At Kannur (3).

Got up delayed compared to our usual time, had our breakfast around a half past 8.

The march past of the ladies was much better compared to ours! 

Sent my November mail, by 1 PM, from Josekutty’s laptop.

Lunch and I’d a vodka tonic!

Snooze.

Got up by a half past 4, had tea, got ready and was down at the Shivoham lawns for the valedictory function. Lekha took party in the lady’s musical program. O sang the ‘Jamaican Farewell’ on Suresh’s prodding.

Our final interaction for the evening was with Alboy and Anand Somayaji!

At Kannur (2).

Got up at a half past 4, the chores and we were ready by a half past 7. Breakfast followed by the group photography session.

Left for the boat cruise on River Valapattanam. An enjoyable one with toddy and lunch. Good fish was served but we were vegetarian.

Visited the Parassinikkadavu Muthappan temple. Massive crowd, being a weekend.

Returned, washed and changed.

A great evening with our skit being shown. The entertainment program was good; the ladies did good.

To Kannur.

Got up at 4, the chores and was ready well in time. Kicked off for the railway station at a quarter past 7. Two massive blocks - one at Kechery and the other on diversion at Viyyur - kept us on tenterhooks. Reached the railway station at a 5’ past 9.

Sanjeev, the porter helped us to go to the appropriate spot on platform no.2 after Lekha having gone round the corner. On the Vande Bharat, the class of ‘72 had the monopoly.

Reached Kannur by 1203 hrs. Prakasan, the coolie helped in conveying our luggage.

At the Krishna Beach Resort by lunchtime. Neha, Shivani and Shafna helped us at every step!

Practised our roles. A wash and change, the entertainment program followed by dinner. Slept at 11.

Ahmadabad will host 2030 Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Sport General Body has ratified Ahmedabad (Amdavad) as the host for the Centenary CWG in 2030.

A heart warming news for all Indians!

Tailpiece.

A quiet Thursday! 

The Dharma Dhwaj.

PM Narendra Modi hoisted the Dharma Dhwaj (sacred flag) atop the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The sacred flag is adorned with the Sun symbol (representing Rama's royal surya vansh lineage),

Om (signifying cosmic consciousness) and the Kovidar tree (the emblem linked to Rama Rajya, governance and prosperity in the ancient texts).

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of The Quarterdeck and recited my prayers.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch.

Watched television followed by siesta.

A quiet evening.

Adieu Dharmender!

Dharmender, all of 89 years and 14 days short of his 90th birthday, passed into the mist of time the day before yesterday, due to an acute breathing problem. 

Have watched most of his movies during my younger days. My favourite is a picturisation of him and Rakhee in the film, Blackmail, singing that evergreen number, 

         "Pal, pal dil ke paas tum rahti ho

          Jeevan meethi pyaas......"

And then there's another number "Mai Jat yamla pagla diwana......." in the movie, "Pratigya".

Both the numbers showed the very essence of the actor!

Had watched both the movies cited above while I was a cadet in the NDA, in the early '70s.

Adieu Dharmender! My tears and prayers. May your near and dear ones have the strength to tide over these difficult times.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Sajish gives me a good haircut and massage.

Walked within the house and recited my prayers.

Lekha goes to the ration stand and to the fruit shop.

A quiet evening.

The G20 Summits.

PM Narendra Modi's vision that influenced the 12 G20 Agenda.

2014 Australia (Brisbane)

         * Financial transparency

         * Call for crackdown on global black money

2015 Turkey (Antalya)

          * Pitched for global strategy to counter terror financing

2016 China (Hangzhou)

          * Economic reform/Terrorism/Environment

          * Need for unified global approach to innovation and structural reforms

          *Collective global action against terrorism

          * Call for equity, CBDR and sustainable lifestyles

2017 Germany (Hamburg)

          * Health

          * Proposed International Coalition on technology

          * Global Health Security call

2018 Argentina (Buenos Aires)

          * Infrastructure

          * Nine-point agenda for fugitive economic offenders

          * Infrastructure for development and innovative financing via 

            the Global Infrastructure Hub

2019 Japan (Osaka)

          * Digitalisation

          * Proposal for global framework for digital governance and secure data flow

2020 Saudi Arabia (Riyadh/Virtual)

          * Human-centric growth

          * 'Ease of Living' as Development Metric

2021 Italy (Rome)

          * Health & Environment/

             Energy transition 

          * 'One earth, one health' approach

          * Indian Railways Net Zero by 2030

          * Proposed clean energy projects fund

          * Call for green hydrogen standards

2022 Indonesia (Bali)

          * Climate and sustainability

          * Global launch of Mission LiFE

             Aarogya maitri project

2023 India (New Delhi)

          * Institutional reform/Digitalisation/

             Energy/Resilience/Space

          * African Union permanent membership in G20

          * Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Framework

          * Social Impact Fund proposal

          * Launch of global biofuels alliance

          * G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working group

          * Suggestion for G20 Talent Visa proposal

          * Proposal for "G20 Satellite Mission for

             Environment and Climate Observation

2024 Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)

          * Consensus Follow-through

          * Push to implement New Delhi Leaders' 

             Declaration and Integration of global south

2025 South Africa (Johannesburg)

          * Technology and Global South

          * Focus on AI governance for development

          * Push for debt relief for vulnerable nations

My take

A Prime Minister that all Indians need to be proud of. His thinking is about all round development!

Tailpiece

Is there anything more to be told about PM Modi - the far-sighted statesman and the global leader?  

The ten signs of dharma.

Manusmriti provides a list of ten signs or qualities, whose presence in a person indicates that they have dharma in them.

 1. Dhriti (fortitude or patience). All good things are difficult to attain. One needs to be patient. Even

     after attainment, things may be lost. One needs to bear it with fortitude.

 2. Kshama (Forgiveness or tolerance). There's no need to reply to every wrong with another wrong.

     Sometimes, it is better not to respond and break the cycle of action-reaction.

 3. Dama (Self-control). One should not be arrogant or excessively proud of one's qualities. It also

     means being judicious and not saying whatever comes to mind.

 4. Asteyam (Non-stealing). We need to have integrity and honesty, not just in our actions but also

     in our thoughts.

 5. Shauch (Purity). Cleanliness is of two types - external (keeping our body, clothes and surroundings

     clean and eating clean food) and internal (keeping our thoughts clean).

 6. Indriya Nigrah (Control of sensory and motor organs). We have five sensory and five motor organs.

     We need to keep them under our control rather than becoming their slaves.

 7. Dhi (Wisdom).  This can also be called the power of discrimination. This means true knowledge,

     which allows one to discriminate between right and wrong paths in every situation, despite diffi-

     culties and temptations.

 8. Vidya (Knowledge). Refers to our education as well as our understanding of the practical realities

     of life. Upanishads talk about knowledge of two types : vidya which refers to the higher knowledge

     of the soul and avidya which refers to the lower knowledge of material things. To be successful, one

     needs both kinds of knowledge : avidya to perform successfully in the physical world and vidya

     for spiritual enlightenment.

 9. Satyam (Truthfulness). It means seeking truth and always following the path of truthfulness.

     Being truthful gives us enormous peace of mind and is our protective shield in difficult times.

10.Akrodha (Absence of anger). Absence of anger does not mean one never gets angry but is not

     angry without justification.

Tailpiece.

A quiet and lazy Sunday!

Labour Codes notified by the central government.

The Centre notified the four Labour Codes pending since 2020, ushering in several worker-friendly measures such as universal social security and timely minimum wage, while also trying to make life easy for companies in terms of compliance and paper work.

Big-Bang Labour Reforms

29 labour laws streamlined into 4 comprehensive Labour Codes.

1. Code of wages

     * Establishes a statutory right to minimum wages for all, including those in unorganised sector.

     * Review of minimum wages every 5 years.

     * Equal remuneration to male and female workers.

2. Code on social security

     * Benefit of pension scheme to all workers of organised, unorganised and self-employed sectors.

     * Employees engaged on fixed term (contract) to get same social security benefit as permanent

        employees.

     * Social security fund for the unorganised sector.

3. Code on occupational safety, health and working conditions

     * Creating safe working conditions in business-friendly environment.

     * Mandatory, free annual health check-up of workers.

     * Database of migrant workers.

4. Code of Industrial Relations

     * Allows direct, time-bound contracts with full parity in wages, benefits; gratuity eligibility

        after one year.

     * Re-skilling fund to train retrenched employees; amount equal to 15 days' wages for every

        worker retrenched.

My take

* While the government claims the move will go a long way in ease of doing business, it will also

   increase operating costs for companies due to higher wages and greater accountability on

   safety and working conditions.

* Meanwhile, a joint platform of 10 central trade unions called for a nation-wide protest on 26 Nov

   demanding the withdrawal of the codes, terming them "anti-worker" and "pro-employer". Some

   trade unions welcomed the reforms.

* The next step is framing the rules. As labour is a concurrent subject, the centre and states have to 

   frame laws and rules.

Tailpiece.

A quiet Saturday. The maid was on leave.

@ 70 by the Malayalam calendar.

Was born 70 years back on this day, by the Malayalam calendar, to K Kuttappan Nair and C Chandramathykutty Amma at TC 804, Opp Model School’s main gate in the residence of my mom’s parents at Thiruvananthapuram of PN Panicker and G Chempakakutty Amma. Their’s was a joint family.

Got up this morning, at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Padmakumar, Rema and Achu had gone for a quick ‘darshan’ of the good Lord soon after a sumptuous breakfast of idiappams and Chanakya.

On their return, I cut my birthday cake and had it distributed to everyone. 

Rema and gang left by a half past 12, shaping course to Thrippunithura and then, onward to Ayathil, Kollam.

A quiet evening thereafter.

Achu drives in.

Padmakumar, Rema, Achu and Karthika drop by. A great evening thereafter!

Recalibrating investment regime.

Commerce ministry had a meeting with several industry representatives, stake holders to recalibrate India's investment regime.

The discussion, attended by senior representatives from RBI, Sebi and other regulators, focuses on streamlining approvals, speeding up regulatory clearances and addressing frictions faced by foreign funds.

The ministry seeks to ensure better inflow of foreign direct investment to India.

Senior officials say the government's approach would remain balanced.

While no policy announcements have been made so far, the government is planning to take measures to revive investment sentiment.

My take

It's quite important that the country must be projected as FDI-friendly and its internal environment should have a positive outlook towards it.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road outside and recited my prayers.

A quiet day otherwise.

The Finance Commission submits report to the President.

The 16th Finance Commission  submitted its report on devolution of taxes between the Centre and the states.

Members of the Commission led by Dr Arvind Panagariya had handed over the report. The commission was constituted on 31 Dec 2023 to determine the formula for the states' share of central taxes and the grants-in-aid for five financial years from 2026 - '27. It's gonna be the financial roadmap for the next five years.

Report closely watched by states

* A majority of states had asked the commission to increase their share of central taxes to 50% from the

  current 41%.

* The commission has also reviewed the present arrangements for financing disaster management 

   initiatives with reference to the funds constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

There are four members in the Finance Commission.

My take

Hope the clarity regarding the allocation of funds is being brought about.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road outside the house and recited my prayers.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched serial followed by siesta.

A quiet evening.

It's been 400 days!

Four hundred days and counting! The indefinite relay hunger strike on the premises of Velankanni Matha Church in Munambam, may have hit a milestone, but the fate of the over 600 local families remains in suspended animation. 

Even after the Kerala High Court ruled that their land is not Waqf, the state government has not initiated any steps towards restoring their revenue rights.

My take

Political cowardice in not executing the right decision! Sad!!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day. Aarti of Lekha with the silver coin, today being the 1st of the Malayalam month of Vrushchikam!

Walked on the road in front of our house and recited my prayers.

To the Devaswom PRO's office on Suma kunjamma's work and realised that the information given to me by her was scanty. So, I'd to return empty handed.

Lunch.

Watched television serials. Siesta.

Lekha goes to the Mammiyoor temple at 5 and returns after an hour.

Kalpathy's Grand Trundle.

Simply known as 'Kalpathy Theyru', this cultural festival showcases Palakkad's regional identity.

The undeniable crescendo of Kalpathy festival is the convergence of chariots. The largest chariot carries Lord Shiva, the primary deity of the Vishwanathaswamy Temple, along with his consort, Goddess Parvathy. Flanking them in smaller, equally ornate chariots are their sons, Lord Ganesha and Lord Subrahmanya.

The air in Palakkad, Kerala, grows thick with anticipation as the Malayalam month of Thulaam arrives. Along the tranquil banks of the Kalpathy River, five quaint villages - Old Kalpathy, New Kalpathy, Chathapuram, Govindarajapuram and Manthakkara - begin their month-long transformation. This is the prelude to the world-renowned Kalpathy Ratholsavam, a spectacular 10-day festival of faith, heritage and cultural confluence that draws a global audience.

Often simply called Kalpathy Theyru (Kalpathy Chariot), this festival holds the remarkable distinction of being the second-biggest of its kind in Indi, surpassed only by the grand Car Festival at the Puri Jagannath Temple in Orissa. It is more than just a religious observance ; it is quite literally a cultural festival of Palakkad, a vibrant showcase of the region's unique identity.

My take

A truly spectacular and colourful festival!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the  lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of our house; recited my prayers.

Breakfast. Had bath subsequently after working on my laptop.

Lunch, watched Crime Patrol on television followed by siesta.

A quiet evening.

Tropical Forests Forever Facility.

India welcomed Brazil's initiative to establish a Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) during the leaders' summit at COP 30 in Belem, Brazil. Recognising it as a significant step towards collective and sustained global action for the preservation of tropical forests, the country joined as an observer. However, its benefit may be marginal because India has a smaller area of tropical rain forest.

The TFFF is proposed as a blended-finance mechanism to incentivise countries to prevent the deforestation and degradation of moist broadleaf tropical forests.

The fund will operate like a commercial bank, where it will obtain loans of $125 billion at lower interest rates and lend them at higher rates to generate a profit of around $4 billion annually.

My take

A nice initiative!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of the house and recited my prayers.

A quiet Saturday.

Lekha's medicines have been administered and she says that there's a forward development.

NDA sweeps Bihar!

In the run up toward the election, there appeared to be serious differences among potential coalition partners there by affecting/delaying the final line up of the candidates to fight the elections.

The logjam had begun regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll of the entire state by the Election Commission. The impasse was sorted out at the Supreme Court and the election jamboree had begun in right earnest. The BJP-JD(U)-Paswan's party formed the NDA, Congress-RJD-Communists formed the Indi alliance and Prashant Kishore's Jan Suraaj Party were the main contenders.

The elections took place in two phases on the 6th and the 11th. There was a record 67.13% votes polled with women forming a great chunk. 

And the results of the 243 seats are there for all to see:-

    NDA                     202

    INDI                       35

    AIMIM                     5

    BSP                           1

Here's wishing Nitish Kumar a fruitful tenure where Bihar makes rapid progress.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp, opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of the house and recited my prayers.

Worked on my laptop.

An early lunch and were off to the Rajah Hospital to show Lekha to the Skin Specialist for her tongue's problem. Returned after an hour.

A quiet evening.

Inflation hits record low.

Inflation is down to 0.25% in Oct on the back of GST cuts.

Tax cuts on 400 mass-consumption items, coupled with subdued prices for vegetables, fruits and eggs helped push retail inflation to a record low.

Food inflation stays in negative zone

Food inflation remained negative at -5.02%, as prices of vegetables, cereals and pulses eased amid improved supplies and favourable weather. Vegetable prices fell 28% year-on-year, while pulses and spices declined by 16% and just over 3%, respectively. Clothing and footwear recorded only a 1.7% annual rise, thanks to GST rate cuts.

Fuels hope of further rate cut in December

* Inflation stood at 1.44% in Sep and 6.21% in Oct 2024. The figure this Oct was the lowest in the 

   current series (base year 2012), which tracked data since Jan 2014

* The record low inflation raises hopes for another round of rate cut, when the RBI monetary policy

   committee meets in Dec

8.56% The Oct inflation in Kerala - the highest among all states.

Tailpiece

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of our house and recited my prayers.

Breakfast followed by bath after work on the laptop.

Lunch, watched television.

Lekha goes for the Lord's darshan at a half past 3, does marketing and returns.

A quiet evening.

   

The pathetic state of the Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.

Long wait for beds, lack of privacy, overcrowded wards.....

Lack of coordination between tiers of health system puts tertiary hospitals under severe strain, says Director of Medical Education.

Overcrowded and underequipped : Life inside MCH

* MCH has 1952 beds but routinely treats 300-400 in-patients above capacity each day

* The general medicine department, with over 600 beds, requires at least 300 more to meet demand

* Of the 28 wards, six have been demolished for renovation, causing overcrowding in the remaining wards

* Patients are often referred from taluk and district hospitals even for minor ailments, officials say

* Restrooms are frequently clogged

* The cardiology department has only 40 beds, leading to spill over into corridors

* Patients with serious conditions such as heart attacks, leukaemia, autoimmune diseases and infections 

   are treated together in the same wards

* A revised referral protocol has been issued to improve co-ordination between primary, secondary

   and tertiary centres

* Expansion projects, including 250 new surgical beds and a hospital complex by 2026, are expected

   to ease the load

My take

A real pathetic state! The government must provide assistance and nurture the MCH. Nothing short of overall excellence is expected.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked within the house because of rain in the morning: recited my prayers.

A quick bath and breakfast. Sajish fetched up a trifle after 10 and we headed for the Sub RTO. Binitha, the comely girl at the counter, was sad that I was being made to pay a high penalty! Told her that it was her 'niceness' that made her think so and thanked her. Rajesh, the MVI cleared my vehicle and the entire set of documents was submitted. Returned by lunchtime.

Lunch, viewing of the television and siesta.

The evening chores.

The anatomy of the Delhi blast.

Hours after nearly 2,900 kg of explosives were seized in Haryana's Faridabad, a powerful blast jolted Delhi last evening, killing at least eight people and injuring several others outside the bustling Red Fort area.

1852 hrs  Slow moving Hyundai 120 blows up near Red Fort traffic signal.

1855 hrs  Delhi Fire Department receives alert. No crater, no shrapnel injury noticed.

1925 hrs  Around 30 people injured taken to LNJP hospital. Of them, eight declared brought dead.

1929 hrs  Ten fire tenders arrive, area cordoned off; fire brought under control.

2028 hrs  NIA, NSG and forensic teams reach the spot, collect evidence.

2030 hrs  Home Minister briefs PM. Shah visits LNJP hospital and the blast site.

All angles being probed, says HM

* All angles being probed, no possibility is ruled out, says the HM. "Unless the samples recovered from 

   the blast site are analysed by forensics and NSG, nothing can be said".

* Nationwide alert announced, CISF tightens vigil at all installations in Delhi-NCR, including the IGI

   Airport and metro stations.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of the house and recited my prayers.

Monish fetches our Chevy. Comes back after 28 days. Bath and a quick breakfast.

Harish takes me to the SBI and the ICICI banks. And I return to spend time with Sathyan and Indu, who'd dropped by. It was nice to interact with them.

Lunch followed by television viewing and then, siesta.

The evening chores.

An appointment with the dentist.

Our day had begun this morning at 4 AM. Earlier, sleep wasn't forthcoming and I was awake till about 2, much past midnight! Recited my prayers during the time; and sleep had come by but had to get up after two hours.

Went through our chores and was ready by a half past 5. Rahul was our chauffeur, who drove well and we fetched up at the Vypin 'jhankaar' point to cross across to the Fort Kochi area but since a waiting period of 40' were anticipated - as per estimates - we retraced our route and went via Tharangini, High Court. 

Reached Dr Sreekanth Mallan's dental clinic, at Muhamma, by a half past 9. Had a quick breakfast at Mallan's kitchen. Lekha's apprehensions were sorted out and my scaling was also done by the doctor. Seeing the red blotches on my right fore arm, the doc had suggested that I keep my cardiologist in the loop.

I asked him as to what I should worry about and he said that I must bear in mind that my blood would not clot easily because of my daily intake of Ecosprin 75 mg tablet, after lunch. Well, that was definitely a sobering thought! 

Shaped our return to Guruvayur and headed back straight.

Had lunch at a hotel beyond Edappalli.

Reached home by a quarter to 5.

Settled down to a quiet evening. Am glad that we could meet up with our friend and doctor, after what seemed to be a long time.

66th SAARC Literature festival.

The festival began today without Pakistan. The four-day festival in New Delhi will see a mix of poetry, fiction and academic papers featuring celebrated voices from South Asia.

Pak writers barred till terrorism stops

The literature festival, organised by Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL), is hosting writers and scholars from all SAARC countries except Pakistan. Its participation is a "political issue" and the organisers "cannot invite Pakistani writers till terrorism stops".

Cross-border cultural exchanges

* The festival began with an inaugural session by Sahitya Akademi president , scholar Ashis Nandy and       the diplomats of the seven countries that are participating in this year's event.

* Established in 1996, FOSWAL has organised cross-border cultural exchanges through conferences,

   festivals and youth outreach fetes.

The festival will come to a close on 12 Nov.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Heard 'Rangoli' on television.

Walked on the road in front of our house and recited my prayers.

A heavy lunch of 'aloo paranthas', dahi and pickle; ate myself silly.

The evening's dinner was a delectable soup!

Women's cricket in India.

As the sun set over Navi Mumbai that night, the Indian team took a victory lap, draped in the tricolour. The crowd chanted their names, phones lit up like stars and fireworks burst into the sky.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the gleaming trophy high, her teammates gathered around her and for a moment, the world seemed to stand still.

The 2025 World Cup win will be remembered as the day Indian women didn't just play cricket - they changed it. They showed that champions aren't defined by gender, but by grit and grace. That one day, a young girl with a bat in her hand will see equal opportunities, equal respect and equal pay.

Analysts have called it India's "1983 moment", which is a reference to their male counterparts' historic first World Cup win that changed the nation's sporting landscape. Four decades later, it is the women who have given Indian cricket a new dawn.

Courtesy. The NIE

Tailpiece.

A quiet Saturday. 

 

Kerala's oldest long-haul train moves on.

Around 3 PM, the electric locomotive pulled into Kanhangad railway station, bringing in its wake the yellow and maroon liveried rakes of the 12602 Mangalore Central-MGR Chennai Central Mail for its scheduled two-minute stop.

The train bears history as the first long-haul service to have chugged into Kerala - the erstwhile Malabar presidency to be precise - in 1867, 14 years after the country's first passenger railroad made it from Bori Bunder to Thane. And, it seems to be having trouble shaking off its legacy, sporting as it continues to do the old, rugged ICF cars, when most other trains have moved on to Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) coaches.

Its services were numbered 1 and 2 (presently 12601 and 12602), running from Royapuram near Chennai to Chaliyam (present-day Beypore). It was named the Mangalore-Madras Mail in 1887 even though the train was extended to Mangalore only after the completion of the Netravati Bridge in 1907.

Travelling back in time

* The Madras-Mangalore Mail started on 01 Jul 1867, running from Royapuram - the first railway station 

   of South India, opened in 1856 - to Chaliyam.

* It was first christened 01UP/02DOWN Mail and did not get its official name until 1887.

* The train was extended till Mangalore in 1907 after Netravati bridge was constructed.

* It was also moved from Royapuram to Chennai Central when the terminus was constructed in 1907.

* As one of the oldest running trains of South India, it has had steam, diesel and electric locomotives.

   Currently, it is hauled by locomotive class WAP 7 on most days.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent off all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of our house and recited my prayers.

To the SBI and the ICICI banks to get their apps streamlined but achieved only partial success.

Praveen and Asha call on. It was great seeing them!       

A quiet evening.   

A new cell phone.

Got up at 5, sent all the morning messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the lamp in the puja room and opened up the house for the day.

Went through the chores and walked on the road in front of The Quarterdeck; recited my prayers.

Breakfast followed by bath. Worked on my laptop.

Lunch and a short siesta.

Sajish, comes at a half past 2 and we set off for Thrissur. Went to MyG but didn’t get a favourable quote and so, went to Venu’s. Bought an iPhone15 and an Induction cooktop.

Returned by a quarter to 9.

A quiet evening thereafter.

Guru Purab!

About 2,100 Indian Sikh devotees crossed into Pakistan yesterday, through the Attari-Wagah border to attend the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji. This is the first people-to-people contact between the two neighbours since Operation Sindoor.

The Pakistan government had issued 2,150 visas for the Sikh pilgrims but this year, India allowed only Indian citizens to participate, excluding NRIs, a departure from earlier years.

The pilgrims are scheduled to return on 13 Nov after visiting key historic gurdwaras like, Janmasthan in Nankhana Sahib, Sri Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad and Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, switched on the hymns on the home theatre, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house for the day.

Walked on the road in front of The Quarterdeck and recited my prayers.

Return to Guruvayur.

Got up leisurely, Kamalasanan Pillai sir gave us our morning cup of Suleimani and we talked about a number of things. Was ready on time, breakfast was bought in by Kamalasanan Pillai sir after his leaving the guests for the airport.

Maman came in late, spent time on discussions and left at a half past 10. Aniyan and I hopped on to the first bus to Kottarakkara, got down there, had lunch, went to the Boss workshop and boarded my Chevy. However, she has problems on her brakes and had to return to the workshop from Thiruvalla.

Got a low floor bus to Kozhikode, Aniyan left by a Pala bus. Monish left with the Chevy after seeing us off. Befriended a young lady, Sneha from the nursing profession and her 11/2-year-old-son, Felis who were with me till Perumbavoor. She even fed me with biscuits. Damn sweet of her..

An uneventful journey and got down at Kunnamkulam. Got an autorickshaw and reached home without delay..

Libraries empowering communities: Global perspectives (2).

Got up at 5, sent all the messages and turned off to sleep yet again to get up at a half past 6. The morning chores and was ready well on time. Maman had arrived by a half past 8 and soon after, we went off to the Kanakakkunnu Palace. Had breakfast of idlis and tea.

The second day's session commenced on the dot at 10. Vijayakumar sir was efficient in his work and the panel discussions were conducted efficiently.

Lunch was at a half past 1 but by the time we'd got to have ours, it was past 2.....we sat on the last set. The next session was by the CMD of the CSC, online.

After two more sessions, we'd 'bondas' and tea. 

The valedictory function went off well, the minister for civil supplies, GR Anil was the chief guest.

Went to drop Prabhajyot Kaur, of the Patiala Library, at her hotel. Bought her dinner and a bottle of water.

Aniyan and me had gone to look up Indirakkutty. There's no change in her from what I saw last of her. Sad!

Bina is looking after her on a temporary basis and she's caring.

Returned in Nazar's uber; he's from Beemappalli. A very nice boy! He stopped at a wayside shop so that we could buy dosas/eggs/tomato chutney!

A quiet dinner with Dr Kamalasanan Pillai sir.

Libraries empowering communities: Global perspectives.

Got up at 6, Kamalasanan Pillai sir made black tea for the three of us and it was more than enough. Went through the chores and was ready by 8. Maman had come to the Foundation; everyone left for the Kanakakkunnu Palace while I went to pick up Dr VM Rajasekharan Pillai and Shri Yashvir Singh from their hotel.

Maman was made to keep his speech short. The chief minister was late by an hour, he was quite jovial and spoke for about a half an hour.

The sessions began one by one, beginning with Shaddy’s. Vijayakumar sir conducted the sessions well. 

Lunch was ‘sadya’ and it was good. 

The afternoon sessions went off well and it ended by 7.  The first day of the international conference went off damn well. 

Manakkaala Gopalakrishnan and party’s rendition of Carnatic Music, subsequent to that was heavenly.

A quick bite of dinner and I went dropping the guests and to h/o dinner to another. 

Slept at a half past 10.

At Thiruvananthapuram.

Got up at 4, went through the chores and was ready well within time. Sajish was at the gate by a half past 6 and I went off to the railway station. Had breakfast that Lekha had packed, at the air conditioned waiting room.

The Jan Shatabdi was late by 15’. A quiet, uneventful journey.

Reached Tvpm by a half past 2. Caught an autorickshaw to go to the Foundation.

Lunch of a sandwich, the big banana and sweets!

The evening saw me going to pick up our guests for the international conference. Earlier, visited the site of the two-day program, the Kanakakkunnu Palace.

Received Yashvir Singh ji and Swarna Prabha at the airport.

A quiet evening thereafter.

Back at Guruvayur.

Dateline 31 Oct

The day began at 4, thanks to the cellphone alarm. Went through our chores and were ready well in time. Boarded the bus and the eight of us headed for the airport. Finished with all the formalities and the flight took off on time.

The transit time at Bangalore was spent in retrieving my watch which I’d forgotten and we had lunch - Lekha had idlis and I, ‘Puliyogara’, Left Bangalore by a half past 3 for Thiruvananthapuram.

Reached Kochi by a half past 4, Sajish was there with the car and we hurtled toward Guruvayur without further delays. Dinner at the Saravana Bhavan, at Choondal; had soup only. 

At home by a quarter to 9. Settled down for the night and finished the monthly mail a bit after midnight!