Thursday, May 19, 2011

Soundarya

What is really beautiful ? So many things ,if you look around - babies,nature,someone's hair, someone's skin,a face,a sculpture,a painting ,a design ,a piece of jewellery,etal.Actually ,there are so many things -both animate & inanimate which are pretty, to simply keep staring at.But soundarya  is something else.

Nature is beautiful, as it is lovely to look, at its numerous features -the Sunrise,the Sunset,the meandering rivers,the snow clad mountains,the green meadows,the valley of flowers & so on & so forth.Nature is really beautiful, as it is our mother & takes care of us by giving us in abundance.When we go on destroying & exploiting it for our selfish ends,it gives vent to earthquakes,volcanoes, tsunamis ,cyclones & other natural disasters.

Human beings are beautiful basically .And as time passes ,one changes for better or for worse.Babies look lovely .They are curious & innocent.As babies grow up ,choices made, make them what they are.

A person may be beautiful in appearance .This alone cannot make up for bad habits or unhelpful nature.One must be positive in life.Then ,a smile  lights up the face & the person looks pretty.Similarly ,helping others does wonders to appearance .It brings a glow, which can be seen by all.Health also is a big asset in keeping us pretty .If we take good care of our well being by eating right ,our body reflects it & we look lovely.Exercises like aerobics, dancing,pilates,walking,etc can help us loose flab & build up endurance.Yoga & meditation make up for mental calmness.A cool & calm mentality looks young Hence,there is no need to go for botox,plastic surgery etal to do away with wrinkles

Make up & cosmetics can only enhance  assets like eyes,lips,skin,etc.Sometimes ,cosmetics may harm, as ingredients in the cosmetic may lead to allergies.Hence,one needs to be careful.It is preferable to use herbal products. Cosmetics cannot make a person look lovely -they can only  highlight the beauty of a person who is already good looking. Rekha,the actress used to apply  a big bindi on her forehead  & it  suited  her so well ! Rekha has also been practising yoga since long & she looks young, even after decades !

Cosmetics  used judiciously can also protect hair,skin,eyes,etc.In this also ,one can opt for products which are not tested on animals .This will be  soundarya , as this is beauty, without cruelty.

Remember to  check out Yahoo!Real Beauty @http://realbeauty.yahoo.com/ for some great ideas on real beauty.

The inner soundarya  of a person, is the soul of a person.Diamonds are  very beautiful & hard.Similarly, some may be very pretty & hard to please.Such people cannot be called beautiful.They will harm others & bring many to grief.Celebrities, who endorse fur, are cruel to animals.We must make our thoughts beautiful  & this will show on our faces.One who is truly beautiful is one, who has the ability to bounce back after a debacle & get on with life.Such an inspiring spirit, is really pretty & needs to be emulated.

People who are spiritually inclined, are indeed really beautiful as they aspire for peace & calm.This calmness also reflects on their faces & they look serene.People who help others,are unselfish & kind to one &  all are really pretty.That is why, soundarya or real beauty, is a perennial source of joy !

This blog post is my entry for the YAHOO DOVE REAL BEAUTY contest.
Dove Real Beauty on Yahoo! India


If you liked  this post,please press the  "Like "button  @http://www.indiblogger.in/indipost.php?post=58871.Each "Like" counts & will help me win the People's choice award in this contest.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Vote for Akshaypatra

Akshaypatra is the boundless love for the less privileged .This is so, as it feeds the children across India sustaining them through their school years.This is a dedicated effort by all, who are associated with the mid day meal programme.

I am writing this blog post, to make readers aware, of the Chase Community Giving campaign which is going on at present.Akshaypatra has already won the round one in this contest.The second round begins on May 19th ,2011.I trust, that all will vote for Akshaypatra, making it the one charity which gets the prize money in the finals !

Akshaypatra is running decentralised & centralised kitchens at numerous  places across the breath of our country.It is truly a pan Indian exercise .It has the most hygenic & modern kitchens wherein, food for school children is prepared.It has mechanised its operations in the kitchen so that, there is the least amount of human contact.This in turn, makes it one of the best community kitchens  in terms of hygiene ! Please have a look at the video  below - this is a silent visual on the Akshyapatra kitchen at Hubli ,a town in Karnataka.


Six kitchens of Akshaypatra  have received FSMS ISO 22000:2005 certification.This is an achievement in itself, as this is the first of its kind certification given to food programme managed by an NGO in the world.Kindly take a look at the video to observe  how mechanisation can make it possible to roll out 40,000 chapatis at  Akshaypatra's kitchens in an hour !



This programme feeds 9,40,000 kids in over 15 places all over India in 5600 schools on a daily basis..This is the largest non profit feeding exercise across the world ! Just imagine, how many more children can be reached by supporting this charity ? ! The possiblities are simply immense !

The mid day meal scheme has made it possible to minimise dropping out from schools by kids.This will transform into a literate India very soon.So ,please vote for this foundation  from May 19th ,2011 onwards.

Please click on the link below  to vote for Akshaypatra as this will be our win ,a victory over illiteracy, a victory over hunger ,a victory for our future as the future belongs to our children !

http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/10574950-the-akshaya-patra-foundation-usa?src=vote_share

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Singapore : Sentosa & city tour.

The next day ,we  had a breakfast of toast & some diced yellow water melon & papaya.Yellow water melon is just like red water melon & is available in Malaysia.

Then,as many in our travel group were keen to take a ride on the Singapore flyer,we all stopped to enjoy the ride.Singapore flyer is a very gigantic wheel to which capsules have been installed.Each air conditioned capsule can accommodate 28 persons.From the capsule ,as the wheel moves slowly ,one can view Singapore city & also as far as Indonesia on a clear day.At 30$ Singapore dollars,the ride is highly exorbitant but one must experience it nevertheless.It is one of the latest tourist attractions in Singapore .The whole ride takes approximately 37 minutes but one can rarely feel the wheel moving.It is a safe & smooth ride.

Next,we stopped at Chinatown to visit a Chinese temple.There was inner sanctum wherein, we saw many incense sticks burning just like an Indian temple.The inside of the temple & even outside is very bright & red.Red is used very generously all over.Orange bushes wherein tiny & sometimes big oranges are hanging can be seen at the temple entrance.

The next stop was the Singapore gems factory.Various wall hangings which are three dimensional are on display.They make use of semi precious stones in the wall hangings.Also on display are numerous trinkets like jade bangles,bracelets,necklaces & ear rings.All in the group shopped around for small pieces of jewelery as a reminder of having visited Singapore.Then, we stopped, for lunch at an Indian hotel.


After lunch,we headed to the cable car station for going to Sentosa island.We got into gondolas & started our journey.Very soon ,we were up & could see the emerald sea below.We also saw some luxury cruise liners anchored below.The azure blue waters of the swimming pools in the cruise liners were so welcoming & we started imagining of how comfortable it must be to just laze around in a liner.After we landed at Sentosa,we proceeded to the Images of Singapore exhibition.


There are life size images of various communities like the Malays,The Chinese & Indians who immigrated to Singapore decades ago & contributed to Singapore's ethnicity.One can witness the images engaged in various tasks like trading,fish mongering etc.The exhibit is really very big . May tourists were busy taking snaps besides various images.We also took some photos.

Then we had tea at an eatery in the Sentosa island area.In,Singapore,no one cannot consume any drink and or eatable in the vehicle .Only water is allowed to be consumed at all places.In any tourist attraction,one has to consume  any thing edible and a liquid by paying for whatever is available in that place.One cannot buy eatbles and or drinks from another place in Singapore & then consume it at any tourist attraction as this would kill the business of the eatery at the tourist attractions.Moreover this, also helps keep such areas litter free. That is why, even in buses & cars ,also nobody can eat or drink anything except water.

Next,we visited the aquarium at Sentosa.This was just like the one we had seen at Kaula Lampur.One is really left wondering at the numerous varied attractions available in a country which is only a city state.In one city ,people can visit an aquarium,a zoo,botanical garden ,ride the flyer,visit the Universal studios,gamble at the casino,etc.We were unable to visit the botanical garden ,the bird park & maybe some more  places.


We also took snaps of the Merlion image -it is an  animal-half lion & half fish.It has the head of a lion & the body of a fish.One can see the white Merlion image in all displays, which advertise Singapore as one of the most sought after tourist attractions.

Our last stop at Sentosa was the laser show which was simply  spectacular ! The fireworks display at the end of the show was so dazzling that we were left wanting for more !Curtains after curtains of varying colours lighted up the night sky .The night sky  sparkled with lightning that shot up & down with regularity at intervals !

After the show,we boarded our bus to reach an Indian hotel for dinner.Dinner over,we headed back to our hotel.Next day,we shopped  in little India.We ate a South Indian meal at Komalas' restaurant.It   consisted  of rice,sambhar,rasam,papad,veggies,etc.It was at Komalas' restaurant.This eatery is so famous, that it finds mention, in   most of the Singapore tourist guides as one offering ethnic South Indian meals.The food was sumptuous.

We then headed bacjk to our room to get ready to bid goodbye to Singapore.We reached the airport to learn that flight was late but Malayisan airlines had arranged for an alternate flight to Kaula Lampur from Singapore.This was done to avoid paying for our overnight hotel stay at Kaula Lampur,in case our flight from Kaula Lampur to Mumbai left without us.This was a distinct possibility as the connecting flight from Singapore was unduly delayed.

At Kaula Lampur,we  strolled around ,had some snacks & then waited for our home bound flight. This flight was in time & we landed at Mumbai airport to witness the last overs being played in the World cup final.My daughter  saw the last ball being played on the giant screen at the airport which catapulted us to victory. As we headed home in pre - paid taxi,we saw the city celebrating the world cup win on the roads making it a traffic nightmare.

All in all, a memorable trip but incomplete as Malaysia has many more places to be seen & so also has Singapore.Maybe another  trips at a later date...

  
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...