Lending a shoulder - Shri Narasimha Shenoy

Lending a shoulder

Most of us would pass by a challenged child on the street without stopping. Perhaps click our tongues in sympathy before moving on. The good Samaritan in us lies somewhere buried within and the faint stirrings of the conscience quieten down as soon as they appear. But there are a few, and they are a microscopic minority who view matters such as these in a totally different perspective.

Charged with a passion to render some help to these children they set about their task of taking them from darkness to light, bringing sunshine into their lives in short, lighting a candle rather than cursing the darkness. Lending a shoulder to the disabled is not just an act of compassion, it is more of a duty enjoined on all of us.  Who are able bodied and who have all our facilities intact.

It was this spirit that fired a young man namely Narasimha Shenoy who works for Canara Bank to start a school and care centre for mentally challenged and disabled children called “Nachiketa Manovikasa Kendra”. “The harrowing sight of mothers taking their mentally challenged children in transport buses from Vijayanagar to a special school far away in the city everyday touched a taw nerve” says  Shenoy, explaining the rational behind his starting the school.

The plight of the kids who were rarely offered seats in the jampacked buses was more than he could hear. The Kendra started in Vijayanagar with just six children, today is home to quite a large number with more and more parents, obviously impressed with the working of the Kendra, imploring Shenoy to take their wards in.

Shenoy chose the name; Nachiketa because the character of the same name in the Upanishads is noted for his moral strength and enquiring mind. The school admits children after conducting a small test to assess the needs of the student after which a special course is designed to suit him or her. “The training includes speech therapy, behavioural therapy, yoga, physiotherapy and also focuses on developing self help skills”, says Shenoy, whose efforts to rope in the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences proved fruitful when the institute agreed to train two of the school’s teachers in speech therapy.

The children in the school are trained in skills such as making candles, greeting cards, painting earthenware, making envelopes and files, tailoring and are also taught the use of simple tools. The basic idea is to provide these children a sense of adequacy and inculcating in them the confidence that they can take their place in society. “The results were wonderful”, gushes Shenoy. “Some parents, whose children could not even walk, were stunned to see them walking independently and communicating with the other children, something that they had never done before”.

The children are also taken out on the picnics and opportunities are created for normal children to interact with them. Shenoy has also been successful in fixing up jobs for the grown up children, who have shown remarkable progress in nearby garment factories and shops. Although finances have always remained a problem with the Kendra, dependent almost wholly on donations which have come in sometimes in a trickie and sometimes in a torrent from organisations like Canara Bank, The Inner Wheel Club, Rotary Club and Lions Club. Shenoy is determined to carry on the good work, come what may.

“All that these children need is love and support and they will be able to stand on their own feet one day”, says Shenoy. The task is herculean, but not impossible. What is required is a hearfull of love and that is something that Shenoy and his teachers possess in abundant measure. The infinite patience that they display and the care with which they handle these children is ample proof of their total commitment to a noble cause.

(Information courtesy: Deccan Herald – 22.02.2002 by C V Aravind)

I should say that Mr. Narasimha Shenoy is certainly a different person who is committed and dedicated himself to the cause of upbringing the mentally retarded children. He deserves all the help and support.

I appeal to all my friends to give Mr. Shenoy, the required financial and moral support in abundance. Those who live in Bangalore, please visit the school. I am sure tears will roll in your eyes when you see these children struggling to accept the challenges of the world. Mr. Shenoy and his team deserve all Kudos.

Donations to Nachikta Manovikasa Kendra Trust is exempt from IT under 80G of the IT Act1961

The following are the contact details of the Kendra:

Nachiketa Manovikasa Kendra Trust (Regd)

(Special School for mentally challenged and disabled)

14^th Main Road end,

M C Layout,

Vijaynagar,

Bangalore 560040

Phone: 080 – 23110286;

Mobile: N N Shenoy: 96453 70934

Email: nmvktrust@gmail.com

Those who are willing to send their contributions in kind can reach the trust and handover the same in person or through their representatives. Donations and contributions can also be sent by way of cheque/demand draft payable at Bangalore favouring Nachiketa Manovikasa Kendra Trust (Regd)

Working Hours: 9-30 am to 3-00 pm. from Monday to Friday.

A verse from the Tao Te Ching

Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.

Why shouldn't we eat after Swimming?

There are different kinds of versions in regard to eating after a swimming exercise. Is it harmful to eat after swimming ? In such a case what is the right time to eat once the swimming workout is over ?

What happens when one swims after having food ?

The physicians and trainers used to advise the learners not to consume any food immediately before swimming or after swimming. The minimum waiting period for getting into the pool after a meal is at least 30 minutes.

The following are some reasons put forth by the experts in the field:

·         Once we get into the pool right after eating, we could develop cramps and risk drowning because the body works to take care of its energy needs and that conflicting needs can cause certain problems

·         During the course of exercise, the sympathetic nervous system, a part of the automatic or autonomic nervous system consisting of brain, stem and spinal cord stimulates the nerves to the heart and blood vessels.

·         The above nervous stimulation causes the blood vessels consisting of arteries and veins to contract or constrict – the process called vasoconstriction increasing the resistance of the blood vessels in the tissues and reducing  blood flow to those tissues

·         The working muscles also receive the command from the brain, however, the metabolic byproducts produced within the muscle override the commands and cause vasodilatation.

What are the side effects of swimming after food ?

The following are some side effects by attempting  swimming immediately after having a food:

·         Once the food is consumed the stomach needs sufficient energy  to get the food digested  and normally the bowel takes a minimum of thirty to sixty minutes to digest the food and thereafter it sends the digested food to the intestines for further processing

·         Under the above situations, when an exercise like swimming is undertaken, the parts of the body viz., hands, legs, stomach, shoulders, head etc are getting the message to boost the blood flow and the blood that would have gone to some of the organs especially the bowel will start proceeding to the above parts to provide required energy.

·         Because the blood flow is restricted or almost blocked to the innermost parts of the stomach, the process of digestion is hampered and the stomach muscles start creating cramps and pains resulting in un digestion of the food inside the stomach.

How long one should wait after eating a meal ?

There are some pressing circumstances or situations during which time, a learner or a participant may need to go in for swimming after having his food.

This depends upon the following factors:

·         The time gap between the meal and the exercise

·          The quantum of food consumed by the person.

·         The part of the day during which time the exercise is undertaken

1.    As we had seen earlier, the safest time to go in for swimming after having a meal is 30 minutes and more. However, if a person feels, that he had consumed only very little food required for undertaking a swimming exercise, it is recommended  that there is no harm in going for swimming subject to the  kind of food consumed. by the person.

2.    The bigger/heavier the meal, the longer the person needs to wait. In case of light foods like snacks,   a juice, half a bagel or a few low-fat crackers, he can go almost immediately.

3.    If a person wants to have his exercise as the first thing in the morning, a small amount of fruit juice and water is sufficient because the energy need during the morning time is very low. If he wants to do the exercise mid morning then a breakfast high in carbohydrates will provide him enough energy. If it is late morning but before lunch, a little snacks before working out and a lunch rich in carbohydrates and protein is a must after the work out. However, after the lunch but before t late evening, an empty stomach is better

Eating before or after the workout wholly depends upon the time gap and energy level of the person concerned and no strict guidelines can be specified in this regard.

THIS IS OUR SCHOOL

THIS IS OUR SCHOOL

THIS IS OUR SCHOOL

WHERE WE GO EACH DAY

THIS IS OUR CLASS

THIS IS OUR CLASS

WHERE WE READ OUR STORIES

THIS IS OUR GROUND

THIS IS OUR GROUND

WHERE WE PLAY OUR GAMES

THIS IS OUR HOME

THIS IS OUR HOME

Help the needy

One of our close relatives aged more than 70 years was suffering from diabetes. He used to get fainted often and at any moment. One day while he was on his way to a shop, he fainted and fell near the shop and was on the platform for more than ten minutes. Even though it was a busy street and many people were using the area for their regular shopping, no body paid any attention to him. The watching onlookers were moving from the scene without coming forward for extending any help to the man.

A little school going girl aged around twelve years went nearer to him, took the water bottle from her bag and sprayed the water on his face. The elderly person came to consciousness, got up from the platform,  appreciated the efforts put forth  by the little girl and thanked her.

Nowadays, we are moving very fast and nobody can deny that people are having very less time and rarely  they can take care of others.

However life is precious for everybody – for young and old. Under certain circumstances, whatever may be the pressing circumstances, by sparing some time to save a person will not harm anybody.

BEWARE – DANGERS INSIDE THE HOUSE

Recently I read one news item from a local newspaper. I reproduce here below the contents of the news item for the benefit of the readers.

“It was during one midnight by around 12.00 p.m. everybody was sleeping in the house in different bed rooms. Suddenly I heard the voice of my father. On hearing his loud cry, everybody started moving into his bed room. The ceiling fan in the bed room had fallen on his head; however, there was not much damage to him. We immediately took him to the nearby hospital and he was given first aid treatment and after completing various tests like X-ray and scanning, the doctors informed that there was no need to get panicky over the incident. He was in the hospital for a week and after a fortnight he became normal and started attending to his duties.

Once the ceiling fan is fitted, people are rarely servicing the fan and many people are not evincing much interest in taking care of the fans.  We switch on the fan when we require its services and then switch it off. At least once in six months, the fan should be removed from its place checked and serviced properly and has to be fitted in the ceiling thereafter in order to protect the interests of everybody in the house.”

SHIRTS WITHOUT BUTTONS

Recently I had been to a friend's house. While we were talking about various business matters, I found  his wife handling some old shirts of my friend and his son.

She was removing the buttons from the shirts and keeping  them in a small container.

I enquired her reasons for the same.

She replied: “We used to donate the old shirts to deprived persons residing in various orphanage homes. However, we use the buttons as and when we require them while replacing the old buttons in the shirts which are in use at present.”

At the first instance, I was astonished to find her action in paying much attention to even small things.

However, I was shocked to imagine the fate of the old shirts without buttons donated to the poor people. Without buttons, how the shirts can be used by any person.

Unless and otherwise a product which is in usable condition is donated to a person, the activity is like  mere disposal of old goods out of the house.

I made my friend and his wife understand the concept. They realized immediately and from that day onwards, they started donating the  shirts which were in usable condition to others.

How to help others?

I wish to share an incident for the information of the readers. I went to a hotel along with one of my friends and by the time we were leaving the hotel after finishing our breakfast, an old lady approached us and demanded some money.  I was searching my pockets for some coins; In the mean time, my friend took the old lady inside the hotel.

He placed an order for required number of food items for the lady and  was patiently sitting near the lady till she completed eating her food. He paid the bill and came out and joined me for further discussions.

He started telling me the concept behind his action. “Whenever, we pay the old people in cash, the miscreants threaten old people and remove cash from them. Once we feed them, the question of losing their money will never arise”.

This information is an eye opener for many of us who have the desire to help others.

ALWAYS BE YOUR BEST

A person once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making on idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, “Do you need two statutes of the same idol ?”

“No” said the sculptor without looking up. “We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage”. The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. “Where is the damage ?”, he asked. “There is a scratch on the nose of the idol”, said the sculptor, still busy with his work. “Where are you going to install the idol ?”

The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. “If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose ?” the gentleman asked.

The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, “ I will know it”

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. “Excellence” is a drive from inside and not outside. Excellence is not for some one else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency.

Your main competitor is yourself. Always be your best

How far pests are harmful to the family and home ?

Sometimes we are put into a lot of inconvenience on account of pests in our homes, shops and offices.  Pests apart from damaging the food are responsible for various diseases. In majority of the cases, children are affected to a great extent by virtue of pests at our homes.

The following are some kinds of pests which occupy more space in our homes and workplaces :

COCKROACHES:

Cockroaches can be found anywhere and they can live under all situations including an airtight compartment. They adopt to a variety of environments but prefer normally warm conditions found within the buildings like residential complexes, offices, hotels, hospitals, schools, shops and in short any human dwelling. Cockroaches leave dark stains and foul odor leading to a very unpleasant and unhygienic conditions some times. They passively cause diseases like dysentery, diarrhea, food poisoning, asthma and allergic reactions in humans.

For the management of cockroaches, effective pest control management system has to be provided by using the services available through a reputed agency.

The cockroach management service will also be effective in providing total control over other pests like red and black ants, silverfish, spiders etc. A  highly potent active ingredient is applied at all cockroach hideouts resulting in control of cockroaches and other pests giving sustained relief

The treatment should be in such a way that the following benefits should be made available:

·         A completely odourless, hassle free and safe solution for the occupant

·         It should  not necessary to empty out the kitchens, hence convenient

·         Long-lasting and highly efficient treatment which can be carried out at anytime of the day

The pest control treat towards eradicating the cockroaches should be done at least once in four months for total control.

TERMITES:

Termites or white ants are in the habit of remaining concealed which often results in their presence being undetected until the wood exhibit surface damages. They apart from wood damage paper, cloth, carpets, leather, electrical wire coatings, cellulosic materials, plaster, rubber, nylon, neoprene, thermocol and sealants such as silicone rubber and acrylics which are often employed in construction

The termite treatment comprises drilling holes at the junction of floor and wall, soaking them with termiticide and sealing them.

By termite treatment, the termites are completely killed unlike regular pest control that just repels them

Nowadays, in the case of new buildings, the treatment is done at the time of construction of the buildings. The right time for application of the treatment is at the time of completion of basement flooring. The termite solution is mixed with the required quantity of water and sprayed through pipes over the flooring immediately at the time of applying concrete mixture during  basement flooring. This prevents termites emanating from the earth into the building walls in future . It is proved that this treatment is highly effective and economical.

RODENTS:

The term rodent implies rats, mice and bandicoots and are one of the most disastrous urban pests. They invade our homes, eat and contaminate food with their faeces, urine and hair, damage commodities and are also responsible for various diseases. Their gnawing ability is responsible for structural and property damage, short circuits, fires, entire communication or computer network collapse. They normally come in the dark and give everybody a sleepless night.

A rodent management service has to be done to provide total and effective control of rats and mice. The new age treatment for rodents is based on type of rodent species, extent of infestation and its spread. It is  a scientific combination of baiting, trapping and proofing methods.

WOOD BORERS:

They are tiny beetles whose larvae feed extensively on wood and destroy it. The treatment is carried out by injecting oil based chemicals into the tiny short holes created by the wood borers killing the larva deep inside the wood.

BED BUGS:

They are called cosmopolitan pests mostly found in beds and therefore they have been named as “bed bugs”. During the treatment for bed bug, a thorough insecticide spray is given to all cracks and crevices in furniture, bed joints and other fixtures, giving special attention to mattress beading and folds. A second  bed beg management service has to be done within a fortnight to control new hatchlings.

Unless effective pest control management services are done, damage to the properties and  human beings cannot be avoided.  It should be given topmost priority and should be done without any delay 

How to read the lessons well ?

Students are always in a confused stage as to which part of the day is most suitable for them to read their lessons. When they pose the questions to their elders, many people will give them a lot of answers.   Sometimes the elders can mislead the children also. The recent study has revealed the following answers to this question:

Early morning study:

The time between 04.00 to 06.00 in the early morning has been considered to be the most apt time for reading. This is on account of the facts that there will not much noises either at home or outside. Moreover, the temperature will be mild and conducive for learning. Apart from the above, the student will be afresh early in the morning because it is the first activity he has been doing for the  day.

Late night study:

Many students believe, that late night study will be more useful. This is not correct. Once the day’s activities are over, it is quite normal for any person to believe that he is peaceful and is not facing any urgent commitments for the day. This sense of feeling makes him believe  that he is very much comfortable for reading his lessons. In fact, after the day’s work, he is tired both mentally and physically and the normal tendency of any person  will be to go to bed and lay down.

Under such situations, the student cannot exercise much  concentration over the subjects on hand and once he loses concentration on account of tiredness and mental fatigue, despite the facts that he is spending two to three hours for his study the absorption level will be very low.

As such the researchers normally suggest the early morning as the best part of the day for the purpose of study

Planning:

Each student has to maintain a small note book or diary. He has to note down the topics to be covered each day . The following planned activities can be more useful:

1.    How much time he can allocate for reading his lessons during early morning, at school during leisure hours, evening hours and late night after dinner, however, before sleep

2.    The topics to be covered during early morning, at school, evening hours and at late night

3.    He can have a check list of the items to be covered by incorporating the details in a tabular form

4.    Once he completes one topic, he can round off the item from the check list. This will enable him to achieve a sense of accomplishment

5.    Continuous study for more than one hour will make the student more tired. Normally the human mind and body requires rest at least for a couple of minutes at periodical intervals.

6.    As such once in 20 to 30 minutes, the student should  keep his books aside and can have a small walk or strolling for five minutes and again he can continue his studies

7.    During the course of study, the student should sit in a more comfortable chair and read the lessons

Systematic planning will surely go a long way in memorizing the lessons effectively  enabling each student gain good grades during each examination.

USING OF CORRECT PROPOSITIONS

Using of correct proposition while writing a letter or story in English is much inevitable. Unless and otherwise the right propositions are chosen the sentence will result in with a grammatical error. Following are some samples as to how the sentences can be formed:

The proposition “of” is one of the most frequently words used in English language and we have to be careful while using “of” between two words. Let us have a look over the following sentences

What is wrong with the following sentences ?

·         Over a hundred of people have come to the hospital

·         We studied in one of the most wonderful colleges of Chennai

·         We celebrate our daughter’s birthday on 20^th of December

·         The tourist did not give him a minute of peace

·         This book is not mine. It is of my sister

·         The brother of you phoned today morning and requires you to call him

·         The book reminded me of the good work of Helen

Let us read the first sentence once again:

1.       Over a hundred of people have come to the hospital

The correct formation of the sentence should be as follows:

Over a hundred people have come to the hospital

(After a/one/five/sixteen etc the words hundred/thousand etc are always singular and should not be followed by of)

2.       We studied in one of the most wonderful colleges of Chennai

The correct formation of the sentence should be as follows:

We studied in one of the most wonderful colleges in Chennai (or)

We studied in one of the most wonderful colleges at Chennai

In the above sentence where we refer a country, place, region etc, the usage of “of” should be avoided and instead we should use “in” “at” etc

3.       We celebrate our daughter’s birthday on 20^th of December

The correct formation of the sentence should be as follows:

We celebrate our daughter’s birthday on 20^th December

4.       The tourist did not give him a minute of peace

The correct formation of the sentence should be as follows:

The tourist did not give him a moment’s peace

5.       This book is not mine. It is of my sister

The correct formation of the sentence should be as follows:

The book is not mine. It is my sister’s

6.       The brother of you phoned today morning and wants you to call him

The correct formation of the sentence should be as follows:

The brother of you phoned today morning and wants you to call back

7.       The book reminded me of the good work of Helen

The correct formation of the sentence should be as follows:

The book reminded me of the good work by Helen

HOW TO DEVELOP THE MENTAL CAPABILITIES OF CHILDREN ?

There are different ways by which the mental capabilities of children can be developed. This exercise depends upon the inquisitiveness of both the parents and teachers. Normally children learn things very fast. It has been estimated that children learn ten times faster than adults. However, it is the responsibility of the parents to oversee their children. Till the children attains the age of five years, much care and attention is required.

The following are some of the activities by which children can improve their mental capabilities.

POWER OF OBSERVATION:

Among the five senses viz., eyes, ears, nose, skin and mouth, eyes and ears play greater role in developing the power of observation. Through ears they listen and through eyes they observe things.

The following exercise will improve the observation power to a great extent:

·         FINDING THE DIFFERENCES:

Two identical pictures(drawings) are given. Whereas the two pictures seem to be identical, in fact, they have at least six differences (for example). The children should be asked to find out the six differences by verifying the two pictures.

Reactions:

1.       In order to find out the differences, the children pay much attention to each item available in both the pictures keenly. This exercise improves their  power of concentration

2.       Again to locate the differences, they start comparing the items available in picture No: 1 with items available in picture No:2. This improves their  logical aptitude

3.       They use their questioning ability during the course of comparing the pictures. This improves their analytical aptitude

·         COLOURING THE PICTURES:

Give your child a drawing (preferably hand drawn). Tell her to colour the pictures. The drawing may contain animals, birds, plants, hills, lakes, boats, cars, trees, clouds etc etc.

Reactions:

1.       Once they start colouring instead of applying the colour of their choice, the child starts thinking the suitable colour for each item. Since the child had already learnt information about the natural colours of animals, birds, lakes, sky, clouds, ground etc, she does not find any difficulty in applying the colours to the items. Rarely they fail to apply the right colours to the objects. This exercise improves their analytical ability and again the power of concentration

2.       Once they finish application of colours to the picture allotted to them, the child feels a sense of achievement. She feels that she can do things still better in future. This shows the strength of her self confidence.

3.       When the child goes on learning using different methods and exercises, her self esteem moves upwards and she realizes that she is important to the family and to the society. She wants to do better for the society

CONCLUSION:

Children can be taught to improve their different mental capabilities, through various games and exercises. Teachers should evince interest in finding out novel ways of educating their students.

THIS IS OUR SCHOOL

THIS IS OUR SCHOOL

THIS IS OUR SCHOOL

WHERE WE GO EACH DAY

THIS IS OUR CLASS

THIS IS OUR CLASS

WHERE WE READ OUR STORIES

THIS IS OUR GROUND

THIS IS OUR GROUND

WHERE WE PLAY OUR GAMES

THIS IS OUR HOME

THIS IS OUR HOME

WHERE WE LOVE TO LIVE

LORD VENKATESHWARA - TIRUPATHI - PICTURES FOR DEVOTEES