Jaaju Jaaju Stories – Importance of keeping one’s word
Importance of keeping one’s word
We all know that the pandavas left their kingdom for 13 long years for keeping up their word! Well, for Arjuna going away from the bhogas of a king, for the sake of truth, was not new. He did it once well before the aranyavaas. The story goes like this:
The kalyaanam of pandavas with Draupadi was an unusual one. However, it was perfectly according to dharma shastras. Infact Draupadi is one of the greatest pativratas and praised even by Lord Krishna for her Dharma vartana. A few reasons to justify the kalyaanam:
Kunti Devi, the mother of pandavas, who never knew what a lie was, gave her will.
Vyaasa Maharshi, one of the avataar of Lord Vishnu, ordered the kalyaanam to be done.
Lord Shiva, pleased with her tapas, gave a boon to Draupadi to marry the pandavas.
Pandavas, though were five physically, were all amshas of Indra, the King of the Gods. Hence, pandavas were actually one.
Naarada, again an avataar of Lord Vishnu, suggested some rules to be followed by pandavas and Draupadi for living together. This is because, though they were amshas of Gods and Godesses, since they had a human form some addition rules according to dharma shastras needed to be followed. One of the rules was that: Draupadi should spend one year with each of the pandavas and while she was with one of them, no other pandavas should visit the palace where they might be. In case of any breach of their rule, one-year pilgrimage was prescribed by way of penance leaving the kingdom.The pandavas and Draupadi were living happily until one day: a brahmana came running to Arjuna saying that the thieves had stolen his cows. Arjuna wanted to rush with him to catch the thieves but he realised that his bow and arrows were kept in Yudhisthira’s palace and he was there in the company of Draupadi. He hesitated for a while, then seeing brahmana’s plight he rushed in to Yudhisthira ‘s palace took his bow and arrows and ran to catch the thieves. After he caught the thieves and punished them, after restoring the cows of the brahmana, Arjuna came back to Yudhisthira and told him about his transgression of the rule.
Yudhisthira, knowing the reason of the breach of their rule, said their is no need for Arjuna to take the pilgrimage. Since it is a mistake committed towards him, and that too for a good reason, he will pardon arjuna . However, Arjuna would never break his word. He immediately set out for a one-year pilgrimage. May be this is why Arjuna is such a favourite sakha of Lord Krishna.
Morals in the Story:
The story shows how important it is to keep up ones word, whether it is of any consequence or not, how much ever difficult it is.
Arjuna, knowing that he will be punished for breaching the rule, did not stop doing his duty as a king to protect his people and punish the theif. Thus, one must always perform his duty without any laziness or any kind of fear.
Rewards for such people do show up as immediate difficulties, but in the end – it is truth is what always wins (Satyameva jayate). Arjuna’s win was in the way of gaining eternal friendship with the Lord.
Message:
Imagine if everyone keeps his word and always speaks truth — will we have corruption? will we have poverty? Though its a very difficult to inculcate, unless we are truthful there will be no development.
Like Arjuna if everyone does they duty — will there be such slow development for such a large community of intelligent people?
Temporal gains got by saying lies never will be permanent. They will not only bring us down on a long run in life, leave aside winning the heart of the God.
Guidelines to help travellers avoid bringing in banned medicines to UAE
Guidelines to help travellers avoid bringing in banned medicines to UAE By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: March 08, 2008, 01:09
Dubai: Each country has its own laws and regulations to protect citizens and visitors.
Rules and regulations differ from country to country and what is allowed in one country could be prohibited and even considered a crime in another country.
One rule that differs vastly from some other countries is the bringing of certain pharmaceuticals into the UAE.
Everyone, including visitors, are subject to the UAE’s laws and regulations and tourists may find that they are different from the rules in their own country.
As the UAE becomes one of the most popular tourist and transit destinations in the world here are some guidelines to help travellers avoid bringing in any banned medical substance or drugs.
Zero-tolerance
There is a zero-tolerance policy towards intoxicating drugs and possession. Even a very small amount of illegal drugs found on the person will lead to a long jail sentence. Drug trafficking will lead to a life sentence or the death penalty.
But there are certain medicinal drugs, even over-the-counter drugs, which although legal when taken under a doctor’s supervision in one’s home country, could land that person in jail in the UAE. Some over-the-counter drugs are considered controlled items in the UAE as they produce effects that contravene local laws.
The presence of these illegal drugs is detected by blood or urine tests, and even very small quantities of such medicines are subject to prosecution by the authorities.
Before coming here it is wise to be informed that possession of a number of pharmaceuticals could land you in trouble here.
If you are undergoing medical treatment in your country and you are travelling to the UAE, be sure to carry with you a doctor’s prescription of the medication which you are bringing.
Possession of certain prescribed medicines (especially those containing codeine, a common ingredient for pain relief and cold and flu medication) will land you in jail here.
There are 365 such medicines listed on the UAE’s health ministry’s website.
Be aware also that there are no warnings posted at airports. Travel agencies may not inform you of such restrictions.
All gas cylinders in Dubai to have improved safety valves
All gas cylinders in Dubai to have improved safety valves By Alia Al Theeb, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: April 08, 2008, 23:39
Dubai: All domestic gas users will have new cylinder valves with improved safety features, a senior official announced on Tuesday.
The changeover will be executed with immediate effect in Dubai by Emirates Gas in partnership with Emarat. The valves and regulators are available from all authorised LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder distributors for a one-off payment of Dh40.
The move comes following a decision by the undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior in conjunction with Dubai Civil Defence. Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director of Dubai Civil Defence and head of the committee that put in place a structure to enforce the decision, stressed the importance of all bottling and distribution companies’ commitment to the clauses under the Ministry’s decision.
Colonel Ahmad Al Sayegh, Deputy Director of Dubai Civil Defence, said faulty gas cylinder valves were time bombs and there had been many fires at houses, labour accommodation and Portakabins and this had led to a study on the reasons behind the fires.
“Experts said gas leaks or errors in the valves were the main reasons behind those fires,” he said.
The civil defence will implement the mechanism to ensure the use of the new attachments and initiate an awareness programme for residents. It will also perform checks on restaurants and other public places to ensure the new regulators and valves are being used.
Ali Mustafa, General Manager, Emirates Gas, said considering Dubai alone has 300,000 to 400,00 domestic gas cylinders in use, the environmental and safety advantages of the new valves will be tremendous.
Several advanced safety features
Dubai: The new valve has several advanced safety features and is being introduced after extensive research and trials.
It has a short one-piece body with high impact strength. It also has a protective gasket preventing the entry of dust and water and a self-closing valve preventing accidental leaks.
The regulator is equipped with an automatic cut-off mechanism to stop the flow of gas in case of a leak or cut in the rubber hose. The cylinder valve will close in case of a fire. The current cylinders when empty will be exchanged for a cylinder with a new valve by the distributor. Cylinders with this new valve can be operated only by a regulator supplied by Emirates Gas or Emarat. It is estimated that about 1,000 cylinders with new valves will be changed per day.
– Staff Report
Timeline: Blast history
March 29, 2008: Gas cylinder blast injures three workers in Ras Al Khaimah.
February 20, 2008: Seven hurt in villa gas cylinder explosion in Deira, Dubai.
May 19, 2005: Ten hurt and 22 shops and 70 vehicles damaged after a gas pipe leak caused a massive explosion in a restaurant on Al Wahda Street, Sharjah.
February 28, 2005: Massive gas cylinder blast wrecks Sharjah cafeteria.
December 19, 2004: Three injured in cylinder blast in the Al Wathba district, Abu Dhabi.
December 7, 2003: Gas cylinder blast destroys restaurant and shop in Ras Al Khaimah.
September 30, 2001: Gas cylinder explodes in apartment in Al Rifaa, Dubai.
Air Arabia launches flights to Kuala Lumpur
Air Arabia launches flights to Kuala Lumpur
Staff Report GULF NEWS Published: April 09, 2008, 15:04
Sharjah: Low-cost carrier Air Arabia has announced the launch of daily flights between Sharjah, UAE, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in a joint venture with FlyYeti.com.
Air Arabia will operate the Sharjah-Kathmandu leg of the journey, while FlyYeti.com will manage the flights between Kathmandu and Kuala Lumpur.
As part of a special inaugural promotion, fares on this route will start at AED 505, exclusive of taxes and surcharges.
Think before you swipe credit card for cash
Think before you swipe credit card for cash
Vidyalaxmi, TNN
What’s the worst thing to do with your credit card? Use it to withdraw cash from the ATM, says a financial expert. In your monthly credit card statement, there is a mention of cash limit. That is the extent to which one could withdraw cash using a credit card. But the googly is the interest rates. It’s actually a very expensive proposition to withdraw cash as the interest rates on such withdrawals fall in the range of 40% on an annual basis.
Usually, the credit card company mentions the interest rate as a percentage per month which typically varies from 2.7-2.85% per month. And since this interest is compounded monthly, the effective annual rate of interest tends to be anywhere from 38 to 40% per annum.
Essentially, credit card companies charge the same interest rates for cash withdrawals made through credit cards and for rolling over credit card balances. But if one pays the entire amount on due date, one gets around 30-45 days of interest free credit. But what is important to know is that rule doesn’t apply in case of cash withdrawals; the credit card company levies the interest rate the moment you withdraw the cash.
Cash withdrawals can also attract an additional withdrawal fee. This charge falls in the range of 3-3.5% of the withdrawn amount. That will be added along with the interest rate to your bill. Therefore, unless you have emergency needs, do not withdraw cash on your credit card. The better option though is to go for a personal loan.
Says RL Prasad, general manager and head of cards and personal loans at Standard Chartered Bank, “You should look at this option as the last resort. If it’s a planned expenditure and you don’t have sufficient liquidity then a personal loan is be a viable option.”
Credit card cash withdrawals vs personal loan
Personal loan is a better option as the average interest rate on personal loans is between 15-20% per annum. The only handicap however, is that it takes around 7-10 working days for the banks to process personal loans.
For the uninitiated, every credit card statement has a billing date. For example, if your credit card payment is due on March 15 then the bill would have been dated around February 27.
So if you purchase anything on February 28 or later, that payment would be due only on April 15. So you get some time to cough up that money to pay off the dues. If you are unable to pay the outstanding amount, then the credit card company charges a month rate of 2.95% of the total amount. But this breather doesn’t exist on these cash withdrawals.
Old is Gold – Sri. V. Dakshinamoorthy Swami
Thyaga Brahmam Sreekaram………
Vow, Sambho Mahadeva, even at this age V Dakshinamoorthy Swami’s performance – Marvellous, GOLD is GOLD, Best Kanna Best. What more to say!!! Listen to a part of the recordings of the keerthanam he sang today for Raga Ratnam Junior programme.
Mridangam by Dr. G Satheesh Babu
Ghadam by Perukavu P L Sudheer
Violin by Edappalli Ajith Kumar
Mukhar Sangh by Neyyattinkara Krishnan
Ivarude ekopanam athyugranayirunnu. Dr. G. Satheesh Babu proved once again, whether it is a 5 year old beginner or a 90 year old veteran, like LIC, accompaniment for kacheri is safe in his hand.
Sreeramachandranum, Devaadi Devanmarum avide prathyakshathil undayirunna pole thonni. Easwara, ee sangetham ennennum anaswaramayirikkane ennu prarthanayode.
Red Bull Air Race – 10th & 11th April 2008 at Abu Dhabi Corniche
Do not miss the action, be there, watch live at Abu Dhabi Corniche
etisalat gears up to offer mobile remittance services
etisalat gears up to offer mobile remittance services By Nadia Saleem, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: April 02, 2008, 00:01
Dubai: etisalat is poised to start offering mobile remittance services in June this year, a move that promises to help millions of expatriates send money in seconds instead of queueing at the exchange houses every month.
etisalat officials on Tuesday said it has started the mobile remittance pilot project to India in partnership with mashreq, Tata Communications, Idea Cellular and HSBC India.
It expects 350,000 users to avail the services next three years. Nearly 80 per cent of the UAE’s more than five million population are expatriates, the majority of whom remit money regularly.
Formal remittance flow in 2005 crossed $7 billion (Dh25 billion), making the UAE the second-largest remittance source in the Gulf after Saudi Arabia.
The company emphasised on micro transactions, which usually take place through unofficial channels. “Mobile money transfer will be a viable service for low-value transactions,” said Abdullah Hashim, vice-president, marketing, enterprise solutions, etisalat. “This service is modelled over existing remittance flows,” he added.
Registered users of the mobile money transfer service will be able to access it abroad through etisalat roaming service.
Officials, however, could not give any indication of the cost of this services. Electronic remittance service charges starts from Dh3 onwards.
The company said on Tuesday that it has no plans to compete with money exchanges but rather will complement them. In addition, the company intends to partner with such organisations in the future.
The new service designed to be cost-effective, convenient and secure will have low transaction costs. The pilot project will allow for feedback to develop the service features and pricing.
“In the current phase, selected participants of the pilot project will be able to transfer funds to over 40,000 bank branches in India,” said Hashim.
etisalat is working closely with leading banks, financial institutions and telecom operators in other countries to offer a comprehensive network of partners for the service. It is expected that etisalat customers in the UAE will have the first opportunity to use this service to send money to various countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines Egypt, Jordan, Sri-Lanka, and Nepal.
Extension
The telecom operator plans to extend the service three more countries by the end of the year. In addition, the company is in the process of launching mobile banking, parking, ticketing, government payments and purchases in the UAE.
A mobile wallet (mwallet) will be provided when users register with the mobile money transfer service. The mwallet will act like a traditional wallet.
“The service enables to add value [credit] in the mwallet which can then be used for remittance,” said Amol Natu, manager, product marketing ebusiness. The company said yesterday that it is also working on salary transfer option based on mobile wallet offering.
Mubadala unit takes 20% stake in Shell’s oil venture
Mubadala unit takes 20% stake in Shell’s oil venture Staff Report GULF NEWS Published: April 01, 2008, 15:36
Dubai: Mubadala Development Company (Mub-adala) yesterday said its wholly-owned subsidiary Liwa Energy has purchased a 20 per cent stake in Shell’s current exploration and production ventures in Algeria.
Shell holds two production sharing contracts in the Reggane Djebel Hirane and Zerafa permits in Algeria where it is conducting an exploration and appraisal campaign in partnership with Sonatrach, the Algerian national oil and gas company.
The revised interests in the Reggane Djebel Hirane and Zerafa Production Sharing Contracts give a 25 per cent share to Sonatrach (carried interest during exploration), 60 per cent to Shell affiliates and 15 per cent to Liwa Energy.
The new agreement highlights Mubadala’s increasing interest in Algeria, where the company has already made a number of significant investments in the energy sector, including several power stations and oil and gas projects.
Among these is the Hadjret Independent Power Project, which represents over a fifth of today’s generation capacity in Algeria with initiatives including a natural cycle gas fired power station in Tipaza. Mubadala is also involved in the construction of the first Algerian aluminium smelter at Beni Saf.
The exploration agreement is part of a strategic alliance formed in 2005 between Mubadala and Shell to cooperate in the economic development of new and existing hydrocarbon resources, pursue research and development of economically viable and environmentally acceptable energy solutions in the Middle East and North Africa.
The agreement also provides Mubadala learning and development opportunities with Shell.
India will shift focus to Angola
India will shift focus to Angola
Bloomberg Published: April 01, 2008, 00:41
New Delhi : India, Asia’s third-largest consumer of oil, will focus on obtaining energy assets in Angola after failing to secure supplies closer to home.
“Angola is the next country where we are going to concentrate,” Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora said in an interview in New Delhi. “We lost because our bid wasn’t good enough” in previous auctions, he said. “We have learned from this,” the minister said.
State-run explorers from India and China have submitted bids for oil blocks in Angola as the world’s two most populous nations need imports to sustain economic growth. India’s oil shortage has spurred Deora to turn to Angola, Opec’s fastest-growing member with reserves equivalent to 11 years of India’s imports, after losing out to China in $10 billion of auctions.
India’s energy independence has been threatened because it hasn’t been able to increase production at home, where output from three-decade-old fields is declining. India will also compete for oil in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest producer, and Sudan.
“India has to acquire assets overseas. There is no other way,” said Prashant Periwal, an analyst at B&K Securities in London. “China has slowly and steadily spread across most of Africa and is sitting on huge resources. For fuel security, you have to take control of supplies.”
India has been beaten by China to auctions for energy assets in Kazakhstan and Myanmar in the past three years. India has offered to build ports and railways in Nigeria and Sudan, copying tactics used by China.
The South Asian nation hosted a two-day India-Africa conference in Nov-ember to discuss oil cooperation, where Deora offered to build refineries and pipelines.
India sought stakes of as much as 32 per cent in two fields in Sudan, R.S. Butola, managing director of ONGC Videsh, said during the November conference in New Delhi.
Deora will travel to Venezuela next month to complete an agreement to acquire a stake in fields in the biggest crude-exporting nation in the Americas.
The bidding has been delayed after Angola extended the deadline indefinitely.
Statistics: Growing demand
– India, the fastest-growing economy after China, estimates demand for oil will rise 62 per cent over the next five years to 241 million tonnes a year.
– ONGC Videsh Ltd., the overseas exploration unit of Oil & Natural Gas Corp, India’s biggest producer, will invest up to $356 million in a venture with state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA, to operate the San Cristobal area.
– ONGC Videsh and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., Asia’s largest refiner, are among 43 companies that will bid to explore for oil in Angola, according to state-run Sonangol SA.
– The African nation is offering 11 licences for fields with a potential of 9.6 billion barrels of oil reserves, Sonangol said on its website.
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