An initiative of the district panchayat, ‘Vanitha Transport’ is managed by Thrissur District Vanitha Transport Co-operative Society.
Vanitha Transport
Thrissur :
As the state government is gearing up to recruit women drivers in KSRTC to enforce gender equality, a private bus in the district manned by women has been on the road since 1999.
An initiative of the district panchayat, ‘Vanitha Transport’ is managed by Thrissur District Vanitha Transport Co-operative Society. When it started, there were two buses operating on the Thrissur-Kodungallur and Thrissur-Thiruwilvamala route. Though one bus was cancelled, the other service is in full swing even though the society has financial issues.
“It has been almost 20 years and we have never stopped the service. At present, our driver is on leave as she met with an accident while riding a two-wheeler and hence we have employed a male driver. But all these years, we had women as drivers, conductors and cleaners,” said K G Sathi, secretary of the society. The service begins from Thrissur at 7.38 am. “In the morning hours, we operate on the Kodungallur route while after 3 pm we ply on the Thiruwilvamala route,” she added.
They faced serious financial issues last year. But then District Collector T V Anupama intervened to rearrange the timings of the bus and got it approved.
“Now, we get a five-minute halt in the north b there was no time for anything,” said Sathi. It was during C Raveendranath’s term as district convenor of People’s Planning Programme that such a project took shape.
When the state government is all set to appoint women drivers , here are a bunch of ladies, including Thankamani, the conductor of Vanitha Transport, who are happy to be the pioneers in this field. “We were able to bring many women behind the wheel all these years. In some cases, girls were trained by our staff to get a driving licence,” said Sathi.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Gopika Varrier / Express News Service / August 22nd, 2019
Santhosh Thottingal wins national recognition for the pioneering work
Until the middle of the past decade, typing Malayalam on the computer was not as easy as it is today. That was around the time when a group of technology and language enthusiasts got together under the banner of Swathanthra Malayalam Computing (SMC) with the aim of “my language for my computer”.
Within a few years, their efforts paid off, with the development of tools and fonts in the Unicode system, enabling a standardised Malayalam script in computers, which is now commonly used in everything from government orders to online newspapers to Internet memes.
Chosen for award
Santhosh Thottingal, a software engineer who played a key role in this transformation, has now been chosen for the Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman by the President in recognition of his contributions to Malayalam language. A principal software engineer with the language engineering team of Wikimedia Foundation, Mr. Thottingal is behind some of the most commonly used fonts like Manjari and Chilanka.
Free software
“I was active with the free software movement during my college days. The assumption then was that local languages are unsuitable for computers. That is when I came across the work done by a team of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) scientists to develop text-to-speech system for palm-held devices in Kannada. I tried to make something similar in Malayalam when I realised that we have to address the fundamental issues first — being able to type in a proper form in Malayalam. Our attempt through SMC was to build a foundation for Malayalam computing,” he says.
The technology for Malayalam fonts was much more complicated than for English. In Malayalam, the combined letters (Koottaksharam) and their shifting patterns had to be coded. He set aside his spare time for five years to perfect these.
History of the language
“We had to learn the core of Malayalam, how the language has been portrayed and the history of printing in Kerala. That is when we realised that the ‘old Malayalam lipi’ was much more scientific and beautiful. The ‘new lipi’ was developed around the 1980s, cutting down the number of letters and separating the combined letters, under the assumption that the old one could not be replicated on computers,” he says.
Following the work of SMC and the release of fonts in the ‘old lipi’, the Kerala government, in 2010, issued an order that all official communication online should shift to the old system.
Voluntary
“All of our work is voluntary and does not generate any revenue, although this work did secure me a job with Wikimedia,” says Santosh. Now he is about to finish an even more important project, to “teach Malayalam grammar to the computer”.
“Now, the computer understands Malayalam only as a sequence of bytes. It does not understand the language like it does English, which enables the working of devices like Alexa and Siri. For that, grammar has to be algorithmically represented and machine-translated. The work is almost over,” he says.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by S.R. Parveen / Thiruvananthapuram – August 18th, 2019
P N Das completed his college education at Sree Neelakanta Government Sanskrit College, Pattambi, and wrote several articles in various periodicals, including the banned magazine ‘Prasakthi’.
Writer and teacher P N Das (File Photo |EPS)
Kozhikode :
Writer and teacher P N Das died at Government Medical College Hospital here on July 28. He was 72. Das was undergoing treatment for brain infection.
The writer who penned several books was a recipient of the K R Namboothiri endowment award, instituted by Kerala Sahitya Akademi, for the book ‘Oru Thullivelicham’ in 2014. ‘Bhodi Vrikshathinet Ilakal’, ‘Dyanapadangal’, ‘Jeevitha Ganam’, are among his other works. Das completed his college education at Sree Neelakanta Government Sanskrit College, Pattambi, and wrote several articles in various periodicals, including the banned magazine ‘Prasakthi’.
He was also detained during emergency. The body will be kept at his house in Thalakkulathur and at Town Hall for public homage on Monday, following which he will be cremated at 11 am.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / July 29th, 2019
Beyond boundaries: Unnikrishnan’s (inset) newspaper collection documents the transition to advanced printing technology and from black and white to colour.
Kaloor Unnikrishnan’s collection of newspapers and magazines is a trove of routine events and milestones
From Indira Gandhi’s death in the now-defunct Kerala Times to the careers of yesteryear movie stars in film magazines, Kaloor Unnikrishnan’s collection of newspapers and magazines is a trove of both routine events and milestones from India and abroad.
The oldest publications in Mr. Unnikrishnan’s possession are Mathrubhumi and Manorama weeklies from 1932 and 1933 that he procured from a friend.
He began collecting newspapers as a teenager in 1965, when his letters to the editor of Mathrubhumi would appear on most days of the week.
When he began interviewing celebrities for film magazines later, he collected those too, and the occasional interest developed into a hobby. He would buy newspapers and magazines on his travels and received international publications like The New York Times, Washington Post and magazines from Israel and the UAE, from his friends.
Mr. Unnikrishnan’s collection documents transformations in printing and prices.
“More than half of the magazines and newspapers in my collection don’t exist anymore. Of the nearly 60 film magazines that used to exist at one point, only around 15 survive today,” said the 64-year-old whose three-day exhibition of the collection concluded on Saturday.
The collection also documents transitions to more advanced printing technology and from black and white to colour. He has a copy of the Mathrubhumi’s first colour edition out of Kochi in 1985, which also bore news of poet Vyloppilli’s death.
Besides dailies, he collects children’s magazines and bulletins. He takes no special care to store them, he said, and has lost a few weeklies to dampness in the monsoon.
“If libraries or other organisations are willing to take them and care for them, I’ll gladly give them away,” he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Staff Reporter / Kochi – July 28th, 2019
The forthcoming Investor Cafe to be held by Kerala Startup Mission will be exclusively for women start-ups. The event will be held at the Integrated Startup Complex here on July 31.
Notably, KSUM is organising India’s largest Women Startup Summit at the same venue a day later, on August1.
The Investor Café, spanning from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will focus on products which positively impact women.
The Investor Café is an investor start-up meet held on the last Wednesdays of every month.
This month, the theme for the Investor Café will be ‘Developing an Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.’Women investors from various parts of the country will be invited to the programme and they will meet selected women founders.
Along the corridor adjacent to ward number 16 of the Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, a box resembling a postbox is seen.
Members of the Rotary Club, Kowdiar, who donated the first set of clothes
Thiruvananthapuram :
Along the corridor adjacent toward number 16 of the Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, a box resembling a postbox is seen. It is not a mere spectacle but serves a greater purpose. The initiative ‘Dress bank’ which was conceptualised by Health Minister K K Shailaja to provide new and clean clothes to patients admitted to the ICU or those without bystanders, has been garnering much attention. Contributions are flowing in abundance.
After her recent visit to the Medical College, K K Shailaja examined the poor conditions and problems faced by the patients and bystanders. This triggered the idea. The project is being sponsored by the hospital employees and authorities including Dr Thomas Mathew, principal of Medical College Hospital and Dr M S Sharmad, superintendent.
Dr Mohan Roy, the regional medical officer (RMO), said, “We often get patients who have no bystanders and lack basic necessities. Their clothes are either torn or stained. So we considered installing a dress bank in the hospital which will be helpful to patients and bystanders in case of emergency. Dr Mohan Roy is the nodal officer for the project and Dr Sharmad is one of the sponsors associated with the Rotary Club, Kowdiar.
By introducing a dress bank, the hospital employees and authorities believe the issue will be resolved to some extent. Dhotis, towels and nightwears are available at the dress bank installed at the Medical College. The first donation was made by the Rotary Club, Kowdiar. Two weeks since its launch, Dr Mohan opined that many organisations and individuals have come forward for the cause. To check the misuse of the facility, the clothes are given to the patients upon examining their economic background.
A register is being maintained and clothes are being distributed under the supervision of the head nurses and higher hospital authorities. The contributions can be made by the people by contacting the superintendent’s office at MCH. Mohan said, “We have received good feedback from everyone who have made generous contributions. We plan to add more dress banks.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / May 28th, 2019
Devaki Amma, who was presented the Nari Shakti Puraskar recently, began planting trees 35 years ago
President Ram Nath Kovind after presenting her the Nari Shakti Puraskar on March 8, 2019, wrote this on one of his social media accounts, “Her contribution towards the environment has been a driving force of change and has raised awareness and consciousness of people.”
At the age of 85, G. Devaki Amma, a native of Puthiyavila in Kandalloor panchayat, near Kayamkulam, is showing the way to safeguard biodiversity and secure our future. She has transformed 4.5 acres of her ancestral property into a thriving forest.
Close to the backwaters, Kollakal Thapovanam, which is intrinsically green, is an ecosystem teeming with life, a fruit of nearly four decades of relentless planting and nurturing by this nature lover.
3,000 trees
At a time when forests are fast disappearing, Devaki Amma’s forest has around 3,000 trees, including over 1,000 trees of common, rare, endangered and biologically important species that support a wide variety of organisms. Huge trees and chirping of birds on them make it a special place in the coastal district.
Devaki Amma says she turned to planting spree following a road accident. “I used to enthusiastically participate in paddy cultivation. But, following the accident I was bedridden for almost three years and was forced to abandon rice cultivation. But it led to something more important. Helped by the family members, I started planting saplings 35 years ago. I never thought at that time the place would become a forest,” she says.
Today, Krishnanal, musk trees, star trees, and mahogany, among others, grow in the sandy soil in natural environment. It is also home to a wide variety of medicinal plants, fruit-bearing trees and tuber crops. The forest has ponds and different species of birds like Paradise Flycatcher and Emerald Doves visit the place.
Family’s backing
Devaki Amma’s age and physical challenges have not deterred her from planting new saplings and taking care of the forest. “I get enormous support from my children, grandchildren and their children in conserving the forest.
They contribute in a big way and want to protect the forest in the best way possible,” she says.
Her daughter D. Thankamoney, former head of Environmental Engineering Division, College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, says planting trees is the best way to reduce carbon footprint and fight climate change. “Our mother started planting trees when nature conservation was yet to gain momentum. We are committed to continuing her legacy,” she says.
The place receives a lot of people, including students and researchers, regularly.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Sam Paul A / Kayamkuam (Alappuzha) – May 04th, 2019
About 140 movies for children will be screened within a span of seven days.
Thiruvananthapuram :
‘The Witch Hunters’, ‘The Day My Father Became a Bush’, ‘A Horse on the Balcony’, ‘Long Way North’, ‘Mother I Love You’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ and Indian feature films like ‘Kakka Muttai’, ‘Chor: The Bicycle’ and ‘Hamid’ will be among the movies screened at the Second International Children’s Film Festival of Kerala(ICFFK) in the capital. The exclusive film festival for kids above the age of five will kickstart on May 10. The registration for the fest has crossed 1,000 on Monday and the online booking is open and buzzing.
About 140 movies for children will be screened within a span of seven days. The platform is open for all children and entry can be availed online or through office registration with a nominal fee. ICFFK, which will conclude on May 10, is organised by Kerala State Council for Child Welfare in alliance with Kerala State Film Development Corporation, Kerala Institute of Children’s Literature and Kerala Sahithya Academy. Films will be screened from 9 am till 6 pm.
“Our intention is to open the world of cinema to children, especially the ones from the marginalised community, who do not have much knowledge about the film industry. While IFFK is for adults, ICFFK is for children to develop their skills in reviewing a movie and realise their expertise in theatre arts,” said V K Sashidharan, programme officer.
The fest will be held in five venues in the city; Kairali, Nila, Sree, Kalabhavan and Tagore. The movie will be followed by open forums and workshops wherein children will get a chance to interact with film personalities. The District Council for Child Welfare ensures the participation of children from the isolated parts of the State.
These children, mainly from the slums and tribal area will be provided transportation, food and registration charges by the State Council for Child Welfare. A public screening will be held in Nishagandhi auditorium on during the fest at 5 pm.Screening of movies, short films and documentaries written, directed and acted by children forms the central attraction of ICFFK 2019. Awards will be also given for the best actors, directors and scriptwriters.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Express News Service / April 30th, 2019
Ayilam Tirunal, maharaja from 1860-80, with his ‘sambandham’ wife Nagercoil Ammachi in the 1870’s. (Photograph courtesy : Manu Pillai )
In the 19th century, sambandham, an informal mode of ‘marriage’ in Kerala, allowed the elites to join in mutually beneficial unions
The arrangement made room for inter-caste unions, with its dynamics determined mostly by economics
Around 1881, a prince of Cochin called Rama Varma got into a relationship with a 16-year-old girl. He had lost his wife and the new connection was with the stepdaughter of one of his uncles (who, like him, would one day sit on the throne). The girl, Rama Varma wrote, “had a regular husband and I proposed to become paramour to her”. And as “the husband raised no objection…it was done so. This kind of things (sic),” he added, “was not considered improper at the time.”
In fact, on the contrary, his mother was thrilled, though rivals did complain he only entered the alliance to butter up the girl’s father. After all, as Rama Varma admitted unkindly, she “could not boast of anything which may be called beauty and…had nothing which might be considered accomplishment”. It was not surprising, then, that some in the family viewed his interest with suspicion.
As it happened, the relationship did not last, and soon Rama Varma was involved with a third lady, with whom he shared a lasting union, the previous lady presumably continuing with her first husband. But what made entering and exiting relationships a matter of ease was the nature of the marital tie itself in 19th century Kerala. For non-Brahmin matrilineal groups, it was the bond between brother and sister that was sacred, not that of husband and wife. The sexual tie was called sambandham—relationship—and designed with much flexibility. Rama Varma’s mother, for instance, was a princess of Cochin, and, in keeping with the traditions of her own dynasty, had formed a sambandham with a Brahmin. Such Brahmins were junior sons of big houses. But they had no inheritance, which made the prospect of alliances with aristocratic ladies and royal women most attractive—and often remunerative.
At its core, sambandhams allowed the elites to join in mutually beneficial unions. For Brahmin families, it gave younger sons wives of lower caste who made no claim on their patrimony—if these wives were well-born, it was better still, for they could pay the Brahmins a maintenance. For matrilineal castes, meanwhile, power and wealth vested in the female line—the husband was, in essence, an instrument of procreation. If he came from a higher caste, he “infused” their veins with the prestige of twice-born blood. The dynamics within this broader framework were, however, determined by economics.
As Matampu Kunhukuttan’s classic novel Outcaste portrays, Brahmins with royal sambandhams often lived in fear that their wives might discard them and opt for new sambandhams; elsewhere, if it was the man who held power, he could access even married women, as we saw with Rama Varma, leaving the female at a disadvantage.
It was not unknown for men and women to have multiple sambandhams—a fact that recently got politician and writer Shashi Tharoor in trouble when a line from his novel was cast as an “insult” to Nair women.
The examples are numerous. The Nair wife of the maharaja of Travancore who ruled between 1860-80, was first married to a Kathakali actor—arriving in Thiruvananthapuram, she met the ruler, and soon the actor was jettisoned. Their daughter was in a sambandham with the maharaja’s nephew—when she died in 1882, the latter lamented his “irreparable” loss. It was 17 years before he entered into his next sambandham, this time with the wife of a palace employee. As in the case of his uncle’s partner, this lady too relinquished her previous alliance to become the ruler’s consort. The author C.V. Raman Pillai, meanwhile, married his late wife’s sister, whose past featured threesambandhams—two terminated by death (including with the painter Ravi Varma’s brother) and one by separation.
By the late 19th century, however, sambandhams were increasingly frowned upon, and the question of whether this was even marriage came under scrutiny. Missionaries saw the system as “very revolting” and the absorption of Victorian morality upset old ways of life. From Madras, newspapers piled criticism on this “obnoxious system of promiscuous marriage”, and, as the scholar K. Saradamoni writes, “Sambandham was equated to concubinage and the women to mistresses and the children called bastards.” It was an awkward moment, for this way even maharajas were illegitimate, while the autonomy women enjoyed was translated as licentiousness. As early as 1875, in fact, the non-Malayali writer of a census report was most apologetic about the “looseness of the prevailing morals and the unbinding nature of the marriage tie, which possesses such fascination for the majority of our population”.
Scholars like J. Devika have shown how the onus fell on women: They had to be “virtuous”, which meant divorcing and keeping multiple husbands was no longer “respectable”. Inter-caste unions between Brahmins, royalty and Nairs ceased to be acceptable, and “reform” movements sprang up in each community to restrict women’s choice of spouses. Widowhood, a non-existent concept for matrilineal groups, became a mark of wifely honour. And with this came the policing of women’s bodies and the injection, through education, of a patriarchal mindset, where daughters were raised to be “good wives” and husbands vested with power over them and their children. Sambandhams became the vestige of an ugly past, remembered with embarrassment—and, sometimes, denial.
Sambandhams certainly could be abused. But, in their day, they served a purpose and defined marriage for the people involved. They could also feature great love stories—this columnist’s great-great-grandmother had a sambandham with a Brahmin in the 1880s. When she had a stillbirth, however, the alliance was terminated: The baby was a girl, and the death of a female child was inauspicious in her matrilineage. The Brahmin wept and protested but was never allowed near his ex-wife again. Decades later, the story goes, his steward showed up at the door: The man was dying, and he wished to see his former wife one last time. But the lady did not go. Not because she did not wish to, but because the year was 1915. The world had changed and she had no power—she had married again, and it was her husband who now called the shots.
Medium Rare is a column on society, politics and history. Manu S. Pillai is the author of The Ivory Throne (2015) and Rebel Sultans (2018).
He tweets at @UnamPillai
source: http://www.livemint.com / Live Mint / Home> Explore> Medium Rare / by Manu S. Pillai / April 19th, 2019
KV Seshadrinatha Sastrigal | Photo Credit: Special arrangementt
The multifaceted KV Seshadrinatha Sastrigal believes that learning of Sanskrit is important to understand the crux of the Vedas, Ayurveda and the best of Indian philosophy and culture
KV Seshadrinatha Sastrigal, 85, is a traditionalist, for whom tradition refers to customs and ceremonials by means of which the past speaks to the present. Traditions, for this scholar, relate allegiance to authority, storing up as they do the sedimented wisdom of earlier generations. But what makes Sastrigal different from a whole clutch of scholars in Sanskirt, Vedas and Sastras is his contemporary and radical perspective.
Sastrigal understands that Sanskrit, the language through which, for thousands of years, ancient traditions and knowledge were passed on from generation to generation, has been marginalised, diluted and reduced to a pitiable state. Yet, he refuses to believe that the language can be erased.
In an effort to establish, develop, propagate and bring out the need for retention of Indian culture through the ancient texts, he formed a Trust, Veda Samrakshana Nyasa, in 1984, while he was in Chennai. Now, he has formed a new team for developing this idea in Kerala. Sasthrigal has established a Veda Padasala in Kalady, Ernakulam district, where around 24 students are studying Yajur Veda and Sanskrit. In addition, many others visit him to seek wisdom in this ancient language and the texts of knowledge. Sastrigal was honoured with the ‘Mahamahopadhyaya’ title by the Government of India, the first scholar to receive this title after Independence.
Macaulay, whom we call the father of our modern Indian education system, in his historical speech in the British Parliament, clearly indicated that the ancient system of Indian education needed to be dismantled. This, he considered, was the backbone of the country, its spiritual and cultural heritage. And he achieved the goal of eliminating Sanskrit from being an essential part of the Indian education system.
“That is history. So many foreign powers came to our land and brought with them their languages. But Sanskrit was not attacked. When the Muslim rulers came to India, Sanskrit was allowed to flourish, the beliefs were not touched. But everything changed when the British came. English was injected into every Indian brain; Sanskrit was pushed out of our thinking, our intellect. Along with the language they uprooted out culture and threw it away,” says Sastrigal, a renowned Vedic, Sanskrit and Ayurveda scholar and former Principal of Madras Sanskrit College.
Sastrigal refuses to believe that Sanskrit is a ‘dead language’. “Unfortunately, many consider it to be a Hindu language and, therefore, not inclusive. Ninety-five per cent of Sanskrit literature has nothing to do with religion. You cannot kill this language, it is alive, the Vedas too.”
Learning of Sanskrit
There was a time in the past, says Sastrigal, when everyone, irrespective of caste and religion, studied Sanskrit. “Even girls studied the subject; I can point out so many instances recorded in our texts about this. Plays were written in Sanskrit and were they only for the Brahmins? No, because if there were no people to understand and appreciate these plays, they would not have been written and staged.”
Sastrigal also exhorts us to look at what happened towards the end of British rule and post-Independence in our country. The truth is that British scholars started learning Sanskrit, translated the ancient scriptures and documents into English even while they started a propaganda claiming that Sanskrit was a dying language. “At the same time through efforts of scholars like Max Mueller, Sanskrit was being introduced in almost all universities in Europe.”
Born in Kuzhalmandam, Palakkad, on June 20, 1934, Sasthrigal was a Vedic student at Nurani Vedasastra Patasala from 1944-1954. “Like so many landowning communities, my family was also forced to migrate following the enforcement of the land reforms act that abolished the tenancy system. We moved to Madras [Chennai] where I continued my studies and where I still live.” Sastrigal completed his graduation (Sahitya Shiromani) in 1959, winning the Presidency gold medal. He went on to complete Sahithya Vidwan course, passed the Vedanta Shiromani, Ayurveda Shiromani and Ayurveda Vidwan courses. He then did his research in Chithrameemamsa Vakyasudha under Dr V Raghavan, delving into the depths of Malsyapurana. For a while he was an Ayurveda medical practitioner, taught at the Venkitaramana Ayurveda College, Chennai, and was Principal of Madras Sanskrit College for 10 years.
“My association with Dr Raghavan opened new doors and helped changed my outlook towards these subjects. When I came first to Madras Presidency for Shiromani, he was pleasantly surprised. At that time I used to work for him at his house. He told me to join the university and begin my research. It was he who instilled in me that interest. He was a hard task master, made us work a lot but we enjoyed working. I was with him for nearly 10 years.”
Talking about his research subject, Malsyapurana, Sastrigal says that it was not just on the Puranas but more on the theory of evolution. “My only complaint is that people today ignore and discard the Vedas and Sastras even before trying to understand them. Can’t they at least listen, read and understand them before coming to a conclusion?”
A lot of scholars seek Sastrigal’s advice on Sanskrit, the Vedas, Ayurveda and even astrology, but though he swears by Ayurveda he considers astrology as a subject with no known source. “Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine. It is a general philosophy of health and wellness. It talks about proper diet, exercise, sleep, hygiene, and, of course, the use of herbal preparations. Like most traditional medicine systems, Ayurveda was developed and refined over thousands of years, through observation and experience. The term itself means the science of life. But astrology is not a truth. There is no specific mention of astrology in the Vedas, only astronomy is mentioned. For me, astrology does not exist.”
It is important to understand, says Sastrigal, though the practices of astrology and astronomy have common roots, there is an important distinction. “Astronomy is the study of the universe and its contents outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomers examine the positions, motions, and properties of celestial objects. I do that. Astrology attempts to study how those positions, motions, and properties affect people and events.”
New projects
Veda Samrakshana Nyasa in Kalady has ventured into many projects with the advice and leadership of Sastrigal. A website (www.vedanyasa.com) has been created that offers information about Indian culture and traditions, the Vedas and Dharma Sasthras. Digitalisation of various ancient books and treatises on Ayurveda, astronomy, Vedas, etc., which will be made available free of cost to any user, publication of vernacular versions of these works, training and counseling sessions on lifestyle, food habits etc are some of the other projects that the organisation has on its anvil.
“Sanskrit is the greatest language in the world. And if it is taken away from the life of the masses of this country, a light would be gone. The distinctive features of a rich culture will be lost. I have very little time left. My efforts are to educate the present generation not only on the Shodhasa Samskaras (Hindu traditions) but also the Dharmasastras, which can help them mould their life free from all sorrows, pains, difficulties and given them peace of mind,” says Sastrigal.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by K. Pradeep / Kochi – April 18th, 2019
