Kalidas – one of India’s greatest Sanskrit scholars

Known as India’s greatest poet and dramatist in Sanskrit, Kalidas lived during the 4th and 5th centuries AD, during the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaaditya and his successor Kumaragupta.

Not much is known about his personal life, but legends abound. One such legend says that, one day the townsfolk saw a young boy sawing off a branch sitting on the wrong side of the branch. The boy eventually tumbled and fell off the tree; his stupidity soon became common knowledge.

The pundits of the town meanwhile wanted to play a trick on the arrogant princess, who had decided that she would marry only the wisest man in the city. They presented Kalidas to her and asked him to pretend that he had taken an oath of silence. When the princess asked him questions, he gesticulated widely, which the pundits interpreted as extremely witty answers. The princess was impressed and agreed to marry Kalidas; alas, she soon realized that she had married a dimwit and threw him out of her palace and life.

A despondent Kalidas went the riverbed; there he watched women washing clothes. He noticed that the stones, which were struck by the clothes, were smooth while the other stones where still rough. So, he thought to himself, if clothes could smoothen a rock, why couldn’t his brain change?

Kalidas then began indulging in intellectual pastimes and prayed to Kali, to grant him divine knowledge; he was determined to become a scholar. Soon enough, the goddess fulfilled his wishes and Kalidas became one of the greatest scholars of all time.

Kalidas’ works
Kalidas’ works include four poetic works: Raghuvamsha, Kumarasambhava, Meghaduta, and Ritusamhara; three plays: Vikramorvasiya, Malavikagnimitra, and Abhijnanasakuntala. Several other works have also been attributed to him; these range from poetics and astrology to mathematics and astronomy. Kalidas was also known to have an encyclopedic knowledge of ancient India’s arts, sciences and culture.

Raghuvamsha (the dynasty of Raghu) – Consisting of nineteen chapters or sargas, Raghuvamsha deals with the lives of the kings of the Ikshvaku dynasty of north Kosala, to which Rama belonged.

Kumarasambhava (birth of Kumara) – This work describes the courtship and eventually marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati. The gods desired this union for they needed Kumaraa, who could destroy the demon Taaraka. Kaama, the god of love is summoned to instill love in Shiva (who is sitting in meditation) in Parvati. An angered Shiva turns Kaama to ashes, but the arrow has found his mark and Shiva falls in love with Parvati.

Meghaduta (the could messenger) – With no storyline as such, Meghaduta, as the titled suggests is the description of a cloud messenger. With exquisite descriptions of places, sentiments and people, this poem is considered exquisite. The broad storyline revolves around a Yaksha who is banished to Ramagiri for some offence; unable to bear the separation from his wife, the lovelorn Yaksha implores a passing cloud to carry the message to his wife.

Ritusamhara (description of the seasons) – As the title, suggests Ritusamhara is a description of the changing seasons. Some consider his style in this poem as untypical of Kalidas with rather exaggerated and overly exuberant depictions of nature.

Malavikagnimitra (Malavikaa and Agnimitra) – This play concerns a palace intrigue. It tells the story of the love of Agnimitra of Vidisha, king of the Shungas, for the beautiful handmaiden of his chief queen. The handmaiden is later discovered to be of royal origin and is accepted as one of his queens.

Vikramorvasiya (Urvashi won through valor)- Based on the old legend of the love of the mortal Pururavaas for the heavenly damsel Urvashi, this drama relates the account of how king Pururavas rescued the nymph Urvashi from the demons. But summoned by Indra he is obliged to part from her. Here, Kalidas describes the madness of the demented lover Pururavas in search of his beloved. After many trials the lovers are reunited.

Abhijnanasakuntala (Shankuntala) – Considered his masterpiece and his most well known work, it was the first play to be translated in English. The story revolves around King Dushhyanta, who meets and marries the hermit-girl Shakuntalaa, while on a hunting expedition. But obliged by affairs of the state, he returns to his palace; before leaving, he gives Shakuntala his signet ring, promising to send for her later. But when Shakuntalaa comes to the court, pregnant with his child, Dushhyanta fails to recognize her, owing to a curse. The spell is subsequently broken, when the ring he has presented to her (and which Shakuntalaa had lost on her way to the court) is discovered and presented in the court by a fisherman.

In his works, Kalidas has captured the beauty of life in its entirety; his word power is considered unique and unparalled. Intellectuals are still hewing at his work, drawing different meanings with each new reading.

Experts have classified Kalidas’ poetic style as Vaidarbhi; it is considered rather different from the styles used during the time. Kalidas uses very fine language and small compound phrases or samasas and apt similes. Kalidas is considered as the greatest poet of shringaar – romance and beauty. He was also a clever user of haasya or comedy and karuna or pathos.

It is assumed that Kalidas was also well-traveled; his descriptions of the landscape in Meghaduta stretches from Central India to the Himalayas, he also describes the people, their habits, professions in such details, which entails that only a person who would have visited these places in person could have described them with such accuracy. In his other works, he describes the meritorious and peaceful life of a hermit and the joys of marital life and the pangs of separation with equal masterly. His description of comic situations is also unsurpassed.

His writings have been translated in several languages.

Upcoming interesting technological developments…

The below article gives a glimpse of six new technological developments that will be part of your life soon!

Sentiment analysis in Computers

Computers with emotions? Now, that sounds interesting and it’s a fact! Soon computers will get an additional assimilation of ‘sentiment analysis’ tools that will reflect the feeling of your blogs or any other online comments. Companies like Sentimine, Adaptive Semantics and Lexalytics have already put in their hands into this technological advancement. Currently, it is only sold to big corporations but soon it will be global, cheap or even for free!

SMS with background color by Nokia

Now, message your best friend with an emotion. Nokia is on its way to launch the new model with the latest ‘light messaging’ feature. This will enable users to send a SMS with a background color that will express their mood. The color that will be encoded with the message will be illuminated on the LED screen of the recipient’s phone of similar type.

Pet friendly car by Honda Motor Company

Finding it difficult to control your mischievous dog while driving? There is good news for you! Honda Motor Company unveiled its pet friendly car in New York Motor Show early this year. Termed as the WOW concept, this ultimate dog car has some interesting touches that will certainly make your dog feel comfortable. There is a special seat belt, a 12V rear ventilation fan, a cushioned bed, a toy bone and many more that will keep your pet busy. To keep you happy, the final additional feature that Honda features is the removable and washable rollout flooring!

Wi-Fi washing machine

Just fill it, shut it and forget it! All you have to do is throw your dirty clothes inside the see through basket of the machine. As soon as it hits a certain weight, the machine will start its job. It’s a blessing for the office goers as well. They can now operate this machine from their desk. The global leader in home appliances, Electrolux has taken the front seat to unveil this technology soon.

Wanda: the wonder fish for underwater search

Be careful while fishing, it might be Wanda!

Wanda or the Wireless Aquatic Navigator for detection and analysis is the next generation underwater search device that looks and propels like any other fish. Created by researcher Scott McGovern, the Robo-Fish can swim with ease with the help of a flexible joint tail, polymer artificial muscle and a fixed wireless camera that can give images from deep under the water. From detection of the water quality to structural damages, Wanda will sense every little change inside.

The old carpenter.

“Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result.”

This is a story of an elderly carpenter who had been working for a contractor for the past 53 years. He had built many beautiful houses but now as he was getting old, he wanted to retire and lead a leisurely life with his family. So, he goes to the contractor and tells him about his plan of retiring. The contractor feels sad at the prospect of losing a good worker but agrees to the plan because the carpenter had indeed become too fragile for the tough building work. But as a last request, he asks the old carpenter to construct just one last house.

The old man agrees and starts working but his heart was not in his work any more. He had lost the motivation towards work. So, he resorted to shoddy workmanship and constructed the house half-heartedly. After the house was built, the contractor came to visit his employee’s last piece of work. After inspecting the house, he handed over the front door keys to the carpenter and said, “This is your new house. My gift to you.” The carpenter was shocked and upset. Had he known that he was building his own house, he would have done a better job! Now, he would have to live in the house, which is not worth staying.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. You work hard every day but are you giving your best? We put our least to the work we don’t like or do not have interest in. Later, we get shocked at the situation we have created for ourselves and try to figure out why we didn’t do it differently.

Enjoy your tasks and carry on your responsibilities with pleasure and not with pain. “Life is a do-it-yourself project”. Do your job enthusiastically and with devotion, a positive output and a pleasing life will certainly be on your way.

The butterfly

“Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets.”

A man regularly observed a butterfly cocoon lying next to his window. One fine day, he finally saw a small opening emerging on the cocoon. He waited patiently to watch what happens next. After few minutes, he finds, a butterfly struggling to force its body out of that little gap. For several hours, the butterfly gave great effort to come out but as it failed to do so, it stopped making any progress further. It seemed like the butterfly tried as much as it could and cannot go further.

So, the man decided to help it come out. He took a pair of scissors, and slowly snipped off the remaining bit of cocoon. The butterfly freed itself easily. It had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly and waited to see the beautiful insect to flap and fly away. But that never happened and the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

It was the mistake of the man. In his well intentioned sympathy and haste, he did not understand that the restricting cocoon and struggle made by the butterfly to get through the opening was actually God’s way of forcing a fluid out from the butterfly’s body into its wings, so that it could be ready for flight as soon as it comes out of the cocoon.

For us, it is exactly the same. Struggles are compulsory in life. If God allows us to lead a life without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

No one can avoid the difficulties and sufferings in life. Fight against them and move up the ladder to fetch the triumph.

All of us have to struggle a little to fly up high!

The flock of birds

“Teamwork is the ability to work together towards a common vision. It is the ability to direct individual accomplishments towards organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie

During the winter, geese migrate to a warmer place to fight the cold. These large groups of migrating birds fly for long hours to reach their destination. The flock is focused and flies in a ‘V’ formation, which increases their flight efficiency by 71%.

Geese are one of the best examples of excellent teamwork.

Lesson 1: Working as a team and sharing the same direction helps to reach the destination faster. By helping each other, the triumph is greater.

If a goose leaves the ‘V’ formation, it feels the resistance of the air. Hence, rather than flying alone, it comes back to the formation and continues with the flock.

Lesson 2: Always stay in tune with those who are going in a certain direction. This will not only help you to reach the goal with less effort, but you will always be guided by people around you.

When the leader is tired of flying, it drops out of the lead position and fall back into one of the lines of the V. Another bird from the rear rapidly takes the leading position.

Lesson 3: Never miss opportunities to empower others in the team. Always take responsibility and build trust. Respect others in the team. Share difficult problems and tasks with the team.

The geese flying behind the ‘V’ formation quack continuously to encourage the ones leading the flock. This way they maintain the same speed.

Lesson 4: Always appreciate an individual team player’s work. Encouragement helps to motivate the team and, strengthen the bond among the members and this in turn brings positive results.

When a goose falls sick and tired, it leaves the flock. But the flock doesn’t desert it. Some of the geese leave the flock to escort and protect it, till it is well enough to fly again. Then they either catch up with the flock or they form their own ‘V’ formation.

Lessson 5: Always stand beside your team mates, especially at the time of challenges and difficulties.

The story of Brooklyn Bridge

An engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea of building a magnificent suspension bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. He had put forward his idea to the bridge building experts throughout the world but no one was interested even to think about it further and asked John to forget about it. According to them, it was a very difficult task, something, which had never been attempted before and is not practical.

Roebling however was determined and would not think of ignoring his dream. He thought about it day and night and wanted to share it with someone who would believe in his idea. John’s son Washington was a naïve engineer then. He trusted his father’s vision and believed that the bridge could be built.

John and Washington, working together for the first time, developed concepts of how the bridge could be built. A big challenge lay before them, but they were ready to face it as they had excitement and inspiration deep in their heart. They hired their crew and the construction of their dream bridge began on January 3, 1870.

The project started well, but after a year, a tragic accident at the site took John Roebling’s life. Hence, Washington took over and was in charge of the bridge. However, after few months Washington too suffered a paralyzing injury, which left him with certain amount of brain damage. He was not able to walk or talk. With no one to supervise, the construction stopped.

Everyone around the world was negative about the future of the project and felt that it should be taken off as only the Roeblings knew about the plans of construction of the bridge. These remarks hurt and shocked Washington, who lay still on the bed of his hospital. His desire and enthusiasm was still alive. He wanted to get up and continue his work, but his physical condition did not allow him to.

Washington could move only one finger and this gave him an idea. He called his wife Emily and tapped on her arm indicating her to call back the crew and the engineers. This worked well as Emily started understanding Washington’s indications by just the tapping of his finger. She conveyed his instructions to the engineers and soon the construction of the bridge was back at full swing.

For next 11 years, Washington gave instructions by tapping on Emily’s arm and she patiently decoded his messages and relayed them to the crew. The bridge was finally completed and opened with a big celebration in May 1883.

Today, the 5,989 feet Brooklyn Bridge stands over the East River as a tribute to the victory of John and Washington’s strong spirit, will power and determination. It is also a tribute to the engineers who had faith and trust in a man who was half paralyzed and was considered silly by half of the world. The bridge also reflects the love and affection of Emily towards her husband.

The story of Brooklyn Bridge portrays a very good example of having a vision, believing in it and then pursuing it with a never-say-die attitude. No matter what obstacles you face, if you have a dream then go ahead and fulfill it. Have strength of mind and be determined in life.

The names of John Roebling, Washington Roebling and Emily Warren Roebling are inscribed on the bridge as its builders.

You Can Do Anything!

 I was a twenty-year-old nursing student in 1968, preparing for a rotation through the pediatric unit. Compared to cardiac units or the operating room, how hard would this be? After all, I’d always cared for and played with children. This rotation would be a snap. I’d breeze right through it and be one step closer to graduation.
  
   
 Chris was an eight-year-old bundle of energy who excelled in every sport he played. Disobeying his parents’ instructions, he explored a neighbor’s construction site, climbed a ladder, and fell. His broken arm was casted too tightly, leading to infection, sepsis, and gangrene. Sadly, his condition required amputation.
  
   
 I was assigned as his post-operative nurse.
  
   
 The first few days passed quickly. I provided Chris’s physical care with forced cheerfulness. His parents stayed with him around the clock.
  
   
 As his need for medication decreased, his level of awareness increased, as did his moodiness. When I saw how alert he seemed as he watched me bring in supplies for a sponge bath, I offered him the washcloth and suggested he take over. He washed his face and neck, then quit. I finished.
  
   
 The next day I announced he’d be in charge of his whole bath. He balked. I insisted. He was more than halfway through when he slumped down and said, “I’m too tired.”
  
   
 ”You won’t be in the hospital much longer,” I urged gently. “You need to learn to take care of yourself.”  
   
 ”Well, I can’t,” he scowled. “How can I do anything with just one hand?”  
   
 Putting on my brightest face, I groped for a silver lining. Finally I said, “Sure you can do it, Chris. At least you have your right hand.”  
   
 He turned his face away and muttered, “I’m left- handed. At least I used to be.” He glared at me. “Now what?”  
   
 Suddenly, I didn’t feel so snappy. I felt phony and insincere, and not very helpful. How could I have taken right-handedness for granted? It seemed he and I both had a lot to learn.
  
   
 The next morning I greeted Chris with a big smile and a rubber band. He looked at me suspiciously. Wrapping the rubber band loosely around my wrist, I said, “You’re left-handed and I’m right-handed. I am going to put my right hand behind my back and keep it there by winding the rubber band around my uniform buttons. Every time I ask you to do something with your right hand, I will do it first, with my left hand. And I promise not to practice before I see you. What should we try first?”
  
   
 ”I just woke up,” he grumbled. “I need to brush my teeth.”  
   
 I managed to screw the top off the toothpaste, then placed his toothbrush on the overbed table. Awkwardly, I tried to squirt toothpaste onto the wobbly toothbrush. The harder I struggled, the more interested he became. After almost ten minutes, and a lot of wasted toothpaste, I succeeded. “I can do it faster than that!” Chris declared. And when he did, his triumphant grin was just as real as mine. The next two weeks passed quickly. We tackled his daily activities with enthusiasm and a competitive spirit. We buttoned his shirts, buttered his bread, and never really mastered tying his shoes. Despite our age difference, we were playing a game as equal competitors.
  
   
 By the time my rotation ended, he was almost ready for discharge, and ready to face the world with more confidence. We hugged each other goodbye with sincere friendship and tears.
  
   
 More than thirty years have passed since our time together. I’ve encountered some ups and downs in my life, but I’ve never let a physical challenge pass without thinking of Chris and wondering how he would cope. Sometimes I’ll put a hand behind my back, hook my thumb in my belt, and give it a try.
  
   
 And anytime I feel sorry for myself, for some petty grievance or another, I take myself into the bathroom and try once again to brush my teeth with my left hand.
  
     
  Work like you don’t need the money,
Love like you’ve never been hurt,
Dance like nobody is watching.

To Read When You’re Alone.

I  was 13 years old. My family had moved to Southern California from North Florida a year before. I hit adolescence with a vengeance. I was angry and rebellious, with little regard for anything my parents had to say, particularly if it had to do with me. Like so many teenagers, I struggled to escape from anything that didn’t agree with my picture of the world. A “brilliant without need of guidance” kid, I rejected any overt offering of love. In fact, I got angry at the mention of the word love.
 
   
 One night, after a particularly difficult day, I stormed into my room, shut the door and got into bed. As I lay down in the privacy of my bed, my hands slipped under my pillow. There was an envelope. I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, “To read when you’re alone.”
 
  
 Since I was alone, no one would know whether I read it or not, so I opened it. It said “Mike, I know life is hard right now, I know you are frustrated and I know we don’t do everything right. I also know that I love you completely and nothing you do or say will ever change that. I am here for you if you ever need to talk, and if you don’t, that’s okay. Just know that no matter where you go or what you do in your life, I will always love you and be proud that you are my son. I’m here for you and I love you – that will never change. Love, Mom.”
 
  
 That was the first of several “To read when you’re alone” letters. They were never mentioned until I was an adult.
 
   
 Today I travel the world helping people. I was in Sarasota, Florida, teaching a seminar when, at the end of the day, a lady came up to me and shared the difficulty she was having with her son. We walked out to the beach, and I told her of my mom’s undying love and about the “To read when you’re alone” letters. Several weeks later, I got a card that said she had written her first letter and left it for her son.
 
   
 That night as I went to bed, I put my hands under my pillow and remembered the relief I felt every time I got a letter. In the midst of my turbulent teen years, the letters were the calm assurance that I could be loved in spite of me, not because of me. Just before I fell asleep I thanked God that my mom knew what I, an angry teenager, needed. Today when the seas of life get stormy, I know that just under my pillow there is that calm assurance that love – consistent, abiding, unconditional love – changes lives

POWER OF WORDS!!!

POWER OF WORDS!!! 
 A group of frogs were travelling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered aroundthey would never get out. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit. Th the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the unfortunate frogs e other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and simply gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog however continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and suffering and just die. But to the surprise of one and all, he jumped even harder and finally did come out.
 
     
  When he got out, the other frogs asked him, “Why did you continue jumping? Didn’t you hear us?” It was shocking for them to know that the frog was deaf and all the time he actually thought they were all encouraging him to get out. He did not want to disappoint them and therefore did not give him up till the end.ne night, after a particularly difficult day, I stormed into my room, shut the door and got into bed. As I lay down in the privacy of my bed, my hands slipped under my pillow. There was an envelope. I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, “To read when you’re alone.”
  
     
  This story teaches two lessons:
  
 There is the power of life & death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.
A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them.
  
     
  Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words … it is sometimes hard to understand. An encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.   
  Be special to others.

Know some of the Festivals of India

India is a land of varied culture and religion. Here are a brief discussion on some of the festivals of India celebrated by people of various religious belief.

Jamshed e Navroz -  Zoroastrian New Year.

Deep Diwali – Marks liberation of Mahabira from the cycle of life and death.

Vasanth Panchami – A festival that worships Godess Saraswati.

Teej – Dedicated to Godess Parvati commeorates the day when she was united with Lord Shiva.

Easter – The festivals of Rejuvenation of life and living.

Buddha Poornima – Celebrated on a full moon night in the month of Vaisakh.

RamaNavami – Celebrated on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra.

Guru Purnima – Is also known as Vyasa Purnima.

Onam – Marks the homecoming of King Maha – bali.