I'm with you in your moment of angst!

(a) Apologies, Nirbhaya's Mom!

The Patiala House Court in New Delhi has stayed the hanging of the four rapists of Nirbhaya. The hanging that was scheduled for tomorrow has been put off. One felt bad to see the angst-ridden face of Nirbhaya's mother, outside the court, on hearing about yet another stay order and she didn't hide her feelings from the media, saying that the government and the court had let her down, yet again.

It has been seven years since the gruesome gang rape-cum-murder of Nirbhaya had taken place. I believe there is a lobby that's advising and abetting the convicts to put legal obstacles to delay their hangings to the extent feasible. What they achieve out of it cannot be understood. If it's true, may I just ask one question to each one of them, "Would you have lumped the delay in justice if such a gruesome act was committed on your mother/sister/wife/daughter or any relative, for that matter?

And I'm sure it would be a big NO! Then why the hell are you doing this? Those beasts don't have the right to live any longer, but having said that, does anyone think that they're having a peaceful time? Every delay must be stirring up the butterflies in their stomach thereby, raising the blood pressure.

I'm sure that there are many like me who share your angst, Nirbhaya's mom. Those beasts and their apologists don't have much time anyways - the four will meet their nemesis soon.

(b) A fine feedback from Kashmir.

This afternoon I was pleasantly surprised when my friend and course mate from Kashmir had called
me up. His daughter had undergone a rather serious medical intervention recently and is back home
and convalescing. She should be able to live a normal life - can do even back flips if she wants, says
the doctor - after a fortnight of rest! I could feel a palpable sense of relief from the doting father!

 And as we discussed various things, we veered around the present conditions in Kashmir. He said,
 "Rajeev, it's quite peaceful here after what has been a long time. Modi has done the right thing!"

And the naysayers have the audacity to ask for bringing back Arts 370 and 35A. Those guys are not
thinking towards the good of the country. To my mind, they should be tried for treason for spreading falsehoods and half truths: given suitable punishment without any delay!

And as we were in conversation, he told me as to how the security forces had tackled three terrorists not very far from where he resides! Felt nice!!


Tailpiece.

Had got up at a quarter past 5, gone through the chores and was out of the house a trifle after 6, for my walk. It was nice. Lekha had gone across to the town around a half past 9, to get a few of the utensils repaired.

Meanwhile, the PCI team had commenced their work by 10. Our maid was on leave and hence, I and the boys did a bit of cleanship before putting back things into their original places. The Faber rep, Majo, came by after lunch, to replace a fused light and to service the overhead chimney!

By a half past 5, all jobs were completed, payments handed over and everyone seen off. I could join Lekha in watering the grass patch and the plants.   

God, Man and Computer.

Let's consider a computer. It consists of hardware and software. But that's not enough. It requires electricity (power) to do the functions and give output.

In a human being or any other being for that matter, the physical body is the hardware, the mind (antahkarana) consisting of the faculties of the senses, storage, reason and intellect is the software. The Gunas (Sattava, Rajas and Tamas) are the programmes that are used to write the software. But all these become useless unless the computer is plugged in to a power source.

That electric power is God through invisible wires from which all the beings (animals, trees and humans) derive their power to function. The Atma or the power within us is not different within the universal grid (Paramatma). It is part of that universal power, yet it is a whole in its quality as in the universal grid.

The power of God in all of us is the same, like the same power drives all computers and machines. But they perform different functions as per their own programme.

The software can become corrupted due to corrupted programming. 

Similarly, the mind can get corrupted by the imbalanced Gunas and the activity of the man becomes defective.

The defects of the mind and the body are the defects of Gunas and cannot be attributed to the power within (the Atma) or God (the universal grid), just as the defects of the hardware or the software cannot be attributed to the power supply.

So long as the hardware is fine and the source of power is switched off temporarily, the computer retains all functions in memory and goes to sleep mode. But when the hardware is worn out and becomes useless, all the important files are transferred to another computer. The software, itself, is not destroyed.

The electric power cannot be destroyed by the hardware or the software. Similarly, God's power or the Atma cannot be destroyed by the elements that form the body.

Just as the software gets corrupted by virus and needs to be cleaned by regular anti-virus system, similarly the mind getting corrupted by evil thoughts needs to be cleaned with the constant reading of Gita (or other scriptures) which is the anti-virus for the mind.

God is the 3-phase supply of Sat, Chit and Anand.

But there is a fundamental difference between a man and a computer. The man is a defective piece. He suffers from defects viz. ignorance, ego, attraction and repulsion and fear of death whereas the computer has no such defects. 

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 5, went through the chores and by about 10' past 6, I was out of the house for my walk. It was refreshing and I saw my course mate, KR Nair of Kilo Squadron pass by - as usual, we waved at each other.  Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple, around a half past 9, as part of her weekly tryst.

The PCI guys - Hari and Ashik - reached by about 10 and began their work in right earnest. This was the first day of the 'Termi Seal Post Construction'. By 1700 hrs, they had completed the sitting room, the dining room, the guest bedroom and the entire exterior. There was quite a bit of dust and the sound of the drill that had to be got used to!

After seeing them off, I'd rushed off to the courier and collected my package, just 20' prior to their closing. Ramesh and Ramesh had come by to collect the two sacks, full of empty bottles, that they needed. Phew! Our backyard is now clear!!

My younger brother-in-law, Sanil's aunt passed into the mist of time this evening. She was 79 and did not have any medical problems. I remember her ever-smiling face and her fondness for me. RIP kunjamme, my tears and prayers! Will miss you!!

What a teacher!

A student studying in Russia says :

The highest score for most of the exams in Russia is 5. If a student does not answer any question and returns his answer sheets blank, with no question answered, he gets 2 out of 5.

In my first days at the University of Moscow, I did not know about this system and was surprised and asked Dr. Theodor Medraev, "Is this fair that a student did not answer any question and you give him 2 out of 5? Why not give him a zero? Isn't that the right way?"

He answered, "How can we give a Human Being a zero? How can we give a zero to someone who was getting up at 7 AM to attend all the lectures? How can we give him a zero since he got up in this cold weather and used public transport and reached to do the exam in time and tried to solve the questions? How can we give him a zero for the nights he used to study and spend his money on pens and notebooks and bought a computer for studying?

How can we give him a zero when he left all other life styles and pursued his studies?

Here my son, we do not give a zero to a student just because he did not know the answer.

We, at least try to respect the fact that this is a Human Being, he has a brain and he tried.

Because this result which we give, is not just for the questions in the exam paper, it is also about showing appreciation and respect to the fact that this is a Human Being and deserves to have a score".

Truly I cried and did not know how to respond.

There I knew my value as a Human Being.

Zeros can actually decrease motivation on students and can quickly destroy them and make them stop caring about their studies altogether. Once a zero score has been put in the grade book, they need no longer care about that subject and they may assume that there's nothing they can do about it.

Note. An excellent message to all the teachers, so as to change the system of education which we have in our country. 


Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, went through the chores and were ready well in time. Ramesh and Ramesh came around 8 o'clock to finish up the work in our backyard. On completion, Lekha'd offered them a breakfast of idlis, chutney, banana and tea. A quiet day thereafter and I'd made a short foray, in the evening to the bakery nearby, to buy milk. 

A naughty question and a brilliant answer!

Why can't Lord Shiva be spotted by satellite, if Hindus claim him to be on Mt Kailash in the Himalayas?

Recently in Quora (A Question and Answer platform) this query arose.

The reply was beautifully explained by an American, F Shant, PhD from St Louis University. He has been practicing Practical Hindu Spirituality for over thirty years!

Human eyes and recording equipment can't record what dogs and cats see at night. Then came infrared cameras. We realised shortcomings of our eyes. Microscopes started seeing cells. Scientists went on to build bigger and bigger microscopes, electron microscopes - just realised that the smallest part of independent existence, has many parts. Then came CAT scans, PET scans, MRIs; we started seeing what nobody knew existed.

When scientists thought we knew everything, came dark matter. Never seen or heard of earlier but, now, believed to occupy about 75% of of space. Again we knew we don't know anything.

AS A TRAINED SCIENTIST I CAN SHARE THE REAL SECRET OF WHY LORD SHIVA CAN'T BE SPOTTED, ON MOUNT KAILASH, BY SATELLITES.

For seeing Shiva on that mountain, we need different eyes. Once we have those, He can be seen not just on Kailash by scientists but everywhere and anywhere because that mountain is not the only place, He is. He is everywhere.

This separate set of eyes required are those of mind, those of heart, those of dedication, those of surrender.

Once that comes, rest all falls into place.


Tailpiece.

Got up on the dot, went through our chores and were ready well on time. The PCI guy had come by and we finalised the work needed to be done. They will do that over two days commencing Thursday!

Kashmiri apple and Indian citizenship.

Why is Pakistan so shaken up by the removal of Art 370 by India?

Out of the many reasons here are two, just for those who think it's religion. Actually, it has nothing to do with religion/jihad.

Reason 1 : Kashmiri apple.

Kashmir contributes 70% towards apple production in India. It earns Rs.8,000 crores annually from export of apple. 8 lakh hectares of land in Kashmir is under apple farming. But the farmers of Kashmir get Rs.3/- to 15/- per kg of apple which is sold in the market @ Rs.100/- to 150/- per kg. So, where goes the rest of the money?

It goes to the relatives of the Abdullahs, the Muftis, Geelani and Sabbir Ahmed.....

Yes, these politicians who have amassed huge properties in the US, Europe and India and whose children are enjoying lives abroad but they push the poor and local Kashmiri youth for Islamic jihad!

After the removal of Art 370, the Kashmiri farmers can join NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd), the apex organisation of marketing co-operatives for agricultural produce in India, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.

Since 12 Aug 2019 NAFED is buying apples directly from the farmers. Apples have been categorised into three viz. A (Rs.54/- per kg), B (Rs.38/- per kg) and C (Rs.15/75 per kg). As a result, 3,000 farmers have got money credited directly to their bank accounts. Trucks, filled with apples, run from Kashmir to all parts of India. The farmers are happy; their children have money, so they won't pick stones in the name of jihad.

This has given a jolt to the Pakistan-supported terrorists. Their supply line of Kashmiri boys are drying up. How will they produce Burhan Wanis now?

Hence they have targeted farmers, workers in apple orchards, truck drivers.......

Reason 2 : Pakistanis acquiring Indian citizenship by marrying Kashmiri girls.

Any Pakistani who marries a Kashmiri girl automatically got Kashmiri citizenship and the Kashmiri people have dual citizenship (Kashmir and India). Once they got Kashmiri citizenship they automatically got Indian citizenship. Thousands of Pakistanis have used this strategy to become Indian citizens and entered India to enjoy the benefits while engaging in anti-India activities.

After the removal of Art 370, no Pakistani can get Indian citizenship automatically. This has shaken the Pakistani mission to the core.

Hence Pakistan has gone mad after the removal of Art 370!

Note. Collected inputs.


Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, went through the chores and were ready on time. Lekha went to the Mammiyoor Siva kshethram as part of her weekly tryst.

Ramesh and his helper had come by, around 1500 hrs, to do work in the backyard and they left around 1700 hrs, on completion.  

Do you want a cup of coffee?

One day, Death encountered a man and told him :
- Today's your last day.

The man replied :
- But I am not ready!

Death said :
- Your name is at the top of my to-do list for today.

The man said :
- Alright then....before you take me along, let's sit together and have one last cup of coffee.

Death said :
- Of course.

The man offered a cup of coffee to Death, the coffee was laced with some sleeping pills......
Death drank the coffee and soon was fast asleep...
The man took Death's to-do list, wiped his name from the top and placed it at the bottom of the page.

When Death woke up, it said :
- You've treated me so kindly and with full of love today. I would like to reciprocate you by starting my today's work from the names at the bottom of my list.

Sometimes some things are written in your fate. No matter how hard you try to change them, they never change.....

The crow and the parrot were both created ugly. The parrot protested and was made beautiful. However, the crow remained content with the will of its Creator. Today the parrot is in a cage and the crow flies free......

Before each incident is so exquisite a wisdom that maybe you will never understand it.
Therefore.....Never ask "Why?" to the Creator.


Tailpiece.

Got up half an hour late. Went through the chores and were ready on time. Saw the live telecast of the Republic day parade on the Rajpath at New Delhi - a habit that has grown over the years. Have always felt nice after seeing that and this time was no exception!

Saw the matinee show of Mammootty's 'Shylock' - a highly watchable film and Mammootty is good. During the interval, I'd to pull up a young couple to sit forward and straighten the backrests of their seats to allow me to pass through to get back to my seat. Much to my horror, I saw the others having a tough time to squeeze through the narrow space. As I was passing them, I'd to tell them this, "It's good manners to straighten up and allow the others to pass by". 

They avoided crossing my path subsequently, once the movie got over. Uncouth people! 

To Neelamperoor and back.

Had got up at 4 o'clock thanks to the alarm set on my phone. Went through the chores and Lekha had got up by a half past 4 to give me tea and a packed breakfast. Anto had reached our gate promptly at a quarter past 5, I wasn't ready and delayed the departure by about 5'. Anto is a grandfather; his daughter had given birth to a baby boy about four months back.

The queue was just beginning to grow but I was able to collect my ticket to Kottayam without any wait. On my way to the third platform, I'd stopped by at the periodicals' vendor to collect a copy of today's Indian Express. Vidyadharan was eager to speak as I inquired about his business and life, in general. moving on, I found that the engine driver of our train had overshoot his parking spot, creating problems for passengers - especially, the ladies and children - who'd to walk on the track! Couldn't find him as I wanted to tell him that he wasn't doing it right. Recited my prayers and wound up before reaching Poonkunnam,

The train was on time and the rush of passengers had dwindled down to a few by a half past 8, when we reached the Ernakulam North station. I polished off the lovely breakfast of assorted sandwiches and washed it down with a cup of coffee, bought from a vendor. The train chugged along and I reached Kottayam by a quarter past 10. Had got to gate of the railway station and had to wait for about 20' when I could board a private bus to Kainadi and got off at the Neelamperoor Devi kshethram within about half an hour.

Gomathi peramma was lying in state in the front hall of Kunjomana chechi's house. Her look seemed to have changed or was it my imagination? After spending time next to the mobile mortuary, I made it a point to meet Maheshwari peramma, Divakaran chittappan's wife, Santha kunjamma and Sarala kunjamma and the four of them showered me with kisses. Maheshwari peramma, also, told me that she wanted to visit Guruvayur once more after the mourning period was over. In tears, she was feeling bad that she'd been praying to her God - till two days back - to free her sister from the prolonged agony!

Kala, Leela kunjamma's daughter had come and gone before I'd fetched up there. Met quite a few of my relatives from Neelamperoor during the short time that I was there. Rema and Padmakumar were followed by Aravi maman, Rajan maman and Aniyan. A pandal had been erected in front of Muthachhan's ancestral house and the shade was a great blessing to ward of the effects of a warm day. I felt nice sitting there and spending most of my time today!

By about a half past 1, Gomathi peramma's body was brought out on the forecourt to conduct the connected rituals and ceremonies. Placed flowers and said my final bye as her inert form was placed on the pyre readied behind the Puthuvayil house. It was a quick farewell as the pyre was lit at 2 and I hitched a hike with Aravi maman. After having lunch at the Indian Coffee House at Ettumanoor, Padmakumar, Rema and I were dropped off at the bus stand. We could clamber on to a fast passenger and reached the Vyttila hub by a half past 6; Rema and Padmakumar had got off earlier, at Thrippunithura.

I hopped on to a low floor a/c bus to Kozhikode and got off at Thrissur by a half past 10. From there I got into a Guruvayur fast passenger that took me to my destination by a circuitous route, via Vadanapalli.

During the short journey, came across 36 year-old Shanawaz, who'd returned after working for 10 years as a manager in a lodge. He has some money and is trying to set up a small business so as to provide employment to a few people. The youngster has a lot of ideas, is matured - in fact, he spoke in support of the CAA saying that people were being misled and is a Modi-supporter. I did outline the steps to go about beginning a 'start up' for which he would have banks supporting it through soft loans! He got off, before me, at Chavakkad and my parting prayer was that he does not get cheated by anyone! Is very fond of his family that consists of his wife and and two daughters - studying in classes VIII and IV. God, do please take care of them and may he do well so that he doesn't have to go abroad for work again. 


Tailpiece.

I was back at The Quarterdeck by about a half past 11, had a leisurely bath and tucked in the hot supper that Lekha had kept ready. It was, indeed, a long day but very satisfying in that, I could meet very many of my relatives.   

Kondhana......Sinhagarh......Point 4311.

The Hindi movie 'Kondhana/Tanaji - about the capture of a hilltop fortress bearing same name - is ruling the roost at Box offices, joining the 'Rs.100 crore ' club in less than a week. The storyline revolves around the capture of the said fort in the late 1600s - ruled by Mughals under Emperor Aurangzeb, who had shrewdly deputed a brave Hindu Rajput 'qiledaar' (garrison keeper), named Rathore (played by another real life royalty scion, Saif Ali Khan).

As forts go, Kondhana was nearly impregnable in the late 1600s. Built on top of a forested volcanic plateau, it had very steep approaches, thereby eliminating the need for tall fort ramparts, like in the traditional forts. Surrounded by the 3-month long monsoon clouds in the rainy season, with thick forests crawling with snakes, bears and tigers and ready-to-fight tribals known as 'Mavalis', in a location that was remote, rugged and inhospitable.

The fort was wrested - by Tanaji Malsure, a brave commander of Maratha ruler Shivaji, who perished in its capture - famously by throwing a monitor lizard 'ghorpad' with a rope around its waist up the fortress wall. The lizard held to the wall and the guerilla warriors clambered up, fought hand-to-hand combat and won the fort for Shivaji.

Empire building has been the bane of many rulers across history and Aurangzeb, who sat on the all-powerful Mughal throne at Agra fort, could not resist succumbing to the same impulses as Alexander.

He tried in vain to bring the Deccan Plateau under his control, on which sat a series of hilltop fortresses like Kondhana - spending his last 27 years years of life and dying of fever at a lonely spot near the present day home of India's Armoured Corps, at a village named Bhingar, named Alamgir, where a simple mosque named 'Hazrat Alamgir Dargah' marks where the mighty Mughal breathed his last.....100s of miles from his palaces.

While Aurangzeb was a devout puritanical emperor famous for demolishing Hindu temples like Mathura and Kashi, which to date, are sources of endless religious friction, one can't help but notice his appointing a skilled Hindu general to defend the outpost of his Deccan conquests....So history is nothing if not full of pragmatic choices.

It would be of no surprise to anyone that when India's West Point - the National Defence Academy - was set up in the shadow of the same fort, it would have 'consequences' on the sweat-soaked lives of cadets. For starters, the very first camp - aptly named 'Camp Greenhorn' is spent either in the sticky rain-soaked mud during the Fall term or in the baking hot dust when it dries out in summer - causing equal measures of unease irrespective of the time of year one went.

But call it Kondhana....or Sinhagarh (name given by Emperor Shivaji upon winning the fort, albeit with the loss of Tanaji) - the location has an infamous name for NDA cadets...It is referred to as 'Point 4311' the number referring to the height in feet of the fort from sea level.

A 22 km round trip from the Khadakvasla valley, flanking a vast reservoir, would be called 'Endurance Hike to Pt 4311' in Academy parlance. Ensuring that the route is along a vast reservoir, there is no scope of taking any shortcuts, which if detected, results in awards of even more 'Endurance Hikes' thus completing a vicious cycle of Crime and Punishment.

Denizens of this select club of EH awardees could be considered as present-day equivalent of penal convicts being sent to Australian settlements from Victorian England.

Every Sunday, at 0630 hrs, cadets wearing Olive green dungarees and wearing a 'Scale B' - comprising a battle gear outfit devised in WW II Burma - with a blanket, mosquito net and raincoat - irrespective of weather and also including over 20=plus items chosen for their potential to cause distress by their absence - a snakebite kit with a rusty blade that would be more toxic than any snake bite, a 'houewife kit' with sewing kit, toothbrush, toothpaste, PT shoes and your packed lunch and water bottle.

You could well run the 'Endurance Hike' but if you are not able to produce a toothbrush or some silly item, then the hike is 'not counted' (NC) - a shock that had many grown men cry in sheer agony.

The chief tormentor in our days was Subedar (JCO) Rajan - a 6 foot tall, dark Guardsman from Tamilnadu, who would refer to himself as a 'kaala bhooth' (Dark Ghost), in the third person, no less.

Since he was a Services level Basketball player, promotions came fast to him and that caused some consternation to other JCOs who had tenures in the Kashmir valley or Siachen glacier. They would insinuate Rajan as a 'sports quota' type and probably that triggered his fastidious urge to screen hapless cadets with a fine comb (which was also a part of the items one was supposed to carry). It would be as if Dr Mengele himself had come to preside over the demise over your Endurance Hike.

These hikes would come and go as per the Commandants of the Academy - An army general would re-instate them as the 'Academy seemed to be going soft' while a Naval/Air Force Commandant would remove them - to provide a human touch. Not surprisingly, my tenure there was when these were handed out like free candy.

Over time, the edge of the paved road would have a metallic gleam - lined with flakes of metal from the studded boots we wore, up and down the fort.

But going on these hikes had a certain 'stud value'.

Irrespective of your term, you would be allowed to rest that Sunday, provided you completed it of course. In some 'hot' squadrons, going on these punishments was still considered preferable to facing the shenanigans inside the squadron.

During rainy weather, when most college teenagers would gingerly climb in their Nike/Adidas, you would be sprinting up in your loaded packs and heavy boots, yelling 'Move to a side, you clods!' to those lily-livered damsels would ooh aah or berate their boyfriends for not being so 'agile'.

On returning, the most intrepid would shower, change and get our Liberty passes to Pune signed - where a massive burger called 'King Burger' of indeterminate bovine meat - awaited us at a very reasonable price.

But doing so in the 4.5 hours, gave you a level of fitness that would be elusive later in your life.

Ah.....those halcyon days!


Tailpiece.

Got up on the dot, though groggily as I'd woken up in the wee hours to ease my bladder. Went through the chores and were ready well in time. The water bill was handed over and I'd made a quick dash to town to pay it up and recharge our dish TV channels. It was a quiet day, thereafter.

Have to go early morning, tomorrow, to Neelamperoor to attend Gomathi peramma's funeral at 1400 hrs. It's gonna be a hectic day!   

Adieu Gomathi Peramme!

Gomathi peramma, the second of four sisters, passed into the mist of time, around a quarter past 7 this evening. All of 93 yrs, she was bedridden without registering anything over the past six months. She leaves behind a son (Babu chettan) and twin daughters (Kunjomana chechi and Kumari chechi). Kunjomana chechi's son works in Abu Dhabi, UAE and will reach by tomorrow evening. Consequently, the cremation will take place on Saturday morning.

The body was shifted from her house, adjacent to the Puthuvayil House to the hospital morgue till the preparations for the cremation are completed.

Valia muthachhan (P Kesava Panicker, my muthachhan's elder brother) and Neelamperoor peramma have four daughters viz. Maheshwari, Gomathi, Santhakumari and Saraladevi. My mom used to call her, 'kochechi'!

I remember Gomathi peramma, as a very quiet person and full of love. She was very fond of me and used to pluck fruits from the trees, give me bath at the family's tank nearby and feed me while regaling me with a lot of stories and reciting melodious slokas, whenever my parents visited the ancestral house and as a kid, I was very fond of her.

Towards the end of last month, we'd paid a visit and I'd sat with her, trying to elicit some sort of a response from her but to no avail. She was wide awake, constantly chomping empty air and what Kunjomana chechi told us - me, Lekha and Mini, my younger sister - was that she was subsisting only on water for the past so many weeks! Dementia had caught up with her much earlier. When her grandson told her that I was calling her, she turned her head towards him, opened her mouth - as if out of conditioned reflex - to have that familiar gulp of water!

Since there was nothing on offer at that point of time, she reverted to her earlier position of lying flat on the bed, gave me a hard look and clutched weakly at my right shoulder.....I was sitting beside on her bed. Sat for a while wondering as to what life does to us as age advances....

Gomathi peramma lived beyond the 90s, was healthy and capable of looking after herself till probably the last year of her life. Her requirements were minimal and she had no unfulfilled desires, as I gathered from her daughter.

I consider it as a great honour and privilege to have been able to meet her, touch her feet and be with her albeit for a short time.

RIP Gomathi peramme. My prayers and tears. I shall always remain indebted to you for the tremendous love and kindness that you'd showered upon me for nothing in return.


Tailpiece.

Had gone out to the nearby internet cafe to complete a few pending work and thereafter, it was a quiet day. Earlier, Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple for her weekly tryst and also to buy the monthly grocery from the supermarket.   

An appeal.

Dear friends and relatives,

Recently I had the opportunity to visit a seat belt and airbag manufacturing unit....I also had the opportunity to witness the tests and videos which opened my eyes on the need for wearing seat belt and some fundamentals related to our sitting position in the car....I request all of you to read, understand and implement/follow for your safety....

(a) Seat belt is the primary protection and airbag is the secondary protection.

(b) The meaning is airbag alone will not protect WITHOUT wearing seat belt; in fact, it may hurt or
      kill or hurt badly....

(c) Except hand holding the steering, body (trunk) shall be minimum 300 mm away from the steering
      wheel, closer than this distance even if seat belt is used and airbag operates,  driver will not be
      protected.....so stay away from the steering by a minimum of 300 mm....(very important).

(d) Sit comfortably and ensure that the buttock is not tilted to the steering, it will make the driver
      slide in case of accident. Original seats are provided to prevent the slide....

(e) Never, never fix crash bars or side bars in your car on your own...These may protect the vehicle
      but will kill the passengers inside due to improper impact load transfer and also alter the
      crumbling zone, based on which the airbags are designed to respond in 35 milliseconds.....

(f)  Airbags must be replaced once it gets used. This must be done at the authorised dealer end only....

(g) Headrest for the driver and the co-passenger is very, very crucial. With safety belt and airbags
      functioning, not having headrest in the right place (the vehicle manual shows the correct position)
      will break the neck after the impact.....I saw the video and had seen how important it is to have
      the headrest in position....I am not sure how many of us are aware that headrests are detachable
      and they carry sharp wedges at the end which can be used for breaking the window if stuck inside
      the car, post accident.

(h) Irrespective of distance to travel wear seat belt, it is not for long drives only; it is the impact that
      matters not the distance....

(j)  All passengers (front and rear) to wear seat belts....kids need to be protected well, too, with safety
      cradles.......

(k) Be careful in keeping loose items in the car....as they could turn into missiles on high velocity
      impact......put them in the boot...

The amazing engineering that had gone into these developments, for our safety, incorporated by
car makers have to be used for protecting us and our near and dears......

SAFE DRIVING, SAFE LIVING.

Note. A grab from the web.


Tailpiece.

Had got up on the dot at 6, went through the chores but was a trifle late in getting ready. Went to town to get a few of the pending jobs done.

An interesting and inspiring story.

During the 1800s, Aden had become an extremely prosperous port city and a home to thriving business. About a thousand Parsis (Zarathustis) belonging to business and shipping community had settled in Aden by the end of the 19th century.

The Parsis also built a fire temple in Aden to cater to their spiritual and religious needs.

A unique characteristic of the Parsi religious fire - known as 'Atash' - is that it is an amalgamation of fire from 16 hearths, of which 14 are from different occupational hearths (fire from a blacksmith's hearth, shepherd's hearth, baker's hearth etc), 15th from a funeral pyre and the 16th from a fire caused by natural lightning.

The core and fundamental religious belief of the Parsis states that this religious fire - Atash - must remain burning uninterrupted and must be protected at any cost so that the fire is not even seen by any non-Parsi. 

In 1967, the British left Yemen and the country became a hardcore communist country. With no respect to religious sentiments of anyone, the communist government of Yemen wanted to seize the Parsi temple, which would mean an end to the religious fire - that should have burned uninterrupted without the flames being doused.

This was becoming difficult and so the Parsis started to look for another country where they could carry this fire.

The land route of carrying this fire would be sacrilege as the holy fire would have to pass through Islamic territories. Another dilemma was that the fire could not be directly carried on ships as it is not allowed to be on water. Yemen was not helping the Parsis with this problem of 'spiritual existence'.

When things seemed grim for the Parsis, India agreed to host.

It took a lot of diplomatic efforts to figure out a concrete plan - not just to bring the fire from Aden to India but also to protect the religious sentiments. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Foreign Minister YB Chavan and Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw took the matter in their hands.

It was planned that India would send an Air India Boeing 707, manned by an ALL-PARSI CREW, with Parsi priests to receive the fire from Aden. This was a difficult task because Air India needed Parsi pilots.

There were a few but they had been flying other planes and hence, needed to train and complete flying hours needed to fly the 707. After a lot of efforts, this finally happened on 14 Nov 1976. Captain Sam Pedder, a Parsi, took off for Aden. Once the flight landed, it was not touched by any ground staff at the airport to maintain the sanctity of the plane that would carry the holy fire.

All along, Air India had reconfigured this Boeing 707 first class to carry the LIVE BURNING FIRE - the first and only incident in the world when a plane had carried live fire in flight. With prayers, chants and all customs followed, the fire was loaded into the all-Parsi plane that took off for Bombay. To prevent the fire from dying, sandalwood was continuously being added to it inside a pressurised plane cabin at an altitude of 30,000 ft. Any spark could have resulted in a massive catastrophe. Thankfully, with all care, the plane landed safely.

Once it reached Bombay, the fire again had to be protected from the sight of non-Parsis to protect the religious sentiments. It was planned, by then, that the holy fire would rest in a Parsi temple in Lonavala.. The entire Bombay-Lonavala stretch of road was blocked for the public and a green corridor was created. The fire was unloaded and escorted by Parsis in cars and eight buses. The holy fire, finally, reached its new home in 1976.

Can any country in the world show an example of love for a religion whose followers are only around 50,000 in number all across the country! The last label anyone in the world can attribute to India is of intolerance. Show me an example of tolerance greater than this!

- Kshitij Mohan Singh.


Tailpiece.

Got up half an hour late as Lekha had not set the alarm because it was an off-day for the maid! Was ready correspondingly late. Had planned to go down to the town to do some work but Hamid and his auto could not fetch up on time. Meanwhile, a requirement had come to xerox a document and send it urgently to Lekha's friend, which was accomplished before lunchtime. It was then that I'd noticed that Dr Rani Menon's Eye Clinic had begun to function as before...Lekha and I'd seen the place being cleaned/spruced up on Sunday, when we'd gone to the supermarket.

Was very happy to see the clinic active. Must speak to the doctor to find out the reason for the change of heart! 

Vaastu.

Munuswamy made it big in business so he spent money buying a piece of land in the city outskirts (Visakhapatnam rural) and built a three-storey farm house. He had an impressive swimming pool in the garden with a 100-year-old Mango Tree in the backyard to boot. In fact, he bought the property precisely because of this tree. His wife loved eating mangoes.

During renovations, his friends urged him to get guidance from a 'vaastu pandit' just to tread on the side of caution. Munuswamy never quite believed in vaastu yet surprisingly, took the advice to heart and went out of his way to engage a vaastu pandit from Hyderanad. The pandit was none other than Dr Veera Reddy, who has been in the profession for over 30 years, renowned in vaastu sastra. They had a meal in Vizag, then Munuswamy drove the vaastu pandit to rural Visakhapatnam. Along the way, when cars behind them tried to overtake, Munuswamy would simply give way.

The pandit laughingly remarked : "Swamy garu, your driving is really safe". He spoke really fluent Telugu accent for someone from Telangana. Munuswamy laughed at the remark : "Usually people who need to overtake have some urgent matter to attend to, so we shouldn't hold them up".

Arriving at the small town, Vizianagaram, the streets grew narrow and so Munuswamy slowed down. A giggling child suddenly came out from a side lane and as the child ran across the street, Swamy still didn't speed up. Instead, he concentrated on the lane, as if waiting for someone. Suddenly, another child came out, chasing after the child ahead.

Dr. Reddy was surprised and asked : "How did you know there'd be another child following suit?" Swamy smiled : "Kids are always chasing after each other so it's impossible for a child to be in such glee without a playmate". Dr. Reddy gave him a big thumbs up and laughed out loud : "That's really considerate of you!"

Arriving at the farm house, they got down from the car. Suddenly about 7 to 8 birds flew off from the backyard. Seeing so, Swamy told the pandit : "If you don't mind please wait here for a little while".

"What's the matter?" The pandit was taken aback.

"Oh, there's probably some kids stealing mangoes in the backyard, If we walk in now we might give them a fright, let's not risk anyone falling off the old Mango Tree". Munuswamy replied humorously.

Dr. Veera Reddy stayed silent before making a statement : "This house doesn't need vaastu treatment anymore".
Now it's Munuswamy's turn to be shocked : "Why's that?"
"Any place graced with your presence naturally becomes the property with the most auspicious vaastu".

When our minds prioritise others' peace and happiness, the one who benefits is not just others, but ourselves too. When a person is considerate of others at all times, then this person has unconsciously accomplished sainthood. The saint is in fact a person who through benefiting others become enlightened.


Tailpiece.

Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and was ready on time. Lekha had gone to the Mammiyoor Siva kshethram as part of her weekly tryst. Subhish of the PCI had dropped by for the quarterly rounds and requisite action - he's a hardworking young man brought up with the right values. His wife is a nurse and doing well at Dubai; they've a five year old son.

Subin came by a trifle late to clean up the overhead filter. 

The evolutionary power of menopause.

Grandmas may be key to species survival.

The phenomena of menopause is a conundrum that has long baffled evolutionary biologists. But new research on killer whales suggests that this is because grandmothers play a powerful role in the survival of subsequent generations.

Around age 50, a woman's ovaries stop producing eggs, officially liberating her from her reproductive responsibilities and biological functions - menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, repeat. Though many primates die out after this point, humans live on decades after menopause. From an evolutionary perspective, this suggests that women are essential to the survival of our species beyond their direct ability to bear children.

Enter "The Grandmother Hypothesis", which has theorized that by surviving long past menopause, a woman improves the survival and reproduction of her children's children. This way, she ensures the continuation of her own genes into the next generation. In the past, skeptics dismissed the hypothesis arguing it's always more genetically beneficial for a female to have her own children, rather than throwing in the towel half-way through and using her time and energy to help raise her children's children.

Like humans, female whales live decades past their reproductive potential. And like humans, they can continue to have babies after they become grandmothers. In a new study, researchers sought to find out if post-reproductive grandmother whales helped their offspring better than grandmothers that were still reproducing. Of course, to get the genetic "fitness" benefits, grandmothers and their offspring need to be able to interact in killer whale communities, offspring do not leave their mothers once they reach reproductive age. This results in a close knit matrilineal family structure in which a grandma whale groups with her offspring.

To do the test, the researchers collected data on two groups of killer whales. One group in the coastal waters of Washington state and the other in British Columbia, Canada. Geneological whale relationships were inferred from long term observations of social organisation and mothers were identified by their repeated association with young calves. The researchers recorded whale births and deaths and also controlled for the important environmental factor of salmon abundance.

What the researchers discovered was that not only did grandmothers significantly increase the survival of their grandoffspring but grandmothers were even more beneficial to their grandcalves when they were no longer reproducing.

The study found that if a whale lost its grandmother, its survival rate took a sharp dip within the two years of her death. This was true even of whales who were 20 years old.When salmon abundance was lower, the role of the grandmother whale was found to be more significant, suggesting that the grandma whale's accumulation of ecological knowledge was a vital resource for the survival of whale families.

After all, whales are gregarious creatures. Young killer whales need guidance in finding food after they have been weaned. Not only do grandma whales help raise and share their own food with their grandoffspring, they bequeath decades of foraging wisdom onto the next generation, guiding them to the best feeding spots. The researchers noted that as salmon populations continue to decline due to ecological threats, whale grandmothers may become increasingly important.

The beneficial effect was enhanced when the grandmother whale was no longer reproducing. It makes sense, as she wouldn't be using her time, energy and resources being pregnant, lactating or ensuring her new children survives. This corroborates previous studies that found menopause might be beneficial because it means that competition for resources is thinned out between generations of females. This could be why in humans, women on an average tend to stop reproducing almost right around the time when their offspring start.

The authors claim that their findings help explain why killer whales have evolved the longest post-reproductive life span of all nonhuman animals. natural selection has decided that post-reproductive grandmas are extremely valuable resources. Perhaps this is why humans have a longer post-reproductive life span than other primates. The study offers an enchanting example of nature's symmetry and proves the value of all phases of feminine family roles in the evolution and continuation of the human race.

Ultimately, this study proves what many of us intuitively knew : Grandma is a badass. It's grandmothers and the generations of matriarchs before them, we can thank for our existence.

Note. Adapted from Molly Hanson's article.


Tailpiece.

Got up half an hour late as there was a power interruption. Were ready well within time. Drove to the supermarket nearby to buy sundries. A quiet day thereafter!

Exactly a year back, on this day, Vichani kunjamma - mom's second sister - had passed into the mist of time. Remembering her with fond love and regards!

Anger is temporary madness!

Anger is a complicated emotion, but one you can learn to control. The Stoics knew how to curb it.

People get angry for all sorts of reasons, from the trivial ones (someone cut me off on the highway) to the really serious ones (people keep dying in Syria and nobody is doing anything about it). But, mostly, anger rises for trivial reasons. That's why the American Psychological Association has a section of its website devoted to anger management. Interestingly, it reads very much like one of the oldest treatises on the subject, On Anger, written by the Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca back in the first century CE.

Seneca thought that anger is a temporary madness and that even when justified, we should never act on the basis of it because, though 'other vices affect our judgement, anger affects our sanity : others come in mild attacks and grow unnoticed, but men's minds plunge abruptly into anger.....Its intensity is in no way regulated by its origin : for it rises to the greatest heights from the most trivial beginnings'.

The perfect modern milieu for anger management is the internet. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, or write, read or comment on a blog, you know what I mean. Heck, Twitter anger has been brought up to new heights (or lows, depending on your point of view) by the current president of the United States, Donald Trump.

I too write quite a bit on online forums. It's part of my job as an educator, as well as, I think, my duty as a member of the human polls. The conversations I have with people from all over the world tend to be cordial and mutually instructive, but occasionally it gets nasty. A prominent author who recently disagreed with me on a technical matter quickly labelled me as belonging to a 'department of bullshit'. Ouch! How is it possible not to get offended by this sort of thing, especially when it's coming not from an anonymous troll but from a famous guy with more than 200,000 followers? By implementing the advice of another Stoic philosopher, the second-century slave-turned-teacher Epictetus, who admonished his students in this way : 'Remember that it is we who torment, we who make difficulties for ourselves - that is, our opinions do. What, for instance, does it mean to be insulted? Stand by a rock and insult it and what have you accomplished? If someone responds to insult like a rock, what has the abuser gained with his invective?'

Indeed. Of course, to develop the attitude of a rock toward insults takes time and practice but I'm getting better at it. So what did I do in response to the above-mentioned rant? I behaved like a rock. I simply ignored it, focusing my energy instead on answering genuine questions from others, doing my best to engage them in constructive conversations. As a result, said prominent author, I'm told, is livid with rage while I retained my serenity.

Now, some people say that anger is the right response to certain circumstances, in reaction to injustice, for instance and that - in moderation - it can be a motivating force for action. But Seneca would respond that to talk of moderate anger is to talk of flying pigs : there simply isn't such a thing in the Universe. As for motivation, the Stoic take is that we are moved to action by positive emotions, such as a sense of indignation at having witnessed an injustice or a desire to make the world a better place for everyone. Anger just isn't necessary and in fact it usually gets in the way.

The philosopher Martha Nussbaum gave a famous modern example of this in her Aeon essay on Nelson Mandela. As she tells the story, when Mandela was sent to prison - for 27 years - by the Apartheid government of South Africa, he was very, very angry. And for good reasons : not only was a grave injustice being perpetrated against him personally but against his people more generally. Yet at some point Mandela realised that nurturing his anger and insisting in thinking of his political opponents as sub-human monsters, would lead nowhere. He needed to overcome that destructive emotion, to reach out to the other side, to build trust, if not friendship. He befriended his own guard and eventually his gamble paid off : he was able to oversee one of those peaceful transitions to a better society that are unfortunately very rare in history.

Interestingly, one of the pivotal moments in his transformation came when a fellow prisoner smuggled in and circulated among the inmates a copy of a book by yet another Stoic philosopher : the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Marcus thought that if people are doing wrong, what you need to do instead is to 'teach them then and show them without being angry'. Which is exactly what Mandela did so effectively.

Note. Adapted from Aeon : Massimo Pigliucci.


Tailpiece.

Got up on the dot at 6, went through the chores and were ready on time. Sekhar's brother and family - consisting of four adults and a kid arrived at Guruvayur by a half past 4. Instructed them to be at the western entrance by a half past 5 and Hamid took me there around that time. I'd asked the manager-on-duty to facilitate their 'special darshan' of the good Lord, handed over the token to them and returned to my house soon after, buying  sundries enroute. Earlier, had to reiterate to the manager that I did not need any special darshan as I believed in seeing the good Lord by being part of the queue....he didn't seem to believe me or did he? .........Not that it matters!

The NDA Raising day.

16 Jan is the NDA (National Defence Academy) raising day.

The Academy was set up as the Joint Services Wing (JSW) on 01 Jan 1949 at Clement Town, Dehra Dun. The first course had commenced on 09 Jan of the same year; the Academy was shifted to the present campus at Khadakwasla, Pune in Oct 1954. The NDA was inaugurated by Morarji Desai, the then Chief Minister of Bombay on 16 Jan 1955.  

Am reminded about my first day at the NDA, 47 years ago!

I'd joined the Academy, as a first termer of the 49th course, on 10 Jan 1973. Pune, of today, used to be called Poona and I remember the train that I was travelling by - the Madras-Dadar Express - had pulled into the station around a half past 8 in the morning (It was a bright sunny one at that). We - there were a few others along with me - made a beeline towards the reception point on platform no.1. There was a fairly sizeable crowd by then to report at the Academy, that day. Captain Bhupinder Singh Dhadwal was the staff officer - later came to know that he was one of the instructors at the Engineering and Drawing Department in the Science Block - who shouted, "I say, what sort of guys are joining the Academy these days? Don't you guys know that you're supposed to be wearing a tie?" 

We literally dived into our black, steel trunks and fished out our ties to quickly wear them. After the muster, we were told to board the fleet of gleaming, olive green NDA buses and started our journey to the institution that was going to be our home, for the next three years. As the vehicles charged through those approximately 14 km, the city had soon receded and the forlorn hills and dales that cradled the Academy came into view. Traffic sign boards saying that the NDA was 10 miles from now..5 miles from now....passed by before we saw the imposing layout of the Academy in front of our eyes as the vehicle was atop a hill, near the Garware House, short of the Pashan Gate. A while later, we'd fetched up before the Cadets' Mess to be welcomed by an imposing and handsome personality with a booming voice, none other than Commodore Ronald Lynsdale Pereira, the then Deputy Commandant of the NDA!

After a steaming cup of drinking chocolate and cream biscuits, the DepCom touched upon fragging by the seniors which would facilitate us to learn the ropes at the shortest possible time and welcomed all of us, newcomers in front of the central mess. I was slotted into the eighth out of twelve squadrons and before long, found myself trudging towards 'H' for Hunter Squadron with the orderly, Hari Singh - a huge and burly figure - carrying my trunk on his head and my airbag slung on his shoulder. Barely had we traversed about a 100 steps, our roles were reversed with me carrying my luggage and the orderly designated to receive me, walking by my side rather imposingly - a quick glance around, I found that this 'change over' had happened to the others, too, proceeding to their respective squadrons! I, soon, reached the Squadron and after having offloaded the luggage, was asked to front roll on the longish corridor by a senior - he was Divisional Cadet Captain Goli Ravindra Babu, as I came to know about his identity, later in the course of the day - for no rhyme or reason. He was particularly harsh on me because a senior school mate of mine had taken him to task in his earlier days!

These are some of the things that had happened during the course of the day as I remember them through the haze of my memory:-

(a) Lunch, that had a liberal spread of salt at the behest of the seniors (The appointment holders of the senior term - the 44th course - and the retest types drawn from all courses) in attendance; we, first termers had joined a week before the Academy was to reopen.

(b) A crew cut at the Squadron Barber Shop (Brought about an outright change in my personality and must confess, I felt lighter!).

(c) Issue of personal bicycles at the MT Pool - H 73 was mine, for the entire 1st term.

(d) More rolling on the Squadron's corridor which resulted in my throwing up twice. Was asked to clean up the muck with my handkerchief, wash it away and to continue doing so from where I'd left last.

(e) A whirlwind tour of the Academy - the Academy 'darshan' - in buses.

(f) A senior - came to know of his identity much later - asked me to chew on my tie, which he'd rolled and put into my mouth. I was hit on my abdomen because I'd shammed on the chewing bit and the sudden assault got me angry enough to chew the tie out of shape.....it was reduced to a miserable blob of mass...and the epitaph to an expensive tie that I was fond of!

(g) The stripping of the clothes for the 'Academy bath' - where everyone washed themselves in the raw without feeling awkward about each other's nudity at close quarters - was a painful affair as my back had abrasions, thanks to the rolling that I'd done thus far.

(h) The supper was another salty affair and I hated the butler-in-attendance - Balam - who seemed to be enjoying my discomfort but he'd quietly slipped a well endowed sandwich into my trouser pocket which I gobbled once within the dark confines of my cabin, on return from the Mess. Balam, God bless his soul, became my good friend in the Mess, during meals, as he regaled me with stories about the seniors. (An oft repeated yarn that he used to narrate was the friendship of 'chakku', 'talwar' and 'bandook' for Chacko, Talwar and Bandhu!).

(j) There was some more of fragging, into the night, with us standing in the cold weather on the bicycle stand in our underwear after a warm shower, with our cycles slung on our shoulders!

I remember returning to my cabin - no.16, on the ground floor at the central lobby of the squadron. In fact, all the first termers were housed at the ground floor - around midnight. To my utter discomfort, I found that I couldn't lie on my well-made-bed with white sheets, along with a thick blanket by the avuncular Ram Singh, my orderly for the term as my back had a series of abrasions thanks to the repeated rolling, in the course of the day. Since I was so exhausted, I didn't know when I'd passed out.......but believe me, with no hard feelings towards anyone.

My first day in the Academy was long over and I was left with another 1,094 days. The metamorphosis from a rookie boy to a man had begun in right earnest!


Tailpiece.

Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and was ready well in time. It was yet another quiet day.

           

      

A wandering mind!

"There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end : communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide". 
                                                                                        -Ayn Rand.

Individual choice, individual merit and individual rights have to be respected. Left economic models have failed in every country - USSR, Poland, Cuba, Venezuela, Chile, Greece. All they have produced is mass killings, rampant corruption, intolerable poverty. Every communist leader has only massacred millions to impose state control and ended up ruining the country. The reason why it fails is because it is unnatural and punishes merit. The reason why it is still alluring is because it talks of revolution through organised propaganda and covert elimination of reason which looks good to young, inexperienced, impressionable college kids who do not understand basic economics. We wore Che Guevara's beret, sang Cuban freedom songs and read Marx as kids because it looked cool, not because we understood anything about economics then.

                *                      *                      *

Around the thirteen hundreds, Malik Kafur, a powerful general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler, Alauddin Khilji invaded many parts of south India. He was especially cruel and targeted the temples for the immense treasures that were kept safe within them.

So, when he was about to gain entry into the temple of Srirangam, the armies were clearly unable to hold him back for long. While desperate attempts were being made to carry the main idols and treasures away to hide them safely it became imperative that Malik Kafur's progress be slowed down for as long as possible.

It was then that 69 devadasis, inspired by their charismatic leader, Vellai Ammal decided to do something unprecedented. While thousands of litres of oil were flung at the enemy's army by giant mechanical devices, these women doused themselves in oil, climbed to the top of the 'gopuram', immolated themselves and threw themselves down on the invading army, setting them afire.

The extraordinary sacrifice of these women saved thousands of lives and many invaluable historical documents, artefacts and other treasures including the the main deity that is still worshipped today and would otherwise have been destroyed. Till date, more than six centuries since Vellai Ammal's courageous act, that particular 'gopuram' at the Srirangam temple is still painted white in her honour. I get tears in my eyes each time I think of Vellai Ammal and her tremendous sacrifice. She is my hero!

What is most extraordinary is that I never read this in any of our history books and know that it is never going to appear in them. This is India's greatest tragedy that we don't take pride in our history and the absolute greatness of our nation at all.


Tailpiece.

Got up on the dot, at 6. Went through our chores and were ready well in time. Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple as part of her weekly tryst around a half past 9 and returned after about an hour. It was a quiet day, otherwise.  

Army Day and Makar Sankranti.

                                            THE ARMY DAY

On 15 Jan 1949, the command of the Indian Army was handed over from General Sir Francis Butcher to Lieutenant General KM Cariappa.

Army Day marks the transfer of power from the British to Independent India, an important event in Indian history.

Bodies battered and minds shattered;
they carried on because victory mattered.

The heights stay frozen, not with ice;
but by their blood and sacrifice.

Sons and fathers, like you and me;
conquered the peaks and set them free.

Too many did we lose, too many did we bleed;
but they cared not for their own need.

Fight they did till their last breath out;
without a question, nor a doubt.

Tear-soaked letters did their families receive,
written a few hours before battle-eve.

Each letter has a story to tell, each worth its weight in gold;
O how lucky they are, if only they could be told.

Because the son came later, after a lag;
enclosed in a coffin, draped in the Flag.

Forget them not, nor their deeds of yore;
they must be made a folklore.

For it is the least we can do for those who died,
with the flag in the mind and the rifle by their side.

Bodies battered and minds shattered;
they carried on because victory mattered.....

HAPPY ARMY DAY!


                                         MAKAR SANKRANTI

Long ago during the times of Aryabhatta and Varahamihira, Sun's northerly movement and the sun entering the constellation of Capricorn (Makar Rasi) might have coincided. But due to the precessions of the earth's rotational axis, the equinoxes constantly move westwards. As a result, over a period of 15 centuries, the winter solstice is on 23 December; where as the actual entry of the sun in to Makar Rasi is on 15 January.

The Gregorian calendar follows the solar time. But the Hindu calendar follows mainly the sidereal time conforming to the movement of distant stars.

As per the Indian Almanac time calculation, sun enters the zodiac sign of Makar Rasi (from Dhanu Rasi), 20 minutes late every year, as compared to the English time or the World Time. Thus, once in three years, sun enters Makar Rasi late by one hour. That means, in every cycle of 72 years, sun enters Makar Rasi late by one day.

So from Varaha Mihira's time it has added up to about 23 days ie. 23 Dec to 15 Jan.

One winter festival which marks the start of the new season is called by so many names and in every culture the food prepared is essentially Khichdi (Lentil and rice preparation) both sweet (traditionally with jaggery) and spicy varieties. The festival traditionally involved eating sweets made of sesame-jaggery in all cultures. No matter what you call by name, the festival is celebrated all over with similarity.

* Makar Sankranti                   AP, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra.
* Pongal                                   Tamilnadu, Pondicherry.
* Lohri                                      Punjab, Haryana.
* Sakraat and Makraat            Bihar, UP, Uttarakhand.
* Uttarayan                              Gujarat, Diu, Daman.
* Suggi                                     Karnataka.
* Ghughuti                               HP.
* Makara Chaula                     Orissa.
* Kicheri                                   Poorvanchal East UP.
* Pousha Sankranti                  Bengal and NE.
* Magh Bihu                             Assam and NE.
* Shishur Sankraat                   Kashmir.
* Makara Vilakku                     Kerala.
* Maghe Sankrant                    Nepal.
* Songkran                               Thailand.
* Pi Ms Lao                              Laos.
* Thingyan                               Myanmar.
* Mohan Songkran                  Cambodia.

Celebrate Humanity.................Celebrate Unity in Diversity.


Tailpiece.

It was Makaram Onnu. Got up at 6, went through the chores and were ready well in time. Lekha's aarathi, followed by the house's soon after. Lekha went to the Mammiyoor Siva kshetram by 10 and thereafter, it was a quiet day.

A non golfer's dilemma!

For a non golfer, terms like birdie, eagle etc makes one believe that golfers love all types of birds. Most golfers also think so. However, some research on the web laid to rest this feathered love. "Birdie", meaning one under par comes from early 20th century American slang term BIRD which meant anything excellent. The Atlantic City Club traces the usage to 1903, when Ab Smith made this comment on the par four second hole for the second shot which landed inches next to the pin. Almost in quick time EAGLE came into vogue as two under par, a terrific shot in those days, which could only be represented by the American symbol. Three under was rarer and across the Pacific; it was named ALBATROSS.  The yanks still called it DOUBLE EAGLE.

Rarer still is CONDOR, an almost impossible hole in one on a par 5. There have been only four recorded Condors in the history of golf, all on dog leg par 5s. The longest was 517 yards and the latest as close as 2016.

OSTRICH seems to be a fantasy term for a one under par 6 or 2 under par 7. Since there are not too many par 6s and 7s, this seems to be a creation of figment of someone's imagination, verified by Google. GIGO.

On the flip side of the scorecard, a double bogey is a BUZZARD, a triple bogey is, naturally TURKEY. These terms are generally not in vogue but nice to know. And now, after your goose is cooked, you can appear brighter on the course. FORE.


Tailpiece.

Had got up promptly at 6 and saw Maman putting his talking papers in order, for use, at New Delhi. Got through the chores and was ready well in time. Chambu, too, had accompanied us at a half past 8 and I was the first to be dropped at the RTC bus stand at Thampanoor before the car left for the airport. Got the 9 'o clock low floor, a/c bus to Ernakulam but had dropped me at the Vyttila junction from where I'd to cross over to reach the hub in the unbearable heat!

Lekha had already arrived at the hub, along with Padmakumar and Rema and we missed the low floor bus to Kozhikode just leaving the bus bay, packed with people. We boarded the private bus that was purring to go to Guruvayur and realised at the end of the journey that it took an inordinately long time to reach the destination! The bus crew didn't seem to be in a hurry and we advanced at rather low speeds and the bus was jam packed throughout. Had lunch packed by Rema and boy, wasn't it good?

We reached 'The Quarterdeck' a trifle after 7 and the unpacking and opening up of the house was undertaken in right earnest. It was a quiet yet late evening!  

The Anglo Indians of Pakistan.

The Anglo Indians in Pakistan are long gone, swallowed up by the passage of time, driven out to fend for themselves. But in their extinction lies a bigger tragedy.

They were fun people, adding a swing and vibrancy to our society that in many ways became the new fresh spirit that was Pakistan. Those of us who grew up with them, watched with considerable sadness as family after family left this country to go and live abroad. In retrospect, they were wise. Look at our shameless bestiality towards minorities.

The Anglo Indians were deliberately created by the British for a specific purpose to protect their own interests within India., the jewel in the crown. They were ethnically engineered and encouraged to adopt British mannerisms. Without them, the British Empire in India would have collapsed.

Anglo Indians virtually ran the railways, post and telegraph, police, customs, education, nursing, healthcare, import/export, shipping, tea, coffee and tobacco plantations, coal mines and gold reserves. They became great teachers, nurses, priests and doctors. The ladies were debonair, confident, skillful and the best executive secretaries, special assistants and office managers. There were no one to match them.

Anglo Indians worked hard and loved socialising. The dance floors were full on Saturday nights with Jam Sessions on Sunday afternoons. At the hangouts, Karachi particularly with Lahore catching up all the time and Sam's in Murree, the Anglo Indians could set a floor on fire as they jived, jitterbugged, rocked and rolled, swung, waltzed or shook sensuously to Latin-flavoured mind blowing melodies. And it was on the dance floors that you saw girls who could break your heart with just a look, hair tossing, laughing their pretty heads off as adept and handsome male escorts took them through the paces.

Anglo Indians congregated in special areas within the cities. Their homes were always warm and inviting. In Lahore, they were behind. The Indus Hotel on The Mall, in the environs of the railway colony and in residential areas where family names like D'souzas were as common as Mohammad Iqbals today. In Karachi, names like Peedy Street, Elphi were synonymous with them. They were not very affluent but you were always welcomed with a cold beer, a quick rum shot if it was nippy and at Christmas time. The special cakes made to order with each family guarding its secret recipe passed from generation to generation.

In Karachi, Anglo Indians were seen at all the clubs and night spots where superb musicians played jazz, rock, even fusion or whatever you fancied. There was no shortage of Anglo Indian Live Bands like The Strollers, Francisco Boys, The Bugs, The Cossacks, Willie Po and the Boys. The crowd (inspired by that superb hit from Ramsay Lewis was all the rage then), The Drifters, The Panthers, The Talisman Set, The Keynotes, Flintstone, The Fatah Brothers, Captivators and the Saints of Rawalpindi (now surely replaced by the devil's incarnate).

Nightclubs with foreign acts especially in Karachi were all the rage. Agents, artists, con men, musicians, strippers, belly dancers all arrived at this bustling port city. Jazz legends like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Byrd, Benny Carter and Quincy Jones came here and they loved Karachi and this country called Pakistan.

Sadly, as all good things must come to an end, the 1972 laws enforced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to please the religious fundamentalists was the beginning of the grand finale. The Anglo Indian Circus left town never to come back. The new clowns carry guns, not guitars and people live in fear. Fun and Laughter has changed to Sorrow and Anguish.

Note. Karachi was a twin city to Bombay. This interesting article on Anglo Indians in old Pakistan was written by Masood Hasan, a Lahore-based columnist.


Tailpiece.

Had got up by 7, went through the chores and was ready well in time. Was at the Foundation and spent time basically to help Maman for his trip to New Delhi tomorrow. He'll return by the weekend. I shall be returning to Guruvayur and have asked Lekha to join me at the Vyttila hub from where we will journey together. Spoke to Padmakumar and Rema, too, about my intentions. Went to the Gandhari Amman 'kovil' in the evening.

The story of Samba.

One of the most disturbing stories that we find in the Puranas is the story of Krishna's son, Samba whose mother was the bear-princess, Jambavati.

He dupes his father's junior wives by disguising himself as Krishna and is cursed by Krishna that he will suffer from a skin disease that will enable his wives to distinguish father and son. Samba is cured after he builds temples to the sun. All sun temples in India, from Konark in Orissa to Modhera in Gujarat to Markand in Kashmir are attributed to this son of Krishna.

Samba also attempts to kidnap Duryodhana's daughter and this leads to war between the Kauravas and the Yadavas. Peace is restored and the marriage is solemnised only after Balarama, Krishna's elder brother and Samba's uncle, in a fit of fury threatens to drag Hastinapur into the sea.

Then there is the story of Samba pretending to be a pregnant woman and duping sages who were visiting Dwarka. The sages were not amused and cursed Samba that he would give birth to an iron mace that would be responsible for the end of the Yadav clan.

Must not Krishna's son be as noble and divine and loving as Krishna? But that was not so. Samba comes with his own personality and his own destiny, over which Krishna has no influence. Or does he?

Can we wonder if Samba was a product of his father's neglect? For, was not Krishna spending most of his time with Arjuna and the Pandavas and in the politics of Kurukshetra?

There are hardly any stories of Krishna as father. He is friend, philosopher and guide to Arjuna but the only stories of father and son are of tension, rage and violence.

In conversations about corporations, we often forget about the other half of our lives, the personal one. As more and more people are working 24x7, thanks to Internet and smart devices, the lines between professional and personal, work and life are getting blurred. In fact, people feel noble when they sacrifice family for work and guilty when they take a holiday to take care of their family.

Family is not seen as achievement. Children are not seen as purpose. They are seen as obligations, duties, by-products of existence, even collateral damage!

We admire leaders who sacrifice family for a 'larger' cause. Like freedom fighters who neglect their wives and children. Like businessmen and entrepreneurs and consultants who spend most of their time in office.

With the rise of feminism, women are also working. Parenting has been outsourced to maids, teachers, computers, videogames and grandparents.

Women who work in the office have not been compensated by their husbands spending more time at home. Instead women are made to feel guilty for not being good mothers. No one questions men for not being good fathers. Eventually, the office wins. Absent parents rationalise how office is more important than the children : we need the money, the children eventually grow up, surely our needs are also important.

Many great Krishnas in the workplace discover that they have nurtured Sambas at home : sons who either follow destructive paths as they seek attention or sons who make their way away from parents, as they have grown used to not having them around. Who wins?

Corporations were supposed to create wealth for the family. Now families are creating only workers for the corporation.

We have many more Krishnas in this generation and maybe many Sambas in the next.


Tailpiece.

Had got up leisurely and both Maman and I went to the Parasurama temple at Thiruvallam to conduct the ceremony on the occasion of dad's eighth remembrance day. The traffic warden, Ajitha, allowed us to park our car at a forbidden zone close to the entrance, taking into account Maman's age - damn sweet of her. Looked for her at the time of our departure - to thank her for her kindness - but couldn't meet her.

Harishchandra 'thirumeni' helped me get a spot for carrying out the 'bali tharpanam'; had it not been for him, we would have got late. The 'thil homam' was done and the puja payasam was collected.

We reached the Foundation, in time, to go through the discussions on Muthachhan's biography in English with Sathyan, the author. We went through the script and effected changes; in the process, had a late lunch - of puries and coffee from the Indian Coffee House, nearby - at 1530 hrs! Our discussions had gone beyond three hours, phew!

We, then, set for Neyyattinkara to discuss a legal issue regarding a property that houses one of our production units in the block panchayat. Before the discussions, we had 'darshan' of the good Lord at the famous Sri Krishna temple that also, once upon a time, housed the famous 'Ammachi plaavu' in whose trunk, there was a crevice in which King Marthanda Varma had hidden to escape the persecution from his enemies, the Ettuveettil Pillamaar! The legend has it that it was the good Lord, dressed as a young man, who'd guided the king into this safe shelter!!

On completion of another round of discussions and after handing over the case to the advocate, we had returned comparatively early!

   

My mom's saree 'pallu'.

I don't think our kids know what a 'pallu' is as mothers now rarely wear saree. The principle use of Ma's pallu was to provide the elegance to her drape. But along with that, it also served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the stove.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears and as a hand towel.

For sleeping kids her lap was the mattress and her pallu, the warm cover.

When company came, those pallus were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when going out as little kids, the pallu became an anchor, a guide to follow the Mom in the big bad world.

And when the weather was cold, Ma wrapped it around her arms.

Those glorious saree pallus wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that pallu. It doubled as her apron too.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the pallu was used to bring in berries and sweet scented flowers that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old saree pallu could dust in a matter of seconds.

It carried so many toys, a proper basket.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time saree pallu' that served so many purposes.

The pallu is nothing but magic woven.

And know what this pallu carried.....I don't think I ever caught anything from my mom's pally - but love.

Note. From 'Nostalgia bites'....author unknown!


Tailpiece.

Got up around a half past 6, went through the chores and was ready well in time. Maman and I went to the Foundation by about a half past 9. The entire day was spent there formulating letters and exchanging ideas. In the evening, there was the 458th edition of the 'Aazhchakootam' that had the district BJP President, Advocate Suresh speaking about the CAA and the NRC. Gave my inputs, too.
We returned home early. 

Lebanon is gone and lost, let's keep India safe.

I'm genuinely sorry for it!

Why CAA and NRC are the last chance for India's existence........wake up! Lebanon is a glaring example of what can go wrong.

In the 1970s, Lebanon was called 'Paradise' and its capital Beirut was the 'Paris of the East'. The Lebanese Christians are some of the oldest Christians in the world, preceded only by the oriental Orthodox of Armenia and Copts of Egypt.

Lebanon was a progressive, tolerant and multi-cultural society, just like India is today. Lebanon had some of the best Universities in Middle East where children from all over Arabia used to come and study. And then they used to stay there and work.

Lebanese banking was one of the best banking systems in the world. Despite not having oil, Lebanon had a great economy. The Lebanese society's progressiveness can be gauged from the '60s Hindi film 'An Evening in Paris', which was also shot in Lebanon!

Now the sad bit. The Islamic population of Lebanon was growing steadily and the Muslims were producing many more kids than the Christians and the kids were slowly being radicalised due to their lack of education!

In the 1970s, there was unrest in Jordan and liberal Lebanon was made to open its doors to "Palestinian refugees" by their Muslim leaders to show "true compassion"! However, by 1980, Lebanon was exactly in the same condition as Syria is in today!!

Jihadists, who entered as 'refugees' started ethnic cleansing of the native Christians resulting in untold number of deaths. No one came to save and people who couldn't adjust to this violence, left Lebanon in waves and waves of emigration.

As a result of the deaths and emigrations, the Lebanese Christian population, which was 60% in 1970, whittled down to a mere 37% in 30 years. Today, there are more Lebanese people living outside of Lebanon than within and their right to return has been blocked by the Muslim majority through laws. The doors are now sealed shut!

The sad story of Lebanon is only 30 years old!

India needs to learn from Lebanese history. There is a need to be vigilant against the Crusaders like Rohingyas, Bangladesh intruders and also the Enemies within!!

Wake up India! 

Note. Adapted from Seshan Iyer's 'India learn from Lebanon!'

PS.

Did you know that India cannot have NRC but today,
     - Bangladesh already has NRIC;
     - Pakistan already has NADRA,
     - Malysia already has NRD.


Tailpiece.

Our day had begun at 4, with Lekha's cellphone alarm going off. Went through our chores and were ready much before 7. Hamid was at our gate on the dot at 7 and we got dropped at the RTC bus stand. The bus to Vyttila left Guruvayur at a quarter past 7, but thanks to two massive traffic snarls enroute, we reached the bus stand only by a quarter to 10. Padmakumar was waiting for us and after a quick snack, saw them off to Thrippunithura and continued to wait at the hub to join up with Maman, at an appropriate time.

At a half past 11, we met up at the Lulu Mall and had discussions regarding the exhibition. A quick lunch and we were at the Cochin Shipyard for discussions. After wrapping up our engagements, we shaped our course to Thiruvananthapuram by about a quarter past 5.

Reached Thiruvananthapuram by 2300 hrs and worked out our strategies.

From here and there.

News that have made the headlines. It makes me wonder as to why such things happen and perhaps, one cannot fathom the sinister minds that strive to get into the headlines....Well, as someone had said, it makes a whole lot of people, with varying mindsets, that go to make this world. So, without much ado, let's begin:-

  (a) Deepika Padukone in JNU.

        Each and every one of us is entitled to have our own political affiliations and we can flaunt it
        unabashedly. So what if Deepika, the Bollywood diva, has leftist leanings? She's free to follow
        her ideals and no one has the right to say that she's wrong. I was under the impression that she
        supported the Congress because I happened to hear quite a while back that she was rooting for
        Rahul Gandhi as the country's Prime Minister. Good again, because that's her point of view.

        But what changes the dimensions here, is that, she had got into the JNU campus to be with the
        students agitating - for a change of the Vice Chancellor and a reduction in fees. What's the
        connection between the movie, "Chhapaak" - she plays an acid attack victim in it - with the
        reasons for which the students were agitating?

        Couldn't get the connection whatsoever or am I dumb not to understand? Definitely an uncalled
        for visit by the actress....and this is no way to promote a film!

        But I'm still gonna watch the movie because I'm eager to know as to how the movie makers have
        handled a sensitive subject like that?


  (b) The CPM Caught on the Wrong Foot, Yet Again!

        Yesterday was the 24-hour strike called for by the trade unions of the country to protest against
        what, according to them, is a step motherly treatment by the central government regarding
        minimum wages and other issues. The Nobel laureate, Micheal Levitt, was enjoying his
        ride in a house boat on the Alappuzha backwaters but while trying to get off the vessel, he was
        prevented by the overzealous comrades quoting the restrictions due to the nationwide strike.
        It definitely left the state government with an egg on its face and apologies were tendered
        but the Nobel laureate was not pleased, who said, that this was not good for the state!

        The paradox is that the government is hosting a big 'business investment meeting' for two days
        at Kochi, commencing today. Wonder what the would-be-investors must be thinking and what
        assurances will the government give?

  (c) The Flat Destruction Begins Tomorrow.

        After years of court battles, the end is coming to the story of the illegal construction of
        residential flats at Maradu, Kochi. The genuine owners - who'd sunk their hard earned money
        into their dream homes - will shed tears and be sad but what about the unholy nexus of the
        corrupt panchayat guys and the builders? Will they learn any lesson? Only hope that they are
        made to pay up the damages and face punishment.

        Will be passing through the highway close to the buildings being destroyed. Hope there aren't 
        any complications!


Tailpiece.

Had got up at our usual time and Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple as part of her weekly tryst. It was a quiet day, thereafter, when we could get a lot of pending work done. 

A well calculated move.

It looks like a well calculated move.

The three biggest oil producers are USA (12 million barrels per day), Russia (11) and Saudi Arabia (around 10). Oil price rising by $10 means billions of dollars gained by these without disrupting the world order. Note - oil price didn't cross $70.

USA needs the threat of Iran to ensure that the Gulf nations subscribe to its security umbrella and sustain its arms industry. By provoking Iran, it reinforces the threat as Iran retaliates.

Now Iran and its allies like Syria, Lebanon and Jordan will buy arms from Russia to counter. Russia is happy counting Roubles. Note the conspicuous silence of Russia.

China faces a double whammy. Higher oil prices hurt but if it gets into the conflict, USA will raise tariffs and it loses a $500 billion American market. So China is quiet too.

Iran is sabre rattling, but can't get into a conventional conflict with USA. So it will go for asymmetric warfare by

   (a) funding terrorist groups in the region which will keep the regional pot boiling and
   (b) going nuclear, which will justify sanctions against Iran.

Earlier, Iraq and Libya were getting too defiant. Saddam and Gadaffi had to be hunted. These were the strongest economies in the region - now in shambles!

Now Iran remains the only strong nation defiant against US. As screws get tightened through sanctions, its economy is crumbling. As it gets into asymmetric warfare, the entire region will get engulfed in conflict - suits US. As Iran goes nuclear, it will get more belligerent. Suits US. As Iran goes nuclear, it will get further isolated like North Korea. Suits US.

There is method in this madness. US has no interest in resolving conflict in Moddle East - in fact, the reverse. Any power that is against US and grows too big needs to be trimmed to size - without being decimated - so that each country in the region has a strong enemy to contend with; and seek arms from the US or Russia.

Both US and Russia are oil surplus nations. Oil at $70 suits both of them, besides the arms sales. The loser in this game is Iran as it faces attrition on its economy and gets further isolated by belligerence forced upon it.

PS.
Iran has retaliated by launching missiles on US military bases in Iraq viz. Al-Assad and Erbil. The extent of damages is being assessed. Only hope that the situation doesn't spiral out of control that could lead to a devastation whose magnitude cannot be imagined.


Tailpiece.

Had got up by 6 and there was a deathly silence around thanks to the all-India strike called by the trade unions that had commenced at midnight and will continue till this midnight. By a half past 7, Ramesh, with his assistant, had fetched up to knock off the two worrying hornets' nests which was accomplished without wasting any time. Also, the broken flower pots were replaced with new ones on Lekha's instructions.

Bina, our maid, had arrived for work earlier than usual as her son-in-law had dropped her.

One of the most under rated Indians.

The day was 12 Nov 1948. Tokyo trials was going on in a huge garden house on the outskirts of Tokya, the trial of 55 Japanese war criminals including Japan's Prime Minister Tojo, after losing World War II. Of these, twenty eight people had been identified as Class A (Crimes against peace) war criminals. If proved, whose only punishment was "death penalty". Eleven international judges coming from all over the world were announcing it......."Guilty"......."Guilty"......"Guilty"......
Suddenly one thundered, "Not Guilty!"

A calm silence came down in the hallway. Who was this lone dissenter?

His name was Radha Binod Pal and he was from India. But in India nobody knew him.

Before going to Tokyo, he was one of the Calcutta High Court judges and for two years he was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calcutta. Born in 1886 in the Kumbh of East Bengal (now Bangladesh), he was the poor son from a poor family. In his early childhood, his mother took shelter with her son in a village called Chuadanga, adjacent to the neighbouring village. For the sake of living, his mother used to take care of the household activity and the cow. During the feeding of the cow, the boy used to travel around the local primary school and when the daily teacher taught in school, he used to listen from outside. One day the school inspector came to visit the school from the city. He asked some questions of the students after entering the class. Everyone was silent. This boy shouted from outside of the classroom window......"I know the answer to all your questions". The boy answered all the questions one by one. Inspector said....."Wonderful!" and asked, 'Which class do you read?"

The answer came,".....I do not read....I graze cow". Everyone was shocked to hear that. Calling the head teacher, the school inspector instructed the boy to take admission in school as well as provide some stipend.

This is how the education of Radha Binod Pal had started. Then after passing the school final with the highest number in the district, he was admitted to Presidency College. After taking MSc from the University of Calcutta, he studied law again and got the Doctorate title. In the context of choosing the opposite of two things he once said, "Law and Mathematics are not so different at all".

Coming back, again, in the International Court of Tokyo. In his convincing argument, the rest of the jurists signify that the Allies (Winners of WWII) also violated the principles of restraint and neutrality of international law. In addition to ignoring Japan's surrender hints, they killed two hundred thousand innocent people using deadly nuclear bombardment. Most of the judges were forced to drop many accused from Class-A to B, seeing the logic written on twelve hundred thirty two pages by Radha Binod Pal. These Class-B war criminals were saved by him from sure death penalty. His verdict in the international court gave him and India a world-famous reputation.

Japan respects this great man. In 1966, Emperor Hirohito awarded him the highest civilian honour of the country, "Kokko Kunsao". Two busy roads in Tokyo and Kyotto have been named after him. His judgement has been included in the syllabus of law. In front of the Supreme Court of Tokyo, his statue has been placed. In 2007, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his desire to meet his family members in Delhi and met his son.

Dr Radha Binod Pal's (27 Jan 1886 - 10 Jan 1967) name is remembered in the history of Japan. In Tokyo, he has a museum, a street and a statue in Yasukuni shrine. Japan University has a research center in his name. Because of his judgement on Japanese war criminals, the Chinese hate him. He is the author of many books related to law. In India, almost nobody knows him, even, perhaps, his neighbours! A Hindi movie was made on him starring Irfan Khan but that movie never made headlines.

This man is one of the most underrated Indians. Sad!


Tailpiece.

Had got up at our usual time. The inverter, providing emergency supply for power requirements, was replaced with a new one that has a six year guarantee. Had gone to town, after that, to buy a few items that Lekha had in her slop chit.

Bina, the maid, had called up in the evening to say that she'd be turning up for work tomorrow - the national strike by the trade unions, along with the hartal in the state, notwithstanding!