வஞ்ச புகழ்ச்சியில் இது ஒரு உச்சம்

கோயில்களுக்கு சென்று இறைவனிடம் நோய்தீர வேண்டுபவர் யாரில்லை? ஆனால் இறைவனுக்கு அந்த சக்தி இல்லை என கவி காளமேகத்தினால் மட்டுமே சாதிக்க முடியும்! அவரின் கூற்றுப்படி தன் குடும்பத்தினரையே குணப்படுத்த இயலாத அவனால் மற்றவரை எப்படி குணப்படுத்த முடியம்! அவரின் சந்தேகத்துக்கான காரணங்களை கோடிட்டு காட்டி இயற்றிய அந்த பாடல் இதோ!

வாதக்காலாம் தமக்கு மைத்துனருக்கு நீரிழிவாம் போதப் பெருவயிறாம் புத்திரர்க்கு — மாதரையில் வந்தவினை தீர்க்க வகையறியான் வேளூரான் எந்தவினை தீர்த்தான் இவன்?

நடனடமாடுவதால் தமக்கே காலில் வாதம், மைத்துனருக்கோ நீரிழிவால் படுக்கை, மைந்தன் கணபதிக்கு பெருத்த வயிறு, இப்படி தன் குடும்பத்தனரின் நோயையே தீர்க்கமுடியாதவனா என் வினையைத்தீர்க்கப்போகிறான்? ஈசனை எப்படித்தான் ஏளனம் செய்யகிறார் இந்த காளமேகம். இப்படி ஏகத்துக்கும் வந்திப்பதால் இறைவன் பயந்து வந்து தம்மை அருளுவான் என்பது இவர் எண்ணமோ?

இதே தோரணையில், ஈசனை பார்த்து ‘ஐயோ உனக்கு தாயும் இல்லை தந்தையும் இல்லை; நீ ஒரு அனாதை; அதனால் நீ பட்ட கஷ்டங்கள்தான் எத்தனை; பாவமய்யா நீர்’ என ஈசனை பரிதாபத்துடன் கேட்பதாக கவிஞர் பொன்னையா பிள்ளை இயற்றியது கீழ் வரும் பாடல்! தாய் தந்தை இல்லாமல், தானே துன்பப்படும் அவன் எப்படி தன்னைக்காக்க முடியும் என சந்தேகிக்கிறாரோ இவர் என்று தோன்றுகிறது!

தந்தை தாய் இருந்தால் உலகத்தில் உமக்கிந்த தாழ்வெல்லாம் வருமோ அய்யா பெற்ற (தந்தை தாய்)

அந்தமிகுந்த ஸ்ரீ அம்பலவாணரே அருமையுடனே பெற்று பெருமையுடன் வளர்த்த (தந்தை தாய்)

கல்லால் ஒருவன் அடிக்க உடல் சிலிர்க்க காலில் செருப்பால் ஒரு வேடன் வந்தே உதைக்க வில்லால் ஒருவன் அடிக்க காண்டீபம் என்னும் வில்லால் ஒருவன் அடிக்க கூசாமல் ஒருவன் கை கோடாலியால் வெட்ட கூட்டத்தில் ஒருவன் பித்தா பேயா என திட்ட வீசி மதுரை மாறன் பிரம்பால் அடிக்க அந்த வேளை யாரை நினைந்தீரோ அய்யா பெற்ற (தந்தை தாய்)

உலகில் எல்லா உயிருக்கும் அம்மையாகவும் அப்பனாகவும் இருக்கும் இந்த ஈசனையே இப்படி பாடுவதற்கு எவ்வளவு தைரியம் வேண்டும் இந்த கவிக்கு?

பள்ளிகொண்ட பெருமாளை அருணாசல கவிராயர் பாடிய கீழ் வரும் பாடலும் இதே வகையை சேர்ந்ததுதான். ஏன் இப்படி களைத்து படுத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கிறார் என்பதற்கு காரணங்கள் பல காட்டும் இவர், ஓய்வில் இருக்கும் பெருமாள் தம்மை காப்பாரோ என சந்தேக்கிறாரோ என தோன்றுகிறது!

ஏன் பள்ளீ கொண்டீரய்யா? ஸ்ரீ ரங்கனாதரே நீர்
(ஏன்)

ஆம்பல் பூத்த சய பருவத மடுவிலே-அவதரித்த இரண்டாற்று நடுவிலே
(ஏன்)

கௌசிகன் சொல் குறித்ததர்க்கோ? அரக்கி குலையில் அம்பு எறிந்த்ததர்க்கோ?
ஈசன் வில்லை முறித்ததர்க்கோ? பரசுராமனுரம் பரித்ததர்க்கோ?
மாசில்லாத மிதிலேசன் பெண்ணுடனே வழி நடந்த இளைப்போ?
தூசில்லாத குஹனோடத்திலே கங்கை துறை கடந்த இளைப்போ?
மீசுரமாம் சித்ரகூட சிகரத்தின் மிசை கிடந்த இளைப்போ?
காசினிமேல் மாரீசனோடிய கதி தொடர்ந்த இளைப்போ?
ஓடிக்களைத்தோ தேவியை தேடி இளைத்தோ? மரங்கள் ஏழும் துளைத்தோ?
கடலை கட்டி வளைத்தோ? இலங்கை என்னும் காவல் மாநகரை இடித்த வருத்தமோ?
ராவணாதிகளை முடித்த வருத்தமோ?
(ஏன்)

மதுரையிலே வரும் களையோ? முதலை வாய் மகனைத்தரும் களையோ?
எதிர் எருதை பெருங்களையோ? கன்றை எடுத்தெரிந்த பெரும் களையோ?
புதுமை ஆன முலையுண்டு பேயின் உயிர் போக்கி அலுத்தீரோ?
அதிர ஓடிவரும் குருவி வாயை இரண்டாக்கி அலுத்தீரோ?
துதி செய் ஆயர்களை காக்க வேண்டி மலை தூக்கி அலுத்தீரோ?
ஜதி செய் காலினால் காளிங்கன் மணிமுடி தாக்கி அலுத்தீரோ?
மருதம் சாய்த்தோ? ஆடு மாடுகள் மேய்த்தோ?சகடுருளை தேய்தோ? கஞ்சன் உயிரை மாய்த்தோ?
அர்ஜுனனுக்காய் சாரதியாய் தேர் விடுத்த வருத்தமோ?
போரிலே சக்ரம் எடுத்த வருத்தமோ? (ஏன்)

படி தனிலே மெத்தவும் நானே உம்மை பரம் எனவே அடுத்தேனே
அடிமை கொள்வீர் என்னைத்தானே செம்பொன் அணி அரங்கப்பெருமாளே!
ததம் உரைந்த கரும் பாறை சாபமது தடுத்து ரக்ஷித்தீரே!
விட ஒண்ணாத காகாசுரனுக்கொரு கண் விடுத்து ரக்ஷித்தீரே!
கொடுமை கொண்டழுத த்ரௌபதைக்குத் துகில் கொடுட்த்து ரக்ஷித்தீரே!மடுவில் ஆனை முன் ஓடி முதலையை மடித்து ரக்ஷித்தீரே அதுபோல்
வாரும் க்ருபை கண்ணாலே பாரும் மனக்கவலை தீரும்
நினைத்த வரம் தாரும் தாரும் என் சாமி வக்ஷமேவும்
மஹாலஷ்மியுடன் பெரும் பஷமாக என்னை ரஷிக்க எழுந்திரும்

உலகையே காக்கும் கடவுள் ஓய்வெடுக்கிறார் என்பதை சாதித்து விட்டு யாரிடம் தஞ்சமடைய உத்தேசித்திருக்கிறாரோ இந்த அருணாசல கவிராயர் ?

கவிகள் இப்படி சளைக்காமல் ஒருவரை ஒருவர் விஞ்சும் வண்ணம் இறைவனை வந்தித்து வஞ்சப்புகழ்ச்சி வகையில் அமைத்த இந்த பாடல்களின் நயங்களை அனுபவிப்பதுடன், கவிக்குயில்கள் குரலில் கேட்டு சுவைப்பதும் ஒரு இன்பம்தானே?

Is Arrogance, a Corollary of Power and Wealth?

What kind of a person is PC, the once powerful and stinkingly wealthy, ex-minister Palanichami Chidambaram? This question was answered by one in Quora as follows: You may take it with a pinch of salt!

“Well, I’ll narrate one incident that happened to a friend of mine. My friend once boarded an aircraft and found PC sitting in a business class or executive class seat. So, he goes up to him, smiles broadly, introduces himself, offers his visiting card and says, ‘sir, I also went to the same school as you did.’

How would anybody react in this situation? Anybody would say, ‘oh, is that so, which year were you in’, or at least, ‘oh, really? that’s nice, thank you’, or even, ‘oh? thank you’. The conversation would have ended there.

Our man, PC, didn’t. He looked my friend in the eye with obvious disgust and said, “So?” and returned—RETURNED—the visiting card. He did not even accept the card. It was like slapping my friend on his face. My friend was deeply hurt by this lack of courtesy. He just went to his seat in the aircraft, feeling ‘why did I even have to talk to this man?’

Well, this is only one of the many of such examples. Whatever else he is, Palaniappan Chidambaram is a very, very, very mean person.”

I could recount one such experience myself. A lady was sitting in the window and I was in the aisle while travelling in an afternoon Chennai-Delhi flight. Even before everyone could settle down, the lady demanded a news paper in front of me in the pouch with such impoliteness, that would normally force me to retort strongly! But even before I could decide how to respond, the passenger sitting between us plucked it out and handed over to her! On alighting I saw she was received by uniformed men and realised She was ‘Nalini Chidambaram’! At that time PC was a powerful cabinet minister in the UPA government!

These crooks believe they are straight from Mars and fate has only forced them to live amidst us, the savage mortals! Modesty is never in their lexicon! But, still there are also many in the world, who despite being rich and wealthy, are socially humble, live a modest and philanthropic life.

Warren Buffett, the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, for example, with a Net worth of about $89 billion, continues to reside in the 50-year-old home he bought for $31,500 in Omaha, Nebraska. He drives a Cadillac that costs just $45,000. He has a charitable bent of mind, having donated billions to charitable organizations. There are many many more such in the west!

Narayana murthy, Azim Premji and Tata are a few others living nearby without vulgar display of power and show off wealth! I have seen Murthys visiting Sai temple in Bangalore without much fanfare. These are examples of different kinds: we have choices to emulate!

When being told that her French subjects had no bread, Marie-Antoinette (bride of France’s King Louis XVI) sniffed, “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”—“Let them eat cake.”

Yes, Power breeds arrogance in some!

Future shock

Things are changing faster than one can imagine! Most of what was predicted by Alwin Toffler in ‘Future Shock’ and Noah Harari’s ‘21 lessens for the 21st century’ could even be overwhelmed!

Take for example, the automobile industry: Electric cars will become mainstream by about 2030. Smart major auto manufacturers have already earmarked money to start building new plants that only build electric cars. Most traditional car companies will doubtless become bankrupt. They will try the evolutionary approach and just build a better car, while tech companies (Tesla, Apple, Google) will do the revolutionary approach and build a computer on wheels. Look at what Volvo is doing right now; no more internal combustion engines in their vehicles starting with 2019 models, using all electric or hybrid only, with the intent of phasing out hybrid models. Many engineers from Volkswagen and Audi are completely terrified of Tesla and they should be. Look at all these auto majors are already offering electric vehicles. That was unheard of only a few years ago.

Auto repair shops will disappear. A petrol/diesel engine has 20,000 individual parts while an electrical motor has just 20. Electric cars are sold with lifetime guarantees and are only repaired by dealers. It takes only 10 minutes to remove and replace an electric motor. Faulty electric motors are not repaired in the dealership but are sent to a regional repair shop that repairs them with robots. Your electric motor malfunction light goes on, so you drive up to what looks like a car wash, and your car is towed through while you have a cup of coffee and out comes your car with a new electric motor!

Petrol pumps will soon go away. Street corners will have meters that dispense electricity. Companies will install electrical recharging stations; in fact, they’ve already started in the developed world.

Only in 2018 the first self-driving cars appeared. In the next 2 years, the entire industry got disrupted. You won’t want to own a car anymore as you will call a car with your phone, it will show up at your location and drive you to your destination.

The very young children of today will never get a driver’s license and will never own a car. This will change our cities, because we will need 90-95% fewer cars. We can transform former parking spaces into green parks.

About 1.2 million people die each year in car accidents worldwide including distracted or drunk driving. We now have one accident every 60,000 miles; with autonomous driving that will drop to 1 accident in 6 million miles. That will save a million lives plus worldwide each year. Insurance companies will have massive trouble because, without accidents, the costs will become cheaper. Their car insurance business model will disappear.

Cities will be less noisy because all new cars will run on electricity. Cities will have much cleaner air as well. Since automobile industry is the energy guzzler, there would be sea change in the energy industry:

Electricity will soon become incredibly cheap and clean. Solar production has been on an exponential curve for 30 years, but you can now see the burgeoning impact. And it’s just getting ramped up. Homes will produce and store more electrical energy during the day and then they use and will sell it back to the grid. The grid stores it and dispenses it to industries that are high electricity users. Has anybody seen the Tesla roof? Fossil energy companies are desperately trying to limit access to the grid to prevent competition from home solar installations, but that simply cannot continue – technology will take care of that strategy.

Coal industries will go away. Gasoline/oil companies will go away. Drilling for oil will stop. They may have to survive on petrochemical industries. So OPEC can’t dictate terms. The middle-east is in trouble.

Children born today would be surprised to know the present ‘chaotic world’ when they grow up – Energy and automobile sector is just one of them. There are many more to come in the health and entertainment industries. Welcome to Tomorrow.

Is socialistic corporate system relevant in today’s Indian economy?

Air india sales – twenty year effort for a turn around is sufficiently a long rope! Had you waited a little longer, there would not have been an Air India to sell! It would have had a natural death like the Italian ‘Alitalia’! Killing an organisation needs no effort but to make it survive is a Herculean task!

Would it have survived if, instead of TATAs, the government itself had continued after hiving off its debts? Like for example, Steel plants that have been acquired after ‘haircuts’ of over 40% through Insolvency Resolution Process, Bhushan Steel, Essar Steel, Electrosteel Steels, Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd and Bhushan Power & Steel, have all made a dramatic turnaround! No, Air India would not have survived the cut throat air line business..

It is time and again proved that the government should not be in business, be it loss making or otherwise! In the Nehruvian era it was inevitable as there was not so much of private appetite to run businesses making it necessary for the government to kick start many manufacturing and service sector institutions – but not any more.

But it is a philosophical mind set that needs a change: government generally wears ‘welfare glasses’ in all its spectrum of activities but a well run business survives on reasonable ‘profit’! Apart from good business ethics, sustainability necessitates a careful balance of both. But government run businesses suffer as they are bent more towards appeasing the employees; also from ‘unaccountable’ executives; interventions from not so well-meaning invisible political bosses make it very difficult for these enterprises to sustain. The CEOs of PSUs are from IAS cadre and are transferred so frequently that they are in no-way motivated to run the institution efficiently. After all the Indian administrative cadre is not designed to run businesses. Only professionally trained can survive in the ‘perform or perish’ corporate sector!

It is time that not only the keys of loss making government companies but also the profit making ones are handed over to private players. Don’t listen to the shrill cries of ‘don’t sell family silver’ from the self serving socialists!

Strategic sectors and activities that have long gestation periods must inevitably be handled by the government. But be transparent and ensure more than two players for a fair playing field. Be a good watch dog! No need to keep even minority stock holding as it would only amount to peeping through the window after the wedding is over. Leave the couple in peace to live happily thereafter.

On pollutions and celebrations

Could there be celebrations without noise? Or Without crowding? But, isn’t Silence akin to mourning, the very opposite of celebration? Celebrations have been found to periodically relieve societal tensions and are thus kept always in the altars of civilised human culture from time immemorial. Festivals also have a cascading effect not only on the mental health but also on the economic fabric of the society providing livelihood for many sections of the society, through the short spurt of extravagant spending spree. Would a day or two of celebrations pollute the environment more than the otherwise clumsy day to day city traffic?

Mind you… Throttled up stress could be more devastating to the psychological well being than a polluting day of thunderous and illuminating Diwali. Festivals and rituals have always nourished the complex multi-religious country such as india and kept the society in calm inspite of vast social disparity.

Could even earmarking of the ‘Red light area’ in olden cities, for bartering societal peace with morality, be considered on the same page, though a festival is not such a vice like prostitution!

There could always be a justifiable balance between traditional noisy celebration and the much trumpeted and impressive modern day green and silent (mourning) festivities! So, Don’t throttle the traditional celebrations that have always withstood the test of times!

If you think these reflections could be a culmination of the noise pollution from the now infamous SRK’s CEAT advertisement, you may not be entirely at fault!

மாலைமாற்று அல்லது இருவழியொக்கும் தமிழ்க் கவித்தொகுப்பு (Palindrome)

சங்ககால தமிழில் இருவழியொக்கும் அதாவது Palindrome கவித்தொகுப்பு அரிது. இது பின்புறமிருந்து படித்தாலும் முன்புறம் படித்ததைப்போலவே அமைக்கப்பட்ட சொல் அல்லது சொற்றொடர் ஆகும். திருஞானசம்பந்தர் அருளிய மூன்றாம் திருமுறையில் சீர்காழி திருப்பதியில் உறைந்திருக்கும் ஈசனைத்துதித்து பாடிய பதிகங்கள் அனைத்தும் அவ்வகையில் அமைந்துள்ளதை அறியும்போது ஏற்படும் உவகை அளவில்லாது இயல்பன்றோ?

யாமாமாநீ யாமாமா யாழீகாமா காணாகா காணாகாமா காழீயா மாமாயாநீ மாமாயா

ஆன்மாக்களாகிய நாங்கள் கடவுளென்றால் அது பொருந்துமா? நீயே ஒப்பில்லாத கடவுளென்றால் அது முற்றிலும் தகும். பேரியாழ் என்னும் வீணையை வாசிப்பவனே! யாவரும் விரும்பத்தக்க கட்டழகனே! பகைப்பொருள்களும் சிவனைச் சாரின் பகை தீர்ந்து நட்பாகும் என்ற உண்மையினை யாவரும் காணுமாறு பாம்புகளை உடையவனே. கை, கால் முதலிய அவயவங்கள் காணாவண்ணம் காமனை அருவமாகச் செய்தவனே. சீகாழி என்னும் திருத்தலத்தில் வீற்றிருந்தருளுபவனே. இலக்குமியின் கணவனான திருமாலாகவும் வருபவனே! மாயை முதலிய மலங்களிலிருந்து எம்மை விடுவிப்பாயாக.

யாகாயாழீ காயாகா தாயாராரா தாயாயா யாயாதாரா ராயாதா காயாகாழீ யாகாயா

வேள்வி வடிவினனே. யாழ் வாசிப்பவனே. அடியார்கட்கு அருள் வரும்பொழுது உருவத்திருமேனி கொள்பவனே. சங்கார கருத்தாவே. அனைத்துயிர்க்கும் தாயானவனே. ஆத்திப்பூ மாலை அணிந்துள்ளவனே. தாருகாவனத்து முனிபத்தினிகளாகிய மகளிர் கூட்டத்தை வேட்கையுறும்படி செய்தவனே. சீகாழி என்னும் திருத்தலத்தில் வீற்றிருந்தருளுபவனே. துன்பங்கள் எவற்றினின்றும் எம்மைக் காப்பாயாக.

தாவாமூவா தாசாகா ழீநாதாநீ யாமாமா மாமாயாநீ தாநாழீ காசாதாவா மூவாதா

அழியாத மூப்பிலாத தசகாரியத்தால் அடையும் பொருளாக உள்ளவனே. சீகாழி என்னும் திருத்தலத்து முதல்வனே. எல்லோரும் அஞ்சி நீங்குகின்ற சுடுகாட்டில் நள்ளிரவில் நடனமாடும் நாதனே. மாண்புமிக்கவனே. ஐராவணம் என்னும் யானையின் மேல் ஏறி வருபவனே. கொடையில் கடல் போன்றவனே. சாவினின்றும் எங்களைக் காத்தருள்வாயாக. ஒளியுடைய மாணிக்கம் போன்றவனே. வேண்டும் வரங்களைத் தந்தருள்வாயாக. எங்கள்முன் எழுந்தருள் வாயாக. முன்னைப் பழம்பொருளே. காற்று முதலான ஐம்பூதங்களின் வடிவானவனே!

நீவாவாயா காயாழீ காவாவானோ வாராமே மேராவானோ வாவாகா ழீயாகாயா வாவாநீ

என்றும் மாறுதலில்லாத மெய்ப்பொருளானவனே. தாங்கிய வீணையை உடையவனே. கொடிய பிறவித் துன்பம் எங்களை அடையாவண்ணம் வந்து காத்தருள்வாயாக. விண்ணிலுள்ள தேவர்கள் துன்பம் அடையாதவாறு மேருமலையை வில்லாக ஏந்தி முப்புரங்களை அழித்தவனே. சீகாழி என்னும் திருத்தலத்தில் வீற்றிருந்தருள்பவனே, ஆகாய சொரூபியே! நீ விரைந்து வருவாயாக! அருள் புரிவாயாக.

யாகாலாமே யாகாழீ யாமேதாவீ தாயாவீ வீயாதாவீ தாமேயா ழீகாயாமே லாகாயா

யாவற்றுக்கும் கால கர்த்தாவாக விளங்குபவனே. எப்பொருளிலும் எள்ளில் எண்ணெய் போன்று உள்ளும், புறம்பும் ஒத்து நிறைந்திருப்பவனே! சீகாழி என்னும் திருத்தலத்தில் வீற்றிருந்தருள்பவனே! அறிவில் மேம்பாடு உடையவனே! அனைத்துயிர்கட்கும் தாயாகவும், உயிராகவும் உள்ளவனே! என்றும் அழிவில்லாதவனே! இன்குரல் எழுப்பும் கின்னரம் முதலிய பறவைகள் தன்னருகின் வந்து விழும்படி வீணைவாசிப்பவனே. யாங்கள் மேற்கொண்டு ஆவனவற்றிற்கு ஆராயாதவாறு எங்களைக் காத்தருள் வாயாக!.

மேலேபோகா மேதேழீ காலாலேகா லானாயே யேனாலாகா லேலாகா ழீதேமேகா போலேமே

மார்க்கண்டேயரின் உயிரைக் கவர வந்த காலனைக் கடுங்குரலால் கண்டித்தவரே. உம் திருவடியால் அவனை உதைத்து அக்காலனுக்குக் காலன் ஆகியவரே. பொருந்திய சனகர் முதலிய நால்வர்க்கும் சிவகுருவாகிக் கல்லால மரத்தின் கீழ் உபதேசித்து மெய்யுணர்வு பெறச் செய்தவரே. சீகாழி என்னும் திருத்தலத்தில் வீற்றிருந்தருளும் பரம்பொருளே. மேகத்தை வாகனமாகக் கொண்டருளியவரே. அடியேங்கள் உம் திருக் கூட்டத்தில் ஒருவர் போல் ஆவோம்.

நீயாமாநீ யேயாமா தாவேழீகா நீதானே நேதாநீகா ழீவேதா மாயாயேநீ மாயாநீ

உன்னைவிட்டு நீங்குதலில்லாத உமாதேவியை உடையவனே! ஒப்பற்ற தாயானவனே! ஏழிசை வடிவானவனே! நீயே வலிய எழுந்தருளி எங்களைக் காத்தருள்வாயாக! பேரன்பு வாய்ந்த நெஞ்சத்தை இடமாக உடையவனே. சீகாழி என்னும் திருத்தலத்தில் வீற்றிருந்தருளும், வேதங்களை அருளிச்செய்து வேதங்களின் உட்பொருளாக விளங்குபவனே. எங்களைக் கொல்லவரும் துன்பங்களை நீ கொன்று அருள்செய்யாயோ?

நேணவராவிழ யாசைழியே வேகதளேரிய ளாயுழிகா காழியுளாயரி ளேதகவே யேழிசையாழவி ராவணனே

இறைவரின் திருவடிகளில் பேரன்பு செலுத்தும் அடியவராம் பசுக்கள் தன்வயமற்றுக் கிடக்க, கட்டிய ஆசை என்று சொல்லப்படும் பெருங்கயிற்றைத் தண்ணளியால் அவிழ்த்தருள்பவரே. மிக வேகமாக ஓடும் மானின் தோலை அணிந்துள்ள பேரழகு வாய்ந்தவரே. பொறுக்கலாகாத் தீவினைத் துன்பங்கள் தாக்க வரும்போது காத்தருள்வீராக! மன்னித்தற்கரிய குற்றங்கள் எங்களின் சிறுமைத் தன்மையால் செய்தனவாகலின் அவற்றைப் பெரியவாகக் கொள்ளாது சிறியவாகக் கொண்டு பொறுத்தருள்வீராக! ஏழிசைவல்ல இராவணன் செருக்கினால் செய்த பெரும்பிழையைத் தேவரீர் மன்னித்து அருளினீர் அல்லவா? (அடியேம் சிறுமையா ல் செய்த பிழையையும் மன்னித்தருளும் என்பது குறிப்பு).

காலேமேலே காணீகா ழீகாலேமா லேமேபூ பூமேலேமா லேகாழீ காணீகாலே மேலேகா

காற்றாகி எங்கும் கலந்தருள்பவனே. மறைப்பாற்றலின் வழி எவ்வுயிர்க்கும் மயக்கம் செய்து பின் அருள்புரிபவனே. பூக்களில் சிறந்த தாமரைப்பூவில் வீற்றிருக்கும் பிரமனும், திருமாலும், முறையே திருமுடியையும், திருவடியையும் காணுதலை ஒழித்த வைரத் தன்மையுடையவனே! சீகாழி என்னும் திருத்தலத்தில் வீற்றிருந்தருளுபவனே. எங்களை கடைக் கணித்தருள்வாயாக. உன் திருவடியைத் தந்தருளுவாயாக!.

வேரியுமேணவ காழியொயே யேனைநிணேமட ளோகரதே தேரகளோடம ணேநினையே யேயொழிகாவண மயுரிவே

நறுமணமும், தெய்விக மணமும், பெருமையும், புதுமையும் கலந்து விளங்கும் சீகாழி என்னும் திருத்தலத்தில் வீற்றிருந்தருளுபவனே! துன்பங்களை நீக்கி அருள்பவனே. பேரருள் உடையவனே. அதனை அள்ளிக்கொள்ளல் அகத்தவத்தாராகிய சிவயோகிகளின் செய்கையே. புத்தர், சமணர்களின் மொழிகளை எண்ணுதலையும், நண்ணுதலையும் ஒழித்தருள்வாயாக! இப்புறச் சமயத்தார் பன்னெறிகளில் புகாமல் காத்தருளும் திறம் நின் திருவடிக்கே உரியதாகும்.

நேரகழாமித யாசழிதா யேனனியேனனி ளாயுழிகா காழியுளானின யேனினயே தாழிசயாதமி ழாகரனே

நேர்மையை அகழ்ந்து எறிவதாகிய, நெஞ்சத்தில் நிலைத்து எவரையும் துன்புறுத்தும் காமம், வெகுளி, மயக்கம் என்னும் முக்குற்றங்களையும் அழித்தருள வல்லவனே. உலகுக்கெல்லாம் தாயாம் தன்மையை ஏற்றருளத் தக்கவன், ஒப்பில்லாத நீ ஒருவனே. நன்மை புரிந்தருளுவதில் உயர்ந்தவனே! நாங்கள் தளர்ந்த இடத்து எங்களைக் காத்தருள்வாயாக! என்று நற்றமிழுக்கு உறைவிடமாகவுள்ளதிருஞானசம்பந்தப் பெருமான் சிவபெருமானைப் போற்றி அருளிய, பாடுவோர்களையும், கேட்போர்களையும் உள்ளம் குழையச் செய்யும் இத்திருப்பதிகத்தை ஓதவல்லவர்கட்கு எந்தக் குறைவும் உண்டாகாது.

இந்த தேவாரப்பதிகத்தை ஓதுவதை (1) காணொலியிலும் அனுபவிக்கலாம்.

இதே போன்ற palindrome தொகுப்புகள் Sanskrit காவியங்களில் ப்ரசித்தம். அதில் ஒன்றை என்னுடைய வேறு பதிவில் (2) காணலாம்.

1.https://youtu.be/wEt3BJdWfIo

2. https://nattuspage.home.blog/2019/02/06/vilomakavyam-a-complex-palindrome-in-sanskrit-literature/

Why would one love their roots?

What motivates the migrants to keep their roots alive?

Reasons could be many. One could be religious persecution – that led to the very birth of Israel! Centuries of anti-Semitism, convinced Jews to yearn for their homeland where they wouldn’t be scrutinized, their identity would not be inspected day in and day out and so is n… Jewish biochemist and Zionist named Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who contributed in the production of acetone, a key raw material for explosives, that significantly tilted the scale in favour of England, in the first world war, shunned a knighthood instead demanded a piece of land and a free nation. This led to sowing the seed for the birth of a nation, the Balfour Declaration, on 2 November 1917.

But it took another world war and ghosts of ‘Holocaust’ to remind the English of the promised statehood for Jews, that was born only in 1948. Judaism unites the Jews and wherever they are, their heart and soul are always with the tiny nation. No doubt Jews have an obsession for their soil!

Affection could also be due to the kiths and kins living in the native place – the emotional necessity for any human being. With many villages disappearing due to migration, with subsequent generations settling elsewhere, this link is slowly disappearing. Whatever is remaining could be mostly because of the rigorous rituals that are traditionally being done in their native soil, a custom that is in vogue in many religions and communities. How long would this last?

Such rituals are sustained in some towns such as the one in Chettinad– it is a region located in the Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu, India. The native community, basically involved in trading, went to Burma and Malaysia for business. They prospered and kept their culture alive both in their new abode and in their native village. One can see even today the wonderful huge palace homes of the ‘Nattukottai chettiars’ (but hardly anybody residing) with teak wood from Burma!

The relatives and friends never miss their traditional celebrations to be performed in their native town. Though in modern times, it would be difficult to keep the same spirit long!

But there are other extremes as well – Madhapar in Kutch: historically Kutch in Gujarat was always considered a backward region due to its location and submerged geography. The situation seemed to have worsened after the disastrous earthquake in 2001. But, Madhapar, is the wealthiest town in the whole of Southern Asia. It is a village with a population of just more than ninety two thousand people, some 3 km from the main town of Bhuj. It has around 7600 households, but a whopping 5000 crore Indian rupee worth bank deposits! Many residents of Madhapar work abroad in the UK, USA, and Canada. The migrant population, mainly the Patel Kanbi community living outside India have huge love for their village.

Love of native state – Kerala is a shining example… one can find a ‘Malayalee’ wherever you go but would he would never have forgotten his native village! He would also go extra mile to lend a helping hand to his natives! You would soon be friendly with him if you can converse in his ‘mother tongue’!

Still there are many other communities who are “crabs in a bucket” too!

Murky Saga of Covid Vaccines

Covid-19 virus had provided immense opportunity to exploit the ‘do or die’ situation the world faced. Richer nations cornered the supplies! Vax manufacturers used the situation ‘make hay while the sun shines’ to the hilt.

Covid vaccines may be life saving, but their business is extremely murky! Their contracts are secret that enable unethical business practices apart from profiteering! Here are a few from that list.

1. Lobbying for patent protection rights: Governments Helped Create Vaccines But Companies Keep the Patents. Big Pharma companies launch campaign against Biden over Covid vaccine patent waiver mooted by India and South Africa.

2. Double Yammy – Federal funding and monopoly in selling: They get government funding but without any preferential pricing. For example, US vaccine manufacturer, Moderna not only used government-developed technology as the foundation of its vaccine, it also received about $1 billion in government grants to develop the drug. In August, the government placed an initial order for the vaccine for $1.5 billion.

3. No disclosure of pricing: By insisting that their pricing remains confidential, the drug makers have the upper hand over government negotiators who do not know what other countries are paying. The European Commission paid $2.19 for every dose of the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, while South Africa paid more than twice as much, $5.25. United States taxpayers were paying $19.50 per dose for the Pfizer vaccine, while Europeans paid $14.70. It is rumoured that the deposed Israel president, Netanyahu, paid nearly $28 per Pfizer shot to get on priority! Brazil canceled its order to covaxin over bribes in the deal!

4. Monopolistic sale policy: The contracts also prohibit their resale, donation etc., literally blocking their use to the poorer nations!

5. Companies Get Liability Protection: In the United States, drug companies are shielded from nearly all liability if their vaccines don’t work or cause serious side effects. The government covered Covid-19 drug makers under the PREP Act, a 2005 law intended to speed up access to medicine during health emergencies. That means that people cannot sue the companies, even in cases of negligence or recklessness. The only exceptions are cases of proven, “willful misconduct.” Drug companies are seeking similar liability waivers in negotiations with other countries. European negotiators have balked at such requests. Covax also insists that countries accept all liability as part of its contracts. The CureVac-E.U. contract does shield the company from significant liability, but with exceptions. Those exceptions are redacted, meaning censor or obscure (part of a text) for legal or security purposes!

5. US plans to donate its unused excess stock of vaccines to third world, lest they would expire! Would get Good Samaritan tag!

6. Pfizer recommends third booster shot to pep up the lowering of antibody counts, even before its studies are published. Would CDC recommend or wait till the results are peer reviewed?

7. Strong arm tactics: The Indian government had earlier announced that vaccines that are already recognised by WHO and similar other authorities of other countries won’t have to undergo local trials. Moderna applied for permission to the Drug Controller General of India which was granted but Pfizer and J&J did not yet apply. The Indian government’s stated position is that it cannot give indemnity to anyone. The government is saying domestic companies can give indemnity on behalf of their foreign partners. Moderana’s Indian partner Cipla had offered to shoulder some legal responsibilities which Moderna rejected.

Credits:

1. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/01/big-pharma-launches-campaign-against-biden-over-covid-vaccine-patent-waiver.html

2. Governments Sign Secret Vaccine Deals – Here’s What They Hide: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/world/europe/vaccine-secret-contracts-prices.html?referringSource=articleShare

Soft Suppression – Covid Resilient Pandemic Management

Would the strategy to get ‘zero’ covid infection for a safe living be practical? Or living with the virus like the ‘seasonal flu’ be viable? The authorities in countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore, aspire for zero virus approach, while Israel, UK, US and European countries have ventured into trying an alternate option, called, ‘soft suppression [1]’.

What is soft suppression? Adjust its safe management measures in stages, subject to trends in serious cases. This could mean fewer restrictions on social gatherings, larger dine-in groups and lower requirements and higher capacity for events. Vaccinated individuals will be able to engage in a wider range of social activities and in larger groups, while unvaccinated individuals may only do so with negative pre-event testing results. Practically all social and workplace restrictions can be lifted, although some critical measures, such as mask-wearing and precautions for large events may remain.

If the incidence of severe illness from COVID-19 remains low despite clusters emerging from time to time, one would eventually be able to arrive at a truly endemic state. This would be the roadmap of transitioning to a “Covid-resilient” society in which the virus is part of daily life.

Israel is the first country to embark publicly on this new strategy, ‘soft suppression’ for life in the era of coronavirus, based on the assumption that the pandemic is here to stay but can be managed with minimal damage to the economy. This involves issuing ‘green pass’ to those vaccinated or with negative RT- PCR for any indoor gathering or immigration into the country! Knowing that the virus has an incubation period of at least a week, is it not a risk to allow passive carriers that could potentially initiate super spreader events? Yes.. but it is a calculated risk! How?

Not that it would be zero cases! But the cases would not raise very much and would be within manageable limits. This is based on the fact that the world is no more the same like the one last year at the peak of the pandemic when the cases rose exponentially sharply. Now there would be many around who had developed immunity due to infection and many more with vaccination! Is it not a safer world now? If a large population have antibodies, the chances of spreading the infection is that much less! This can be achieved either by vaccination or by natural infection. Sero survey is a cost effective method to assess the fraction having antibodies. The assessment is done by identifying presence of covid-19 antibodies in the blood samples. Those who are sero positives, even if they are exposed to infection would not be infected. If a large fraction is a community are sero positives, the infection not only would not spread but ultimately would die out. A quantitative number to achieve this state is not yet available for covid, though it is expected to be higher than 75%.

For example, a sero survey conducted in June in Ahmedabad city municipal corporation (AMC) in India, with a population of 7.5 million, showed 81% sero positivity [2]! Even though, when the survey was done it had hardly vaccinated less than half its population even once. The presence of antibodies in such high fraction could only be explained by massive natural infection in the second wave in late March- April.

It has also been reported that these antibodies detected in sero surveys wane over time but the resistance to the infection is sustained with the cell mediated immunity; studies have shown such protection could even last for one’s life time [3]. Studies indicate that the adeno type vaccines, such as Asteazenica, JJ and Sputnik, would provoke stronger cell mediated responses than the novel mRNA type vaccines!

In the case of AMC, it was found around 30% of those who had past infection did not show antibodies in earlier surveys. Thus the fraction with cell mediated immunity could easily add an additional 10 to 15% to those detected to be having antibodies in the present survey, making the total up to even 95%! It does reflect in the daily number of new cases which has fallen steeply from a peak of 5500 in late April to double digit by June itself and to a single digit soon thereafter! There is no lockdown in this city presently. Not even 60% of the population have received the jab even once as of today! The city has been logging in single digit daily cases for over a month indicating ‘herd immunity’!

In contrast, those states that have lower sero positivities are struggling to bring down the case numbers: for example, in another Indian state, Kerala, only around 45 per cent people have developed antibodies against the national average of 67% in a survey conducted in late June [4]! Only around 40% have received at least one jab in this state till now. Even then, test positivities continue to hover over 10% for over a month even now. Kerala pursued aggressive contact tracing policy through which it could bring down the daily case numbers during the peak of infection but the flattening has been found counterproductive as it has dragged the duration of the menace! A state which was patted for effective management of the infection last year, is paradoxically the only Indian state, that is struggling to bring down the cases!

Obviously the lesson, to those countries trying to drive away the virus by draconian lockouts, is to adopt ‘soft suppression’ and get on to live with the virus! Especially when vaccination is aggressively being pursued and are with over 70% sero positives. Singapore would soon embark on this strategy given its high vax compliance [5].

Credits:

1. https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-government-said-to-unroll-soft-suppression-strategy-on-resurgent-pandemic/

2. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/a-serosurvey-template-for-the-whole-of-india/article35499672.ece

3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-021-00969-3.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3qvHT2wM6JU2bQPWtZAYFS9QOAfiNSmwD9SoUy2YBtJecn1D06CKzc1yQ

4. https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2021/07/23/sero-survey-kerala-45-percent-have-covid-antibodies.html

5. https://www.livemint.com/news/world/singapore-will-progressively-open-international-travel-amid-covid-minister-11627294725024.html

Covid vaccination – Should Personal Liberty Trump Public Good?

The success of immunisation through vaccination over the years has been mind boggling. That the childhood diseases could be largely circumvented, enthused many countries to make childhood vax compulsory.

With some vaccines, the goal of vaccination is to eradicate the disease – disappear it from Earth altogether. The World Health Organisation (WHO) coordinated the effort to eradicate smallpox globally through vaccination, the last naturally occurring case of smallpox was in Somalia in 1977. Endemic measles, mumps and rubella have been eliminated through vaccination in Finland. On 14 October 2010, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation declared that rinderpest had been eradicated. The WHO is currently working to eradicate polio, which was eradicated in Africa in August 2020 and remained only in Pakistan and Afghanistan at the time.

Though many infectious diseases have been by and large conquered by the scientific understanding, knowledge on the viruses and bacteria, there is reluctance. Why? Common objections included the argument that governments should not infringe on an individual’s freedom to make medical decisions for themselves or their children, or claims that proposed vaccinations were dangerous. Many modern vaccination policies allow exemptions for people with compromised immune systems, allergies to vaccination components, or strongly held objections. It has also been argued that for vaccination to effectively prevent disease, there must be not only available vaccines and a population willing to immunize, but also sufficient ability to decline vaccination on grounds of personal belief.

Also, can anyone vouch vaccines are absolutely safe? No.. All claims so far have been that the “benefits far outweigh the risks”. Especially when vaccines for Covid-19 are approved through the unconventional “Emegency Use Authorisation” route, many have become sceptical. And there is no compensation for the possible damages of the vaccinated! You vaccinate at your risk to save the public at large! Strange logic, isn’t it?

On the other hand, should personal freedom override societal good? An infectious disease as lethal as the Covid-19, definitely calls for measures that have not been in vogue so far in the human history. When social distancing and masking were prescribed as the counter measures by the epidemiologists, there was resistance. When the governments clamped locked downs, there was a furore in many countries as it would curtail the livelihood of common public. Now it is vaccination time. Should it be made compulsory as the virus mutates in non-immunised becoming deadlier menace. But yet, no country, including the authoritarian ones, has yet been able to make it mandatory!

Should the Liberty be allowed to trump public good? Even the much debated land acquisition law in India, for example, only when 80% of the title holders voluntarily accept to sell their lands to government, the rest can be coerced to comply. Would there not be a similar argument as the goal is to reach only the herd immunity for which only +70% need to be jabbed, why compel everyone to take? It is not like the Second World War time where some in London have to be forced to switch off their electric lights against their wish in their homes, to avoid bombing by Germans. Liberty is admittedly curtailed for right reasons. But anti-vaccine mentality cannot be compared to that.

Till then, would it become a notorious case as in the anecdote – wherein milk was requested for performing a ritual for a deity from the public, some thought why not just give water as it would get unnoticed with all others adding milk? Don’t be surprised that there would be many justifying their ‘rights’ to add water!

No amount of ‘carrot and stick’ strategy would enable overcoming the vaccine reluctancy. People will see that their friends, their colleagues, and their loved ones have been vaccinated, and have been okay, the levels of hesitancy probably will go down.

Credits

1. https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1645

2. https://nattuspage.home.blog/2020/11/24