Kumbakonam Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple

This temple is situated in the Arulmigu Nageswarar Temple sannathi. Veeramakaliamman is the same deity as Sri Mariamman; Vadapathirakaliamman refers to an attribute of the Mother Goddess. This temple is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess, Kali, and the consort of Shiva. She is known as the Goddess of Power and the name "Veeramakaliamman" means "Kali the Courageous".

Located at Nageswaran Sannathi, the temple caters to the people who have been staying in Kumbakonam, especially around Nageswaran Sannathi since the days of our forefathers.

The choice of Sri Veeramakaliamman as the chief deity of the temple is significant and she is referred as a powerful goddess and Destroyer of Evil.

Special Aspects

Kali is the symbol of courage and Valour. She is in a sitting posture with Her left leg crossed and the right leg lying on the demon and with a Trident (Scepter) symbolizing a weapon to uphold goodness and honesty. Kali has four hands with weapons of many sorts, meant only to destroy that evil things, in each hand. She is facing the South direction but is capable of removing evils an around Her. She appears with Sulam, Angusam, Pasam, and Kabalam in her four hands

Prime Ministers of India

Name	Date of Birth	Political party
Jawahar Lal Nehru	14 Nov 1889	Indian National Congress
Gulzarilal Nanda	4 Jul1898	Indian National Congress
Lal Bahadur Shastri	2 Oct 1904	Indian National Congress
Gulzarilal Nanda	4 Jul1898	Indian National Congress
Indira Gandhi	19 Nov 1917	Indian National Congress
Morarji Desai	29 Feb 1896	Janata Party
Charan Singh	23 Dec 1902	Janata Party
Indira Gandhi	19 Nov 1917	Indian National Congress
Rajiv Gandhi	20 Aug 1944	Indian National Congress
Vishwanath Pratap Singh	25 Jun 1931	Janata Dal
Chandra Shekhar	1 Jul1927	Samajwadi Janata Party
P. V. Narasimha Rao	28 Jun 1921	Indian National Congress
Atal Bihari Vajpayee	25 Dec 1924	Bharatiya Janata Party
H. D. Deve Gowda	18 May 1933	Janata Dal
Inder Kumar Gujral	4 Dec 1919	Janata Dal
Atal Bihari Vajpayee	25 Dec 1924	Bharatiya Janata Party
Dr. Manmohan Singh	26 Sep1932	Indian National Congress

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali & The Paths of Yoga

The varied philosophies and methodologies of Yoga itself were clearly and methodically brought together and presented by the sage Patanjali in his set of 196 aphorisms called "The Yoga Sutras," written some 2200 years ago. The Sutras bring together all the various strands of theory and practice from all sources of yoga and present them in one concise, integrated and comprehensive text. How all the aspects interrelate and form part of the whole body of yoga are clearly elucidated. There are 8 disciplines to yoga as presented by Patanjali which must be practiced and refined in order to perceive the true self- the ultimate goal of Yoga:

1. Yama - Universal ethics: Non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, sexual restraint and non-acquisitiveness.
2. Niyama - Principles of self conduct: purity, contentment, intense dedication or austerity, study of self and scriptures and self-surrender.
3. Asana - practice of the postures.
4. Pranayama - Breath control.
5. Pratyahara - withdrawal and control of the senses.
6. Dharana - concentration.
7. Dhyana - meditation.
8. Samadhi - a state of higher consciousness where the sense of self dissolves in the object of meditation and the individual self exists in its own pure nature.

The key elements of all the paths of yoga are presented in a balanced perspective and legend has it that Patanjali was himself a realized being and so writing from experience.

In the four chapters of his sutras he explains the levels of higher consciousness (Samadhi) which the aspirant must experience before reaching Kaivalya (emancipation) and the end of this world's spiritual pursuit. The second chapter deals with the methodology which must be followed to reach Samadhi and the hindrances which may be encountered. The unusual powers that may develop are also described with the warning that their lure must be avoided, while the final chapter covers the achievement of Kaivalya in detail.

These Sutras were and are still considered a most profound and enlightening study of the human psyche. Patanjali shows how through the practice of Yoga, we can transform ourselves, gain mastery over the mind and emotions, overcome obstacles to our spiritual evolution and attain the goal of yoga: liberation from the bondage of worldly desires. Written in Sanskrit, many commentaries and translations have been written over the centuries by various scholars and practitioners; each interpreting as per their era and understanding.

The Paths of Yoga

There are said to be 4 main paths (Margas), according to the Bhagavad Gita, by which to reach the ultimate goal of Yoga - "Kaivalya." There is the path of Knowledge (Jnana Marga) in which one learns to discriminate between what is real and what is illusory, the path of selfless work (Karma marga), the path of devotion (Bhakti Marga) and the path of control of the mind (Yoga Marga) where all the activities of the mind and consciousness are studied and brought under control. From these have come the various paths of yoga which can be followed.

• Raja yoga involves mastery of the mind and senses in Samadhi; essentially the advanced aspects of Patanjali's astanga yoga.
• Hatha yoga is the yoga of the will which involves cultivating ones energy to arouse Kundalini primarily by means of asana and pranayama.
• Mantra yoga involves reciting sacred syllables to reach perfection.
• Laya yoga involves absorption in god to experience ultimate bliss.
• Bhakti yoga requires absolute devotion to god to achieve the ultimate goal.
• Karma yoga achieves this through selfless work without thought of personal reward.
• Jnana yoga is the yoga of knowledge cultivating the discrimination between spiritual reality and the illusion of the material world.

It must be realised that there are no clear cut boundaries between these various paths and all draw on the practices and philosophy of the others; effectively all paths have the same goal and "tread the same terrain." They are different views of the same topic.

Mellisai Mannar M. S. Viswanathan

M. S. Viswanathan, is a popular south Indian music director for more than five decades. He is popularly known as "Mellisai Mannar" (Tamil, for "The King of Light Music"). His major works are in Tamil and Telugu films. He has also acted and sung in a few films. MSV's music is appreciated and admired by many music composers throughout the World - especially in India. MSV has composed music in many different styles for thousands of songs in different languages in about thousand films which is a "world record". MSV is an inspiration for anybody who'd like to have music as a career. MSV - a born "genius" is a "university of music". There are thousands of students graduating everyday from this university.

Viswanathan was born to Subramanian and Narayani Kutti (or Naanikutii), in Manayangath house (from which one of his initials is derived) in Ilappulli village in Kerala, India in 1928. He lost his father when he was four. He was saved by his grandfather when his mother decided to kill him and herself as an escape from abject poverty and lack of support. He sold foodstuff in a movie theater during his childhood and later learned music from Neelakanda Bhagavathar. He gave his first stage performance stage in Trivandrum, when he was 13 years old.

Of Malayalee origin, he settled as a prolific film music composer in the Tamil film industry. His first score is for the film Panam (1952). He dominated film music composing in the South Indian film industry during the 1960s and 1970s and composed scores for over 1000 films. His achievements range from introducing fresher melodies, style and orchestration approaches to incorporating various genres of what is now called world music into Indian cinema music. He sung over 500 of his own songs, as well as those of other music directors like V. Kumar, Shankar Ganesh, Ilayaraaja, Gangai Amaran, Deva and A. R. Rahman. He also scored music for many non-film albums and for political campaigns. He also acted in many films and television series.

What is 3G Technology?

3G stands for third generation, a generic wireless industry term for high-speed mobile data delivery over cellular networks. 3G networks allow users to send and receive bandwidth-intensive information such as video, video conferencing, high quality audio and web data on-demand, virtually anytime and anyplace.It is based on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) family of standards under the IMT-2000.

3G networks enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony, video calls, and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Additional features also include HSPA data transmission capabilities able to deliver speeds up to 14.4 Mbit/s on the downlink and 5.8 Mbit/s on the uplink.

Unlike IEEE 802.11 networks, which are commonly called Wi-Fi or WLAN networks, 3G networks are wide-area cellular telephone networks that evolved to incorporate high-speed Internet access and video telephony. IEEE 802.11 networks are short range, high-bandwidth networks primarily developed for data.

Sex Education for Kids

Kids eight years old and below are supposed to learn something about sexuality. They need not know everything right then and there, but they sure require satisfactory answers to their questions. Kids of this age are naturally curious and they must have decided to throw at least one at their parents. But unfortunately, not all parents are there for their kid’s inquiries. Some kids may have only one parent. Some have none at all. And more sadly, some have at set of parents who fails to understand what it means to give their children the right amount of attention.

But whichever the case, kids here are the different things kids aged 3 to 8 years old have to learn about sex and their sexuality:

1. Boys and girls are different. There are certain body parts that are exclusive to boys and there are parts that only girls have. Basically, they are called the reproductive organs. And because they are still kids, these body parts are not yet fully developed. But as they begin to grow, several changes are expected. These changes are normal, and so there’s no need to be afraid.

2. Puberty is the start of adulthood. The changes are going to be apparent as one enters into puberty. The exact age of puberty cannot be determined as it varies from one person to another. Some kids enter into it as early as 8 years old. But generally, it happens between 10 to 12 years of age. At which point, the body suddenly grows very fast.

3. Basic Changes In Boys. Boys tend to grow 4 inches taller in a matter of just a year. And to complement this growth, their shoulders starts to widen and their bodies become a lot muscular as well. Their voice suddenly becomes deeper. Their genitals are enlarged too. Pubic hair will start to grow and mustache is expected. Boys would also experience spontaneous erections at this point.

4. Basic Changes in Girls. Girls will develop during puberty as well. Girls usually gain a little bit more weight and their hips starts to widen. Their breasts will begin to develop too. In two years time, girls are going to have their regular menstrual cycle. Girls, and boys too for that matter, will begin to notice acnes developing in their faces.

5. Emotional changes. Because hormones cause these changes, emotional changes are also anticipated. Emotional outbursts, confusion, the feeling of being sad and alone, very strong emotions, and mood changes all happen. These are but normal. But just the same, if any of these emotions seems to be out of proportion, it is always good to consult with a health professional.

Source: http://www.gii.in/sex_education/

Maasi Maham

Mahamaham is a South Indian Kumbamela festival celebrated every 12 years in a small temple-town called Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, India. Hindus consider taking a holy dip at the Mahamaham tank on the day of Mahamaham as sacred. The festival is celebrated at an interval of around eleven to twelve years. The festival takes place at a particular time as determined by astrological position: during the full moon of the Tamil month of Maasi (February-March) when the conjunction of the moon with the lunar asterism (Magha Nakshatra) and when Jupiter is in the constellation of Leo. The festival lasts for nine days. During this festival, lakhs of Hindu devotees come to Kumbakonam, and take bath in a tank named Mahamaham tank. Some of them instead of taking bath in the tank, sprinkle water from the tank on their bodies.

The festival was celeberated on February 2, 1968, March 1, 1980, February 22,1992. The last Mahamaham was celebrated on March 6, 2004, with people from various places taking the holy dip in the Mahamaham tank. The next Mahamaham will be celebrated in the year 2016.

A R Rahman - Got two Oscar Awards

Allah Rakha Rahman born on January 6, 1967 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India as A. S. Dileep Kumar. His film scoring career began in the early 1990s. He has won eight Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe and two Academy Awards. He is the first Indian to win two Oscars.

Working in India's various film industries, international cinema and theatre, by 2003, Rahman, in a career spanning over a decade, has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide, and sold over 200 million cassettes making him one of the world's all-time top selling recording artists.

Time Magazine has referred to him as the "Mozart of Madras" and several Tamil commentators have coined him the nickname Isai Puyal.