Statue of Women Safety and Honour

 

Statue of Women Safety and Honour

Few months back, I visited the Jatayu Earth’s Centre, in Kollam District, Kerala which encompasses the world largest bird sculpture. The giant concrete statue of Jatayu is built on a mighty rock named Jatayupara. The colossal statue is 200 feet long, 150 feet wide and 70 feet tall. It is magnificent in size and truly spectacular.

The concept is the brainchild of renowned film director, art director and sculptor Mr Rajiv Anchal and his team took ten years to meticulously design and complete this monumental project. Jatayu Earths Centre tourism project is spread over 65 acres of multi terrain landscape, which is 1000 feet above sea level and has diverse geographic features ranging from hills, valleys, rugged rocks, caves to cultivable lands.

In the great epic Ramayana, Jatayu is characterized as a noble bird of divine origin. When Sita was abducted to Lanka by the demon king- Ravana. Jatayu rushed to her rescue, stopped Ravana’s chariot named Pushpaka Vimana and engaged in a battle with him. Eventually, Ravana took his sword and cut off the bird’s left wing and went away with Sita. It is said that the injured Jatayu and his lost wing landed on top of a rock. In time, the rock got the name Jatayupara. This is where the monumental statue of Jatayu is now built. There is a pond near the rock which is said to be formed by the stroke of Jatayu’s beak. It has water throughout the year and never goes dry. Legend also says that, it is the bird that told the whole story and Rama got the vital information about his wife Sita and Lord Rama gave moksha to the wounded and dying Jatayu.

Jatayu is an embodiment of valour and chivalry. Risking his life, he tried his best to save Sita from her abductor. Hence the Jatayu sculpture uprights as a towering tribute to women’s safety and honour.

In the words of Mr. Rajiv Anchal, this symbolism has great relevance in today’s social scenario since the crime rate against women is on a high. Each guest at Jatayu Earths Centre is requested to understand and emulate the inner meaning of this inspiring creation.

Thousands of years have passed since these epic days of Ramayana, yet women safety remains a concern in the country. While on one end, we see the liberal and progressive woman making rapid strides in different fields, on the other end we still hear of cases of offence against woman in the form of physical, mental and emotional assault.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “The day a woman can walk freely on the roads at night, that day we can say that India has achieved independence”. If we have to check for validation of this statement today, we will just become aware that we are still far away from that day.

According to a 2019 survey, 42 percent of Indian women feel 'unsafe' in their surroundings, and 78 percent feel that authorities are not taking enough measures to ensure the safety of women in India. About 43 percent revealed that they have faced an incident where their safety was undermined.

No doubt, the safety of woman is being addressed more openly and commonly, in both social media and government forums. CCTV Surveillance, all woman’s police stations, women protection laws are much more in place. However just having strict laws, will not serve the purpose, unless there is proper enforcement and women should feel safe enough to report any violence against them. The evidence of the effectiveness of the law, ultimately depends on the reducing number of incidents of such crimes against woman.

In the days of woman empowerment, it seems contradictory to talk about woman protection. Yet, I believe these both go hand in hand. We need to protect the woman in the process of empowering them, so that they will be in a better position to handle themselves. With more empowered woman in the workforce and all spheres of official work, the women safety is likely to be enhanced. Literacy rate of woman are fast growing and so we can sure be hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Together, let's work to create a safer place for women.

D. Senthil Kannan,

  Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

  Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

  Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com

Simple Ideas to Make A Significant Speech

 

Simple Ideas to Make 

A Significant Speech

Have you ever faced a situation, when you were invited to give a speech or make a presentation on any occasion? It could be from a social organization, education institution or a business forum.  If it is the first time, I am sure it can feel a bit overwhelming. Yet, there are simple ways, by which you can handle this situation easily.

 

In every presentation, they say “Content is the  King and Delivery is the Queen”. Both are equally important.  A well delivered speech, that lacks content, will be looked down as shallowness of the speaker’s knowledge and similarly, even if the content is excellent and the way the speech was structured and delivered was poor, it doesn’t leave a good impression amidst the participants.

 

In this article, let me share some easy tips of how you can prepare a good content for your speech.

 

There are 3 preliminary steps, before starting to construct a good speech. They are:

1.     Identifying the topic

2.     Awareness of your target audience

3.     Duration available for your speech.

 

Once you have these inputs, it gets easier to collect content for your speech. Remember, that the participant who is listening to your speech, should find some take home value from it and in order to achieve this your speech should have a good mix of these three vital components - Knowledge, Skills & Attitude.

 

We are all aware of the 6 type of questions, which is interestingly called the 5 wives and one husband technique, as an easy to remember analogy the 5W’s and 1H, which are What, When, Where, Who, Why and How?

 

When you search for content based on a question, it will be easier to find answers. Be it tapping into your own resources or external resources like Google.

 

You can create an outline for your speech, by using just the 3 questions – What, Why and How. The ‘What?’  is always a Knowledge question. The ‘Why?  is an Attitude question. The ‘How?” is a Skill based question.  

 

So, for example, if you are going to give a speech on the topic, “Creativity”, the three questions you can ask are:

·       What is Creativity?

·       Why is Creativity important?

·       How to be a Creative Person?

 

By just striving to answer these 3 questions, you will be able to structure and present a good speech.

 

Yet, you can add more value to your speech by asking the additional three knowledge questions - ‘When’, ‘Where’ and ‘Who’ . When you pose these questions, you will be able to generate and provide additional information, which will serve as a decoration to your speech.

 

The "When?" gives information of the time or period when something happened. So, it can be something generic like 5th Century BC, Ice Age,  Chola Period, Early 19^th Century etc.; or something more specific like the exact date, time or year.

 

The “Where?” gives information of where the event or incident happened.

 

The “Who?” mentions the persons who were involved in the incident. Or it can also be things like who said what.  For example, when you mention a quote, from a famous author or thinker, in your presentation it endorses your content. Like, if you are taking about creativity, you can use quotes from people who you feel are considered an authority in the field, such as Walt Disney, Steve Jobs or James Cameron.

 

Answering these 3 questions, will help the listener to relate it to the period, place and people, with their sense of imagination.

 

So, by integrating this simple 5W & 1H Technique, you will not only create an interesting speech, but also a significant speech, which people might remember much longer than it was spoken.

 

D. Senthil Kannan,

  Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

  Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

  Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com

A Simple Prayer, that can change your life

 

A Simple Prayer, 

that can change your life

Prayer is a precious ritual, which has been a part of mankind for centuries. People pray differently, yet prayer is omnipresent across all cultures. Prayer doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a religious ritual. A prayer is less about worshipping a deity or confessing our sins. It is more about finding peace and happiness, in our life.

 

How many of you have the habit of Praying? If you do pray, what do you pray for? Most often, it goes something like this, “Please help me achieve my goal”; “Please keep my family safe and happy; Please help me tide over this crisis” etc.  In other words, we would ask for some favour, from the Supreme Power.

 

But, if we look at our daily life, we are constantly worrying about something or other that puts us in a constant state of stress and anxiety. It could be something related to our health condition, financial issues or relationship issues. And if you ponder, a little deeper, you will realize that it is fear, that is gripping us. Author Debra Landwehr Engle,  the author of the book,  “The only prayer you will ever need” was a victim too, of what she calls “fear-based thoughts” until she found a simple, yet powerful, way to unburden herself from them. A short, six-word prayer, which she whispered in times of need, had the power to root out negative thoughts and shift her perspective from fear to love. The prayer is “Please heal my fear-based thoughts.”

 

Prayers usually ask for something in the external environment to change; but this one is different.   Instead of asking for things to change in the world around you, you ask for yourself to be changed.

 

Let’s look at how the prayer can be applied to a specific situation. Take this prayer: “Please help me find the money to pay my loan instalment this month.” There’s nothing wrong with this prayer. However, this relief will only be temporary. Before long, your mind will start seeking out new worries like, “Even if I can pay my loan instalment this month, what happens next month?”, “What if my income dries up altogether?” This is because the prayer doesn’t change anything in you. The result? You sink back into old patterns, recreating the problem in different ways. On the other hand, if you say the words “Please heal my fear-based thoughts about this loan,” it doesn’t just lift the burden of the problem temporarily, it heals your fear-based thoughts , liberating you to live a life without fear and with greater peace of mind.

 

The term “fear-based thoughts” helps us realize that, no matter how big our fears are, they’re just thoughts, and thoughts can be changed. A quote by Wayne Dyer goes, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change.’ Similarly, this prayer helps us with a change of perspective. By asking for yourself to be changed,  you can be sure that the world around you will change as a result. 

   

Fear is pervasive. It keeps penetrating into our lives, through Newspapers, TV or Social media, such as the pandemic outbreak, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and so on. Fear is present inside us too, in the form of never-ending worries about money, our jobs and our families.  

 

All of us have moments where life feels overwhelming. This is where this  prayer can help. When you heal your fear-based thoughts, you gain the  strength to shift them towards love-based ones – like acceptance, compassion, and forgiveness. The prayer helps you accept the things you can’t change. Similar to the serenity prayer, which goes like this. “Oh God! grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

 

So, this simple prayer – “Please heal my fear-based thoughts” – can help you build resilience and find calm in the chaos. Saying this prayer puts you, and the world around you, on the path to greater peace of mind. Incorporate the prayer into your daily routine and be patient with the results. Let go of any expectations you may have and instead allow yourself to become a passive bystander, simply watching as things unfold before you. Most importantly,  don’t give up before you fully give the prayer a try.

  D. Senthil Kannan,

  Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

  Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

  Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com

 

Maximise Utility Value

Finding a Balance between 
Environmentalism and Consumerism

My mind has been contemplating for a long while, on the growth of consumerism against the degradation of environment. We all know that the production of new products consumes earth's resources, and discarding of used products leads to increase of dump and environmental hazard. So, can we find a way to reduce both.?

 

In good old days, a lot of resources were shared, not just by the family but by the neighbourhood itself, which included Telephone and Television too. But, in a world of growing privacy and personal preferences, this is not possible anymore. However there are things than can be shared among friends and relatives, to cut down not just on cost, but also the impact on the environment.

Unfortunately the word borrow has been linked to shameful virtues such as beg, borrow or steal.  So, instead of using the word borrow, we can use the term "being open to exchange things", so that it becomes a mutual benefit and an environmental conscious decision too.

A simple example would be to exchange books with friends instead of buying them. You don't have to buy something new, for just reading it once.

Another example could be, let's say if you have a cake oven or barbeque grill at home, which you sparingly use,  you can tell your friends and relatives that they can take it whenever they want for any of their family occasions, instead of buying a new one. And in return, there will be things that our friend have, which we don't have to buy just for an occasional use. So, it is just a give and take philosophy and not something to feel embarrassed about. So, before you decide to buy something new, see if you can manage to get it within your close network. The only criterion is to return the things on time, as committed and in the same condition we took it from them.

In Western Countries, there is growing interest in the culture of Community Living, such as Apartment, Township or Row houses where there are neighbours using common facilities, such as the kids play area, walking track, fitness centre, swimming pool etc. In addition to enjoying the common facilities, people have come up with the idea of sharing the things that are sparingly used, such as repair tools, garden maintenance equipment, books, etc. So, they have a common place, where inmates of the community leave their personal belongings of such nature, so that it can be used by others too. So, whenever someone needs something, they just go there to see if any of the items they require for temporary use, is available. If it is there, they just take it, use it and leave it back after usage.

There are many things we can do on these lines, if we give a deeper thought.

•        Car pooling to reduce fuel consumption.
•        Food sharing at restaurants, to avoid food wastage.

My thought is not against enjoying any comforts or convenience, but to extract maximum value of any product before it reaches the dump yard, which not only saves money but also the environment.

June 5^th is celebrated as “World Environment day”.  This year let us pledge our allegiance to find a balance, by maximising the utility value of things beforewe discard them.  This can ensure that we enjoy the best of both worlds.

D. Senthil Kannan,

  Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

  Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

  Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com

TIPS – The price of attitude

The word TIPS is used as an acronym for “To Insure Proper Service”. The P in the acronym, can also be used to replace with other P words, like Prompt, Polite or Personalized, because that is what its ultimate purpose is. Keep the people who you come across happy and you can be rest assured they will keep you happy too.

There is always a debate, whether we should give TIPS or not. There are two segments of people, who have their arguments for and against the idea of giving tips and I feel both are justified in their own way. 

One segment of people believe that tipping is wrong, as it is over and above the salary that the person is receiving, and this is some sort of bribing for some sort of favoritism in treatment. So, this can cause an imbalanced attitude of the worker towards the customers, by giving better service to those who he knows will offer tips and neglect those who do not.

Whereas, on the other hand there are people, who think tipping is a generous act of rewarding people working at the lower level. Their salaries are not big enough to make a good living and these sorts of tips enable them to live a better life or to cater to many of their other daily needs.

I belong to the second category. I am generous in tipping people, right from the security, the waiter, the bell boy, the sweeper and anyone who does some sort of work, which many people consider to be a mean job. To me people who do mean jobs are slowly vanishing, and it is these sorts of tips that helps to sustain such workforce. I find tipping as a way of acknowledging people, who consider that dignity of labour, is a higher value than to beg in the streets or resort to petty crimes, to fulfill their economic needs.

But this tipping can get a bit complicated at times. How much should we tip? There are some accepted percentages of tips based on the place we are dining. I have an experience, when a waiter returned the tip money I had left, because he felt it was too low. But he told it in a different way. “Sir seems you have left some change.”. It felt insulting to me at that moment, but it was also a sort of realization that there is a minimum expectation, when it comes to tips. So, if we decide to tip, might as well, tip them in a way that it appeases them.

My perception on the amount of tipping, was altered after my visit to Egypt. Tipping is very important gesture there and sometimes demanded too. It is a tourist destination which thrives on tipping. So, we would find ourselves paying tips over and above every service we receive, right from the cab driver to the tour guide. So, tipping is a cultural thing too, which can vary from place to place, which we need to be aware of.

As a frequent traveller, I find the necessity of tipping, as a measure to be a welcome guest everywhere. A simple attitude of a person who serves us, can make, or break our day. So, very well ensure that our day goes well, through these little acts of tipping.

Some days back one of my friends told me, about tipping forward. It is a different concept of “Give before you get”. He said while most people give tips only after the service is rendered, there are few people who give the tips in advance. He said, once we have decided to tip someone, why wait? Let’s at least save his anxiety whether they will get something or not, from offering the service. And we on our part can be rest assured that we will get a better service, as a token of paying forward with trust.

Like it or not, it is a money starved world and unless we are willing to be a little generous with tipping, we cannot ensure that we will get best service.  And while tipping, let us make sure that it is done with an attitude of kindness, rather than an attitude of arrogance. A simple polite, smile that passes on along with the tip, could well serve as a differentiating factor.

 D. Senthil Kannan,

  Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

  Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

  Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com

 

Smash down Negative Thoughts
with Positive Actions

Many people think I am positive person, but only I know how much difficulty I have in dealing with my negative thoughts. Everyone has negative thoughts. No one is immune from it. A research says that a person has around 60,000 thoughts every day and out of which more than 80% are negative. These negative thoughts are not bad as such, but rather essential, because they have been the determinant to human survival in the process of evolution.

Our subconscious mind operates on the trigger of our fears and dreams. Man is motivated by fears and dreams. So negative thoughts, are nothing but fears in disguise. To list, here are a few negative thoughts, that are quite commonly found- hate, anger, jealousy, sadness, depression, helplessness, not feeling loved, lonely, suicidal etc. If we look at the root cause of all this, we will find, that it is because of some sort of fear that overshadows or threatens our ego.

 

So how does one stay positive despite all such negative thoughts? I take conscious effort to convert my negative thoughts into positive thoughts and this is the technique I follow and find effective too. “Whenever I get a negative thought, I smash it down with a positive action.”

Let me explain this with an example: Few days back, one of my social acquaintance, had posted in  a WhatsApp group, a birthday pic of herself, performing various social roles. The first thought that came to mind was that she was self-boasting, which is not a true reflection of her. But then, I asked myself, “Who am I to judge that. What is really bothering me?” and I realized that it was just an ego play, that was showing up in form of such contempt. So, I quicky posted a congratulations message as a response to the post and in some time, I started to feel good about myself.

 I am sure many of you might have faced such situations. It is so common today, for people to post so many trivial things in social media, such as baking a cake or dining out or watching the first show of a movie. Our normal thought might be, “Why the heck would someone post this?  It is OK to ignore it, without any comment. But, if you feel that you don’t want to respond, because you are feeling envy, then the best way to counter the envy is to respond with a positive message by saying something like “WoW”, “That is lovely.” “  I am happy for you”. “Glad to see you all smiles” or at least an emoji of a thumbs up, clapping hand or an appropriate smiley. It might sound as an inauthentic expression of self, but when you do that you will experience the positive feeling that that action generates.

So, how does it work?  In psychology, there is a concept of Thoughts – Action – Feelings Triad, which is supposed to be connected to one another. By changing one of them, which is in your immediate control, you can change the things, which are not in your immediate control. When we choose a positive action, we can create a positive feeling, which will ultimately lead to a positive thought too. So, here you can see the link of the chain of events that follow one another: Negative Thought – Positive Action – Positive Feeling – Positive Thought. This is a simple yet effective strategy, we can follow to smash down our negative thoughts.

 

There is a nice saying “An idle mind is a devil’s workshop”. It is so true. The devil’s work is to produce negative thoughts. So, whenever you are getting some negative thoughts, recognize the devil and engage in some positive physical activity, to combat and destroy it. I have heard people say, I am not in a mood to do anything. That is when they should be actually doing something, otherwise they might get into a spiral downward loop of negative thoughts. For instance, if you are feeling down or stressed, just take a brisk walk or get into some physical activity and you can see, for yourself how your mood transforms.

Our thoughts, feelings and actions are connected and by altering one of the variables which is in our control, we can change the ones, which are not in our control. So, next time you feel so irritated that you want to go hit someone, just go and shake your hands or hug that person and see what  difference it makes to your feeling.

D. Senthil Kannan,

  Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

  Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

  Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com

 

Workcation

About a month back, I went on family vacation, to a resort in Kerala. As I was sitting in the reception desk, I saw a young couple from Mumbai, enquiring with the receptionist about the facilities available in the resort. The receptionist started to explain the sightseeing options available around the place, but the couple didn’t seem interested, in any of those. On overhearing the conversation, I was intrigued to understand, why they weren’t  interested to go around the place, having travelled such a far distance. They said, “We are both IT Engineers, and we have come here for a week.  We are tired of working from home, during this COVID period and so for a change, we have travelled here to work with our laptops, overlooking the natural beauty of the lake and the lush greenery. It is not a vacation for us, but a workcation”. I was taken aback for a moment. Though, I have heard this terminology “workcation” before, this was the first time, I was seeing someone actually having it.

So, what is Workcation? Workcation is the combination of Work + Vacation or in other words a working vacation. Workcation is the new concept of a vacation that combines business with leisure.

I am someone who thinks that work and vacation, are two different things and doing it together dilutes the benefit of both. The essence of work life balance cannot be fully achieved through this, in the true spirit of a vacation. I feel a vacation should be a mindful time, to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, without any compromise. The advent of mobile phone has already made people stay connected with their work 24x7, in spite of taking a break, which by itself is an idea, I often admonish. However, things seem different today. The concept earlier frowned upon as it was believed, for blurring the lines between work and leisure, now seems like an appealing prospect. Though this idea sounds weird, I see that this sort of holidaying is catching up, with youngsters.

With people working from home during this pandemic, this concept seems to be a welcome change.  People have realised all they need is electricity and a good internet connection to work from anywhere, which is why workcation is going to be the next big travel trend. Workcation seems to be a good option for those who are able to earn good money but not able to enjoy the pleasures of earning, because of their work overload or nature of work. Travel companies around the country are exploring the idea of a workcation fully to provide people a chance to enjoy work and a leisure holiday at the same time. Their enticing caption is “The new way to travel and end your work from home boredom”. Workcation is an idea that believes, that if you can't go on a vacation, take your office along. The idea of relocating for a few weeks, a month or even longer to a destination that is within driving distance seem like a lucrative idea. The aim is for a person to work for five days, then enjoy for two days around the destination they are staying at.

Imagine yourself up in the mountains or sitting in front of a serene beach with your laptop, in comfiest clothes and a cup of hot coffee. Who wouldn't want that? It also comes with the benefits of pleasant weather and unlimited access to outdoors along with some fun activities like trekking, fishing or biking.

Have we not heard of poets and writers, taking off from the hustle and bustle of the hectic city life, into the calm mountains to find a peaceful, serene place?  They believe that they can get their creative juices to flow, when they connect with nature and have the alone time to focus on their work, without any disturbance. 

Also, in this era of internet, we hear of freelancers, who have harnessed the power of internet, to gain a complete control over their time and place of work. Travel bloggers and vloggers are always on the go, doing their jobs too. It is a world of many possibilities and workcation is one such thing too.

So, if your heart craves for travel, but your work is stopping you from travelling, then workcation might be the thing for you to try. This is a new change that we will all be experiencing in course of time. Our children might very well be getting into this sort of holidaying, in the coming days. So, we might as well look up at it, with an open mind and tell ourselves, that it is the part of the new normal.

   D. Senthil Kannan,

   Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

   Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

   Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com