Highway Learning:

Learning is not something limited to class rooms only. The seekers of information go all out to satisfy their curiosity. The answer to this problem is the highway which will give access to unlimited information, anytime, anywhere. The task before the authorities lies in putting this technology to use to improve education.

Corporations are reinventing the flexible opportunities afforded by the information technology. Class rooms have to change aswell.The need pattern differs from student to student when it comes to learning. Individuals understand the world differently. The high way's tools will make it easy to try various methods. Multimedia documents and easy- to -use authoring tools will enable teachers ' to mass customize ' a curriculum. a student can enjoy the custom fit of a tailor made education at mass-production price.

There should be no fear that technology will replace teachers.The highway will bring together the best work of teachers and authors for everyone to share. Committed teachers, creative administrators, involved parents,and diligent students will make the learning thru' the highway a mutually rewarding experience. Less fortunate who find it difficult financially to attend best schools will also be benefited. Initial investments are necessary in schools to bring the highway education into force. Educational software will become affordable when purchased in quantity. The cost of computer hardware will become cheaper for the same reason.

The interaction between students and teachers will get focused in problem solving and just not in teaching alone. The students will bring information to teachers thru' the highway and it is for the teachers to decide which information is relevant to the syllabus and for the learning process. Biological information is the most important information we can discover. Human DNA is like a computer program far advanced than any software created. The network will help teachers and students to share the learning material.

It is hard for a teacher to prepare in-depth , interesting material for say 25 students in a class room, 6 hours a day, 200days in a year. A science teacher can not describe a sun or a solar system pictorially where as she can answer a students' curiosity using animated graphics or by calling a video on fusion energy or solar flares or sunspots to the white board.

Kids and computers get along just great." What happens if I click here?" - keeps the curiosity high.

" WHERE LIES THE VIRUS " ?

Today's paper carries a news which is certainly not palatable.It says "CITY'S GROUND WATER UNSAFE - A Bottle of Water contains 70 mg of nitrate.Boiling will not help - You must not drink this water or use it for cooking "

It will not be any way wrong if we don't know about nitrate content or for that matter anything about water. Can anyone venture to say that he does not know himself ? May be that he may not know, metals, water, empathy, music ..., but he can not claim that there is no necessity to know about himself. Knowing oneself will help to know others. The intrigue of humanrelationship is assuming bigger proportions as we have to deal with more population today.

House is not a matter, but the owner of the house matters.Thoughts are common. But the man who thinks raises the problem. A surgeon has to investigate that part of the body where the surgical procedure needs to be undertaken. He need not investigate the other parts of the body. Similarly all the thoughts that arise in our mind do not pose the problem.

But the " I " thought creates the problem. The body is not afraid of old age, pain ,death etc., but it is the 'I' who is afraid of. A person may like a red rose because he must have received it from his fiancé first. Another person dislikes red rose due to a different association of thoughts. A rose is a rose is a rose, there is nothing wrong about it. But the thoughts of a person about the rose happens to relate to some bitter or pleasant thoughts. Similarly we may not know about the chemistry of water. But it is necessary to know oneself.

The mind or thoughts govern one's actions. One should not start eating whatever the " I " desire. The diet has to be based upon the energy levels/requirements of the body. A smoker craves for more means that he is imposing hardship to his body or for himself. Another example can be quoted. A rich man acquires a ' Innova' car which is run on diesel. He, being rich, feels he should not use cheap fuel as diesel and starts using high tech petrol instead. What it will result ?. The car will stop its movement on the way. The rich man may get stranded in a desert like situation. The rich man does not want to eat what a poor man eats. So if he consumes a rich diet in line with his wealth, who is endangering whom ?

Where lies the ' virus ' ? The wrong food habits are the culprit. Similarly ' anger ' , ' hatred ', ' prejudice ', ... are not caused by external viruses. The ' I ' thought is most often the culprit. We always resort to advise others, quote " paropadesa pandithya " in Sanskrit.

Are we born with any good or bad habit? In a ' pulling the rope ' contest, the side which is stronger pulls the weaker side. Similarly, a man who is habituated to smoking or drinking.. is inferior than that object. Anger, hatred, prejudices pull us always downwards. A man's will power should prove to be more stronger than the feelings. Beggars can not be choosers.Slaves can own neither. We can feel the self totally when the '' I " thought comes under control. It is common to see people who acted in their own way in the heydays, start repenting for the misdeeds when the balance sheet starts reading ' unhealthy '.

The origin for every action is our thinking. We assign certain things as easy or difficult because of popular opinions. For instance, " Reaching Everest is a Himalayan task " happens to be a popular or established opinion. If one thinks that he can not reach Everest, there is no problem and he need not venture into this. We are free in this democratic world whether we like it or not. let us understand ourselves better using this right of freedom. Let's harness the thoughts in the right direction. GOD will enter our heart.

Visiting Temples Down South

1.0 When we go places, most often, we assign importance to visiting the shrines nearby and around. My recent Tuticorin trip which began on 28-01-2007(Day1-Sunday) by Mysore-Tuticorin Express, was to spend sometime with Babu, my younger brother , who is all set to bid good bye to the place after retiring from work last month. The idea to visit Tuticorin was also promoted as there was an invitation from him to visit 'Navathirupathi Temples' situated on the banks of Tamiraparani river which are well known among the 108 'Divya Deasams' and whose "Mangalasanams" are sung and endorsed by Nammalwar. Neela, my elder sister and Sekar my younger brother, both from Chennai, also arrived Tutiorin with the same intention. A time-table was prepared by all of us to make the most use of the precious time at our disposal. I have pleasure in sharing the experience we gained thru' these pages:-

2.0 Day 2 (29-01-2007- Somavaram) - Kovilpatti was the first place of visit,a place where I was born in 1943 but not visited so far though I used to pass thru' in a vehicle when I was going to places closeby.. Sri Chenbagavalli Amman is the presiding Goddess and the standing posture with full of grace was a satisfying sight to see again and again. It was "saya-rakshai'(Sandhya or twilight) time best suited for dharsan. We had dharsan next at the Siva Shrine the god residing there is known by the name
"Poo-Vana Nathar". There is another Perumal Kovil behind this temple by name Govindaraja Perumal which we visited before returning home late in the evening.

3.0 Day 3 (30-01-2007- Tuesday) - Nanguneri & Tirunelveli :- Less than two hours journey from Tuticorin in the Nagarkoil route, Nanguneri is situated where Thothathiri Nathan also known as Vanamamalai is the presiding deity.The kshethram is one of the 108 Divya Desams. Daily the deity is bathed in liters of oil and there is an oil well, where oil used for the abhishekam gets stored. The oil cures ills when applied to the body.

In Tirunelveli Nellaiappar is the main deity and Kanthimathi is Ambal's name. Nellai is the short name for the town. We went to the original Tirunelveli Halwa Shop where non-stop sale of halwa was going on . We have to wait in the 'Q' and luckily before the 'sold-out' sign board was hung, we bought a kg. of the mouth - watering & fresh,tasty halwa .

4.0 Day 4 (31-01-2007-Wednesday) - Thiruchendur & NavaThirupathis :- Since Nava thirupathi Temples are open upto 12 Noon only , we started the day @ 5A.M. itself with an objective to complete the day's schedule. Thaipoosam was on 1st Feb and hence fearing rush , we chose to visit Thiruchendur first. We reached the sea shore @ 6:30 a.m. where the waves sing back and forth in praise of "Senthil Andavar'' . Thai-Poosam rush was seen one day in advance and we were lucky to enter Special Dharsan -Q and were seated just infront of "Senthil Andavar".

We began the tour of NavaThirupathi at 8a.m. itself. Each place is linked to one of the 'Navagraham',
. The first place of visit was
(i) 'Thirupperai'-the Deity being "Makara Nedung Kuzhaikathar"- it is also
known as Sukra-Kshethram. Sukra and Varuna did penance here and God relieved Varuna from a curse. Sukran (rasi) is incharge of rains & Varuna is the rain god..
(ii) ' Thirukkolur ' is linked to "Angaraha' where the Moolavar is ' Vaiththamaanidhi".
According to 'sthala- purana', Kubera lost one of his eyes, wealth and figure due to his misdeed and came to 'Thirukkolur ' and did severe penance. Lord Narayana relieved him partly from the curse and gave him half portion of the wealth and told him that those devotees who worship there will beget wealth. The lord is in 'AnanthaSayanam' posture and VaithamaaNidhi means the treasurer of Navanidhis or wealth.
(iii)In "AzhwarThirunagari", moolavar is "Aadhinadhar"and this is also known as 'Guru" Kshethram. Once Brahma askedfor a suitable place on Earth to do penance for invoking Narayana's blessings, and the latter referred Brahma to 'Azhwar Thirunagari".'Adhinadhar' gets the name as HE became guru to Brahma at this place. Hence the place is linked to "Guru' graham.
(iv)"Erattai (Twin) Thirupathi" gets the name as the place was enshrined by "Aswini Devas" who are twins.Aswini Devas were not getting their share of "Havir Bagham"and prayed to Narayana. They were asked to worship ''Devarpiran" in Erattai Thrupathi. A devotee by name "Subrabur" plucked lotus flowers for daily worship of."Aravindhalochanar" and one day he couldn't do so due to floods. "Devarpiran" appeared infront of him and accepted the devotee's worship. The devotee is also known as 'Aravindalochar".Aswini Devas also followed worshipping the Lord by Lotus flowers and obtained ''Havir bagam" form the Rishis who were performing severe penance. The pond here is known as 'Aswini Theertham" and the water removes all ills. The place is linked to "Kethu" graham.
(v)Another Erattai Thirupathi is close by and is linked to 'Rahu' Graham. "Devarpiran" is the moolavar.
Subrabur came to this place to do penance and found one bow and arrow on the ground. When he happened to touch them, they got transformed into a man and a woman. They were originally Devas and were cursed by Kubera. They got emancipation at this place. This place is also where DEVAS including Indra, the Lord of the Earth, Varuna, the Lord of Water and Vayu, the lord of wind, were blessed by Narayana by HIS Nirmalya Darshan. The deity took the name on account of this episode as "Devar Piran".
(vi)"Thirupulingudi" is linked to 'Budhan' graham. "Bhoomi Palagar" is the moolavar.
Once BhoomaDevi became angry that she was not being given equal importance as Lakshmi and disappeared to ''Patala Lokam" with the result the Bhoomi became dry and utter dark. Thirumal assured BhoomaDevi of equal respect and brought her back from Patala. He thus saved Bhoomi and gets the name as "Bhoomi Palagar".Indra also got moksham from "brahmahathi dosham" by taking bath in this place. The deity is in Ananthasayanam posture upon Adhisesha. The 'Pada" darshan of the Lord, can be had thru' a window when we come around the praharm. The connecting thread from the nabhi of Perumal to the Lotus where Brahma is seated can be seen when having darshan of the Moolavar.

(vii) In Perungulam , the deity is Venkatavanan and is linked to 'Sani' graham.
Kamalavathi wished to marry the Lord of Perungulam and the lord came before her and bore her in His heart. Kamalavathi's mother was captured by a demon in protest who kept her in captivity. The lord waged a war seated on Garuda and retrieved her. The deity is also known as "Mayakoothan". The Garuda who helped the lord in the battle is given equal status in the sanctum sanctorum.

(viii)Naththam or Shri Varaguna Mangai where the deity is "Vijayaasanar" is linked to Chandra graham. Lord Narayanaadvised a devotee by name " Vedavi '' to worship HIM in the Sri Varagunamangai by a mantra 'Asanathai". The deity gets the name "Vijayaasanar" after this episode.
(ix) SriVaikuntam, when we entered this 9th Navathirupathi Temple, though it was nearing 12N, we were allowed inside.After we had darshan, the temple was closed. Srivaikuntam is linked to Surya graham.and the Lord is Vaikuntanathan, Uthsavar is "Kallarpiran". Brahma lost the secret Grantham of creativity, in the Pralaya kalam and did penance in Srivaikuntam to retrieve it from the clutches of a demon who stole it. Thirumal gave darshan to Brahma and got back the secret Grantham. Here the deity was installed by Brahma as Vaikuntanathan.The temple went underground once. The Pandya King happened to notice a cow showering milk at a barren place. The king ordered the place to be dug open and was surprised to see the temple
underneath.In this Temple The Sun God's rays fall at the feet of the Lord twice a year once on 6th day of Chitrai and again on the 6th day of Tula month. Another interesting story is linked to Srivaikuntam. A thief by name, 'Kaladhooshakan' used to go for stealing only after worshipping Vaikuntanathan and later deposit a part of what he stole to the Lord and another part to the needy public everyday. As saying goes, every thief gets caught oneday or the other, Kaladhooshan was also caught red-handed. The thief surrendered to God and told "Kallarpiran" that HE too was a party in the theft. Kallapiran appeared before the King and advised him to look after the needy public whom the king was neglecting. The Lord gets the name from the King as "Kallar Piran". The sculptor pinched Lord's cheek as he was drawn by the beauty of the deity and today also while having darshan of the deity Kallarpiran, the devotees can see the mark made by the sculptor.
We were satisfied that we were able to have dharsan at all the Nava Thirupathis as planned, besides seeing Thiruchendur first in the morning.

5.0 Day 5 (01-02-2007- Thursday) : We had some work to perform in the morning and hence started the journey @ 3p.m.after rahukalam. The first place we reached was SRIVILLIPUTHUR @4.30p.m.Srivilliputhur Station is between Tenkasi and Virudhunagar. The Lord is Vadapathra Sayi ( RangaMannar), Bhujangasayanam. Aandal Kodhai or Choodikkodutha Nachiyar worships the Lord here. The tower of the Temple looks majestic and a treat to behold . This has been adopted as a symbol by Tamil Nadu govt.

We continued the journey from Villiputhur to Sankarankovil where the Moolavar is " Sankara Narayana ", Sankara and Narayana are in 'ArdhaNariswara' form here. The icons for Sankara can be seen on one side and of narayana on the other side. Hari and Haran are one and the same and what matters is dedication and devotion.As we have to pass thru' Kovilpatti in the return path, we took a chance to go to shri Chenbagavalli Amman Temple at 9.40p.m. To our luck the temple was open on account of Thai-Poosam that day. Lord Subramanya was well decorated and wa seated in the palanquin. We were all at smiles as our attempt late in the night to visit the temple proved fruitful. We also got 'Sundal prasadam' in the temple.We returned to Tuticorin after worshipping at Srivilliputhur, Sankaran kovil and at Kovilpatti and the clock showed that it was exactly 11p.m., as we entered home.

6.0 Day 6 (02-02-2007-Friday) ; RAMESWARM-Ramanatha Swamy. We reached Rameswaram by 3p.m. and took a lodge in the guest house run by Bajrangadas Seva Trust which is located infront of kanchi Sankar Mutt. We had the view of The Bay Of Bengal just infront of the guest house on 'Sannadhi Street'.. We worshipped Siva which was brought by Anjaneya .We also had darshan of the main deity Ramanatha Swamy made of sand by Sita Piratti and worshipped by Rama . That day being "Thai Vellikizhamai we also performed archani at Gomathi Amman sannidhi.

7.0 Day 7 ( 03-02-2007-Saturday) : - We had bath early in the morning in the sea, followed by bath in 22 wells adjunct to the temple. One Sastrigal by name Sri Parvatha Rajan, 24 New street, South Gopuram Ph.04573-222532 made arrangements for bathing in the sea and in 22 wells. I had taken the reference from Sankara Mutt at Bangalore . Another reference I had was to meet Anandapadmanabha Vadyar at Sankar Mutt in Rameswaram but he was not available when I enquired.

We had darshan again at Ramanatha Swamy Temple after the bath. We then left for Dhanushkoti for sight seeing and for purchasing Valamburi Shanka. We also utilized the opportunity to visit PRESIDENT ABDUL KALAM'S HOUSE. PRESIDENT'S ELDER BROTHER ,also Kalam, by name, welcomed us and we had the honor of taking a photograph of the house along with the elder Kalam . We then started the journey to Madurai.
Madurai - we reached by 4p.m.and had darshan of Meenaksi Amman and Sundareswarar. The tourist rush, now-a- days, is very high in the temple. We went by the special entry in both the Sannadhis and had good darshan.

8.0 Day ( 04-02-2007-Sunday) : We had darshan in F.N. at Azhagar Malai -of Pazhamudhicholai Murugan along with HIS consorts Valli & Daivanai. There in the hill exists a perennial water flow called "NUBURA GANGAI" - water gushing thru' a passage over thousands of years non-stop,' a sight to see'. We then visited Govindaraja Perumal temple in the hill, also Karuppanna Swamy, the guarding deity of the 18th step.In the after noon, we left for Pillaiyarpatti . Ganesha is in a majestic form here. we had special darshan at close quarters.

9.0 Day 9 (05-02-2007-Monday) : I did not get accommodation in the night train leaving Madurai on 04-02-2007. Others left for their respective destinations. However I had earlier reserved a confirmed berth in Mysore Express leaving Madurai on 5th Feb. night.
In the morning I vacated the lodge at Madurai and boarded a bus leaving for Palani at 6.30a.m. itself. In Palani also the rush was heavy after Thai Poosam. Luckily I managed to get the entry in the special Q on payment and had darshan of Palani Aandavar by 11a.m. I returned @3.30 p.m. to Madurai and had lunch. I had skipped the b/f earlier with the intention take the earliest bus to Palani. I had enough time at my disposal as Mysore Express was to leave only @8p.m. I left for Thiruparankundram temple at 4p.m. There are 5 Deities Subramanya with his consort Daivaanai, Ganesa, Siva, Durga and Narayana - all beautifully carved in stone in the cave temple.
I came to the Madurai Railway Station straight from Thruparankundram, collected my baggage from the cloak room, and boarded Mysore Express for Bangalore at 8p.m.

10.0 Day 10 (06-02-2007-Tuesday) : The Mysore Express was on time and I reached home by a prepaid Auto.
I have pleasure in presenting the details to all , as when Joy is shared , it gets doubled. I have included certain specific details and also ' sthalapuranam' which I had collected with a view that it might be of use for reference at a future date. I chose to write the text in a narrative form and at certain places in a story telling manner in order to deliver the message.

Regards.

The Pancha Bhoothas

The Pancha Bhoothas:-

1.0 The Good Earth, Water, Fire, Air, The Akash are the Five Elements that form the Nature. It can also be said that Nature can be divided into the Five basic or core Elements. In a similar manner Properties can be classified into Sound, Touch, Sight, Substance (Taste), and Smell. Let's next look at the Five Elements vs. Five Properties.

2.0 The Earth is said to possess all the five properties. The Sound waves exist in the Earth. You can touch the Earth and feel the surface to be smooth or rough or inclined.The earth surface has a shape that can be looked at. It has substance and Smell.

3.0 Where as Water possesses four properties only. It has no smell. ( I don't refer here the Corporation Water pl.) .

4.0 Fire can create noise, if you dare to touch it, it can burn your finger. You can 'see' fire burning.

5.0 Air or when the wind blows it can make the sound. You can also feel the wind when it caresses you. But Air has no figure or shape.

6.0 The Akash has one property only that is it can make '' Sound''

In a nut shell, the Earth has five properties, the Water four, Fire three, the Air two, and the Akash one .

The Almighty surrounds all the five elements and exhibit the five properties also. Earth or the PRITHIVI kshethram is in Varanasi where Lord Viswanath resides. In Thiruvanaikaval, Jambukeswarar resides immersed in Water. Arunachaleswarar is in Jyothis -Swaroopam in Thiruvannamalai. The lord is in Vayus swaroopam in Kalahasthi. The sanctum sanctorum is 'Akash" in Chidambaram and Lord Nataraja's feet is lifted sky bound in a dancing posture.

The Pancha Bhoothas or the five sensory elements of a human being are, the Body comprising the anatomy; the ear that can hear, the nose that can smell, the eyes that can see and water all thru'. besides the body can sense the touch feelings and the tastebuds in the tongue can relish or condemn a taste. All the sensory organs in the body have holes and the body is often compared to a BAG filled with air.

what distinguishes a man from the rest is his intellect- the power of visualization and imaginations. This logic sense is a great asset god has given to humans and to nobody else. How we live depends how wise we make use of this power and how well we polish our intellect. A person can choose a particular field depending upon his aptitude and specialize for his lively hood and for rendering service to humanity.