The Sound of Silenced Letters.

We know the letter B doesn't

belong in subtle

But what has the letter C got to do

in a muscle?

The role of the D in Wednesday we

can't define

Why should G be present in a gnat

or in a sign?

To be honest, does the H in rhyme

ring a bell?

And can the J in marijuana

anybody smell?

Who knows why the K in knee

won't knock

And why the L in walk or in calf

would not talk

The first M in mnemonic is hard to

understand

Would the damned N in the column

ever stand?

We can't say the P in psalm or in

psychology

And S alone gets tossed out from the debris.

Is the T heard when you listen to a

whistle?

W is not write, it's wrong, don't try

to wrestle

X is the mistake in a faux pas, get

the clue?

Hush, no rendezvous with Z,

good bye, adieu!

Tailpiece.

Got up around a quarter past 6 to see Dr Sodhi's message asking us to meet her at a half past 9, at the clinic. The chores and we were ready by a quarter past 9, when we walked down to the clinic. She arrived at the dot and saw us; prescribed medicines. Lekha had gifted a chocolate that was bought from South Africa. And wasn't she happy?

Off to the bank and got the nefts through; Subha was there, bought the Pril and then, the Raamacham.

Stephen had come by for the last time during his course. He has been appointed at the same place in Thrissur wef 13 Oct. Both of us wished him well.

Arnab Goswami has the last laugh!

Arnab Goswami and his channel - The Republic TV - have been vindicated in the so called 'TRP scam' and he has been putting out the details of the report, into public domain, all through the day.

Let's see the guys on his opposing side who, rightfully, need to take the bashing because what they all did was to get after a guy who brought out their misdeeds out in the open. Let's take a headcount of those creeps :-

1. The Now-disintegrated MVA Government of Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena headed by the egoist, Udhav Thackeray along with his immature and vindictive son, Aditya Thackeray, the NCP headed by the disgustingly corrupt, Sharad Pawar and the Congress headed by the shameless, Sonia Gandhi. They formed the 'Maharashtra Vikas Agadi' - whose 'vikas' thrived during its governance is already out in the open.

They had an axe to grind when Arnab Goswami reported details of the Palghar murder of Hindu sadhus, The murder of Sushant Singh Rajput, the Bollywood actor and many other facts. So, he was slapped with a fabricated 'TRP case where he was supposed to have paid Rs.500/- per household to raise his channel's TRP and put in jail!

2. The Corrupt Officials

And who had fabricated the case? An idiot of an IPS guy, Parambir Singh and his crony, Sachin Vaze, the scum bags of professionals who gave a series of 'press dramas' to drive home their false narrative. They're already cooling their heels in the doghouse! Wonder how the Maharashtra State Police would be able to wash their sins away?

3. The Cabal Of The Lutyens' Media

The vicious of them all. Being jealous of the Republic TV as it gave us quality fare - day in and day out - the Lutyens' Media cabal found this cheap and malicious manner to demean and bring disrepute to the channel. They must be made to answer for the misdeeds - perhaps go to the extent of naming and shaming them.

As I saw Arnab celebrating his hard earned victory on prime time TV, I felt glad for him. Another example of the truth having won, ultimately!

Tailpiece.

Got up about half an hour late, the chores but was ready on time. Washing machinex of the bed linen was accomplished.

A quiet Thursday as Lekha and I went about doing our work.

Our new acquisition, an Ostrich's egg from South Africa, has been put at its display point in our sitting room! 

The new CDS.

1. India Gets A New CDS

The Government of India has appointed Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). He will also function as Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Military Affairs.

In a career spanning nearly 40 years, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (Retd) had held several command, staff and has extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East India.

The development comes almost nine months after India lost its first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, who died tragically in a chopper crash in Tamilnadu.  

       *      *      *

One Song

Every war and every conflict

between human beings has

happened because of some

disagreement about names.

It is such an unnecessary

foolishness because just beyond

the arguing there is a long table of

companionship set and waiting for

us to sit down.

What is praised is one, so the

praise is one too, many jugs being

poured into a huge basin. All

religions, all this singing, one song.

The differences are just illusion

and vanity. Sunlight looks a little

different on this wall than it does

on that wall and a lot different on

this other one, but it is still one

light.

We have borrowed these clothes,

these time-and-space

personalities, from a light, and

when we praise, we are pouring

them back in.

Rumi

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and carried out the usual Wednesday aarathi. Washing machinex of the soiled clothes were carried while earmarking a few for dry cleaning and Rejith, came and picked them up.

Kittu was in attendance but his kids didn't show up, wonder why.

Initiated my project with the second generation as I spoke to each one of them individually.

A quiet evening, thereafter.

Navaratri.

Navaratri had begun yesterday. The real fasting of Navaratri, at the intellectual level, means purification of the soul in the following ways :-

* Prathama. I will leave all my anger

* Dwitiya. I will stop judging people.

* Tritiya. I will leave all my grudges.

* Chaturthi. I will forgive myself and everyone.

* Panchami. I will accept myself aAll is well in my worldnd everyone as they are.

* Shashti. I will love myself and everyone unconditionally.

* Saptami. I will leave all my feelings of jealousy and guilt.

* Ashtami (Durga ashtami). I will leave all my fears.

* Navami (Mahanavami). I will offer gratitude for all the things I have and all which I will get.

* Dashami (Vijayadashami). There is abundance in the universe for all and I will always tap the same and create what I want through unconditional love, sadhana, nishkama seva and faith.

All is well in my world.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 7, the chores without disturbing Lekha in her deep sleep and was ready for Faiyaz, who came to draw my blood samples. Soon after, had gone down to have my breakfast and to give an inkling of the time for the drawal of the post-prandial blood sample. And he'd come accordingly.

Lekha had her breakfast at a 20' to 9.

Joseph and his silver sedan reached us by a quarter to 11. We'd packed our luggage and vacated room 256. The luggage was placed at the reception.

Dropped Lekha at Shenoy care and I'd gone across to Satish Bhat. A quick review and juggling of medicines were done and we said our byes to meet again on 22 Dec for the next review. Returned to the BTH, checked out and after paying the path lab, we returned to Shenoy Care where we'd a long wait.

We left Guruvayur by 5 and reached our destination by 1930 hrs. Kittu was waiting for us and Lekha had fixed him his meal!

    

 

Back at Kochi.

Our flight landed at Kochi at a half past 3. With Lekha being provided with wheelchair assistance, we were the last to get out of the airport and in the process, saw Anil-Radha and Nidhin who’d presented themselves to see us off.

Reached our hotel half an hour later. Once I’d finished with my morning messages to everyone, I’d gone off to sleep.

Just made it for the complimentary breakfast.

Lekha had gone off to Floria for pedicure as her corns have been giving her problems. 

In the evening, we’d gone across to Chellakkili’s office to had over the things that were bought for her.

Thereafter, it was a quiet evening.

Johannesburg to Kochi.

Dateline 25 Sep

Got up at 4, the chores and was ready in time. We cast off on the dot at 6, towards the airport. The checking in and getting Lekha, wheelchair assistance, worked out so very easily.

A short valedictory speech was given by me, earlier, in the bus.

Our flight left Johannesburg at 1000 hrs local time and reached Abu Dhabi at 2020 hrs local time. Traversing from the arrival terminal to the departure terminal’s gate 57 was exhausting and we could pull it off only thanks to an energetic wheelchair assistant, Kaamil  from Hoshiarpur!

The Etihad flight for Kochi took off at 2120 hrs and is scheduled to land at Kochi by 0250 hrs tomorrow morning.

The tour of Johannesburg.

Our day had begun a trifle later around a quarter past 9. Our first destination was a museum that housed an extinct gold mine. Could understand the hardships faced by the natives while working as miners in those mines.

After lunch at a Malayalee hotel, we were taken to 8115, Vilkaza Street nee Mandela House. And also, saw Bishop Desmond Tutu’s residence on the same street.

Drove through Soweto (South Western Townships) and saw the slums inhabited by the blacks, the coloured and the poor during the Apartheid days. Real sad that the present black government has not been able to look after their interests.

Felt nice when our guide Billie had said, “You’ve a good PM. Wish he could rule us for at least a year to put this country back on its tracks.

Back at Johannesburg.

Lekha and I’d got up at 4, the chores and had our breakfast before 7. It was only then that I realised that I’d botched up completely on our itinerary. Lekha and I had quickly returned to our room, finished our packing in breakneck speed and handed over the luggage for being loaded into the bus. Phew!

We set off for Johannesburg via Pretoria by 8. It was a long drive of about eight hours when we’d two stops in between, one for the rest room break and the second for lunch break.

We reached Pretoria by a quarter past 4. The city tour was informative as our guide, Billie rattled out the stories behind each monument and Allen, steered us through. 

We arrived at our hotel - the Radisson at Rosebank in Johannesburg by a half past 6. After going out bearings in the new place had dinner at Nando’s.

By the time I’d hit the sack, it was much past 11.

The African Safari.

We got up at a half past 3, went through our chores and were ready by a half past 5. We were given packed breakfast by the hotel and we set off on small robust trucks - the truck that I was in had Anil-Radha, Vijayakumar-Anita, Sankaranarayanan-Madhavikutty, Lekha, Nithin and Rob, the driver.

It was almost 12 hours of pure fun, with us out in the open with the wild animals of the park and I must say that we had a few of the finest sightings that would be cherished by many. 

A quiet evening with a local band in attendance during the dinner.

Knysna to Johannesburg.

Lekha and I got up at a half past 3, went through our chores and was ready by a half past 5. Our luggage was packed and the same despatched to be loaded in the bus. We left the Protea Hotel by 8, for the airport at George.

During the drive, had suggested collecting a corpus for Craig, our driver, from all of us and the ‘ayes’ were the majority. Could collect 293 Rands which was handed over to the young man. Wasn’t he glad yet tearful? Said our byes to Mark who’d stepped in as our guide after Randal fell ill. He was extremely thankful for my discourse to him on Hindu philosophy yesterday morning.

The checking-in formalities went on smoothly and I’d have lost my cellphone which I’d forgotten at the scanning point but a sincere, young guy came subsequently to hand it over to me. And he was Jason. 

The aircraft left George airport by a half past 8 and we were at Johannesburg by 10. Then began our long bus ride to the Kruger Gate Hotel by 7. 

Proteas is the national flower of South Africa and Springbok, is the national 

At Knysna.

We took off for the Cango Caves, about over 250 km from the Hotel Protea, where we’ve been put up.

The Cango Caves are very ancient which served as dwelling places to bush tribes. With the abundance of stalactites and stalagmites, the caves have an awesome aura. 

Lunch was at an ostrich farm and it was the first occasion when I tasted ostrich meat for the first time. It was nice, tasted like beef.

Drove through the ostrich farm and saw the emus too. We, then, visited a wild life sanctuary and saw an amazing number of cheetahs.

We wound up the day with dinner at a local restaurant. The local cuisine of Fish kalamaari was nice.

Tomorrow, it’s gonna be a long day as we fly off early morning to Johannesburg.

Cape Town to Knysna

We’d been having the Atlantic Ocean as the backdrop over the last three days at Cape Town. This morning, we set off by road to Knysna, on the dot at 8. It was sad to see the chirpy Randal, totally down and out because of his ulcer. He will return to George to keep his appointment with the doctor tomorrow.

525 km were covered over a period of five and hours with two coffee breaks, in between. Craig was at his driving best. By a 10’ past 4, the backdrop changed to the Indian Ocean. The traversing of distances towards the east brought about this situation.

After a wash and change, we were present at the wharf to board the yacht for the evening’s dinner cruise at the Knysa lagoon. It was a lovely evening.

Post dinner, we’d a session of discussions in Anil’s room and wound up by 9.

At the Cape of Good Hope!

1. Finally, fetched up at the Cape of Good Hope with Lekha, this morning by about 11o’clock. It was a great moment. 

2. My day had begun at 4, when I’d recited my prayers and turned off to sleep yet again. We got up at 6, eventually, the chores and was ready by a half past 5.

3. From there, we went to Cape Point.

4. It was lunchtime then and we settled at a hotel right at the beachfront of Cape Town. The food was good.

5. We, then, visited the Penguin farm. They are very short compared with their counterparts in the Antarctica

but are cute though,

6. Participated in a ‘wine tasting’ ceremony.

7. Sunset was viewed from the beach as the road towards Signal Hill was full of traffic.

8. Another hectic day, it was.

Robben Island.

Today’s visit was to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years before being freed. 

It was then followed by lunch and then we went to the Table Mountain. It’s a Geographic awesomeness.

Spent time at the posh Bay Area and everyone went on a photographic session. The waves of the Atlantic Ocean were caressing the coast.

At Cape Town.

Reached Cape Town a trifle after 1 in the afternoon. A lovely lunch of pasta and pizza before we settled for the day at the Park Inn of Radisson on the waterfront of the grand city.

Earlier, we'd landed at Johannesburg around 10 AM local time and from there we had boarded the domestic carrier, South African Air (SAFAIR) for Cape Town. There was quite a bit of harassment on the part of the airline staff - of over reading weighing machines! - but we could handle them with ease.

Reached Cape Town by lunch time - a beautiful township! We mingled with the other members of the group and became friendly.

A quiet evening at our hotel, thereafter. 

At Abu Dhabi.

We boarded the Etihad flight EY284 around 4 and reached Abu Dhabi by a quarter past 6 local time(about 11/2 hours behind IST). After the checking out formalities were over, we walked into our accommodation at the Premiere Inn Abu Dhabi International Hotel.

The walk was a pretty long one through the duty free shops and other services.

We spent time in our room 309. Lunch was on the dot at 1230 hrs followed by siesta. Got up at a half past 4, had coffee made by me and the six of us - Anil-Radha, Vijayakumar-Anitha and Lekha and I went on a drive towards the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and took in quite a few breathtaking sights and covered it through photography.

A pow wow in Anil-Radha’s room followed by dinner and a short rest. At a half past 11, after checking out from the hotel we took a fairly long trudge to our boarding point. At the immigration counter there were erratic electronic readers and brusque, unsmiling security guys who were unhelpful.

Anyways, we were waiting at Gate 58 for our turn to board as the day passed to the new.

Guruvayur to Kochi.

Dateline 14 Sep

The day had begun at 3 AM for us thanks to Lekha’s cellphone alarm. Went through our chores and we were ready by a half past 5 when Vishal, our sa’arthi for the day had reached us on the dot. Had set off for Kochi without much ado.

Breakfast of idlis, vada, chutney and sambar was had at the Aaryaa's at Edappalli around a quarter past 8. Reached Mallan’s clinic by a quarter past 9. The doctor was waiting for Lekha to change her upper dental furniture and he took about an hour to set it in position.

After a quick cup of coffee, we made a dash to my sister, Rema’s place at Thrippunithura where our luggage was offloaded from the car and then the three of us had set off for the beauty parlour at the Manorama junction.

While Lekha and Rema were at the parlour, I’d made a dash to Dr Satish Bhat’s clinic to fetch one of my medicines that I was falling short of. And finally, we all gathered at the Aarya’s at Panampilli Nagar, for lunch. Earlier, had also bought Freshchlor for Lekha for her gargles. 

After despatching Vishal back to Guruvayur, we hopped on to the Metro train to Pettah. On reaching Rema’s place, the two of us hit the sack while my sister had gone for the practice for their forthcoming entertainment program on the 25th.

After tea, we’d watched the Suresh Gopi starrer ‘Paappan’ which was quite okay. After a light dinner of crisp, hot dosas we were ready to leave for the airport and Achu had booked us an Uber cab. We left for the airport by about a half past 10 and were the first to arrive from our group. It was great meeting all of them. 

The Santa Monica guy gave us our documents and we went through the checking in formalities and immigration procedures, we were at the departure lounge awaiting our flight, early in the morning at 0420 hrs.

Beyond the grave - a true story!

This is the story of a young college girl Priya who passed away last month in Coimbatore when she was hit by a truck.  

She had a boyfriend, Shankar and they were truly in love. They spent half the day talking on the phone.

Shankar was very close to Priya's family as well.

She always told her friends and parents, "When I pass away please burn me with my phone".

After her death, people couldn't lift her body though a lot of them tried.

Eventually, they called a person who could speak with the soul of the departed. After a few minutes, he said, "This girl misses something here".

They remembered her wish for the phone and placed it with her, after which the body could be lifted easily. All of them were shocked.

Priya's parents did not inform Shankar that Priya had passed away.....

After two weeks, Shankar called Priya's mom......"Aunty, I'm coming home today. Cook something nice for me. Don't tell Priya that I'm coming, I wanna surprise her". 

Her mother replied, "We need to tell you something".

After he arrived, they told him the truth about Priya. He laughed and said, "Don't fool me - tell Priya to come out, I have a gift for her. Please stop this nonsense".

Then they showed him her death certificate and the necessary proof. Shankar started to sweat.

He said, "It can't be true. We just spoke yesterday. She still calls me".

He was shaking when suddenly his phone rang......"See the call is from Priya, see this....."

He answered the call using the loudspeaker. All of them heard his conversation. Loud and clear, no cross lines, no humming.

It is the actual voice of Priya and there was no way others could use her sim since it was burned along with her.

They were so shocked and asked for the same person (who can speak with the soul of the dead) help again.

He worked tirelessly for five hours and then the discovered one thing which really shocked them.....

(Vodafone has the best coverage).

"Wherever you go, our network follows!!

Don't yell at me....

I am also looking for the idiot who sent me this....

Courtesy. What'sApp

Tailpiece.

Had got up at 5, reduced my water levels but sleep wasn't forthcoming. So, I recited my prayers and turned off to sleep yet again.

Got up around 6, lit the lamp at the puja room, opened up the The Quarterdeck, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Waited for the showers to pass and then, drove off to Puzhakkal to hand over the Chevy for repairs. Showed the 'customer advisor' the defects.

Returned by lunchtime, had lunch followed by siesta.

Shut down The Quarterdeck in phases and finished our work well in time.

Kittu was very sad....has he understood that we are going? 

How hateful people can be!

'Indian intellectuals' poisoning its reputation globally in pursuit of hate towards Modi government. In several specific incidences, the data presented by international critics as evidence of the declining quality of Indian democracy shows signs of intentional deception.

Indian democracy gets a bum rap. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a bum rap as an American slang term for "an unfair claim that someone has committed a crime or done something wrong", that about covers it.

Despite a vibrant free press, a tenaciously independent judiciary and 75 years of free and fair elections (including during the 1975 - 1977 Emergency, when the all-powerful Indira Gandhi called and lost the most important election in Indian history), India has somehow gained an international reputation as an authoritarian state bordering on fascism.

The Economist Intelligence Unit considers India a "flawed democracy"; Sweden's Varieties of Democracy Institute calls India an "electoral autocracy" and the Washington think tank Freedom House rates India as only" partially free".

Academic commentators often use even harsher language. Thomas Blom Hansen, the Reliance Industries - Dhirubhai Ambani Professor of South Asian Studies at Stanford University has said that "Modi government is a regime of low-intensity terror". Yale University professor Jason Stanley, the author of How Fascism Works, says that "India demonstrates just how global ethno-nationalism and its more violent sibling, fascism, have become".

And here in Australia, Craig Jeffrey, the former CEO of Melbourne University's Australia-India Institute, has written that "Narendra Modi's regime may be described as an instance of authoritarian populism".

How can a country that has been so successful at developing democracy at home have such a bad reputation abroad?

It is often said that India is the world's largest democracy. It is less well understood that India is by far the world's poorest country to possess a well-institutionalised democratic  system and to have maintained its democratic institutions throughout its entire history as an independent country.

Many of the criticisms levelled at Indian democracy are actually criticisms of poverty and Indian democracy should be admired for its persistence in the face of deprivation, not discounted for the shortcomings of the Indian economy.

Other criticisms of Indian democracy are actually criticisms of outdated (often British colonial) institutions and again Indian democracy should be admired for its longevity, not discounted for its age.

However, the most egregiously misplaced criticisms of Indian democracy are actually no more than criticisms of the BJP, often criticisms that are levelled at it by its domestic political opponents. These are then amplified and broadcast by academics, international organisations and overseas Indian intellectuals. 

In research published this month by Quadrant magazine ("Indian Democracy at 75 : Who Are the Barbarians at the Gate?"). I have shown how the three major international evaluations of Indian democracy are "suffused with wanton speculation, misleading statistics and uncritical reproductions of activist accusations" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.

In several specific incidences, the data presented by international critics as evidence of the declining quality of Indian democracy shows signs of intentional deception.

One obvious example of data misrepresentation is the claim that in 2021, more journalists were killed in India than in any other country outside China. Even taking the underlying data at face value, they show that India's rate of deadly violence against journalists was 3.5 per billion people.

A fair appraisal would conclude that journalists are actually safer in India than in the rest of the world. But by failing to adjust for India's extraordinarily large population (and accordingly a large number of journalists), the data are made to call a different story.

Another misrepresentation is the claim that the BJP uses sedition lawsto silence critics.

When carefully examined, the data adduced in support of this claim show no trend in the filing of sedition accusations. Moreover, those who make the claim routinely fail to note that in the Indian justics system, virtually anyone can file a First Indication (Information) Report for sedition (or any other crime).

Thus of the thousands of sedition accusations filed during the period of the BJP government, very few have actually resulted in prosecution (there are no data on prosecutions under the previous Congress-led government).

One of the strangest findings of democratic decline concerns is the lack of Muslims winning seats in the Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament's lower house). The number of Muslim Members of Parliament (MP) is in fact relatively low, compared to the concentration of Muslims in India's overall population. But the number of Muslim MPs has been rising since the BJP came to power, not falling.  

If the number of Muslim MPs is to be taken as an indicator of the quality of Indian democracy (a suggestion that is itself open to question), then the quality of Indian democracy has improved over the last eight years, not declined.

It is no secret that most Indian intellectuals vehemently oppose Narendra Modi and the BJP.

Understandably, International organisations would turn to Indian intellectuals - academics, journalists, think tank analysts and award-winning writers - for insights into Indian democracy.

Prestigious organisations like the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Varieties of democracy Institute and Freedom House have a responsibility to be critical in their use of evidence and sceptical of highly politicised views. However, these organisations have themselves  become politicised and are losing the credibility that made them prestigious  in the first place by justifying these views.

Whatever individual Indians may think of Narendra Modi and the government he leads, all of the objective indicators show Indian democracy to be in good health. In fact, India's democracy is in much better health than that of peer countries with similar levels of education and income.

At 75 years of age, it might reasonably be said that Indian democracy is healthier than ever. Almost uniquely, India seems to have solved the problem of how to run a liberal democracy in a relatively poor country.

The world should be looking to India as a model, not of democratic backsliding, but of democratic success.

Courtesy. In an exclusive interview with The Australia Today, Salvatore Babones said that internationally tremendous goodwill at the official and geo-political level but that it was Indian intellectuals who were poisoning India's reputation.

My take.

This doesn't surprise me a wee bit. How can one's hatred be so anti-country that's your motherland? I wouldn't consider them intellectuals at all but scumbags!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready for the barber to fetch up.

  

  * Had a good haircut and massage.

  * We went and took the booster dose vaccination against Covid-19 at the Pookkode Health Centre.

  * Instructions given to Airtel for IR.

The maid had come by.

 

A person of integrity.

Do the right thing even if no one's looking!

Have you ever slipped some extra money to a parking attendant to let you put your car in a no-parking zone? Or been less than candid when giving feedback to your higher ups? Have you taken any stationery home from your office for your children or printed out their school projects on the high-end colour printer at work? Or done a special favour for a government employee to help your company win a tender?

Most of us believe that chatting, at any level, is wrong but at the same time, we have the magical ability to rationalise behaviour that's not exactly kosher. Our behaviour, that is. The rules are different for other people.

If we're caught parked in the wrong place or overheard sucking up to our bosses, we just shrug it off as "no big deal" or justify it as something that 'everyone does' - and continue to see ourselves as intrinsically honest.

We don't think our behaviour compromises our integrity. We see it as being smart and practical. Isn't it our duty to help our child or our company?

Well, none of these situations is a do-or-die one. Also, laws and work policies guard against illegal activities but have little to say about the moral choices we make every day. That's a matter of personal choice. 

But that's what people with integrity hone because whatever we may tell the others, in our heart we all know what's right and what's not. Integrity is about matching our behaviour to that secret knowledge - even if no one is watching.

Psychologists say there are two parts to integrity : transparency and trustworthiness. The first involves being open and honest with everyone, not playing power games or politicking. It's not always easy but it wins you respect.

Being trustworthy requires you to be reliable and deliver on your commitments.

Living with integrity isn't the easiest path to take but there's an easy test for it. "If you're not sure if something is right or wrong, consider whether you'd want it reported in the morning paper".

Try it the next time you're tempted to say or do something dodgy. Maybe you'll end up giving it a pass.

Test yourself often enough and you're likely to become the person who does the right thing because it's right.

Courtesy. Adapted from Shampa Dhar-Kamath's article

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Radhakrishnan and the car fetched up at a quarter past 10.

Lekha exchanged an ornament of her's and we called on the Narayanans. He's better and we passed on Paritosh Nath's gift, for them, handed over to us.

Washed down the Chevy with Lekha's help.

 

A Lesson for Bangalore Airport.

How Kochi airport managed to avoid flooding  through its corrective steps under 'Operation Pravaah', a lesson for Bangalore.

What Bangalore airport faced a few days ago due to heavy rain was similar to the situation at Kochi during the 2018 flood, the major reason being the narrow canal at the southern airport boundary. The airport had to be shut for an unprecedented 15 days. The water from Chengal canal entered the airport compound, inundating the runway.

As a solution, an eight-metre wide and 3.5 km-long diversional canal was constructed to carry the excess water from Chengal canal to Kuzhipallam. Further, the depth and width of  the canal were increased by splitting  it into seven different reaches, enhancing its carrying capacity. The airport completed 26 different flood mitigation projects worth Rs.130 crores over three years in Oct 2021.

Thanks to the flood mitigation work, the heavy rain this year did not affect the airport much. "Kochi airport's premises witnessed only minor waterlogging on 09 Aug. The water was pumped out to the adjacent canal within one hour, without disrupting airport operations. It has a dynamic surveillance system with a centralised database based on the latest readings from the gauge stations in river basins and water released from reservoirs is evaluated. A gauge set up at Kalady saw the rise in water level up to 7.8 mts.

Water levels in three major canals around the airport's premises are noted. Pumping apparatus and nine gauges have been set up at the airport premises. Based on the readings, the valves are operated to avoid flooding.

CIAL also prioritised infrastructure development in nearby areas such as construction of bridges and approach roads. Old culverts were replaced and four bridges were constructed at Chethikkad, AP Varkey Road, Kuzhipallam and Thuravunkara. The measures helped in the easy flow of water even during heavy rain, leaving the airport a flood-free zone.

Bangalore airport, take note!

Courtesy. Aishwarya Prabhakaran in the NIE

My take

Studying problem areas to thwart the tricky areas is a professional approach towards solving them.

Tailpiece.

Got up at around a half past 4 to ease my bladder but sleep wasn't kind. So, recited my prayers and rechecked my blog of yesterday. Turned off to sleep  soon after.

Washing machinex of the soiled clothes and to reduce the washing load on the maid.

Went across to Dr (Mrs) Sodhi to have our lungs for the prolonged, though subdued, cough. Lekha's was more or less okay but mine did have. Put us on medicines for the next 5 days.

A quiet day.

Adieu Vinod Kumar Gawri sir!

Had joined the National Defence Academy on 10 Jan 1973, as a 1st termer in the 49th Course. Was slotted into the Hunter Squadron. Life was on a whirl for the next three years as the training kept us busy and on our toes 24 x 7! And those were the days when the railway station and the entire city was known as Poona!!

Since I was the lone guy from the south of the Vindhyas and was the shortest in the group, I got a fair share of ragging and collective punishments as "my discipline was not up to the mark" from the point of view of a few of my seniors. I think many of my seniors were, meanwhile, observing me all the time as I waded from one punishment session to another ragging session, prompting a question from a senior, "Hey, young man, don't you have any friend/school type in this squadron? I see that you're regularly being taken charge of, by all and sundry. From now onwards, you shall be my understudy and if anyone were to feel funny with you, I shall have him sorted out". It was Cadet Vinod Kumar Gawri from the 44th course and my squadron mate; he was in the 6th term.

Cadet VK Gawri was a great guy. Good at outdoors and was respected by one and all. He took me under his wing and taught me a lot of things in his own style. I used to partner him in his 'flashing exercises', at the Naval Training Team (NTT), during the evenings, before supper. I could make up the words which he used to miss and I guess his overall performance in it was good! He used to say that, "Rajeev was a great help during the flashing exercises".

A couple of days back, he'd undergone an Angioplasty and while being wheeled into the ICU, suffered a cardiac arrest, from which he never woke up. He was also suffering from kidney-related problems. What a sad way to go? 

Adieu Gawri sir! Om Shanti! Sadgati. My salute, tears and prayers. May your near and dear ones have the strength to tide over these stressful times.

Tailpiece.

Got up around 20' past 5 to go around the corner and consequently, sleep was difficult to come by. So recited my prayers and sent the usual morning posts on What'sApp and turned off to sleep yet again.

Got up around a quarter to 8, the chores and was ready by a quarter past 9.

Had breakfast together and then worked on my laptop. Lunch was had at 1. Yakkitiyak!

We left Edappalli by a quarter past 2 and reached The Quarterdeck by a half past 4. The traffic was comparatively sparse. Opened up the house and finished the unpacking. Kittu and the kittens were given their food by Lekha.

A quiet evening thereafter.   

 

Brilliant humour.

Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, a great Teacher, Philosopher and former President of India in whose honour Teachers' Day is celebrated, was an exceptionally "witty man"!

1. The King of Greece came to India on a state visit.

President Radhakrishnan welcomed him at the Palam Airport.

"Your Majesty.....you are the first King of Greece to come to India "on invitation"! 

The last time, Alexander, the Great, "came uninvited".

    *      *      *

2. Winston Churchill while having a cup of tea said to Dr Radhakrishnan :

Sugar is the only English word where "s" is pronounced as "sh"!

Dr Radhakrishnan quipped : "Are you sure?"

     *      *      * 

3. Gandhiji : I don't drink milk which is the essence of beef.

Radhakrishnan : "In that case, we all are cannibals. For, we drink our mother's milk, which again is the essence of human flesh".

     *      *      *

4. Once Winston Churchill hosted a state banquet in honour of Dr Radhakrishnan who washed his hands before eating and used his hands for having the food while Churchill used spoons and forks.

Churchill could not stop himself from advising Dr Radhakrishnan to use spoon and fork saying that they were more hygienic. Dr Radhakrishnan replied..."Since nobody can use my hand to eat, my hand is more hygienic than any spoon or fork you use".

     *       *        *

5. On one of his travels abroad, Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan was asked a question by a member in the audience.

"What's the difference between a Station Master and a School Master?"

The question was irrelevant and bordering on impertinence too!

However, this brilliant gentleman replied calmly...

"While a Station Master minds the train, a School Master trains the mind!"

Tailpiece.

Got up around a quarter past 5 to ease my bladder and sleep was difficult to come by. Got up and opened the house and lit the lamp.

Washed down the Chevy.

We were ready by a half past 10, the caretaker had helped me to load our luggage into the boot and we took off for Pidavoor. The house was slowly being filled up with guests. It was a nice crowd and li'l Yukta got to be friendly with me.

Lunch followed by siesta. Achu helped me in turning around the Chevy across the drive way and we kicked off for Edappalli by a half past 2. Coffee at Kalpakavadi Inn.

Reached Leela chittamma by a quarter past 6. Handed over the onakkodi to the three of them and enjoyed seeing their thrill of receiving them. This thrill was witnessed on our maid Latha's face first, followed by Vijayan's, then Karthika's and finally on Lekshmi, Salini and Leela chittamma.

That's the only reason why I buy onakkodi for others! It's a great experience!!  

Rear seat belts in four wheelers should be fastened.

Cyrus Mistry was sitting on the rear seat, the two people that survived were sitting in front with seat belts on.

There were four people in the vehicle, of which two, including Mistry, died on the spot. The other deceased person has been identified as Jahangir Binshah Pandole.

Those injured - identified as Anahita Pandole, a top doctor at Breach Candy Hospital (who was driving the car) and Darius Pandole, the MD and CEO of JM Financial Private Equity - have been shifted to a hospital.

Airbags are of no use if seat belt is not strapped......that is the first line of defence.....Air bag is the second line of defence only if the first is complied.

All the cars have rear seat belts as per government regulation but very few people use them, it is an illusion that the rear is very safe.

During the time of crash, the person behind is sometimes thrown at a force of 40G (40 times the gravity which means a person weighing 80 kgs will be like 3,200 kgs).

If the front passenger is wearing seat belt and the rear passenger is not, during the time of crash the front passenger is likely to be severely injured or killed due to the rear passenger falling with a weight of an elephant..

Totally surprised to hear this? You are paying for seat belt - why not use them and be safe.

It's like the importance of helmets for pillion riders.

Tailpiece.

Lekha had woken me up at a half past 3, the chores and we were ready by 6. Kittu and his children came and had their food and boy, Kittu was really sad. 

Breakfast was a shared Combo at Ananda Bhavan and lunch was at the Kalpakavadi Inn.

Disaster struck when we were traversing through the KP Road when a guy had hit my rear bumper, as his brakes had failed. Subsequently, Crazy had a prang with an auto-rickshaw because of my bad judgement. There's a gash on the bumper.

Today is Onnaam Onam and everyone was provided with gifts. 

We reached Raj Nivas by a quarter past 3, Sakthi had dropped by with our 'onakkodi'. H/o the caretaker's gifts and wasn't he thrilled?

Went to the Kottarakkara Maha Ganesha kshetra, at 6 by Kunjumon's auto. Bought dinner from outside.

A comparatively early night. 

Bangalore brought to its knees.

Overnight spell brings the 'City of Joy' down to its knees.

Torrential overnight rains left India's IT capital struggling on Monday as inundation and waterlogging threw life out of gear, leading to a public outpour of anger against alleged misgovernance and the powers that be.

Boats and tractors were pressed into service in certain parts and a forecast of more rains has caused worry. Waterlogging in localities like Rainbow Drive layout, Sunny Brooks layout, some areas on Sarjapur Road were were to such an extent that tractors and boats were used to ferry students and office goers in the morning.

Rains have battered many parts of the city like Whitefield, Indiranagar, Kengeri, RR Nagar, Bommanahalli, Marathalli and Mahadevapura.

While several areas on the Outer Ring Road that houses some of the IT companies were affected by rains and flooding, some firms were forced to ask their employees to work from home.

Courtesy. Express News Service

My take

Many things crowd my mind at this juncture :-

  

     * I remember Bangalore city during Sep-Oct 1972 when I'd attended the Services Selection Board for the NDA. It was an all green city, with flowering shrubs all over! It had that old world charm.

     * They should have retained the old city as it was and set up the new city in the suburbs with the best infrastructure.

     * Have stayed with our friends Mohan-Asha in Sunny Brooks that boasts of a beautiful and picturesque estate. 

The infrastructure needs to be worked on, right from the beginning. There's no other way to get out of this recurring calamity.   

Tailpiece.

Got up at a quarter past 5, the chores and we were ready and kicked off at 8.

Lekha had picked up her stuff from 'Goodwill Collections' on the bypass road and we reached Malan's clinic by a quarter past 12. There was a bit of a waiting period but Lekha's dentures were given a thorough makeover. We'll have to make it next Tuesday for the new furniture for which measurements were taken today and passed on to the technical guys.

Returned by a quarter past 9, after a visit to Kunnamkulam where we had our dinner too.

Tomorrow is another long day. 

What a way to make up for a child's under performance!

Classmate's mother murders 13-yr-old school student for outperforming her daughter. The accused said she bought laxative pills from a country drugs store, mixed them in soft soft drinks and gave them to the boy through the school's watchman.

A 13-year-old boy died in Karaikal on Saturday after his classmate's mother allegedly spiked soft drinks with laxatives as she did not want the boy to outperform her daughter at school. This was to stop the boy from participating in the school annual day events.

The victim, a class VIII student of a private school in Karaikal was the class topper and he was also good at extracurricular activities. On Friday, when the boy was to perform in the school annual day events, the woman - 42 year-old J Sahayarani - introduced herself as the boy's mother to the school watchman and gave him a few bottles of soft drinks to be given to the boy.

After consuming the drink, the boy felt uneasy. When the boy started vomiting, his parents rushed him to the Karaikal General Hospital where he was admitted. The doctors said that the boy was ill due to food poisoning.

The boy's health condition, which was initially better, worsened and he died at the hospital around 2245 hrs on Saturday.

My take

What a perverse way of sorting out one's child's inadequacies? The killer mother needs to be punished for her inexcusable behaviour!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. 

Lekha was off to Kalyan Silks at Kunnamkulam to do our onam shopping. The maid fetched up for work at a half past 12.

Sheena comes and gives us an Onam festive kit. Damn sweet of her!

Tomorrow, Lekha needs to meet her Toothie.

INS Vikrant.

The indigenously made aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant was commissioned and dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister on 02 Sep, in a glittering ceremony at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). Here are its vital statistics :-

Displacement    42,800 tons

Length               262.5 mts

Width                 62.5 mts

Max Speed         28 knots

Total Height      18 storeys

Crew                  1,600

Compartments  2,200

Total cable work    2,500 km

Over 700 ladders

Automated kitchen capable of churning out 16,000 chappatis and 6,000 idlis a day

Can handle 30 aircraft

Equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft and a set of arrester wires for landing on board - Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR)

Fully functional hospital with a CT scan machine, a first in a warship in India. Two Operation Theatres

76% Indigenous content

The new ensign inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji.

The new Navy Ensign has the national flag on the upper canton; blue octagon encompassing the national emblem sitting atop an anchor.

Anchor depicts steadfastness; it's superimposed on a shield with Navy's motto : Shano Varuna

Octagon represents the eight directions symbolising multi-directional reach and operational capability.

Octagonal shape with twin golden borders draws inspiration from Chhatrapati Shivaji's seal

5th Change

 

In ensign so far. First ensign of 1947 was changed in 1950. Further changes in 2001, 2004, 2014 and 2022.

A Personal Achievement

The first contract on the carrier's design was drafted and steered by yours truly!

Tailpiece.

Today's my Mom's 6th Remembrance Day by the English calendar. Thoughts about her crowded my mind all through the day.

Got up at a quarter past 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10.

Washing machinex of the soiled clothes. The maid was down with fever and therefore, couldn't fetch up for work.

The evening chores.

Adieu Murali chetta!

In the 1960s and the '70s, I was staying with my maternal grandparents (The PN Panickers) at Kalpar, on the Easwara Vilasom Road in Thiruvananthapuram. Murali chettan used to visit our home quite often and he was, then, a student of the Sainik School, Kazhakoottam.

Brigadier N Krishna Kumar (Roll no. 168) had set off on his favourite two wheeler and gone across to the Palayam Market, this morning. He collapsed while interacting with his tailor, who showed a great presence of mind by taking him to the nearby hospital, which had registered that he was brought in dead.

His son, working in Helsinki, will arrive on the 5th and the cremation will take place that afternoon.

I would like to recap the great times that we had over the years and without much ado, would like to dwell upon those moments.

His house was situated a few blocks away from our's - the address was TC 16/389, Plavila Puthan Bungalow, Easwara Vilasom Road, Thiruvananthapuram - 695014. He has three sisters and a brother, all elder to him. He was friendly with my Maman, to begin with, but over a period of time we had become friends. I used to call him Murali chettan and he used to call me 'Monay'.

When I'd joined Sainik School in class VII, on 28 Jan 1967, he was in class X and in 1968, he'd joined the 36th course NDA. We used to continue to meet during our breaks - he, from the NDA and I, from the school. His conversations used to be peppered with a lot of military slangs, acquired from the Academy. Punctuation of almost every second sentence with the word 'balls' was something that I heard from him, for the first time.

He was deeply religious and used to visit temples during the mornings and in the evenings, whenever he found time. In fact, Mrs Sindhu Krishna Kumar, when asked as to where they'd gone for their honeymoon, had smilingly quipped that they visited most of the temples!

In the early 2000s, while I stayed at Arjan Vihar, in New Delhi he used to be putting up at the Cariappa Vihar in the neighbourhood. We used to come across each other, almost daily, when we were on our evening walks. On retirement, he had settled down at his own house, opposite the flagstaff house at Pangode, Tvpm where his body will be brought in, for the last time, before noon on 05 Sep.

We had promised to meet up with each other whenever I visited Thiruvananthapuram but it remains a promise, even to this day. Feel sad that I didn't keep my word. The last I spoke with him was when his daughter had passed away.

A fine gentleman and a lovable person. He had seen action during the Indo-Pak war '71, when he had trained the Mukti Bahini.

Om Shanti! Sadgati. My salute, tears and prayers to a fantastic guy. May your near and dear ones have the strength to tide over these difficult times.

Tailpiece.

Got up around a quarter past 6, the chores and was ready by 10. 

It was a rather quiet Saturday. Listened to old songs, both Hindi and Malayalam.

Suresh Laxman informs me about the passing away of Brig N Krishna Kumar, VSM.

Participated in the 584th edition of Aazhchakkoottam : "Artificial Intelligence in service to the common man" by Shri VK Bhadran, Director, Alibi Global, Technopark from 1600 - 1730 hrs. An interesting lecture.

Lekha had gone across to the ration stand to collect the 'onam kit' on offer.

 

Worry invited for ever (Wife).

The Kerala High Court's observations : Use and throw affecting nuptials, Wife seen as 'worry invited for ever'.

The court has observed that the younger generation thinks marriage is an evil that can be avoided to enjoy a free without liabilities. 

"They would expand the word "wife" as "worry invited for life", substituting the old concept of 'wise investment  for ever'. The consumer culture of 'use and throw' seems to have influenced our marriages too", observed a division bench of Justice A Muhamed Mustaque and Justice Sophy Thomas, adding, "Live-in-relationships are on the rise, just to say goodbye when they fall apart".

The court made the observations while dismissing the appeal filed by a 34-year-old Alappuzha native challenging the family court's order rejecting divorce. He had sought divorce from his wife on grounds of cruelty.

He said :-

* Their marriage was irretrievably broken.

* Alleges that his wife had developed behavioural abnormalities.

* Picked up quarrels with him claiming he had illicit relationships with other women.

However, the court said when a woman has reasonable grounds to suspect her husband's fidelity and questions him or expresses sorrow before him, it cannot be termed behavioural abnormality, as it is the natural conduct of a normal wife.

"Kerala was once famous for its well-knit family bonding but the present trend seems to be to break nuptial tie for flimsy or selfish reasons or extra-marital relationships, even unmindful of their children. The wails and scream coming out of disturbed families must shake the conscience of society. When the numbers of warring couples, deserted children and desperate divorcees go up, it will adversely affect the tranquility of our social life and our society will have stunted growth", said the court.

Law and religion both consider marriage an institution and parties to the marriage are not permitted to walk away from that relationship unilaterally, unless they satisfy the legal requirements to dissolve it through a court or by the personal law that governs them.

Courtesy. Express News Service @ Kochi

My take

Marriage is a sacred covenant between a man and a woman and is never to be trifled with. It's a matter of give and take between man and wife.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a quarter past 5, hearing Lekha coughing away making me wonder as to what the next plan of action should be.

The PM commissioned INS Vikrant at the CSL, today.

Had gone to the SBI to transfer the recharging amount for our Tata Play connections for the month and to the ICICI to drop our credit card cheque.

Spoke to my doctor friend at Thrissur who suggested a syrup and a tablet. Administered the first dose after fruit time, this evening. 

Rise in Rail accidents.

Railways records 38% rise in accidents in 2021. This statistics has been provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Most such accidents were reported from Maharashtra, accounting for 19.4% of the reported 17,993 accidents. Maharashtra had reported 3,448 accidents. Much of the accidents come amid claims of adopting all safety measures, across the railways to reduce accidents that involve :-

      * Negligence or trespassing of the tracks.

      * Falling off running trains or collisions at railway tracks.

      * The fault of drivers.

      * Sabotage.

      * Signalman's error and

      * Mechanical failures.

Vital Statistics

* The 17,993 railway accidents caused injuries to 1,852 people and caused deaths to 16,431 people during 2021.

* After Maharashtra, West Bengal accounted for 13.5% of the total reported cases(2,425cases of accidents)

* 1,762 accidents were from railway crossings.

* Uttar Pradesh reported a maximum number of 575 railway crossing deaths followed by Madhya Pradesh with 196 and West Bengal 164 accidents.

My take

The railways need to get modernised with state-of-the-art technology at a rapid pace. Should aim for zero tolerance to accidents. Curves should be straightened to the extent feasible and the best signaling equipment has to be put in place.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 3, the chores and was ready by 6, when Vincent, our sa'arthi, had come by and we left soon after. There was rain all through our passage but were not heavy.

Lineesh, from the Titan showroom, had handed over Lekha's watch - that was given for repairs about a fortnight ago - at the Vyttila turn towards Thrippunithura. Padmakumar waited for us prior to the turn into their society. On reaching their place, it was a lovely breakfast of idlis, chutney and sambar with fruits.

We set off for Kidangoor by a half past 9 and reached there by 11. It was nice to meet up with people, the housewarming ceremony was short and sweet and then we sat down for the first round of lunch.

We commenced our return by a quarter past 2. Dropped Padmakumar and Rema at their place by a quarter past 3 and finally, reached The Quarterdeck at 8 after sundry shopping.