Tuesday 29th June 2021
Rambo the Recalcitrant Aussie NRI that I am, am having several parallel discussions with friends this morning simultaneously
1 - First Covid and Delta Plus Strain
Covid- Delta Plus Variant.... If any of you are under the illusion that you have been vaccinated (one or both shots) and are safe; Think again as You are wrong. Here is a message from my Doctor Friend in USA
" Good morning We are keeping well. Delta variant has entered into US well and warnings are out. More than 70 percent are vaccinated here. But the variant is supposed to be vaccine resistant. So the scare still hangs on our heads like the sword of Damocles 🤣Have a good day."
Pl don't grumble about total lockdowns in Sydney or any where in the world as we do not know fully how this new Covid Delta Plus Variant spreads and how fast it spreads. Most who have been infected cannot tell where they picked it up from. Let's hope this strict Lockdown eradicates the virus to a large extent. Stay Safe and Stay Well
2 - God and Religion
3 - Why a 12 storey building collapsed the way it did in Florida.
As a Civil Engineer the debris is what you'd see in a planned demolition causing implosion, and not a structural failure but awaiting results from the investigation.
Logically a structural collapse at the ground level or Foundation where the dead load of the Building is highest would have caused the building to sway and fall on its side like we have seen in building collapse in Shanghai
Back to Discussions on God, Religion and Science reminds me of a few events, when I got into BIG trouble for just asking a Question.
In the 80's in Sydney we had the Vedanta Society run by Matajis from Sharada Mission; but for some reason we did not have a Ramakrishna Mission in Sydney then. Vedanta society did not have access to a large hall at that point of time, so followers with homes having large halls used to host such gatherings. My sister-in-law Soma Gupta being a devout follower organised a session at her home in 1983.
A Swamiji from "Rama Krishna Mission in Singapore" (where my Father In law was on the advisory board) was visiting Sydney and was invited to speak.
The hall was packed with about 75 guests all sitting on the floor, facing the make shift dais seating Swamiji and the Matajis from Vedanta society
Swamiji gave an excellent talk and there was pin drop silence as every one was in a pensive mood trying to absorb his "Pearls of Wisdom".
I must confess I loved it too, as Swamiji was a Gifted speaker who could hold the audience spell bound. In life we always look up to people who possess what we lack. I lacked the Gift of the Gab. I can ask the most clever questions but never want to be up on a dais talking, preaching and giving sermons as I believe I do not know enough to lecture others.
My memory fleets back to another similar incident attending a Seminar at IITM Civil Engg Dept that was held every Friday afternoon and attended by all Civil Engg students UG and PG and Faculty in 1968
One such session a Senior ( I don't remember his name but remember he was a Sardar in final year B Tech) was giving a talk on his final year project about using "Bentonate Slurry for creating an in situ Pile Foundation" where use of Load bearing Precast Concrete piles was not possible as there was no hard rock in the ground to rest the piles. Very Interesting concept.
At the end of the session questions were asked and answers given and stupid me put my hand up and asked a silly question.
I said " You say in situ concrete piles are good when you cannot find rock in the ground, yet your excavation shows solid rock only ten feet below the ground, so why not precast Concrete Load Bearing Piles as Foundation ?
All heads turned and I got nasty glances and some seniors booed me and I felt like hiding under my chair for asking a dumb question.
Prof. Verghese we called him Papa Verghese was the Head of Civil Engg and sitting in the front Row. He stood up and turned around and faced the audience and asked
"Who asked that Question?
I froze thinking, God I am in the Sin Bin now. Every one was pointing at me, so I had no where to hide so I stood up.
Guess what Papa Verghese Said ???
Whats is your name ?
Ram Chander, Sir I whispered.
Speak up he says "Louder, so every one knows who you are".
He then says "Brilliant question Ram. I am glad we have One Real Engineer in this Hall. Very pertinent question that shows you listened and were also thinking at the same time. I had the same question on my mind but did not ask".
Phew -- God saved me that day I thought
Back to Swamiji was like deja vu
I have always postulated that God is a Racist. The darker the skin the more the suffering in this life
My question to You Swamiji "Is God a Racist"
That was it. I had acquired the Foot in the Mouth disease in 1983, even before the disease had been studied and identified & Diagnosed in UK or anywhere in the world
My sister in law was upset, so was my wife. Every one was. Every one was angry and felt humiliated
One Senior member (remember 1983 I was only just married and 37 years young) yelled at me and said don't ask stupid questions
Swamiji, waved to the audience and silenced them, looked at me and said
"Why do you ask a question like this ? Racism exists only in the minds of human beings. So tell me whats on your mind?"
I mumbled "Swamiji I see we live in a world where suffering seems to be directly proportional to skin colour. The Darker the skin the greater the suffering The Blacks in Africa suffer most, followed by Brown Skinned Subcontinent people followed by Yellow skinned Asians and suffering is least amongst people with Olive and Fair skin"
There was a lot of mumbling and grumbling in the hall and I wished I could turn into a snake and slither away quietly under the carpet.
Swamiji then said "I can see where you are coming from and yes it appears to be that way"
I felt encouraged and said "Swamiji even in India people with fair skin are better off in life generally and the suffering poor are mostly dark skinned. Every Indian wants the child to be born fair at birth and men and women seek very fair looking partners"
One Lonely voice in the hall echoed my sentiments. It was a very Dark skinned man.
I spoke up and said "Swamiji, we Hindus believe in Reincarnation and I believe that after death God evaluates the life you had lived and decides where your next birth is.
Your Punishment or Reward depends of your past life and God decides if you are born in Africa for worst kind of Criminals, Followed by Indians Asians and Western world"
Swamiji was happy to answer the question and he talked at length. Unfortunately I was not in a State of Mind to absorb all that he said. But Basically what he said was about
"HAPPINESS" That happiness cannot be bought with wealth and whether Rich people are Happy is something I had to find out in life
2021 - Looking back at my Own life
Son of a Central Govt Servant in Port Blair, Andamans who retires as Asst Commissioner Port Blair and Nicobar Islands, with perks like a Jeep with Driver, a Large mansion of a House, two servants and a gardener. Only Govt Servants will know what I am talking about
Then my Dad Retired and he had foolishly taken half his pension as Cash of Rs50K and spent it all on a Lavish wedding for his Fav daughter. What he did not realise was that commuting his pension meant he would not receive a penny for the next three years
Poor Dad he retired and returned to Madras and was broke so he had to look for jobs and fortunately for him, Clubwala Jadav who ran the Seva Samaj Boys Home in Adfayar, hired him as Secretary for a Salary of Rs 300 per month to house and feed a family of 9 mouths
Todays generation will say OMG how sad. To allay your fears let me tell you that my first salary as an engineering trainee in 1972 was Rs 275 per month and as a Junior Engineer for the TN Highways was Rs 400 per months plus Rs 50 for metro allowance
Once, my dad called all his 7 kids and we sat around his easychair and he told us, I am sorry, I have zero assets to give you all, but I have given you one thing that will help you all stand on your own feet in life and make your fortunes.
"Words of Wisdom" as my eldest sis got married, second sis was a Prof of Zoology, 3rd, 4th and 5th sisters all doctors and one a Gold Medalist at MMC and the Youngest an Architect also a Gold medalist and me the only engineer.
In fact my Dad wanted a family of doctors and I was not inclined. My wife Mithu now says You would have made a Good Surgeon..
Today we are all living all over the world living in big houses and driving posh cars earning well but something is missing in our lives.
The Happiness we experienced growing up in a one income family where we ran out of money after 20 days and had to wait for the next months salary to arrive. We entertained ourselves singing and playing board games and cards and never complained..
All our Pipe dreams to grow up and do this and do that and hold the family together are now merely pipe dreams.
Children from the next and the following generations don't have the same value system as we did. Modern lives are driven by Dollars and the strife to make more.
This brings me back to another event. Baba & Ma, my in-laws were in Sydney with us in 1995, when we hosted a surprise 50th Wedding anniversary party for them. They did not know what a surprise Party was and were over the moon.
One evening Baba and I were both sitting on the sofa when he says Ram, Close Your eyes and tell me what you see. Smart alec me said Baba I don't have to close my eyes to tell you. He said Just close your eyes and I did. "Now tell me what you see?" "Nothing Baba" was my reply and he says "What you saw with your eyes closed is all that you own. Darkness and emptiness. Your House, Your Cars, your wife, your son, your everything which you think is yours, is not yours. It is all an illusion. You may believe this sofa we are on belongs to you. Does it ?"
He was trying tom explain to me Krishna Consciousness, him being the Rama Krishna Mission Committee member
He said Ram as you grow older, you will understand what I am talking about. You need to detach yourself from every thing in this world especially family and pets.
Having Lost my dad at age 17, I admired and loved my FIL, a very charitable man who from the day of his retirement sent a part of his pension to his poor cousins in Kolkata. Believe it or not, he who was the medical Superintendednt of a Hospital in Malaysia and the Sultan's personal Physician, but did not have a house in his name same as my Dad.
Love you both Acha (Dad) and Baba. I am trying to teach my son Anand the Good Virtues and not to chase money and there is greater joy in Giving and seeing the happiness in the eyes of the receiver than us receiving gifts.
My Mantra is the "More you Give away what life has given you the more you will receive".
