As we go through the news......

As days roll past, more and more information keep tumbling out about a concerted effort by a group of people - masquerading as farmers - in creating trouble within the country and it now looks they wanted to discredit the Modi government. How the anarchists had wished that the Delhi Police had fired a few rounds - provocations were a plenty - they would have had a few dead bodies to parade to prove their point.

But there were other news headlines that were demanding our attention and so, without much ado, let's have a peep at them.

(a) Power Failure in Texas.

Texas has been going through extreme winter weather over the past few days and the forecast continues to be bleak. The temperature is -4 degrees Celsius and to top their woes, there has been a massive power failure despite the fact that the state has a separate grid of its own. The snapping of power has brought about the following worries :-

  (i) Over 3 million people do not have electric power and hence, are at the mercy of the harsh weather.   (ii) People, in desperation, would tend to use hazardous means to keep themselves warm and in the         process, end up with Carbon Monoxide poisoning and it worries the government.

(iii) Water has frozen within the pipes, bursting many of them. If the same conditions were to persist, there would be problems about the availability of fresh water.

It's my fond hope that the electricity is restored at the earliest and the weather clears up at the earliest. 

(b) The Rising Cases of Covid-19.

New cases of Covid are being notified at a fairly alarming rate in Maharashtra and to some extent, in Kerala too. The exact reasons for the sudden eruption defy any logic but it could be surmised that the mutated version of the virus has been active. The use of masks, maintaining social distance and vaccine administration have helped contain the spread to a considerable extent. 

It's my fond hope that the spike comes under control at the earliest.

(c) The International Conspiracy.

It's getting fairly clear - in the progress of the investigation about the ruckus caused in Delhi on the Republic Day, this year - that there was indeed a foreign hand out to foment trouble within the country. Many arrests have been made of people who have carried out anti-national activities and more arrests will definitely take place as the complete picture emerges.

But what worries me is as to why many quarters ask for leniency for the youth who have indulged in anti-national activities. Is it because of the fear of their imminent exposure in the complicity that will take place in a matter of time?

It's my fond hope that the guilty is brought to book and appropriate punishment be meted out to culprits - without fear or favour - at the earliest.

(d) Goondaism Against The Police.

Four police officers were attacked by a batch of about 50 CPI(M) men when they had gone to arrest a local party leader in connection with a case in Kuttiady. The party's interference in the day to day police affairs has been the talking point for quite a while. Do they take advantage of their rule in the state?

It's my fond hope that this long-standing nonsense is stopped forthwith and the senior leadership of the party takes action to prevent such interference.

Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, the chores, the Wednesday 'aarathi' of the house and was ready by a half past 9. Lekha and Suma had gone to the ration shop to collect the kit for the month of January.