Kanchipuram tour

We went for a one day tour to Kanchipuram on Friday, Nov 21.

Mango tree, Ekambareswarar temple: Parvathi worshiped Lord Shiva under this tree. The tree, said to be more than 3500 year old, lost its trunk/roots a few years ago. The Horticulture department salvaged plant cells for culture growth and restored a new sapling which is now a big tree. Of the panchbootha sthalas, Earth is Kanchi with Sakthi's presence and Tiruvaarur with Siva's presence. Eka-Amram means single mango tree.

Kamakshi temple: We performed abishekam to the goddess around 10.30am. Adisankarar installed a Meru chakram in front of the goddess in 7AD. Darshan was a divine beauty in fullness! The temple is under renovation.

Varadarajar temple: A massive temple with intricate sculptures. Enjoyed puliyodhari and pongal. The temple record says that Sir Thomas Munro fulfilled his vow by donating huge silver vessels (Munro gangaalm) and gold ornaments to the lord. Perhaps, a pious saint among the British governors of Madras.

Ulagalandha perumal temple: Very huge moorthy with hands and legs spread across to measure the universe. Marvelous!

Kumarakotam: Murugan temple where various saints from Arunagiri, pamban swamigal and others composed and sang hymns on the lord.

Orirukkai: 6 kms from temple town. Mani mandapam for Mahaperiyavar is under construction. Many young students of the Vedha patasalas were learning under big trees in traditional atmosphere and dress code. Very nice to see such things of cultural value and heritage.

On the return phase we visited Adhikesavaperumal temple/ Sriperumpudur and Vallakotai Murugan temple. The day was useful and mind rested in peaceful satisfaction. 12 hours package will do.

Times Ascent

Winner: S Chandrasekar
Topic: Are criminal background checks needed for job candidates?

‘Never judge a book by its cover’  holds well not only for book readers but also for HR professionals. Usually, the first few minutes of any interview are impacted by the face value of the profile, body language, bold attitude, communication and skill expertise. With negotiation for a win-win climax, the talks end there fruitfully.
But all is not well. When a potential candidate is hired on-board, he becomes an identity of the organisation wherever he represents it. If he is tainted, his personality is sure to have adverse effects on the brand image of the organisation. Today, every employer is keenly cautious to know more about the background of the new hire. They see to it that the potential hire does not have a murky past that was suppressed in the interview rounds. Any such record would hamper the business and pose a threat to long-term clients and employees. 
Predominantly, we have heard of pre-employment checks and police verification done by government organisations. Going a step ahead is the criminal background check that is dutifully carried out in the US and elsewhere. No doubt, such practices are diligently followed by many MNCs in India. It is generally an unsaid trend to mention names of references that are known to the candidate. Imagine the magnitude of harmful hiring and negligence if we were to go by monotonous research of testimonials in the professional network groups. In strict faith, background checks are valuable and can eliminate future problems arising out of the hire. This process, if dutifully, followed would give good return on investment on the hired candidate.
— Chandrasekar is a core HR trainer at SPIRO Professional HR Academy