Sisu : The courage to carry on.

Some things take time. A difficult project, a career setback on a long period of uncertainty cannot always be fixed by staying positive. The Finnish idea of sisu speaks to the strength needed to keep going when motivation runs out and the situation remains difficult.

There is no exact English equivalent  for sisu. It is often described as a blend of courage, perseverance and determination and has become closely associated with Finnish identity. But sisu is not about pretending that hardship does not hurt. It is about finding enough resolve to take the next step anyway.

This can be useful in everyday life. A daunting task becomes less intimidating when attention shifts from the final result to what can be done today. A setback need not be the end of an effort - sometimes it simply calls for patience.

Sisu does not mean pushing endlessly, either. Resting, asking for help or changing course may be wiser than stubbornly carrying on. Its real strength lies in knowing what is worth persisting with.

In a culture drawn to quick results, sisu reminds us that some things are achieved simply by refusing to give up on what matters. 

Himalayan warming threatens India's economy.

What's at stake?

20%              Share of India's GDP underpinned by the Himalayas

21.5%           Estimated Himalayan-linked economic activity

                      64.8 lakh crore of India's FY24 GDP

18% share   of India's land occupied by the Himalayan region

35% share   of India's disasters occurring in the Himalayan region

0.1%            Share of the estimated 40,000 Himalayan glaciers 

                     currently monitored; only 16-17 are in India

40%             of Indians - Water security underpinned by Himalayan

                     glaciers, springsheds and forests

3mn              + Springs - Around half have dried up or become 

                      seasonal in the Indian Himalayas

75%              Growth in built-up area across the Hindu Kush 

                      Himalaya between 2000 and 2020, 1.7 times

                      population growth

400 mn         India Himalayan region recorded 400 million+ visits

                      in 2025, roughly eight times its resident population  

 

Queer cures.

IMA steps in to put a lid on 'conversion therapy'.

Coming out.....Calling out.

 

 (a) 45.4% of surveyed LGBTQIA+ individuals in Keralam have faced conversion attempts (Dr Sreya

       Mariyam Salim study)

 (b) Almost a third of conversion procedures were administered or endorsed by licensed medical

       professionals

 (c) Conversion therapy centres actively market pseudo-scientific "cures" to panicked parents

 (d) Modalities include heavy psychotropic drug overdoses, spiritual rituals and barbaric electroshock

       procedures

 (e) Parents force gay men, transgender people or women refusing arranged marriages into clinics to

      avoid social stigma

 (f) IMA Keralam has condemned the practice as unscientific and pledged to penalise complicit

      doctors

The IMA has firmly asserted that sexual orientation is not an illness and urges families to choose understanding over coercion, the medical fraternity is finally acting to clean its own ranks.

Courtesy. The NIE of 18 Sep 

Control your 6 Ms.

1. Mouth

    Speak with care. Words can heal or hurt. 

    Choose kindness and truth.

2. Money

    Spend wisely. Don't spend more than you need.

    Value what you have.

3. Mood

    Don't let temporary emotions ruin permanent

    relationships. Stay calm and balanced.

4. Mind

    Protect your thoughts. They shape your reality.

    Focus on what is true, kind and useful.

5. Manners

    Respect costs nothing but means everything.

    Treat everyone with humility.

6. Momentum

    Stay consistent. Small positive actions lead

    to a better life over time.

Unprofessional manoeuvre!

India summoned Pakistan's top diplomatic representative in New Delhi after a Pakistani Naval vessel collided with INS Trishul in the North Arabian Sea, following an "unprofessional and unsafe" manoeuvre.

The collision took place near Gwadar, where two larger Indian naval vessels were monitoring the Pakistani naval exercise. During the operations, a smaller Pakistani naval ship, PNS Hunain, approached  the Indian vessels at high speed and attempted to ram them.

My take

These clumsy, bloody Pakis! 

The Delhi Declaration.

BRICS 2026 adopts landmark Delhi Declaration. 

India bridges Iran-UAE differences on West Asia conflict after marathon negotiations till 4 AM; declaration calls for restraint while not assigning responsibility.

The key points

1. New Delhi Declaration condemns unilateral tariffs, calls carbon border adjustment mechanisms                  protectionist, demands fairer global trade rules.

2. Condemns Pahalgam terror attack, calls for zero tolerance on cross-border terrorism.

3. Call for immediate restoration of fully-functioning WTO dispute settlement system.

4. Bloc-wide grain trading platform and four new farmer-focused initiatives covering seeds, agro-

    inputs, agro-ecology and digital agriculture agriculture endorsed.

5. Declaration urges the developed world to provide finance for biodiversity conservation.

6. Resolves to remain committed to aims of Paris Agreement.

The 81st Grandhasala Dinam..

Dateline 14 Sep

81 years ago, on this date, PN Panicker had set up the Travancore Grandhasala Sangham at a glittering function in Ambalappuzha with 47 libraries. More than 2,000 people had participated in the conference, with the then diwan of Travancore, Sir CP Ramaswamy Iyer, inaugurating it.

Travancore Grandhasala Sangham became the Thiru-Kochi Grandhasala Sangham in 1949 on the merger of the princely states of Travancore and Kochi  and went on to become the Kerala Grandhasala Sangham in 1956 on the formation of the state of Keralam.

PN Panicker, along with his dedicated brand of library workers, set up a network of 5,280 libraries all over the state by 1970 when the Sangham was celebrating its silver jubilee. And it was a thriving people's movement.

This was made possible only because of the young government primary school teacher's vision of setting up a library in every village of his state.

He'd given the Malayalees the powerful slogan of "Vaayichu valaruka, Chinthichu vivekanm neduka".

Today we celebrate is as the "Library Day" with a national conference at the Kanakakkunnu Palace, Thiruvananthapuram from 1000 to 1700 hrs. The deliberations shall be on "Knowledge Centres enhancing community living".

Tailpiece.

Got the Thiruvananthapuram-Guruvayur Intercity Express train and reached The Quarterdeck at 1 AM.