Migrant workers in a flutter!

* Kerala hosts about 40 lakh migrant workers from 25 states.

* CAA cited as a major concern among those returning home to vote.

Making their voices heard

Among the states that supply the most migrant labour in Kerala :-

   * Bengal and Bihar . Will see voting in all remaining five phases.

   * Assam . Votes in phase 3 on 07 May.

   * Orissa. Goes to polls in the last 4 phases.

What's egging them on

   * Regional/family pressure to vote

   * Concerns over Citizenship Amendment Act

   * Election coinciding with annual vacation

   * Job restrictions due to heatwave

State of migrants

   

   * Number 40 lakhs from 25 states

   * One in four employees is a migrant

   * They prop up state's informal sector by spending over 15,000 cr annually

Movement patterns in play

   * According to KHRA (Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association), almost 60-80% of migrant staff

      of its members have left

   * Construction, logistics and manufacturing among other sectors set to be impacted, besides salons

      and stationary shops, say manpower firms

   * Less than 5% to travel for voting

Challenges to voting

  

   * Travel cost

   * Job loss

Expert recommendations

   * Remote voting facility

   * Voting facility for long-term residents in their localities

- If all of them get a chance to vote (in their home states), they can alter election outcomes. Migrant 

  workers are opinion leaders in their community

- Mass leave is unprecedented. Most of them cited CAA and family pressure to vote for taking leave.

  Some of the employees took flights home.

Excerpted from Unnikrishnan's article in NIE

Tailpiece.

Got up at 4 to wake up Lekha, Rema and Karthika. Dropped Padmakumar-Rema and Achu-Karthika at the railway station to enable them to board the 0550 h train.

Was ready by a half past 9.

Gireesh comes and repairs the top television having the 'loose contact' problem.

Believe in your self.

Life is to enjoy with whatever you have with you, keep smiling.

If you feel stressed, Give yourself a break.

Enjoy some....

Ice cream

Chocolates

Candy

Cake

Why?

B'coz

STRESSED backwards spelling is DESSERTS.....enjoy

Alphabetic advice for you :-

ABC

Avoid Boring Company....

DEF

Don't Entertain Fools...

GHI

Go for High Ideas

JKLM

Just Keep a friend Like Me....

NOP

Never Overlook the Poor....

QRS

Quit Reacting to Silly tales... 

TUV

Tune Urself for ur Victory...

WXYZ

We Xpect You to Zoom ahead in life

Very....beautiful lines please store it.

And Believe in YOURSELF.

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, the chores and was ready by 8. Sukeshan came on the dot, went to pull out some money, buy fish and return.

Padmakumar, Rema, Achu and Karthika had fetched up and we'd a boisterous breakfast. Lunch, was again, on the dot and we'd a lot of tales to circulate.

Abhilash came and got the dishwasher going. Shaji came and delivered the remaining set of curtains. 

A late night, spinning yarns.

The great escape.

Namkyi and her sister were detained in Tashi Gyalkaling county on charges of "separatist acts against the nation" and supporting the "Dalai clique". "While in prison, we were forced to undergo military training and study the Chinese constitution. Additionally, we were assigned to labour camps where we manufactured copper wires, cigarette boxes and watches. Even after serving our prison terms, we were held at a police station in Pema Lhathang, Ngaba county for a week.

A year ago, Namkyi left her home in Charo village, Tibet, embarking on a ten-day journey with her aunt, Tsering Kyi, traversing both day and night until they crossed into Nepal and eventually reached India.

They had apprehended her and her sister while peacefully protesting against the denial of their religious practices. The memories of her days in jail continue to haunt her : "we were subjected to physical abuse by uniformed men, given meagre leftovers for sustenance and slept in the cold with thin blankets, with no one to turn for help".

Shortly after reaching Dharamshala, she was granted an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Namkyi's story mirrors the hardship of thousands of Tibetan refugees who have risked perilious journeys to flee Tibet.

Adapted from Yeshi Seli's article in the NIE.

Tailpiece.

A quiet Sunday, after a long time, with the maid at work.

Heard the Njanappaana followed by Rangoli in the morning.

A quiet evening.  

The pattern of voting in Kerala.

General Elections 2024.

Polling percentage     70.35%

Highest voter turnout in Kannur

Lowest voter turnout in Pathanamthitta

Northern districts witnessed huge voter turnout in the evening hours with serpentine queues at many polling booths.

As polling continued in about 200 booths in northern Kerala even after 10 PM, the final percentage is likely to go up.

2019   77.84%                          2014    73.94%

Polling remained mostly peaceful despite fierce contests in several constituencies.

Malfunctioning of EVMs reported from several booths, causing delay in the voting process.

Our polling booth was 91 at the RCUP School, Kottappadi.  We'd fetched up there at 10' to 7.- the Radhakrishnans and us.

PS.

The final voting percentage in Kerala is 71.16%.

Tailpiece.

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

A quiet Saturday.

Power interruption from 1400 - 1730 hrs. 

AI & Cloud innovation.

India leads in AI and Cloud innovation.

In AI and data are now playing a crucial role across verticals of organisations. Companies are now involved in their digital transformational journey and are also enhancing their AI capabilities.

Data storage and infrastructure company NetApp in its Cloud Complexity Report reveals India heads the pack as an AI leader, with 70% of companies having AI projects up and running or in motion. This is in stark contrast with the global average of 49%. Additionally, the report found 91% of India-based companies will use half or more of their data to train AI models in 2024.

"The rise of AI is ushering in a new disrupt-or-die era. Data-ready enterprises that connect and unify broad structured and unstructured data sets into an intelligent data infrastructure are best positioned to win in the age of AI", says Gabie Boko, the CMO at NetApp.

The report also talks about a clear divide between AI-leading countries and AI-lagging countries as 60% of companies in AI-leading countries that include India, Singapore, UK and the US have either committed to AI projects that are already up and running or are in pilot. In AI-lagging countries such as Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Japan, that number is only 36%. And Japan trails at 17%.

The technology sector is leading in innovation and AI with 70% AI projects either in pilot or up and running. Banking and financial services and manufacturing are also AI leaders with 55% and 50% of AI projects either in pilot or up and running, respectively.

Healthcare is at 38% while media and entertainment is only at 25%. The report also reveals that data scientists and data engineers are embracing AI faster than C-Suite.

IT costs and security are the two biggest challenges in the AI era but they will not impede AI progress. Instead, AI leaders will scale back, cut other IT operations or reallocate costs from other parts of the business to fund AI, the report states.

Tailpiece.

The day started at 5 as we limbered up to be at the polling booth before 7 and we were at the RCUP School at Kottappadi accordingly. The queues had already begun to go serpentine but we were back home by a 10' past 8, after casting our franchise.

A quiet Friday, thereafter.

Justin of the Pure Flames had come by in the afternoon for servicing the cooking range and the chimney. 

Israel limbers up for the Rafah offensive.

Israel was readying to deploy two reserve brigades for missions in the Gaza strip for a Rafah offensive in the south. By doing so, it seeks to remove the Hamas terror group from its last major redoubt in the enclave.

The 679th "Yiftah" Armoured Brigade and the 2nd "Carmeli" Infantry Brigade, which had been operating on the northern border, were set to take responsibility for areas of Central Gaza that have remained under Israeli military control since troops largely pulled back from the other areas of the Strip earlier this month.

The move will free up Nahal Brigade troops currently holding the central corridor to join the rest of the 162nd Division in preparation for future operations, including planned offensive in Rafah and central Gaza.

The mobilised brigades were to be placed under the 99th Division. 

Israel appreciates that Hamas has six remaining battalions in the Gaza Strip, including four in Rafah and two more in central Gaza, in the Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah camps.

Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time. Lekha goes to Guruvayur to have a 'darshan' of the good Lord at 9.

A quiet Thursday.

Fixed up the timings to go for voting, at the RCUP School, tomorrow.

Near-Earth Objects.

Near-Earth Objects, including asteroids and comets, regularly zip past the Earth, as they roam the darkness of space. While collision with our planet is a risk, their study also reveals the secrets of life. Brace for impact!

                                 Earth Encounters

Close Approach

If an NEO is near the part of its orbit closest to Earth's, at the same time the Earth is at the part of its orbit closest to the NEO's, the object has a close approach, or, if the orbits intersect, it could even impact the Earth or its atmosphere. The first NEO known to have passed the Earth closer than the distance of the Moon was 1991 BA, which passed at a distance of 170,000 km.

Impact Event

When an NEO impacts Earth, objects up to a few tens of metres across ordinarily explode in the upper atmosphere, with most or all of the solids vapourising and only small meteorites arriving on Earth's surface (forming impact craters) while larger objects hit the water surface (forming tsunamis). The Tunguska event was a meteor air burst; the atmospheric explosion  of a stony asteroid about 50-60 metres wide that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Russia in the morning of 30 Jun 1908.

The explosion over the sparsely populated East Siberian taiga flattened 80 million trees over an area of 2,150 sq km of forest, killing three people.

Earth-Grazers

Some asteroids briefly enter the upper atmosphere of the Earth during their close approach, burning their surface. During this time, such an object can be observed as an Earth-grazing fireball. On 10 Aug 1972, a meteor. the 1972 Great Daylight Fireball, moved north over the Rocky Mountains from the US, south west to Canada. It passed within 58 km of the Earth's surface.

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Had carried out the Wednesday aa'rathi earlier.

Lekha had gone to the ration shop to collect our monthly dues.

Kittu comes in post-lunch.

A quiet evening.

It's been 40 years!

Operation Meghdoot

It's the 40th anniversary of the operation that was launched by the Indian Army on 13 Apr 1984 in Siachen. 

Strategically situated between the Saltoro ridge and the Karakoram ranges, the region overlooks Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It is close to the Karakoram Pass, through which the Karakoram Highway connects Gilgit-Baltistan to China's Xinjiang Province. The Glacier region is also near the Shaksgam Valley, ceded to China by Pakistan.

The Siachen Glacier region holds military significance for the country and is recognised as the highest militarized zone globally, where soldiers contend with frostbite and high winds.

We lead peaceful lives knowing our brave soldiers stand steadfast at the borders.

Tailpiece.

Got up half an hour before my usual time, opened up the house, lit the lamp at the puja room, worked the motor to pump up water into the overhead tank and put on the music.

Sajeesh came and gave me a haircut and massage.

The maid had come for work and it was a quiet Tuesday.

The Radhakrishnans came by in the evening to offer condolences on Sanil's passing away.

  

Appropriate during election time...

A ll the

B eloved

C itizens come and do your

D uty to

E nsure that your

F uture is in

G enuine and responsible

H ands which is so

I mportant.

J ust

K eep your

L ong leave plans aside and

M ake sure you will

N ot miss the

O pportunity of

P ressing the button

Q uietly thereby discharging your

R esponsibility. Also

S pread the message

T o the 

U naware

V oters as to not

W aste their

X tremely important vote and do

Y our bit in building the future of

this

Z ealous nation

My take

Vote and spread the importance of voting.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 4, the chores, an early bath and we were ready by 7. All of us left for Raj Nivas where the land measurement was scheduled to commence at a half past 7. However, we'd gouged into the idiappam-stew-appam breakfast and tea brought by the caretaker.

The surveyors were late and to make matters worse, their machine had problems which had to be taken to Adoor for repairs. They'd returned by a half past 10.

Meanwhile, we'd dropped Mini and Ammu back at Ayoor and shaped our journey to Guruvayur. Lunch at Bharath Restaurant at Muvattupuzha around 2.

Reached The Quarterdeck by a half past 5. Settled down to a quiet evening.     

Earlier, had sent Kannan and the car back home without wastage of time.                                                                                                                    

The right response to 'idiotic' suggestions'.

Our lordships and milords keep quoting western democracies, at the drop of a hat. They should take heed that military is about winning wars, not providing equal opportunity or breaking the purported glass ceiling.

Trey Gowdy, South Carolina Congressman, recently responded to a reporter about the military in response to a question from a CNN reporter about the DoD ban of transgenders from joining the US armed forces. As Trey typically does so very well, he nailed it rather succinctly.

Q. How can President Trump claim to represent all US citizens, regardless of sexual orientation, when he banned transgenders from joining the military? Isn't that discrimination?

Trey Gowdy's response.

"Nobody has a right to serve in the Military. Nobody! What makes you people think the Military is an equal opportunity employer? It is very far from it - and for good reasons - let me cite a few".

"The Military uses prejudice regularly and consistently from joining for being too old or too young, too fat or skinny, too tall or too short. Citizens are denied having for having flat feet, or for missing or additional fingers". He went on to explain, "By the way, poor eyesight will disqualify you, as well as bad teeth. Malnourished? Drug addiction? Bad back? Criminal history? Low IQ? Anxiety? Phobias? Hearing damage? Six arms? Hear voices in your head? Self-identification as a Unicorn? Need a special access ramp for your wheelchair?"

"Can't run the required course in the required time? Can't do the required number of push-ups? Not really a morning person? And refuse to get out of bed before noon? All can be legitimate reasons for denial!"

"The Military has one job : Winning War.. Anything else is a distraction and a liability. Did someone just scream? That isn't fair? War is very unfair, there are no exceptions made for being special or challenged or socially wonderful".

"You must change yourself to meet Military standards and not the other way around".

"I say again : You don't change the Military - you must change yourself. The military is not about being fair, it is about taking advantage of others and about winning.

The Military doesn't need to accommodate anyone with special issues. The Military needs to Win Wars and keep our country safe - PERIOD!"

"If any of your personal issues are a liability that detract from readiness or lethality... Thank you for applying and good luck in future endeavours".

"......any other questions?"

My take

What clear perceptions! Wish we, too, displayed such clear thinking!

Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, the chores. Recited my prayers and exercised.

A quiet Sunday.

Set off around a half past 4 in the evening to the Kottarakkara Maha Ganapathy kshetram, Padinjaattinkara Siva kshetram, pulled out money from the ATM, went to the Anchu Murthy kshetram and Chandra maman's house.

A lovely dinner and a comparatively early evening. 

   

Sanil has mingled with the elements.

The day had begun at 3 AM, thanks to Lekha's cellphone alarm and we went about our chores in right earnest. Lekha had provided tea at the appropriate time and all of us were ready by a half past 5. A Creta and Sanil's car were pressed into service for the 12 of us.

We reached the Varkala beach after an hour. The arrangements for the 'bali tharpanam' have been streamlined and this was our first trip after the immersion of Mom's ashes in Sep 2016.

Ammu had gone through the entire procedure with Mini being by her side. It was a poignant moment and by a half past 8, the earthenware urn carrying Sanil's ashes was tipped above her head by Ammu, into the Arabian Sea.

Sanil had intermingled with the elements and has become memory!

Sadgati bhava!

Tailpiece.

Since the eatery was taking time to 'arrive', we'd gone into Sreedharan Nair-Sreekumari's house to relieve ourselves. Had a bountiful of dates and bananas, satisfying the hunger albeit for a short while. We, finally, had our breakfast at the Paravoor 'kambolam'.

Sanil's car had sprung a puncture and some time was taken to get it okay.

Rema and Padmakumar left an hour after lunch after I'd reiterated that the four of us would always be there for Mini!

A quiet evening.  

Kudos to high morals!

When the Titanic sank, it carried millionaire John Jacob Astor IV. The money in his bank account was enough to build 30 Titanics. However, faced with mortal danger, he chose what he deemed morally right and gave up his spot in a lifeboat to save two frightened children.

Millionaire Isidor Straus, co-owner of the largest American chain of department stores, "Macy's", who was also on the Titanic, said "I'll never enter a lifeboat before other men".

His wife, Ida Strauss, also refused to board the lifeboat, giving her spot  to her newly appointed maid, Ellen Bird. She decided to spend her last moments of life with her husband.

These wealthy individuals preferred to part with their wealth and even their lives rather than compromise their moral principles. Their choice in favour of moral values highlighted the brilliance of human nature.

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time and watched Mini go through the paces of the 'bali tharpanam'. The crows played truant, today, too.

Today was the 'pulakuli adiyanthiram'. Most of Sanil's family had come by; about 49 people had food ordered from outside.

A quiet evening!     

Luxury reviewed and re-defined.

In the 1960s a car was a luxury..

In the '70s a television was a luxury..

In the '80s a telephone was a luxury..

In the '90s a computer was a luxury..

But today spending time in 

absence of all these is a luxury..

Luxury is no more going on a 

cruise trip or eating food

prepared by a renowned chef..

Luxury is eating fresh organic

food grown in your own 

backyard..

Luxury is not having an elevator

in your house.

Luxury is the ability to climb 3-4

storeys of stairs without

difficulty..

Luxury is not the ability to afford

a huge refrigerator.

Luxury is the ability to eat freshly

cooked food 2-3 times a day...

Luxury is not having a home

theatre system and watching the

Himalayan expedition.

Luxury is physically experiencing 

the Himalayan expedition..

Luxury is not getting treatment

from the most expensive hospital

So what is a Luxury now..??

Being healthy.,

Being happy.,

Having a loving family.,

being with loving friends.,

living in an unpolluted place.,

Luxury is inhaling fresh air.,

Luxury is getting pure water.,

Luxury is to get sunshine.,

and above all heartful of

laughter.

Have a Luxurious Life filled with

Happy moments.

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, watched Ammu go through the paces of the 'bali tharpanam' and crows continuing to play truant today, too.

Letha and sa'arthi, Kannan pick up Lekha and go visiting their cousin, Priya's house at Nangiarkulangara. They returned by teatime.

High tea with a lovely dish of tapioca made by the Mini and Rema.

Met Jailal, an ex-BSF constable, who narrated his terrorist encounter experience with a bullet shrapnel piercing through his right elbow and a grenade exploding just above his head almost simultaneously! The poor guy is now grappling with a varicose vein surgery, concluded just a month back. 

 

African proverbs.

  1. Respect the fools to avoid noise.

  2. A person who sells eggs should not start a fight in the market.

  3. No matter how far an eagle flies up the sky, it will definitely come down to look for food.

  4. A monkey that eats grass instead of banana is a goat.

  5. No matter how hot our anger may be, it cannot cook beans.

  6. Don't mistake a short man for a boy.

  7. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.

  8. We cannot convince a monkey that honey is sweeter than a banana.

  9. When the mouse laughs at the cat, there is a hole nearby.

10. A man who drives his father's car is not entitled to speak in a council of men who own bicycles.

11. Men would not tell lies if women asked fewer questions.

12. Everything happens for a reason. But sometimes the reason is that we're stupid and we make bad

      decisions.  

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time and saw Ammu go through the paces of the 'bali tharpanam'; the crows didn't play ball today, too. The chores and was ready by 11 AM.

A quiet Wednesday.

Rema and Padmakumar fetched up in the evening.

India-China border dispute.

Beyond the hype the reality of the LAC!

Talk of land loss in eastern Ladakh is gross exaggeration. Indian forces gave a fitting response to premeditated Chinese aggression in 2020. New government must continue to work on de-escalation.

The clamour of considerable land being lost to China in eastern Ladakh is political hyperbole - an agenda-driven narrative to bolster electoral prospects on national security grounds. The issue was raised in August last year by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi but no studies or expertise are available to verify such claims.

Ladakh has been and will continue to remain a serious flashpoint. There are no borders here except a 1,597 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), a notional demarcation separating India and China since 1962. Even the LAC is not well defined. Both countries have differing perceptions. The patrolling is done till 65 earmarked Patrol Points (PPs) stretching from Karakoram to Chumur. The recent dispute points occurred at PP9, 10, 11, 12, 12A and 13 in Depsang, PP14 in Galwan, PP15 and PP16 in Hot Springs/ Chang Chenmo and PP17 and 17A in Gogra.

Chushul-Pangong sector

In the Chushul-Pangong sector, the situation in the Sirijap range on the north bank of Pangong, where Finger series 1 to 8 jut out, is stable. In May 2020, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) entered the Finger 3-4 are to prevent Indian troops from patrolling. After the disengagement agreement in Feb 2021, the status quo prior to May 2020vis being restored.

Kailash range

In the Kailash range, the PLA's provocative move in early Sep 2020 to capture Nyanlung Yokma/Gongma or the Kailash Heights, at an altitude of 15,000 feet located between Pangong Tso and Spanggur Gap, was foiled by the Indian Army in a major pre-emptive strategic maneuvering. Peace was restored after both sides agreed to disengage from north and south Pangong Tso in Feb 2021.

Chang Chenmo valley

PLA's intrusions in Galwan Valley, Changlung Nalla, Hot Springs and Kongrung Nalla of Chang Chenmo valley, where it had created area denial for Indian troops, are also relatively peaceful now. Both sides agreed to disengage in 2020.

The situation in the Gogra-Hot Springs area remained volatile until 08 Sep 2022, when both sides agreed to disengage. There are no forward deployments in this area though a buffer zone is being created with new patrolling norms. All temporary structures have been dismantled. However, the situation in the PP15 area remains tense as China is still adamant about restoring pre-Apr 2020 position.

Depsang and Demchok

Currently, only Depsang and Demchok remain points of friction, predating the 2020 stand-off. Since 2009, the PLA has frequently made offensive moves from Track Junction Nallah to the south at Burtse/Depsang Plains. In 2011, PLA built a 30 km road Raki Nallah to cut into the Depsang Plains. In 2013, Burtse became a flashpoint when the PLA set up remote camps 18-19 km inside Indian territory, preventing Indian patrolling from PP10, PP11, PP12 and PP13. The Shyam Saran Report of Aug 2013 made a chilling revelation of India having lost 640 sq km area due to "area denial" by the PLA.

Since 2019, the PLA has blocked the Bottleneck area, restricting India's patrolling limits to PP10 and PP11. The Chinese road construction along Jeevan Nallah towards the south, adjacent to our Murgo post, could potentially cut off supply line to the DBO at Murgo, like in the case of Galwan. Experts suggest that the Chinese are in control of 600-800 sq km of the southern half of Depsang Plains. The situation here remains complicated and deadlocked. Therefore, complete disengagement has been elusive.

In Demchok, the PLA has been violating LAC at Charding-Nilung Mallah (CNN) junction since 2018, obstructing Indian patrolling to that point. The dispute is stalemated.

As for Ladakhi Changpas losing grazing ground, their movements were restricted along the LAC because of heavy militarisation by the Chinese as well as Indian armies. India has shored up its defences, inducting artillery brigades, after the 2013 Depsang episode.

Infrastructure upgrades

One cannot overlook the fact that infrastructure in eastern Ladakh has been ramped up in recent years. Earlier, the Chinese bullied and coerced India because of the latter's lax attitude and grabbed a chunk of Ladakh territory between the 1960s and 1990s. The situation has changed now. India had stepped up construction activities under the UPA government but the projects were mired in corruption and scams. 

The BJP government has fast-tracked the connectivity projects, including the 260 km long Shyok-DBO road that was completed on a war footing. DBO can be reached from Dorbuk in eight hours now which gives Indian troops a major advantage in the difficult terrain.

India's growing dominance in far-flung areas has been one of the key factors that forced the PLA to react differently, accusing India of transgressions on the LAC and provoking the Galwan stand-off in 2020.

Our aviation infrastructure has also been upgraded after reactivating all the abandoned Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) at DBO, Fukche and Nyoma. The Nyoma ALG is being upgraded into a full-fledged airfield capable of operating cargo as well as fighter jets. This will boost the security of eastern Ladakh apart from the economic development of the Changthang region.

Fitting response to Chinese aggression

In all, one cannot deny that the Indian forces gave a befitting response to premeditated Chinese aggression and denied China a strategic victory in 2020. Beijing has been made to realise the cost of engaging in misadventures.

Certainly, the LAC situation remains in a stalemate, although the 21st round of Corps Commander-level meetings was held in February to reduce tension in the region.

The accusation of losing massive areas, therefore is a gross exaggeration. Technically, there has been no intrusion on our side of the LAC. The discrepancies have occurred only in the grey-zone patrolling areas due to differences in LAC perception. Both sides should grasp fresh opportunities to revive the stalled process of clarifying the LAC after the new government is formed in New Delhi.

Courtesy. P Stobdan, President, Ladakh International Centre, Leh

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, watched Ammu go through the paces of the 'bali tharpanam'. The crows didn't play ball today, too, despite Mini, preparing and offering Sanil's favourite - peas masala!

The chores and was ready by a half past 10 when Subi had arrived in his car. We went off to Raj Nivas to see the progress of work - he has done a neat job and should take the next week to complete it. We, then, rushed to Dr Hareendra Babu to get his advice on Lekha's lingering cough. Went to the supermarket, More for groceries.

Reached home by lunch time. Subi left, soon after.

A noisy evening - for Mini's good, of course - as Sanil's relatives had fetched up.  

 

7 Short Stories.

Each may change our attitude towards life and make us a better person.

Looking back

I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I'm working on for my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said.....Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile.

Love conquers pain

After I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him and crying. And just before he died, he licked the tears off my face.

Togetherness

As my father, my three brothers and two sisters stood around my mother's hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, "I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often."

Affection

I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. About 5 seconds after he passed, I realised it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy.

Joy

When I witnessed a 27-year-old cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter's antics, I suddenly realised that I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again.

Kindness

A boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me. He helped me all the way across the campus to my class and as he was leaving he said, "I hope you feel better soon."

Sharing

I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he hadn't eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich  he was eating. The first thing the man said was, "We can share it."

My take

Make it a principle of your life.....Celebrate life with gratitude.

Beautiful beyond words,

Grateful for the thoughts,

Leaving a divine feel of care,

compassion and selflessness.... 

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time and watched Ammu go through the paces of the 'bali tharpanam'. The crows refrained from partaking the offering today, too. Mithun had gone early morning for work and hence, I accompanied her to the nearest brook for disposing off the offering.

A quiet Monday.

Went about our chores, as usual.

Stop press

IIT Kharagpur has created National Digital Library for students for all subjects. Below is the link :

                     ndl.iitkgp.ac.in 

Serious Maths and English jokes...

Head breaker. Maths jokes and puns.

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

       Because he would have to convert.

  2. Why do plants hate Math?

       It gave them square roots.

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

      It was a mean thing to say.

  4. Why was the Math book depressed?

      It had a lot of problems.

  5. Why is the oldest triangle always so frustrated?

       Because it is never right.

  6. Why can you never trust a Math teacher holding graphing paper?

      They must be plotting something.

  7. Why was the equal sign so humble?

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

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

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

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

      A roamin' numeral.

10. Did you hear the one about the statistician?

      Probably.

11. What do you call dudes who love math?

      Algebros.

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

      But graphing is where I draw the line!

13. Why should you never talk to Pi?

      Because she'll go on and on forever.

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

      It's a shame they'll never meet.

15. Are monsters good at math?

      Not unless you Count Dracula.

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

      Use acute angle.

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

      They'd stop at nothing to avoid them.

18. How do you stay warm in any room?

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

19. Why is six afraid of seven?

      Because eight ("ate") nine!

20. Why does nobody talk to circles?

      Because there is no point.

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time to watch Ammu going through the paces of the bali tharpanam. Today, too, the offering was finally disposed off at the brook.

The chores and was ready by a half past 11.

A quiet evening.

      

The history of Baisakhi.

While the Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi across India, the rest of India wonders if it is all about doing bhangra and dancing. No, it is not. Baisakhi holds a lesson for all Indians.....especially in this day and age....

On this day in 1699, in a congregation of people from all across India....standing there listening to their Guru, Sree Gobind Rai. Gobind Rai ji asked for human sacrifice of five men one after the other. Five men from different castes from different parts of India stood up from the crowd of thousands:-

       

     * A shopkeeper, baniya called Daya Ram from Lahore.         

     * A farmer, jat called Dharam Das from Meerut.

     * A so called low-caste water carrier, called Himmat Rai from Puri, Orissa.

     * A tailor, of Cheemba caste called Mukham Chand from Dwarka, Gujarat

     * A barber, of naai caste called Sahib Chand from Bidar, Karnataka.

With his choice of disciples from five different corners of India, Gobind Rai ji visualised the national dream....from the coast of Gujarat along eastern Arabian Sea to coasts of Orissa along the Bay of Bengal; from the great plains of Punjab to the Ganjetic Plain and then onto the Deccan peninsula covering Karnataka.

Do not forget that at that time, all those were separate states; it was Guru Gobind Singh ji that thought of all of them as one....this Baisakhi day of 1699.

With the choicest of disciples from five different caste-groups, he visualised an integrated, classless society. The five were christened as the First Five Khalsa Sikhs and the five in turn christened their Guru as the sixth. Gobind Rai was now Gobind Singh ji. All caste names and surnames were dropped and a common surname was proposed for all Indians across India; a surname that denoted a caste-less, class-less creed of men willing to sacrifice themselves for the nation and against injustice.

And the Swaroop he chose for the class-less people was an amalgamation of the ancient Indian thought of Rishis (as mentioned bt Guru Gobind Singh in the Sarbloh Granth) and the Kshatriya tradition of Warriors, hence the jooda, the hair and the talwar. The concept of Miri-Piri was coded in the dress-system of this new society envisioned by him. A group of people who were strong in Miri (physical strength and material possessions) and Piri (spiritual strength and humility).

So, the five so called lower castes were given the temporal  strength of a Rishi (a Brahmin citadel till then) and the Physical responsibilities of a Kshatriya ( a duty till then limited to the Rajputs). This motley group of people uprooted Afghan and Mughal rule from the entire north India from the Yamuna to the Khyber pass, such was the power of this vision.

And this was the Indian that he envisioned, from the five corners of this nation. Guru Gobind Singh ji was a visionary par excellence. His vision has been diluted and limited to Sikhism, that is a travesty.

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, the chores and saw Ammu going through the paces of the bali tharpanam. Today, too, the crows didn't fetch up and hence, the offering was passed into the flowing brook, close by.

Recited my prayers, exercised and was ready by a half past 11. To Ayoor to fetch sundries.

In the evening, dropped Mini's friend Prasanna and her granddaughter, Vismaya at their house, met her daughter, Soorya and her mother, the 94-year-old Devaki Amma, who was truly excited when I touched her feet while taking leave!

A comparatively early night.

 

Thought provoking statements!

* Evaluate the people in your life; then promote, demote or terminate. You're the CEO of your life.

* 3 Power habits to elevate your life

      

      - Encourage instead of criticising

      - Understand instead of judging

      - Initiate instead of waiting

* I don't regret things I did wrong. I regret the good things I did for the wrong people.

* Sometimes in life everything goes smoothly

   And sometimes the unexpected happens

   The important thing is knowing how to turn

      problems into opportunities.

* Always take extra care of three things in life

   PROMISE, FRIENDSHIP & RELATIONSHIP

   Because they don't make noise

   But when they break they create silence.

* Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

   I took the one less traveled by,

   And that has made all the difference.

* The life that you are living now,

   Is also a dream of millions.

   So always be satisfied with your life....

   Be happy in every moment of your life.

* We pray for our situation to change.

   We forget that the situation was designed

       for us to change.

* Everything is easy

   when you are busy

   Nothing is easy

   when you are lazy.

* It makes a difference in your life 

   when you stay positive.

      

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time and watched Ammu go through the ceremonies.

Went to the ICICI branch at Anchal to clear the vexed issue of clearing my credit card bill payment of Mar, today being the last day; Mithun had chauffeured me. Can you believe that their complete system had gone for a bunt? Rincy, the cashier went out of her way to help me. damn sweet of her. Sent her a thank you note, after reaching home after she'd reported "All clear, sir".

Everyone had gone away. Rema and Padmakumar had gone to Pidavoor; will return after the weekend.

The work on the boundary wall at Raj Nivas has been delayed due to thundershowers over the past two days and this evening, too, there's a threat!

This evening, the house has just Mini, Ammu, Mithun, Lekha and me! 

India posts DAs to several new nations.

Dateline 11 Apr

India has begun to post military and defence attaches to several new countries, in a big move to expand strategic ties with key regions across the globe and also push arms exports.

15 - 16 Army, Navy and Air Force attaches are being posted to countries like Poland, Armenia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and the Philippines after "some rationalisation" by cutting down on the number of military officials posted at large missions in Russia, the UK and France.

Some of them have already joined their new posts. In the next phase, 10 entirely new defence wings will be created in different countries, with a particular focus on nations to which arms can be exported.

A special area of interest is Africa, which is in line with the stepped-up military outreach to the to the continent where China has made huge strategic inroads. Apart from the ongoing combat exercises, military exchanges and training programs with African countries. India is now trying to export indigenou Tejas fighters, Pinaka multi-launch rocket systems, missiles and Akash air defence systems to African Countries.

Among other African countries like Tanzania, Mozambique and Ivory Coast, the small but strategically located Djibouti will also get an Indian defence attache now.

The former Soviet republic of Armeniahas also emerged as a major arms exports destination, with deals inked for Pinaka rockets, Akash missiles, ammunition and the like, a few of them coming even during its clash with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. A defence attache is especially posted to Armenia for the first time.

With an eye on China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea, Indais has also been steadily stepping up military ties with Asean countries. This led to the $375 million contract for three anti-ship coastal batteries of the BrahMos missiles being inked with the Philippines in Jan 2022.

India wants this first-ever BrahMos export order  to pave the way for more such deals with the Philippines as well as other Asean countries like Indonesia and Vietnam.

India is also trying to export the single engine-Tejas fighter to countries like the Philippines, Nigeria, Argentina and Egypt. India's bid to sell it to Malaysia, however, had failed last year with the Royal Malaysian Air Force picking South Korean supersonic fighter KAI FA-50 made by Korean Aerospace Industries.

Courtesy. Rajat Pandit @timesgroup.com

Tailpiece.

Got up a half past 5, to be in time for Sanil's Sanchayanam, that began at 7.

The elaborate ceremony took about two hours to finish. Sanil's charred bones were collected and put into a receptacle, which was placed at a spot got readied for the purpose.

Aravi maman, Radha mami, Rajan maman, Aniyan had come from Kottayam, Kala from Kayamkulam and Kannan, from Ernakulam had attended the function.

By evening, after all the guests had departed, the house wore an empty look.

Thundershowers followed by a long power interruption. Luckily, it was restored a trifle after we'd hit the sack.

Bhakti.

Not by the study of Vedas and

sacrifices, not even by rituals,

nor by severe austerities, can I

be known in My absolute form.

Then what is the use of these

disciplines?

Your nature is already divine. Any

amount of action does not make 

it any more divine.

Work only purifies your mind and

prepares the ground for you to

realise that divinity in you. That is

bhakti.

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, the chores and was ready by 9.

Aniyan and Ambili dropped by and I couldn't complete reciting my prayers. It was nice seeing them after a long while.

Getting ready for the Sanchayanam, tomorrow. Of course, work done by the others.

Venu and Vidya come by; seeing them, too, after a long while.

 

A comparatively early evening.

India's indigenous satellite.

Tata's military-grade satellite successfully placed into orbit. Built by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) at its Vemagal facility in Karnataka, the TSAT-1A was on board the Bandwagon-1 mission launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in Florida.

India's first military grade geospatial satellite manufactured in the private sector has been successfully launched and placed in orbit, with full functionality expected to be achieved within a few months.

The sub-metre resolution imaging satellite has given a signal that it is in the right orbit and tests will be run on it for the next few weeks before it is fully functional, TASL said.

The satellite will provide military grade imagery with high resolution of less than one metre per pixel that will be downloaded and processed at a ground centre in India that is being built by TASL.

While India has a few military spy satellites built by ISRO, this is the first such initiative in the private sector.

TASL plans to put up a constellation of such satellites in the future and its manufacturing facility is geared to produce up to 25 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites annually. The satellites are being manufactured in collaboration with Satellogic Inc, a leader in sub-metre resolution earth observation satellites.

Courtesy. The Economic Times app

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Began reciting my prayers after a lapse of four days and included Sanil in my prayers.

A quiet day. Met many people who'd dropped by to inquire about Sanil's untimely end.

Padmakumar and Rema fetched up back from Pidavoor.

A comparatively early evening. 

Why does God make good people suffer?

No, God neither gives suffering nor joy to anyone. These are the creations of one's own karma. God only delivers the result.

Let us take the case of Bhishma. Why did he get the boon of 'ichha mrityu'?

He was a devotee and a mahatma. Then why did he have to suffer on the bed of arrows for 50 days?

The answer for both is the same. To atone for the sins in this life itself. For Bhishma there was the prarabda which had to be exhausted. He had to delay his death till it was exhausted. Bhishma being wise, welcomed it.

Even good people come into this world with prarabda. It has nothing to do with the present goodness.

If one becomes wise, he does not lament the suffering. He takes both happiness and sorrow in the same stride. For him the delay is only till the prarabda lasts.

That explains why even saints like, Ramana maharishi suffered cancer.

Only God, as incarnation, suffer no bodily ailment, for he has no prarabda. So, we see Rama and Krishna willingly giving up bodies.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 8. Achu ferried us to Hareendra Babu's clinic. He was late, we met him and he'd ordered for cbc and crp tests. 

We, then, went to Pidavoor to drop Padmakumar and Rema, collected our washed clothes and went to the More outlet to collect grocery.

Met the doctor again for the prognosis and medicines.

And we returned to Anjanam.

A quiet day, subsequently. 

One line humour.

* Regular naps prevent old age especially if you take them while driving.

* Having one child makes you a parent; having two you are a referee.

* Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the other is the husband!

* I believe we should all pay our tax with a smile. I tried - but they wanted cash.

* A child's greatest period of growth is the month after you've purchased new school uniforms.

* Don't feel bad. A lot of people have no talent.

* Don't marry the person you want to live with, marry the one you cannot live without but whatever you

   do, you'll regret it later.

* You can't buy love but you pay heavily for it.

* Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.

* Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.

* Marriage is give and take. You'd better give it to her or she'll take it anyway.

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, the chores and was ready around 9.

Soman's family had dropped by and befriended members of Sanil's family.

Interviewed by Neha Mhatre from Bangalore, regarding the IPKF Operations in Sri Lanka.

  

Wonderfully true!

  Dateline 06 Apr.

   1. Inspite of many colours, white is considered class.

   2. Inspite of so many voices and sounds, silence is considered ultimate.

   3 Inspite of so much to eat, fasting is considered healthy.

   4. Inspite of so much to travel and explore, meditating under trees and on mountains is considered 

       superior.

   5. Inspite of so much to see, closing your eyes and looking within is apex.

   6. Inspite of listening to all the outside world, voice from inside you is eternal.

   7. Inspite of a sweet charming life, a peaceful soul is solace and divine.

      Trust your senses. Live a great life.

 

A final farewell.

Dateline 05 Apr

Had spent the night at the flat-that-was-hired-for use-after-the-transplant, close to the KIMS hospital. Though all of us were dog tired, Sanil's memories kept us chatting till well past midnight.

Earlier, we'd overseen the shifting of Sanil's body from the ICU to the morgue and completed the formalities so that we could take off early in the morning itself.

Got up at 4, went through our chores and was ready by 5. The ambulance - actually, the hearse - left the hospital's premises a trifle after 5. And we sped towards Ayoor.

We were at Mini's house much before 8 and Sanil was lying in state, immediately thereafter. People came trickling almost continuously. Meanwhile the preparations for the cremation were in progress.

Around 2, the body after being accorded the farewell ceremonies, was placed on the pyre and Sanil was consigned to the flames. Ammu had lit the pyre.

A quiet evening thereafter. We'd gone across to Raj Nivas to collect our luggage as we were gonna be at 'Anjanam' for the next fortnight to enable Mini, Ammu and Mithun to tide over theses stressful times.

A comparatively early evening.  

Adieu Sanil!

Dateline 04 Apr

My younger brother-in-law and Mini’s husband, PG Sanil Kumar passed into the mist of time this evening around a half past seven. He was in the transplant ICU of the KIMS Hospital, plugged on to a ventilator, since 26 Mar after he’d spat blood that lowered his haemoglobin and albumin. He was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver.

He was the VP and the HoD, Mathematics at the Padmakshi Seshadri Public School, Bangalore at the time of his retirement two years back. A Mathematics-teacher-par-excellence, he was respected and loved by his students for his professional acumen and teaching ability. His diverse knowledge in any topic was phenomenal, as he did a lot of reading.

He’s the eldest of three sons of the late Gangadharan Pillai and Padmavathy Amma, both excellent teachers. The former retired as the Principal of his school while the latter retired as the DEO.

Mini and Sanil have a daughter, Shamily aka Ammu. She was keen to donate a part of her liver to her dad but he was not in a condition to undergo the surgery.

Om Shanti! Sadgati.

Happiness chemicals.

Dopamine (The reward chemical)

* Complete a task

* Listen to music

* Eat good food

* Self-care activities

Oxytocin (The love hormone)

* Hug someone

* Play with pet or baby

* Get a massage

Seratonin (The mood stabilizer)

* Go for a run

* Sun exposure

* Walk in nature

* Meditation

Endorphins (The pain killer)

* Exercise

* Watch a comedy

* Eat dark chocolate

* Sauna

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, opened up the house, lit up the lamp in the puja room, the chores, recited my prayers, exercises and was ready by a half past 10.

To Dr Hareendra Babu for Lekha's review and my medicines.

A quiet evening.

Why no Animal or Bird can cross this line.

The mysterious Wallace Line

The line runs through Indonesia, such as Makassar Strait between Borneo and Sulawesi (Celebes) and through the Lombok Strit between Bali and Lombok, where the distance is strikingly small, only about 35 kilometers (22 miles) but enough for a contrast in species present on each island. The complex biogeography of the Indo-Australian Archipelago is a result of its location at the merging point of four major tectonic plates and other semi-isolated microplates in combination with ancient sea levels. Those caused the isolation of different taxonomic groups on islands at present relatively close to each other. 

Wallace's line is one of the many boundaries drawn by naturalists and biologists since the mid-1800s intended to delineate constraints on the distribution of the fauna and flora of the archipelago.

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time. The chores and was ready by a half past 9.

Rema and Padmakumar arrive by a half past 10. Letha, Archa and Devootty, along with Kannan reached by lunch time. We celebrated Rema's birthday by the Malayalam calendar.

Spoke to Mini, Mithun and Ammu regarding prolonging Sanil's stay at the ventilator. Spoke to them with clarity, though I'd reiterated that it's their wish that will be factored in.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Supreme Court refuses interim relief.

SC refuses to grant interim relief to Kerala in the borrowing limits case. The court has referred the larger question of whether a state can sue the Centre over fiscal issues to a constitution bench.

The Supreme Court has stated that the state has got substantial relief. The dispute between the two sides reached the top court in December after talks failed to yield results. A bench of justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan heard the two sides after Kerala rejected an offer by the Centre, allowing it an advanced and additional borrowing space of Rs.5,000 crores in the current fiscal on the grounds that it is insufficient. The first offer was made in Feb 2024. Kerala sought an advance borrowing of Rs.15,000 crores.

Timeline of the case

In its plea, Kerala alleged that the Centre was arbitrarily imposing a net borrowing ceiling, limiting the amount it could raise, leading to an urgent requirement of around Rs.26,000 crore to meet its financial obligations.

The LDF government has accused the union finance ministry of imposing a net borrowing ceiling in a manner that limits it from raising funds from all sources, including open market.

The Centre reduced the Net Borrowing Ceiling of the state by introducing aspects into the "borrowing", which otherwise are not considered "borrowings", it alleged.

The Centre said the Union has long relied on Articles 293 (3) and 294 (4) of the Constitution to control spending and borrowing by states. The limit is recommended by the Finance Commission based on a pre-approved formula.

According to the 15th Finance Commission's recommendations, the upper limit of states' borrowings can be set at 3.5% of their GSDP for FY24 and FY25. For the current fiscal year, 0.5% of the ceiling was linked to power sector reforms.

Courtesy. moneycontrol

My take

Kerala's case in the first place itself was a losing game! It's close to a Sri Lanka-like situation with regards to its fiscal health. It had better listen to the union government and follow prudent fiscal measures within the federal structure!

Tailpiece.

Got up at my usual time, the chores and was ready by a half past 10.

No change in outlook regarding Sanil's condition.

No television for the second day.