Friday, January 16, 2009

The British Library – Research Libraries-III

If you are a non-Registered member means occasional user or order small quantities of items, they recommend using one of credit/ debit card based. Before placing an order you have to search a document in British Library directory, if you know already. No problem if you don’t know the full article information. If you have keywords in your hand which you are looking for, then you enter those keywords in basic search window, (use this link to search http://direct.bl.uk/bld/Home.do ).

To know the complete picture of ordering Take a tour of British Library Direct (uses Flash) (available on basic search page). Once you complete this tour, you will be familiar in ordering the document as Non-Account holder.
Use the following link for price information of document delivery.
http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/atyourdesk/docsupply/help/pricing/nonreg/pricelisnon-registered08.pdf

Then Account customers, order document via ARTweb. For Account Customers they will provide Customer code and Password. Using this code and password fill up ARTweb Order form and submit the request. Before submit, confirm the delivery method and speed of service. Use the following link to see the ARTweb order form https://www.bl.uk/reshelp/atyourdesk/docsupply/artweb.html
You can also search your document through British Library Integrated Catalogue -http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/28XQA2R7JX8Y53TQ9PTBJJNNMEGN7L671F7URT8FN9PMTG57GL-64331?func=file&file_name=find-b&local_base=blac
After submitting the order form immediately filled order form appears on your screen (see sample copy)

You can save/take a print of this ordered copy for future reference. Once your ordered request has been received by them immediately you receive an auto reply from British library stating that your request has been accepted, in that reply mail Transmission time and Requested Number is available. This also you can preserve for future reference.
Based on your request and availability of document, what reply codes they can confirm, based on this code what will be the further action, that will learn in the next stage.Till than have a nice look on its website http://www.bl.uk/

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

HAVE A WONDERFUL PONGAL

“WISHING THAT THIS FESTIVAL IS ONE, WHICH BRINGS GOOD LUCK AND PROSPERITY AND HOPING THAT IT IS JOYOUS, AND FILLS YOUR DAYS AHEAD WITH HAPPINESS. HAVE A WONDERFUL PONGAL." Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu. Pongal falls in the mid-January every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan - sun's journey northwards. Pongal festival celebrates for four days. Celebrations include drawing of Kolam, swinging & cooking of delicious Pongal.
Bogi festival or Bhogi is the first day of Pongal and is celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, "the God of Clouds and Rains". Lord Indra is worshiped for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land. Thus, this day is also known as Indran. On Bhogi all people clean out their homes from top to bottom, and collect all unwanted goods. This day is meant for domestic activities and of being together with the family members.Homes are cleaned and decorated with "Kolam" - floor designs drawn in the white paste of newly harvested rice with outlines of red mud. Often pumpkin flowers are set into cow-dung balls and placed among the patterns. Fresh harvest of rice, turmeric and sugarcane is brought in from the field as preparation for the following day.Farmers worship the sun and the earth by anointing their ploughs and sickles with sandalwood paste. It is with these consecrated tools that the newly-harvested rice is cut. Another ritual observed on this day is Bhogi Mantalu, when useless household articles are thrown into a fire made of wood and cow-dung cakes. Girls dance around the bonfire, singing songs in praise of the gods, the spring and the harvest. The significance of the bonfire, in which is burnt the agricultural wastes and firewood is to keep warm during the last lap of winter. In Andhra Pradesh this day is celebrated by girls burning their old clothes and wearing the new ones after an oil massage and bath. Then follows Pongal Panai, a ritual in which new earthenware pots are painted and decorated with turmeric, flowers and mango leaves.
The second day of Pongal is known as 'Surya Pongal' and is dedicated to the Sun God. It is the day on which the celebration actually begins and is also the first day of the Tamil month Thai. On this day the granaries are full, the sun shines brightly, trees are in full bloom, bird-songs resound in the air and hearts overflow with happiness that get translated into colorful and joyous celebrations. Women on this day create elaborate
'kolam' on the grounds in front of their doorway or home. Kolam is created with colored rice flour placed on the ground carefully by using one's hand. The women take several hours to finish the kolum. On this day the new rice is collected and cooked in pots until they over flow. It is this overflowing which means Pongal. This overflowing of rice is a joyous occasion, and the children and adults as well will shout out 'Pongal-o-Pongal!'The Sun God is offered boiled milk and jaggery. A plank is placed on the ground, a large image of the Sun God is sketched on it and Kolam designs are drawn around it. In the centre of the plank is drawn a large figure of the Sun God with his effulgent rays. The "Puja" of the Sun God starts after the auspicious moment of the birth of the new month Thai. Prayers are rendered to the Sun God to seek his benedictions.The Sun God is given pride of place during Pongal. The pot in which the Pongal is cooked is decorated with flowers, sugarcane pieces, turmeric plant etc. The first offering is made to the Sun. The rice is cooked and prepared as a dish called Pongal, which is rice with dhal and sugar. This Pongal variety is called venpongal, ven meaning white. Another variety is also prepared with dhal and jaggery (sweet), called chakra pongal, chakrai meaning sweet. To accompany the venpongal, people eat brinjal (eggplant) sambar (stew), vadai, idli and spicy accompaniments.Sweets, puddings, cooked rice or 'Sarkarai Pongal' are prepared on this day. On all the three days of Bhogi, Pongal and Maattu Pongal, women adorn the entrance of their houses with colorful kolams. Large patterns, decorated with colorful flowers and powders are drawn, crowding the entire street.
The third day of Pongal is dedicated to cattle and is called Mattu Pongal. People offer prayers to the bulls, cows and other farm animals. Cows and bulls have always held a special place in India.Thus, Maatu Pongal is a day when cattle are given a well deserved day of rest and are given pride of place. Therefore the farmers honor their cattle friends by celebrating it as a day of thanks-giving to them.On this day, Lord Ganesh and Goddess Parvati are worshiped and Pongal is offered to them in the 'puja'. According to a legend, once Shiva asked his bull, Basava, to go to the earth and ask the mortals to have an oil massage and bath every day and to eat once a month. Inadvertently, Basava announced that everyone should eat daily and have an oil bath once a month. This mistake enraged Shiva who then cursed Basava, banishing him to live on the earth forever. He would have to plough the fields and help people produce more food.
The cattle are washed, their horns are painted and covered with shining metal caps. Multi-colored beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands are tied around their necks. They are fed with Pongal and taken to the village centres. Devotees pay their respect to cows by bending down, like praying in temple, and touching their feet and foreheads, followed by an aarthi (showing fire to the object of praise) and offering the cattle prasadam (food offering, in this case, Pongal).A festival called Jallikattu is held in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur on this day. Bundles of money are tied to the horns of ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve. Everyone joins in the community meal, at which the food is made of the freshly harvested grain. This day is named and celebrated as Tamizhar Tirunal in a fitting manner throughout Tamil Nadu.
The fourth day of the three-day Pongal celebrations is called Kaanum Pongal. In few places this day is also known as Karinaal or Thiruvalluvar Day. It is dedicated to the sun god, Surya and has its roots in ancient Brahminical tradition. Since Pongal is a rural, agrarian based festival that celebrates the harvests, the sun is a vital part of the proceedings. This is because the Sun is the symbol of life on Earth. Without the Sun, crops cannot sprout and grow. Without the Sun, harvests will not be plentiful.On Kaanum Pongal, elaborate powdered chalk designs of the sun god, Surya are drawn. As soon as the auspicious month of Thai is underway, Surya is worshiped. Sheaves of sugarcane dot the prayer area. Freshly cooked food including the typical sweet dish 'Sarkarai pongal' is first offered to Surya. Sugarcane that is offered is symbolic for sweetness and happiness in life. Sugarcane stalks and coconut- both auspicious symbols of plenty- are also offered to the Gods in propitiation of a plentiful harvest in the forthcoming yearThis day is very similar to Rakhsa Bandhan and Bhai Dhuj in that it is predominantly a festival where women offer prayers for the wellbeing of their brothers. Arati is performed for the brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice, and this water is sprinkled on the kolam in front of the house.On this day, people travel to see other family members and the younger members of the family pay homage to the elders, and the elders thank them by giving token money. Another thing many do is leave food out on banana leaves for birds to take. Many South Indian people take the first bit of rice cooked in any given day and set it outside for the crows to take, so this is not necessarily a habit only for Pongal. Some also go to temple to worship and thank god for all good things that are bestowed on them.

Thank you Have a Nice day.

Monday, January 12, 2009

The British Library – Research Libraries-II

Before begin a next stage of The British Library – Research Libraries-II, I am very much thankful to the viewers, who were made attempt to access(ing) my blog. Before ordering the document through British Library, we have to decide ourselves that whether British Library services can be utilized on regular base or non regular, because British library document supply service having an option of both, Account Customers and Non Account Customers. If you order regularly, they recommend that you register with them.

The advantages are:
You can manage all of your purchases from one place You will be able to loan materials from their collection (Not open to individuals) You will be enrolled in their free Customer Care Programme To register and open an account, download and print the registration form with the following link.
http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/atyourdesk/docsupply/help/register/registrationform.pdf Complete your details, then fax or post it to the British Library at the address given in the form.

While filling registration form, British Library had given an option on Types of Accounts.
Options were 3 -
a) Deposit Account – if you would like to pay in advance
b) Billing Account – if you would like us to bill you each month
c) Parent/satellite account – if you want to control the purchases of multiple users

Choose your Account type, whichever is better suit to your industry/Academic after all enough discussions with your co-staff and higher authorities. Choosing this Account type may also depends on mode of payment.
British Library offers two ways of payments.
Debit/credit card
Charge to an account
You don’t want to open an account to purchase items from their collection. Using a debit or credit card is the quickest and easiest way to process your order and has become the most popular method.
If you want to have a look on pricing, one click on
http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/atyourdesk/docsupply/help/pricing/index.html

If you have any doubt on or need more information on your account options, please call Customer Services team on +44 (0)1937 546060 or send an e-mail to
customer-services@bl.uk.
Once you concluded your Account type and mode of payment, now you are ready to place your order either as Registered or Non Registered Customer. Once you familiar with these things, we place an eye on method of placing your order in the next stage.Till than have a nice look on its website
http://www.bl.uk/