Bye bye 2023! Welcome 2024!!

A little over an hour and a half is left for 2023 to wind up. There's an excitement in the air to welcome the new year 2024.

It would be worthwhile to go back in time to take stock of the events and happenings of 2023.

The most important thing is that India has arrived in the world scene as a country without parallel. Her aspirations to be a superpower riding on a powerful economy is what the other countries acknowledge. The G20 summit was the event that catapulted the country into big time league.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the tallest leader in the world and his advice/suggestions are taken seriously by the world leaders.

India, as a nation, is slowly getting rid of many of its bad baggage and has begun to understand its strength.

May the country's gallop towards tremendous achievements in the near future become a reality.

Jai Hind!

Cochin Carnival.

Fort Kochi is decked up to welcome people from all over the world for the Cochin Carnival. The origins of the carnival go way back - to the 16th century - when the area was a Portuguese colony.

It's the Europeans who started celebrating New Year on 01 January. The Portuguese introduced the annual tradition of year-end galas to the island city. And the locals kept up the custom as the Vasco da Gama Square in Fort Kochi became synonymous with the carnival.

 

Local residents have been celebrating the New Year with their families for centuries. Clubs turned it into a grand celebration a few decades ago. They started marking the end of the year with the burning of Pappanji. And then, the UN designated 1985 as the "International Year of the Youth". It all began when some local youths decided to be part of the global celebration.

Inspired by the UN announcement, three youngsters - George Augustine Thundiparambil, Ananda Felix Scaria and Antony Anup Scaria - decided to organise a beach festival with the slogan 'Adventure and Environment'. Inspired by the New Year celebrations of the Portuguese, they shaped the festival into a significant cultural event and called it Carnivale Cochin. 

Over time, the event came to be known as Cochin Carnival with people from around the world congregating at the parade Ground to witness burning of Pappanji and usher in the New Year.

Tailpiece.

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

Anand, Letha's son, spoke to us as he leaves for Lagos, Nigeria on 03 Jan.

A quiet Saturday. 

Heli-tourism in Kerala.

Heli-tourism project is being launched as part of Kerala Tourism 2.0 - a major announcement in the budget. To quote sources, "Many stakeholders from Kerala and other states are ready to invest in the project. Many participants in the Tourism Investors Meet 2023 held in Thiruvananthapuram, too, have expressed interest".

As per the current plan, following are the price tags for various offers :-

 * Brief heli-rides Rs.6,000/- to Rs.10,000/- (Hourly/half hourly rides) per head.

 * Rides to a specific destination will cost around Rs.1 Lakh depending on the destination, head-count,

    luxury and other services provided by the operators). 

 * The cost of various tourism packages will range from Rs.2.5 lakhs to Rs.10 lakhs.

In the initial phase, the project will cover 10 major destinations including Munnar, Kumarakom, Bekal, Alappuzha, Jatayu Earth Centre and Thiruvananthapuram.

Growing traffic is one of the concerns hampering tourism activities in the state. Presently, tourists spend a lot of their time in travelling distances to reach destinations.

And finally, besides tourism, these choppers can be used for medical purposes in transporting patients.

My take

A futuristic project!

Tailpiece.

Got up at a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 7.

Today's dad's 11th Remembrance Day and I'd offered the 'bali tharpanam' at our courtyard.

Washing machinex of bed-linen.

The pain is reducing, slowly but steadily. 

Giving up Indian citizenship.

For greener pastures! 

* 22,300 Gujarat renounce Indian citizenship from 2014 to 2022. Surrendered passports in the last 10      

   years.

* Delhi had the most passport surrenders in India (60,414), followed by Punjab (28,117) and Gujarat      

   (22,300).

* People renouncing Indian citizenship more than doubled from 2011 (1,22.819) to 2022 (2,25,620).

*Andaman & Nicobar had the fewest passport surrenders (16), followed by Lakshadweep/Daman/Diu

  (33) and Sikkim (34).

My take

Was surprised to see this statistics!

Tailpiece.

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

A quiet Thursday.

Economy Paradox.

Dateline 27 Dec

1A. If interest rate goes up :

       "How the poor could afford a house, car for themselves?"

  B. If interest rate comes down :

       "How will elders earn interest from the bank?"

2A. If foreigners invest in our country :

       "They are taking away our wealth as profits/dividends".

  B. If domestic companies invest outside :

       "Our wealth shifts for the development of outsiders"

3A. If tax rates are increased :

       "The government is robbing people".

  B. If tax rates are lowered :

       "The government is trying to help the rich". 

4A. If GDP grows :

       "The government is working primarily for the big corporates".

  B. If GDP contracts :

       "There is no job creation".

5A. If currency strengthens :

       "Our exports get impacted".

  B. If currency weakens :

       "Our import bill has gone up.

6A. If food prices go up :

       "Masses are suffering".

  B. If food prices come down :

      "Farmers are suffering".

7A. If stock market comes down :

       "The economy is in a mess".

  B. If stock market goes up :

       "It's not a true measure of economy; only corporates are being supported".

8A. If corporate tax rates are increased :

       "Government is penalising private enterprise".

  B. If corporate tax rates are cut :

       "The government is only trying to boost the profitability of the Corporates"

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready by 9. 

We had gone across to Dr(Mrs) Sodhi to show our medical problems.

A quiet day.

 

 '

Off to Kochi.

Had got up at 4 and woke up Lekha, too. The chores and was ready by a half past 6.

Kicked off at a half past 6, with Sajish as our sa'arthi. 

Lekha was dropped at Shenoy Care and I was off to the Diabetic Care at Panampilli Nagar along with my friends.

Is there unanimity among everyone?

Am speaking in the context of the upcoming reshuffle of Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan government. It's gonna take place on 29 Dec. Kadannappally Ramachandran will be taking over as the Ports minister and KB Ganesh Kumar will take over transport.

While Kadannappaly is known for being decent and his integrity, KB Ganesh Kumar has no laurels to his credit. The list of lapses on his part are :-

      * He'd written a script toward putting the late chief minister Oommen Chandy into deep trouble. 

      * The story has it that he'd ensured the downfall of the late CM.

      * Many firmly believe that he's being accepted by the present CM for ensuring Oommen Chandy's 

         ouster from party politics.

A very high percentage of the common man is also against giving Ganesh Kumar a ministerial berth.

My take

The CM is going ahead despite the all round disgust in Ganesh Kumar's elevation as a minister!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 3, sleep took a long time to come by and the body discomfort also contributed.

Lekha's cough still persists.

My blood sugar results were good. The lab people had come in twice to collect the samples.

A merry Christmas!

 Here's me wishing all my readers and their families a merry Christmas and season's greetings.

Calcutta to Kochi.

Got up at 3, thanks to Lekha's cellphone alarm, the chores and was ready by 5. As we cast off, Sunita, Pabda, Maimur and Vipul gave us a warm send off.

Reached the Netaji Subhash Airport, used the 'digi yatra' app and got an earlier access and was warned at check in counter that we shouldn't be late! Arvind was the boy who'd helped us with Lekha's wheel chair and the formalities were completed in a jiffy.

At Bangalore - the transit halt - it was Vimal at the Arrivals and Narinder were the youngsters that helped Lekha's hassle-free movement. Our flight to Kochi took off half an hour late because the crew was late! The cute, young Anjana was quite sorry for keeping us waiting! Damn sweet of her.

We reached Kochi by 1, Lekha, Vimal - the wheelchair assistant - a cup of coffee - before Sajish had picked us up. Lunch at the nearby Saravana Hotel.

Reached The Quarterdeck by a half past 3. Lekha was in bad shape because of the cold that got transferred from me and mine seems to have subsided!

Unpacking of the luggage, segregating the clothes for drycleaning and washing, opening up of the house carried out in quick succession. 

Hoisted the Christmas star! Heard the last of the Christmas Carols!

Back in Calcutta.

Dateline 22 Dec

We'd got up at 5, the chores and was ready by 7. Got the reception to wind up my bill, paid up my dues, collected our packed breakfast and was off to the railway station at a half past 7.

Sanatan had arrived with his toto, on the dot at 7. He was excited about taking us in his vehicle! And we reached the railway station....there was no noise, no activity, no multitudes of people! I'd then walked up to the ticket counter, where a guy told me the following :-

      * the Howrah Intercity train was interrupted a fortnight earlier

      * track work was going on and will be completed only by 01 Jan 

      * the Vardhaman Express was due at a half past 8 but I'd no bookings.

Finally, hired Zahir and his car for 51/2 grand and we'd set off at 8 AM. The journey was fine and we reached Howrah by 12. From there, Vipul and his car took us to Rajkutir. Vipul had given us the happy news that his daughter had stood 7th in her class VIII exams. Lekha had gone to a sweet shop to get us sweets and handed over a box of sweets to the proud dad.

Reached Rajkutir and it was great to see the staff smiling and welcoming us with open arms. Got #109 this time.

A quiet evening at the hotel.

Off to Bolpur.

Got up at our usual time, the chores and we were ready by 9. Balram and his Xylo were standing by to take us to Bolpur. We kicked off at a half past 9.

Balram was good but we got into a close quarter situation with a guy who was crossing the road with a huge bundle of hay!

Reached Bolpur and the hotel, Club Central by a half past 12. Settled down in cabin 207 and then, went for lunch.

Around a quarter past 2, we’d gone to see Rabindranath Tagore’s iconic Shantiniketan we got the shock of the day that it remains closed on all Thursdays. 

So, we’d gone around the campus in a ‘toto’, driven by Sanatan. Lekha completed her shopping.

A quiet evening, thereafter.

To Bishnupur.

Got up at 4, the chores and was ready by a quarter past 6. Gave our soiled clothes to the house keeping staff, the luggage for the cloak room and we were off Santragachi railway station to catch the Aranya Express for Bishnupur.

Stood on the over bridge to get the platform on which the train was to arrive and also the information about the coach position.

The train, indeed, had arrived on the dot and reached our destination by 8. Got off and fetched up at Hotel Annapurna. After a quick wash up, we went for sight seeing, saw the terra-cota temples and visited a loom where Baluchuri sarees were woven and the market place where popular clay artefacts were exhibited.

Had Uttam as our guide and Aujal, as sa’arthi, on his toto.

Relished Bengali cuisine and return to our hotel.

A quiet evening thereafter.

An educative day.

Dateline 19 Dec

The day started off with a heritage walk around and off the iconic Writers’ Building. Our guide, Navdeep, enthusiastically narrated the evaluation of Calcutta and we didn’t realise how time had flown.

A lovely lunch at Rajkutir, followed by siesta. 

The evening do at The Nest in the Army Officers Institute was nice and full of emotions.

A late night after finishing our packing.

Cruise on the Hooghly river.

Got up at 5, the chores and was ready by 7. Left Rajkutir by a half past 7. The first destination was the Dakshineswar temple where Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was enlightened aeons ago and it was an organised visit.

Breakfast was at the complex itself. We, then, returned to Rajkutir for rest and lunch.

At a half past 2, we left for the Hooghly river cruise and around a half past 5, we’d reached Belur Matt. The aarathi was solemn and dignified.

Dinner on board the boat with live music.

At Buro’s wedding reception.

In the morning, accompanied Deepa, Surinder and Lekha to New Market for shopping. Lunch of biriyani

A quiet afternoon.

To the Ballygunge Club, to attend Buro and Anusmita’s wedding reception. Blessed the newly weds.

Kochi to Calcutta via Madras.

Got up at 3, thanks to Lekha’s cellphone alarm, the chores and was ready by a half past 5. Sajish arrived on the dot but I’d got delayed and we’d kicked off by 35’ past 5. Reached the check-in counter exactly two hours before our flight.

Anandu handled Lekha’s wheelchair at Kochi. He has been at his job - was happy with his work.

Karthik, at Madras, was the second wheel chair graduate. He’s a graduate and is contended with his work.

Anand at Madras is a contended guy.

Saurabh Das, at Calcutta is a simple boy, he’s poised to chuck the job and take something else.

Tailpiece. 

Got up at 3, the chores and was ready by a half past 5.

At Calcutta by 5 and at Rajkutir by 6. Traditional welcome by Mar

Pregnancy, Motherhood Can't Impede Aspirations.

The Kerala High Court has observed that becoming a mother is not wrong and pregnancy or motherhood cannot be seen as a burden on women's aspirations in public employment.

The court said gender equality has to be realistic. Situational analysis is imperative to bridge the gap of gender differences. If situational reality is not responded to, it may lead to denial of opportunity due to biological factors.

"Men and women are part of procreation but men have the advantage of having no burden of bearing the womb and will be able to march over women in public appointments and women will have to face disadvantages of carrying the womb as the period of maternity may operate to their disadvantage" said a division bench comprising Justices A Muhamed Mustaque and Shoba Annamma Eapen on the petitions filed by Dr P Athira of Kozhikode and Dr Arya G Krishnan of Kollam seeking nod to apply for the post of assistant professor in Radiodiagnosis.

One of the qualifications is that candidates should have one-year experience as senior resident in radiodiagnosis after getting a PG degree.

They could not apply for the PSC post as they lacked this qualification. They approached the Secretary, Health and Family Welfare and the Director of Medical Education saying the delay was due to the maternity leave they availed.

They sought nod to apply saying they would complete the senior residency program before the date of written examination proposed for the selection.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a 20' past 5, the chores and was ready by 10.

A bit of time was taken because the kid wanted guidance to reach Pallavur. Padmakumar and Rema were of a great help and could pass on the requisite information without lapse of time.

Packing and shutting down The Quarterdeck were done systematically.

A quiet evening.  

To CBSE Syllabus.

Schools in Lakshadweep to shift to CBSE syllabus from the new academic year.

In a major shift in its education system, the Lakshadweep administration has decided to change the syllabus of all schools under its department of education from SCERT Kerala Malayalam medium to CBSE English medium. 

From academic year 2024-25, all schools under the department will exclusively admit students under the CBSE syllabus from grade I.

The order detailed the necessity of shifting to the new syllabus and highlighted that the migration is being made to equip students with the essential skills and knowledge for their future academic and professional pursuits, recognising the substantial role of the CBSE curriculum in preparing students for competitive examinations and 21st-century skills.

The order directed all principals to initiate preliminary arrangements for the migration process of the schools and associated resources with effect from the academic year 2024-25.

My take

Towards full integration of the island region with the mainland!

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 5, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. 

Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple for 'darshan' of the good Lord!

The maid had come down to work. Lekha's beautician, Seena had also dropped by soon after lunch time.

A quiet evening.

20 years to this day........

13 Dec, has once again come to haunt this country.

Twenty years back, our security forces had overpowered the terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who had tried to storm into our Parliament. And today, a group of people had stormed into the Lok Sabha - of our new Parliament bursting smoke pistols. There was a woman, with an accomplice, outside Parliament also creating ruckus.

The security agencies are investigating....

My take

The new Parliament boasts of a four-layered security apparatus! Whatever happened to it? How can we have security lapses that look as silly as this?

The entire episode needs to be investigated and the guilty be brought to book, forthwith. And for heavens'

sake let's have a foolproof security system in place covering our VAs and VPs.

Tailpiece.

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

Sajish had come by at a half past 7 to give me my monthly haircut.

Got everything in order for our forthcoming trip.

A medley of songs in Raag Yemen and Yemen Kalyani sent across by Vishwe, gave me tremendous joy.

 

COP28.

This is all about the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that took place in Dubai, UAE from 30 Nov to 12 Dec.

The COP28 Presidency Note

COP28 Presidency headed by UAE released a new text on global stock take that once again singles out coal but soft on oil and gas. 

Developing World Says Text is Selective

Representatives from the developing world pointed out that the text is selective and discriminatory as it calls for "rapidly phasing down" unabated coal. On other fossil fuels, the new text seeks parties to merely reduce both their consumption and production "in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by, before or around 2050".

1,028 million tons of coal consumed in India in 2021-2022

National Interest Paramount says India

* One section of the delegates say the text is a compromise addressing fossil fuel production directly      rather than fossil fuel emissions - a get-out clause for those who want to use carbon capture and            storage

* Indian delegation says it will not agree on anything that is against national interest. Global South is expected to contest the text

My take

My personal observation is that in any of the Climate Change conferences, it always boils down to the developed vs the developing!

Tailpiece.

Got up at a 10' to 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9.

My birthday as per the Malayalam calendar! Calls and messages from around.

Lekha had gone to the Mammiyur kshetram for 'darshan'. Breakfast of Masala dosas fetched from outside.

The maid had come for work.

A nice, ceremonial spread for lunch by Lekha! 

A historical wrong righted at long last!

How the historical wrong had come about?

* India and Pakistan become independent.

* Maharaja Hari Singh, the king of Jammu and Kashmir tells our PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, he's willing       to accede his country with India. 

* Wily Pakistan sends in its troops into Jammu & Kashmir and go to war with the Indian Armed Forces.

* The Indian Armed Forces beat them and was winning the war when PM Nehru orders a ceasefire.

* Our forces are made to pull back but Pakistan refuses to withdraw from J&K territory. Pakistan

   occupied Kashmir (PoK) comes into being.

* PM Nehru commits the second blunder. He takes the Kashmir issue to the UN and promises to carry       out a referendum.

* Jammu and Kashmir gets special status under the Indian Constitution with newly structured Article       35A and Article 370.

Jammu and Kashmir had become a holy cow.

* Then began the misrules by the Abdullahs, the Muftis etc, etc.

* They ensured the following, over a period of time :-

   - Maintained open hostility with the union governments but ensured that the state got all the benefits 

     and made sure that the integration of the state with the rest of India never took place.

   - The Abdullahs, the Muftis and the other local parties kept building up their empires by amassing

     enormous wealth, all handed over to J&K through the various schemes of the Government of India.

   - There was always an effort to make it Muslim-dominated and in '91, by organising mass rapes of

     Hindu women and murders of a wide cross section of the Hindu community succeeded in making

     the Hindu population flee from J&K.

   - Pakistan exploited the situation by frequent ceasefire violations on the LoC (Line of Control)

     between the countries and by periodically sending terrorists into J&K.

   - That the terrorists had a quiet backing of the local populace was the truth.

   - And mind you, all this while it was ensured that no progress whatsoever of the state took place

     by all the concerned rogues.  

And then in 2014, Narendra Modi became the Indian Prime Minister. He initiated the following :-

  * The Armed Forces were given a free hand to deal with ceasefire violations on the LoC.

  * The terrorists were dealt with and eliminated.

  * Articles 370 and 35 A were abrogated and the state was trifurcated into union territories of Jammu,

     Kashmir and Ladakh.

  * Pakistan was no more considered formidable and was brought down on its knees by cross-border

     strikes by the Indian Armed Forces in PoK and the most decisive being in Balakot.

  * Rapid strides in the all round development of the J&K region took place and continues to this day.

     Improved communications through new highways, rail connectivity and telecom/TV have

     integrated the state with the rest of India.

By doing the foregoing, Pakistan has been made irrelevant and we've openly acknowledged that China 

is our enemy. By bloodying its nose more than once at Dokhlam, Galwan and Arunachal Pradesh and

elsewhere, China has realised that today's India was not the one like what they dealt with in 1962!

Today's landmark judgement by the Supreme Court of India in endorsing the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A of the Indian Constitution, India has been integrated from Kashmir to Kanyakumari!

Thank you, Prime Minister Narendra Modi for righting a historical wrong! Bash on regardless!!

Tailpiece.

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

Went to town and completed a lot of pending jobs.

A quiet evening.

 

Rescue operation fails.

Two soldiers were "severely injured" during a hostage rescue operation overnight in the Gaza Strip, with Hamas claiming a captive was killed in the attempt.

Hamas dragged around 240 hostages back to Gaza after its bloody 07 Oct attack on Israel and fears for their safety have gripped the Israeli public over the course of the eight-week war.

The Israeli army is quoted as, "two IDF soldiers were severely injured during an operation to rescue hostages held by Hamas. During the operation, numerous terrorists who took part in the abduction and holding of hostages were killed. No hostages were rescued in this action".

128 hostages are still held by Hamas, sources say.

My take

Any rescue operation undertaken, goes through great planning, rehearsals to the extent feasible prior to the actual assault and each individual has a role to play. So, when even one goes out of action, the results can have disastrous overtones......even affect morale!

Feel bad for the IDF!

Tailpiece.

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

The maid had come by for work and so, the day didn't feel like it was a Sunday!

The evening chores. The work of grass cutting around Raj Nivas has been left for completion on Monday. 

Supreme Court chastises Calcutta High Court.

In a suo motu cognisance case concerning a Calcutta High Court verdict advising advising adolescent girls to control their sexual urges, the Supreme Court emphasised that judges should abstain from expressing personal beliefs or engage in preaching.

The Calcutta High Court had acquitted a man of rape charges, implying in it 18 Oct verdict that young girls and boys should exercise restraint over their sexual urges.

The Supreme Court scrutinised aspects of the Calcutta High Court's decision, labelling the observations as a violation of the rights of adolescents under Article 21 of the Constitution. "The observations completely contravene the rights of adolescents under Article 21", stated the court. In response, the court appointed senior lawyer Madhavi Diwan as Amicus Curiae to assist in the case.

A bench of Justices AS Oka and Pankaj Mithal mentioned that the suo motu writ petition under Article 32 has been initiated due to "sweeping observations/findings recorded by the division bench of the Calcutta High Court".

It had expressed strong disapproval of the personal remarks made by the Calcutta High Court judge citing them as "Highly objectionable and completely unwarranted".

Tailpiece.

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

Sent money to our caretaker and Paulson, for their services. The cutting of wild grass in the compound of Raj Nivas - long overdue because of continuous rain of the past few months - will be over by tomorrow.

Lekha's great lunch.

PS.

It was on this day, in 1971, that INS Khukri under the command of Captain MN Mulla went down deep into the waters of the Arabian Sea after being hit by a torpedo fired by a Paki submarine. Remember the supreme sacrifice of the brave hearts while defending their motherland! 

Women power grows in civil service.

The percentage of female candidates in the merit list of civil services (Main) examination increased in five years from 2017 to 2021, over the percentage of male candidates during the same period. The percentage of female candidates increased 2.82% in those five years.

* No of candidates from engineering stream was far above that of humanities, followed by science and medical science stream.

* Total no of candidates with bachelor degrees was almost four times more than those with higher degrees.

2017

Total no of candidates                              802

No of female candidates                          254

2018 

Total no of candidates                               812

No of female candidates                           193

2019

Total no of candidates                               922

No of female candidates                           220

2020

Total no of candidates                               833

No of female candidates                           238

2021

Total no of candidates                               748

No of female candidates                            201

My take

That's a great surge!

Tailpiece.

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

The maid had fetched up for work.

The evening chores. Drizzled for a short while around 2200 hrs.

Jammu & Kashmir in its new avatar.

Lok Sabha passes bills to raise Jammu & Kashmir Assembly seats, provide quota.

The J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2023, which proposed to increase the number of seats in the Assembly from 83 to 90, was passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday.

The Bill seeking to nominate two members from the Kashmiri migrants, one representing PoK refugees and one woman to the Assembly was introduced in July.

Migrants are those who migrated from the Kashmir Valley or any other part of J&K after 01 Nov 1989 due to terror. The bill also reserves seven seats for SCs and nine for STs. Another Bill - the J&K Reservation (Amendment) Bill 2023 - was also passed after six hours of debate.

"Earlier, there were 37 seats in Jammu, now there are 43. Earlier there were 46 in Kashmir, now there are 47 and in PoK, 24 seats have been reserved since PoK is ours", said Amit Shah, the Home Minister. 

He also touched upon the two blunders of the first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, for which the Kashmiris had to suffer viz. :-

       *  Our Army was winning but as they reached  areas in Punjab, ceasefire was announced and 

           PoK came into being.

       *  Taking the Kashmir issue to the UN.

The Home Minister said that three wars had taken place in Kashmir in 1947, 1965 and 1971. A total of 41,844 families were displaced during the wars. This bill is an attempt to give rights to those people, to give representation to those people.

My take

A historical wrong has been righted at long last. Phew! Thanks Prime Minister Modi!!

Tailpiece.

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

The Christmas celebrations got going from today at the neighbouring Little Flower (LF) College for Women before the institution closes for its Christmas vacation.

The evening chores.

Another washout in Madras.

The Michaung cyclone has, finally, given respite after the past few days of hell and fury on the battered city. 

Even as arterial roads were largely cleared of waterlogging by yesterday morning, many parts of north and south Madras and nearby areas remained waist-deep in water, with residents making their way to safer ground with their children, pets and belongings.

The death toll due to the cyclone rose to 12. Moreover, the city and its neighbouring districts faced waterlogging and power outages.

The airport has resumed operations but the railways will take time as the suburbs are heavily waterlogged.

My take

The same old story continues. After every deluge such a sorry state of affairs follows. It doesn't require rocket science to understand that the dismal situation has been brought about by haphazard growth, building up of concrete structures in the form of housing, huge shopping malls and business behemoths - supposedly for the good of the common man - that brings misery to the very same people.

Proper drainage system and ensuring that the existing water has free movement and the water bodies are maintained properly are a few of the 'must do' activities. The municipalities/panchayats collect money in the form of maintenance taxes but do not use the funds for the reasons that they are collected.  

When are we gonna learn? Or will we ever learn?

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 5, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10.

Finished up a backlog of work.

The evening chores.

Standby for the trail of destruction that Cyclone Michaung leaves in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh over the coming days.

Word of the year.

"Rizz" crowned Word of the Year by Oxford Press.

"Rizz" - a colloquial term defined as "style, charm or attractiveness" - has been crowned word of the year for 2023, Oxford University Press (OUP) announced yesterday.

Its lexicographers chose "rizz", which also conveys "ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner", from a shortlist of four words and phrases, after help from the public.

An online vote had whittled down the list from eight finalists, all selected "to reflect the mood, ethos or preoccupations" of the year. "Rizz" was chosen by the language experts at OUP as an interesting example of how language can be formed, shaped and shared within communities before being picked up more widely", OUP said.

Etymologically, the term is believed to be a shortened form of 'charisma', taken from the middle part of the word, which is an unusual word formation pattern, it noted.

The publisher added that the word shows the growing society-wide impact of Gen Z and how "younger generations create  spaces - online or in person - where they own and define the language they use".

The term earned mainstream recognition in June after an interviewer asked Spider-Man actor Tom Holland about his "rizz". The 27-year-old replied he had "no rizz whatsoever".

Tailpiece.

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

The maid had come by for work.

The caretaker reported that five labourers worked on grass removal around Raj Nivas. Sincerely hope that there is no rain subsequent to the grass removal. 

Random reflections on Navy Day.

04 Dec is celebrated as the Navy Day to commemorate the Indian Navy's finest hour when Karachi was left burning by the Missile Boats and the enemy was hit hard where it hurt most on this day - 52 years back - in 1971!

* A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guarantee of peace.

                                                                   - Theodore Roosevelt

* At sea I learned how little a person needs, not how much.

                                                         - Robert Lee Graham

Life's roughest storms prove the strength of our anchors

     *    *    *

First attested in English in the early 14th century, the word "navy" came via Old French navie, "fleet of ships", from the Latin navigium, "a vessel, a ship, bark, boat, from navis, "ship". The word "naval" came from Latin navalis, "pertaining to ship".

The invocation to Lord Varuna (The Sea God) in the Vedas was adopted by the Indian Navy for its emblem, with the motto : "Shano Varuna", meaning : "Be auspicious unto us O Varuna".

The inscription of "Satyameva Jayate" below the state emblem was included in the Indian Navy's crest. 

My take

Feel proud of the fact that I'd served in the Indian Navy for 35 years!

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 5, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10.

A quiet Monday. The "Nava Kerala Sadassu" did its tango at Chavakkad, this evening!

The evening chores.

 

Indian Railways and Bullet Trains.

Indian Railways have decided to go for E5 series of train for the country's first bullet train services from 2026.

* To purchase 18 E5 series Shinkansen bullet trains

* Estimated cost Rs.7,000 crore

* Japan will share technology as part of the deal

* Shinkansen technology has the distinction of having the highest level of accuracy in ensuring safety in the segment.

* The trains suit India's topography and climate

* They will have automatic brake application in case of over speeding

* E5 series have the most advanced crash avoidance system

* Technology will be the combination of laser data, GPS data and flight parameters.

Bullet trains will be used on the Bombay-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor.

* Most notable feature is the undersea tunnel passing through Thane Creek in Bombay

* Bullet train will run over viaduct created covering a distance of 406.3 km out of 508.09 km

* There will be tunnels on 25.87 km, including a 7 km long undersea tunnel and 12.9 km embankment

My take

Yet another milestone to progress!

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10.

The maid was at work because of the likely traffic blocks tomorrow due to the 'Nava Kerala Sadassu' at Chavakkad.

A quiet Sunday, otherwise. 

 

World's biggest experimental nuclear fusion reactor.

The world's biggest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in operation was inaugurated in Japan yesterday. It's a technology in its infancy but billed by some as the answer to humanity's future energy needs.

Fusion differs from fission, the technology currently used in nuclear power plants, by fusing two atomic nuclei instead of splitting one. The goal of the JT-60SA reactor is to investigate the feasibility of fusion as a safe, large-scale and carbon-free source of net energy - with more energy generated than is put into producing it.

The six-storey high machine an a hangar in Naka, north of Tokyo, comprises a donut-shaped "tokomak" vessel set to contain swirling plasma heated up 200 million degrees Celsius. It is a joint project between the European Union and Japan and is the forerunner for its big brother in France, the under construction International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).

The ultimate aim of both projects is to coax hydrogen nuclei inside to fuse into one heavier element - Helium - releasing energy in the form of light and heat and mimicking the process that takes place inside the Sun. Researchers at ITER, which is over budget, behind schedule and facing major technical problems, hope to achieve nuclear fusion technology's holy grail, net energy.

Salient points

* The feat of "net energy gain" was managed last December at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore national Laboratory in the US. The US facility uses a different method to ITER and the JT-60SA known as inertial confinement fusion, in which high-energy lasers are directed simultaneously into a thimble-sized cylinder with hydrogen.

* In the quest for a source of unlimited, clean power and an end to reliance on carbon-emitting fossil fuels that cause climate change as well as geopolitical upheaval.

* Unlike fission, fusion carries no risk of catastrophic nuclear accidents and produces far less radioactive waste than current power plants.

Courtesy. The NIE

Fusion has the potential to become a key component for energy mix in the second half of this century.

Tailpiece.

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

A quiet Saturday.

Finished up pending work.

India to boost local production.

The Defence Acquisition Council has approved purchase of equipment worth Rs.2.23 lakh crores to enhance combat capabilities of the forces.

97 Tejas, 156 Helicopters to be acquired 

The meeting chaired by the Raksha Mantri, yesterday, approved the purchase of 97 Tejas light combat aircraft, 156 Prachand combat helicopters, medium range anti-ship missiles for the Navy and up grading 84 Su-30 fighter jets for the Air Force. With the additional fleet, the number of indigenously-developed Tejas procured would go up to 180.

Boosting local production

* The helicopter possesses modern stealth characteristics, robust armour protection and formidable night attack capability. It is fully capable of operating in Siachen as well.

* The defence ministry has said that 98% of the total procurement will be sourced from domestic industries to boost atmanirbharta.

My take 

Fantastic! HAL has to gain reputation of being a leading aircraft manufacturer in our country.  and at the global level too. Am I asking for too much?

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 5, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10.

The maid had come for work.

A quiet Friday.