God's Gate Keeper

Rani is the elephant at Manakular Vinayagar Temple at Pondicherry (Pondy), whom one can see at the entrance of the temple. She has been trained to shower blessings on devotees who offer her money and eatables especially banana. On festivals she is beautifully decorated with colorful, usually red and golden yellow robes and cloth sheets and carries the idols of Lord Ganesha along with the religious processions which pass through prominent streets of Pondy, notable among them is JN Street and MG Road.

Clicked on Aug 09 at Manakular Temple, Pondy during our first visit to the temple.

Change Agents In Our Society

Did you share yourself today ? Times Life : 2 May, 2010-05-18
In this artcle Indrani Rajkhowa Banerjee brings into life a very inspiring account of ordinary people who are amazingly trying to create a difference in lives of those to whom small things we never care of can bring a lot of difference. Consider few instance, taken from the said article and other sources:
Someone in Mumbai distributes footwear at traffic signals to barefoot people, another man collects the leftover food at weddings to feed hungry kids, in Delhi a gentleman distributes drinking water in shanties of west Delhi, another person never leaves home without packets of glucose biscuits for poor kids, a young journalist instead of visiting church every sunday religiously visits nearby home for aged people and spends her time with them…………
A guy collects rickety and torn out bicycles and repairs them and gives them to school kids who otherwise would have dropped as parents are reluctant to send kids far away to schools, a young IIT engineer teaches at late night classes for rickshaw pullers, a teacher at Indore pays fee for her maid’s girl child apart from salary, a man & his friends provide for cremation of unclaimed bodies……….
A group of college pass outs started a mobile library with their own books, a couple distributes new clothes, food and sweets in an orphanage on every birthday of their daughter, a doctor do free medical check-ups for poor everyday for three hours, A auto rickshaw driver offers discount to specially challenged people and list is endless………….
A heart felt desire to see people smiling and contribute in the best possible way keeps these ordinary people motivated and do their bit to make a difference in lives of people. What one give to others comes back , is the mantra to remain content and satisfied in life. Salute to all such souls ……......