HOLI, Indian Valentine's Day

Last month we have celebrated Valentine's day.  Is there an equivalent of Valentine's day in India culture.  That's the celebration today, Holi, the more meaningful festival of celebrating love.  

Rathi and Manmatha (also called Kamadeva) were legendary lovers among Gods.  Their acts of love used to instill the emotions of love and lust among suras, asuras and manavs (Gods, demons and human beings).

Once all Gods were scared by the growing prowess of Tarakasura, who could be killed only by the yet-to-be-born son of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvathi.  But Lord Shiva was in deep tapas (prolonged meditation) and somebody had to wake him up to enable his union with Devi Parvati.  Gods assigned this delicate task to Rathi-Manmatha.

Rathi-Manmatha began to dance enacting different acts of love in front of Lord Shiva.  Disturbed Shiva was furious and opened his 'third eye' and instantly Manmatha was burnt to death. Rathi cried and begged Lord Shiva to give back life to her lover. Her legendary act of love soothened Lord Shiva who brought back Manmatha to life, but to be made visible only to Rathi. Lord Shiva also blessed that both Rathi and Manmatha (Kamadeva) shall become immortal to spread the message of love among all living beings forever.  This day of Rathi-Manmatha's legendary love is celebrated as Holi in northern India and Kamana Hunnime in the South.

Holi/Kamana Hunnime falls on Hunnime (Full-moon-day) of Phalguna.  In English calendar it falls towards end of Feb or early March.  The day also marks the advent of vasantha ritu or spring season.

I remember that I used to actively participate in Kamana Hunnime festival at my native place almost half-a-century ago! Children of the locality used to group together about a week in advance going round the streets collecting fire-wood, berani (cow-dung cakes) and even old wooden furniture.  We used to go from house to house singing a song.......

Kamana Makkalu, 

Kalla Sule Makkalu

Enen Kaddaru 

Soude berani kaddaru 

Yatakke Kaddaru? 

Kaman Sudok kaddaru   

A rough translation would be 

What Bastard sons of Kamanna steal?

They stole firewood. 

Why did they steal? 

To burn the effigy of Kamanna!

Some mothers used to give some fire wood whereas some others used to shy us away.  Some of us even used to jump in to compound-walls of houses to steal fire-wood, often to be caught, fired and left! Gathered fire-wood used to be put in a lot in a nearby open field.

Kamana Hunnimme of one particular year is vividly etched in my memory lane. On the day of Kamana Hunnime, by evening all town elders, ladies and children had gathered around the firewood.

I remember a pair of new weds were dressed up as modern Rati-Manmatha. Thrill of the crowd peaked when the pair landed near the site, riding on their motor-cycle!  Ladies had marked the boundary of the fire-wood lot with rangoli art. They performed pooja and aarti for the Kamadeva who was symbolized inside the gathering of fire-wood.  Then the children set fire for the fire-wood.

Soon fire had engulfed all around exciting all, especially the children who went round singing the same song 'Kamana makkalu......'. Last agenda was distribution of Charpu, the prasadam, which was puliyogare (tamarind rice) and mosaranna (curd rice).

The very next day ladies brought buckets of water around the Kamadeva-fire.  Various colours prepared out of arishina and kumkum (haldi) were mixed to water.  With the gathering of youth and children around, it was okuli (holi) time! With the mood of holi gathering peak, colored waters and colors were thrown on each other.  It was even time for plenty of dances, pranks and mischief! By around 12 noon, people disbursed towards the nearby river for taking a bath.

Now all these Kamana Hunnime celebrations have become a memory of the good old days.  No doubt with lot of north Indians too migrating towards South, Holi celebrations are still live, although may not be like the old type.

Holi/Kammana Habba is time to celebrate our culture and  remember that our elders were no less in glorifying the spirit of love. As sung by our poet D.V.Gundappa, 'hosa chiguru, hale beru koodiralu mara sobagu.......' (meaning 'let the old ways mix with the new), let us not forget to celebrate our own 'festival of love' along with the modern Valentine's Day.

Long live the spirit of love!

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Also please read my last year's blog on 'Valentine's day' using the link https://blogbuster-lakshminarayana-k.blogspot.com/2018/02/valentines-day-2018.html

(please cut and paste the link given above)

Thanks for reading, your comments are most welcome.

Family

Our Faculty, A National Hero!

Our faculty-colleague, Mr. C.R.Ramesh Babu (IDBI MSB)  is a Table Tennis national hero who has represented India and won many laurels for our Country and himself. Being his colleague I had the opportunity to explore his illustrious career.

His early days: Ramesh was born on 10th Feb 1958 at Ooty, Tamilnadu.  His father Late C.N.Ramachandran (pic. below) was an officer

l

in Imperial Bank (erstwhile SBI) who was an all-rounder sportsman.  He was an accomplished player in Tennis, Table Tennis, Snooker, Billiards, Badminton and Cricket during his time.  He was a coach in these sports for many British officers of that period. Ramesh has inherited sports genes from his talented father. Ramachandran shifted his family to Bengaluru when Ramesh was a child of just 3 months.

Ramachandran who had keen eyes for spotting and nurturing talent was quick in identifying Ramesh for Table Tennis.  Under his tutelage Ramesh grew very fast as a TT star.  His father, besides coaching him, used to take him to witness top level TT tournaments.  Ramesh says he has learnt more by observing top players. Within six months of early training, young Ramesh, 

 just 11 years old, caught the attention of the entire State when he won the 'State Level TT non-medalists Singles championship'.  Very soon he was ranked among top 5 State Juniors! There was no turning back further. He went on to win the State level junior championship during 1972 and 73, and was 'ranked 1' among juniors till 1974. He caught the national attention when he won the State seniors championship during 1974, while still being a junior. He dominated State senior championship by consecutively winning the trophy for next six years and remained 'State number 1' for 8 years.

At the national level:
1) Ranked No.1 among juniors during 1973 and '74

2) Won the National team title for Karnataka

3) Won the doubles title with B.K.Arun kumar

4) Won all the 5 zonal junior championships 

5) Ranked No. 4 among seniors during 1981

6) Ranked within No. 8 among seniors for 5 years

7) Won the Inter Institution title for Indian Airlines for 3 years

At the international level:

1) Represented India in Asian championship held at Yokohama, Japan during 1973 and reached quarterfinals.

2) Represented India in Mohammed Shah Reza Pallavi tourney in Teheran, Iran (1977) and helped India to finish 3rd, wherein China also participated!

3) Represented India in a TEST series against Trinidad & Tobago (WI) in 1979. He was responsible for India winning the series and was aptly declared best male player of the series.

4) Represented India in Asian championship held in Kolkatta (1981)

His strengths:
During his peak days, Ramesh was recognized as player with the most stylish action.  He wan an offensive player and was considered the 'dead-end' for most defensive players of the country. He had a very effective top-spin and a very deceptive service.

Recognition & Honours: Although very talented and a long time achiever, not many awards have come his way excepting the State award during 1975 and the Dasara award during 1992.  In this cricket-mad country, who cares for players from other sports? Remember he was ranked number 4 among seniors of our country and was a very aggressive player. 

Comparing him to cricket heroes, Ramesh should have earned name, fame and money like K. Sreekanth/Ravi Shastri of 1980s or Rahane/Rohit Sharma of today! Also the fact that TT is a highly competitive game played in over 200 countries makes his achievement much more valuable.

His best performances:
Recalling his peak playing days, Ramesh says that the best match he ever played was a win against B. Saikumar (a national champion) at Mysuru during 1985.  Saikumar was a defensive player and Ramesh had to smash 15 times on an average to earn a point! This was a marathon match which took more than 90 minutes involving 5 games.  All those 5 games were decided on 'extended points'.

As a junior during 1973, Ramesh won against Mir Khasim Ali (3 times national champion) at Chennai.  Impressed by the 

flamboyance of Ramesh, one of the organizers carried him on his shoulders all over the stadium.  That organizer was blessed with a baby-boy on the same day who was named after 'Ramesh'.  Ramesh fondly recalls even that boy grew to become a state level player and now owns a team which plays in 'Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT)', the IPL version of TT, started during 2017.

Tough lessons:
Ramesh also had some tough experiences.  He recalls a tough opponent from China, Xiang Ho against whom he could not even collect 3 points.  He was also deeply impressed by Hasegawa 

of Japan (pic above) who was a very aggressive player.  No wonder Ramesh tried to copy his style and action.

On modern TT:
Ramesh, an old-timer rues about the decline of the rally game.  Like in T20 cricket, TT too has moved towards high speed and power display. Now each game is played for just 11 points compared to 21 points of Ramesh's days.  Changes like plastic balls and the use of anti-spin rubber for the bat has curbed rallies, which has taken away the old beauty of the game, laments Ramesh.

Message to youngsters:
Ramesh advises young players to concentrate on foot-work and develop the match temperament.  Ability to handle pressure and win holds the key.

Professional career:
Recognizing his TT achievement, Union Bank of India offered him an Officer post during 1981 under sports quota.  World Badminton champion Mr. Prakash padukone who was already an officer in that bank was instrumental in recognizing Ramesh for this honour. After his playing days, Ramesh has concentrated to distinguish himself as a serious banker and rose upto Chief Manager on his own.

Hobbies and Interests:
Ramesh likes to sing.  He passionately loves old Hindi and Kannada film songs.  He also loves Carnatic classical music.  He has read a good number of Kannada and English novels too.  He is an ardent believer and practitioner of  'madhwa philosophy'.

A widely traveled man Ramesh also loves to cook!  Cricket, Shuttle Badminton, Tennis and Football are his other favorite games. His 

friend and colleague Prakash Padukone and Roger Federer are his favorite sportsmen.

His family:
Ramesh is proud of his father and brothers.  His eldest brother C.R.Nagendra is an international TT umpire.  His elder brother 

C.R.Jayasimha (back row L-R 3rd in Pic) is a State Table Tennis Coach. His younger brother C.R.Anand (front row L-R 1st in Pic) is also an international TT player.

Ramesh is married to Ms.Vedavathi and has got a son 'Prapujya', who is a sound engineer and a guitar player.

Ramesh, the gentleman:
Ramesh, gentleman to the core is a good teacher and coach too.  He keeps low-profile and never boasts about himself. A tinge of innocence in him makes him most adorable.

Let's wish Mr. Ramesh and his family a very long life, health, happiness and prosperity.
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Those who want to wish Mr. Ramesh babu on this occasion may send their message to his mobile/whatsapp number 89512 68716

(Thanks to Mr.Ramesh Babu C.R. and other sources for providing me the pictures used here).

Victory For Home Buyers!

Jayanagar-based developer 'Windmill Immovables Ltd' was ordered by the Bengaluru RERA Court to reimburse Rs.52,06,901 to the complainant Mr.Krishna Patil of Koramangala in connection with the 'Windmill' project.  Patil had filed a case against the builder stating that the carpet area in the flat he had purchased was lesser than what was initially promised by the builder.  The RERA Court heard the case on January 18, 2018. The Court also ordered an additional amount of Rs.18,19,547 as interest and tax amount paid by the buyer.

IT professional T Samarth was among the first few in the city of Bengaluru to be refunded his deposit of Rs.9,00,064 by Sri Krishnadeep Properties after he lodged a complaint with RERA.  He had paid the initial amount for a 1,400 Sq.Ft. house in Anjanapura.  Later he changed his mind as many of the amenities promised were absent and wanted refund.  He visited the builders office 10 times, but never got it.  The RERA court ruled in favour of Samarth!

Jaswinder Kaur and Malkiat Singh from Chandigarh were desperate when the Bank from which they had availed the Home loan started demanding Installments of repayment (EMI), although they had not received the possession of their first-ever flat. They had paid an advance amount of Rs.20 lakhs to the builder 'Frontier Homes' 3 years ago, for buying a flat costing Rs.2 crores. There was an inordinate delay in the delivery of the flat and the duo knocked the doors of the RERA court for remedy. The court decided in favour of the buyers, and ordered refund of the advance amount with interest!

(All the above three stories are real ones, but the names have been changed to preserve anonymity).

When one browses through the sites of RERA courts formed in different States, he can read many more such stories which provide great relief to the most vulnerable group of present and prospective home buyers.

Buying a home is every person's dream.  It is always a struggle between meager sources and the ever increasing cost of dream homes.  Added to this is the tricks played by unscrupulous builders who are ever-ready to exploit the hapless home buyers.  Therefore the long felt need of a level-playing rule was enacted by the present Government under the name RERA, Real Estate (Regulations & Development) Act 2016 which has become effective from  1st May 2017.

RERA is applicable to both on-going and new projects.  Projects covering area 500 Sq.mts or more and also buildings involving 8 apartments or more come under the purview of RERA.

10 major benefits of RERA

1.Standardized carpet area: 
RERA has prescribed a standard formula for assessing the standard carpet area of every property.

2.Rate of Interest on default:
In case of payment delay by the buyers or delay in delivery of possession by the builders, the rate of interest on default will be the same.

3.Remedy for false promises:
When there is a variation between what was promised and delivered, buyer can claim refund of the whole amount with interest.

4.Advance payment:
Builders can't seek more than 10% of the cost of the property as advance at the time of agreement for sale.

5.No diversion of funds by the builder:
70% of the money received from buyers has to deposited by the developers in a separate bank account.  This money can be withdrawn only for construction purpose of the specific project, that too on producing completion certificate from approved Engineers.  

6.Delayed possession:
In case of delayed possession, buyer is entitled to obtain refund of the entire amount with interest.

7.Defective construction: 
In case of defective construction, buyers can seek rectification within 5 years of taking possession. The defect has to be set right within 30 days free of cost.

8.Defective title:
In case the property title is proved defective, buyer is entitled to seek total refund of money with interest.  This right of the buyer is never barred by 'time limitation'!

9.Right to information:
Buyer is entitled to seek all information connected with the project from time to time.

10.Disputes resolving mechanism:
There will be a State appointed authority for looking into grievances of the buyers/developers who will decide the cases in shortest possible time.  There will also be an authority for hearing appeals against the orders of the former.

RERA is applicable to all residential and commercial projects. 

Also RERA registration is compulsory for real estate brokers and agents.  It seems even it applies to those who develop plots.

But we have witnessed many cases of one-to-one contracts of house construction wherein contractors have taken the most gullible house builders for a ride.  There is a need to bring such contracts also to the RERA fold.

2019-Good for home buyers!

Along with RERA, the newly introduced Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) has also empowered home buyers.  Under IBC homebuyers also get same treatment as Banks while enforcing recovery of dues from builders. Moreover keeping General elections in mind, Government is in mood to show further reduction in GST for homebuyers.  Developers have now come to terms with the new realities which has ensured transparency and accountability. With nearly 7 lakh affordable and ready-to-move-in flats available for sale and ready availability of home finance, 2019 is going to be a good time for home buyers! 

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(Thanks to the sources of all pictures used in this blog)

  

ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು

ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಮುಂದಿರುವ ಸವಾಲುಗಳು  

೧) ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ವೋಟ್ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. ಮತದಾನದ ದಿನ ಪಿಕ್ನಿಕ್ ಹೋಗುವರಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮವರೇ ಜಾಸ್ತ್ತಿ .

 ಮೊನ್ನೆ ಜಯನಗರದ ಉಪಚುನಾವಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ  ಏನಾಯಿತು ? ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ  ಶಾಸಕ (ಎರಡು ಬಾರಿ ) ವಿಜಯಕುಮಾರರು ನಿಧನರಾದ ಬಳಿಕ ಅವರ ತಮ್ಮನಿಗೆ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಟಿಕೆಟ್ ನೀಡಲಾಯ್ತು. ಅವರು ೩೦೦೦ಮತಗಳ ಅಂತರದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೋತರು .  ಪ್ರಜ್ಞಾವಂತ ಯುವ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಮತದಾರರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಅಂದು ವೋಟ್ ಮಾಡದೆ ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರಳಿದ್ದರು ಎಂದು ಮಾಹಿತಿ. ಅಂತಹ ವರ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಸುಮಾರು ೧೦,೦೦೦ ಎಂದು ಅಂದಾಜಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ .

ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಈಗಲೇ ೨೦೧೯ರ ಚುನಾವಣೆಗೆ  ತಮ್ಮ ವೋಟನ್ನು ಇಂದೇ ನೊಂದಾಯಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ . ನೊಂದಾಯಿಸಿದ್ದರೂ ಅದು ಚಾಲ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿದೆಯಾ ಇಂದೇ ಎಂದು ಖಾತರಿಪಡಿಸಿದೊಳ್ಳಿ.  ತಪ್ಪದೆ ಮತದಾನ ಮಾಡಿ .

ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮತವನ್ನು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಸಹಾಯಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುವಂಥವರಿಗೆ ನೀಡಿ .  NOTA ಬೇಡ.  NOTA ಆಯ್ಕೆಯು ಅಧಿಕಪ್ರಸಂಗ ನಮಗೆ ತಿರುಗುಬಾಣವಾದೀತು.  NOTAದ ಪ್ರಯೋಗ ಮಾಡುವರಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮರೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು.    ಮೊನ್ನೆ ರಾಜಸ್ಥಾನ , ಮಧ್ಯಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಏನಾಯ್ತು, ಜ್ಞಾಪಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ.

೨) ೨-೩ ಪರ್ಸೆಂಟ್ ಮಾತ್ರ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರಿರಬಹದು. ಅವರುಗಳು ಮತದಾನ ಮಾಡುವಾಗ ಒಂದು ವೋಟ್ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ಆಗಬೇಕು .  ನಮ್ಮ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಸಂಘಗಳು ಒಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು.  ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಹೀನಾಯ ಹೇಳಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕೊಡುವ ಅಥವ ಕೆಲಸಮಾಡುವ ಯಾವುದೇ ಪಕ್ಷ ಅಥವ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗೆ ಮತನೀಡಬಾರದು.  ಕೂದಲೆಳೆಯ ಅಂತರದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳ ಗೆಲುವು-ಸೋಲು ನಿರ್ಧಾರವಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗ, ಒಂದು ಪರ್ಸೆಂಟ್ ವೋಟ್ಗೂ ಬೆಲೆ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ .  ನಮ್ಮವರ ಮತಗಳು ಹರಿದು ಹಂಚಿಹೋಗಬಾರದು.

೩) ನಮ್ಮವರ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಕ್ಷೀಣಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಪಾರ್ಸಿಗಳಂತೆ  ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು ಇಲ್ಲದಂತಾಗಬಹುದು . ಯಾರು ಹೊಣೆ? ನಮ್ಮ ಯುವ ದಂಪತಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಂದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಲು ಇಷ್ಟವಿಲ್ಲ .  ನಮ್ಮಗಳಿಗೇನು ಹಣಕಾಸಿನ ಕೊರತೆ ಇಲ್ಲ. ನಮ್ಮವರ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಕ್ಷೀಣಿಸದೆ ಮತ್ತೇನಾಗುವುದು ? ಈ ಮನ್ಹಸ್ಥಿಥಿ ಬದಲಾಗಬೇಕು.  ನಮ್ಮವರ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ವೃದ್ಧಿಸಬೇಕು.


೪) ನಮ್ಮವರೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಶತ್ರುಗಳು .  ಟಿ ಮ್ ಕೃಷ್ಣ, ಅನಂತ ಮೂರ್ತಿ, ಗಿರೀಶ್ ಕಾರ್ನಾಡ್, ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ.
ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ್ಯವನ್ನು  ವಿನಾಕಾರಣ  ಹೀಯಾಳಿಸುವುದನ್ನು ಖಂಡಿಸಿ.  ಅಂಥವರನ್ನು ದೂರವಿಡಿ


೫) ಬಡ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರ  ಕೈ ಹಿಡಿಯಿರಿ.  ಮಾರ್ವಾಡಿಗಳಿಂದ ಕಲಿಯಿರಿ.  ವಿಧ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸಕ್ಕೆ, ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಮುಂದೆಬರುವರಿಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹ ಮತ್ತು ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡಿ .

೬) ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಪಂಗಡಗಳು ಒಂದಾಗಿ .  ನಮ್ಮ-ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲೇ ಕಿತ್ತಾಟ ಬೇಡ. ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಸಂಘಗಳನ್ನು ಬಲಪಡಿಸಿ.

೭) ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರ ಕೊಡಿಗೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಚಾರ ದೊರಕಲಿ . ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರರನ್ನು ಬೆಳಸಿ ಪೋಷಿಸಿದ್ದು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಮೇಸ್ಟ್ರು. ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಮಹಿಳೆಯೊಬ್ಬಳು ಅವರನ್ನು ಮದುವೆಯಾಗಿ (ಎರಡನೇ ಮದುವೆ,  ಆಕೆ ಡಾಕ್ಟರ್ ಕೂಡ  ) ಕಡೆತನಕ ನೋಡಿಕೊಂಡಳು. ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಸಂವಿಧಾನ ಬರೆಯುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ನೆರವು ನೀಡಿದವರು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಸಂವಿಧಾನ ತಜ್ಞರೇ. (Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar, N. Gopalaswami Ayengar).  ಇವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ರಚನ ಸಮಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರು. 

ಯೇಸುದಾಸ್  ಸಂಗೀತ ಗುರುಗಳು ಚೆಮ್ಬೈ ವೈದ್ಯನಾಥ ಭಾಗವತರ್.

ಪಿಟೀಲು ವಿದ್ವಾನ್ ಚೌಡಯ್ಯನವರ ಗುರುಗಳು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರಾದ ಬಿಡಾರಂ ಕೃಷ್ಣಪ್ಪನವರು .

ರಾಮಾಯಣ ಬರೆದದ್ದು ವಾಲ್ಮೀಕಿಗಳು (ಪ . ವರ್ಗ -ಬೇಡರು ).  ಮಹಾಭಾರತ ಬರೆದವರು ವ್ಯಾಸರು (ಮೀನುಗಾರ್ತಿಯ ಮಗ). ಕಾಳಿದಾಸರು ಕುರಬರು. ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಯಾದವ ಕುಲದವನು .  ಅವರೆಲ್ಲ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರಿಗೆ ಪರಮಪೂಜ್ಯರು.

ದೂರದರ್ಶಿ ಸಮಾಜ ಸುಧಾರಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿ, ಹಿಂದುಳಿದವರಿಗೆ ಅವಕಾಶ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಟ್ಟವರು  ರಾಜಾರಾಮ್ ಮೋಹನ್ ರೈರಂಥ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ನಾಯಕರು .

ಕೇಂದ್ರದ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ ಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳು
ನಿರ್ಮಲ ಸೀತಾರಾಮನ್  ಡಿಫೆನ್ಸ್
ಸುಷ್ಮಾ ಸ್ವರಾಜ್ - ಫಾರಿನ್ ಅಫ್ಫೇರ್ಸ್
ನಿತಿನ್ ಗಡ್ಕರಿ - ಸರ್ಫೇಸ್ ಟ್ರಾನ್ಸ್ಪೋರ್ಟ್
 ಜೈಟ್ಲೇಯ್ - ಫೈನಾನ್ಸ್
ಸುರೇಶ ಪ್ರಭು -
ಸುಮಿತ್ರಾ ಮಹಾಜನ್ (ಸ್ಪೀಕರ್ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ)

ಪ್ರಕಾಶ್ ಜಾವಡೇಕರ್

ಅನಂತ ಕುಮಾರ್ - (ದಿವಂಗತರು)
ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ ಚೌಬೆಯ್

ದೇವೇಂದ್ರ ಫಡ್ನವಿಸ್ (ಮಹಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರ ಸಿಎಂ )
ಮನೋಹರ್ ಪರ್ರಿಕರ್
ಮಮತಾ  ಬಾನೆರ್ಜಿ
ಜಯಲಲಿತಾ
ಗುಂಡೂರಾವ್
ರಾಮಕೃಷ್ಣ ಹೆಗ್ಡೆ


೮) ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಸೊತ್ತುಗಳು ಎಂದರೆ  ಉತ್ತಮ್ಮ ವಿದ್ಯಾಬ್ಯಾಸ, ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ಷಮತೆ, ಅವಿರತ ದುಡಿಮೆ, ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕತೆ.  ಇವುಗಳನ್ನು ಮುಂದುವರೆಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಮುನ್ನೆಡಯಬೇಕು.

ಉದ್ಯಮ ಶೀಲತೆಯನ್ನೂ ಬೆಳಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು . ಈಚಿನ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಉದ್ದಿಮೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಯಶಸ್ಸು ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಸಂತೋಷದ ವಿಷಯ.

 ಸ್ವದೇಶೇ ಪೂಜ್ಯತೆ ರಾಜ, ವಿದ್ವಾನ್ ಸರ್ವತ್ರ ಪೂಜ್ಯತೆ ಎಂಬ ಮಾತು ನೆನಪಿರಲಿ .  ವಿದ್ಯೆ ಇದ್ದರೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾದರೂ ಬದುಕಬಹುದು. ಜೊತೆಗೆ  ವಿವಿಧ  ಕೌಶಲ್ಯ (ಸ್ಕಿಲ್ ) ಗಳನ್ನೂ ಮೈಗೂಡಿಸಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು.

೯) ಅನಿವಾಸಿ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಸ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿಡಬೇಕು .  ಉಳಿತಾಯವನ್ನು ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲೇ ಇಡಬೇಕು. ಬೇರೇ ದೇಶಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅತಂತ್ರ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಉಂಟಾದಾಗ ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶವೇ ನಮಗೆ ಗತಿ.

೧೦) ತಂದೆ ತಾಯಿಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಗುರುಹಿರಿಯರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕಾಳಜಿ ಇರಲಿ. ನಮ್ಮ ಬೇರುಗಳನ್ನು ಮರೆಯುವುದು ಬೇಡ .

೧೧) ಬೇರೆ ಜಾತಿ-ಧರ್ಮಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಘರ್ಷಣೆ ಬೇಡ. ನಮ್ಮ ಇತಿ-ಮಿತಿಗಳ ಅರಿವಿರಲಿ.   ಹೊಂದಿಕೊಂಡು ನಡೆಯಿರಿ.  ಬೇರೆಯವರಿಂದಲೂ ಸಹಾಯಗಳಿಸುತ್ತ ಮುಂದುವರಿಯಿರಿ .

೧೨) ಪೌರೋಹಿತ್ಯ, ಅಡುಗೆ ಕೆಲಸ, ಭವಿಷ್ಯ ಹೇಳುವುದು, ಸಂಗೀತ ಪಾಠ, ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ-ಕಲೆ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ, ಉಪಾಧ್ಯಾಯ ವೃತ್ತಿ ಮುಂತಾದವುಗಳು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರಿಗೆ ವಂಶಪಾರಂಪರ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಬಂದಿವೆ.  ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ನಾವುಗಳು ಹೆಚ್ಚು ರೂಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಸಂಪಾದಿಸಬೇಕು.

೧೩) ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳ ಪ್ರಯೋಜನ ಪಡೆಯುವಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಜನ ಹಿಂದು.

ಕ) ಸ್ವಯಂ ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಶುರುಮಾಡಲು ರೂ. ೧೦ ಲಕ್ಷಗಳ ವರೆಗಿನ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ಸಾಲ, ಆಧಾರ ರಹಿತವಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಯಾವುದೇ ಜಾಮೀನಿನ ಅವಶ್ಯಕತೆಯಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಮುದ್ರಾ ಯೋಜನೆಯಡಿ ದೊರೆತ್ತದೆ . 
ಖ) ದೊಡ್ಡ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಯಂ ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಲು ರೂ. ೧ ಕೋಟಿವರೆಗಿನ ಸಾಲ (೫೯ ನಿಮಿಷಗಳೊಳಗಿನ ಮಂಜೂರಿ)  ಆಧಾರ ರಹಿತವಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಯಾವುದೇ ಜಾಮೀನಿನ ಅವಶ್ಯಕತೆ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಯೋಜನೆಯಡಿ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ಗಳಿಂದ ದೊರೆಯುತ್ತದೆ. 
ಗ) ಆಯ್ಶ್ಮಾನ್ ಭಾರತಡಿ ರೂ. ೫ ಲಕ್ಷದವರೆಗಿನ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸಾ ವೆಚ್ಚ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಬಡವರಿಗೆ ಉಚಿತವಾಗಿ ದೊರೆಯುತ್ತದೆ. 

ಈ ರೀತಿಯ ಇನ್ನೂ ಹತ್ತು-ಹಲವಾರು ಯೋಜನೆಗಳು ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಹಾಗೂ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರಕಾರಗಳವತಿಯಿಂದ ಲಭ್ಯವಿದೆ.  ಇವುಗಳು ಪ್ರಯೋಜನ ಪಡೆಯಲು ನಮ್ಮವರು ಮುಂದೆಬರಬೇಕು.

೧೪) ವಿತಂಡವಾದಿಗಳು ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲೇ ಹೆಚ್ಚು. ಅವರುಗಳು ನಮ್ಮವರನ್ನೇ ಮತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ ಪರಂಪರೆಯನ್ನೇ ಜರೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರುಗಳು ವೋಟ್ ಮಾಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ, ಮಾಡಿದರೆ  ನಮ್ಮ ವಿರೋಧಿಗಳಿಗೆ ವೋಟ್ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ ಅಥವಾ 'ನೋಟಾ' ಅಂತ ವೋಟ್ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ!

೧೪) ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯಿಂದ  ಹೇಳಿ, ನಾನೊಬ್ಬ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ. 

Is buying car a waste?

Is buying car a waste?  Yes.....says Mr. R.C.Bhargava, the Chairman of Maruti Suzuki!

'People should start thinking why they need to buy a car.  One buys a car costing Rs.10 lakh.  And 80-90% of the time it is lying idle.  What a waste of capital' he asks.

Moreover where do they drive their cars? Traffic in Indian cities like Bengaluru has become a horrendous experience.  Hardly one can cover about 8 kms. in an hour during peak time!  No wonder an average man spends more than 3 hours every day for commuting.  Less said the better about the public transport system. 

With ever-depleting road space, often it is irritating to see most of the big cars being driven by single occupants. Traffic experts say that this is the root cause for all problems.  Is there a way out?

Mr. Bhargava has urged Government to offer incentives to promote shared mobility over individual mobility saying that everyone including automakers would benefit from such an approach!

Shared mobility improves utilization of vehicles as well as reducing congestion, parking problems and cost of transportation. He has further added that carpooling leads to better use of cars reducing the replacement cycle, thereby ensuring sustained demand for new cars!  Is this not what we term as 'lateral thinking'?

Delhi's odd-even experiment is worth reviving and replicating in other cities too. With the support of carpooling methods 'odd-even' will become more smoother and acceptable.  Incentives like reduction in taxes, Insurance charges, petrol cost for those who are compliant are welcome.

Thanks to many of our enthusiastic young techies who have developed carpooling apps.  Many corporates too are lending them the needed support.  Such apps mobilize verified users who commute between same routes at same time promoting easy 

sharing.  This has further reduced travelling cost to Rs.3 per km which is even cheaper than public transport, yet offering the convenience of a car. Many apps are integrated with Google Maps and even with Paytm to ensure convenient payments.

Now-a-days apps like 'Bounce' are making rounds which enable one to rent a Scooter/Bike. One can find a large pool of two-wheelers parked near most metro stations available on rent as cheap as Rs.3 per km.  This ensures last minute connectivity to metro travelers.  One can rent a two wheeler, reach home, keep it overnight and bring it back while riding to metro-station next day and still pay only on the basis of kms used. One can even leave it at a main road parking lot and go away!

TrinTrin is the public cycle sharing system of Mysuru, the world famous heritage city.  It is aimed at youngsters, to avoid usage of fuel driven vehicles. This eco-friendly transport is the hope for our smaller cities.

Metro connectivity is slowly making inroads into many big Indian cities. But the coverage seems to be too little and too late.  In most of the cities second and third phases are being planned and the progress of work is at a snail's pace. However people are mesmerized by the ease and speed of travel.  But the system needs supporting net-work for ensuring last mile connectivity.

Local Bus transport systems are often much criticized. BMTC, the local bus transport system of Bengaluru is doing a great service by carrying more than 50 lakh commuters everyday. BMTC is developed over several decades and it has not costed much to the Government. Compare this to Bengaluru Metro which has costed more than Rs.15,000 crores and carries only about 4 lakh passengers per day!

Cities like Bengaluru badly need a robust Suburban Railway system. They provide the link to smaller towns around to the heart of the city.  Compared to Metro, the investment required is less and the carrying capacity is huge.  Again Suburban Train systems are being delayed for various reasons like the tug-of-war between Centre and the States!

Almost all Indian big cities are witnessing fast growth.  Efficient public transport is the only solution.  Steps like car and bike pooling can provide the support by ensuring last mile connectivity. Ending the Government monopoly over public transport system may also hold the key for a better solution. But the biggest twin obstacles are the lack of determined will with our rulers and the rigid mind-set of our people.   Let us resolve to change for the better.

Thanks for reading.  Please send your valuable feedback.

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Special Thanks:

To the sources of all pictures

used here.