Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (PMD)
Mangaluru, Feb 19: The 19th Foundation Day celebration of Karnataka Bank, which has completed 93 years of service in the sector, witnessed an overflow of audience not just within the auditorium of the head office, but miles beyond with radio and special live telecasts at branches across the country on Saturday, February 18. This occasion was termed not just an annual but also a national one.
Distinguished cardiologist, Padma Bhushan awardee and a loyal customer of the Bank for more than five decades, Prof Dr B M Hegde, enthused his audience with a lecture on 'Money, Man and Happiness', giving the realm of banking system a new tangent.
Managing director and CEO, P Jayarama Bhat, presided over the programme. In his presidential address, he thanked all directors, staff and customers. Quoting Stephen Grellet’s 'I shall pass through this world but once', he thanked Dr Hegde for his advice worth inculcating.
He iterated what money can buy and what it can’t. He read aloud the quote by Dr Hegde about Karnataka Bank being a people-friendly bank and urged the staff to continue striving towards the Bank's goals of 'vision 2020'.
Dr Hegde in his 90-minute lecture spoke about money ruling the world, including the medical, human mind's ability to keep the body healthy, the oneness of mankind and the prime need to replace ‘I’ which is the beginning of the word illness, with ‘we’ the antidote, leading to the word wellness.
He supplied the audience with numerous anecdotes, garnished with adages and scientific studies that provided support to his views. A firm advocate of Advaitha philosophy himself, Dr Hegde quoted various scriptures to back the claim, 'it is in giving, that we receive'.
Money Matters
"Our body has 100 trillion cells of our own and 1200 cells of the germs. Even germs keep us alive. Medical science is being taken over by western science or money science. Many hospitals in the west cannot treat simple infections because they have horrible superbugs that man has created.
"People talk about risk factor, apprehensions about doing something. The $110 million worth 25-year study called MRFIT study states there’s nothing called ‘risk factor’. Besides, even if it exists, administering drugs won’t help get rid of it.
"Bypass and angioplasty are the two biggest money-making treatments. Medical science does not reveal the adverse drug reaction ratio in consuming a certain drug. It is the possibility of a cure. We do not know the statistics because of money.
"Corporate hospitals invaded India in a big way. Lifestyle change is the best treatment by there is no money in it. Government and banks fund corporate hospitals.
"The Innu tribal study showed two causes of death for the tribe secluded from civilazation. One, old age. The second, predatory. There was no I, my, yours, bank, balance. But when barter started in 1732, so did the ailments," Dr Hegde said.
Cancer Industry
Stating that cancer treatment has become the biggest money-making industry especially in the US, he said, "These days, the cosmetic industry sells arsenic for the lips and lead for the eyes. Both are cancerous. There are three major causes of cancer. 73.4% are effected deu to alcohol or tobacco consumption, and 10% from chemicals. As many as 289 banned chemicals are consumed by children. Thanks to the chemical business in agriculture, we have destroyed the earth, ecosystem, rivers.
"Cancer is a $1.72 trillion industry in the USA. What do people do? They run for cancer. Research has shown that all cancer charities are a fraud, because cancer is the biggest industry in the world. Big money is involved. Government knows Marijuana is the best anti-cancer drug, and is banning it," he said.
I vs We
"Sasikala’s 'I' has destroyed the honour of Tamil Nadu. The sense of 'I' came from M - money. People build compound walls around themselves to stay in and keep others out. Apartments are means to ‘keep apart’. Unlike the yesteryears, where people called in if someone in the village was unwell, these days, there is no empathy, only spiritless sympathy. Only if we empathise, we give. And like Jesus said, it’s in giving that we receive.
"Every emotion is a chemical to protect you. Flight fight response was developed in us in a hunter-gatherer lifestyle when man encountered a wild animal, but in our ‘civilized society’ we’ve made our bosses, partners the tigers. And leads to lifestyle diseases BP and diabetes. A ‘lifestyle change’ is the best treatment. When the 'I' turns to 'We', we befriend the tiger," he said.
Bodily boundaries
"You are an energy. Hans Peter Durr, quantum physicist and a nobel prize winner disproves the existence of matter. Matter and energy are the same. Energy moves inside and outside of beings, not even five senses can see it. We don’t need outsiders to heal ourselves. If you can meditate to a certain level you can heal any ailment in their body, it’s called quantum healing.
"If you love another being, your body reacts in a pleasant way but if you hate some your auto-immune disease, your own cells start hating yourself. For this, enlist the people you hate, and forgive them. Rudyard Kipling’s 'If' tells you all you need to do it forgive. All people are your own. Love all equally," he entreated.
Happiness in giving, not in amassing wealth
"Money is the cause of man’s unhappiness. Some think money is the cause of happiness. But happiness is in giving. When man recognises himself for the nobody that he is, empathy follows. Every particle belongs to God. The only certainty is death. And to make death easy, feel the oneness with the universe and make the 'I' a 'we'. Love humanity and don't love money, you'll be happy.
Education now is only meant to make a wealthy career. But education must make a healthy mind and not just a wealthy career. If you do what you love,then there is no stress. Mind with Enthusiasm. Enthos means possessed by a god. That is how our day must start. Most choose careers because of the salary and children aren’t enthusiastic about school. Tagore was self-schooled and won the Nobel for Gitanjali 1913 because of his enthusiasm. Enthusiasm will translate to compassion.
Corporate Social Responsibility
On the occasion, the Bank contributed Rs 20 lac for the construction of Central Sterile Service Department for the hospital to be built at Marthahalli, by Sri Krishna Sevashrama Trust, Bengaluru.
The second CSR initiative was to procure two dialysis units at the cost of Rs 12.20 lac for the dialysis hospital that will accommodate 20 dialysis patients at a time, being constructed by Hoysala Foundation, an NGO in Shivamogga.
The Bank also contributed Rs 5 lac toward the renovation of the school building of Mangala Higher Primary School, Mangaluru, managed by Karnataka Rajya Devadiagar Sangha, Mangaluru, thereby facilitating the infrastructural upgradation of the school.
The lecture was followed by a Carnatic classical vocal musical concert by Priya Sisters, Shanmukha Priya and Hari Priya. M A Krishnaswamy accompanied them on the violin, Neyveli Skandasubramaniam on the Mridangam and B S Purushotham, the Kanjira.
Prashant Narendran sang the invocation. CGM Mahabaleshwara welcomed the gathering and introduced the speaker. General manager Chandrashekar Rao and PR chief manager, Srinivas Deshpande proposed the vote of thanks. Jennifer compered the programme.