Iran's Kharg Island.

Key facts on Oil export hub.

Kharg underwent key developments during Iran's oil expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, with much of  the country's coast too shallow for super tankers.

Location

Small coral island in the Persian Gulf about 21 miles off Iran coast.

Oil export hub

* Primary terminal for nearly all Iranian oil exports.

* Satellite imagery recently showed multiple tankers loading crude from the island.

Economic importance

* Iran has exported 13.7 million barrels of oil since the war began.

* Oil shipments, including exports to China, form a key part of Iran's revenue.

Other details

Gazelles roam near the refineries and oil depots on the island.

Infrastructure

* Large oil storage tanks located in the southern part of the island.

* Facilities include refineries, depots and tanker-loading terminals.

* The island also has housing for thousands of workers.

Strategic significance

* One of Iran's  most valuable and sensitive assets.

* Analysts say losing control of Kharg would make it difficult for Iran's economy to function.

Tailpiece.

Today is Sanil's 2nd remembrance day.

Today is also the first of the Malayalam month of Meenam. Carried out Lekha's customary aarathi with a silver coin. 

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Babloo and Sadanandan - Trijo's boys - come at 7 to repair the drain on the truss work. They finish by a half past 10.

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

Bath followed by breakfast of poori-bhaaji.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched television for a while followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

The Harishree delivery boy delivers the grocery.

 

P-17A stealth frigate, INS Taragiri to be commissioned.

INS Taragiri is the fourth Nilgiri-class ship under Project 17A. INS Taragiri and her sister ships carry a wide range of weapons, including the BrahMos supersonic missile, Barak-8 long-range surface-to-air missile system, 76 mm naval guns built under licence and torpedoes for anti-submarine operations.

These frigates are among the most advanced warships, built using integrated modular construction. They displace over 6,700 tons, carry at least 75% indigenous content and are slightly larger than the Shivalik-class.

Sleeker hulls, enclosed mooring decks, low infrared signatures and carefully designed deck rails allow crew to move safely while keeping the ships' radar and heat signatures low, making them difficult to detect in combat.

Each frigate can accommodate 225 personnel and operate shipborne helicopters for surveillance and anti-submarine  missions. The frigates are fitted with the hull mounted sonar advanced next generation (HUMSA-NG) developed by BEL.

For electronic warfare, the ships carry indigenous Ajanta and Shakti systems.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

The maid is off; on leave.

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

Bath followed by breakfast of appams and egg roast.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched television followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Trijo's men, Babloo, Sadanandan and Sivan came and placed their work tools for repairing the truss-work's waterway tomorrow.

Mujib came and replaced our top bedroom's a/c's voltage stabilizer. He also restored the non-working third electricity phase! 

  

The CPM corrects itself but what a mess!

After the stand taken by the party during Pinarayi Vijayan's first term as chief minister that women should be allowed entry for worship in the Sabarimala shrine, today it's had the ignominy of rolling back its stance and says, that the restriction of women in Sabarimala is sacrosanct and have decided to be along with the believers!

Can never forget the way they tried to push in a few women into the shrine during Pinarayi government 1.0, which was defiance against the Hindu believers and arrogance by the party with police connivance!

The electoral mathematic has brought the party to this decision! Actually, this is no decision at all! why can't the party tell the truth?

Did it correct itself? Not really.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

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

Bath followed by breakfast of appams and egg roast.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched television followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Jagada mami's mom passed into the mist of time around a half past 2 in the afternoon, soon after she'd finished a few spoon full of gruel. She was 93. Adieu Amme! Om Shanti! Sadgati. 

Global energy chokepoint in the cross-hairs.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, serving as a key maritime route for global shipping. It is a major international waterway through which oil and gas exports from several Gulf countries reach global markets. With Iran going after shipments of American allies, Hormuz has become the biggest maritime chokepoint. The latest threat is the Iranian plan to mine the entire Strait. The US responded by bombing Iran's 16 mine-laying boats in the region. An overview.

Energising the world

* About 20% of the world's oil and natural gas passes through the strait.

* Roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day.

* Around 20-25% of LNG trade

* Disruption here affects global fuel prices and energy markets.

Countries using the route

Major oil exporters

* Saudi Arabia

* Iraq

* Kuwait

* Qatar

* UAE

* Iran

* Bahrain

Major Buyers

* China

* India

* Japan

* South Korea   

   

   Most Gulf oil exports to Asia pass through Hormuz

Why shipping has halted

* Iran has attacked ships and threatened vessels in the strait

* Tanker traffic through Hormuz has largely stopped

* Around 400 oil and product tankers are idle in the Gulf

Major shipping companies that have suspended crossings

* Maersk

* Hapag-Lloyd

* CMA CGM

* MSC

Impact on energy markets

* Oil prices have swung sharply amid disruption fears

* Even short interruption can destabilise global markets

* A closure lasting a month or more could push crude prices above $100 per barrel

Threats

Iran can target vessels using :-

* Anti-ship cruise missiles

* Long-range missiles

* Drones

* fast attack boats

* Naval mines

The US says it has destroyed 16 mine-laying vessels during the conflict.

Can the Strait reopen?

Plans being discussed include :-

* Naval escorts for oil tankers

* Multinational patrols

* Increased surveillance and intelligence sharing

* A France-led initiative is exploring escort missions to help shipping resume

Some pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the UAE bypass Hormuz, but most Gulf oil exports have no alternative route.

Strait of Hormuz is 33 km wide at the narrowest point.

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

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

Bath, followed by breakfast of puttum, pazhavum, kadalayum.

Farmhand, Pushpaakaran comes by for spring cleaning the house; finishes his work by 3 PM.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Red flag for Mamata?

The Poriborton Yatra is resonating across West Bengal with a powerful demand : justice, dignity and safety for every woman.

Women across the state are raising their voices for security, respect and equal rights in society. The people of Bengal are uniting to ensure that every woman can live, work and pursue her dreams without fear.

From every corner of the state, one message is rising louder each day : "Paltano Dorkar, Chai BJP Sarkar!"

Poriborton for nariradhikar!

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

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

Bath followed by breakfast of puttum pazhavum.

Worked on my lap top.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores. 

Cleaned up the Chevy's interior.

The world is passing through dire economic straits!

West Asia conflict's timing is unfortunate for India, just when it was navigating enviable 'Goldilocks' period with low inflation and good growth.

                                                      - Sunitha Natti. 

Rs.19 lakh crore wiped out from Indian market in five sessions. India's equity benchmark indices - NSE Nifty and BSE Sensex - falling up to 4%.

The market capitalisation (m-cap) of all BSE-listed firms has come down from 468.28 lakh crores to 449.35 lakh crores in the past one week. The Sensex has shed 1,046 points during this period.

My take

It has been our experience that the delivery of new domestic gas cylinders has touched a month. Lekha had picked up ours directly from the godown on the prodding of the Gas Agency! 

Tailpiece.

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

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

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

Bath, followed by breakfast of dosas and chutney.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, saw "Snehakkoottu" and siesta.

The evening chores.

The art of letting go.

Letting go is often misunderstood as emotional withdrawal. In spiritual traditions, detachment does not mean indifference but freedom from clinging. Gautama Buddha taught that tanha (craving) is the root of suffering : when the mind insists that pain must vanish, it fights reality. The Bhagwad Gita advises acting without attachment, as the result is shaped by many forces beyond control.

Modern psychology echoes this. Studies on non-attachment and acceptance-based therapies show that over-attachment keeps stress circuits activated, while acceptance and psychological distancing reduce anxiety. Clinging narrows identity and makes loss feel like annihilation. But non-attachment allows one to care without being owned by it.

How to practice healthy non-attachment

* Notice when desire hardens into demand ("I must have this")

* Reframe it as preference ("I would like this but I can live without it")

* Allow emotions to arise without repeatedly replaying

* Commit to right action instead of guaranteed reward

Tailpiece.

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

Sajish comes and gives me a haircut and massage.

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked within the house; recited my prayers.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, watched "Snehakkoottu" followed by siesta.

The evening chores.