used pilsbury atta. A worthy substitute for its softness)

100 g peas

100 g potatoes cut nicely

100 g carrot cut nicely

Other vegetables a little to add flavour

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Preparation

Mix all the above ingredients all make a dough with water and a little curd. Add 2 spoons of oil for a soft dough. Make sure that the dough is not too sticky. If it becomes too sticky add some more more flour and mix throughly.

Make small balls of dough of the size of a golf ball and set aside. With the help of a rolling pin roll the balls in a flat surface ensuring that the dough does not stick on to the surface. A little flour on the surface would suffice for this.

Once all the ball of dough has been rolled heat a pan in medium flame and roast the rolled dough one by one. Heat on both sides until the parata becomes light brown in colour. Your paratas are ready to be consumed. I had mine with a cup of salted curd and some pickle. :)

The idea for this blog comes from a close friend of mine, Madhumathi aka Mad, who is too busy to post her blogs today. A small tribute for her friendship. Here is her blog --> Madhu's Blog

Festival of Lights

Well let me start of with a greeting.. :)

The biggest and the grandest Festival of Lights is here. A time of the year to rejoice and get together with family. I do miss mine being in Singapore. Wishing you all a prosperous diwali.

A small blog about diwali.

A colorful festival that is celebrated by all Hindus worldwide is Deepavali, which is also known as the festival of lights. This festival usually falls around late October and November. One important practice that the Hindus follow during the festival is to light oil lamps in their homes on Deepavali morning. By lighting the oil lamps, the Hindus are thanking the gods for the happiness, knowledge, peace and wealth that they have received. The Hindus consider Deepavali as one of the most important festivals to celebrate.

The Legend - There is even an interesting legend behind this festival. The story goes that Narakasura, a demon, ruled the kingdom of Pradyoshapuram. Under his rule, the villagers suffered a lot of hardship as the demon tortured the people and kidnapped the women to be imprisoned in his palace. Seeing his wickedness, Lord Khrishna set out to destroy the demon and the day Narakasura died was celebrated as Deepavali, the triumph of good over evil!

Preparations - Preparation for Deepavali starts usually at least two to three weeks before the festival. It is known that the Hindus will be busy cleaning their houses to prepare for the festival. Some would even renovate their houses to prepare it for Deepavali. Usually the family will shop for new clothes and for accessories to decorate their homes. Prior to the festival, Indian shops will be selling festive items like Deepavali greeting cards, carpets, Punjabi suits and flowers. The Hindus will frequent these shops when they are shopping for Deepavali.

Celebrations - The Hindus usually awake early in the morning of deepavali around 3am and the first ritual will be having an oil bath, which is an important feature of Deepavali. Hindus will be dressed in their new clothes on Deepavali. Most of the ladies would be clad in silk saris or Punjabi suits of various bright shades. Hindus particularly dislike dressing in black on that day, as they consider black an inauspicious color for the festival. Hindus would also pay their respects to the elderly and most families would go to the temple after having breakfast. This is also an important practice for them. The reason why they would be going to the temples is to pray to get happiness and prosperity on Deepavali. The houses would be decorated with oil lamps and children will play with firecrackers to celebrate the festival. On the first day, they would not go visiting but would stay at home to welcome the guests who visit them.

Food - Visiting Hindus during Deepavali will be an interesting activity, as you will get to taste a wide variety of delicious food. In every home that you visit you are bound to be served with a tempting spread of sweets. Some of the popular sweets are halwa, burfi and laddu. Hindus love eating spicy food and for non-vegetarians they indulge in favorites like chicken tandoori, prawn sambal and fish head curry. In homes of Hindus who are vegetarians popular dishes like thosais, idlis and naans are prepared.

A Tribute to Anand Prabakaran

You were a cheerful, ever helping friend. There are many moments which come to my mind when i think of you. It is sad that you are no more with us. May your soul rest in peace and your memories stay with us.

Readers : This is the photo of Anand. P fondly known as Iyer. He was a class mate of mine in Annamalai University. On Oct 2, 2009 he accidentally slipped into a waterfall in Mysore and his body was found only on Oct 4. He was cremated on Oct 5 in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.

A nice book to read

I have been kept busy from the world of blogging for many days by my night shift duty and of course laziness to cook up a topic and do some study on it. Getting ready for convocation and making arrangements for arrival of my parents have also kept my hands full.

I have chanced upon a book which my roommate was reading and i too started to read that book. Thought it is much voluminous and the topic of the book blocked my from setting hand on it, i discovered tat it was worth a read later. I havnt completed the book, but its first few topic kept me interested in it. This book requires a lot of patience and of course the ability to imagine the authors story for a rich feel of it. will post u my ideas on the various issues once i finish the book. Meanwhile try to go for it...

Its "INDIA AFTER GANDHI"..."RAMACHANDRA GUHA"

Alvida