May 2017

“Visioning Exercise” for ‘Green Resilient Rameswaram’ was organized for the 1st time on Saturday, 13th May 2017, with the stakeholders at Vivekananda Vidyalaya of Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Rameswaram.

All the stakeholders numbering 127 including Govt. officials, representatives of different organizations, NGOs and others attended the day long interactive exercise. Regional Director of Municipal Administration, Madurai, Smt.Janaki not only attended the entire session but also a preparatory session on 12th May evening. Dist. Collector Dr.Natarajan, IAS attended the valedictory function where the anchors of different 10 verticals presented their reports. Based on the Visioning Exercise a comprehensive project report on “Green Resilient Rameswaram” will be prepared.

Dr.Ramarathnam was invited to join System Evaluation Group-4 for LVDC systems by International Electro-technical Commission, Geneva, Switzerland. Recently at the conference in Kenya he read a paper “Smart Micro Grid Roof-top Solar System with DC Appliances”. We are giving below his reflections on the conference.

I attended the recently concluded ‘LVDC Conference on Sustainable Electricity Access’ in Nairobi, Kenya on May 22 & 23, 2017. Apart from the opening ceremony there were four sessions, spread over the two days.

Solid waste Management programme was conducted at Viswasanagar Church, Rameswaram on 10.05.2017. We utilized the opportunity during the summer class for the church school children; where in 186 children participated.

These are deciduous trees, to 20 m high, bark 6 – 8 mm, pale brown, vertically shallowly grooved, exfoliating in small rectangular flakes; blaze yellowish-brown; bole straight; branches horizontal. Leaves opposite, decussate; stipules interpetiolar, lanceolate, cauducous; petiole 20 – 45 mm, stout, glabrous; lamina 10 – 25 x 6 – 12 cm, ovate or elliptic-oblong, base truncate or obtuse, apex acuminate, margin entire, glabrous above, pubescent beneath; lateral nerves 10-14 pairs, pinnate, prominent; inter-costae scalar form, prominent. Flowers bisexual, yellowish, in globose heads, 2 – 4.5 cm across; calyx tube 2-3 mm in diameter, tube globose, lobes 5, 5 – 6 x 3 – 4 mm, membranous; corolla tube 6-8 mm long, lobes 5, oblong, acute, 3 – 4 cm long, glabrous; stamens 5, 3 mm long, anthers sagittate, sessile; ovary 3 – 4 mm long, 2-celled at base, 4-celled above, inferior, ovules many; style exserted to 5 – 6 mm, entire; stigma clavate. Fruit a capsule on a fleshy globose receptacle, 3.5 – 5 cm across, orange yellow, capsule membranous; seeds may, angular, minute (India Biodiversity Portal).

Rameswaram is not only famous for Ramanathaswami temple, Dhanushkodi or Pamban bridge but also famous for Palm jaggery, Sea grass as well as Drumsticks. Drumsticks from a small hamlet Olakuda are famous for its unique taste. Two students from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai made a special study on “Economic viability report on Drumstick cultivation and creation of Value added products” as a part of their internship.

Down; but not out

That day Saraswati, fondly called akka by thousands, was low in spirits. She and her team members Pakshi Shivarajan, Rajarajan, Kadhiresan, the temple guard Rama and the auto driver Muthu Ramalingam, despite all the hard work for two days,could find nothingresembling a water body in the Ramakrishna puram village, in the forest areain Dhanuskoti Block, that was just 8 km away from the world famous Rameswaram Temple in the Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu, India.

Difference between Bhakti and Belief

But, akka was convinced about the existence of Sarva Roga Nivarana Thirtham. Because it was mentioned by Sage Ved Vyas in the Skand Purana. And Ved Vyas is the person Lord Krishna has spoken about as “among the munis (Sages) I am Ved Vyas” (Bhagavat Gita X-37).Akka had bhakti (a Sanskrit term that can’t be translatedas belief or faith) on her Lord that naturally made her take the writings in the Skand Purana as nothing but absolute truth.

Number of villagers from Ramakrishnapuram which is near to Sarvaroga Nivarana Teertham gathered on the highway on 18th of May 2017 to have a darshan of Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Sannidhanam. Swamiji blessed the people and also consecrated the Kalasam having Sarvaroga Nivarana Teertham which was renovated recently with the support of Sugal Group. His Holiness also offered prayers and handed over the Nagalinga seedling for planting near the Sarvaroga Nivarana Teertham.

Villagers under the leadership of Mr.Kumaresan of Ramakrishnapuram carried the Holy Kalasam to the site of Sarvaroga Nivarana Teertham. Shri.Ramji did the vedic chanting while people poured the water in the puskarani and offered flowers.