Job Scheme

The State of Tamil Nadu has been criticised for the slow utilisation of funds regarding the development of job schemes in six districts; Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Sivaganga, Villupuram, Nagapattinam and Dindigul.

The funds are allotted by the Union Ministry of Rural Development under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Of the Rs.98.89 crore (USD 22 million) released to Tamil Nadu, only 5% has been spent and the State has been asked to improve its performance as Tamil Nadu has the slowest fund utilisation out of all Indian States.

Not much financial support comes to the agricultural areas of Tamil Nadu; so when it does come it would be nice if the Mandarins in charge make sure it goes quickly to where its supposed to go!

Snug

Arunachala might be an extraordinary spiritual catalyst for some but just about everybody one speaks to (at Tiruvannamalai) is aware that there is something special about the place. That there is a quality of peace here that one doesn't feel anywhere else. But as well as that acknowledgement of peace who knows what else is going on deep within the consciousness? Martin Gray believes that,

'... power places exercise, among their various energetic functions, the ability to assist people in the awakening and stimulation of spiritual consciousness. They are places where a 'wake-up call' to deep spiritual and ecological awareness might most clearly be heard.'

The energy is immensely powerful but very subtle and continues permeating on deeper and deeper levels. It is not the electrifying energetic shakti one experiencing when meeting a powerful Saint; its more like falling into a bed of soft cotton wool. It hugs and it holds, but softly, non-invasively, gently. It contains and gathers up and feels like some gigantic spiritual girdle. All held in snugly!

Information

The Tamil Nadu Chief Information Commisioner spoke about the 'Right to Information Act' at a meeting held in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai District this week:

"The Public cannot be denied information about the Government's development programmes."

He continued with saying that the Media should spread awareness about the Information Act to enable members of the community to understand that they have a right of information. The Information Act also requires that all submitted requests to heads of various Government Departments have to be attended to within a stipulated time of 30 days.

Reforestation

Species Selection and Planting Techniques for Arunachala Greening.

I am including an interesting extract from a narrative Govinda Bowley wrote for our Arunachala Grace News, October issue. As the Founder of the Mountain of Medicine and the newly appointed Secretary of the Arunchala Reforestation Society, Govinda is well-informed about the current greening situation on Arunachala.

'The earliest efforts made toward greening Arunachala had included some exotic species, as well as others that while native to India, would not naturally be found in this locality. It is my feeling that even leaving aside the various arguments regarding alien species, the simple point is that the forests of this area are so species rich, so interesting and so beautiful, that there is no impulse to look outside such a treasure trove when reforesting the Holy Mountain. I also believe that from a purely pragmatic viewpoint, the survival rate of local species will on the whole be better, though this is of course not always the case.

There is a common perception regarding the 'forests' of Mount Arunachala: that there are no such thing as 'forests' and the slopes of the Hill are basically barren, rocks with a few thorn bushes here and there, and only wild lemon grass covering what little soil there is. This couldn't be further from the truth. While it is true that there is almost nowhere a closed canopy of old forest, pockets of stunted remnant vegetation survive all over the Hill, and most promisingly, there is also a natural regeneration taking place everywhere. It is by observing closely these remnant pockets and the fresh re-growth that we can best learn what will be the most appropriate species to plant. It is also valuable to visit nearby forests that remain somewhat pristine, in order to garner more information regarding appropriate species. These visits are also very rewarding for the project staff, giving them the experience of being in true forest and a feeling for where we are heading in our work.'

[Govinda Bowley]
Arunachala Grace News, October Issue
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Indian Rules

Rules Of The Road:

Indian Style

I seem to have been mentioning Tiruvannamalai roads a lot with postings on the rotation of tyres on trucks, our new town Traffic Signals, electric scooters and the sad plight of working animals being made to tackle the frightening traffic congestion of downtown.

As small as Tiruvannamalai is, believe me it gets dangerous on the roads. So read these Rules of the Road and realise what may seem satirical is actually quite literal on the roads of South India.If I find out who wrote them I will let you know; but it wasn't me!

Travelling on Indian Roads is an almost hallucinatory potion of sound, spectacle and experience. It is frequently heart-rending, sometimes hilarious, mostly exhilarating, always unforgettable and, when you are on the roads, extremely dangerous.

Most Indian road users observe a version of the Highway Code based on a Sanskrit text. These 12 rules of the Indian road are published for the first time in English AND PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS A SATIRE NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!:

ARTICLE I: The assumption of immortality is required of all road users.

ARTICLE II: Indian traffic, like Indian society, is structured on a strict caste system. The following precedence must be accorded at all times. In descending order, give way to:

Cows, elephants, heavy trucks, buses, official cars, camels, light trucks, buffalo, jeeps, ox-carts, private cars, motorcycles, scooters, auto-rickshaws, pigs, pedal rickshaws, goats, bicycles (goods-carrying), handcarts, bicycles (passenger-carrying), dogs, pedestrians.

ARTICLE III: All wheeled vehicles shall be driven in accordance with the maxim: To slow is to falter, to brake is to fail, to stop is defeat. This is the Indian drivers' mantra.

ARTICLE IV: Use of horn (also known as the sonic fender or aural amulet):

Cars (IV, 1, a-c):
Short blasts (urgent) indicate supremacy, i.e. in clearing dogs, rickshaws and pedestrians from path.

Long blasts (desperate) denote supplication, i.e. to oncoming truck: "I am going too fast to stop, so unless you slow down we shall both die". In extreme cases this may be accompanied by flashing of headlights (frantic).

Single blast (casual) means: "I have seen someone out of India's 1 billion whom I recognise". "There is a bird in the road (which at this speed could go through my windscreen)." or "I have not blown my horn for several minutes."

Trucks and buses (IV, 2, a):
All horn signals have the same meaning, viz: "I have an all-up weight of approximately 12.5 tons and have no intention of stopping, even if I could." This signal may be emphasised by the use of headlamps.

ARTICLE IV: Remains subject to the provision of Order of Precedence in Article II above.

ARTICLE V: All manoeuvers, use of horn and evasive action shall be left until the last possible moment.

ARTICLE VI: In the absence of seat belts (which there is), car occupants shall wear garlands of marigolds. These should be kept fastened at all times.

ARTICLE VII: Rights of way: Traffic entering a road from the left has priority. So has traffic from the right, and also traffic in the middle

Lane discipline (VII, 1): All Indian traffic at all times and irrespective of direction of travel shall occupy the centre of the road.

ARTICLE VIII: Roundabouts: India has no roundabouts. Apparent traffic islands in the middle of crossroads have no traffic management function. Any other impression should be ignored.

ARTICLE IX: Overtaking is mandatory. Every moving vehicle is required to overtake every other moving vehicle, irrespective of whether it has just overtaken you. Overtaking should only be undertaken in suitable conditions, such as in the face of oncoming traffic, on blind bends, at junctions and in the middle of villages/city centres. Not more than two inches should be allowed between your vehicle and the one you are passing,and one inch in the case of bicycles or pedestrians.

ARTICLE X: Nirvana may be obtained through the head-on crash.

ARTICLE XI: Reversing: No longer applicable since no vehicle in India uses reverse gear.

Asta Lingams

Moopanar Swami came to Arunachala from Tiruveneli around 1968 and became very well known throughout the Arunachala area. He was a devout, spiritual man who placed great emphasis on spiritual service. When he arrived at Arunachala, things were rather different to the present time and what particularly distressed Moopanar Swami was the dreadful, neglected condition of the Asta Lingams (8 Lingams) that surrounded Arunachala. Moopanar Swami used to spend a lot of time meditating and praying at the big Temple and he eventually came to believe that his mission directly imposed by Arunachaleswarar was to renovate the Asta Lingams.

He was convinced that the restoration of the Lingam Shrines was essential to the revitalisation of specific fields of energy and influence surrounding the Hill. Through a combination of various social reasons, over the last few centuries Temples and Shrines throughout India had fallen into disuse and decay. This certainly occurred at Tiruvannamalai where the situation had become so bad that The Asta Lingams were even taken over by squatters and homesteaders. It is said that Moopanar Swami would even resort to driving the squatters off the Lingam premises with a stick!

The Hill which is octagonal in shape is surrounded by a total of 8 Lingam Temples (Asta Lingams). Each of these Temples are located at the four cardinal and four inter-cardinal points. This was also believed by the ancients who originally constructed the Lingams at their 8 cardinal and inter-cardinal points to represent, characterise and vitalise certain aspects and qualities of life, namely:

East, Indra Lingam, Sun
South East, Agni Lingam, Fire
South, Yama Lingam, Death
South West, Niruthi Lingam, Growth
West, Varuna Lingam, Rain
Northwest, Vayu Lingam, Air
North, Kubera Lingam, Wealth
North East, Easanya Lingam, Peace

Restoration of the actual Asta Lingams is now complete; although development of land attached to the Lingams still continues. Many people believe that the revitalisation of the Lingams is in some way responsible to the sudden revival of interest in Arunachala. It certainly is a fascinating coincidence!

Silk Dyeing

The setting up of a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in Arni, Tiruvannamalai District has now been completed. The plant, which will treat effluents from dyeing units of Arni Silk Weavers Co-operative Societies, will use reverse osmosis technology. Eventually private dyers will also be able to use the facilities of the CETP.

Arni is famous for its silk-weaving community and the bulk of India's silk apparels are produced in this area. The town is also well known for its rice business and there are around 200 modern rice mills in the town. Arni is in fact the number one in revenue earning in the Tiruvannamalai District.

CETP which adopts a zero percent discharge method is capable of dyeing 200 kgs of yarn every day using 5,000 litres of water. Out of this 2,000 litres will be evaporated with the help of solar panels and the rest reused in the dyeing process.

The construction of CETP will only marginally reduce the amount of effluents that will be let into the irrigation tank. Solid residue of the treatment plant are to be placed in a cement tank constructed above surface level. Once the tank is full (after about 2 years) the collected solid wastes will be buried in a secured landfill.

Here is a sample of a very beautiful Arni silk sari costing Rs.13,400/- (US$ 300). Considering Tamil Nadu per capita income is Rs.16,000/-, the sari price is colossal. But most Indian ladies will own at least one and maybe even two or three high quality silk saris in their lifetime. Talk about getting your priorities right!

The ladies like to dress up in India. If you go to any airport in this country and wait for incoming flights you will notice that the Indian ladies with their beautiful saris, fresh flowers and ubiquitous gold chains and bangles look like a million dollars. Ironically when International passengers disembark it is the visitors with their casual grunge of sneakers, worn in jeans, t-shirts and back packs that look like the needy ones in the equation. Such curious irony!

Wood Apple (2)

Thanks to Divya for sending news of a link with information about the Elephant Apple mentioned in this Blog, September 17. The following information comes from a compilation by Prof KN Rao and includes a good photograph of the fruit:

"Also called elephant apple and monkey fruit, wood apple is vilampazham. It used to go by the botanical name Feronia elephantum but today it has a new botanical name: Limonia acidissima.

After the rains, the trunk and branches give off a gum called 'Feronia gum' which counteracts diarrhoea, dysentery and diabetes.

Now to the question: Why elephant apple? In fact, the older botanical name indicates the elephant connection in that the specific name is 'elephantum'. Undoubtedly, elephants are fond of the fruit. For an animal that wholly survives on plant parts, including the bark of several trees, it is not a surprise that elephants are especially attracted to this fruit.

There is more to it than the mere fondness which the elephants have for this fruit. The rural folk believe that the digestive track of the animal has a peculiar capacity for digesting the inner contents of the fruit without in any manner affecting the fruit's woody rind. So, as the animal defecates, the fruit comes out looking as if it is whole."

Nithyananda

I was reading Jody's:

http://www.guruphiliac.blogspot.com report on Swami Nithyananda and found it fascinating because Swami is, one could say, a local lad. His family still live in an Indian old fashioned style home a short distance from the Big Temple. I recently also had a very interesting chat with my auto rickshaw driver about Nityananda's brother. You can never hide anything from your rickshaw driver! In France they say 'A woman only tells the truth to her priest and her hairdresser'. Well in India replace 'priest and hairdresser' with 'rickshaw driver'.

Anyhow it's really fascinating seeing how Westerners react to Indians. Definitely if you've got liquid brown eyes, an effulgent glowing skin and extreme good looks there is no way a budding Guru is not going to become popular with Western devotees.

A visiting Indian sadhaka talking to a group of Westerners said: 'You come to India, look at our Swamis and think they are very great and you are very small. What you don't understand is Indians have vasanas too, they are just different, so you don't recognise or identify them.' Profound and true words.

If you want to understand more about Guru Dynamics I recommend the brilliant book 'Holy Madness' by Georg Feurestein in which he investigates the relationship between Guru and Disciple and the reasons for our belief in the Guru system. Also continue reading Blogs like Guruphiliac that give insights and news about Gurus and the Guru system; a very good source of information!

House Title

Thousands took part in a Tiruvannamalai District rally demanding house pattas (Title). The rally began near the Anna Arch on the Vellore Road and the participants walked for three kms up to the Collectorate where they staged a demonstration.

They submitted individual applications for Land Title and House Title. Local politicians and representatives of the Farmers Association, Agricultural Labourers Association, and the All India Democratic Womens Association were among those who took part in the rally.

The demonstrators also sought restoration of Panchami lands (depressed classes land) to the Dalits and Title for those who lived in Poromboke Land (Government land no-one can lay claim thereto).

Mysticism

Pilgrimage may also be defined as exterior mysticism, while mysticism is internal pilgrimage.

[Martin Gray]

Minister's Visit

This week Minister MK Stalin (son of our current Tamil Nadu Chief Minister) visited Arunachala. During his visit, which was highly anticipated by his supporters, he laid the foundation stone for the Rs.29 crore underground drainage scheme at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School. This new drainage system is also a part of the Urban Renewal of Tiruvannamalai City.

It was announced at an earlier meeting that underground drainage schemes would be extended to three other Municipalities in the District.

In addition to the above, information was also given regarding a scheme to impart computer education to rural people. The scheme has already been implemented in seven villages with the installation of 175 computers at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore.

Renovation

This Tank on the southside of Arunachala has been drained of water and is currently being cleaned and deepened under the Urban Renewal Plan of Tiruvannamalai City.

This Tank on the southside of Arunachala has been drained of water and is currently being cleaned and deepened under the Urban Renewal Plan of Tiruvannamalai City:

Scope of the project: The repair and renovation of Water Bodies.

'The number of water bodies considered to be holy, apart from having been useful to maintain the water table in the town till some years back, are now being completely polluted with mixing of sullage and sewage, besides being misused. In many of the tanks, major portion is encroached and water containment has become very much limited, which has resulted in constant depletion of ground water, apart from polluting the air, land and ground water. The soil erosion in the hills has resulted in silting and damage of the drainage network system, and in many of the roads, the drains are filled with silt and are completely choked.

The situation warrants a major intervention in order to improve the physical and natural environment of the town. A correction in development in the form of Urban Renewal is a basic requisite to enhance the living conditions of the people and to provide a conducive atmosphere for worship and pilgrimage.'

Reforestation

Great photo taken from Chengam Road southside of the Hill. One can see the growth of lots of trees on Arunachala planted as part of the reforestation programme. A very heartening sight for the Hill to be looking so green even before the rainy season starts!

Traffic Signals

Photograph of a new, alien visitor to Tiruvannamalai, traffic lights. We got our first set last year and unfortunately the Municipality have decided to get up-to-date and instal a few more. So here it is our new resident!

Arunachala in the background and traffic lights in the foreground. Fortunately we don't have to tolerate this new addition to Tiruvannamalai living all day long, as the total of 3 sets of traffic signals in Town are only turned on between 6-9 p.m. And we don't have traffic meters (yet) either!

Cement Pour

Many ladies do construction work and contractors like hiring them because they can pay them less and control them more easily. The average lady construction labourer gets around Rs.60/- for a full day's work. Which is dreadful considering a litre of milk costs Rs.14/-, low quality rice Rs.20/- per kilo and a cheap pair of cheap rubber flip-flop sandals Rs.30/-. Unfortunately this kind of work also leads to serious health problems with back and internal organs.

This is a cement pour on the roof of a house under construction off the Perumbakkam Road, south of Arunachala. A small cement mixer, rotating at the back of the picture, is being fed by lines of ladies carrying stone, sand and cement in metal basins balanced on their heads.

The lady in the photograph seems to be swanning along effortlessly in her sari and tight blouse; don't buy into the facade, this is back breaking, soul crunching work. As always the young guys are the supervisers (in this instance watching the cement mixer) while the ladies are left to do the grunt work!

Charged Energy

The charged energy field in the general area of a power place has an invigorating effect upon the energy field of a human being and promotes a balanced, vital, and unobstructed flow of the body's own subtle energies.

... Power places assist the body in healing itself by stimulating the release of energy blocks and strengthening the internal energy flow.

[Martin Gray]

Research Centre

This is Dr. Manickam, Tiruvannamalai's Ayurvedic and Herbal Practitioner. I met with him a couple of days ago to gather information on some of the various local herbs he is working with for our next issue of Arunachala Grace News (subscription on left hand panel of this Blog). For news of his life and the Oliscevadi leaves (Palm Leaf Writings) he is holding in the above photograph please check out the June 23 posting on this Blog.

About four years ago Dr Manickam started up the 6 acre Ramana Herbal Plantation near Soarandhai Village located 12 kilometres from Arunachala. As well as growing most of the herbs he uses in his traditional herbal Ayurvedic treatments he has also established the Arunachala Research Centre for the purpose of developing herbal medicines for specific ailments.

Currently Dr Manickam is working on herbal ayurvedic treatments for: malaria, hepatitis, epilepsy, endro-colitis, jaundice, longtime fevers and ailments connected with immune system deficiency.

As mentioned above, this month's Newsletter will be carrying a report on Dr. Manickam's work. We will also be using our website www.arunachalasamudra.org to give in-depth reports about his work and its progress. The website is currently being redesigned but we expect to have a specific section of the site dedicated to Dr. Manickam's herbal work on-site within a couple of months.

Taos

In the early 1980's I was fortunate to spend a considerable amount of time at Taos, New Mexico. This was before the area started to become fashionable with airport, casino and creeping urbanisation. My house was about 20 miles north of the town and situated upon a Mesa on top of Arroyo Hondo. At the back was the Rio Grande River and at the front thousands of acres of open land and the Taos Mountains!

On the outskirts of Taos is the Taos Pueblo and one Christmas Day I went there to attend a Festival enacted by tribe members dressed in elaborate animal masks and costumes. The sky was violet, the air crisp and waiting for snow and the earth and adobe houses built upon it all shone with a translucent ochre light.

That Festival is open to non-tribals but there are other esoteric ceremonies performed that are concealed and secret. Behind the Pueblo nestled in the Taos Mountains is the sacred Blue Lake and oral tradition holds that the Taos tribe was created out of its sacred waters.

The Lake which is of historic importance and essential to Taos culture is the location for ceremonies which few non-tribals have ever witnessed. One writer compares the rituals of one particular 3-day ceremony to those witnessed in India conducted by Hindus and wondered if there was some anthropological link between the Pueblo Indians and the Hindus of India.

Whether or not that sort of link exists can only be conjecture, but for me Taos, with its mountains and mesas and profound sacredness is the only other spot other than Arunachala that I could truly say, 'satisfied my heart'. Even the dirt in both places looks the same!

zero

...You must be simple. You must be utterly naked in your consciousness. When you have reduced yourself to nothing; when your self has disappeared, when you have become nothing, then you are yourself God. The man who is nothing knows God, for God is nothing. Nothing is everything. Because I am nothing, I own everything.

[Yogaswami]

Taiwanese Shoe Company

Growth Link, a subsidiary of Feng-Tay, a Taiwanese shoe manufacturing Company who produce Nike shoes, propose setting up a Special Economic Zone and shoe manufacturing unit at Cheyyar, Tiruvannamalai district at an investment of 300 crores Rupees (66 million USD). The Company explained its reasons for choosing Cheyyar, Tamil Nadu as: geographical location, nearby port facilities and a proactive State Government.

An area of 275 acres have been allocated for the Special Economic Zone and once developed the Company will provide employment initially to 5,000 increasing to 15,000 people in due course.

Growth Link's production is anticipated to start by the beginning of 2008. Nearly 200,000 pieces of footwear are expected to be produced per month increasing to a million pieces (per month) within the next five years.

You can get a headache trying to keep track of all the outsourcing. An American Company outsources to a Taiwanese Company who then outsources to an Indian Company; now is there anywhere we can go from here? Its kind of scary to think Indian labour is so cheap that Taiwanese Companies are outsourcing here!

Independence

When I first arrived at Arunachala most of the Westerners coming on Pilgrimage seemed to be here as a result of their association with advaita and/or the sage Ramana Maharshi. But now everything is changing and it seems many Westerners are coming for Arunachala.

On arriving I stayed at Sri Seshadri Ashram and whilst there spent my time either at the samadhi of Sri Seshadri Swami or at Ramana Ashram. It wasn't until I left the Ramana Nagar area to live in the surrounding countryside that my access to Arunachala became more of a direct one and not one via someone else. And very happy I am too for the change.

'Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket'.
[Swami Chinmayananda]

Arunachala Venba

'It stands as an insentient Hill. Its action is mysterious past human understanding. From the age of innocence it had been within my mind that Arunachala was something of surpassing grandeur. .. . It drew me to it, stilling my mind . . . Thou dwellest in different religions under different names and forms . . . Thy unity permeates the diversity of beings and religions . . . nothing can keep the soul from returning to its Source . . . O Arunachala, Self, Ocean of Bliss.'

[Guru Namashivaya]

Wood Apple

Many of the fruits, foliage and herbs found around Arunachala, have medicinal and ayurvedic properties. In spite of what large drug Companies would like us to believe, most major life saving medicines are in fact derived from common and organic substances. Arunachala is replete with a profusion of such natural life enhancing fruit and foliage.

A tasty favourite with monkeys is the Wood apple, or Elephant apple (because the fruit resembles the skin of an elephant) commonly found on Arunachala Hill. The unripe fruit is considered to be a useful astringent in diarrhoea and dysentery, and the ripe fruit (which is edible) is prescribed for afflictions of the gums or throat. The fruit is called Dadhiphala in Sanskrit, as its taste is compared with that of Dadhi or coagulated milk. The leaves are aromatic and carminative.

The fruit is cold, dry, refreshing, astringent, cardiacal and tonic, and is a useful remedy in salivation and sore throat, strengthening gums and acting as an astringent. Sherbet made from the fruit increases appetite and has antidote properties.

The pulp applied externally is a remedy for bites of venomous insects; if the pulp is not available then the powdered rind of the fruit may be used. It is also prescribed to relieve bowel afflictions. The fruit when cultivated, reaches a diameter of approximately four inches. Rural folk pound the leaves with curds and apply the mixture to the whole body as a remedy for heat of blood supposed to be caused by bile.

Thus the Wood Apple is multi functional and effective, and this is but one small item of the many indigenous ones that are prevalent around the Hill. What a pity so much is being forgotten so quickly! More info on fruits and herbs to come.

Going Solo

Just look at us. Everything is backwards; everything is upside down. Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the major media destroy information and religions destroy spirituality.
[Michael Ellner]

One of the most important aspects of Arunachala, it's easy to go solo! Arunachala is the Guru and you don't need anything or anyone else while here. This sacred site has lured saints, sages and pilgrims since ancient times. The great ones among them (e.g. Ramana Maharshi and Seshadri Swami) always thought of themselves as Arunachala Devotees not Gurus. Ramana would say that one didn't even need to do meditation or prayers whilst staying at the Hill. That it was enough just to be here as even when asleep the power of Arunachala transforms and inspires.

Nowadays it's getting fashionable for Gurus and Satsang teachers from the West (and India) to come and set up their stall at Arunachala. Some like Sri Nannagaru are genuine but others are a total waste of time. So, don't be nervous to come without a group or teacher. This is a happy place to fly solo as it is the one place on earth where one can truly talk to God heart-to-heart without the necessity of a Guru (in form) to mediate with the Divine!

NABARD

Nearly 20 women self-help groups, identified by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), put up stalls at Kumaran Anugraha Marriage Hall, Chennai on Thursday September 14 at an exhibition which will run until September 23.

The ladies from Tiruvannamalai and other Districts, came with items from their native places. The goods range from a wide variety of jute products from Tiruvannamalai, soft toys, agarbathi (incense) and decorative items from Kancheepuram; saris from Madurai; fancy terracotta items and dolls from Villupuram and Dindigul; wood carvings from Sivaganga and quantities of pickles and spices from Namakkal and Yelagiri.

NABARD, spent Rs.109,000/- (US$2,400) to organise the display festival at Chennai. The Chief Manager of the Exhibition stated at the fair's inauguration that NABARD gives funding and a marketing platform at such Trade Festivals to women groups.

An organisation set up by a German group called Shantimalai Trust has been vigorous in establishing successful women self-help groups in the Tiruvannamalai District for over 20 years. Many of the self-help group items are exported to the U.S. and Europe and include: cotton bedding, quilts, clothes, embroidered saris, handmade paper, ethnic dolls, wood engravings etc. The products are of the highest quality and are sold in superior overseas outlets.

Anything to help empower women in this country is to be welcomed. Sadly this is still a chavinistic country where women are firmly pushed to the side or at least into the kitchen! If you travel about in the evenings through any village you will find the gents with their beedies and chai (homemade cigarette and tea) at the tea-stalls chatting outside while the ladies (including very young girls of 7 or 8) carry home huge pots of water from the village water pumps.

Even on constructions sites; it is the women who do the dirty, hard labour like breaking and carrying stones and sand, while men train and work in the more comfortable, highly paid spots i.e. plumber, carpenter. Sadly it is virtually impossible for a lady to break into training for such work.

Definitely life and opportunities have improved for woman in the Cities but not so in the villages; and after all India is still a country of a million villages!

Personal Sadhana

Such beauty, such inner magnetism, cannot be adequately explained or described. Arunachala may simply be, for some, the true inner pole of the Earth, as Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi so often asserted. Such devotional outpourings are reminiscent of the hymns of Prophet Isaiah in another context:

'Rejoice for Jerusalem and be glad for her
All you who loved her . . .
That you may suck and be satisfied
With her consoling breasts,
That you may drink deeply with delight
From the abundance of her glory.
For thus says the Lord:
Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river
And you shall suck, and you shall be carried upon her hip
And dandled upon her knees . . .'

One does indeed long to fill oneself, greedily and in great gulps, with the milk of loving-kindness, wisdom and enlightenment, from those stark stumpy paps of Arunachala, to be dandled upon those accommodating slopes and ravines, to allow the burdensome ego to dissolve into the bliss of its Oneness!

[Alasdair Black]

Cotton Mill

A newly-built AKCT Cidambaram cotton mill was recently opened at Mangalam village, Tiruvannamalai District. Which is very good news both for the industry and local employment, however one hopes stricter standards are observed to prevent nasty water pollution which is often the result of the cloth dyeing process.

Cotton prices and financial disincentives caused such a serious slump in the local industry that several mills were forced to shut down. However, a recent relaxation in taxes on power looms, handlooms and spinning mills and also the scrapping of excise duty in the industry have now successfully reversed the slump.

We love our cotton. People quickly learn that no matter how sheer or light-weight a man made fabric may be, nothing beats the comfort and coolness of cotton during the hot season. I remember one summer I insisted on wearing cotton-mixes (synthetic plus cotton) and ended up with dreadful heat boils on my face and body. When I went to the skin specialist the first thing she told me was, 'Wear cotton!'.

Thereafter I was a radar for noticing other peoples heat boils and I observed that in every single instance the person was wearing cotton-synthetic mix outfits. Wearing synthetics in India during the hot season is like going out in a plastic bag. So, if you are planning on coming please bring lots of cotton clothing, you will be glad you did!

I AM

My Name is I AM
(anonymous)

I was regretting the past and fearing the future.
Suddenly my Lord was speaking,
'My name is I AM'
He paused. I waited. He continued.
'When you live in the past with its mistakes
And regrets, it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I WAS.
When you live in the future with its problems
And fears, it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I WILL BE.
When you live in this moment, it is not hard.
I am here.
My name is
I AM.'

Monsoon preparations

Tiruvannamalai Municipality recently convened a District Disaster Management Committee to discuss precautionary measures to be taken to mitigate possible flood situations during the October-December Northeast monsoon season.

In this respect PWD officials were requested to prepare materials such as gunny bags, wooden logs and sand to repair possible breaches in water bodies. Public Health Officials have been requested to ensure the availability of sufficient quantities of medicines in the case of monsoon-related illnesses and fire and rescue service personnel have been asked to ensure such resources as rubber boats and ambulances are available throughout the monsoon period.

The Municipality also ordered that Control Rooms should operate round-the-clock in Tiruvannamalai Divisional Offices throughout the October-December Northeast monsoon season.

I can't remember the Monsoon season previously necessitating such extreme precautions as rubber boats; but maybe our local officials have decided to prepare for all contingencies! It certainly seems like the rainy season nowadays is much more rainy. Our big natural reservoir, Samudra Lake, overflowed last season with rainfall being the highest in the last 20 years.

Also parts of Tamil Nadu had so much rain and dampness, that the usual tropical fruits like banana and papaya rotted on their leaves and trees. Maybe soon the UK will be cultivating mangoes and we will be harvesting strawberries, yummy!

Update

Been having some blimps with my computer this week and have decided to get everything sorted out in one go hence am sending this from a local email facility while my own computer is at computer hospital getting a new Windows installation.

As to news on our Arunachala website:

www.arunachalasamudra.org we should should have the colours and formatting taken care of within the month. We are not taking the site down while we redesign, so please be patient with our interesting page colours, while the work proceeds.

After the Website facelift is complete, we will continue to develop the website to include an Inspiration and Information section, and hopefully make Arunachala more accessible to people that don't have a strong Hindu connection. Advaita and Hindu mythology are beautiful, enriching and fascinating principles BUT When all is said and done, sometimes it is easier to make a connection with the Divine using ones own tradition and history as the access point. In this respect this Blog welcomes any and all questions about Arunachala.

The Arunachala Grace Newsletter will be coming out at the end of this month so if any readers wish to sign on for their free subscription, please check out the left hand margin of this Blog for the Newsletter subscription sign-up.

Am currently preparing a new montage entitled Arunachala Friends, so if all goes well with the computer update, the new montage should be posted on this Blog within the next few days.

Operators!

I suppose there is a certain expectation that spiritual people, who supposedly dedicate their lives to spirituality, should perhaps be more expert in living with greater integration between thought-word-action. Unfortunately as well as Gurus sometimes turning out to be big disappointments, there are plenty of professional sadhakas who are a disgrace to their lineage. Here at Arunachala the professional sadhaka from the West is becoming a more frequent visitor - and with this upsurge of dedicated seeker, little stinkers are also beginning to turn up.

From my own experience I got cheated big-time by an American lady over a land arrangement here at Tiruvannamalai. She is a long term Sri Sathya Sai Baba devotee who has been living at Swami's Puttaparthi Ashram in Andhra Pradesh for over twenty years. So, I don't have much patience with listening to foreigners complaining about 'rogue' Indian dealers - from my own experience there are some rather dreadful foreign operators out there too!

I suppose it's like the saying, 'when a thief sees an Angel - all he notices is his pockets'. So even here at Arunachala the occasional stinker makes it through the radar - and instead of the Glory of Arunachala, all they can see is a different kind of opportunity!

Cola Protest

It was announced on Wednesday (September 6th), that The Federation of Tamil Nadu Traders Associations plan to observe October 2 as Pepsi-Coke Protest Day.

The Federation believes that the overseas Cola Companies have been encouraged by the Government to develop a monoply on the market via tax exemptions. The upcoming protest is also against the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) in Tamil Nadu, which the Federation believes will only give support to foreign companies opening up retail outlets in India.

I'm curious as to what is going to happen in the protests. More information as it happens.

Sadhu Bath

Being a Sadhu is not an easy life. Although there are several places available for daily sit down meals; like Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram, Sri Seshadri Ashram, takeaways at Ramana Maharshi Ashram and rice breakfasts at the Palakothu Tank, still there's not much chance of tea, coffee, fruit, biscuits, and the essential Sadhu prerequisite of biddies (home-rolled country style cigarettes). Also no nice bed and for most of them it's sleeping rough in the open and taking very publics bath at one of the many water tanks dotted around Tiruvannamalai.

A lot of these sadhus were in fact regular people like teachers, government bureaucrats or railway workers who on retirement decided to take up the life of itinerant sadhu. This is very much in line with the Hindu tradition that sets out the four stages of a person's life; student, householder, solitary, sannyasa (renunciant).

It must be very difficult at a late age, after a lifetime of the usual comforts, to give it all up and live on the streets, sleep on the roads, beg for your food and have to put up with abuse from harsh foreigners; who invariably whine, 'Well, if you're a sadhu; why do you need money?' Such nagging folk should definitely NOT be allowed to leave their homeland under any circumstances!

Looking Good!

Each full moon there is scurry of activity all around the mountain with hordes of merchants coming into town with their array of various bric-a-brac, fortune telling robots, green coconuts, holy pictures and books, fruit stands, candyfloss wagons and all the rest of the paraphernalia.

It's all for the crowds of Pilgrims who come to Arunachala specifically to do Poornima (full moon) pradakshina. Shrines around the Hill are given a special smarten-up, are beautifully garlanded and readied for a lot of admiring looks from devout, pious pilgrims. This nice Lingam shrine is a small, rather insignificant one; but for Poornima, definitely done up to the nines, and capable of stopping anyone in their tracks!

Arunachala News

This month we have started posting Arunachala narratives and photographs on a new Blog www.arunachalanews.com which we are authoring on behalf of a U.K. Company, Syntagma Media. We certainly hope our information reaches an audience through Syntagma Media that would not otherwise have the opportunity of hearing about Arunachala.

Great care will be taken not to duplicate posts and photographs, so once you've finished reading here, why not check out: www.arunachalanews.com

Bhuta Lingams

In India there exists five famous Lingams based on the elements (bhutas): Fire, Earth, Wind, Water and Ether (Sky). The Bhuta Lingams are said to be places where Shiva manifested himself as the natural elements.

Each of the five Lingams are situated in celebrated Temple Towns, and are as follows:

Tiruvannamalai: Fire Lingam

Kanchipuram: Earth Lingam

Kalahasti: Wind Lingam

Tiruvanaikka/Jambunath: Water Lingam

Chidambaram: Sky (Ether) Lingam

The Shiva Lingam denotes the primeval energy of the Creator. It is believed that at the end of all creation, during the great deluge, all of the different aspects of God find a resting place in the Lingam; Brahman is absorbed into the right, Vishnu to the left and Gayatri into the heart. The Shiva Lingam is also a representation of the infinite Cosmic Column of fire, whose origins, Vishnu and Brahma were unable to trace.

My Experience

Before I shifted to Arunachala I had been residing at the Puttaparthi Ashram of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and it was in fact Swamiji himself who told me to move to Tiruvannamalai. At that time I didn't know much about this area except for information from the wonderful book 'In Search of Secret India' by Paul Brunton.

But once I arrived here, I quickly learnt that Arunachala represents the Fire Lingam and that it's meant to burn away the ego etc. That actually had been my experience with Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and the whole time I had lived at his Ashram it felt like I was living on the edge of a simmering volcano; hot, hot, hot!

It was only when I came to Arunachala that things changed. And the raging heat of my Puttaparthi days stopped and curiously it felt like my mind was immersed in water. That feeling has never gone. For me Arunachala is cool, quiet, watery and peaceful; like an air conditioner blowing inside the mind.

One day when I was telling David Godman (the writer) this story, he remarked my experience was interesting and reminded him that during his course of interviews with Annamalai Swami in preparation for writing the brilliant, 'Living By The Words of Bhagavan', Annamalai Swami said that his first impression (which never altered) of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, was one of coolness!

My point is sometimes people experience Arunachala as 'cooling' but most ALL experience Arunachala's extraodinary stillness and peace.

Hospital News

I've been keeping this story to the side meaning to post it as it encapsulates so much of the drama of living in India and in particular at Tiruvannamalai.

However, yesterday evening I was reading the 'Drudge Report' online about two Rainbow travellers in Colorado. The two men on seeing discarded, rotten fruit lying outside a Produce Supplier, jumped the compound fence to get at it. Suddenly, whoosh! And everything unravelled. Now they are currently each serving 6 month prison sentences for taking discarded, rotten fruit! Initially, when I read the headlines, I assumed it was an Asian farce and was astounded when I read on and learnt it actually happened in beautiful Colorado.

The point is, my hospital story doesn't sound that weird anymore! All of a sudden crazy seems being out there! Anyhow here's the story: A patient was beaten up for refusing to give a bribe to an employee at the Tiruvannamalai District Government Hospital.

Apparently, after Siva (a farmer) sustained injuries from fireworks at a Temple Festival, he was rushed to the Government Hospital where employees demanded Rs.50/- (U.S.$1.25) for dressing his wound. Siva, the farmer told the hospital workers to complete the dressing and he would arrange for the money later. Once the work was finished, the farmer promised he would get the money from his relatives after they arrived at the Hospital.

Irked by this, one of the employees forced Siva into a room and beat him up. It is said that the employee was drunk and scolded the other hospital workers for treating Siva without first receiving bribe money.

Apparently it is not uncommon for employees at the Tiruvannamalai General Hospital to demand bribes from patients, including accident victims. I suppose a Hospital sometimes isn't the best place to go to when you're sick! Pity!

Flashy!

This photograph is taken outside the Big Temple's walls (you can see part of a Tower on the right-hand side). Let's hope this fellow has a successful day because what he's wearing looks none too comfortable!

Kumar Family

This is a family known to most Western visitors to Arunachala. The lady is Beate from Germany, the gent Kumar her husband from Tamil Nadu and the little girl their daughter Janani. They run the best email facility in town and are an important resource for foreigners with; airport pickups, booking tickets, changing money, renting videos and providing lots of additional software computer services. If you're planning on coming over you can check them out at their website:

http://www.shantionline.com/

Nandi

Shiva Temples always have some kind of statue (vigraha) of Nandi, the bull; Shiva's vahana (or vehicle). Vah in Sanskrit, means to transport and in Hindu symbolism, the Vahana is also the symbol of the deity. Nandi, the bull, represents strength and virility and also means 'joyful' (from the Sanskrit root, 'Nanda').

From His Light

From His Light
the niche of my essence enlightened me;
by means of me,
my nights blazed morning bright.

I made me witness my being there
for I was he;
I witnessed him as me,
the light, my splendor.

By me the valley was made holy,
and I flung my robe of honor;
my "taking off of sandals"
on those summoned there.

I embraced my lights
and so was their guide;
how wondrous a soul
illuminating lights!

I set firm my many Sinais
and there prayed to myself;
I attained every goal,
As my being spoke with me.

My full moon never waned;
My sun, it never set,
And all the blazing stars,
Followed my lead.

[By Sufi, Umar Ibn al-Farid(1181-1235)]

Garden

This is a photograph of my great Mum (maid servant). She is in the garden with Arunachala in the background. I hope she doesn't see any snakes out there today!

Very Interesting!

Over the last two months I've had verbal skirmishes with 'supposedly' enlightened or advanced sadhakas. I will relate these interesting stories soon, but for now want to write-up something I read which is amusing, not inaccurate and very relevant.

'Those who perpetuate the belief that ego transformation is enlightenment do spiritual culture a disservice. Additionally, the reverence and respect accorded enlightened beings is also undeserved because enlightenment is nothing other than a re-discovery of something that was already known.

When I wake up I don't become somebody else, I simply trade the idea of myself as a dreamer for the idea of myself as a waker. In fact, the waker and the dreamer are the same person, but seem to be separate entities because of their association with the state of consciousness in which they find themselves at the moment.

It is fashionable these days for society to congratulate formerly fat people who returned to their normal size. But rather than offer them respect shouldn't they be castigated for getting fat in the first place? Touting one's Enlightenment only calls attention to a lengthy and embarrassing stay in ignorance.' (by James Schwartz)

Thumbs Up!

Ragini

This is Ragini - who is something of a local Ramana Nagar resource as she is responsible for feeding hordes of Westerners throughout season time. She is famous for her cooking and prepares mild, chilli heat-free South India food. Here she is at her doorway giving food to an old lady begging at her doorstep.

The downstairs part of the house holds the kitchen and dining hall and the thatched roof on the upstairs is reserved for satsang meetings. Throughout the season Western teachers hold daily satsang at Ragini's house; makes it easy if you plan on taking lunch downstairs - sort of an all-in-one!

Good Morning

These trees are date palms and they have fruits high up in the fronds that are round, purple-black and look like small bowling balls. When you open up the fruit you find a tasty but gelantinous insides. You can see Arunachala peeping through the trees.

Three of my mad dogs chasing the fourth one through the water. You don't often see Indian country dogs playing. I once asked someone about this and he suggested generally Indian country dogs spend most of their day prowling around ensuring they have enough to eat and thus don't have much time for extra fun and games! That sounds about right - lucky my rascals don't have to worry about their mealtimes!

A beautiful photograph of Arunachala with rutted bullock cart tracks heading towards it. You cannot believe how muddy and impassable it becomes even with a small amount of rain. To walk across you often have to take off your sandals and go barefoot, otherwise you shoes get left behind in the mud. I recently saw a tractor get totally stuck in just one day's mud. Good honest clay hereabouts!

Baby Shiva

This is a nice picture of a young child dressed up as Shiva. Depending on the prevailing festival, such kids dress up as Shiva, Krishna and the big favourite, monkey Hanuman, who generally comes equipped with the requisite and truly magnificent tail.

The groups travel from house to house serenading until somebody comes out and gives them a donation. In what is often a battle of will on the kids' part and patience on the home-owners, the kids generally win out and successfuly collect generous contributions!

Peace

Even with all the Divine help and support we get from Arunachala, we still have that nasty man's nature to contend with. And until that is resolved and we all ascend to a higher level of consciousness, such idyllic scenes as those in the painting, will never be experienced here on earth.

Lots of money coming into Tiruvannamalai and with that comes plenty of attendant vices. However it is on record that during the Deepam period of the recent past; serious, criminal incidents are rare and exceptional. Considering that nowadays Deepam (the first night of the lighting of the flame is December 3rd) will attract over 3 million pilgrims, that is quite a commendable record. So maybe we are in fact improving!