NARA'S NOTEPAD
VOLUME 9
JANUARY 2013
NUMBER 1
Monday, December 31, 2012
MEMO FROM NARA
By 31.12.2012 NARA’S NOTEPAD (NN) has completed its eight years
of service. The two-page monthly bulletin was started by me to share thoughts
and knowledge with friends, relatives and unknown friends. It was received by
men and women of all ages living in all parts of the world. Since, it is
published as a blog and also printed in a sheet of A4 paper and distributed
month after month; it could reach a large number of people who were looking for
inspiration and motivation. Everyone on earth wants to improve their life by
adopting a healthy life-style. So NN was helping every individual providing
what one needs for their happy life. The feed-back I got from a section of
readers was very encouraging – that kept me to work hard to bring out the
issues every month without a gap.
Some of my friends who came forward to sponsor the issues were
so kind to bear the financial load I incurred for printing the NN. My thanks
are for their kind gesture. Any good work to help others certainly is liked by
one and all. They come forward to support it. That’s what I got all through my
attempt to bring out NN. One of the outcomes of NN was the contact I
established and the connection made with all kinds of people. I come to know
many people as they come to know me. Knowing each other is one of the great opportunities
in life. I could achieve it successfully through NN.
My habit of reading could end up with a good collection of lines
I liked. Three thousand lines that inspire and motivate people were collected
and published by NN in the form of a beautiful book with the help of my printer
Mr. A. Manikandan who taught me the intricacies of printing and publishing. So
without going for a professional publisher, I published the book LINES I LIKED
PART 1 in October 2012. The book was sold to friends and friend’s friends. It
was given as gift to learned people. All sections of people were supplied with
copies of this book. Everyone liked the lines I liked and the book served as a
reference book for all who have read it. Demand for the book is increasing.
Probably I have to go for the second edition!
The Part 2
of the book will be published sometime in 2013. It will also contain 3000 more
lines I liked. Thus NN has generated new ideas to go near to people and inspire
them to hear the lines I liked. It was my dream for a long time. That has come
true with the help, cooperation and blessings of all of you. I wish I will be
continuously getting your love and affection. After all, we are touched by
others – the human touch that makes all the difference. Respecting others’
point of view, with simple living and high thinking is my way of life. Such an
attitude gives me happiness and joy. I wish it will be sustained in the New
Year 2013. I wish you a happy and joyful New Year. Let the New Year bring you
and your family good health and prosperity.
SPONSORSHIP
NARA’S
NOTEPAD thank
Dr. S.
THAMBURAJ, Former Dean of Horticulture, TNAU, Coimbatore for sponsoring
Dec.2012, Jan. & Feb. 2013 issues
and
Dr. K.
Mohan Naidu, Former Director of Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore for
sponsoring March, April, and
May
2013 issues.
"Your life is a sacred journey. It is about
change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation; continuously expanding
your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly
and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking
courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path...
exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping
your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing, of courage, of
beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity,
and of love."
ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT...
Good things come to those who ask! Asking for what you need is probably
the most underutilized tool for people. And yet, amazing requests have been
granted to people simply because they've asked for it! Whether its money,
information, support, assistance, or time, most people are afraid to ask for
what they need in order to make their dreams come true.
THINK ABOUT IT...
Your conscious mind is responsible for everything you're aware of.
Reasoning, logic, and decision-making are all
part of the conscious mind's functions.
Every decision you make, from what to wear, to
what to eat, to when you should go to bed, you utilize your conscious mind...
and this usage represents just 10% of what your brain is capable of.
Your subconscious mind on the other hand is
responsible for your body's autonomous functions, such as the regulation of
your heartbeat, your breathing, your digestive system, and a whole lot of other
processes.
You don't have to consciously will yourself to
breathe; your subconscious takes care of it for you.
CHOOSING...
“I choose to live by choice, not by chance;
to make changes, not excuses; to be motivated, not manipulated; to be useful,
not used; to excel, not compete. I choose self-esteem, not self-pity. I choose
to listen to my inner voice, not the random opinion of others.” – Isabel Bauche
JUST TO LAUGH...
The
boss hangs a poster in office: “I’m the boss, don’t forget.”
When
he returns from lunch, he sees someone has scribbled on the poster: “Your wife
called up. She wants her poster back at home.”Moral: To sit and do nothing, you need to be on top.
The man screams: “Of course not, you idiot! The window is not opening. That’s surely a maintenance matter!”
Mind, Temperament and Way of Living
- There
is no yoga greater than the control of mind.
- Keep
your mind busy and active with lot of physical work.
- Keep
yourself happy and at peace - avoid anger and hot temperament
- By
meditation, high blood pressures, forgetfulness and aging process can be
controlled
- Take
life as it comes; don't get disturbed by the ups and downs of life. Eat and
drink in moderation, work hard and adopt the habit of early to bed and
early to rise.
- It was
the finding of survey done in Japan, that a large portion of centenarians
were engaged in the Agriculture or Forestry as their primary jobs.
TO QUOTE...
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it
with us or we find it not. – Ralph W.
Emerson.
You are today where your thoughts have brought you;
you will be tomorrow
where your thoughts take you.
– James
Allen
DEFINITION
Conference:
The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got
the biggest piece.
Office: A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.
Marriage: It’s an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman
gains her masters.
LINES I LIKED
Ø Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Ø Life reflects the way you are; if you want a better life; make more of
your potential.
Ø People preach peace to the world and prepare for war.
Ø Prayers can work miracles, so no harm in trying them out.
For
things to change, you must change!
Meet
you next month – February, 2013
Prof.
A. Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP
E-mail: arumugakannu@gmail.com
Ph :
0422 2423017 Mobile : 98422 42301
www.nara.tumblr.com (NARA’S DIGEST)
www.nara2007.blogspot.com (NARA’S NOTEPAD)
Saturday, December 1, 2012
SPONSORSHIP
NARA’S
NOTEPAD thank
Dr.
S. THAMBURAJ, Former Dean of Horticulture, TNAU, Coimbatore for sponsoring Dec.2012,
Jan. & Feb. 2013 issues
and
Dr.
K. Mohan Naidu, Former Director of Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore for
sponsoring March, April, May 2013 issues.
MEMO FROM NARA
According
to me, scientist has two roles to play – one is the hard-core science and the
other soft-core science. In the hard – core one, the real science is handled as
hypothesis – testing – inferring – forming theory and testing again. It
requires hard work day and night. There is no office time for it. Laboratory,
field or workshop is the site of hard-core science. On the other hand, the
soft-core science constitutes, writing of research projects, publication of
research results, teaching, training, conducting seminar etc. So a scientist has
great responsibility of handling these two important aspects day in and day
out. All scientists are paid salary to perform these functions both in private
and public concerns. They are also evaluated by competent authorities time to
time.
One
thing we need to keep in mind is that scientists are also human beings. They do
have emotions and desires. They are part of the society. They have family and
friends. Therefore we find some deviations in their behavior to meet the character
of a scientist. Faking results, copying, cooking up data, publishing
non-repeatable results, copying others’ results, plagiarism, mishandling
project money, harassing subordinates and students – are some of the unpleasant
activities we hear time to time. We all know that only a few do all these
things. But the scientific community gets a bad reputation in the minds of
public. Therefore scientists have to be careful in their duty and safeguard the
sanctity of science.
As
a Plant Physiologist for more than 30 years in Agricultural Science, I learned
many things which were conveyed at various occasions to my fellow Plant
Physiologists who heard me with keen interest and patience, but only few
followed my suggestions. However, I am happy that today’s young scientists have
gone far away from the old science and explored the unexplored with the help of
modern knowledge and equipments. The advancement of biotechnology,
nanotechnology, genetic engineering and bio-informatics is helping the modern
day science to progress and produce fantastic results which are very much
needed for all of us.
However,
I find a growing dissatisfaction among the scientific community because of the
bad attitudes of some of the so-called senior scientists who occupy high
positions. I always hear such murmuring from the mouths of many young and even
old scientists whenever I happened to interact with them. I am 75, still I feel
a pleasure to talk to young agricultural scientists. Most of them have a
negative thinking at the scientific institutions and the administration. Science is a bias less subject, but many
a time leaders in these institutions are biased and thus the young minds are
poisoned and work against the spirit of science.
One
of the best ways to avoid such attitudes is to train scientists by some
management gurus. Scientific management requires handling of plants, animals,
electronic equipment and above all highly qualified human beings. Of course I
know there is an Institute for Research Management. But we need to have
facilities for scientist management. Basically this has to start at the
post-graduate level of study or at the early stages of entering service. I wish
someone thinks the possibility of changing the attitude of scientists so that
science remains as science forever.
ACTION PLAN FOR INDIAN SCIENCE...
v Teaching creative thinking with emphasis on active learning rather than
passive or learning by rote.
v Implementing teaching methods where every student participates (rather
than simply listening to the instructor)
v Emphasis on creative and critical thinking including inculcating the
habit of question, develop opinions and the ability to think in a constructive
way to improve upon the existing methods and designs.
v Encouragement at the school level to try out new things, doing things in
an unorthodox manner, whatever feasible and question the conventional methods.
v Introduction of an appropriate system of evaluation of mentors by the
mentees.
v Periodic ‘health check-up’ of institutions by surveys on the opinion of
the students, research scholars and faculty on the issues which affect their
career and growth and all issues related to the cultivation of science.
– Om P. Sharma, IVRI, Palampur.
ADVICE TO YOUNG SCIENTISTS
v Try to find
a good mentor, a recognized scientist, but also one with whom you feel
comfortable.
v Never
afraid of asking questions. Asking good questions may be more important than
finding answers.
v Don’t
embark on a new problem before you unambiguously identify the problem you would
like to solve.
v Don’t be afraid
of branching out in any direction in the process of your study.
v Truly, have
an open eye and an open mind in every situation.
- M. Hargittai, Hungarian
Academy of Sciences.
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