Sharing Some Ranchi Photographs!

My present place of residence, Ranchi is indeed a place geographically blessed by God. I have written about the potential of this plateau to become a much developed tourist attraction in the near future. You may read that blog here.  

I had also shared some idea about the latest addition in Ranchi, the Bio-diversity park.

The capital of Jharkhand state has immense potential to become a much sought after tourist spot provided it is nurtured and managed well by the concerned authorities. Additionally, the perceived threat on account of the armed insurgency needs be settled using humanitarian approach rather than by force.

I leave that aspect to the wisdom of the concerned authorities.

Yesterday night I happened to visit the heart of Ranchi near the Church complex.

I share a few nigh vision snaps Ranchi for those interested readers of this site.

Beautiful isn't it? By the way I am just a novice in photography. These are amateur photographs taken by my low cost Spice Mobile phone about which I had written earlier.

Had I been a bit more patient, I could have captured many more beautiful snaps!

But, I was in a hurry! 

But when traffic blocks the movements in Ranchi, it is yet another beautiful scene. Time is no problem now.

These flowers that bloom on the balconies of Ranchi homes radiate brilliant colors:

Even these pigeons that live in these concrete human dwellings of Ranchi too are beautiful!

There is beauty all around!

We at times fail to recognize that beauty!

Some Nature Photographs Taken on Spice M-515 Coolpad Android Phone !

Some time ago I wrote about the features of Spice M-515 Coolpad Double SIM Android Mobile Phone.

Let me today share some nature pictures taken by this mobile phone.

Sharing Some Photographs of My Life That Remind Me of the Changes that I have been Witnessing!

Today is a Sunday and it has been unusually cold in this part of the country from the morning. A cold and wet day devoid of the usual routines of office going and the like. As there was nothing to do, I thought of reading the Urantia Book. I began reading the foreword once again, the para that I had read many times earlier: 

"It is exceedingly difficult to present enlarged concepts and advanced truth, in our endeavor to expand cosmic consciousness and enhance spiritual perception, when we are restricted to the use of a circumscribed language of the realm. But our mandate admonishes us to make every effort to convey our meanings by using the word symbols of the English tongue. We have been instructed to introduce new terms only when the concept to be portrayed finds no terminology in English which can be employed to convey such a new concept partially or even with more or less distortion of meaning.............Your world, Urantia, is one of many similar inhabited planets which comprise the local universe of Nebadon. This universe, together with similar creations, makes up the superuniverse of Orvonton, from whose capital, Uversa, our commission hails. Orvonton is one of the seven evolutionary superuniverses of time and space which circle the never-beginning, never-ending creation of divine perfection — the central universe of Havona. At the heart of this eternal and central universe is the stationary Isle of Paradise, the geographic center of infinity and the dwelling place of the eternal God."

Yes, it is exceedingly difficult to present enlarged concepts and advanced truth to my fellow men and women. Experience has made me realize that very clear now. I thought this world is very advanced and the people are capable of understanding higher knowledge and thoughts. But unfortunately it is not so. The divine revelators of the Urantia Book knew it well. My world is still in its cultural infancy, though there could be a few individuals here and there who are receptive to advanced truths!

I closed the book. I took the photo album and began glancing through the photographs. From a child of the nineteen fifties, I had progressed to become an old man reaching the sixties. Many of those who shared the space with me in those photographs no more exist in this world. Those who exist have changed their physical appearances. As the time passed, new faces are appearing and old faces are fading out.

Change is continuously taking place. And change is the only thing that has not changed.

Look at these pictures of me, my family and my activities. Changes are too visible and understandable:

Me and My Wife now (2014)

Me, the child of 1958

Me (extreme left) with my parents (extreme right) at mother's parental home(Seen in the photo is Late Mr J John, founder headmaster of MTUP School Nellikkala (Aikuzha School) and his son and its later HM Mr John John. Photo of 1969.

My wife Lizy with her maternal grandmother Mrs Rahelamma Chacko, w/o Late Rev. Chacko (Kumbukkattu Achen, Valakom, Kottarakkara) Photo of 1981

Me and my wife Lizy (Saramma John)  with her siblings, Moncy (Daniel John) 

and Princy at her home. Photo of 1982

My daughter, Shaleen. Photo of 1985

My daughter Shaleen with her great grandma, Mrs Annamma Mathai (d/o Kumplampoika Kulanjikombil Mathai, one of the founders of CMS High School Kumplampoika)

My wife Lizy, daughter Shaleen and son Dejo with my father, Mr T.M.Mathew, Retd Teacher, Mar Thoma High School Pathanamthitta , my mother Mrs.Chinnamma Mathew, Retd Teacher, Govt High School Elanthoor and my youngest brother Mr Joji C Mathew at our Elanthoor Home. Photo 1992

My grandmother Late Mrs Annamma Mathai Kulanjikombil (1898-1996) photo of 1988

My wife Lizy with her sister Dr Princy John and brother Er Daniel John  at Valakom home. 1994

Me and my son, Dejo Rajan Mathew Photo of 1998

My children sharing some happy moments 2001

Me lighting a ceremonial lamp.Photo 2008

Me addressing a professional gathering 2008

Sharing the dais with other dignitaries, 2008

News coverage of professional activities 2008

Wedding of my daughter Shaleen with Prem 14th April 2008

Shaleen and Prem lighting the wedding reception lamp 14th April 2008

Baptism Day of my grandchild Mannah Rachel at Parumala Church 2009

My wife with her brother and parents at Parumala Church 2009

My brother in law Moncy (Er Daniel John) and youngest brother Joji C Mathew at Parumala Church 2009

So life keeps going with continuous changes.

And those changes are inevitable experiences.

But what are those invisible changes that are taking place?

Any changes in the mind ?

Any changes in priorities of  life?

Do you ever thought of any link between my reading the book earlier today and sharing these photos later?

Try to find it out yourself if you have the time!

Read my blogs based on the knowledge I have gained by being a student of the Urantia Book.

You may also search for those using the key word search for other  blogs tool at the right hand column top.

A Visit to the New Bio-diversity Park: The Latest Tourist Attraction in Ranchi

A couple of days ago, I had the opportunity to visit and spent some time in the newly developed bio-diversity park in Ranchi. 

This park was opened for public in 2012 and it is developed, maintained and managed by the forest department of Jharkhand State government.

The park is developed within existing forest land of over 500 acres. It is being developed with good intentions that the urban Ranchi people and visitors to Ranchi can enjoy the scenic beauty of the green forests and get some good idea about the flora of the forests.

Most importantly, the park is easily accessible from Ranchi. It can be accessed by road from the Birsa Munda Chowk near the Ranchi Airport within 15-20 minutes. See the location map of the park here. There exist ample parking space for the vehicles of the visitors. However, vehicles are usually not allowed inside the park.

The forest department had made a good informative website for the park which give much desired information to the public. You may visit the home page for essential information about the park.

The access to the park for the public is regulated with some nominal fees. Get the fee structure here.

The park now is in the developmental stage though many facilities have been already developed. It is a good picnic spot for groups who are interested in spending some hours in the wild serenity of the green forests without the usual dangers or difficulties  associated with such adventures. 

The park has two forest trails which are carefully developed. Visitors can walk through these trails and get a feel of the forest. 

A very attractive feature of the park is its horticulture efforts where many medicinal plants are grown. It is a good feature to see the rare medicinal plants many of which are used in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicine system of India. See some pictures of the medicinal plants grown in the park. It gives some opportunities for those interested in Ayurvedic research.

The park has a rose garden and a green house for developing various species of cacti. There is scope for developing a mini zoo too. However, presently such a facility does not exist. The authorities may think of this and try to breed those rare breeds of animals which provide raw material used in ayurvedic medicines.

No doubt this bio-diversity park would soon become a tourist attraction for the visitors of Ranchi in the near future.

My Personal Reasons for Liking and Disliking Big Homes !

One of the biggest fascinations of human beings have been their fascination for building homes. In the animal kingdom, though there are a few other species of animals and birds who might be devoting time and efforts for building shelters or homes, human beings are the only kind who devote much time and efforts for building homes for them in sizes and facilities much exceeding their genuine needs. Perhaps the involvement and addiction towards clothing and shelter makes human beings a unique species of living beings different from other species of animals. 

Given the opportunities and the resources, every human being would naturally aspire and desire for making homes for them. Usually the individual who venture in to home making might even try to make such huge homes called palaces or mansions having facilities for sheltering not only for him and family but also for his servants and even for their future generations. The homes people make becomes larger and larger and is an indication of money and wealth the person has at his disposal.

For example, the following is the picture of the Biltmore house built by a wealthy american in the USA some time in the 1890's.

This building is now an american historical monument and a tourist attraction.

In the recent times a successful Indian businessman surprised every one in the world by making the most expensive home in the world in the Indian soil. It is a high rise building having a height equivalent to a sixty storied building built for a family of five and a staff of six hundred. However, the look of this building in the sky line is too ugly. Look at this picture:

Perhaps in another few decades this building too would likely become a national amusement!

I have given just two illustrative examples to make my readers understand more about this human passion with home making. 

Invariably, all human beings would spend huge sums of money for making homes for them. The degree of their passion and obsession with home making is directly proportional to their wealth. But there are some exceptions to this.

For example, one of the wealthiest persons in the world, Mr Warren Buffett, lives in a modest house in the USA. Let us have a look at his house in the image below:

It is indeed a simple house and such homes are common among middle class and moderately rich persons across the globe.

If you ask me about my personal opinion about big homes, my answer would be both in the affirmative and in the negative. I admire the architectural beauty of creativity that is seen in some big houses, mansions, palaces, bungalows, sky scrappers and row houses. But I dislike staying in big houses.

If the moneyed people spend their money to make big homes, let them do it. That way they are providing opportunities for the building architects, engineers, masons, carpenters, plumbers and electricians scope to work and create buildings. In turn many fold economic activities are generated and it is good. These buildings, both good and bad, add up to give some contrasting views of human creativity on our lands. So, it is good. However, if some of these moneyed people exploit their workers in any way as was the practice during the periods of slavery, it is a matter which is repulsive.

Personally big houses are not good for a comfortable living. It generates some kind of a phobia for me. If big houses could give me a comfortable sleep, I could get such a sleep even in the open, the biggest shelter nature has given us!

Big houses prevent privacy. It cannot be maintained by one or two of the family. You have to depend on scores of others having different mindsets living with you in the same building. It is like living in a hotel room. Better own a hotel and keep a reserved room for you always rather than living in huge homes! But those who are driven by passions of  for a royal living let them fulfill those passions.

My home state Kerala is now a place of big houses. High value of foreign currency in India has enabled emigrant workers and businessmen of Kerala to enhance the value of their foreign earnings to enormously high proportions in the home land. They have been passionately making use of this opportunity to make larger and larger homes in their home state.

This has helped many young Kerala based architects to express their creative talents in designing big homes for the wealthy Malayalees. This Kerala Home Design website illustrates this.

But home building is an affair which causes heavy depletion of natural resources such as sand, wood, minerals, etc. Big palatial homes drains these resources considerably and these resources become too expensive for those low income groups to build their small dream homes. And the the practical utility of big homes is very low except that it perhaps elate the ego of the owner for a limited period.

Hence, people with some sensible and saner mind should not build palatial houses for them.

They could use their money for much more sensible things.

But homes are essential and people keep dreaming of having good homes built for them. Home building is indeed a costly affair.

Construction costs keep varying in India across the cities and places due to the cost variations in building materials and labor.

How much money would be required to construct a home? The estimation is a time consuming exercise and most often one may need the help of an engineer or architect for this. There are thumb rules which are commonly known to many who are a bit familiar with this.

But recently I have come across an Indian website which gives many useful information about home construction. This site has a very useful tool which helps people to calculate the approximate home construction costs online with just a few clicks. The site also gives a detailed cost estimation sheet also and one can compare the costs across a few select cities in India. 

This is where you can calculate your home construction cost online.[Click Online Home Construction Cost - Quick Calculation & Detailed Calculation] This site gives the present cost of steel, cement and sand - Click for today's indicative prices! You can also get some essential ideas about the important home construction materials.

In short I would advice all to be a bit careful while planning their home construction. Make it beautiful, useful and modest. That is what sensible people should do.

Forget about those insensible fellows!