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February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 1
The Unofficial Publication of The 1979 Batch Engineer Trainees Of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Tiruchirapalli, India
PPPuuulllssseee February 2013 Issue No. 134
February 2013
Page 2
Viswa-roopam unleashed
Page 6
Chandra on Valentine’s Day
Cov
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La
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A; C
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Inside This Issue Page
ET79indeed: -Viswa-roopam 2
Lady ET79: -Mrs Meena Asokkumar 4
Reflections: - Sridhar 5
Valentine’s Day: - Chandra 6
In The News: - Easwaran 3,8,10
Health & Longevity: - Mohan 9
Guest Column: - Andrew Hudson 11
Your Feedback - All 12
Dear ET79
Feb 13 issue has 12 pages, with many contributions. Vichu and Mrs Meena Asokkumar are featured this time.
‘Trumpet’ column has been renamed as ‘ET79indeed’, to reflect on the seriousness of the topic.
We welcome your feedback on this issue.
Happy reading!
Radha
31 Jan 13, Dubai
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 2
With his expertise in design
engineering, Viswanathan
(Vichu) was destined to
achieve many accolades in his
career. His outward
appearance of a seemingly
frail structure has been a
contrast to his strong will and
single mindedness in pursuit
of excellence in the chosen
field.
We tracked to find it out,
‘where’ has Vichu reached and
how successful his
‘experiments with agni’ have
been. Let us have a chat with the noble-atma:
Q: You have achieved many laurels in your career
and you were the youngest to achieve some of them.
What do you consider as your top achievements?
A: “My trip to USA in June 1986 comes to my mind.
Those were the days when going to CE for something
like 3-months on-the-job training was considered an
achievement. Mine was a short trip, but for an
important assignment of getting CE’s approval for
the design of Trombay, Unit-6, 500 MW boiler in
which I was involved as the designer. You are right
on the age aspect. May be, I was one of the youngest
engineers from BHEL to be sent to CE during our
time”
“I would rank my elevation to the corporate position
of Divisional Manager in Thermax in 1996 among
my top achievements. Here too, I was one of the
youngest engineers in Thermax to reach this level.”
“I would also like to consider among my top
achievements, the active role I played in booking the
first order of the new product line for which I was
recruited in a couple of private organizations at
different points of time in my career.”
Q: What are these orders for and for which
companies?
A: “One of them was the first order for the company
for Bidrum boiler with Fluid Bed Combustion for a
paper manufacturing plant in 1993 while in Thermax.
The other was for the first PF fired Boiler for the
company for a 180 MW power plant in 2012 while in
ISGEC.”
Q: What propelled you to the corporate position in
Thermax, pretty early in your career with them?
A: “I played a very active role in the first export
order of large value for 3 boilers to burn sludge from
Effluent Treatment Plant in Fluid Bed Combustion in
1995. I was leading from the front, a cross-functional
team with members from R&D, Design, Procurement
and Exports-commercial. We worked single-
mindedly for the order without functional boundaries
or time limits. I remember working on several
holidays for this prestigious order. The successful
securing of this order made headlines within
Thermax. This was a turning point in my career,
which, I believe, led to my elevation to the corporate
position in 1996”.
A team building exercise in Thermax.
Vichu is in the forefront of this picture, as well.
Q: We remember your love for teaching thermal
engineering and spending significant evening time in
your BHEL days. What was your motivation?
A: “I was teaching Thermodynamics and Thermal
Engineering to AMIE students in BHEL Training
Centre during the evening hours. This meant a lot of
sacrifice of my personal time. But, this gave me good
recognition among the students as they could
understand and clear these subjects easily, and I
Viswa-roopam ET79indeed
Vichu’s Career Trail
1979-90: BHEL, Trichy (Last position: Dy. Manager-BPP)
1990-93: Ergodyne, Chennai (Last position: Manager-Engg)
1993-08: Thermax, Pune (Last position: DGM)
2008-10: Alstom, Noida (Last position: Head-Engg, Boilers)
2010-todate: ISGEC, Noida as Head-Engg Utility Boilers
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 3
became a preferred teacher, which obviously meant
more sacrifice for me personally. The real benefit for
me was the satisfaction I got for educating someone,
and I sort of discovered my passion, i.e. teaching.”
Q: Can you elaborate on how teaching helped in your
career?
A: “Of course, this has helped in sharpening my
presentation skills, and given the fact that I am
continuing in my Thermal Engineering profession, it
also comes handy while analyzing any related
problems in work, or while training others.”
Q: How will you compare your learning experiences
in BHEL and in Thermax?
A: “I believe that BHEL has taught me a large chunk
of what I know in Boiler technology, and Thermax
has taught me a similar extent in management of
human resources, business operations and customer
relations. These have helped me to get adapted to
whatever organization I have shifted to subsequently
in my career”.
Q: What are your passions and hobby?
A: “Teaching is my passion. Watching TV and
reading newspaper are my hobbies. Reading ‘Pulse’
regularly every month is part of my hobby too”.
Q: About the support you received from your family,
particularly, your wife.
A: “Tremendous! I think she has sacrificed a lot in
allowing me to pursue my office work totally, with
her taking care of children and home, and
undertaking outstation travel to attend important
functions & works on my behalf. Her sacrifice can be
summarized by saying that I have hardly ever had to
think about home while in office, but could still
afford to think about office at home, especially with
office emails hitting Blackberry regularly”.
Q: One last question, about Sandhyavandanam.. Are
you still practicing it without fail?
A: “No; nowadays, I perform it only on the days of
religious ceremonies.”
We have always anticipated that Vichu will scale
greater heights; time has validated our expectations.
Our best wishes to Vichu to achieve many more
laurels!
In the News
Guru’s son’s marriage: Easwaran writes, “ET79 – have you made note? The next congregation is at Bengaluru. Our ever-smiling Guru’s son’s marriage is all set to be a grand event. For details, please note that the marriage will be at Krishna Choultry at 9th Block,
Jayanagar. The Reception is on 19.02.13 starting at 6.30 p.m. and the marriage on 20th, Muhurtham at 11.30 a.m”. “When I contacted Guru and told him that we are yet to see the invitation, Guru was quick to state that he will be sending the invitations by courier during Feb first week (followed up with a reminder version by e-mail). He is happy with the progress of the preparations (groom’s dad has it cool!). What if we land up on 19th Feb evening and are stranded at Bengaluru? Guru says if prior intimation is given, arrangements can be made for accommodation”. “So ET79, please note all roads lead to Bengaluru on Feb 19/20”.
Parthiban back in action: Easwaran reaches to Prathiban ”How is Parthiban these days?” Parthiban responded to my query thus, “I have returned back to field in December itself. That is after 60 days of the by-pass surgery. Now I am travelling as usual. I have a grandson now (75 days old). Son in law is practising on his own at Palani - his native place. However, I have bought a house at Coimbatore thinking he would shift someday as Palani cannot fill his pocket. Second daughter is in final year civil. I pray she gets married before she completes her studies.”
How is business going? Factory at Bangalore is having enough business from cement industries across the country. Parthiban’s only complaint is he does not get engineers to build second line for consultancy.
For those passing by Pollachi, do make a call and drop in at K.K.Parthiban’s home. For completeness, the address is Venus Energy Audit System, 181, Somasundaram layout, Udumalai road, Pollachi 642001 (Cell:098431 13111; Land: 04259 234405;
Mail: [email protected] / [email protected]; Web: www.venus-boiler.com
About Vichu, S Sridhar says, “I have had
an almost unbroken association on a
personal level with Vichu even after both
of us left BHEL. I am very fortunate on
this count.”
“I can readily tell 3 key personal qualities of
Vichu. The genuineness he shows to your
concerns, which I have personally experienced.
Keeping commitments is very close to his heart.
His attention to details, to-date amazes me!”
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 4
Meena Asokkumar and Asokkumar have been
married for 30 years. Asok looks back and
gratefully reflects on the impact Mrs Meena has
had on his life.
Let us listen to what Asok has to say about Mrs
Meena Asokkumar:
On support received during his MS and PhD
studies:
“I was already a family man, when I decided to
do advanced studies sponsored by BHEL.
During my studies, Meena took complete care
of Vaishnavi and Hariesh so that I could give
my fullest attention to the studies. I owe it to
Meena for successfully getting through my
Masters as well as PhD degrees from the Indian
Institute of Science.”
On maintaining family coffers:
“In addition to being an excellent home maker,
Meena actively contributes to managing our
family finances and investments. She ensures
that I make appropriate investments and takes
adequate care of them too. In some ways,
Meena is our Home Minister as well as the
Finance Minister.”
On the self-actualisation journey:
“I am a known hyper-tension personality with a
short fuse. To manage my emotions better,
Meena convinced me to take the spiritual path.
She encouraged me to take to Isha yoga classes
and ensures that I practice yoga regularly.”
On three best personal qualities of Mrs Meena,
Asok lists:
Empathising with
people
Commitment to
family members,
to their health and
wellbeing.
Sense of humour
to tide over
difficult situations.
Asok continues with
amazement, “After
taking care of all aspects of the family
management, Meena finds time for Tanjore
painting. This form of paining is painstaking
and takes a lot of time. Without doubt, she is an
exponent in Tanjore painting”:
We asked the question, “Asok, at this stage in
life, what message you would like to give your
wife, which you have not given so far?”
An indebted Asok says,
“Meena, I am fortunate to have you as my life
partner. You have effectively maintained peace
and harmony in the family, in spite of me! I
would readily nominate you for the Nobel peace
prize, in the family category, if there was one.”
Asoks cool off in Coorg
Asok, Meena Asok, Vaishnavi, Hariesh Asok and Hareesh Easwaran found the Pongal holidays ideal for taking a four day trip to Coorg. Travelling by road in Asok’s car, they were at Dubera Forest Camp, braving a cool boating, all set to splash into the waters.
They were also at Bengaluru, Mysore seeing places. There were also visits to quite a few temples including Gunaseelam and Bannari Amman temple on the way. The younger participants however felt fun shouldn’t be mixed with religion! But Asok has his way!
Mrs Meena Asokkumar Lady ET79
No doubt, Asok feels like a free bird
with his wife taking full care of the family
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 5
Question: Do you think our life is governed by our actions and the consequences of our
actions or is it a predetermined course of events? Can we write the script of our future, break
free from the shackles of destiny or is everything about life already pre-planned and are we
just walking into the future that is already set for us.
T T Rangarajan (Voice of Love): Every moment
of life offers innumerable choices. For every choice
I execute, I invite a consequence. While I have
control over my choices, I can only have
expectations over the consequences. While I have a
choice over choice, I am actually choiceless about
the consequence. While
choices are born out of my
intelligence, consequences are
a feedback from Existential
intelligence - the
conglomeration of infinite
forces - known, unknown and
unknowable. My microscopic
intelligence operates out of the
data at my disposal, while the macrocosmic
intelligence operates out of universal data.
Life progresses in the framework of choice-
consequence-choice cycle. I execute a choice (I lead
my life). Of course, the consequence of my choice
is not in my control (I am being led). But again,
how I respond to these consequences is once again
my choice and that is in my control. My choices are
my self-effort (X-axis). The consequences are my
destiny (Y-axis). My future is neither completely
controlled by consequences nor is it independent of
my choices, but it is a resultant diagonal in the XY
graph. Life is not Self-Effort Vs Destiny, but it is
Self-Effort plus Destiny.
So, I will use my intelligence to execute choices.
Surrender the same intelligence to the Existential
intelligence by faithfully accepting the
consequences. And again use my intelligence to
execute counter-choices to those consequences. On
a yellow wall when I paint the blue, I will neither
find the yellow nor get the
blue, but a resultant green.
However, if I continue my
self-effort of painting the blue
long enough, the wall will
eventually turn blue.
So, if I don’t get what I want
in life, which I sometimes
won’t; if after all my efforts
the results don’t turn out to be what I aspired for,
which they sometimes won’t; if the consequences of
my choices aren’t what I intended, as they
sometimes won’t... I will not lose my heart.
Unintended consequences are life’s way of showing
me the possibilities I haven’t thought about.
Unintended consequences are Existence’s way of
telling me that it has a different plan for me… a plan
larger than what I intended.
I will use the framework of choice-consequence-
choice and keep progressing in life. Life is, ‘I’ plus
‘Him’ project, and not ‘I’ versus ‘Him’ project.
Courtesy: ‘Clarity is power’ column of FROZEN THOUGHTS.
“Who writes the script of my life?” Reflections Sourced by S Sridhar
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 6
The Legend of St. Valentine
The history of Valentine's Day--and the story of its
patron saint--is shrouded in mystery. It contains
vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman
tradition. One legend contends that Valentine was a
priest who served during the third century in Rome.
When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men
made better soldiers than those with wives and
families, he outlawed marriage for young men.
Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree,
defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages
for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions
were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to
death. Other stories suggest that
Valentine may have been killed
for attempting to help Christians
escape harsh Roman prisons,
where they were often beaten
and tortured. According to one
legend, an imprisoned Valentine
actually sent the first "valentine"
greeting himself after he fell in
love with a young girl--possibly
his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his
confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he
wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an
expression that is still in use today. Although the
truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the
stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic,
heroic and--most importantly--romantic figure.
Origins of Valentine's Day
While some believe that Valentine's Day is
celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of
Valentine's death or burial, others claim that the
church might have decided to place St. Valentine's
feast day in the middle of February in an effort to
"Christianize" the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, a
fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god
of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders
Romulus and Remus. Apart from some rituals on
that day, all the young women in the city would
place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors
would each choose a name and become paired for
the year with his chosen woman. These matches
often ended in marriage. Lupercalia survived the
initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed—as it
was deemed “un-Christian”--at the end of the 5th
century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14
St. Valentine's Day. It was not until much later,
however, that the day became definitively associated
with love. During the Middle Ages, it was
commonly believed in France and England that
February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating
season, which added to the idea that the middle of
Valentine's Day should be a day for romance. By the
15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in
which lovers expressed their love for each other by
presenting flowers and
sending greeting cards
(known as "valentines").
Since the 19th century,
handwritten valentines have
given way to mass-produced
greeting cards
Modern times
Today, it is entirely driven by
commercial interests. According to the Greeting
Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s
Day cards are sent each year in the US alone,
prompting some to call it a “Hallmark holiday”. It
includes cards that are given to family members and
Teachers. Other Valentines include the heart-shaped
outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid.
In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of
exchanging cards was extended to all manner of
gifts such as roses and chocolates packed in a red
satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond
industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an
occasion for giving jewelry. Globalisation and the
influence of US culture has taken this to many parts
of the world. Local commercial interests have given
rise to various regional customs. In some European
and Latin American countries, this day is promoted
more as a Love and Friendship day increasing the
business potential. In Japan, a translation error of a
chocolate-company during the initial campaign in
1960s led to the custom of only women giving
Valentine’s Day – 14 February Culture By Chandra
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 7
To My Unknown Daughter
She died yesterday in a land far away,
From the rapacious wolves: a fatally wounded prey.
Animals with no love, shame or pity,
Just claws of lust and fangs of fury.
She died yesterday in an antiseptic city.
Whilst our celebrities mouthed inanities.
They termed her a brave-heart, India’s daughter,
Knowing their own was safe, in a secured quarter.
She died yesterday and she died today.
She will die again tomorrow and every day.
Because that’s her fate and that’s our will.
Nothing ever changes here and nothing ever will.
So sleep my dear girl, sleep the sleep of the just.
Sleep in a place better than the one you were born in.
And while you are asleep, dream a better dream,
Than the one that was so brutally torn.
By An Unknown Author
Sourced by Easwaran
chocolates to men. In the 1980s the Japanese
National Confectionery Industry Association
launched a successful campaign to make March 14 a
"reply day", where men are expected to return at
least two or three times more valuable than the gifts
received on Valentine's Day. Japanese chocolate
companies make half their annual sales during this
time of the year. South Korea has extended this
further by marking 14th of every month a love-
related day with different names like candle day,
kiss day, etc. In China, 14th Feb is not that popular as
it is close to Chinese New year. But they have a
tradition of celebrating similar day on the 7th day of
the 7th month of Chinese calendar.
India
In India, Valentine's Day celebrations started
catching up in the 1990s with the economic
liberalization. At times, there are protests from the
Hindu and Islamic traditionalists who consider it to
be cultural contamination from the West. However
driven by commercial interests, the mainstream
media attacks such protests as cultural policing.
Studies have shown that Valentine's Day promotes
and exacerbates income inequality in India, and aids
in the creation of a pseudo-westernized middle class.
As a result, the working classes and rural poor
become more disconnected. Many countries in the
Middle east and Far east are also taking steps to stop
this commercialist and Western cultural invasion.
In Feb 2006, I was in Bangkok as a tourist. The Thai
tour guide was explaining the special Valentine day
programs at the Hotel and many American tourists
were enthused. When she asked about my plans, I
told that for Indians every day is a Valentine day.
While Love is Universal phenomenon and a very
potent force, should it be expressed in such a
superficial way? I am sure even St.Valentine would
not have liked the way the day is celebrated now.
Hope Gen Next will think and act without blindly
aping the west.
T R I B U T E
Nataraj’s father-in-law is
no more Nataraj’s father-in-law expired on 4th Jan 2013. He was 83. Though he had some heart problems, he was keeping himself agile and active. He had a fall in the bathroom, and the injury on the head did not show up immediately in all the scans, but the internal bleeding seems to have increased with time. He went into a comma and then expired.
Condolences from ET79 family.
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 8
The silent ET79: He is known to only murmur,
but these days he doesn’t even do that. He does
not respond to e-mails, doesn’t attend ET79
events? Why is he so silent? How is he getting
along? Many have these questions in their lips,
but have not ventured to ask? So I took courage
and phoned this fellow. The cell phone gave a
weird ringtone with an undecipherable lingo.
While I was guessing where in the hell this fellow
was, I could hear the murmur at the other end?
Which part of the Universe are you in? – I ask
Mohanty. It looks like ages to get the response
and then the line gets cut. I instantaneously
realize Mohanty is there at the other end, and is
possibly at Bubaneshwar!
Thankfully, Mohanty comes back on line, before I
call it quits. He tells me he is in Bubaneshwar,
attending his wife’s elder sister’s daughter’s
marriage? He is on leave for 15 days. How do
they give such long leave for a senior person in
BAP?! He will get back only by 28th Jan. How is
Mrs Mohanty? He immediately gives the phone
to her. Madam is running around in the post
marriage events, but has a smile and greetings to
offer. She feels Mohanty is overworked and
hence it is good that he has got this 15 days
vacation!
About Sidharth, I am informed that he is at
Mudra Communications. With all his talents as a
caricaturist, I am sure he will be an asset there.
When the phone is back with Mohanty, I ask him
whether he would attend Guru’s son’s marriage
at Bengaluru? Which Guru? When I tell him
about the ‘smiling Md. Rafi’ Guru, he asks me
where the invitation is! I tell him that it will come
by e-mail and the last Pulse had carried this
news. Mohanty feels he receives hundreds of e-
mails and where in the heaven can he find time
for reading all that! (Guru, are you listening?)
About life in Ranipet, Mohanty is happy.
So if you need to communicate something to
Mohanty, pick your phone and dial M. Never
send an e-mail.
Gopi getting geared up for
Interviews: Our Gopinath
attended a training programme
which trains senior executives
of PSUs to attend Board Level
interviews. The questions are
blasted right from the word go… What are the
blue ocean and red ocean research that you are
doing? What would be the effect of diesel prices
in new coal based power projects (remember
coal has to be transported by rail!) and so on.
The mentors told that usually rapport building
questions would be asked to make the
participants at ease. But when that did not
happen in the mock interview, the interviewers
were asked. Their response was sometimes we
do that at the end of the interview, so that the
participants do not go back cursing us! The
general performance of BHEL participants was
good, that is a good way to sum up.
BHEL to declare entire
factory no-smoking zone:
Murux is in trouble. The
entire factory would shortly
be declared as no smoking
zone. He always likes to have
a smoke after tea. And a tea after smoking!!
It is also in the plan of BHEL to install more
CCTV cameras, so Murux will be left with few
escape routes.
ET79 looks forward to the day when
smoking will be banned in BHEL Township
also!
ET 79 News Makers News By Easwaran
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 9
The past year in fitness has been alternately
inspiring, vexing and diverting, as my revisiting of
all of the Phys Ed columns published in 2012 makes
clear. Taken as a whole, the latest exercise-related
science tells us that the right types and amounts of
exercise will almost certainly lengthen your life,
strengthen your brain, affect your waistline and even
clear debris from inside your body's cells. But too
much exercise, other 2012 science intimates, might
have undesirable effects on your heart, while
popping painkillers, donning stilettos and sitting and
reading this column likewise have their costs.
With New Year's exercise resolutions still fresh and
hopefully unbroken on this, day two of 2013, it now
seems like the perfect time to review these and other
lessons of the past year in fitness science.
First, since I am habitually both overscheduled and
indolent, I was delighted to report, as I did in June,
that the "sweet sport" for health benefits seems to
come from jogging or working out for only a brief
period a few times a week.
Specifically, an encouraging 2012 study of 52,656
American adults found that those who ran 1 to 20
miles per week at an average pace of about 10 or 11
minutes per mile - my leisurely jogging speed, in
fact - lived longer, on average, than sedentary adults.
They also lived longer than the group (admittedly
small) who ran more than 20 miles per week.
"These data certainly support the idea that more
running is not needed to produce extra health and
mortality benefits," Dr. Carl J. Lavie, a cardiologist
in New Orleans and co-author of the study told me.
"If anything," he said, "it appears that less running is
associated with the best protection from mortality
risk."
Similarly, in a study from Denmark that I wrote
about in September, a group of pudgy young men
lost more weight after 13 weeks of exercising
moderately for about 30 minutes several times a
week than a separate group who worked out twice as
much.
The men who exercised the most, the study authors
discovered, also subsequently ate more than the
moderate exercisers.
Even more striking, however, the vigorous
exercisers subsequently sat around more each day
than did the men who had exercised less, motion
sensors worn by all of the volunteers showed.
"They were fatigued," said Mads Rosenkilde, a
Ph.D. candidate at the University of Copenhagen
and the study's co-author.
Meanwhile, the men who had worked out for only
about 30 minutes seemed to be energized by their
new routines. They stood up, walked, stretched and
even bounced in place more than they once had. "It
looks like they were taking the stairs now, not the
elevators, and just moving around more," Mr.
Rosenkilde said. "It was little things, but they add
up."
And that idea was, in fact, perhaps the most
dominant exercise-science theme of 2012: that little
things add up, with both positive and pernicious
effects. Another of my favorite studies of 2012
found that a mere 10 minutes of daily physical
activity increased life spans in adults by almost two
years, even if the adults remained significantly
overweight.
But the inverse of that finding proved to be equally
true: not fitting periods of activity into a person's
daily life also affected life span. Perhaps the most
chilling sentence that I wrote all year reported that,
according to a large study of Western adults, "Every
single hour of television watched after the age of 25
reduces the viewer's life expectancy by 21.8
minutes."
I am watching much less television these days.
But not all of the new fitness science I covered this
year was quite so sobering or, to be honest,
Good and Bad, the Little Things Add Up in Fitness By Gretchen Reynolds; New York Times, 2 Jan 2013
Health & Longevity
Sourced by Mohan
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 10
consequential. Some of the more practical studies
simply validated common sense, including reports
that to succeed in ball sports, keep your eye on the
ball; during hot-weather exercise, pour cold water
over your head; and, finally, on the day before a
marathon, eat a lot.
But when I think about the science that has most
affected how I plan my life, I return again and again
to those studies showing that physical activity alters
how long and how well we live. My days of heedless
youth are behind me. So I won't soon forget the
study I wrote about in September detailing how
moderate, frequent physical activity in midlife can
delay the onset of illness and frailty in old age.
Exercise won't prevent you from aging, of course.
Only death does that. But this study and others from
this year underscore that staying active, even in
moderate doses, dramatically improves how your
aging body feels and responds.
Aging also inspired my favorite reader comment of
2012, which was posted in response to a research
scientist's name. "'Dr. Head,'" the reader wrote.
"That shall be the name of my all-senior-citizen
metal band," which, if its members gyrate and
vigorously bound about like Mick Jagger on his
recent tour, should ensure themselves decades in
which to robustly perform.
Stay well, Enjoy Life, & Be Nice to your spouse!
Ravichandran getting
set for daughter’s marriage
Dr. G Ravichandran is very busy these days, what
with having to make everything ready for his
daughter’s marriage. His daughter was also in
India on a short leave.
There are many things to be bought – dresses,
gold, silver and all that life needs. The event has
to be seen in its entirety. The groom’s side has to
be consulted on several things.
Who said it is fun getting daughter married off?
In between, he had to go to Delhi to receive the
BHEL’s Excel Award (see picture below) on the
coldest day reported in 40 odd years. Solving a
complex Finite Element Analysis is fun, he
concludes!
Viswanathan’s son’s engagement
Vichu writes, “I am very glad to inform ET &9
friends & their families about my son Raghavan's
engagement held on 17th January in Chennai”.
Raghavan, who has done Management in Finance
Stream from SP Jain, Mumbai, after his
Engineering graduation from College of
Engineering, Pune. He is currently working as a
Senior Consultant in Avalon Consulting, Mumbai.
Saranya, who hails from Chennai is a Commerce
graduate from Stella Mary's college and has done
M.A. in H.R. from Madras School of Social Work
and is currently working in HR of TCS, Chennai.
The wedding will be held on 12th July in Chennai;
an invite will follow in due course to all ET-79.
Please block your calendar for the wedding.
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 11
Dubai creek is a natural waterway that runs in the middle of the city before ending in the Arabian Gulf. This creek has elegant curvatures, fine-tuned by human-touch. Andrew Hudson highlights three distinctive ‘worlds’ that exists along the creek.
Wooden dhows returning from destinations
across the Arabian Gulf and elsewhere chug,
creak and sway as they cross the home stretch to
weigh anchor at the loading wharf close to the
mouth of the Dubai Creek. Other dhows are
already alongside, flanked by piles of wares,
crated machines, bales of materials and cardboard
boxes as pondering stevedores attempt to load as
much as possible onto these ancient, yet efficient
modes of local maritime trade. And, just as the
heart of this ancient section of Dubai Creek
beats to the deep rhythmic sound of maritime
engines, so the nimble abras or water taxis
dart, thrust and parry across the river with
their human passengers. Somewhere in the
distance the call to prayer echoes across the
busy passage and it rebounds off tan and
beige riverside buildings, teeming souqs
and large neon lights that reflect the world’s
major brand names. Here and there
industrious sailors in an assortment of robes
and garbs rearrange ropes and cables, while
others lean and rest against cargoes of tyres,
electronic goods and foodstuffs.
Further upstream a second world of coolness,
modernity and designer living emerges from
under the Maktoum Bridge. This wider stretch
of flat, more peaceful waters is flanked by the
greens of a golf club and cooled by the deep
shade of nodding palms as a seaplane flutters
and lands on the reflecting waters adjacent
to an elegant marina. Here Dubai Creek’s
floating bridge reverberates to the sound of
many tyres as busy vehicles cross to and
from their various destinations. Further
upstream the magnificent Garhoud Bridge,
garlanded with flags advertising the latest
event in the city, opens its arms to the visitor
and introduces the alluring modern glass-
fronted buildings of a vast shopping mall,
complete with hotels, another marina,
designer shops to die for and even a
Ferrari outlet. Laughter and chatter float
across the placid waters from the
restaurants and fast food outlets, leaving
the shopper spoilt for choice as the upriver
journey continues.
Once again a bridge, the Business Bay
Crossing, defines the Creek’s transition from
modernity, consumer goods and entertainment
to yet another world of serene river flats,
tangled mangroves and a peaceful sanctuary
for local and migratory birds. Seagulls,
waders and other waterfowl swirl and stream
low over the dark waters before setting course
for their daily feeding grounds and pink
flamingos pace the shallow waters with
upturned beaks and long spindly legs as
they feed. The world is at peace here and
the circle of life rotates to a slower, more
sedate heartbeat than downstream as the
water birds raise their beaks from their
feeding activity to view the world-
renowned skyscrapers of Downtown
Dubai in the far distance.
Are we as residents of Dubai perhaps not
mere reflections of the three worlds of Dubai
Creek? Are we not paying lip service to the
virtues of industriousness and the simple
rewards gained from honest hard work, while
clearly demonstrating a predilection for the
glitter and glint of cold glass consumerism and
ignoring the virtues to be derived from the
simpler, slower, healthy heartbeat of a
balanced natural environment?
1. Traditional dhows (mini ships) at the
wharf 2. Modern yacht and buildings 3. Flamingos ‘warming’ their feet after a
long flight from Siberia
Dubai Creek – Three Worlds in One Guest Column By Andrw Hudson
February 2013 Pulse ...feel the beat! Page | 12
Celebrating Birthdays
Name Feb
Dr Vaishali Somaiah 1
Mrs Kamalavathi JP 5
Siddharth Mohanty 8
Pradeep Thanakodi 9
Akileshkumar Radha 10
Ramesh Easwaran 11
Miss Swati Muthukumaran 12
Makesh Soundarajan
23
Miss Sineiha Lata Balraj 26
Ramkumar Nagesh Babu
28
Happy Birthday to You
Hi Radha
A very colorful Pulse & what a way to
start 2013! Since most of our batch
mates will be retiring in few years or
semi retired or have already retired, can
we start a section on "Retirement Plans"?
Regs
Pandian
(Radha: A valid suggestion; will be actively considered.)
You Said It Feedback
Dear Easwaran and Radha
The new innovative Pulse; output of both of
your collaborative efforts is simply superb.
Ya, we are feeling the beat of the pulse of
Fusion (music).
Thanks once again for your untiring efforts
in keeping the ET79 flock together.
Regards
S Sridhar
Dear Radha
Very good work and this issue
is colourful. I find literary
touch in the articles. Keep it up.
Regards
V Balraj
Radha
Reading in New format is a
great experience. Quantum leap
in publishing Pulse.
Thanks for your great editorial
effort.
Best regards
Chandra
Dear Radha I would like to compliment you for a colourful publication of the PULSE in the last two issues. The new format is really refreshing. I have just one feedback for improvement: try to avoid spelling errors, so that it does not take away the greatness brought in by your innovative format & design I like your persuasive & innovative approach in getting contributions from even silent readers like me. Best wishes for your initiatives in making the PULSE really vibrant. Regards K. Viswanathan (Radha: Regret the errors. Will take a better care.)
.
Regards
S Sridhar
Dear Radha
Great effort. Really a bumper issue, with eminent readability.
Excellently edited in two choice formats.
There is not a better way to start a great New Year 2013 than by
reading Pulse.
I am sure your mailbox deserves to be flooded with feedback. So
watch out! Have a great New Year with many gems of Pulse.
R. Easwaran
Celebrations
M Nataraj and Sumathi Nataraj complete
28 years of marriage on Feb 1. They got
married in 1985.
S S Ananthan and Revathy Ananthan
celebrate 23 years of their wedded bliss on
5th
February, having got married in1990.
Happy wedding anniversary to you!
Celebrating Wedding Days
Pulse Desk
R Easwaran
K S Radhakrishnan