மக்களில் ஒருவர்

1954-ம் ஆண்டு தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நாளன்று முதல்வர் பொறுப்பையேற்கப் புறப்பட்டார் காமராஜ். திருமலைப் பிள்ளை வீதி திமிலோகப்பட்டது. அனைவரிடமிருந்தும் விடைப் பெற்று வெளியே வந்து 2727 என்ற காரில் ஏறினார்.

திடீரென முன்னாலிருந்த காவலர் வண்டியிலிருந்து “சைரன்” என்ற மிகுவொலி எழுந்தது. புறப்பட்ட காரை நிறுத்தச் சொன்னார். முன்னாலிருந்த வண்டியிலிருந்த காவல் துறை அதிகாரியை அழைத்தார். “அது என்னையா சத்தம்?” காமராஜ்.

“ஐயா, இது முதலமைச்சர் செல்லும் போது போகுவரத்தை உஷார்படுத்த எழுப்பப்படும் ஒலி. முன்னால் முதல்வர்கள் பிரகாசம் ஐயா, ஓமந்தாரையா, குமாரசாமிராஜா ஐயா, ராஜாஜி ஐயா எல்லோர் காலத்திலுமிருந்து வருகிற சம்பிரதாயம்” என்றார் காவல்துறை அதிகாரி. “இதோ பாருங்க… இதுக்கு முன்னால இந்த சம்பிரதாயமெல்லாம் இருந்திருக்கலாம்… எனக்கு இதெல்லாம் வேண்டாம்னேன். சத்தம் போடாமப் போங்க” என்று கூறிவிட்டுப் புறப்பட்டார்.

அடுத்த கோடம்பாக்கம் பெருவீதி – நுங்கம்பாக்கம் பெரு வீதி சந்திப்பில் போக்குவரத்தைச் சீர் செய்து கொண்டிருந்த காவலர் இவர் சென்ற வண்டியை நிறுத்தி பின் இவரது வண்டி செல்ல அனுமதியளித்தார். ஆனால் அவர் காருக்கு முன் நின்ற காவல்துறை மேலதிகாரிகளின் முகத்தில் எள்ளும் கொள்ளும் வெடித்தன். ஆனால் காமராஜரோ அந்த நடுத்தெருக் காவாலரின் கடமையாற்றலைக் கண்டு உள்ளம் புளகித்தார்.

காவலரைத் தாண்டி இவரது கார் செல்லும் போதுதான் காவலருக்கு விஷயமே புரிந்தது. நடு நடுங்கிப் போனார். முதல்வர் காரையே நிறுத்திவிட்டோமெ என்று பத்றிப்போனார். காவல்துறை மேலதிகாரிகளின் சினத்துக்கு ஆளாகி விட்டோமே என கலங்கினார்.

அன்று மாலை காமராஜர் வீடு திருப்பியபோது கலவரத்துடன் வாசலில் காத்து நின்று மன்னிப்புக் கேட்ட காவலரை தட்டிக்கொடுத்த காமராஜ் அவரது கடமை உணர்வை பாரட்டியபோது தான் காவலரின் உள்ளம் சாந்தியுற்றது.

காமராஜ் முதலமைச்சராக இருந்தவரை அவருக்கு பாதுகாப்பாகச் சென்ற காவல்துறை வண்டிகள் ஒலி எழுப்பியதே இல்லை. தன்னை தலைவராக எண்ணிக்கொள்ளாமல் மக்களில் ஒருவராகவே தன்னைப் பாவித்துக் கொண்டார்.

- ராக்கி ரேவந்த்

Understanding personality for decision-making, longevity, and mental health

Extraversion does not just explain differences between how people act at social events. How extraverted you are may influence how the brain makes choices – specifically whether you choose an immediate or delayed reward, according to a new study. The work is part of a growing body of research on the vital role of understanding personality in society.

"Understanding how people differ from each other and how that affects various outcomes is something that we all do on an intuitive basis, but personality psychology attempts to bring scientific rigour to this process," says Colin DeYoung of the University of Minnesota, who worked on the new study. "Personality affects academic and job performance, social and political attitudes, the quality and stability of social relationships, physical health and mortality, and risk for mental disorder."

DeYoung is one of several researchers presenting new work in a special the session today about personality psychology at a conference in New Orleans. "DeYoung's research in biology and neuroscience aids in the development of theories of personality that provide explanations for persistent patterns of behaviour and experience," says David Funder of the University of California, Riverside, who is the new president of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP). "The researchers presenting at this session represent just what personality psychology can achieve and its relevance for important social issues – from how personality affects health to guidance for the new DSM-5."

Personality to understand neural differences

In the new study, DeYoung and colleagues scanned people in an fMRI and asked them to choose between smaller immediate rewards or larger delayed rewards, for example $15 today versus $25 in three weeks. They then correlated their choices and associated brain activity to various personality traits.

They found that extraversion predicts neural activity in a region of the brain called the medial orbitofrontal cortex, which is involved in evaluating rewards. In the task, this region responded more strongly to the possibility of immediate rewards than to the possibility of delayed rewards. "This is a brain region where we have previously shown that extraversion predicts the size of the region, so our new study provides some converging evidence for the importance of sensitivity to reward as the basis of extraversion," DeYoung says.

More broadly, DeYoung works on understanding "what makes people tick, by explaining the most important personality traits, what psychological processes those traits represent, and how those processes are generated by the brain," he says. "The brain is an incredibly complicated system, and I think it's impressive that neuroscience is making such great progress in understanding it. Linking brain function to personality is another step in understanding how the brain makes us who we are."

Personality to improve health

Researchers are also finding that personality influences health over time. In particular, new lifespan models that measure both personality and health early and late in life, and multiple times in between, are documenting that health is the result not only of genetics and environmental factors but also of changeable personality characteristics.

"Personality develops in childhood and is probably most malleable in childhood" says Sarah Hampson of the Oregon Research Institute. Childhood is when habits first become established, so understanding how differences in personality affect health could point toward positive behaviours that would help children later in life.

For example in a new study, soon to be published in Health Psychology, Hampson and colleagues found that children lower in conscientiousness – traits including being irresponsible and careless – had worse health 40 years later, including greater obesity and higher cholesterol. The study builds on past work showing that more conscientious children live longer.

The data come from more than 2,000 elementary school children in Hawaii who received personality assessments in the 1960s. Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Aging, researchers were able to complete medical and psychological examinations for 60% of the original group, who, as adults, agreed to further studies starting in 1998. They found that the children rated by their teachers as less conscientious had worse health status as adults, particularly for their cardiovascular and metabolic systems.

The work could point the way to childhood interventions, Hampson says. "Parents and schools shape personality, and this is our opportunity to support the development of conscientiousness – planfulness, ability to delay gratification, self-control." She adds: "Society depends on such pro-social, self-regulated behaviour."

Personality to evaluate mental health care

In the mental health community, researchers have known for some time that personality can greatly influence how patients respond to particular treatments. But until recently, the guidebook for treating mental illnesses – the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) – has not fully incorporated such personality data.

"The influence of personality psychology has increased as it offers tools and methods that are relevant to solving problems in psychiatric classification, such as ways of developing models of differences among people that are based on data as opposed to clinical speculation," says Robert Krueger of the University of Minnesota, who helped update the soon-to-be-published DSM-5.

"DSM-5 contains a model of personality traits that derive from work in personality psychology and recognizes that specific peoples' personalities can't easily be placed in categorical boxes," he explains. Using this model,  a therapist can better tailor treatments for depression, for example, by distinguishing between a patient who is generally agreeable versus one who it typically at odds with other people. "The first person is likely to form a good working relationship with the therapist, whereas the second person is likely to be more challenging and require more effort by taking personality features into account alongside 'particular conditions,'" Krueger says.

The DSM-5 thus shows how personality psychology can be directly applied to mental health issues, Krueger says. "Indeed, DSM-5 may prove to be a watershed a moment in the history of psychiatric classification because more so than ever in the past, its construction was influenced by the methods and findings of personality psychology," Funder says.

Provided by Society for Personality and Social Psychology

"Understanding personality for decision-making, longevity, and mental health." January 17th, 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-personality-decision-making-longevity-mental-health.html

Posted by

Robert Karl Stonjek

Engineers less empathetic, study finds

Are engineering students less empathetic than students in the caring professions? Yes, the findings from a study performed at Linköping University indicate that this is the case. The study comprises more than 200 students from six different study programs and was carried out by Chato Rasoal, a researcher in psychology, together with two colleagues.

The researchers measured empathy with a well-established questionnaire that shows, for example, the degree of imagination, the ability to assume the perspective of others, and whether the subject cares about others, along with the subject´s own worries and anxiety.

"Empathy can have both a cognitive and an emotional aspect," explains Chato Rasoal. The capacity to see things from the point of view of others is primarily cognitive, while caring about others is a more emotional component.

Earlier research has shown that engineers have a lower degree of empathy than future doctors and nurses. This may seem perfectly natural, after all, you don't need much empathy to work with machines and calculations, do you? But Chato Rasoal doesn´t agree.

"Advanced engineers often take on leading positions in companies, where they have to be able to lead teams involving many co-workers. This requires both good communication skills and social competence. In today´s global business world you also need intercultural competence, an ability to communicate and collaborate with people from entirely different cultures."

The students responses evinced clear differences between caring-profession students and engineers. The latter had considerably lower scores. However, the differences were mitigated when the data was adjusted for gender. It´s well known that women are more empathetic than men.

Two groups of engineers participated, students of computer engineering and applied physics. For the latter a marked difference compared with caring students remained even after adjusting for gender differences.

For computer engineering students, the differences were largely eliminated. The researchers have a theory about why: the computer engineering students are taught with PBL, problem-based learning, which is not the case for the applied physics students. Chato Rasoal believes this can influence the degree of empathy.

"In problem-based learning you work in groups a lot. You have to be able to listen to others and accept other people´s thoughts and expressions of emotions. Otherwise it won´t work."

In a currently ongoing study they want to see if this theory can be confirmed. For five semesters they have followed students of computer engineering to see whether PBL affects their capacity for empathy. The data are now being processed.

The findings from the first study have been presented in an article in European Journal of Engineering Education.

More information: Rasoal, C., Danielsson, H. and Jungert, T. Empathy among students in engineering programmes, European Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 37, Iss. 5, 2012, DOI: 10.1080/03043797.2012.708720

Provided by Linköping University

"Engineers less empathetic, study finds." January 18th, 2013. http://phys.org/news/2013-01-empathetic.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Opening a new avenue in neurobiology, scientists turn one form of neuron into another in the brain

Paola Arlotta. Credit: B.D. Colen

A new finding by Harvard stem cell biologists turns one of the basics of neurobiology on its head – demonstrating that it is possible to turn one type of already differentiated neuron into another within the brain.

The discovery by Paola Arlotta and Caroline Rouaux "tells you that maybe the brain is not as immutable as we always thought, because at least during an early window of time one can reprogram the identity of one neuronal class into another," said Arlotta, an Associate Professor in Harvard's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (SCRB).

The principle of direct lineage reprogramming of differentiated cells within the body was first proven by SCRB co-chair and Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) co-director Doug Melton and colleagues five years ago, when they reprogrammed exocrine pancreatic cells directly into insulin producing beta cells.

Arlotta and Rouaux now have proven that neurons too can change their mind. The work is being published on-line today (Jan. 20) by the journal Nature Cell Biology.

In their experiments, Arlotta targeted callosal projection neurons, which connect the two hemispheres of the brain, and turned them into neurons similar to corticospinal motor neurons, one of two populations of neurons destroyed in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. To achieve such reprogramming of neuronal identity, the researchers used a transcription factor called Fezf2, which long as been known for playing a central role in the development of corticospinal neurons in the embryo.

What makes the finding even more significant is that the work was done in the brains of living mice, rather than in collections of cells in laboratory dishes. The mice were young, so researchers still do not know if neuronal reprogramming will be possible in older laboratory animals – and humans. If it is possible, this has enormous implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

"Neurodegenerative diseases typically effect a specific population of neurons, leaving many others untouched. For example, in ALS it is corticospinal motor neurons in the brain and motor neurons in the spinal cord, among the many neurons of the nervous system, that selectively die," Arlotta said. "What if one could take neurons that are spared in a given disease and turn them directly into the neurons that die off? In ALS, if you could generate even a small percentage of corticospinal motor neurons, it would likely be sufficient to recover basic functioning," she said.

The experiments that led to the new finding began five years ago, when "we wondered: in nature you never seen a neuron change identity; are we just not seeing it, or is this the reality? Can we take one type of neuron and turn it into another?" Arlotta and Rouaux asked themselves.

Over the course of the five years, the researchers analyzed "thousands and thousands of neurons, looking for many molecular markers as well as new connectivity that would indicate that reprogramming was occurring," Arlotta said. "We could have had this two years ago, but while this was a conceptually very simple set of experiments, it was technically difficult. The work was meant to test important dogmas on the irreversible nature of neurons in vivo. We had to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was happening."

The work in Arlotta's lab is focused on the cerebral cortex, but "it opens the door to reprogramming in other areas of the central nervous system," she said.

Arlotta, an HSCI principal faculty member, is now working with colleague Takao Hensch, of Harvard's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, to explicate the physiology of the reprogrammed neurons, and learn how they communicate within pre-existing neuronal networks.

"My hope is that this will facilitate work in a new field of neurobiology that explores the boundaries and power of neuronal reprogramming to re-engineer circuits relevant to disease," said Paola Arlotta.

Provided by Harvard University

"Opening a new avenue in neurobiology, scientists turn one form of neuron into another in the brain." January 20th, 2013. http://phys.org/news/2013-01-avenue-neurobiology-scientists-neuron-brain.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

Loneliness, like chronic stress, taxes the immune system

New research links loneliness to a number of dysfunctional immune responses, suggesting that being lonely has the potential to harm overall health.

Researchers found that people who were more lonely showed signs of elevated latent herpes virus reactivation and produced more inflammation-related proteins in response to acute stress than did people who felt more socially connected.

These proteins signal the presence of inflammation, and chronic inflammation is linked to numerous conditions, including coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease, as well as the frailty and functional decline that can accompany aging.

Reactivation of a latent herpes virus is known to be associated with stress, suggesting that loneliness functions as a chronic stressor that triggers a poorly controlled immune response.

"It is clear from previous research that poor-quality relationships are linked to a number of health problems, including premature mortality and all sorts of other very serious health conditions. And people who are lonely clearly feel like they are in poor-quality relationships," said Lisa Jaremka, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State University and lead author of the research.

"One reason this type of research is important is to understand how loneliness and relationships broadly affect health. The more we understand about the process, the more potential there is to counter those negative effects – to perhaps intervene. If we don't know the physiological processes, what are we going to do to change them?"

The results are based on a series of studies conducted with two populations: a healthy group of overweight middle-aged adults and a group of breast cancer survivors. The researchers measured loneliness in all studies using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, a questionnaire that assesses perceptions of social isolation and loneliness.

Jaremka will present the research Saturday (1/19) at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting in New Orleans.

The researchers first sought to obtain a snapshot of immune system behavior related to loneliness by gauging levels of antibodies in the blood that are produced when herpes viruses are reactivated.
Participants were 200 breast cancer survivors who were between two months and three years past completion of cancer treatment with an average age of 51 years. Their blood was analyzed for the presence of antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus.
Both are herpes viruses that infect a majority of Americans. About half of infections do not produce illness, but once a person is infected, the viruses remain dormant in the body and can be reactivated, resulting in elevated antibody levels, or titers – again, often producing no symptoms but hinting at regulatory problems in the cellular immune system.

Lonelier participants had higher levels of antibodies against cytomegalovirus than did less lonely participants, and those higher antibody levels were related to more pain, depression and fatigue symptoms. No difference was seen in Epstein-Barr virus antibody levels, possibly because this reactivation is linked to age and many of these participants were somewhat older, meaning reactivation related to loneliness would be difficult to detect, Jaremka said.

Previous research has suggested that stress can promote reactivation of these viruses, also resulting in elevated antibody titers.
"The same processes involved in stress and reactivation of these viruses is probably also relevant to the loneliness findings," Jaremka said. "Loneliness has been thought of in many ways as a chronic stressor – a socially painful situation that can last for quite a long time."
In an additional set of studies, the scientists sought to determine how loneliness affected the production of proinflammatory proteins, or cytokines, in response to stress. These studies were conducted with 144 women from the same group of breast cancer survivors and a group of 134 overweight middle-aged and older adults with no major health problems.

Baseline blood samples were taken from all participants, who were then subjected to stress – they were asked to deliver an impromptu five-minute speech and perform a mental arithmetic task in front of a video camera and three panelists. Researchers followed by stimulating the participants' immune systems with lipopolysaccharide, a compound found on bacterial cell walls that is known to trigger an immune response.

In both populations, those who were lonelier produced significantly higher levels of a cytokine called interleukin-6, or IL-6, in response to acute stress than did participants who were more socially connected. Levels of another cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, also rose more dramatically in lonelier participants than in less lonely participants, but the findings were significant by statistical standards in only one study group, the healthy adults.

In the study with breast cancer survivors, researchers also tested for levels of the cytokine interleukin 1-beta, which was produced at higher levels in lonelier participants.

When the scientists controlled for a number of factors, including sleep quality, age and general health measures, the results were the same.

"We saw consistency in the sense that more lonely people in both studies had more inflammation than less lonely people," Jaremka said.

"It's also important to remember the flip side, which is that people who feel very socially connected are experiencing more positive outcomes," she said.

Provided by The Ohio State University

"Loneliness, like chronic stress, taxes the immune system." January 19th, 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-loneliness-chronic-stress-taxes-immune.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

The Cockroach Theory for Self-development;

Response Vs  Reaction 

At a restaurant, a cockroach  suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on
a lady. She started  screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken  face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her  hands desperately trying to get rid of the  cockroach.

Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her  group also got panicky.

The lady finally managed to push the  cockroach away but ...it landed on
another lady in the  group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to  continue the drama.

The waiter rushed forward to their rescue.  In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the  waiter.

The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed  the behaviour of the cockroach on his shirt.

When he  was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and  threw it out of the restaurant.

Sipping my coffee and  watching the amusement, the antenna of my
mind picked up a few  thoughts and started wondering, was the
cockroach responsible  for their histrionic behaviour?

If so, then why was the waiter  not disturbed? He handled it near to
perfection, without any  chaos.

It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies  to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach that  disturbed the ladies.

I realized that, it is not the  shouting of my father or my boss or my wife that disturbs  me, but it’s my inability to handle the disturbances caused by  their shouting that disturbs me.

It’s not the traffic jams  on the road that disturbs me, but my
inability to handle the  disturbance caused by the traffic jam
that disturbs  me.

More than the problem, it’s my reaction to the problem  that
creates chaos in my life.

Lessons learnt from the  story:

I understood, I should not  react in  life. I should
always  respond. The women  reacted,  whereas the waiter  responded.

Reactions are always  instinctive whereas responses are always  well thought of, just and right to save a situation from going  out of hands, to avoid cracks in relationship, to avoid  taking decisions in anger, anxiety, stress or  hurry.

Benefits of Walking

• The human body is made to walk.
• Walking 30 minutes a day cuts the rate of people becoming diabetic by more than half, and it cuts the risk of people over 60 becoming diabetic by almost 70 per cent.

 

• Walking cuts the risk of stroke by more than 25 per cent.

 

• Walking reduces hypertension. The body has over 100,000 miles of blood vessels. Those blood vessels are more supple and healthier when we walk.

 

• Walking cuts the risk of cancer as well as diabetes and stroke.

 

• Women who walk have a 20 per cent lower likelihood of getting breast cancer and a 31 per cent lower risk of colon cancer.

 

• Women with breast cancer who walk regularly can reduce their recurrence and mortality rates by over 50 per cent.

 

• The human body works better when we walk. The body resists diseases better when we walk, and the body heals faster when we walk.

 

• We don't have to walk a lot. Thirty minutes a day has a significant impact on our health. Lee Kuan Yew, at his age, walks only 13 min. a day

 

• Men who walk thirty minutes a day have a significantly lower level of prostate cancer. Men who walk regularly have a 60 per cent lower risk of colon cancer.

 

• Studies have shown that walkers have a 46 per cent lower mortality rate for men with prostate cancer.

 

• Walking also helps prevent depression, and people who walk regularly are more likely to see improvements in their depression.

 

• In one study, people who walked and took medication scored twice as well in 30 days as the women who only took the medication. Another study showed that depressed people who walked regularly had a significantly higher level of not being depressed in a year compared to depressed people who did not walk. The body generates endorphins when we walk. Endorphins help us feel good.

 

• Walking strengthens the heart. Walking strengthens bones.

 

• Walking improves the circulatory system.

 

• Walking generates positive neurochemicals. Healthy eating is important, but dieting can trigger negative neurochemicals and can be hard to do.

 

• Walking generates positive neurochemicals. People look forward to walking and enjoy walking.

 

• And research shows that fit beats fat for many people. Walking half an hour a day has health benefits that exceed the benefits of losing 20 pounds.

 

• When we walk every day, our bodies are healthier and stronger. A single 30-minute walk can reduce blood pressure by five points for over 20 hours.

 

• Walking reduces the risk of blood clots in your legs.

 

• People who walk regularly have a much lower risk of deep vein thrombosis.

 

• People who walk are less likely to catch colds, and when people get colds, walkers have a 46 per cent shorter symptom time from their colds.

 

• Walking improves the health of our blood, as well. Walking is a good boost of high-density cholesterol, and people with high levels of HDL are less likely to have heart attacks and strokes.

 

• Walking significantly diminishes the risk of hip fracture and the need for gallstone surgery is 20 to 31 percent lower for walkers.

 

• Walking is the right thing to do. The best news is that the 30 minutes doesn't have to be done in one lump of time. Two 15-minute walks achieve the same goals. Three 10-minute walks achieve most of those goals.

 

• We can walk 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night and achieve our walking goals.

 

• Walking feels good. It helps the body heal. It keeps the body healthy. It improves our biological health, our physical health, our psychosocial health and helps with our emotional health. Walking can literally add years and entire years to your life.

Soooooooo .......It's good all the time to walk.

Be good to yourself. Be good to your body. ALL ACUPRESSURE POINTS ARE IN THE SOLE OF YOUR FEET ......

JUST LIKE YOUR HANDS !!

Coffee and prostate cancer

Coffee can’t cure prostate cancer, but research indicates a cup a day might do some good for men who have had prostate cancer. At the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Janet Stanford looked at data on 630 prostate cancer patients, of whom 61 percent drank at least one cup a day. Stanford wanted to see what relation coffee drinking might have with whether the prostate cancer came back or got worse:

“For the men that consumed at least one cup per day, risk of prostate cancer recurrence or progression was reduced by over 50 percent.”

She says coffee has chemicals that could affect cancer, but this needs more study.

The research in the journal Cancer Causes and Control was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
SOURCE:http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2013/09/coffee_and_prostate_cancer.html

Booze doesn't cause depression

UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

There is no truth to the long-held belief that alcohol causes depression, clinical neuroscientists from The University of Western Australia have concluded. Professor Osvaldo Almeida of UWA's School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences said that until now, everyone had assumed that alcohol caused people to become depressed, mainly if consumed at excessive levels. "Even one of the diagnoses we have for depressive disorders - Substance-Induced Mood Disorder - is a diagnosis where alcohol plays a role," Professor Almeida said.  "However, because of the observational nature of the association between alcohol and depression and the risk of confounding and bias that comes with observational studies, it is difficult to be entirely sure that the relationship is causal. "For example, people who drink too much may also smoke, have poor diets and other diseases that could explain the excess number of people with depression among heavy drinkers." Professor Almeida and fellow researchers with the long-running Health in Men Study (HIMS) decided to search for a causal link via physiological pathways instead, specifically the genetic polymorphism, or mutation, most closely associated with alcohol metabolism. "We now know that certain genetic variations affect the amount of alcohol people consume," Professor Almeida said. "There is one particular genetic variation that affects the enzyme responsible for the metabolism of alcohol.  This variation produces an enzyme that is up to 80 times less competent at breaking down alcohol.  Consequently, people who carry this variation are much less tolerant to alcohol.  In fact, there is now evidence that alcohol-related disorders are very uncommon in this group. "Now, if alcohol causes depression, then a genetic variation that reduces alcohol use and alcohol-related disorders, should reduce the risk of depression.  The great advantage of looking at the gene is that this association is not confounded by any other factors - people are born like that." The researchers analysed the triangular association between the genetic mutation, alcohol and depression in 3873 elderly male participants of the HIMS study, using data collected over three to eight years. "We found (as expected) that this particular genetic variant was associated with reduced alcohol use, but it had no association with depression whatsoever," Professor Almeida said. "The conclusion is that alcohol use neither causes nor prevents depression in older men.  Our results also debunk the view that mild to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of depression." He said the association observed between alcohol and depression was likely explained by other factors, but not by alcohol itself. "It doesn't mean alcohol is entirely safe and people can consume it in whatever way they like.  We know that alcohol when consumed in excess does create a lot of health problems - but what we now know is that one of those problems is not depression." HIMS is a longitudinal study of 12,201 men aged 65-83 when recruited in 1996.  The HIMS research team, largely made up of UWA researchers, has so far published more than 100 papers on a wide range of men's health and ageing issues. A paper on the study  "The triangular association of ADH1B genetic polymorphism, alcohol consumption and the risk of depression in older men" as published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry can be found here. Editor's note: Original news release can be found here.

The material footprint of nations

UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

In 2008, China had the largest material footprint. Image: Federico Rostagno/Shutterstock The amount of raw materials needed to sustain the economies of developed countries is significantly greater than present indicators suggest, a new Australian study has revealed. Using a new modelling tool and more comprehensive indicators, researchers were able to map the flow of raw materials across the world economy with unprecedented accuracy to determine the true “material footprint” of 186 countries over a two-decade period (from 1990 to 2008). The study, involving researchers from UNSW, CSIRO, the University of Sydney, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, was published today in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It reveals that the decoupling of natural resources from economic growth has been exaggerated. The results confirm that pressures on raw materials do not necessarily decline as affluence grows and demonstrates the need for policy-makers to consider new accounting methods that more accurately track resource consumption.  “Humanity is using raw materials at a level never seen before with far-reaching environmental impacts on biodiversity, land use, climate and water,” says lead author Tommy Wiedmann, Associate Professor of Sustainability Research at the UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “By relying on current indicators, governments are not able to see the true extent of resource consumption.” “Now more than ever, developed countries are relying on international trade to acquire their natural resources, but our research shows this dependence far exceeds the actual physical quantity of traded goods,” says Wiedmann, who worked at CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences when the research was undertaken.   In 2008, the total amount of raw materials extracted globally was 70 billion metric tons – 10 billion tons of which were physically traded. However, the results show that three times as many resources (41% or 29 billion tons) were used just to enable the processing and export of these materials.  The researchers say that because these resources never leave their country of origin, they are not adequately captured by current reporting methods. They have used a new indicator they call the “material footprint” to more accurately account for these ‘lost’ resources and have developed tools that could assist policy-makers in future. Economy-wide accounting metrics (such as Domestic Material Consumption or DMC) currently used by certain governments and intergovernmental organisations, including the OECD, the European Union and the UN Environment Programme, only account for the volume of raw materials extracted and used domestically, and the volume physically traded. These indicators suggest resource-use in wealthy nations has increased at a slower rate than economic growth – something known as relative decoupling – and that other countries have actually seen their consumption decrease over the last 20 years – something known as absolute decoupling. (See figures). Decoupling of raw material usage from economic growth is considered one of the major goals en route to achieving sustainable development and a low-carbon economy. But the study authors say when their “material footprint” indicators are factored in these achievements in decoupling are smaller than reported and often non-existent. Selected country findings: Australia had the highest material footprint per capita (about 35 tons per person), but because it is a prolific exporter of resources, it appears to have a relative decoupling. Other developed economies (USA, Japan, UK) show similar levels at around 25 tons per person. Lower material standard of living and lower average level of consumption in many developing countries is reflected in a footprint below 15 tons per person, with India at the lower end at 3.7 tons per person. In absolute values, the US is by far the largest importer of primary resources embodied in trade and China the largest exporter. The largest per-capita exporters of embodied primary materials – in particular metal ores – are Australia and Chile. All industrialised nations show the same typical picture over time: as GDP grew over the last two decades there appeared to be a relative decoupling of resource use as indicated by DMC (even absolute decoupling for the UK). However, when measured by the material footprint indicator, resource use has grown in parallel to GDP with no signs of decoupling. This is true for the USA, UK, Japan, EU27 and OECD. South Africa was the only country shown to have an absolute decoupling using the MF indicator. Editor's note: Original news release can be found here.

Bees: perfect flying machines

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Honeybees raise their abdomen to reduce drag and fly at higher speeds using less energy. Image: kingfisher/Shutterstock Scientists are harnessing honeybee flight secrets to develop insect-sized robot aircraft.  A world-first study at UQ's Queensland Brain Institute has found that honeybees use a combination of what they feel and see to streamline their bodies and gain maximum ‘fuel efficiency' by positioning their bodies for swift flight.  QBI's Professor Mandyam Srinivasan said the discovery could help in the development of robot aircraft, such as small insect-like flying machines.  “These bees are living proof that it's possible to engineer airborne vehicles that are agile, navigationally competent, weigh less than 100 milligrams, and can fly around the world using the energy given by an ounce of honey,” Professor Srinivasan said.  “Honeybees often have to travel very long distances with only a small amount of nectar, so they have to be as fuel-efficient as possible,” he said.  “They achieve this by raising their abdomen to reduce drag so they can fly at high speeds while using less energy.”  QBI's Mr Gavin Taylor said previous research had found that honeybees used their eyes to sense the airspeed and move their abdomens accordingly.  “When we trick a honeybee into thinking that it's flying forward by running background images past its eyes, the bee will move its body into a flying position despite being tethered.  “The faster we move the images, the higher it lifts its abdomen to prepare for rapid flight,” Mr Taylor said.  “However, if we blow wind directly at it without running any images, the bee raises its abdomen for only a little while.  “This means that they rely on their vision to regulate their flights.”  The team created a headwind and ran background images simultaneously, and found the bee raised its abdomen much higher than when the fan was switched off, indicating the streamlining response was also driven by airflow.  Professor Srinivasan said the honeybee sensed airflow with its antenna.  “As soon as we immobilised the bee's antenna, its streamlining response was reduced as it relied only on its eyes.”  Professor Srinivasan said the research could help develop tiny ‘robotbee' aircraft.  ”A better understanding of how these honeybees fly takes us one step further towards perfecting these flying machines,” he said.  Results of the study, “Vision and airflow combine to streamline flying honeybees”, by Gavin J. Taylor, Tien Luu, David Ball and Mandyam V. Srinivasan, have been published in Scientific Reports.  Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Exercise key to long, happy life

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Sustained physical activity can add years to life and substantially improve the quality of those years, according to the latest results of a long-term study into more than 12,000 elderly Western Australian men. In a paper recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers from The University of Western Australia found that 150 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week added two to three years to the lives of those men who remained physically active for the duration of the 13-year study. Those who had regularly engaged in physical activity throughout the study also aged more successfully than their inactive counterparts.  Successful ageing was defined as ageing free of depression, memory loss or functional incapacity, while physical activity was defined as 150 minutes or more per week of exertion that made people huff and puff. "So not only were active people more likely than non-active people to survive, but those who were alive and active when we followed up had reached old age in good shape, without evidence of depression or of cognitive or functional problems," lead author Professor Osvaldo Almeida said. "In other words they were able to move about and do their business without significant assistance - looking after their finances, looking after themselves, looking after their house etc, and they did not have any evidence of mental illness." Professor Almeida, Winthrop Chair of Geriatric Psychiatry at UWA's School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, said the study also showed it was never too late to take up regular exercise, with those men who were inactive at the beginning of the study but who took up regular physical activity during the follow-up period also reaping the benefits. "Those who started off inactive but became more active as time went by benefited as well," he said.  "Not as much as the ones who were active at the beginning and the end, but quite a bit more than those who were inactive throughout." Meanwhile, men who were active at the start of the study but gave it up over the 10-13 year follow-up period all but lost the health benefits of physical activity. "It's better to become active than to be active and stop," Professor Almeida said. "The message is it's never too late to start physical activity, and by engaging in regular physical activity older people not only survive longer, but they ensure that the chance of them ageing successfully - without significant functional impairments - also increases. "Not only do they add years to life, but they add quality to their years." The study concluded that regular physical activity seemed to promote longevity and healthy ageing and should be encouraged when safe and feasible. The Health in Men Study (HIMS) is a longitudinal study of 12,201 men aged 65-83 when recruited in 1996.  The HIMS research team, largely made up of UWA researchers, has so far published more than 100 papers on a wide range of men's health and ageing issues. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

விந்தணுவின் எண்ணிக்கையை அதிகரிப்பதற்கான சில இயற்கை வழிகள்!!!

பொதுவாக அனைத்து ஆண்களுக்கும் ஒரே மாதிரியான விந்தணு உற்பத்தியானது இருப்பதில்லை. விந்தணுவின் உற்பத்தியைப் பொறுத்தே கரு உருவாதல் அடங்கி இருக்கிறது. கரு உருவதலில் ஆண், பெண் என இருவருக்கும் சமபங்கு இருக்கிறது. ஆண்களுக்கு விந்தணுவின் எண்ணிக்கையே பொறுத்து தான், அவர்கள் மலட்டுத்தன்மை உள்ளவரா அல்லது கரு உருவக்க கூடியவரா என்பதை தீர்மானிக்கிறது. ஆனால் மன அழுத்தம், மன இறுக்கம் போன்ற பல்வேறு காரணங்களால் விந்தணு உற்பத்தி மற்றும் எண்ணிக்கை பாதிக்கப்படலாம். எனவே இத்தகைய விந்தணுவின் எண்ணிக்கையை அதிகரிக்க என்ன செய்ய வேண்டும் என்று ஒவ்வொரு ஆண்களும் நிச்சயம் தெரிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும்.

ஆண்களில் குறைவான விந்து எண்ணிக்கை மலட்டுத்தன்மை ஏற்படுவதில் முக்கியமான காரணம் ஆகும். ஆகவே விந்து எண்ணிக்கையை அதிகப்படுத்த எந்த உணவுகளை சேர்க்க வேண்டும், எந்த பழக்கங்களை கடைபிடிக்க வேண்டும் என்று ஒருசிலவற்றைத் தொகுத்துள்ளோம். அதைப் படித்து பின்பற்றினால், விந்தணுவின் எண்ணிகையை அதிகபடுத்தி, மலட்டுத்தன்மையை போக்கலாம்.

ஜிங்க் குறைபாடு

உடலில் போதிய ஜிங்க் சத்து இல்லாவிட்டால், விந்தணுவின் உற்பத்தியில் பாதிப்பு ஏற்படும்.

அதிகப்படியாக புகைப்பிடித்தல் மற்றும் மது அருந்துதல்

அனைத்து ஆண்களுக்கும் இருக்கும் ஒரு பொதுவாக கெட்ட பழக்கங்களில் ஒன்று தான் சிகரெட் மற்றும் மது அருந்துதல். இத்தகைய செயலால் தற்காலிகமான சந்தோஷம் கிடைக்குமே தவிர, நாளடைவில் விந்தணுவின் எண்ணிக்கையில் குறைபாட்டை ஏற்படுத்திவிடும்.

இறுக்கமான உள்ளாடை

தொடர்ச்சியாக இறுக்கமான உள்ளாடையை அணிந்தால், மலட்டுத்தன்மை ஏற்படும் வாய்ப்பு அதிகரிக்கும்.

அதிகமான உடல் எடை

இன்றைய நவீன உலகில் பல்வேறு வகையான ஆரோக்கியமற்ற உணவுகள் தான் கடைகளில் கிடைக்கின்றன. இத்தகைய உணவுகளில் சுவை அதிகம் இருந்தாலும், இதனை அதிகம் சாப்பிட்டு வந்தால், உடலில் கொழுப்புக்கள் அதிகரித்து, உடல் எடை அதிகரித்துவிடும். பின் திருமணத்திற்கு பின் விந்தணு குறைபாட்டால் அவஸ்தைப்பட வேண்டியது தான்.

விந்து கோளாறு (Sperm disorder)

விந்தணு கோளாறுகள் கூட விந்தணு எண்ணிக்கை, விந்தணுவின் தரம் மற்றும் இயக்கத்தை பாதிக்கும். விந்தணு சரியாக வெளியேறாவிடில், அதன் இயக்கம் கட்டுப்பாடில்லாமல் தலைகீழாகிவிடும். சொல்லப்போனால் விந்தணு கோளாறுகள், விந்தணுவின் வடிவத்தை கூட மாற்றிவிடக் கூடும். அதிலும் விந்து வெளியேறாமல் இருத்தல், மலட்டுத்தன்மை, விறைக்காமல் இருத்தல் அல்லது சீக்கிரமாக விந்து வெளியேறுதல் கூட, தாம்பத்தியத்தின் போதும் கரு உருவாதலிலும் பிரச்சனைகளை உண்டாக்கும்.

இயல்பான விந்து எண்ணிக்கை

ஒவ்வொரு விந்தணு வெளியேற்றத்தின் போதும் 1 முதல் 5 மி.லிட்டர் வரையில் மாறுபடுகின்றன. மேலும் விந்து எண்ணிக்கை ஒரு மி.மீ.க்கு 20-150 மில்லியன் வரையிலாக மாறுபடுகின்றன. அதில் 60 சதவிகித விந்தணுக்களாவது சரியான வடிவம் பெற்று, முன்னோக்கி ஊர்ந்து செல்லும் திறன் பெற்றிருக்கும்.

வைட்டமின் பி உணவுகள்

வைட்டமின் பி நிறைந்துள்ள உணவுகளான பாலாடை கட்டி, முட்டை, பால், கெட்டி தயிர், தானியங்கள், கீரைகள், பருப்பு வகைகள் போன்றவற்றை அதிகம் உட்கொள்வது, விந்தணுவின் உற்பத்தியை அதிகரிக்கும்.

ஜிங்க் உணவுகள்

ஜிங்க் உணவுகளான கடல் சிப்பிகள், எள் மற்றும் சூரியகாந்தி விதைகள், இஞ்சி, கோதுமை, இறைச்சி, டார்க் சாக்லேட், தர்பூசணி விதைகள் மற்றும் பூசணி விதைகள் போன்றவற்றை உணவில் அதிகம் சேர்த்து வருவது, ஆரோக்கியமான விந்தணு உற்பத்திக்கு வழிவகுக்கும்.

செலினியம் உணவுகள் (Selenium)

செலினியம் நிறைந்துள்ள உணவுகளான மட்டி (Shellfish), ஈரல், மீன், சூரியகாந்தி விதைகள், நண்டுகள், இறால்கள், கடல் நண்டுகள், அரிசி, கோதுமை, ஓட்ஸ் போன்ற தானியங்கள் விந்தணு குறைபாட்டைத் தடுக்கும்.

ஆரோக்கியமற்ற உணவுகள்

ஃபாஸ்ட் புட், ஜங்க் போன்ற ஆரோக்கியமற்ற உணவுகளை தவிர்க்கவும்.

மன அழுத்தத்தைப் போக்க யோகா

மன அழுத்தத்தை குறைத்து, ஆரோக்கியத்தை மேம்படுத்த தினமும் யோகா செய்யவும்.

போதிய தூக்கம்

தினமும் குறைந்தது 7-8 மணிநேரம் தூங்க வேண்டும். .

உடற்பயிற்சி

ஹார்மோன்களைச் சமப்படுத்த, தினமும் உடற்பயிற்சியை மேற்கொள்ள வேண்டும். இதனால் உடல் எடையை சரியாக பராமரிக்க முடியும்.

அடிக்கடி நடக்கவும்

அலுவலகத்தில் நீண்ட நேரம் ஒரே நிலையில் உட்காராமல், அவ்வப்போது நடக்க வேண்டும்.

மசாஜ்

உடலில் இரத்த ஓட்டத்தை சரிப்படுத்த, உடலுக்கு வாரம் ஒருமுறை மசாஜ் செய்து கொள்ளவும்.

விந்தணு குறைபாட்டைத் தடுக்கும் யோகா பயிற்சிகள்

கீழ்க்கூறிய யோகாசனங்களை தினமும் மேற்கொண்டு வந்தால், விந்தணு குறைபாட்டில் இருந்து விடைபெறலாம். - அக்னிசார் கிரியா (Agnisaar kriya) - ஹலாசனம் (Halasana) - சேதுபந்தாசனம் (Setubhandhasana) - தனுராசனம் (Dhanurasana) - அஷ்வாணி முத்திரை (Ashwani Mudra) - பஸ்ற்றிக பிராணயாமம் (Bhastrika Pranayam)

ஆண்களுக்கு அழகு இரகசியங்கள்

பெண்களுக்கு மட்டும் தான் அழகு இரகசியங்கள் இருக்கிறதா என்ன ? ஆண்களுக்கும் இருக்கின்றது. நீங்களும் உங்களை அழகு படுத்தி கொள்ளும் ஆண் என்றால் உங்களுக்கான அழகு குறிப்புகள் இதோ

முகம்

*பெரும்பாலான ஆண்கள் தங்களை அழகு படுத்தி கொள்வதே இல்லை.அவர்களை பொருத்த வரையில் முக அலங்காரம் என்பது ஷேவ் செய்வதும் மீசையை அழகு படுத்தி கொள்வது மட்டுமே

*நீங்கள் முகசவரம் செய்து கொள்வது மட்டும் அல்லாமல் பேசியல் செய்து கொள்ளலாம்.முகத்திற்கு க்ரிம் தடவி உங்களை அழகு படுத்தி கொள்ளலாம்.அவ்வாறு முகபள பளப்புடனும் ஜொலிப்புடனும் இருக்கின்ற ஆண்களை தான் பெரும் பாலும் பெண்கள் விரும்புகின்றனர் எனவே கொஞ்சம் முகசவரம் செய்து கொண்டு முகத்தை அழகு படுத்திடுங்கள்

சருமம்

*பெண்களை பொறுத்த வரையில் ஆண்கள் முகத்திற்கும் சருமத்திற்கும் கவனம் செலுத்துவதே இல்லை.பெண்கள் ஆண்மை தன்மையை மட்டும் விரும்புவது இல்லை. அழகிற்கு தான் அதிக முக்கியத்துவம் தருவார்கள். சில ஆண்களுக்கு முகசுருக்கங்களும் பருக்களும் அவர்கள் அழகையே கெடுத்து விடும். நீங்கள் உங்களுக்கான க்ரிம்களை தடவி உங்கள் சருமத்தை அழகு படுத்திடுங்கள். நீங்கள் சருமத்தின் மீது கவனம் செலுத்துங்கள்பின்பு பெண்கள் உங்கள் மீது கவனம் செலுத்த ஆரம்பிப்பார்கள்

அழகு சாதனப்பொருட்கள்

*நெயில் பாலிஸ் லிப்ஸ்டிக் ஐப்ரோ வாசனை திரவியங்கள் என அனைத்து பொருட்கள் இருந்தாலும் ஆண்கள் அதன் மீது
ஆர்வம் கொள்ளுவது இல்லை. ஆண்கள் அளவோடு அழகுசாதனப் பொருட்களை அளவோடு பயன்படுத்துவது ஆண்களை
அழகோடு வைத்திருக்கும்

பற்கள்

*முகத்திற்கு புன்னகை சேர்க்கும் விதமாக விளங்குவது பற்கள். அப்பற்களை எவ்வளவு சுத்தமாக பாதுகாத்து கொள்ள வேண்டும். ஆனால் புகைபிடிப்பது காபி டீ பருகுவது என பற்களின் நிறத்தை கெடுத்து கொள்கிறார்கள்

*பற்களின் நிறத்தை பளிர்நிற வெண்மைக்கு கொண்மைக்கு கொண்டுவர பல சிகிச்சை முறைகள் வந்து விட்டன.தினமும்
இருமுறை பல்துலக்குவதே பற்களின் பாதுகாப்புக்குப் போதுமானது. கூந்தல் ஆண்களும் தலைமுடியை பராமரிப்பதில் நல்ல
ஆர்வம் காட்டுகிறார்கள்.

*கவர்ச்சிகரமாக முடிவெட்டிக் கொள்வது, அவ்வப்போது ஸ்டைலை மாற்றிக் கொள்வது இளைஞர்களின் வாடிக்கையாக
இருக்கிறது. இதுமட்டும் கேசப் பராமரிப்பிற்குப் போதுமானதல்ல. முடிகள் உடைந்து, உதிர்ந்து போகாமல் பார்த்துக் கொள்வது
அவசியம். தலையில் பொடுகுகள் பெருகுவது இதுபோன்ற பாதிப்புகளை ஏற்படுத்தும்.

*எனவே சீயக்காய், ஷாம்பு போன்ற ஏதாவது ஒன்றைத் தொடர்ந்து பயன்படுத்துவதன் மூலம் கூந்தலைப் பராமரிக்கலாம்.

உடை உடை அலங்காரம் என்பது மற்ற அலங்காரங்களைவிட முக்கியமானது. எளிதானதும்கூட. கோட்-சூட், டை என்று வருவதுதான் ஆடை அலங்காரம் என்று எண்ணிவிடாதீர்கள். சாதாரண உடைகளையும் நன்கு சலவை செய்து அணிந்தால்
போதுமானது. அழுக்கு இல்லாமலும், பட்டன்கள் அறுந்து போகாமலும் உள்ள உடைகளை அணியுங்கள்.

முதலில் உங்கள் முக அழகை பற்றிய சில குறிப்புகள் சில ஆண்களுக்கு டீன் ஏஜில் ஏற்படும் மிகப்பெரிய பிரச்னை முகப்பரு சில நாட்கள் இருந்தாலும் அதன் வடு மாறாது. இதற்க்கு சரியான தீர்வு சாதிக்காய், சந்தனம், மிளகு இவை மூன்றையும் சேர்த்தரைத்த விழுதை பருக்களின் மீது தடவிவரவும்.

பாசிபயிறு மாவு, கடலைமாவு சிறிது தயிர் சேர்த்து குளிக்கும் போது அல்லது முகம் அலசும் போதும் இந்த பேஸ்டை பயன்படுத்தவும்.
முகம் வரட்சியினை போக்க: கொத்துமல்லி மற்றும் புதினா இவற்றை சேர்த்து கெட்டியாக அரைத்து, முகத்தில் வாரம் ஒருமுறை பூசி வரலாம்.
ஆலிவ் எண்ணெயுடன் எலுமிச்சைச்சாறு கலந்து, முகத்தில் தடவி வந்தாலும் முக வரட்சி மாறும்.

வெயிலில் செல்லும்போது, சன் ஸ்கிரீன் அடங்கிய ஃபேர்னெஸ் க்ரீம் பயன்படுத்தலாம். இதைக் கை கால்களுக்கும் அப்ளை செய்து கொள்ள வேண்டும்.

உதட்டுக்கு வேசலீன் அடங்கிய லிப் ஜெல்களைப் பயன்படுத்தவும்்.
கை மற்றும் கால்களில் நகங்களை ஒட்ட வெட்டி நீட்டாக வைத்திருப்பதே ஆண்களுக்கு அழகு.

இப்போது ஆடைகளை பற்றி பார்ப்போம்: ஆள் பாதி ஆடை பாதி என்பார்கள். ஆண்கள். ஆடைகளைத் தேர்வு செய்யும்போது, நீங்கள் போகவிருக்கும் நிகழ்ச்சியைப் பற்றி மனதில் கொள்ள வேண்டும்.
நண்பர்களுடம் போவதாக இருந்தால் நார்மல் உடையே போதுமானது.

நெருங்கிய உறவினர் விட்டு திருமண நிகழ்ச்சிக்கு போகும் போது சேர்வானி டிரேஸ் நன்றாக இருக்கும்.

அணிகலன்

*எல்லோரிடமும் கல கலப்பாக பேசுங்கள்.நல்ல பேச்சாளன் என்ற பெயரை வாங்குங்கள். அப்போதுதான் நீங்கள் ஒரு
இடத்தைவிட்டு நகர்ந்தாலும் அங்கு உங்களின் நினைவை நீங்காமல் இடம்பெறச் செய்வது உங்களது கனிவான பேச்சுதான்.

Malolan (Narasingha) and the Muslim

Once Sri Devanarvilagam Azhagiasingar(Saint) was camping at Hyderabad for observing Chaturmasya. The premises identified for hosting the Pontiff and his retinue was a beautiful property, with spacious accommodation, plenty of well water and peaceful environs ideal for Srimad Azhagiasingar’s worshipping. The saint liked the place very much and used to conduct offering daily with his usual devotional fervour, attended by quite a big crowd. The locality however was predominantly Muslim, though the accommodation itself was insulated from any such influences.
Among the daily congregation which assembled to have a glorious eye-full of Sri Malolan’s prayers by Srimad Azhagiasingar was a pious muslim of royal lineage. Attracted somehow by the Pontiff’s serene countenance shining with the light of wisdom and penance and also by the incredible beauty of Sri Malolan, the Muslim watched daily from a distance, honouring the traditions of Sri Ahobila Mutt.

This went on for several days. The Chaturmasya period was about to conclude. One day, the Muslim gentleman made bold to approach Srimad Azhagiasingar through a service, with a request for the Pontiff to visit his (the Muslim’s) residence and perform Malolan’s worship at his palatial house. It appeared that the gentleman was indeed of royal descent and very well endowed. Despite being a devout Moslem, Sri Malolan and Srimad Azhagiasingar had made indelible impressions on his mind and he was eager to have them stay at his house, affording him a chance to worship both. Having informed himself about the Mutt’s travel plans, he also submitted that his residence at Begumpet was right on the way to Bombay and that he would be honoured if they did stay at his house for a week. He was prepared to bear all expenses of the stay, allot a separate and spacious house for Sri Malolan and His retinue and to keep his distance, without in any way hindering the religious observances of the Pontiff and others.
This request gave rise to a rather piquant situation. The gentleman was obviously overwhelmed by devotion to Sri Malolan and to His personal servitor. However, for Srimad Azhagiasingar or the Lord to stay at or even visit such a place would have been unprecedented and not in tune with Shastraic provisions. Hence, after due deliberation, the Muslim gentleman was advised that his request could not be fulfilled. He went away, crestfallen but understanding the compulsions behind the decision.

Chaturmasya came to an end the very next day and a day later, Sri Malolan’s camp was road-bound again, en route to Bombay. Sri Malolan was travelling in His palanquin, while some distance behind, Srimad Azhagiasingar was travelling in his own. Though the weather was fine when the travel commenced, shortly thereafter there was a severe cyclonic storm with a torrential downpour. The rain was so heavy that visibility was reduced to a few feet.


In the pell-mell, confusion and lack of visibility, the party got separated. Srimad Azhagiasingar and some of the servants lost their way, while Sri Malolan and His bearers continued on the same route till they realized that they were no longer with the main body of servitors. Not knowing what to do, they decided to take shelter in the portico of a huge house standing nearby, till the rains stopped.

At the other end, Srimad Azhagiasingar and his entourage were beside themselves with anxiety, not knowing the whereabouts of Krishna and people went different ways to locate the missing party. At length the rain stopped and Srimad Azhagiasingar too could locate and reunite with Sri Malolan, who had spent His time in the portico, sheltered from the torrential downpour.

By this time, the master of the house, who peeped out for ascertaining that the rain had stopped, found a large group of people in his portico. And when he found out the identity of the group, he came running down from the third floor and prostrated at the feet of Srimad Azhagiasingar from a distance. And the Pontiff was flabbergasted to realize that the house-owner was none other than the Muslim, whose offer of hospitality had been declined earlier.

Tears ran down the Pontiff’s face when he realized the lengths to which Sri Malolan went to satisfy His devotees, with little regard to caste, creed, colour, economic or social status. Overcome by emotion, The saint immediately performed a mangala aarati (worship) to Malolan, which the muslim gentleman witnessed from a distance. The muslim gentleman too was overwhelmed when he was told what had happened and it was with very great reluctance that he bade goodbye to the Lord and Srimad Azhagiasingar, who resumed their interrupted journey.

As the purport of what had happened slowly sank into their intellects, the devotees were overawed at the divine will which made itself manifest in the chain of occurrences—the sudden downpour, the separation, the “accidental” availability of a house as a refuge from the rain, the further coincidence of its belonging to a person who had wished fervently to have Malolan in his house and so on.

The words Ezhai Edalan keezh magan ennaadu irangi mattru avarkku innarul surandu flashed in the hearts of kainkaryaparas: We have only heard of Valmiki’s tribute to Sri Rama for having blessed Guha Perumal with a bear hug with scant regard to questions of birth and status: but fortunate indeed were the Lord’s servitors who were treated to an endearing display of His soulabhyam on that stormy day. And fortunate indeed are we too, who are able to at least hear it second hand.

This Article is written by Sri Sadagopan Iyengar Swami, Coimbatore

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