Oscar Indians

The following is the list of Indians who have won an Oscar over the years:

1. Bhanu Athaiya - Best Costume Design for Richard Attenborough's 'Gandhi' in 1982

2. Satyajit Ray - Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992

3. A.R. Rahman - Two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song 'Jai ho' for 'Slumdog Millionaire' in 2009

4. Gulzar - Best Original Song 'Jai ho' for 'Slumdog Millionaire' in 2009 with Rahman

5. Resul Pookutty - Best Sound Mixing for 'Slumdog Millionaire' in 2009

Discipline

Discipline is the way… discipline is the one way. Study the lives of all
great people and you will find they had disciplined ways to live their
lives. From when to wake up to when to exercise or when to mediate or what
to do with their Sundays, what is their dieting schedule… their lives are
based on disciplined routines with complete clarity. It is to them that you
could ask, "what is your typical day?" for their days have a design and they
discipline their lives to that design.

Life has to become organized. We need disciplined routines. Only daily
practices can give us that disciplined organized life. Yes, we can always
improvise on it and improve upon it; but begin we must. Plan your mornings.
Plan your evenings. And, plan the day in-between. Daily routines are your
foundation on which you can build landmark successes and multistoried peace
and bliss. Discipline is a process. Take care of the process and it will
take care of your life.

A time for everything and everything in its time-that's discipline. And,
that's the way.

Where is the other dollar?

This will Mess With Your Head

3 men go into a $motel. the man behind the desk said the room is $30, so
each man paid $10 and went to the room.

A while later the man behind the desk realized the room was only $25, so
He sent the bellboy to the 3 guys' room with $5.

On the way, the bellboy couldn't figure out how to split $5 evenly
Between 3 men, so he gave each man a $1 and kept the other $2 for
Himself.

This meant that the 3 men each paid $9 for the room, which is a total of
$27, add the $2 that the bellboy kept = $29.

Where is the other dollar?

World is Blind

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held
up a sign which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few
coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them
into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some
words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the
new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the
blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how
things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one
who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'

The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a
different way.'
What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.'

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same
thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign
simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so
lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second
sign was more effective?


Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be
innovative. Think differently and positively.

Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love
with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that
you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your
present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the
faith and drop the fear.


Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and
reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness.... In the
journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the
ticket of a good conscience.'

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling...
And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

India's first Oscar winner

Twenty-seven years ago, she made history when she became the first Indian to win an Oscar. Now, as two other Indians are again within kissing distance of that prized statuette, Bhanu Athaiya walks down nostalgia lane to remember that 1982 day when she won the Oscar for best costume design for 'Gandhi'.

The Mumbai-based designer, who has worked in over 100 films and wrote herself into the record books with her work in Richard Attenborough's epic movie 'Gandhi', is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and therefore cautious about commenting on A.R. Rahman and Resul Pookutty.

India has found its place in the Academy's walk of fame with Danny Boyle's movie 'Slumdog Millionaire', based on a novel by Indian bureaucrat Vikas Swarup. The movie has picked up 10 nominations, including three for composer Rahman -- for best original score and two for best original song - and one for sound engineer Resul Pookutty who has been nominated along with two others for achievement in sound mixing.

As an excited India awaits Oscar night with anticipation, Athaiya is also upbeat. But circumspect.

'As a voting member of the Academy, I am not supposed to comment on the movie or the nominees. But I congratulated Rahman for his nomination (best musical score) in many television channels.

'I had worked with him earlier in 'Lagaan' and 'Swades'. He mostly works out of his studio in south India. We meet at some stage during the making of the movies we work in. He is very versatile and has such a rich education,' Athaiya told IANS.

The designer recalls the day she was auditioned for 'Gandhi'.

'Richard Attenborough interviewed me in July 1982 and then he auditioned me. In 15 minutes, he told the office that he had found a designer. He asked me to join the team at the Ashok Hotel in Delhi on Sep 1. The shooting was supposed to commence Nov 1.'

Working on 'Gandhi' was tough.

'It was difficult because we had to show 50 years of the Mahatma's life in various locations, including Dandi. In South Africa, Gandhi was young and he changed over the years; it was difficult to capture the look. There were other sequences too - where hundreds of people in period costumes had to be used. You can well imagine the kind of study I undertook to create the look.

'I had to do the job single-handedly. I had to compete with an international crew and the challenge was to match their standards. But I managed to create the look of the times.'

When the Oscar nominations were announced, 'Gandhi' featured in a big way.

'And I was asked to go to the Dorothy Chandler pavilion in Los Angeles for the awards. Five movies, 'La Traviata'' 'Sophie's Choice', 'Tron', 'Victor/Victoria' and 'Gandhi' were contending for the Oscar. But before the awards, my fellow designers predicted that the Oscar would come my way because the canvas of the movie was so huge.'

She remembers what she said on stage while Attenborough. 'This is too good to be true. Thank you, Sir Richard Attenborough for focusing world attention on India.'

Soon after being honoured by the Academy, Athaiya was nominated as a voting member. She gets Oscar ballot papers every year and has the right to comment on a movie and select it.

Athaiya has worked in over 100 movies since the 1950s, with noted filmmakers like Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, Ashutosh Gowarikar and Conrad Rooks. Apart from an Oscar for 'Gandhi', Athaiya has won national awards for costumes in 'Lagaan' and 'Swades'.

''Lagaan' was a challenging exercise because it was a fiction set in 1893. A lot of studies went in for it, but 'Swades' was a smaller challenge because I had to create the wardrobe for an NRI living in New York. I had to make sure that it had not been picked off the shelves of New York so that the producer could be comfortable with the budget,' Athaiya said.

Having started her career in 1956 with 'CID', Athaiya is still going strong and is working on her third Marathi movie.


Source:/in.movies.yahoo.com

Precious

Dedicate yourself to continuous personal improvement. You are your most
precious resource.

Reflection

Make sure the outside of you is a good reflection of the inside of you.

Change

An important quality of great people is their willingness to change. In
fact, great people thrive on change. Change is the willingness to give up
who you are in order to become what you can be. It is in the willingness to
give up the life of a caterpillar so that you can become a butterfly.

That which does not change does not grow. Grow – we must. So, change – we
must. Growth and change are inseparable. If change is the way to growth, and
growth is the way to greatness, then why do people always resist change?

When you were a just-born, you were comfortable because you were completely
dependent on your environment. To learn to crawl was an uncomfortable
transition because you would have bruised your knees so many times. But this
transition to learn to crawl was a needed one for you to grow. Once you
learnt to crawl, you were completely comfortable. Now learning to walk was
another uncomfortable transition because you would have fallen down and hurt
yourself so many times. But again, this transition to learn to walk was a
needed one for you to grow. Once you learnt to walk you were completely
comfortable. Now learning to cycle was another uncomfortable transition
because you would have injured yourself so many times. But again, this
transition to learn to cycle was a needed one for you to grow. So it was
from blabbering to talking to communicating…So it was from scribbling to
writing to drawing…So it was from school to college to work…So it was from
adolescence to young, adulthood to complete adulthood…

Comfort zone – uncomfortable transition – again a new comfort zone – another
uncomfortable transition – another new comfort zone – and one more
uncomfortable transition – This is the cycle of growth. Grow – you must. So,
Change – you must. We cannot avoid uncomfortable transitions. It is the
reluctance to go through the uncomfortable transitions that make people
resist change.

Change is the willingness to give up an existing comfort zone and the
willingness to take up an uncomfortable transition. Giving up an existing
comfort zone is never easy. That's why leadership is all about helping
people to expand themselves, by challenging them to go beyond their
limitations.

This is where all great people stood out from the rest. They were willing to
change and grow. They never sought comfort zones. They were willing to help
others to change and grow. Good leaders never allow people to settle into
comfort zones. Their mantra is a lingering, 'What next?', 'What more? 'What
else?'.

Don't settle. Keep looking. Don't settle. Keep changing. Don't settle. Keep
growing. Lift yourself and lift others too!!

Think Positive

DAD FINDS A BRIDE FOR HIS SON. Father: I want you to marry a girl of my choice Son: "I will choose my own bride!" Father: "But the girl is Bill Gates's daughter." Son: "Well, in that case...ok" Next Father approaches Bill Gates. Father: "I have a husband for your daughter." Bill Gates: "But my daughter is too young to marry!" Father: "But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank." Bill Gates: "Ah, in that case...ok" Finally Father goes to see the president of the World Bank. Father: "I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president." President: "But I already have more vice- presidents than I need!" Father: "But this young man is Bill Gates's son-in-law." President: "Ah, in that case...ok" This is how business is done!! Moral: Even If you have nothing, You can get Anything. But your attitude should be positive

Honesty

When lived honestly, life heals itself. The truth you resist is the battle
you fight.

You have dumped clothes inside a washing machine. The machine has performed
its job. Now the clothes have to be taken out for drying. The longer you
keep the clothes inside the machine the fouler the odour will become. Don't
take it out for a few days and the stink will become unbearable. So it is
with our thoughts and emotions. The more and more we keep building thoughts
but do not communicate, and the more and more we feel the emotions but do
not express, the greater becomes the gap in the relationship. How long will
you sweep things under the carpet? Eventually it will come out, and when it
comes out it will come out in unmanageable ugly proportions.

Thoughts formed but not communicated and emotions felt but not expressed
become incomplete cycles. Incomplete cycles liner alive in the subconscious.
Metaphorically, the lingering incomplete cycles are like the scratches
formed in the spectacles – anything and everything seen through the
spectacles looks scratched. It is ironical that the scratches are not on the
objects, but in the medium through which the objects are viewed. All in all,
it hampers the vision.

When you do not spontaneously communicate your thoughts and express your
feelings, you begin to distort it. You tend to exaggerate or diminish the
truth to placate your suppressed feelings. When you cannot face, you tend to
deny. What you cannot accept, you pretend as if you do not care about it. As
far as our incomplete cycles are concerned, it seems, time makes a liar out
of all of us.

The secret of emotional health is to tell the person who hurt you that they
hurt you, when they hurt you. Otherwise these incomplete cycles will
reappear sometime in the future and ruin even your good times. The weight of
the emotional baggage burdens the present. Something in the present will
remind you of some unfinished suppression and reawaken those old feelings.
Those reawakened feelings will lead you to take action, which may be
completely irrelevant to the current contexts of your life. However it is
important to remember that the old feelings resurface in order to be
resolved and not to punish you. Emotional stress is purely due to thoughts
not communicated and emotions not expressed. Emotional illness is a storage
disease.

You are telling me, "Honestly, if I start expressing all my thoughts and
feelings, I will hurt the person who matters so much to me." I am telling
you, "If you don't, you will eventually hurt the relationship itself."

Let us learn to face the truth, even if it hurts. Let those who matter to us
the most learn to face the truth, even if it hurts. Communicate your
thoughts and feelings directly to the person who instigated it. Be prompt.
Don't wait for ideal conditions. Be simple. Finish your complaint and let
go. Don't exaggerate; don't nag; avoid overkill. If the person feels with
you, you have succeeded. If not, understand whom you are dealing with.
Accept what is. Forgive and let go of your hurt. Move on…. You have nothing
to prove.

Excellence

Excellence can be attained if you Care more than others think is wise,
Risk more than others think is safe,
Dream more than others think is practical,
and Expect more than others think is possible

Muslim Community

Dear All,



Extracts of speech by Hafez A.B Mohamed:
Director-General, Al Baraka Bank, South Africa

Demographics:
o World Jewish Population : 14 million
o Distribution : 7m in America
: 5m in Asia
: 2m in Europe
: 100 thousand in Africa


o World Muslim Population: 1.5 billion
o Distribution: I billion in Asia/Mid-East
: 400 M in Africa
: 44 M in Europe
: 6 M in the Americas


o Every fifth human being is a Muslim.
o For every single Hindu there are two Muslims
o For every Buddhist there are two Muslims
o For every Jew there are 107 Muslims
o Yet the 14 million Jews are more powerful than the entire 1..5 billion Muslims

Why?

Here are some of the reasons.

Some Movers of Current History:
o Albert Einstein Jewish
o Sigmund Freud Jewish
o Karl Marx Jewish
o Paul Samuelson Jewish
o Milton Friedman Jewish

Some Medical Milestones:
o Vaccinating Needle : Benjamin Ruben Jewish
o Polio Vaccine : Jonas Salk Jewish
o Leukemia Drug : Gertrude Elion Jewish
o Hepatitis B : Baruch Blumberg Jewish
o Syphilis Drug : Paul Ehrlich Jewish
o Neuro muscular : Elie Metchnikoff Jewish
o Endocrinology: : Andrew Schally Jewish
o Cognitive therapy : Aaron Beck Jewish
o Contraceptive Pill : Gregory Pincus Jewish
o Understanding of Human Eye : G. Wald Jewish
o Embryology. : Stanley Cohen Jewish
o Kidney Dialysis : Willem Kloffcame Jewish

Nobel Prize Winners:
o In the past 105 years, 14 million Jews have won 180 Nobel prizes
whilst 1.5 billion Muslims have contributed only 3 Nobel winners

Some Inventions that changed History:
o Micro- Processing Chip. : Stanley Mezor Jewish
o Nuclear Chain Reactor : Leo Sziland Jewish
o Optical Fibre Cable : Peter Schultz Jewish
o Traffic Lights : Charles Adler Jewish
o Stainless Steel : Benno Strauss Jewish
o Sound Movies : Isador Kisee Jewish
o Telephone Microphone : Emile Berliner Jewish
o Video Tape Recorder : Charles Ginsburg Jewish

Some Influential Global Business People:
o Polo : Ralph Lauren Jewish
o Coca Cola : Jewish
o Levi's Jeans : Levi Strauss Jewish
o Starbuck's : Howard Schultz Jewish
o Google : Sergey Brin Jewish
o Dell Computers : Michael Dell Jewish
o Oracle : Larry Ellison Jewish
o DKNY : Donna Karan Jewish
o Baskin & Robbins : Irv Robbins Jewish
o Dunkin Donuts : Bill Rosenberg Jewish

Some Influential Intellectuals/Politicians:
o Henry Kissinger, : US Sec of State Jewish
o Richard Levin, : President Yale University Jewish
o Alan Greenspan, : US Federal Reserve Jewish
o Joseph Lieberman : Jewish
o Madeleine Albright, : US Sec of State Jewish
o Casper Weinberger, : US Sec of Defense Jewish
o Maxim Litvinov, : USSR Foreign Minister Jewish
o David Marshal, : Singapore Chief Minister Jewish
o Isaacs Isaacs, : Gov-Gen Australia Jewish
o Benjamin Disraeli, : British Statesman Jewish
o Yevgeny Primakov, : Russian PM Jewish
o Barry Goldwater, : US Politician Jewish
o Jorge Sampaio, : President Portugal Jewish
o Herb Gray, : Canadian Deputy – PM Jewish
o Pierre Mendes, : French PM Jewish
o Michael Howard, : British Home Sec. Jewish
o Bruno Kriesky, : Austrian Chancellor Jewish
o Robert Rubin, : US Sec of Treasury Jewish

Global Media Influential People:
o Wolf Blitzer, : CNN Jewish
o Barbara Walters : ABC News Jewish
o Eugene Meyer , : Washington Post Jewish
o Henry Grunwald, : Time Magazine Jewish
o Katherine Graham , : Washington Post Jewish
o Joseph Lelyeld, : New York Times Jewish
o Max Frankel, : New York Times Jewish

Some Global Philanthropists:
o George Soros Jewish
o Walter Annenberg Jewish


Why are they powerful?

Why are Muslims powerless?

Here's one reason. We have lost the capacity to produce knowledge.

o In the entire Muslim World (57 Muslim Countries) there are only 500 universities.
o In USA alone, 5,758 universities.
o In India alone, 8,407 universities.
o ONLY ONE university in the entire Islamic World features in the Top 500 Ranking Universities of the World.
o Literacy in the Christian World 90%.
o Literacy in the Muslim World 40%.
o 15 Christian majority-countries, literacy rate 100%.
o Muslim majority - countries , None.
o 98% in Christian countries completed primary school.
o Only 50% in Muslim countries completed primary school.
o 40% in Christian countries attended university.
o In Muslim countries a dismal 2% attended.
o Muslim majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims.
o The USA has 5000 per million.
o The Christian world 1000 technicians per million.
o Entire Arab World only 50 technicians per million.
o Muslim World spends on research/development 0.2% of GDP.
o Christian World spends 5 % of GDP.

A Conclusion.

o The Muslim World lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.

Another way of testing the degree of knowledge is the degree of diffusing knowledge.

o Pakistan 23 daily newspapers per 1000 citizens.
o Singapore 460 per 1000 citizens.
o In UK book titles per million is 2000.
o In Egypt book titles per million is only 17.

A Conclusion.

o The Muslim World is failing to diffuse knowledge.

Applying Knowledge is another such test.

o Exports of high tech products from Pakistan is 0.9% of its exports.
o In Saudi Arabia is 0.2%
o Kuwait, Morocco and Algeria 0.3%.
o Singapore alone is 68%.

A Conclusion:

o The Muslim World is failing to apply knowledge.

So what do YOU conclude?

No need to tell, the figures speak for themselves very loudly, if we are unable to listen.
My Advice:

Please educate yourself and your children.
Always promote education, don't compromise on it.
Don't ignore your children's slightest misguidance from education.
And please, for God's Sake, don't use your personal contacts or sources to promote your children in
their education; if they fail, let them and make them learn to pass; b/c if they can't do it now, they can't ever).

We are World's biggest and strongest nation, all we need is to identify and explore our own selves.
Our victory is with our knowledge, our creativity, our literacy...And nothing else.
Please Muslims....Wake up... It is not too late.

For srilankan tamils

தமிழருக்காக வெள்ளை மாளிகைக்கு போகும் வழி இதோ!

இதோ ஒரு வழி…
அமெரிக்கா அரசாங்கத்தின் வெள்ளைமாளிகை வலைத்தளத்தினூடாக கோரிக்கை வைக்கும் முறை. இந்த வழியினூடாக 500 வசனங்களுக்கு மேற்படாமல் உங்கள் கோரிக்கையை வையுங்கள். மிகச்சின்ன ஒரு வசனமாகக்கூட இருக்கல்லாம்.
உதாரணத்திற்கு:
" Please stop the Genocide of TAMILS in Sri Lanka "
" Please help to Srilankan Tamils"
"Please help to Srilankan Tamils Freedom"
இவ்வாறு இன்னும் பல நீங்களாகவே எழுதி அனுப்புங்கள். (யாராவது நல்ல நல்ல வசனங்களை எழுத இங்கு உதவுங்கள்)
நாம் கோரிக்கையை வைக்கும் உலகில் அதி உயர் அதிகாரம் உள்ள இடம் இது என்பதை மறந்துவிட்டதீர்கள்.

சரி வாருங்கள் இங்கு கிளிக் பண்ணி - வெள்ளைமாளிகைக்கு
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Commitment

If you make the unconditional commitment to reach your most important goals,
if the strength of your decision is sufficient, you will find the way and
the power to achieve your goals.

The Internet Bus Project

You probably know Google from our products on the Internet, like Google Search, Gmail, Orkut and Google Maps. Soon, we may be visiting a town near you, to give you a first hand experience of what the Internet has to offer you.

The Internet Bus Project is an attempt educate people about what the Internet is, and how it may be beneficial to their lives, by taking the Internet experience to them through a customised Internet-enabled bus, which will travel to several towns and cities across India.

We'll continue to update this page from the road, so please come back often to follow our route, find out when the bus visits your city, see photos and videos from the places we've visited, and join our Orkut Community.


source:http://www.google.co.in/intl/en/landing/internetbus/

Register your school

… we use plants for electricity
… we make college free for everyone
… we give health insurance to all who need it
… we connect everyone by cell phone or computer

Welcome to Doodle 4 Google, a competition where we invite K-12 students to play around with our homepage logo and see what new designs they come up with. This year we're inviting U.S. kids to join in the doodling fun, around the intriguing theme "What I Wish for the World."

These are exciting times and both our country and the world are on the brink of significant change. At Google we believe in thinking big, and dreaming big, and we can't think of anything more important than encouraging students to do the same.

Registration closes at 11:59:59 PM Pacific time on March 17, 2009 and entries are due by 11:59:59 PM Pacific time on March 31, 2009. Teachers, you'll find everything you need to get started on the Registration page. Only teachers or school employees should register. Parents or students who are interested should contact their teacher to register them.


Source:http://www.google.com/doodle4google/

The vegetable seller who became a millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire [Images] has received tremendous international recognition and highlighted Mumbai's [Images] underbelly. While some hail it as a grand endorsement for the city, others think of it as a sorry stereotype.

Rediff.com correspondents met residents of the city's slums to find out what life really means for them.

T Jaishankar, Dharavi, Mumbai

Dharavi is the largest slum in Asia. Lest you think of it as just a sprawling ghetto of poverty, it also is home to some of the most industrious people in the city. The turnover per year from the scores of small business units that dot this expansive slum is said to be Rs 3,000 crores (Rs 30 billion).

Its entrepreneurs manufacture leather products, bangles and potato wafers every day. The prosperous residents of Dharavi have not become millionaires by appearing on quiz shows or by winning lotteries. What they have achieved is through blood, tears, sweat and untiring toil.

T Jaishankar, a longtime resident of Dharavi, earned his success with nothing else but tremendous hard work. He came to Mumbai in 1967 and began his career as an errand boy in a small restaurant. Forty years later, he is a millionaire. This is his rags to riches story, told in his own words:

I came to Bombay in 1967. I was 13. I went straight to Dharavi because my elder brother lived there. It felt like home as everyone spoke Tamil in the neighbourhood. I worked for a month in a restaurant called Nellai Vilas.

The eatery had a special meaning for me because my district in Tamil Nadu was also called Nellai.

After a month, a vegetable shop owner offered me a job for Rs 15 a month. This was more than what I was getting at the hotel. So I left and joined him.

Though I worked with him for 18 months, he paid me only for 12. His excuse was, 'You don't know Hindi, so consider the first six months as your training period.' On hearing this, I quit.

I then got a job as a cook but had to leave when I fell sick. It was then that I decided that I would not work for anyone and would be my own boss.

So in 1969, my brother and I started selling vegetables. We used to carry them in a basket on our heads and go from house to house in Sion (north central Mumbai) to sell them.

In 1970, we bought a 100 square feet shop in Dharavi for Rs 300 and sold groceries. We would buy goods in small quantities for the shop because we did not have the money to buy more.

Meanwhile, my brother and I took turns to sell vegetables from house to house. One of us would man the shop when the other sold vegetables.

We then had some money to rent another shop where we sold vegetables and dried fish. We continued doing our rounds of selling vegetables in the morning.

Then in 1972, we managed to rent a shop inside Sion vegetable market. Later we bought the shop for Rs 3,000. This brought an end to selling vegetables from door-to-door, but we continued to deliver vegetables to customers' homes from our shop.

Then we bought two shops and sold groceries. Our hard work was paying off because we subsequently added two more shops and were able to buy two houses. We also started two restaurants and a shop in which we sold vegetable oil. I started a phone booth too.

It has been a slow and long journey, but it has been fun. I married a girl from our district and have five sons. My friends and relatives call them the Pandavas and my wife as Kunti devi.

I have educated my sons very well. The first has a MBA degree. The second is an IT graduate. The third is studying physiotherapy. The fourth is doing a course in hotel management and the youngest is in Class X.

Two years back, our property was divided among us four brothers. At that time it was worth Rs 1.5 crores (Rs 15 million).

For my share, I got the oil shop, the phone booth and a house. I have since closed the oil shop and converted it into a beer and wine store. It is doing well.

I am now old and have diabetes, I can't work as hard I used to. But I look back at my journey with great satisfaction.

I still live in Dharavi and will always live here.


Source:Rediff.com

Stroke

What is a stroke?
Strokes occur either when a blood vessel in the brain bursts (a type known as a hemorrhagic stroke) or more commonly, when a blood vessel becomes blocked (known as an ischemic stroke). Either way, unless blood flow is restored, brain cells in the area quickly die, leaving permanent disability. Sometimes, a temporary blockage occurs, causing symptoms of a stroke only briefly. Known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), it is often a harbinger of a serious stroke.




What causes a stroke?
Blood pressure profile: High blood pressure is the primary cause of stroke. Work with your doctor to maintain an acceptable level of no more than 140/90 mm Hg. If side effects of blood pressure medications bother you, change to a different drug or use a lower dose and add another medication that works differently. Don't give up!

Cholesterol profile: As with blood pressure, find a combination of diet, exercise and medications that brings you to acceptable levels: total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dl, LDL below 130 mg/dl, and HDL above 35 mg/dl.






If you have diabetes, aim for optimum control. Again, diet, exercise and medications are the keys

If you are over 50, you are due for a baseline EKG. Your doctor may mention that you have signs of atrial fibrillation, a defective movement of the heart's upper chambers (the atria). It increases the likelihood of a stroke caused by a blood clot forming in the heart and traveling to the brain. In most cases, atrial fibrillation should be treated with the blood thinner, warfarin (Coumadin).

If you have had a TIA or stroke recently, you should also discuss with your doctor the option of having a carotid endarterectomy. This procedure involves clearing fatty plaque from one or both carotid arteries, the main arteries that run up the neck on the way to the brain. The procedure is not without risks, and the potential benefits must be carefully considered for each individual. It is more likely to be worthwhile for those with severe artery disease, and for those who have recently experienced a stroke or TIA.

What is a transient ischemic attack (TIA)?
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a short-lived episode (less than 24 hours) of temporary impairment to the brain that is caused by a loss of blood supply. A TIA causes a loss of function in the area of the body that is controlled by the portion of the brain affected. The loss of blood supply to the brain is most often caused by a clot that spontaneously forms in a blood vessel within the brain (thrombosis). However, it can also result from a clot that forms elsewhere in the body, dislodges from that location, and travels to lodge in an artery of the brain (emboli). A spasm and, rarely, a bleed are other causes of a TIA. Many people refer to a TIA as a "mini-stroke."

Some TIAs develop slowly, while others develop rapidly. By definition, all TIAs resolve within 24 hours. Strokes take longer to resolve than TIAs, and with strokes, complete function may never return and reflect a more permanent and serious problem. Although most TIAs often last only a few minutes, all TIAs should be evaluated with the same urgency as a stroke in an effort to prevent recurrences and/or strokes. TIAs can occur once, multiple times, or precede a permanent stroke.

A transient ischemic attack should be considered an emergency because there is no guarantee that the situation will resolve and function will return.

A TIA from a clot to the eye can cause temporary visual loss (amaurosis fugax), which is often described as the sensation of a curtain coming down. A TIA that involves the carotid artery (the largest blood vessel supplying the brain) can produce problems with movement or sensation on one side of the body, which is the side opposite to the actual blockage. An affected patient may experience paralysis of the arm, leg, and face, all on one side. Double vision, dizziness (vertigo), and loss of speech, understanding, and balance can also be symptoms depending on what part of the brain is lacking blood supply.
What are stroke symptoms?
When brain cells are deprived of oxygen, they cease to perform their usual tasks. The symptoms that follow a stroke depend on the area of the brain that has been affected and the amount of brain tissue damage.

Small strokes may not cause any symptoms, but can still damage brain tissue. These strokes that do not cause symptoms are referred to as silent strokes. According to The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), these are the five major signs of stroke:

1. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body. The loss of voluntary movement and/or sensation may be complete or partial. There may also be an associated tingling sensation in the affected area.

2. Sudden confusionor trouble speaking or understanding. Sometimes weakness in the muscles of the face can cause drooling.

3. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

4. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

5. Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

If any one of these occurs, call a heart specialist immediately. Because strokes don't cause pain, many people with minor or only fleeting symptoms adopt a "wait-and-see" approach, a mistake that can lead to permanent disability or even be fatal

What can be done to prevent a stroke?
Risk factor reduction:

High blood pressure: The possibility of suffering a stroke can be markedly decreased by controlling the risk factors. The most important risk factor for stroke is high blood pressure. When a person's blood pressure is persistently too high, roughly greater than 130/85, the risk of a stroke increases in proportion to the degree by which the blood pressure is elevated. Controlling blood pressure in the normal range decreases the chances of a stroke.
........................................................................................................................................................................................
Smoking: Another important risk factor is cigarette or other tobacco use. Cigarettes cause the carotid arteries to develop severe atherosclerosis, which can lead to their closure and block the blood flow to the brain. Atherosclerosis in general, including involvement of the arteries that supply blood to the heart, is accelerated by smoking. So, when an individual smokes, the main question becomes - which will occur first; a stroke, heart attack, or lung cancer?
........................................................................................................................................................................................
Diabetes: Another risk factor for developing a stroke is diabetes mellitus. Diabetes causes the small vessels to close prematurely. When these blood vessels close in the brain, small (lacunar) strokes may occur. Good control of blood sugar is important in decreasing the risk of stroke in diabetic patients. An elevated level of blood cholesterol is also a risk factor for a stroke due to the eventual blockage of blood vessels (atherosclerosis). A healthy diet and medications can help normalize an elevated blood cholesterol level.
........................................................................................................................................................................................
Blood thinner/warfarin: An irregular heart beat (atrial fibrillation in particular) is associated with an increased risk of an embolic stroke, in which the blood clot travels from the heart, through the bloodstream, and into the brain. Warfarin (Coumadin) is a blood "thinner" that prevents the blood from clotting. This medication is often used in patients with atrial fibrillation to decrease this risk. Warfarin is also sometimes used to prevent the recurrence of a stroke in other situations, such as with certain other heart conditions and conditions in which the blood has a tendency to clot on its own (hypercoagulable states). Patients taking warfarin need to have periodic blood checks to make sure that their current dose is producing the desired effect. Patients on warfarin also need to know that they are at increased risk for bleeding, either externally or internally.
........................................................................................................................................................................................
Aspirin and other antiplatelet therapy: Many stroke patients who do not require warfarin can use another class of medicines called "antiplatelet" drugs to reduce their risk of suffering another stroke. These medicines reduce the tendency of the blood to clot (clog) in the arteries. As a side effect, patients on these medicines usually have a higher likelihood of bleeding, but this risk is less than when taking an anticoagulant like warfarin. The most commonly prescribed first-choice antiplatelet agent for preventing a stroke recurrence is aspirin. If the patient has an adverse reaction to aspirin or has a stroke despite being on aspirin, newer antiplatelet preparations can be used [clopidogrel (Plavix), dipyridamole (Persantine).
........................................................................................................................................................................................
Carotid endarterectomy: In many cases, a person may suffer a TIA or a stroke that is caused by the narrowing or ulceration (sores) of the carotid arteries (the major arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain). If left untreated, patients with these conditions have a high risk of experiencing a major stroke in the future. An operation that cleans out the carotid artery and restores normal blood flow is known as a carotid endarterectomy. This procedure has been shown to markedly reduce the incidence of a subsequent stroke. In patients who have a narrowed carotid artery, but no symptoms, this operation may be indicated in order to prevent the occurrence of a first stroke.
Stroke At A Glance

* Stroke is the sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen.
* Stroke is caused by the blockage of blood flow or rupture of an artery to the brain.
* Sudden tingling, weakness, or paralysis on one side of the body or difficulty with balance, speaking, swallowing, or vision can be a symptom of a stroke.
* Any person suspected of having a stroke or TIA should present for emergency care immediately
* Clot-busting drugs like TPA can be used to reverse a stroke, but the time frame for their use is very narrow. Patients need to present for care as soon as possible so that TPA therapy can be considered.

Stroke prevention involves minimizing risk factors, such as controlling high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, tobacco abuse, and diabetes

How to survive a Heart Attack when alone ?
Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!


Source:http://adport.net/

Society of Concept

I found this fascinating quote today:

Thereis more in life than just work….. U work to have a better life…. If work candestroy your life… It is better to stay jobless…. act sensibly… It is thefriends and the good wishes you earn which will make you live a complete life….No matter how you perform … good or bad… you will be forgotten…. So work onlyuntil you enjoy it… When it reaches threshold…. You have just one choice… Justchill…. and take it easy…..Sheik, Society of Concept, Feb 2009

You should read the whole article.

Sunbeam

A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.

Organization

No organization was ever built without principles and values, no country
ever survived with devious methods. Short-term successes don't guarantee
long-term survival. Only companies which have values and principles are
those termed as being straight; the others would be bending the rules, laws,
systems and resort to methods which are seldom straight.

The shortest distance between setting a goal and achieving it is a straight
line, i.e, being straight. The hard working student, dedicated executive,
good governance, a fair business practice, ethics in advertisements, would
entail the objective to be met much easier, faster and better. We all have
multi-dimensional roles to play. The goal for every role is to feel happy
and peaceful at the end of the day. From the point of the role to the point
of the goal, the shortest distance is a straight line.

Only individuals with growth backed by good principles of geometry would
reach the pinnacle, because these individuals know the shortest distance
between two points is a straight line.

---- Not to scare u ----- Very important!!!

There
is more in life than just work….. U work to have a better life…. If work can
destroy your life… It is better to stay jobless…. act sensibly… It is the
friends and the good wishes you earn which will make you live a complete life….
No matter how you perform … good or bad… you will be forgotten…. So work only
until you enjoy it… When it reaches threshold…. You have just one choice… Just
chill…. and take it easy…..

Latest Tamil Songs

In the recent year new tamil films were not having enough good songs to register audience heart,some may be there but the count is less.

But this year with the beginning of naan kadavul,nandhalala,ayan,siva manasula sakthi there were lot of songs coming on pace to fulfill audience taste.

Siva manasula sakthi will be one of the yuvan's best.

But still tamil industry wants more new comers as it has been prove that tamil music directors can make upto Golden Globe and even Oscars.Hats off to rahman and ilayaraja for inspring more youths.

Like to have more ilayaraja songs in the coming year which would be a bench mark for music industry.