Thirumoolar Thirumanthiram - மூன்றாம் தந்திரம் - 1. அட்டாங்க யோகம் - verse 534

534. இயம நியமமே எண்ணிலா ஆதனம்

நயமுறு பிராணாயா மம்பிரத்தி யாகாரஞ்

சயமிகு தாரணை தியானஞ் சமாதி

அயமுறும் அட்டாங்க மாவது மாமே.

(ப. இ.) தீதகற்றல், நன்றாற்றல், அளவிலா இருக்கை, வளிநிலை, தொகை நிலை, பொறை நிலை, நினைதல், நொசிப்பு என்னும் வழிமுறைத் தவநிலை பயிலுதல் வேண்டும். இயமம் - தீதகற்றல். நியமம் - நன்றாற்றல். ஆதனம் - இருக்கை. பிராணாயாமம் - வளிநிலை. பிரத்தியாகாரம் - தொகை நிலை. தாரணை - பொறைநிலை. தியானம் - நினைதல். சமாதி - நொசிப்பு.

(அ. சி.) அயமுறு - நல்வழிப்படுத்தும்.

(4)

The above verses from thirumoolar's thirumanthiram talk about the 8 fold path to attain bliss.

1 not doing what is wrong

2 doing what is right

3 maintaining the right bodily posture 

4 maintaining the right breathing

5 arresting the thoughts - getting to a state of thoughtlessness

6 focusing on Agya 

7 meditation 

8 bliss

While at some instances during few seconds or minutes of meditation one tends to attain the state of blissfulness. To permanently be in the blissful state or to be at the blissful state when ever one wants to be, one needs to be practicing the above 8 steps continuously.

I will subsequently share details of the above 8 folds.

Thirumoolar

ThiruMular's Thirumanthiram 3008 can be accessed here with wonderful recital http://tamiltunes.com/thirumoolar-aruliya-thirumandiram-22-hours-long.html It is said Thirumular is the one who had designed the Chidambaram Natarajar temple. His mahasamdhi is also said to be inside the temple. It is over Thirumular's Mahasamadhi we have the present day Thiru Athinathar Sanidhi.

Save electric power by switching of the PC when not in use

Energy cost is going up all over the world and producing it leaves heavy carbon foot print which has got cascading effect on the environment and those creatures that share this planet with us. If you leave your PC booted at all times 24X7 it consumes a little over 5 KVA per week. So if you use it only for 8 hours a day this would amount to just 1.6 KVA only per week the remaining 3.4 KVA per week is being wasted just because the PC is kept ON.

While organizations and individuals who can afford to pay their power bills waste the electric power, those in dire need of power are deprived of the same.

Any commodity, we have the right to use it but not waste.

You can save 3.4 KVA per week Per PC, if you can spread this message.

Lets take some easy steps to save this planet.

What will work in INDIA

What steps are taken by district collectors (IAS officers ) to delegate authority to the next in line across the districts to ensure things happen as planned? What is the necessity for an IAS office to visit a PHC or a school to make it perform as expected. If powers are delegated, the local authorities can make things happen. All that an IAS officer has to do is to have a website to log in issues by citizens and question the local authorities if things do not happen as required.

E-Wastes

Now a days every one has a need to own a cell phone.
Check up with your Gardner, Car Driver, Dhobhi or your Servant Maid if they need your old cell phones before you store it in your dump yard.
You can also get rid of your guilt of generating e-waste this way if you donate them to the needy.
While this segment of people who support us in managing our daily chores can pay the recurring expense and get into a plan that suites them, they find it difficult to pay and buy a phone upfront.

Are we responsible corporate citizens ?

Each desk top PC consumes 30 watts per hour when it is kept switched on. Of the 24 hours in a day close to 8 to 10 hours is what a PC is used in a working day. When most of the PC users leave their PCs on during off office hours during a week day and during weekends- 4 units of power goes wasted every week. Just because we can afford to pay the bills, doesn't entitle us to waste the resource that is at our disposal.
LET'S BE RESPONSIBLE HUMANS.

80,000 tree sapling created in 2 months

Thanks to the Project Green Hands(PGH), who hold the Guiness book of world records for planting over 185,000 tree saplings in a single day.
We(1800 of us) at my office actively participated, starting 2011 Sep for 2 months to prepare 80,000 tree saplings through PGH

This is how the year 2012 started for me

Thanks to the Isha Organizers to invite me to be part of the first Isha Arogya inauguration in Chennai.

புதியதலைமுறை தமிழர் விருது

On 15th April 2012, a legend "புதியதலைமுறை" was creating a history which when properly used can sow the seeds for a new culture in தமிழ் நாடு and in the media industry.

The award winners and the program was unique and worth a ton of gold if not diamond.

Tremor in Chennai

There were 2 tremors one at 2:15pm & the other at 4:30pm today 11th April 2012. I felt the first one ... Lasted for well over 25 seconds. In the next 5 min the building was evacuated. The twice a year mock drill we performed came in handy. There was no commotion or confusion. While there were tsunami warning around 5:00pm and the coastal road and settlements (shops and public) were evacuated , later the warning was with drawn.

Simple systems

Why in well established offices like HDFC there are no token system to regulate visiting customers.

Using Montecarlo simulation

Using Montecarlo simulation to arrive at the PFE (potential future exposure) of the Credit limits extended to the clients.

Agasthyar temple at T Nagar

One temple where I saw a statue of Agasthyar and his wife Lopamudhra

Bellaria - an ice cream shop with a difference

Enjoying an address adjacent to Park Sheraton, this shop is one of it's kind in Chennai that makes ice creams to order.
Your choice of ingredients shape up into an ice cream of your choice in 10 to 15 minutes in front of your eyes.
You could choose the base - from low fat milk, soya milk, coconut milk or rice milk.
Tiramisu flavor was the one I "picked".
Coconut milk blended well too.

Opportunities a plenty but no one to take it

Building maintenance is poorly done with people involved not being trained or certified.

This leads to poor maintenance and hence leading to poor standard of living.

There are no takers to create this vital infrastructure. An institute with certification course on plumbing, electrical, carpentry and masonry can go a long way lifting the poverty line a big way in india.

This could create job opportunities and also improve the service level.

Samsung Smart TV with 3D

You could connect this TV to Internet.
Remote Control using your iPhone or iPad
Play any Internet based videos seamlessly accessing the content through any smart device and using Allshare feature of the Smart TV.
The 3D feature is awesome in this model UA40D6600.

Is not taking risk the riskiest thing in life ?

The bar is kept moving high in the minds of people as to what it really means that one has arrived in to the success zone.
This trend deprives human race of it's potential to explore the new and higher possibilities. As the majority of time is spent in survival game.
It is necessary a social structure is put in place with the government intervention to put an end to this direction less race. So that higher possibilities can be achieved by human specie.
Is it true that the future evolution that is awaiting to happen may be in several thousands of years is something to do with inner aspects of human being than on physiological changes ?
This aspect of evolution is getting delayed because of current culture that predominantly makes human spend their precious time in the current trend on survival game.

For seekers of God

An autobiography of a YOGI by Paramahansa Yogananda is a must read for all seekers of God.

Reverse mortgage: Unlock the value of property

The number of Indians with a net worth of Rs 1 crore has grown exponentially in the past decade. But you won’t find these crorepatis zipping around in flashy cars or splurging at shopping malls. That’s because for many of these crorepatis, the biggest chunk of their wealth is lying locked as the property in which they live. They may have an eight-figure net worth but their monthly income is in four figures. Madan Gopal Mathur, 67, is among the asset-rich but cash strapped property owners.

But three years ago, this retired PSU manager found the key to unlock the value of his property when he reverse mortaged his 1,000 sq ft apartment in Delhi. Reverse mortgage is just the opposite of a home loan. In a loan, a person buys property with money given by the bank and repays it with EMIs.

In reverse mortgage, the bank starts giving the owner a monthly payment as a loan against his house. The owner can borrow up to 75% of the value of the property. After his death, his heirs have to repay the reverse mortgage loan taken by him against the property. “It acts as a forced saving for the owner’s children,” says Mathur. What’s more, the house is revalued every five years and the borrowing limit is accordingly revised.

In 2007, his house was valued at Rs 60 lakh and he was allowed to borrow up to Rs 40 lakh against it over the next 15 years. The EMI was fixed at Rs 9,600. The move helped Mathur more than double his monthly income from Rs 9,000 to Rs 18,600. “The government’s decision to introduce reverse mortgage is a godsend for retirees like me," he says.

Till then, Mathur was facing difficulties trying to make ends meet. After taking voluntary retirement in 2001, he found that his nest egg of Rs 22 lakh was not as big as it appeared. A good chunk went into repaying loans and he was left with Rs 12 lakh which he invested in a few insurance plans for annuity income.

“It was difficult to manage the household with the Rs 9,000 I got as annuity,” he says. Mathur tried different options to supplement his income. Since he had a financial background (he had retired as general manager, finance, of Bhel), he started selling life insurance. But he could not keep up with the pace required for the job. He also had to travel long distances to explain the policies to prospective clients. Most of the times, the visits didn’t translate into sales and he made barely Rs 3,000-4,000 a month.

“I was spending more on fuel than what I was earning in commissions,” he says. He could not take help from his children who had immigrated to the US.

STRATEGY	BENEFITS
To reverse mortage his 1,000 sq ft apartment worth Rs 60 lakh	Receives monthly income of Rs 9,600 for his flat. This supplements the Rs 9,000 he gets as annuity from his investments

The first glimmer of hope came in 2007, when the government announced the reverse mortgage scheme. “It was a novel concept and not immediately understood by the public,” says Mathur. Some people even saw a stigma in the scheme. Imagine, funding your living expenses by pawning the house you live in. Yet, Mathur saw in it the panacea for his problems.

When the Punjab National Bank launched the scheme in 2007, he was among the first applicants. Though most of his problems are behind him, Mathur has broader concerns on his mind. “The life expectancy in India is rising but few people are financially prepared to deal with this,” he says. “Reverse mortgage can help them tide over the problem in their sunset years,” he says.

Why you should know the alpha value of your mutual fund

An interesting article from ET wealth dated 3rd Jan 2011

While evaluating the performance of a fund, analysts look at several factors such as the asset size, expense ratio, past returns and company or sector allocation patterns among others. Out of these, the past performance of a fund is widely quoted in fact sheets, research reports and advertisements that solicit mutual fund investments. Though the past performance of a fund is important, it completely ignores the risks taken by the fund.

Mutual funds face two types of risks while investing in stocks: i) Company specific and ii) market specific. A fund aims to eliminate company-specific risks by diversifying their holdings. However, market risk (also known as systematic risk) cannot be eradicated. A well-diversified mutual fund then is prone to market risks only. The returns that a fund generates must be in accordance with the risks it is exposed to. Such risk-adjusted returns are called expected returns.

For making risk-return analysis, analysts use a statistical tool known as alpha (also known as Jensen’s alpha after American economist Michael Jensen who developed it). This measures a fund’s returns relative to its expected returns. A fund that consistently generates higher return relative to its expected return is an outperformer. Alpha is also used by analysts to evaluate the performance of the fund manager. A positive value of alpha means that the fund manager’s stock picking and market timing skills.

For a retail investor the alpha value is important because it measures the excess returns a fund has generated in relation to the returns generated by its benchmark. Alpha values are readily available on websites like valuereseachonline.com and myplexus.com.

Do such positive alpha funds really perform better than the negative alpha funds? We decided to test this by studying the performance of equity-diversified funds. The funds were filtered by looking at funds that are more than five years old and only growth-option funds were selected. After applying these filters we zeroed-in on 116 funds. Out of these, 69 were positive alpha, 24 were negative and 23 have alpha value of zero. We ignored funds with zero alpha values.

We then analysed the performance of positive and negative alpha funds over a period of one year, three years and five years. In these three time periods 56% of the positive alpha funds consistently outperformed their benchmarks. On the other hand, 58% of the negative alpha funds consistently underperformed their benchmarks. This shows that the funds that generate excess returns have the ability to outperform in the medium term and the long term.

However, alpha should be used cautiously while evaluating funds that are not fully diversified. This is because alpha only considers market risk and ignores company-specific risks. Therefore, it gives a distorted picture of the risk-adjusted returns in case of less-diversified funds because such funds are also prone to the company-specific risks.