Positive Mental Health

Did you know that 1 in 4 adults experience mental health problems during their lifetime? 3 in 10 have experienced mental health problems in the workplace, and stress is now the most common cause of long-term absence from work.

Let's explore:

What we can do to help is create a positive environment that promotes mental health, be aware and approachable, be self aware and of help to others. 

Financial impact of mental health issues arising out of employee absenteeism, decreased productive, staff turnover are:

Employers

Over half the costs to employers arise from reduced productivity from individuals with poor mental health in work, and the additional costs from sickness absence and staff turnover.

Government

The cost of poor mental health to government is between £24 billion and £27 billion. This includes providing benefits, falls in tax revenue and costs to the NHS.

UK economy

The cost of poor mental health to the economy as a whole is estimated at between £74 billion and £99 billion per year.

In UK there is the Equality Act and Health and Safety legislation to support people from disability. 

The meaning of 'mental health':

The term ‘good mental health’ means:

• The ability to cope with normal stress
• The ability to work usefully
• Being able to achieve what you are capable of
• Being able to maintain good relationships with others

if you're in good mental health, you can:

• Make the most of your potential,
• Cope with what life throws at you,
• Play a full part in your family, workplace, community and among friends

The mental health spectrum:

• Thriving at work - Example a person having obsessive compulsive personality disorder but is undergoing cognitive behaviour therapy and is thriving at work.
• Struggling at work - When you loose someone close to you
• Ill possibly off work - Depression etc. 

A recent survey conducted by Time to Change, an organisation dedicated to ending the discrimination that many people with mental health problems face came up with a different set of numbers but a similar story. They found that:

9 in 10 people who experience mental health problems face stigma and discrimination, particularly in work, meaning many do not feel they can talk openly with their line manager.

95% of employees would prefer to call in sick with a made-up reason, rather than reveal the truth about their mental health problems.

Fear of discrimination can delay the road to recovery and increase low productivity, absence and cost to the organisation.

Without discrimination the road to recovery is shorter and costs less.

How can you fight stigma?

Get the facts about mental health and about people with mental health problems.

Treat people with mental health problems with dignity and respect.

Avoid labelling people and help others realise when they do.

Don't use words such as "wacko", "schizo", "loony", "psycho", or "nuts" to describe people with mental health problems.

LESS STIGMA

EARLIER HELP

BETTER RECOVERY

Some of the more common mental health conditions

MENTAL WELL-BEING + POOR MENTAL HEALTH

WORK-RELATED STRESS

Sick days and absence

Reduced performance

POOR MENTAL HEALTH

Low mood, stress or anxiety

Upset/irritable

Low energy/preoccupied

Lack of motivation

MENTAL WELL-BEING

Cope with daily stress

Work productively

Positive relationships

Realise our own potential

COMMON MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

Depression

Anxiety

OCD

SEVERE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

Schizophrenia

Bipolar

Lets look at common ones:

Stress:

Stress isn't always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you're constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price. The most dangerous thing about chronic stress is how easily it can creep up on you. You get used to it. It starts to feel familiar, even normal. You don't notice how much it's affecting you. 

Depression

Everything just feels so hopeless. One feels nothing would ever get better and there's nothing we could do to improve the situation. We loose interest in… well, everything really, there is no energy, you feel worthless and have trouble focusing, making decisions, and remembering things.

Generalized anxiety disorder

Everyone gets anxious sometimes, but for some worries and fears are there all the time so they find it difficult to function and it's impossible to relax. The anxiety is mentally and physically exhausting. It drains your energy, you can't sleep and you are worn out. Sometimes just the thought of getting through the day makes you tense and anxious.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

If you have had an accident and you hear a piece on the news about another accident and start getting flashbacks which quickly turs into nightmares when you sleep, which isn't often. You are scared to get into a car, and is unable to concentrate at work. 

Obsessive compulsive disorder

Having persistent thoughts that you are going to get contaminated by germs and pass the illness on to  kids. Thoughts that wouldn't go away, you know… 

Bipolar disorder, 

Formerly called manic depression. It causes serious shifts in mood, energy, thinking, and behaviour, from the highs of mania on one extreme, to the lows of depression on the other. It's more than just a fleeting good or bad mood that we all have, the cycles of bipolar disorder last for days, weeks, or months. And unlike ordinary mood swings, the mood changes of bipolar disorder are so intense that they interfere with a person's ability to function.

Schizophrenia, 

The most common form of psychosis, a condition in which a person loses touch with reality. Schizophrenia is often referred to, wrongly, as 'split personality'.

Addiction 

When  alcoholism is affecting all aspects of life including health but one is in denial and not yet ready to admit there is a problem.

Eating disorder

Has a preoccupation with being thin and takes over  eating habits, thoughts, and life. One has anorexia and the desire to lose weight is more important than anything else. They loose the ability to see themselves as they truly are. Eating disorder is an attempt to control life and emotions.

Helping people manage stress

Performance fall, poor decision, moody and unpredictable, unexpected leave, difficult to juggle with tasks, difficult to concentrate, putting off challenging work, are signs. 

Short term tiredness is normal. 

Tips for looking after your own mental well-being

POSITIVITY

• Use positive language: In your thoughts as well as in what you say.
• Respond don't react: Slow down. Count to 10 and think twice before you act.
• Look for the best: Look for opportunities in every situation. Practice: when you talk to people about their situations, look for positives too.
• Smile: Keep positive company
• Talk to constructive, helpful and encouraging people as often as you can and definitely ask for support.
• Look on the bright side

Catch yourself when you spend too much time complaining about what you can't change or spend time expecting the worst. Consciously try to re-frame your thoughts.

Here's another technique to help re-educate your brain to pay attention to the good and positive things in your life. At the end of each day, record three good things that happened to you on that day – however small. By the end of the week you may be surprised at how much more positive you feel.

TIME MANAGEMENT

• Set goals: Set realistic daily, weekly and monthly goals and deadlines.
• Identify your prime time: Know when you do different tasks best. Email after lunch?
• Plan in your prime time: Reports first thing? Or email? Easy or harder tasks? Plan your tasks around your prime time.
• Prioritise: Decide when you will do tasks that are both important and urgent before you schedule anything else.
• Use a scheduling tool: Use a planner that you are comfortable with to schedule your day.
• Plan in everything: Schedule time for regular and ongoing tasks such as dealing with email rather than reacting to events and requests.
• Avoid time thieves: Beware of unnecessary meetings and other time thieves.
• Delegate: Learn how to delegate effectively so that you can increase the amount you get done without increasing the amount of time your work.

THINK ASSERTIVELY

• Value yourself: Recognise that your time, needs and rights are as valuable as everyone else's.
• Value others: Recognise that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect – including you.
• Protect your performance: Recognise that you can't perform to your full potential if your needs aren't met.
• Protect your feelings: Realise that you can't control other people's reactions and you're not responsible for them.

ACT ASSERTIVELY

• Say what you mean: Be respectful, professional and try to protect other people's feelings.
• Accept compliments: Don't avoid or deny them. Thank the giver sincerely.
• Use feedback: Ask for feedback and respond positively.
• Admit mistakes: When you make a mistake, focus on fixing it rather than blaming yourself.
• Know your limits: Don't agree to do something if it takes you beyond those limits — the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
• Be professional

Build Resilience

Sleep and relaxation:

Sleep

Getting enough sleep increases your resilience and your ability to cope. If you have trouble sleeping, try:

• Relaxation and breathing exercises
• Regular exercise
• Finding time for hobbies
• Talking to friends

Relax

Relaxing is a skill that many people have to learn! This breathing technique can be done almost anywhere and helps get your stress back under control. Aim to breathe deeply from the abdomen rather than shallowly from the top of your chest. This will get as much oxygen as possible in your lungs. The more oxygen you inhale, the less tense, short of breath, and anxious you feel. Click here for a suggested relaxation exercise.

Exercise

Schedule it!

Exercise regularly. Decide what you are going to do and schedule it. Even 15 minutes a day of exercise like brisk walking can help*.

*If unsure, talk to your GP first

Divert yourself

If things get unusually stressful or you feel angry, even unscheduled exercise can help to distract you and improve your mood.

Sleep better

If you have trouble sleeping, exercising may help you fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep for longer BUT improvements tend to be seen after at least 4 months of regular exercise... and not everyone benefits.

Eat well

Eat a balanced diet

Choose a variety of foods, balancing carbohydrates, oils and fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins and fibre. A colourful plate is generally a healthy plate!

Eat regularly

To keep your blood sugar fairly constant, eat small amounts regularly. 3 meals and 3 snacks.

Manage caffeine

Experiment with your response to stimulants such as coffee or tea and decide whether you should reduce or eliminate them, or drink them at certain times of the day.

Drink safely

Too much alcohol will have long term damaging effects and will affect your sleep and rest.

Avoid drugs

Substance abuse can also have long-term damaging effects and drugs alter your judgements and decision-making capabilities.

Leisure Activities

Balance

By doing more different activities and hobbies, you stimulate other parts of your brain, develop new skills and meet new people.

Make time

It's easy to let work take priority, but keeping yourself healthy is part of work too. You will do a better job if you keep yourself fresh by spending some of your time doing things you enjoy.

See friends

You may not enjoy hobbies, but seeing people, talking and offering each other support is an excellent way of both letting off steam and keeping things in perspective.

Manage Problems:

• Peer support
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy
• Mindfulness
• Online apps
• Join anonymous communities

Managing mental well being at work

• Have pleasant atmosphere
• Create supportive culture
• Be a good manager

Supporting mental health and workplace adjustments

Common sense, empathy, active listening, being approachable

Choose an appropriate place, encourage others to talk, don't make assumptions, keep an open mind, listen, be honest, ensure confidentiality, develop an action plan, encourage the person to seek advice and support, reassure. 

An Action plan can include:

What helps you stay well?

Regular breaks, exercise at lunch, social contact with colleagues.

What support can we offer?

Flexible working, weekly one on ones, better prioritisation, reducing workload.

If we notice the early warning signs, what should we do?

Have a confidential chat.

What time management, communication and other elements of your working style could be adjusted to help?

More written plans, no customer contact, no phone calls.

What can cause issues?

Deadlines, conflict, overload, difficult customers.

What are your early warning signs?

Unpredictable mood, difficulty making decisions.

If you notice the early warning signs, what should you do?

Go for a walk, ask for a chat.

Who should we contact if we feel concerned?

Reasonable adjustment: Anxiety at work, 

Work place environment, hours and pattern, workload, supervisor, support

When on long leave - keep in contact. Encourage to come back gradually as after physical illness.     

Support one another and create Positive mental health of self and others. 

Life in a Postcard - Escape to the French Pyrenees : Rosemary Bailey

 

4th of 2021, not all might like the book equally; but what made be grab the book last year is the words on the top right hand corner "Book is a dream that you hold in your hand";  the cover picture and the title.

With the view of the sunrise on the new year morning, I could not stop picking this book to read as I could not word my thoughts any better:

'I wake to the sun striking gold on a stone wall. If I lean out of the window I can see Mount Canigou newly iced with snow.   It is wonderful to live in a building with windows all around, to see both sunrise and sunset, to be constantly aware of the passage of the sun and moon.' May be I cannot see Mount Canigou newly iced with snow; but for now it's fine - hope I will someday. 

In 1988, Rosemary Bailey and her husband were travelling in the French Pyrenees when they fell in love with, and subsequently bought, a ruined medieval monastery, surrounded by peach orchards and snow-capped peaks. Traces of the monks were everywhere, in the frescoed 13th century chapel, the buried crypt, the stone arches of the cloister.

For the next few years the couple visited Corbiac whenever they could, until in 1997, they took the plunge and moved from central London to rural France with their six-year-old son. Entirely reliant on their earnings as freelance writers, they put their Apple Macs in the room with the fewest leaks and sent Theo to the village school. With vision and determination they have restored the monastery to its former glory, testing their relationship and resolve to the limit, and finding unexpected inspiration in the place.

Life in a Postcard is not just Rosemary Bailey's enthralling account of the challenges of life in a small mountain community, but also a celebration of the rugged beauty of French Catalonia, the pleasures of Catalan cooking, and an exploration of an alternative, often magical world. 

So say the back cover of the book. 

Monastery is at the centre of the Castellane valley in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and it was the favorite subject for local postcards. 

In the ”location memoir”  Rosemary Bailey gives personal depth and a philosophical twist to her celebration of life in the French Pyrenees.  Their 6 year old son starts the village school with no French at all and Bailey details the struggles they have to adapt to rural mountain life. They not only find a home they also find a supportive community- not traditional hoary French peasants and braying ex-pats, but a microcosm of Europe, a village which boasts 12 different nationalities. Bailey paints amusing and sympathetic portraits of the characters she meets; dairymaids, potters, opera singers, gardeners and painters. Gerard, the heavenly gardener who plants a secret patch of poppies to appear on a green hillside, Albert, the opera director who lost his hearing and turned sculptor, Hans the Dutch careers advisor who advised himself to move to Mosset and run a donkey trekking enterprise, Rose, niece of Sir Anthony Eden, a photographer again at 75, riding camels in Morocco, and revisiting the slums of Jamaica to photograph them after 20 years, Sylvie, the transplanted Parisian horsewoman so devoted to her tranquil life she needs a steak to revive her if she ever has to drive a car, the lesbian olive growers, the Swiss analyst, the Chilean refugees, and the nouveaux paysans carving out simple self-sufficient lives in mountain shacks, growing their own food, and dancing by the light of the moon. There are the traditional peasants too of course, planting by the moon, squabbling over fences and water rights, barbecueing snails, and guarding their secret mushroom locations. Bailey finds her feminist principles get her into serious trouble when she tries to assert herself with Catalan farmers. But she finds an alternative life, the possibility of a quieter, healthier, safer environment, enjoying simple, frugal pleasures, people who have turned their backs on material comforts in favour of living close to nature and animals, treading lightly on the earth.

Woven into the story is the history of the village, the harsh realities of peasant life in the past, the experience of war, the informer priest hung by the maquis. most of all though it is the monastery itself which dominates the book, and Bailey describes the monks, bringing to life their daily rituals and worship, the prayers and chants which filled the building for centuries, the herbs and plants they grew. Through the monks she finds a way to respond to the place, finding in their ability to focus on the moment a way to see beyond her own daily trials and enter fully into the experience. A bittersweet quality overhangs the book as she remembers her brother, the Yorkshire priest who died of AIDS , the subject of her previous book, and in the stones and forgotten prayers of Corbiac she finds a way to resolve his death. 

She discovers, as he did, that to retreat from the world can mean you engage more fully and more profoundly with it. "You only die when you fail to take root in others". Perhaps it is only when you feel ready to relinquish everything, as the monks were, can you fully enter into the moment. 

Another fascinating fact was how the people planted trees instead of walls, as fence - what a brilliant idea. 

Drive - Daniel H. Pink

 

3rd of 2021, this was a gift from Sharyn in 2015, had read then, but did not blog, and there was a need to revisit. So here goes the learning and few terms from the book:

Motivation 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0: The motivational operating systems or sets of assumptions and protocols about how the world works and how human behave, that run beneath our laws, economic arrangements and business practices. Motivation 1.0 presumed that humans where biological creatures, struggling for survival. Motivation 2.0 presumed that human also responded to rewards and punishments in their environment. Motivation 3.0 the upgrade that we now need, presumes that humans also have a third drive - to learn, to create, and to better the world. 

Results-only work environment (ROWE) : The brainchild of two American consultants, a ROWE is a workplace in which employees don't have schedules. They don't have to be in office at a certain time or any time. They just have to get their work done. 

Sawyer Effect: A weird behavioral alchemy inspired by the scene in The Adventure of Tom Sawyer in which tom and friends white wash Aunt Polly's fence. This effect has two aspects. The negative rewards can turn play into work. The positive focusing on mastery can turn work into play. 

Based on studies done at MIT and other universities, higher pay and bonuses resulted in better performance ONLY if the task consisted of basic, mechanical skills. It worked for problems with a defined set of steps and a single answer. If the task involved cognitive skills, decision-making, creativity, or higher-order thinking, higher pay resulted in lower performance. As a supervisor, you should pay employees enough that they are not focused on meeting basic needs and feel that they are being paid fairly. If you don’t pay people enough, they won’t be motivated. Pink suggests that you should pay enough “to take the issue of money off the table.”

The Book is divided into three parts:

Part 1: A New Operating System

Like computers societies also have operating system, The laws, social customs and economic arrangements that we encounter each day sit atop a layer of instructions,  protocols and suppositions about how the world works. and much of our societal operating system consists of set of assumptions about human behavior. 

Looks at the flaws in the reward and punishment system and propose a new way to think about motivation. Traditional business aimed at profit maximization and there Motivation 2 fitted in, new entities are purpose maximisers  and are unsuited to older operating system because they flout its very principles. 

Chapter 1  examines how the prevailing view of motivation is becoming incompatible with many aspects of contemporary business and life.

Chapter 2 reveals the seven reason,  why carrot and stick produce the opposite result of what they set out to achieve. The seven deadly flaws are:

1. They can extinguish intrinsic motivation
2. They can diminish performance
3. They  can crush creativity
4. They can crowd out good behavior
5. They can encourage cheating, shortcuts and unethical behavior.
6.  They can become addictive
7. They can foster short-term thinking. 

Chapter 2a shows the special circumstances where Carrot and Stick can be effective. They are routine jobs. Consider nontangible rewards, provide useful information. 

Chapter 3 Introduces us to the concepts of Type X and Type I our innate need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world. 

Type X behavior: Behavior that is fueled more by extrinsic desires than intrinsic ones and that concerns itself less with the inherent satisfaction of an activity and more with the external rewards to which that activity leads. 

Type I behavior: A way of thinking and an approach to life built around intrinsic, rather than extrinsic, motivators. It is powered by our innate need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things and to do better by ourselves and our world.  More regarding Type I:

• They are made, not born
• They outperform Type X
• They do not desdain money or recognition
• They are renewable resource
• They promote greater physical and mental well being
• They are self directed and dependent on three nutrients viz. autonomy, mastery and purpose. 

Part 2: The Three Elements:

To motivate employees who work beyond basic tasks, Pink argues that supporting employees in the following three areas will result in increased performance and satisfaction:

Chapter 4 Autonomy — Our desire to be self directed. It increases engagement over compliance. This era calls for a renaissance of self-direction. Type I behavior emerges when people have autonomy over Task, Time, Technique, Team . i.e.on what people do, when they do it, how they do and whom they do it with. 

Chapter 5 Mastery — The urge to get better skills. The three laws of mastery are:

• Mastery is a mindset.
• Mastery is a pain
• Mastery is a asymptote

Complete mastery over anything is not possible .

Chapter 6 Purpose — The desire to do something that has meaning and is important. Businesses that only focus on profits without valuing purpose will end up with poor customer service and unhappy employees. We see the first stirring of this new purpose motive in three realms of organizational life - goals, words and policies. 

"One cannot lead a life that is truly excellent without feeling that one belongs to something greater and more permanent than oneself".

A central idea of this book has been the mismatch between what science know and what business does. The gap is wide and its existence is alarming. One reason for anxiety and depression in the high attainers is that they  are not having good relationships. They are busy making money and attending to themselves. We are not designed to be passive and complaint but to be active and engaged. The richest experiences in our lives aren't when we're clamoring for validation from others but when we're listening to our own voice - doing something that matters, doing it well, and doing it in the service of a cause larger than ourselves.  Repairing the mismatch and bringing our understanding of motivation into the 21st century is more than an essential move for business. It's an affirmation of our humanity. 

Part 3: The Type I Tool Kit:

Comprehensive set of resources to help create settings in which Type I behavior can flourish. Strategies for awakening motivation of Individual, organization; The zen compensation, Essential reading list. Recap, glossary and link. 

Sraddha - An Always within a never

8 years, and have been doing this; especially because he was keen and particular and always did for his parents. For him it was the day, when parents want all children to come together and remember the time they spend together, and have that food.

With changing time, we continue doing that, it do give quality time for reflection, and as we do that also ponder:

Do we really need to dip in a Canal/Pond/river and perform Sraddha with wet cloths on or was this done because there were no pipes in the earlier days?

Do we really need to burn the wood and cook over the wood fire, with vessel kept on three stones? Was it something that was done during the earlier times as gas stove were not there and are we continuing to follow the rituals blindly? There was another Sraddham earlier last year, and the rice ball offering/Pinda was cooked in the cooker. 

It is the mantras that are powerful, but the instructor, gives us only instructions, he do not recite any mantras, so is that the right thing to do?

Thankfully we live in a place where there are crows, what if there were no crows around? Remember Raghu Chetan telling about the story, on how an IT employee quit his job, and started domesticating crows, to take the crows to houses where Sraddha was being performed, and how finally one day the forest authorities came and took the Crow away. 

Sraddha is a Sanskrit word which literally means anything or any act that is performed with all sincerity and absolute faith in it. In the Hindu religion, it is the ritual that one performs to pay homage to one's 'ancestors' (Pitṛs), especially to one's dead parents.  Conceptually, it is a way for people to express heartfelt gratitude and thanks towards their parents and ancestors, for having helped them to be what they are and praying for their peace. It also can be thought of as a "day of remembrance".

In practice, the karta (normally male member) (1) invites Brahmanas (priests) that day, invokes in them the divinity of his/her parent, worships and feeds them (2) performs a homa (fire ritual), appeasing Agni and Soma - the deities who transmit the offerings to the ancestors, nourish and protect them and (3) offers balls of rice to the departed souls ("pinda pradaana", offered to the Pitṛs, the ancestral spirits). The karta extends hospitality to the priest and concludes the ceremony by giving "dakshina" (fees) to the Brahmanas. Crows are also revered in Hinduism and during Śrāddha the practice of offering food or pinda to crows is still in vogue.

The important and requisite components for the shraddha ritual are Darbha, Tulasi, black sesame, white rice, ghee, sandlewood, water.

1. Darba:

Darbha is a very important component in the shraddha ritual. Darbha generates radiance (Tej). When Darbha is used in the shraddha ritual, by the influence of the frequencies of Tej emitted by Darbha, the interference of raja-tama particles in each ritual of the shraddha is reduced. The deceased ancestors (Pitars) absorb the energy of a specific level from the ritual.

Darbha represents all the components of inferior or superior level. Hence, in the absence of any specific component, Darbha can be installed at that place. The inherent Tej particles in the Darbha attract the superior frequencies of the Deities and the inferior frequencies of the Pitars as per requirement and invite them at the venue of the shraddha. The inherent air associated with the Tej Principle in the Darbha is activated by the : with-resolve recitation of mantras of the shraddha. This activated Tej Principle is emitted by the Darbha. The negative energies are prohibited by the emitted Tej          

Due to the ability of the Darbha to attract the Principles of superior Deities, it is used as the smallest particles of Divine Consciousness (pavitrak) in each ritual of worship.

2. Black sesame seeds

Using black sesame seeds in the shraddha means invoking the deceased ancestors (Pitars) trapped in the Martyaloka with the help of the raja-tama frequencies emitted from the black sesame seeds. The recitation of mantras in the shraddha has an effect on the black sesame seeds. The dormant raja-tama energy in black sesame seeds is awakened as a result of the sound energy generated by the recitation of mantra. This energy is emitted into the environment in the spiral form of raja-tama vibrations.

At that time, according to the invocation made in the shraddha, subtle bodies of particular Pitars are attracted towards these vibrations and enter Earth's environment. In this process, with help of the raja-tama frequencies emitted from the black sesame seeds, reaching the place of shraddha ritual becomes easier for the subtle bodies of Pitars.

Black sesame seeds are showered at the place of the shraddha. Due to the frequencies of Pitars getting attracted towards the black sesame seeds, the place of the shraddha becomes charged with the Pitar frequencies.

The Desire sheath present around the subtle bodies gets activated due to the frequencies emitted from the black sesame seeds and the Pitars get satiated by partaking their portion of shraddha in air form. In shraddha, water containing black sesame seeds charged with mantras (Tilodaka) has special spiritual importance.

3. The copper platter contains charged Tilodaka. 

Money to be offered to the Brahmin (dakshina), leaf of Bhrungaraj, Sandalwood, flower and beetle nut are placed in it. The momentum of subtle Pitar frequencies increases due to the black sesame seeds in the Tilodaka. As a result, a whirlpool with attraction energy is generated. The subtle body is attracted towards this whirlpool. Thus, the subtle body attracted towards the whirlpool with attraction energy formed from the Pitar frequencies having momentum enters the Earth region. The change occurring at spiritual level during performance of ritual is a feature of spiritual practice of rites, rituals and observances performed at the physical level (Karmakand) prescribed by Hindu Dharma.

4. Akshat

After the host pays obeisance to the Dev-brahman and Pitru-brahman, the brahmins bless the host by showering unbroken rice (akshat) on him. Unbroken rice should be used as akshat. In the shraddha ritual barley is also used. White unbroken rice is used if barley is not available.

 5. Maka (leaf of Bhrungaraj and Tulasi)

At the time of shraddha some of the Pitars coming to Earth are not satiated. Due to the unsatisfied desires of these Pitars, polluted air or speed of emission of subtle frequencies generated from tamasic object increases. Due to the speed of these frequencies, tamasic energy is generated. Movement of raja-tama particles gains momentum. To restrain this momentum, these two substances, maka, that is, leaf of Bhrungaraj and Tulasi are used.

6. Sandlewood

Sandalwood has a meaning and properties of making your mind calm. It is a sacred item that has been used in temples and shrines. This item can make you relax deeply and balance your feelings. By purifying your negative energy and make you feel more positive. It is good to use when you want a hope for the future.

We also apply ash and kajol after the Sraddha. Whatever be the reason, it is indeed worth to spend quality time at least yearly walking around and thinking of them , with our siblings. 

Crossroad - India Today -45th Edition

 

In India Today - 45th Edition special issue, we have Life changing moments - 45 celebrated Indian's talk about the turning points, that made them who they are. Stories of hope, extraordinary courage and individual triumph provide you inspiration in the new year.

Traditionally cross road is the place of intersection of two or more roads, quite often it is also a crucial point, where a decision must be made. The place situation or circumstance when a person's gut feel, self-confidence , gut feel and ambition gain precedence. The point of time in their lives when self-belief acquires an equal importance to logic to help a person forge destiny. The decision made them shapes their action and our future, if we look at it closely.

The Editor in Chief, from the Editor's desk say "I don’t believe in destiny, or that everything is preordained. Full of twists and turns, many of them unexpected, life is rarely a straight line. In fact, it is a series of accidents, happenstance and, quite often, dumb luck. "

Aroon Purie, India Today, Editor-In-Chief, says his father Vidya Vilas Puri and Lord Roy Thomson of Fleet, who owned the largest number of newspapers globally, had become friends after a chance meeting and decided to start a business together in India. That was the beginning of Thomson Press, a commercial printing press, as foreign ownership of newspapers was not permitted at the time. He was working in London as a chartered accountant and had come home on vacation. His father asked him to visit the press and see what he thought of it. He got involved and never returned to London. Their first magazine publication was a medical journal called the Journal of Applied Medicine in January 1975. Then followed India Today in December that year. The magazine was first designed to inform non-resident Indians about their native land. It didn’t work, the NRIs were too difficult to reach. But when it was put out in the domestic market it got an encouraging response. 

He worked with one simple mantra: that was to put all resources in producing excellent editorial content, and the business part will take care of itself. And it has.

Poet Gulzar says in this issue: “The edifice of our life follows no blueprint, nor does it take the shape you imagine. You just have to explore it.”

What also sets many of these 45 personalities apart is the element of risk-taking, a quality many of our businessmen have in spades. 

In many of these stories, you will find a pattern and some life-altering lessons. Adversity, most often, is a great educator. It teaches you to fight your way out of hostile circumstances and brings out your best. There is no substitute for hard work; talent by itself is not sufficient sometimes. Never rest on your educational qualifications, just keep learning. Being at the right place at the right time is a matter of luck. However, the choices we make define who we are and what we become.

This is not for the first time - we have always had them. This is what we had just 6 months before : https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20190805-top-50-power-people-the-high-mighty-part-2-1573237-2019-07-26

Retire Rich - Invest Rs. 40 a Day - C.V. Subramanyam (CNBC TV18)

 

This was my 2nd of 2021,but the first which I started on the morning of 1st Jan, and finished the same day. Reading Retire Rich - Invest Rs. 40 a Day by  C.V. Subramanyam (CNBC TV18); came in as a mandate, though it was lying just in front of me, for the last four months, in the books to be read. 

You retire when you stop being part of the work force, either by choice or by force – i.e. having reached the age limit prescribed by the government or being the function of profession.

Generally gymnasts retire at 20 ,  crickets at 35, salaried employees at 58 or 60, professionals like doctors/lawyers/CA’s when their bodies don’t listen to their mind and politicians never retire!

Sometimes retirement is a choice, sometimes it is forced may be due to unforeseen circumstances like ill health.

To understand how retirement would be like; there are two interim similarities:

·        Temporary retirement – Taking vacation is kind of temporary retirement. You do not earn income, but have expenses to meet.

·        Semi-retirement – Cricketers once they attain certain age; stop playing certain format as we see some players choose not to play Test cricket and gave up one day, but decided to play T-20.

You will understand that the most important aspect in how well you manage your money during:

·        Investing stage and

·        While in retirement

It is a huge challenge because most of us would not have pension; except for Central Government Employees. So we need to invest such that, our money would grow, and outlive.

How much wealth is needed for retirement:

It would depend on lifestyle you desire; other factors can only be estimated.

Basically what you need is:

·        Estimate your desired annual income

·        Find out how much you have in your investments

·        Estimate your expenses post retirement

·        Estimate your post-retirement income

·        Approximate number of years your savings will last  i.e.(Projected retirement savings/Amount to be funded form other savings each year.

·        Be mindful of inflation

·        How long you would live

 Example:

Sl.No	Particulars	Amount
A	Desired annual income in today’s rupees
B	Present source of retirement income: Pension, Divident, Interest, Others
C	Current retirement Income
D	Amount to be funded from other savings (FD, Other investments) (B-C)
E	Projected value of today’s investment
F	Other contributions toward retirement
G	Projected retirement savings (E+F)
H	Approximate number of years your savings will last (G/D)

 Thus you need to know how much money you have, how much are your current expenses, your projected expenses, how much you will need as a corpus and you will have a fair indication of how much income you can generate in retirement.

The various yeild (%pa) for varied instruments you could contemplate investing in are PPF - 8%; Sensex -18% and Equity - 21%.

Factors that would go into successful retirement planning:

·        Timing of retirement

·        Lifestyle

·        Location where we live

·        Physical and mental preparation

·        Being self-sufficient

·        How many people you would need to support during retirement

·        How much money you would want to leave after your death

·        Would you need an advisor to do retirement planning

Your retirement life should be distributed into at least 4 parts; say for a person retiring at 55:

55-65, 65-75, 75-85 and 85-95. 55-65 should be semi retirement ; where you continue to earn some income, withdrawing from capital is something you should consider after 75 years.

“The question isn’t at what age I want to retire, it’s at what income” – George Foreman

Mistakes to avoid if you want your retirement plan to be a reality:

·        Utilizing retirement fund much before retirement

·        Not having a plan

·        Paying taxes because of improper planning

·         Not looking after your health – physical and financial

·        Paying too much for help

·        Retiring when you need a break 

    One of the key requirement for retirement is having the Will. This is a legal document dealing how you want your assets to be distributed on your death. You may also stipulate how you wish to be cremated/buried or who you would like to take care of any surviving dependent family members. It is very important to be quite specific about your wishes for the distribution of special assets such as the antique grandfather clock, the classic silver tea set or the antique piano and the Whole Life Insurance. 

·        Hoping that someone else will take care of you (including kids)

There are certain terms one need to know for retirement planning:

·        Defined Benefits: This is where the benefits provided to an individual after retirement is known. Example Gratuity; Government pension

·        Defined Contribution: Here your contribute fixed amount, and these are managed by some third party like your Provident fund.

Pension:

Of late other than pension for government employees, we have other pension schemes as well. It is a Defined Contribution scheme.  Here one should know:

·        What is the minimum contribution

·        Who will manage the invested money

·        What about asset allocation – Debt or equity

·        What are the withdrawal options

·        Who are the people we will have to deal with and what are the charges

·        What are the limitations of the scheme

·        Will the fund management skills be good

·        Are the charges reasonable

·        Is the tax situation friendly 

Its     Its important to have a will at the time of retirement. Remember: 

        Start Small. Start Simple. Save Big! Then invest it.

    

Reminiscences of Mannathu Padmanabhan

 Born on 2nd Jan. 1878, he would be 142 years today, if there were no deaths.

Padma Bhushan Sri. Mannathu Padmanabhan was born in Perunna, Changanassery  on 02 January 1878 AD, which is a small town in Kerala, India. He was a great philanthropist who dedicated his life to the upliftment of the society and Nair community. Sri. Eswaran Namboodiri of Nilavana Illam was his father and his mother was, Chiramuttathu Parvathy Amma.

He started his career as a teacher in 1893 in a Kanjirapally Govt. School, at the age of 16. In 1905, he started practicing law in the Magistrates Courts and soon became a leading member of the Bar.

In 1914 “Nair Bhruthya Janasangham” was formed to organise and bring social upliftment of Nair community. In 1915 he gave up a lucrative practice and became its full-time secretary. In 1924 he took part in the Vaikkom [30-03-1924] and Guruvayoor temple-entry campaigns and lead the famous “Savarna Jadha” , an anti-untouchability agitation in 01-10-1924. In 30-07-1925, Nair Service Society was registered under the Indian Company act and on 1st of November 1929 he lead the famous “Guruvayoor Sathyagraham”. 

In 15-05-1932, Mannam married “Thottakkattu Madhavi Amma”, who was the daughter of Diwan Peshkar of Cochin and was the first lady member of the Cochin legislative council. Thottakkattu Madhavi Amma, was the daughter of the Diwan Peshkar (Chief Minister) of Kingdom of Cochin and her mother was the famous Malayalam poetress Thottakkattu Ikkavamma. Madhavi Amma herself a writer of many books, wrote famous malayalam books like “Thathvachinda” etc. Mannathu Padmanabhan’s first wife Mechettu Kalyani Amma, whom he married in 1901, had expired in 1912. In 11-02-1950 he renamed himself as “Padmanabhan” removing the sir name, stating that cast should not be  a dividing factor amongst the human beings. In 09-08-1959, the President of India, for his outstanding and unselfish social service confered him with the ….. gave him “Bharatha Kesari” [Lion of India] . He was also awarded the “Padmabhushan” in 26-01-1966, by the Government of India.

Mannathu Padmanabhan in the History of Kerala

Mannam became a member of the Indian National Congress in 1947 and took part in the Travancore State Congress agitation against Sir C.P Ramaswamy Iyers administration in Travancore.

He became a member of the Travancore Legislative Assembly in 1949. During all these years the Nair Service Society had his constant attention and selfless service. It had now grown into a powerful organisation with a vast membership, substantial finances and various welfare activities. Padmanabhan wrote many articles, an autobiography, and a travel book, Our Trip to the Federal Malay States [FMS]. His style was virile, forthright and very effective. He also set up colleges, schools, hospitals and industrial units. In appreciation of his valuable services the President of India awarded him the title “Bharata Kesari”.

There are so many people who dedicate their lives to follow his footsteps. Of the many dedicated souls are my Chitta and Chittappan, who gave a portion of the plot of their land for NSS hall.

That is the kind of his influence on the people. May his tribe increase.

Journey into 2021

We are all tourists and God is our travel agent who has already fixed all our routes reservations and destinations. Trust him and enjoy the 'Trip' called life.

2020, earlier we expected to be an ugly duckling, throwing more challenges, confusion and hardships our way than what we could have imagined, with time ugly duckling saw its reflection and realized  it was a Swan. Here is how my 2020 was:

The year had fire, fire flies,  loctus, cyclones, flood, riots and to top it all the Pandemic. Nature continued with it ferocious storm like breeze, even on 31st Dec.  There were suicides, rapes, riots, and encounters  where people  were caught alive but brought  dead. Politics,  Media, Judiciary  and Parliament  saw  a new low. Great acts of friendship  like Namste Trump had unrest in the capital in parallel, to be soon followed by the pandamic, all in such a hurry, we are unable to decipher  the conclusions. Undoubtedly the year belongs to and will always be remembered as the Year of Corona Virus or Covid - 19.

Pandemic  helped us realize  we are one, brought  the world together.  Thanks to technology there were lot of work still left and many things kept rolling though we were confined to our homes and most important  we realized the importance  of health workers to whom we should to grateful forever. Irrespective  of their ceaseless  service  so many were blamed, harassed and sidelined.  

For me on a personal  note,  it was like Alice in wonderland,  with Flamingo being my saving grace. The journey  from Hummingbird  to Flamingo  was enchanting.  Glad to work for and be part of Diversity  and inclusion,  and on the project  for financial  inclusion  which is still  in progress.  And amidst  all the cooking,  cleaning  and I'll health, Thankfully  could  read 100 books and scribble about each of them in addition  to other scribblings. Thanks to almighty  for his grace and blessings.

As I had posted in my article  on Linkedin 'The Year & The Teaching':

"What's ahead?

Only time can reveal.

But our actions do have a great role in shaping our destiny."

These where the first thoughts, and words, with which, I had started 2020. This is the year great visionaries had asked us to look forward to. But how many had envisioned what we saw in 2020 and of the people if they really had, how many had helped us prepare for what we saw this year?

2020 had lot of surprises – some good and some not so good – let us take good with the bad; Thank God for our blessings – for keeping us safe and healthy. For having all the people around, who worked very hard to ensure most of us are safe as we pray for the innocent departed souls and their families. This year has taught us:

New way's of doing things. This year helped us find novel and quick solutions to our problems. We might have gone online few years from now; but this year made it happen - banking, teaching, technology and few other industries have gone online, literally overnight. The way and frequency in which we go out have changed, and most of us try to confine ourselves to our homes as much as possible. It's indeed a tribute to our adaptability in the face of sudden and extensive change. It has helped us interact with others in a completely new way, and provided us with a much-needed refresher’s course in personal health and safety.

Beauty lies in simplicity. We are all equal, regardless of our culture, religion, occupation, financial situation or how famous we are. We are all connected and something that affects one person has an effect on another. We have complicated our lives by creating many divisions and conflicts. It’s the essentials that we need (food, water, medicine) as opposed to the luxuries that we sometimes unnecessarily give value to, how materialistic our society has become. Our true work is to look after each other, to protect each other and to be of benefit to one another. Was reminded of my father's favorite sentence, which is similar to the lines from Ode on Solitude - By Alexander Pope:

Happy the man, whose wish and care

A few paternal acres bound,

Content to breathe his native air,

In his own ground.

Staying at home more has allowed families to reconnect emotionally, and it has also helped establish healthy boundaries for being together and enabling work from home. With all the migrant issues, and reduction in traffic jams, nature probably is telling us to mellow down our travels. To be connected to our roots, to our family, and to be around those who need.

Me Time. It looked like, it was time for mother earth to take much deserved break, after her repeated warnings and all her sacrifices. So also many of us had put our interests in the backseat, promising to come back to them when we have time, but the time never came. The lockdown put us in a forced break and many have rediscovered forgotten hobbies or finally got the time to pursue new ones. To 'Educate self'. To 'Ask Existential' questions about life, and seek answers from within. If not now, you would never have the time to upskill your selves and work towards doing all that you wanted to do.

Existential wake-up call. The pandemic has brought us face to face with our own mortality, it has nudged us to engage in a healthy dose of self-reflection. It has reinforced the fact that life is so uncertain and anything can happen at any time which we never want to expect. It has taught us not to take anything for granted, especially nature, cause, when it hits back, no corner in the world will be safe. Health is the first of life, very precious and we cannot neglect it, and need to appreciate and support the health workers.

If you are breathing, healthy & alive you are privileged. Life is short, there will come a day, when each of us without exception, will have to bid life, goodbye. Everything in life comes with an expiry date. No amount of success, money, power, fame or glory, can change that. Keep ego in check, a virus can bring the world into standstill. Be Kind, grateful and positive. Help each other.

Spread Health, Hope & Happiness Always!

Hoping the one learning we carry forward from last year is the ability to slow down, to pause and to look around. In that pause,many people saw for the first time the problems of others. In that slowing down, people rediscovered their kinder, generous selves.

May we change  our direction and not desires, change our perception  not prayers, change our attitude not actions, change our habits and not humility. Let's walk together  to our destination  of success, health and prosperity. Sunrise on 1st Jan 2021 morning was amazing. It reminded me 'To see a rainbow, there has to be rain'. It has been more than five years, each year, I would begin by looking at the sunrise, and mostly it was the same place, but never was it so beautiful. Was a bit worried, after the rain previous day; but as always; come what may - The Sun keep rising again. 

It is as much about the 'Miles' we walk as it is about the destination. Let's reflect upon our strengths, Hope and happiness as we spread our gorgeous wings and take flight into the new year for 2021. Let this year be the beautiful  swan in all our lives.

As always, when health & Happiness remain my wishes for all, the priority  for 2021 is going to be hope and peace.

Our ancestors used to put the lemon and chilli on doors of their shops or home, on their vehicles to keep away the mosquitoes and insects because they used to live in the homes made up of mud and stones. Lemon and Chilli are very rich in vitamin C. So when the lemon and chilli were pierced by a cotton thread, the fluid ( acid from the lemon ) stick all over the thread and the smell of it get spread into the surrounding environment with the help of air. This smell helps to repeal the mosquito & fly to enter into shops and homes and in the same way, Chilli too is remedial as it acts as germ-killer when hung outside. If no remedy is found in  2021 or we have many more instances like in 2020, let us get back to it, in additon to diyas and talis from 2020. 

1001 Illustrated Tales From Arabian Nights

These tales are characterized with fantasy and whimsical arrangement of plots. The story follows as under:

Shahryar, the king of India, executes his wife, getting enraged with her infidelity and waywardness. Thereafter, Shahryar determines to avenge all women indiscriminately. Now, he begins to have a girl each night only to be killed next morning. This goes on and on till there is no women left for him but for Shahrazad, the daughter of this Wazir, many women had run away from his kingdom for their lives. The Wazir, left with no option, has to give his daughter to the king. 

Shahrazad, a beauty with brain, comes to know that the king is fond of enchanting stories. Then, there begins a series of stories told by her to the king every night. But every night she shrewdly keeps the climax of the story withheld. The king Shahryar who is highly desirous to know the climax, has to avoid killing her everyday. This continues for a thousand and one night till the king is no more revengeful. And in the meantime, three children are born to Shahrazad by him.

From fear of dying sprang the knack of narrating.

With its origin and background set in India, Persia and Arabia, sticking to the tradition of Panchatantra and Jataka Tales, these tales, will transport you the the fantasy world of romance with supernatural beings like genie, Jinn and magic carpet.

This includes all time hit classes of Aladdin and his Miraculous Lamp, Sindabad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Caliph Harun Al-Rashid and others which lend a charm to this book. 

Waiting to read the Jinni stories, Hunchback's tale, Voyage of Sindabad the Seaman, Aladdin or The wonderful lamp, Caliph's night adventure, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves; reminiscing the good old days and many more.....

Something  started in 2020 to be continued. 1 of 2021.