It was a private funded university, founded by an uneducated wealthy man on financially sound lines. The founder was not making a profit out of it. It was not like a centre of academic learning but a huge collection of rural youth after a degree. One offshoot of this unacademic adventure was the place became a leader of the Freedom Movement of youth. A national luminary was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the place to raise its status. In its fifty years of existence, he learnt few PhDs. On enquiry he was told that the most brilliant young men there had no reading habits.

Modern medicines cure almost all diseases that were not amenable to treatment in 1900. That is the result of study, research, classification, systematisation, observation, observation of relationships, creation of scales and appropriate new instruments. Still there are several diseases that defy treatment. One of them is cancer. There were two girls, one employed in a college and the other in a hospital. As soon as the father was diagnosed as suffering from cancer, he was admitted in the hospital and was operated upon. The doctors found it was at an advanced stage.

What is generally considered in general knowledge is Information.  Information depends upon memory. Ideas are superior to information. It is said children will understand ideas only after the age of 14. Mother says sometimes they do so even after the age of 7. If information develops memory, ideas develop Thinking. Beyond these two lies the Personality of the child. An old Tamil proverb says a litre, even when dipped in the sea, can contain only a litre, not more.

A rich nation has rich citizens. People become rich not by being dependent on others, or the family or even their organisation. He who leads others, heads the family, or proves innovative in the organisation makes himself successful and rich. A nation thus becomes wealthy. Such people are called entrepreneurs. What are the characteristics of an entrepreneur? In short, one who does not conform to the social codes is an entrepreneur. Can we make it more explicit? Let us divide the population into two parts, leaders and followers. Our subject here is the leaders.

சிருஷ்டியின் சிறப்பு புஷ்பம். வசந்தத்தில் மலரும் செடியின் வாழ்வில் தான் பழுத்துப் பலனளிக்கும் தருணத்தைவிடத் தன் ஜீவன் பூரித்து மலரும் நேரமே சிறந்தது. மலர்ச்சியே மணத்தின் பிறப்பிடம். அதனால் மலர், இறைவனுக்குகந்த சமர்ப்பணம் ஆகிறது. இறைவனை அடைய, அவன் அருளுடன் ஜீவனுள்ள தொடர்பைப் பெறப் புஷ்பம் உரிய கருவியாகிறதால் புஷ்பாஞ்சலி வழிபாட்டு முறைகளில் சிறப்பிடம் பெறுகிறது.

உலகத்தின் பல பகுதிகளிலிருந்தும் மக்கள் அன்னையைத் தேடி வரும்பொழுது  அருகில்  உள்ள  நாம்  அன்னையை  நாடுவதில்லை என்ற ஒரு நிலை நீண்ட நாட்களாக இருந்தது.

What is the Spirit in Life?

Spirituality is related to other life or moksha, not to Prosperity. The idea that Spirit can play a role in life and bring in Prosperity is alien to our tradition, Indian or Hindu. People in domestic life are wary of yoga, Spirit, etc., as they smack of sannyasa. This is meticulously shunned and children are taught accordingly. They are right.

The hundred articles in this book have been previously published in the New Indian Express from 15th July 2003 to 10th November 2003. I would like to thank Mr. M.K. Sonthalia, Managing Editor of New Indian Express for granting me permission to reprint the articles in this collection.

CONTENTS

1

வட இந்தியாவில் வாழ்ந்துவரும் ‘அமுதசுரபி’வாசகர் ஒருவர் எனக்குக் கடிதம் எழுதி இருந்தார். அது, மார்ச் 8ஆம் தேதி எழுதப்பட்ட கடிதம்.

அவர் அதில் எழுதியிருந்தார்: ‘நீங்கள் ‘அமுதசுரபி'யில் எழுதி வரும் அன்னையைப் பற்றிய கட்டுரைகளைக் கடந்த நான்கு ஆண்டுகளாக நானும், என் கணவரும் தவறாமல் படித்து வருகிறோம். அதன் காரணமாக, நாங்கள் அன்னையின் பக்தர்களாகிவிட்டோம்.