Kartik Purnima.

Yesterday was Kartik Purnima and most of us lit up our homes with bright, earthenware 'diyas'. Today, we shall talk about its significance.

1. The full moon Purnima day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) of the Kartik month is considered very auspicious.

2. It marks the end of Kartik month and the start of Margshirsha.

3. It also ends Sharad Ritu and marks the start of Hemant Ritu. As per ayurveda, 'pitta' gets aggravated in Sharad Ritu and 'kapha' in Hemant Ritu.

4. With it also starts the winter.

5. It is also called Diwali of the Gods and Tripuri Purnima. The day marks the victory of Lord Shiva over the demon Tripuri. Tripuri Purnima is one of the most propitious days for worshipping  Shiva, next only to the Maha Shivaratri.

6. Kartik bath at the Ganga is considered one of the mashes sans (holy baths) of the year. It gives the requiredvitamin D. As it marks the start of winter, it is also the last day to take 'Ganga Snana'.

7. With it also starts the marriage season. Maximum marriages take place on this day.

8. The whole month of 'Kartika' is considered sacred among all the twelve months of the year with a festival almost every third day. The last five days are considered more sacred (Panchaka) and end up with Kartik Purnima. The five days are devoted to worship Tulsi, Awala, Shiva and sun bath.

9. Jains celebrate the Purnima as Deva Diwali with the worship of Lord Mahavira.

10. Lord Vishnu is worshipped on this day for his birth of the Matsya (fish) avatar.

11. It's also the birthday of Vrinda, the epitome of the Tulsi plant and of Lord Kartikeya, who is the chief of all gods and is the last day to perform 'Tulsi Vivah'.

12. Kartik Purnima is also dedicated to the dead ancestors.

13. The Kartik Purnima festival also coincides with Guru Nanak's birthday.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by 10. Washing machinex of bed linen.

Rema, Padmakumar and Achu had fetched up by 1330 hrs from Thrippunithura. It was a boisterous lunch and Lekha had provided us with a great spread. They returned at 1820 hrs.

A journey from death to life!

Life was a dream for Amit Vaidya, who soared high financially and professionally till he was diagnosed with cancer when he was 27.

Amit Vaidya lived the American dream.

A Gujarati, born and brought up in the US, with a PhD in economics, he worked in the entertainment industry's business department. "It was an active but not a healthy lifestyle as I was an overachiever", says Amit. 

His dreams "were shattered" when a few months after his father's death he was diagnosed with first stage gastric cancer. "The fall was great as I had risen to great heights when I was 27". Opting not to do surgery, he went in for "aggressive chemo radiation" in New York.

Two years later, he went into remission. Within two months of his recovery, his mother was diagnosed with grade three brain tumour.

"Nothing worked and I lost her too. 

Away in a foreign land, being the only child, I felt lonely and a scan showed my cancer had returned after 18 months. This time it showed up in my liver. Nine months later, in 2011, reports showed I was not responding to treatment and the cancer had spread to my lungs too", he says emotionally.

Doctors told Amit that his life was just a matter of time. "Not wanting to burden my friends, I started planning my funeral".

Soon he planned a trip to India. An aunt also told me about an Ayurvedic hospital in Gujarat that claims to cure cancer in 11 days for just a rupee!

"Having nothing to lose I wanted to give it a shot".

So off he went and explains that the treatment was disciplined with yoga, meditation and he was made to drink a mix of "desi cow milk, curd, ghee and gobar, gau-mutra. I was to drink it on an empty stomach.

For years everything tasted like saw dust because of the chemo. 

It was easy to drink something that smelled and tasted as it should. Others there were traumatised by this.

I kept faith and did it diligently.

I saw no change but felt no worse either".

Scans showed that the cancer "had not spread".

Amit, then, went back to the hospital and lived there for another 40 days. 

Reports showed the cancer had decreased. "Wanting to continue the therapy", Amit stayed with a farmer, who opened his house to Amit. "He offered me a tiny shack on his farm, a cot, a gaushala with desi cows, a well and a toilet. I continued the therapy and after months was able to walk. Over time, walks became jogs, jogs became runs and I started finding joy in my mind. The villagers had time for me, which was the best gift I got, especially when I needed time to heal".

After 18 months Amit claims he is cancer free and decided "on planning to live his life instead of planning a funeral.

I now talk to people about my journey and that healing is possible. I make time to spend with cancer patients. It is all free. I have started an NGO called Healing Vaidya".

He does not plan on going back to the US as "this country has given me much. I have learnt that people here don't value what it can offer". Amit has written "Holy Cancer - How A Cow Saved My Life" (Aditya Prakashan, Rs.495/-) which was launched in the city recently. The book is available in book stores.

For more log on to healingvaidya.org

Also available with Amazon and Flipkart

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/a-journey-from-death-to-life/article7558731.ece

Vaidya is referring to RM Dhariwal Cancer Hospital at Valsad - Gujarat where Panchagavya is the treatment and the charges are Re.1/- only.

Tailpiece.

Got up around a quarter past 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Video called my sisters and their families and caught up with them.

Lit up our balcony and the compound wall with 'diyas', soon after sunset, on account of 'Kartik Purnima".

'Permission to bite the bullet'.

Navy pilot's marriage invite becomes a hit on social media. A letter written by a Naval pilot to his senior, seeking permission to "bite the bullet" and the latter's response saying "welcome to hell" have gone viral on social media. To be sure, it was a marriage invite by Lt Cdr Nishant Singh to his Commanding Officer of INAS 300 (Naval Air Squadron) of INS Hansa, the Indian Navy's air base in Goa.

But Nishant Singh decided to be a bit unconventional and the Commanding Officer decided to match the tone. The letter, dated 09 May 2020, is reproduced below :-

       "Permission to Bite the Bullet"

1. "I regret to be dropping this bomb on you at such a short notice, but as you would agree, I intend to drop a nuclear one on myself and I realise that just like all the split second decisions we take up in the airin the heat of combat, I cannot afford to allow myself the luxury of time to re-evaluate my decision", Singh said, disclosing that he was going to marry.

2."In view of the above, I officially seek your approval to willingly sacrifice myself in absolute peace time, completely outside the line of duty and follow up many other brave men into this graveyard spiral of matrimony", the MiG pilot said.

3. "I promise to never repeat such a performance in air or teach it to my trainee pilots", he added, inviting the senior officer to the wedding.

In his handwritten reply in red ink, the Commanding Officer reminded Nishant Singh that "I was your instructor in pre-solo phase, cleared your solo-check, saw your landing for the first time on MiGs as ACP made me really proud".

"Saw the spark in you and always believed you to be different. When you became QFI, cleared you for instruction flying on MiGs......But all the good things have to finally come to an end", the reply said.

"Welcome to Hell", the CO signed off.

A senior naval official said it was a private communication between the two.

"Finally, the couple has got married", he added.

Source. The Tribune.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. 

Participated in the 'Aazhchakkoottam' : "Graam Sabhas and the Panchayati Raj System" by Dr. SM Vijayanand, IAS, Former Chief Secretary to the Government of Kerala, from 1600 - 1700 hrs. It was a nice interaction.

 

A history of architecture.

Paro Taktsang

Popular among trekkers as the Tiger's Nest, Paro Taktsang sits on the cliff side of the upper Paro valley.

Padmasambhava Connect

According to a legend, it is one of thirteen Tiger's Nest caves in historical Tibet., where Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche taught Vajrayana. The legend states that Padmasambhava flew to this location from Singye Dzong on the back of a tigress, which gives the temple its popular name.

The Other Legend

Another story states how a former wife of an emperor became a disciple of Padmasambhava. After she transformed herself into a tigress, carrying Padmasambhava on her back from Tibet to Bhutan. In one of the caves, he meditated and revealed his eight incarnations and the place came to be known as 'Tiger's Nest'.

A fire broke out in the main building of the monastery complex, where a monk lost his life. An electrical short-circuit or flickering butter lamps could have caused the inferno of 1998.

Meditation Centre

11th Century CE. The period saw many monks and religious leaders from Tibet who established various schools coming in the kingdom.

14th Century. First sanctuary was built in the area. This was determined after studying the paintings found in the complex.

1692 CE. A monastery complex was built around the cave where Padmasambhava meditated. 

Chants of Padmasambhava in 'Land of the Thunder Dragon'

Padmasambhava brought Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th Century CE from where it was taken to the neighbouring kingdoms. Born in the kingdom of Oddiyana, Padmasambhava is considered to be the second Buddha among many Vajrayana Buddhists in Nepal, Tibet, eastern India and Bhutan. historians place Oddiyana in Pakistan's Swat Valley. However, alternative theories have connected it to modern-day Orissa. We tke a look at two monuments in Bhutan where Padmasambhava is revered.

Cultural Legacy

Dzong, which means a type of fortress, is the second largest in the kingdom. It hosts various festivals including Domche - where re-enactment of the Tibetan invasion of Bhutan in 1639 takes place, celebrating Bhutanese triumph.

Punakha Dzong

Also called Pungthang Dewachhenbi Phodrang, the building serves as the administrative centre of Punakha District.

Who built it?

1637 - 38 CE. it was constructed by Ngawang Namgyal, the first Zhabdrung Rinpoche.

Padmasambhava's Prophecy

Local legends tell how Padmasambhava had prophesied that "a person named Namgyal will arrive at a hill that looks like an elephant. Ngawang Namgyal spotted the peak of the hill, which appeared in the shape of the trunk of an elephant as prophesied and he built the current fortress.

Capital of Bhutan

1907. Punakhs Dzong served as the place where Ugyen Wangchuk was coronated, after he reunited Bhutan after defeating the regional lords.

6-storied

Structure that sits at an elevation of 1,200 mts and has been listed as a tentative site in the Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.

Wrath of Nature

As the dzong sits between two rivers, flash floods have caused devastating damages to the fortress in the past, with the most recent being in 1996.

1897

The 1897 Assam Earthquake, with 8.0 magnitude severely damaged the fortress.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. 

Lekha went to the PDS Ration Store to collect provisions and the free kit, offered by the PM's scheme, to the white ration card holders, which we are.   

In Memorium!

Twelve years back, on this date, the Pakistani terror attack on Bombay took place killing 166 people besides destruction of facilities! It's time to remember all the martyrs and say a solemn prayer to the departed souls. We salute each one of the security forces who tackled the difficult and often dangerous situations with courage.

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       The Unknown Sikh Soldier in the Kargil War.....

I remember it, as if it was yesterday. It was 23 May 1999 and the Kargil conflict was ongoing. My crew and I were in Awantipur, to pick up 24 casualties (20 sitting and 4 on stretchers); the casualties on stretchers were extremely seriously wounded. The age of the passengers ranged between 19 and 27 years. Some had bullet wounds, where the bullet had gone through and through but they still had legs and could sit, stand and walk, so weren't on a stretcher.....(I guess, in a strange army way making them feel better, that's how the system works, it actually works). I have actually seen a Gurkha with a bullet wound, helping another Kumaoni, who was limping along. It's a system which teaches one to be empathetic towards others. The men who were on stretchers were the really badly hurt ones, they were those, who had stepped on a landmine and had their legs blown off. A very different sight from those as seen on TV news videos, moving from wounded soldiers to heavy snowfall in some other part of the world, while people watch eating their dinner, disinterested, barely looking up from their phones - this was real life. The pain was terribly real. Also, it was not possible to merely change the channel.

The aircraft was the workhorse of the IAF, an AN-32; it reeked of Savlon and fear. As we waited for the last patient to arrive, I realised that my AN-32 also was a micro India. The Naga soldier was seated next to a tall Jat, the Thambi was next to a Maratha, the Rajput was next to the JAKLI, the Mahar was next to a tall Guardsman and the tiny Gurkha, next to an equally small and sturdy Kumaoni. All united by by shades of Olive Green and the invisible thread of pain. Injuries they had suffered on our behalf and honestly, had all been forgotten.

In the ambulance, which was parked just at the edge of the ramp (Behind the aircraft), was a Silkh Light Infantry soldier. He was really young. So young, that his beard had barely started to grow, a mere boy. He had lost both his legs in a landmine explosion. In an effort to distract him, I asked him if he was fond of cricket? His eyes brightened up immediately and he promptly said, "Yes, Sir". Seeing his response, I addressed all my passengers. (The World Cup was going on in England). India was playing Kenya and Sachin Tendulkar had scored 140 runs in 101 balls and was not out. He had helped India reach 329 in 50 overs. Tendulkar had dedicated his innings to his father, whose funeral he had returned from the previous day. "What do you think, will we win?" I asked the wounded bravehearts.

"Yes sir", was the immediate answer. All of a sudden, a Tendulkar tsunami swept through the aircraft and the ambulance behind it. 

Everyone forgot their pain and their injuries. They forgot their predicament - all they could talk about, was Tendulkar and his century. Everyone started talking to the person next to them. Everyone broke language and cultural barriers and new friendships were instantly formed.

I could see my new friend in the ambulance, talking animatedly. His eyes all lit up; his smile was ecstatic, as he described Tendulkar's shots. His injuries and pain were forgotten briefly. He was happy; all my passengers were happy. For a brief period, everything was the way it ought to be.

I don't think Tendulkar has any clue how much we value him in our country, as he sells us everything from washing machines to toothpaste, in an effort to make even more money.

Epilogue :

When I landed with my passengers in Delhi, I shared the good news with them, that we had indeed won the match, far away in England. My new friend, who was on a stretcher strapped securely to the floor, smiled at me. I shook his hand and wished him well. I was relieved that it was dark and he couldn't see my eyes. My crew and I stood behind the aircraft, as they disembarked, silently wishing them well.

It's men like these, the ones who were passengers on my plane, who silently walk away after giving their youth for all of us.

They are the ones we owe our freedom to.

Please do think about them for a moment.......if you really care.......

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores, washing machinex of the bed linen and was ready by 1000 hrs.

The LDF candidate, Bibitha, came asking for votes.  

This is how legends are made!

Do 50 years as a 'fauji' wife qualify me to write an ode to the Indian Army? I certainly think so!

March 2010.

It was the worst time of my life as I watched my husband Maj Gen DP Bahl surrender to cancer after a fierce battle. He fought bravely, just as he had when the Sabers raided the Indian skies; only this time the enemy was within him and it proved more lethal.

I was emotionally paralysed.

Then something beautiful happened, something I salute, not with my hand but with my heart.

My husband had often said "When I go inform the Air Defence (AD) branch", the Arm that he had served in.

After 20 years of retirement, who in the AD branch do I call? Which number do I dial? Would anyone care today when the chair, the uniform, the medals and the stars had lost their lustre?

My mind somersaulted to the time when today's Maj Gens were young Captains on the threshold of their careers. A name flashed into my mind - Rajeev Kalra, who was the MG Arty Western Command.

"Rajeev" I wailed "He's gone and I don't know what to do".

A moment of silence, pregnant with shock and disbelief was followed by, "Ma'am, you don't have to do anything. We will take care". And care they did take!

Suddenly, a network was activated. Caring people from the ranks of Jawan, Captain, Colonel, Brigadier, Maj General and the Director AD himself were there to console and help in "seeing off" their veteran friend who I thought was long forgotten.

Forgotten is a word that should have never entered my vocabulary.

A week before my husband 'departed' two young jawans knocked on our front door. "We are from the 2nd Field Regiment", they said. "2nd Field Regiment?" I asked taken aback. "That's my husband's first regiment way back in 1956". "We know. We have come to pay our respects and seek his blessings". I had led them to his bed where they took his hand and placed it on their head, turn by turn. "Saab ji please bless us! We are from your regiment".

And then suddenly something hit me. "Tell me", I asked them "were you even born when he was in the unit?" "No! But he is our Saab ji all the same".

I burst out crying. This was something beyond loyalty and solidarity. Something I had no words for. Gratitude and appreciation overwhelmed me. It was a bond that transcended time and space.

50 AD, the unit he had commanded, came together to help in every possible way. They called to console and remember him with affection and respect.

Time lost its dimension as, fellow soldiers, separated years ago, some of them hadn't seen each other almost 40 years ago now and settled in different parts of the country, called to lend strength and courage in those traumatic moments. Many dear ones came personally to be with us and share our loss. Some, I could not even recognise, as it had been many years since I last saw them and they looked so different now.

As if in a movie, I watched scenes fade in and fade out as memories crystallised into long forgotten events. I remember seeing them young and so full of life singing folk songs, film songs at parties and dancing to happy tunes, playing dumb charades, celebrating birthdays and promotions and bidding adieu ar farewells. They brought back to life the happy times which pierced through those bleak moments. Tears of happiness mingled with tears of sorrow and pain.

There are no words to express my gratitude to them all for their support at a time when I needed it most. Such is the solidarity imbued by the Indian Army.

What a family we make once we wear that most coveted uniform? Only those who have had this privilege can understand.

- A Major General's wife.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by 10. Sajish, the hair stylist, had dropped by at 0730 hrs, to give me a haircut and a good massage. I was getting it done after a gap of two months. 

The Wednesday 'aarathi' of the house was done.

Suma had taken a day off as she was stung by a wasp last evening and her hand was swollen. So, it was Lekha's show all the way.

Called off our visits to Drs Padmanabha Shenoy and Satish Bhat as tomorrow is Bharat Bandh! 

A great birthday!

Had got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Lekha gave me a tight hug and my card - a beautiful one at that - first thing in the morning. The first calls were from my sisters and their families, Achu, my nephew. It was a stream of calls from my classmates, Academy course mates and my naval friends. 

Meanwhile, we'd come down to the ground floor when Lekha presented me with a batch of three handkerchiefs with 'R' monogrammed on each. 

I cut the cake - baked by Lekha, yesterday - around 1000 hrs with Lekha's friend, Seena and Suma in the ringside. The cake was delicious and yummy! Sijo, the autorickshaw driver, took me on a small errand and therefore, he too was given a piece of the cake.

Phone calls continued to come from my relatives and friends, along with SMSes and What'sApp messages. By evening, the last of the gifts had arrived by courier - it was a collage of photographs from my childhood to the present day. This was the result of systematic hard work, plenty of rounds of discussions between Lekha and Ammu, my niece along with her husband, Mithun and working as per a conceived plan.

A birthday that I enjoyed thoroughly. Thanks all of you for making my day!

Lekha and Ammu showed that anything could be pulled off even during the most adverse conditions! I doff my hat to the both of them.

   *          *          *

Your First Eyes

A lover has four streams inside, of water, wine, honey and milk. Find those in yourself and pay no attention what so-and-so says about such-and-such.

The rose does not care if someone calls it a thorn or a jasmine. Ordinary eyes categorize human beings, That one is a Zoroastrian. This one, Muslim.

Walk instead with the other vision given you, your first eyes. Don't squint and don't stare blankly like a vulture. Those who love fire fall in the fire. A fly slips from the edge into the whey.

If you are in love with the infinite, why grieve over earth washing away in the rain?

Bow to the essence in a human being. A desert drinks war-blood but if it knew this secret, springs would rise, rose gardens.

Don't be content with judging people good and bad. Grow out of that. The great blessing is that Shams has poured a strength into the ground that lets us wait and trust the waiting.

Rumi

Tailpiece.

The Covid cases are on the upswing in India. It's cited as the second wave......will we have to go through yet another lock down? A spike in cases is sure to occur by the end of the first week of next month, soon after the elections to the local self government bodies!

 

Facts of life.

Before the age of 20, you'll spend a lot of time with a lot of 'friends'. After 30, you'll spend a a small amount of time with just a few important friends.

After the age of 20, you'll only spend a small amount of time with your family and parents before the end of their or your life.

You'll spend a huge amount of your time between the age of 20 and 60 with the people you work with.

If you're a parent, you'll spend the most time with your children between the age of 25 and 50, after that you won't see them often.

The time you spend with your partner will continue to increase from the day you meet them, until the day that you die.

At 30 years of age, the amount of time you spend by yourself increases until the day that you die.

Six Lessons to Learn from This.

* You will only ever have a small group of very important friends. Invest more in them and less in meaningless relationships.

* Your time with your parents will be limited. Create as much time for them as you can and make that time special.

* A huge amount of time will be spent with the people you work with, so you have to make sure you work with people you love.

* Once you have kids, the time you get to spend with them will be short - so make the most of it.

* Who you choose to be your romantic partner is one of the most important life decisions you will ever make. Choose wisely, don't settle.

* You have to learn to love yourself, enjoy your own company, depend on yourself and pursue your hobbies, because as you age you'll spend more time on your own.

Spend more time with those that you love the most, because one of these days you'll say, "I wish I had" or "I'm so glad I did".

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. It was a normal day.

Lekha had toiled during early forenoon to bake a cake for tomorrow. She'd downloaded the recipe from the You Tube and the cake looks yummy and nice. 

The Bru-Reang Resettlement and Agitation in Tripura.

Why in the news?

A four party agreement between the centre, Mizoram government, Tripura government and Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) which seeks to end the 22-year-old Bru refugee crisis was signed earlier this year.

Background

* Bru or Reang is a community indigenous to Northest India, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.

* In Mizoram, they have been targeted by groups that do not consider them indigenous to the state in 1997, following ethnic clashes, nearly 37,000 Brus fled Monnit, Kolasib and Linglei districts of Mizoram and were accommodated in relief camps in Tripura.

* In Jun 2018, community leaders from the Bru camps signed an agreement with the Centre and the two state governments, providing for repatriation in Mizoram. But most camp residents rejected the terms of the agreement. 

* The camp residents said that the agreement didn't guarantee their safety in Mizoram. 

The new agreement

* According to the 2018 agreement, the Bru tribals would have settled in Mizoram but according to the new agreement, they will now settle in Tripura.

* A package of Rs.600 crores from the centre which includes :-

* Plots of 2,500 sq ft for each Bru family in addition to agricultural land * A stipend of Rs.5,000 per month and free rations for each family for the next two years * Bru tribals would be included in Tripura's voter list.

The current agitation

* Several local organisations under the Joint Movement Committee (JMC) are protesting against the resettlement of Bru-Reang refugees in Kanchanpur.

* Clashes broke out between Tripura police officials and locals of Dalubari village of north Tripura district over the proposed rehabilitation. Protesters set fire to vehicles and blocked the national highway.

* The JMC is demanding that the state government resettle the members of the displaced community equally among Tripura's eight districts.

Tailpiece.

Got up about half an hour later than our usual time, being a Sunday, the chores and was ready by 1000 hrs. It was a quiet Sunday.

Conference call between my sisters and their families. A quiet day otherwise!

Adieu Davidson!

Colonel Inchodikaran Remiguous Davidson (IR Davidson), my classmate and a dear friend, passed into the mist of time, this evening at the Manipal Hospital, around 1800 hrs.  

He'd returned from a round of golf, in the morning, last Monday and had developed some difficulty in his heart. He'd a history of heart disease, as I reckon. Consequently, he was taken to the Manipal Hospital - he and his family had settled down at Bangalore on retirement from the service - where he had undergone an open heart bypass surgery. Things had, unfortunately, gone horribly wrong as his brain wasn't receiving blood post-surgery and he was put on the ventilator. And the end came by this evening.

He leaves behind his wife, Lissy, son, Paul and daughter, Michelle. His funeral will be held at the Little Flower Church, Kadavanthra at Ernakulam, on Monday 23 Nov, at 1600 hrs.

      *           *            *

Going back in time........

He'd joined the Sainik School, one year before me, in 1966. He was in Veluthampi House while I had joined up in Prasad House, in 1967. There used to be a popular anecdote about him that was dutifully passed on to us - by a few mischievous classmates - that initially upon joining, when he was asked his name, he'd replied, "IR Davidson". Thinking that he was coming from a village school, where English was seldom used by the students as spoken language, the matron corrected him to say, "I am Davidson". But an adamant Davidson insisted upon "IR Davidson" and in the process, incurred the wrath of the Matron! 

I must confess that Davidson and I weren't close friends while at school as we were in different divisions of the class of '72 and we'd our own circle of friends.

At the NDA, he was in the Echo Squadron which was in the immediate neighbourhood of my Hunter Squadron and our paths used to cross frequently when we always paused to stop and have exchanges, depending on the time available. We used to practice cartwheels, handsprings and the horse, on the No.2 Battalion quadrangle while practicing PT after games, in the evening.

Davidson was an ever-smiling, fun loving, genial and a thorough gentleman from our class. Of late, his passion was painting and golf. In fact, a couple of months back, he had shown us a collection of his paintings on our What'sApp group. I must tell you that his portrait of Sam Manekshaw was almost close to the original. So you can evaluate his proficiency as a painter!!

Just now, as I punch in this post, a friend of ours - Commander Sunny Varghese - calls me up to tell that Davidson had broken off from their course mates' What'sApp group, citing ill health, a couple of months back. Did he have a premonition that he was leaving us all, I wonder?

      *          *           *

RIP Davidson. My salute to a great classmate and friend, with tears and prayers. Here's wishing that God gives the strength to Lissy, Paul and Michelle to tide over this irreparable loss.   

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. 

Participated in the "Aazhchakkoottam : Kavi sammelanam". When I joined in , Maman surprised me by asking to say a poem. So, I quickly improvised and provided the audience with a four liner, instant-poem of mine relating to the present Covid conditions. The programme was between 1600 - 1700 hrs.

From here and there.

Wisdom Makes Life Beautiful

Wisdom gives the understanding that life does not function haphazardly and teaches that everything that happens in this theatre of life has deep meaning and significance. Wisdom also brings the understanding that what is reaped today is a result of what was sown yesterday. When I have the true understanding of above wisdom, I find myself satisfied and content with everything that makes my life beautiful....

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A Lesson from the Azerbaijan - Armenia Clash

Without adequate sensors, electronic warfare cover and counter-drone weaponry, traditional ground units are in trouble.

One of the lessons that the clash showed is the vulnerability of traditional land units - armoured, mechanized and motorized formations - in the face of advanced drone warfare weaponry and concepts. At the time of writing, open-source intelligence publications documented some 175 main battle tank losses for the Armenian occupation forces in Nagorno Karabakh.

The ongoing clashes showed that while the era of tanks is still not over, main battle tanks along with other traditional land warfare platforms, would make easy targets for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) unless they are accompanied by an organic composition of mobile short-range air defences, electronic warfare assets and counter-UAS systems.

      *             *              *

Badrinath Temple

Chief Priest Eshwar Prasad Namboodiri goes for worship bere footed on snow.

The temple will be closed on 19 Nov and will reopen around Akshaya tritiya in Apr/May.

A lamp is lit while closing the temple and when opened after 6 months, is always found to be lit as usual.

The chief priest of Badrinath is always from the Namboodiri community from Kerala. This is as per the tradition set by Adi Shankaracharya.

      *              *               *

The United Kingdom

Is made up of four countries * England * British captured Scotland * British captured Northern Ireland and British captured Wales.

So what makes me wonder is as to why BBC keeps referring to our own Kashmir as India occupied Kashmir?   

       *             *             *

At Alaska

The sun has set over Barrow, Alaska. It will rise again in 2021. In the town, Barrow located in Alaska, the sun set on 18 Nov and will rise on 23 Jan. Between this period there is total darkness for 67 days.

         *            *            *

What is Education?

At the end of World War II, this letter was found in a Nazi concentration camp. It is addressed to Teachers.

Dear Teachers,

I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no man should witness : gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and burnt by high school and college graduates. 

So, I am suspicious of education.

My request is : Help your students become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, educated illiterates. Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if they serve towards making our children more humane. 

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Power interruption till lunchtime. The service rep of Pure Flames, Biju, had come down to work on the stove.

A tale of honour and uniform.

In Army career, we come across various incidents. Apart from the battle field, the emotions expressed by the soldiers involved are typically human and that also peculiar to our own soil. In this series, I want to bring out such tales. May look like fiction but they are, indeed, true.

The year was 1979.

This is the story of Gunner Sardhool Singh from Punjab and Havildar Abdul Hameed from Tamilnadu. Sardhool Singh was from the Artillery and Abdul Hameed was from the Army Service Corps. They were travelling in a 3 ton vehicle which was part of a convoy from Srinagar to Jammu.

Both were proceeding on their annual leave. Short of Udhampur, their vehicle skidded in the snow and plunged into a deep gorge, 300 feet down. 

Most of the occupants of the vehicle had died. But, both the characters mentioned above survived and were evacuated to MH Chandigarh by helicopter.

Sardhool had both his eyes damaged and escaped with slight bruises. But Hameed was in a precarious state. At the hospital he was placed in DI (Dangerously Ill) List and admitted in the ICU. By midnight, he came to his senses and asked the Sister attending him as to the fate of "the tall handsome Sardar Gunner". She told him that he was out of danger but both his eyes were Out of curiosity she asked him as to how he knew him.

Hameed said, "While travelling, that boy was quite anxiousto get home fast because he told me that he was married just six months back. He wanted to present his wife with the Pashmina Shawl he bought in Leh". After some thought, he requested the Sister to kindly let him know of his condition in the morning.

After two nights, Sister Anasuya Theresa was on duty again in the ICU. hameed's condition had further deteriorated. He was attached to the life support system. With great difficulty, he gestured her to remove his mask so that he could speak. The Sister placed her ear close to his mouth. Hameed told her that he wanted to donate his eyes to the "Handsoms Sardar" if that could help him get his vision back. The Sister immediately rushed to the Office Cupboard and came back with a form. He signed it.

Then he made one more request. he wanted to meet Sardhool immediately. The Sister, knowing from her experience that this might be the last wish of the patient, brought Sardhool on a wheelchair. Sardhool was overwhelmed and tears were pouring from his eyes. Hameed was quite composed, like most of the human beings who reach their final moments.

"Sardhool, I had an ambition to make a pilgrimage to Haj, in my life time. Now it is impossible. Though you may (Allah willing), have my eyes, being a non Muslim you cannot make it either. But try and visit Nagoor Dargah once, anytime convenient to you".

Years rolled by. Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984. The anti Sikh sentiment led to many meaningless violence across the nation, reverberating even in the south as far as Coimbatore. The Surgeons could save one of his eyes, with the other getting partial vision.

In Dec 1988, Sardhool decided to fulfill the ambition of his benefactor. He found out about the Nagoor Dargah, which is visited by the people of all faiths. He reached Madras by train. Col Raman, who was his Battery Commander in 1979, was in Madras with the IPKF. Learning from Sardhool, who was a Havildar by then, the purpose of his visit, he immediately arranged for his onward journey.

Sardhool returned from his trip looking emancipated. Col Raman called him over for a dinner at his flat. After a couple of drinks, Sardhool opened up.

"Saheb, after the incident, I felt that I also should have died instead of living as a blind man. Suddenly the Sister in the hospital told me about the offer made by Havildar Hameed, whom I befriended only during our short journey together.

I could only hear his voice. I felt that it was not Hameed but one of our Gurus speaking. His last wish was so simple and practical, considering the great sacrifice he was making. I till today revere him as my eleventh Guru.

To me it was not a request. It was a command from our own Guru. But it had taken me nearly 10 years to fulfill his request. I am really ashamed. The visit to Nagoor Dargah taught me many great lessons. In every religion, there are outstanding men, who live a normal, ordinary life but full of pure thoughts. The man who is devoted to his own religion will never dare to insult other regions. In nagoor, I saw the people from all faiths paying their homage but none sacrificed his own faith. I went around the Dargah four or five times, as if showing Hameed through his own eyes, the place he revered so much".

Raman was impressed by his narration. Simple but great truth coming from a Sikh Soldier. "Okay, Sardhool, what have you resolved after your visit to the Dargah? Every one who visits the Dargah, I am told, takes a vow".

"Saheb, I will never trim my beard in future. Continue to follow my own religion".

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Provisions, for the month, were delivered from the nearby supermarket over Lekha's instructions on the phone.       

The Battle of Rezang La - 18 Nov 1962.

Today is our Battle Honour Day Rezang La!

Homage to the soldiers of 13 Kumaon : A tribute.

On 18 Nov 1962, at Rezang La (La means Pass), Chushul, Ladakh at 16,000 ft at minus 40 deg Celsius and howling blizzards, around 4 AM, the Chinese Army attacked Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon with Medium Machine guns, heavy mortars and artillery, followed by human waves. Charlie Company led by Major Shaitan Singh was waiting in their fire trenches and sanghars for the enemy to appear in their cross hair.

Unfortunately, Indian troops were without artillery fire support due to ground conditions. 123 soldiers mainly from Ahirwal (Rewari, Mahendergarh, Narnaul) area of Haryana, many each others relative, with nerves of steel and bravehearts were ready for the ultimate.

Ahirs opened heavy volume of fire according to plan, as the Chinese appeared in their cross hairs. Two waves of assault were defeated, hundreds of Chinese lay dead in the 'nullahs'. But the enemy came well prepared and had the advantage of numbers, fire power and was on the offensive.

Chinese attacked relentlessly from multiple directions, in 7 human waves. Major Shaitan Singh continuously moved from trench to trench motivating his men to defeat the designs of the enemy. Soldiers kept firing till the classical last man last round. Then Indian soldiers jumped out of their defences and launched themselves into hand to hand combat with the Chinese. This battle lasted for almost 5 hours before the guns fell silent.

Of the 123 Indian soldiers, 114 laid down their lives, all from Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon, killing over 1,000 Chinese. On 21 Nov 1962, China declared unilateral ceasefire.

In 16 Feb 1963, a team of Red Cross and 13 Kumaon, revisited Rezang La to recover the remains of our martyrs. Due to minus 40 deg Celsius, the bodies lay immortalised, frozen in fighting positions, still with rifles firmly grasped.

A Nursing Assistant was found in a trench with a bandage in hand that he was tying on a wounded comrade. 

Later, 95 martyrs were cremated on one single pyre, 25 metres long at the very place where Battalion Headquarters was located. The pyre was lit by their Brigade Commander, Brig TN Raina, later the Chief of the Army Staff.

At the very place where these 95 martyrs were cremated, very close to Pangong Tso (Lake) Chushul, Ladakh. The battalion constructed a befitting War Memorial of marble, on which are inscribed the names of all 114 Rezang La martyrs and the following lines,

"How can a man die better than facing fearful odds for the ashes of his fathers and the temples of his Gods".

For this unparalleled battle, the following Gallantry awards were bestowed :-

* Param Vir Chakra (1) Major Shaitan Singh, Posthumous * Vir Chakras (8), of these 6 were posthumous * Sena Medals (4), of these 1 was posthumous. AVSM - 1, Mention-in-despatches - 1.

The Army Headquarters awarded the following to 13 Kumaon :-

* Renamed the Charlie Company as REZANG LA Company * Battle Honour "Rezang La" * Theatre Honour "Ladakh".

Please do not write RIP. Those who go to Pangong Tso, Ladakh, may visit the Rezang La Memorial and pay homage!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. The usual Wednesday morning 'aarathi' of the house was carried out.

Drove to the bank to meet up with the new manager, Mr Anup. A genial young man, who'd to urgently go out despite my appointment with him. Subha had carried out all the work that I'd earmarked during the visit but Anup had returned just as I was preparing to leave. We'd a chat for about half an hour.

Does one see a pattern?

Am going slightly back in time........

The year is 2019 and it's time for the General Elections in India. Every opposition party worth its name - with completely opposing and divergent ideology - combine to form a 'mahagathbandhan' with only one agenda which is to prevent Narendra Modi from returning to power. As usual, what happens during the run up to the elections and at the hustings, many charges of corruption were hurled at him, the notable being - the Rafael deal, along with the sobriquet "Chowkidar chor hai".

Thankfully, the Supreme Court had intervened and put a stop to that charade.

The results of the elections was spectacular in that Modi won a huge victory, so much so, that his party won an absolute majority on its own! The 'mahagathbandhan' disintegrated soon after!!

And now we hear that the PFI had secret talks with a terrorist group based in Turkey about six months before the elections. What was the agenda of their discussions?

       *           *            *

The Modi government removed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, by revoking Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution and carved three union territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. Close on the heels of this legislation, it passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) towards the benefit of the religious minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

What followed was a systematic method of organised violence in the form of the JNU students' campus agitation, the Delhi riots, the Bangalore riots and the "Shaheen Bagh' protests by women against the legislation. These disturbances were brought under control by the respective Polices of the concerned states. In the meantime, the elections to the Delhi Assembly took place and soon after, the pandemic had struck. The last of the protests - the peaceful (The jury is still out on as to how one could call it peaceful when it disrupted the lives of many, many ordinary people due to blockage of the main arterial road ) Shaheen Bagh protests just fizzled away, days after!

        *             *             *

Then came the Bihar Assembly elections. The entire lot of the opposition formed a 'mahagathbandhan', with Tejashwi Yadav (son of Lalu Prasad Yadav) projected as the chief minister. They derided incumbent CM, Nitish Kumar saying that he was aged and the opposition leaders like Sharad Pawar, Mehbooba Mufti declaring that the hope of Bihar was now, this dynamic youth leader. The funniest part was that the media went to town, celebrating all the exit polls that gave a distinct edge to the ragtag coalition! Arnab Goswami, meanwhile, was in a jail in Maharashtra on trumped up charges or his channel might have given us a different story! 

But even after 15 years of Nitish Kumar's rule, the average Bihari had not forgotten the 'jungle raj' of Lalu Prasad Yadav. They hadn't forgotten the mass looting of brand new vehicles from the showrooms on the occasion of his daughter, Misa's wedding which were never returned and the fodder scam - just citing two of a large list of his goondaism. 

It was also sickening to note the excessive and 'we-told-you-so glee' on the part of a few news anchors during the initial surge of the votes in favour of the mahagathbandhan! Their angst was written all over their faces towards the end 

When the results came, it was a body blow to the carefully played up personality of Tejashwi Yadav, who promptly blamed the Congress for his debacle and churlishly, kept himself and his brood away from the swearing in ceremony of Nitish Kumar!

         *            *             *

And I am now going miles across to the United States, where the results of the Presidential elections have not been accepted by President Donald Trump, saying that the election has been stolen from him. There, too, the media seemed to go ga ga over a Biden-Harris massive win towards the run up to the elections. 

The massive margins of win never came about and despite painting Trump as a racist, he has got a substantial share of votes from the African Americans, Hispanics and the minorities. And doubts linger as to how most of the postal ballots have gone to Biden. The media seems to be angry and the latest observation is that the Covid-19 cases are rising to alarming numbers that would worsen if President Trump delays the transition - the rising numbers of the pandemic cases is yet to be substantiated with documentary evidence, though.

My take.

Is there a method by which smooth, existing practices are being tampered by unscrupulous and wicked minds in many parts of the world? If affirmative, they need to be identified and sorted out forthwith.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. It was a quiet Tuesday. 

The highlight of the day was Mohita Sharma, IPS winning Rs.1crore on the KBC. She was the perfect blend of knowledge, composure and dignity. Congratulations, young lady!    

Be mad......be a child!

In a theatre when a drama plays, you opt for front seats. When a film is screened, you opt for rear seats. 

Your position in life is only relative.....Not absolute. For making soap, oil is required. But to clean oil, soap is required. This is the irony of life.....

Only two categories of people are happy in life - the Mad and the Child.

Be Mad....to achieve a goal. Be a Child......to enjoy what you achieved. Enjoy life....!!

Neither you can hug yourself nor can you cry on your shoulder.....Life is all about living for one another,....so live with those who love you the most......

Relations cannot be understood by the language of money....because, some investments never give profit but they make us rich!

Be happy. Make others happy.

   *          *          *

We live in very interesting and funny times

  1. We live in times where we see many humans, but not humanity.

  2. We live in times where the rich has more rooms than children and the poor has more children than rooms.

  3. We live in times where smart phones bring you closer to those who are far but distance you from those who are closer.

  4. We live in times where we open Facebook more than the Holy Book.

  5. We live in times where a single mother can look after 10 children but 10 children can't look after a single mother.

  6. We live in times where the rich walk miles to digest food while the poor walk miles in search of food.

  7. We live in times where women are paid to be naked while many have no clothes to cover their nakedness.

  8. We live in times where our contact lists are huge but our relationships are poor.

  9. We live in times where our possessions are more but our appreciation is less.

10. We live in times where we know how to earn a good living but somehow forget how to live good.

11. We live in times where many know the price of everything but not the value of anything.

Indeed, we live in a strange world.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Today is the first day of the Malayalam month of Vrishchikam and the commencement of the pilgrimage to Sabarimala. Will follow all the restrictions of a pilgrim till 14 Jan but shall not be going on the trek.

Have done 18 treks to Sabarimala on the trot, from 1988 onward.  

Just for laughs.

Why is the place in a stadium where you SIT, called a STAND?

Why is that everyone wants to go to HEAVEN but nobody wants to DIE?

Shall I say that there is racial discrimination even in chess as the WHITE always moved FIRST?

We have FREEDOM of speech, then why do we have TELEPHONE BILLS?

If money doesn't grow on TREES, then why do banks have BRANCHES?

Why doesn't GLUE stick to its BOTTLE?

Why do you still call it BUILDING when it's already BUILT?

If it's true that we are here to HELP others, what are others HERE for?

If you aren't supposed to DRINK and DRIVE why do bars have PARKING lots?

If all the nations in the world are in debt, where did all the money go?

When Dog Food is new with improved taste, who tests it?

If the "Black Box" flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of that stuff?

Who Copyrighted the Copyright Symbol...?

Can you cry under water?

Why do people say, "You've been working like a dog", when dogs just sit around all day?

We all are living in a seriously funny world....

   *           *            *

I don't know who originally wrote this, but it's brilliant :

"Every minute someone leaves this world behind.

We are all in "the line" without knowing it.

We never know how many people are before us.

We cannot move to the back of the line.

We cannot step out of the line.

We cannot avoid the line.

So while we wait in line,

Make moments count.

Make priorities.

Make the time.

Make your gifts known.

Make a nobody feel like a somebody.

Make your voice heard.

Make the small things big.

Make someone smile.

Make the change.

Make love.

Make up. 

Make peace.

Make sure to tell your people they are loved.

Make sure to have no regrets.

Make sure you are ready".

Tailpiece.

Got up at a quarter past 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. It was a quiet Sunday.

 

On the occasion of Deepavali.

Once, it so happened that Lord Krishna was getting ready, in front of the mirror. He was trying on different crowns on his head and putting on some fine jewelry while his charioteer waited outside with the chariot ready.

His charioteer waited and waited and thought to himself - usually, Krishna comes out immediately, today he has still not come. So, out of curiosity, he went inside to find out if the program was still on because Krishna was very unpredictable, anytime anything could change. He saw Lord Krishna standing in front of the mirror, admiring himself.

He politely asked, "My dear Lord, tell me, why are you dressing up so much today? Where are we going?"

Lord Krishna said, "I am going to meet Duryodhana".

The charioteer said, "You are dressing up so much to meet Duryodhana?"

Lord Krishna then said, "He cannot see my inside, he can only appreciate my outside. So how am I dressed will impress him because he cannot see what is inside".

Then the charioteer asked, "Why are you going to Duryodhana? You should not go, he should come to you. This I cannot accept". He continued to say, "This is not fair. Look at your status and look at him! You are the Lord of the world. You should not go, let him come".

Krishna turned back, looked at him, smiled and said, "Darkness does not come to light, light has to go to darkness".

May the festival of Deepavali illuminate us from within.

While we all light our houses, let's spend some time today to light a few lamps inside us.

Light the first lamp inside you and let it burn your anger and jealousy that you may have for anyone till date; see it melt away.

Light the second lamp and let it burn away unwanted greed and desires, feel happy and contented with what you have been blessed with.

Light the third lamp and let it fade away all insecurities that you may have in your mind related to financial matters or anything else; just believe that God has given you life and he will surely give enough to survive.

Light the fourth lamp and carry that lamp to each part of your body; let it burn away all your diseased cells or any disease in the making. Feel healthy as this lamp travels to each body part and illuminates each organ.

The fifth lamp is a miniature of the Sun, nothing but the divine light, light it in the centre of your body and let it fill the warmth and love inside your whole body, feel one with the Divine, let the love and warmth filled inside you ooze out of you through your smile, eyes, speech and body. Carry this love with you throughout the day, you will find that everyone who meets you is happy and elated.

This is the biggest blessing that whoever meets you becomes happier after meeting you, this will also make you happier in return. "There are lights everywhere except in the minds of men". And the mind is a jungle of cravings, greed and material desires.

This wherever you go. too shall pass. Light these five lamps each morning, carry the positivity wherever you go.

Diwali, the festival of lights, is a good time to re-examine ways to remove darkness from within. 

Let's pray that the act of lighting a lamp this Diwali may be seen by all as a great opportunity to light the lamp within ourselves as well.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. Washing machinex of the bed linen was carried out.

Participated in the Aazhchakkoottam : "Corona and children" by Dr K Sasikumar, HoD Pediatric Department, Government Women and Child Health Hospital, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram between 1600 and 1700 hrs. The interaction was interesting!

Lit up the earthenware 'diyas' at the balcony and at the entrance to 'The Quarterdeck'. Lekha and I had lit up cracklers as a part of our Diwali celebrations.       

The Other Pyramids.

The Other Pyramids

For centuries, the pyramids of Giza in Egypt captivated onlookers from Alexander the Great to Napoleon Bonaparte. But far from the gaze of tourists are a set of pyramids in Sudan that have been almost forgotten. Let's take a look at Nubian Pyramids.

Who Built Them?

These structures lie in the heartland of the Kingdom of Kush. They were a major power from the 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE. Meroe was a wealthy metropolis of the kingdom in what's today the Republic of Sudan. The city was on the east bank of the River Nile about 6 km north-east of the Kabushiya.

35+pyramids have been identified and grouped in five sites in Sudan.

Important Information

* Artefacts found in the pyramids testify to the exchange between the art, architectures, religions and languages of Africa and the Hellenistic world * Wall reliefs in the tomb chapels show how the occupants were mummified, covered with jewellery and laid to rest in wooden mummy cases.

The Wrath of the Nile

* In Sep 2020, rising Nile floodwaters threatened these wonders of the ancient world * Archaeologists set up sandbag walls and pumped out water to prevent damage at the ruins.

Island of Meroe

* The pyramids are located in a semi-desert landscape between the Nile and Atbara rivers * Thr region is referred as the Island of Meroe, which reflect the interchange of ideas and contact between Sub-Saharan Africa and the Mediterranean * The Kushite civilisation was largely expunged by the arrival of Christianity on the Middle Nile around 6th century CE, according to UNESCO.

UNESCO Site

The Archaeological Sites of the island of Meroe was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The three sites reflect greatness of the Kushite civilisation, often eclipsed by Egypt's.

The Site Include

* Royal city of the Kushite kings at Meroe * The religious site of Naqa * Muawwarat es Sufra in western Butana.

Different From That in Egypt  

* The Nubian pyramids are built of stepped courses of horizontally positioned stone blocks , ranging between 6 and 30 metres in height * However, they rise from fairly small foundation footprints, resulting in tall, narrow structures inclined at around 70 degrees * On the other hand, Egyptian pyramids of similar height have foundation footprints that are five times larger with inclined angles between 40 - 50 degrees.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Walked across to Rani Menon's Clinic and got the two copies of the certificates that cleared my vision for driving. Then, Hamid took me to the Akshaya Kendra, at the west nada, where Seetha retrieved the complete set of the 'Driving Licence Renewal' documents and handed them over to me after briefing me as to what I was supposed to do further on.

Went across to the east nada and the shop beneath the Sub RTO's office. On directions, affixed postage stamps worth Rs.40/- on a self addressed envelope and the entire set of papers, along with the old driving licence were dropped into the box at the Sub RTO's office. My new driving licence will reach me within a fortnight from now. Have narrated the entire procedure in detail to show that one doesn't have to visit the RTO office and stand in long queues thanks to the online procedure introduced to tide over the pandemic period!

Attended the webinar : "Lifestyle Changes for Green Economy" by K Jayakumar, IAS (Retd), Director, Institute of Management in Government between 1200 and 1330 hrs. It was an interesting interaction.  

News views.

Over the last few days, the news that grabbed the headlines were not only interesting but also hard to believe by the sheer audaciousness of their happenings. So, without much ado, lets go through them.

(a) The Bihar Assembly Polls.

I can still not forget the manner in which journalist, Rajdeep Sardesai, showed his unbridled enthusiasm and excitement on the numerous exit polls that showed the 'Mahagathbandhan' under Tejashwi Yadav, winning a majority in the Assembly. Similarly, on counting day, I saw, the waning moods of journalist, Ravish Kumar of NDTV who'd begun enthusiastically when the RJD-Congress-Communists had picked up early leads and by 1300 hrs, when the JDU-BJP combine had steadied up with leads beyond the half way mark, he was a dejected man and it was on display! I thought that there was an unwritten covenant that news anchors weren't supposed to show their emotions during such occasions to maintain neutrality.

The detailed analysis of the wins and the losses have been analysed threadbare and therefore, I don't intend to saddle you with more of it. The BJP-JDU combine has overcome anti-incumbency fatigue for the governance under Nitish Kumar's leadership, though he, too, had made a few slip ups. His thrust on prohibition fetched him votes from the women and though his party has been reduced in its numbers, he continues to be held in high esteem for not being corrupt. And I'd like to endorse what the PM had said that it was a vote in favour of his handling the pandemic through very, very trying times.

And I'm happy that the upstart, Chirag Paswan, has been shown his place by the people of Bihar. His party's showing soon after his father's death was abysmal and to my mind, it was the manner in which he rubbished Nitish Kumar during electioneering that put off people.  

(b) Arnab Goswami Goes A Free Man.

The whole of India watched in utter horror when the Maharashtra government, misusing the state machinery, swooped into Arnab Goswami's house one early morning, around 0600 hrs, and took him into custody on 'an old abetment-to-suicide case that was already decided about two years ago'. The combination of Udhav Thackeray-Sharad Pawar- Sonia Gandhi had resorted to this unlawful deed out of vendetta because Arnab had brought out the truth in the Palghar case (Where two Hindu sadhus were lynched to death), the Sushant Singh Rajput/his manager, Disha Salian suicides were proved to be murders involving a top politician in the Maharashtra cabinet, the drug nexus in Bollywood and proving beyond doubt that the TRP case against the Republic Channel, propped up by the Bombay Police Commissioner, was fake.

The sad part was that some of the policemen had made it clear that Arnab will spend his Diwali in jail, so much so, that his bail plea was rejected by the Maharashtra High Court, without reason. Sure enough, when he made his plea to the Supreme Court, it had very clearly observed that the High Court's ruling was wrong and the state government, along with the key institutions that should have ensured the freedom and safety of every individual citizen under its watch, had made a grave error!

But what just goes to show is as to how vulnerable an ordinary citizen is, if he were to criticise the government. And we thought that ours was a vibrant democracy! Sad!!  

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Had called Hameed who'd come by a trifle after 10 and we headed for the 'Akshaya Kendra' at Chattukulam two km away. There was a manageable crowd and after the three ladies had finished their work, when my turn had come there was a power interruption. The electricity board guys said that the power would only be restored at 1700 hrs.

I left the place and went to yet another 'Akshaya Kendra', at the western gate of the temple and my work had just been taken up when power was interrupted. Thankfully, it was restored immediately and Seetha, the in charge, was able to generate my eye certificate. 

Tomorrow, I get an endorsement by the ophthalmologist that my sight is good enough for driving and then submit the entire set of documents to the Motor Vehicle Inspectorate at the eastern gate of the Guruvayur temple. 

The renewal process of my driving licence is on in right earnest!     

Reforms must go beyond pay, pensions.

Dateline 11 Nov.

In the current scenario, when many of the veterans have reacted angrily to the Chief of Defence Staff's recommendation of extension of service and reduction in pension for the people who take pre-mature retirement, a sober thought from my friend and course mate, Lt Gen DS Hooda, the former Northern Army Commander. Suffice to understand that his thoughts on the subject are indeed the thoughts of our generation, on this emotional topic and hence I reproduce the entire article below.

In his Mann ki Baat address on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Prime Minister Modi addressed the nation with these words, "Whatever we say, our behaviour, our speeches, our aim should be to boost the morale and respect of our soldiers". These are the words that any soldier would be glad to hear from his highest national leader. He would also wish that the Prime Minister's words are translated into action by those who implement policy. Unfortunately, what we are witnessing is a steady onslaught on the terms and conditions of service personnel, mostly to dilute provisions that have existed for decades.

Cutting down rations for officers, stopping hotel stay during temporary duty, removing income tax exemption on disability pension and now the proposal to reduce pension for officers who take premature retirement are examples of steps that have been taken in the past few years. Some of these were reversed after the government faced sharp criticism but they created misgivings about the political and military leadership.

It is well understood that military reforms, particularly in times of stressed budgets are absolutely essential. However, some of the personnel policies being recommended appear ill-considered and could have long-term implications on the character of the military. Without getting into the pros and the cons of each proposal, the trends that we are witnessing raise three substantive issues.

The first concerns the responsibility of the military  as an organisation towards its members. It would be stating the obvious that the organisation should empower its officers and men and strive to meet their genuine needs. Instead, the approach seemingly being adopted by the military hierarchy is one of collective disempowerment. Income tax relief on disability pension is sought to be stopped for everyone because some "unscrupulous personnel' were misusing disability benefits. Hotel stay for all officers was banned because some of them could indulge in corrupt practices such as 'exchanging briefcases with contractors' in the hotel room. A similar logic is being applied in the latest proposal for reducing pension of officers who take premature retirement. Several specialists/super specialists leave the service to work in other sectors, in order to discourage them, the pensionary benefits of all officers must be cut down.

The military is an integrated body of highly motivated and dedicated men and women who pride themselves on belonging to an honourable profession. Ensuring that there is no misuse of benefits and that the military values are upheld is primarily the responsibility of the organisation. This is implemented through a system of policies that reward good behaviour, incentives for members and where required, disciplinary action. Wielding only the blunt instrument that apparently seeks to punish the whole military community for the faults of a few is both an injustice to those who serve with honour and an abdication of organisational responsibility.

The second issue is the impact of the recent proposals on the attitudes of the officer corps. it could well be asked as to why I am specifically talking about the officers and not about all the rank and file who form the larger part of the military. The simple explanation is that officers occupy a special position in the organisation.

In the military system, there is an 'otherness' to the officer corps. General John Hackett, in his classic The Profession of Arms, writes, "There is in armies a tendency to set up an officer group with an otherness as a step towards or in some degree a replacement of, the betterness you require". Officers are largely responsible for shaping the military's ethos and their standards of conduct are pegged at a higher level.

It is the officers who provide the leadership in the military and who are tasked to ensure the care of the men they command. An officer who passes out of the Indian Military Academy takes the Chetwode pledge that he will place the 'honour, welfare and comfort of his men' before his 'own ease, safety and comfort'. This pledge is redeemed daily by thousands of young officers who lead the soldiers from the front and ensure their welfare in the most challenging of conditions.

Some of the recent proposals have caused a sense of disquiet among the officers. I am not getting into the merits or demerits of each proposal but it would be better if policies are implemented after great deliberations within the officer cadre of the military. Any loss of trust between the junior and senior leadership is a tear that will not be easily repaired.

The third issue is that an obsessive focus on pay and pensions is skewing our thinking on military reform. It is well understood that salaries account for a large section of the total budget but this is not because the salaries are huge but because the allocation to defence services is insufficient to support out military ambitions. There is a crying need for reforms in the military but rather than taking the harder step of restructuring to reduce its size, the highest military leadership is looking at options that dilute the terms of service in terms of financial compensation.

The most valued asset is of the military is the quality of its human resource capital - the men and women who serve. Thousands of soldiers are currently locked in a stand off with the Chinese army in the freezing conditions of eastern Ladakh. Others are losing their lives battling infiltrators from Pakistan. In times like this, the military leadership needs to display greater sensitivity in pushing policies that could impact the morale of the officers and men.

There is an unwritten covenant between the soldier and the state. The soldier pledges to sacrifice his life for the security of the nation and the state promises to treat the soldier with respect and dignity and provide adequate compensation to him and his family. If this covenant is broken by either side, either the nation will weaken its security or the military will lose its professionalism. Neither scenario is desirable.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by about a half past 9. The early Wednesday morning 'aarathi' of the house was carried out. Realised to my horror that the validity of my driving licence expires today. Must endeavour to renew it within the forthcoming month that I have, the Covid-19 restrictions notwithstanding! 

Our friendly neighbourhood postman, Sanoj, had come by and tried four times before generating my Life Certificate (Jeevan Pramaan). Damn sweet of him. Wonder why my thumb and the other fingers weren't responding to the biometry meter? 

     

What I've learnt from my life in uniform.

 * I can spend a night on platform or in Le Meridian.

* I can travel by a lorry or by a flight.

* I can drink XXX Rum or JW Green Label. 

* I can eat at a roadside dabha or at Mughal Sheraton.

* I can freely move with a rickshaw wala or with Ratan Tata.

* I can mix Hindi English or English Punjabi.

* I can speak 'jane do yaar' or rules and regulations.

* I can survive in Thiruvananthapuram or in Leh.

* I can do any hard work or can scrounge. 

* I can pedal a Hero cycle or drive a Merc.

* I can play kitty or casino in Goa.

* I can do kheti bhadi or manage as CEO.

* I can wear Karol Bagh T shirt or Gucci T shirt.

* I can stand in a queue for my liquor in INCS or can pick up Jack Daniel's from customs notified shop.

* I can avail ECHS facility or go to Apollo.

* I can share dirty jokes with my colleagues and still carry highest respect for a lady.

* I spare no words to curse the politicians and willingly take a bullet for the honour of the nation.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Was monitoring the counting of votes post-election for the Bihar Assembly.

Appu comes for his monthly work on our courtyard and the backyard. Does a neat job as usual.

An alternate viewpoint!

Donald Trump - the most unappreciated President in history.

The clown in the White House just brokered four Middle East Peace Accords, something that 71 years of political intervention and endless war failed to produce.

The buffoon in the White House is the first President that has not engaged us in a foreign war since Eisenhower.

The imbecile in the White House has wiped out ISIS and has brokered fairer trade agreements with Mexico, Canada and the European Union. Oh, he also made us energy independent and an exporter for the first time in 75 years.

The clown in the White House has had the greatest impact on the economy, bringing jobs and lowering unemployment to the Black and Latino population than any other president. Ever.

The buffoon in the White House has exposed the deep, widespread and long-standing corruption in the FBI, the CIA, the NSA and the Republican and Democratic parties.

The buffoon in the White House turned NATO around and had them start paying their dues.

The clown in the White House neutralised the North Koreans, stopped them from developing a further nuclear capability, sending missiles toward Japan and threatening the West Coast of the US.

The clown in the White House turned our relationship with the Chinese around, brought hundreds of businesses back to the US and revived the economy. Hello!!!!!!

The clown in the White House has accomplished the appointing of three Supreme Court Justices and close to 300 Federal Judges.

This same clown in the White House lowered your taxes, increased the standard deduction on your IRS return from $12,500 for Married Filing Joint to $24,400 and caused your stock market to move to record levels over 100 times, positively impacting the retirements of tens of millions of citizens.

The clown in the White House fast-tracked the development of a COVID Vaccine - it will be available within weeks - we still don't have a vaccine for SARS, Bird Flu, Ebola or a host of diseases that arose during the previous administration.

The moron in the White House has kept prescription drugs costs from increasing during his first term. That is unprecedented.

The clown in the White House rebuilt our military which the Obama administration had crippled and had fired 214 key generals and admirals in his first year of office.

I got it, you don't like him. Many of you utterly hate and despise him. How special of you. He is serving you and ALL the American people. What are you doing besides calling him names and laughing about him catching the China virus?????

And please educate me again as to what Biden has accomplished for America in his 47 years in office?

I'll take a 'clown' any day versus a fork tongued, smooth talking hypocritical corrupt liar. Please let it be known, I am not sure I would want to have a beer with him (if he drank, which he doesn't) or even be his friend. I don't care if I even like him. I want a strong leader who isn't afraid to kick some ass when needed. I don't need a fatherly figure - I already have one. I don't need a liar - that's what Hollywood and CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS and the New York Times are for.

I don't need someone to help me but I also don't want an obstacle or a demented, senile washed-up Swamp Monster.

The world is a dangerous place - history has proven that. If the 'world' loves our President - it's probably since he and our country is a chump for admiration.

Source : What'sApp (Author unknown).

PS.

I would tend to agree that this has been written by a die-hard Trump supporter and I endorse the views. But, I too, would like to raise the query as to how most of the postal ballots, if not all, have gone to Biden? Isn't there a bit of a co-incidence? 

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9.

Arnab Goswami has not been granted bail by the High Court of Maharashtra. His unlawful police custody continues as he spends the sixth night in jail. I must reproduce a post sent to me by a dear friend and I quote, "If #Arnab Goswami, with the best legal help at his disposal, a channel to amplify his voice and the vocal support of @Amit Shah can be treated like this, what hope does an ordinary citizen have in this country?"

O, those lovely days!

I grew up in Bombay, not Mumbai. Regardless of the weather, our dinner time was at 8:00 PM and bed time was 10:30 PM.

Eating out at a restaurant was a huge deal, a rarity actually, that only happened when it was a birthday or a very special occasion to celebrate.

There was no such thing as fast food on every other day and having a bottle of soft drink and an ice-cream from the local shop was a real treat. Pass your final exams and you might have gotten a new set of clothes or Bata shoes.

You took your school clothes off as soon as you got home and put on your 'home' clothes. There was no taking or picking you up in the car, you either boarded the school bus or rode on public transport or just walked home. You got home, did your chores and homework before dinner.

Not everyone had a house phone and much later, all private conversations were at the PCO booths.

We didn't have Apple tv, Amazon Prime or Netflix. We had only Doordarshan to watch. Jungle Book came once a week on a Sunday and Chhaya Geet on Thursdays, for which we waited all week.

We played chor police, lappa chuppi, football, cricket, lagori, dabba ice-spice (actually it was "I spy"). Marbles and any other game we could come up with...... At home, we stuck to chess, ludo, snakes and ladders and Monopoly.

Staying shut in the house was a punishment and the only thing we knew about "bored" was....."You better find something to do before I find it for you!"

Life was good without insta, facebook, twitter. Followers were the friends standing behind you.

We played music via magnetic tapes or radio. A walkman was a luxury for the uber rich.

We went to the local shop for groceries, jeera goli, kismi used to be a couple of paise.

We ate what Mum made for dinner and put in our lunch and snack box. Bottled water was non existent. We drank from the school water filter.

We called our friends from home by shouting their names from the street below.

We weren't afraid of anything. We played until dark.....sunset was our alarm.

If someone had a fight, that's what it was and we were friends again a day later if not sooner.   

We watched our mouths around our elders because all of our aunts, uncles, grandpas, grandmas and our parents' best friends were all extensions of our parents and you didn't want them telling your parents you'd misbehaved! Or they would give you something to cry about.

We respected the Police, Firemen, Ambulance workers, Teachers, Doctors and Nurses.

We never answered back......ever!

We got detention at school for not doing homework, no hair cut, being late to class or being naughty. Our teachers spanked us when we deserved it and our parents did not complain about it.

We did not know what luxury was. Our simple lives were so good.

Those were the good days. So many kids today will never know how it feels to be a real kid. I loved my childhood and all the friends I hung around with.

Tailpiece. 

Got up at a half past 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Video called my sister and family, who are at Bangalore.

Attended the webinar : "Necessity to Promote Green Jobs for Green Economy through Digital Literacy" by Dr Sunil Chacko, Adjunct Professor, Former Faculty - Harvard University and Former Advisor, World Bank. It was short and interesting. 

The transition at the White House.

Joe Biden has secured Pennsylvania and is poised to become the 46th President of the United States.

What is the manner in which the transition of the Presidency take place in the United States? It's interesting! Or is it premature, in that, Donald Trump is seeking the Court's intervention regarding the proliferation of the postal ballots heavily in favour of Joe Biden? 

On 04 Mar 1801, the second President of the United States, John Adams, refused to hand over office to his main rival at the 1800 election, Thomas Jefferson. The rule of midday Jan 20 had not been written yet. Despite his stubbornness the office simply left him!

After Thomas Jefferson was sworn in at an event which the incumbent refused to attend, the White House staff started to remove the President's belongings from the White House (Adams was the first president to reside at the new official residence). All security organs cut all official communication. All the presidential staff stopped taking orders from Adams - the office moved.

From that time all incumbents at the White House prepare early to leave in - case they see signs of losing to avoid humiliation by the independent organs of the state (The Military, The Secret Service, The CIA, FBI and all the White House Staff. They all operate under a code - that of serving a man/woman who has carried the will of the people at an election).

As Biden has clinched the 270 votes and is officially declared by all returning officers in the states, the following are going to happen :-

(a) The Secret Service divides its attention between the incumbent and the incoming President.

(b) CIA begins to brief both (including top secret intelligence which is traditionally reserved for one individual - the commander in chief).

(c) White House staff begins to prepare to re-do the house in-line with the taste of the president elect.

(d) At Midday on 20 Jan. The White House staff remove all his belongings from the house and bring in the belongings of the new president (they wait for no one's instructions).

(e) The deductions for White House rent on Trump's salary stops in January.

(f) The deductions for White House rent begins on Joe Biden's presidential salary in January.

(g) Melania Trump stops being the boss of White House on 20 Jan at midday.

(h) Dr Jill Biden becomes the boss of White House on 20 Jan at midday.

(j)  At midday on 20 Jan, all the power organs of the US cut official communication with Trump: The Pentagon, The CIA, The FBI, The Attorney General. The Secret Service maintains minimal communication since it is going to guard the ex-President all his life.

(k) The Beast and Air Force One salute Trump for the last time and move their attention to Biden. The Beast begins to carry Biden's blood samples as is the tradition.

Without instructions from anyone! It has been so for over 200 years. 

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Suma was back at work and her leg seemed to be okay, she said. Lekha orders fish, online, from the 'Meat Hub' - for the first time.

Participated in the Aazhchakkoottam (Weekly Interactions) on "Homeopathy and Covid-19" by Dr G Satish, Superintendent, Government Homeopathy Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.

  

Shankaracharya's articulation.

One night Shankaracharya was desperately searching for something on the street outside his small hut.

When his pupil returned from his errand, he saw this and curiously asked the Master, "Acharya, what are you looking for here on the street at this hour?"

Shankaracharya replied, "I lost my needle, I am looking for it".

The pupil joined him in the search but after searching for a while, he asked, "Can you try and recollect where you might have dropped it?"

Shankacharya said, "Of course, I remember. I dropped it near the bed in the hut".

The pupil, utterly astonished at the strange answer, said, "Acharya, you say you lost it inside the house, then why are we looking for it outside?"

Shankaracharya innocently replied, "There is no oil left in the lamp, so it is pitch dark inside the house. Hence I thought of searching for it outside, since there is enough street light here".

While holding back his laugh, the pupil said, "If you lost your needle inside the house, how could you even expect to find it outside?"

Shankaracharya simply smiled back at the pupil and said, "Isn't that what we do? We run to far away temples and walk up mountains to search for what we have lost inside ourselves. We are all seeking outside what we have lost inside us. Why? Just because it is pitch dark inside.

Silly, aren't we?"

"Light the Lamp inside you and find your lost treasure right there in".

Awake and arise to search the treasure.

  *          *           *

Just in jest!

Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit.

Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Nirvana is making Bloody Mary out of it and not worrying if it's a fruit or a vegetable.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Suma was given a day off today as her leg was having a problem. She will meet her doctor.

Participated in a webinar, "Covid-19 and Mental Health" by Dr Kumud Srivastava, Psychological Counsellor between 1500 - 1630 hrs. It was very illuminating! 

Those halcyon days!

Elvis made us dislocate our bones. Dylan helped us discover poetry.

Abba made us fall in love with blondes and brunettes. Beatles inspired us to imagine and live in an octopus's garden.

Cohen gave us a baritone complex. Marley taught us to stand up and fight. Boney M lit us a rocket to Venus.

Osibisa brought us the sounds of Africa. Eagles flew us to a hotel in California.

Dire Straits put us with some sultans high up on swings. Jimi Hendrix spoke to us with his guitar.

Beegees did us in with very deep love. Carpenters led us to the top of the world.

Queen brought us the legend of Mercury. Rainbow invited us to the Temple of the Fox.

Kenny Rogers told us about cowards. Doors opened us to a certain Mr Morrison.

Deep Purple set us on fire with smoke on water.

Smokie got us Alice. Don McLean fed us Pie. Cliff Richards congratulated us. Dolly Parton distracted us.

Santana hypnotised us. Tull broadsworded us. Floyd pinked us.

Michael thrilled us. Kiss kissed us. And Jim Reeves, Harry Belafonte, Tom Jones and others left us with memories that will never leave.

For the lot of us who grew our ears in the late '70s, the ride to adulthood was one mind blowing trip on the back of the humble cassette tape. 

   *          *          *

Diwali after Dussera.....

Why does Diwali come exactly 21 days after Dussehra every year?

If you don't believe, check the calendar. Sage Valmiki says that it took 21 days (504 hours) to reach Ayodhya on foot from Sri Lanka, for Lord Rama's army! 

So 504 hours divided by 24 hours, the answer will be 21.00 or 21 days.

I was surprised. To confirm, I searched on Google map out of curiosity. I was shocked to see the distance from Sri Lanka to Ayodhya on foot is 3,145 km and time taken to walk is 504 hours!

We celebrate Dussehra and Diwali since Tretayug, according to tradition. Sage Valmiki had written Ramayana with accuracy. This is the great Hindu culture.

Jai Siyaram!

Tailpiece.

Got up at a quarter past 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. Both Lekha and I were glad to see Kittu back and he had his breakfast and lunch!

Got our Chevy's insurance renewed online.  

Two events of the day that need highlighting!

Many news made headlines today but I shall touch upon just the two of them as I have a lot of queries on them.

1. Arnab Goswami Taken into Custody

The chief executive editor of the Republic News Channel was taken into custody, early in the morning at 6, in Bombay. The Bombay Police Commissioner Parambir Singh, with the blessings of the Maharashtra government and the ruling political powers viz. Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP seem to have pulled off this stunt that would have far reaching ramifications.

The arrest of Arnab Goswami is the culmination of the relentless crusades he had undertaken over the past few months like the Palghar killings, establishing the police-announced-suicides of Sushant Singh Rajput, Disha Salian as murders resulting in the cases being handed over to the CBI for further investigation, the drug abuse in Bollywood and certain regional film industries and had, consequently, made many influential people in high places run for cover! 

He, therefore needed to be fixed nice and proper and I believe, he has been charged by the Bombay Police as being involved in an abetment to suicide case of 2018. 

What the Maharashtra government has done in using state machinery to muzzle the free press in this country needs condemnation and immediate rollback. The common people are already on the streets, questioning this sinister move and are clamouring for an immediate action. The court raising a suo moto case on the arrest and have the journalist released could be an option or the Home Ministry of the union government issuing necessary directives to the Maharashtra government to free Arnab Goswami.

An early release of the journalist is a must. And what does one say about the rest of the channels who've decided to keep quiet on the entire issue? It's really a dog-eats-dog situation! Ugh!!

2. The Delay in the Results of the American Presidential Election.

The just concluded American Presidential election, yesterday, is yet to throw up a clear winner as both the candidates have approached the court, citing irregularities in the voting as well as counting procedures. The following factors are discernible and of course, must admit that these are personal observations from a layman's viewpoint:-

* This election has been all about Trump vs the rest - disgruntled Republicans, his party men who hate him, the former Presidents Clinton, Obama and even Bush endorsing their support for Biden and the entire media * The media had whipped up a complete endorsement of the Biden candidature by the African Americans, which turned out to be a false call * The media predicting a  highly-inflated, sweeping Biden victory * Trump's core constituency has hardly been dented, in fact, they have shown it by getting out to vote in droves * Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as his VP candidate does not seem to have attracted enough voters.  

I appreciate President Trump's ability to put up a good show, thus far, despite all the constraints cited above.

It's my fond hope that all misgivings are removed and the winner is announced at the earliest!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. The usual Wednesday 'aarathi' was carried out around 0800 hrs.

Kittu, the friendly cat, was not seen around lunchtime. Wonder where he has gone? Hope he's out of harm's way!       

Fused Bulbs.

 A big officer, who had just retired, came to stay in the housing society.

This elderly, big, retired officer, shocked and disturbed, used to walk in the Society park every evening, looking at the others with contempt and avoided talking to anyone.

One day, he sat near an elderly one in the evening for a chat and then started sitting continuously with him. His conversation was always the same topic, "I was such a big officer that one can't imagine and don't ask, here I have come in compulsion, etc etc" and that elder used to listen to him quietly.

One day when the "retired officer" showed some signs of inquisitiveness in his eyes and a bit of curiosity, the elderly listener, finally, gave him true wisdom.

He explained :-

"After retirement, we are all like a fused bulb, which was of how much wattage, how much light and glitter it gave don't matter after it is fused".

He continued and said, "I have been living in this Society for the last five years and have not told anyone that I have been a Member of the Parliament twice. He there, is Vermaji who was the General Manager of Railways, He there, Singh Saab was a Brigadier in the Army, that there, Mehra ji was the chief of the ISRO; he has not told this to anyone, not even to me but I know".

All fused bulbs are now almost the same whether it's zero watt, 40, 60, 100 watts, halogen or flood light, now no light no use; and that's you too. The day you will understand this, you will be able to live in the Society peacefully".

In Indian religious philosophy, the rising and setting sun are given equal respect, but in real life - we worship the rising sun by offering water but not the setting sun, the sooner we understand this, life will be easy.

     *         *           *

In jest

Why is the CA exam very difficult? Difference between CA and BCom.

BCom :

Question : How many Balls are there in an Over? * Answer : 6 * Full Marks!

If this were a CA exam question, the answer would be WRONG and the examiner's comment in the suggested answers would be : "Most of the students answered the questions. However, students have not understood the question correctly. Answers point to a lack of in depth understanding and conceptual clarity on the subject".

The correct answer is : 1 ball which is delivered 6 times".

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. The power interruption had come about at a half past 12 and much to my dismay, even the water in the overhead tank had finished.

Anyways Suma had drawn a few buckets of water from the well and we could tide over till 1800 hrs, when the power was restored. Worked the motor and had one of the overhead tanks filled soon after and the second around a half past 9.  

  

Restore Fauji Ecosystem.

The top Army leadership is holding its bi-annual conference, concurrently, veterans What'sApp groups are witnessing unprecedented spewing of venom. There is widespread apprehension that a major drive is underway to take away privileges and so-called perks in the garb of optimisation and economy drive. Self perpetuating rumours are viral about impending cuts in canteen entitlements, ECHS benefits and even pensions. 

The overall sense is that the current hierarchy, afflicted with a tinkering syndrome is out to cut down hard-earned and well-deserved benefits and destroying time tested traditions like messes, bands and regimental norms. 

At the outset, it will be pertinent to state unequivocally that very little of this, affects the serving community and they continue to be in high morale and josh. The Army has enough resilience to get over such rough patches and its core remains strong and focused. Normally, it is best to trust current leadership even when some criticism is natural to vent off the steam but when diatribe goes beyond normal level, it is best to flag such trends, especially when they impact the veterans directly. The unfortunate part is that there seems to be some sort of distancing and even a bit of disconnect between the serving fraternity and veterans, which is both unfortunate and avoidable.

As a veteran, I am conscious of the likelihood of being accused of "20x20 hind sight" but in all humility, let me flag three relevant examples. The Tricity has probably the most vociferous and very large veteran community, yet after every bi-annual conference, we had structured feedback sessions.

Over ruling staff advice open house sessions were included. It is to the credit of veterans that they not only maintained decorum but also understood the constraints. The second major initiative was the creation of the regional think tank, Gyan Chakra, which has been stymied as Delhi Durbar considers thinking as their exclusive right. Thirdly, veterans were projected to the Shekatkar Committee by arranging interaction. Covid-19 precludes physical sessions but webinars can still enhance interaction, feedback and reduce apprehensions. To put it very bluntly, communication with the veteran's community needs urgent attention.

The current angst is also fuelled by rank hypocrisy across cadres. The Army seems to be in penny pinching overdrive while others are not even remotely contemplating similar measures. A dangerous trend of self-depreciation of golf courses and and messes is manifesting, even when others are creating highly subsidised, seven star facilities. Rentals for rooms in state and PSU guest houses are a mere fraction of Army mess, though former may have better facilities. Another recent irritant has been the much publicized oath taking on probity, unintended signalling of deep rot within. 

Armed Forces must aspire for zero tolerance on corruption notwithstanding challenges of keeping out societal osmosis effects. While others get away by annual vigilance day oath, soldiers have to maintain vigil on 24x7x365 basis. It is apparent that the timing and airing of the oath were avoidable.

Tehelka scandal, resulted in an Army General, with enviable track record, not only accepting lapse but suspension by the end of the day. I had the onerous responsibility to serve him that order which he literally took it on the chin. He was 'sorted out' at bullet train speed. His civilian counterpart, went on leave, resurfaced after crafting his defence, shifting blame to the mental state of his wife. He rose to become secretary and later held the statutory appointment as the tribunal chairman. Tehelka was classic publicity-oriented sting by fauji kids-turned-journalists exploiting hypothetical scenario.

Whe  queried about targeting the Army, their response, "Corruption outside hardly makes news but in fauj, it is dhamaka (bang)". The Army has a fairly rigorous system, where even an inquiry spells doom, whereas other cadres have near zero accountability. Most importantly, will focus ever shift from, 'chiller-chors' (small time thieves) to highway robbers?

Whe we joined Sainik School, immediately after 1965 war and NDA after 1971 operations; wars were frequent, risks high and pay without perks (like earned rations), just about adequate. We didn't dream beyond unit command and Lt Col rank. We were attracted by an ecosystem promising 'izzat' (respect), camaraderie, outdoors and adventure.

Environment was modelled on "the battle of a Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton". By and large, the Army enjoyed anonymity and was insulated from politics. I recall ex-CM of Punjab Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir refused to nintervene in an Army related matter even when the applicant belonged to our village, Adhwal, now in Pakistan. His stern refrain was : "Let Army remain free of influence and politics". Over the years, things have taken full circle, on a wrong trajectory.

Supersessions, social media, opening of cantonments and politicisation have eroded privacy and insular character of the forces. There is a need to restore this ecosystem, give it privacy and space. This is not to suggest that the forces should be beyond scrutiny or accountability. As CO, we received from a newspaper editor, a photograph of a regimental vehicle parked incorrectly. When we enquired, why didn't they publish it the wise reply was, "Army is best out of news, we know you apply correctives". Zero-error and fix-all syndromes sound the death knell for risk taking and innovation/ Naysayers are advised to reflect on raising of Special Forces (Meghdoot) by court-martialled Maj Megh Singh. Transition from hollow demonstrative support to trusting its systems is overdue.

Parting advice, for those in a tearing hurry for tinkering, in the garb of transformation; it is time to take counsel from the Japanese saying, "Hurry, but slowly". It will also be appropriate to take veterans on board, essence is communication and inclusion.

- Lt Gen KJ Singh.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. Washing machinex of the bed linen. It was a quiet Monday. 

Came the sad news from our caretaker, that his wife has been tested positive and is admitted in hospital. What worries us is that she has quite a few co-morbidities. Hope she returns safe and sound!