Miscellaneous Facebook posts & comments in or around November and December 2021
When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer).
To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers will have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link.
==========================================
Thanks to Shri Sivarama Reddy garu for his services as municipal commissioner of Puttaparthi. During this COVID pandemic, he courageously served the public of Puttaparthi. As a resident of Puttaparthi, I was able to express my thanks to him for this courageous service that he and others of Puttaparthi municipality have rendered to Puttaparthi residents, when a group of us had to meet him in context of some municipal matter, around two months back. I take this opportunity to thank him (and others of Puttaparthi municipality including municipal health services staff as well as Puttaparthi police) via this public Facebook post, for his (their) courageous services to Puttaparthi residents during COVID pandemic.
It was nice to hear Shri Narayana Reddy (former councillor) express his gratitude to Shri Sivarama Reddy for his services (in Telugu and he is the second speaker).
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3291245677758653 has shared video.
---------------
Around 1 min. video of Kerala policemen singing Lord Ayyappa song.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3287667758116445 has shared video.
--------------
Pope Francis message on Christmas and "city and world" (where he prays for peace in various troubled parts of the world): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3VM00tCjEU , 31 min. 30 secs , published by Vatican News - English today (I saw it till 26 min. 14 secs. by which time Pope Francis had left the balcony and moved inside (out of view)).
The text of Pope Francis' message: https://www.ncregister.com/cna/full-text-pope-francis-christmas-urbi-et-orbi-blessing-2021-t724qfz9
----
My prayers to Lord Jesus Christ for peace and joy in the world, especially the troubled areas of the world.
------------------
Wonderful to see this exhibition of religious harmony in Nasik, Maharashtra! Jai Sai Ram!
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3287286774821210 shared related post.
------------------
Am watching this now:
...
Update: Saw fair bit of it (perhaps an hour or so)
Wonderful and inspiring homily by Pope Francis! The narrator of the live video (voice over) was very good. I feel blessed to have seen this.
My prayers to Lord Jesus Christ for happiness and peace in the world!
------
Further update: I thought of sharing the time stamp of two items from this around 1st hour of the program that I very much liked.
1) Lovely worship song by a boy in a language I do not understand (Latin/Italian?) from around 27:43 in the video till around 32.00. As the song is sung, in bursts the voice-over gives the English translation of the song.
2) Pope Francis homily: From around 43:44 till around 55:45. Pope Francis speaks in what seems to be Italian to me. The voice-over provides English translation.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3286595184890369 shares related post.
-----------------
Joy To The World (Live At The Helix In Dublin, Ireland/2013), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDmIddF7DfQ , 3 min. 17 secs.
-------------
Go Tell It On The Mountain (feat. Melvin Crispell III & Chandler Moore) Maverick City Music | TRIBL, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1RpUV2AQ24, 6 min. 51 secs., published on 7th Dec. 2021.
---------------
Hark the Herald (Sing Out Loud) | The Spirituals Choir (Official Music Video), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmtKlOB-0-I , 5 min. 55 secs., published on 22nd Dec. 2020.
-----------------
DOOR EK TAARA | HINDI CHRISTMAS CAROL | 4K, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmO6EGUqkFM , 4 min. 27 secs., published on 12th Dec. 2021.
------------------
New Hindi Christmas Song 2021 | Jhoomo Naacho || Jaago Family | Alka Prasad Cover, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B41BMoXUrX4 , 4 min. 44 secs.
-------------------
NEW TAMIL CHRISTMAS SONG 2021 | KING | GG5 | HARINI |OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO | FULL HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbllktTs1IQ , 3 min. 57 secs., published on 19th Dec. 2021.
I did not understand most of this Tamil song (my Tamil, especially formal Tamil, is weak) but I liked it as expression of youth and youthful energy channeled into devotional music and dance.
-----------
During Christmas time, I love to look up youtube to see new 2021 Christmas songs. They are current expressions of faith in Lord Jesus Christ expressed through music and song! I celebrate such 2021 expressions of faith in Lord Jesus Christ. Will be sharing some of these 2021 youtube songs, and perhaps some older ones too, on FB.
Here's one: Raraju Puttadoi | Joshua Shaik | Pranam Kamlakhar | Sireesha B | Latest New Telugu Christmas Songs, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYh0vxjGYBs, 7 min. 19 secs., published on 11th Nov. 2021.
---------------------
Very happy to see this inauguration of Kali temple in Dhaka by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. Note the history of the temple having been destroyed by Pakistani forces in 1971.
Jai Maa Kali!
Watch: Pres Kovind inaugurates Dhaka's renovated Kali Mandir destroyed by Pakistan in 1971, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5eq0g5Tye4 , 4 min. 45 secs. published today by Hindustan Times.
Note that as per https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/president-kovind-inaugurates-dhakas-historic-kali-mandir-destroyed-by-pak-army-in-1971/article37975699.ece , "Hindus make up some 10 per cent of the Muslim-majority Bangladesh's 169 million population."
As an Indian Hindu, I am thankful to the current Bangladesh government for allowing this renovation of Dhaka Kali temple.
-------------
Comment responding to a comment-question on mask wearing, from my post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3281419772074577
I have chosen to lead a very reclusive life in this period where I rarely move out of my flat & building area, and so I don't know for sure how it is in PTP town. While some mask wearing rules are officially in force, I don't think they are implemented in a strict way. I don't think there are any vax. rules for shopping in PTP. Don't know about travel part.
-------------------
Inspiring speech by PM Modi (in Hindi). Around 45 mins.
My elder sister and elder brother (both born in first half of 1950s) were named in honour of Lord Vishwanath of Kashi, as, if I recall correctly, they were born after my parents had made a pilgrimage to Kashi.
Even though both my parents and their ancestors came from Tamil Nadu & Kerala (the deep south of India), the reverence that Kashi (which is in North India) had for my parents, reflected the importance of Kashi for South Indian Hindus. Also we are Saivites and so Kashi's Lord Shiva (Mahadev) is a vital divine figure (deity) for us.
Har Har Mahadev!
Aum Namah Shivaya!
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3278689222347632 shares related post.
----------------
So much water in the ground in Bukkapatnam mandal area (near Puttaparthi) that water is gushing out of a borewell without the borewell motor being switched on!
First time I am hearing of this in and around Puttaparthi! This seems to be good news for some farmers in this area as now the water needs for the crops in coming months will most probably be met.
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3271473343069220 shares related post.
--------------
In response to a private remark about my recent post on Chitravathi river course - https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3269359499947271, I wrote (slightly edited):
The recent Chitravathi river floods caused the biggest non-medical natural mini-calamity/mini-disaster I have experienced in Puttaparthi over past almost 2 decades since I moved to Puttaparthi in Oct. 2002. So I wanted to know more about the river course and as I was not able to access it easily in one page/location on the Internet, I thought I should write a post on it for others who want to know about it.
I should also add that I was reading Kamala Subramanian's Ramayana English translation yesterday, about Bharata pleading to Lord Rama in Chitrakoot, to get crowned as king and rule Kosala kingdom (with capital Ayodhya) as he (Lord Rama) is the rightful heir and not himself (Bharata).
Bharata says to Rama (in this English translated version of Ramayana) "This kingdom is now like a dam which has burst its banks because of the floods caused by heavy rains. Only you can gather up the broken fragments and make it whole." The attached pic shows the sentences in the book, which are on page number 244.
When I read these sentences yesterday night, I immediately thought about how the recent Chitravathi river floods had caused immense suffering to those living in ground floor of houses/ground floor flats in what I think are northern parts (Bukkapatnam side) of Puttaparthi town, especially Sai Nagar and areas near Satyamma temple and Panchayat/municipality office. Such flooding has not been seen/experienced in Puttaparthi for decades!
That Bharata uses such a floods metaphor to convey how grievous the Kosala kingdom situation was then (due to Rama's absence and passing away of King Dasaratha), in this English translation of Ramayana, was very striking.
I wondered whether the Valmiki Ramayana Sanskrit shlokas use such terms. Note that due to lack of time, I have not been able to parallelly read Valmiki Ramayana Sanskrit shlokas - I am reading only the English translation now.
But what became clear to me was that river floods calamity that parts of India experience at times, even today, is a common experience that we share with people of Lord Rama's time! River floods was as big a calamity in Lord Rama's time, if not worse, as it is now, and this aspect of it is brought out in Bharata's words quoted above (if the English translation is a fairly accurate translation of Sanskrit Ramayana authoritative version(s))!
FB post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3270085913207963 has the pic which I have reproduced below:
[On PC desktop, to open pic in larger resolution (if available), right-click on pic followed by open link (NOT image) in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.]
---------------
-----------
Comments
Post a Comment