Festivals of India: Akshaya Tritiya

Posted on April 27, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

Also known as Akti or Akha Teej, Akshaya Tritiya is an annual spring time festival celebrated by Hindus and Jains. It falls on the third Tithi or lunar day of bright half or Shukla Paksha of the Vaisakha month which falls every year between April and May according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar. It is observed as an auspicious time regionally by Hindus and Jains in India and Nepal, as signifying the “third day of unending prosperity”. The word Akshaya means “never diminishing” as the festival is associated with wealth, prosperity and happiness and Tritiya means third day. This year’s Akshaya Tritiya fell yesterday, April 26. This day is said to be very auspicious if you are planning on starting a new venture as anything started on this day will be successful.

Akshaya Tritiya has lot of religious significance for both Hindus and Jains. This day is the birthday of Lord Parashurama, one of the ten Dashavataras of Lord Vishnu and is also the starting day of Treta Yuga after Satya Yuga. It was on Akshaya Tritiya that the poor Brahmin Sudama offered flattened rice or aval to Lord Krishna, who in turn blessed him with bountiful wealth and happiness. On this day, it is said Lord Krishna gave the Akshaya Patra to Draupadi when the Pandavas started for the Vanavasa, so that they always have food in abundance. The sage Veda Vyasa started writing the epic Mahabharata on this day and it was the day when the holy river Ganges descended upon the Earth. The annual Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra also begins on this day.

It is also belived that the God of Wealth and the treasurer of all deities ‘Kubera’ received his riches and position by praying to Lord Shiva at Shivapuram on Akshaya Tritiya. For the Jains, this day commemorates the day the first Tirthankara, Rishabhdev ended his year-long asceticism by consuming sugarcane juice poured into his cupped hands. Some Jains refer to the festival as Varshi Tapa and on this day, fasting and ascetic austerities are marked by Jains, particularly at pilgrimage sites such as Palitana in Gujarat.

Akshaya Tritiya is considered a very auspicious day because it is a day of manifold blessings. People believe that any good work done on this day will give exponential returns. This is why this day is considered very auspicious to buy gold, silver and precious stones. Goddess Lakshmi signifies wealth and it is said that if one invests in gold, silver or precious stones silver on this day, she will bless you with prosperity and wealth.

This year’s festivities are bound to be very muted because of the COVID-19 panademic worldwide, but if there is just one thing I would pray for on this way would be that we find a cure to this virus soon and things get back to normal!

Leaving you with this Kanakadhara Stotram which Adi Shankaracharya recited for a poor couple on this day at whose house he stopped for Bhiksha or alms and was offered their only available gooseberry. This version of the stotram is sung by the unparalleled M.S Subbalakshmi and is my favourite version.

World Book and Copyright Day

Posted on April 24, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

Also known as World Book Day and or International Day of the Book, the World Book and Copyright Day is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. World Book Day was first celebrated on 23 April 1995, and continues to be recognized on that day. A related event in the United Kingdom and Ireland is observed in March.

I have written in detail about the event previously here, here and here, so just pop by there for more information on the history of this day.

World Book and Copyright Day is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on 23 April, celebrations take place all over the world to recognize the scope of books – a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures. On this occasion, UNESCO and the international organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry – publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a year to maintain, through its own initiatives, the impetus of the Day’s celebrations.

The 2020 World Book Capital or WBC is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur or KL as it is known in the region, was selected on the recommendation by the World Book capital Advisory Committee, comprising representatives of the International Publishers Association (IPA), the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and UNESCO based on applications received from cities all over the world. To know more, here’s the link to the website of the Kuala Lumpur World Book Capital. Previous World Book Capitals have been Sharjah in 2019, Athens in 2018, Conakry in 2017 and Wroclaw in 2016. UNESCO is also accepting applications for the World Book Capital for 2022 and the deadline for the same is Thursday 25 June 2020 in case anyone is interested for their city to become the WBC. The application form and more information is available on the UNESCO website.

Why April 23? It is because 23 April is a symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. Therefore this date was a natural choice for UNESCO at its 1995 General Conference, held in Paris, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books.

Today with schools and other institues of learning closed because of the panademic caused by Covid-19, and people having to limit their time spent outside their homes, it is all the more important that all of us continue to read, to leverage the immense power that books wield and expand their horizons. Books are the best medium to stimulate our minds and creativity, while ensuring we stay inside.

For parents, please take time to read on your own or with your children not just in April, but throughout the year. With your children, celebrate the importance of reading, foster your children’s growth as readers and promote a lifelong love of literature.

Books allow you to travel distances, go to worlds not available on this earth and have zany adventures, all from the comfort of your chair, sofa or bed. Books are the best ways to allow your imagination to soar and combat the lonliness that most of us are feeling right now.

As someone who loves reading, I can’t emphasise books enough. Today when electronic gadgets affect our minds to the extent that we get bored in a matter of minutes, a good book, which can capture and sustain our interest for a few hours is invaluable. We read and then we grow our minds, our thinking not only becomes critical, we also become open to other view points.

From a parents perspective, reading is essential for a child’s mental well-being. I remember dragging myself down to our community library about 15 days post partum, armed with BB & GG’s birth certificates to get them their own library cards. I also used to borrow books for them on a weekly basis until they were old enough to borrow their own books.

A 2019 study published in the US found that parents who regularly read with their toddlers were less likely to be overly harsh with them and the children more likely to be better behaved. Of course, we all know that a child who reads performs better academically. A European study published earlier this year in February suggested that children and teens who read a good quality book daily may benefit from improved academic performance at school. Reading naturally improves your language and it doesn’t just have to be English, but yes, that’s the language that has the biggest benefit because we generally tend to read more in this language. But if you want to improve any langague, read more in that language and see how your spoken and written skills bloom. Reading can also improve children’s receptive language skills. A British study which reviewed 40 years of reading intervention studies from the US, South Africa, Canada, Israel and China, found that children who were read to at a young age showed improved receptive language skills, which is the ability to understand information. The children who were read to also showed smaller but still positive improvements in their expressive language, which is how a child puts their thoughts into words such as vocabulary and grammar, and pre-reading skills, such as how words are structured.

So there you have it, the benefits of reading and what a good book does to you. So spend this time where we are quarantined, locked down or just advised not to venture out with a good book and read together as a family! Sit in a comfortable position, grab a good book, have some hot coffee or tea next to you with some snacks and read away! Aah, bliss!!!

International Mother Earth Day

Posted on April 22, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

Our planet is at a turning point. The massive global migration underway now from countryside to cities demands huge investments in energy, water, materials, waste, food distribution and transportation. At the same time, we are dealing with the fight against carbon emissions, climate change, air pollutants, marine debris and contaminated ground water.

Today, the 22nd of April is celebrated as International Mother Earth Day. This day is a globally celebrated holiday that often extends into Earth Week – a full seven days of events focused on green awareness. Typically on April 22 men, women, and children around the world will collect garbage, plant trees, clean up coral reefs, show movies, sign petitions, and plan for a better future for our planet.

Mother Earth is a common expression for the planet Earth in a number of countries and regions, which reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit. The Earth and its ecosystems are our home. In order to achieve a just balance among the economic, social, and environmental needs of present and future generations, it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth.

International Mother Earth Day is celebrated to remind each of us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance. It promotes the view that the Earth as an entity sustains all living things found in nature. Shared responsibilities and inclusiveness is at the heart of this day which allows us to rebuild man’s troubled and fractured relationship with nature. This cause can also unite people across nations as it is a common cause not dependant on existing strife and enemity. Today, more than ever, we need to remember what the Earth does for us and what we have given back to the Earth.

This Day also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth, to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity. The International Mother Earth Day provides an opportunity to raise public awareness around the world to the challenges regarding the well-being of the planet and all the life it supports.

The United Nations designated 22 April as International Mother Earth Day through a resolution adopted in 2009, joining civic groups that celebrated Earth Day earlier. The resolution recognises that “the Earth and its ecosystems are our home” and that “it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth.” The term Mother Earth is used because it “reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit”

In fact, the original roots go back to 1970 with the first American protests against air pollution due to amounts of leaded gas through massive and inefficient automobiles and irresponsible industries. Environmental protection was not a priority of the political agenda. Soon awareness of environment grew and the movement went global, especially during the nineties, with more than 140 countries joining the initiative through different environmental platforms. In 1992, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the first major conference in which Sustainable Development was the main issue discussed by member states.

Today many companies are implementing strategic ecological thinking as part of their strategy to be responsible global businesses. How can all of us be ecological warriors in our own small ways?

We should avoid driving and take public transportation when we leave our homes. Organisations should also allow employees to work remotely, which is what is happening in a huge way today. I really hope that once organisations see how effective remote working is, they do this even after we beat Covid-19 and lockdowns across the world are lifted. Building authorities across the world should look and mandate green materials when building or renovating. Everyone should avoid printing unnecessarily and if you do need to print anything, print it on both sides of the paper and also use paper that has been certified as being made from recycled paper. Recycle and upcycle everything you can including paper, clothes, bottles and cans. Save energy by turning off computers monitors, printers, copiers and lights at the end of each working day in your workplace and all switches which are not being used at home. You should also remove plugs when not needed. If you are using airconditioning, make sure you don’t keep the thermostat lower than 24 or 25 degrees celcius and also use a timer to maximise efficiency.

Did you know?
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough electricity to run a TV for 3 hours
Recycling one glass bottle or jar saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours
Recycling one ton of plastic saves the equivalent of 1,000–2,000 gallons of petrol
More than 30 million trees are cut down to produce a year’s supply of newspapers
Recycling a pound of steel saves enough energy to light a 60-watt light bulb for 26 hours.
One drip per second from a faucet wastes 540 gallons of water a year.
It takes between 400 and 500 years for a Styrofoam cup to decompose. It takes an orange peel six months to decompose.
Using recycled glass uses 40% less energy than making products from all new materials.

A ton of paper made from recycled paper saves:
7,000 gallons of water
Between 17 and 31 trees
60 pounds of air pollutants

There’s an old Cree Indian proverb which is very apt here as an ending to this post – Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only after the last fish has been caught; Only then can you find that money can’t be eaten. Remember we don’t have a Planet B!

Working From Home – Some Tips

Posted on April 17, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

Today the term Working from Home does not raise as many eyebrow as it does even a few months back. To many, it is the new normal and will remain so for the near future. In fact, for many it may even become something they can now negotiate in their jobs.

I remember meeting a neighbour a year or so back around 3 pm in the afternoon when I was coming home after a meeting. He asked me if I came home early from work or if I was on leave. When I told him that I worked from home, his eyebrows raised and he told me that he wished he could also do the same. I know what was in his mind – he was thinking I was slacking because I was working at home. And this thought is not a new one, especially in countries like Singapore where face time equates to productivity and managers are not happy if they don’t see you around the office, doing anything it would seem, but you can’t leave the office until the official dismissal time or later, even if you are just slacking and killing time before you can log off.

I can’t talk highly enough about working from home, as an introvert, it’s a dream job, but I do know other people don’t share my views and I have had some interesting discussions with family and friends who need other people around them to be productive and who hate this situation. And then there are those who have young children who are at home because schools are closed. Looking after them and trying to be productive is a whole new ballgame altogether and I have loads of respect for them.

But today’s new normal is working from home and I decided that, from my experiences, I should share some tips on how to maximise your productivity while working at home.

Organise your workspace
Keep aside a dedicated space for you to work on a daily basis. Make sure what is behind the space you will be working in. This is what your colleagues will be seeing when you are on video conference calls. Also it will be helpful if this space is a quiet place where you can concentrate and where you are unlikely to be disturbed during calls. This can be anyplace in your home, my office is my dining table which is quite central in the house. When S works at home, he is usually on the couch or uses a small pouf to work on the coffee table. This is entirely your choice, but if this a long time gig, you should have a space which is your office when your working. When I am not working, it transforms back into our dining table. I also have some scented candles and a diffuser close by which I use when I want the place to smell nice.

Maintain office hours
Keep as much as you can to your regular office hours and stick to it as much as you can. It helps if you can do a hard stop at the end of each day so you have time to do other things, like a hobby, working out or even watching television! If you are doing more on a particular day, like starting early or ending late, make up the next day so you are able to rest. What I do is basically maintain office hours. I am at my laptop not later than 8 am and don’t work past 6 pm. It has to be an emergency for me to continue past 6 pm, though I sometimes stop earlier too. My hard stop is when I switch off my laptop and move it out of the dining table to my room. Once I do this, I don’t touch my laptop unless it’s an emergency until the next morning.

Create a morning routine
I am strong proponent of having a good morning routine which allows you to have a work mindset when you start your work day. It must be wonderful to get out of bed and start working, but your brain is still at home that way! What works for me is to sit down at my desk after I am done with my morning chores and have had my bath and breakfast, so I am now in work mode. Also with video calls on the rise now, imagine having your boss or colleagues catching you in ratty sleepwear? While I don’t advocate business clothing, wear home clothes which are clean, neat and don’t have visible holes.

Set ground rules with your household
The other day I saw a very cute post on LinkedIn where a mum had previously posted the note she has on her door. What it says was if you can see this note and the door is shut, it means mommy is working and can’t be disturbed. Soon she posted a note her son posted on his door which basically mirrored hers and which told the parents not to enter the room when the door is closed because they are doing e-learning and they don’t want their teachers and friends to see their parents around, especially when they are busy! So yes, set ground rules for your family in advance. If you have older children like I do, it’s easier since they are also closeted in their rooms and won’t disturb you. But for those with younger children, maybe something like the note above can help or even using the traffic stoplights as a sign where red means not to be disturbed and green means they can enter the room. Also let your family know you can’t run errands anytime they say so just because you are at home, but can do all this at specific times in the day (this is when the breaks come into the picture). Let them know that just because you don’t work in an office, does not mean you are free anytime they want something or want to chat.

Take regular breaks
When you are in the office, you do take coffee and lunch breaks rights? Sometimes colleagues get together to have a discussion around the coffee machine and nobody raises an eyebrow. When you are at home, do make time for regular breaks, be it getting up to grab a cup of coffee or going outside for lunch or even a short walk. What I do is walk in the house for about 15-20 minutes for every two hours that I am in my desk. I use these walks to try and clock up my 10k steps for the day. I also advocate the Pomodoro method where say you work for a certain amount of time and then give yourself a break for a specified number of minutes.

Know your productive times
Know yourself and see what are your most productive times. Try and do the hard stuff at that point and schedule calls and conferencing for the times you are not 100%. Everyone works differently and only you can figure this out. I am most productive twice a day, first thing in the morning and then another run around mid afternoon after I have had coffee. That is when I am mostly like to be writing. Of course, we can’t choose when to work what at times and when I have meetings and events outside, I try and work around those.

Use technology to keep in touch
Use Whatsapp, Viber, Facetime, Skype as well as video conferencing options like Zoom and Blue Jeans to keep in touch with your friends and colleagues when you are working from home or stuck up at home because of a lockdown. I also know of people who have done virtual happy hours and meals with others because they can’t meet. Instant messaging and videoconferencing tools can make it easy to check in with coworkers and remind you how your work is contributing to the big picture.

Invest in a good pair of headphones
Even if you have a brand new laptop or a new smartphone, invest in a pair of good quality headphones with a mic. Noise-canceling features with a mute button can really help improve the clarity of your phone calls. The last thing you want is to be in an online meeting and have the doorbell ring or your children asking you to help them.

Listen to music or watch videos
If I am alone at home, sometimes I find the silence disconcerting. I find watching videos on Youtube on a tablet near me works for me. I can concentrate watching some inane videos, but I have also heard that keeping the television on in the background with a channel you are usually not fond of would work for others. I also like listening to music as background noise to help me concentrate. Spotify is one great option for when you feel like listening to music. You can choose your mood and Spotify will play music based on that. The only con to the free service is the constant adverts, but everything in life is not free, right? These days Spotify has many playlists for those working from home.

Use ‘To-Do’ lists to maintain and corral your task lists
Working from home without a boss breathing down your neck and no one to see when you are playing games instead of working may be challenging to complete your tasks for the day or week. What works best for me is to have weekly To-Do lists where I put down all my tasks, both personal, profession and my blog tasks for the week and check them out as they finish. I love Trello which allows you to create boards to work in. This is also a great tool to use when collaborating with others. I have multiple boards on Trello, including one where I put my blog posting schedule, one which is a catch-all for my blog post ideas, one for any travel I plan (which is redundant as of now) and of course my To-Do list. My Trello ‘To-Do’ Board has cards, one for each week this year and I use a checklist within the cards to plan my week. I really love it when I check all my items for the week and then archieve them. But that’s me. There are other online apps like ToDoist, Google Tasks, Prrofhub, Evernote, Remember the Milk and Wunderlist. I have used many of these previously and have settled on Trello as the one which works best for me. You can also play around with these apps and see what works best for you. Some of these are paid apps, but I have not used any paid versions and my version of Trello is also the free one. Most of these also have mobile versions which sync with the online version, so you can update your list on the go which I have found extremely useful.

Overcommunicate
When you are working from home, some people who equate face time to productivity may think you are slacking. This means you have to overcommunicate. Tell everyone who needs to know about your schedule and availability often. When you finish a project or important task, say so, especially to your team and manager so that they know you are not home watching videos and doing household chores instead of working. If you need to, email or call them to remind them you are in fact working and not playing!

Be positive
This time too shall pass and our world will go back to normal, or as normal as it can be. But the fact is that when you don’t have face time with people, they may not know how to interpret your tone either by email or phone. While video conferencing does mitigate this to an extent, being positive and upbeat helps when you are not on a screen.

Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself
Somedays you just can’t hold it all together. It happens to the best of us and you can only wonder what happened when the day ends and you have nothing to show for it. Give yourself some slack when this happens and make sure you are super motivated and productive the next day to make it up.

So there you have it, a bakers dozen of 13 tips to help you navigate working from home. Do you have some tips to share which are not there above? Please do share, I love learning more about how I can be more productive as I work from home!

Poem: Our Life Today

Posted on April 15, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

The situation with Covid-19 is a grim one in our world today. This poem came out when I started thinking about our world and how our new normal is completely different today as compared to just a few months back.

Our Life Today

The streets are empty, they are devoid of traffic
The stores are empty, there’s a sense of panic

People are hoarding goods and groceries
Toilet paper, canned goods, vegetables and cheese

Don’t be that person, purchase only what you need
Let there be enough supplies for everyone, don’t give in to greed

Stay home, stay safe, don’t get out unless absolutely necessary
Travel, friends and party, they will be there, please that’s a humble plea

Use technology to keep in touch, there are many options available
Use them to the fullest, be nimble and agile

In all this, don’t forget to thank our heros of today
Our healthcare, frontline, retail and delivery workers who are all in the fray

Playing a huge part in trying to contain and find a that Covid-19 cure
So life can go on as before without taking much of a detour

So here’s a round of applause to all of us, because you have also done your part
How you ask, well by staying home, maintaining social distance and staying apart

Memories and Such

Memories of a very ordinary life

Category Archives: Writing