Month: October 2019

Needles and a Magnet….Sri Ramakrishna

| Chandru Gidwani

The mind is like a needle covered with mud, and God is like a magnet. The needle cannot be united with the magnet unless it is free from mud.

Tears wash away the mud, which is nothing but lust, anger, greed and other evil tendencies.

As soon as the mud is washed away, the magnet attracts the needle, that is to say, man realises God.

Only the pure in heart see God.

Sri Ramakrishna

DMT…..Dance Movement Therapy….Renelle Snelleksz….The Better India

| Chandru Gidwani
What does dance mean to you?

What does dance mean to you? A way to convey a message?

A medium for social interaction? A fitness regime? Have you ever considered the possibility of dance serving the purpose of healing—of the body, mind and soul?

This woman in Pune has, and her answer has helped thousands. And will help you as well.

After years of working in journalism, Renelle Snelleksz decided to help people find a unique way to overcome trauma and stress through Dance Movement Therapy (DMT).

Watch how this sexual abuse survivor learned to heal and grow through dance movement therapy.

“For a very long time, I’d known that dancing could play a significant role towards personal healing, but it was only after partaking in this programme did the possibility of implementing DMT as a tool to heal as well as empower someone else struck my mind,” says Renelle to The Better India.

Besides trafficking and domestic violence survivors, Renelle has worked with senior citizens, young children with cancer and also convened DMT sessions for corporate settings.

All of us have our share of inner turmoil and trauma that we often hide deep within ourselves. Suppressing these within oneself is not only damaging to one’s mental health but also has the potential of dampening our physical self.

So find your inner peace with the power of Dance Movement Therapy for the body, mind and spirit! (link to microsite) This expressive art modality will use music, movement & art to release stress, overcome challenges and have fun. No prior dance training is required, just an openness to creative exploration.
These stories prove that when individuals curate meaningful experiences, large scale social change can be triggered.

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This Chennai Man Quit His Job At Google To Clean Up 93 Lakes Across 14 States In India!

| Chandru Gidwani

Our planet’s water bodies have been suffering at the hands of human beings for a while now and oceanic life has been under constant threat ever since.

Unlike most people, this Chennai-based environmentalist Arun Krishnamurthy couldn’t ignore how serious the situation was and decided to take charge.

After quitting his job at Google, Krishnamurthy launched an eco-movement which has reportedly cleaned 93 freshwater bodies across 14 states in the country.

This movement led to the Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) which is a non-profit wildlife conservation and habitat restoration group.

Growing up surrounded by water bodies, the 32-year-old’s love for them made him take this life-changing decision. According to IANS, his mission is to make sure all water bodies have a healthy ecological balance.

He also claims that leaving behind a life of luxury was never a challenge for him as he has never been uncertain about anything in his life.

His first attempt at cleaning out water bodies was in Chennai, where he was supported by the local panchayat and later led him to expand his efforts around the country.

We work very closely with the Centre and State governments. We do not receive any funding, but depend on the government for permissions and approvals. There is a positive trend across the country where the administration is keen on encouraging groups such as ours to mobilise community to revive freshwater lakes and ponds.

He has also been an inspiration for many school-goers and environment conservation veterans, who volunteer with EFI under their slogan ‘Volunteer for India and her Environment with EFI’.

Apart from the government taking an active interest in EFI’s efforts, they are also supported by partner organisations like The Hinduja Foundation, The Murugappa Group, Shriram Group, among others, through funds and volunteers.

Krishnamurthy’s efforts also made him the receiver of The Rolex Awards for Enterprise 2012, which supports individuals who work on projects that are dedicated to improving life on our planet and offer solutions to major problems.

Convincing the local community in understanding the need for conserving the freshwater body is an interesting piece of this bigger puzzle. Once we have the local community involved, we then do not have to worry about the water body. All problems related to pollution, encroachments etc can be thus sorted out.

He also said that he finds India’s environment fascinating and people need to understand the nation’s natural history in order to conserve it in real time.

The EFI has already successfully worked in cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Puducherry, Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, Tirunelveli and Ahmedabad.

Dermatologist for the Poor Man!

| Chandru Gidwani

Shankare Gowda, popularly known as ‘Five Rupees Doctor’, submitting his nomination papers for Mandya Assembly constituency election in Mandya on Monday.

Dr. Gowda, a native of Shivalli and resident of Bandi Gowda Layout, has an enormous fan base across the district as he has been charging just ₹5 a person for a ‘complete medical package’ for the past 35 years. Neither had he increased charges nor joined private hospitals in spite of good pay-packages offered to him.

Accompanied by his wife Rukmini, daughter Ujwala and others, he visited the taluk office and submitted the nomination papers for Mandya Assembly constituency. The skin specialist remitted the deposit amount of ₹10,000 with coins of ₹5 that he had collected. The MBBS graduate from Kasturba Medical College of Manipal, has also done his Diploma in Venereology and Dermatology (DVD). He attends to at least 500 patients at his village and clinic in the town every day. He charges just ₹5 for a checkup, consultation, prescription and for an injection.This skin specialist, say many, has magical hands that could treat any skin ailments and sexual diseases. His popularity has reached every corner of the district. Whether clad in a ‘lungi’ and transplanting seedlings/cultivating crops at his farmland or walking on streets even with his family, people instantly join their hands and say ‘Namaste doctor’ when they see him. They often ask about prescriptions for leprosy, itching sensations or sexual health issues.

Anyway …Paradoxical Maxims…Keith Kent

| Chandru Gidwani

Anyway …Paradoxical Maxims

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Keith Kent