One drink for the enemy.....two for a friend!

When swords and lances were the weapons of war, the battle fields were littered with the dead and the wounded. At sunset when the sides retreated, the medical detachment went out. They would carry a potent brew and pour one into the mouth of anyone who was moaning in pain. The pain killer was a shot of the brew. The Mashaal (torch) bearing team that followed would identify the wounded to be either own or enemy. If it was own, the second shot of the brew was poured to further lessen the pain till first aid could be administered or the wounded evacuated. However, if it was an enemy wounded then that second shot was denied.

That is how this custom of 'One drink only for the enemy' seems to have taken root.

In the services, it's followed religiously.

    *          *          *

A Horse Awarded the COAS Commendation

An Indian Army horse was awarded the Chief of Army Staff commendation for his stellar services being the part of the Republic Day parade of 18 consecutive years.

The commendation was given to Rio, a 22-year-old horse last Sunday at a ceremony held at the Cariappa Ground in Delhi Cantt.

Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane pinned the commendation medal.

Rio is the most experienced member of the Republic Day parade making an appearance for the last 18 years. He is the first horse from Indian Army's 61 Cavalry - the only functional horse regiment in the world to get the award.

    *           *            *

Did You Know?

Ever wondered why the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force have different saluting styles?

The Indian Army reveal their entire palm signifying that they are unarmed and that they can be trusted. As the sailors' hands would be greasy and dirty, the Indian Navy salute with their palm facing downwards. The Air Force salute with their palm at a 45 degree angle showing their progress towards the sky.

Tailpiece.

Got up half an hour later than our usual time being a Sunday, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. Wished Mithun many happy returns. Video called Rema, Mini and their families. 

Kiran and Girish had come by to repair the geyser power switch.

Spent a bit more time on the computer to pump out my January mail to my friends. Ravi Ponappa and Vishy were the first to react and send in their comments!

Assorted.

The Army's Memorable Quotes

1. "I will come back waving the tricolour or wrapping myself in the tricolour but I will definitely come back".  Captain Vikram Batra, PVC

2. "The extraordinary adventure of a lifetime for you is our everyday life". An Indian Army signboard on Leh-Ladakh Highway

3. "If I die before I prove my bravery then I swear I will kill death". Captain Manoj Kumar, PVC

4. "Our flag does not fly because the wind is blowing, it flies with the last breath of every young man who sacrifices his life to protect it". Indian Army

5. "You have to be good to get us, you have to be fast to catch us but you have to be a kid to win us. Indian Army  

6. "May God have mercy on our enemies because we will not". Indian Army

7. "Our life is our coincidence, our love is our choice, our killing is our business". Officers Training Academy

8. If a person says that he is not afraid of death then he is either lying or he is a Gurkha". Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

9. "It is God's job to forgive terrorists but it our job to get them to meet God". Indian Army

10. "We regret that we have only one life to give to our country". The ethos of the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force

      *           *            *

The six husbands every wife should have

Dr Steven Craig talks about how a husband has to constantly grow, evolve and renew himself at least six times by the time he turns 60....

* 1st husband. At the time of marriage, the husband has to be fun, carefree, full of dreams and potential.....The couple should make each other laugh and feel good about each other.

* 2nd husband. After a couple of years, the husband has to grow out of his carefree, fun and life-of-every-party ways. He needs to get established in his career and begin preparing for a family.

* 3rd husband. When the kids come, the husband has to learn patience, be home as much as possible and scale down all his extra activities.

* 4th husband. As children grow, the husband has to again reinvent himself, be more focused on kids putting them first just as the wife does. The wife needs a 'daddy' more than a 'honey'. The motto must be 'family comes first'.

* 5th husband. This husband needs to help children become gradually independent; supporting them through their mistakes and growing-up pangs. He needs to be responsible and trustworthy.

* 6th husband. By the time the children leave home, the wife becomes more confident and assertive. Now she doesn't need a strong-but-silent man whom she can lean on - instead, the husband has to become vulnerable and sensitive who opens his heart to her and values her as an equal.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. Went about my usual work.

Participated in the 501st episode of Aazhchakkoottam : "Overcoming Cyber Crimes in the Banking Sector" by Mr Mathew Moses Kokkaad, Asst VP Risk Intelligence and Control Unit, HDFC Bank Ltd. An interesting lecture. 

Another nice story.

Dr Frank Mayfield was touring Tewksbury Institute when, on his way out, he accidentally collided with an elderly floor maid. To cover the awkward moment Dr Mayfield started asking questions.

"How long have you worked here?"

"I've worked here almost since the place opened", the maid replied.

"What can you tell me about the history of this place?" he asked.

"I don't think I can tell you anything but I could show you something".

With that, she took his hand and led him down to the basement under the oldest section of the building. She pointed to one of what looked like prison cells, their iron bars rusted with age and said, "That's the cage where they used to keep Annie Sullivan".

"Who's Annie?" the doctor asked. Annie was a young girl who was brought in because she was incorrigible - nobody could do anything with her. She'd bite and scream and throw her food at people. The doctors and nurses couldn't even examine her or anything. I'd see them trying with her spitting and scratching at them".

"I was only a few years younger than her myself and I used to think, I sure would hate to be locked up in a cage like that. I wanted to help her but I didn't have any idea what I could do. I mean, if the doctors and nurses couldn't help her what could someone like me do?"

"I didn't know what else to do, so I just baked her some brownies one night after work. The next day I brought them in. I walked carefully to her cage and said, Annie, I baked these brownies just for you. I'll put them right here on the floor and you can get them if you want".

"Then I got out of there just as fast as I could because I was afraid she might throw them at me. She actually took the brownies and ate them. After that, she was just a little nicer to me when I was around. And sometimes I'd talk to her. Once, I even got her laughing".

One of the nurses noticed this and she told the doctor. They asked me if I'd help them with Annie. I said I would if I could. So that's how it came about that. Every time they wanted to see Annie or examine her, I went into the cage first and explained and calmed her down and held her hand.

This is how they discovered that Annie was almost blind.

After they'd been working with her for about a year - and it was tough sledding with Annie - the Perkins Institute for the Blind opened its doors. They were able to help her and she went on to study and she became a teacher herself.

Annie came back to the Tewksbury Institute to visit and to see what she could do to help out. At first, the Director didn't say anything and then he thought about a letter he'd just received. A man had written to him about his daughter. She was almost unruly - almost like an animal. She was blind and deaf as well as 'deranged'.

He was at his wit's end but he didn't want to put her in an asylum. So he wrote the Institute to ask if they knew of anyone who would come to his house and work with his daughter.

And that is how Annie Sullivan became the lifelong companion of Helen Keller.

When Helen Keller received the Nobel Prize, she was asked who had the greatest impact on her life and she said, "Annie Sullivan".

But Annie said, "No Helen. The woman who had the greatest influence on both our lives was a floor maid at the Tewksbury Institute".

Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. Went about my usual work and began to give shape to my monthly letter.

Guruvayur is talking about a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy having gone missing since this morning. The police is on the look out. 

Thinking aloud!

Two news items have exercised my mind and raised quite a few questions. So, without my much ado, let me get on at them.

(a) Supreme Court stays Bombay High Court's Order

The Supreme Court stayed the acquittal order of the accused in the case where the Nagpur Branch of the Bombay High Court had said that groping a minor's breast without "skin-to-contact" can't be termed as sexual assault as defined under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Justice Pushpa Virendra Ganediwala of the Bombay High Court modified the order of the sessions court punishing the man under Sec 354 IPC (outraging a woman's modesty), observing that there was no "specific detail" as to whether the minor's top was removed and there was any skin-to-skin contact.

My take.

* A judgement that is surprising, coming from, a woman judge!

* Groping, therefore, ceases to be a crime. How can women be safe when you have such misguided interpretations?

* Would she have the same opinion if, God forbid, someone were to commit a similar crime on her daughter/relations? 

(b) Rajdeep Sardesai given the boot

The India Today channel took its main news anchor, Rajdeep Sardesai, off the air and docked his month's salary for spreading fake news. He'd tweeted that the farmer who was killed during the mayhem created by the farmers' rally on the Republic Day was due to police firing. Later, on confirmation that he'd died because his tractor had turned turtle, Rajdeep had removed the content from his twitter handle.

My take.

* Get the impression that he was standing by for some nasty news like that. Did he have prior knowledge that there was something ugly going to happen? The conspiracy theory gets stronger!

* If my doubt above is true, he needs to be tried for treason because he'd kept quiet - despite prior information - of a security threat.

* This guy is a biased and bad journalist. He carries his political affiliations on his sleeve.

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle late, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. Yet another quiet day.

Video called a few more of my friends.    

About face masks during the times of Covid 19.

President Joe Biden's very first executive action was to ask Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration. The executive order also requires mask use on all federal property. But keep in mind, not all masks are created equal.

The N95 is the gold standard in personal protective equipment because it blocks 95% of large and small particles utilising a unique electrostatic filter that traps neutral particle such as bacteria and viruses before they pass through the mask, protecting the wearer and those around them. Think of it how socks might get stuck to a blanket in the dryer.

Experts including Dr Abraar Karan, a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, have told that if we all wore N95 masks for four weeks, we could put an end to the pandemic. 

But N95s can be hard to get ahold of - and should go to doctors and nurses first. If you aren't able to use an N95, consider double masking. If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it is likely to be more effective.

    *           *           *

Life  isn't about pleasing everyone, it is about hurting no one.

Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, the chores, washing machinex of bed linen and was ready by a quarter to 10. It was another quiet day.

The rogues show their true colours, finally!

And finally, they showed their true colours, this morning, at New Delhi. See, what all they did during the mayhem that commenced at the ITO Junction around a half past 10 :-

* Barricades broken * Buses shattered and burnt * Kisan Unions apologise at the end of the day, for the bad and violent behaviour * Mayhem in Delhi * Policemen attacked * Misbehaved with women police affairs.

It's a conspiracy but the unions, that had conceived the entire event, were taken aback by two things viz. the scale of violence and the deviation from the route, decided by anti-nationals who've crept into the agitation. Here are some reactions that would speak with clarity about the nonsense that was perpetuated :-

 * Monika Arora tweeted :

Is it a coincidence? * JNU violence - Yogendra Yadav was present. Shaheen bagh - Yogendra Yadav was present. Farmers violence - Yogendra Yadav present. And he was inciting people to join the farmers' agitation!

* The police were asked to exercise restraint, over 300 policemen, including women personnel, were injured.

My take

What I'd suggested yesterday as actions to be taken regarding this issue, need to be carried out forthwith without fear or favour. And my salute to the Delhi Police in showing tremendous restraint despite extreme provocation. 

Tailpiece.

Had got up at a quarter to 5, the chores; allowed Mini and family to get ready as they cast off for Bangalore by 0600 hrs. Lekha and I left by about a half past 7. We collected our breakfast and lunch from Lekha's sister, Letha.

Reached 'The Quarterdeck' by a half past 3 in the afternoon. And began the process of settling down!

 

On the eve of the 72nd Republic Day.

On the eve of the 72nd Republic Day, there are lots of questions that churn in my mind and I begin to feel angry with the manner in which people, who pay mere lip service for the strength and unity of the country, go about their sneaky shenanigans and in the process, are getting exposed about their role in the perfidy, called the Farmers' Agitation.

26 January is the celebration of the day when India became a sovereign Republic, in 1950. It's a sacred day and by tradition, the President and the Prime Minister along with the top ranking officials and the guest of honour review the military might of the country. The military contingents are followed by floats that cover the rich pageantry of social and cultural heritage of our country. This is followed by the children drawn from the schools of New Delhi, who display their artistry within the compressed time of two hours.

The government had invited the British Prime Minister as the chief guest to review this year's Republic Day parade. Unfortunately, citing increased Covid 19 cases in his country, he had expressed his inability to attend the function. Being a cynic, one wonders as to whether his decision was arrived at due to the pressures of vote bank politics of the Indian community residing in his country.

What amazes me is the ease with which many Indians, staying abroad, could be swayed by their misplaced loyalties and hatred towards India. They, sure, have a lot of support from within India who work covertly towards showing PM Modi and his policies in poor light! And on a day when the country being a republic is celebrated how dare does anyone think of having a rally - consisting of 1,000 tractors - to take place simultaneously in the same city? I mean, what do these guys achieve by doing this? 

The very fact that this is being done shows a never-ending flow of funds from sources, inimical to the country, to keep this 'so-called-agitation' going. Today, I hear that the farmers' next agenda is to march to Parliament on the first of February. The agenda of these people is getting crystal clear - somehow create anarchy in the country and hope like mad that it spirals out of control.

The mischievous guys should be identified, zeroed in and brought to book at the earliest. They should, then, be tried for treason and handed over capital punishment for waging war against the state and nothing short of it!

Tailpiece.

Got up around 7, the chores and had breakfast before bath. It was a quiet day.

Padmakumar, Rema and Achu had come after lunch and it was yakkitiyak till about sunset when they'd gone back to Pidavoor. Soon after, my staff had come by to show me the official mail.  

The perfidy of the farmers' agitation!

Diary of events!

* Jun 2020          The farm bills become law.

* End Jun           All crop deals were done with farmers outside the Mandis without 'adtiyas' (middlemen).

* Jul 2020           The sowing starts.

* Nov 2020         The Kharif harvest starts and bumper crop sold. Now the 'adtiyas' (middlemen) woke up with crop not coming to the mandis.

* By November, the true farmers understood the benefits of the new farm bill.

* The alarm bells for the 'adtiyas' started ringing as business dropped massively for them.

* Punjab, which has maximum 'adtiyas', started protesting with the Punjab government but didn't pick up well.

* Punjab Congress - anti-CM faction - tells "10 Janpath" that opportunity to pull down Modi identified.

* The "AAP Punjab team", which is made up of predominantly Khalistan supporters, saw an opportunity with the Khalistani groups to go for protests.

* Delhi blockage planned with the help of Khalistan supporters and retired-soldiers.

* Nov 2020           Delhi blockage begins.

* Intelligence knew the game, informs the government. The government said "No" for stopping them. It wanted to tell the entire nation about the benefits of the Farm bills as one crop had already shown them the benefits.

* Congress media and TRP media jump in. The national debate on Farm bills  start and is kept rolling by selected media. 

* Not just the farmers but the entire nation witness the happenings in Delhi and people start talking about it.

* More and more people start searching for facts and they discover the crookedness of the political parties who were against the bills.

* The government start talking to them in its planning - wait and watch, not do much as it is already a law and let the Supreme Court intervene.

* Learning from the Kharif crop benefits, the farmers go ahead to deal for Rabi crop "outside mandis" - that will be harvested "post Holi" - that is 2 months ahead.

* CM Punjab, now visits Delhi and meets with the central government. He goes and implements the Farm bills.

* Now, the doubting framers from Punjab, come on board while Captain ensure that Congress in Punjab is screwed and AAP (Punjab) is exposed with the Khalistan association.

* Now the 'adtiyas' get into super panic mode because - if the second crop is also sold outside 'mandis', they will be bankrupt and the farmers wiil  know the best way to do business. The 'adtiya' business will be wiped out.

* Adtiyas business is wiped out, Congress and AAP  will be wiped out too.

* Now the Supreme Court pitches in and suspends all the three bills.

* Rabi crop deal is done and will be harvested in Mar 2021, so suspension of bills for 2 months has no meaning. The committee, set up, will discuss on material evidences.

* The material evidence is generated from the Kharif crop and now, Rabi crop is showing up the facts.

* This is why the 'adtiyas' protesting in Delhi don't want this committee and panic has struck them.

* So in the end * 'Adtiyas' are exposed * Congress is exposed * AAP is exposed * the Khalistan group is exposed * the 'Daal mafia' of Canada is exposed * And the left nexus is exposed!

My take.

The mischief mongers and the anti-nationals must be brought to book and taught a lesson that they shall never ever forget in their lives.

Tailpiece.

The day began at a quarter to 5, the chores and we had set off for Pidavoor. After breakfast, by 9, we were off to Kollam and reached Karthika's house.at Ayathil, Kollam. The ceremony began at 1030 hrs and Achu and Karthika got engaged; their marriage will be held on 02 May 2021.

After lunch, we went across to Sanil's niece who was getting married on 04 Feb. We were off to Ayoor to see the work that has begun on Sanil's plot, met his mother and returned to Raj Nivas, after dropping Lekha's sister at Kottarakkara.

It was a day, well spent. Achu and Karthika make a great couple! 

Young and old.

When young, I was worried about pimples. When I'm old, I am worried about my wrinkles.

When I was young, I was waiting to hold her hand. When old, I am waiting for someone to hold my hand. 

When young, I was longing to be alone. When I am old, I am worried why I am alone.

When I was young, I hated being advised. When old, there is no one around to talk or advise.

When young, I admired beautiful things. When I am old, I see beauty in things around me.

When I was young, I felt I was eternal. When I am old, I know soon it will be my turn.

When I was young, I celebrated the moments. When I am old, I am cherishing my memories.

When I was young, I found it difficult to wake up. When old, I find it difficult to sleep.

When I was young, I wanted to be a heart-throb. When old, I am worried when will my heart stoop.

At extreme stages of our life, we worry but we don't realise, life needs to be experienced.

It doesn't matter whether young or old. Life needs to be lived and lived with love and loved ones. You are surely one of these.

Tailpiece.

The day had begun at 5, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 7. Mini and I had kicked off for Paravoor by 7 and reached there by a 10' past 8, when Kurup kochachhan's 13th day ceremony was about to start. Spent about an hour there and returned.

The false ceiling work in one of the bedrooms and the de-weeding were completed by the end of the day.

Remembering Maheswari peramma.

Got up at a half past 6 and I knew that my target time of leaving the house by a half past 7 was gonna be missed. Went through the chores and Mini and I set off for Pidavoor at a half past 7. Saw Pidavoor Amma, touched her feet and I knew that the journey was going to be good. We set off, soon after, with Rema joining us for the journey.

The state highway 1 (the old MC Road) had a lot of narrow stretches owing to the widening work being carried out. I was driving through it after a long, long time. We reached Chingavanam by a half past 10 and had turned off for Puthuppalli and it was on this stretch that I'd made the maximum number of errors, in that, turns were overshot and directions changed four times as milestones were missed! At one stage, there was this massive cow that was obstructing the small road towards our destination - the scene was really comical with Rema trying to mollify her to get off the road.

By the time we reached Mullasseril House, it was a half past 11 but weren't they glad to meet Chandramathykutty Amma's children! Maheswari peramma's close relatives were very much there and on arrival, we headed straight for the old lady's cremation spot. After telling her the reason for our delay and after praying for her, we settled down in the house. Got to know the details of her last few weeks as she took in a lot of pain thanks to breaking her hip due to a nasty fall.

Met and interacted with her eldest son, Radhan chettan's first wife, Ammini chechi, her third son, Shyju, his wife, Deepthi and daughter, Aavani, the younger son, Sasi chettan's wife Valsala chechi, their daughters, Dhanya and her husband, Sreekumar and children, Devanarayanan and Niranjana and Divya and her husband, Prakash. It was great to catch up with them and listen to the small, small things that interest and actuate them. 

Valsala chechi was insistent that we had lunch and after the scrumptious food, we left the house by about 3 o'clock. The return traffic was nice as the vehicles plying were not that heavy despite it being the peak time. We turned off from Adoor, onto the Kayankulam-Punalur road and dropped Rema, at Pidavoor. Amma was out on the courtyard, interacting with a three-year-old-boy staying across the house! She returned our wave, not fully registering as to who we were, but Rema briefed her in time and we saw her break into that familiar smile!

We were back at Raj Nivas by about 5, for a piping hot cup of tea made by my niece, Ammu. It was yakkitiyak, once more as the evening slowly rolled into the night. There were a lot of people who had called on, the most notable among them being Lalachan, who was recruited into the Army, thanks to my friends, the Banerjees when they were at Jalandhar during the late '80s. He's now retired and working on a contract basis for the ISRO. 

Tomorrow, is the trip early morning to Paravoor, to be in time for Kurup kochachhan's 13th day ceremony. Should be able to meet up with most of my relations from my mother's side! Looking forward to that!! 

Tailpiece.

Felt satisfied with the way the day had shaped up. 

The Chinese checkers.

China plans to construct 600 'Border Defence Villages' close to Indian Border.

The historically independent nation of Tibet was annexed by Chinese troops more than 60 years ago and China has continued its brutal occupation of the region till this day. To create an "impenetrable security barrier" between occupied Tibet and the outside world, China has adopted a strategy of creating "Border Defence Villages". As per reports, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadres will be stationed in these villages to "counter infiltration by hostile forces. One of the key focus areas of this plan is developing connectivity infrastructure. In 2019, the Chinese government constructed a major tunnel and bridge that would connect Lhasa to the Chinese province of Sichuan through a rail link. This new rail link is of great strategic importance to China and is located close to India.

The development of these border villages has serious implications for India's defence. These border villages will change the demography of the border areas over time. The occupation of these border villages is especially worrisome for India following the 2017 stand-off between India and Chinese troops on the Doklam plateau. The plateau is only 9 km away from Yadong county, Tibet. This reason is considered strategically sensitive due to its location and its relative proximity from the Indian border.

"If China was to increase its influence over the region, it would allow Chinese forces to access the Siliguri Corridor, known as the "Chicken's Neck". If Chinese forces can exert influence over the "Chicken's Neck" from Yadong, this would be a great opportunity for China to cut off India's access to the North East completely in times of war or disputes", a source familiar to these developments said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated that the frontiers of the nation must be governed well to be able to aptly administer the whole country. Wu Yingjie, the CCP Chief of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has stated that Tibet is a special frontier ethnic region and therefore is extremely important to the national security of China and forms an ecological security barrier.

The plan to create to create Border Defence Villages in Tibet, near the Indian border is oulined in the "Plan for the Construction of Well-Off Villages in the Border Areas of the Tibet Autonomous Region (2017 - 2020)". The plan was issued back in 2017 and according to it, China would be creating more than 600 of these Border Defence Villages.

It's a step towards increasing border control as well as consolidation.

My take

China's moves must be watched at every step. Its shenanigans continue unabated.

Tailpiece.

It was a late and quiet night for us as I was monitoring Mini's journey. Eventually, they'd fetched up by a half past 1. Consequently, it was a late morning and I'd lit up the puja room lamp by a half past 6 as we didn't want to disturb Mini and the others from their sleep.

The caretaker had come by and there would be four workers tomorrow to do the winding up work in the compound. I'd taken a morning walk in our compound and it was a healthy half an hour. 

   

At Raj Nivas.

Sleep took a long time to come by and I was quite restless, dunno for what reason. And at such junctures,  I usually recite my prayers and that's exactly what I turned to. As I finished the final verse of the Vishnu sahasranaama sthothram, I was totally relaxed and swiftly drifted to sleep; the time was around a quarter to 1.

Lekha had got up by a quarter to 4, though she had set the alarm for a half past 4 and the both of us decided to get up and go through the chores. Suma, too, fetched up by a half past 5 to help Lekha and her sister with the take aways that they'd planned en route. We, finally, could kick off by a half past 6, being half an hour behind schedule.

I took the route through Thrissur town so that Lekha's sister could see the sights on her return. She has been with us for the last three weeks. The journey was smooth as the traffic was sparse, the Paliyekkara toll was much more efficient and there was no delay at the 'fastag', for a change! Short of Angamali, we stopped at an HP petrol bunk to lower water levels and for a change, the toilets were clean. We'd our breakfast of vegetable sandwiches and washed it down with a piping hot cup of tea from the nearby tea stall.

The journey was resumed after about a half hour and subsequently, passed through Ernakulam with minimum delays despite it being the peak hours. Had another rest room break at the Alappuzha KTDC eatery and by a half past 1, I could turn onto the Kayankulam - Punalur road. Just prior to turning into that road, I narrowly escaped hitting a teenage girl who was crossing the highway, intently speaking on her mobile phone totally oblivious of her immediate surroundings. Somewhere close to Adoor, we'd parked by the roadside, under a wooded tree providing us ample shade, where we gorged into a yummy pulao with home made lime-date pickle.......it was a lovely lunch.

Soon after, we dropped Lekha's sister at her place, had a few quick words with her husband and left for Raj Nivas without wasting any time. En route, had recharged the Airtel Dish TV, picked up a strip of Ultracet, the pain killer for Lekha's knee and we were at Raj Nivas much before 3, observed that the Dish TV had some inherent problems - switching on after a lapse of almost a year, you see.

The refrigerator was switched on and the vegetables/fruits, that required to be stuffed in, was put in pronto. The caretaker was at hand to show me the necessary steps taken to tackle white ants that have been causing havoc in three wall shelves. The grass was clipped around the house and the overall look of Raj Nivas was really nice! 

While at my parents' cremation sights, I'd given them a briefing on the duration of our stay and the activities that were being undertaken over the next seven days. I suddenly felt that I was free of any responsibility and felt light, comfortable as though mom and dad were there to sort out even the slightest of glitches as in the days of old!

There were quite a few guests who'd dropped by to say their hellos, while Lekha was allowed to have her forty winks! A few necessary phone calls were made and I could also discuss with the doctor regarding Maman's hospitalisation. Meanwhile, the Dish TV man, Pramod had come by and got the system going. Phew!

The caretaker had dropped by to give us a run down and the sequence of the work which will be undertaken over the next few days. What I liked most about his narrative was that he gave me the full range of details about the activities that have been and are going on in this sleepy village. Meanwhile, was also monitoring my sister, Mini and her family's journey from Bangalore and they should be joining us beyond midnight!

Tailpiece.

It was wonderful to be back home.   

   

Adieu Maheswari Peramma!

Maheswari peramma, passed into the mist of time this morning around 0700 hrs. All of 96 years, she was going through a host of medical difficulties thanks to a fall that she had, about two months back. She'd broken her hip in the bargain, the treatment for which was delayed due to certain purely local conditions. 

She was with her second daughter in law, Valsala chechi, at Bangalore till the end of last year when she suddenly decided to return to the familiar surroundings of the ancestral Puthuvayil House where her father, P Kesava Panicker and uncle, PN Panicker had spent their childhood under the watchful eyes of their parents, P Govinda Pillai and Janaki Amma. P Kesava Panicker and Peramma have four beautiful daughters viz. Maheswari, Gomathy, Santha and Sarala. Of them, the first two were senior to my mom and she used to call them, Valiyechi and Kochechi.

Gomathy peramma was the first to leave us, last year. Maheswari peramma was very sad that her younger sister had left before her and she was inconsolable then. 

She was very fond of my mother and used to tell me as to how she always got what she wanted. I can never forget this story that she'd told me. Mom was at the Puthuvayil house during her school holidays, having come with her dad, from Ambalappuzha. There was a mango tree, full of mangoes at the courtyard and mom had insisted upon her uncle that she wanted to pluck the fruits herself. Valiya Muthachhan, capitulating to her wishes, had got a makeshift wall made so that my mom could stand on it and pluck the fruits!

Peramma was married twice and she had a son, each, from both her husbands. She always used to feel bad about her ill luck because both her sons - the younger, Sasi chettan was followed by the older, Radhan chettan - had passed into the mist of time much before her. 

She'd come to stay with us for a few days some time back. We had gone to the Guruvayur temple and I'd asked the Administrator for a special darshan for my mom's eldest sister. He was impressed by the way she walked and carried herself that he, too, had joined us in the circumambulation of the sanctum - she was 92 then! She had enjoyed that visit thoroughly and kept thanking me as though I'd done something great.

She was a compulsive 'paan' chewer and that was the main reason for her to hate life in the flat, at Bangalore. 

In the final days, she was back at Puthuppallil house at Kottayam but by the time she had reached there, she must have realised that there was too little time left for her to settle down and enjoy the familiarity of the place!

RIP Maheswari peramme! With tears and prayers. Shall always remember the abundant love that you'd given me and the kisses that you had showered on me when we had met at Gomathi peramma's funeral. Shall always remain indebted to you. 

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was off for the FBS/PPBS tests. Unfortunately, the path lab near to my house has been shut down and so, Hamid took me to the Rajah Hospital. Had to make two trips and the results were passed on to Dr Satish Bhat, who has further tweaked my medicines.

The Quarterdeck was systematically shut down by evening but what was heart rending was Kittu's angst at the prospect of our journey. Suma will look after his food requirements but from the past experience, he never comes this side during our absence!

Interesting aspects about height.

Weight is related to height. All the formulae/concepts of weight measurements are linked to height. We all discuss about weight but not many discuss about height. Weight keeps on increasing throughout our lives but height doesn't. It increases till a certain age and starts decreasing by cm per decade after the age of 40 years. So, height is an interesting subject.

There are various types of heights - Risky, Discriminatory, Ideal, Most Attractive, Decent, Healthiest and God's. Heights are different for Asians and others. Height can be increased to some extent by taking care of growing children.

(a) Risky height. Height 5' 3'' or below is considered as Risky height. People with risky heights are prone to heart related issues. They should take extra care to protect their hearts.

(b) Discriminatory height. Men of height 6' 2" or above and women of 5' 10" or above are discriminated and they are in low demand for matrimony.

Effects of being tall. They have low heart and low diabetes problems. They are confident in social situations. They are happy and enjoy full life but are prone to fall injuries and recovery from injuries take a long time. Too tall people die early. The tallest man, Robert, died at the age of 22 years (1918 to 1940). Among other top 10 tall people, only one reached 56 years of age.

(c) Ideal height. For men, it's 5' 11" and for women, it is 5' 7".

Models. Male models are generally of 6' height or above and female models are normally 5'8" and above. For Miss India, height criteria starts 5'3" upward.

(d) Most attractive height. 5' 8" as per studies.

(e) Decent height. 5' 9".

(f) Healthiest height. For men is 6' and for women is 5' 5''.

(g) God's height. Lord Shiva is believed to be of the same height as an adult male horse viz. 5' 9". In the Bible, Jesus is supposed to be of height 6' 2".

* Average height as per Sep 2020 report. Men 5' 8" (177 cm) and women 5' 3" (162 cm). During the last 100 years, there is growth in height of men by 2.9 cm and women 4.9 cm.

* Height growth period up to 20 years age. Girls height is linked to puberty. They may gain height for the next two years after the menstruation after which it, generally, stops.

* Loss of height. As you grow old, there are changes in bones, muscles and joints which result in height loss. After the age of 40 years, there is a loss of 1 cm per decade. After the age of 70 years, this loss may be 1 cm to 3 cm.

Those who are above 70 years should check their heights and confirm with old record if any.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a 10' to 10. Suma was back at work after a lapse of four days, in connection with her daughter's wedding.

Lekha and her sister had gone across to the National Supermarket to buy sundries at about a half past 10.

 

 

A story that made me happy.

"Amma, I am going to the Mall along with my wife and daughter. Please take care of the house".

OK son. You go ahead. Already my legs are aching. I am not interested in coming to the mall. You go ahead".

"Grandma, you should also come" insisted the grand daughter....

"Grandma cannot climb all those steps in the mall. She does not know how to use the escalator. As there are no temples there, Grandma will not be interested. She is interested only in going to the temples", said the daughter in law.

Though Grandma nodded in agreement the grand daughter was adamant. She refused to come to the mall if Grandma was not coming. Though Grandma repeated that she was not interested, she could not stand her ground against her dear ten year old grand daughter. She agreed to accompany them.

The grand daughter was very happy. Father asked everyone to get dressed up. Before her parents could get ready, the youngster took her grandma to the front room. She drew two parallel lines, a foot apart. She told her grandmother that it was a game and the old lady had to pretend that she was a crane (the bird).

She had to keep one leg within the lines and raise the other leg by three inches.

"What is this my dear?" asked Grandma.....

"This is the Crane game Grandma. I will show you how to play". Both of them played a few times before the father could bring the car.....Grandma became adept in the game.

They reached the mall and when they reached the escalator, the father and mother were wondering how the elderly lady would master that. The granddaughter took Grandma near the escalator and asked her to play the Crane game. Grandma raised her right foot and kept it on one of the moving steps and raised her left leg by three inches and could easily reach the next moving step. This way, she effortlessly used the escalator to reach the higher level, to the wonder of her son and daughter in law. With her successful debut, Grandma and Granddaughter moved up and down several times on the escalator and were enjoying the fun.

They then went to the theatre to see a movie. As it was cold inside, granddaughter took out a shawl from her bag and covered the old lady, with a mischievous smile. She had come prepared for this! After the movie, they went to a restaurant. When the son asked his mother what to order, his daughter took away the menu and thrust it in the hands of Grandma.

"You know how to read; better go through the menu and order what you want". Grandma decided the items to be eaten.

Before leaving for home, Grandma went to use the toilet. Using that occasion, the father asked his daughter how she knew so much about his mother which as a son, he was not aware of.

Prompt came the response : "Dad, when a young child is brought out of the home, you make so many preparations - milk bottles, diapers, wipes etc. Your mother would have done all these things for you. Why not show the same consideration for your mother? Why did you presume that the elderly would be interested only in temples? They also have normal desires like going out and enjoying all the fun. Since they do not openly express it, we have to coax them to speak up".

The father was speechless. However he was happy to learn a new lesson from his ten year old daughter..... 

My take.

Was reminded about our trip with Mom to Bangalore - to my kid sister's place - during the new year's eve of 2015. 

Tailpiece.

Got up half an hour later than usual, being a Sunday, the chores and was ready by a half past 9.

Video called my sister at Bangalore and spoke to all four of them. It was a nice interaction. Rema and Padmakumar have returned to Pidavoor. Commander Banjo had updated me about the new medical coverage, damn sweet of him.

Spoke with MB Saxena, my course mate, who is on my wavelength and it was nice catching up with him. 

Courage, as I call it!

A young Kashmiri lad Iftikaar Bhat, with shoulder length hair and wearing the traditional Kashmiri Pheran, approached the dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen in Shopian, Kashmir sometime during 2003.

When asked why he wanted to fight the Indian Army, he threw the choicest expletives at the army in chaste Kashmiri, whom he held responsible for his brother's death during a stone pelting incident.

When his story checked out, he was taken to Pakistan for further training. Unlike other recruits this young lad displayed outstanding initiative and religious zeal and was promptly marked for further leadership and ideological training.

He was finally given a chance to cross the LoC and carry out an attack on an Indian Army Outpost. In an unprecedented move, he was deputed directly under Abu Sabjar and Abu Torara (war names), commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen with decades of effective insurgency experience under their belt for further grooming and leadership training.

2004. He convinced both that he can carry out an attack on the army outpost causing maximum damage. He took them to a vantage point and detailed his plan, impressing them both.

Abu Sabjar though had a doubt on how this young guy can plan a military attack so meticulously and started asking him questions about his background and story.

Sensing the distrust the young lad gave them his AK 47 and said they can shoot him if they don't trust him and walked a couple of steps away, pulled out his Tokarev 9 mm pistol and shot them both dead.

Two to the chest, one to the head.

Hallmark of an Indian Army Para SF operator.

The two terrorist commanders didn't know what or who hit them.

Iftaakar Bhat picked up all the weapons walked to the nearest army camp..

His real name was Major Mohit Sharma, 1 Para SF (Madras Regiment), Indian Army. 

This officer had laid down his life in cordon and search operations in Kashmir in 2009. His last words to his 2IC were, "Make sure not one escapes the net".

* "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure". 

Cheers Major. So long till we meet again in Valhalla.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Washing machinex, but thanks to power interruptions, by the time all the clothes were put on the line, it was around 12!

The 500th episode of the Aazhchakkoottam began at 1700 hrs, with the CM inaugurating the session. It was yet another milestone for the Foundation!

On 16 Jan 1954, my parents - K Kuttappan Nair and C Chandramathykutty Amma - got married at the Guruvayur temple, in the presence of their parents, N Krishna Panicker and Kalyani Amma (dad's) and PN Panicker and G Chempakakutty Amma (mom's)! 

US - Taiwan relationship.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lifts restrictions on US - Taiwan relationship as clock runs out on Trump Administration. 

Pompeo said he was lifting restrictions on contacts between US officials and their Taiwanese counterparts, a move likely to anger China and increase tensions between Beijing and Washington in the waning days of President Donald Trump's presidency.

China claims democratic and separately ruled Taiwan as its own territory and regularly describes Taiwan as the most sensitive issue in its ties with the United States.

While the US, like most countries, has no official relations with Taiwan, the Trump administration has ramped up backing for the island country, with arms sales and laws to help Taiwan deal with pressure from China.

In a statement, Pompeo said that for several decades the State Department had created complex internal restrictions on interactions with Taiwanese counterparts by American diplomats, service members and other officials. "The United States government took these actions unilaterally, in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing", Pompeo said in a statement. "Today I am announcing that I am lifting all of these self-imposed restrictions", he added.

The move appeared to be another part of an effort by Pompeo and Trump's Republican administration to lock in a tough approach to China before Democratic President-elect Joe Biden takes office on 20 Jan. Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said examples of the restrictions included Taiwanese officials not being able to enter the State Department but instead having to meet at hotels. "The Biden administration will rightly be unhappy that a policy decision like this was made in the final days of the Trump administration", Glaser said.

An official with  Biden's transition said that once Biden was in office he would continue to support "a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan". 

Decades of discrimination removed

Taiwan's government welcomed the move. "Decades of discrimination, removed. A huge day in our bilateral relationship. I will cherish every opportunity", Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's de facto ambassador in Washington, tweeted.

A senior Taiwanese official familiar with the island's security planning told Reuters this was the largest adjustment by the United States in its policy toward the island in recent years, saying both main US political parties have always strongly supported exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. "It reflects the current situation of closer cooperation between the United States and Taiwan on regional and global issues", the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pompeo, who has taken an increasingly hard-line stance toward China and identified it as the principal long-term threat faced by the United States, has repeatedly used the red-button Taiwan issue to push back against Beijing. In November, he appeared to call into question the long-standing US "One-China policy" by stating in a radio interview that Taiwan "has not been a part of China", causing Beijing to warn that behaviour that undermined "China's core interests and interferes with China's domestic affairs will be met with a resolute counterattack".

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, will visit Taiwan next week for meetings with senior Taiwanese leaders, prompting China to warn on Thursday they were playing with fire.

Chinese fighter jets approached the island in August and September during the last two visits : by US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach, respectively.

The United States is Taiwan's strongest international backer and arms supplier and is obliged to help provide it with the means to defend itself under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.

"The United States government maintains relationships with unofficial partners around the world and Taiwan is is no exception.......Today's statement recognizes that the US - Taiwan relationship need not and should not be shackled by self-imposed restrictions of our permanent bureaucracy", Pompeo said.

- Idrees Ali and David Brunstromm.

My take

Taiwan needs to be given its position as an independent country. China's agenda of it being part of the communist behemoth is an argument that needs to be dumped into the dustbin, without further delay!  

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Finished up the work for tomorrow's event of the Foundation within an hour. Sudha ma'am talked to me after a long while to inquire as to when I'd fetch up there next.

Is Kittu getting more attached to us? He comes seeking food around four times a day. 

The story behind the festival of 'Lohri'.

The festival of Lohri was celebrated with pomp and show across the length and breadth of the country yesterday. I'm sure that many of you might not be aware of the interesting story behind it, so let's take a peek.

There is a large tract of semi-arid terrain lying between the rivers Chenab and Ravi called the Saandal Bar (It now falls in the districts of Sheikhpura and Faislabad). The people of this area were known to provide the stiffest opposition to the Muslim marauders. They never paid any taxes; rather they openly defied the authorities and indulged in looting the royal caravans and treasures. 'Saandal', a warlord of Bhatti Rajput clan led these tribals.

Prince Jahangir, the heir apparent, fired with zeal to prove his prowess carried out campaigns to consolidate the Mughal authority in the region. He captured and executed Saandal and his son, Farid. Their skins were peeled off and hung at the Delhi gate of the Fort of Lahore to instill a sense of fear among the rebels.

However, the son of Farid, Abdullah or Dullah as he was fondly called, remain unfazed and continued with his defiant activities. Dullah earned notoriety in the eyes of the authorities. He, like Robin Hood, looted wealthy landlords and Imperial officers and distributed the booty among the poor. He came to be regarded as a father figure for the distressed and the oppressed and became a living embodiment of the chivalrous and secular, socio-cultural character of the region.

Dullah was the contemporary of yet another Super Human, Poet Divine, Guru Arjan Dev ji, the fifth Sikh Guru who sacrificed his life at the altar of humanity at Lahore.

It is believed that Dullah had restored the prestige of an innocent girl whose modesty was outraged by a Mughal General. Dullah had adopted this girl as his daughter and arranged her marriage in the Jungles of 'Sandaal Bar'. As there was no priest nearby to chant the Vedic Hymns and solemnise the marriage, Dullah lit a bonfire and composed an impromptu : Sundari Mundariye......The bride and the groom were asked to take 'pheras' of the bonfire as Dullah sang this hilarious song.

The 'hos' are in chorus. And I shall first give the Punjabi version followed by its English translation.

Sunder mundriye ho * Tera kaun vicaharaa ho? * Dullah Bhatti walla ho! * Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho! * Ser shakkar payee ho! * Kudi da saalu paatta ho! * Saalu kaun samete ho? * Chacha gaali dese ho! * Chacha choori kutti ho! * Zamidara lutti ho! * Zamindaar sudhaye ho! *Ginn-ginn bhole aaye ho! * Ek bhola reh gaya! * Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya! * Sipahee mari itt! * Phannve ro te phannve pit! * Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi!

Oh, you pretty lass * Who is your protector, you pitiable one? * There's this man called Dullah from village Bhatti! * Dullah's getting her married as his own daughter! * He gave 1 kg sugar! * The girl is wearing a red suit! * But her shawl is torn! * Who will stitch her shaw? * Her uncle will scold her! * The uncle made choori - a Punjabi dish! * The landlords ate it! * Dullah gave the landlords lots more to eat! * Lots of innocent guys came! * One innocent boy got left behind! * The police arrested him! * The policeman hit him with a brick! * Now, you may cry or howl! * Give us our Lohri and may you live long as a couple!

Til (Sesame seeds) and Rorhi (a form of sweet jaggery) are meant to keep the body warm. These two terms Til + Rorhi combined to form Tilrorhi which was eventually corrupted to......Lohri.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by 9. After breakfast, we got into our Sunday best and by a quarter to 11, Abhilash, our sa'arthi had come by and we left for our maid, Suma's house soon after.

After a short wait for the couple to return from the temple, we wished Abhirami - Suma's daughter and Dhinu a very long and happy married life, posed for a few photographs with the couple while Lekha gifted her a pair of studs. It was a quick lunch thereafter and after seeing Suma's cute home, we returned to The Quarterdeck. Met as many of her relatives as was possible during the short period.

It was a nice function!

 

 

A layman's thoughts on the farmers' agitation.

The farmers' agitation has entered day 49 and defies resolution. It's getting amply clear that the actual stake holders have slowly been pushed into irrelevance by a virulent set of hijackers who want to create chaos and anarchy. There seems to be a set of people hell bent on bringing the government down to its knees.

The Supreme Court steps in

The farmers' agitation has been going on for the last 48 days. There has been many rounds of talks between the government and the farmers' organisations and it's more or less clear that a dead end has been reached. The farmers want the immediate repeal of the farm laws while the government has very categorically stated that it's ready to look at amendments to the laws but would not repeal the laws.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court while considering the case filed regarding the Farm laws and the connected agitations had stayed the laws from being made operational and announced the formation of an expert team of four to look into every aspect of the laws and suggest solutions.

The Reactions

The farmers' unions have announced that they would not go for discussions with the Supreme Court as the four members that have been co-opted by it, are known supporters of the farm laws. The Khalistanis - working from day 1 to create anarchy - the nuisance brigade, consisting of Yogendra Yadav and others and the unions of the combined opposition just want this waywardness to continue. They are also preparing for their march, along with tractors, on the Rajpath where the traditional Republic Day Parade is slated to take place on 26 Jan. 

The thing that amazes me

The farmers' agitation is all about those from Punjab and Haryana, who have strong reservations on the new set of laws. The fact that these people, alone, can create such a lot of ruckus halting normal life around New Delhi is amazing. It would be worthwhile to go through the anatomy of this agitation scripted from Punjab and Haryana.

* It all began with the famous Green Revolution, in Punjab, initiated by Linus Pauling in 1967. Punjab, consequently, had improved upon its productivity so much so, that the FCI godowns all over the country started storing excess food grains and it didn't take too long for stories to emanate about the colossal wastage of rotten food grains when people were starving.

* Punjab was given a lot of incentives for its spectacular achievements which did not have a time stipulation.

* And soon a new norm was scripted where designated markets and middlemen ruled the roost. The net result was that the poor farmer did not get adequate value for their produce, he was not allowed to choose the market of his choice and the middlemen thrived without contributing anything meaningful towards the advancement of agriculture in real terms by adopting state-of-the-art-methods and practices to achieve international standards.

It's this state that's gonna change with the implementation of the new set of laws. People like the Badals of Punjab and the Pawars of Maharashtra - just two of the thriving 'agricultural middlemen' - who are quite against the implementation of the laws.

It now needs to be seen as to how the government steps in to implement the recommendations of the Supreme Court.

What I desire.

I would like all the middlemen, the fifth columnists and the anti-India groups to be identified - among this so called group of farmers - and exposed to the people of this country. They've to be tried for treason and punished with nothing short of capital punishment.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a 5' to 10.

Girish and Kiran, two brothers and electricians, were hired liquidate a few long outstanding defects through the policy of repair-by-replacement. They'd carried out the work after their normal work schedule.   

All about KJ Yesudas.

Kattassery Joseph Yesudas (born 10 Jan 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and cinematic songs. Yesudas has recorded more than 50,000 songs in a number of Indian languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, Oriya as well as Arabic, English, Latin and Russian during a career spanning more than five decades. He is often referred to as 'Gaanagandharvan' (The celestial singer).

Yesudas has performed in most Indian languages except for Punjabi, Assamese, Konkani and Kashmiri. He has also composed a number of Malayalam film songs during the 1970s and 1980s.

Yesudas won the National Award for the Best Male Playback Singer for a record eight times, the Filmfare Awards South five times and the State Award for the Best Playback singer forty-three times, given by the governments of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal. He was awarded the Padma Sri in 1975, the Padma Bhushan in 2002 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2017 by the Government of India for his contributions towards the arts. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in a six-decade career. In 2006, he sang 16 film songs on the same day at AVM Studio, Madras. As a result of all these accolades and recognition, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian Music.

KJ Yesudas was born in Kochi, in the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin, in a Latin Catholic Christian family to Augustine Joseph and Elizabeth Joseph. His father, a well known Malayalam classical musician and stage actor, was his first guru(teacher). Yesudas was the eldest of five children and was followed by three younger brothers - Antappan, Mani, Justin and a younger sister, Jayamma.

He started his academic music training at RLV Music Academy, Thrippunithura and completed the Ganabhooshanam course. Later, he studied at the Swathi Thirunal College of Music, Thiruvananthapuram under the tutelage of the Carnatic Music Maestro, KR Kumaraswamy Iyer and Semangudi Srinivasa Iyer but could not complete his studies due to financial constraints. For a brief period, he also studied music under Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer, after which he took advanced training from Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar.

In 2011, Yesudas completed his 50 years as a playback singer.

Yesudas is married to Prabha. Their marriage was on 01 Feb 1970. They have three sons viz. Vinod, Vijay and Vishal. Vijay is a musician who won the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Male Playback Singer in 2007, 2012 and 2018. 

Tailpiece.

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

Kurup kochachhan's 'sanchayanam' is slated on the 14th and the 'adiyanthiram' on the 23rd as passed on by Gopu, his eldest son. I've told him that both, Lekha and I'd be attending the ceremony on the 23rd.

A story with a moral.

Once a man was travelling in a boat with his pig.

There was a philosopher along with some passengers in the boat.

The pig had never travelled in a boat before so it was not feeling comfortable.

It was frantically going up and down the boat grunting and not letting anyone sit in peace.

The boatman was troubled by this and was concerned that the boat might sink due to the panic of the disturbed passengers.

If the pig didn't calm down it will certainly drown the boat.

The man was very upset about the situation but could not find a way to calm the pig.

The philosopher watched all this for some time and decided to help.

He said : "If you allow, I can make this pig as quiet as a house cat".

All the passengers on board the boat, immediately agreed.

The philosopher, with the help of two other passengers, picked up the pig and threw it into the river.

The pig desperately started to swim in order to stay afloat. It was dying and struggled for its life.

After sometime, the philosopher dragged the pig back into the boat. The pig quietly went and sat in a corner.

The man and all passengers were surprised witnessing the sudden changed behaviour of the pig.

The man asked the philosopher : "At first it was jumping up and down Now, it is sitting quiet, like a pet cat? Why?"

The Philosopher said, "No one realises the misfortune of another without tasting trouble. So, when I threw this pig into the water, it understood the power of water and the usefulness of the boat".

Similarly, Pigs that are jumping up and down in our country disturbing its peace should be thrown in Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan or China for just six months. Then on returning to India, they will automatically be calm as a pet cat and will just lie quietly in a corner.

This is dedicated to all the Pigs disturbing and abusing India........

Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, the chores and was ready by a half past 9.

Ramesh's understudy, Appu, had come by to rectify the defect and he had done it in a jiffy.

 

At Paravoor for the funeral.

Abhilash had dropped by at a quarter past 7. Occasionally there's a tightness beneath my sternum and it's very, very uncomfortable so long as it stays. For a moment, I was seriously thinking of skipping the programme but then realised that my folks would feel very disappointed if I didn't fetch up. So with a bit of trepidation, we kicked off for Paravoor - roughly, about 250 km away southward - by 8 o'clock. The journey was nice on the Kodungalloor stretch as traffic was sparse, being a Sunday.

The drive through on the newly opened Vyttila and Kundannur in the heart of Ernakulam town was nice!

Our first stop was at the HP Petrol bunk at Aroor to reduce water levels. Why can't these guys ensure that clean toilets are provided for its customers? And mind you, the toilet is shared by both men and women! Abhilash avoids it totally saying that Covid spreads fast through them and my kidneys work overtime! We went to Chathu's tea stall next door and had another revelation that he gave only black coffee, without milk on Sundays as he doesn't buy it. But the coffee was damn good and he said that he would be winding it up as he worked only during the forenoon, giving me a toothless smile.

The journey continued uninterrupted till we reached 'thirumukku' and took the final turn to Paravoor. Stopped at Nedungolam and had a quick bite of the fried rice-pickle combination that Lekha had given us for lunch and Abhilash had said that he'd have his once I went into the house. It was a half past 2 and made it a point to meet all my close relations. The body of Kurup kochachhan was taken out of the mobile mortuary for the final rites. Stood by him for a few minutes with folded hands and prayed.

Kurup kochachhan had his admirers, followers and supporters. They had been trickling in since last evening and from early morning today. After my arrival at a half past 2, there were about 150 to 200 onlookers, breaking existing Covid protocols! 

At 3, the body was taken to the backyard and placed on the pyre which was just of the plot where Leela kunjamma was cremated, 9 years back. By a half past 3, the mortal remains were consigned to the flames. Had said my quick farewell to everyone and left for Guruvayur almost immediately. The roads were a little more populated with traffic, being a Sunday evening and most of the crowd was returning to their homes after the weekend. 

The traffic had picked up with the accompaniment of rain which of course, withered away as we sped through the Kodungallor stretch and the drive was very smooth as Abhilash had vouched for. The road was totally empty and we seemed to be the only ones driving at that point of time. We reached 'The Quarterdeck' by 2200 hrs, dispatched Abhilash quickly and I'd a thorough wash.

A quiet dinner of Upma, sugar and banana, with a little bit of yakkitiyak and we were off to bed by about a trifle past 11.

It was a short trip that carried a lot of memories!

Tailpiece.

The scare in the morning had long since dissipated. I'm still disappointed by the cleanliness of toilets in various petrol bunks. Why don't we give the priority that it deserves? We had better, before it harms many.   

Adieu Kurup Kochachha!

KP Sivasankara Kurup, husband of the late Leela Kumari (The second daughter of PN Panicker and Chempakakkutty Amma and my mom, Chandramathykutty Amma's immediately younger sister) passed into the mist of time this evening, around 1930 hrs, at the Thayabji Hospital at Paravoor of Kollam district. Of late, he has been ailing from old age related illness. He was 94.

             *                   *                   *

As I go back in years, I'm trying to focus my thoughts on my first sight of Kurup Kochachhan way back on 22 May 1958 when he got married to my ma'asi, Leela Kunjamma. The marriage party consisting of the PN Panickers, my mom, dad and of course, the bride, maman and me - I must have been about 31/2 years of age, then and all excited about the journey - had left our house, TC 804 at Thycaud soon after dinner in a black Chevrolet(the sloping rear end) car. It was owned by Muthachhan's friend. The destination was the famous Shiva temple at Ettumanoor in Kottayam district.  

The drive was smooth but I remember being woken up around midnight when the Chevy had broken down at Chadayamangalam. It was my first taste of Muthachhan's abundant resources and tremendous reach. He'd dispatched Narayana chettan, his Man Friday, back to Thiruvananthapuram on a KSRTC bus to work out alternate arrangements - those days there were no telephones available as freely as we see today. Before long, we were on the move yet again in a blue and off white Studebaker car and reached our destination, half an hour before the muhurtham!

Kurup Kochachhan was short statured, handsome and sported a thin moustache. He had already acted in a few movies and many plays. His mastery of the English and Malayalam languages was par excellence. He and I became good friends at first sight and everyone was impressed with his tremendous sense of humour. My mom and he got along like a house on fire and the foursome of Dad-Mom and Kurup kochachhan-Leela kunjamma used to go for movies and shopping whenever they were together, when dad was on leave. He loved having a tot with my dad on occasions!

            *                     *                       *

Kurup Kochachhan and Leela kunjamma had stood in, for my parents, by being my guests during the Annual Sports Meets and Speech Days during my days at the Sainik School, Kazhakkoottam. And I used to feel damn homesick after their departure and it took quite a bit of effort on the part of my Matron to get me back to normalcy!

They had visited us during 1994-'95 when I was posted at New Delhi. During their one week's stay with us, they could see most of New Delhi and had also made a trip to Agra to view The Taj. They were also fond of our Doberman, Bruno!

             *                    *                     *

He'd come along with us on our initial Sabarimala treks. I still remember, vividly, his answer to my mom's query as to how the Sabarimala pilgrimage had gone, "Chechi, I trekked uphill viewing Rajeev's feet and found that it was the best way to do it". My mom was thrilled with that answer!

              *                    *                      * 

When Leela kunjamma passed into the mist of time in Oct 2011, he was a broken man. I was always under the impression that he had a good control of his emotions but he showed as to how dependent he was on her and I don't think he ever came to terms with her loss.

He'd come and stayed at our 2C, Panampilli Nagar flat at Kochi for a week, sometime in Jun 2012. I will never forget his meeting with his cousin, Kamalamma Pillai. They talked on and on regarding their younger days at Paravoor and prior to leaving her, he borrowed some money from me and gave it to her as a token of love, which she had received with a lot of emotions and gratitude. 

             *                     *                      *

He had promised to visit us at Guruvayur more often, when he had become a member of the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Academy in 2013. However, he had visited us only twice during the period. For me it was always a pleasure to sit with him and ruminate on many historical events and our own family happenings.....he was a master story teller.

             *                     *                       *

His greatest show was as Munshi, in the 5-minute clip just before the commencement of the Asianet News, during prime time. I am not saying this because he's my uncle but he was the best and the most impressive of the Munshis, who delivered the punchline towards the end of each episode. Unfortunately, he had to leave it midway, much to his angst, because of some ego hassles of the director, Anil Banerjee. I've explained the ego hassles, at length, in an earlier post of mine and do not want to repeat it here.

RIP Kurup kochachha. My tears and prayers. Here's wishing that God give strength to everyone in the family to tide over your irreplaceable loss.

Tailpiece.

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

Participated in the Aazhchakkoottam on "Poetry and culture" by Dr VP Joy, IAS, Addl Cabinet Secretary, Govt of India from 1615-1730 hrs.  It was a very interesting session! 

Indira kunjamma had passed on the sad news about Kurup kochachhan's passing away, around 1930 hrs.

 

    

The reason why Tata is in every Indian heart.

The untold stories of Sir Ratan Tata. Such stories do give hope to lay citizens about the future of our country.

I was nine years old. We lived in the naval cantonment in Colaba, Bombay. The cantonment had a sprawling golf course by the sea, part of the premises of the United Services Club. It was a common sight to see Mr Tata play golf there. I distinctly remember a fine Sunday morning, when my friends and I were cycling around the vicinity of the golf course. We saw Mr Tata tee off in the distance. A young naval officer stopped us, pointed at Mr Tata and said, "Young men, many a people earn money, very few earn respect".

Fast forward fifteen years, I was a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group. We were advising Tata Motors, an assignment which was made public by Tata Motors. I spent many months in the remotest parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and the North East. I must have met and interacted with over 500 truckers during this time, breaking bread with them, occasionally sharing a drink with them. In one such spirited interaction, I asked an old Sikh trucker (The Sikhs dominate the trucking industry in India)

"Sir, why the staunch loyalty to the Tata brand? There are others like Bharat Benz and Ashok Leyland, who might even give you a hefty discount".

The gentlemen took a few deep breaths. He recalled the forgettable details of one cold November night in 1984 - a night which took away his brother, his home and his only truck. While the personal loss was irreplaceable, his truck, the only means to feed a family of five, was also burnt down. He was broken and contemplated leaving town and returning to Punjab. A few days later, once the dust settled, a Tata Motors employee walked up to him and handed him the keys of a new truck. There were no questions asked. He and many others like him, who lost their trucks in the Sikh riots, their only means to a livelihood, were given a free truck by Tata Motors. And this story never hit the press, was never publicized by Tata Motors, just remained etched in the memories of these truckers. As he narrated this story with moist eyes, he told me that he trusts the Tata brand - it has his lifelong loyalty.

His directions to his Leadership Team was crystal clear. "Gentlemen, what you are building is something India needs. Never compromise on quality, it will take 10 years but you will eventually get there". 

- Abhiraj Bhal

Tailpiece.

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

Lekha, along with Suma, had gone to the ration shop to collect our share for the months of Nov and Dec. After that she had also made a visit to Archanakingini, the daughter of the late Sathiyamma and spent time with her.

Namaste.

Namaskar or Namaste - What does it mean? 

The word Namaskar means "I bow to you". In the Yogic culture, the practice of bowing down is given great significance and is seen as a fundamental step towards one's spiritual growth. 

The Spiritual Meaning

When you see a person, whether it is in your workplace, on the street, at home or anywhere else, the nature of human intellect is such that the moment it sees, it will make a judgment - "This is okay in that person, this is not okay in that person. He is good, he is not good, he is beautiful, he is ugly" - all kinds of things. You do not even have to consciously think all these. These assessments and judgments happen in a moment and your judgments may be completely wrong because they all are coming from your past experiences of life. They will not allow you to experience something or someone the way they are right now, which is very important. If you want to work effectively in any field, if someone comes in front of you, it is most important to be able to grasp them the way they are right now. How they were yesterday does not matter. How they are at this moment is important. So, the first thing is you bow down. Once you bow down, your likes and dislikes become mild, not strong, because you recognise the source of creation within them. This is the intention behind doing Namaskar.

There is no piece of creation without the hand of the creator operating in it. The source of creation is operating within every cell and atom. This is why in Yogic culture, if you look up at the sky, the culture taught you to bow down. If you look down at the earth, you bow down. If you see a man, a woman, a child, a cow, a tree or whatever, you bow down. And it is a constant reminder that the source of creation is within you too. If you recognise this, you are paving the way towards your ultimate nature every time you do Namaskar.

The Science Behind Namaskar

There is another aspect to this. Your palms have a lot of nerve endings - something that medical science has also discovered today. Actually, your hands speak more than your tongue and your voice. There is a whole science of mudras in Yoga. Just by holding your hand in certain ways, you can make your whole system function in different ways. The moment you place your hands together, your dualities, your likes and dislikes, your cravings and aversions, are all levelled out. There is a certain oneness to the expression of who you are. The energies are functioning as one.

Namaskar is not just a cultural aspect. There is a science behind it. If you are doing your sadhana, every time you bring your palms together, there is a crackle of energy - a boom is happening. On the level of your life energy, there is a giving or you are making yourself into an offering to the other person. In that giving, you will make the other being into a life that will cooperate with you. Only if you are in a state of giving, things around will work out for you. Only if it gets the cooperation of all life around itself, it manages to prosper.

Namaskar is the simplest form of yoga. The entire physical world is a product of polarities. There is masculine and feminine, yin and yang, Shiva-Shakti, whatever you want to call it. Just put these two hands together and look upon something or someone that matters to you - your wife, your husband, your child, your mother, your father, a tree, a rock, a cloud, sun, moon, whatever you like - look upon something with loving attention for three to five minutes, you will see your system will begin to harmonize in a wonderful way.

- Sadhguru

Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, the chores and was ready by a half past 9.

Lekha and her sister went to the town to get the handles of a few utensils fixed. They had paid a visit to the temple too. 

Bibinlal, the hardworking and refreshingly simple youngster from the PCI had come by around 1100 hrs to carry out the quarterly pest control activity in The Quarterdeck. Through his disarmingly straightforward and simple outlook towards life, he has endeared himself to me. Would like to have him in the Foundation!  

On being the Devil's Advocate.

Have been following the news these days and a lot of queries have cropped up. Wonder whether these doubts have formed only in my mind or do many others have the same? Anyways, I'm gonna put them down so that I make my position clear which is the least I can do. 

1. The Farmers' Agitation at the Delhi Border

The farmers' agitation has been going on for over a month. Why the poor, genuine farmer is taking on the brunt of the harrowing and harsh wintry cold beats me? He doesn't have any problem with the three new farm laws that Prime Minister has provided him. My queries begin from here which are :-

* How can the unions ask for repealing the laws when the farmers of the other states are happy with them? The agitation is restricted to the farmers from Punjab predominantly * Why aren't many of the farmers from Haryana not part of the agitating group? * What business does Sikh parliamentarian, Ramandeep Brar, from Canada have in stoking the farmers' agitation? * Who's funding and provoking this agitation?

Are the Khalistani forces, at work, along with the Islamic jihadis? Why are these guys being given a free hand? Why are they being allowed to stoke anti-India sentiments when they should be put behind bars for anti-India activities on this country's soil?

2. The Vaccines India have Made

The Covishield by the Serum Institute of India and the Covaxin by the Bharat Biotech are ready for administration on the people - as per the priority decided by the government of India, beginning with the Covid-fighters - beginning next week. A political slug fest - the ugliest and surely avoidable - has begun, which directly questions the integrity of the government, the scientists, the doctors and the drug manufacturers. 

My first and foremost query on this is as to which self respecting government, scientist, doctor or drug manufacturer will make available a drug that will harm the entire population?

And as of now, everyone seems to be aware of the clinical trials and the tortuous path a new medicine takes before it's available for use in the market. To my mind by doing so, the naysayers are trying hard to bring about doubts about the medicine's efficacy in the common man's mind.

I would like to ask those fear mongers two questions which are * Aren't you proud of the fact that our country has come to the forefront in the fight against Covid? * Don't you want our vaccines to acquire an international clientele? 

The guys, politicising the issue, must be whipped and made accountable. 

3. The Wind is Changing in West Bengal

As a young cadet from the NDA, my ship was tied up alongside at the Man-o-War jetty in Calcutta, during mid-1977. I'd gone out for sight seeing in the evening and was returning by a cab when I asked its driver as to what he thought would be the results in the forthcoming Assembly elections, which was due. Without batting an eyelid he'd said, "Sahib, Congress Bay of Bengal mein doobega aur Communistwaale raj karenge". And sure enough, when the results were out, he was bang on target!

After 30 years of the communist misrule, I happened to be back at Calcutta again, on official work and this time yet another cab driver answered my question, "Sahib, communistwaale Bay of Bengal mein dubega iss bar Didi our TMC raj karenge". He was spot on, yet again, when the results were out!

I'm very keen to listen to the Calcutta cabbie's next prediction at this juncture.....because he knows the pulse of the Bengalis and he gets it right......always.  

Tailpiece.

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

Suma had come by after the removal of the stitches from her finger. Meanwhile, she has been keeping herself busy towards getting ready for her daughter's wedding, next week. 

Spoke to Shishir 'Dadu' Ghosh, Ashok Kumar Singh and Bhupi Upadhyay who were fellow Divisional officers with me, way back in 1982, at the NDA Wing, Ghorpuri. It was great to catch up with them after what seemed to be a long time.  

A Simulated Universe? - Part II.

 .........contd

"Just as you can simulate anything else, you can simulate brains", Bostrum says. True, we don't yet have the technology to pull it off but he says there's no conceptual barrier to it. And once we create brain simulations "sufficiently detailed and accurate", he says, "it is possible that those simulations would generate conscious experiences".

The search for evidence

Will we ever learn whether the simulation hypothesis is correct? Bostrum says there's a remote chance that one day we might encounter a telltale glitch in the simulation. "You could certainly imagine a scenario where a window pops up in front of you, saying, 'You are in a simulation; click here for more information", he says. "That would be a knock-down proof".

More realistically, physicists have proposed experiments that could yield evidence that our world is simulated. For example, some  have wondered if the world is inherently "smooth" or if, at the smallest scales, it might be made of discrete "chunks" a bit like the pixels in a digital image. If we determine that the world is "pixelated" in this way, it could be evidence that it was created artificially. A team of American and German physicists have argued that careful measurements of cosmic rays could provide an answer.

What if we did confirm that we were living in a simulation? How would people react upon learning that our world and thoughts and emotions are nothing more than a programmer's zeroes and ones? Some imagine such knowledge would disrupt our lives by upending our sense of purpose and squashing our initiative. Harvard astronomer Abraham Loeb says the knowledge could even trigger social unrest. Knowing that our thoughts and deeds aren't our own could "relieve us from being accountable for our actions", he says. "There is nothing more damaging to our social order than this notion".

Others imagine evidence in support of the simulation hypothesis could engender a new fear - that the creators might grow tired of the simulation and switch it off. But not Bostrum. "You could similarly ask, 'shouldn't we be in perpetual fear of dying?' You could have a heart attack or a stroke at any given point in time or the roof might fall down", he says.

Whatever we might think of the simulation hypothesis, Bostrum thinks the mere act of pondering it provides a welcome dose of humility. He cites Hamlet's cautionary remark to a friend in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" : "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy".

And Bostrum insists that he takes the simulation hypothesis seriously. "For me, it's not just an intellectual game", he says. "It's an attempt to orient myself in the world, as best as I can understand it".

- Dan Falk is a science journalist based in Toronto. His books include "The Science of Shakespeare" and "In search of Time".  

Tailpiece.

Had an early morning haircut; Sajish gave me a good massage after clipping my hair. The chores and was ready by 1000 hrs.

Had gone to pull out some money from the ATM and picked up fruits.

A Simulated Universe? - Part I

Background 

After having spoken to you about the 'Many worlds' concept of Quantum Physics I thought I must give you this input too! 

Are we living in a simulated universe? Here's what scientists say, "If we are in a simulation, then the cosmos that we are observing is just a tiny piece of the totality of physical existence". Believers in the simulation hypothesis say our world may have been created by beings more technologically savvy than ourselves.

What if everything around us - the people, the stars overhead, the ground beneath our feet, even our bodies and minds - were an elaborate illusion? What if our world were simply a hyper-realistic simulation, with all of us merely characters in some kind of sophisticated video game?

This of course, is a familiar concept from science fiction books and films, including the 1999 blockbuster movie "The Matrix". But some physicists and philosophers say it's possible that we really do live in a simulation - even if that means casting aside what we know (or think we know) about the universe and our place in it.

"If we are living in a simulation, then the cosmos that we are observing is just a tiny piece of the totality of physical existence", Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom said in a 2003 paper that jump-started the conversation about what has come to be known as simulation hypothesis. "While the world we see is in some sense 'real', it is not located at the fundamental level of reality".

Simulating worlds and beings

Rizwan Virk, founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's PlayLabs program and author of "The Simulation Hypothesis", is among those who take the simulation hypothesis seriously. He recalls playing a virtual reality game so realistic that he forgot that he was in an empty room with a headset on. That led him to wonder : Are we sure we aren't embedded within a world created by beings more technologically savvy than ourselves?

That question makes sense to Rich Terrile, a computer scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Detailed as they are, today's best simulations don't involve artificial minds, but Terrile thinks the ability to model sentient beings could soon be within our grasp. "We are within a generation of being those gods who create those universes", he says.

Not everyone is convinced. During a 2016 debate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Harvard University physicist Lisa Randall said the odds that the simulation hypothesis is correct are "effectively zero". For starters, there's no evidence that our world isn't the array of stars and galaxies that it appears to be. And she wonders why advanced beings would bother to simulate Homo sapiens. "Why simulate us? I mean, there are so many things to be simulating", she said. "I don't know why this higher species would want to bother with us".

Echoes of Genesis

Yet, there's a familiar ring to the idea that there's a simulator, or creator, who does care about us. Similarly, the idea of a superior being forging a simulated universe parallels the notion of a deity creating the world - for example, as described in the Book of Genesis. 

Some thinkers, including Terrile, welcome the analogy to religion. If the simulation hypothesis is correct, he says, then "there's a creator, an architect - someone who designed the world". It's an ancient idea recast in terms of "mathematics and science rather than just faith".

But for other scholars, University of Maryland physicist Sylvester James Gates, the similarity between the simulation hypothesis and religious belief should be taken as a warning that we're off track. Science, as he said in a recent radio interview, has taken us "away from this idea that we are puppets" controlled by an unseen entity. The simulation hypothesis, he said, "starts to look like a religion", with a programmer substituting for god.

Who, or what, is the godlike entity that may have created a simulated universe? One possibility, supporters of the simulation hypothesis say, is that it's a race of advanced beings - space aliens. Even more mind-bending is the possibility is that it's our own descendants - "our future selves", as Terrile puts it. That is, humans living hundreds or thousands of years in the future might develop the ability to simulate not only a world like ours but the bodies and minds of the beings within it.

..........to be continued.  

Tailpiece.

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

It was a quiet Monday!

 

Interesting!

An interesting point of view on the philosophy of life based on the Mahabharata war.

It is said in the texts that 80% of the fighting male population of the civilization was wiped out in the eighteen days of the Mahabharata war.

Sanjay, at the end of the war went to the spot where the greatest war took place; Kurukshetra. He looked around and wondered if the war really happened, if the ground beneath him had soaked all that blood, if the great Pandavas and Krishna stood where he stood.

"You will never know the truth about that!"said an aging soft voice. Sanjay turned around to find an Old man in saffron robes appearing out of a column of dust. "I know you are here to find out about the Kurukshetra war but you cannot know about that war till you know what the real war is about" the Old man said enigmatically.

"What do you mean?"

The Mahabharata is an Epic, a ballad, perhaps a reality but definitely a Philosophy. The Old man smiled luring Sanjay into more questions. "Can you tell me what the philosophy is then? Sanjay requested.

"Sure", began the Old man.

The Pandavas are nothing but your five senses - Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch and Sound and do you know what the Kauravas are? He asked narrowing his eyes.

The Kauravas are the hundred vices that attack your senses everyday but you can fight them! Do you know how? Sanjay shook his head again.

"When Krishna rides your chariot!"

The Old man smiled brighter and Sanjay gasped at that gem of insight.

Krishna is your inner voice, your soul, your guiding light and if you let your life in his hands you have nothing to worry.

Sanjay was stupefied but came around quickly with another question.

"Then why are Dronacharya and Bhishma fighting for the Kauravas, if they are vices?"

The Old man nodded, sadder for the question.

It just means that as you grow up, your perceptions of your elders change. The elders who you thought were perfect in your growing up years are not all that perfect. They have faults. And one day you will have to decide if they are for your good or your bad. Then you may also realise that you may have to fight them for the good. It is the hardest part of growing up and that is why the Gita is important.

Sanjay slumped down on the ground not because he was tired but because he could understand and was struck by the enormity of it all.

What about Karna? He whispered.

"Ah!" said the Old man. "You have saved the best for the last. Karna is the brother to your senses, he is desire, he is a part of you but stands with the vices. He feels wronged and makes excuses for being with the vices as your desire does all the time.

Does your desire not give you excuses to embrace vices?"

Sanjay nodded silently. He looked at the ground, consumed with a million thoughts, trying to put everything together and then when he looked up the Old man was gone......He disappeared into the column of dust........leaving behind the great Philosophy of Life! 

Tailpiece.

Got up half an hour later than usual, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Washing machine of clothes were carried out.

Sunday morning calls to my sisters were made.