The School

Tiruvannamalai is economically designated as a most backward District. There is no industry and a high percentage of the population is unemployed.

In 1992 at the request of the then District Collector, Rangammal Society opened a small school for profoundly hearing impaired children.

The area has a high percentage of speech and hearing impaired children. The reason often is because of consanguineal marriages (having the same ancestry or descent, i.e. marriage amongst close relatives).

The school currently has 200 residential pupils and 36 non-residential children. It is totally free of cost and includes food, board, study books etc for ages ranging between 3-22 years old. Rangammal Memorial Higher Secondary School for the Hearing Impaired has a high reputation for academic and cultural performances.

The children at the school are quite lovely. Very lively, intelligent, cheerful little babies. But it broke my heart to see such lovely kids wearing hearing aids.

While I was there I met two girls from the U.K. who have just finished their final school exams in England and have come to India for four months to work at Rangammal School. Both girls got their posts through Project GAP Activity Projects in the U.K.

In the LKG (Lower Kindergarten Grade) class, I met with Sarah from Dorset who is just 18 years old.

Next I visited the UKG (Upper Kindergarten Grade) class and saw Hannah from Kent who is also 18 years old and just finished school in the U.K.

The Visit

Started off from home by auto rickshaw stopping off for a quick petrol stop on the way to visiting Rangammal Rehabilitation Society. Must be that kind of day because everybody seems to be happy and smiling.

On the way I asked my driver to stop because I wanted to take some snaps of a pack of monkeys cleaning up waste bananas left on a delivery truck. They were having lots of fun chasing each other around the truck and also got to eat lots of nice ripe bananas. Just that kind of day!

The Rangammal Memorial Higher Secondary School for the Hearing Impaired (and all the other facilities in the six acred compound) is located off the Chennai Road about 6 kms south of the Big Temple and town. Arriving at the School one is greeted at the entrance by a beautiful statue of Mother Mary holding a young boy in a comforting embrace.

Visit to Rangammal

Some weeks ago I went to visit Sylvia Wright the Founder Director of Rangammal Memorial Rehabilitation Society at the Society's Hospital, the Ramana Maharshi Rangammal Hospital I was most impressed by the Society's level of dedication and service in the Tiruvannamalai District.

Very often the worthiest causes go unnoticed because the people in them are too busy 'serving' and don't have extra time to play politicals or go about promoting their work. I certainly plan giving their worthy Organisation lots of oxygen through my developing Arunachala information network, which currently comprises:

www.arunachalagrace.blogspot.com
www.arunachalasamudra.org
Arunachala Grace News: monthly ezine Newsletter
Authorship of: www.arunachalanews.com

The President of Rangammal Memorial Rehabilitation Society, Mr.N.Vijayan and I will work together to develop a dedicated section on the website www.arunachalasamudra.org on their Organisation and comprehensive information on The Rangammal Memorial Rehabilitation Society should be available through our Arunachala network within the next few months.

Their Society currently comprises the following:

Ramana Maharshi Rangammal Hospital
Rangammal Memorial Higher Secondary School for the Hearing Impaired
Vasavi Industrial School
Rangammal Memorial Teacher Training School for Hearing Impaired
Rangammal Memorial Day Care Centre for the Mentally Retarded and Cerebral Palsy
Outreach Community Programme
Village Clinics
RSVY Programme
Pension Scheme Programme

The Legend

There are two famous myths from the Puranas that describe the history behind the famous yearly Deepam on the top of Arunachala. The first is about Brahma and Vishnu's dispute over the column of light and the other is of the boon given by Shiva for Parvati's penace in atonement for killing the demon Mahisasura, a devotee of Shiva.

It is customary to celebrate Deepam in all Shiva Shrines at the same time that Deepam is celebrated at Arunachala, however the legend for these Siva Shrines is different to that of Arunachala. This other legend goes thus:

The Ghee Lamp, Rat and King

While Lord Shiva was seated in Mount Kailas with Devi Uma, a ghee lamp was in the process of extinction. A rat nearby approached it to drink the ghee and in that act the wick was pushed out a little, enabling the flame to brighten. This pious act though unintentional, resulted in the rat securing a human birth with huge wealth and the rank of a King.

With that prosperous boon the rat was born on earth as Mabali. Mabali, while reigning in all glory, one day wanted to worship Siva and went to a Siva shrine with all his royal paraphernalia.

While in the Temple, a drop from a ghee lamp fell upon Mabali. The King got sores from that one drop and his malady continued for a long time.

It was then Lord Siva proclaimed, "King, thou art very arrogant. Hence you got this trouble through me. From this day on if you light Shiva shrines with ghee, you will be rid of your sores and live happily."

Highly delighted on hearing these words the King from that day commenced lighting Shiva Temples and dark places with ghee (clarified butter) lamps. Lord Shiva looking at the king's piety, gave him liberation in the month of Kartigai on star Kartigai during poorva Paksha.

It is for the reason the Lord appeared before the King in the form of Light, that Deepam Darsan is celebrated in all Siva Shrines on this same day every year.

Be Still

By Arthur Osborne

Thou art? -- I am? -- Why argue? -- Being is.
Keep still and be. Death will not still the mind.
Nor argument, nor hopes of after-death.
This world the battle-ground, yourself the foe
Yourself must master. Eager the mind to seek.
Yet oft astray, causing its own distress
Then crying for relief, as though some God
Barred from it jealously the Bliss it sought
But would not face.

Till in the end,
All battles fought, all earthly loves abjured,
Dawn in the East, there is no other way
But to be still. In stillness then to find
The giants all were windmills, all the strife
Self-made, unreal; even he that strove
A fancied being, as when that good knight
Woke from delirium and with a loud cry
Rendered his soul to God.

Mind, then, or soul?
Break free from subtle words. Only be still,
Lay down the mind, submit, and Being then Is Bliss, Bliss Consciousness: and That you are.

[By Arthur Osborne]

Work Training

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are communities that are accorded special status by the Constitution of India. These communities were considered 'outcastes' and were excluded from the Chaturvarna system (the social structure of Hindu society for thousands of years).

These communities had traditionally been relegated to the most menial labour with no possibility of upward mobility, and subject to social disadvantage and exclusion. The Scheduled Tribes unable to participate in the community life of Society were deprived the opportunity to integrate and enjoy corresponding opportunities for educational, social and economic growth.

Scheduled Caste people are also known as Dalits; Scheduled Tribe people are also referred to as Adivasis. Gandhi used the terms Harijan and Girijan respectively.

The disadvantage faced by such a large section of Hindu society (SCs/STs together comprise over 24% of India's population, with SC at over 16% and ST over 8% as per 2001 census.

Local Governments try to offer different programmes and opporunities for further and technical education to members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in order to provide them with the opportunity to enjoy opportunities for social and economic growth. In this respect two such programmes are being currently offered in this area.

Free vocational training
The Department of Backward Classes Welfare will offer courses on radio and TV equipment for 100 people from Tiruvannamalai District. The age limit for the six month course has been fixed at 32 years old with a minimum qualification of a SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) education level.

The course will be open to candidates from the categories of: Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities.

Catering service course
It has been announced that THADCO (a financial institution) has offered a one-year free catering training course for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates under a self-employment training scheme.

The programme is to be executed by THADCO through Bharat Institute of Hotel Management, Tiruvannamalai and Om Sakthi Industrial School, Cheyyar. Approximately 120 students are expected to benefit from the scheme. Participants in the scheme will be between the ages of 15-35 and have reached a SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) education level.

Agni Tank

The repair and renovation of Water Bodies is an important part of the urban renewal plan for Tiruvannamalai, because:

"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."

On September 24 I took pictures of the renovation work going on at the Agni Tank on Chengam Road.

The renovation and repair work is now complete and here is a wonderful picture of a water tank full of clean water.

One local lady is busy washing clothes; hope she is using ecologically friendly soap!

Inspiration

God is love and whenever you reach out in loving kindness you are expressing God.

God is truth, and whenever you seek truth you are seeking God.

God is beauty, and whenever you touch the beauty of a flower or a sunset you are touching God.

God is the intelligence that creates all and sustains all and binds all together and gives life to all.

Yes, God is the essence of all: so you are within God and God is within you; you could not be where God is not.

Permeating all is the law of God; physical law and spiritual law. Disobey it and you feel unhappiness: you feel separated from God. Obey it and you feel harmony: you feel close to God.

As you live in harmony with Divine law you will feel closer to and develop more love for God.

[Peace Pilgrim]

http://www.peacepilgrim.com

Multi-mode Approach

Paul Devereux who is regarded as one of the world's leading authority on the geophysical aspects of sacred sites, comments that:

'When a person visits a ceremonial monument, is it their intellect, their five senses, their intuition, or the electromagnetic fields around their bodies that perceive the place? . . . One may individually respond in a limited set of ways to a site, but it is crucial to know that one's preferred reactions are only part of a network of knowing that is involved in a more complete description of the place'.

Devereux calls for a 'multi-mode' approach to the sites -that is by experiencing the sites from the vantage points of both knowing and feeling, both mind and heart. Knowing means having an intellectual and factual knowledge of such things as the mythology, archaeology, history, geology, astronomy and geomancy of a site. Feeling means the practiced ability to intuitively tune into and sense the presence of a site.

Ancients who discovered power places and erected ceremonial structures were most certainly interacting with the sites on both feeling and knowing levels. We must likewise employ both lines of inquiry; feeling and knowing, in order to tap into that wisdom and power.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda

A devotee connected with Paramahamsa Nithyananda got in touch and supplied us with some very interesting information that I reproduce below. I have also included a fascinating photograph of a ceremony on Arunachala itself during 2005 birthday celebrations. For more information please check link at:

http://www.dhyanapeetam.org

Nithyananda was born in Tiruvannamalai in 1978, and spent his childhood meditating in the energy field of the sacred Hill. He had his first spiritual experience, or satori (where he was able to see 360 degrees all around him) when he was 12 and meditating on a rock there.

Siva has promised that He will always be present in Tiruvannamalai in three forms: that of the hill, Arunachala, a Siva lingam (in the temple), and a Siddha. Yogi Ramsuratkumar was considered the Siddha to have succeeded Ramana Maharshi, and I have heard that close to his demise, he acknowledged Nithyananda as a Siddha. Nithyananda is intimately connected with Siva/Arunachala, yet his message is not one of Self-Enquiry; it is more broad in its appeal. He has said that his ashram which is slated to be constructed over land there will attract millions. So, it indeed appears that Arunachala shall be the spiritual centre of the world in years to come.

Here is what Nithyananda has said about his oneness with Arunachala:

'I am Arunachala!

Arunachala is nothing but the physical manifestation of the unmoving Self (achala).

Arunachala is Consciousness itself.

Arunachala is within, and not without.

Your journey to Arunachala is your inward journey; just as your journey to me is.

No wonder you are drawn here again and again.

Where else is there to go?'

Ashta Vasus

Sri Ramana Maharshi said:

'The Purana says that the Ashta Vasus having flattered themselves in Brahma's presence lost all their worth, and to regain it they came and did penance here all around Arunachala. They were given darshan by Siva at one and the same time by Siva assuming eight faces in this Hill. All those eight Vasus are still in the shape of eight spurs round this Hill.

What is meant by saying all those Vasus are still here as hills and doing penance round this holy hill, it is difficult to understand. Does it only mean that they are living on these hills and doing penance, or are they themselves these hills? It is difficult now for us to locate where the Ashta Dikpalakas actually stood sentry, whether at the spots where the Ashta Lingams are now found or whether the Lingams are those which were installed and worshipped by them.'

The Vasus are attendant deities and the eight elemental Gods representing aspects of nature and cosmic natural phenomenon. The name Vasu means 'Dweller' or 'Dwelling' and Ashta means eight.

Land Distribution

The State Government has given their approval to the Municipality to upgrade and distribute 62.52 acres of land worth Rs.50 Lakhs (US$112,000) to 28 women belonging to depressed Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes in Tiruvannamalai District during the current fiscal year. Beneficiaries of the land will include 26 ladies from Scheduled Caste and two from Scheduled Tribes.

The term "Scheduled Tribes" refers to specific indigenous people whose status is acknowledged to some formal degree by appropriate national and state legislation. A collective term in use locally to describe most of these peoples is "Adivasi".

The State Government intends releasing Rs.24 Lakhs as subsidy under the Chief Minister's special scheme of distributing lands to women for Scheduled Castes and Tribes. The fund will be routed through the Tamil Nadu Housing and Urban Development Corporation.

The balance of the money for the programme is to be arranged as bank loans in the name of the individual beneficiaries.

The office of the Collector have annoucned that those who wish to apply for land under the scheme can contact either the District Manager of the Municipal Corporation or Extension Officer (SC Welfare) of their respective Panchayat Unions.

Roadkill

On Wednesday, November 8th, approximately 74 people sustained injuries when a minibus in which they were travelling skidded and overturned on Tuesday.

The minibus was heading toward Tiruvannamalai from Paavupattu village. When near nearing Vignesh Polytechnic near Mel Puthiyandhal village (just outside Tiruvannamalai) the driver lost control of his vehicle and it slid sideways into the roadside shoulder and overturned.

All 74 passengers on the overcrowded vehicle sustained injuries and were rushed to the Tiruvannamalai Government Hospital, where 60 of them were admitted as in-patients. The other 14, (with minor injuries) were treated as outpatients. The incident is being investigated by authorities.

It is obvious to everybody in Tiruvannamalai that many vehicles are either flouting regulations regarding safety, recommended passenger numbers or environmental regulations regarding vehicle maintenance and excessive use of the horn whilst driving. The above difficulties are compounded by drivers who are either unskilled or too inexperienced to be driving passenger vehicles specially in dark and hazardous conditions.

About 8 kms of Chengam Road; which as well as being the main thoroughfare from Bangalore is also part of the pradakshina road around Arunachala, is notorious for driving incidents of speeding and noise pollution. This problem must be addressed!

Deepam Calendar

The Deepam festival involves a lot more than just the lighting of the flame on top of Arunachala. The first night of the lighting of the flame actually takes place on the 10th day of Deepam and stays alight for between 8-10 days. However the Festival itself lasts for 13 days. Of these the first 3 days occur in Durga Temple and the remaining ten days in Annamalai Temple and each day denotes different functions and ceremonies at either the Durga Temple, the Annamalai Temple or in the streets surrounding them.

Festival Days:

1.Durgambal festival: During the night of this festival Durga Amman idol is taken in procession in Vimana.

2.Pidari festival: In which the Goddess Pidari is brought in procession on a statue of a Lion.

3.Anukjai Vignesvara Puja: The elephant God Vinayka is taken out in the streets on a silver mount.

4.First festival, Annamalai Temple: Procession of five Deities in the morning and five Deities in the evening.

5.Second Day, Annamalai Temple: Morning procession of Chandrasekar (Lord Siva) and Vinayaka. Evening five Deities.

6.Third Day: Morning Vinayaka, Chandrasekar, Vimana, Buta Vehicles. Evening the five Deities, Lion Vehicle, Silver Swan Vehicle.

7.Fourth Day: Morning Vinayaka, Chandrasekar, Vinayaka Snake Vehicle. Evening, five Deities. Silver Kalpataru (wish fulfilling tree), Silver Kamadhenu (wish fulfilling cow) procession.

8.Fifth Day: Morning Vinayaka, Chandrasekar, Mooshikam, Mirrored Bull Vehicle. Evening five Deities. Silver Mooshikam, Silver peacock. Big Silver Bull Vehicles procession.

9.Sixth Day: Morning Vinayaka, Chandrasekar, Mooshikam, Silver Elephant, 63 Nayanamars Vimanam. Evening five Deities, Silver Car, Indra Vimanam and other silver vehicles procession.

10.Seventh Day: Morning the five Deities juggernaut. Dragging the rope of the car in Vrichika Lagna. Evening the five Deities returning from juggernaut.

11.Eighth Day: Morning Vinayaka, Chandrasekar Silver Vimanam. Evening at 4 p.m. Bhiksandar festival on golden Meru (Sri Chakra). At night the five Deities. Horse vehicle procession.

12.Ninth Day: Morning Vinayaka, Chandrasekar Mirror Vimanam. Evening the five Deities. Kailasa Vehicle, Kamadhenu Vehicle procession.

13.Tenth Day: Morning Barani Deepam. At noon sacred bath in Brahma Tirtham. At 6 p.m. the five Deities proceed in golden Vimanam. Great Deepam Darsan lit on top of Arunachala; the flame will be alight for between 8-10 days. That night at the Temple, the five Deities proceed on golden Bull Vehicles.

14.Eleventh Day: Night at 7 p.m. float for Chandrasekar. Annamalaiyar going round the Hill.

15.Twelfth Day: At 7 p.m. at night for Parasakti Amman.

16.Thirteenth Day: At 7 p.m. night float for Subramanian (Lord Murgan).

17.Fourteenth Day: Chandikesvarar festival procession on Silver Bull Vehicle.

Literary Evidence

There is literary evidence to prove that the lighting festival of Deepam is one of the oldest in the Tamil area. Tholkappiam whom scholars ascribe lived three thousand years ago and has the oldest extant work in Tamil literature, mentions 'the light lit on the Karthigai day of the Karthigai month'. Another poet from Tamil antiquity Thirthakka Devar, mentions 'lighting a lamp on the hill on Karthigai day'. Two old Tamil literary works, Kar Narpathu and Kalavazhi Narpathu refer to lighting on Karthigai Day and Saints Appar and Sambandar of the 7th century, also make similar references.

Small Savings

This week it was announced that the small savings target for Tiruvannamalai District for the current fiscal year has been fixed at Rs.55 crore (US$12,251,000) which is Rs.10 crore (US$2,228,000) more than the savings amount of the last fiscal year.

Local speakers encouraged people to cultivate the habit of saving and thereby encourage the development of the Country's economy.

Arunachala Vignette

[A vignette of a normal day at Arunachala by an American Devotee]

I wish you could see what is so difficult to describe in terms of the sounds, smells and colors in this place. The air has a vibrancy and is soft and muted at the same time. And the quality of the light is indescribable. Everything shines with the reflection of this honeyed colored sunlight, as if the plants and trees and rooftops were emanating crystal clear light.

It still astonishes me, the gratuitous beauty of Mother India, amidst the poverty, dirt, cow shit and shacks, the raucous voices of huge liquid black shinny crows, the peacocks perched in the trees, the gangs of monkeys who are like naughty thugs. There is such a profusion of life and it is all in your face! I love that. I just love dodging packs of narrow hipped, black, vacant eyed goats, cows and pigs and oxen carts.

It probably sounds odd, but it's kind of cool that people bathe and brush their teeth in public, in their yards, that so much of everyday life is in the open, women sweeping the spirits away before dawn, that sound of thatch against the dust awakens me each morning. I love all their little rituals, cow dung and twig fires under these black cauldrons, the smell of spices and frying dosas. This aspect of India that is so rich in humanity and the common actions of life. The vegetable sellers push their carts down each street and call out their products in loud, singsong voices, and it is something so deliciously comforting in that. What a paradox it is, the highest and the lowest, the extremes.

Development

Because of the uncertainty of the nature of the final verdict on disputes regarding the exact nature of development in the Arunachala area, many owners of land near the Hill cautiously waited for the Supreme Court's decision before beginning construction.

Now that a final verdict has been reached, construction has begun in earnest in hitherto sensitive area. This particular building site is literally right across from Ramana Ashram. A spectacular view indeed but sad news for Ashram devotees.

Waterfall

This the last week of October, the waterfall on Arunachala which has remained dry for sometime, has come back to life thanks to recent rains. The waterfall, starting at a height of 250 feet is located on the southern slope of the hill in front of the Government Arts College.

According to local residents and representatives of NGOs engaged in afforestation work, there was no water flow in the falls till the recent rains. Even last year there was a good flow only for about a month after the torrential storms.

Local residents and college students are making the trek through a short stretch of green and tranquil forests to picnic near the waterfall. However this year workers for the afforestation NGOs are implementing Reserve Forest regulations and sending people away from the restricted area.

Another evening

I was walking home the long way around so I could stop by and take photographs of progress on the new animal dispensary currently under development. This is Chengam Road and the building at the back on the left is a Girls' Orphanage run by the State. Just another evening. It has just finished raining but definitely ready to start up again later in the evening. The milkman is on duty going from house to house and milking whatever cows are there and noting the milk quantity taken in his book.

And talking about cows here is a very nice one ambling along. She certainly seems to know where she is going; hopefully to home and some nice dinner. This is the main pradakshina road that winds it way the 14km around the base of Arunachala. The road was much better in its narrow, pot-holed condition but since they've widened and improved it unfortunately it is now wide enough to be a race circuit for crazy truck and bus drivers to play at overtaking; which may be fun for them but gives little enjoyment to everybody else!

Still on my way to the animal dispensary and here is one of the autorickshaw drivers that plies his trade from outside Ramana Ashram. Definitely one of the better drivers we have. At the back on the right is new construction being undertaken by the Municipality, which when finished will provide accommodation (a choultry) for visiting pilgrims coming to perform giripradakshina around Arunachala.

Well this is our Animal Dispensary for free animal sterilisation operations that is being set up here at Tiruvannamalai. Some Western folk got seriously upset at the way surplus dogs were regularly killed by the Municipality. They were able to persuade the local Government to stop the practice in lieu of offering free sterilisation operations for wild street dogs (90% of the animal population) and poor local folk who couldn't afford the cost of the operation. The Municipality even offered a small building on a large plot of land on a free 5 year lease to the dispensary. And this is what is being transformed and developed into the animal sterilisation hospital.

Nice painting by one of our local artists; curiously named RAMBO (I think he picked that name when the action hero Sylvester Stallone was big). It shows the affiliation of this dispensary with the Puttaparthi one; Karuna Society for Animals and Nature (outside Sai Baba Ashram in Andhra Pradesh).

On the adjacent wall another painting by our Rambo showing the famous Indian pacifist Mahatma Gandhi.

The builders are making holding rooms for dogs after their operations. Both male and female dogs will be allowed sufficient time to recover from their surgery before they are either returned to their families or to the neighbourhood from which they came.

Opening day is set for about a month's time but seeing the rate of progess, it may be longer. Already the waiting list for people to bring in dogs for a sterlization operation is daily growing. So will keep you informed as to progress.