Live simply to let others live !!

It's a slogan of Timbaktu.. As i heard about it for the first time, it is a small school for underprevileged children to mould their lives economically, socially and importantly to be simply human. But there is much more to it, as i have been there quite some times, to know about the place.

Can u think of a place close to nature, a good educational institute, a social awareness center, an environmental protective organisation ?? Timbaktu is all of them put together (still i doubt, there is more to it) !! My love for Timbaktu is for the first two of the above qualities..
As it is situated 5km far from a small village( Chenna kottapalli, Anantapur Dist, A.P.) surrounded by hills, one can have the previleges of being with the nature around, listening to the music of wind instead of motor horns nad mobile tones, watch the mighty stars in dark nights instead of dazzling brightness of lights, feel the seasonal changes around in complete way ! No words to describe the view of sunrises and sets from the hill ! No electricity consumption there, the power comes from the solar plant, for little lights to just show the way in nights. Nights look like nights really !

About the school and children.. The children are very enthusiastic and keen to learn that they induce them to visitors even. Their day starts actively at 5.30 morning. They have classes in languages, basic maths and science in the morning session. The emphasis is more to mode of learning than the matter of learning, which is lacking in most of the modern schools. There is no syllabus as such, but there is a good collection of books in the school. The one in Timbaktu is only upto 7th, and they have one in village till 10th class. One thing i like is, the mode of addressing is akka/anna (sister/brother) by anybody to anybody. The same holds even with the students to teachers or visitors ! Funda of universal brotherhood doesn't limit to just addressing, but extends to real affection !!

Post meals session is for vocational training, in which they learn tailoring, handicrafts, knitiing & embroidery, cycle repairs, farming and others. One has to see the glow in their faces while showing their works to the visitors.. So many little joys! Then the play time in open air. They have got table tennis also recently. Then evening bath, followed by dinner and story session and then to sleep !! How enjoyable it is !!

Every sunday they have a cultural session by children, in which they sing, dance, play some musical instruments and what not.. There is no stage fear in most of them. They know some foreign songs too, which are leant from foriegn visitors due to bubbling enthu to learn something new. I'm stunned when i heard the explanation of movie "Gandhi" while watching, from a timbaktu guy who had just passed his Bachelors , being with Timbaktu.

The people involved to make it possible and striving to make a difference, consists of Phd's from IITs and engineers also.. Too humble and simple when one approaches them. The underlying funda is only one : Live simply to let others live !!

Want to know more about Timbaktu ??? Click http://timbaktu.org/

Death ... how to take it ???

This is a question which raises for everybody atleast once at some point of time ! Sujatha, about whom i was talking in the post Deliver(y)ance, had delivered a boy baby 10 days back, who was very healthy in looks and just resembling his mother. She was very happy for him, though it was an unexpected early delivery. She just had few days for the "attachment" to grow with the little one, for whom she has been awaiting. A day before suddenly, with an unknown disease he deceased.
Everybody knows that death is a common phenomenon, as life is. In daily news, one comes across many of such cases, not just one, but that lies far to heart. Demise of old or ill can be taken, as one will have a clue to think of it and get ready! But if somebody who is closer leaves off unexpectedly forever , how one should take it ? Not philosophically but, practically ... If all this agony is due to the attachment or love, isn't it right for a mother to feel close and love her child ??

For being book tagged ...

Writing this blog with my poor memory is not as easy as to pick up a book to read .. But still, the list goes here ..

Books I own :
Around 50-75, in which Mathematics books dominate the number, they inlcude general math books along with very good text books..

Books taken from others but never given back ;) !!
4 or 5 which i liked very much, so that the giver didn't want to take back from me .. Thanks to Vikrant who is the actual owner of these books ! In a way these come under gifted ones ..

Prize Books :
8- 10 general mathematics books which i wanted to buy even otherwise .. A Mathematician's apology, Story of a number, Mathematical circles, How to solve it are some of them.

Gifted Books :
Thanks again to my good friends who made a good number to my little collection which has all kinds of my likings, ranging from Tyagaraja kritis, Ramakrishna kadhamrita, Shankaracharya's bhasya of Vishnu sahasranama to Zen speaks: shouts of Nothingness, Jonathon Livingston Seagull, Anne Frank : Diary of a young girl , Ignited minds and some math books .. Most of these have added a little more to my life...

Books I like : (feel like reading any number of times ...)
Gitanjali, Sanyasi... many of Tagore's creations have a high impact on me !
The story of my experiences with Truth(The first book i bought), Vivekananda's Bhakti Yoga and In search of God among several others
Telugu :
Kritis of Annamacharya and Tyagaraja, Tiruppavai - Bhasyam by Sribhasyam Appalacharyulu, Amrita Veena by Krishna Sastry

Last book bought :
Road less travelled

Last book owned:
Tottochan (a nice little one)

Books in progress :
Letters to my friend by Tagore, Mathematical circles(both of these were started long ago ...)! Geometry and fourth dimension(may not complete this, though a good one )

Books that make zero sense to me :
Most of these are telugu books, of which i dont even remember the names properly ! thanks to my forgetfulness...

My most treasured books:
Gitanjali

Thanks to Ram who gave pleasure of recollecting all these treasures, though i thought tagging is stupid at first ..