Technology for Godavari Maha Pushkaram 2015

Godavari Pushkaram is Great Worship of the Godavari River.   Godavari Pushkaram is a Hindu festival being celebrated from 14 July 2015 for a period of twelve days. This festival occurs once every 144 years, corresponding to the 12th recurrence of the 12-year Godavari Pushkaram cycle. The festival starts from the Ashadha (June/July) month on the Chaturdashi day (thithi) (14th day), when planet Jupiter enters the zodiac sign of Leo. The festival is "theoretically" observed throughout the twelve months that the planet remains in that sign, but the first 12 days are considered most sacred. The first 12 days of the Godavari Pushkaram are known as "Aadhi Pushkaram" and the last 12 days are titled "Anthya Pushkaralu". The next Maha Pushkaram will be celebrated in 2159.

River Godavari covers 3 states viz., Maharastra, Telangana and Andra Pradesh.  As on day 6 more than 2 crore people have taken holy bath in the river.  Yes! you read correct, 2 crore people.  This throws challenge to the administration and police to have a peaceful event.

Indian Railways are running 400 special trains to clear the rush to the event.  Both state run transport corporations are running 10,000 buses each for the same.  In addition private vehicles take to the road.  All the roads lead to one of the announced Pushkar Ghat.  Even a small issue can cause catastrophe, hence administration have taken help of technology to monitor and guide people.

Police uses wireless communication to send the information about rush, vehicle regulations, medical emergency.  They are assisted by NCC members.  This information is fed to the control room.  Control room also monitors the camera set at many spots on the roads, junctions, ghats and other sensitive places.

Highlight of the technology is the ariel survey of the ghats and roads to know the real time traffic jams, crowd number, their pattern etc., using drones.  This is the first time administration is using the technology for such an event.

Top Time Wasters

Top Time Wasters

We know these things vacuum up our time-yet it can be SO hard to keep them under control.

Here are some strategies to make that easier:

TV. Instead of plopping down in front of the tube to watch "whatever's on," pick out which specific shows you want to see and fit those into your schedule. If you need a chill session and just want to channel surf, set yourself a time limit.

Video Games. It's one thing to play your favorite new game for two hours on a Saturday, and another to make it a daily habit. Limit your gaming time or use it as a reward for getting other things done, like, "If I get my math homework finished, I can turn on Playstation until dinner."

The 'Net. Like with TV, try to make a habit of only going online for certain things. For instance, give yourself a daily "e-mail period" or let yourself play two rounds of a new game. If you like to IM your friends in the evenings, set aside a specific time for that and let them know that's when you'll be online.

The Social Media. Like The ‘Net, try to restrict your time to minimum.  Comment only when it is absolutely necessary.  Do not spend time follow everyone, derive value from social media interaction.

The Phone. It's easy for a five-minute chat with your friend to turn into a two-hour gossip fest. To avoid this, give yourself a phone-call time limit and ask family members to help you stick to it. If there's something you need to discuss with someone, and you think it will take some time, schedule that phone call like you would any other activity or appointment.

Memorization Techniques

Getting Started

• Have an interest and desire to learn.
• Give the material your full attention and concentration.
• Set realistic study goals.
• Study at times when you are most alert.
• Use your prime time to study difficult material.
• Take breaks during your study time.
• Reward yourself for studying efforts.
• Minimize distractions.
• Put small blocks of time to good use.
• Divide and conquer large projects.
• Be selective about what you memorize.

Understand the Information

The preliminary work to any type of memorization is to work on understanding the information. The more you understand the information, the easier it is to memorize.

Organize the Information

• An organized list of items is easier to recall than an unorganized list.
• The simplest kind of organization is numbering. If you recall that there are 8 items on a list of information, your brain will keep searching until you recall all 8 items.
• Another type of organization is classifying information into groups or categories. It is easier to memorize material that has been organized into a pattern rather than random information.

Make Connections and Associations

The more connections and associations you can make between new information and information already stored in your memory, the better the chance for recall. The more associations that surround a particular fact, the more retrieval cues you have to bring that fact to mind.

Visualize the Information

Create a visual picture of the material you wish to memorize. This can be done either on paper or in your mind. Tables, charts, maps, and graphs arrange information visually. Do not skip over them in your textbooks. Create visual study tools such as visual maps, hierarchies, matrixes, cartoons, pictures, and time lines. Create study tools for vocabulary such as flash cards and vocabulary sheets.

Use Story Lines

Create a story to include the list of words or ideas that you wish to memorize.

Use Mnemonic Aids to Memorize

Acronym

A word formed by taking the first letter of key words in a list of items. The following are good examples of acronyms:

• BASIC is an acronym for Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instructional Code
• HOMES in an acronym to memorize the names of the 5 Great Lakes - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.
• FOIL is an acronym used in mathematics for multiplying binomials. F for firsts, O for outers, I for inners, and L for lasts.
• ROYGBIV is an acronym used to memorize the colors as they come through the spectrum.
• BAR is an acronym used to memorize the "big three" allies during World War II - Britain, America, and Russia.

Acrostic

A sentence formed by taking the first letter of key words in a list of items. The following are good examples of acrostics:

• The sentence "A cow eats grass" can be used to memorize the spaces in the base clef for the left hand on the piano. The spaces are A C E G.
• The sentence "Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally" can be used to memorize the order of operations in mathematics. The order of operations is parenthesis, exponents, multiplication and division (from left to right), and addition and subtraction (from left to right).
• The sentence "King Philip can only find green snakes" can be used to memorize the hierarchy for the classification of organisms which is kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.
• Use rhythms, rhymes, and jingles. Formed by listening for words that rhyme or by attaching a catchy tune to a saying, i.e. the jingle to memorize the number of days in each month.

Rehearse to memorize

• The actual work of memorizing is repeating information over and over until it is stored in our mind.
• Recite the information to yourself out loud, from memory, and in your own words. Recitation is an important step in committing information to memory.

Review

• Create study sheets, summary sheets, and outlines for review.
• Create questions and write down the answers to those questions.

Pancha Kosha's

Pancha Kosha

A Kosha, usually rendered "sheath", one of five coverings of the Atman, or Self according to Vedantic philosophy.  There are five known kosha:

1. Annamaya Kosha
2. Pranamaya Kosha
3. Manomaya Kosha
4. Vijnanamaya Kosha
5. Anandamaya Kosha

1. Annamaya Kosha

Annamaya Kosha is the physical body which needs nourishment to survive. The human being is a part of the food chain as any other creature (i.e. the mammals). It is the visible part of our Self and therefore we erroneously identify ourselves with it. It is the most vulnerable of the five bodies and it suffers visibly of the deficiencies of the other bodies. An adequate alignment due to our body type and a physical hygiene (extern and also intern) supports and strengthens our health.

To activate this body it is necessary to do moderate exercises in accordance to age and physical condition. e.g Walking.

2. Pranamaya Kosha

Pranamaya Kosha exists in the physical body, interactive and dependent. It is the vital shell that is full of life. The Prana flows are in the blood, lymphatic and nervous circulation. Breath is a life-principle and is a controllable expression. Through the regulation of the breath (Pranayama) other bodies can be positively influenced. This body can be made visible in high frequency photography (method by Kirlian).

People with a special ability in seeing another persons aura can perceive this body with their naked eye. Basically it is the principle of life that distinguishes between living and dead matter. Maha Prana, the grand vital force is present in all aspects of the universe and pulses with its smallest elements. This shell survives the physical body only momentarily, for it is also transitory.

3. Manomaya Kosha

Manomaya Kosha, the inner organ is also interactive and dependent of the former two. It governs the faculties of perception and instinctual consciousness. It is the mind which can construct and destroy. It is our subconsciousness that is formed by negative and positive experiences and where our Self has developed with its behavior. Within this shell actions happen automatically and it dominates the outer shells.

"Actions are mighty, thoughts are almighty" (Vivekananda). 

To activate this body the former two bodies should "freeze" through a deep relaxation (i.e. Yoga Nidra). With this technique deep sheath of our mind can be penetrated and negative programmings can be changed into positive and constructive ones. This process needs perseverance and constancy. This body is also transitory.

4. Vijnanamaya Kosha

Vijnanamaya Kosha, the conscious body lies deeper than the previously described ones and is also interactive and dependent. This body is responsible for inner growth, for ethics and for moral. It seeks to reach beyond mundane existence into wisdom and subtle knowledge. It actively seeks to move from the exoteric to the esoteric -from the world in front of the eyes to the mental space behind the eyes.

Independent of a specific religion, the studies of holy texts like the the Bagavad Gita and texts of other great teachers, will lead us to the same truth because all religions are based on the same truth and there is only one principle. In this shell we return to life, the knowledge experienced in life is preserved in this body and outlasts.

5. Anandamaya Kosha

Anandamaya Kosha is the most subtle body and without its existence life is impossible. It interacts with the others like the sun affecting our planet. This blissfull body beyond words is perceived in flashes only in short moments, an indescribable experience where duality ends and I AM expresses the unity. We generally assume that if we want to explore new areas of experience, we first need to acquire knowledge and then to apply it. Yet in reality it works the opposite way. In the beginning we experience something new and then only begin to search for concepts that may explain our new experiences and connect them to our current understanding.

The search is mostly intuitively and often subconsciously. This process is specific for all kinds of expansion of consciousness which help us perceive more subtle areas than the material world. Daily meditation (at least for 20 minutes) activate this immortal body.

Positive Change

We learn from our parents, other people and events we experience as we grow up, how to be loved and how to stay safe. Some of the lessons we may have learned, worked for us as children, but are no longer appropriate as adults. Others are the product of difficult or traumatic experiences in the past, most usually during childhood, which have left a legacy of negative beliefs and thought patterns.

If you are seeking to improve or change your life, then to achieve it using spiritual techniques you will have to integrate the following principles into your life.

• Love & Self Esteem - Love yourself and others and the world around you without limitations.
• Forgiveness - Forgive Everyone and Release the Past - When we hold something unforgiven inside, we are nurturing anger, hatred and resentment or maybe even guilt. These emotions lock us into the moment and drain mental and life energy. Holding such emotions inside longterm will create sickness in the soul and in the body
• Awareness - Start Living Consciously - Become aware of your actions, your thoughts and words. When you find yourself off principle or taking a negative perspective, stop yourself. Turn it around into something more positive and self nurturing. You will notice the change in the way people react to you because they will have noticed the change in you!
• Gratitude, Prosperity and Abundance - Be open to and grateful for our natural abundance - Our world is infinitely abundant. However this natural flow of abundance can be blocked by a belief that we do not deserve things or a failure to recognize or appreciate what we already have.
• Honesty - Be Honest with yourself and others - Without the ability to be honest (often brutally) with oneself and with others you will not be able to make progress with your changes. This means abandoning all those little fibs and pretenses that can seem part of every day life. To succeed with change you must be prepared to face your truths and confront the fears that this exposes
• Being Positive - Start seeing the Positive side of everything! - A positive attitude not only boosts our natural immune system for better health but also by thinking positively, we boost our performance in nearly everything we do.
• Taking Responsibility for Yourself - Take control of your life - by recognizing that you alone are responsible for it, no one else. You are where you are today through your choices. By taking responsibility for yourself you are better placed to start leading the life that YOU want and making choices that will lead you to the life you choose.
• Being Open & Trusting - Let go of all fear - and trust in the process of life. Be open to all the amazing opportunities around you. Know that YOU have a unique place in the universe and deserve all the good things that life can bring.
• Self Care - Start looking after yourself - To be effective in life, you need to be performing at your very best mentally, physically and spiritually. Acts of self care are acts of self-love and are essential to your well-being. Be kind to yourself and treat yourself with love

Banana and Diabetes

Recently I visited a friend's home in different town.  Friend is a type II diabetic since few years, but has the blood sugar under control using medicine and exercise.  I found few banana in there, but no one was eating.  On enquiry it became clear to me that their doctor advised them not to eat banana.

Bananas are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, but they do contain carbohydrates. In fact, all fruit has some carbohydrate, so you need to count them in your diabetes meal plan.  Nutrition offered by banana are better absorbed by body than the supplements they are prescribed.  Most importantly this is cost effective with much more benefit than commercial vitamin supplement.

I told them that in order to intake banana, become familiar with portion sizes and the number of carbohydrates in each.

Bananas vary quite a bit in size, so counting the carbohydrates that they provide can be difficult.

Below are some estimates for different sizes.

Extra small banana (6 inches long or less) — 18.5 grams of carbohydrate
Small banana (about 6-6 7/8 inches long) — 23 grams of carbohydrate
Medium banana (7-7 7/8 inches long) — 27 grams of carbohydrate
Large banana (8-8 7/8 inches long) — 31 grams of carbohydrate
Extra large banana (9 inches or longer) — 35 grams of carbohydrate

Be aware that blood glucose responses can vary from person to person. Be aware that you may need to make adjustments the portion size you eat depending on your how your blood glucose responds to eating bananas or other types of fruit.

Since patients believe their doctors, it is the responsibility of the doctors to be aware of the facts before recommending.