The curse of Kerala!

'Nokkukooli' row disrupts waste management in Thiruvananthapuram!

Waste transport by Clean Kerala Company Ltd was halted after headload unions demanded 'nokkukooli' for loading and unloading at the facility.

Operations at the integrated plastic waste management facility at Muttathara - one of the largest centres handling non-biodegradable waste in the capital - have been severely disrupted due to a prolonged dispute over 'nokkukooli' (Gawking charge) for the past six months.

The headload workers affiliated with CITU, INTUC and BMS insisted on 'nokkukooli'. Nearly 300 tons of plastic waste has accumulated at the facility, disrupting the waste management network in the capital. Moreover, manual handling of waste is not feasible at the unit.

It is a fully mechanised facility. Each bailed bundle weighs around 800 kg and is handled using forklifts. On average, 25 tons of plastic waste was transported daily to cement factories. It is equipped with advanced systems for segregation and includes a plastic shredding and bailing unit. The High Court has  directed the police to intervene in case of any law and order issues. The court has also directed that headload workers and associates must not obstruct the functioning of the facility.

Tailpiece.

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

Walked within the house, recited my prayers.

Bath, followed by breakfast of puttum kadalayum.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched television followed by siesta.

The evening chores. 

2.69 cr voters in Kerala's final list.

After initial threats by the entire lot of opposition parties saying that they wouldn't allow the Election Commission to carry out Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state's electoral rolls, the exercise has been completed. The final tally stands at 2.69 crore voters.

Interesting factors

* There were 2.78 crore voters in the roll before the SIR.

* 87.9 lakh names have been deleted from the earlier list.

* Of the 36.88 lakh voters summoned for hearing, 53,229 were excluded from the final roll. They were

   found to be either dead, had accepted overseas citizenship, shifted or were detected as duplicate

   entries.

* The final voters' list for the Assembly elections will have 16.54 lakh fewer voters compared to the 

   December 2025 local body voters' list.

* Voting in the Assembly elections will be held in 30,471 polling stations.

My take

Congress party's constant gripe about the EC, wasn't parroted by the other parties! After initial hurdles, the court had intervened and said that they didn't expect the exercise to be torpedoed by anyone and consequently, everyone fell in line!

Tailpiece.

Got up late around 7' past 6 and went about my morning chores.

A quiet Saturday!

A child must be six years....

From 2027, an entrant into Class I must be of six years as per the New Education Policy!

* Will affect teachers' appointments

* There will be a downfall of 45% students in class I 

During the academic year 2025 - '26, 2,34,476 students had joined class I.

When six years of age is made compulsory, one lakh students will be less 

and will continue to be so for the next 10 years!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, lit up the puja room lamp, switched on the hymns on the home theatre,

opened up the house for the day.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Bath followed by breakfast of idlis and sambar.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched television followed by siesta.

Met Jimmy; he has referred me to the gastroenterologist. 

A quiet evening.

 

An appointment with toothy Mallan.

Our day began this morning, at a half past 3 when Lekha's cellphone alarm woke us up. Went through the chores and were ready at the appointed hour; Kannan came in around that time and we kicked off at a quarter to 6, for Muhamma.

Luckily, we didn't come across any traffic blocks the whole day and reached Mallan's kitchen by a half past 9. Had a quick bite of breakfast and Lekha was on the toothy's chair, within no time. The dental work didn't take more than half an hour and we began our return trip by about 11 o'clock. 

Had a lovely lunch at Salkara, at the turn toward the Nedumbasserry airport! Spent about three quarters of an hour at the restaurant for finishing our meal. Resumed our journey, visited a nursery enroute, picked up a couple of ornamental plants, flower pots of varying sizes and some manure.

Had tea at the women's stall, soon after the Amala hospital. Reached The Quarterdeck by a quarter to 5, saw off the workers - Babu and Suresh - for the day, cleaning up our terrace. Settled down for the evening and saw the usual Malayalam television serials. 

Felt damn sleepy but hit the sack at a half past 11, our usual time!

Tailpiece.

A day that went by, like clockwork!  

Most prominent AI use cases across key sectors.

Education

* Standardised teaching to adaptive learning

   AI is shifting education from uniform instruction toward data-informed learning models.

* Adaptive learning platforms

   AI systems analyse student performance and engagement patterns to adjust lesson difficulty

   in real time. Gaps are identified early, allowing targeted intervention.

* Intelligent tutoring systems

   Virtual tutors provide explanations, feedback and practice exercises on demand. These systems

   scale across thousands of learners simultaneously.

* Automated assessment and feedback

   AI tools assist in grading assignments and analysing written responses, reducing administrative

   burden and freeing educators for mentorship and deeper instruction.

Impact. AI is enabling scalable personalisation that was previously limited to one-on-one

             teaching. 

Healthcare

* Diagnosis to prediction

   Healthcare remains one of the most consequential domains for AI deployment.

* Medical imaging and diagnostics

   AI models analyse scans to detect cancers, strokes and respiratory conditions with increasing

   accuracy, assisting clinicians in faster diagnosis.

* Predictive risk modelling

   Algorithms process patient histories to assess disease risk and enable preventive interventions.

* Drug discovery and research acceleration

   AI tools identify molecular compounds and simulate outcomes, compressing early-stage research

   timelines.

Impact. AI is strengthening the shift from reactive treatment to preventive and precision care.

Entertainment

* Personalisation and production at scale

   AI is altering both how content is created and how it is consumed.

* Recommendation engines

   Streaming platforms use behavioural date to personalise viewing and listening experiences.

* Content production tools

   AI assists in editing, script drafting, animation workflows and visual effects enhancement.

* Synthetic media technologies

   AI-driven dubbing, voice synthesis and digital avatars are expanding multilingual and global

  content distribution.

Impact. AI is increasing production efficiency while tailoring content to individual users.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Bath, followed by breakfast of appams and dry coconut chutney.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" on television, followed by siesta.

Suresh and Babu - of the Asian Paints team - worked on the roof and had applied the first coat of paint by the end of the day.

The evening chores.

Ceremonial code.

Ceremonial code for National Song and National Anthem.

National Song (Vande Mataram)

Playing time 19.0 sec for official six-stanza version

When it has to be played.

* Unfurling of Tricolour

* Arrival and departure of the President at formal events

* Before and after the President addresses the nation

* Arrival and departure governors/lieutenant governors at formal state functions

* Civil investitures

* When the national flag is brought on parade

The Protocol

* Audiences must stand in attention

* Mass singing encouraged

   If national song and anthem are to be played at the same event, national song to be played first

National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana)

Playing time 52 sec

When it has to be played

* National salute to the President or governors/LGs

* Parades and formal state/UT  functions

* Before and after the President's address

* Presenting regimental colours

* Sports events

* Diplomatic receptions; visiting nation's anthem played first

The Protocol

* Audiences must stand in attention

* Should not be sung or played indiscriminately

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Bath, followed by breakfast of a colonial type!

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch; watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores. The Neelamperoor Devi kshetram payment has been done. Our family would conduct the second day (24 Mar) of the 'utsavam'.

Mujib comes by around sunset time and services our air-conditioners.

My salute, li'l one!

Oh this glorious sadness 

that brings me to my knees

In the arms of the angel

Fly away from here....

 - Sarah McLachlan, Angel

Aalin Sherin Abraham has gone from the cradle to the grave in 10 months. She, who has also scripted a new chapter as the youngest organ donor in the state, was laid to rest with full state honours at the St Thomas CSI Church cemetery, in Nedungadappally, Pathanamthitta on the 15th.

Aalin's mortal remains were brought to her home at Mallappally around 0800 h from a private hospital in Nedungadappally. Public viewing was held first, at the hospital and later at the residence till 1400 h, where thousands offered floral tributes.

The grief-stricken parents, Arun Abraham and Sherin Ann John were inconsolable. 

Aalin sustained critical injuries in a car accident in Chingavanam near Kottayam on 05 Feb. She was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kochi when she was declared brain dead on the 13th.

Her eyes, heart valve, liver and kidneys were transferred to the needy!

Adieu li'l Aalin! My salute, tears and prayers for you!! May god give strength to Arun and Sherin to tide

over these trying times!!!

Tailpiece.

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

Off to Rajah hospital for giving my sample but not accepted because the receptacle wasn't right.

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Bath, followed by breakfast of appams and egg fry.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch with fish, followed by siesta.

To Dr Hema at the Rajah hospital; dropped the sample at the lab.

Siesta.

The evening chores.

Offered our condolences to Rajamma chechi's son, Subhash.

Spoke to toothy Mallan and fixed up the Thursday morning appointment.