Celebrate life with gratitude.

7 short stories shared by Satya Nadella (CEO Microsoft)

Looking Back.

I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I'm working on for my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said, "Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile".

Love Conquers Pain.

After I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him and crying. And just before he died, he licked the tears off my face.

Togetherness.

As my father, three brothers and two sisters stood around my mother's hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, "I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often".

Affection.

I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. About five seconds after he passed, I realised it was the first time I had given a kiss since I was a little boy.

Joy.

When I witnessed a 27 year-old cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2 year-old daughter's antics, I suddenly realised that I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again.

Kindness.

A boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me all the way across the campus to my class and as he was leaving, he said, "I hope you feel better soon".

Sharing.

I was travelling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he hadn't eaten anything in over three days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating. The first thing the man said was, "We can share it".

                          Celebrate Life with Gratitude


Tailpiece.

Today's the new moon of Karkkidakom. People remember their dead and place offerings for all of them. Lekha and I had got up at 6 as usual, gone through the chores and placed the offering for all our relatives, friends and those who mattered in our life, at the courtyard. None of the crows - for whom that was primarily meant - came by and after returning from Thrissur, we found the offerings almost untouched.

Wonder why? Was there any mistake in the way we had done it? 

Historic!

The Triple Talaq Bill has been passed by both the houses in Parliament. Come to think of it, since the ruling benches did not have the requisite numbers of its own, effective floor management did make the passage of the bill possible! From today, triple talaq has been criminalised. It's a great achievement of the Narendra Modi government! 

Triple Talaq - also known as 'talaq-e-biddat' or instant divorce and talaq-e-mughallazah(Irrevocable divorce) is a form of Islamic divorce which has been used by Muslims in India, especially adherents of Hanafi Sunni Islamic schools of jurisprudence. It allows any Muslim man to legally divorce his wife by stating the word talaq (The Arabic word for 'divorce') three times in oral, written or more recently, electronic form.

The use and stature of triple talaq in India has been a subject of controversy and debate. Those questioning the practice have raised issues of justice, gender, equality, human rights and secularism. The debate has involved the Government of India and the Supreme Court of India and is connected to the debate about a uniform civil code (Article 44) in India. 

On 22 Aug 2017, the Indian Supreme Court deemed instant triple talaq was unconstitutional. Three of the five judges in the panel concurred that the practice of triple talaq was unconstitutional. The remaining two declared the practice to be constitutional while simultaneously asking the government to ban the practice by enacting a law.

The practice of 'talaq-e-biddat' is said to have been around since the period of Caliph Omar, more than 1400 years ago. It is 'manifestly arbitrary' and allows a man to breakdown a marriage whimsically and capriciously.

Here's a very interesting fact. 19 Muslim countries have laws against the practice. They are:-

  (a) The Arab States.  Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Sudan,                                                 Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.

  (b) The SE Asian States. Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines.

  (c)  And Around Us. Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

A great, historic day for India!

Tailpiece.

It was another quiet day with rain, in patches. Achu, my nephew, begins his next phase of his profession at the Tata Tea, Munnar. He has been put up at the High Range Club and takes up his new job at 9 AM tomorrow. 

Can the mischief makers get away?

I've been brought up in a family that gives great importance in speaking the truth and doing the right things. Short cuts to success was abhorred and playing foul to achieve something was frowned upon! I've lived a life, upholding those principles and have been happy with what I've achieved. But when I see things happen these days - all over the country - I begin to wonder as to why the parents of the wrongdoers did not bring up their children with the correct values?

Giving that as the backdrop, let me touch upon a few cases. Here, I go:-

 1. The Unnao Accident.

     The Unnao rape case had grabbed the headlines, last year, after a 16-year-old girl alleged that
     she was raped by the BJP MLA Kuldeep  Sengar. The girl had held a protest outside the chief
     minister's house.

     In a dubious turn of events, a truck coming from Fatehpur - its number plate was obscured with
     black paint - side collided head on with the car in which the rape survivor, her aunt and her
     lawyer, Mahendra Singh were returning after meeting her aunt's husband in the Rae Bareli jail.
     The aunt had died on the spot while the rape victim is seriously injured and the lawyer is on a
     ventilator. The police, thankfully, has arrested the truck owner and its driver.

     Does Kuldeep Sengar think he can get with murder, with all his political connections? Or will
     it become yet another case that will go on and on without the culprits being brought to book?

 2. The University College Case.

     The SFI students, particularly the college unit's president and its secretary for being involved in
     the stabbing of a fellow student - ironically, he was also of the SFI. In fact, it was a fight
     between factions - along with a few other fellow students and all are now under police custody
     The police has also picked up examination answer sheets and their Physical Education Director's 
     official seal in their house/s. The other dark aspect of the case was that the two were on the rank
     list of an important examination put out by the state's Public Service Commission!

     In yet another dubious turn, the chief minister has told the media that:-

         (a) The Kerala Public Service Commission is an efficient and a clean organisation. No one
               will be allowed to tarnish its image.
         (b) Vested interests are trying to break the University College with false allegations and
               needless controversies.

     The police stationed within the campus - it had since opened up the SFI's 'reasoning room' - have
     been sent out of the campus as per its wishes.

     And see how retribution sets in. The guys on the rank list have not cleared their papers in the
     degree examinations!

     Do these people - the perpetrators of the crime - think that they can get away with anything and
     everything by willfully tampering with and destroying evidence? How can people sitting on
     seats of power orchestrate this unacceptable situation? I continue to weep for you, University
     College!

 3. Another Efficient Organisation Turning the Wrong Way?

     The Kochi Metro which offered convenient transport to Kochiites on hartal days, could grind to
     a halt from next shut down.

     It's for the first time since the incorporation of Kochi Metro Rail Corporation(KMRL) on 02 Aug
     2011, that employees have formally announced a union. Around 170 employees(Out of 600)
     formed a left-leaning Kochi Metro Employees Union.

     Why can't these guys stay off from 'organisation paralysis' procedures? Sad! The unkindest
     cut is coming about when ridership is going to increase as more places of the district came
     under the metro rail's footprints!!

     Otherwise, be different from the other trade unions in the country. Be like the Japs....work on
     striking days and allow the management to learn a lesson or two!


Tailpiece.

Lekha and I went out for an entirely different work this morning. It was to renew/repair handles of pressure cookers and utensils held in the kitchen's inventory. This helps in improving their longevity at less costs!  
     
      

The letter that sparked off extreme reactions!

I find that while I'd given you the reactions to the letter addressed to the Prime Minister by the 49 celebrities, I'd not posted their letter as such. Shall, therefore, post a copy of that letter here. It's essential since I've already told you of the contents of the letter endorsed by 61 other celebrities in reply to it.

This missive has been signed by Aparna Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ramachandra Guha etc. So, without much ado, here I go.

Dear Prime Minister,

We, as peace loving and proud Indians, are deeply concerned about a number tragic events that have been happening in recent times in our beloved country.

Our Constitution describes India as a secular socialist democratic republic where citizens of all religions, ethnicity, gender and castes are equal. Hence to ensure that every citizen enjoys the rights given to her/him by the Constitution, our submission is:

   1. The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately. We were
       shocked to hear from the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) reports that there have been
       no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016 and a definite decline in
       the percentage of conviction.

       Further, 254 religion identity-based hate crimes were reported between 01 Jan '09 and 29 Oct '18
       where at least 91 persons were killed and 579 were injured (Fact Checker, indatabase 31 Oct '18)
       The Citizen's Religious Hate-Crime Watch recorded that Muslim(14% of India's population)
       were the victims in 62% of cases and Christians (2% of the population) in 14% of the cases.
       About 90% of these attacks were reported after May '14, when your government assumed power
       nationally. You have criticised such lynchings in Parliament Mr Prime Minister, but that's not
       enough! What action has actually been taken against the perpetrators? We strongly feel that such
       offences should be declared non-bailable and that exemplary punishment should be meted out
       swiftly and surely. If life imprisonment without parole can be the sentence in case of murder,
       why not for lynchings which are even more heinous? No citizen should have to live in fear in
       his/her own country!

       Regrettably "Jai Shri Ram" has become a provocative 'war cry' today that leads to law and order
       problems and many lynchings took place in its name. It is shocking that so much violence
       should be perpetrated in the name of religion! These are not the Middle Ages! The name of
       Ram is sacred to many in the majority community of India. As the highest Executive of this
       country, you must put a stop to the name of Ram being defiled in this manner.

   2. There is no democracy without dissent. People should not be branded 'anti-national' or 'urban
       naxal' and incarcerated because of dissent against the government. Article 19 of the Constitution
       of India protects freedom of speech and expression of which dissent is an integral part.

       Criticising the ruling party does not imply criticising the nation. No ruling party is synonymous
       with the country where it is in power. It is only one of the political parties of that country. Hence,
       the anti-government stands cannot be equated with anti-national sentiments. An open
       environment where dissent is not crushed, only makes for a stronger nation.

       We hope our suggestions will be taken in the spirit that they are meant - as Indians genuinely
       concerned with and anxious about, the fate of our nation.


 With best regards,
 Yours sincerely


Tailpiece.

Is there an alarming situation prevalent in the country? How have the minorities' lives changed under Modi? And where did the hundreds of lynchings take place?..........This is the fundamental doubt that persists in every citizen. Could anyone explain this to me, please? 

PS.

It was a quiet day today. Saw Mammootty's film 'Yathra', a biopic on the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. His 'padayatra' prior to the elections, on which he won a massive mandate, has been clearly etched and Mammootty has done it effortlessly!

Made for each other!

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy?

A couple married for almost seven decades died within less than a week of one another.

Les and Audrey Pettitt “never spent a day apart” during their 68-year-long marriage, according to friends and family.

And when Les died on July 10 this year at the age of 93, following a deep vein thrombosis which spread to his lungs, Audrey, 91, passed just four days later.

Audrey’s cause of death was “heart failure”.

"She was lost without him. When he was in hospital for a short time she was completely lost. They were always together, they never spent a day apart,” said the pair’s niece, Janice Curran.

"Audrey had other health problems and I never knew her to have heart problems. I think in a way she did die of a broken heart.

"Their relationship was lovely, they always looked so happy".

"I remember he was quite jovial and she was quite reserved but they suited each other well."

The couple first met when Audrey was 19, and worked at a department store with Les’ sister Jean – whom Les sometimes drove home from work.

"He told Jean he would only take her back if she got him a date with Audrey and that's how they met!” Janice explained as to how the pair met. They married in 1951 and built their own home after purchasing a plot of land.

The pair, who had no children, were close to their nieces and nephews – who treated them as surrogate parents, explained Curran.

“They couldn't have children so I think they struggled with that, watching their siblings have a family and children but they had nieces and nephews that they adored,” she said.

"I always called them my second mum and dad".

She added: "We're happy that they're together again."

Is it possible to die of a broken heart?

The British Heart Foundation describes takotsubo cardiomyopathy as a “temporary condition where your heart muscle becomes suddenly weakened or stunned. The left ventricle, one of the heart’s chambers, changes shape.”

It can be brought on by a shock. “About three quarters of people diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy have experienced significant emotional or physical stress prior to becoming unwell,” the charity says.

This stress could include break-up devastation.

As a result of broken heart syndrome, a person may develop an irregular heartbeat, or the heart may become too weak to pump enough blood throughout the body.

Many people simply recover – the stress goes away and the heart returns to its normal shape. But in some extreme cases, like that of Helen, the change in the shape of the heart can bring on a heart attack and even death.

A spokesperson for Cardiomyopathy UK, Dr Daniel Hammersley, said: “The condition causes temporary weakening of the heart muscles which results in the pumping function of the heart".

“It can be associated with events that cause intense stress or emotion in some cases. Patients who develop this condition generally experience symptoms of chest pain or breathlessness.

“Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases the heart muscle function recovers within a few weeks. It is a rare condition overall. It affects women more than men. Most frequently it affects people in their 50s or 60s, although it has been seen in other age groups.”

Note. It's a love story from the net.


Tailpiece.

It was a quiet day with nothing very much happening except for the usual chores.

And now, the counter!

61 celebrities have countered the letter sent earlier to the Prime Minister. The celebrities are Kangana Ranaut, Prasoon Joshi, Madhur Bhandarkar, Sonal Mansingh, Vivek Agnihotri, etc. 

They have written an open letter to point out the hypocrisy of the 'achievers' who wrote an open letter on 'rising intolerance', selective outrage and false narratives which demonstrated clear political bias and motive. Calling the letter as an attempt to foist a false narrative with an intention of denigrating the democratic ethos and norms of our collective functioning as a nation, the 61 undersigned say that their concern smacks of dishonesty and opportunism. 

An open letter which has been published on 23 Jul 2019 and addressed to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has astonished us. Forty nine self-styled guardians and conscience keepers  of the nation and of democratic values have once again expressed selective concern and demonstrated a clear political bias and motive.

To us, the undersigned, this document of selective outrage comes across as an attempt to foist a FALSE NARRATIVE with the intention of denigrating the democratic ethos and norms of our collective functioning as a nation and people. It is aimed at tarnishing India's international standing and to negatively portray Prime Minister Modi's untiring efforts to effectuate governance on the foundation of positive nationalism and humanism which is the core of INDIANNESS.

The signatories to the open letter have, in the past, kept silent when tribals and the marginalised have become victims of Naxal terror, they have kept silent when separatists have issued dictates to burn schools in Kashmir, they have kept silent when the demand for dismembering India, for making of her - Tukde Tukde - were made, they kept silent when slogans chanted by terrorists and terror groups were echoed in some leading university campuses in the country.

For the signatories, it seems the freedom, unity and integrity of India can be bartered away in the name of freedom of speech and expression. But for us, the unity, and integrity of India, her freedom is sacrosanct and anyone who questions these, who works to dilute or destroy these, who conspires to disturb these need to be resisted. Some of the signatories to the "open letter" have a record of acting as mouthpieces and idealogues for insurgents, separatists and terrorists in the past. Their concern, therefore, smacks of dishonesty and opportunism.

They have argued that "anti-government stands cannot be equated with anti-national sentiments", in fact under the Modi regime we see the maximum liberty to differ, to criticise and to abuse the government and the dispensation in power - the spirit of dissent has never been stronger. The Constitution of India certainly gives the right to dissent but not the right to try and break India apart.
To disguise the propensity for subversion by the name of dissent is a dangerous trait.

Prime Minister Modi has very succinctly put forward the mantra of his governance and that is SABKA SAATH, SABKA VIKAS and to that he has now included SABKA VISHVAS. Lynching is a social malady which has to be dealt up front, Prime Minister has spoken out against it repeatedly and the respective state governments are empowered to take action. We would urge everyone to give up being selective and condemn lynching, discrimination and desecration of religious places with equal vehemence when they occur. Instead of indulging in grand-standing, personalities with a social and public profile ought to generate greater awareness on the need to tackle and eliminate the mind-set that leads to lynching. 

Today the marginalised and the oppressed have been empowered like never before, not through the smoke-screen of hollow slogans and political claptrap but through creative schemes. The "open letter" comes across to us as an attempt to mock the mandate of the marginalised, to create a false sense of fear and siege and to try and derail India's march towards collective empowerment of all sections of society. It is clearly an attempt to defame the nation. WE DO CONDEMN the conspiracy.



Tailpiece.

It was a quiet day. In the evening, Sree kochachhan, Suma kunjamma, Kuttu, Vani, Nayana and li'l Sidharth - today was his 'annaprashna' at the Guruvayur temple - had dropped by for dinner. It was a nice mini family get together!


   

Selective outrage!

So our great 'celebrities' are back to their old tricks again. They tried these stunts during Modi's first term......intolerance, award wapasi.......the names involved in the latest missive to the Prime Minister about burgeoning intolerance are the same.....this represents another sinister attempt to paint our land in poor light......to paint an ancient culture in poor light.....

This letter doesn't speak of the terrible, terrible incident in Assam where a Muslim mob molested a tribal cultural troupe for refusing to strip dance to particular tunes...at the culmination of Ramadan! This letter doesn't speak of the vandalism that took place at a Durga temple in Old Delhi.....this letter would have had some credibility had it not been so blatantly one sided......these celebrities should have brought out all incidents of violence, irrespective of religious moorings......I can bring forth countless instances of violence perpetrated by the so called victims of Hindu hatred......

The celebrities themselves are people of suspect credentials......some of them with distinctly Naxal credentials.......their main grouse is not about the so called rising intolerance in the country, but their own growing irrelevance in the new dispensation.....hence, these antics to stay in the limelight.....

Now that these celebrities have spoken about Hindu fanaticism, let me narrate the story of a Hindu....he votes for the BJP, is an ardent Modi fan, is proud of the tag Modi Bhakt.....yet he doesn't think twice before bowing his head in prayer at a Mazhar or offering a chaadar with the number 786 emblazoned across it......

Why don't these celebrities accept the infinite wisdom of this ancient heritage which respects all paths to God?

Similarly, there are Muslims and Christians in this country who do not think twice about visiting a Hindu place of worship.....

We had this lady of Bengal, a devout Muslim by faith who took part in a Gita recital programme.....certain clerics of her faith took umbrage to this and declared her a heretic, calling on the faithful of the community to ostracise her socially.....

Yet we did not hear a whimper from our band of celebrities.....

The fact is that a miniscule band of fanatics/bigots, on both sides of the spectrum, have always been trying to foment trouble in this country for decades now.......these mischief mongers never had the benefit of publicity till now.......it is only lately that certain celebrities have started crying hoarse about intolerance.

Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Aparna Sen, Ramachandra Guha are some of those who are deeply disturbed over 'rising intolerance' in this country and have lent their 'valued' signatures to the letter.....these eminences were very much in their prime when the minority Kashmiri Pundits got thrown out of their homeland by Islamic fundamentalists......yet they did not let out a squeak of protest......for I guess that was a 'secular' upheaval........

A young Kashmiri actor was forced out of her profession by fundamentalists, yet there was not a word of protest from our enlightened celebrities......

We have VERY SELECTIVE MEMORIES..........

We know these celebrities for what they are, a bunch of pseudo secular intellectuals......we know their leanings and understand their view of history.....and so, they no longer can fool us......which is hurting them....

We shall condemn all attempts at disturbing the peace in our land and NOT be selective in our outrage.......

Because all kinds and forms of VIOLENCE need condemnation!

Received on What'sApp.


Tailpiece.

Took Lekha to the doctor for review. He has said that her cough is allergic and has given medicines to tackle it. Phew!

Is there a sustained move to discredit Narendra Modi?

I think many in the opposition have not been able to stomach their defeat in the recently conducted general elections. It could also be that many of the leaders, who created the sham of a 'mahagathbandhan' during the elections, have slowly realised that their time to be in the seats of power - or to be the Prime Minister of the country which most of them cherished - has reached a dead end. So, has the negative propaganda that is very much in the air against the Prime Minister these days, been whipped up by this combined lot?

Take this case of a Christian friend of mine - his FB posts are quite vituperative and anti-Modi. We all have our own political ideologies, but till now we used to have a good laugh at the parties and their leaders' blatant flip flops. The change in his outlook made me sad, bewildered - and to my question as to whether his life had changed after Modi's rule, his answer surprised me and I quote, "Perhaps not. But life for many hapless people, especially the minorities and Dalits have".

To my reply that it was these very same people who have voted Modi back to power with a huge mandate, his retort flabbergasted me and I quote, "I have always credited you with better intelligence and still you believe that BJP came to power this year because the people voted for him? Obviously you haven't read/heard about 2 lakh EVMs missing from CEC's control, BJP IT cell hacking them to show maximum votes for BJP and then those EVMs being exchanged with the other EVMs in CEC's custody, before the results were announced". He would just not listen to my counter that such mammoth rigging would not have missed prying eyes, those whose political affiliation was with the other parties within the election commission and anyways, ill news travels far and wide.........What saddened me was that he and I had grown up in the same environment and have had a liberal education!   

And today, I hear that about 49 celebrities have protested about the rising intolerance - they've called it 'Lynchisthan' and have, in particular, termed 'Jai Shri Ram' as a provocative war cry by the majority community against the minorities. I happened to hear Arnab Goswami asking questions to Aparna Sen - one of the signatories - who refused to answer him because he was partisan! You should have answered it ma'am because we are all keen to know as to why many of you have selective amnesia and are silent on many issues that should have raised your justifiable anger! Sad, we loved and adored you for your work and thought that you were genuine human beings but you've let us down when we needed you the most!

Articles that paint negatively about India in foreign newspapers, obviously, have silent anti-national Indians behind them because what they're peddling are innuendos, half truths and at times, plain lies.

Back home, the parliament sessions have gone into tatters. Important legislation are hanging fire but there doesn't seem to be any sort of urgency to discuss and clear them. Don't these people have the good of the country in their hearts? Or do they fear that Modi will get the accolades if he were to get many bills cleared in this session of the Parliament?

And the BJP needs to keep their loose cannons like Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Prashant Kanojia under a tight leash. One cannot have extreme views to take centre stage. They should be nipped in the bud!


Tailpiece.

It was yet another quiet and rainy day. Lekha and I had gone across to the department store to buy vegetables and grocery at around 1100 hrs and yes, Hamid was our 'sa'arthi'! Am deeply worried about Lekha having a cough despite the antibiotic course, that she has been on, for over the last 10 days.

    

Adieu NR Deb!

Received two messages from course mates, Kalanidhi and Roy regarding yet another course mate, NR Deb.

Kalanidhi. With profound grief and heavy heart, regret to inform sad demise of Cdr NR Deb 65 years.

Roy. Spoke to Manashi. She is still to fully come to terms with what has happened. He was having problems with ulcerative colitis for over a year. Was unwell off and on, but nothing serious. The docs at CH Calcutta suggested a surgical procedure and he went in for it on 15th. Something obviously went wrong, not sure what, but in the post recovery phase, his blood pressure started deteriorating. They operated again and he was in critical care overnight. Passed away the next morning. Cause. Severe sepsis.
His son and daughter-in-law are there now. 
On behalf of all of us I have offered our respects to the departed course mate.
I have also offered our help in sorting out any paperwork/pension issues. I'll be in touch with his son for that. 
Will meet Manashi whenever I'm in Calcutta next.

I first met Nishith Ranjan Deb on board the old INS Delhi when I joined that ship as a cadet in Jan '77. He was shorter than me, rather quiet who mostly kept to himself. Perhaps, the initial reticence was because he had joined us from the previous course. Slowly, we got friendly and I found him to be a genial fellow who laughed very easily.

While in the IN, we came across each other many a time and he was always warm and friendly. He used to say that he liked to spend time with me and I considered that as a great honour. Thanks Deb for showering your love and affection on me without restraint and I shall always remain indebted to you for that!

RIP, Nishith Ranjan Deb. My salute, tears and prayers to a great course mate. May God give the strength to Manashi, Niresh and your near and dear ones to tide over these stressful times!


Tailpiece.

1. A Lie Nailed.

    Prior to meeting up with the PM of Pakistan, Donald Trump had tweeted that our Prime Minister
    had requested him to mediate to solve the Kashmir dispute. The statement by itself sounded false
    due to the following reasons:-

        (a) US President Donald Trump is known to be parsimonious with the truth when he takes to his
              twitter on many issues. Even the Americans don't give it a serious thought and have begun
              seeing through his fibs.
        (b) No Indian Prime Minister would ever call for a third party mediation to solve the India-
              Pakistan issues. The Indian leadership, from times immemorial have insisted that it's a
              bilateral issue. Therefore, it's hard to believe that Modi went with a begging bowl to Trump!
              However, our friends like Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdullah were quick to claim, along with
              the Paki PM, that the Indian PM had indeed done it. Please guys, do your home work
              first before clinging on to lies and falsehoods. By having done this, you've lost your
              credibility yet again.

2. Phew! The Drama Has Ended.

    Finally, curtains were drawn this evening on the week long sham of democracy at Bangalore in
    Karnataka. Fourteen months back, the JD(S) and the Congress had decided to run a coalition
    government despite strong misgivings on both sides. It was never a smooth ride from the word
    go but the parties were the initial players of the 'Mahagathbandhan' of a hotchpotch of political
    parties whose only aim was to grab power in Delhi and Modi was their common enemy. The
    coalition was in disarray once Modi returned to power with a mammoth majority and it was but
    a matter of time for it to fall.

    During the 14 months in power, governance was the worst casualty and the Congress and the
    JD(S) will have to answer, for this lapse, to the people of Karnataka.

PS.

Lekhs's Gopi chittappan-Jayanthi kunjamma, her brother, Sreekumar and Rajan chittappan-Syamala kunjamma had come to visit the temple and to have lunch with us. They left for Kochi before teatime. It was a wet day again!
           
               

It's a great moment for India!

1. Chandrayaan-2 Is In Orbit.

    After a week's delay, the nation's robotic Chandrayaan-2 mission was launched today, from the
    Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 1443 hrs local time. The huge GSLV Mk III rocket placed the
    Chandrayaan-2 at a geosynchronous orbit around the earth, later. Further time frames go like
    what's shown below:-

         22 Jul             The launch.
         13 Aug           Trans lunar injection begins.
         20 Aug           Enters lunar atmosphere.
         02 Sep            The lander separates from the orbiter.
         03 Sep            The lander reaches within 30 km of the moon.
         07 Sep            The lander lands at the south pole of the moon.

      A great moment for India's space efforts. I shall follow the mission from now on to its
      successful end. Proud to be an Indian because this entire mission is of Indian origin!

2. Pakistan Gets The Snub.

    Pakistan is very much in the bad books of Trump's United States. It's because the Americans
    firmly believe and understand, that Pakistan has two timed the US in the war against terror.
    President Trump had made this very clear much earlier itself. But the Asian nation is desperately
    in need of money, military hardware and ammunition and therefore, its PM is in the US with a
    begging bowl.

    The ceremonial reception that a head of state is entitled to was given the short shrift by the US
    and Imran Khan was received by his own Foreign Minister on his arrival at Washington DC
    yesterday!

    And today, he tried to emulate PM Narendra Modi by programming an interaction with the
    Pakistani diaspora settled there. The crowd, I'm told, was very, very less!

3. The Drama Continues.

    The cheap drama continues in the Karnataka Assembly. The Speaker held discussions with the
    opposition leaders, the leaders of the ruling combine of the JD(S) and the Congress along with
    the chief minister, as I write this, but the stalemate continues. HD Kumaraswamy wants the floor
    test to be taken on Wednesday while the Speaker is adamant that it should take place today itself!

    Those guys are making asses of themselves under the watchful eyes of the media cameras as the
    session is being telecast live. They don't seem to be bothered about their own dignity nor are they
    bothered about the House's stature.

    Wonder what they are putting across to the younger generation in terms of dignity and decent
    behaviour?


Tailpiece.

Today was yet another wet day. The PCI representative had come by to renew the AMC while my CA's representative had come by to collect the documents towards filing my ITR.

The toast of India - what a girl?

1. Our Pride and the Toast of the Country.

Perhaps, no one had heard of Hima Das till a couple of days ago until she won the gold medal in the women's 400 m, at the U-20 Athletic Championship in Finland. She had clocked a speed of 51.46 seconds!

Born on 09 Jan 2000, she hails from Nagaon in Assam. She aspired to be a football player but fate had different plans and she, ultimately, made a career in Athletics. Born to Ronjit and Jomali Das, she's the youngest among the six children that the couple has. She is, incidentally, nicknamed 'Dhing Express'.

Showing a maturity far beyond her age and exhibiting love to the place that she hails from, she has offered half her savings to the Assam flood relief fund!

May she continue to bring laurels for the country and God, do please take care of her and grant her all her wishes!

2. Adieu Sheila Dixit ji.

81 year old Sheila Dixit ji had passed into the mist of time yesterday. Three times chief minister of Delhi, I shall always remember the manner in which she changed the face of the national capital during her reign since Lekha and I were in the capital during those times. The building of a series of flyovers eased the traffic congestion and the introduction of CNG as fuel for the public transportation, brought down the atmospheric pollution of the city, considerably. The advent of the Delhi Metro and the support that she gave Mr E Sreedharan in executing the project, without any hindrances from any quarter, showed her administrative mettle.

RIP ma'am. With prayers and tears!

3. The Rain Has Weakened in Kerala.

After inflicting considerable havoc, the south west monsoon in the state has weakened. The population - especially, from the coastal belt and low lying areas - have been shifted to shelters to tide over the situation. The precarious levels that electricity had dipped because of less water in the catchment area, have perked up due to the good and timely rains!

It's hoped that the lull is temporary before the next wave fetches up in abundant measure!


Tailpiece.

It was a quiet Sunday when it rained almost throughout the day. Had run a short errand in the morning to buy vegetables, fruits and medicines. Lekha has been put on oral antibiotic from today.

Adieu JS Iyer sir.

One of the early morning messages in my inbox said that Mr J Sankaranarayana Iyer sir had passed into the mist of time around 58 minutes past midnight in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. All of 88 years, he had been living in and out of old age homes with his wife, thanks to his wayward children.

Iyer sir taught us Maths in '68, while I was a class VIII student in the Sainik School, Kazhakoottam. He had a unique style of teaching and kindled an interest, in me, for the subject with his ready wit and caring concern. His classes used to be interesting with a generous sprinkling of anecdotes and the manner in which he tore into those who didn't show interest in his subject.

Much later had I come to know that he used to meet PN Panicker, my grandfather, during his many trips to Thiruvananthapuram and update him about my performance at school. The last time I'd met him and his wife was at New Delhi, about 9 years back, when he was our guest among the school's old boys. I can never forget the disarming smile that he displayed - the one that's reserved for someone one likes - on seeing me. He hugged me when I'd touched his feet and held me for a while much to the envy of many of my friends and the others who were privy to the moment!

Wonder what forced him into the confines of a series of old age homes especially, when I say that he has three sons? Were sir and his wife so unacceptable to them or to their wives that they didn't want to look after them in their twilight years? I'm sure God will deal with each one of them at the appropriate time. Am worried about the plight of his good lady who has now been left all alone!

RIP sir. My salute to a great teacher and a good human being. With tears and prayers. May Mrs. Iyer have the strength to tide over this irreparable loss!

They don't make them teachers like you anymore, sir. I consider myself fortunate in having grown up under your tutelage!


Tailpiece.

The last of the intravenous injections was administered on Lekha this morning around a half past 6. We'd got up at 5, gone through the chores and Hamid took us in his rick by a quarter past 6. Naveen had administered the injection nicely and smoothly, that, Lekha didn't even feel the pain when the needle was plunged into her. From tomorrow onward, she'll be on oral antibiotics for five days!

PS.

The flip side!

The year was 1981 and I was on board INS Amba. On one of my evening outings with my school senior, KM Bhoj, we came across HS Subramania Iyer(Roll no.426) of my class and after the interaction, I'd invited him, for lunch, on board my ship the next Sunday. He was working as a member of the security staff at the TIFR and had arrived at the appointed hour. After a couple of beers, Subbu tells me, "Hey, Rajeev I didn't know that you were so nice" and went on to narrate an incident that happened way back in school.

The venue was Class VIII A at the Sainik School and Subbu and I were in the same class. For some reason or the other - was it a power cut all through the previous evening, I wonder? - many of us had not done the homework that Iyer sir had given us. We were made to stand and sir had come around to each one of us to find out the reason for our blasphemous lapse and many tasted the harsh whack of his cane. When he came to me he'd asked me the reason and I replied that I'd forgotten. "If you were to repeat it, I'll tell your grandfather" and let me off. Subbu was one the many who tasted the sting of the cane that day and in his young mind, he must have felt that I was given a reprieve, rather unjustly, because of my family connections. He must have felt bad and consequently, hated me all those years and was just validating his feelings that afternoon!

Subbu is no more with us as he had passed into the mist of time quite a few years back with a liver problem!     

I weep for you, University College!

History

I was a BSc student with Physics as the main elective and Chemistry and Maths as subsidiaries, at the University College, Thiruvananthapuram, from Jul to Dec '72. I was marking time to join the NDA then. Thus, I qualify to be an ex-student of that great institution! Consequently, all that I've been reading and hearing about the shenanigans that have come out into the open make me infinitely sad! The students have no right to tarnish the image of an institution!!

Synopsis.

Violence had erupted in the University College campus on 12 Jul, with Akhil, a third year Political Science student being stabbed on the chest. He is, now, stable and recovering. Three other students were also injured in the attack and the reason? Akhil was singing a song that a female SFI student thought was aimed at her, which irked the SFI students!

The incident was a sequel to a dispute between two groups of students belonging to the pro-CPI(M) students' wing. Akhil, also belongs to the SFI. The main accused viz. Sivaranjith, the SFI president of the University College unit and AN Nazeem, the unit's secretary have, now, been nabbed . Four accused viz. Aromal, Adwaith, Adhil and Ijab are in police custody since Monday.

Several bundles of University answer sheets and an office seal of the Director of Physical Education were recovered from the house of an SFI leader and some, even from the SFI office! Story has it that a few of these leaders are on the rank list of an important examination.

My take.

Politics has been encouraged in school/college campuses so that the youth understands the nuances of political activity, follow ethics and the right behaviour while choosing politics as a profession. The salient points that need to be nurtured are:-

       (a) Exemplary behaviour and qualities that endear an individual to the masses.
       (b) Ethical in dealings with zero tolerance to telling lies and adopting unfair practices.
       (c) Should be a beacon for fairness, taking everyone along.
       (d) Opponents are won over by articulating key issues and gaining support.
       (e) Violence of any kind is to be shunned always and every time.
       (f)  Greatest respect to the teaching fraternity.

The sad fact is that many, if not all the points elucidated above, were blatantly not followed resulting in the catastrophe! And to add insult to injury, there was no Principal; a new one has been appointed just a couple of days back!!

The University College must recover its sheen and the pride of place forthwith. To achieve this, the deadwood needs to be removed without fear or favour.

A good college is one in which the students must learn to respect the entire staff, be it teaching or non-teaching. Politics may be played but on issues, it cannot afford to be petty! Till such standards are reached, I shall weep for you my beloved Alma mater!


Tailpiece.

It was a rainy day all through but our two visits to the Rajah hospital for Lekha's injections went through without glitches. Hamid and his rick were of a great help! In the evening, stopped at the department store for sundry purchases.

A load of queries.

In the wake of the recent happenings and the news that covered them, I'm left with a load of queries. So without much ado, let me go through a few:-

  (a) The Drama at The Hague.

        The International Court of Justice has asked Pakistan to review the death sentence to
        Kulbhushan Jadhav and to provide consular access to him. The Court has clearly found that
        Pakistan has violated the Vienna Convention by not providing diplomatic access to the detained
        Indian. Though it's a victory of sorts for India, I think the freeing of Jadhav from the Pakistani
        jail is long overdue.

        He has been tortured over a period of time and Pakistan had played it dirty by keeping him
        behind a screen when his family had gone to meet him. Doesn't this country have even a
        modicum of decency to treat human beings with dignity?

  (b) Hafiz Saeed in Custody?

        If one were to believe the Pakistani press, the mastermind of the 26/11 terror attacks in
        Bombay has been taken into custody. To me it sounds like a big joke. Firstly, because there is
        no authenticity to the news as yet. Secondly, US President's Trump's tweet that success is his
        because he has been at the throat of the Pakistani government to arrest the terrorist!

        It will be business as usual when the Pakistani Prime Minister visits the United States next
        week. The US is clearly playing up to Pakistan to thrash out a favourable position for it, when
        its forces retract from Afghanistan! If Trump and gang think that they can win the battle of wits
        with Pakistan, it's gonna be a tall order because time and again, the latter has shown as to how
        they've mislead them in the past, on a number of issues. And Imran Khan, is literally arriving
        in Washington, with a begging bowl to save his country from the financial mess that it's in.

        And the dreaded terrorist will be roaming around freely once the visit is over! Isn't it a real
        pantomime to hoodwink India?

 (c) The Hobson's Choice.

       The CPM, in Kerala, is in a very tricky situation as of now. Its student wing, the SFI(Students'
       Federation of India), seems to be in a total disarray. One of its members, Akhil, was seriously
       injured when a gang of their own members stabbed him because he 'dared' to sing at the canteen
       and outside the main building. A female student and member of the SFI thought that the song
       was directed at her and hence, the assault by her 'bros'. Moreover, the comrades seem to be on a
       rampant employment of malpractices to score good marks and get top ranks in examinations!

       The state secretariat of the party which had met a few days back did not discuss the problem as
       it's inconvenient. How, then, can the party improve?

       Nothing seems to be going right for it.


Tailpiece.

1. Today, we'd made three trips to the hospital. The first and the last were for the administration of injections - Munir, in the morning and Molly, in the evening executed it with ease and finesse! The afternoon visit was for the doctor's review. He was happy with the progress.

2. Today was also the family's 'Ramayana vaayana' at the Kushappilli temple at my parents' place. Rema had attended the morning session.

              

Inefficiency, sloth, ignorance or genuine blunders?

Had got up at a half past 5, gone through the chores and was ready well in time. Hamid came in by a quarter past 6 and we soon sped to the hospital, hoping to return as early as possible so that our 'sa'arthi' could get on with his next errand of taking the children to school. The Casualty was up and about, going through its morning activities. Most of the lights were switched off.

After a certain amount of delay, one of the duty sisters asked us about our requirement. Lekha told her about the injection and a slip listing the antibiotic, along with the syringe, was handed over to me. The sequential set of events that followed are being given in cryptic form:-

    (a) The pharmacist was asked for two sets of the medicine and accessories for the morning as well
          as the evening requirements, since there was no one in queue at that time.
    (b) The bill was given at the payment counter to pay by my credit card. However, the POS(Point
          of Sale) machine wasn't working and the amount had to be given in cash. Earlier, she'd to be
          told to behave because she 'thought' I'd come to collect a refund - I'd done that yesterday,
          because a few medicines had to be returned! Her audacity did stun me and she had to be
          rebuked and I did just that.
    (c) Handed over the medicine and accessories to the duty sister, who poked the first needle into
          Lekha but was unable to find a vein when I'd to tell her that the lights needed to be switched
          on so that she could see properly.
    (d) Then came two more sisters and all tried their luck on my poor wife, who was writhing with
          pain at each poke of the needle.
    (e) Finally, they insisted on putting in place a 'canula' or the adaptor that would prevent the needle
          to be poked in during every visit!

We lost almost half an hour and in the meanwhile, I'd sent Hamid away because his school trip was time bound. We returned home, sad about the entire episode, but wiser! Didn't know that more bad experience was in store for us in the course of the day and that, too, from the same place!

The day passed off uneventfully with Ramesh coming in before lunch time to do up the garden all around the house to Lekha's satisfaction. And there were a lot many calls inquiring about Lekha's medical state.

We set off to the hospital by a quarter past 6 for the evening dosage of the medicine. It was the same old experience of not finding any sister who could take on the work and what puzzled me was that none of the many floating around was doing anything, but on the other hand were pretending to be terribly busy! Finally, a sister took on the job only to 'realise' that the canula was out of place after seeing a huge swelling in Lekha's hand because the antibiotic she'd injected had gone beneath the skin, instead of going in through the vein!!

She was quick to apply the antidote but insisted upon Lekha's presence for a while, on the bed. Saying that, she'd gone on another errand and every time our eyes met, she said that she would attend to Lekha within a short while. The only thing that kept her busy seemed to be her seemingly meaningless conversations with the duty doctor and other sisters!

Finally, after almost an hour, we could leave the Casualty chastened by the colossal inefficiency and sloth prevalent in the most important point of that hospital - the Casualty. A disaster of mammoth proportions is simply waiting to happen and many poor people are gonna be taken by surprise! May God take care of them.

I understand that this is the state of affairs in most of our hospitals because human beings have the least value! And then, we complain about our healthcare. What is needed is a change in attitude towards the patients!

There was another incident. The charges for taking an intravenous injection is Rs.20/- but the sisters at the Casualty has been randomly billing me from Rs. 25/- to Rs.30/-, prompting the lady at the billing section to query as to why these girls were writing higher charges. That was how I came to know of this partial behaviour towards me! Most of these young ladies hail from very poor families, so why do they do this? Beats me! Are they punishing me for their perception that I belong to the rich and the privileged? A peek into my bank balance would assure them otherwise!!  


Tailpiece.

Today is the 1st of the Malayalam month of Karkkidakam and the recital of the Ramayana has begun. Lekha had begun her recital, since last evening, as per traditions. It will be vegetarianism for the entire month!

Death, at close quarters!

The alarm was set for a half past 5. Accordingly, we'd got up, gone through the chores and were off to the hospital by a half past 6. Since the pharmacy was free of people buying medicines, I could collect the two sets of injections and the antibiotic(One set for the evening!) and also collect the refund of the medicines that were returned, without much delay.

Had gone back to our house when a call from the lab, where we were to reach by a half past 9 for an ultrasonic scan of Lekha's cheeks, informed me that the pathologist specifically referred to by the surgeon, to conduct the scan, was reluctant because she was busy. I'd rung up the surgeon, briefed him about the pathologist's reluctance, told him that we were ready for an alternate pathologist but he'd asked me to wait and promised to correct the situation.

A few minutes later, I received a call from the pathologist's desk saying that she would, indeed, perform the scan. Her receptionist had noted it wrongly as 'carotid' instead of 'parotid' when I was fixing up the appointment last evening! I was taken aback because the doctor was shirking off her responsibility in the case of a 'carotid' scan. Is this what professional integrity has come down to? I'd noted in my mind that I'd put her into the right way of thinking when I met her later!

We were at the hospital by a half past 10. Went through the initial procedure and the scan was carried out. I could meet the pathologist, a smart looking lady who seemed to be in her early 40s. After taking her inputs on Lekha's condition - thankfully, she wouldn't need any surgery as there were no lesions, whatsoever. I, then, spoke to her about my misgivings in her not wanting to do my wife's scan at the beginning! Had to lecture her on 'ethics' and the eagerness one must show in taking up any case and I hope, it has not fallen on deaf ears!

It was lunch and siesta, soon after. Was touched by Dr(Mrs) Sodhi's eagerness to know about the surgeon's course of treatment and I did brief her about it. It had slipped off from my mind, really.

By a 10' past 6, we were back at the casualty of the hospital for administering the injection. As we were waiting, a gentleman was wheel chaired into the hall. He looked to be about 50 years and was short and rotund. His complaint was about the dryness in his throat due to a spike in his sugar level. The reading was taken which was 174 and the doctor said that he was gonna be okay, asking the attendants to shift the patient on to the bed. With great difficulty, the attendants could shift him on to the bed and a few minutes later, his face started getting distorted as though he was undergoing a heavy pain and he'd frothed in the mouth.

The entire set of staff pushed his bed into an enclosure, covered on three sides by thick curtains and I could see the resustication process started which went on for a fairly long time but to no avail! His abdomen had bloated considerably by then, the wife was crying silently on a nearby chair and their son looked sad and befuddled!

I realised that I was quite near him as his soul had taken wings and flown out to the nether world. Not knowing his name, I shall call him 'Stranger'. RIP, Stranger sir. My tears and prayers for your near and dear ones to tide over these stressful times!

Our task finished, we made a quiet exit with Hamid steering us through the busy road.


Tailpiece.

1. Maman had gone for his medical review to day. Spoke to him about what the doctor had advised and it was nice to hear that there's a great amount of progress in his medical condition.

2. Savio, my classmate had called up from Chicago to clear his doubts about Lekha's difficulty. It was he who said that infection of the Parotid often takes place in Lupus patients when the intake of water is inadequate. That seems to be a plausible reason!

    

At the Rajah Hospital, twice.

Had got up much earlier than usual with Lekha's discomfort becoming a deep cause for worry. I was flummoxed regarding the action to be taken and was systematically, going through the various plans of action. I'd, last evening, called up the hospital lab to send its sample drawing team by 7 but they did have an administrative problem. Since my request was put across quite late, the team was only going to arrive at our house by 8! That was gonna be too late for Lekha and it was decided that she would not be going through the rigmarole.

The team of two sisters had come around a 5' past 8 and my blood sample was drawn. My liver has attained normalcy - Bilirubin is 1.1, SGOT is 45 and SGPT is 38.

We'd fixed up an appointment to meet Dr(Mrs) Sodhi and eventually met her around a half past 11. She had advised medicines and put Lekha on antibiotics. She'd also said that if she felt that there was no improvement, she would fix up an appointment with the surgeon, Dr Mohammad Rafi. At about a half past 3, I'd called up Dr Sodhi, who got us an appointment with the surgeon at a half past 4. Accordingly, we were back in the hospital and had a fairly long wait. Finally when we met him around a half past 6, he'd pinned down the problem as inflammation of the Parotid gland. He wanted Lekha to be admitted so that they could administer the injections, intravenously.  To my query, he said that his dad was a fan of the late Mohamed Rafi and had named him after the legendary singer. 

I'd taken the decision of avoiding the admission and arriving everyday from home! The injections have to be taken twice a day with a time gap of 12 hrs. By the time the entire procedure was over, it was a quarter past 7 and I could book for an ultrasonic scan of the affected part in a nearby hospital, tomorrow morning around 0930 hrs. Her 'complete blood count' was devoid of any alarming readings and the parameters were well within limits, which was heartening!

We returned home by a quarter to 8, went through our chores and had a comparatively early evening. Lekha's swelling on her cheek seems to have gotten big; was it because of the pressure exerted by the doctors to arrive at the correct prognosis, I wonder?

Sent a mail about the day's events to doctors Shenoy and Jyoshid as they are aware about Lekha's medical problems.


Tailpiece.

Noticed an old lady sitting on a wheel chair, awaiting her turn with the doctor. She could not shift around unless and until her attendant came and did that for her but does anyone have such patience?  Life, for many people, ends up like that much to their exasperation.......perhaps!

Back at 'The Quarterdeck'.

Lekha had got up at 5, gone through her chores and I'd also got into the tempo of getting ready. Despite our efforts, we could kick off only by a half past 6. Suresh and Sindhu were at hand to see us off while Babu Syriac and Joma were fast asleep. Getting up early in the morning is something that they don't relish and anyways, they'd said it last night itself!

The sparse Sunday morning traffic made our get away smooth and easy. We'd our breakfast of 'puri - bhaaji' at the Usthad Hotel in Kadavoor, on the newly opened Kollam bypass by about a half past 8. Lunch was at the Saravana Bhavan in Chalakkudi by around a quarter past 1. The Paliyekkara toll, the Thrissur town and the highway towards Guruvayur were negotiated without any delay.

After reaching Guruvayur, Lekha had bought sundries from one of the supermarkets and we were back at 'The Quarterdeck' by a quarter past 3. After settling down, observed a swelling of her left cheek, wonder why? It has put me on my toes and I'm feeling very guilty because she wasn't very keen to make this trip to Thiruvananthapuram but had finally relented, to my pressure!


The revenge of the Turks?

Now that England has won the World Cup Cricket and Boris Johnson is poised to take over as its Prime Minister, here's an interesting story about the new gentleman.

At this time a century ago, the interior minister of Turkey was Ali Kemal Bey, who had established the Anglophile Society, advocating that Turkey become a Protectorate(Like Kuwait, Qatar and Johor were at that time). He was hopelessly on the wrong side of history.

When Ataturk completed the reconquest of Turkey from British, French, Italian, Greek and Armenian control in Nov 1922, Ataturk's colleague, General Nureddin, had Ali Kemal captured; he was, then, lynched and hanged from a tree.

In a few days from now, Ali Kemal's great grandson, Boris Johnson, will become Prime Minister of the UK!

Ali Kemal's son, Osman Wilfred Kemal, changed his name to Wilfred Johnson, taking his maternal grandmother's maiden name. Ali Kemal was a journalist and politician, just as his grandson Stanley Johnson was. Stanley's sons, Boris and Jo, are both former journalists and ministers and their sister, Rachel Sahiba Johnson, carries Ali Kemal's second wife's name as her middle name.

Finally, the Ottoman Turks have conquered Great Britain. Ertugral Gaza the great Bey of the Kayi and the Turkish Orghuz tribes and his son, Osman, the founder and first Sultan of the Ottoman Empire must be smiling from eternity and the grave right now.

One of their descendants is about to preside over the affairs of the seat and heart of the Old British Empire and he is about to take Britain out of Europe! Shakespeare's Othello must be a very happy man too. This is indeed the revenge of the Turks.

Note. This is an article written by Mohan Guruswamy.


Tailpiece.

Have delayed my trip to Thiruvananthapuram by a day because of Lekha's condition. Must take her to the doctor tomorrow!

The Golden Jubilee of the Sainik School's Old Boys' Association.

We'd got up comparatively early. Anitha, Lekha's friend had rung up at 6 seeking help to get a maid. She and her mom - who's stricken with Parkinson's Syndrome - stay in their house at Pattom, in Thiruvananthapuram. After assuring her of our assistance, Lekha had given her the cue to help her go about it. We had gone through our chores and were ready well in time.

We left by a quarter past 9 in two cars - Suresh's and Babu's - picked up Vijay and Anitha from Chaakka and sped to the school. The parking slot was pretty far away from the auditorium and we'd to walk all the way from there; for poor Lekha, it was a long trek!

We got into the auditorium through the rear to avoid unnecessary attention on us. It was a well conducted programme followed by high tea. Met our Biology teacher, Saraswathi Amma teacher, who was effusive and warm as ever, saying that she was fond of me and can recognise me anytime, anywhere! Met quite a lot of school mates and it was great talking and interacting with each one of them.

The highlight of the afternoon, was of course, the time spent with Mohanachandran, our coursemate, on wheel chair brought to the school by Manju and Vinu. He even had his favourite pork and puries! After spending time with him, along with many rounds of photographs, we split to return. En route, we'd tea at Vijayakumar's house. And by a half past 4, we were back in Suresh's place for a short snooze. Had got up at 20' past 5, gone through the chores and went to the nearby 'Krishnan kovil'. It was, basically, to relive my  younger days when I used to be a regular visitor to the place, while staying at Kalpar, at Easwara Vilasom Road nearby.

The walk up the flight of steps, going around the temple and returning without waiting for the 'prasadam' meant a lot to me and I cherished every moment of it.

Soon, we had got ready and by 7, we were off to the Trivandrum Club to be in time for the class get together. Babu Syriac - Joma, Suresh Laxman - Sindhu, Thrivikraman, KS Venugopal, J Ajith Kumar - Sreelatha,  Rajeev Mannali - Jaya, K Vipinachandran, VJ Binu - Celine, C Anandakrishnan, self - Lekha, Josekutty Thomas, Vijaya Kumar - Anitha and Louis - Daisy graced the occasion. It was a session of conversation, singing and complimenting JKT with his Hindi skit being translated by me, with differing meanings( A job that I did because Jojy was absent!)

It was a late night as usual and we hit the sack accordingly. Tomorrow, it's gonna be a long day as we'd be headed for Guruvayur.


Tailpiece.

The All Kerala Quiz Competition with the district level winners was conducted at 1000 hrs at the Chinmaya School in Kunnumpuram.

The Old Boys' Day.

Had got up leisurely, gone through our chores, lazed around discussing a host of things with Suresh and Sindhu. Saw their well managed farm around their house and we were deeply impressed with the fish being grown. The fruit bearing trees are under various stages of productivity and are of a healthy variety as they give a lot of attention to their well being!

We set of after 10, picked up Anitha and headed for the Mall of Travancore. It was more of window shopping and the ladies did pick up a few clothes of their choice! Lunch was at the food court and it was a treat from us.

We'd returned to Suresh's place and I'd set off almost immediately to the Foundation to be part of the weekend discussions on 'Banking and Social Responsibility'. Prabha Ravindran gave a broad overview and he took pains to answer all queries from the audience. I took his and maman's permission to cut early to be in time for the next serial of the Old Boys' day, at the Army Officer's Institute.

It was a nice evening. Babu Syriac and Joma had joined us, in the meanwhile. The time was well spent, in that, we could meet a number of seniors, juniors and contemporaries from school. The most interesting among such encounters was to meet up with MV Emayavaramban Murthy, Roll no.330, a class senior to me and an athlete par excellence. He's a aerospace scientist but continues to be humble and kind. He looks quite young with not even a touch of grey in either his hair or moustache! It was a great and humbling experience to feel/see the reactions of the of the old boys when they came and met me.

JK Achuthan, whose Prefect I was in '69, was as enthusiastic as he was then during the interaction. So was Ramesh Babu and I could go on and on. We secured from the Institute by 2300 hrs and the four of us viz. Babu Syriac, Suresh Laxman, BR Vijayakumar and I, along with our wives, conglomorated at Suresh's place to listen to Babu's experience in the Kailash - Manasarovar yatra that he'd undertaken recently. What he went through sounded manly and interesting. Should try and make it!

It was yet another late night!


Tailpiece.

It was a hectic day but felt that a lot was accomplished!   

Death cleaning.

A nice thought shared by a friend of mine.......I liked this concept of Death cleaning. Only a few words are mine, the rest is from a forward that I liked. After hitting 50, we should sincerely do what is called 'Death cleaning'.

It is the methodical cleaning and clearing of ALL the things we have accumulated over a period of years of our active past. It may be clothes, mementos, collectibles, gifts and sundry items, which anyway we do not need in the nether world we are going to go one day.

It's a harsh reality that once we are old, the world has no time for us.

When we are old, our kith and kin have no time for us.

Then after our death, who will bother about clearing our things?

When such is the case, it is better, when we are still able bodied and healthy, to methodically give away all our things to deserving people, who will be happy to receive and use these things and cherish them in our memory.

In this context, we have to be very firm, determined and focussed to clear our things and not give in to our emotions and sentiments.

Better to be practical.

Let's start by doing a little bit of Death cleaning every week or every month.

Let's not buy many new things which we don't need.

Buying should be what we REALLY need and not what we want.

Let us cherish and treasure all the sweet memories of the past and let go of all materialistic things.

Our memories are what we carry with us as we move on, nothing else.

Not just materials, if we have hurt somebody knowingly or unknowingly, this is the time to say sorry and clear our conscience.

Believe me, it will be such a load off our mind.

This is the time to say thanks to one and all who touched our lives, whether in a positive or a negative way.

Either way they would have helped us make a better person.

Hold no grudges, so that when we go, we go peacefully, without any baggage!

Also remember to hold on to your money as long as you are alive and without fail, write your will.


Tailpiece.

It was a quiet forenoon when I spent most of my time in reading and interacting with Indira kunjamma. Lunch, followed by a short snooze, and we left Indira kunjamma's house by 1700 hrs. Reached my friend, Suresh Laxman's house by a half past 5. The Vijayakumars along with their son, Arjun and his wife, Shilpa were also with us in the evening which turned out to be late, as usual!

At Thiruvananthapuram.

We were woken up by the melodious devotional song wafting through the loud speakers of the Kushappilli temple at 0400 hrs. After lowing fluid levels, we hit the sack yet again only to get up at a half past 5 when the alarm had gone off. We went through our chores, Raj Nivas was systematically shut down but all our endeavour to kick off at 0700 hrs fell flat because, by the time we were ready to leave, it was a quarter to 8 and a slight drizzle was on!

Had gone across to Vijayan's house to hand over the house keys for safe keeping and we set off soon after. Omanakkuttan was at hand to remind me about his son's job and saw us off, eventually.

I'd driven straight to the Radisons fuel bunk to top up the Chevy and subsequently, at the Pulamon junction to buy us bananas. Further down, we'd bought vadas to support us as pre-breakfast snacks and had them too, on the roll. It was then that I noticed a lorry that was trying to catch up with our Chevy and it followed our tail till Kazhakootam, where we came across a massive traffic snarl due to the widening activities of the bypass.

By the time we reached Indira kunjamma's house, it was a half past 10 where she was waiting for us anxiously. A quick devouring of the idlis and sambar, a bit of conversation and we decided to take a short nap. Kunjamma was suffering from a severe headache and she had an appointment with the homeo doctor, Rajesh of the neighbourhood, in the evening at 1600 hrs. After a comparatively late lunch, I was off to the Foundation to participate in the ongoing activities connected with the Reading Month. Ramachandran had ferried me in his auto rickshaw.

Maman was away at Kayankulam and he'd returned only after a half past 6. We had a long chat thereafter, and parted ways with Shibu, chauffeuring me back in his auto rickshaw! Both Ramachandran, earlier and Shibu gave me nice insights about life, in general, and their own families! Reached Indira kunjamma's place by a half past 7. India's defeat against New Zealand in the semi finals of the cricket world cup was a dampener, for sure!

Dr. Rajesh has diagnosed my kunjamma with migraine and if it's so, the poor lady is gonna suffer more pain. O God, please don't make her suffer and cure her at the earliest!

Could speak with Kuttu - a merchant marine engineer, currently off Malaysia and who's biding his time to get off the ship - and Kripa-shankar, who has just joined the Vellore Institute of Technology, Madras. The youngster seems to be cheerful though he's living away from his mom and grandmother, for the first time! After dinner had a chat with my cousin, Reshmi on many things while Indira kunjamma and Lekha watched television.

Did we do wrong by deciding to spend the day here, I wonder with Indira kunjamma not keeping well and Reshmi, in a spin, consequent to it? We'd planned to spend our time with them to reduce their angst thanks to Kripa-shankar's shift to Madras and to cheer them up!


Tailpiece.

Munmun Banerjee had called up from Leh for help. The Banerjees and 24 other senior citizens from Pune had fetched up at Ladakh on a sight seeing trip. Could they view the Hermes festival from the Army enclosure? Would I be able to get them special permission?

For us servicemen, it becomes a covenant to help when somebody seeks it. Without much ado, I'd initiated my channels and by evening, found a way out. 

A rainy and yet, not so rainy day.

We'd got up at our usual time. I had lit the lamp in the 'puja room', opened up the house and lazed on the bed for a while when the caretaker, had called us up with the milk from the society. We went through our chores and were ready on time to have our breakfast of dosas, chutney and sambar!

Kamalamma chechi of the Muttathu house, in our neighbourhood, had dropped by just to meet us and spend some time with us, on her return from the temple. She has always been kind to us and she was bemoaning the fact that my nephew, Achu's horoscope does not match with that of her grand daughter's! All of 86 years, she has taken care of herself well, with her positive outlook towards life.

The washed clothes of the day were put on the clothesline even though it was threatening to rain. Eventually, it poured but much later, around lunch time. Lunch was again from Georges' hotel as yesterday. We were toying with the idea of going for a matinee show of the Mammootty starrer, 'Pathinettaam Padi' and found that Padmakumar and Rema were equally interested. The rider was that the idea would be called off if it rained.

The 'Rain God' looked upon us with a favourable eye and eventually, we'd driven down to the Minerva Cinema in Kottarakkara to see the movie. It was 1400 hrs and the sky was overcast with dark, threatening clouds. We reached there just as the titles were being projected; earlier, Padmakumar and Rema had fetched up at the Raj Nivas in an auto rickshaw, from Pidavoor.

The movie was nice and it had a huge star cast beginning with Mammootty, though he comes in only after the interval. We returned, after seeing the movie, via Padmakumar's house, met up with Pidavoor amma and had high tea before reaching home. I'd a quick wash and change to walk down to the temple nearby. It was the family - my paternal grandmother, Kalyani Amma's - temple and known as the 'Koyappilli Temple'. In our younger days, the entire family used to frequent the temple. It was taken over by the Devaswom Board more than a decade back.

The main deity is that of Lord Krishna's, along with Maha Ganapathy, Swami Ayyappan and the Nagaraja. Mom and dad had contributed towards the making of the Nagaraja section of the temple. The 'ashta bandha kalasam', a ceremony where the deity's seating is secured properly - I'm told that the seating had worked out loose due to fair wear and tear - had begun this morning and it will go on till Thursday.

Incidentally, the temple is now called the 'Kushappilli Temple'. Met a lot of people and I continue to have the halo of the UPSC Chairman, in that, two families had approached me to help their children get employment - one has done a diploma in automobile engineering and the other is going through the paces of joining the CRPF! This is a reason for my staying away from gatherings, to the extent feasible!!

I keep telling people that I'm not heard anymore, being retired and retarded(?) but they take it that I'm ducking the responsibility!


Tailpiece.

Today's the first of the two semi-finals in the World Cup Cricket between India and New Zealand. Rain has already played spoil sport towards the end of New Zealand's innings! Rooting for Virat Kohli and his boys!!   

A quiet, yet nice day!

Lekha and I'd got up at our usual time. The lamp was lit in the 'puja room', we went about our chores and had our breakfast of dosas, chutney and sambar - from the Georges' hotel, nearby. Lekha had called for the auto rickshaw at a half past 8 and therefore, we'd our breakfast together just prior to her departure for the Kottarakkara Maha Ganapati kshetram. Meanwhile, I'd cleaned up the Chevy and washed down a small bundle of soiled clothes.

My cousin, Unni chettan, had been asking me for a bottle of brandy for quite a while. Normally, I neither encourage nor entertain such requests because it has its cascading effects but this time, I'd decided to give it an exception and had brought the stuff along with me which I'd handed over to him this morning. The controlled yet visible excitement writ large on his face was palpable and it, definitely, was a Kodak moment! Anyway, I was glad that I'd made him happy for the day!!

Lekha had picked up her sister enroute and together, they'd completed the visit to the temple - they like doing this because it reminds them of their childhood days amid familiar surroundings and I've always seen Lekha returning from such trips, quite rejuvenated.

Flashback, " Can never forget those difficult days of Aug '93. Lekha's SLE(Systemic Lupus Erythmatosus) was getting to be serious - she used to have fever, almost continuously, losing her appetite in the bargain. Her requests for ice creams and fried fish had to be turned down because of her medical condition. And when she was wheeled into the CCU(Coronary Care Unit) as she'd slipped into coma - with the doctor being pessimistic - I remembered how I'd prayed to God to get her back because I wanted to give her the fried fish and the ice creams that she wanted to have. And as soon as she was reasonably well, I'd made sure that she was provided with whatever she liked". From then on, I've never said 'nyet' to her for anything because I know as to how lousy I'd felt during those helpless, bad days!

My sister, Rema, had come by after we'd finished our lunch and by a half past 2, we were off to the Government High School for the public meeting on completion of the 'Reading Fortnight' being celebrated by the State Library Council. The organisers had invited me for the function, reminding yet again this morning that the commencement time was 1500 hrs. The drive to Vettikkavala, was nice as I'd ascertained the route earlier.

There were many elders whom I'd met at the meeting who reminisced their interactions with PN Panicker, my grandfather, during the Library Movement. Mr C Das, came and told me as to how blessed he was because he'd heard my grandfather, years back and today, he'd heard me! I felt humbled as I held his folded hands and looked into his moist eyes - for me, it was an overwhelming moment!!

On our return, we dropped Rema at Padmakumar's house. It was a quiet evening thereafter....the second day without television as I have not recharged our dish connection owing to our short stay this time. In the bargain, Lekha and I got enough time to talk.


Tailpiece.

The day was warm and sultry. It rained only in the evening. Have also fixed up with Indira kunjamma for staying with her before we go for the school's Old Boys' Association's golden jubilee celebrations PM 11 Jul.

    

All is well!

Pramod and Reshmi are a young couple staying at Indira Nagar at Bangalore. They have two children, live life on their terms and are quite a popular and acceptable couple among their friends because of their warmth, helpful nature and gregariousness.

Pramod is a software engineer working in a multinational company. He is hardworking and sincere and is much sought after in his working environment because of his knowledge, perseverance and never-say-die attitude. He sits through late in the night, often getting into bed much after midnight, many a time, beyond 2.

By that time he would have played his many roles to the hilt - the thorough professional at the office and on reaching home, the doting father, who tells bedtime stories to his children and lullaby them to sleep, the loving husband who shares his dreams with his young wife after ascertaining as to how her day had passed and finally, settles down at his work station at home to prepare for another new day.

Things were idyllic and everything was going hunky dory for the well knit family when tragedy struck, a fortnight ago. Pramod had dropped his children at school, was entering his office along with his friend when he suddenly collapsed. Luckily for him, his friend didn't waste even a second and had rushed him to a nearby hospital.

As he was rushed into the ICU, the doctor-in-attendance realised that the young man's heart had ceased to function. Resustication process was initiated and according to the doctor, "the process is carried out for a certain period of time and if there's no response within that time, the patient is declared dead. But in his case, something told me that I should press on for a while more and I did just that". And lo and behold, Pramod's still heart kicked back to life!

The doctor had dashed out of the ICU to urge the family to pray for Pramod. He's out of danger. He'd a massive block in one of his arteries and in such a case the standard practice is to put the patient through the paces of an open heart bypass surgery but in the youngster's case, the doctor had introduced a stent through angioplasty, instead.

Pramod has recouped well and should be out of the hospital tomorrow. The doctor has asked the family to be prepared to register the restrictions that he was gonna clamp down with regard to work, food and rest on the young man, which he's to follow strictly for the next few months. They have also been permitted to ask all their doubts when they meet him.

I was speaking to Rajan maman, Pramod's dad-in-law and my uncle from Ettumanoor, this evening. He's a greatly relieved man and was preparing to receive Pramod at home tomorrow!


Tailpiece.

Had got up late because we'd hit the sack late last night at about a half past 12. Went through the chores and we kicked off for Raj Nivas by a half past 10. Enroute, we'd visited Bharathi chechi - Padmakumar's elder sister - and then, Pidavoor amma. We reached Raj Nivas by about a quarter past 6.

I had a tete-e-tete with mom and dad before settling down to a quiet evening with Lekha. 

At my sister's spanking new place.

Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and we were ready in time. We could get on our journey by about a quarter to 11. The first stop was at my neighbour's place to hand over our gate keys. The next stop was at the Rajah petrol bunk to top up the Chevy with fuel; Lekha, meanwhile, took an auto rickshaw to make a quick purchase while I'd gone to hand over a copy of her aadhaar card to her bank.

Lekha had joined me there and we set off for the last bit of errand enroute to Thrissur which, however, didn't work out. We were then off to Thrippunithura and being a Saturday, the roads were literally clogged with traffic and it took me sometime to get through and hit the highway. The Paliyekkara toll gate was choc-a-bloc with vehicles awaiting clearance.....wonder why they don't endeavour to make the system smart, quick and efficient? They are testing the patience of the general public, in the bargain and there have been many untoward incidents on this score resulting in scuffles between the motorists and the toll booth staff.

I made an error in taking the turn towards Kakkanad, did a detour and backtracked after inquiring as to which turn we'd to take, from the folks conversant with the route. We hit Kakkanad soon after turning left, off Kalamasserry and went on to reach Irumpanam where Padmakumar, Rema and Hemant were waiting for us at an eatery. A leisurely lunch and by a half past 3, we were at Sidhi Kedar - Padmakumar, Rema and Achu's new abode.

Their flat 4 K, is well laid out, has natural lighting and has been furnished tastefully. The surroundings have a lot of greenery and I'm sure the presently narrow approach roads will get to be broader in due course!

Padmakumar and Rema took us around the complex and gave a detailed run up about the facilities that are available.

It's definitely an elegant new address in town and am glad that my sister is one of its inmates.


Tailpiece.

It was a nice drive. Today, it has been a colourful day in the Reading Month activities, with painting for children of all ages and quiz competition at the district levels were organised. The enthusiasm was palpable and the events attracted many children, along with their parents.

The Budget day and other stories.

Touching upon three of the news headlines of the day, the budget and related issues being thrashed by every 'specialist panel' on all news channels. Predictably, the pro-government population supports it by saying that it's imaginative while the pro-opposition groups have trashed it, saying that it's meant for the corporate world.

 (a) The Budget Day.

       The aim of the budget is the thrust for the 'New India'. Therefore, there has been no major
       announcements, more economic reforms, completion of welfare related activities and thrust
       on business and industry related activities. The increase in fuel prices is certain to have a
       cascading effect on prices of essential goods as I understand. What was missing was the usual
       announcements on defence outlay, I suppose in its absence, it will be known within the coming
       days!

       Now, one needs to wait for the final budget after discussions in both the houses of Parliament,
       the additions and alterations!

  (b) The Chinese Method.

        Thousands of Muslim children in China's western Xinjiang region are being separated from
        their parents in what a new study calls a "systematic campaign of social engineering and cultural
        genocide" for regular assessment of their state of mind and psychological counseling. The UN
        says that China has detained more than one million Muslim minorities - ethnic Uighurs - since            an escalation of the policy in the Spring '17.

        Satellite images show that around the same time China had started expanding the facilities, we
        now know as detention camps.

  (c) MAD Becoming History.

        MAD, the longest running satirical magazine that influenced many around the world will be
        leaving the news stands after its August issue. The illustrated humour magazine - recognised
        by the gap-toothed face of mascot, Alfred E Newan - passing into history.

        The magazine had set itself apart as a cultural beacon for decades with its unabashed tendency to
        make fun of anything  and push conventional boundaries.


Tailpiece.

It was a quiet day when I finished many of the pending work. Hamid was my 'sa'arthi' for the outing.