Operation Sulaimani-Mind Blowing Initiative to Feed the Hungry

Operation Sulaimani is a free food programme introduced in the city of Kozhikode(CALICUT) in Kerala , India by the district administration and Kerala Hotel and Restaurants Association. It is meant to enable those who cannot afford a meal to have food with dignity and to avoid food wastage.

The program is named after Sulaimani, a popular drink in Malabar, made from black tea, cardamom and lemon juice. 

The idea of Operation Sulaimani is inspired by the Malayalam movie Ustad Hotel where the protagonist, a hotel owner in Kozhikode, feeds the hungry from his earnings. 

Operation Sulaimani ensures that no one in Kozhikode is denied food on account of an empty or even lost wallet. It guarantees a right to food without answering any questions or long delays.

The project was launched by Kozhikode’s District Collector, Prashant Nair, who envisaged this as a community owned and community driven initiative in its entirety. In his own words "Operation Sulaimani is modelled on a system existing in western countries such as Coffee-on-Wall and Food-on-the-Wall, where you pay for an extra meal or coffee"

                                    Kozhikode Collector, Prasanth Nair

The Collector’s office initiated it and the Kerala State Hotel and Restaurants Association roped in over 125 city restaurants to become a part of this.

But, there are no big sponsors nor do any government funds flow in. The small and big contributions by the citizens are dropped into little boxes with ‘Operation Sulaimani’ inscribed on them.

The people of Kozhikode are silently funding an initiative that feeds anyone who is hungry for free, with utmost dignity.

“Nalla Manushyar Aanu” – “They are good people.” This is a default comment that you will hear about the people of Kozhikode, Kerala. From its fabled auto drivers who return every penny of change, to its palliative clinic that provides free care for the terminally ill, to simple heart-warming selfless conversations, the tales of Kozhikode’s good hearted people are greatly cherished.

                    

Now here is a reason why you will also chime in with some words of praise – Kozhikode makes sure no one in the city goes hungry! Be it the poorest, the not so poor, be it you or me – the hungry will be served food for free, with utmost dignity.

People in need can collect a free meal coupon from any of the distribution centres and walk into any restaurant in the city – a meal will be served, no questions asked, no explanations sought.

“We cannot ask a hungry person to get his hunger attested by a certified gazetted officer! That is why we insisted on the philosophy that ‘no questions will be asked’. If you ask for a food coupon, you will get it, it is as dignified as that,” says District Collector of Kozhikode, Prashant Nair, the chief architect of this project

There are now more than 25 Coupon Distribution centres in 14 zones of Kozhikode district. They can be exchanged for a meal in more than 100 restaurants. As of May 2016, around 10,000 meals have been served through Operation Sulaimani.

One of the striking aspects of Operation Sulaimani is the fact that it gets fulfilled within the capabilities of existing systems. No big kitchens to feed the hungry were built and no massive funds were sought in the name of hunger eradication. By leading people to any restaurant in any part of the city, it blended the cause into the everyday function of Kozhikode’s restaurants.

The District Collector adds, “There is no food wastage nor do we have to worry about the safety of the food. If we had chosen to build a large kitchen to supply free food, we would have all these problems. But we just decided to use the existing system and make the best use of it.”

List of Associated Hotels & Coupon Distribution Centres:

 One of the restaurants in the vicinity of the city mental hospital feeds several people who come in with coupons. The restaurant owner says his life has never before felt so blessed.Many restaurant owners like him do not want to take the reimbursements but Team Sulaimani insists that they are paid.

Some people doubt if such a facility will be misused, but the team is not worried about that. Rather, it is finding it challenging to reach more people who are in need. The members found that hunger is not just about the people on the streets, the homeless, it is also discreetly present within our communities. Reaching these people and making them aware that food is the last thing they need to worry about is what the team is obsessed with.

Team Sulaimani believes that the dignity of the people should not be infringed on, and we salute that spirit. 

Governments of other States have to take initiatives to implement this noble hearted  Operation Sulaimani in the cities of their states.

Tirumala tirupati devasthanam senior citizen darshan

               

On 2.11.16 myself and my wife  went to Tirupathi and had a nice and peaceful darshan of the deity using the above facility.The facility is really a boon to the Senior citizens and disabled persons who can avoid standing in the queues for hours together to have darshan.

The details of the facility provided by Tirumala Tirupathi Devathanams (TTD )to Senior citizens and disabled persons are given below

Free Darshan of Lord Venkateshwara for Senior Citizens and disabled persons @Tirupathi.

*Everything is free of cost*.

Age criteria 65. Husband wife allowed. Husband should be 65. Wife can be below 65. No accompanies allowed

There are two slots fixed for Senior citizen darshan. One at 10am and another at 3pm.In each slot 700 pilgrims are accommodated.

You have to produce age proof with photo ID and report  at *S 1 counter* under the bridge crossing the road from Gallery to Temple right side wall. No need to climb any steps.

As per the website you are supposed to go to the counter 2 hours in advance. But I noticed that they were allowing senior citizens till 2.30 pm for darshan at 3 pm.

DRESS CODE:

Woman devotee should wear Saree or Chudidar. Male Devotee should Wear dresses like Shirt and Dhoti. Normal Formal Dresses like Shirt and Pants are also allowed.

Modern Outfits like Bermudas, Shorts, Mini-skirts, Middies, Sleeveless tops, Low-waist jeans and Short-length T-shirts are not allowed. TTD has implemented this rules very strictly. 

From the car parking area at the exit gate of the Temple, a battery car is available to drop you at the counter of entry and vice -versa.

In the counter they will scan your finger print and take a photo of your face and issue a pass with token for Laddus.

                                                

You will get two laddus for which you have to pay Rs.20/-. For more laddus you can pay Rs. 25/- for each laddu.

Good seating arrangement is available in the hall. Drinking water facility and Restrooms are available near the waiting hall.

When you are seated inside ,hot Sambar rice and or curd rice and Hot milk  are provided. 

We were allowed to go inside the temple in a separate queue at 3 pm .All other queues were stopped.We came out of Darshan within 30 minutes after happily seeing the Lord.

After coming out of the temple you have to collect Laddus from the Laddu Distribution centre where you will find a number of counters distributing laddus. In some of the counters they also sell carry bags to take the laddus..

The pilgrim who availed this Special Darshan can not avail the facility again till 90 days.

Character Assassination

Character assassination is a deliberate and sustained process that aims to destroy the credibility and reputation of a person, institution, social group, or nation. 
Agents of character assassinations employ a mix of open and covert methods to achieve their goals, such as raising false accusations, planting and fostering rumours, and manipulating information.

It  is an attempt to tarnish a person's reputation. It may involve exaggeration, misleading half-truths, or manipulation of facts to present an untrue picture of the targeted person. 

Source :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_assassination

Character assassination is dirty fighting, make no mistake about it. It can be cowardly (like anyone who bad-mouths you behind your back to friends or colleagues), or it can be in-your-face (like politicians who make no secret about their intent to wreck an opponent's reputation). 

Who are the people indulging in Character Assassination?

First let's take a quick look at the kinds of people who engage in this sort of tactic, and what you can learn about them.

The Jealous

You used to be their friend/co-worker, and now it looks like you're moving on socially or professionally. They don't want to be left behind, and so rather than let you go, this idiot is going to try to wreck the place you're going to before you get settled in. They're dangerous because they have perceived credibility ("Yeah, I worked with/have known Jane for years...") due to their previous association with you. This type of person often engages in character assassination as a by-product of regret -- namely, regret about losing control or 'ownership' of you (typically after facilitating your introduction to the very area you're moving on to).

The Angry

 They're frustrated actors/musicians/writers who are stuck paying the bills doing some job they hate which is unrelated to their passion (probably because they aren't any good at what that is). 
Don't pay much attention to these people, as 1) they're pretty much angry at everyone equally, and 2) they won't have much ammunition to throw at you because they're too busy being angry all the time, at everyone.

The Devious

These are the most dangerous of the types of people who will try to wreck your character, most of all because they're usually sociopaths. These people don't hate you, these people see the destruction or damage of your character as a means to an end in realizing their own goals. They usually have no conscience or sense of remorse, nor do they care what happens to you after they've destroyed you. 

The Envious

This one here's usually at the root of nearly all character assassinations, and the envious persons will bent upon spreading false information/half truth to tarnish the image of the persons whom they are envious.

What are the modes of Character Assassination?

Character Assassination was extensively used in early days and even now to certain extent by way of spreading false rumours in print media which is popularly known as 'Yellow Journalism.'

Yellow journalism, or the yellow press, is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.

Popular politicians,film personalities,famous businessmen etc. are normally the targets for Yellow Journalism not only for damaging the reputation of such persons but also for extracting money from them by way of blackmailing that the damaging news will be spread if money is not paid.

With the invent of Computers,Internet and Social media, persons have started using emails,WhatsApp ,Twitter etc. to spread such messages of Character Assassination. This is not only very cheap way of spreading the messages but also a quick way of communication.

Persons spreading such false messages to damage the reputation of their opponents never bothered to think about the feelings of the persons affected.To get cheap popularity in the society they will always try to project their opponents in bad light.

Salvation:

But here's the problem that faces every would-be character assassin, and the one thing that will save you in the end: the double-check. 

Very few people will simply take whatever crazy slanderous thing someone says at face value, without doing their own version of the double-check (and if they do, then you didn't need them in your damned tent in the first place). Some will become more observant, some will ask some subtle questions, and some will ask some not-so-subtle questions. 

Solution for tackling persons indulging in Character Assassination:

Don't fight back. At least, don't lower yourself to use the tools the would-be character assassin has inarguably lowered themselves by using. 

The best defense against any character assassination is to maintain your integrity and take pride in what you do, whatever that may be. Fighting back just feeds the fire, and clouds the issue.

Ultimately, character assassination has absolutely nothing to do with YOU; it has everything to do with the person who's engaging in it. And THAT, should make you feel better and allow you to leave it behind you, where it belongs.

Source:http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ryan-pannell/character-assassination_b_6017046.html