An action packed day.

Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and Lekha was off to the Ganapathi kshetram by 9 and was back, an hour later. Liju George and his work force fetched up later than yesterday, around a half past 8, because according to him:-

      (a) The defective grass cutting machine needed repairs and
      (b) There were four guys to complete the work as against two, yesterday.

Meanwhile, I'd told them that I had purposely delayed our departure tomorrow till lunch time to see the completion of work. The compound was getting cleaner by the minute and by about 1300 hrs, the grass on the three stretches looked clipped and the remaining work centred around the courtyard and the area in front of the wall on the roadside and on either side of the gate.

And then came the downpour which was swift and harsh, making certain parts of the courtyard sodden which caused difficulty for the guys to work on. It was a half past 2 and I paid up the wages and sent them packing. They would come back and complete the remaining stuff once the weather clears and may even finish it off, tomorrow itself, before we move off to Thiruvananthapuram.

Our woes were just beginning. There was a power interruption since 1200 hrs and its restoration looked quite remote. Moreover, the eateries nearby had shut shop because of the rain as they anticipated a drastic cut in the number of customers; so, getting dinner was out of the question. Hence, by about a half past 5, we'd driven off to Kottarakkara to see the Mammootty starrer, 'Gaanagandharvan' at the Minerva theatre, followed by dinner. Letha was picked up enroute.

It was a nice film, with a few unexpected twists and turns but the highlight was the simple, deglamourised fellow that was played by the superstar. Devan, Suresh Krishna and Manoj K Jayan, along with the others, complimented his character. The film had finished at 9, Maari did hand over our packed dinner and after dropping Letha at her house, we reached Raj Nivas to see the house in darkness while all the houses in the neighbourhood had electricity.

Disgusted with the 'lightless night', we'd stepped into the house and presto, all lights come on making it look so conspiratorial! But what the hell, who cared so long as the electricity was restored!

It was a quiet and late evening, thereafter.


Tailpiece.

Could not pass on some important work to Indira ma'am of the Foundation because both our cellphones were under reduced battery charge.        

Interesting bytes.......

Have been following the recent bytes from the media about a few of the current happenings. They have their quaint build ups and connotations with quick responses. Let's visit a few of them.

 (a) Imran Khan at the UN General Assembly.

       The Pakistani PM Imran Khan exhibited classic symptoms of a rabid dog, snapping, biting,
       barking, spewing hatred and venom....he seemed to be consumed by a blind anger, probably
       anger at his own impotency and failings vis a vis India.....

       His speech was more like that of an election aimed at a fundamentalist constituency in Khyber
       Pakhtunkhwa province....there are decent, well bred people in Pakistan who must have been
       horrified at the way he spoke....he has made a laughing stock of himself and his nation....he feels
       that that the nuclear cloak he dons around him gives him a certain invulnerability....feels that he
       can play with the sentiments of India's minorities.

       So the time has come to finish of Pakistan....we bear no ill will to the people of Baluchistan or
       Sindh or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is time to set them free....the rabid dog has to meet his maker..
       Colonel Rabbi Bhuiyan's (Bangladeshi Awami League politician) musings.

  (b) A Diplomatic Knockout Punch.

        Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a controversial leader has yet again shown his neo-
        Caliphate aspirations during his speech at the UN General Assembly. During his speech, he
        positioned himself as the "messiah" of the Muslim populations across the world. He took up the
        Palestine issue, the Rohingya immigrant issue and it comes as no surprise he has been criticised
        for his commitment to global jihad in the past. Under his directions, his country's intelligence
        agency has been providing resources and material assistance to the ISIS since 2012 and he has
        also been a staunch supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

        He raised the Kashmir issue in support of Pakistan's attempts to internationalise the issue. To
        quote him, "Despite the resolutions adopted, Kashmir is still besieged and eight million people
        are stuck in Kashmir. In order for the Kashmiri people to look at a safe future together with
        their Pakistani and Indian neighbours, it is imperative to solve the problem through dialogue
        and on the basis of justice and equity, but not through collision".

        Turkey is an all-weather ally of Pakistan and the two have signed a Treaty of Eternal Friendship
        way back in the '50s. It was largely based on the Islamic identity of the two countries - both are
        Sunni Muslim communities and they look at the Islamic identity as central to national politics.

        India has resorted to a quiet diplomacy and accordingly, PM Modi met the Armenian PM
        Nikol Pashinyan and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades on the sidelines. Both the countries
        have been wronged by Turkey in the past. By doing so, a strong, no nonsense message has been
        sent to Erdogan!
        Courtesy. Akshay Narang.

  (c) Response to Youngsters Who Demonstrated for Climate.

        "You are the first generation that has demanded air conditioning in every room, your lessons
        are all done on the computer, you have a TV in every room, spend the whole day using
        electronic means, instead of walking to school take a fleet of private vehicles that clog the
        public streets, you are the largest consumer of consumer goods in history, continually buying
        the most expensive clothing to be "trendy", your protest is advertised by digital and electronic
        means.

        Guys, before protesting, turn off the air conditioning, go to school on foot, turn off your phones
        and read a book, make yourself a sandwich instead of buying packaged food.

        None of this will happen because you are selfish, ill educated, manipulated by people who use
        you, claiming to have a noble cause while you enjoy the wildest western luxury. Wake up,
        mature and close your mouth. Inform yourself of the facts before protesting".

        A young journalist from SkyNews Australia.
        PS. For the youngsters to have reached such a way of life, aren't the parents also to blame?


Tailpiece.

Liju George and his buddy, Lalu had fetched up at a quarter to 7 with their grass cutting machines and commenced their work without much ado. The day was, thankfully, dry though it began to rain by evening. Lekha, along with her sister, had gone to their family temple at Kayankulam in the evening. Meanwhile, the traditional farmhands came asking as to why they were bypassed for the machine users and they'd to be warded off diplomatically; otherwise they won't come for subsequent work! 

  
    

Keeping Quiet.

Now we will count to twelve

and we will all keep still.

For once on the face of the earth,

let's not speak any language;

let's stop for one second,

and not move our arms so much.

It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines;

we would all be together 

in a sudden strangeness.

Fishermen in the cold sea

would not harm whales

and the man gathering salt

would look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,

wars with gas, wars with fire,

victories with no survivors,

would put on clean clothes

and walk about with their brothers

in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused

with total inactivity.

Life is what it is about;

I want no truck with death.

If we were not so single-minded

about keeping our lives moving,

and for once could do nothing,

perhaps a huge silence

might interrupt this sadness

of never understanding ourselves

and of threatening ourselves with death.

Perhaps the earth can teach us

as when everything seems dead

and later proves to be alive.

Now I'll count up to twelve

and you keep quiet and I will go.

By Pablo Neruda.

*                *                *

Math jokes and puns

  1. Why was the fraction apprehensive about marrying the decimal?

       Because he would have to convert.

  2. Why do plants hate math?

       It gives them square roots.

  3. Why did the student get upset when his teacher called him average?

       It was a mean thing to say!

  4. Why was the math book depressed?

       It had a lot of problems.

  5. Why can you never trust a math teacher holding graphing paper?

       They must be plotting something.

  6. Why was the equal sign so humble?

       Because she knew that she wasn't greater than or less than anyone else.

  7. Why is the obtuse triangle always so frustrated?

       Because it is never right.

  8. What do you call the number 7 and the number 3 when they go out on a date?

       The odd couple (but 7 is in her prime).

  9. What do you call a number that can't stay in one place?

       Roamin' numeral. 

 10. Did you hear the one about the statistician?

       Probably.

 11. What do you call dudes who love math?

        Algebros.

 12. I'll do algebra, I'll do trig. I'll even do statistics.

       But graphing is where I draw a line.

 13. Why should I never talk to Pi?

        Because she'll go on and on and on forever.

 14. Why are parallel lines tragic if they have so much in common?

        It's a shame they'll never meet.

 15. Are monsters good at math?

       Not unless you Count Dracula.

 16. What's the best way to flirt with a math teacher?

        Use acute angle.

 17. Did you hear about the mathematician who is afraid of negative numbers?

       They would stop at nothing to avoid them.

 18. How do you stay warm in any room?

       Just huddle in the corner, where it's always 90 degrees. 

 19. Why is six afraid of seven?

        Because seven eight nine!

 20. Why did seven eat nine?

        Because you're supposed to eat 3 squared meals day.

 21. Why does nobody talk to circles?

        Because there is no point.

Tailpiece.

Had got up around a half past 5 to go to the rest room and could not sleep any further. We got ready and kicked off on the next phase of our journey around a quarter past 10. Since it was a Saturday, there wasn't much clogging of traffic and we could pass through the choke points without delay. However, we reached Lekha's sister's place by a half past 2. After Letha's scrumptious lunch and armed with packed dinner, we set off for Raj Nivas and reached there by a half past 3. A quick opening up of the house and we soon settled down to a badly needed siesta. And it was a quiet evening thereafter! I did brief mom and dad about our programme.

Tomorrow the work force will descend at our place, around 6 AM, to clear the wild growth.Will rain - as per prediction - spoil the show?

To use the world well.......

To use the world well, to be able to stop wasting it and our time in it, we need to relearn our being in it.

Skill in living, awareness of belonging to the world, delight in being part of the world, always tends to involve knowing our kinship as animals with animals. Darwin first gave that knowledge a scientific basis. And now, both poets and scientists are extending the rational aspect of our sense of relationship to creatures without nervous systems and to non-living beings - our fellowship as creatures with other creatures, things with other things.......

Relationship among all things appears to be complex and reciprocal - always at least two-way, back-and-forth. It seems that nothing is single in this universe and nothing goes one way.

In this view, we humans appear as particularly lively, intense, aware nodes of relation in an infinite network of connections, simple or complicated, direct or hidden, strong or delicate, temporary or very long lasting. A web of connections, infinite but locally fragile, with and among everything - all beings - including what we generally class as things, objects.

Ursula K Le Guin, (1929 - 2018), American author.

   *                         *                             *

Dilbert is an American Comic Strip.

Dilbert's famous one liners.

 1. I say no to alcohol, it just doesn't listen,

 2. A friend in need is a pest indeed.

 3. Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce.

 4. Work is fine if it doesn't take too much of your time.

 5. When everything comes in your way you're in the wrong lane.

 6. The light at the end of the tunnel may be an incoming train.

 7. Born free, taxed to death.

 8. Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.

 9. Life is unsure; always eat your desserts first.

10.Smile, it makes people wonder what you're thinking.

11.If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you'll have trouble putting on your pants.

12.It's not hard to meet expenses, they are everywhere.

13.I love being a writer....what I can't stand is the paperwork.

14.A printer consists of 3 main parts : the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light.

15.The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot and the guy who invented the other three, he
     was the genius.

16.The trouble with being punctual is that no one is there to appreciate it.

17.In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills?

18.If you cannot change your mind, are you sure you have one?

19.Beat the 5 o'clock rush, leave work at noon.

20.If you can't convince them, confuse them.

21.It's not the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop at the end.

22.I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

23.Hot glass looks same as cold glass - Cunino's Law of Burnt Fingers.

24.The cigarette does the smoking you are just the sucker.

25.Someday is not a day of the week.

26.Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.

27.To err is human, to forgive is not a Company policy.

28.The road to success......is always under construction.

29.Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does milk.

30.In order to get a loan, you first need to prove that you don't need it.


Tailpiece.

Our day began at 4 o'clock. We went through the chores and were on the road by a 20' to 7. The traffic was smooth and we had breakfast at the Saravana Bhavan at Paliyekkara. We reached Panampilli Nagar by a half past 10, parked the Chevy there and went by an auto rickshaw to Jos Junction to do a bit of shopping. Reached my cousin's house by about a half past 12, had a short snooze, lunch at a half past 1 and were at Dr Satish Bhat's clinic by 10' past 3. It was a quiet evening, subsequently. Met two interesting guys - Nizam and Rafique, the latter is onto 'kalarippayattu' - who'd dropped by, on my cousin's request, with an array of new cellphones. Gave them my exact requirement!

Mismatches!

I'm terming a few of the news bytes that I've heard today as mismatches. When you read them you, too, might come to the same conclusion as I have. So, without much ado, here I go:-

 (a) UK's Labour Party Move.

       The Labour delegates have unanimously passed a controversial motion on Kashmir at their
       annual party conference in Brighton, leading to India's UK mission cancelling a dinner with
       Labour friends of India. The motion claims a "major humanitarian crisis" is taking place in the
       "disputed territory" and calls for "humanitarian and international observers to the entire region".
       It goes on to state that the people of Kashmir should be given the right to self-determination.

       My take.

       What a blatant example of interference into another country's internal matters? A sense of 
       double standards! Do they still consider India as its colony?

  (b) Leprosy Has Made a Comeback.

        Leprosy was declared to have been eradicated from the country almost a couple of decades
        back but a two-week long campaign against 'Leprosy' called 'Aswamedham' was launched in the
        northern district of Palakkad as 154 new cases were reported during financial year 2018-'19,
        compared to the 100 of the previous year. Out of these, 18 persons were affected by deformity
        and the disease were affected by deformity and the disease was confirmed in 20 children during
        this period. Palakkad is followed by Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram in the list of districts
        with the highest number of leprosy cases.

        My take.

        The dreaded illness is back with a vengeance? Is the illness not 100% eradicable? Wonder what
        the statistics of other countries say about Leprosy's recurrence?

  (c) Dalit Kids Killed for Open Defecation!

        Two dalit cousins - a girl aged 12 and a boy aged 11 - were beaten to death by two men in
        Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh when they were defecating in the open in front of the
        suspects' house and farm. Don't the lives of dalits have any value? Why do we still treat them
        like muck? Who has given the power to take another's life?

        My take.

        RIP Roshani and Avinash! My tears and prayers!! I hang my head in shame at this ghastly
        behaviour of my misguided fellow countrymen!!!


Tailpiece.

It was a quiet day. Had gone across to Santosh's watch shop to change the button cell of my pocket watch. Enroute I'd met Gopalan, the sentry at Ikka's main gate who was quite surprised that I wasn't seen despite my presence out here. He has been inquiring about me from many people. Damn sweet of him! The Quarterdeck was progressively shut down during the course of the evening.          

       

       

How's Kashmir today, after so many days of abrogation of Art 370?

I went to meet pellet gun victims in Soura, the new epicentre of Kashmir's anger. CRPF troops said they couldn't be bothered to go into Anchar in Soura because it was too unimportant. Others worried about collateral damage.

Anchar, in Srinagar's Soura locality is being held up by certain sections of the press as some kind of heroic last resistance to the Indian State. Others see it as a Jihadi hive, the new epicentre of Kashmir's anger. Like all stories, the truth lies somewhere in between.

Many Indians first heard of or saw Soura in a viral BBC video after the Narendra Modi government scrapped Article 370. In the video, an upscale Srinagar neighbourhood is seen breaking into protests. Reportedly, several Kashmiris were injured in the clashes.

So, I set out on a fact-finding trip last week to see the pellet gun victimsfor myself. My first stop in Srinagar had to be Anchar - a sub-locality of Soura. But we have to first understand the place.

Understanding the bastion

The main clan in Anchar is the Tiploo. They are married into almost every family there and control 'sentiment' of the area. For a long time, their livelihoods depended on the nearby Anchar lake where they harvested lotus stems and fished. Others sold goods at the Jenab Sahib mosque, where relics of the Prophet Mohammad's four companions are kept.

Soura used to be a National Conference bastion, fiercely loyal to Sheikh Abdullah with a reputation of being his "shock troops".

In the late 1980s, the destruction of the Anchar ecosystem began with the rapid drying up of the lake(It is now one-third of what it was in 1971). By 1990, the colony had decisively turned towards the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front(JKLF). The Tiploos felt that they weren't adequately rewarded for their loyalty to the Abdullahs. This was compounded by the jealousy of Anchar residents towards Soura for transforming from an agricultural backwater to the new downtown, as population pressure forced the downtown elites to move out. one road - the 90-foot road) in Soura, for example, now houses some of the poshest properties in Srinagar.

Up the garden path

Arriving at Anchar, I was amazed by the nonchalance of the security forces dispersed across the locality. They were relaxed and there were no checks. People moved freely in and out.

When I walked up to the barricade of the "liberated zone", I encountered a group of three feisty women coming out. They were not wearing burkhas and were happy to talk to a stranger. When we started talking, some men joined in. They claimed that security forces had tried to enter Anchar two days prior, resulting in stone-pelting and pellet gunfire. First they said the number of people hit by pellet guns were 40, but it rapidly increased to 200.

Despite the warnings of my driver to stay away("Sir they beat up a TV crew here last week"), i decided to approach the 'gatekeeper', who controlled entry through the stockade. I insisted that I wanted to see the victims of pellet guns and assess their wounds. The gatekeeper told a little child to "shut the shops". (I don't speak Kashmiri, but my driver quietly translated in my ear. He was too scared to come in).

As we walked up to the jenab Sahib grounds, he suddenly told me, "If you want to see fresh pellet victims, you'll have to go to Sher-i-Kashmir institute of Medical Science(SKIMS)". I terminated the tour abruptly, much to the annoyance of my host, after all, I was there to look at verifiable injuries, not listen to narratives. I headed out to SKIMS, possibly Srinagar's largest and best- equipped hospital. It was jam-packed, but I found just one pellet victim there - a 12-year-old boy who suffered superficial wounds to the back of his head and was being released that day. I was restricted from entering his room, but I had the freedom to walk around the other wards, none of which had pellet gun victims.

Disappointed, I walked out and started talking to a distraught local, whose father-in-law asked me not to disturb her. He told me that they were from Nubra and had come to Srinagar for treatment after his son had a stroke. He told me he had received "first-class" treatment and experienced no shortages. But the crowd(And a crowd gathers almost immediately everywhere you try to interview someone) pushed him aside and insisted that there were severe shortages.

I decided to walk with a man, he had a prescription with him, to a nearby pharmacy just 20 metres away. Every single drug on the prescription was available. (The medical supervisor I had interviewed before had told me as much, having dealt with long shutdowns in 2010, 2014 and 2016. The hospitals, it seems, have developed a very good stocking and distribution mechanism).

Searching for victims

I went back to the gatekeeper in Anchar and complained that he had led me up the garden path. Profusely apologetic, he told me that the victims have been taken to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh(SMHS) hospital, a full eight kms away. I was immediately suspicious as to why someone would be taken that far away, when Anchar is closer to SKIMS. But the intent here was never to challenge, only to verify, so off I went.

Again, there was no police presence and I was free to roam the wards. Doctors are barred from talking publicly, but one doctor led me to his room. He confirmed that there were no medicine shortages and that there were three people with pellet injuries, one of whom I was allowed to see but not photograph. None were from Anchar/Soura.

A woman, who was a relative of one of the pellet victims, turned up to get a signature from my doctor. A quick rapid unintelligible chat later they giggled and she left. When I played the recording to my driver and three others much later, they all confirmed that the doctor challenged her, asking incredulously, "Sure he was one of those innocent boys who headed out shopping right?" This was followed by giggles.

Exaggerated tales

Again, I headed back to Anchar. It was already three in the afternoon, verifying a single story. I was met by a different gatekeeper who told me, "We don't send our victims to the hospital, we get doctors over at home to avoid prosecution".

Exasperated, I again asked to meet some of them and he took me to see some victims whose wounds were clearly old, possibly months. My insistence that I be shown recent victims was met by, "Well, we don't know who you are and we want to avoid an MLC(Medico legal case)".

On my way back, the women of Anchar told me their stories of victim hood. Unanswered during this entire day were several questions: If troops weren't allowed into Anchar, how exactly did this pelting-pelting(With 40-200 injuries) happen? Where are the victims?

Driving out, I decided to interview the CRPF troops on the main road. They told me that they've not been in Anchar and couldn't be bothered to go in there because it was tto unimportant for them. Higher-ups gave a different perspective, saying their main worry was the collateral damage, given that "these people are more capable of setting fire to the Jenab Sahib mosque with disproportionate consequences for the Valley".

Unseen till the end remained the mysterious pellet gun victims of the 12 Sep clashes. The Ancharese, however, are intensely likeable rebels, clearly prone to severe exaggeration, aimed at nurturing the "liberated zone resistance" myth. But boy do they know how to spin a yarn and market it.

In short, Anchar is definitely not a jihadi hive, but their "liberated zone" has less to do with their spirit and more to do with marketing and using Jenab Sahib mosque as a hostage.

Note. In the first person, Abhijit Iyer-Mitra in ThePrint.

My take.

Was reminded of the numerous unsubstantiated twitter stories of Shehla Rashid!


Tailpiece.

Were up at our usual time and while Lekha went for her weekly tryst at the Mammiyoor Sivakshetram, I'd made two trips to the Rajah Hospital to know my Fasting Blood Sugar and Post - Prandial Blood Sugar readings prior to meeting up with my doctor, on Friday. Hamid was my sa'arthi both times and then, I was off to the service station. The bus that I'd boarded decided to alter their route due to a bad traffic snarl at Puzhakkal and I trudged a short distance before I came across Arun, a diploma student in mechanical engineering - trying to beat the rain at the Adattu bus shelter - who'd given me a lift on his Activa and dropped me at the service station, damn sweet of him! The drive back was through rain. 
   

Some gems about Kashmir.

 1. Origin of the word "Kashmir".

     The word Kashmir was derived from the ancient Sanskrit language and was referred to as
     Kasmira. The Nilamata Purana describes the valley's origin from the waters - a lake called Sati-
     saras. A popular, but uncertain, local etymology of Kashmira is that it is land desiccated from
     water.

2. Origin of the word "Pampore".

    According to historical evidence, the ancient name of Pampore was 'Padampur' which means
    Lotus City in Sanskrit.

3. Origin of the word "Anantnag".

    The name Anantnag is originated from the Sanskrit term 'ananta', meaning 'infinite' and Kashmiri
    word, 'naga', meaning 'water spring'. Anantnag would thus mean Numerous Springs, as there are
    indeed many springs in the town.

4. Origin of the word "Budgam".

    Budgam is an admixture of two Sanskrit words, 'Bud'(Meaning 'big') and 'Gam'(Meaning 'village')
    and the legend goes that once upon a time Budgam was a very prosperous and densely populated
    township and hence, the name.

5. Origin of the word "Kulgam".

    Kulgam is known for a religious saint (Syed Simnan Sahib), who gave it the name 'Kulgam'. 'Kul'
    means clan and 'gram' means village - both being Sanskrit words.

6. Origin of the word "Awantipora".

    Named after King Avanti Varman who had built a number of ancient Hindu temples, including
    the Avantiswami Temple.

7. Origin of the word "Sonamarg".

    The name derives from two Sanskrit words - 'sona' meaning gold and 'marg' meaning meadow. So
    the name could be translated as the golden meadow or meadow of gold. The beautiful yellow
    flowers which bloom in the spring and wraps the valley floor gave the place its name.

8. Origin of the word "Baramulla".

    The name is derived from the Sanskrit 'Varahamul', a combination of 'varaha'(Boar) and 'mul'(root
    or deep) meaning 'boar's molar'. The modern Baramulla was called Varahamulaksetra or Varaha-
    ksetra in the past. Originally, it was a suburb of Huviskapura(Modern Ushkur).

9. Origin of the word "Pulwama".

    It's often called the 'Anand of Kashmir', meaning the delight of Kashmir in Sanskrit but also the
    'Dudha-Kul of Kashmir'(Milk).

10.Origin of the word "Shopian".

     Derived its name from a distortion of the word 'shah-payan' meaning 'royal stay'. However, the
     local etymology states Shopian was earlier named as "Shin-Van", 'shin' means snow in Kashmiri
     and 'van' means forest in Sanskrit.

11. Origin of the word "Gulmarg".

      Its ancient name was 'Gauri Marg' meaning the path of Devi Gauri, another name Lord Shiva's
      wife. Yousaf Shah Chak, who was responsible for forcefully converting many Kashmiri Pandits
      to Islam, changed its name to Gulmarg.

12. Origin of the word "Pahalgam".

      Pahalgam gets its name from the ancient history of Bronze Age Civilisation. Pahalgam is made
      up of two Sanskrit words, 'Pahal' means first and 'Gam' means village or locality.

13. Origin of the word "Sopore".

      Founded by Utpala engineer and irrigation minister Suyya during the reign of King
      Avantivarman in 880 AD. As such the name of the city is "Suyya-pur", which has been
      shortened to Sopore.

14. Origin of the word "Kishtwar".

      Existence of the city goes back to the Mahabharatha time when it was called "Lohit Mandal"
      meaning the land of Saffron. According to historians, it was previously called "Kashyapwas"
      meaning the place of Kashyap Rishi.

15. Origin of the word "Banihal".

      Means 'blizzard' in Kashmiri language. Another view regarding the origin of the name is that
      'Banihal' is derived from two Kashmiri words, 'bah' meaning twelve and 'nallhe' meaning a
      rivulet. In some ancient texts it has been referred to as 'Devgol', meaning the abode of mystical
      giants.

16. Origin of the word "Kokernag".

      The word is a combination of two Sanskrit words, 'koker' means fowl and 'nag' means serpent.

*                       *                        *

How long does it take to decompose?

     * Paper towel             2-4 weeks.
     * Banana peel            3-4 weeks.
     * Paper bag                1 month.
     * Newspaper              1.5 months.
     * Apple core              2 months.
     * Cardboard               2 months.
     * Cotton glove           3 months.
     * Orange peels           6 months.
     * Plywood                  1-3 years.
     * Wool sock               1-5 years.
     * Milk cartons            5 years.
     * Cigarette butts         10-12 years.
     * Leather shoes          25-40 years.
     * Tinned Steel cans    50 years.
     * Foam plastic cups    50 years.
     * Rubber.Boot sole     50-80 years.
     * Plastic containers     50-80 years.
     * Aluminium cans       200-500 years.
     * Plastic bottles           450 years.
     * Disposable diapers   550 years.
     * Monafilament
        fishing line               600 years.
     * Plastic bags              200-1,000 years.

Please support a green environment!   


Tailpiece.         

The day had its fair share of rain. Pushpaakaran had come to do the spring cleaning of 'The Quarterdeck', which he began at 9 AM and finished by 4 PM. Consequently, I'd to postpone the collection of our Chevy to tomorrow!

   

  

    

The case that created a furore has ended in a whimper!

Am gonna speak about a case that had created a furore when it first hit the headlines and have just ended in a whimper after finding its way through the courts. The accused have also been acquitted and hence the relevance. The Public Accounts Committee(PAC), headed by Murli Manohar Joshi in its draft report, had indicted A Raja for his dubious designs and wayward actions that brought about a loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crores to the exchequer!

      The 2G Spectrum Scam.

       Many people have demanded an apology from Vinod Rai, the former CAG, who had brought
       forth the issue about the massive 2G Spectrum scam while in office. It was because the trial court
       had acquitted the former telecom minister A Raja and others in the 2G Spectrum allocation scam.
     
       The Supreme Court had confined itself to evidence, records, witnesses and discussions, all within
       the court premises. While the auditor was looking at the irregularities of government procedure,
       the Court was looking at the legal aspect of change in the goal posts.....independent of the CAG
       findings and cancelled the licences.

       The CBI examined criminal intent, acts of omission. It based itself entirely on the evidence
       brought to it by the prosecution. And it observed a 'miserable failure of criminal investigation'.

       The team of auditors, if asked to work on the records pertaining to the case, will come up with
       the same conclusions, asserts Vinod Rai!

       * So have no wrong been done with regard to the 2G Spectrum allocation?
       * Were A Raja and his team drawn into a false case? 
       * How did the CAG come to such startling conclusions?
       * Why isn't an appeal against the verdict, along with strong evidence and an effective
           prosecution, being filed? 

       The questions will linger on.......

  *                               *                                *

The Furore Over No Audits by the CAG

The LDF government has got no answers to the opposition leader, Ramesh Chennithala's charges
that mandatory CAG audits of the KIIFB(Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board) and the KIAL(Kannur International Airport Ltd) have been done away with, by the government, to hide massive corruption.

In fact, this was the charge that was highlighted during the just completed by poll for the Assembly seat of Pala. Along with it, the corruption and anomalies behind the Kerala State Electricity Board's(KSEB) TransGrid project has also come out at the most inopportune moment for the Kerala government.

The exit poll, conducted by the Asianet, gives a comfortable win for the UDF in Pala, where the by poll was necessitated due to the passing away of the state's former Finance Minister KM Mani, a few months ago. Seeing the bitter fight within the two factions of the Kerala Congress(Mani) party - Pala is the seat of the party - and sensing a sure shot LDF victory, the chief minister had raised the stakes on the by election by saying that it would be a referendum on the performance of his government! Will he rue his words?

And will the government finally agree to the CAG audits in the KIIFB and the KIAL? Will depend on the pressure that the opposition puts.....

  *                               *                                  *

A query that crept into my mind after seeing the 'Howdy Modi' programme in Houston, "Did our Prime Minister have to endorse President Donald Trump for his re-election?" Probably, it was a sudden reaction to the manner in which Trump had wholeheartedly participated in the programme, underlining their strong friendship. And one would go out of the way for one's friend, huh!


Tailpiece.

The work on the brake assembly on our Chevy was nearing completion by evening and will take about an hour more, tomorrow morning, before it is test driven.

And today, it rained in phases.

PS.
Today, the chief minister was at Guruvayur to inaugurate a slew of projects that were starting or finishing, in and around the temple town. There was a farce played at the eastern entrance of the temple where he stood watching the deity(Without folding hands; a communist can't afford to do it, you see!) - he was received by an array of caparisoned elephants, pilgrims were blocked from entering the sanctum santorum during the period and the government programme was organised at the Melpathoor auditorium, which hosts only socio-cultural programmes. Our political leaders behave worse than royalty of yore!

Greta Thunberg has arrived!

Until last year's United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Poland, many would walk past her musing what a "child is doing at a high level meet". She had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach New York on a zero-emissions sailboat. Last Friday, at the battery Park in New York, over 2.5 lakh people across the globe had turned the spotlight on her.

16-year-old Greta Thunberg made history by bringing around four million people across the globe to fight for one cause, the crisis of climate change.

Her bold message to the world leaders was, "What's the point of educating ourselves or learning facts when people in power refuse to listen to the educated. We have not taken to the streets, sacrificing our education, for the adults to take selfies with us and tell us that they really admire what we are doing. We are doing this to wake up the world leaders because we deserve a safe future".

        *                               *                                 *

2. Activity Around Area 51.

    It all began in the month of June, when a Facebook user jokingly exhorted readers to "storm" Area
    51 on 20 Sep "to see them aliens". Over 2 million had signed up to storm Area 51 - a secretive US
    Air Force base in Nevada, long rumoured to house government secrets about extra terrestrial life
    and spaceships - but finally, only about 3,000 out-of-towners had fetched up by last Thursday and
    Friday and the gathering was, by and large peaceful.

    UFO enthusiasts were welcomed with the pilgrimage and two festivals that were specifically
    organised for the occasion.

         *                                *                                  *

3. Cheers for Beer.

    The first keg was tapped and the beer started flowing as the 186th Oktoberfest got underway on
    Saturday in the German city of Munich. Revellers - many women in colourful traditional dresses
    and men in Bavarian lederhosen (knee-length leather breeches) - started lining up in front of the
    gates before dawn to get inside. Around 6 million beer lovers from around the world are expected
    at the festival in Munich before the Oktoberfest ends on 06 Oct.

         *                                 *                                  *

4. 'Howdy Modi' has Kicked Off.

     About 50,000 people have conglomerated at the NRG stadium, at Houston in Texas, to participate
     in the welcome being arranged for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a week long visit
     to the US to participate in the UN General Assembly deliberations. I would be eager to know as
     to how Pakistan's negative propaganda, about Kashmir, is overcome.


Tailpiece.

It was a quiet Sunday. Quite a few things were achieved and activities - to be undertaken over the next fortnight - have been tied up over the telephone. We got the invite for the Neelamperoor Pooram from Vidya but a medical appointment, on the same date might make it untenable. Unni kochachhan is not keeping well but Sarala kunjamma is much better! The latest reports say that Gomathi peramma is in bad shape and Santha kunjamma has also been under the weather. Must look them up.  

The anatomy of the 'Sister Abhaya case'.

Introduction

1. Will Sister Abhaya get justice after all? The trial has been going on at the CBI special court in
    Thiruvananthapuram over the last three weeks. A few of the key witnesses have turned hostile
    during the course of the proceedings and I suppose there must be extreme pressures on them to
    depose in the manner they've resorted to, probably, unaware as to what the law can do to them in
    such circumstances!

What's The Case All About?

2. Sister Abhaya (Born Beena Thomas and aged between 18 and 19 yrs), a Catholic sister, was
    found dead in a water well at the St Pius X Convent in Kottayam on 27 Mar 1992. Abhaya was a
    member of St Joseph's Congregation for religious sisters under the Syro-Malabar Archeparchy of
    Kottayam.

3. 67 nuns, belonging to Abhaya's congregation petitioned the Chief Minster of Kerala to investigate
    the case as homicide. On 07 Apr 1992, the DGP directed the Crime Branch of the Kerala Police
    to take over the investigation from the local police.

The Tortuous Path That The Case has Been Taking!

4. First the trail went cold, followed by twists and turns.

    * 27 Mar '92      Sister Abhaya found dead.
    * 31 Mar '92      Sister Abhaya Case Action Council was formed.
    * 14 Apr '92      Crime Branch takes over the probe.
    * 30 Jan '93       Crime Branch files report before SDM court saying that Abhaya's death is a
                              suicide.
    * 29 Mar '93      On a writ petition, the High Court of Kerala transfers the case to the CBI.
    * 16 Jun '93       Crime Branch files report before SDM requesting to destroy material evidences
                              collected. The request is promptly granted.
    * 01 Jan '94       CBI DSP Varghese P Thomas quits alleging pressure on him to divert probe.
    * 20 Mar '97      Ernakulam CJM court rejects CBI's report that Sister Abhaya committed suicide.
                              The first team of CBI failed to establish the reason of death. The court directed
                              a second team, which concluded that it was indeed a murder but there were not
                              enough evidence leading to the murderer(s). It was the third team that finally
                              found two priests and a sister, responsible for the murder.
    * 12 Apr '07      A newspaper publishes tampered chemical examination of Sister Abhaya and the
                              case gets a new lease of life.
    * 19 Nov '08     CBI arrests Fr Thomas Kottoor, Fr Jose Poothrikkayil and Sister Sephy.
    * 01 Jan '09       HC Justice K Hema grants bail to the accused.
    * 17 Jul '09        Charges of murder and destruction of evidence were filed against the three.
    * 06 Mar '18      Father Jose Poothrikkayil discharged by the CBI Special Court.
    * 09 Apr '19      The discharge pleas of Fr Kottoor and Sr Sephy dismissed by the HC but upheld
                              the Special Court's decision to discharge Fr Poothrkkayil.
    * 15 Jul '19        The SC, too, dismisses the discharge petitions of the two accused.
    * 05 Aug '19      Charge sheet read out to the two accused.
    * 26 Aug '19      Trial begins at the CBI Special Court in Thiruvananthapuram.

My take

5. Wish that the case undergoes closure soon with the guilty brought to book! That's the least that      one can wish Sister Abhaya who has been awaiting justice for too long!! Was she privy to                something that she wasn't supposed to be aware of, which had brought about her untimely end?


Tailpiece.

A bright and sunny day. The PROX-D(VAN) is finally delivered to me, around 1700 hrs, by the Blue Dart man and mind you, it was dispatched from Kochi on the 18th! And it was supposed to be an 'express courier'!! What a dilution in efficiency!? 

                              

Food for thought!

Recently when the Finance Minister, Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, mentioned certain uncanny statistics like drop in car sales due to millennials not buying cars any more, Logistics made simple and easy reducing the truck business sizeably, NBFC companies shrinking due to change in lease models, etc., the industry and the media ridiculed her for her lack of business and industry knowledge.

Even Industry Captains like Anand Mahindra went overboard to ridicule her utterances.

But little did the media and of course industry, too, realise that it was high time that Indian businesses had a deep examination of their business models.

A global survey and research by a German firm which elaborately covered India has indicated twenty major risks to global financing markets arising due to impending global recession and particularly how it will impact India in the medium and long term.

The survey-cum-research bluntly puts across that unless Indian businesses change their tacks and business models, many will perish soon.

Here are the twenty risks:-

 1. Most people will stop buying cars in a decade-and-a-half. A prediction that 95% of all US
     passenger miles traveled will be addressed by fleets, not individuals, by 2030.

 2. People will increase the renting of assets (over buying these) because they will never be sure
     where they would be living a few years hence.

 3. The cost of commute will become the 'next telecom' virtually free, that is.

 4. Most cars will be made from recycled steel, as a result of which, ore companies will go belly-
     up.

 5. The large steel sector debt will not be able to be returned to banks.

 6. Electric cars, with around 18 moving parts compared with 10,000 - 12,000 for the usual 
     petrol-driven variety, would accelerate the death of the automobile components industry.

 7. The demise of the auto component industry will affect the global alloys steel sector,
     including ore and ferroalloys.

 8. Oil behemoths will not be able to repay their loans if oil consumption declined. Elimination
     unlikely.

 9. Electric vehicles will come with an unlimited warranty. This means that after you once buy a
     vehicle, you would not need to buy another, ever.

10. Oil-based economies (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Nigeria etc) will go into a crisis.

11. Some of the funding coming out of these Oil Producing Countries (read what you will into
      this) will disappear and the world will become a more peaceful place.

12. Cash rich automotive lubricant companies will discover there is nothing to really lubricate.

13. 3D printing will even out the wage arbitage between developed and developing nations.

14. Robotisation (Artificial Intelligence) will clean out jobs (as it has in the banking sector, where
      the business has grown disproportionately faster than recruitment).

15. A number of skills will become obsolete. Microsurgery, for instance, because a robot will do it
      better.

16. Renewable energy will kick-start a long-term coal decline.

17. Large coal behemoths employing thousands will file for bankruptcy. In fact, it's already
      happening.

18. Banks will become a concept rather than a place, banks will become more about systems
      than people.

19. The world will move towards deflation arising out of an abundance of money and relatively
      limited spending.

20. The new retirement age will become 50 years (on an average).


Tailpiece.

It was another quiet day where the rains had dwindled down to a few drizzles. 

Food Idioms!

You can't make  an omelette without breaking eggs means that you can't achieve something important without also causing problems.

Progress always comes at a cost. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

Staying with the egg theme, if everyone now knows that a person or organisation has done something stupid, that person or organisation may now be said to have egg on their face.

This latest revelation has left the government with egg on its face.

Someone might warn you not to depend for your success on a single person or plan of action by telling you not to put all your eggs in one basket.

Make sure that you're working for a range of companies and don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Vegetables, too, feature in a number of idioms. If you persuade someone to work harder by rewarding them when they do good things but also punishing them when they do not, you might describe this as carrot and stick (the 'carrot' being a way of tempting an animal to move and the 'stick' used for beating the animal if it does not.

There will be incentives for people who recycle and fines for those who don't - a carrot and stick approach.

A situation or issue that causes a lot of disagreement is sometimes referred to as a hot potato.

Women's pay has become a hot potato in the world of football.

A lazy person who spends too much time sitting and watching television may be called, informally, a couch potato.

I've been a bit of a couch potato these past few weeks.

Two people who are very similar in appearance are sometimes described as being like (two) peas in a pod.

The girls are so alike- like two peas in a pod!

In UK English, if someone has lots of energy and enthusiasm, you can say they are full of beans.

Wow, you're full of beans this morning!

This idiom has a very different meaning in US English, however. There, if someone is full of beans, he/she is doing things that are not true.

He told you that? Oh, don't pay any attention to him: he's full of beans.

Meanwhile, when a person tells someone information that it should be secret, he's said to spill the beans.

So who spilled the beans about Sophie's surprise party?

While this idiom doesn't actually include a specified item of food, this often used idiom is useful. If you have a lot/too much on your plate, you have lot of/too many things to deal with at the moment.

Meghan's currently got three projects on the go so she's got a lot on her plate.

Note. Adapted from Kate Woodford's article.


Tailpiece.

A quiet day with the maid taking an off. The day had begun with rains and it seemed to be ending with rains, too. Shyla, of the Thyrocare, dropped by to inquire about my health. Damn sweet of her!

An Ayodhya solution in sight?

Introduction

I'm taken back in time; it was in '98 I think when I was the Liaison Officer to George Fernandes, the then Raksha Mantri while I was posted at Kochi. We were travelling from the airport towards the Southern Naval Command Officers' Mess where he was to stay over the next three days and it was during that journey, that he spoke very wistfully about his political mentor, Shri Ram Manohar Lohia. In the course of the conversation, he recalled Lohia's words that, "Religion was long term politics".

The Ayodhya dispute can be classified as long term politics!

Background

The Ayodhya dispute, one of the most sensitive issues, politically and communally, has been searching for a lasting solution for the last 69 years. The issue got more complicated after the disputed structure (Babri Masjid) was demolished on 06 Dec '92. A brief chronology of events from the date is listed below:-

       2010     The Allahabad High Court had said that the 22.7 acres of the disputed land in Ayodhya
                    be equally divided among the Sunni Wakf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

                     After that as many as 14 appeals have been filed before the Supreme Court.

                     The matter has lately gained momentum legally and the Supreme Court seems to be
                     eager to settle it once and for all.

 08 Mar '19 Supreme Court takes a major step as it appoints a 3-member mediation panel to talk
                     to all the stakeholders and try to reach a consensus on the dispute.

                     The mediation panel comprises of former Supreme Court Judge FMI Kalifulla,
                     spiritual guru and founder of Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior
                     advocate Sriram Panchu, a renowned mediator.

 31 Jul '19   The mediation committee reports to the Supreme Court that it has failed to arrive at
                    a consensus.

                    The Supreme Court's Constitutional Bench, headed by the CJI, has begun to hear the
                    arguments of the stakeholders in open court, from early Aug '19.

The Twist

It now transpires that the mediation panel's efforts have not been unsuccessful (Why the panel reported that-a-way, is a matter that needs to be put in the right perspective) and that it was tantalisingly close to a settlement requiring may be, another fortnight!

Today, the Supreme Court has directed that the mediation can go on a parallel track while it continues to hear the case in court. It's hoped that the verdict would be arrived by Nov '19!

My take.

It is my fond hope that this dispute, too, is behind us at the earliest so that the country can concentrate on all round development!


Tailpiece.

It was another day, devoid of rains except for a couple of sporadic showers. The power interruptions were frequent and irritating. Lekha had gone to the department store to fetch sundries by about 10 o'clock and returned within about 45 mts.

Am I right in thinking so?

Before I go ahead with my thoughts for the day, here are certain postulates that need to be considered:-

  * I belong to a generation where things never looked complicated, during our younger days.
  * We were brought up by our grandparents and parents to speak the truth always and shun
     falsehood at all costs, in fact, with the best of values and traditions.
  * We were, therefore, lucky to have been brought up in a free environment and to be provided with
     a liberal education.
  * We were lucky to have teachers, who not only looked after our studies in the classrooms but also
     guided and encouraged us on the sports and games fields and helped us in our extra curricular
     activities......they seemed to have time for us, all through the day, till bed time!

Me and my friends from school and the Academy have a wonderful relationship. However, things seem to have changed overnight. If I were to put it, it all started in May '14 when there was a regime change in New Delhi and Narendra Modi had become the Prime Minister.

I suddenly began to feel that the entire lot of Indians had got divided into two groups - the ones who supported Modi and the others, who simply hated him. When one approved of his governance and the right decisions - and there were plenty of them, mind you, in the course of his first five years in office - one was labeled his 'bhakt'.

I was quite sure that it was a way of thinking that was in passing and didn't give it a second thought. My refrain to my close friends was that since he has been given a mandate by the people, we needed to take heed of the majority's choice and allow him to rule the country for the mandatory five years. If he didn't deliver, the very same people would ensure that he didn't get a second chance and you, too, could cast your votes as dictated by your conscience.

The results of the general elections of May '19, as we are aware, was a massive win for Mr. Modi and an approval for his work. The Indians had given him a second term, to rule over them, without inhibitions. His sustained work on the ground was ample testimony for them that he meant well and worked for the overall development of the country.

It was consequent to it that I'd sensed a massive change in attitudes among people - especially while interacting with a wide cross section of people during my social interactions - but what pained me was the way some of my friends had changed overnight. Previously, we used to talk about politics and have a good laugh at the fickle-minded politicians who changed their opinions at the drop of a hat. I mean, we never let our political affiliations creep into our friendship or relationship to ever mar it.

Alas, all those are a thing of the past. Just to give an example, a classmate and good friend of mine - we used to even stay at his house during our numerous forays to that city - used to put up vituperative posts about Modi and his work, on his FB wall. Frankly, reading them, I was shocked and had called him up to ask him about his pungent opinions. Observing the viciousness, I'd even asked him as to how his life had changed during Modi's rule. He was candid enough to reply that his life was not affected at all but the poor were being affected badly, for which he had no proof.  His answers were ample enough to prove that he was hostile towards me because I supported Modi. In fact I've made this clear, among my classmates' and even my course mates' through our What'sApp groups, that I liked the Prime Minister.

I endorse the point that in politics there should be a credible opposition which should be able to pin the treasury benches when they make mistakes but what amazes me is that a hostile opinion is deliberately chosen, by quite a few, to show their intense dislike towards the PM. Citing this one example of the abrogation of Article 370, after hearing many from the people who have been stunned with the government's decision, one gets a feeling that they would like 'the status quo ante' to remain in Jammu and Kashmir. What they forget is that the frequent terror attacks resulting in civilian deaths and the loss of lives of thousands of security forces over the years, have been arrested with this single stroke.

Rather than lauding the government's efforts and supporting it to bring back normalcy within a reasonable time frame, many are playing into even Pakistan's hands through their irresponsible public statements! Is the opposition and its supporters so unhappy that Modi has come back with a thumping majority and that many of them have, consequently, been rendered irrelevant and insignificant on the political firmament, that they've lost their objectivity?

The list is endless. There's a slowing down of the economy and they jump up in glee. The ex-CPM politburo member from Kashmir, Mr.MY Tarigami says that Kashmir has been locked out and Yechuri says that he'll go to the Supreme Court to bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Ain't they anti-national? The states ruled by the opposition, in toto, refuse to implement the new Motor Vehicle Act. Aren't these signs of anti-federalism, a few BJP ruled states following them, notwithstanding!

I would like to wind it up with this episode, a friend and classmate was trying to tell us in our 'group' that, currently, things are bad in Jammu and Kashmir and to prove his point, he quoted a Pakistani twitter handle! He believes and prefers Pakistani propaganda to prove his point! Hasn't the liberal education that he had undergone, with us, turned out to be a total waste? Sad!

Am I right in my perceptions?


Tailpiece.

The month of Chingam and Onam are behind us and today is the first of the Malayalam month, 'Kanni. The 'aarathi' of Lekha was carried out and the coin was deposited in the box kept for the purpose. It was another quiet day when I did anything worthwhile!           

The real story comes out.

The truth about the transfer of Madras High Court Chief Justice Vijaya K Tahilramani as told by Justice Markandeya Katju.

He argues, why it is unfair to blame SC Collegium on this issue.

"The real reason for Chief Justice Tahilramani's transfer, as I was informed in my conversations, was that she was hardly working in the Madras High Court. She would sit only till 1200 or 1230 hrs, but not in the post-lunch session. Following her example, many other Justices of the Madras high Court would also not sit in the post-lunch session.

Even when Chief Justice Tahilramani would sit in Court, she would at most pass Interim Orders and adjourn cases and hardly gave any final judgement.

While there are many outstanding Justices in the Madras High Court, the behaviour of the Chief Justice - who is expected to lead from the front - was having an adverse effect on the working of the court.

Hence, Chief Justice Tahilramani was transferred to a High Court that had relatively little work.

The Madras High Court is a Chartered High Court and one of the premier High Courts in the country with a great reputation. It has a large number of cases pending, with tremendous pressure on Justices to decide those cases. I know this from personal knowledge, as I was the Chief Justice there. If the Chief Justice is indolent and lackadaisical, he/she has no business to be in that court".

       *                          *                             *

CRZ-violator builder - with a project on the verge of demolition in Maradu as per the Supreme Court order - is Kerala Government's partner in its low-cost-housing project. 

296 flats being built for the very low income group/homeless - under the 'Janani Project' at Perumbavoor - is being handled by the Holy Faith builders! 

No wonder then that the builders have been studiously kept away, from the situation arising out of the Supreme Court order on demolition, by the state government.

The Chief Secretary who'd made a big show of visiting the affected flats at Maradu, the other day, was the Director of the Janani Project when it was approved in '17.

What a drama? Just another instance of misleading the general public!

      *                            *                            *

Heard Shashi Tharoor say that he has been slapped with three cases because he has been speaking the truth.

Wonder what is the truth, that he has uttered, for which he is being castigated as he claims?

First, Mr. Tharoor come clean about your wife, Sunanda Pushkar's mysterious death and then, continue with your politics. Aren't you aware of the fact that people are sniggering at you and your weaknesses? Mind you, it was your party men who were the first to disown you with your newfound love for PM Narendra Modi!


Tailpiece.

Had gone across to the service station to hand over my car for its servicing. The traffic snarl was bearable and I could turn in at Puzhakkal, where the culvert work is reaching its final phase. Phew! Just prior to that, Pramod had set the puncture right on the spare tyre. Otherwise, it was a quiet day!! As the rain seems to have receded, the heat has gone up.

Happenings that baffle me!

The recent happenings taking place in our country have never stopped baffling me by their sheer stupidity and the audacity of the people who stand by them. The events that I'm gonna touch upon are the following:-

    (a) The clamour for reducing the steep fines as per the new Motor Vehicles Act.
    (b) The craze for the use of hoardings
    (c) Income Tax of the CM and the ministers being borne by the UP government.

(a) The Clamour for Reducing Steep Penalties.

      Some of these statistics reveal a lot about the trends in road traffic accidents:-

      * Speeding was responsible for causing 73% of all road accident injuries in '17.
      * Most of the steps taken in the past focused on the victims of road accidents instead of the errant
         drivers. So, from last year a 3-yr insurance policy for cars and a 5-yr insurance policy for two-
         wheelers have been introduced. Further, a scheme to set up trauma centres at every 100 kms on
         the highways has been launched. A 'Good Samaritan law' has been put in place so that people
         will readily help the victims. The new Motor Vehicles Act is an attempt to tackle the cause of
         the problem of road accidents - bad drivers!
      * The fear of fines seem to be working. There has been a rush to buy insurance. Sale of helmets
         has gone up and compliance with traffic rules has become better but it, still, has to go a long
         way.

      Many states have urged the centre to have a rethink in the imposition of high penalties. And mind
      you, all these states are coming up for Assembly elections in the coming months and they fear a
      drop in their electoral performance because the public is unhappy about the new law. Sad!

      It's my hope that the union government takes a tough stance on the issue and ensures that the high
      penalties for traffic offences are introduced without fear or favour, in all the states!

 (b) The Curse of the Hoardings.

       23 year old, R Subhashri fell on the arterial Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam road after a huge
       hoarding, erected on the median crashed on her and a water tanker that had come from behind
       ran over her and she was declared 'brought in dead' at a nearby hospital. She was returning home,
       after completing her shift in a software firm, when she met with her gory end.

       There are enough court orders restricting the erection of hoardings at highways and
       thoroughfares as they cover key traffic directions and are distracting. However, all the political
       parties without exception, have ignored the orders and have been erecting them with a gay
       abandon. The particular hoarding was put up by an AIADMK ex-councillor, on account of his
       son's wedding!

       RIP Subhashri! My tears and prayers. Here's me wishing that your near and dear ones have the
       strength to tide over your irreplaceable loss.

 (c) Income Tax of the UP Cabinet Paid from Government Coffers!

      Uttar Pradesh Ministers' Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Act was passed in 1981 when
      VP Singh was the chief minister. When the Bill was being debated in the state assembly, he had
      said that most of the ministers were from a poor background and got meagre salaries.

      The state has seen 19 CMs and almost 1,000 ministers since the Act was passed in '81. This year,
      the state council of ministers' total income tax bill, picked up by the state treasury, worked out to
      be Rs.86 lakhs!

      This practice has been brought to an end, now, by the Yogi Adityanath government. Thank God
      for minor mercies!


Tailpiece.

The Krishnanattam went on till 0145 hrs and by the time we turned in to bed it was a half past 2. The story was the 'swayamvaram' of Sri Krishna with Rugmini and Sathyabhama. Rema and Padmakumar were dropped at the private bus stand from where they got a bus to the Vyttila hub by 7, this morning, as they had a function to attend at Thrippunithura, around lunch time.

               

Sabotage?

Shockingly, from the commonality of failure pattern while descending on to moon surface suffered by both BERESHEET lander of Israel on 11 Apr '19 and VIKRAM lander of ISRO on 07 Sep '19, both the space agencies are now convinced that there is a possibility that something common has occurred in both(Chandrayan-2 and Beresheet) going awry.

At least two ISRO scientists familiar with the space agency's plans have told that after ISRO's failure analysis committee concludes its inquiry into how and why lander Vikram lost the communication link with the master control room, ISRO and SpaceIL of Israel plan to put their heads together and exchange notes to pinpoint common factors in the powered descent of both the landers which caused them to lose communication links in the last few moments of the landing process.

The key suspect in Vikram lander of Chandrayan-2 is a "Laser Retro-Reflector Arrays Package" of NASA carried as a psassive experimental module, for US scientists to 'take accurate measurements of the distance between the Earth and the Moon'. The instrument, which has been attached to the lander, is also able to precisely mention the location of the lander near/on the Moon's surface. Coincidentally, Beresheet lander of Israel also carried the same laser retroreflector arrays package from NASA.

During the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held at Texas, US, in Mar '18, NASA had confirmed that Chandrayan-2 lander Vikram and Israeli lander Beresheet, would carry these NASA owned laser retroreflector  arrays.

This lead to the suspicion as while there are many such laser reflectors left on the Moon surface by previous unmanned and manned Moon landings for the purpose of measurement of the distance between the Earth and the Moon and that now no more measurements are left to be done, as enough measurements have already been done, then why is this initiative from NASA on the two novice moon landing attempts being made?

The possible answer is not to let them succeed(!) for many reasons known and unknown, by knocking them out at the fag end of descent by "Laser Target Illumination" from Earth on to the "Laser Retro-Reflector Arrays" and pumping high power laser from its space roving secret laser weapon platform. By this way there will be no suspicion as the laser illumination and laser pumping cannot be detected by any means until human(s) physically go on to the Moon surface to the ill fated landers to investigate the cause of failure, which never will happen!

What is this secret space based laser weapon being accused about here? It is the US Air Force's X-37B military space plane that has been circling Earth, the robotic X-37B launched on its fifth and latest mission, is also known as Orbital Test Vehicle 5 (OTV-5). This is a reusable spacecraft, which looks like a miniature version of NASA's space shuttle, has been zipping around our planet and exactly what the X-37B is doing up there remains a topic of much speculation. Although the Air Force has disclosed some of the payloads that have flown to orbit on the X-37B, most of the space plane's on board gear is classified, as are the details of its orbital activities. This secrecy has led to some speculation that the vehicle is some sort of space based laser weapon, perhaps one designed to take out enemy satellites. However, the Air Force has always denied this notion, insisting that the X-37B is just testing out technologies for future spacecraft and carrying various experiments up to space and back.

If the facts are put together, dotting the 'i'(s) and crossing the 't'(s), both the ill-fated landers which have been forcibly fitted with these retrolaser reflectors arrays package by NASA on the pretext of of Earth-Moon distance measurement, both landers having faced similar failure during final descent phase, known history of US going to any extent to maintain its technology dominance and be the first to test its latest weapon systems, likely vested interest in the rare resources of the Moon and many other reasons; only time will reveal.......it is possible that both the landers are victims of US clandestine attack with its prototype space based latest laser weapon system!

Note. Adapted from What'sApp.

My take.

Fact or fiction?


Tailpiece.

The rain seems to be over, at least for now. The sun was bright making it warm and humid. Rema and Padmakumar had fetched up by a half past 10. They are one of the sponsors of the 'Krisnanattam' this evening and the subject is 'Swayamvaram'!  

Literary sense of humour.

"Lexophile" is a term used to describe those who are clever with words, such as "you can tune a piano" but you can't tuna fish" or "to write with a broken pencil is pointless".

 (a) A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
 (b) The batteries were given out free of charge.
 (c) A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
 (d) A will is a dead give away.
 (e) A boiled egg is hard to beat.
 (f) Police were called to daycare centre, where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
 (g) Did you hear about the fellow whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.
 (h) A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
 (j)  The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully re-covered.
 (k) He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
 (l)  When she saw her first strands of grey hair thought she'd dye.
 (m)Acupuncture is a job well done. That's the point of it.

   *                             *                             *

The great "Pun"dits say........

 * The person who invented the door knock.........won the No-bell prize.
 * I couldn't work out how to fasten my seat belt........then it clicked.
 * Thieves had broken into my house and stolen everything except my soap, shower gel, towels and
    deodorant..........dirty fellows.
 * I can't believe I got fired from the calendar factory.....all I did was to take a day off.
 * To the guy who invented Zero.......thanks for nothing!
 * Singing in the shower is all fun and games until you get shampoo in your mouth.......then it just
    becomes a soap opera.
 * Want to hear a construction joke?.......I'm working on it.
 * A prisoner's favourite punctuation mark is the period......it marks the end of his sentence.
 * I have a few theories about unemployed people.....but never mind; none of them work.
 * Two antennas met on a roof and got married.......the wedding was okay but the reception was
    incredible.
 * Sleeping comes so naturally to me.........I could do it with my eyes closed.
 * A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to the hospital. When his grandmother
    telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said......."No change yet".
 * There was once a cross-eyed teacher.........she just couldn't control her pupils.
 * I am selling my guitar..........no strings attached!
 * I usually take steps........to avoid elevators.


Tailpiece.

Rains seem to have receded. It was sunny though the sun didn't shine very enthusiastically! Had made a trip to the town to buy us some fruits. Sijo was my sa'arthi.

Lighter moments.......

When you have nothing better to do, just try answers for these!

  (a) If poison expires, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous?
  (b) Which letter is silent in the word "scent", the S or the C?
  (c) Do twins ever realise that one of them is unplanned?
  (d) Why is the letter W, in English, called double U? Shouldn't it be called double V?
  (e) Maybe Oxygen is slowly killing you and it just takes 75-100 years to fully work.
  (f) Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty.
  (g) The word "swims" upside-down is still "swims".
  (h) 100 years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars
        and only the rich own horses.
  (j) If you replace "W" with "T" in "What, where and when", you get the answer to each of them.

Four great confusions still unresolved...

  (a) At a movie theatre, which arm rest is yours?
  (b) If people evolve from monkeys, why are monkeys still around?
  (c) Why is there a "D" in fridge, but not in the refrigerator?
  (d) Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made?

Vagaries of English language!

  (a) Wonder why the word funeral starts with FUN?
  (b) Why isn't a Fireman called a Water-man?
  (c) How come Lipstick doesn't do what it says?
  (d) If money doesn't grow on trees, how come Banks have Branches?
  (e) If a Vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a Humanitarian eat?
  (f) How do you get off a non-stop Flight?
  (g) Why are goods sent by ship called CARGO and those sent by truck called SHIPMENT?
  (h) Why do we put cups in the dishwasher and the dishes in the cupboard?

A Few Proverbs Revisited.

  (a) Swedish. The pillow is the best advisor.
        Meaning. Sleep over a problem and see how you feel in the morning.

  (b) Kenyan. When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets hurt.
        Meaning. Fights of the powerful hurt only the little guys.

  (c) Ancient Roman. Hunger is the best sauce.
       Meaning. Everything tastes better when you are hungry.

  (d) Japanese. A frog in a well does not know the great sea.
        Meaning. There is more going on than you know, try and see the big picture.

  (e) Turkish. If the world is flooded, it would not matter to the duck.
       Meaning. Things that are bad for you, aren't always bad for everyone.

  (f) Filipino. Leave it to the batman.
       Meaning. Some problems require superheroes to solve.

  (g) Russian. To live with the wolves, you have to howl like a wolf.
        Meaning. In dangerous situations, try and blend in.

  (h) French. A hungry stomach has no ears.
        Meaning. You can't concentrate without food in your tummy.

  (j)  Kenyan. Slippery ground does not recognise a king.
        Meaning. Even the most powerful people are just human deep down.

  (k) Gaelic. A cat in mittens won't catch mice.
        Meaning. Being careful and polite doesn't always get things done.


Tailpiece.

It had rained all through the night and the morning had also begun wet. The sun, however, came out by 11 AM. Avittam(The third Onam) was a quiet day!
  

The US-Taliban deal is dead - for the moment.

The 'deal' negotiated with the Taliban, by Khalilzad (The Afghan-American diplomat), is humiliating for the US and deals a serious blow to American credibility. He misinterpreted President Trump's eagerness to leave Afghanistan before the 2020 US elections as a licence to agree to anything that the terrorist organisation, guided by the ISI, wanted.

Agreeing for Taliban to sign as representatives of the 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan' meant that the US has recognised Taliban as the de facto rulers of Afghanistan and its elected government as illegitimate. There was nothing in the deal that would enable the US to ensure compliance with the deal by the Taliban. Its NATO allies who have contributed so much over the last 18 yrs were rendered voiceless.

The American strategic community considers the deal nothing less than a surrender. That is the reason why the US Secretary of State refused to sign the deal negotiated by Khalilzad.

Quite a while back, President Obama had left Iraq prematurely and the US had to deal with the IS(IS).

Instead of controlling the IS and the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, the Taliban would have incorporated them into their killer machine that would terrorise Shia Hazaras, Afghan women and spread terrorism in neighbouring countries. Since literally no country would provide financial aid to a terrorist entity, it would depend on growing more and more opium, creating a huge narco-terror problem for the world.

It's high time Russia, Iran, China etc realise that rather than undermining the Afghan government by dealing with the Taliban, they should join in an effort to strengthen it and support a deal that does not reward the killers as victors. The Pakistanis must be disgusted but for India, it's welcome as we will continue to have a regime, friendly to us and the continued American presence there will keep the terrorists on a tight leash! 

President Trump understands the perils of a humiliating deal that will endanger his re-election in 2020.

Note. An analysis by a dear friend of mine to which I subscribe!

      *                         *                          *

Buying a car vs. Hiring a cab

Any car in India costs at least Rs.6,00,000/-
Scrap value after 6 yrs  -  Rs.1,00,000/-
Net amount that goes in effective life of 6 yrs - Rs.5,00,000/-

Number of days in six yrs is 2,200 days.
So, Rs.5,00,000/- divided by 2,200 = Rs.230/- per day.

Yearly insurance Rs.15,000/- = Rs.41/- per day.
Daily fuel minimum = Rs.100/- per day.

After every 3 years tyre and battery change Rs.25,000/- ie. = Rs.23/- per day.

Yearly maintenance of car Rs.9,000/- ie. = Rs.25/- per day.

Plus interest loss on car buying amount @ 8% on Rs.6,00,000/- = Rs.131/- per day.

So, after buying a new car daily expenditure = Rs.850/- per day.

Until you pay Rs.850/- daily to hire a cab, you are effectively gain by travelling in a rented car.

OLA/UBER now available.

Above all:-
   
   * Driving cars on the Indian roads is full of risk coupled with mental tension/BP....
   * New hefty traffic challans not included.

Is this the real reason behind the recession in the Automobile Industry?


Tailpiece.

It was a partially wet Thiruvonam. Lekha had made an excellent 'sadya' for the two of us. Right in the morning, she'd made a beautiful 'rangoli' at the entrance with an assorted set of coloured leaves. Calls and messages continued to flood our telephones. Saw a very nice Malayalam movie, 'Uyare' in the evening!